#seeing it now has given me a newfound appreciation for just how much they did not try on the lipsynching

[beesgav]

gaph...

[thedustybunny]

Chamomile kisses - Chapter 3

Viktor x Fem!Reader (1300+ words)

@thehistoriangirl thank you so much for the interaction you’ve given me, I really do appreciate it and it has motivated me to do more. Also I just read the last comment and it’s like you read my mind about this chapter! Like how? Also thank you everyone else who liked and commented(? Still not sure how tumbler works lol) anyway here is a new chapter! Thank you so much everyone! I’m also working on an arcane style outfit for the herbalist (y/n) so tune in soon!

In the days that followed, your interactions with Viktor remained consistent – brief, snarky, and often leaving you with more questions than answers. ‘What did you do to deserve this treatment?’. Each encounter seemed to deepen the divide between you, his cutting remarks and dismissive attitude only fueling the flames of your mixed emotions.

Your clinic thrived, its shelves brimming with remedies and solutions that continued to draw a steady stream of customers seeking your expertise. The bustling activity offered a welcome distraction from the complexity of your feelings for Viktor.

One evening, as you were engrossed in organizing your lab, a soft knock on the door interrupted your focus. You looked up to see Jayce standing there, a sympathetic smile on his face.

"Hey," Jayce began, "I just wanted to check in and see how things are going."

You returned the smile, appreciating his concern. "It's been busy, but I'm managing."

Jayce's expression turned serious. "I know Viktor can be difficult, but he's been through a lot. He was born with a bad leg, and he's been struggling with it more because of the cold. I don’t know why he’s taken such an attitude towards you, it will get better… I hope."

You nodded, the revelation giving you a new perspective on his behavior. "I had noticed something off, but I didn't want to intrude."

Jayce sighed, his worry evident. "He's been distant and prickly, but it's not entirely his fault. He's been in pain, physically and emotionally. He's had to face challenges that most people can't even comprehend. He’s my best friend, I just wish he’d show that side of his to other people too. I’m sorry for any trouble he’s caused you…"

Listening to Jayce, your heart softened. The layers of complexity that shrouded Viktor's demeanor were starting to make sense. "I never meant to add to his stress. I understand.”

Jayce shook his head. "You're not responsible for his reactions, (y/n). Just give him time.“

As you contemplated Jayce's words, a newfound understanding bloomed within you. The anger you had once harbored toward Viktor now mingled with a compassion you hadn't expected.

Days turned into weeks, and your clinic continued to flourish. Amidst the hustle and bustle, you couldn't shake the mixture of feelings that Viktor elicited within you – the hatred and fascination, the frustration and empathy. While your interactions with him remained icy, your growing understanding of his struggles had begun to reshape your perception.

And as the sun set on another day, you found yourself facing the enigma that was Viktor once more, the intricate web of emotions he wove around you not so easily unraveled.

Taking a deep breath, you decided to extend an olive branch to Viktor. Despite your mixed feelings and the frustration he often stirred in you, you couldn't ignore his evident discomfort. It was a small gesture, but it was a step toward bridging the gap between you two. You were driven by the desire to help alleviate his pain, regardless of your personal sentiments.

In your extensive research, you had stumbled upon a remarkable discovery – a plant you named "elpine." The oils secreted from its leaves carried a potent numbing effect, sinking into the skin and muscles upon contact. After careful testing, you found it to be a remarkably effective painkiller, rivaling even the pharmacy's processed alternatives. It was with this newfound knowledge that you decided to make a move.

With the clock striking 12, signaling lunchtime, you closed up your clinic and set your plan into motion. You carefully selected a bottle of the elpine-based oil, infusing it with the calming scents of ginger and lavender. ‘Maybe the warmth from the ginger will help soothe him.’ You thought. The tall blue corked bottle held the promise of relief within, adorned with a meticulously hand-written label.

You also prepared a thoughtful "get well soon" kit for Viktor. A small woven basket held the elpine oil, soothing bath crystals, calming tea, and even a box of your own homemade cookies. The intention was clear – to offer not only physical relief but also a warm gesture of kindness.

With the basket in hand, you left your clinic and began your journey to Viktor's lab. As you walked, you hoped that this gesture would finally break through the barrier he had erected between you two. Maybe this will signify a new beginning for the both of you.

You stood at the threshold of Viktor's lab, the basket in your hands, a mixture of determination and apprehension coursing through you. Taking a deep breath, you pushed the door open, revealing the room filled with the low hum of machinery. There he was, hunched over his desk, his goggles on, and his attention fixed on the hex crystals emitting a mesmerizing blue glow. You took a moment to stand and study his figure. The blue light hitting his jawline, and the hair clinging to the sweat adorning his forehead. If only…

As you observed him intently focused on his work, you found your voice. "Ahem."

He didn't react, so you cleared your throat a bit louder as you walked closer to him. "AHEM!"

His body jerked in surprise, and he quickly removed his goggles, his sharp eyes locking onto yours. "What do you want?" he snapped, his words dripping with venom.

You held out the basket toward him. "I came to give you something," you said, your voice steady.

He eyed the basket with suspicion. "What's that?"

"It's a gesture of goodwill," you replied, your tone softening. "A mixture of things that might help you, including an oil blend I've crafted."

He scoffed dismissively. "Why would I need your remedies? I have my own methods."

You felt a hint of frustration bubbling up. "Viktor, I know we haven't exactly been on the best terms, but I genuinely wanted to help. You've been working hard, and I thought this might offer some relief. Just because you don’t like me doesn’t mean I want to see you in unnecessary discomfort.”

He sneered, his gaze icy. "You're so eager to play the helpful caretaker, aren't you? Trying to fix everything with your herbs and oils."

Your patience was wearing thin. "I'm not trying to fix everything, I just thought..."

"Save it," he interrupted, his voice cutting you off. "I don't need your pity, and I certainly don't need your homemade concoctions."

Anger surged within you. "This isn't about pity or charity, Viktor. It's about being human and showing empathy."

He leaned back in his chair, his expression mocking. "Empathy? Spare me."

You took a deep breath, trying to keep your cool. "Fine, have it your way. But I'm not here to argue. I wanted to extend an olive branch, and if you're not interested, that's your choice."

He waved you off with a dismissive gesture. "Just leave it on the table and go." He sighed, not waning to waste more time subjected to your pity.

You hesitated, frustration and hurt battling within you. After a moment, you set the basket down on a nearby surface and turned to leave, frustrated but still relieved he accepted, a smile almost creeping onto your cheeks. But as you reached the door, you heard a thud behind you. You spun around to see him glaring at you, the basket now in the bin.

"What's your problem?" you demanded, your patience finally giving way to your own anger.

His gaze bore into you, cold and unyielding. "I don't need your pity gifts, and I certainly don't need you."

The words stung, and you realized that any attempts at goodwill were futile with him. The feelings you once held for him, sympathy and kindness left you that moment. With a bitter scoff, you turned and walked out of his lab, closing the door behind you. The chapter of attempting to mend the divide between you and Viktor had come to a bitter end, leaving you with a resolve to no longer extend kindness to someone so resistant to it. This encounter did signify a new beginning for you two, just not the one you had expected.

[the-orion-scribe]

In Defence of Escape from Reality

Reddit version

Not long ago, there was a discussion thread on the r/GravityFalls subreddit on which is the “worst episode” of Gravity Falls. Now, to put my two cents on this question, personally, I have no strong hatred for any of the episodes, including Roadside Attraction – the fandom’s most riled episode like how Fly is very lowly-regarded in Breaking Bad. For me, Roadside Attraction lowers the stakes and brings us outside of Gravity Falls for a while before what is to come. My favourite part of that episode is Dipper trying to be more confident of himself, even if I agree perhaps the flirting subplot is rather unnecessary. Still, it's a nice break from all the rather momentous episodes, and improves the relationship between Stan and Dipper.

I would actually argue that the preceding episode The Last Mabelcorn is actually the episode that’s out of place, given it was intended to be a space for a low-stakes Wendy-centric story the writers never managed to crack. But that would be another discussion for another time.

I’m deeply amused, nevertheless, when Escape from Reality is mentioned as the worst. Now, before my rewatch, I only had a ‘meh’ impression of that episode. But after rewatching the episode to verify those claims, I now have a newfound appreciation for the episode. In fact, I will personally rate it above its preceding episode – Weirdmageddon 1: Xpcveaoqfoxso.

There are some ‘problems’ the critic of the episode has highlighted, notably how the episode “cuts entirely the rythm [sic] and the tension and rythm [sic] of the entire finale” and shows “the lack of character of development of Mabel Pines” who is “NEVER held accountable for anything she did during Weirdmaggedon”. To check through these claims, I decided to rewatch the Weirdmageddon arc – from Dipper and Mabel vs the Future to the finale, before forming my own conclusion. And I say, the rewatches gave me deeper insights which I think plenty of us overlooked.

