#see Dream didn’t have to do that to be his only friend… he’s not all bad. j mean trusting Tommy with his items if pretty noteworthy too

[bitchlessdino]

Good Roommates Don't (m)

for @ddeonghwa-s secret cupid collab i recieved you @haologram! Secret Cupid Masterlist found here!

Pairing: roommate! Minghao x barista!afab!reader Word count: 14.1k rating: R Summary: Xu Minghao had been the most ethereal being you've ever laid your eyes on to the point being unable of functioning like a normal person, but now you're roommates. Only time will tell when you lose your mind keeping your hands to yourself, so there needed to be a list of things you don't do if you wanted to be a good roommate. tags: meet-ugly, strangers to roommates to lovers, college au, barista au, down bad!reader, mentions of band, brief bdsm, mc fell first he fell harder, cum swapping, spitting, oral (giving and receiving), face riding, unprotected sex author note: thank you @lovetaroandtaemin and @gyubakeries beta-reading this with me. after writing towtsyfdtotbycf (holy shit) i was in a little bit of a slump and had several and i mean SEVERAL versions of this and for months racked my brain how i wanted to do this. Alta, i care for you deeply and we've gotten close in the last year or so, so i really wanted to write something that would amuse you and that you'd enjoy. and if you hate it you can use it as leverage to berate me on discord lol. but please, my valentine, enjoy my gift to you. happy Valentines day Alta (and tell me was i really not that slick) <3

When you first met Minghao, you almost killed him trying to save his life. At least, that's what you thought you were doing.

All you had to do was bear a normal shift at the Coffee Shop, attempt a semblance of a smile for the oncoming customers, and clock out at your normal hour, but the universe couldn’t even give you that. Instead, they sent you the hottest guy imaginable, along with the swiftness of a gazelle, the strength of a gorilla, and the intuition of a garden gnome. That day just confirmed that some things were better left alone.

A few things were already going wrong that day. For one, your alarm didn't go off. The alarm being your mom, who usually kicked you out of bed first thing at 9 am, since she had a doctor’s appointment. Fair enough. The strings of fate got you there. All the more reason why moving out seemed like a distant dream rather than a close reality. Were you really capable of being a functioning adult? 

Then there was the bus and having to shell out twenty bucks for a Lyft when the next scheduled bus was reported to have broken down and was no longer an option. That twenty bucks could’ve been your meal for the next week, but no, being fiscally responsible was a circus act, and you were the clown being pied in the face repeatedly. As if you weren’t already putting on a face and juggling multiple things enough on a daily basis, today was no different. 

And then, you were late to work—which again, was nothing new—but you were hoping that Nayeon, who was scheduled as the shift manager, she’d let you off with a warning. Yet, somehow, that went wrong as well, seeing that the shittier manager on your shift, Manager Fi, was present instead. And, by the look in the old man's eyes, he wasn’t happy about it either, especially considering he assigned you bathroom duty for the end of your shift to make up for your tardiness. He never liked you since you started. Then again, he didn’t like anybody, and vice versa.

This morning was bad omen after bad omen.

Leading up to finally meeting Minghao—tall, scorchingly hot Minghao, , with lips that looked soft as clouds. You hadn’t seen him around before until today, and perhaps it should’ve stayed that way, because you couldn’t see yourself facing him ever again.

He walked in with his large group of friends, all almost nearly as charming as him with a handful of faces that you’ve seen once or twice, but none that stood quite out like his. He had the kind of face that made you want to paint murals, write ballads, or stare long enough to linger too long over the same spot you were cleaning on the counter, windshield wiping until the wet streaks you wiped off devolved to discoloration and damaged the countertop’s cheap sealant. Eventually, you averted your gaze to conceal your flushed cheeks—turning away in clear embarrassment, thinking about how much of a fucking creep you probably looked overtly gawking at him—but you’d soon realized that was the least of your worries. You’d soon wish it ended with you looking like a creep.

The next moment you lifted your eyes towards him again, you found him in a compromising position, one that had you thinking—and that was your first mistake. His face twisted with discomfort, and he gasped as he covered his mouth. A million thoughts raced through your mind, considering all the possible reasons for his distress, and one screamed the loudest above all, setting off alarm bells. So you—being meddling and troublesome you—acted on instinct.

Hopping over the counter, you raced towards him, pulled him off the booth which he was luckily on the edge of, and immediately attempted the Heimlich. Finally, your CPR certification could be put to use. You embraced him from behind, putting pressure on his ribcage as you launched and thrust yourself against him, forcing whatever was lodged in his throat out of his body.

“I’ve got you!” you exclaimed heroically.

You put in as much strength as you could muster, truly hoping to save a life today, thinking out of all things that have gone wrong today, at least this would be one thing you’ve done right. You could feel your ancestors looking down on you to witness a proud moment in your otherwise boring and mundane life. 

After several rough collisions with his body, he eventually spat something chewed up and unsightly onto the booth’s table, drawing the attention of several onlookers if your boisterous shouting hadn’t already. His friends were quick to look away, wincing in disgust while the cute boy doubled over in pain, holding himself by the ribs as you ran your eyes over at him in concern.

“Are you alright, sir? That must’ve been terrifying to suffocate on something so suddenly.”

He then finally lifted his head. His cheeks were flushed as anguish took over his features. “I wasn’t choking,” He rasped.

“...Come again?”

“Oh my god!” A third-party witness stood up dramatically from their seat. “This barista just saved this young man’s life!”

Suddenly, you were punished with attention, cheers specifically. All except the people who sat at the cute boy’s table clapped for you—or, rather at you now—and gave you standing ovations for your grand heroic act, when in fact, it wasn’t heroic at all. Meanwhile, you attempted to settle them down, flapping your hands dismissively and growing hot all over. You looked over the man you so-called saved as he strained to sit back in his seat, being tended by the friends he came with.

“Dude, you okay?”

“Shit, that looked like it hurt.”

“You probably shouldn't have been drinking it that fast, Minghao.”

It turned out you had severely miscalculated the situation. What appeared to be choking, prompting you to improperly administer a rough but appropriate Heimlich maneuver, was simply a mildly exaggerated reaction to hot coffee followed by a muffin to alleviate his burnt taste buds. You, of course, profusely apologized, as if you weren’t embarrassed enough for staring at him the whole time working your entire shift at the coffee shop because he was the most breathtakingly stunning person you’ve ever seen in your life. You might’ve just about broken his ribs and made his life flash before his eyes by abruptly slamming your body against him repeatedly, and not in the fun way.

Rather than an apartment, you were in desperate need of a hole deep enough to lead you to the core of the Earth to hide you from everyone else on the crust, ideally with cheap rent and good air ventilation. 

You bowed your head in humiliation, unable to meet any of their eyes, especially with the possibility of them remembering your face with a lawsuit waiting to happen. “I can’t believe that happened, I am so sorry. If there’s anything I can do to make it up to you, please let me know.”

“It’s okay, really, but I think we’ve had enough excitement for today if you don’t mind.” 

The attractive stranger—or Minghao, as you’ve learned from his friends who immediately rushed to him in concern—shook his hand in the air reassuringly. “Just, no more of that, alright? Make sure someone’s actually choking before trying to save them.”

“Right, please have a wonderful rest of your day,” you said, before returning to your station and disappearing behind the breakroom, screaming into your cubby and avoiding human interaction for as long as you could.

That scene replayed in your mind over and over like a recurring nightmare, burning the image of his beautiful face with such disdain for all eternity, while his name etched into your brain in permanent ink, embedded in every wrinkle in your brain. Minghao. A devastatingly beautiful name for a devastatingly beautiful owner.

Ugh. Get a fucking grip.

You just needed to get through the rest of the day. It would just be a couple more hours until your shift ended, and then you’d leave on the dot. It’d be just in time to make your appointment to meet your new potential roommate. Hopefully, it would be the silver lining of today’s catastrophic mess.

You met on electronic class forums while attending the same Cultural Studies course and somehow ended up relying on each other for notes. By your chat history, you seemed to have a lot in common—with the exception of his preference for tea over artisanal coffee—and you’d be lying if you said you didn’t get giddy seeing the green circle next to his username. Recently, he had just talked about moving into town after pondering the idea for so long, and as fate may have it, you’ve been looking for your own place to stay. You figured he seemed nice enough, and he even offered a reasonable quote on rent. It wouldn’t hurt to take a look. You just hoped he was as friendly in real life as he was online—with the day you had, you needed a win.

And, that win started with Chinese food, his choice, and it was a good one. You hadn’t been at this location before, taking note of the old-fashioned aesthetic touched by the harshness of modern neon signs that lit even the darkest of hallways. You were now thinking you ought to come more often as the heavenly notes of soy, ginger, and whatever concoction bled through the kitchen curtains and wafted through your nostrils the moment you passed through the double doors. Immediately, you were greeted by the host, visibly tired and overworked, with dark circles under his eyes, before he led you to a table in the center of the restaurant. You settled your nerves with a glass of water, trying to let the horrific events from today fade to as black as the soy sauce loitering on your table, waiting for a plate of dumplings to accompany them.

Funny how you could still have an appetite after everything that happened.

It wasn’t too long after you heard the same doors you walked through open, setting off the familiar sound of its wind chimes. You peered behind you, catching a glimpse of the new arrival, and immediately spun back in your seat, startled by the face that passed through your eyes. Trepidation brewed within you as the unsolicited visitor had your stomach in knots. 

You couldn’t take another incident tonight. 

You slunk into your seat, burying your chin in your shirt, hoping you’d somehow camouflage into your seat, facing away from the new arrival. Meanwhile, his eyes skimmed the room, walking in with purpose without guidance and greeting the employees as if he were right at home. Fortunately, he had yet to notice your presence as you slinked out of view the moment he passed by you to sit at the bar, while you made way into a booth in the dark corner of the restaurant, cursing the fates for their cruel games once again. You just had hoped that your new roommate would hurry it up already so you could get out of here before you were discovered.

And after about ten minutes, it felt as if all hope was lost. There was no sign of them and you were wondering if you had been stood up. Amid your anticipation, you were forced to pay attention to the person you were avoiding, seeing his patience wear thin with the tap of his foot as he sipped the last of his iced tea. Not a moment too soon, you saw him pluck his phone out from his pocket, fingers skittering over the screen before bringing it to his ear and scanning the restaurant’s floor plan. In the same instant, your phone went off,  blaring your cursed ringtone, ‘Pocketful of Sunshine’, and the realization—along with the panic—quickly set in. 

Alerted by the noise, his head whipped up from his screen. His eyebrows rose in shock, not all expecting the outcome that arose, and he dropped to his feet and quickly darted toward the sound that you—for the life of you—could not turn off fast enough. His footsteps matched the rate of your heart pounding in your chest, growing louder and closer until he found the source and located you cowering in the corner.

You lifted your head to lock eyes for the first time since this morning just as you finally managed to silence the ringtone and gave him an awkward laugh, waving with your phone in hand. Taking a nervous gulp, you awaited his disappointment, expecting him to make his quick exit after evaluating in the two seconds of your meeting that this arrangement would not work out because you were a deranged psycho with a savior complex. To your pleasant surprise, that didn't happen. Instead, you were met with a gentle smile and a glint of curiosity in his eyes. “There you are.”

You forced a sheepish chuckle. “Here I am, ha.”

Minghao softly chuckled before tucking his phone in his back pocket. “And to think just this morning you ‘saved my life.’”

You shut your eyes tightly, hands pressing together as if begging for forgiveness. “Again I am so, so sorry for that. It did look like you were choking.”

He shook his head reassuringly. “So you’ve said. I’m Minghao, or PalE8. Nice to meet you, CafeMixr0.”

“Is it…nice to meet me?” You asked dubiously.

“Why wouldn’t it be?”

You blinked incredulously. “Well, for several reasons.”

He shrugged before entering the booth and leaving a healthy distance to sit just across from you. “Can’t think of any. Have you ordered anything yet?”

You shook your head, befuddled by his nonchalance, waiting to see the catch, if there was any.

“Good thing I know everything worth ordering.” His hand shot up before grabbing the attention of a server to get his order taken.

You weren't sure where the night was going. All you knew was the boy that you almost killed this morning was sitting across from you looking as breathtaking as he did this morning, even while slurping up his stir fry that was glossed with a sheen of chilli oil and swelling up his already full lips. Rather than a roommate meetup—if that was still the case—it felt like a date, a date you were exceedingly ill-prepared for.

Suddenly, you could feel the sweat on the back of your knees, feeling the strong urge to sniff the clothes on your back, unsure when the last time you did a fresh load of laundry and if your current attire was included in that load at all. Not to mention that bathroom duty that was forced upon you, which no doubt seeped into your clothes. You were better off naked, but then that would be an entire different kind of meeting, wouldn’t it?

“You’re okay, right?” You asked, trying to distract yourself from your spiraling thoughts as you barely finished your portion of chow mein—which was absolutely heavenly, to put it lightly.

He let out a light chuckle before kindly reassuring you. “How many times are you going to ask me? You and everyone from this morning. I’m fine, able-bodied and everything.” 

“I just felt really bad. You looked really hurt.”

He couldn’t suppress his grin, finding your cautiousness amusing, but it only added to your unease. “I was hurt. You’re really, really strong.”

You winced. “Again. I am so sorry.”

“Don’t be. It’s a quality of a good roommate.” He finished the last bit of his meal before dropping a couple of bills without asking for the tab. “Come on. I’ve got to show you the apartment.”

You raised an eyebrow while sipping your warm tea before tapping your mouth with a napkin. “You still want to room with me? After this morning?”

“There’s not a lot of good options for roommates in the city, and what are the odds that you’ll try to kill me twice?”

He had a fair point, and it wasn’t like you had options lining up either. You just had to hope he didn’t regret taking this chance on you.

A big reason why you wanted to move out was to learn to be on your own, but in addition to that, the city had pretty much everything to offer. The city had it all, from job opportunities to the right people to meet, and the apartment Minghao led you to was the center of the entirety of it. High above the town square, in a room several floors up, there was a nook that had a view through a large window overlooking everything within about a two-mile radius. If there was anything nice to say about the city, it definitely looked better from where you were standing. The street lights illuminated streets, neon signs brought the local businesses to life, and people that ran the night life lived it to the fullest in the flashiest clothes imaginable. You had never seen your city like this before.

Meanwhile, the apartment itself was gorgeous and already fully furnished with stylish furniture and greenery that touched the kitchen and living room. It was graced with Minghao’s taste in art and an eccentric—but tasteful—color palette of warm browns, olive greens, and rustic oranges. It felt like walking into Minghao’s mind, seeing into his world, and you were given the opportunity of it being yours, being part of his world. He was generous enough to even let you pass through the front door.

“So?” he asked, gauging your interest, watching as you looked down at the city from the large window nook in awe.

You softly scoffed, unable to take your eyes off the beautiful view calling to you like a siren at sea.  “Um, I’m sorry, you had trouble finding a roommate, how?”

He crossed his arms, admiring the sight with you, glancing at you through his peripheral vision and grinning when he saw the childlike sparkle in your eyes. “I’m new to the city, and everyone I know here has their own living arrangements. I didn’t want to go too far in looking for a new roommate. I thought we'd work well together, since we’re based in the same city now and have a lot in common based on our conversations.”

“I almost killed you this morning,” You’ve pointed out to…death.

“Although you’re…impulsive and unpredictable, I’ve seen worse. I think I’ll manage.” He splayed his hand in front of you, gesturing for a shake to officially seal the deal. “What do you say? Do you still want to be roommates?”

Everything about this screamed it was a bad idea. Putting aside the fact that you nearly killed the man, you could barely stand in the presence of him without your mind drifting to dark waters. It didn’t take rocket science to understand that putting you in that same living quarters with Minghao meant you might have to live every day together with your hands tied behind your back and thighs taped shut. You’ve surprised yourself with how you’ve managed to keep your composure sharing the same air—the air you were even thinking of savoring as you contemplated this offer.

You were down-righteously-bad. You weren’t a fit roommate for Minghao in the slightest.

Yet, you took his hand, letting his cool palm clash with your warmth as his digits wrapped around you in a tight squeeze before shaking. “Let’s do it.”

And that marked the start of a new chapter of your life, unraveling the challenge of being Xu Minghao’s roommate. Only, he wasn’t the challenge. He was a breath of fresh autumn air. He was kind beyond words and accommodating in every step of your move. You were already familiar with his gentle and patient nature, as he had frequently taken the time to clarify complex ideas for class, and you’ve learned about the majority of his interests prior from your online discussions, but seeing PalE8’s traits in person—embodied in Minghao—was bizarre. You realized he was still a stranger after all. A stranger that claimed your breath with a single bat of his eyes and turned your stomach inside out worse than a bad case of food poisoning, no less.

Meanwhile, the neighbors knew him by name, were endeared by his presence, and found him to be a delightful conversationalist as well as a helping hand when the situation called for it. He was better than your friendly neighborhood spiderman. He was your kind, considerate, intricately woven, beautifully complex, and knees-bucklingly handsome Minghao. 

You weren’t usually a sexual deviant, at least not to this extent, but Minghao brought something out of you that you hadn’t felt for another person. However, if you were going to live together, that had to change. This crush was going to have to dwindle out of existence if you wanted to live together—emphasis on you—in peace.

So, that’s when you decided to make a list of rules that only you had to follow. Sure, you were an adult, and the thought of giving yourself rules to keep your hands to yourself was juvenile and stupid, but for the sake of your sanity, you were looking for anything that might work. That’s when you decided to make a list of things “good roommates don’t do”, thinking it would be shorter and easier to sum up than a long redundant list of things good roommates would do, and the first thing to top the list was easy.

Good roommates don’t almost kill each other (again).

That seemed easy enough to remember, considering the first time was traumatic enough, and fortunately, it didn’t take too much effort, considering you hardly saw each other despite living together. 

You ended up taking up more shifts at work, desperate enough to even join the catering team, to keep yourself busy and afford the new expense of rent, sacrificing a lot more of your free time. Meanwhile, Minghao’s work schedule was not only demanding, it was inconsistent. Working at a popular art gallery as an artist and attendant with frequent and erratic events to go to until late at night prompted your roommate to be seen home a lot less than expected. By the time either of you got home, there wouldn’t be so much of a hello or goodbye either, just the sounds of bodies falling on beds in either rooms as the day’s fatigue engulfed you until you succumbed to sleep.

You’d be lying if you said that you weren’t a little disappointed by these circumstances, but then again, perhaps it was a blessing in disguise. Seeing him as little as you did meant less opportunity for you to screw things up around him, because it seemed to happen quite frequently when he was around. The few times you did cross paths, you still found ways to humiliate yourself.

“That’s mine.”

You held the toothbrush mid-scrub, bubbles foaming at the corners of your mouth, “Eh?”

“I think you’re using my toothbrush.”

Your cheeks immediately grew warm, and you shielded your face with the back of your hand. You spat into the sink and splashed water on your face to rid yourself of toothpaste residue before turning back to respond, his words jumbling in your head and bouncing from corner to corner to process them. “I-I don’t think so, this is the one I always use.”

He snickered, leaning against the door frame and crossing his arms, delectably dressed down in a gray tank top and sweatpants. The tempting taste of domesticity was sweet and permeated your tastebuds. “If that’s the case, we’ve been sharing, because I’ve always kept my brush there in the marble cup. Yours should be behind the medicine cabinet where you first left it.”

“What? You sure?” you pinned the used toothbrush on the sink’s porcelain before cracking open the medicine cabinet. “I’m pretty sure I took it—Ah!”

Startled by your findings, you dropped the toothbrush you gripped in your hand onto the floor when you’ve proven Minghao right as his toothbrush fell to the ground, now defiled with your oral bacteria and whatever was on the floor. The one day you take a shift later than usual because a member begged to take on more shifts, it blew up in your face. Seokmin, you will rue the day. “I-I’ll clean it!” You offered in a panicked tone.

He pushed himself off the threshold, waving his hand dismissively. “Don’t, please. It’s dirty; I can just replace it.”

Filled with guilt, you stepped aside to watch him pick up the dirty brush before disposing of it in the waste bin, “Sorry.”

“You say that a lot.” 

He pulled a fresh toothbrush out of a drawer and ripped it out of its packaging. It was notably identical to his previous and your current abandoned toothbrush, down to the bristles. “No worries. See,” he turned the new hygiene tool for inspection, “Clean.”

“Regret having me as a roommate yet?” you joked anxiously towards his reflection in the mirror.

He chuckled, shaking his head. “Nothing I can’t manage. I lived in a boarding house full of guys that shared things without asking and it didn’t stop at toothbrushes. You’re the first roommate I’ve had that’s apologized. I say that’s an upgrade.”

He went on to brush his teeth with his newly obtained brush, christening the bristles with a squeeze of fluoride toothpaste before scrubbing against his pearly whites. He never ceased to amaze you with his aloof attitude towards the situation, as if he’d become accustomed to your chaos when he didn’t need to be at all. This situation, however, did indicate that you had another thing to be added to the list.

Good roommates don’t use each other’s toothbrush (even by accident)

In your room just before you left for work, you haphazardly added to the list you put on a crumpled piece of paper you kept in your wallet, ensuring you held your list close before setting the pen aside. Your heart pounded against your chest, thinking what that had meant all this time. How you’ve pretty much swapped saliva nearly every day with Minghao since moving in. The fact that it had gone on for so long repulsed you, but not anymore than the tiny part of yourself that maybe had always known and continued to do it. 

You held your digits to your lips, brushing the pads against the slit of your mouth, ragged breaths slowly leaving your lungs as you reached your enamel. Tension pooled in your stomach as the images that infiltrated your dreams were currently being conjured in your consciousness, while arousal chased down your legs as you clenched them together. Jolted back to reality, you wound your eyes shut, remembering how little he cared about the matter, how nonchalant he was when he found out. Meanwhile, here you were: perverse, losing your mind, and letting your imagination run wild like a hormonal teenager with her celebrity crush. 

Fuck. You needed a night out. You had been cooped up in the apartment for too goddamn long. The only other place you went was work, and knowing labor laws, they had to give you a night or two off for all the time you’d been putting in. There was a whole outside world, and you needed to buck up and take advantage of it. You had to do something other than fawn over your very hot roommate. Losing some spare change was worth the sanity. At least, you hoped it was.

“You going out tonight?”

Hearing a familiar tenor voice, your head lifted up from fixing the strap of your shoes to see him remove his coat and store it away in the front entrance closet. “Oh, you’re home,” you stated.

“Yeah. The gallery is closed tonight for a bigger show this weekend, so I have a couple days where I’m off earlier than usual.”

More time for Minghao to be at home. Great. 

You nodded, keeping your cool at the sight of his turtleneck hugging his lean and toned frame, making your heart work overtime in place of you this evening. “I see, but yeah. A couple of my friends and I are trying out that new place that just opened up in midtown.”

“Oh, let me know how that goes. Me and some friends had plans to go there too.”

“Okay.” You hurried your way to the door. “Don’t wait up.”

“Wait.”

Hand on the door knob, you cursed under your breath, squeezing your eyes shut as if bracing for impact before opening them, and turned around with an innocuous expression. “Yes?”

He held out his hand. “Your phone please.”

“Hmm? Why,” you asked, unlocking it before complying.

He smiled accepting it, before swiping his fingers off the screen. “I’m sending myself your location.”

And there your heart when pitter-patter again at thoughtful and kind hot as fuck Minghao. “I just told you where I’d be.”

“That could always change. Here,” he said, handing your phone back, beaming back at you warmly. “Just in case something happens, and you can always call me if you feel unsafe, okay?”

You gave a soft pout, cheeks growing warm at the thought of Minghao’s concern over you. It pleased you more than it should’ve. “Thanks. What are you gonna do tonight?”

He shrugged, taking a quick glance over his shoulder. “Maybe do some light reading and tea, paint if inspiration hits me.”

You gave a small grin, thinking just how Minghao those activities sound. “Sounds enlightening. Okay. I’ll be home soon.”

“Be safe.”

Even long after you’d left, you kept thinking about that interaction. How domestic it felt, how safe it made you feel, how seen you really were. It made you wonder if he was tracking you right now, looking at his phone, staring at the dot indicating where you were located. You wondered if he was thinking about you right now, because you were most certainly thinking about him.

Your mission of trying to forget Minghao by going out definitely was not working, but you took that as a sign to keep drinking. Your friends didn’t get to see you often with how much you worked, so they were just happy to see you were having a good time, not knowing you were trying to drown out the consuming thoughts of a certain man with a peculiar color scheme. 

They wouldn’t have known the way you let yourself get felt up by a stranger near the dance floor, standing so close you could smell the knock off cologne he was practically bathing in as his breath hung in the air against your neck. When it went nowhere, he eventually left, looking for prospects elsewhere, while you stuck to your mission, seeing it work at some point at night. Until it didn’t, but you didn’t remember because eventually it’d all fade to black.

Your eyes ripped open, waking up with the biggest headache, blinded by the natural rays of light bleeding through blinds—only your room didn’t have blinds. You specifically made sure to have blackout curtains because you couldn’t stand waking up to the sun, and that hasn’t ever changed. Grumbling irritatingly along the lines about who turned on the lights, you flipped on the other side of the bed with a half awoken daze, your blurry vision making out a lumpy figure underneath the covers.

You drew closer in confusion, trying to make sense of what you were seeing before taking in the fact the lump had a face as blinding as the sun you turned away from, startling you upon recognition. Your eyes shot open, wide awake now, and you nearly stumbled out of the mattress before his arms grabbed you, latching on you before you could fall off and safely secured you in his tucked embrace. 

“It’s a bit early for your charming antics, isn’t it?” Minghao chucked with closed eyes.

You blinked back at him, licking your lips anxiously. “How am I here right now?”

His eyes slowly opened, adjusting to the light. “You mean alive or in bed with me?”

Your cheeks grew hot. “B-both.”

“I wish I had an answer for the first question, but it seems your creator had more plans for you. As for your second concern, you seemed confused and tired, and I assumed you confused this bed for yours.”

“You should’ve kicked me out.”

He shrugged nonchalantly, rubbing his hands over your shoulders and sending a chill down your spine. “I didn’t want to wake you up.”

You let out a soft sigh, ridden with guilt. “I’d deserve it. I must’ve been annoying to deal with.”

He knitted his brows together, the corner of his lips softly turning down. “You really don’t like yourself.”

“No—well, maybe not lately. Maybe I’m just coming to the realization I’m not a good roommate.”

“No one is good at anything their first time.”

“You’re not denying it!”

“You’re a fine roommate.” Patting you on the back, he threw off the covers and pushed himself out of bed, leaving his room to trod toward the kitchen. You followed after curiously, like a duckling that imprinted on its mother, watching as he pulled out ingredients from the fridge’s shelves. “Anything you’re allergic to?” He asked over his shoulder.

“Nothing comes to mind.” You answered hesitantly.

“Good. The recipe is fairly easy anyway, it shouldn’t kill you.”

Your eyes widened and you quickly stood by his side as he set all the items down, he followed with gathering bowls and cookware. “You’re cooking for me?”

“Mmh-hmm.”

“You don’t have to.”

He turned his head slightly. “You have a headache, don’t you?”

“Yes but—”

“It’s just egg drop soup.” He patted your shoulder nodding his head over at the counter stool either of you would often have breakfast. “Sit. It’ll be done in a few minutes.”

You sat patiently by the counter, watching him chop and throw ingredients into a small pot, which filled your shared residence with a savory aroma. As soon as he was done, he presented the dish in front of you, garnishing it with fresh chopped scallions and parsley. He picked up a serving with a soup spoon and gently blew on the top before taking a quick sample and grinning at the result. Scooping with the same spoon, he held a serving towards you with proud eyes.

“Try it,” he urged.

As you accepted the offering, you tried not to think about how you were about to share yet another household item that would enter both your mouths and let the simple flavors fan out on your tongue, the warmth of soup dispersing throughout your body. You hummed in delight, already feeling it work its magic. “It’s delicious,” you said softly.

He grinned. “Feel better.”

“Thanks, Minghao.”

“No problem at all.” 

As you enjoyed your thoughtful breakfast, your roommate cleaned up his mess. He wiped down whatever residue was left behind before heading to his room and coming out properly dressed in brown slacks and muted green patterned sweater when you were just about done eating. “Heading to work now.”

“You had work?” You asked surprised, “Why did you waste time cooking? You could have left already.”

He softly scoffed heading to the door. “I spent—what, five or ten minutes? It’s fine. See you later.”

In the last 24 hours, Minghao managed to make sure you were safe by tracking your location, gave you a good night's rest by not disrupting your sleep, and made you breakfast right before work. Then there’s you, black out drunk with almost no memory of last night (probably good you didn’t), annoying your overly nice and overly hot roommate, hogging a bed that isn’t yours, and eating a home cooked meal that probably set back his schedule. You were the worst. All the more reason for a new addition to the list.

Good roommates don't sleep in their other roommate’s bed piss drunk (again)

It seemed that this list of “don’ts” was getting longer, probably because you’re an awful roommate, and if there was a reward, yours would already be at the front door. You really, really had to make an effort to do something about this arrangement. Now that some time had passed and these interactions were becoming more frequent, avoiding him seemed to be out of question unless you wanted to give him the wrong impression. You would just have to become a better roommate, and that started with making up for this morning.

In the following months together, to atone for the bed incident and good deeds that followed suit, you shared the occasional breakfast if you had time (that is if you didn’t burn anything), even sometimes grabbing dinner or a late meal in the small gap before or after work. While in the late hours, when both of you should’ve been sleeping, you’d have a cup of your favorite beverages. He’d have his brew of tea for the night while you’d have a mug of coffee, awake under the stars and basking in the night, watching from the nook that you both grew fond of that was in the direction of the moon when it’s at its peak.

Of all people to share these moments with, you couldn’t imagine it with anyone else but Minghao. He was the peace amongst the chaos, the quiet you came home to after dealing with the noisy world that helped you heal like nothing else. You liked that about him, and now you were liking him too much, to the point you thought of him every day. What it’d be like for him to hold you in his arms, letting his warmth envelop your entire being the way his voice naturally does with a simple “it’s okay.” 