Let’s start with Dipper and Mabel vs the Future. I must watch from here, otherwise, the rest of it wouldn’t make much sense given Gravity Falls is a continuity-based cartoon.

It's a fantastic penultimate episode from start to end (I call it penultimate before WMG). Goofy at the start like many of the Gravity Falls episodes, and we explore both the siblings’ arcs. One with Dipper and Ford to find the adhesive to seal the rift in the UFO, and Mabel trying to prepare for their 13th birthday party at the end of the summer.

Mabel's subplot really hits the feels. I still recall how it hits me when a holiday is ending. And while the episode starts off with optimism, Mabel soon realises the harsh realities of growing up. And she also realises her summer friends (Grenda and Candy) won't be with her to celebrate their birthday and see them off. This gradually crushes and peels off the positive ideal Mabel holds, and thus she realises that the future after the summer is not what she wishes to face.

Stan comes in, and offers encouragement that Dipper would be by her side. And that scene, likely overlooked by many, hits hard too, especially when he said “not everyone can say that”, referring to his falling out with his twin Ford (and even Stan realising he would be out of the Shack soon, even if he hasn’t said that aloud). And then when she heard Dipper's willingness to take Ford's apprenticeship, that one hope she held was gone and broke the straw on the camel’s back.

So why am I reviewing all of these? We need this context to understand what happens after. There are claims, especially from Mabel’s critics, that Mabel knew about the nature of the rift and just willingly handed it over. However, from the episode, Mabel only has a vague idea that whatever Dipper and Ford plan to do is to “save the world or whatever”. And Ford keeps the rift when Mabel comes in to check on her brother. So she's unlikely to link that to whatever Ford and Dipper were planning to do to save the world. In fact, neither told her about the rift, even in the previous episodes. Ford even stated in Journal 3 that it’s something he must keep a secret.

At the end of the episode, Mabel is in her most vulnerable emotional state – the world is falling apart around her, especially the prospect she has to face the hard future alone. And she fears that history will repeat itself, her deep-seated fear, established since A Tale of Two Stans, that she and Dipper would grow apart quickly and become hostile like the Stans. The twins have been each other’s source of strength, and they still have more time to mature and grow together. It is unimaginable for her, just at the age of 12, to be separated from her twin for a long time.

And the Bill-possessed Blendin arrives. I also note critics saying she should have known better and not trusted him given “he tried to kill her and her brother not long ago”. Let me reiterate that, since the end of Blendin’s Game, the twins and Blendin are on better terms, given the twins decide to exercise mercy on him and let him go. Anyway, even then, she does not know that it’s Bill Cipher she’s talking to, and in that extremely vulnerable emotional state, she’s in no position to think anywhere close to rationally. Blendin offers her a tantalising offer that seems to address her problems.

We need to relook this scene from Mabel’s perspective. Bill only shows her in a holograph the object Mabel has to pass over to him and dismisses its significance as “a little gizmo (that) he (Ford) won't even know it's missing." So in short, no, she doesn't know what she’s handing over and what she’s in for. Bill is exploiting her emotional weaknesses to get the rift. Swayed by Bill’s persuasion, Mabel thinks the rift is some ‘small gadget’ that will somehow grant her ‘a little more summer’, not a permanent loop without end. And she also thought he was Blendin, someone whom she thinks she could trust, and with the goggles, it’s hard to tell Blendin was being possessed.

The last we know about Mabel is that she got knocked out when it all started. So that brings me on to Escape from Reality.

But let me also do a quick review of WMG1. It’s not bad, though rather slow. It sets the stakes well, but takes some substantial time just for Dipper to figure out what he must do. But it’s indeed distressing for him, who just lost his mentor and the three journals and he is unable to figure out what he should do. A major plus for this episode, nevertheless, is Wendy being more involved and being his guide (wendip fans rejoice) and we also get to see Gideon’s transformation for the better to turn against Bill.

Escape from Reality is wonderful. In fact, this episode is an important turning point – a friend even commented this is “the emotional and thematic climax of the series”. I agree it might be a little jarring in tone, since we were “shoved” into a “sugarcoat land”. But I welcome variety, and actually if you realise, Mabeland is a juxtaposition of the dark and surrealistic nature of Bill's world with Mabel’s worldview. It’s not as clear compared to the previous episode, but you still get peeks of Bill’s touches of what seemed to be an ideal fantasy world. Mabeland’s lack of rules sounds exactly like Bill's "join me" sales pitch to Ford in the subsequent episode. As he claimed: "I'LL REMAKE A FUN WORLD, A BETTER WORLD! NO MORE RESTRICTIONS, NO MORE LAWS!"

I agree with Bill that he has created “the most diabolical trap” he's ever created. It’s a gilded cage, designed to fulfil Mabel’s wants and desires. As it is a prison, the ultimate purpose of everything in Mabeland is to prevent Mabel from leaving by keeping her trapped inside what is essentially a waking dream. Really, Mabeland was just a massive, literalized Sweater Town. Bill believes the bubble to be inescapable because he knows that he would not be able to escape it, and because these “mortal meatsacks” are so inferior, there's no way they could be capable of something he isn't.

Let me also address some pieces of criticism, that Mabel “admits she knows she is in a fake world, she sees what's going on in Gravity Falls multiple times but doesn't even react or show concern”, and instead, she throws all of Dipper's unconditional love and support for her back in his face by not just creating Dippy Fresh, but also sending him to a trial where he will get kicked out into the apocalypse if he doesn't convince her to come out by giving up the apprenticeship. She shows absolutely no remorse over anything she did and very less admits it, and acts as if she had nothing to do with it.”

First off, there's nothing in the episode that shows Mabel is fully aware of what's happening outside. Remember, I said Mabel was knocked out when it all started. She said to Dipper: “But then I woke up in a place that gives me exactly what I wanted: an endless summer where we'll never have to grow up!” And it seems, as Dipper suspected, that Mabel was entranced and hypnotised by all the magic, almost completely caught up in the delusion. She’s not at all aware of what’s happening outside, and Dipper hasn’t so far told Mabel what’s going on.

Bill exploited Mabel's deep-seated insecurities and crafted the fantasy in such a way so that Mabel would remain trapped in her fantasy forever. Indeed, the prison is pretty diabolical and insane like Bill himself, and Bill even said it would take “a will of titanium” to break out. The depiction of Mabeland really expresses the depth of Mabel's almost pathological fear and denial, showing a very underlooked side of Mabel that really paints a terrifying picture of how broken deep down she was. It's easy to brush off the surface of the world as Mabel's selfish denial for growing up and wanting to keep things as they are, but it also can be looked at someone who is wanting to be seen and fit in, in a world that is continuing to no longer care for her way of life.

I admit Mabel's biggest personality deficiencies are her lack of will and self-awareness. When Mabel woke up in the bubble, she would have still been in the same mindset she had at the end of Dipper and Mabel vs. the Future – that her brother was leaving her forever. Mabel's mental state in that episode and leading up to it really paints that picture; a child who's losing grip and control of the reality she was so accustomed to, and without anyone there willing to take the time to stop and listen and help guide her, finally snapped.

Mabeland was her last attempt to maintain the reality she was so used to, to try and let go of the impending reality of truth. An unhealthy way of dealing with it, but the product of the mental state Mabel had fallen into. What Mabel wanted more than anything in the world at that moment was for her brother to be there and comfort her, just as he always has been up to this point. So, that's what Mabeland tried to give her – Dippy Fresh, the fandom’s most hated character. But he turned out to be a twisted fun-house-mirror reflection that's more like a male version of Mabel herself than it is like the real Dipper. I’m sure that Mabel knew this was not her real brother, but it's the closest she was going to get to him during that time of deep emotional vulnerability.

There's also two top Mabel-moments here. Actually three. I think this is actually one of the greatest episodes centering on Mabel. First, Mabel, in her good nature, actually offered to share the fantasy with Dipper and the rest when they first arrived, when she’s not yet aware of the darker side of her world. Second, when Dipper is about to be banished for mentioning the real world, Mabel doesn't want to throw him out right away and is willing to listen to what her brother has to say through the trial.

Dipper: Are you really gonna let them banish me?!

Mabel: No! Of course not; that’s my brother, guys! There’s gotta be another way.

So no, sending him to a trial is not for him to be kicked out into the apocalypse, but offers Dipper a chance to plead his case.

Sure, the court is rigged. But remember this whole thing is crafted by Bill, and Mabel holds an illusion she has control over their world. Mabeland tries to throw out Dipper’s case, but Dipper then shows her there's a better way to get through it than denial, and that's with help from people who care about her. While Mabel raised two past examples of them being bullied, Dipper also shows how the two stayed together thick and thin throughout their childhood. These memories showed that they both work together to better themselves, which, again, furthers the fact that they are co-dependent. “It's how we've gotten through our whole lives.”