You’d imagine how he’d look at you, how lovers do when they ache for one another so desperately they could feel it down to every atom. You’d thought of the words he’d say to you, the words he’d say to someone he’s madly, irrevocably besotted with, and every letter and word and sentence would be spoken poetry. He’d feel like love. You didn’t think it was possible for you to grow more attracted to him, but learning all these wonderful things he does and seeing up close and personal how beautiful inside and out he was, you were developing feelings and growing all these desires that you were ashamed to admit out loud.

And with that, you pulled out your list and a pen, jotting in a new item.

Good roommates don’t live in every waking moment staring at them or thinking about wanting to kiss them (no matter how hard it is)

You’ve lost count of how many times you’ve already broken that rule, but the least you could do was hold yourself accountable.

However, writing the rule didn't prevent future instances. Not from fantasizing, not from wet dreams, not from imagining a life together where you rid all your inhibitions and clothes and succumb to drowning in each other. Unlike every other rule that you’ve managed to avoid, this one was the outlier, flipping your world on its head and preoccupying every second of your thoughts with all things Xu Minghao. And what sucked was you were so guilt ridden, you couldn't even let yourself enjoy it. 

This was your roommate for crying out loud. Your wholesome, nice, forgiving, and tolerant roommate that went beyond what was necessary to make you feel at home and comfortable. Only time will tell when he’ll see through you and finally kick you to the curb.

“Let’s go out.”

Your head lifted up from your phone with eyes large as saucers. “What?”

“We haven't really done anything together,” he suggested, cleaning up the dishes of the dinner you both had just had.

It was one of the few nights that you were both free. The coffee shop had more than enough staff, and you’ve exhausted the hours put in, while the art gallery was planning a grand exhibition, so they needed all hands on deck for the mornings for a few weeks, but evenings would be free until the week of. That left you two a lot more free time than you knew what to do with.

“We see each other all the time,” you pointed out.

“At home. We don’t hang outside the apartment aside from that one dinner the first day we met, so let’s go out.”

You blinked, watching him grab his coat before you could argue as he waved you over, his smile luring you closer and putting you under his spell without you realizing until it was too late. “Uh, where? It’s 9PM.”

“Anywhere.”

For someone who had only arrived in town a couple months ago, Minghao knew a lot of the good spots in the city.  If it wasn’t food, it was book stores. If it wasn’t book stores, it was tea shops. He had a clear plan of the city, and without so much looking at a GPS, he could find his way around better than any native. And considering all the people he came with that day you met the coffee shop and all the staff at the Chinese restaurant, his index didn’t stop at places. He seemed more familiar with the people in your hometown than you were. Between you two, he looked like the real local.

Walking alongside your roommate, you turned to him curiously, “How do you know the city so well when you’ve moved in somewhat recently?”

He gave a soft smile looking into the distance, as if the gust of wind that passed through you both hit him with a wave of nostalgia. “I’ve been visiting for about four years. I only had the guts to become a resident recently.”

“Why’d it take you so long?”

“Student visa processes, paper work, all those things. Also, this city is great, and everyone I've met and have become close with is amazing, but home is just home. It’s all I’ve ever known.” He let out a deep sigh, taking in a deep breath before stretching out his arms and let fall back to his sides, turning slightly to you. “This country and town has become a second, though, some things even my home can’t beat.”

You mused at that, intrigued that he could find something appealing in here, then again you've been here all your life, yet Minghao showed you more you could ever imagine of it. “Like what?”

He simply smiled as their feet stopped at their final destination, a location they both aimlessly walked towards just a little off the center of the town. “I’ll tell you, as soon as we try this place out.” 

Just off the center of town was a bar you had never heard of with a theme you’d never thought to put together on your own and definitely a place you’d never think to walk into with your roommate you were trying to keep platonic feelings for.

“Hey sexy babies, welcome to the Love in Leather BDSM Bar, where all your sexy dreams can come true.”

Oh, my god.

You were petrified. Every wall was decorated with leather or latex, either on display in a box, on a vulgarly displayed mannequin, or on an employee that was dressed in next to nothing, leaving no room for imagination. You weren’t shy about the theme of BDSM—there was always a small part of you curious about it—but it’s not like you’ve talked extensively about it with Minghao. The same person you were trying really hard not to think about sleeping with, which was especially hard in a place that served ‘cum shots’ and with their special for tonight being ‘buttery nipples.’

Glancing back at your roommate to get his reaction, he seemed to be just as startled with his findings as you were, but perhaps not as terrified as he should be, taking you by the wrist and weaving through the crowd with a marveled expression. You were grateful for the loud music playing the explicit versions of songs you wouldn’t otherwise hear on the radio, drowning out the sound of your heavy breathing and the loud thrum of your heart. You just had hoped he couldn’t feel your pulse under his fingertips, unable to untangle from his grasp as you felt the heat of his touch spread out through your whole body. You were trapped in a web you didn’t want to leave and that was the hardest kind to be in.

Suddenly, lights poured on the center stage of the bar. The music then slowed down, transitioning to another song, and a scantily leather clad woman entered that would erupt cheers of all clients seated in the chairs in front of her, to which she sent an air kiss and wink. Following the crowd, both you and Minghao decided to cheer along with them, your sounds of encouragement drowned out in the more enthusiastic and obscenely creative audience members of the establishment. Walking across the stage, she made a show of it, caressing her body in ways that would have a man on his knees howling at the moon (which you swore you heard once or twice in there) as money was thrown strewn stage like confetti, enough to pay for a few nice dinners uptown. After garnering the excitement, she descended down the steps of the stage, walking into her live audience. Her eyes skimmed through the endless crowds of people, landing on and picking one lucky front row member—a young, spry man no older than twenty-five—and brought him on stage, ensuing roars and applause, indicating the start of the real show.

What happened next was something you did not want to get into detail, but in layman’s terms, that audience member was having the time of his life with the use of a flog while everyone watched. You could only make the distinction of excruciating pain and pleasurable pain by the very loud affirmations coming out of his mouth and bouncing off the board he face planted on, and the words that passed through one of your ears and never wanted to come out the other. You were slack jawed from the scene, not at all expecting this scene today, and holy shit, you could not feel more suffocated knowing Minghao was witnessing all of this beside you. 

He stared back at the scene, expression unreadable, but he seemed interested and unable to look away like it was an oncoming train wreck, looking as if he was stuck on the tracks and was making sense of what he was seeing. Suddenly, his eyes locked with yours and you watched as they softened with a glint of something behind them before you swiveled your head, feeling yourself burn from your face to your ears, clenching your free hand. This felt eerily like a date, but unlike the first dinner, this felt like a real one. An immense sexually charged one. 

You were surrounded by sex at all angles, being tested to the most extreme degree. Tonight, you’ve learned dominance wasn’t particularly your thing, but if it were Minghao, perhaps you wouldn’t have minded. 

But this, this was overwhelming. As if sensing your turmoil, Minghao tugged your wrist, making you fix your gaze on him again and read the words that he mouthed from his lips. “Time to run.”

Your fingers interlocked and feet picked up speed as you headed toward the door, running aimlessly for miles out of the bar in fits of smiles and laughter. There was no plan and no destination, you both just wanted out, and you’d only stop running when you reached a bridge, both your bodies collapsing against the metal railing. You both gave out in heavy pants, your breaths mingling as you faced one another. 

“That’s crazy,” you managed to rasp. “Why did we think we could go in there?”

He gave you a tired grin back, looking in the direction from which you came. The light layer of perspiration made his shirt cling to his skin, and you get a sliver of his chest as he aired it out for comfort. “I don’t know. Try something new, but that.” He pointed where he faced. “That’s how I know so many places, I just walk inside.”

You ran your hand over your chest, baring the biggest grin. “Gosh. I feel like dying.”

“Iced coffee?” He kindly suggested.

“And tea?” You cared to offer.

Nodding back at each other, you both decided to walk the rest of the way back around, making a stop at a light night cafe and occupying their second floor balcony to taste the crisp air. As you sipped on your iced coffee and Minghao sipped on his warm tea, you quietly basked in the moonlit sky, as you’d done many times before. The adrenaline of tonight coursed through you still while you leaned against the railings and stared up at the stars, your elbows grazing close enough to spark that electricity that you’d feel whenever he ever got too close. This time, you were too tired to fight it, or you learned it’s about time you stopped trying to.

“I don’t drink coffee.” He abruptly confessed, penetrating the silence.

You softly scoffed, turning your head to him, taking his reminder as a jab for your ‘inferior’ tastes before taking a bigger sip of your delicious fresh roast press. “I know that. You prefer tea.”

“I mean, I don’t drink coffee, but the day you ‘saved me,’ I did.”

You hummed. “Oh. Yeah, you did. Funny. You got a coffee that day instead?”

He shook his head, smiling. “No, ask me why I drank coffee that day.” 

You rolled your eyes, placing your drink on the side table before leaning your elbows over the railing. “Okay. Why did you drink coffee, Minghao?”

“I drank my friend’s mug on accident, thinking it was my tea, then tasted how scaldingly hot and wretched it was—”

You gasped, offended as a barista, “I work really hard on those!”

He waved his hand to calm you down. “Let me finish. I mistook my normal tea for coffee…all because I got distracted, unable to stop thinking about the cute barista who wouldn't quit staring at me from behind the counter.”

“...I apologize for being a creep.”

He shook his head smiling and set his tea cup aside. “Not my point.”

You stared into the contents of your drink, shaking the ice inside as you stirred the straw, trying to find any remains of your beverage and stalling for time to follow up with a response. Lips pressed in a firm line, you glanced at him from the corner of your eye, silence met on the other end as he keenly observed you, mirroring your posture while he sipped his tea. “So…You thought I was cute,” you managed to sum up.

“Thought…think…know.”

“Why are you telling me all of this?” You timidly asked.

“We’re roommates,” he reminded you, plain as day. “We should be honest with each other, right?”

“Honest,” you repeated, lethally soft.

“Yes, honest,” he confirmed just as quietly. “Don’t be afraid to tell me whatever is on your mind, just as I’ve told you what was on my mind.”

His honesty was cute, flattering. Your honesty could write up a restraining order. “Is that necessary? We only really live together.”

“It’s necessary because we live together, so yes, be honest about your feelings. Let me in on your thoughts, whatever they may be.”

Good roommates don’t forget to be honest about each other’s feelings.

He stood in front of you dangerously close, the lingering smell of his cologne that reminded you of the ocean wafting into your nose as he drew near. His gaze beckoned you close without so much a word passing through his lips, and you felt his presence close in on the distance as he leaned against the railing. You softly batted your eyes, adjusting to your sense being overtaken by all things Minghao, mind just filled to the brim with Minghao, as if you couldn’t get enough of him.

“You’re really committed to being a good roommate. I respect that,” you stated, harshly gulping. “Honesty. Where can I start?”

“Well, what are you thinking about right now?” He asked, face mere inches away from you, lips so plush you let out a wistful sigh.

“I’m thinking that…it’s really hard to think with your face so close in front of me.”

Despite that, he didn’t move, and instead he pushed a lock of your hair behind your ear, brushing against your helix to feel your flustered warmth bloom between his fingers. “Fair enough. What else?”

You wrapped your hand around the railing, stabling yourself on the floor in hopes of not falling over on your two feet, your breath being stolen in real time by your roommate who was looking more and more inviting by the second.

“And if I knew any better, I’d think you're about to kiss me.”

“Let’s wager that then,” he said as he reeled even closer, his fingertips once in your ears now guiding your chin, letting the surface of your lips feel the ghost of his as your breaths mingled against one another. “You can predict one of two things. One, I kiss you. Or two, I pull away. You get a prize if your answer is correct.”

“How is that a fair wager? You can easily change your response depending on how I answer,” you pointed out, ultimately playing along.

“I won’t,” he reassured in a coaxingly smooth tone. “I’ve made my choice.”

You raised a brow, attempting to look only subtly intrigued when in reality you’ve let him enchant you. “What’s my prize?”

“Loser grants whatever the winner wishes.”

“That’s irresponsible.”

“Knowing you, your request would be far from unreasonable.”

“I’m talking about you.” You narrowed your eyes, swallowing at seeing him come at you so close. “But, okay. I’ll play.”

The corner of his lips lifted mischievously, tilting his head to the side as his eyes narrowed back at you. “So, what’s your answer?” 

Your eyes flickered up to him, rounded up in intrigue as you tried to follow his gaze. “You’ll…pull away. Public displays of affection are cute, but maybe not your cup of tea, at least not grand ones like kissing, unless maybe it’s one the cheek or on the forehead.”

He smiled and gently tilted his head, eyes piercing into yours and taking a sharp breath before pulling away, crossing his arms with a soft pout on his lips. “You’re good.”

You felt the sting of rejection despite your victory, as if you’d hoped you’d be wrong. That he’d take you right there against the railing and give you a fervid kiss that broke you down to your knees and you could even taste in your dreams, but a win was a win. A predicted loss was better than a false victory.

“I guess I won.”

He sighed defeatedly, crossing his arms. “You did. So tell me, what desire would you like for me to fulfill for you?”

You shuddered at his choice of words, clamping your legs together. “Well, what would you have wanted me to do if I got the answer wrong?”

“Is that your wish? For me to answer the question?”

You softly scoffed. “Don’t be so cheap.”

He rolled his eyes before taking a sip of his tea, “Doesn’t matter, you didn’t get it wrong. You get the wish. So go on, tell me your wish.”

“…Fine. Grant me your wish as if you had won.”

“You want me to grant my own wish? That defeats the entire purpose,” he chortled with knitted brows.

“It’s my wish, so come on. What’s your wish?”

“You don’t have to do this.”

“And we didn't have to place bets, but it doesn't seem like there’s any rules against it, so go ahead. Tell me.”

Minghao sucked his teeth before complying. “Fine.” 

He moved toward you, hands settling over your hips and settling you on the floor beneath your feet as he gravitated toward, steadying his gaze on you. His face, inches away from you, and your breath hitched in your throat as he drew his lips near your ear. You heard the subtle squelch of his tongue as they licked his teeth, moments before the wish he dared you to grant poured out from his lush lips. “My wish is for you to…make me tea every morning, afternoon, evening, and every time I ask you to. Like my little tea gremlin.”

“Now that’s just evil, Xu Minghao,” You protested, lightly shoving him off.

He laughed. “No, it’s not! Think of it like pour over coffee.”

“Don’t try romanticizing it like it’s anything like my beautiful beans. Tea is tea. Coffee is coffee.”

“It was your wish to grant my wish.”

“Can I take it back?” You whined.

“It’d be dishonorable.”

You groaned. “Fine.”

He chuckled, “Let’s go home, hmm?”

Heading back home, you were embraced by a warm comfortable silence. There was a kind of silence that sanctioned your amicable living arrangement with Minghao to turn into something warmer, feverish even, something that you can’t even help but notice and your hands would occasionally graze one another on the way back, taking turn exchanging timid glances at you walked your path home.

“That was fun,” You admitted, taking off your shoes at the front door.

“Yeah, I think so. We should do it more often.”

You smiled at each other’s reflections as you stood in front of the bathroom mirror, seeing you take the same tube of toothpaste and started brushing your teeth. You smiled as he purposely bumped into you, raising his eyebrow as you stared pointedly at him in the mirror, not expecting you to retaliate with a light shove. Ensuing a nudging war, you attacked each other’s shoulders, getting caught in fits of giggles before you forced yourselves to split up, knowing nothing would get done if you both let it go on.

“Do you work tomorrow?” You asked through the gaping door of your room as he cleared a glass a water before bedtime, freshly out of a shower and the smell of his clean, light fragrance was beguiling even from a distance.

“Yeah. Do you?”

“Yeah.”

“Mmh.” He stalked over in your direction, a feign innocent smile on his lips. “That's too bad. We only really have nights like these together, it seems at least only for a little while.”

“It is,” You said, lathering up the last bit of lotion up your legs, feeling his eyes on you as they traveled the path of your hands.

The silence engulfed you, as if both of you were waiting for the other to make a sudden move, yet both of you remained still. Like a predator with its prey, unsure who was who, you both stood with uncertainty and palpable tension hanging in the air, waiting for the other to strike when the moment was right. Even the usually confident Minghao stood back as he observed you from a distance, eyes flickering over at you as you strided slowly towards him guarded with crossed arms.

“I guess, I’ll go to sleep now,” You finally said.

His gaze softened, nodding. “Okay,” he smiled, “good night.”

“Good night, Minghao. Sleep well.”

If only you had taken your own words to heart. 

That night, you couldn’t help but stare back at the ceiling, fiddling with the covers as the night’s events replayed in your head like a home movie, your thoughts traveling at a million miles a minute, too fast for you to stop and collect them—let alone process them—and stole your precious slumber. So, as you lay in bed awake at night, squeezing your eyes shut and waiting for the night to take you, waiting for the fatigue and sleep to come, it never arrived. Instead, your eyes ripped open, heart pounding in your chest as you sat up from the mattress and tore the covers off your body. Your legs pushed you off the bed and lifted yourself off, carrying yourself out the room and out the hallway with determined steps until faltering at the threshold of another front door before you softly knocked. 

You turned the knob, the door creaked open and you peeked your head through to see your roommate on the other end in bed, torso visibly bare as he slowly sat up at his late night intrusion. “Hey,” He mumbled, rubbing his eyes. “You’re up.”

“I think it’s the coffee,” you excused, clutching the edge of the door, “I can’t sleep.”

Wordlessly, he nodded, stretching an arm to beckon you towards him, and you slowly inched closer to him until you were completely under the covers. Occupying the space beside him, you nestled into the contours of his body as his arm cushioned the side of your head before facing one another, silence enveloping you. The only sound that bit into the silence was muted traffic, infinitely alive outside the walls of your confines. While it looked peaceful, and you felt as though you could melt into his arms, neither of you looked as if you were trying to sleep.

Rather, you stared at one another, making sleep even harder to attain as you traced every feature and took them in as if they were brushstrokes on a painting. Minghao may have worked with art every day, but he was a work of art in his own right, and you couldn’t help favor him above all others. You didn’t need a Van Gogh or Picasso, you had an original, a one of a kind Minghao.

And that’s when you saw his eyes begin to drift, lowering to the bottom half of your face, lips parting in intrigue as his breath fanned lightly against your cheeks. Your face flush in response, pushing your bottom lip between your teeth before they were caught, finding yourself doing the same with him and watching his mouth move in anticipation. You felt your pulse in your throat as much as you felt it between your legs, feeling arousal pooling and soaking your shorts.

“Do you want to wager another bet?” Minghao softly offered.

“What kind?” You breathed.

“The same bet, same prize. Do you think I’ll kiss you, or will I pull away?”

You mused at him, fingers extending toward him reluctantly, aiming for a lock of his hair laying stray on his forehead before smoothing it over his head, softly stroking him, feeling him lean into your touch. “Hmm, this time you’ll…kiss me,” you whispered with absolute certainty. “The tension is practically eating you alive.”

A grin stretched wide across his cheeks as a hand softly clasped over your face, thumb swiping across your cheek. “Right again.”

He closed the gap, slotting his lips between yours and languidly moving against you, letting you chase after his pace. You sighed against him, feeling his hand on your hip as he pulled your torso against his, the other rested against the nape of your neck as he reveled in your heat. Hands flying in his hair, you softly moaned as he kneaded your skin, feeling him trace the inside of your mouth with his tongue before he roughly pulled your weight from the mattress to topple you over him, letting your legs card between his.

“Minghao,” you quietly sounded against his lips, crushing your hips against his groin and hearing his sweet moan in response.

His muscles tensed as you pressed against him, while his legs clung to your thighs. His hands ran over the shape of your figure, unearthing an ungodly moan from your lips as he slipped beneath your shorts, etching over the curve of your ass and claiming your raw flesh in his hands, pushing you against him assertively.

You whimpered, grinding against him. “I know my wish.”

“Anything,” He tenderly mumbled.

“Call off work tomorrow.”

He smiled against your lips, bringing one of his knees to pin your bodies closer together. “Means you should too.”

“Oh, definitely,” You confirmed before reconnecting your mouths in a frenzied liplock.

Feeling the grind of your hips as his pelvis crushed against yours, his grunts slipped through every caress as his hand moved up your back. Soon, you started feeling something you had yet to see from Minghao in all your time living with him, the part of him you managed to evade but have envisioned a multitude of times, growing in his sweatpants and rubbing against your thigh the closer your bodies were.

“I have never wanted someone so bad,” He whispered in a soft ache. 

His hands crept underneath your shirt, brushing against your skin, pressing against the small of your back. Pressing his torso towards you, his erection adhered to your thigh, the tension coiling in your stomach burned like wildfire, at an unstoppable rage. “Minghao,” you mewled, impatience singeing on your tongue.

“Somehow, I can still taste coffee on your breath, but I don't really mind it. It tastes really good on you,” He admitted before kissing you deeper, his moans buzzing against your mouth, hungry and alive as his hands dug into your flesh with utter greed.

“You taste really good too.” Your hand body scoured south, cupping his size under your palm and tasting his gasp as you sucked him between your lips. “I wonder what else tastes good.”

“You are something else,” he mumbled, through quiet chuckles. “Just like you to act on impulse.”

You let out a light scoff. “You are so—”

“Don’t start things you can’t finish,” he softly warned with a smirk.

“I’m not the one you have to worry about finishing.”

You moved down, the covers draped over your head as you kept your eyes on him and resting on the hem of his sweats. Minghao’s breath hitched in his throat, gulping while he felt your nails lightly claw against his bare torso, tugging the waistband off the tent he forged, revealing the lack of underwear and restraint he had left, now sprung against your face.

“Shit,” you said grinning, claiming him by the shaft, thumbing over the precum glistening at the tip. “Even your cock looks pretty.”

A soft pink decorated his cheeks and a hand meekly shielded part of his face. “You staring is how I got myself hurt in the first place.”

“Then I’ll be careful not to hurt you this time—that is, unless you want me to.”

You spat on his cock, a translucent ribbon stretching from your tongue to his length. Your saliva lubing your knuckles, you squeezed his girth in your grip as you stroked and felt him pulse in your hands, growing bigger the tighter you clenched. Minghao’s arms propped himself up and behind him as his chest heaved, blood pumping with every drag of your fingers, shallow breaths slipping out of him as he fisted the sheets beneath him.

You kissed the curve of the head, lips pursed to wrap lightly around him, suckling down his shaft, and feeling him twitch against your mouth when you chuckled. He softly whined, his hand extended toward you to tenderly caress the side of your head and tacitly pleading with you as you teased him. Showing him mercy, you took him with an eager mouth, closing your lips around his cock as you steadied your gaze on him. Moans vibrating around his girth, your tongue tucked on the underside of his shaft, hands wrapped tightly around his base.

“Mmmh like that.” He swallowed, exhaling through his teeth the deeper you took him. His abdomen flexing overtly as you moaned around him, vibrated against his skin, your pink muscle tracing over his veins as you worked your jaw to hug a tighter grip. “God, you’re perfect. Don’t stop, please…” he panted.

He palmed at your hair headily, his motor skills not properly functioning as he sucked in his breath, feeling his presence explore deeper. He leveraged his hips to regain some ounce of control, but the sounds of moisture and squelching burned his ears, and the heart in his chest was running like a marathon. His eyes, fluttering in and out of focus, trained his gaze on you while his stomach tensed, grasping the vision of you getting wide-eyed and bold as you gingerly ate him alive. Burning the image into his retinas, it made him want to explode inside you.

Threading through your hair, he pulled them up and off your shoulders, showing off your pretty features, doing everything in his power not to give his climax an early appearance. “I’ve never seen such a pretty mouth take my cock so well. Then again, I’ve never had a pretty roommate like you, or anyone like you.”

Flustered from the flattery, you sucked him like your life depended on it as you grew hot, making Minghao’s task to regain control strenuous to achieve. You hollowed out your cheeks, leaving no room to breathe, and felt him in your throat as your vision rolled to behind your skull to the point your language deduced to the sounds of gagging. You gripped his hips, nails plunged into his flesh as your drool dribbled down his groin, slobbering over his cock in an erratic, hungry mess.

“Yes, like that. My god,” He praised through ragged breaths, hips jerking gently up into you. He lightly threw his head back, the urge to ram himself down your throat getting exceedingly more tempting, but he suppressed it as he dug his nails into his own palms. “I’m so close to cumming, can I–in your mouth or should I…?”

You hummed a confirmation before you swallowed him whole until you met the base, meeting his groin as he vanished inside you, breathing oxygen not even an afterthought. Images in front of you dulled in color, pictures shapeless and unclear, and you pushed past your boundaries to let him find home in your mouth, deeply intent with him finishing inside you one way or the other.

“F…f…fuck...”

Pleasure rippling through him, Minghao pushed himself up from his position, thrusting weakly as he cradled your head, pouring his thick, ivory load into your mouth, which was insistent on receiving every drop. He filled your cheeks, allowing warmth to coat the inside of your mouth as he tenderly stroked your hair in gratitude. Cupping your cheeks as he let his hips falter, he gently pulled himself out of your mouth, amused at how carefully you were trying to not let any of his cum seep past your lips as you sat between his legs.

His fingers danced under your chin. “Are you gonna swallow?” Minghao tiredly chuckled.

With smiling eyes, you tilted your head, as if asking if you should.

He pushed your hair behind you, softly pressing his lips against your tightly shut lips. “Don’t if you don’t want to.”

An idea occurred to you then, and in an instant you pushed yourself up to board him as your knees took either side of him, looming over him. His hands naturally found your waist as you lifted his chin, eyes staring at you curiously as his hands ran up body and gently clawed down, awaiting your next move. You then thumbed over his bottom lip before dipping between the slit of his mouth and saw it naturally part, taking the digit and settling it between his teeth.

Now confidently, you lowered your head, swirling the contents in your mouth before pushing your thumb deeper, prying the entrance wider, and finding no protest as he sanctioned it. He dug the pads of his digits into your flesh in anticipation. His eyes fluttering, he watched as your mouth withdrew the generous gift he gave to you before you gave it right back to him as it gracefully streamed down on his pulsing, eager tongue. And nothing satisfied you more than hearing him sigh wistfully as it landed.

It sent you shivers how beautiful he looked despite how vulgar the act was. Only Xu Minghao could make tasting his own cum look so ethereal, and it only made you wonder what other things a face this beautiful was willing to do. You swiped whatever fell from the corner of his lips with your thumb, sucking the residue like leftovers before you connected your mouths, sharing and tasting his lewd tang in violent swirls, and pulling away to watch it stretch between your tongues.

“I guess toothbrushes aren’t the only things you like to share,” Minghao teased before pushing you on your back, grinding his resurrecting arousal against your clothed heat and lathering the thick, viscous substance flat between your tongues in your mouths as it dribbled down your chins until there was nothing but slobber. It was a mess, and the most unmannerly you’ve ever seen him, and you’ve never been more turned on.

“My turn.”

With a rough hand, he tugged you by your legs towards him, hearing you let out a yelp, and shoved down your shorts to expose your glistening, mouth-watering, arousal soaked entrance. Be still his heart. He felt himself throb seeing you ruin his bed, but hell if he wasn't going to be sucking those juices out of the sheets until he’d tasted every drop.

He kicked off his sweats, leaving him entirely vulnerable while you witnessed his cock slowly twitch back to life before he laid on his stomach between your arched legs. “If we want to talk about pretty things, your pussy is high up on that list.”

Not waiting for a response, he licked a thick stripe up your inner thigh, flickering over your folds before sucking them in his mouth, using the tip of his tongue to tease your entrance. He felt the flutter of your core before spitting, lathering at the juices, coating at entrance but not peeking to see what was inside. “You’re already so wet, fuck.” 

“Hao…” You whined.

“Mmmh, I love how you sound,” he chuckled, running long strokes up your slit, wedged through you with every swipe, looking arm around your leg to hold you in place as his thumb brushed over your clit. “Are your moans always this delicious? Or are they reserved for when you’re thinking about me?” 

Shaking your head, you were too turned on to answer verbally, while his mouth closed around your clit and sucked, utilizing his fingers to assume their previous position. You clenched your stomach, fisting into the sheets as you spread your legs, feeling them already clam up from the tension as his tongue flicked against your sensitive bud in unison with his fingers twisted up into, and you couldn’t help but writhe underneath him.

“Yes, spread those pretty legs for me,” he encouraged with a haughty smile before burying his face, his moans vibrating up your walls as his tongue massaged your walls and tasted your cock pulsing nectar, sending chills up your spine.

You mewled, and feeling reserved, you held your hands up to your face to shield the tears collecting at your eyes threatening to fall, but Minghao grabbed you by the wrists, roughly pinning them to the bed.

His eyes narrowed back at you before softening almost menacingly, “Don’t cover your pretty face, watch me.”

“But—”

“I want you to watch me fuck your pretty pussy with my mouth. Don’t make me say it twice.” He warned before he got you a quiet nod, earning you a kiss against your inner thigh.

His hand flattened against your inner thighs again, pressing them further away from another and delving his tongue deeper as he rubbed your clit, working your insides until he tasted every inch of you possible. He buried his face, but his eyes were clear, staring at you as he worked his jaw, engorging with his mouth that sent you above and beyond and his eyes that saw you at the result of your undoing. You had no choice but to cling on, freeing yourself from his grasp to have your fingers fly in his hair, navigating him as you took him for a joy ride, his tongue shifting gears as it picked up pace.

“S-shit!” You rolled your hips, threading your fingers through his locks and clamping his head between your thighs as you pushed him deeper.

“Yes, ride my face—fuck, use me, please,” he pleaded in a cracked voice, pouring his heart into his feast until he was practically suffocating, worth it to worship you and bring you to the highest peak of your pleasure.

Your legs trembled as his moans infiltrated your heat, the intense flicks of his tongue titillating you to the brink of ecstasy until he used it to fuck you in time with his fingers thrusting inside, clutching you as you held him in place and grinding against him. “My god, Hao!”

Hips shaking, you bucked into his mouth, and even after your release, he made no effort to stop, lifting you to his mouth as he got on his knees, eating you like a meal he’d never have again until he worked his tongue raw, tasting you and only you as your cum coated his mouth. You squirmed, the suction of his lips on your sensitive core in tandem with his tongue viciously swirling inside you overwhelming you beyond words, unable to kick him off as he held both your knees above his head.

“You’re gonna kill me, Hao,” you cried desperately. “Just put it in me.”

He chuckled before setting you down, meeting your lips halfway as he stroked his fully erect cock, massaging the evening’s concoction against your tastebuds, mingling the contrasting flavors as they battled in your mouth while the knowledge of it all pebbled your skin. Meanwhile, he ran his hands over you beneath your shirt, found your nipples, rolling them against his thumbs as his cock rubbed between your folds, ebbing your moans as they buzzed against his lips. “What if I want to play with you first?” He taunted.

You whined, brushing your lips repeatedly over his. “I want you inside me.”

“You’re cute even when you’re needy,” he gushed.

You clasped your hands over his soft, warm cheeks. “Minghao, please…”

He playfully rolled his eyes, kissing into your palm then down your wrist before his teeth playfully started nibbling at your skin. “Fine, because you asked so nicely. Just to let you know, though, I don’t have a condom on me right now, but I’m clean.”

“Then, we don’t need one.”

He grinned, stroking the back of your head. “I had a feeling you’d say that.”

Rubbing his tip down your slit, he savored your whimpers as he drew circles against your clit before sliding his length through your folds and stretching your walls, letting you slowly adjust to his presence. Your jaw slightly dropped as you took a sharp inhale, fingers digging into his shoulders and clinging on to him before you felt him sink deeper inside you, pacing his thrusts in a steady rhythm. Your eyes flit to meet his, feeling the back and forth of his hips as they snapped, while you reveled in each collision.

“Yes please…”

Before losing himself in his pleasure, he was determined to remember how you looked getting lost in yours, taking in your features as they distorted under his care. He first found your eyes–lost in a galaxy with an infinite amount of stars out of the way. Then, his eyes started to follow the slope of your cheeks, flushed to the touch against the back of his hand, saliva leaking out of your swollen lips. And your body with the shirt adhered to you by the sweat on your skin, clinging to your form and proving to him time and time again that you were not only the object of his desires, you were something straight out of his dreams.

“You look, taste, and feel good? Where have you been all my life? Really?” He landed a harsh thrust, pressing down on your nipples and smiling manically at how you whimpered in response, clutching you as you shuddered against him. “You like that?”

You nodded, clawing your hand up his back.

“Mmh, me too,” he drew his lips to your ear. “And I like you. A lot. I wouldn’t let someone go on and use my toothbrush for months if I didn’t.” He slowed down his thrusts, cupping your face to meet your eyes. “You like me too, right?”

Feeling your ears burn, you frantically nodded again, mewling after you felt him nip at them, teeth scraping under your earlobe before an open mouth pressed against the side of your neck. The warmth of his breath sweltering against you as you struggled to carry on with the conversation Minghao was determined to have.

“Yeah, you want me to take you on a real date?” He said into the nape of your neck, moaning into your skin as he dragged his hips, rutting into you like an animal.  He barely made out your soft ‘yes’s in your sharp gasps. He gritted his teeth, taking you by the hips, pushing himself flushed against you. “Fuck, you’re so cute,” he groaned.

His hips took flight while he separated your mouth in a loud moan, feeling you becoming malleable under his touch and growing weaker as you recoiled against him. He lifted your shirt above your chest and neared your stiff peaks, rolling your bud against the base of his tongue as he pinched the other, moving out of pure instinct. You threw your head back, going mad with sexual gratification. Your body spasmed out of your control, yet you craved more.

“Harder,” You gasped.

He scoffed under his breath in disbelief. “You want even more?”

“Yes…I want you to cum inside me. I want to feel everything that’s yours, Minghao.”

Knees buckling at your titillating request, he gripped your ass in both palms, clutching you against him as he rammed himself up inside you, and you’re forced to hold on. “I’ll do you one better,” he offered, “why don’t I just make you mine?”

“I…Oh, god…” Your brain was becoming mush, only processing the sound, taste, smell, sensation of Minghao’s cock as he plunged himself inside you. It fogged up your thoughts, clouded your judgement, and only formed incoherent gibberish that took place of real vocabulary as they passed through your swollen lips.

“Be mine, hmm?” He asked, pleading. “That way I can be yours.”

Captivated by his words, you nodded, feeling him suck the life out of you as your body felt close to giving out, the hilt of his cock bottoming out inside you. You anchored your legs around him, following his pace before you felt something within reach, just seconds away from ripping a scream out of your throat that would surely ensue a noise complaint from one of your neighbors.

“Hao, I’m going to cum, I’m really close,” you meekly warned.

His hand settled against your thigh, nodding. “I can feel it. You’re shaking so hard. Let me have it, I’ll catch you. Every last bit of you.”

Ecstasy was just a word, but Minghao was everything, and you could breathe in that everything. 

Your bodies crushed against each other, lost in heat as you became one. Breaths blended, bodies embraced, only faltering after you long finished the initial orgasms, coming back for more. You embraced  the sheer carnivorous lust that quelled this several month long push and pull, adhering you by the sweat misted on each other's skin before your mouths tenderly met repeatedly.

Sleep felt futile, while the night felt everlasting. Minghao’s company was more than you could ever ask for, and by the time you did sleep, you were too tired to move. You collapsed against each other, bodies drowning in each other’s releases, sheets and pillows stained by the arousal from the evening’s lack of inhibitions. Minghao should’ve been just as tired, but instead he tended to your tired body, leaving kisses in its wake as he cleaned you off and slept alongside you in your clean bed, letting him worry about laundry in the morning.

With your eyes closed, mind in another world, Minghao was brushing the hair away from your face, softly smiling as you gently stirred and nestled closer to him. In response, he pressed a sweet kiss to your temple, warmth blooming in his chest as a grin developed on your face.

“I’ll take you on a proper date. I promise,” he said while you slept. “And If I don’t, pull the bad roommate card on me. You can punish me however you like.”

“…ok, I will.”

[sc0tters]

Captains Orders | Quinn Hughes & Nico Hischier

summary: what happens when quinn learns he isn't the only captain you've been hooking up with?

request: yes/no

warnings: sexual themes, threesome, dismissive kink, dom!quinn, p in v (unprotected!), oral (m receiving!), masturbation, in general filthy smut.

word count: 6.77k

authors note: we have been in the thick of the threesomes recently but you won't hear me complain because this one i am pretty sure i lost my ability to have a filter so some of these points were simply the cause of my brain and of course @sweetestdesire who is back in the seat of helping with these threesomes so as always thank you to brynn for listening to the shit that comes out of my mouth while i plan these 💗 this was a version of threesomes i have never fully gone at before so lets hope the plot landed.

You really didn’t know how you ended up like this. 

Well, that was a lie. You knew exactly how you ended up chasing after the eldest Hughes boy in the lake house as you tried to apologise. Quinn had come down to see you standing in the kitchen as Nico recounted the days when you spent most evenings in his bed. As Jack’s best friend, your sex life shouldn’t have mattered to Quinn, especially the stuff that you did back when you lived with Jack as you got your degree. But Quinn did care; in fact, he cared so much because now that you resided in Vancouver, you were doing the same thing with him. Gone were the moments of feeling special, that you were the one who helped him feel better during the darker days within the season. Craving your company and your bed as your sweet sweet cunt was the best therapy he could have ever gotten. 

Because now he wasn’t special, Quinn was actually the second person you had been doing this with and he had seen the way that Nico had been looking at you all week. From the moment that the Swiss man walked into the house, his eyes seemed to settle on you for a little too long. So now knowing that there was something between you both, it all made sense to Quinn. He hadn’t bothered to ask before because he thought that he was just dreaming things up. But that sense of hope seemed to just bite him in the ass.

Quinn heard you walk into the room behind him “I didn’t think that you needed to know about a relationship that means nothing to me now.” You let out a sigh, watching him grab the tv remote before he started to flick through the channels “please Quinny.” You begged, wanting a response as you pulled your hoodie off of your head, leaving you in the little sundress that he loved so much. 

But still, he remained focused on the screen that stood behind you “fine.” You grumbled, dropping onto your knees without a second thought. You knew he was mad but there was only so much that he could ignore when it came to you. And you weren’t above crawling to him, so that was what you did. 

The dress you wore climbed up your ass revealing the white panties that you wore. Quinn’s eyes did break from the screen to you it but still, he didn’t talk and when you noticed him looking, his eyes went back to the screen. It took everything from him to not grunt. The sight of you on your knees was something he always loved “please Quinny I’m sorry.” You whined, letting your lips form a pout. 

His fingers dug into his hand as he stayed quiet wanting you to work for his attention “you want me to suck your cock huh?” Your fingers were delicate against his shorts. The sound of your freshly manicured nails against his waistband. 

He licked his lips when you pulled his shorts and boxers down to let his cock spring up against his pubic bone “god Quinn please just talk to me.” You begged, pumping his cock in your hand. 

His silence made you feel bad, as if your past relationship was something that could have been held against you. So you licked at his cock as if he was your lollipop, your tongue swirled around the head of his cock. Hoping, almost even praying that you’d draw out a response from him, when you weren’t even sure if you got a cut breath.

Quinn had done this before, ignored you until he thought that you had sucked his cock well enough to be spoken to again. So as you looked back up at him you set yourself the challenge of breaking him sooner than you ever had done before. 

You wrapped your lips around his cock, arching your back in a way that allowed you to take his cock much easier than normal. He felt your tongue run along the underside of his cock as your nostrils flared. His head rested against the cushion behind him while he gripped at the remote trying to not show you the effect that you really did have on him too early on. 

Your mouth felt like your cunt to him when he was desperate to just feel you so now when you were all methodical it was close to sending him over the edge especially as your eyes remained on him. When your hands reached down to massage his balls, he stopped you, one hand went on top of your as the other pressed on the back of your head forcing you to hit his pubic bone with your nose. 

Quinn loved the feeling and the soft effects as you gagged on his cunt and as he watched the replay of the tennis game on the tv in front of him he couldn’t help but begin to fuck your throat. The feeling your mouth gave him was addictive, like he had morphed you into his personal toy. 

The walls of your throat tightened around his cock but with how harshly he fucked your throat Quinn barely felt it. Even in his state of getting have your mouth at entirely his own mercy, he still noticed what happened around him. That is why he saw your free hand leave his thigh before travelling between your own legs. 

Your panties came down to your knees as your clit ached for attention. But you knew that you couldn’t give into yourself, not until you had earned it. The sounds of your own gags had you focusing on Quinn. You weren’t able to see his face with how he had positioned his hand on your head and you wondered if that was how he liked it. 

But Quinn was strong, even if he fucked your throat like it was the last thing on earth. You weren’t going to hear him even squeak, even if that meant he was gnawing his own lip off in the process. His throbbed as precum oozed into your throat, not giving you a chance to savour that taste of it. 

Your nails dug into the side of your thigh to keep you from rubbing at your clit, tears formed in your eyes because you wanted nothing more than to just make Quinn cum. At least then you’d get some kind of release, too. Your pleads came out muffled but even Quinn could make out that you were begging him to finally cum, it wasn’t going to be the last time of the night for him anyways.

He tugged at your hair when his thrusts became erratic. His thighs began to shake and he was dangerously close to cumming when he felt your tongue hit his balls. You wished you had a bigger mouth because then you would be able to take more of him. Quinn felt his jaw tense as you hollowed out your cheeks and shifted your legs back to let him thrust more freely. The boy watched in awe as the sounds of your whimpers and gags sent him over the edge. 

Quinn loved the feeling of cumming down your throat, but on days like this he preferred to not let his thrusts slow until he has finished painting your mouth and throat with his release. That way some of it ends up on your tongue and eventually your mouth feels so full that he can’t even fuck you with any easy anymore. 

He finally halted his movements to catch his breath as he let you have his cock comfortably in your mouth while he slightly turned your head to let breathe more comfortably. His eyes never trailed down to yours however, Quinn was far more entertained by the tennis on the screen, watching the players move with ease. 

But when he turned you, your jaw began to grow slack, almost wanting to rest for what you knew would be a long night. The captain could feel that his thighs were damp and he originally thought it was just your saliva pooling onto his shorts, but instead, it was your tears. 

At first, he worried that he had pushed you too far when he saw how your mascara was a goopy mess on your cheeks. Quinn was ready to pull you onto his lap and treat you like his princess for the rest of eternity if he had to. But as his cum slipped from your lips, Quinn watched how you caught it with your fingers. Trying to stealthily bring them back down to your cunt. 

His hands ran through your hair as he held back a laugh, Quinn should have felt relieved in that moment but deep down he just knew that you were his little slut. He knew you were only teasing your clit as you waited for him to start fucking your throat. 

So the captain decided to play nice as his cock felt hard again as he gripped at your hair, reforming your makeshift pony at the back of your head. Quinn wanted to smile feeling your free hand grip at his knee as you moved your head, causing his cock to throb at the feeling of your jaw tightening again.

His pace started off slow as he began to move his hips, still feeling a little bit sensitive from the first orgasm that he had. He watched your hand move making him wish that he could see how your fingers strummed against your clit. Sometimes, if there was a roadie when he desperately needed you, he’d get you on Facetime and make sure that your phone was set up so that he could see how your pretty face would react while you did a mix of rubbing at your clit and listening to his orders of how you needed to finger yourself. 

It was what he thought of while he listened to you whimper against his cock, carefully focusing that you continued to pay more attention to him than yourself. He chewed at his cheek, desperate to touch you, but still he had to keep himself restrained.

Quinn listened to how you brought your fingers into your cunt, it was two because he was the only one who went for three. Your jaw tightened around him as your palm brushed against your clit. 

You moaned again feeling how each of Quinn’s thrusts forced his cock past your uvula, somehow not causing you to gag. The room felt hot as you both settled into your own movements, each working towards your own orgasms. The captain made sure that he didn’t lift his hand from your head as he wanted to watch you, but you couldn’t know he was watching you. He imagined that it was his own hand getting you off as he let out the first grunt that was loud enough for you not to need to confirm it. You were finally breaking down his facade he out up that night, and you weren’t stopping there. You lapped at his dick, constantly making sure that he knew the sheer amount of work that you were putting in. Begging him without even having to say a word. 

Those movements continued on of you fucking your hand and turning his cock into your new favourite lollipop until Quinn felt his chest heave when you cried, whimpering around him as you came down from your own high and trigger his own with his hand now running through your hair.

You were left in a puddle of your own mess, desperate to look at Quinn and how you made him feel “poor schatz.” The words made you freeze, whereas Quinn laughed with his sense of cold that sent a shiver down your spine “probably isn’t even turned on with how neglected she is.” That made Quinn pull your head off of his cock. 

Strings of spit connected it to your mouth still “should we check your pretty fucking pussy to show him how you feel when I fuck your face like this?” Quinn smirked, watching you nod. To him, in that moment, you looked gorgeous with your ruined makeup, dishevelled hair, and that mix of saliva and cum on your chin. 

The Canucks captain leaned down to run his fingers through your folds as he kissed you. It was the first time that night that he had done so, and you savoured that. Quinn could taste his release on your tongue, and he had to remind himself that you two were not alone when you moaned feeling his fingers against your slit. Nico’s eyes watched how Quinn’s fingers glistened with your release “what were you saying about how she is feeling today?” Quinn asked as he smirked “since I am feeling generous.” He licked his lips, looking back at you. 

That blue dress that you wore was something Quinn wanted to rip off of you, but tonight he was going to play nice and show some self-restraint “why don’t you show Nico how well you suck cock now.” Quinn ran his fingers down your jaw before he turned your head to where Nico stood “schatz you don-” Nico went to tell you that you didn’t need to do what Quinn had said, but you were quicker than him. 

The smile that formed on your face was the same one that had Quinn thinking that you were a fucking minx, his fucking minx. How was there a reality where you were this innocent girl, but that look on your face always had him thinking otherwise? As you stood up, Quinn helped you out of your panties as they needed a final kick before they were left on his floor. You turned to face Nico again, but you couldn’t even get one step before Quinn had to remind you of his expectations “nuh-uh, baby. I didn't say you could walk, now did I? You know better than that.” There was this sense of disappointment in his voice that made you frown as you dropped back onto your knees “I’m sorry.” Your lips formed a pout looking back at Quinn, almost scared to go to the older captain if the Canucks one was irritated with you. 

But instead, he smiled “that’s okay, sweet girl.” He ran his fingers along your cheek making you lean into his touch “just go bring him over here, okay?” You looked eager as your eyes lit up when you acquired the task. Nico stood still, almost intimidated by the hold that Quinn had over you making it seem like you were some kind of prey that the boy had gotten as the American began to pump his cock with his hand watching how pretty your ass looked from this side of the dress. Your orgasm’s aftermath was present, glistening through your folds, making him lick his lips. Nico, on the other hand, watched you with a sense of curiosity; your days with him had him worshipping you, and it was not the other way round. He could see in your eyes that you were eager for him, for this. Your breasts were perfectly framed in the dress that Nico wondered if it was made for you “hi.” You smiled when you stopped at his feet. 

Nico was quick to give you his hand to help you back onto your feet “hey.” He ran his fingers through your hair as he looked at you almost trying to see what else had changed when your fingers ran over his cock. His boner was present through his shorts. He may not have agreed with what Quinn was doing to you, but he couldn’t deny that you were hot. The Swiss man felt his head fall forward at your touch “you gonna let me suck your cock?” The words were so vulgar from your mouth making him feel so dirty but somehow Nico felt his brain turn off as his cock took over the thinking. 

His hands were bigger than Quinn’s when he cupped your cheeks. You could taste his beer on his tongue, already comparing how it tasted to the one that Quinn preferred which was drier, Nico felt himself get carried away when he brought his one hand down your back; you had deepened the kiss so this felt natural. As his tongue fought with yours he let his hand continue down your back to your ass. He was purposeful with his touch, if he touched you, he wanted to feel all of you and that was how his hand ended up under your dress while he squeezed at your ass. 

It made you moan loud enough for Quinn to hear as the Swiss man fondled your skin in his hand “I don’t remember saying you could touch her.” Quinn’s words made Nico pull away from you with a smirk as his lower lip was caught between your teeth “careful, Hughes your jealousy is showing.” Nico looked to the American as you reached down to grab his hand. 

There was a look in your eyes that told him to keep calm and just let you lead the way. You stopped back at the couch, the simple two seater now felt tiny as Nico thought you were going to make him sit next to the Hughes boy in some sick kind of joke.  Luckily for him, you didn’t let Nico stew in his misery for long, as you ended up back on your knees but on the couch next to Quinn. The only difference was that you were facing Nico as you used the arm of the sofa to lean against “she doesn’t like waiting Hischier.” Quinn teased looking at him for only a moment before he let his eyes fall back to the hem of your dress, it was just too long as it covered your sweet pussy that he wanted to see so desperately “who says I am making her wait.” Nico spat as he undid the button of his shorts before he pulled them down with his boxers. 

You rubbed your thighs together as the thought of both boys fighting over you lit this fire in your pussy, the thoughts of them both fucking you made your mouth water as you didn’t know if you could even take both of them at once. But, boy, were you willing to try. Nico ran his hand over his cock, spreading his precum over the swollen head that was in front of your face “neeks let me.” Your voice was soft when you looked at him, bringing your hand over his before you brought your lips cock. 

Nico watched as you did these pathetic little kitten licks, almost taunting him in the process. His hands gripped at your hair while he sent you a glare until Quinn did the first thing that Nico could actually agree with that day “just because you aren’t sucking my cock baby don’t mean that you can go off acting like a brat.” Quinn warned as he pushed your dress over your ass so he could hit your ass. 

He lay a smack against your skin, making your eyes go wide as you moaned. Your body jolted, and as that happened, you took as much of Nico as you could in your mouth. Quinn smirked as he readjusted, letting his knees sit on the couch. He smirked as he watched your pussy flutter around nothing while his hand massaged your ass. He honestly thought that you were so cute doing this for him. 

Quinn knew that you had your ass like that so he could get the perfect view of your cunt “fucking hell.” He ran his thumb over your slit while he smiled hearing you moan around Nico’s cock.

You almost felt conflicted, wanting to stretch your body to both boys. You wanted Nico in your throat and Quinn to be against you too “you can fuck her face.” He pumped his cock in his hand, resting his one foot on the floor. 

Nico went to snap back but he was quickly stopped when Quinn slotted his cock into your cunt. Quickly bringing his hips against yours before you got a chance to adjust to his size. Your response was to tighten your throat around the head of Nico’s cock, digging your nails into his thighs. 

It knocked the breath out of him as his hands tugged at your hair. You breathed through your nostrils, using Quinn’s thrusts to force Nico’s cock deeper into your throat. Quinn’s lips turned upright when he settled into a good pace “sweet girl you seen how good you sucking his cock?” Quinn cooed running his fingers over your ass as his fingers gripped at your hips. 

Your cunt clenched around him as you looked up at Nico through your thick eyelashes. Nico ran his tongue over his lips feeling your tongue swirl around his cock before you let him hit deeper in your throat. The boy tried to pull away when you gagged but your fingers gripping at him was enough to stop him. 

The pain in his thighs made his stomach tighten “fuck you are perfect.” Nico grunted hearing how the squelches of your cunt mixed with the gags of your mouth “and you thought she wasn’t a slut.” Quinn laughed, bringing his hand around to brush at your clit. 

His cock throbbed against the slick walls of your cunt “she was waiting around for you to finally-” Quinn let out a moan watching how your back arched to get more of both cock “get unleashed by someone who could fuck her properly.” The American slapped your ass again making you whimper around Nico. 

Nico would never have admitted it, but Nico used to think that your mouth was good, but now it was heavenly. You hollowed your cheeks as if his cock was a straw and you were drinking out of it “you wanna let him cum?” Quinn could see the look Nico gave you, how his lips were attacked by his teeth. 

Swallowing his moans as he swore that you were going to make him cum harder than he ever had before. Tears streamed down your cheeks as you nodded, begging for Nico to cum on your tongue. For him to mark your throat, even if Quinn had already done that twice before “then I think he should let you hear how well you are making him feel.” Quinn brought his fingers from your clit to your boob. Taking your wetness to spread it around your nipple.

You whimpered as your body began to shake “she’s so responsive.” Quinn licked his lips “cause you love hearing how much of a cockslut you are don’t ya?” Your muffled whimpers echoed off of the walls as you nodded. 

Quinn stood back up straight bringing his hand back to your clit “didn’t think you used to be with such a rude boy before baby.” Quinn’s taunts finally broke Nico “don’t stop using your tongue like that.” Nico begged, letting his head fall back.

The Swissman was now relying on you and Quinn’s thrusts to allow him to fuck your throat. His stomach tightened as his hair threw slick with sweat “your perfect fucking mouth is bringing him close.” Quinn teased, forcing himself to control his thrusts, feeling that you were close. He was, too, but he wanted to watch Nico finish first. 

It was a total stroke to his ego watching Nico nod “just like that.” He encouraged you to continue hollowing your cheeks as your eyes didn’t leave his face. Studying his every reaction “think you should ask if you can make a mess in her mouth.” Your cunt clenched around Quinn feeling his calloused fingers against your clit, the roughness sending shivers through your body “you gonna let me cum in your pretty throat schatz?” You moaned hearing the question as your mind felt disconnected from the pleasure that you felt.

Your brain was foggy and Quinn knew that you were just desperate to cum too at that point “you’re asking the wrong person Neeks.” Quinn’s tone fucked with the boy, urging him to react. With one step out of line, Nico knew that it was all going to be over for him tonight “you think I’m going to ask you?” Nico laughed as he shook his head. 

But watching the younger captain remain quiet, the Devils captain realised he was serious “I’m not fucking-” Nico went to argue but Quinn was quick to cut him off “doll stop sucking his cock.” Even as you were focused on being used by both boys, Quinn’s order was something that you were almost hardwired to respond to. 

So you begun to pull away as you made your lips form an o shape “fuck Quinn please.” Nico looked at the younger boy “I just wanna cum.” You whimpered at the thought of him spraying his messy ropes of release down your throat. 

Quinn clicked his tongue “such a shame that it just isn’t good enough.” He sighed as he shrugged still letting your his hips hit the curve of your ass “try again.” The Hughes boy ordered holding his hand against your chest to remind Nico that he really could pull you off of him. 

Nico was getting frustrated, desperate to cum “sir.” Your words were muffled, but as Nico looked down at you, he could see that you were trying to say something. You let your tongue move so that you could speak even with his cock in your mouth “sir.” Quinn let out a dark chuckle, seeing that Nico had heard you properly this time. 

The Swissman thought about it as Quinn let you slowly move your mouth against his length, hoping to encourage him “I can pull her-” Quinn’s threat that came for a second time seemed to finally break the boy “fuck let me cum sir.” The words slipped from Nico’s tongue in a way that he almost didn’t even care about what he had just said.

Quinn nodded as he sucked at his teeth “sweet girl you can finish him off.” The Hughes boy cooed finally letting Nico cum. Nico would have cringed if he had been told that this is what he would be doing, but in that moment god he just wanted to cum “don’t stop yes!” Nico gasped, sticking your head against his pubic bone. 

The little bit of hair that he had tickled your nose as he forced his hips against you desperate to cum. Desire filled his sense as he squirmed, screwing his eyes shut so that he could imagine that he was the one in your cunt. 

It didn’t take him long to feel his hips jitter as his fingers dug into your scalp, the pain making you moan against his cock sending him over the edge. His grunts bounced off of the walls of the room, Quinn felt slightly grateful that his room was away from everyone else’s. It meant that nobody else was going to be interrupting you once Quinn got the Swiss man out of there. 

The older boys cum painted your throat “fuck schatz.” He ran his thumb over your cheek to wipe away your tears. You went to let his cock slip from between your lips but Quinn pressed his hand against your head, forcing you to have Nico’s cock right in the back of your throat “be a good little thing and keep his cock in your mouth while I destroy your pussy.” Your ears rang as you felt your stomach tighten while your cunt clenched around him. 

You swore that Quinn’s cock was bigger, hitting spots in your pussy you had never felt him hit before. So as the head of his cock brushed against your g-spot you couldn’t help but moan, watching Nico keep your head flush against his cock. 

Quinn hit your ass as he scoffed “be a good girl and stay fucking quiet okay?” His pace seemed to get even quicker as he turned animalistic, practically fucking you senseless. 

Nico and Quinn all of a sudden seemed to be on the same team with the Swiss man tugging at your hair each time you moaned which was usually followed by Quinn smacking your ass “someone is starting to be a good girl now.” You nodded, hearing Nico’s words as your thighs ached, burning while Quinn’s hands held you up “you’re lucky I’m feeling generous.” The Canucks captain gritted through his teeth. 

He was painfully close but he would never let them know that it was the reason why Quinn was going to let you cum “because now you get to see how fucking pretty this slut is when she cums on my cock.” The American patted your back as his hips drove into you. 

Your eyes rolled back in your head as your body spasmed, clenching around Quinn’s cock so hard you swore you could have broken it. He hissed feeling how your gummy walls cream around his dick, spurring on his own orgasm “holy fuck-” Quinn cut himself off when he shot his creamy load into your cunt. 

Quinn finally slowed down his thrusts, pulling out of you to see that Nico had already slipped his cock out of your mouth “how you feeling pretty girl?” Nico asked watching you rest on your arms as your ass was in the air “fucked.” A soft laugh left your lips when he ran his fingers through your hair. 

He nodded, slipping his cock back into his boxers and shorts before he looked between you and Quinn “think I’ll get this one to bed.” Quinn ran his fingers along your back, making you shiver. 

The Swiss man pursed his lips together “goodnight, you two.”Nico knew he had lost when he saw that you were so free “we will see you in the morning.” Quinn didn’t give two shits if Nico was taking this maturely and with grace, the Hughes boy wanted to have more of you and this time privately. 

Nico stood at the door looking at you both “and if when you come back to Jersey.” He let his lips form a smirk “make sure to bring her along too.” Nico shot you a wink before he finally walked out of the room.

The door shut behind him as you looked at Quinn “he really meant nothing.” You sighed sitting flat on your ass when Quinn joined you “I mean we fucked a few times while I was there but it was just when we both needed someone.” That confession made his nostrils flare because that was what you both currently boiled down to. 

After wins, defeats, lonely nights when he just didn’t want to be at his place, Quinn was at yours “you really mean that?” Quinn tucked your hair behind your ear as you nodded “and I haven’t spoken to him since I left because he had gotten a girlfriend.” Your words seemed to light a fire beneath him.

Did you really mean that if Nico didn’t have a girlfriend when you left, things would have been different? That you’d be in the Swissmans’ room as opposed to Quinns? Surely, you wanted Quinn the way he wanted you? Quinn shook his head as he kissed you, starting with your shoulder, slowly making his way up your jaw “Quinny.” You moaned, moving into his lap as if you were desperate to kiss him. 

Quinn smiled as he brought his hands up your sides “hey pretty girl.” He cooed, hooking his fingers in the straps of your dress. He sucked at his teeth pulling them down your arms to reveal your pretty perky tits that bounced as if they praised Quinn for releasing them. You felt your cheeks grow hot “not fair, you’re still in this.” You softly laughed as you ran your fingers along the hem of his shirt. 

He wasn’t going to argue; he didn’t want to argue with you, so he took his shirt off and as he did that, you pulled your dress off. Now you both sat there naked, but somehow you were feeling the most vulnerable that you had ever felt in front of someone “kissy?” You begged, running your fingers over his lips, making him smile. 

The boy took your jaw between your fingers so that he could kiss you. There was no lust driving this kiss, there was just a want to be close to one another. Quinn’s tongue and fought with yours, it was this fight of back and forth that ended as he squeezed your ass in his hand. 