The courtroom scene played out extremely well, incorporating a ton of symbolism in regards to the duo's respective individual thoughts. It's touching to see Dipper reminisce about the past with Mabel only to convince her that the future may not be as grim as she perceives it – a precedent laid out by most of the Mabel-centric episodes that forward this very scene. Dipper, her own brother, has always been the only person who could ground Mabel in reality and pull her out of Mabeland, for better or worse. Mabel, on the other hand, knows how to get her brother to take himself less seriously and chill out a little bit by acting intentionally dumb and goofy. The “yin and yang” Wendy mused to Dipper back in WMG1.

Seeing Dipper's love for his sister brings her back from the abyss is really heartwarming. Their sibling bond wins over, and Mabel accepts to return to reality out of her own will. If Mabel is that selfish as what some haters claim, she would have rejected leaving no matter what Dipper tells her. Mabel isn’t a rational thinker, and Dipper must be the one to lay out his case that convinces her. Dipper is the only one who can get through her and understand and address her insecurities. I find it unrealistic and out of character to expect Mabel to just snap out of it herself. I know Mabel is flawed. But the most important thing is, she still chose to go back to the real world with Dipper.

I like to think that what in the end made Mabel wanna face reality was not Dipper saying he'd go back home with her, but hearing him say he understood her fear; admitting he too was scared of growing up. Perhaps hearing her own brother admit that was what she needed to hear; that she was not alone in her fear and that Dipper understood it too.

I'm not sure if it's an intended parallel, but the bond between twins (later Stan and Ford) is what eventually leads to Bill's demise. Like how the cementation of the twins’ bond (sincere sibling hug) eventually ended the fantasy. (In fact, tbh I’m going crazy over this part – it’s a neat development from ‘awkward sibling hug’ from the first episode).

“Aw, man, I never noticed how bright this place is, ugh! Have I actually been listening to the same song for an entire week?”

It was when the spell breaks that Mabel fully snaps out of her trance and has further clarity of what’s going on. As the whole thing unravels as a nightmare, Mabel actually helps them out by summoning giant Waddles and they break out.

And after they emerge into the real world, it is Mabel's first proper look into what's actually happening, and horror sets in.

It’s also of note that as they emerge from the bubble, Mabel says to Dipper that she wouldn’t “get into her brother’s way” if he chooses to take Ford’s apprenticeship. Nevertheless, Dipper decides to stick with his sister when he recognises the cost if he were to take it up.

Actually, Dipper was already hesitant about the offer at the start in the UFO. After that, given the adrenaline of rescuing his Grunkle and overcoming another obstacle (facing without fear), to him it seemed like a rational decision that he can step up to be Ford's assistant, albeit shortsighted. He was riding the high of rescuing Ford and didn't think about how this would hurt Mabel, Grunkle Stan and his parents. And when Mabel ran away and he joined Ford, Dipper also had second thoughts about the decision and started to think with his heart.

I don’t think it’s realistic at all that Dipper should really take up the apprenticeship since he realises the serious implications if he takes it up. The turning point for Dipper's character arc is the realisation that he needs his sister in his life, too. The fact that he attained Ford's approval and consequently the right to be his apprentice himself is undeniable, though in terms of being a human being, that's where he needs her. I personally believe that Dipper would have fully changed his mind right then and there even if things were to go as planned.

Even at this point, I don't know why anyone expects Mabel to take responsibility for causing WMG there and then. I think her being imprisoned in her own bubble is already a sufficient consequence of what she has done. Plus, neither Dipper nor Ford has not blamed Mabel at all since he thought the rift might just accidentally broke. Neither witness what Mabel has done, or even aware what Mabel actually did. As far as they knew the rift must have broken accidentally “The rift must have cracked inside her backpack.”

At this point, it's not a time to play the blame game, as their main focus is to take down Bill. I would think perhaps beyond WMG, and when the Pines discussed what happened, would only Mabel be able to piece together what has actually happened. Mabel’s recognition of what she has done would only be clear after the series.

I decided to wrap this review off with my view on WMG3 and I say… This hits really quite hard. Even for an hour-long, it goes through a roller-coaster of emotions. Excitement, anticipation, dread, sadness and also nostalgia at the end.

Despite their best efforts, the Pines' lives were again on a thread, and Stan's sacrifice really packed a punch. I was also relooking to note the swap between Stan and Ford. What's also rather emotional is Stan and Ford discussing how their siblinghood had deteriorated, and how and why their grandnephews are still able to work together. From all of these riveting experiences of the summer, they've both grown tremendously, so much so as we, the audience, to have absolute certainty that they'll not turn out like the older duo. I note Mabel still plays her role in her story, rallying and encouraging the people to stand up to Bill, and also her grappling hook skills to help the groups navigate the Fearamid.

I still support the decision for Stan to recover enough to be able to send off the kids at the end of the summer. The goodbyes at the end are really deeply emotional. The finale really wraps up the show in a tiny neat bow, ending many of the characters' arcs in the most satisfying way. Of course, it’s not exactly the end, since the twins still have a lot of growing up to do, but the story ended on a very high and promising note.

This is my entire review of the entire WMG arc from Dipper and Mabel vs the Future to the finale. It’s something that I’ve put off for a long time even though I know the episodes are fantastic. And I’m glad actually that post calls me to review this rather underrated episode.

I conclude that much criticism of Escape from Reality is rather baseless, overblown and overexaggerated and stems from the person’s own biasedness toward Mabel. Thanks to them, Escape from Reality has now become one of my favourite episodes of the show (I’m sorry, but Tourist Trapped and Weirdmageddon 3 still take the top spots). I can understand some of the animosity especially if you think the episode doesn’t fit the general tone of the arc. But when the episode is viewed as a whole now I think it plays great – and really is the culmination of Dipper and Mabel's siblinghood. The priority is settling the twins’ problems before the real shit goes down in WMG3. Also all the callbacks, big and little, are great.

If you haven’t rewatched the entire WMG arc, I suggest doing it and judging for yourselves. I understand everyone has their own preferences and opinion when it comes to characters in media, but hate or harm towards a fictional character, or anyone else, is never acceptable. It is important to remember that fictional characters are not real people and should not be the subject of hate or harassment.

Drops microphone and leaves

[itsytinyspiders]

(Part 10)

The murder of the Moriarty’s then leads to William giving his rallying speech before the play on the Noahtic.

Quite fitting, given that he is planning the murder of another aristocrat, and for the same underlying reason he committed his first at that.

This light in the back is absolutely perfect for William.

Do we need William as a holy figure? Turn on the light!

Do we need William metaphorically burning London down? Turn on the light!

There’s probably something that can be said of the same light shining on William despite the vastly different contexts. I imagine the line goes that all who are touched by the light are destined for greatness (and that while the Lord of Crime will do terrible things, it is the same for him).

(And cut to intermission!)

We immediately resume William’s briefing session. As William explains how he intends to move people’s hearts with death, each character who is being convinced by his argument is approached by a dancer in white holding a candle.

As William holds a candle from the beginning of this scene, I see this as William lighting a small flame in each of his comrades.

Louis gets Albert’s “London will become a theater…” line (with much approval from me!)

I really do appreciate how the production puts more spotlight on Louis, especially since he wasn’t part of this plan in the manga or the anime.

I love this shot with (the yet unintroduced) Sherlock looming behind the Lord of Crime gang.

Each member of the group holds a candle, which they will use to light the way to a better future. They are also shrouded in light, as this is the first time they all gathered together onstage. Yet Sherlock’s presence makes it clear that their path will not be without obstacles, even if they do not yet know which shape that obstacle will take.

Not William already planning out the hero’s role before he’s met Sherlock!

(Also, Sherlock looks so unimpressed by William’s theatrics even though he’s not actually here, and this is just William’s imagination.)

The Scandal in the British Empire

Welp, looks like we actually skipped the entirety of the Noahtic arc. We might revisit it since there’s over an hour left and each arc so far has been 10 to 30 minutes. At the very least, I’m expecting them to include Sherlock and William’s first meeting.

In any case, onto a Scandal in the British Empire!

This is an interesting way of showing when Sherlock is making a deduction. The subject of the deduction is shrouded in green light - a colour they haven't used yet - while Sherlock gets a hard spotlight, as the one making the deduction.

(Mycroft attacking John without so much as a by-your-leave.)

I’m starting to suspect that they’re really letting Albert and Mycroft go all ham during the stage play. William and Sherlock got to have their fun in the original, so now it’s their big brothers’ turn!

Look at this goofy ass man! #myMycroft

Going back a bit, I absolutely love how they changed the lighting to red and started playing a mournful violin melody after Sherlock got shot. Even John, running towards Sherlock as if it was the greatest death scene of this play…

Only for Sherlock to get up and shout in pain.

This smug, smug man. He did not need to adjust his suit-jacket after putting back his gun!

Another silly Mycroft pic, as he explains how he could tell that Watson was putting on weight.

I can’t believe they actually put a spotlight on the shoes with accompanying *sparkle* sound effects.

This whole scene is the gift that keeps on giving.

Even their sibling interactions are hilarious.

Sherlock has been waiting for this conversation to be over since before Mycroft came in the front door.

He does have peak younger sibling energy though (says I who have a younger brother).

And we are immediately introduced to the reason behind Mycroft’s newfound worries: the Woman.

The switch from goofy big brother Mycroft to Government of Great Britain Mycroft is not unexpected, but this juxtaposition does allow us to better understand his character.

We also have the return of the smug, crafty Albert.

[specialgrades]

OKAY SO UH... IVE HAD THIS IDEA FOR A WHILE BUT IM NOT A WRITER SO-

okay so like bottom male reader, who is dating sukuna, but sukuna has been a bad boyfriend so you and gojo want to mess around with him a bit.. you both restrain him in his sleep and gojo and fucks you while all sukuna can do is sit there and watch.

nonnie ur brain, massive

sukuna x bottom!male reader x gojo

warnings: non-consensual cucking, nipple play, breeding, pet play if you squint

monogamy was not in sukuna’s vocabulary. he had no concept of sharing and yet, had a different woman or man on his arm at any given moment. it was fine for him to whore around, but none of his pets.

he'd consider you one of his favourites- not that he'd ever say it to your face. a small curse user who worked with the jujutsu sorcerers in tokyo. he found you absolutely divine (once again, something he would be caught dead saying out loud). then why in the world did he treat you the way he did?

sukuna put the possess in possessive. you were his, nothing more. he didn’t pamper you or shower you in love. his form of showing his appreciation was fucking you unconsious. lately, that stopped being enough. don’t get it twisted, the dick game was amazing. but was it worth the harshness he treated you with?

gojo, your friend since you started at the school years ago, had just about enough. he cared about you so much, and watching sukuna treat you that way and then hear your whorish moans at night was getting to him. maybe if sukuna got it through his thick skull what a treasure he had under his thumb, he’d treat you better.

it started out with flirting. you always blushed and stuttered whenever someone complimented you, gojo was no exception. he lived for the cute way you’d hide your face when he complimented you on the smallest things.

he started hanging out with you more, alone. sukuna barely noticing you’re gone for a while there. it wasn’t until gojo literally shoved it in his face how happy he made you. the worst part was sukuna knew he couldn’t do shit about it, in his current state he lacked the power needed to wipe gojo satoru off the face of this earth. he couldn’t kill you either, that’d hurt him in more ways than he’d like to admit. what was he going to do, order you to stop working at the one place that guaranteed he’d see you every day?

sukuna responded to this by making it even more obvious you were his cocksleeve. your limp and bruises didn’t go unnoticed. not at all the reaction gojo was looking for.

finally, he stepped it up. a romantic (if you could call it that) walk around the campus and doing a bit more than just friends do before stumbling into his room. it was perfect, and he got to indulge. your moans as he forced his tongue in your mouth made his pants significantly tighter than they were before. you didn’t even notice the quiet man in the corner of the room when gojo tossed you on the bed.

“you're all flushed, (Y/N).” he stated, grazing his lips over your red cheeks. “yeah i-i wonder why.” you stuttered, gripping his button down as his lips trailed to your neck.

sukuna never treated you with this much love and care. it was a breath of fresh air, and you were getting high off of it.

sukuna watched you arch into gojo when he bit your neck, his hand pushing your shirt up- no. that's sukuna’s shirt. if it weren't for the gag he'd scream at the two of you, only garbled sounds muffled by your pants and soft moans as gojo practically worshipped your body. not a single place didn't feel his lips or his fingers.

you were hot. suddenly the clothes you we're wearing were too much. gojo sensed this and helped you tug off your shirt. he waited on the pants until his mouth got down to tug the zipper with his teeth. the lewd display made you ache for him, for gojo.

“what's got you so worked up, puppy?” you whimpered, bucking against gojos newfound hold on your hips. “please, toru i- ah~ need…” your words became more breathy as the sorcerer mouthed over your cock. he had removed the blindfold in exchange to look up at you through his white lashes. “you want more, puppy? you gotta ask nicely.” you started begging him please, please touch your body. he complied with a smirk, tugging down your underwear (a pale baby blue lace sukuna picked out for you). his lips met your tip as his fingers prodded at your hole.

he wasn't surprised at the lack of resistance, he was shocked by how tight you still were despite it. you sucked in his fingers for all their worth.

it didn't take you long to cum for the first time. sukuna watched in anger, hoping you'd notice the cursed energy in the room and glace at your lover. he watched you jump at the chance to shove another cock down your throat. gojo told you to get it nice and wet, completely underestimating your need to have any hole stuffed.

you so easily took all of him, a surprise to the white haired man. you still gagged with his tip poking your throat, and by god did it feel amazing.

he pulled you off before he could cum, determined to make sure that the next time sukuna prepped you (if he did) he'd taste gojo’s cum.

like his fingers, you sucked him in the minute he pushed in. your moans were pornographic, bouncing off the walls.

“tell me whats making you feel so good, baby.” gojo urged. you muttered something until he stilled.

“words.”

you started word vomiting. how daddy filled you up so well (a nickname that was new to gojo), how thankful you were that he gave you his cock and begging him to fill you up with his cum.

“you make me feel so good daddy~! please, mmm~ please breed me daddy, gimmie your cum!”

finally sukuna had enough. only he was allowed to fuck you full of cum. his name carved into your thigh said that, right?

his garbled noises got louder, now no longer drowned out by your screams and moans. you were so fucked out by now- gojo had gotten you to cum three times by now- you barely even noticed. until gojo leaned down and told you.

“look baby, we've got an audience.” he guided your gaze to the dark corner where sukuna was tied up in a similar fashion as his fingers were. he was growling and cursing through the gag, threatening gojo.

you whimpered, realizing what was happening. you were gonna say something before gojo started teasing your nipples (again); something sukuna tended to forget about. you cried out as you came again, whimpering more when you felt gojo finally cum and fill you up.

you passed out right after. gojo cleaned up and smirked at sukuna.

“maybe now you'll think twice about mistreating a gift like him.”

[goingmorry]

Hello! Can you write monster trio reaction to someone flirting with their crush? Please ☀💛

[One Piece Headcanons] Monster Trio -> when someone flirts with their crush

Characters: Luffy, Zoro, Sanji Tags: female reader, jealous boys Author's Note: Thank you for the request! I love me some jealous boys. There's something about it that just hits right with me. 💖

MONKEY D. LUFFY

One clueless boi.

Figures out that he has a crush on you when he explains how he feels about you to Usopp.

Doesn't quite know how to express his feelings for you in a way that you'll understand.

Interrupts the other person from flirting with you.

"Hey, I found you!"

Barging in from god knows where, Luffy interrupts the man's playful antics by sandwiching himself in the tight space between you and the stranger.

Caught off-guard, the flirtatious man begins to shove the pirate captain away from his face, resulting in Luffy's muscular torso squeezing against your much softer one. The feel of his solid body against yours is enough to cause you to blush, prompting you to create some distance by pushing him away to the side.

"Listen, pal—" the man begins, about to give the straw hat pirate a piece of his mind for violating your personal space, but not before getting rudely interrupted again.

"Who's this guy?"

"An acquaintance," you pipe up instantly in response to your captain's inquiry, omitting the piece of information where this stranger spent the last twenty minutes hitting on you.

Apologizing for your captain's childish behavior, you give him a brief rundown of who precisely the straw hat-wearing pirate is.

"I'll call him porcupine from now on," Luffy says, pleased with the nickname given to the man sitting across from you, "Since he has spiky brown hair that reminds me of a porcupine!"

"I appreciate you taking the time to ask me out," you address the stranger, grabbing hold of Luffy's stretchy arm in the process, "But I don't think this is gonna work."

Pleased with the way events were unfolding, Luffy flashes you a toothy grin to which you cock an eyebrow in response.

"You did that on purpose, didn't you?"

"I-I don't know what you mean," he says, puckering his lips to the side. A telltale sign of an obvious lie.

You can't help but feel ridiculous for having a crush on the most insufferable pirate captain in all of existence, hoping that he, too, feels the same way as you do.

RORONOA ZORO

Only recently comes to terms with his feelings for you.

Hasn't figured out how he'll confess.

After all, romantic love is uncharted territory for him.

Won't really do anything unless he feels that you're in danger.

Pretends to be preoccupied with something else; ends up eavesdropping on your conversation with the flirtatious individual.

Inwardly though, he's more bothered than he lets on.

"Hey, I was wondering if you'd like to grab a coffee with me? I'd love to show you around town," the man says to you earnestly.

The sound of steel clashing against metal echoes loudly enough to startle people, their heads swiveling toward the origin of the noise.

In the corner of the room, the one-eyed swordsman sits upright, body tense in concentration while meticulously polishing Wado Ichimonji, one of his three signature blades.

Zoro ignores the curious looks thrown his way, focused instead on your interaction with the man in front of you.