A moan escaped from your lips as he smirked, his hands moved to your glutes so that he could pick you up. Your legs instantly wrapped around his hips when he stood, locking behind his back as if he was going to drop you since he focused on how your lips felt against his. He walked you back to the bed with such ease that if this was a Quinn, you didn’t know you would have been impressed. The boy dropped you onto the bed as if you were nothing more than his phone or wallet, watching how your breasts bounced when you landed on the soft mattress. Quinn smiled in awe, drinking in the sight of you naked and practically calling for him to come to you.

So the boy let his knees hit the bed, mattress dipping as you felt your mouth water “you gonna let me fuck this pussy again?” His words made you squirm as you forced your thighs together until his hand managed to get caught between them “can’t do that if you shut your legs on me, sweet girl.” Quinn made it seem so easy as his words turned you into putty, and with a deep breath, you let your thighs open again. 

Allowing the boy to be faced with your cunt that so glistened for him “please Quinn.” You whined, wanting some kind of friction or move from him “please what?” The captain knew what you wanted, but you were going to have to spell it out to him if you wanted any kind of success tonight. 

You chewed at your lip while your hands trailed over your nipples, which made him flick your thigh “use your words to ask me, or else I am gonna make sure you can’t touch anything.” His belt sat on the floor and you knew that Quinn wasn’t above using it and you weren’t in the mood to test him tonight “wanna watch you fuck me please.” Your works made him lick his lips, the offer was so inviting that he didn’t know how any sane person would turn it down. 

So the boy made light work of moving you so that he could sit between your legs “such a well mannered girl.” The boy complimented you as he ran his fingers across your stomach. Your breath hitched, watching him move his torso so that he hovered over you “kiss?” He asked, puckering his lips as he watched you crack a grin. You nodded and this time the kiss was soft, you could have sworn there was love in it even as you gasped at the feeling of his cock’s head lazily dragged over your clit. 

Quinn softly bit down on your lower lip when he let his cock sink into your cunt “fucking hell.” Your eyes screwed shut feeling how he felt letting your cunt cling to every inch of his dick “you feel so good.” Quinn confessed, kissing your forehead as he rolled his hips into yours. 

You opened your eyes to see him hovering over you “w-want more.” You begged, feeling like the world around you had been sucked into this room leaving you as the only two people that mattered “is that so?” He asked with a smirk, letting his pace pick back up to what it was when you were on the couch. 

In that moment you knew you sounded like a porn star but you didn’t even care. Gripping at your tits as you bounced with each thrust like he was going to fuck you into his bed “never gonna get over this perfect pussy.” Quinn let his head drop against your shoulder, his teeth grazing at your skin. 

It was clear that both of you were still sensitive from your previous orgasms of the night as a slew of incoherent curses came from your lips “fuck I want it forever.” The captain confessed letting his cock ram into your cunt while he picked up your leg to bring it over his shoulder “you gonna let me have it sweetheart?” Quinn teased letting himself fuck your cunt even deeper than he had before. 

Whimpers escaped from your lips as you nodded “please.” You mumbled feeling his one hand travel down to your slit. Pressing against your pelvis while his fingers toyed with that sensitive bud “what was that?” Quinn smirked, bringing his other hand up to your throat. 

Pressing his thumb and middle fingers against the sides of your neck, “couldn’t hear ya.” He brought his face down to yours as he nipped at your jaw. 

Softly sucking at your skin, it felt like a stark contrast to the abuse he was inflicting on your pussy “it’s yours Quinn.” You nodded and in that moment the American swore he was ready to cum and let his body give out from above you “fuck you are so dangerous.” He grunted letting out a hiss as your cunt clenched around him. 

The boy could see it in your eyes “you gonna cum?” Quinn asked speeding up his fingers against your clit. You couldn’t get out a solid response just a string of whimpers as you nodded “make a mess on my cock so I can fuck you full.” His eyes traveled to your breasts, which he thought about growing bigger. 

Neither one of you wanted kids at the moment, but that would be the truest act of staking his claim on you “go on.” He sucked at your ear lobe as your moans echoed against the walls of the room. 

You should have felt embarrassed thinking about what this room had seen tonight, but instead you were arching your back while your free leg pressed against his lower back keeping him close to you. You cried feeling yourself cum as white spots scattered across your eyelids when you screwed them shut. Quinn couldn’t last when you squirmed, feeling your cunt flutter around his cock “just like that.” He nodded, chatting out those words while his cum coated the walls of your cunt. 

Quinn moved his head so that he could kiss you as his thrusts came to a halt when you smiled “there you are pretty girl.” He mumbled pulling his cock out while he sat up to study you like a piece of art, his art. 

His eyes burned into your pussy making you push yourself onto your elbows “what?” You cocked your head seeing him smile “I need to clean you up but don’t want to ruin this just yet.” The boy huffed as he got up off of the bed. 

Before you could offer any kind of protest, he scooped you into his arms and brought you into his ensuite. 

It was a room you knew fairly well, but usually, you were sneaking back to your own one at this point “something on your mind?” He asked, feeling you staring at him as he ran the rag into the tap “like this side of you.” Your confession made your cheeks turn red as he smiled, turning to look at you. 

Quinn moved to be in between your legs as the warm cloth ran against your slit “think that you have one more in you?” The question was genuine, as he didn’t want to push you too far. 

But you nodded “what do you have in mind?” He held his hand out to pull you off of the counter. Quickly turned you around as you instinctively spread your legs for him “you wanna watch how your boy fucks this pussy?” Quinn smirked running his now hard again dick against your clit. 

Your head fell forward but still your eyes remained on him “fuck me like you mean it captain.” Oh, you were going to be the death of him, but he couldn’t have cared. 

In fact, Quinn was ready to dig his grave for you because this man was yours.

[golden-cherry]

deal - cl16 (50/?)

Pairing: Charles Leclerc x Reader

Series Summary: Your whole life has gone to shit. Your boyfriend broke up with you, you just lost your job and the Monegasque, who suddenly stands in your doorway, claims that it’s his apartment.

Chapter Summary: Reunited.

Warnings: 18+ (mentions of fingering and cunnilingus), alcohol consumption, fluff and angst and everything in between

Word Count: 4.7k

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A/N: this is part one of the dream I had over two years ago. I'm so proud of what the story has turned into. I love you so much. feedback is appreciated!

Charles: I can’t wait to have you back in my arms tomorrow evening. 

You smile at your phone, fuzzy blanket tucked underneath your chin and feet resting comfortably in Kikas lap. 

You: Next time you go to training camp, I’ll come with you. Take some professional pictures for your Instagram like my job description says. 

Charles: And here I thought you liked the picture I sent you. It‘s not really professional, but I gave my absolute best. 

He gave his absolute best, indeed. Even though the both of you didn’t text that much in the last few days, he made sure to send you a picture of him in case you miss his face. Even though his face wasn’t visible at all in the photo that showed his abs, boxer briefs and thighs.  

Not that you’d ever complain about that. 

You: I loved the photo. 

Charles: Next time I’ll let you take those pictures of me. But maybe with you in them as well. 

You: Is that an offer to sit in your lap again?

You press the send button and put your phone back next to you on the couch, gaze now fixed on the TV. It’s a re-run from Vampire Daries, the episode where it shows that Damon met Elena first. It’s one of your best friends favorites. 

When your phone lights up again, you take a look at the message that popped up on your lockscreen. 

Charles: As long as you’re naked.

You raise your eyebrows at the blunt text, blood rushing to your ears as you stare at your phone. The last few days consisted of quick good mornings, tired good nights and longing I miss yous but this – this makes you hot and bothered. 

A promise of what he’ll do to you once the both of you are back home. 

Charles: I really can’t wait to start the new year with you by my side. 

How can he go from a text that makes you wet to one that makes your heart skip a beat? You purse your lips and smile at your phone. 

„What are you smiling at?“, the Portugese woman asks, hand in a bowl of popcorn. With one inelegant move she grabs as much popcorn as possible and shoves it into her waiting mouth. 

„I’m not smiling“, you lie, grabbing your wine glass from the coffee table and taking a sip. You’re hit with a few popcorn pieces. „Hey! What –„

„Don’t lie to me, querida“, Kika grins. „I may have already had three glasses of wine, but I’m not stupid.“ She raises her eyebrow, waiting for you to answer, even though she already knows the answer to her question. 

You toss her your phone and, like the best friend she is, she unlocks your phone with your pin. Your chat with Charles pops up immediately. “The last message,” you say, and Kika reads the chat carefully. When you remind her that you only want her to see the last message, she sighs. 

“You two are even worse than Pierre and I when we're apart,” she jokes, slowly scrolling up. "It almost hurts how sappy it is." At one message, she throws her head back and laughs before looking at you with a pout. “'I miss you so much it hurts,'” she reads Charles' message from last night. 

You roll your eyes in mock annoyance. ‘I know what it says.’ You lean forward and try to get your phone back, but Kika is faster than you and turns away. 

“'Just one more sleepless night and then I'll finally have you back again.' My goodness.” Kika breathes out heavily. "I should show your chat to Pierre. He could definitely learn something from your sentimental messages.”

“Kika,’ you warn her, putting your glass back on the table and watching her scroll on.

“'The bed is so empty without you,'“ the brunette continues. ‘’When I'm with you again, I'll keep you in bed and taste your body until –”'”

“Okay, that's enough.” You grab your phone in a flash and sit on it so Kika doesn't get the temptation to take it from you. Blood rushes to your cheeks – and the warmth in your face is definitely not coming from the alcohol. 

“Spicy texts,” she grins, raising her wine glass in a toast to you. "I wouldn't have thought of you as the kind of people who sext each other."

You take the bowl of popcorn and pop a piece into your mouth. ”We don't sext.”

Kika purses her lips into a narrow line and raises her eyebrows. “That didn't sound at all like it. I was scared I was going to come across a nude photo of one of you two.”

You throw a piece of popcorn at her. "There are no nudes, Kika." At least none where either of you is really naked. 

“Phew. Thank God,” she grins and takes a sip of wine. She draws it through her teeth once before swallowing. Her gaze is curious when you look at her. ”I thought you two hadn't had sex yet. At least that was the case a few days ago. Did I miss something?”

You shake your head. “We haven't had sex.”

“But you've already kissed.” When your gaze wanders from her to the TV, she sits up a little straighter. She puts her glass down with a cool expression on her face to place her hands on your ankles. Her eyebrows raised, she looks at you in surprise. “Don't tell me –”

“We haven't kissed yet,” you quietly confirm her thought, as if you didn't dare to say the fact that you both have done a lot together, but haven't kissed yet. 

Somehow the sentence leaves a sour taste in your mouth. 

Kika reaches for the remote and pauses the episode before turning back to you. “Why not, if I may ask? I mean...” She pauses to think about how to phrase her sentence without offending you. “Your texts are not exactly G-rated.”

You roll a piece of popcorn between your thumb and index finger. “If I knew, I would tell you,” you reply, examining the snack in your fingers as if it contained all the answers you need to define your relationship – or whatever it is between Charles and you. 

The Portuguese woman purses her lips. “But – you want to kiss him, don't you? Or don't you want tiramisu anymore?”

You shrug. "Nothing has changed." You exhale quietly. "Absolutely nothing.”

Kika tilts her head and looks at you. "That's the problem, isn't it?”

You sit up straight, too, placing the bowl of popcorn between your crossed legs. “It's weird. It is weird, isn't it? We – after the party, when Charles practically dragged me out of the club, he –” You take a deep breath and try to sort out your thoughts so as not to jump from topic to topic. You run your fingers through your hair. “We didn't kiss. He fingered and ate me out, but when I tried to get close to him and touch him, he blocked me. Which is fine in itself – but I –”

Kika, noticing your frustration, grabs your hand and squeezes it gently. “You don't know exactly where you stand,” she finishes your sentence. 

You breathe out and nod slightly. “I mean – isn't it strange that he wants my body but doesn't kiss me? Or doesn't let me touch him? Kissing is actually something you normally do before – before all the other things.”

Your best friend licks her lips. ”Actually, yes.”

You chew on the inside of your cheek. “I didn't sleep with Raphael back then because I didn't feel safe in the relationship – and my gut feeling definitely didn't deceive me.” You shake your head slightly. “And now, with Charles, I feel safe. But he –”

Annoyed by the situation, you close your eyes and lean back against the armrest, putting your forearm over your face. You feel bad that you want to rip Charles' clothes off and kiss him until you can't breathe anymore when he obviously doesn't want it. 

Or rather – wants something else. Unfortunately, you don't know what exactly. 

“Hey.” Kika's voice is gentle as she strokes the back of your hand with her thumb. ”You two have only known each other for – what – two weeks? You were forced to be roommates before you were even friends. It's only natural that your dynamic would change.” She slides a little closer to you on the couch. “From the beginning, you were destined to be more than just people sharing an apartment. I saw that the very first night we met.”

You remember the dinner very clearly. When Charles was so rude to you because he had spoken to Annika, but you two had made up again. When you shared the tiramisu – the tiramisu that became synonymous with the attraction between you and the Monegasque between you and Kika. When you touched for the first time – only through your clothes, but you could still feel the warmth of his skin. 

She purses her lips into a narrow line. “It was obvious from the start that there was more between you. Even if you couldn't admit it to each other back then.” She tilts her head. “Why do you think Charles wasn't so thrilled that you got along so well with Lando right away?”

You mumble through your arm. “When he came back from Maranello, he explained that he was jealous of our friendship and worried that we – Lando and I – might become a couple and we – Charles and I – would no longer be friends.”

“Bullshit.” Kika's voice sounds cutting. 

Confused, you sit up and look at her, your arm falling into your lap. “Excuse me?”

“Bullshit,” the Portuguese woman repeats. “You're right that Charles was jealous, definitely. Even the people on the other side of the table could see that. But not about your friendship with Lando. But because you got along so fabulously within a few hours that Lando knew exactly what you definitely wouldn't eat off the menu.”

You furrow your eyebrows. “We talked about it when we ran into each other at the supermarket and he helped me find the groceries,” you explain to her, as if you had to justify yourself. 

Kika gently pats your hand. “It doesn't matter where or when you talked about it,” she says at some point. “Someone you only knew for a few hours knew something about you that your roommate should have known. And you'd only known Charles for a few days, had argued twice, and then there was someone else who got along with you so well from the start and made you laugh?” She shakes her head slightly. "Charles was never jealous of your relationship with Lando and the possibility that he might lose you as a friend because of it.”

You're at a loss. "Then what?”

Your best friend takes a deep breath. “He was jealous that Lando took his chance before he did. His chance to be closer to you than mere friendship would allow.” She squeezes your hand again. “Charles definitely feels more for you than friendship, querida. And everyone except you can see it.”

You look at her, raising your eyebrow. “Did he tell you that? Or Pierre?”

Kika presses her tongue into her cheek. “No, but –”

“You see?” you reply and pull your hand away from her, propping your elbows on your knees. “I don't know what's going on in his head. And he's not telling me either. Which is perfectly fine. But how am I supposed to feel when he – when he apparently only wants my body but not me?”

She opens her mouth to say something, but closes it again. 

“I know that the breakup with Annika really affected him,” you continue. "And that's totally understandable. I mean, who wants to catch their girlfriend in bed with another man?" You run your fingers through your hair in frustration. ”I can understand it, really. But – I don't know – if you're really right, then I don't understand why he only wants my body and not me. He would kiss me otherwise, wouldn't he?”

You have the feeling that your thoughts definitely made more sense in your head. But now they are spilling out of you like a shaken bottle of coke. 

“I – I don't know if I can take this. Raphael – when he didn't get my body, he looked for another one, or rather several others. He didn't want me, just my body. I'm afraid it's the same now.” You look away. "I don't think I can get over something like that again. It was already difficult with Raphael, but Charles – Charles means so much more to me than Raphael ever did. Charles is my home. My one and only.”

“Maybe he's also worried that you don't feel the same way about him,” she interjects. "Have you told him?”

“That I love him? No, I haven't.”

Kika blinks at you silently. ’You — you love him?”

You stare at her as if pink elephants were floating around her head. It's the first time you've said it out loud. And contrary to your expectations, your worries and fears, which you brought with you as a legacy from your relationship with Raphael, it feels right. 

Tears well up in your eyes. “I love him.”

Kika can't stop the smile that spreads across her beautiful face. Like a little girl, she throws herself in your direction and wraps her arms around you, pressing herself against you. “I'm so proud of you, querida.” She kisses your cheeks. “So unbelievably proud.” She pulls away from you and wipes the tears from your cheeks with her thumb. 

You look at her, confused. “Proud?” Your voice trembles with excitement. You actually said it. You can hardly believe it. 

“Incredibly proud. You let your walls come down even though you were hurt so badly.” Now tears are welling up in her eyes as well. ”You let love into your heart. Passion. You're ready to be loved, sweetheart. The greatest adventure in the world. I'm so incredibly proud of you.”

The two of you embrace for another moment before your friend pulls away from you and jumps up from the couch. She grabs her laptop and googles shops that sell dresses suitable for tomorrow's occasion. 

“We'll go shopping tomorrow morning and get you a dress that will take Charles's breath away,” she grins, cuddling up next to you under the covers. "We'll buy you a dress that he can't wait to rip off you." She smiles at you. ”And he'll kiss you. I'd bet money on that, too.” Before she clicks through the internet any further, she grabs the remote and presses play. 

You wipe a tear from your eye before leaning your cheek on her shoulder to watch her browse. In the background, you hear Damon speaking in the series:

“You want a love that consumes you. You want passion and adventure and even a little danger.”

It's as if he's speaking from your soul. 

-

You carefully get out of the cab, trying not to wrinkle your dress. With your purse on your shoulder, you walk up the few steps to the house where Kika's New Year's party is taking place. Your dress is baby blue, with a slit that reaches to the middle of your thigh and a back neckline that definitely doesn't allow for a bra. 

Kika did an amazing job dragging you through the various shops this morning, forcing you to try on countless dresses. 

And indeed, you found the perfect dress. 

“You look fabulous,” she smiles as she opens the door for you. There are already a lot of people in the background and music can be heard outside on the street. She kisses you on both cheeks. ”That dress was definitely the right decision. If Charles doesn't give you at least a New Year's kiss on the lips, I'll be happy to do it for him.”

Your girlfriend is wearing a black, sparkly dress with a cutout at the waist that accentuates her figure beautifully. She grabs your arm and pulls you through the crowd of people, all of whom are also wearing chic evening wear. 

You look her up and down and whistle. “You look hot, Kika,” you compliment her as she stops in the kitchen. “Maybe I'll take you up on that offer. Where's Pierre?”

“I have no idea. He's probably lurking around somewhere.”

While she mixes you a drink, you look around before taking your cell phone out of your handbag to see if Charles has sent you a text. 

But there is nothing. Since this afternoon, when he texted you that he was on his way back to Monaco. 

Kika notices your searching look. “He's not here yet.” She waits until you have put your cell phone back in its case before she hands you the almost full glass. “But don't worry. He'll definitely come. After all, he promised you.” She points to the large clock hanging next to the double-door refrigerator. “And he still has two hours before the new year begins.”

The next hour and a half feels like an eternity – no, two eternities. 

You chat with Kika and her friends, even Elena is there, and you win a round of beer pong with her, which looks pretty funny considering that all the guests are dressed as if they could go to the prom in a minute. 

The music is loudest in the huge living room, and the bass vibrates right through to your bones as the three of you dance and drink and enjoy the evening as if it were the last day. Which, in theory, it is. 

But no matter what you do, your thoughts are always with Charles. Is he already in Monaco? Or even on his way here to you? 

You have to actively stop yourself from checking your phone every five minutes in the hope that he has sent you his location or a message. These last few days you have missed him so much that you would like to call him to ask him where he is. 

And the more minutes pass, the closer midnight and the new year come – the more your stomach becomes queasy. 

With your jaw clenched, you stand in the bathroom and wash your hands, holding your wrists under cool water to get rid of the heat, but somehow it doesn't quite work. Your thoughts revolve around Charles. 

Charles, who you haven't seen in days. Charles, who you miss terribly. Charles, who you love. 

Charles, who apparently isn't going to show up at this party. 

When there's a knock at the door, you turn off the tap. “Occupied!”

The door opens and just as you're about to complain, Kika and Elena poke their heads into the bathroom. Their cheeks are red from alcohol as they join you and close the door again. 

Kika puts her arm around your shoulder while Elena leans against the wall. “He'll be here,” the Portuguese woman tries to cheer you up, as if she can read your mind. Apparently, it's written all over your forehead. 

You look at her, raising your eyebrows. “And what if he doesn't? There are only twenty minutes left until New Year.” You try to sound as neutral as possible, but you can still hear the tension in your voice.

“Who'll be here?” Elena asks, looking at both of you and taking a paper towel to moisten it a little at the sink. 

“Charles,“ Kika answers for you. When you give her a dirty look, she just shrugs. 

“Don't worry,” Elena smiles, stepping in front of you and taking your chin in your hand to wipe away the mascara under your eyes. “He's probably already outside looking for you.”

Kika nods eagerly. “Elena's right,” the model agrees. "Come on. You've been in here for far too long. We're going out there now and celebrating the New Year together," she says, leaving no room for discussion. She grabs your hands and pulls you both outside, where Pierre is leaning against the wall. The music is quieter here, more subdued, so you can even have a proper conversation.

“Where the heck have you been?” Kika pouts at him and puts her arms around his neck. "I haven't seen you in ages." She gently pulls him down to her and kisses him briefly before nestling against his side. "Doesn't she look great in that dress?" she asks, pointing at you and your gown.

Pierre smiles at you and kisses you on the cheek in greeting. “You look beautiful,” he says before kissing his girlfriend on the forehead. “But I still have the hottest date tonight.”

“And I don't think that's true,” you hear someone say behind you. The voice is warm and gentle and oh so familiar. When you turn around, he's standing there in dress pants and a shirt and absolutely perfect. ”Good evening, mon amour.”

You don't even try to hide your joy at seeing him again, which is why you immediately throw yourself at him. His muscular arms wrap around you and he lifts you up, before spinning you around briefly. 

When he sets you down, his warm hands remain on your hips, while yours rest on his cheeks. “Hi,“ you smile at him, trying to blink away the tears of joy gathering in the corners of your eyes. 

“Well, did you miss me?” he grins, his fingers spreading apart and now resting on your lower back, on your bare skin. 

Goosebumps spread out at the place where he touches you. As if it is the first time. As if you can't get enough of him. You smile. “Well,” you try to play down your emotions. “I finally had a whole bed to myself,” you joke. 

The Monegasque rolls his eyes playfully before pressing you closer to him. “In your messages, it sounded like you couldn't wait for me to lie next to you again,” he whispers, his warm breath caressing your face. 

You look up at him. “Maybe I was lying.”

“I doubt that very much,” he smiles at you. "I'm so glad to be with you again." He leans down to you and gently kisses your cheek as your hands slide down to his chest. ”Next time I'll really take you back to camp. I never want to be separated from you for so long again.”

You purse your lips. “It wasn't that bad.” Cheeky lie. 

He raises his hand and places his curved index finger under your chin to lift it up so that you look at him. His eyes sparkle in that beautiful green that you love so much. 

“It was absolute hell.”

“Maybe you two should just get married,” Kika interjects. You both turn your heads in her direction and stare at her in puzzlement. Pierre nudges her in the side. ”What? Sooner or later it'll happen anyway.”

“Okay, my darling. How much have you had to drink?” Pierre asks her, as he throws you an apologetic smile and then wraps his arm around his girlfriend's waist to lead her away from you both. Elena gives you a quick wink and follows the couple. 

Charles leans against the wall, but pulls you with him so that his hands are back on your hips and you are standing between his legs. “You look beautiful in that dress,” he smiles, letting his fingers slowly travel over the fabric on your butt before sliding up over your bare back. “Did you know that it's my favorite color?”

The smile on your face grows wider. “Maybe.” Your arms wrap around his middle. “I missed you so much,” you answer his question from earlier. 

His hand gently caresses your shoulder blades before his fingers carefully find their way to the back of your neck, holding you there. “Never again without each other,” he whispers, as if it were a promise meant only for your ears. 

You nod slightly. “Never again without each other.”

In the background, you can hear the other party guests beginning to count down the minutes to midnight. You both glance towards the door. 

“We should get back to the party,” you say, pushing away from him, just a little, because you can't get any further with his hand on the back of your neck. “So we can start the new year together with the others.”

“I'm not interested in the others,” he says, but follows you back to the party. ”As long as I have you, I don't care about the others.”

His words make your blood rush to your cheeks. 

It’s like his presence makes you see everything more vibrant. The air in the apartment seems to shimmer in golden light, a haze of champagne bubbles and glow of string lights wrapped around the ceiling beams. Things you haven’t noticed before, because you were so focused on Charles‘ absence. The both of you come to a halt next to Kika and Pierre, the first one handing the both of you champagne glasses. 

„You ready?“, she smiles at you, raising one eyebrow. 

Now is the time. The breaking point. The start of it all - or the end before it even really started.

You nod slightly. „I’m ready.“

You stand beside Charles, his free hand wrapped around your waist, pulling you so close against him that not even a sheet of paper would fit between the both of you. But even though his hand is on your bare skin, he doesn’t seem close enough. You can smell his cologne – something crisp and familiar, laced with memories of late-night drives and inside jokes and pillow talks. You steal a glance at him, your heart stumbling over itself. 

He laughs about something Pierre shouts at him, dimples flashing, his green eyes catching the chandelier light in a way that makes your breath hitch. You’ve known him for two weeks – two fucking weeks – but it seems like you’ve known him since forever. The way his voice sounds all raspy and deep when he wakes up. The way his eyes light up when he talks about something he’s passionate about. The way he makes you feel like you’re the only person in the room who truly matters to him. 

And yet, he has no idea. 

All around you, the energy shifted. The crowd tightened, turning towards the big TV screen mounted on the wall, where the countdown was shown. 

Ten. Nine. Eight. 

Your pulse quickens. Your heart beats so fast, that you fear it’ll break through your ribcage. You inch even closer, pressing yourself against his side. You can feel his body heat through your dress, something you missed the last few days. It’s been two weeks of skirting around the truth, of stolen glances and unsaid words and hesitant touches, and you don’t know if you can bear another second o fit. 

Charles shifts beside you. You can feel it – the way his body stiffens, the way his breath falters. 

Seven. Six. Five. 

Then, just as you lift your head, he leans down. It would take nothing to close the space between your lips. Just an inch. Maybe less. You can feel his breath on your face. 

He says your name, whispers it in a room full of people who shout numbers, but all you can hear is him. His voice is raw. A plea. A warning somehow. 

Four. Three. Two. 

He closes his eyes, his forehead brushes against yours and the closeness makes your pulse stutter. Every little detail of him is magnified – the different shades of green, the tension in his jaw, the fingers tightening around your hip, curling into your flesh like he’s afraid of letting you go. Like you’d slip out of his reach if he loosens his grip.  

One.

His eyes snap open, dark and conflicted. 

You push yourself up, not even an inch, and Charles – 

Charles pulls away. 

Happy. Fucking. New Year. 

[lunarsworld]

⋆౨ৎ˚ you’re my kryptonite

warnings: 18+ MDNI, unprotected p in v, kissing, heavy dirty talk, pet names, exhibitionism (kinda), fingering, lmk if i missed any pairing: smallville!clark x f!reader smut under the cut!!!

you had been waiting for this day since you started high school. it was your senior prom and everything was just like you planned it. as you finished the last curl in your hair, you heard a car beep outside. you stuck your head out the window to see your best friend walking up to your door. you quickly tightened your dress, threw on your heels, and ran down the stairs.

sure enough, there he was conversing with your parents. “i’m so happy your taking her to prom,” your dad groaned. “all these nasty boys can’t keep their hands off her. i trust ya though, after all your her best friend…” he began to trail off into a babble. you started to grab your bag and other things, but you felt lingering eyes on you. you turned your head to find clarks eyes trailing all over your body, eye contact immediately broken after he realized you noticed. you walked over to him and ran out with him. “wait, don’t we have to take pictures or something?” he yelled, but you didn’t care. this night was your dream and you didn’t need your parents unfiltered thoughts to ruin your night. you both got in the truck and clark immediately started driving.

once you both entered, it was like all eyes were on you. your dress did wonders on you. everybody always found you attractive, clark knew, but having that much attention on you was breaking him down. “bet all these guys wish they asked you before me, huh?” he said with a silent twang of jealousy. clark didn’t notice though that all you were looking at was him. you both wandered onto the dance floor for a couple hours, later deciding you needed a break and sat down at your assigned table.

you began to zone out and fumble with your hair. clark saw this and instantly put a reassuring hand on your thigh to snap you out of it. but when you did, his hand still stayed there. slowly inching up and up, making a weird feeling rise in your stomach that you knew all too well. you looked up only for your both your eyes to connect. you tried to get words out, but you couldn’t. to be fair, you never could when somebody made you feel this way. but clark? oh god you were fucked. he leaned in closer to your ear and whispered, “i wish you knew the things you did to me angel.” you stuttered a breath as his hand reached closer and closer to the heat forming, his hands giving you an opposite reaction. “clark.. we- we can’t do this here. not now,” you hissed. clark never tried to feel you up like this, always taking another direction to things, making you feel like you were the one imagining the feeling between you two. after processing what you said, clark raised an eyebrow to you. “there’s a bathroom ya know?”

listening to your pussy gut, you slowly creeped inside with him. he locked the door behind him and wasted no time running his hands all over your body. clark always kept his urges to himself, scared if he went too far he would hurt you. but he truly couldn’t control himself tonight, he didn’t know what got into him. he even made sure you never wore any red kryptonite so he wouldn’t take things too far. maybe it was the way the dress fit all your curves perfectly, or the way your lips puckered, or how your legs crossed everytime he made a sly comment. whatever it was, he didn’t care. you were his kryptonite.

he grabbed your hips and hoisted you onto the counter and connected his lips with yours. you opened your mouth and gave him access to all of you. he tastes like cinnamon, not what you were expecting but honestly better. clark kent was something you could get drunk on (and later cockdrunk on). he moved his hand under your dress and lightly ran his thumb over your clit. after earning soft moans from you he asked, “is this ok, angel. need to hear you say you want this.”

“yesyesyes just please stop teasing me.” you whined. he immediately shoved his two fingers in your pussy, moving at a perfect pace and hitting all the right spots. “fuck clark, s’ good,” you moaned into his ear, growing louder by the second. “shhh- baby someone might hear us. need you to be quiet if y’wanna come, ok?” he mutters, looking in your eyes. you nod in agreement and he quickens his pace. you can feel yourself getting close and as soon as your about to reach your climax, he pulls his fingers out. you whine at the loss of contact but the tension builds right back up when you watch him lick your fingers. “sorry hun, but you can’t come yet until it’s on my cock,” he said under his breath. when he undid his belt and unzipped his pants, your jaw dropped. by the sheer size of his cock, you knew he would split you apart. “are you sure it’s gonna fit?” you ask, practically drooling when you see the precum dripping from his tip. “i’ll make it fit angel, don’t worry.” he purred as he aligned his tip with your dripping entrance. he rubbed it against your clit first, teasing you even more and when you whined, he fully bottomed himself into you.

you moaned loudly and he quickly shushed you. all of a sudden, you both heard knocking on the door. in response, clark began to go even faster. your whimpers began spilling out of you making it harder to keep them in as you clutched on the sink for support. “baby you gotta be quiet,” he mutters. “or do you want everybody to know i’m filling you up with my cock?” you had no idea clark could be so mean, but with the way his cock was bullied into you you realized you didn’t know anything about him until now. “fuck- angel, you have no idea how long i’ve thought about fucking you. you’re so fucking beautiful,” he groans. your walls clench around him and he knows your getting close so he quickens his pace even faster, his tip slamming into your cervix with extreme force. he sticks his fingers into your mouth to muffle your moans and uses his other hand to rub your clit. “yea, come all on my cock. this how you imagined prom? getting stuffed in the bathroom with me?” he teases as you come undone around him. he pulls out and as much as he wants to finish inside you, he can’t bring himself to. not when he knows the night you both have ahead of you. “c’mon princess i’ll get you cleaned up and then we can head home. y’tired?” he asks while turning away to grab some towels to wipe your slick off your inner thighs. “clark,” you mutter. he turns his head to you, waiting for your answer. he slowly walks back over and cups your face in his hand. “what about the person outside?” you complained. you didn’t want the whole school knowing your best friend just fucked you in the bathroom. “he says anything, i’ll beat him up. not my fault your pussy’s sweet n i can’t get enough of it.” he murmured while pressing kisses all along your face. “now c’mon let’s go back to the loft.

i wanna hear you screaming my name by the end of tonight.”

[mooyuun]

Caleb's Timeline. 🍎

A timeline post, so I can write little things that I liked about the cards, and their order.

Past time.

Borrowed Promise. (4) he really likes to do things for her, comically thinking about him carrying all the bags with that super thigh grandma jacket.

Summer’s Echo. (4)

Verified Rumor. (4) “honey” other of my fav voicelines

Pathless Realm. (Anecdote) if for some kind of magic or whatever MC doesn’t like Caleb, maybe Greyson can keep him 😆 their interaction makes a good plot for a BL school life shounen ai.

Stage Observer. (4) cutest memory, Caleb + microphone + MC = Hey everybody! I’m so in love that I will add this minute of how I’m happy to have MC in my life”. Also Caleb brain freezing when MC kissed him. 😂

Rain’s Embrace. (Bond Story affinity 5) “I’m gonna open it~~~” best voice line for me.

Longtime Yesterday. (4) i like that Caleb friends are so cool with MC too, there is some occasions sprinkled in some cards where Caleb's friends helps him to take care of MC and I think is cool because they acknowledge the importance that MC has in his life.

Skyline. (4) love that they both get anxious by the thought of the other getting a gf/bf, also so sweet that Caleb supports all MC dreams and how he says that he will take the responsibility so she can keep focusing in her dream of being a hunter.

Present time.

Under Deepspace chp. 1 (main story)

Under Deepspace chp. 4 (main story) he kabooms, and is cool to see how in the next chapters she gets an unhealthy obsession of discovering the reason of explosion, but he kabooms.

All Homecoming Wings. (main story) Is curious that Caleb, for now, is the motor of the main story. The reason of why she goes to all the adventures with the guys and now the reason of her investigation towards the chip, the little kid and Ever.

Endless Summer. (5) Caleb pls kiss MC already, MC nobody thinks that you actually had something in your eye girl…

Exclusive Aftertaste. (5) I think they kissed here, Caleb kinda changes course before fading to white, but the apple sound at the end also makes me think that they didn’t

Lucid Dream. (Permanent Myth Cards 5) someone rescue Caleb, poor boy is controlled by Ever and his only defense for now is a black hole in his own brain. Also MC matches his vibe, both of them are super attached to each other. Also poor MC, sadly she doesn’t have the big picture and she doesn’t understand that exposing herself in skyhaven means a future of deaths and torture. She usually doesn’t have good plans and is too hot headed in some occasions, at the end, the boys had to help/intervene to save her from death sometimes.

Hidden Waves. (5) MC finally tells him that he’s not alone and both can fight together, it seems that Caleb is realizing that he doesn’t need to do things alone.

Longtime Moments. (4) Both fight together, I think Caleb understands more that he doesn’t need to do everything for himself 🥹

Painful Signals. (5) MC is so furious that she’s trembling, go girl defend your boy!! Also Caleb is the meme lord and Gideon I luv u, I’m sad that people went without you in Valentine’s Day XD

Intertwined Gold. (4) the card that everybody thinks about since they talk about a kiss that we don’t know if is a future card or a card where it was implied. I love too how both of them are domestic already and how Caleb is like “she’s not bullied in her work right? 🤨”

AU - Alternative Universe.

Tain ted Cuts (5). the bad ending destroyed me, all the bad ends of the boys kinda parallels how a possible bad ending would be in main story. So thinking about how MC waited for him is too sad. Also we have a nest/bird reference like it happened in past cards with the seagulls and how it seems that MC abandoned the nest/disappeared, so maybe a reference for a future card or myth. At the end, if you go for the good ending, is fluff. This AU with Caleb didn’t feel dangerous, he is so mentally restrained that MC was not afraid of him and when he actually bites her, he runs (imo he literally trows himself to danger so he can die, because he’s so scared that he hurt her that I think he preferred to die than to live with the knowledge that he almost kills her 🥲)

[halsteadlover]

𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈 𝐖𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝

*Pics not mine credits to the owner*

• Pairing: Derek Morgan x Fem!Reader.

• Requested: no.

• Summary: just Derek not being jealous.

• Warnings: curse words, brief mention of drinking.

• Word count: 2870.

• A/N: I honestly don’t know what is this lmao I tried to write something after so much time but I don’t like it one bit tbh and y’all know me I’m too lazy to rewrite a fix so here it is lol bye love you all ❤️

One thing about Derek Morgan, he had never been a jealous man.

He had always been sure of himself, he had never envied anyone or anything, especially when it came to women.

But this was until he had met you. You managed to turn his world upside down, changed his way of thinking and seeing things and for the first time in his life he understood what it felt like to be jealous.

The relationship between you and Derek was a bit complicated. You worked together in the FBI, both being BAU agents. Working together didn’t stop you from getting closer, it didn’t stop Derek from constantly and shamelessly flirting with you, spending time together and building an increasingly close relationship.

Derek couldn’t lie, at the beginning he was just physically attracted to you, even if ‘attraction’ couldn’t summarize how feral he was for you. But, as time went by, you both got to know each other better, more deeply, and little by little he found himself attracted not only by your body but also by your soul, by your way of doing things, your character and he found himself wanting to spend more time with you.

Your relationship became deeper and deeper, until you slept together, which of course happened over and over again.

Derek didn’t know how to behave with you, he wasn’t used to having relationships with women that didn’t go beyond physical attraction and finding himself having feelings for a woman confused him.

Was it love?

He didn’t know, he never experienced it.

And this had created more than a few problems in your relationship.

You had started to distance yourself from him until you almost stopped talking to him, unless it was something related to work. You had always complained how it was just ‘sex’ and that you wanted more, you wanted a partner, a real relationship, you wanted to experience the love you had always dreamed about. But Derek seemed having trouble understanding this so he didn’t stop you when you stopped talking to him, even if he was suffering.

Derek had noticed it, of course, and he hated it.

He noticed everything about you, even if he had no right to.

He had noticed him too. The new arrival.

Agent Tim Novak, the newest member of the BAU. Young, good-looking, and unfortunately for Derek, way too interested in you.

Derek hated him. He despised him. So damn much.

He hated that grin on his face, the way he looked at you, the way he ran his eyes down your body with lust and desire. He hated it because Derek looked at you like that too.

It had all started out subtle.

Agent Novak would come in in the morning, a boyish grin on his face, two cups of coffee in his hands, and he would lean on the edge of your desk while he offered you one. Or during meetings he’d waste no time in sitting next to you, on the jet while you flew to a city for a new case, always bringing you stupid things to get your attention.

That bastard was always there, always in the way.

The worst part?

You seemed you didn’t mind.

To outsiders it might’ve seemed like the new agent was just a caring friend but not to Derek.

He hated that motherfucker.

Morgan had told himself over and over again that he didn’t care.

Derek Morgan wasn’t a jealous man.

He never had been and never would be.

There was no problem. He didn’t care how you laughed at the rookie’s jokes, how he seemed to have no sense of personal space, how he was always next to you, how he took every opportunity to touch you, even in a subtle way.

Derek’s blood didn’t boil when he saw Novak’s hand on the small of your back, for example, how he’d lean closer to you to whisper something in your ear.

He didn’t care.

He was fine, completely and perfectly fine.

“You’ll break the bottle if you keep squeezing it like that,” Rossi’s voice came like a buzz in Derek’s ears. That night, almost the entire team had gone to a club to celebrate the success of a case, you were with JJ and Penelope and, of course, Novak wasted no time in approaching and hitting on you.

“What are you talking about?” Derek replied, looking away from you before taking a sip of his beer, but then immediately returning his gaze to you and Novak.

He was pissed off.

But why? It was none of his business.

“You know what I’m talking about, Morgan,” Rossi laughed, amused by Derek’s obvious discomfort. “You look like you’re about to explode.”

“I’m fine,” Morgan replied angrily, taking another generous sip of beer. He almost had an aneurysm when he saw you laugh at something Novak said and put a hand on his arm.

And no, he wasn’t jealous.

“You want to tell me what’s going on between you two? You went from being all over each other every second of the day to looking at each other from afar like lost puppies and only talking to each other for work.”

“There’s nothing going on between us.”

“Oh come on, remember who you’re talking to, I have more ex-wives than money in the bank, I think I know something or two.”

Derek chuckled despite his anger but the smile died on his lips when his eyes met yours for a moment.

He tried to ignore how he felt like he had been punched in the stomach, how his heart started to beat so quickly he thought he was having a heart attack.

The rest of the group was talking but your attention was on him, on Derek.

You were the first to look away when JJ caught your attention again.

Derek sighed deeply, staring at his hands so he wouldn’t look at you anymore. But he couldn’t, it was as if a magnetic force was pulling him towards you.

“You can’t look at each other like that and say there’s nothing between you two,” Rossi urged.

“Rossi, I don’t want to talk about it, please.”

“Okay, okay, whatever,” he held up his hands in surrender, realizing that pushing would never get Derek to open up.

At some point JJ and Garcia walked away, leaving you and Agent Novak alone. He, as usual, didn’t seem to understand the meaning of personal space and would lean in and touch you at every opportunity. It wasn’t anything vulgar, nothing annoying, but Derek was losing his mind.

“If looks could kill, I think Novak would be dead on the floor,” Reid commented, earning a glare from Morgan.

“I’m not looking at anyone.”

“Oh yeah, yeah, keep telling yourself that. You look like you’re about to get up and beat the shit out of him.”

Fuck yeah, he wanted to do that.

But he wouldn’t.

He’d act like a grown-up. He was a man, an adult.

But those sentences dissolved as soon as they were formulated when he saw Novak come closer to whisper something in your ear, his hand on your back.

He didn’t know if he had been hallucinating or angry, but Derek swore for a moment he saw your gaze on him and a small smirk on your lips.

It was imperceptible, but it was there.

That was when he understood. You were making him jealous on purpose.

And that was the final blow.

Derek stood up from the table, leaving his beer there and approaching you and Novak with a murderous look on his face.

“Morgan…” Novak greeted him smiling, oblivious to the resentment Derek felt towards him.

“That’s Agent Morgan to you,” Derek interrupted immediately, interposing himself between you and Novak. “I’ll give you two seconds to get out of here and if I see you near her again I’ll make your life hell, do you understand?”

The younger man turned white as a sheet. “I’m not trying…”

Derek interrupted him again. “Go. Now.”

Novak didn’t need to be told twice and just left, without even saying goodbye to the rest of the team.

“What the hell was that?!” You asked in shock, looking at Derek with a murderous look. He didn’t say anything, he just grabbed your hand and dragged you out of the place, after placing a fifty dollar bill on the counter. His pulse roared in his ears, drowning out the hum of the city as he stormed out.

“Morgan! What the hell is wrong with you? Let me go!” You struggled, to no avail as Derek’s grip on yours was very firm.

He turned so fast you almost stumbled back. His eyes, dark with something wild and unhinged, pinned you in place.

“No. There’s no fucking way I’m going to let you go,” he snapped, his blood boiling in anger as he continued to replay the image of Novak’s slimy hands on you. “I’m not letting you go anymore, I made this mistake once and I won’t do it again. You’re coming with me now.”

“I’m not going anywhere with you until you tell me what the hell is wrong with you! What’s your problem?! You don’t get to act all caveman on me now!”

“What’s my problem? You! You’re my fucking problem! You’re driving me crazy and I’ll be damned if I’ll let another motherfucker put his hands on you.”

Your expression softened and a smirk played across your lips. “Oh my, my, is Agent Derek Morgan jealous?”

He answered without hesitation. “Yes I am. I’m jealous of every piece of shit that is near you because it has to be me. I’m the one who’s supposed to touch you, make you laugh, smile, open the door for you, pull back the chair so you can sit down or bring you coffee in the morning, only me. And I’m jealous of every fucker who gets to do that instead of me.” He took a deep breath while his eyes were fixed on yours. His usual confidence was still there, but there was something else now—something raw, unfiltered.

“You’re right, you deserve the best the world can give you, you deserve more than just sex but I’ll be the one giving you the world, not Novak or any other man. I’ll give you everything you deserve and I don’t give a damn if you think otherwise, I’ll show you’re everything I desire and everything I’ve always wanted,” he continued, now like a raging river. Your smile had faded, giving way to a neutral but shocked expression. But Derek knew you. He could see the glint in your eyes, he could feel the way you squeezed his fingers.

“I can’t take it anymore. I can’t stand seeing that son of a bitch or anyone else near you, touching you. I can’t,” he blurted out, feeling every cell in his body on fire. “I…-” he trailed off again, taking a deep breath.

“I’m so sorry I didn’t realize this sooner, but I can’t stay away from you anymore. I can’t pretend nothing happened between us. I can’t wake up every morning and act like I don’t miss you so much it’s driving me insane—that I don’t hate opening my eyes and not seeing you next to me. That I don’t miss the way your hand brushes against mine in the elevator, or the way you smile at me—in a way that takes my breath away every damn time.”

You opened your mouth to speak, visibly shocked by his words, but he didn’t let you.

“And don’t you dare speak now because you knew. You knew I was here burning and aching for you, you knew I wanted to break every single one of his bones every time he came near you.” He closed the distance between you until you had to slightly tilt your head back to look him in the eyes.

His heart was pounding, the air was cold but he felt like he was going to explode. Derek was talking but he had no idea what he was saying, he had no idea if it even made sense.

“You think I don’t give a damn? You think I haven’t spent every single day these past few weeks pining for you, cursing myself for letting you go so easily? I know, damn it— I know.” His voice cracked, raw and desperate. “But I’m fucking terrified. I… I’ve never had a real relationship before, hell not even a healthy one. I know I’m a piece of shit, but I’ve never cared what anyone thought—never cared how they might react. But you…” He let out a shaky breath.

“You messed me up, so bad baby. You got in my head, and now I don’t know how to deal with it… I just… I feel so overwhelmed by what I feel for you it’s literally driving me insane. I don’t know how to act, what the hell to say, how to be what you need me to be.”

His hands curled into fists at his sides. “Everything I do is for you. You own me. You control me—my mood, my thoughts, my whole goddamn world. And it terrifies me.”

His breathing was ragged now, his fists clenching and unclenching like he was trying to physically hold himself together.

“Because I’ve always hated being dependent on someone else and, I know it’s not an excuse, that’s why I just let you go when you left. You were right, I was afraid,” he continued, “But that doesn’t mean I don’t want you. Hell, I want you like I’ve never wanted anyone or anything in the world, so bad it’s killing me.”

You stared at him, wide-eyed, lips parted, but still—he didn’t let you speak.

“I don’t know how to do it, but I know I want to be with you, I want you and I’ll be damned if I’ll ever let you go again.” He let out another breath. “I’ll try, I promise. I’ll do anything to prove you I’m worthy, I’ll give you everything you want and desire, I’ll worship the ground you walk on, I’ll make it my mission to make you happy just… Just please… Please, baby… Give me a chance, I’ll be so good for you.”

Silence crashed down around you, heavy and suffocating. His confession hung in the air, thick with something that felt dangerously close to heartbreak.

For the first time, Derek looked away, exhaling sharply, running a hand over his face like he was trying to physically wipe the emotion from it.

“Say something,” he finally muttered, voice hoarse.

But what could you say in that situation?

You didn’t speak, not even a word.

But you grabbed his face and crushed your lips to his, pouring all the feelings you had for that man.

You sighed and that simple and almost inaudible sound was enough to unleash a wave of shivers that ran through his entire body, making his knees weak.

A guttural groan echoed from his throat and he felt the weight lift from his chest, making him finally breathe again. His arms wasted no time in encircling your waist, holding you with so much strength it seemed like he was afraid to let you go, the fear you’d disappear paralyzing him.

His lips moved against yours with hunger and desperation, almost as if trying to make up for all the wasted time, that time he just looked at you from afar but was too scared to even talk to you. Hell, that single kiss wouldn’t have been enough to vent even a crumb of the visceral desire you both felt for each other.

“God I missed you so fucking much.” He breathed in the split second you pulled away, his mouth still practically on yours. He didn’t give you time to argue, for the umpteenth time that night, because he kissed you again, taking your breath away completely.

“I missed you so much too, you idiot,” you replied in a whisper, making him smile against your lips. “God what are you doing to me, Derek.”

His hands continued to shake as he gripped you, still in disbelief this was actually happening. He pulled away from you enough to catch his breath but close enough to rest his forehead on yours.

It was only then he realized you were still outside and not alone.

You moved your hands down his chest and he had no doubt you could feel how fast and frantic his heart was beating. His hands cupped your face, his thumbs caressing your skin, brushing your hair aside.

“I’m sorry.” He whispered into a kiss. “I’m so sorry.” He kissed you again. “I’m never letting you go again.”

You smiled and he almost collapsed. He couldn’t believe that you were actually smiling at him, that the smile that had turned his life upside down was finally directed at him again.

“Let’s just go home.” You whispered, and before he could say another word, you kissed him again—slower this time, softer, but just as devastating. “But don’t think you’ll get away from this so easily.”

He smiled, feeling so light and happy like he hasn’t been in such a long time. “I’m here forever baby, do whatever you want to do with me.”

And Derek, for the first time in his life, finally let himself have what he always and really wanted.

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[jbaileyfansite]

Interview with The Guardian (2025)

The actor Jonathan Bailey sits at a large table in an otherwise empty room: charcoal cable knit sweater, loose pinstripe trousers, hair neatly coiffed. He is chewing gum, sipping coffee, talking through his recent career, and a certain serendipity that has rendered him reflective. At 36, he’s fresh from his turn as likely-lad love interest Fiyero in Hollywood’s blockbuster adaptation of Wicked; as a child, seeing the stage show was a milestone for him. “I remember thinking Fiyero was such a good part.” Later this year he will star in Jurassic World Rebirth alongside Mahershala Ali and Scarlett Johansson. “I saw the original Jurassic Park with my family, aged six, at the cinema,” he says. “It was the first time we all went together to something like that. It was seminal, but so rare for us.”

And this month, Bailey will star in Richard II at the Bridge Theatre, directed by Nicholas Hytner. Bailey is its protagonist. It is another example of full-circle career moment. In 2013, he appeared on stage in Hytner’s Othello. Same playwright, same director, same city – Bailey can’t help but consider all that’s changed in the intervening years. “Back then I was too young,” he says. “I came into the rehearsal process not mature or confident enough.”

Landing the role of Cassio, one of Othello’s lieutenants, had been so important to him then. “I didn’t go to drama school,” he says, “and there was a common belief that if you hadn’t, you wouldn’t be able to do classical texts, or perform in the big theatres. There are all these stories we are born into that we have to unpick. For me, one of those was how limited I felt.”

Bailey remembers the day that changed. “It was late December,” he says, “and I was walking along London’s South Bank.” He was on his way to the National Theatre to meet Hytner for a callback. “I’d worked so hard and for so many reasons it felt…” He cuts himself off, then goes on, “Working at the National was beyond my wildest dreams.”

Bailey performed the two scenes he’d prepared. Then, Hytner unexpectedly suggested a third, which Bailey hadn’t rehearsed. “I’m not very good at just reading and going,” he says. “I can’t really come up with… Anyway, I went with instincts. He offered me the job in the room. It was a defining moment in my career.”

All sorts of opportunities followed for Bailey: American Psycho at the Almeida; Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s TV debut Crashing; King Lear opposite Ian McKellen; BBC satirical sitcom W1A. He was made very famous for playing a leading Lothario in Bridgerton, the Netflix behemoth. “Now being back with Nick,” he says. “I have a much fuller and more cherished understanding of him as a human as well as a director. Getting back into a room with him now, with all that’s happening, just felt obvious.” Hytner’s praise for Bailey is just as high: “He can speak Shakespeare like it’s his first language… The stage is his element.”

It’s Wednesday lunchtime, early January, in a central London studio space. We’re meeting halfway through five weeks of Richard II rehearsals in full swing a few floors below us. He’s sitting at a large table. In front of him is a bulky script covered in yellow highlights. “It’s only half,” he says, flicking through, playful panic in his voice. “Not only that, I’ve thinned it, and taken out the scenes I’m not in, which feels very Richard II.”

It’s Bailey’s first stage production since 2022. Through Bridgerton, he has been exposed to a global audience. But theatre is where it all began. “So returning to the stage, now, just felt so right. And I don’t think I’ve changed at all, even if certain things around me have.” It has taken some adjustment, this new level of “Black Mirror-esque” notoriety that he’s experiencing. It’s why he likes the intimacy of these rehearsals, after months spent on sprawling film sets. And he’s enjoying being based in London for an extended period, close to friends and family.

Bailey is charming, handsome and self-effacing as we talk, but doesn’t seem entirely at ease. That gum chewing is fervent now; he’s fiddling with what’s in front of him. He habitually self-edits as he speaks. There’s a vagueness that, at times, feels purposeful. At regular intervals, he simply stops mid-sentence.

Take the play itself. “It’s such an incredible, searing interrogation of power, government and monarchy…” he says. “You have someone with the cast-iron right to rule, who is absolutely unfit to lead, emotionally underdeveloped… And Shakespeare wrote to be played, not published. There are so many references and nuances to what an Elizabethan audience would have understood… It’s about translating it from that, and delivering it to a modern audience, so the effect hopefully has the same vivid fervency and front-footedness especially politically and especially in this instance with monarchy and leadership.”

It sounds interesting. So where is he turning to for inspiration for his tyrannical overlord? I ask. Trump? King Charles? The Saudis?

“That’s for the viewer to see. I have very clear ideas and I hope the audience will, too…”

He won’t be drawn. I’m curious as to why. He shakes his head.

“You’ll have to come and see it.”

Later, over email, Hytner is more forthright: “The play wonders what happens when an entirely legitimate leader is set on ruining the country he leads. No good options. Submit or resist – either way you end up with chaos.”

Ahead of Wicked’s late-November release, there was a preview screening in Sydney. “It was part of this massive press tour, but for me it only lasted two weeks. The girls are incredible,” Bailey says of his co-stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, plugging the project for months on end. “And they’re still at it, still shining.”

In Oz, Bailey went along with one of his sisters and her two daughters in tow. It was the first time he’d sat back and watched the film properly. “I was so overwhelmed,” he says. “Even now, it makes me quite emotional. If there was the purest form of joy I had as a kid, it was singing and dancing.”

His family was based between Reading and Oxford. Bailey has three older sisters. As a child, he’d be dropped at basketball club at the local village hall. “From outside, I could see my sister’s ballet lessons through the window. I wanted to be in there with them. I’d go and wait at the back of their class in my Velcro trainers.” He enrolled. “I was obsessed and loved it. Dancing and singing felt like a vocation.”

Music also filled the family home. By the time Bailey was 10, his sisters would go out clubbing. “The next morning, they’d come back, and I’d get them, hungover, to do impressions of their different friends dancing.” It was a family affair. “We loved 90s club classics. Me, Mum, Dad and my sisters went through a phase of going into the new room – we had an extension, then called it that for 20 years – and we’d put on vinyls and dance, all of us.”

One day, he stopped. “I don’t know what happened,” he says, “for whatever reason, I didn’t confidently carry through the dancing. I got self-conscious in my teens that it was signalling something else. It just didn’t feel… I probably just knew it was better to be playing rugby than dancing. I became really self-conscious. There weren’t other dudes dancing.” One teacher called Bailey a “fairy” in front of his entire class. “In your teenage years it’s so raw. You lose your skin. And there are certain things in life,” he says, “that allow people to think they know something about you, and those assumptions mean you stop doing something you love. You curb or you police yourself. You don’t make the joke, or say the quip. You don’t stand up and advocate for yourself or your friends. And you start to slowly crumple. That’s purely on the basis of this idea of signalling. These stereotypes.”

One becomes fearful, he continues, of the immense hurt that others can cause. “Even more pain than binding yourself up slowly and creating a space of safety and refuge in your own mind or heart. That’s where it gets dangerous and people stop doing the things they’re supposed to. And how brilliant that we…” He pauses, surprised, concerned even – it seems – by how much he’s sharing. “It’s a scary time, isn’t it. On the one hand, I do think there’s such a… People are so much more open-minded about what defines masculinity now. What defines heterosexuality. What defines gender. But on the other hand, there’s a swing, obviously, towards… Anyway, that one will have to be a dot-dot-dot for you.”

It’s not that Bailey dropped performing as a child, only that things took off in a different direction. Back in ballet class, there’d been a callout from the Royal Shakespeare Company. “They needed young boys to play Tiny Tim in A Christmas Carol.” He was seven years old. “My parents weren’t sure. It was so outside their world.” His mum worked in the NHS. “And Dad was a DJ, basically, in Piccadilly Circus at [70s nightclub] Snoopys.” But a child actor? “It’s a big ask, from a kid. I was really protected by them, but they gave me this opportunity.” He was cast, and continued to be through school. “It was extraordinary, really. I didn’t miss any lessons. By 13, I’d done three productions for the RSC, and a stint in the West End. All before I hit puberty.” Then came his first Shakespeare production: Prince Arthur in King John at the Barbican with the RSC. “I was 12 or 13, and that set me on another course. ‘Fuck, OK, you can also do this.’” The memories are visceral, even now: “The sickly, sweet smell of fake blood. Dry ice. All those senses. I was taken. That’s maybe where my creative juices were channelled more, over singing and dancing.”

He has worked solidly since his teenage years. Bridgerton, though, catapulted him to stardom. Afterwards, says Bailey, “I was contending with how things would change in my life.” The press introduction, a growing, global fandom, interest in his personal life and sexuality… “On one hand,” he says, “the success of Bridgerton, being able to play that role, and for who I am not to affect people’s perceptions; the love story between a man and a woman.” He pauses, again. Oh, actually.” Some nervous laughter. “It’s just, I’m cautious. I’m who I am and always will be. It’s an extraordinary thing to see and hear the word ‘gay’ next to your name all the time. It’s something I’m incredibly proud of, but it’s also not something anyone else would be defined by. So to go straight from Bridgerton, where inevitably that was talked about, to do a series like Fellow Travellers? It came along like some sort of beacon.”

Fellow Travellers, a Showtime series in which Bailey and Matt Bomer star, follows the romance between two American politicos, from the 1950s to 1980s. Production started as series one of Bridgerton started streaming. Among a predominantly queer central cast, cocooned on set, Bailey’s sexuality was entirely un-noteworthy. “All with our own experiences,” he says, “coming together. And learning about the history… The men who endured and experienced such horrendous and extraordinary things.”

Simultaneously, he was inundated with requests from charities following Bridgerton’s success. “I felt frozen by wanting to help.” The sheer scale of what was being asked and what he might do with his platform, connections and cash felt overwhelming. So, he founded the Shameless Fund. “Raising cash and erasing shame to support the global LGBTQ+ community. We’re giving grants this year. I’m so proud of it. It was all in theory. It seems so obvious and clear. We’ve raised a lot of money for initiatives that need cash and a platform. “And the thing is,” he says, “I can’t be a mouthpiece. I’m an actor.” As is clear through our conversation so far, he’s impassioned and engaged, but being outspoken doesn’t always feel comfortable. It must be challenging, I say. So many eyes and ears pointed in his direction. “The noise is turned up,” he says. “And when it’s about your family, or your identity… And nobody is going to question that headline, in a different outlet with their own agenda. That’s what’s left and it isn’t true. That’s why I’m really protective. I’ve seen something so specific about my identity be twisted. Ultimately you want peace within yourself, because the world is wild enough as it is. It’s too important now, with rights being stripped away. What’s so obviously looming…” Back to Wicked, I suggest.