The stranger's proposal was genuine enough. Objectively, he was undoubtedly an attractive man. Friendly and polite too from your conversations with him throughout the night.

He just... wasn't your type.

You were more interested in rougher-looking men. Someone who was strong but would never abuse their strength to harm the weak. Someone who was stoic but also had a heart of gold. Someone like—

Zoro glances in your direction, seeing the hesitation on your face in accepting the man's offer.

"Sorry, I don't think I can make it. I promised to do something with a friend," you explain, settling with a half-assed excuse for fear of confrontation.

It wasn't exactly a lie, not really. You did have plans to retrieve some supplies with a certain green-haired swordsman, though they weren't until much later in the day. But this man didn't need to know that.

Zoro wouldn't mind if you used him as an excuse.

The Pirate Hunter's shoulders relax considerably at your statement, switching his attention from you back to his current task.

Face expressing his disappointment at your rejection, the man's posture visibly deflates. "Maybe the next day then?" he adds as an afterthought.

Biting your lip guiltily, you shake your head, stray hair falling across your forehead. "Sorry, I can't. Our crew is leaving tomorrow night."

"Damn," the man says, scratching the back of his head in awkwardness before adopting a fake smile — one you choose to let slide. "I'm gonna miss you. After all, it's not every day that I get to meet such a fine young lady with the guts to traverse the terrors of the Grand Line. You take care of yourself, all right?"

"You flatter me," you giggle, cheeks tinged pink at the man's sincere compliment, "And likewise."

At the sound of your unrestrained laughter, Zoro pauses, deeply craving for the moment that he, too, becomes the recipient of your happiness.

SANJI

The person who flirts with you, his precious lady, better prepare for some ass-whooping.

Technically, Sanji can't call you his — not yet — though he has been thinking of the perfect way to confess to you.

Still, even though you're not officially together, he'll never not be feral when you're involved.

Deliberating for a few seconds before gesturing toward you, the stranger places his order with the barkeep and says, "And anything the pretty lady desires."

Pointer finger circling the rim of your shot glass in consideration, you smile at the stranger in gratitude. "In that case, I'll take another round then."

Exchanging a round of pleasantries and small talk, you and the stranger become reasonably familiar with one another.

Familiar enough to know that this man would rather whisk you away to a more private setting than converse with you under the public's watchful eye.

"I know of a better way we can spend the night together," he murmurs suggestively, low enough for you to hear despite the idle chatter in the background.

"Do you now?"

You weren't returning his flirtatious words, but you weren't exactly declining them either until you spot a tuft of blond hair in the corner of your vision, striding toward you with purpose.

When Sanji arrives, he's gushing praise and amorous advances, all for you. Ignored and uncomfortable with watching another man proclaim his underlying love and devotion to you, your newfound drinking buddy clears his throat to get your attention, earning a scornful glare from the cook.

"Who's this shitty and rude bastard?"

Unsurprising to you, Sanji doesn't even try to act civil. Your drinking buddy, however, is astonished by the cook's open hostility, holding up his hands in mock surrender.

Sanji doesn't buy the man's innocent charade, one eye squinting in distrust as he presses on, "I asked you a question."

Leaving out his invitation to you for more lewd nightly activities, your drinking buddy settles for a half-truth, "Just a guy she met at the bar."

Amused with the blond's jealous streak, you decide to cut in before things escalate beyond your control, "Any particular reason you're here, Sanji?"

At the sweet lull of your voice calling his name, the cook resumes his lovestruck behavior with a hint of seriousness when he whispers the sobering news to you, "Marines were recently spotted in town. We're leaving, my dear."

Seizing the opportunity, Sanji offers his hand, palm up, for you to take, and the significance of his action is not lost to you.

You recall his strict policy for only using his hands for cooking — how, as a child, Sanji found solace from abuse by preparing meals for his sickly mother, sparking his lifelong interest in the culinary arts.

Touched, you place your hand in his, a picture-perfect rendition of a prince charming whisking away his lovely bride-to-be. You tell him exactly that, and he graces you with an amused chuckle and a soft smile.

If only people knew the real reason you and him were fleeing the scene.

"Let me be your Mr. Prince then."

Your delicate hand dwarfs in comparison to his larger one, but that doesn't stop you from interlocking your fingers together like two intimate lovers.

Neither one of you says anything else, coming to the same silent conclusion that your growing feelings for each other would have to be addressed sometime soon.

[nagitokomaeda-the69th]

Hello! I see request are open so may i request for headcannons for Felix with an artist!s/o or a oneshot where Felix becomes a muse (aka inspiration) for whatever they're drawing or painting no pressure!

dhfkdhkdhfghfgh I've been a wannabe artist for so long this is so cute akfhkehfksgjdfkhgkdgh

Also "or"? More like an "and" ill do both.

(Long post warning)

-C'mon felix is a nerd, a bookworm, and canonically a theatre kid what makes you think he isn't an art nerd

-Even if he doesn't have quite a art skills himself (the last time he touched a box of watercolors he painted his bedsheets more than he painted on the paper) he still has a deep appreciation for art and there's many expensive paintings hung around in their manor.

-You cannot tell me he doesn't have at least one goth painting hung as a display somewhere around his room

-If you're an art student, he's pretty interested in the things you have to tell about what you learned there. Art is a lot more than just drawing and painting, it's culture. It's history. He wants to know more about your culture.

-Teach him art! He'll be more than glad to finally improve his skills after perhaps having given up long ago.

-With every technique you're teaching him there's always some old fun memory that comes up to share. Laughing together. Felix talks about how Scylla wouldn't let him hear the end of it when he messed up his bedroom for an umpeenth time trying to 'perfect his skills in watercolor'. You watch him struggle with a particular technique and remember how long it took you to master it. You both realise that there's so many stories about each other that you don't know about yet and there's so much left to learn.

-Let me just imagine a picture of child felix sitting in a mess of watercolors with his hands the color of the rainbow. There's a little color mark on his nose and cheeks dhfkadshakha

-Has books about the history and culture in Astarea, tells you all about the famous era-defining paintings and artists.

-ART GALLERY DATE I REPEAT ART GALLERY DATE.

-If you've never gone to art school and self-taught yourself art, Felix is in awe.

-How. How are you so skilled?

-"It seems that I am not the only 'prodigy' in this room. You are a prodigy in art, just as much as I was in magic."

-He is a rich boy any art supply you want you'll get before you've finished asking for it.

-The way he looks at you when you're super concentrated on your current piece. He's paying full attention to every stroke you make. He's paying attention to the way you pause for a moment to brush back your hair. He's paying attention. He's paying attention and he's lovestruck.

-He will never tire of watching you work and do what you love.

-Make an art piece specially for him. Gift it to him. He will cry.

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

-"Woah, this is beautiful" Even if you wanted to say something humorous, or witty, or something that could just capture the pure awe you were feeling right now, you couldn't. Your breath was caught in your mouth.

Felix didn't even attempt to hide his smirk, satisfied that you loved this sight as much as he hoped you would. "I did tell you that this is one of those events I look forward to throughout the year. Papa is masterful at his gardening skills."

An assemble of flowers lay before you, in full bloom. They almost looked like tiny little lights sparkling in the sunset. The wind was cool, bright, making them sway only ever so slightly. You'd found a newfound appreciation for spring, right this moment.

"This is so peaceful."

Felix bent down only ever so slightly, moving his face closer to the bushes. "These are my personal favorites, they are called double-black hellebores." He looked up at you, expectant. "So, what do you think?"

But your priorities had changed, right this very moment. "Felix, don't move"

"Huh?"

"I need to paint this." You almost squealed with excitement. "You look absolutely ethereal."

"I'm glad you liked these flowers so much you want to paint the- Wait. Me? Did you just say you want to paint me?"

You rubbed your hands together, looking down nervously. "Umm, you don't mind right?"

"Mind? Me? WhywouldImindItotallydontmind" Felix glitched for a moment, realised he was tripping over his words so hard he might as well be speaking Vellan right now, and repeated in a coherent manner. "I was just surprised that you wanted to paint me of all things."

Clearly enjoying how flustered he got, you decided to take your chance. "Why? You're prettier than any flower over here."

-This man is redder than the sun rn fr. Make sure to have lots of red in your pallete to make a point of it.

-jk draw him pretty. And yes make a point of how pretty he is.

-Felix still decides that standing half-bent holding a flower in a bush isn't exactly the most comfortable position to pose in, so you still decide on a different pose. Now he's sitting on a bench nearby holding the black hellebore in his hand instead.

-This man doesn't move a muscle no matter how long you're taking fr. He wants you to do your absolute best and would feel guilty if you 'messed up because of him'

-It's especially hard too because the excitement of being painted by you is making him go jdbfkajsbsjvasvjbs internally. He is a mental mess rn he is the mascot of the screaming internally meme currently. He is my face when im reading fluff but my parents are in my room.