“OK,” he says, relieved, “so I was doing Cock [his West End stint in Mike Bartlett’s comedy about sexual identity] and I knew a film of Wicked was happening.” In the dressing room before curtain up one night, Bailey recorded a self-tape. “As I was singing, doing a karaoke version of [Fiyero’s big number] Dancing Through Life, I got called to stage on the Tannoy. Fuck it, I just sent it.” There were some positive noises. “Then the dates didn’t look to be working out. Wicked said they couldn’t be sure about what they wanted…” Bailey made other plans. Then, out the blue, dates shifted: the part was his. The months that followed were hectic: during one stretch, while juggling Fellow Travellers, Bridgerton and Wicked, he was filming for 34 days straight.

“I’d come from set, sleep on a flight, go straight to a Bridgerton ball, then the next day be dancing with Ari and Cynthia. Everyone else for Wicked had three months of rehearsal. I had three days.” There’s a knock at the door: Bailey is being summoned back down to rehearsals. “The conclusion to that,” he says, “is Wicked happened and I’m so proud. Before I knew it I was Dancing Through Life…” Suffice to say, he’s thrilled to be.

Richard II is at the Bridge Theatre until 10 May, bridgetheatre.co.uk

Source

[mscherub]

Witchy Ways 🕸️

The long awaited part 3?

Reader is gender neutral, referred to as Prefect, Y/N,

Henchhuman(by Grim)

Warnings!:

Swearing

Half proof read

Part 1 (intro): "Alchemy Exams are...Easy?", Part 2: "Not the Intended Outcome", Part 3: “Impending Warnings.”

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Part 3: Impending Warnings

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

After having a reasonable and very justifiable crash out session before getting into bed, caused by all that happened within one days time, all because you were just trying to be nice to your friends and help them out and now it’s started up this whole ordeal you don’t even know if you can reverse because the loquacious guys won’t leave you the hell alone and it’s really just eating away at you because they won’t stop asking for the stupid little fucking jar that’s filled with answers to all their problems and hopes and dreams apparently— ok, ok, calm down. You’re fine. Everything is fine. TOTALLY FINE, YESSSS!! As if you weren’t already stressed enough!

You sigh and you roll over on your side, dreading the day ahead as you look at the clock.

2:27 AM

Yesterday was…Monday, and you had to do this for four more days, well, most likely more if the idea stayed around long enough? Interacting with people all because they heard the little birdies(first years) chirp about how they passed the exams and the others didn’t because of the little object. If you could do a freezer spell to stop all this chit chat about you and what you did, you would, it’s sadly, and annoyingly, getting to that point. The game plan is to just ignore it until the thought of it around the school desiccates into just a little something that, hopefully, will be considered a coincidence by most. After all, if the others knew about what you did, about this otherworldly concept of magic, how the hell would they begin to perceive you then?

You didn’t exactly want to out yourself, you were used to keeping it a secret, hidden away from others in fear of, say, ridiculing from some religious groups, hence why not everyone freely admits they do whitchcraft back home. Plus, you were already viewed as awkward and weird anyways for your title of “Magicless Prefect,” and of course, being the “non-magic” user, at least to their standards, in a school specifically for mages is just a completely ironic situation on its own. Anyways, you didn’t need a new label… “Half Magic Prefect that Practices in Weird Magic and is Still not at our Level, Thereofre Still Weird and Not truly a Magic User so is Still Magicless.” You could see it happening…or it could take an opposite turn and they can end up exalting your alien abilities and deem you more powerful, which would be interesting to see happen, but you don’t want to think about that or deal with it. It just sounds like more stress, and you definitely don’t want that. Only fate can really tell at this point.

One thing you do know is that your intentions here are awkwardly much stronger and quicker to act. It’s different, and in all honestly, just slightly concerning. More than just slightly, actually. What, your magic acting effectively and efficiently being concerning? Yes. Yes, 100 times, and that’s for some obvious reasons. What if you mess up a spell and then it happens to backfire on you and now you’re stuck with negative effects of whatever you were trying to do! Now you had to be cautious, extremely cautious, like walking on eggshells around your own practice type of cautious, which keep in mind, you shouldn’t be doing! it’s frightening to think about, and just how much would you have to up your game here?

Grim lays on his back, his belly up as he continues to snooze away, not greatly affected by the increase of attention and popularity, in fact he was eating it up! In his mind people were seeing you and him as powerful now, and damn does that feed his ego. How lucky he is to just…worry about nothing. And that’s exactly what he’s doing, and thankfully so. At least he’s not trying to look too much into what you’re doing.

You roll on to your back again and stare up at the ceiling, your arms crossed as you chew on the inside of your cheek thoughtfully. Bringing back the subject of good luck, you definitely needed some. What was the symbol for that? Horseshoes…

Huh

With the question answered and no other subject for your brain to overthink on at the moment, your mind can finally shut off for the night.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Morning rolls around sooner than what you had wanted, the sun not even up to greet you as you sit up, rubbing your eyes and rolling your shoulders to alleviate the stiffness you gained over the night of tossing and turning.

You do your usual routine again, having to pry Grim off of the sheets this time, him mumbling obscenities as he’s still in a half dazed and asleep state. Great, now there’s claw marks on your sheets, thanks, Grim!

Breakfast is an easy feat and soon enough you’re out the door, walking along the path again up to the school.

“Henchhuman…” Grim looks over at you, his eyes narrowed in on you as you two walk up.

“Huh?” You spare him a quick glance before your eyes go back to looking at the patterns of the tiles along the path.

“Im glad you didn’t sell off whatever you did to Azul, now we can keep that for ourselves.” He sneers happily at the air, imagining it was Azul their himself.

“I’m glad you think that…” you nod.

“Since I’m like…family, you should let me in on the secret on whatever are in those little jar thingys.” He adds on, putting emphasis on the family part to sway your favor.

You didn’t exactly see why you shouldn’t give it to him, it wasn’t that big of a deal, again, however, the thought and fear of people finding out about what you do still gnawed away at the back of your mind. Right, it’s not that big of deal, who cares if they find out! No…actually, you don’t want them to. What if they try and abuse these powers out of you. It’s better just to ignore it at this point and maybe double down on how often you practice…that seems the better option. Too many negative things can come out of the positive thing you posses. It’s not worth the risk!

“Henchhuman!” Grim snaps as he continues to eye you.

“Sorry, got lost in thought. I guess I could, I’ll write it down when we get to class and you can try and make one yourself…don’t use all of our money to buy ingredients, Grim.”

“You spoil fun…” he mutters as he pouts and looks up ahead, his ears flattening and his tail lazily swishing behind him.

“I’m just trying to be the reasonable one, here. If your intention is to create and sell them, then we might as well have handed over the whole thing to Azul. And, making them to sell isn’t the purpose, at that point your just being greedy”

“I—“

“Exactly, Grim. Now, we should have what you need, anyways. Now don’t talk about it anymore, it’s starting to get too repetitive.” You sigh and adjust the books in your arms.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

So, the thought didn’t leave you the rest of the day, the thought of spells gone wrong and their heightened effects, thoughts of what could happen to you if this little secret you were withholding got out. Yea…you’re not in a great mindset, and the idea of anything wrong or going wrong won’t ease up.

You drop Grim off at Heartslabyul, leaving him with Ace and telling him some half-assed reason about needing to go do this and then go do that and some other things and that Grim just couldn’t come, which had some truth behind it, but most of it was a conjured up lie on the spot to get rid of him for a bit.

You walk around campus, deep in thought as your shoes click against the ground.

Protection spells needed to be doubled, but wait! Didn’t you just say you’d stop practicing as much so people wouldn’t suspect anything and to draw less of a gaze from everyone. Shit, you did, ok…well you can’t just not practice, cause what if negative energy fills up again and really fucks things over? Ok, you have to practice then, protection spells, warding items, you needed it— but you can’t draw attention! This is proving to be more difficult than you had ever even intended. Protection, luck, you just needed it all at this moment.

You shouldn’t be scared anyways, but you didn’t quite know social standards here besides just inside of NRC. Luckily the guys here liked you to a certain extent so you were accepted in enough ways. Say they find out and it does happen to be socially acceptable here, then you have nothing to worry about. But what if your version of magic isn’t socially acceptable, and it’s maybe even against the law? What if they like…execute you or something for it? Great, get your mind off of the Salem Witch Trial thought here. That wouldn’t happen. Magic, in any type of way, shouldn’t be illegal since they’re quite literally practicing their own versions freely at a damn school.

But what if— drop the idea now, it’s not worth it to overthink it. It’s just not! You’ll be fine, everyone will be fine…you just needed some luck here, and look where you ended up.

The stables on campus.

You walk over to one of the fenced off areas, some horses grazing within the grassy fields, their soft neighs and trills moving across the small plain. One comes over to the edge and looks at you, tilting its head curiously as you gaze right back. You walk over to the edge of the fence and you lean against it.

“You animals have it easy sometimes…I wonder what you guys even think of.” You sigh as you put your hand out to the horse. Its coat was in perfect condition and its tail flicked behind it with interest.

It took a big sniff of your hand before it let out a small grunt and pushed its muzzle against your hand, giving you the go ahead to pet away. You do just that and sigh again.

“And you don’t have to pay any taxes…I think that’s a win on its own—“

“HUAMN!” Someone screeches from behind you, causing the horse to get spooked and bolt away. You turn around to the culprit, already suspecting who it was since only one person you were close with refereed to you with that choice of name.

“Do not touch those animals! That one especially, its attitude is not one of kindness, that’s why he is separated into the outer pens.” Sebek states sternly.

“It didn’t seem mean—“

“It is indeed!” His eyes widen and he shakes his head.

“I think you only say that, Sebek, is because the horses don’t like you that much.” Silver also approaches you two, a small smile on his face which is directed to you only. Sebek crosses his arms and lets out an annoyed puff of air before he narrows back in on you.

“Why are you here? Last time I recalled you’re not apart of this club. You should go before Riddle—“

“He wouldn’t kick me out.”

“You say that with too much confidence, Human…”

“Me and him are chill.” You nod.

“You…’chill?’ Odd words to use. Be formal when addressing someone in a higher class than you.” He gripes.

“We’re on good terms…” you correct yourself

“What are you here for, Prefect?” Silver chimes in, taking over the situation.

“I…I have an odd request, I suppose. I mean, it may seem odd.” You shrug.

“Nothing is too odd.” Silver gently reassures, moving his hair out of his face, nodding as to encourage you to speak.

“I need a horseshoe.”

…

…

“Come again?” He questions.

“A horseshoe.” You say again, prolonging the vowels and looking at him like he was the one to say something wrong.

“Why?”

“Um…You know…erm…aesthetic reasons.”

“Human, you are quite weird.” Sebek interjects, the words sounding judging enough—

“But I suppose we shall not pry into your decorative matters…we may have some old ones.” He sighs

“Oh! No, that’s perfect, actually! Thanks Sebby!” You beam overjoyed…maybe a little too much. He grimaces at the nickname and looks about ready to correct you yet again, but he refrains just this once. You got…lucky.

They go quiet at your excitement for the object and they look back at each other, conveying some sort of silent message between the two before Sebek nods and motions for you to follow him over to the barn.

The barn is well kept but it does have that natural barn smell of wood and of the animal inhabitants. Dried hay is scattered around on the ground and it crunches beneath both of your feet as you walk to, presumably, the tack room of the stable, which holds all of the materials they could need for proper animal care.

“We tend to change out our horses horseshoes every five or six weeks. We just changed some out this past week so we should have a few extra…though I can’t guarantee they’d be in the condition you’re hoping for.”

“That’s fine…it doesn’t matter to me. I just want one, no matter the, uh…appearance. The older the look the better, you know? Adds character?” You awkwardly carry on the conversation.

“I…see. Anyhow, here,” Sebek peers into a rack on the wall and pulls out the item you’ve been looking for. “This one should do…if it meets your standards.”

It’s not exactly pretty, but you are getting it for free, so there’s no real reason to complain. “It’s perfect. Thank you, again…really. Helps me out some”

He crosses his arms and nods. “Off now, Human.”

“Yea, yea, later Sebek. Thanks.” You give a small wave before you walk out and back along the path.

You scored what you wanted to get, so it worked out. All you had to do was red it up a bit, maybe clean it then polish it if you could find any stuff to do that, then it’ll look basically brand new. Voilà!And the most important thing, it should bring some luck in when you hang it above your door with the ends facing up. It’s a small detail, barely noticeable, and could only be deciphered if you really focused your eyes above the door.

Now, just time to get Grim—

Your phone buzzes in your pocket, you slip it out and see Aces profile picture and his caller ID. With a small click of the green button you put the phone up to your ear.

“PREFECT!”

You wince and pull the phone away from your ear for a second to allow him to throw his little temper tantrum before you push it back against you

“Dude…”

“Prefect! Come get Grim, he’s threatening to eat all the tarts that Trey’s making…say maybe I pissed Grim off and that’s why he’s doing that, BUT LISTEN, come get him! He’s gonna push the blame on me! Don’t you like me? Don’t let me suffer….” You could basically hear him pouting on the other side of the phone.

“I’m on my way…tell him he won’t get tuna if he does anything…”

“Awweee, you do care—“

“I only care enough for Grim’s sake.” You cut him off.

“You’re rude, really rude…anyways, Riddle wants to know if you wanna pop by for the unbirthday party.”

You consider and weigh the options in your head. For one, free food to satiate you and most importantly, Grim, and two, a much needed distraction, so the idea sounded plausible.

“I don’t see why not, I shouldn’t have much to do…”

“Niceeee, you help make Riddle a little less irritable so yea, saving me and Deuce here. K, later, and come get Grim.”

With that, he hangs up the phone.

Ok, then…it was a bit redundant to be told to get Grim then basically come back just a few minutes later, but whatever.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

“Hahaaaa! Tarts, tarts, tarts!” Grim chirps almost too enthusiastically. He dashes over to the table and pulls the plate up from his assigned seat, but he’s quickly stopped by Deuce who reminds him of tea party etiquette, which he manages to forget with each unbirthday party you two attend. He’s very disappointed to find out that there’s quite literally an order to everything. He’ll get over it.

You go take your seat next to Riddle, quietly watching as he goes about checking everything over one last time before he nod and welcomes everyone. He takes the tea pot and pours you a cup of tea first, then Grim’s, and then the rest around the table. The tea steamed and you added in whatever you wanted to your cup and stirred quietly, noticing it was loose leaf tea.

The unbirthday party began, and of course it wasn’t a true experience without the scolding of some other students who decided not to follow the rules, but it was all in good fun. You slowly drank your tea down, sipping quietly and enjoying the arrangements of food all meticulously prepared by Trey, and Grim did exactly the same with his usual fervor.

Your tea cup became empty, and you kindly refused another cup. Barely any eyes were on you so maybe you could pull off a tea reading, but was it really worth the risk?

It wouldn’t be such a bad idea to do one, it’d be useful and provide some insight on some things…fuck it, you’ll do it anyways. Let’s just hope it’s not against a rule or something…

Everyone chats away and you pick up your cup, swirling the small bit of tea and the leaves around before you place it back down and grab the saucer, placing it over the cup. What do you really want to know? Well, obviously what’s to happen in the near future…especially with the discovery of your high tented abilities…good or bad things, that mainly what you wanted, no, needed to know.

By now Riddle was side eyeing you and watching your every move, silently judging. This wasn’t proper…

“Prefect.”

Shit.

“Riddle…” you smile bashfully, pausing in your movements.

“What are you doing?”

“Erm…something?” This is just amazing. You should have stuck with what you set earlier, not drawing attention. You can maybe twist the situation around, no? No, you can.

“I’m just doing something everyone does back in my world after drinking their tea, yeah…called tea reading! It’s really cool…if you’d want to try. You know, I’ve just been missing home and stuff so I decided I’d try to do it a little…but I get it if I can’t, I understand completely.” And perfect, guilt tripping at its finest there….

“No…that’s fine. It sounds peculiar, but I don’t have any disagreements to it, so long as you don’t damage the ceramics…” he sighs.

Ok! This is good…

“Ok…so, first you have to make sure you have a little bit of liquid in your cup, then you swirl it around a bit, place the saucer overtop the cup and then flip your cup over,” Riddle follows along simply out of curiosity, watching your every move to make sure he doesn’t mess up anything. “After that spin the cup clockwise three times…I mean, or counter clockwise, it doesn’t particularly matter, I do clockwise, then make sure the handle faces you again…”

You pivot the cup one last time to the handle is angled towards you, then you give three taps on the top of the cup.

“Tap three times, then lift the cup up. What do you see in yours?”

He peers into the cup and inspects it.

“I see…tea leaves. I don’t understand, what’s the purpose of this.” He huffs.

“You have to…ok, think of it this way, you have to see what images are made with the tea leaves, for instance, mine—“

You look into your cup and see various little symbols, the few standing out the most being a wheel, knots, a cat, and an umbrella.

The wheel for inevitable change and progress, the knot for stress and anxiety…fucking fantastic, the cat for gossip, great because that’s exactly what you need, and, the more concerning one of the symbols, an umbrella, signifying difficulty. It’s a good thing you got the damn horseshoe earlier…with this info, your future could be something else you aren’t prepared for based on this reading.

“Well?” Riddles voice pulls you from your thoughts and you give him a small nod.

“Sorry…yea, so, you see this?” You move your cup and saucer in his direction. “The symbols closest to the handle should signify the things sooner to happen—“

“Most of your…’symbols,’ are near the handle.” He notes.

“Yea, this one here kinda looks like a cat, and this one a wheel…this one here looks like a knot and then that one looks like an umbrella.”

“I can vaguely see it. Do they all mean something?” He questions as he gazes even more at the leaves.

“Yea. They all have their own, but let’s look at yours…what shapes can you make out?”

He tilts his cup towards you and points at the symbols, you can make out some to look like stars and a few squares.

“Don’t overthink it…what do you see?”

“Those look like squares, what’s the meaning? Assuming you know…” he hums, interested in the whole thing now.

“They can mean comfort and peace…have you been feeling that more often?”

“In a way, I suppose…it has been a little less stressful around here for once. I see…this is quite interesting, Prefect, I like the idea…how does this work?”

“That’s a question for another time—“

“It has to work a certain way, correct?” He questions again. “It almost seems like something to be done with magic…”

“Yea, no…it’s just, uh, you know, I guess it’s just like, the tea leaves…resonate?” Good one…

“I…guess.” He nods along. “It’s still quite interesting. Thank you for showing me a ritual from your world.” He smiles softly.

“Of course…”

The Unbirthday party carries on, celebrating, then like all things, eventually coming to an end. You and Grim leave, Trey kindly giving you leftovers which will and can not be rationed around Grim, but you take them anyways.

That tea reading is gonna bug you even more…so much for the unbirthday party being a distraction like you had hoped…

Hey…how yall doing…I JUST WANNA APOLOGIZE FOR HOW RUSHED THIS WAS, but I did it! Also, I’m doing a tag list on this now so if u want me to tag u on the next part just comment <3

THANKS FOR READING AND I LOVE U GUYS TYYYY KISSES TO ALL OF U 💋😘

Master List

Please don’t steal or copy any of my work! You may, however, reblog if you’d want to!

Pictures belong to Disney Twisted Wonderland but are edited by me :)

Tag List <3:

@w0nd3rhoy

[shipper4everships]

BuckTommy Fluffebruary: Day 16

~AU: didn’t know they were dating~

It all started by chance. Buck had just started his service at 118th station, while Tommy was in the process of transferring to station 217. Tommy’s transfer was delayed, so they began working together. Tommy was usually a composed and somewhat introverted guy, not quick to let people close, but Buck was so sincere and open that Tommy let his guard down.

They became friends, and Tommy showed Buck some of his secret tricks that helped him on the job, which later came in handy for Buck on calls. 

"Hey, you only told me about them in my second year here - why does the rookie get such privileges?" Eddie asked teasingly. 

On their days off, they sometimes went to the gym together or invited each other to the bar for a beer and to watch a match. 

"I thought you weren't very into basketball before, Buck. Something changed?" Chim in with a grin. Buck just waved off the question.

When it came time for Tommy to complete his transfer to station 217, he briefly thought about refusing it because he was afraid their communication would end. But Buck turned out to be better than he could have imagined and supported Tommy’s decision to transfer.

"If flying is your dream, then you have to follow it!" 

Tommy couldn’t argue with that.

Now they didn’t see each other as often, but they were always in touch. There were nights when they both stayed up until morning, texting or talking on the phone about everything under the sun.

"Buck, you look awful... You were up all night talking to Tommy again, should I tell him to stop messing up your schedule?" Hen said, half-seriously, half-joking.

"He’s not messing anything up, I called him first!" Buck blurted out, then realized what he’d said.

They continued meeting occasionally at the bar, but it became harder to sync up due to shift changes. One day, Tommy suggested Buck come over to his place for a couple of hours so they could see each other, and Buck gladly accepted.

They kept visiting each other to watch movies or cook together. Until one day, the moment happened: Buck cuddled up to Tommy while they were watching a horror movie, and Tommy turned to him and kissed him in the dim light of the room. To Buck’s surprise, he didn’t pull away. On the contrary, he eagerly joined in.

Since that evening, not much changed between them, except that their texts became more flirtatious, their touches more frequent, and that kiss on the couch wasn’t the last, but rather the first in a series of others.

They wished each other safety before every shift, and it was always the case, but now it felt different - as though there was something more behind that wish, as if they started caring for each other more.

Buck wasn’t sure how to feel about it, but he was afraid of losing the connection that was growing between them, so he decided to keep everything between the two of them and see where it could lead.

Was it really a surprise when, not long after, they slept together for the first time in Buck’s loft? They didn’t talk about it or anything that happened between them, but Buck lay in bed in Tommy’s arms the next morning, feeling like he was exactly where he needed to be.

Maddy called him a few days later and invited him to dinner at the Buckley-Han house, and Buck enthusiastically agreed.

"Buck, I just wanted to check… if you want, you don’t have to come alone," Maddy said cautiously.

"…What do you mean?" Buck was caught off guard by her words.

"Maybe you’ll introduce us to your boyfriend?"

"Boyfriend?" Buck asked, glancing at Tommy, who was sitting across the table from him. Tommy had overheard Buck’s part of the conversation and looked at him. In his eyes, Buck saw curiosity and something more… maybe hope?

Buck ran through their relationship over the past few months in his mind, and everything in his head and heart finally fell into place.

"Yeah, you’re right." Buck smiled into the phone. "Set another place at the table because I’m bringing my boyfriend." Buck said those words and caught Tommy’s answering smile.

When he hung up, Buck leaned across the table, and warm lips met him halfway.

He wasn’t sure where this would lead, but now he knew. Now he would do it right. @bucktommyfluffebruary 💗

[thebibutterflyao3]

“Witchcraft”

@pandalilymicrofics - 987 words

part one - next part

**TW: very slightly NSFW (allusion to a sex dream)**

“Another one?” Lily said, pulling a small pink stone from her suit coat pocket. “Where are they all coming from?”

She smoothed her thumb over the polished surface of the rose quartz thoughtfully before adding it to the wonky, painted clay bowl of bits and bobs on her night stand. It had been two weeks, and she’d gathered nearly a dozen small pink stones from the pockets of her jackets, purse, and once, even tucked into her shoe. Lily pondered that last one for a good hour, completely befuddled.

At first, she’d found it amusing. A little mystery to entertain her. Searching on her phone, Lily found a number of natural healing and wellness websites that claimed that carrying rose quartz reduced stress, encouraged emotional healing and love, as well as a number of other benefits. There weren’t any negative side effects listed, so she chalked it up to someone wishing her well.

It had been an unusually stressful month with her new clients. The law firm who recently hired her didn’t seem capable of making a single decision. For a commercial interior designer, there was little she could do if they couldn’t even agree on a color scheme, let alone a style or layout.

Doctors were much easier to work with than lawyers, she decided. Doctors dashed out a quick list of must-haves without much thought and were thrilled with anything she added to it. Meanwhile, lawyers spun in circles debating with themselves or their firm’s partners, researching every design style to ever exist, only to opt for an “old world” look in the end.

Boring and predictable. Unlike this mystery.

Rose quartz. A rock that she’d never given any thought to was suddenly appearing in mass quantities every time she left her home. It didn’t make any sense. She didn’t see any one person that often, so how could they be slipping quartz into her pockets?

It was only on a deeper dive into the uses of rose quartz that she found a troubling connection. Rose quartz was used by the Romans as a “seal of ownership or possession.” That definition remained emblazoned on her mind thereafter. Is someone trying to claim ownership of me? Is it a type of witchcraft?

“Good luck with that,” she mused, shrugging off her suit jacket and hanging it in the closet. “If two husbands failed to keep me, I doubt a random crystal fanatic can.”

Just then, a loud whoop echoed down the hall. “Got it!” Harry must be home.

It was quickly followed by a soft giggle that definitely didn’t belong to her son, or one of his best friends. Harry hadn’t asked to have friends over, but Lily was used to finding Ron or Hermione hanging about. They were attached at the hip most days.

Curious, Lily wandered down the hallway as she removed her jewelry. It wouldn’t be the first time her fifteen year old son had invited a girl – other than Hermione – over, but it was the first time he hadn’t asked for permission first. At least, so far as she knew. With her ex-husband, James, as his role model, Harry wasn’t a stranger to stirring up mischief.

She leaned against the doorway to the sitting room and surveyed the scene. Harry was in the middle of the sofa with a controller in hand, his head jerking slightly from side as he played a racing game. On his right was Ron, who was goading him on. On Harry’s left, however, was a petite blonde girl twirling her finger in her hair and resting her head on Harry’s shoulder. As she watched, Harry whispered to her every so often, which made her giggle again.

A new girlfriend, already? I thought he was still hung up on Ginny?

Lily felt as though she was intruding, so she cleared her throat and asked, “Anybody hungry?”

Three heads swivelled to face her at once. Harry smiled and answered, “That’d be great, Mum!” Ron enthusiastically listed a dozen snack ideas. A book waved over Ron’s shoulder in greeting, signalling that Hermione was tucked under Ron’s arm, reading.

Then, the blonde girl turned and met Lily’s gaze with soft, unfocused eyes…in two different colours. One bright blue, one much lighter. Grey? Pale green?

“Oh, hello,” she said, smiling pleasantly. Her voice had a dreamy, breathless quality to it that surprised Lily. “You must be Harry’s mum.”

“Yes, I’m Lily. I don’t think I’ve seen you around before, have I?” Lily asked. She stepped into the room without intending to, drawn closer by an invisible force. “Yet, you look…familiar.”

The girl’s smile widened to an unnerving degree. “Ah, you’ve met my mum or uncle Evan then. We all have heterochromia.”

“No, I don’t think so.” Lily glanced upward as she continued removing her earrings, trying to remember where she’d seen someone similar. “What is your mum’s name?”

“Pandora.”

A flash of memory snatched the air from her lungs. Images replayed in her mind as vividly as if they’d actually happened, instead of coming from dreams. Warm, olive skin pressed against her own. Long, plaited golden hair created a curtain around the two of them as she leaned down for a kiss. Pandora.

Was her name Pandora? Had her eyes been two different colours? Lily couldn’t recall seeing the woman’s eyes in the dreams, which was odd. She normally thrived on eye contact during sex.

Lily blinked, then inhaled sharply. “Oh. I don’t think so? Never mind.” She floundered for a minute as she tried to push aside the images and refocus on her son. “What was I doing in here?”

“Snacks, mum,” Harry reminded her, shaking his head with a chuckle.

“Right, snacks.”

It wasn’t until she was in the kitching, dumping party mix into a bowl, that it hit her. Lily hadn’t even asked for the girl’s name. Surprised at herself, Lily planted both hands on the kitchen bench with a smack. What on Earth was going on?

[oh-phoenixx]

"Hogwarts Express" - Jegulus microfic @into-the-jeggyverse - 1466 words

@abductedhiko

-

First Year

Regulus, Sirius, and his parents apparated to Kings Cross station for Regulus’s first year and Sirius’s second. Regulus had imagined it for so long, not having to be in that house while Sirius lived this wonderful life he’d heard so much about.

Sirius hurried onto the Hogwarts Express to find his friends. Just as Regulus was about to follow him, his mother grabbed his wrist with a grip so tight he thought it might break. He turned to look at her. She pulled him into a hug, though not one full of warmth as he might have dreamed of had he not lost all naivety about his parents years ago.

“Do not follow in your brother’s footsteps. Do not let him misguide you,” Walburga warned. 

Regulus only nodded. She let him go, saying something about seeing him in June. He got onto the train and went to find his brother. He found Sirius in a compartment sitting with his friends, who he’d told Regulus about endlessly over the summer. Regulus stood awkwardly at the door until Sirius noticed he was there. He grinned from ear to ear. 

“Guys, this is my brother, Reggie!” Sirius announced. He pulled Regulus down to sit next to him. 

Remus, Peter, and James all greeted him. James, who was sitting next to him, added, “It’s great to meet you. Sirius has told me loads about you.”

Regulus did not respond, though could barely keep the smile off his face at the thought of Sirius talking about him the way he had spoken about James. 

Those hours on the train were the last time Regulus truly felt close to Sirius. Just before Regulus was taken away with the other first-years, Sirius pulled him into his arms, all of the love Regulus lacked from their parents seeping into him. He wished him good luck.

Regulus was sorted into Slytherin. Sirius barely spoke to him that year. 

Second Year

Sirius did not say goodbye to their parents. He pushed past Regulus onto the Hogwarts Express.

“Goodbye, mother. Goodbye, father,” Regulus mumbled. 

Walburga tilted his chin up and cupped his face. “Goodbye. Be good.”

Regulus pretended this was love. It was the closest he would get to it.

He did not try to find his brother once on the train, though he did run into one of Sirius’s friends. James’s hands went to Regulus’s arms to steady him. 

“Sorry, Reggie!” James grinned. 

“Don’t call me that,” Regulus muttered, pulling out of James’s grip. 

James’s grin didn’t falter. “How was your summer?”

Regulus raised his eyebrows. How was his summer? Was he seriously asking that? James seemed to think the same thing, as his smile dropped and he looked sheepish. “Uh, right. Sorry.” 

Regulus moved past him, finding the compartment that his friends were in. He sat down with Evan, Barty, and Pandora, while they waited for Dorcas and Emmeline. 

He could count on his fingers the amount of times he spoke to his brother that year. 

Third Year

Sirius spotted James and Peter before they’d even gotten on the train. To Walburga and Orion’s utter disdain, Sirius ran over and hugged them. Regulus watched, overcome with a sense of longing that he tried desperately to push down. He’d spoken to Sirius more over the summer, and he’d deluded himself into thinking that maybe this year things could be different. But Sirius did not look back once, did not check that Regulus was okay before climbing onto the train with his friends. 

Maybe because Regulus glared at the back of Sirius’s head, maybe because he had been the perfect image of a Black heir, his mother did not hug him or cup his face or even pretend for a moment that she would miss him. She had his loyalty, she wouldn’t waste her time play-acting.

He got onto the train and headed straight for his friends, only stopping to listen to James Potter pointlessly flirting with Lily Evans. There was a strange feeling in his stomach, sickness, maybe, at the thought of James and Lily together. Regulus was simply embarrassed for James and his poor attempts at wooing Lily. That was all it was, Regulus was sure. 

Regulus pushed Sirius away at every attempt at a relationship that year. He wasn’t sure why. Sirius seemed to give up after a few months.

Fourth Year

Sirius and Regulus got onto the train together. Their mother had no warning to give Regulus this year. Regulus didn’t know what that said about him, whether to be proud of it or to hate himself.

Sirius muttered a farewell that Regulus did not return and they went their separate ways. 

For the first two hours of the train ride, Regulus sat with his friends and tried to push the thought of his brother out of his mind. This became hard, though, when James Potter knocked on their compartment door. 

“Come sit with us,” James pleaded. 

Regulus’s denial was half-hearted, so much so that James sat next to him. “I’m not leaving until you say yes.”

“Fuck off, Potter,” Regulus spat. 

James did not. In fact, Regulus let himself be convinced to sit with them. Regulus had expected revulsion from his friends. Instead, they were happy for him. It was the first time since before Sirius had left for Hogwarts that Regulus felt that he was loved. 

He and Sirius grew closer, forced together by James’s insistent meddling. It was near-perfect. Except that every time James even looked in Lily’s direction, Regulus felt that same feeling in his stomach. Because James was embarrassing. And for no other reason.

Everything was going well until Sirius nearly got Snape killed one full moon. It was months before Remus forgave him, longer for James. Regulus never really did. 

Fifth Year

Before Walburga could say anything to Regulus, he rushed onto the Hogwarts Express, Sirius close behind him. Regulus sat with his friends, who he had grown impossibly closer to. Pandora rested her head in his lap, her legs in Evan’s. 

“Have you guys seen the Prophet?” Emmeline asked. “All this Voldemort shit?” 

“Nah, but Dad’s been talking about him a lot,” Barty said, rolling his eyes. 

They didn’t speak more of him. They didn’t know that it mattered. 

Sixth Year

Walburga’s grip on Regulus’s shoulder was painful, her nails digging into his skin. 

“Do not talk to that traitor. If I find out that you have spoken to him at all…” She didn’t dare finish her threat in public. Regulus understood anyway.

Once on the train, both James and Sirius tried to speak to Regulus. Regulus attempted to push past them, but Sirius grabbed his arm.

“Reg…”

“I can’t talk to you, Sirius,” Regulus muttered. 

“Please-”

“I can’t.”

Something had changed between fifth- and sixth-year. Pandora did not lay between Regulus and Evan. Barty did not scoff over Voldemort. They spoke of the Death Eaters, of how Avery had gotten the Dark Mark over the summer and how Barty’s father was setting up an apprenticeship for him at the Ministry. They did not feel like children. The world was darkening around them and they felt as though they were choking on it. 

Maybe this darkness was why Regulus allowed himself tiny portions of light in the form of broom cupboards and a boy who felt like the sun. He knew what would be expected of him come summer, he knew he would join the Death Eaters and throw away everything good in his life. He let himself have just this, this one thing. 

Seventh Year

Regulus did not want to let go. The train was about to leave, but he couldn’t pull away. 

Beside them, Sirius cleared his throat loudly. “Hey, lovebirds. Regulus has to go.”

Regulus glared at Sirius, and he wouldn’t admit how much he would miss his brother. James still held his hand, and Regulus wasn’t sure if, after a whole summer of this love, he could bear to let it go. It was only ten months. It was less than a year, and they would see each other in Hogsmeade whenever possible. Regulus still did not pull away. 

Regulus held onto James until the very last moment. When he finally got onto the train, he felt lighter than he ever had despite his sadness at leaving his boyfriend. 

There was this guilty sort of satisfaction that he felt when he noticed how many people from Slytherin were missing that year, many pulled out of school to be pawns in their parents’ games, forced to take the dark mark. Regulus knew how close he had gotten to that life, how he could see it coming for him, all the plans his parents had for his life. He had made it out, he had followed his brother, as he always would.

[phoenixeclipse-lmkau]

Chapter #Twelve – The Deer Spirit

Looks like the fox demoness has someone keeping tabs on her~

*Zhiyu belongs to @sleepingdramaqueen on Tumblr

After catching whiff of smoke, a young fawn demoness Jìngyi too curious for her own good had come closer to inspect what was happening. She had always found to fox demoness intriguing even when others told her to stay away, she just couldn’t help herself. She never really hurt anyone even if she had threatened a few, plus she had never done any real damage. Not that she had seen, until today.

Flames licked against the grass and started to crawl up some of the trees when a freezing wind smothered them. There was shouting, from someone that she couldn’t identify. Ice and snow covered burnt and charred wood, there was no doubt about it that something had to be done, someone had to intervene. Of course the young fawn was far too young and too weak to be the one to do that. So off she went running away form the damage and straight towards the guardian, the only one that was able to handle the fox.

“Guardian! Guardian!” The fawn called out as she ran up to the deer demon before her.

Shocked the guardian turned towards her in confusion. Jìngyi almost never talker to him as she had no reason to and was just a young fawn who didn’t even have a humanoid form. He wasn’t even able to speak before she started shouting about what Su had done, how there was fire everywhere and how there were also unknown people within the forest. He couldn’t have ran faster if he tried, barely followed by the fawn who tried to keep up.

He was horrified to see the burnt grass, the damaged trees, the ice and snow that covered the ground. It was a disaster, clenching the scepter in his hand his gaze landed on the fox demoness that was responsible for the damage along with the women who were speaking with her.

The beautiful demoness who was nothing but a pain in his neck in person and a nightmare of a beauty in his dreams. She was in her humanoid form, a form that he rarely got the chance to see outside of when she was messing with people or when she was fighting. The only thing she wore was a red hanfu that hugged her figure, with slits down either of her legs and left the majority of her chest exposed. She looked…. She looked- That’s not IMPORTANT!

“SU!” He shouted angrily, a furious look spread across his face.

Though his face soon flustered when the fox demoness whirled around to look at him with the biggest smile on her face, if he didn’t know any better he’d think she was actually excited to see him. Steeling his resolve he didn’t let her see the way it made him flustered instead wore a serious expression.

“What have you done again FOX!! One of the residents came to inform me that you have attempted to destroy their home! Is that true!?!?!” He growled harshly as he pointed back towards the charred wood, and burnt grass that was frozen over.

“That is not at all what happened,” Su responded rolling her eyes as her smile dropped to an annoyed expression. Before the deer could get a single word in she spoke firmly. “First of all the fire was an ACCIDENT, second of all no creatures live in the trees surrounding my DEN and third of all, I was just saying hello to an old friend who apparently has AMNESIA!”

“What are you even talking abou-“, he turned to look at the small group behind her, that’s when he noticed one of them was injured, his instincts pushed him to run towards the little one. He crouched down as he attempted to reach out, Green brightness emanating from his palm.

“What happened to you, are you alright child, do not fret for I will help you.”

Spirit’s face immediately turned to a scowl, baring her teeth as she growled, “Who the fuck are you calling a child!?”

“Spirit! He’s just trying to help,” You said back to her as you continued to support her as she leaned against you.

Zhiyu quickly leaned back, face turning into sudden shock.

“Hold on-you’re not!!!” He couldn’t hide his clear embarrassment, “No you’re sooo-you know what just forget it.*

He stopped speaking, a sweat dripping from the side of his face when two eyes glowered in front of him, yet he still held his hand up, “No matter the case, you are still hurt, allow me at least to heal your wounds.”

The two monkeys on your shoulders chirped in irritation, you glanced at Su who was standing back without a word. A smile had graced her face again as she watched Zhiyu heal Spirit. However Reader noticed the slightly guilty look that seemed to tug down her smile.

“Please Spirit,” Reader muttered to her friend.

Spirit growls but doesn’t stop him from what he’s doing. And lets him heal her.

“Soo. Who said I was trying to destroy their home? No one lives around my den anyways,” Su brought up with an annoyed look on her face. Though it seemed she just wanted Zhiyu to talk to HER.

“Running around grass fields and jumping straight to people, laughing like its an illness does not make a place your territory,” Zhiyu responded, not even bothering to turn around, only focused on the four in front of him.

“Clearly you have never seen people having FUN. And it’s my territory since no one comes around obviously!” Su responded rolling her eyes before looking over at Spirit and Reader.

“Is that how that works?” You mutter softly.

“I have no idea,” Spirit shrugged nonchalantly.

Zhiyu grumbled in irritation, “No it’s not.”

Su laughed behind them, walking up to Zhiyu until she was standing right over him. She leaned over and glanced at the work he was doing. She neither cared about how close she was nor did she care about the way Zhiyu tensed up really quick.

He glanced back at her before turning his attention back to the duo in front of him. He was concentrated on healing Spirit’s injuries more than talking to the dangerous fox who plagued his forest. It wasn’t long before the green light from his hands faded and the pain within Spirit was gone.

“Thank you so much-“ You began to say with relief when he suddenly shot a glare in your direction, surprising you.

“I don’t know what you want here or how you got this deep in the forest but you need to leave human,” Zhiyu spoke rather harshly, his eyes set in a deep glare.

He seemed to realize you were very much human. And he was well aware that humans caused trouble, they seemed to love it and let it follow them everywhere. Your eyes widened in shock at his words but as you opened your mouth to speak he interrupted.

“Unlike my brothers and sisters I will show mercy upon you human, leave this forest or I will have to consider you trespassing on these sacred lands. I am no mad demon but I will use brute force to force you out-“ He was saying, his voice kind of harsh, after he had taken his hands off of Spirit.

Su spoke up again, “Whoa there Zhiyu! I believe as they are MY guests I get to decide if Reader stays or leaves!”

Zhiyu seemed shocked as he turned to look at the normally very mischievous but also very SOLO woman. That’s when he also took note just how much closer she had come up to him, she was almost right on top of him honestly.

“You wouldn’t be trying to scare off the human that is taking care of Spirit would you? She hasn’t done anything wrong, in fact all she’s done is protect those two… smelly cubs. You wouldn’t want to be cruel and send her away now would you? Look at her she’s clearly exhausted, tired and scared. Not to mention it’s almost nighttime, and with how dangerous the world is in the dark you wouldn’t just send her to the jaws of some beast right?” Su ranted before lowering her voice to a purr as she leaned close to Zhiyu’s face.

You noticed that there was a thick tension between the two, but you couldn’t quite tell why. Confusion covered your face as you watched Su curl her tails and a grin spread across her face. The tips of her tails continued to shape hearts as she gave Zhiyu a pouty look, leaning down so she was face to face with him. You couldn’t see his expression from where you stood but you were pretty sure that you could see his ears turning red.

He stepped back to make some space and looked down, his face making it obvious that he was thinking, then he looked up with a serious once again, "Alright but you will only be allowed to stay for a limited time, once I have decided, you will immediately leave. Am I clear?”

Su looked at him with a pout, "Aw, how could you be so mean hun? Don't worry girls you can stay as long as you want at my place."

Spirit looked at you and you looked at her before glancing back at Su who was grinning ear to ear. You weren't sure who to listen to but noticed the way Zhiyu tensed up most likely from irritation.

"I don't know if we should stay, it would be better to just leave," Spirit replied looking down at her hands and glancing over her body. She did a few test jumps and decided that she was well enough.

"I mean... it is dark- but why should we trust you?" You replied with a frown on your face.

Su let out a groan before replying simply, "Because you have no where else to go, and I have food. Let me do this to make up for the whole... dual."

Spirit’s face scrunched up at the mention of the dual. She didn't like any part of what had happened. Baring her teeth she let out a low growl and you couldn't help but chuckle. She just looked so cute like that, especially with her being so small. Her threat didn't seem to bother Su at all.

Her words rang true, there wasn’t anywhere else you could go and the sun was already halfway set by this point. You looked down at Spirit, she looked tired and hungry. She wasn’t injured anymore but that didn’t mean that she was up for travel after the sparring and if you were being honest your own legs were starting to feel like jelly.

Peaches and Plums chirped causing you to glance at them, neither of them had gotten hurt much to your delight but that didn’t change the fact that Spirit had gotten hurt. Su was unpredictable and dangerous… but you could see her and onew that she was there. If you two were left out in the darkness of the night there was no telling what would find you or who. At least with Su you would have a roof over your heads.

“I have a few warm beds, it’s better than the forest floor,” Su urged as she stepped around Zhiyu to get closer but her tails slid right against him as she walked with a grin. “What do you say?”

Looking at the cubs on your shoulders and Spirit’s tired gaze you already knew your answer. Reaching a hand up you scratching under Peaches chin and then Plums. Then you let out a breath, looking at Su and replied, “Fine… but just for a night or two.”

“… I suppose that I’ll leave then,” Zhiyu said with a firm nod as he turned and left the group without another word.

“You know you could also stay too- and he’s gone. Ugh that man! I don’t know if he’s ignoring me or just oblivious, GAH!” Su pouted as she stomped her foot onto the ground causing the grass to hiss from the heat.

“… A hint… for what?” Spirit was the one to speak up, her eyes narrowed in confusion.

“Well obviously that he has my attention and I’m trying to court him! But he’s like against most of the Courting styles!” Su fumed as she began marching in a circle growling and muttering to herself.

“Against?” You spoke up curiously, confused at what she was talking about. Though you started to pick up that she was upset about the man who walked away not paying attention to her.

“Yeah he doesn’t like violence, like I get that. So I shouldn’t do any Courting duals until later when we’re both have an understanding before hand. He doesn’t accept my gifts, I mean come on like take a hint. I’d courtnap him buuut- I don’t know if he knows what that is,” Su kind of seethed before shuffling about in irritation, kicking her feet against the dirt.

You and Spirit both stared at her curiously. You didn't know what to say all you knew was that she was not happy. slowly though her frown shifted into a smile as she turned back to you and Spirit. she shook her head seemingly to get her thoughts in focus and gestured for you to follow her.

You heard both Plum and Peaches start chirping again, they didn't seem too pleased about the situation at hand. In fact if you weren’t mistaken they were chirping very loudly about being ignored for the majority of it. It's not like you were trying to ignore them there was just so much going on that they slipped to the back of your mind. At least while you were focused on Spirit, Plum just head butted you on the cheek and you couldn't help but laugh. Apparently they were jealous about not having your full attention.

“You two ready to go? I’ve got food at my place,” Su grinned with a delighted smile. “I even have some cherries, I know they’re Spirit’s favorite fruit!”

Spirit stared at Su in shock, her eyes widening as she stared at the woman. The fox demoness started walking away, her feet gently walking along the forest floor. You hesitated before following behind her, she knew exactly where she was going while all you saw was new area around you. You didn’t know if following her was the right decision but you understood that it was one of the few decisions you had.

“She knows my favorite fruit?” Spirit barely whispered but you still heard the clear confusion in her tone.

Chirping echoed in your ears as the monkey cubs swatted at your face. Specifically Peaches swatted at your nose causing you to scrunch it in clear confusion. They let out annoyed chirps and you chuckled slightly when Su whirled around, her tails swaying behind her as she walked backwards.

“You know, I’m curious… how did you even get a phoenix stone? Those are like really rare, and I’ve only ever heard of one other phoenix stone that belonged to some ancient warrior. How did you, a mortal, human, woman get one?” Su asked, her face relaxed as she continued to walk backwards, surprisingly not walking into anything as she rested her hands behind her head.

“A… A phoenix stone?” You responded, confusion covering your face, was that what you had?

“A phoenix stone, powerful thing. Seriously those things are dangerous. It uses magic to create a powerful flame, if I wasn’t able to control fire than I would have been seriously hurt. No joke there,” Su explained with a grin. “That’s not all it can do, with the right amount of focus you can even get it to create phoenix wings. Which of course is another way to create an INSANE amount of heat.”

You blinked in surprise before reaching into your pocket to pick up the stone that was inside of it. You stared at the stone in amazement for a moment before Plum jumped for it. You let out a squeal at his sudden movement and quickly snatched him out of the air, pulling him close to your chest. As you did you proceeded to pull the stone closer too and you were surprised when Peaches also tried to snag the stone from your hand.

‘Hand it over woman! You’ll hurt everyone!’ Peaches chirped unbeknownst to you.

“Hey, stop trying to take it,” You muttered as you tried to get the two monkeys to strop reaching for the stone that was in your hand.

Su chuckled as she walked over to you, but you shook your head. “I don’t need help.”

You said this even as both of the monkey Cubs climbed on your shoulders and tried to climb down your arms to get to your hand. You didn't let them of course and they chirped in annoyance, one of them swatting your face with his tail you knew it was Peaches, specifically due to the bright gold of his fur. As much as you cared about these monkeys you knew that you were not going to let them have the stone in your hand it was far too dangerous. Little did you know but that was the same exact reason that they were trying to get this stone they thought it was too dangerous for you.

“Are you sure you don't want any help?” Su asked with a humorous gaze as the monkey cubs crawled over your shoulders and arms.

“I'm sure I'm completely fine I know what I'm doing,” You replied quickly as you attempted to grab Peaches to stop him from swatting your face. The swatting wasn’t painful and in reality it was just annoying at most, at the same time it was almost kind of cute.

“Ohh let me deal with the monkeys,” Spirit spoke up with an annoyed tone.

“No, I'm fine,” You respond as Plum set his tiny paw onto the stone, which was much to big for him to grab with only one hand.

Su laughed at your dilemma while Spirit began to get annoyed that you weren't accepting any help. She didn't care that you didn't accept help from sue but you weren't accepting her help either and that was getting on her nerves. So she did the first thing that came to mind and in this case that happened to be trying to grab the stone out of your hands as well. Plum let out a screech and bit her hand causing you to gasp and pull him back away from it while Spirit let out a very colorful cuss word.

“Gah! You see this is why I don't like monkeys,” Spirit growled harshly at Plum causing him to bare his teeth and hiss back at her.

“But aren’t you are a monkey too?” Su spoke up chuckling as she watched the chaotic scene in front of her, not approaching but at the same time not backing away. She wasn’t about to make you more uncomfortable by torching her help on you. So she stood off to the side enjoying the show that was playing out in front of her.

“Oh shut up sue no one asked for your opinion!” Spirit bit back her face flustering as she flicked Plum in the face causing him to growl.

Holding the stone in one hand, Peaches on your shoulder swatting your face, and Plum wrapped around your opposite wrist you swatted Spirit’s hand lightly when you noticed Plums forehead go slightly red.

“He’s just a baby, don’t hit him,” You said with a pout across your face and her face went red.

“He bit me first!” Spirit growled back with a pout.

“Yes, but violence never solves anything,” You respond calmly and Spirit just rolls her eyes.

Finally you shoved the rock back into your bag and grinned as it closed. Neither of the cubs went to open it, both seeming annoyed that you foiled their plot. Then you took Spirit’s hand looked at Su and followed behind her with a cheerful smile. Everything was going to be a-okay!

<<< Chapter #Eleven - The Fox Demoness

[lenbear]

Shrunken Partner Part 2

Viktor woke up the next morning, feeling like he’s had the best sleep of his life. He still felt so warm and fuzzy and he didn’t know why. Well, that was before he tried to move. He quickly looked down to see a giant hand pinning him down. Panic quickly took over as he tried to desperately get loose from the grip but the hand was so heavy. His struggles ceased when he heard a low grunt form above and he looked up to see his new partner sleeping. Viktor’s cheeks immediately went red. Jayce was holding him in his sleep against his chest.

Viktor looked back down at the large hand holding him down and tried to slow his breathing. It’s ok. It is only Jayce. Jayce who is giant and who he only just met. No problem. No problem at all. 

.

.

.

Nope. Viktor was not used to this type of touch. He tried to get out from under Jayce’s strong hand again. Wiggling to push himself up. Only to hear Jayce mumble something in his sleep and turn onto his side. Viktor couldn’t help but yelp as he was now suspended on his side, against Jayce’s warm chest. It was like Jayce was treating him as a stuffed bear!

”Jayce!” Viktor yelled up to his partner in annoyance. “Jayce! Either wake up or let me go right now!” Viktor knew that Jayce probably won’t hear his ultimatum due to him being sound asleep but he was getting a bit desperate. “Please let me go you giant moron!” It must have worked because before Viktor knew it, the grip Jayce had on him disappeared and he fell onto the mattress under him with an “oof”.

Viktor lifted his head a bit and shook it to get the dizziness away. Definitely an interesting way to wake up. He heard Jayce mumble a bit more and decided the bed was probably not the safest place to be with a sleeping giant. He got himself up with the assistance of Jayce’s pillow and arm and looked around for his cane. His cane.  Where is his cane? 

“Jayce..” Viktor sighed and used the pillow to slowly walk to the edge of the bed. He’s not used to walking without his cane, at least not like this. “If I was Jayce Talis where would I put a toothpick sized cane..?” He looked around the room and saw all of Jayce’s belongings. Some crystals and minerals on his windowsill, posters of magic and adventures, shelves lined with countless books and then he saw Jayce’s vest hanging on his chair. Viktor took a closer look and saw his small cane caught in one of the top button holes. He had to groan. “Great, my cane is stuck in his vest all the way over there..” Viktor couldn’t help but look down the cliff-like ledge the bed was and quickly step back against the soft pillow behind him. That’s definitely a long drop. One he does not wish to experience and test his durability at this size. 

The young man sighed and took a seat on the edge of the bed. Being outside the lab, it really puts into perspective just how small he is now. He took it all in. He was so small, so insignificant in this size, he couldn’t do anything by himself. He said he’d help Jayce with his hex-tech dream but could he really do that? He was only around 8cm tall when Jayce measured him meaning he cannot pick up much if anything. His weak body didn’t help his struggles of picking up equipment and moving around this now giant world. It did make him feel scared. Reminding him of how small he felt as a child. Being all alone and struggling through life. 

He jumped when a giant hand rested just next to him after Jayce moved. That’s right. He has Jayce. They may have only just met but he felt this man was somehow meant to be his friend. His partner. He also felt Jayce’s stubbornness wouldn’t allow him to go through this weird shrinking experience alone and that he’d go along with him the whole way. He was so used to doing things on his own, maybe it would be good to have someone there with him. That thought brought a small smile to his face and he slowly reached for Jayce’s hand and gently rubbed his finger. With his back to Jayce, he failed to notice the smile appear on the giant’s sleeping face. 

—

About fifteen minutes passed with Viktor sitting there thinking about his situation, Jayce’s room and Jayce himself when a knock at the door startled both him and Jayce. Jayce groaned at suddenly being awoken from his slumber, shifting the hand that was next to Viktor into the small man instead. The tiny man tried pushing it away with fear of being dragged with it, which he was and was brought slightly closer to the waking giant.

��Jayce dear, breakfast is ready.” His mother warmly called from behind the door. “I know you have the day off but I don’t want you wasting it by sleeping. It’s going to be a beautiful day.” Ximena tried opening the door only to find it locked. Strange, Jayce has never locked his doors before like this.

”Mmm.. Y-Yeah..” Jayce yawned loudly as he sat up. Not realising how badly he was moving the bed for Viktor who ended up rolling on his back closer to the shift in weight on the mattress. A small yelp escaped his lips which went unheard. “I’m.. I’m up.. and I’m coming now..” Ximena walked away after hearing her son get out of bed. He sat on the side of his bed, still trying to wake up, not realising that the movement completely threw Viktor off balance again. The weight of Jayce had Viktor tumbling over and causing him to get closer to the source of the weight. He fell backwards and his back landed on Jayce’s thigh.

”W-Wait! Jayce stop!” Viktor shouted as he caught himself on Jayce’s thigh and blushed when he felt how warm it was from being under the blankets. Still, Viktor expected the impact to be hard but Jayce’s leg was soft. He felt a jolt go through the giant man and immediately felt eyes on him.

”Viktor? Oh! I’m sorry!” Jayce went to grab Viktor but his hands froze a few centimetres away from him. He shouldn’t grab him without asking and the look of fear on Viktor’s face made him stop too. “I hope I didn’t hurt you! I forgot that I had you on me.” Jayce’s face went red. That’s right, he left Viktor on his chest last night. Cuddling him.. “Crap, I didn’t roll around last night did I?”

Viktor sighed as Jayce went on a worried induced rant. He tried to stand up, using Jayce’s leg as leverage. He struggled, still a bit dizzy after all that tumbling and gave up. “No you didn’t. You only moved when I woke up this morning and I tried getting out of your grip.” He looked up at Jayce with a slight blush across his face. “I, however, slept quite well. Thank you.” 

Jayce couldn’t help but offer Viktor his finger for support when he saw him struggling to stand. But ultimately Viktor swatted his finger away as he felt it was better to remain seated when he realised Jayce will stand up soon. Jayce’s smile also grew when he heard that Viktor slept well, he knew his new partner was having some rough nights. “Well, at least you slept well last night!” Being careful, Jayce stood up, leaving Viktor sitting more in the middle of his bed than the edge as he was before. He looked so small compared to the single person bed. Jayce’s blush only grew. 

Viktor looked Jayce up and down and frowned. “Did you sleep in your uniform last night?” Viktor felt guilty. He out of anyone right now knew how uncomfortable it was to be in the same clothes night and day. Especially the intricate uniform the academy provided.

“Oh, uh yeah. I didn’t want to wake you. You were out like a light and I knew you have been struggling with sleep due to the bags growing under your eyes.” Jayce nervously chuckled as he ranted a bit. Surely it wasn’t weird that he was noticing all these small things in his new partner? He was just looking out for him. He looked at Viktor and saw a very unimpressed face. “H-Hey, don’t look at me like that! I was trying to be nice and thoughtful!” Jayce had the biggest sad-dog face. 

Viktor’s exterior cracked and he let out a quiet chuckle at seeing such a face. Unusual for him. “I see. Well, thank you Jayce but you really should have woken me. I wouldn’t have minded if you did. I know how uncomfortable these uniforms can be when you sleep in them.” He looked down at himself again. His uniform was looking more dishevelled by the day.

”Oh yeah! After breakfast I’ll work on making you some clothes!” He had a bright gleam in his eyes. “Oh and while I do you can have a bath!” Both men blushed at the idea. “W-Well, if you want that is.” Jayce nervously scratched the back of his neck again.

”As.. embarrassing as it will be at this size, I could use one..” Viktor didn’t really want to admit how gross he felt. “But how will I have a bath? A bath is like a huge pond to me now.” 

“Oh, leave it to me!” Jayce looked down to Viktor with a confident smile. “I have the perfect thing in mind. But first, breakfast. I’ll be back.” Jayce was about to leave before Viktor stopped him with a call of his name. Why did it sound so nice in his accented voice? “Yes Viktor?”

”I believe your mother will question why you are in your uniform, no?” Viktor had a slight smirk as Jayce quickly looked down to himself again. Why did it make him smile like this to see the man act like that?

”Oh crap! You’re right. Um..” He went to his wardrobe and grabbed the clothes he’ll wear for the day. He looked back at Viktor with a nervous expression. “Could you.. um.. look away for a moment?” 

Viktor was confused at first until his face went as red as a tomato. He quickly nodded. “O-Of course. Uh.. Excuse me.” He turned his body around and tried not to think about how Jayce was currently getting undressed and redressed behind him. He tried everything to not think about it, looking at the dishevelled bedding in front of him and at the posters on the wall. Nothing stopped the sound of rustling as clothes were moved around. Viktor truly didn’t understand why it was affecting him so much. It was just a man getting changed. Nothing weird. They’re both grown men.

“Ok Vik, you are free to turn around now.” Jayce wore a casual looking red vest with subtle gold lines and a loose white undershirt accompanied by black pants. He looked good. “While I am out I’ll look around for some fabric for you. Oh, and I promise to bring you some food.” He grabbed the cold bowl of stew from the night before. “I shouldn’t be long.” 

“Wait, Jayce, before you go, may I eh.. have my cane?” He gestured to Jayce’s academy vest on his chair. Still the tiny cane stuck out from the top button hole.

”Oh! Yes, of course.” As if it were a delicate flower, he picked it from his vest and moved over to Viktor. So much like a toothpick.. Slowly bringing the cane to the small man’s hands. “Sorry about that Viktor.” 

Viktor stared in disbelief at the size difference again. He thought after a few days of Jayce handing him things he’d be used to it but his very own cane hit different. “..Thank you.” He grabbed his cane and felt somewhat normal again but they both gently touched each other's hands and both flinched from the soft touch, blushing lightly.

“N-No problem. Well, I’ll be back soon.” Jayce resisted the urge to pet Viktor’s soft looking head. He walked to the door and gave one final look to his small partner before leaving and closing the door. He did not lock it thinking he wouldn’t be long at all. 

—

Viktor was now able to walk around a bit on Jayce’s bed due to possessing his cane. He felt a small stroll would be good for him after sitting all morning. He wasn’t too shocked when Jayce didn’t tidy his bed. He didn’t seem to be the type to do so due to his mind usually being somewhere else. Viktor grabbed the edge of the blanket and tried to move it to make the bed look nicer but didn’t get far. His small stature was no chance against the mass of the blanket. Feeling defeated he strolled back to the edge of the bed. 