-The wind is just as cool and continues to blow just as lightly. His soft hair sways just as slightly as the other flowers in the garden. It the only thing of his that's moving right now.

-It's late in the evening and you can hear the sounds of all different kinds of birds chirping as they make their way home. It's getting dark so you decide to speed up a bit or you'll be having trouble completing it when the light's too dim.

-Felix doesn't know where to look so he just kind of decides to have a staring competition with the flower in his hand. He does that for quite a while until he finds himself wondering if you're done yet and shifts his gaze slightly to look at you.

-Unfortunately for him, your eyes meet.

-It's taking him everything to not get flustered and change his expression, posture, anything.

-You smile. "It's okay, you can relax. I'm done now."

-He does a little stretch of relief before getting up. "Boy, it was getting stiff."

-One look at your painting, and the past whatver-amount-of-hours he was sitting are suddenly worth it

-"This is so..." Felix was at a loss for words. "I've never had anyone paint me so.."

-"Handsome? Pretty? Cute? I worked hard to make it extra good. I really wanted to convey accurately how you look like, to me."

"Is... this how I look like, to you?"

"Well, I could work a bit on the angling, and i guess I messed the hair up a little and-"

"It's perfect." And he tackles you into a hug hkjfkjdfkjgbfdk

-That portrait will remain with him till the end of time i tell you.

-At some point when he's confident enough in his own art skills he'll offer to draw you too. He's probably going to take a lot of time 'because he really wants to convey how beautiful you look to him.' and he'll probably mess up because he was trying to be too perfectionistic BUT HES TRYING HIS BEST HES TRYING HIS BEST YOU HEAR ME? :(

DGUASKBKGJ THIS TURNED OUT LONG

[impalementation]

do you have any thoughts about what the end of days/chosen buffy and angel kiss says on a metaphorical level? i've always seen it as a moment of fan service that comes at the expense of character, but i would appreciate any reading of it that would help me come to terms with it as a choice

Thanks for the ask. Honestly, from having read the commentary for the episode, Angel's inclusion in the final two episodes was factually motivated by fanservice, to some degree. Or to use a less loaded/pejorative word, was motivated by making the fans of the relationship happy. Which I admit kind of frustrates me, given how much I respect the show's usual tactic of giving people "what they need, not what they want." Here's the relevant bit from the commentary, if you're curious:

This exit for Angel was meant to mirror his first exit; him backing off in the darkness. Something hopefully iconic enough, and something to give people hope that Buffy and Angel might one day work out, because *some* fans – now, I realise not many, but there were a few fans who feel that the Buffy/Angel romance was, like, a big deal. And clearly I thought Parker was the most important romantic relationship of her life; other people disagreed; that's fine, I guess they can do that. They care about the Angel thing. Some people care about the Spike thing. I don’t know why we couldn't get Parker in there too, but apparently… whatever. That vocal minority who care about Buffy and Angel meant that we had to do service by him. 

- [ x ]

That said, the show rarely seems to do things for any one reason, and the scenes around Angel's do I think add some additional thematic layers. Personally, I think those layers would have worked better if the scene had been done somewhat differently--I think the kiss specifically confuses things. As does, to a lesser extent, the hope for the future in it. But that the layers exist nonetheless.

First, I think it’s important how much their scenes subvert the romanticism associated with Buffy and Angel’s high school relationship. Instead of dramatically declaring that they’re forever, or the scene ending in tears, Buffy states directly that she isn’t ready for a relationship with him. That she still needs to grow up. During their high school relationship, the writing regularly reminded us of the age and maturity difference between the two of them (“You're sixteen years old. I'm two hundred and forty-one”, “What do you mean [Xander’s] just a kid? Does that mean I'm just a kid, too?”, “He treats me like I’m a child”, Buffy & Angel 4ever, “This isn’t some fairy tale”, “I'm just some swoony little schoolgirl, right?”), and this difference directly contributed to Angel breaking up with Buffy in season three. And when he did, she was in tears and resisted it. In episodes like “Forever”, Angel shows up in order to represent the romantic concept of forever that Buffy still partly holds on to--4ever love with a man who will not age--but is beginning to give up now that her mother is dead. So it’s significant that in her final episode Buffy is the one to tell Angel that she isn’t ready for him. She knows, for herself, that she still needs to mature. It isn’t him or some other adult telling her that. And it’s not a tragedy for her to tell him this either. She still has enough feeling for him to kiss him, but that feeling doesn’t go along with any of the destructive need for romanticism that Angel once represented either. She can bask in him but also send him away, which demonstrates her newfound ownership of romanticism. Now it’s Angel that’s the less mature one. Now she’s calling him twelve instead him reminding her that she’s sixteen. Angel “isn’t getting any older”, but Buffy is. Romanticism is beautiful, but it’s also a bit fake. A bit stagnant. A bit immature. And now that Buffy has grown up she can see that aspect of Angel instead of seeing him as the mysterious older man.

There is also the way that “Chosen” mirrors “Graduation Day” in its handling of Buffy’s relationship with her shadow versus her relationship with Angel. To quote this other post of mine that compared “Graduation Day” to “Intervention”:

in season three, buffy–like faith–feels insecure in her place in the world. she thinks her power kills people. she thinks it’s the thing that makes her a weirdo that couldn’t win a homecoming race anymore. she thinks that (passionate, vampire) love can only survive in celibate isolation. her struggle therefore is to find a balance. to find a way of using power that is neither isolating nor selfish. a use of power that connects her to people, instead of killing them, protecting her from the need for them, or buying their affection. the idea of connective power is foreshadowed in “anne”, when buffy leads the workers in rebellion, and eventually repeated in “the prom” and “graduation day”, when her slayer power becomes a thing that connects her to her classmates.

when buffy tries to kill faith, this isn’t just her “becoming” faith because she’s attempting to kill a person. she’s becoming like faith because she’s trying to kill a person (and of course metaphorically, kill the shadow side of herself–the power she’s so afraid of), specifically in order to keep the man she’s in love with around. that is, to not be isolated. she was so traumatized by her power killing angel, that she falls prey to thinking she has to destroy it to keep him. the fact that buffy then turns around and sacrifices herself to angel reinforces the idea that using power in a desperate bid to not be alone is a kind of death. it requires killing part of oneself.

this near-death, in combination with the dream sequence with faith, in which faith is helpful to buffy, reminds buffy not to kill that part of herself. to find a way to use her power to connect that is not destructive either to others or to herself. buffy accepting this is represented by her kissing faith. she reconciles with her power, and makes an overture of connection instead of destruction. there is something benedictive about a forehead kiss that suggests forgiveness too. she has a better understanding now of the fear of isolation that has driven her fear of power, and which in part drove faith’s abuse of it. and can forgive herself (and faith, as her shadow) for it. she will finish the episode no longer destructively desperate to keep angel with her. in contrast to the intimate self-reconciliation that her kiss with faith represents, buffy’s distant goodbye to angel represents a goodbye to the self-denial (in particular, the denial of the shadow) inherent to their relationship.

So in “Chosen” Buffy similarly says goodbye to Angel and has a benedictive final interaction with her shadow in the form of Spike. She tells him she loves him, and he burns up in a kind of purifying act (“[The amulet] has a purifying power, a cleansing power, possibly scrubbing bubbles.”), representing her acceptance and assimilation of her shadow. Spike is also instrumental in saving the day, just as Faith’s advice in Buffy’s “Graduation Day” dream is instrumental in defeating the Mayor. In both cases, Buffy is able to metaphorically access her power by loving herself. And in order to get to that place of loving herself, and choosing herself, she also has to say goodbye to Angel--a figure of immaturity and self-denial. The kiss, and Angel scenes in general in other words, exist to give Buffy something to then give up. By going to Spike after Angel, and giving the amulet to him, Buffy metaphorically chooses herself. In turn, the fact that Spike ultimately dies clarifies that her choosing him for these things is not specifically about romance and her ending up with him in a way that contradicts her whole cookie dough speech (“He’s not [my boyfriend]. But he is in my heart.”). It’s about overcoming the self-recrimination and struggle for self-trust that haunted so much of Buffy and Spike’s relationship for much of the show, and reflected Buffy’s own feelings about herself.

Obviously, I’m basing this read on a bunch of stuff that I haven’t fully laid out in this post, but have talked a bit about in the romanticism series (which I will still finish--the season seven section was meant to talk a lot about this stuff, and the last two sections have been 75% done for many months), as well as older less-developed posts. But that’s a basic summary of what I would argue, given more time and space.

[theepisceswriter]

𝐇𝐎𝐍𝐄𝐘𝐌𝐎𝐎𝐍 𝐀𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐔𝐄 — 𝐑.𝐁

♡ Pairing: Reiner Braun x AFAB!Reader  ♡ Rating: 18 plus, MDNI! or I’ll gnaw on your ankles like corn  ♡ TW: Smut obvies besties, breeding kink like heavily, nursing mentions, lactation mention, oral (fem recieving), dirty talk, praising, a whole lot ! Also not proofread. ♡ Synopsis: Wedding night sexy and fluff with your breeding kink ridden husband Reiner  ♡ WC: 2.3k

♡ A/N: AHHHH, my first ever collab ! this is for my bby, @saccharine-darling​ ‘s Reiner and Zeke birthday collab. Thank you so much for letting me participate and giving me the experience of being in my very first collab. Congrats on your milestone yet again babes !