Again, Viktor sat there lost in thought for a few minutes. Trying to go through potential theories on how to grow back. The hextech that they were fiddling with had some promising results but still lacked something. They have been able to shrink things but it led to their plant specimens being burned or shriveling up and dying. If they could just figure out how to shrink things successfully then growing should be an easy next step.

He sighed. He wished he could get to the desk. He should have asked Jayce before he left. He wanted to go over their notes again. Viktor looked to the clock and notice that nearly twenty minutes have passed. He groaned, he was lost in thought that long? Well, surely Jayce would be back soon. That was when he heard the door knob start to turn. He was about to ask Jayce to move him to the desk when he froze. That wasn’t Jayce. A woman, dressed in a simple outfit opened the door and Viktor quickly crawled under the covers of the bed. 

Viktor assumed this to be a housekeeper and stayed silent. Was it normal for housekeepers to enter bedrooms without permission? He assumed so and just begged her not to come to the bed. He was still near the edge, his left hand was gripping the corner of the mattress anxiously. He prayed that Jayce would come back to his room at any moment.surely he finished breakfast and got whatever he needed to make him some clothes. To his dismay the blanket above him was grabbed and thrown up as the housekeeper started to make the bed. The force of her doing so sent the man over the edge. He caught himself but dropped his cane to the floor. He started to panic.

He looked up and saw the blanket coming back down and it engulfed him from behind. He noticed that the blanket nearly made it to the floor and before the housekeeper could tuck the blankets in he let go of the edge. The blanket was dense enough that he slid down it like a slide but it cut short of the floor and he landed on his back as he came tumbling out. He let out a groan of pain and panted. There was a lot of physical turmoil today it seems. He looked to the underside of the bed and saw his cane had rolled to a stack of books. He quickly started to crawl over to them as the housekeeper finished making the bed. 

Viktor sighed in relief that he was hidden but he noticed that the housekeeper wasn’t leaving, if anything she was starting to sweep and do some dusting around the room. “Jayce.. Please come back.” Viktor sat there and massaged his sore leg. 

—

Jayce went to the forge after breakfast realising that he had some scrap material there. His mother had also told him where the sewing kit was and he quickly grabbed all he needed to make Viktor some clothes. He looked down at the handful of scrap fabric. “This should be enough for at least two or three sets of clothes for now, I’ll have to buy him more fabric soon.” He had to measure Viktor to be sure to get the right length and width. Something too big could affect his walking. He also looked into his pocket, the snacks he got for Viktor was still tightly wrapped up in a napkin for him. He hoped he liked what he grabbed for him.

As Jayce approached his family home he looked up to his room’s window and he froze. There in his window was the housekeeper. In his room. With Viktor. Viktor. Jayce pocketed the fabric and ran into his house and up the stairs past his mother who looked quite shocked. He burst the door open which made the housekeeper jump. She was actively sweeping near his bed. The bed Jayce left Viktor on. “Ah.. S-Sorry. Please leave my room.” Jayce panted from the run up the flight of stairs. 

The housekeeper quickly nodded as she grabbed her things and left the room. Jayce quickly closed the door behind her and locked it. Definitely locking it every time he leaves now. “Viktor..?” Jayce slowly walked to the made bed. It didn’t look like any life was on it. Jayce’s heartbeat increased. “Where are you?”

—

Viktor was nervous as the housekeeper was sweeping by the bed. Some of the excess dust was being swept towards him under the bed and he tried extremely hard not to cough. He covered his mouth so he did not breathe in any of the dust filled air. He then heard what sounded like footsteps running up the stairs and when he looked he saw the door swing open and showing Jayce’s boots. He was finally back. 

Once the housekeeper left the room he watched as Jayce slowly walked closer to the bed. Viktor noted how careful each step was taken. Clearly Jayce was worried he ended up on the floor. When he heard Jayce quietly call out to him he slowly walked out from under the bed. Viktor took a moment to stare at the full towering height of the man again. He hasn’t seen it since the day Jayce found him. It was certainly scary but also astonishing. “I am here Jayce.”

Jayce quickly looked down and made eye contact with the tiny man. Viktor felt a jolt of fear go through him and before he could say anything else, Jayce bent down and scooped him up. Just like the night he found him this miniature size. However this time he was pressed right against the other man’s chest in a sort of hug. “Oh thank the gods you’re safe!” Jayce was gently rubbing his fingers against Viktor’s back. “When I saw her in the room I freaked out. I wasn’t sure if you were found or not..” 

Viktor’s face was red. He knew Jayce was a touchy guy but this was a bit much. Especially the gentle, relaxing rubs to his sore back. “Eh..ah.. It is fine Jayce. I am ok.” He gently tried to push away from that warm chest of his. “Just.. a bit of a close call is all.” 

“Close call? Viktor.” Jayce raised Viktor to his face. The quick movement making Viktor a bit nauseous. “She could have seen you. Mistaken you for something else. Could have hurt you. And it's my fault. I should have locked the door.” Jayce looked down and slowly lowered Viktor back to his chest. “You could have easily been hurt and I would not have known until it was too late…”

Viktor looked up to Jayce, shocked to see some tears in his eyes. He wasn’t used to these emotions at all and they only met a few days ago. These emations were definitely out of the norm Viktor felt. “H-Hey, Jayce.” He pet his finger to get Jayce’s attention. “Nothing did happen. I am ok. A little shaken but ok. No need to fuss this much.” Viktor decided it was probably best not to mention the ache in his back from the tumble he had in the blankets. Figuring that the large man needed a change in topic, Viktor smiled awkwardly. “Did you get any food? I am quite hungry.”

Jayce’s attention quickly went to the wrapped food in his pocket. “Oh, yes.” He moved over to the desk and gently put Viktor down. He reached into his pockets and pulled out a wrapped napkin and in the other hand a handful of fabric. “I got some pastry bits for you and was able to find these scrap pieces of fabric at the forge. I will need to measure you to get the right size.” He gave Viktor the wrapped pastry and the tiny man started to eat gleefully.

”Did you not measure me the day after we met?” Viktor tilted his head as he was confused why Jayce didn’t just use that measurement. He tried to hide a moan from the wonderful taste of the pastry. It tasted so fresh and was still a little warm from the oven. Been days since he ate something as nice as this. If only he could have some sweet milk with it.

”Yeah I did but it was only your height. I need to measure your waist and hips for the clothes. I don’t want anything too baggy if i can help it.” Viktor shrugged and nodded in agreement. “I’ll let you finish your breakfast then I’ll measure you. Oh, and while I make your clothes you can have a bath.” Jayce still needed to get that ready but he’ll do it after getting Viktor’s measurements. 

“Right. Ok Jayce.” He was still unsure how Jayce would set up a bath for him. As Viktor ate Jayce laid each bit of fabric flat. There wasn’t much, they both hoped that it was enough. They hope they don’t screw up too many times. 

Once Viktor was done he stood in front of Jayce who held his measuring equipment. Viktor already stood as tall as he could for Jayce who quickly measured his height again and the height of his legs as well as his torso. He scribbled down each measurement and put the pen in his mouth while measuring. 

“Can you stretch out your arms?” Jayce said through the pen in his mouth. Viktor nodded and did so while Jayce measured his arm span and width. Then he wrapped the measuring tape around Viktor’s waist and was shocked how skinny he was. Not just because he’s tiny but he can imagine just how slim the man must have been when normal sized. He jotted it down before doing his hips. Viktor was so slim compared to Jayce and he was blown away by it. Jayce got the last of the measurements and sat back up. “Ok. I think I can work with this. I should be able to get it done while you have a bath.”

”How are we going to do that Jayce?” Viktor looked up at the man confused. “You still haven’t answered me on how I’ll have a bath.” Jayce only smiled in confidence and started to move things around his room. He made space in the top shelf of his bedside table and grabbed a small towel from his wardrobe. Viktor was watching, trying to figure out what he was doing. That’s when Jayce quickly left his room without saying a word. Viktor by instinct at this point hid near the books on Jayce’s desk. He peaked out when the man came back with a tea cup that was slightly steaming. “Wait.. a cup!?”

”Yeah! I knew this one would be the perfect size for you!” Jayce placed the cup in his empty bedside table. Viktor now realised that he did this for his privacy. “I have filled it with soap so you should be able to have a nice relaxing soak and to wash your hair. Please let me know if you want me getting anything else for you.” Jayce walked back over to Viktor and put his hand down in front of him for him to get on. With some hesitation the tiny man crawled onto the rough hands and was carried over to the bedside table. He was lowered into the draw and Jayce’s hand retreated. 

“Thank you Jayce.” Viktor looked away slightly from the embarrassment of having a bath be made for him. 

“No problem, V! As I said, just call out if you need anything at all.” Jayce flashed his charming smile before he disappeared from Viktor’s view. 

When Viktor felt it was clear, he slowly undressed and slowly lowered himself into the ‘bath’ that Jayce got for him. It was indeed the perfect size. most of his body was covered by the steaming water. Viktor’s body immediately relaxed and he melted into the soapy water. Their may have been a lot of soap in the water but he didn’t complain. He felt so dirty, especially after getting dust swept on him by the housekeeper. He sighed as he sunk more of his body in. The ache in his leg and back was quickly relieved. After a few minutes of taking the warm water in, he started to clean himself. Rubbing his limbs and then sinking his head under the water to give his hair a clean as well. 

As Viktor bathed, Jayce was busy trying not to stab himself with a sewing needle as he swiftly made a shirt for Viktor. This was the fourth attempt at the shirt however. He either cut too much off or accidentally ripped a sleeve in two with his strong fingers. He cheered to himself as he finally made a shirt. It was a bit bigger than his measurements but if he had it any smaller he’d rip it by accident again. He slipped it onto his finger and smiled that it fit his finger so it’d definitley fir Viktor’s slim body. He then moved onto the pants. These were a lot easier to make. He only ripped the top of the pants near the hips and replaced it with some spare fabric from the shirt. He was so proud of himself and looked over his hard work. He’ll ask his mother if there was any other fabric in the house so he could make more. Now he just had to wait for Viktor to be done. 

—

Viktor took a deep breath as he rose from the water. His hair was now washed and he was all clean. He felt so refreashed. He crawled out of the cup and wrapped himself in the small towel the best he could. It was still quite heavy like the blanket. He tried to dry his hair and wrapped his body up the best he could but there was so much fabric that he couldn’t move. “Jayce! I’m done now!” He heard the quick footsteps of the giant man and tried to cover himself more. 

“Hey V! Did you have a good soak? You were in there a while.” Jayce looked at how Viktor was practically swallowed by the towel’s fabric. “Once you’re dry, try these on. I’ll work on cleaning your other clothes later.” Jayce placed the new clothes he made into the cabinet before stepping back to give Viktor privacy. 

Viktor dried himself more and crawled over to the new clothes. He picked up the shirt to look it over. It reminded him of his old clothes in Zaun when he was younger. All patched together. He had a soft smile at the reminder and started to dress himself. He looked himself over with his new clothes on and found the length of the shirt was still a bit long. He tucked it into his pants a bit and sighed, feeling good to be in nice clean clothes. “I am ready Jayce.” Viktor called out and again, Jayce’s face came into view with a huge smile.

”It fits! I’m glad!.” Jayce placed Viktor back on the desk as he cleared the bedside of the cup and put his belongings back in the top draw. He couldn’t stop looking at Viktor in his new clothes. So used to him in a refined outfit but now he is wearing a mix match of fabric as clothes. And again he looked very cute, like a doll. “I’ll be sure to clean your other clothes soon. I’ll wait until my mother leaves for her daily walk.” 

“Sounds good, Jayce. Again, I must thank you again for this.” Viktor looked at himself again. “Being in new clothes and having a warm bath really helped me. I was able to feel at least somewhat normal. Hopefully after today of resting we can get back into fixing this.”

”Yeah. We will sort this out and now are minds are clear we can do this quicker! I’m sure of it!” Jayce had a huge confident smile. Be fore he could speak again a knock was at his door. 

“Jayce? Who are you speaking to?” The doorknob twisted and the door started to open. Both men froze and looked to each other. Jayce forgot to lock the door again.

—

Mel Medarda walked down the corridor of Heimerdinger’s academy and noticed a few missing person’s posters. She did recognise the man drawn on the poster as being the professor’s assistant. A quiet man, one she never really spoke to but who seemed to always be there. She knew the last place he was seen was the apartment of Jayce Talis, the one that blew up and was a bit suspicious of that.

She unlocked the door to Jayce Talis’s new lab and looked around. She noticed very quickly that some of the equipment that was confiscated was missing and smiled proudly as she saw it crudely hidden in the new lab. But she froze when something caught her eye. She walked up to the plant on the desk and stared at the one tiny leaf that stood out from the rest as it glowed in a dim blue light. As she went to touch it it shrivelled up and died and turned to dust. As if too much magic coursed through the poor plant.

Her curiosity rose and looked around the room again. What was this boy doing now? She decided that now she would keep a closer eye on that student. Maybe she’ll ask another student to help her do so. She quickly left the lab to try and find the best person to help.

—————

Thank’s for reading this chapter! I didn’t want to stop writing. I’m starting the plot now and will be having more people interact with lil Viktor soon. I’m still not sure how many parts this will have. We’ll just have to wait and see.

Part two is also uploaded to Ao3 as well.

[vestaclinicpod]

Audio Drama Sunday - 16th February ✨

This week has been an absolute rollercoaster! Hugely grateful to be able to escape into these stories, even if there was a lot of emotional heaviness this week! 🎧

🌲 @hellofromthehallowoods (180) It’s just so wonderful to hear from Polly again!! Hearing him worry that he might no longer be missed really made my heart hurt and I’m now wondering how long it will be before he actually returns if they have years of reading to get through! It might have just been my headspace this week, but I actually found this ep to be one of the hardest ever to listen to. The queerphobia was particularly fierce and, yeah, it feels pretty current at the moment. 

🦋 @remnantspod (28) The music box was his mother’s 🥺 everything about this ep was painful and I had to turn up at work pretending that I hadn’t just heard a beautiful goodbye from a mother to her dying daughter when all I wanted to do was sit and mentally unpick the idea that ‘Death is not a punishment’. The idea that Edwin (she wanted him to be called Erwin 😭😭) was actually not responsible for any of the stolen money is incredibly interesting. And what does Sir mean ‘rest for you will be good for both of us’? There are so many levels to read into that. God, this show is just so good!

🧋 @hinaypod (36-39) Soooo much happened in such a relatively short stretch of episodes! Murphy!! Donner!!!! What the hell!! I must admit I’m actually halfway through ep 39 because I got to the part where CJ revealed J is alive somewhere and the thought of him begging for updates and living his life through scraps of information about his loved ones actually made me too sad, I had to pause 😭 let those old men be happy PLEASE. 

🍾 @ameliapodcast (49) Oh my god, the back and forth in this episode drove me insane haha. The only thing worse than a dream interpreter is a terrible one!! 

💍 @forgedbondspod (8) Ooh the nuptials are getting increasingly questioned! I’m so excited for the possibility of 90% of Olympus standing up and shouting ‘I OBJECT’ at the wedding (this is assuming an Ancient Greek wedding has an opportunity for such a thing!). So lovely to have new voices in the show, I’m biased but they were both EXCELLENT. 

🔮 @spiritboxradio (1.5- 1.9) Ooh! Sam made a few accidental revelations over Christmas, didn’t he? We hate to see an absent father coming back into the narrative, tbh. Also, Sam, I know you’re unreliably narrating, but the more you remind us that you have no magical talent, the more obvious it is that you really, absolutely do. I’m enjoying this show so much and the episodes are a perfect length for my commute which is always *chef’s kiss*.

Have a lovely week, friends! 🫶

[burnwater13]

Pedro Pascal as Din Djarin in The Mandalorian. Image from Season 2, Episode 7, The Believer. Image depicts a helmetless Din Djarin in an Imperial vehicle driver's armor.

Note: This is the final chapter of Grogu goes to Rome.

Marcus Acacius thought he had seen many wonders. Lived through many battles that should have ended him. Had given his life to honor an old friend and the love he felt toward the woman who gave him everything he ever dreamed of. As the arrows had sunk into his flesh, he knew that he had done all that he could to live his life as a Roman should. What puzzled him now was how had this come to pass? His return to Terra Mater. Breathing the air of his ancestors. Feeling the Tiber upon his skin as if he’d never left it all behind in the arena. Why had the gods chosen that moment to take interest in him?

And, if a god should take any interest in him, why the god of the Mandalorians? He’d never heard of them. He’d learned of the Celtic gods, many that there were. He’d heard tales of familiar Roman gods among the tribes and peoples of Gaul, but with their names changed to suit the people who told them. But no where had he ever heard the name ‘Mandalorian' or knew any of their tales, attributes or disguises. Was it solely because the small daemon had found him? 

Marcus did not think the creature that referred to itself as ‘Grogu Jedi’ was really a god. He wasn’t sure he actually believed in any god, as the wonders he had witnessed had all been performed by man or nature itself. Philosophers might argue that was one in the same, but he was a solider. A commander of legions. He had seen what men could do when they were motivated. That had been both wondrous and terrible at times.

Now here he was, floating down the Via Aurelia, holding the daemon and wondering if he was actually dead and that this was really the famous Charon taking him to his final rest. Would he find the peace and tranquility of a life lived with honor, or the pain of fields of punishment for daring to defy the Emperors? 

Perhaps a question for the daemon?

“Grogu Jedi, tell me of the Mandalorians. I have not come across your legends in my travels.”

The small creature looked up at him with a look that was clearly a sign of its confusion, it’s large, green ears folded down emphasizing it’s childlike aspect.

“Warriors. Fierce. Honorable.”

The creature’s voice was soft, like a child’s. Just three words used to describe a pantheon of gods? Marcus smiled to himself. The words he would have chosen for his own gods were capricious, spiteful, and proud. He liked the daemon’s words better.

“It must make you proud to be part of those people. Can they all float as we do?”

Marcus regretted asking that question as soon as he did. No good would come from helping the daemon understand that he was never not a soldier. He would always care about the people of Rome, as he had sworn to defend them against all foes. 

“Yup.”

Well. The daemon either considered it to be information of so little value that providing it required no other words, or… it recognized that verifying status of a vastly superior force would act as a deterrent all on its own. It had been a foolish question. It’s answer had only produced more questions.

“Your people are fortunate then. We have horses, ox carts, litters, and carts that we use to carry goods and people along these roads, but nothing quite like this. I am surprised we have not yet seen any. Normally this road would see significant use on a day such as this. When we reach the city, we will have to walk. I do not believe that the law would permit even this miracle to float along the narrow path that this road will become.”

Marcus paused to see how his companion would handle that information. It had clearly been annoyed when it had tripped and dropped all that it was holding. Certainly a god or god-ling did not trip. That was what convinced him that Grogu Jedi was actually a daemon sent to convey him somewhere. He didn’t know why or how, but that didn’t really matter at this point. 

“You? Statue?”

The creature pointed at a milliaria. It was almost as tall as Marcus, made out a slab of limestone and to the creatures obvious delight, it bore an image that was strikingly like his own, with a good deal of text below it.

“Halt. I must examine this.”

Once a legate, always a legate. 

The creature moved his hand and their floating seat came to a halt. Marcus climbed off it carefully, not wanting to disrupt or disturb the daemon or any of the possessions it held close to its body. He walked over to the marker of distance traveled and caught his breath. It was a memorial stone. For him. It told of his exploits and his death and what had become of the people he knew and the few he loved. He felt unable to move on. He no longer felt like a man who had woken in the Tiber, but one who was caught in a harrowing dream that wouldn’t change.

“Sad?”

But the creature was still with him. How could he dream of a thing he had never known or heard about? None of this made any sense to him.

“Yes. I am sad. I am lost and found and lost again. Have you any idea how that feels?”

Marcus could not stop the tears from filling his eyes or clogging his nose. To lose it all again… it was too much.

“I do, Justus Marcus Acacius. I have been both lost and found and lost again. But I was also found again. As you are found again. I have found you to set you upon a new path. Try not to lose your way this time. There is no honor in working for those who have no honor. I have other things to do. Return to Rome and the people who need you. I will be checking in on you, from time to time.”

Marcus believed his ears, but his eyes were enthralled by the change that had come over his companion. No longer a small green daemon with the round face and full cheeks of a child. A tall, slender goddess stood before him, her face and arms decorated with marks that he recognized as the pattern of the stars in the night’s sky. She wore simple clothes and her long hair was tied back in a braid. If she didn’t seem to glow with intensity of sun, he would have thought her an emissary of a the Vestals or some other cult. 

He had no words to say but simply nodded. 

Just that action was enough and his eyes closed against the tears and when they opened he found himself caught up in the blankets on his sleeping couch. He pushed them roughly aside and found himself in his own clothing. No strange boots on his feet. No armor. No scratchy collar vexing his neck. He was home. As himself. He looked across the space and saw Lucilla on her own couch, sleeping peacefully. He really was home and safe from that strange dream.

Epilogue

“Djarin, I think you are being too harsh with Grogu. He didn’t mean to get your armor all covered with dirt and fish guts. He was pretending that he was Pedro’s character from that new movie. He just wanted to see what it was like to be a hero, like you.”

Ta’lan stood before him, her scars almost glowing from her concern for Grogu, who was crying in his room as he clutched his stuffed rancor. 

The Mandalorian looked at his partner and shook his head. He’d watched that movie with Grogu and it hadn’t inspired him to run around in park while it was raining, dragging his helmet across the mud, like he was brining a captured prisoner back to Rome.

“Fine, but he can’t keep calling me Marcus. I don’t even see the resemblance.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that. I think he has your eyes.”

Ta’lan just smiled at him. The Force really was strange and mysterious.

A map of Ancient Rome, depicts various sites of significance and the location of the Tiber River. Map published by Anness Publishing.

Note: This story was inspired by a suggestion from @porgsandpops. Hope you enjoy it.

Grogu had been sound asleep when the Razor Crest landed. Well, if you call something of sharp thump, a slide, and a crashing sound a landing. He had called it unfair, but that was mostly due to the fact that he had landed on the floor of cabin with a thump of his own. Now his head hurt. Normally his dad didn’t just crash the ship if he could possibly avoid it, so something bigger must have happened and the Mandalorian hadn’t thought to wake him up for it. Meany. 

Once he was on his feet, Grogu crossed the lower deck as quickly as he could and made his way up the ladder to the bridge. Fortunately his dad seemed to be all in one piece, but it was clear from the crack in the Razor Crest’s canopy that it wasn’t. It was also clear that wherever the ship had ‘landed’, it wasn’t Nevarro or Tatooine, or any planet Grogu had ever been on before. Weird.

Grogu touched his dad to make sure that he didn’t need any healing and was happy to find that Din Djarin was just cross. Annoyed. Angry even. And, a bit puzzled. He probably didn’t recognize where they were either. At least that made two of them. 

“Hey, Buddy, sorry about the hard landing. It seems like we passed through an anomaly in hyperspace and got dumped out like yesterday’s yard waste. Are you okay?”

Grogu nodded his head as he watched his dad take off his helmet, look it over, and then put it back on again. What the heck? Was Din Djarin okay? Grogu didn’t think so, but when he touched the bounty hunter’s hand, his body didn’t seem to be hurt at all. Should he touch it again and check on his brain? That seemed wasteful. In human’s the brain was part of the body. If one was fine, the other was fine, right?

“Come on. You can help me check out the ship and make sure that cracked canopy is the only major repair we’ll have to make.”

Grogu nodded his head again as his dad left the bridge and slid down the ladder to the lower deck. What the heck! Why not just run a quick diagnostic from the bridge and then verify it’s output? Mandalorians didn’t usually waste time like this. But then this wasn’t normal and Grogu decided, for the sake of expediency, to just go along with his dad. It was almost as if Din Djarin had forgotten that he was a Mandalorian. 

A few minutes later and they had completed a traverse of the ship. The canopy being cracked was the one big problem they found. Now they needed to find a solution to it. The tools that the Mandalorian might normally use to fuse the crystalline structure back in place were damaged. The tools that he needed to fix those tools were back on Tatooine in Peli’s repair bay. Uff.

“Come on. Let’s see if there are any villages or towns near by. They must have a smith or a trading post or something around here.”

Grogu wondered why his dad didn’t just use the scanners built into his helmet to collect that data. Din Djarin must have taken a pretty good bump to his head and it affected his memory. Or something like that. It was weird. 

Rather than explain how to use the scanners to his dad, the Mandalorian bounty hunter sworn to the Creed, who’d been using the silly things most of his life, Grogu lifted his left hand and reached out to the Force. 

Womp! 

What the heck!

There was a lot of life on this planet and it was everywhere, all around them. The Force had knocked Grogu on his butt with just a little bit of ‘hey, what’s going on’ as its impetus for action. That was very weird. 

Grogu lifted his hand again and used his softest internal voice to ask ‘what’s the deal here’ and found himself surrounded by more information than he’d ever encountered anywhere. Even the Jedi Library on Coruscant didn’t have this much information! Wow. 

Grogu took a deep breath and let the information continue to flow to him until he just had to stop it because two things were happening over which he had no control. First, he realized that he desperately needed to use the privy. Then he noticed that his dad was just walking away from him, going down a path with his helmet tucked under his arm. Under his arm! Dank Farrik!

Grogu trotted after Din Djarin and tried to keep an eye out for a good sheltered place where he could do what he needed to do without losing sight of his dad. Something on this strange planet had affected them both and he really didn’t want to be separated from the Mandalorian. What if he forgot he was Grogu’s dad? What if he forgot that they were supposed to be on their way to Naboo? What if he forgot that going through ‘Cin Vhetin’ hadn’t been all it was cracked up to be? Din Djarin still couldn’t swim and Grogu didn’t think the mythosaur in the waters of Mandalore was going to be as sympathetic the second time around. The best Grogu could hope for was that they could fix the canopy and get back where they belonged, sooner, rather than later.

He pushed those thoughts aside as he watched his dad drop his helmet on the ground and begin to strip off the rest of his armor. It wasn’t hot out. It wasn’t actually cold out either. It was just pleasant. Why the heck was his dad doing this? Grogu trotted up to the helmet and collected it as he called to the Mandalorian. Din Djarin didn’t even look back at him. He just kept walking. And stripping.  Now his second layer was on the ground next to his boots and Grogu suddenly noticed what his dad could see, but he couldn’t. 

A river!

Oh, no! Why did this have to be the day that Din Djarin decided to go for a swim!

To be continued...

[bleue-flora]

and if i said c!dream had some form of empathy in c!tommy in exile, i'd get shot but that trident scene... look it may have been manipulation on c!Dreams part but since deep down c!Dream doesn't want to be lonely. I can see apart of him enjoying c!tommys company. and I have the hot take that if c!Discduo in exile ever had a moment of having a deep conversation and it wasn't just constant jokes and surface level friendship then I think it could have turned into a genuine friendship, it would take apologies, building trust. I'm an idiot for thinking this I know. wholesome c!discduo always seems to live rent free in my head.

What may surprise you is that I actually agree. I haven’t rewatched all of Exile in a while, though it is on my list. But having said that, I have always been under the impression that there is an underlying genuine friendship there. The best lies have a cornel of truth if you will and the same applies for manipulation. The more you believe it the more they believe it. And we know Dream uses this method because within his evil monologues and such there is a thread of truth weaved in there. So I do think Dream is in some ways genuine. Even further, I think perhaps he has convinced himself that Tommy is his friend by pure choice not circumstance. And I think he does want to be Tommy’s friend or at least did, and while he tried to do it in the normal manner perhaps he determined this was the only way for Tommy to see him as more than a villain. I don’t know…

But the line in the disc finale of “We were friends!” as Dream begs for his life stands out to me. Because I think a part of him saw Exile as real. The same part I think that didn’t fully expect Tommy to kill him all the way…

Exile, much like Daedalus is complex and with Daedalus we have a little more context to what Dream actually wants, which for Exile is perhaps a slightly nuanced. Was he manipulating Tommy - yes. But I am of the opinion that intentional or not, there was a form of genuine bond with him. I mean the thing is, if Dream is manipulating Tommy in Exile - isolating him and making himself Tommy’s only friend, then doesn’t that say something? Do we ever ask *why* he might be doing that?

He says to Tommy later in the disc confrontation, “everything I do is deliberate,” and although that’s true in general, I do think that Dream is also susceptible to emotions like the rest of us, but he uses those for a strategy and tells himself it was intentional the whole time. So, like Daedalus, I’m of the opinion that part of exile was Dream losing his temper and letting his emotions get the better of him, which he uses for his plan but may not have been really intended. When talking to Punz he says that after he blew up the chest that Tommy hid and was going to use to kill him, he ended up coming back to see if Tommy was ok [clip].

He lost everything because of Tommy, would that not make you angry enough to take it out on the source of your pain? Wouldn’t you want that person to feel lonely and abandoned just like you, wouldn’t you want that person to lose their items over and over just like he has done to you? Cuz I think overall he had a plan, but I’m not sure he meant to go as far as he did in some cases, I think emotion got the better of him, honestly understandably so. Isn’t that why Tommy murdered Dream in the disc confrontation? Revenge…

Unfortunately, I do think that reconciliation was probably never going to happen for them, I’m not sure at the moment, when they lost that chance, perhaps when he gave the tnt to Wilbur?… but I think their hate had grown a lot before Exile and they were both in very bad places emotionally speaking, which I find to be unhelpful when trying to make amends. A lot of times, it take a cleared head and not being raw from being hurt to be able to hear someone out, apologize, forgive, makeup or reach understanding. I mean maybe if Dream didn’t sabotage his beach party and take Ranboo’s letters and stuff then it’s possible… but then again the other people would likely relight the flame of hatred toward Dream. Quackity being an excellent example of someone who’s going for Dream’s head, ‘he’s a bad guy, he exiled you. He blew up L’manberg…’ etc probably undoing all the work. If he had let Tommy get items, Tommy would have probably tried to kill him, so sadly I’m not sure there was a world where Exile could have fixed their relationship. But it would have been nice, wouldn’t it? They make such a fun team…