The welcoming aroma of lavender and rose candles that omitted a warm, soft glow throughout the dimly lit suite of the newlyweds did very little to help calm the nerves that ran like electricity through your nervous system. 

Every second your fingers ran over the see through coverup nightgown over your lingerie, not even smoothing out wrinkles anymore but giving your so awkwardly placed hands something to do; anything that kept you hidden away in the bathroom for a couple more seconds to compose yourself before you had to be met with Reiner’s hunger filled gaze.

This was nowhere near his first time seeing you naked or the first time he would ravage your body, nor would it be the last, but it was something about the newfound intimacy between you two as husband and wife that made this night especially special, the two of you right back in your honeymoon phase all over again. 

Not that you two had ever really left it. Every day with Reiner was a day you felt loved and appreciated by him and that was only amplified by 100 today. You couldn’t possibly count how many times he glanced over at you with that loving doe look in his eyes that just screamed ‘Finally, you’re my wife.’ And you could’ve sworn that you saw tears slip from his hazel eyes the moment he saw you cladded in your silk white wedding dress, done up the prettiest he had ever seen you, as you walked down the aisle towards him.

He made sure to let everyone know that he was proud of his beautiful bride by holding you close to his side the whole day, arm hardly ever leaving from around your waist and always ready to sing praises about you to whoever would listen.

And now that the two of you were alone he was ready to appreciate you in a different way, the way he knew best.

“Come on, love. There’s no need for you to act all shy around me now,” His voice beckons you from the other side of the door, “I want to see my pretty bride in all her glory.

He lounged on the large California king sized bed situated in the middle of the room with nothing but briefs attached to his body, toned chest prickled slightly with stray blonde hairs that glimmered against the golden light of the lit candles, as he awaited your arrival. Any time spent away whether it was a couple of days or a handful of minutes while you got ready in the bathroom was always excruciating for him to deal with.

With hesitant fingers you twisted at the doorknob until the door opened wide enough for Reiner’s eyes to meet yours with something like a sly smirk painting his features the moment he saw the lace lingerie that hugged your body in all the right places.

It was his words and the expression on his face that gave you enough confidence to step from behind the bathroom door, finally putting your whole body on display for him to see as you made your way over to the bed.

He wastes no time at all, the moment your knees hit the cushioning of the bed he already has his large hands at your waist groping the skin that couldn’t all fit into the restraints of your undergarments and pulling you into his lap, forcing you to straddle his large thighs.

 Immediately his lips find their way on yours, wanting and hungry as he practically devours them with open mouth kisses with the occasional tongue slipping past your lips just to get whatever taste of you he could right now.

His fingers traced the irregular pattern of the lace adorning your skin, continuing the pattern up your abdomen until he reaches the mounds of your breasts where he transitions to a grope, his hand nearly covering every square inch of the skin except for the gaps in between his fingers. 

Breaking away from the kiss with a trail of saliva still connecting you two, hooded darkened hazel eyes looked up at you with nothing short of admiration, “Look at you,” The blonde nearly growled out in a feral tone, “So, so pretty and dressed up just for me. Too bad I’m going to ruin it, hm?”

His words bring flutters to the deepest parts of your abdomen, making the already damp spot that had begun to collect on your underwear accumulate even more. He always had that type of effect on you.

Peeling off the cover up that hid the rest of your body from him, he discarded it on the floor and was quick to do the same with your bra next. The warmth and moistness of his mouth engulfed your nipple and large areola with ease, already knowing exactly where to direct his mouth after doing so plenty of times, before beginning to suckle on it gently as if he were nursing from you while his other hand flicked over your other nipple getting it prepared next.

“That feels so good, Rei.” Your moans only encouraged him on more, his suckling becoming slightly harder and his tongue flicking faster once he moved on to the other nipple. 

“I can’t wait until these are filled to the brim and leaking with milk once you’re carrying our child,” he nuzzles his face between the valley of your breast, sucking on the skin there and leaving a few hickies before motorboating and pulling away completely.

Ruin is exactly what he planned to do with you tonight. In seconds you were being flipped onto your back, not hard enough that it hurt but with enough force to leave you confused and shocked before you realized your positions had been switched. It left him with the perfect opportunity to lean down and rip your panties quite literally off of your lower torso completely, mumbling about how he was going to buy you even prettier ones in the future as he trailed kisses down your legs. Making sure to stop and give extra attention to the areas on the inside of your thigh that he knew would make you squirm up against him.

“Fuck,” Just the sight of your cunt adorned with arousal alone had him ready to cum undone, rough finger pads moving your lips around to observe the beauty that was you. 

“I’m the luckiest man on earth. I must be to have someone as beautiful as you, love.” The words leave his lips in a tone that doesn’t allow it to come off as anything short of a fact because in his heart it was. 

Spreading your legs further apart with the placement of his arms, he allowed a long trail of saliva to escape from between his lips and fall directly over your sensitive bud, sending shivers up your spine, before leaning down and adding on to the mess he created with his saliva by moving his tongue in a way that only accumulated more. It didn’t matter how much you squirmed beneath him or tried to move your hips against his mouth at a pace that wouldn’t have you cumming as fast as he was going to, he wasn’t going to slow down.

His lips isolated directly over your clit and collected all the wetness he could in his mouth as he continued abusing it with pleasure. His face was soaked in your juices at this point and that only made it all the more better for him; Reiner getting just as much pleasure as you the more he made you feel good.

“Oh, fuck baby,” the words left your lips in a broken moan that borderlined a choke and something about the way your husband hummed against your cunt in surprise let you know that he knew you were close as well,

“I know darling, I know. Go ahead and cum all over my tongue like the good girl you are.” 

Removing himself from your cunt with pop, he allowed only those words to be spoken before he went right back to work. Even going the extra mile and slipping two fingers inside of you to give your pussy something to clench around for the meantime. 

And it wasn’t long after that, that your thighs clenched tight around the sides of his head and your fingers found themselves entangled in his blonde locks as you rode your orgasm out on his tongue. Your hips bucking wildly up against his mouth that he gladly left open for you to use and small ‘thank you’s escaping with gasps from your lips.

A kiss to each inner thigh was given before Reiner merely situated his lower torso between your waist instead of his face, gathering your legs from the back of your thighs and pressing them against your chest so you were spread out nice and perfect for him. He didn’t even bother removing his briefs completely, only moving the band around his waist down far enough for this thick cock to come springing out and slap against his stomach. The precum leaking from his pretty peach tip leaving a stain on one of his abs that glistened when he was positioned perfectly in the dim lighting of the room.

He strokes his thumb over his tip with a groan, taking his cock at the base and sliding it through the soaked lips of your cunt. He needed as much lube as he could possibly get. Taking him wasn’t an easy task at all even after you had done it plenty of times; he was huge just by girth alone and he didn’t want to hurt his pretty wife. Especially not the pretty pussy he was going to be stuffing with children in the near future.

Lining himself up with your plush entrance, he groaned with each inch of him that sunk into your inviting walls, moving his hands to the side of your head for leverage as he began snapping his hips up against yours in swift calculated motions he knew would curve up into your most sensitive areas. His eyes never left contact with yours, still holding that loving gaze he had hours before during your ceremony despite how roughly he was thrusting up against you, cock hitting all the right spots.

“Fuck you feel so fucking good baby you have no idea. Such a tight and breedable pussy you have on you.” His fingers tangle with yours and holds them tight as he pounds into you from above, the weight of his meaty body keeping your legs pressed up against your chest, still sensitive from his suckling and biting from earlier. 

And all you could do was take how deep he was going and the feeling of his tip gently pressing against your cervix at a pressure that didn’t quite hurt, but sent a shiver throughout your whole body in response. 

“Fill me up, Rei. I want you to fill me up nice and full.” You finally managed to get out in stutters through his rough pace of fucking, thock cock invading every inch of your insides and wall with a burn that felt too good.

Your words clearly had an effect on him because not only did his cheeks visibly turn red, but you could feel dribbles of precum dripping inside of you. You just had that type of effect on him.

“My pretty little wife wants to be bred like a slut, hm? Then I’ll do exactly that for you, love. I’m gonna fill you to the brim with cum until you have no choice but to take it and get pregnant.” And on cue, hot spurts of cum release deep inside of you with one last stroke. So filled to the brim with cum that even with his dick inside of you acting as a stopper, it still can’t help but trickle down to your asshole.

“Don;t think we’re done yet because we’re nowhere near that.” He huffs into your ear and although you can't see his face, you can just hear the smirk in his tone. “M’not stopping until I know for sure that you’re going to be nice and plump in the next few months.”

[thefanficmonster]

My Kind

Corpse Husband x Reader (Female)

Warning: Swearing

Genre: Fluff, RPF (Real Person Fic)

Summary: Having been chosen by the gang to be a guest streamer on today’s stream of Among Us, it’s safe to say Y/N’s super excited but also a bit nervous. The whole of her anxiety gets lifted off her when she meets someone with the exact same vibe as hers - yeah you guessed it.

Requested by @monizzle96 Hi dear! Thank you so much for your wonderful request! I’m so terribly sorry it’s taken me so long to write and post it but here it finally is! I hope you come across it and read it and if so I hope you enjoy it! Love, Vy ❤

This has to be the fiftieth time I’ve checked my setup in the past twenty four hours. But no, I’m definitely not nervous, what are you talking about. Pshhh. Nah, being nervous isn’t in my brand. Plus, what do I have to make me nervous - a group of famous streamers inviting me onto their stream to play Among Us with them because they enjoyed my own streams? Ok yeah, that’s a pretty good reason. Not gonna lie, I almost chucked my phone out of excitement when I received that DM from Toast, telling me they’d picked me to be their guest streamer for today’s date. My stomach was doing somersaults for a good forty-eight hours following that text and then the anxiety slowly started setting in fueled by the expectations they probably have of me.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not inexperienced in the streaming field, I’ve been a streamer longer than some of the members of Toast’s streamer gang actually. But I never managed to garner that big of a following which I’m honestly quite ok with. I have a modest - ok, maybe larger than modest - following consisting of incredibly loyal fans which I will never stop being grateful for. They are all so respectable of me, my privacy and my boundaries. They know the main rules: no shit-talking in the chat or in any of my comment sections, no bashing other YouTubers in my comments/chat, and most definitely not asking for a face reveal. Fun fact: I didn’t even set up that last rule, they all just collectively know not to ask for it. 

I’ve been keeping my brand pretty low-key to avoid garnering some unwanted attention - some of which I’ve already experienced on certain social media platforms following the full body pictures I posted on there - face not visible of course. I tend to also have my webcam on, facing towards my hands working away on the keyboard sometimes when I stream. I don’t know why people obsess over faceless content creators’ hands, but I appreciate the enthusiasm - it also drives me to do a manicure every now and then which ain’t so bad, self-care and all that you know.

Now, back to the subject of my ridiculous nervousness.

You see, it has layers.

I’m nervous of ‘preforming’ underwhelmingly and I’m nervous of what my own fans will think of the person I will become during this stream. They know me as a super chill and laid-back person, which I am by the way, but they might think I’m putting on a show if I exhibit any nervous gestures/vocabulary. I highly doubt they would, but the possibility is not letting my mind rest. And now that it’s about ten minutes till the stream starts, I’m getting doing my best to calm my nerves.

They are all just people. You know they are super chill too. Just be yourself, that’s why they invited you, because you are yourself on all your streams. They liked you for your personality, humor, maybe even your gaming skills. So chill the hell out and be yourself, damn it!

Easier thought than put into action that’s for sure.

I start my stream five minutes early just so I can vibe with my viewers for a little while before I have to meet the gang. My fans always have a way of injecting me with confidence, they remind me of where I was when I started and how far I’ve come. How much I achieved when I thought I’d be nothing and no one, someone the algorithm would simply overlook. But then they entered my life and I entered theirs and it all became much better than I ever thought it would get to be. I rarely tell myself ‘good job’ for the milestones I’ve reached or the hard work I’ve put into my content, but that’s probably cause I orient myself based on that quote from the movie Whiplash: ‘There are no two words in the English language more harmful than good job’ - simply put, I’m never satisfied with what I do and I always strive to do better. My fans, however, make sure I don’t go overboard with it - always serving as a reminder that I’ve done plenty for myself and others. And that’s what makes an amazing fandom, one I consider family.

Whoa, when did those five minutes fly by?!

Ah shit, here we go. Deep breaths, Y/N you got this.

“Hello!“ I say as I enter the Discord call, subconsciously biting my lower lip, grateful the camera isn’t capturing it. However, I make a mental note to keep my hands steady cause that’s the one part of me people can actually see and the last thing I want is for them to see how much my fingers are trembling.

“Oh hi, Y/N!“ Toast is the first one to greet me, “Welcome to the stream! Thank you so much for accepting our invitation.“

“Thank you for having me and inviting me, Toast. This is a huge deal for me. You guys are basically YouTube legends, this is unreal to me.“ I reply, cringing immediately afterwards because of my fangirl rambling. Great way to make first impressions, Y/N. Bravo.

To be fair, they already have an impression of you. Quit stressing.

Aright, you’ve got a point, me.

“Oh please, we owe all that to our fans. We’re really nothing special. All streamers are almost completely alike, we all owe where we are to the people who helped us make it there - our fans. We’re no legends.“ Toast says, bringing a small smile to my face as well as a light pink blush to my cheeks, “And from what I’ve seen, you yourself have quite the following. And your fans seem to adore you.“

“And I absolutely adore them.“ I chuckle, “They mean the world to me. They are the reason I’m here today.”

“Then we have to give them a special thank you, don’t you think?“ The teasing, familiar giggle, widens my smile - it’s Rae, “Nice to meet you, Y/N! I’m Rae, and, no cap, I’m quite a fan of your content. No joke, I binged your entire series of Resident Evil 7 as soon as I found your channel when Toast said he’d invite you.“

This rattles me a bit. I can hardly believe it - am I really receiving a compliment from an A-list name in the streaming world? My fans must be hella proud of me right now. A quick glance at my chat confirms that they indeed are. That in and of itself fills me with joy and newfound confidence.

“Oh Gosh, thank you so much Rae! That means the world to me. You’re all so sweet.“ I reply, lifting my ice cold hands to cool down my burning cheeks, my lips spread into a grin, my stomach filled with butterflies.

“Oh please, we have some real savages around here.“ A male voice, seemingly Charlie’s scoffs, “Don’t overlook us please.“

“Wait, we do?“ A deep voice, one I immediately know the owner of speaks up, “Who? How come I don’t know about that?“

I can’t help bust snort, “Nice to meet you, Corpse. Sarcasm central, I see.”

He laughs, “Just returning it to where it’s due. Nice to meet you too, Y/N. Sick Outlast series, by the way.“

Ok, wait, I have two A-list streamers complimenting my content. Ok, I’m bound to crack open a few beers to celebrate later cause OH MY GOD.

“Thanks! I’m a horror junkie so I’d be lying if I said I haven’t binge watched all your story-times. Personal favorites are the deep web ones, they fascinate me.“

“Oh, you’re one of my kind even more than I expected, huh?“ He replies, the tone of his voice changing, raising a bit due to what I can only describe as excitement and enthusiasm. “I’ve had people tell me it’s twisted, but I really like seeing the lengths to which the fucked up human mind can go to. Like, the shit I’ve read is insane! Some stories I didn’t narrate cause I would’ve probably had my video taken down, it was that messed up.“

My eyes widen, sharing the same excitement at the thought of digging deeper into this phenomenon, “Careful, Corpse, you’re walking a dangerous line of tempting me to deep-dive on Reddit in search of those exact stories.”

“No need.“ Corpse says, his tone now taking up a bit of a cocky note, “I still got them all saved, I can send them to you no problem.“

“Please do! I seriously gotta read them now. If I can’t sleep afterwards, I’m blaming you, Corpse. Just FYI.“ I say, giggling slightly, finding myself all but completely comfortable now. I wonder where all that anxiety went? 

“Blame fully taken. Given that I’m not much of a sleeper, I’ll keep you company whenever you think there’s a killer hiding in your closet or fear a red room pop-up will appear on your computer screen.“ He replies, chuckling.

“Um, that’s oddly specific.“ Charlie comments, “Been there yourself, buddy?”

“Perhaps.“ Corpse wheezes, getting a laugh out of me too, “I will neither confirm nor deny.“

“You know what, I’ll just private message you my number so if you see it call you at some ungodly hour, you don’t freak the fuck out. Sounds good?“ I ask, already prepping to type it out and send it to him. 

“Perfect. Wait...“ he pauses for a second, sounding puzzled for a second, “You don’t have mine.“

“Oh, do I not?“ I reply with a sinister tone - thought to answer the question, I of course don’t have his number.

“Oh, do you?“ He sasses me right back. “If so then you don’t need me to send it to you. Cool.“

Ah, shit

“Wait, no! I-I need to confirm it’s the correct one!“

Damn, never did I think I’d be complimented by some of the most important streamers on this platform, but to get a number of theirs too? That’s a whole another level that will take me time to process. But I’ll do that another time, right now, I have to kick these people’s butts in Among Us and later I have some deep web stories to read.

Turns out, all it takes to get comfortable in a new surrounding is someone of your kind. And Corpse is definitely one of my kind.

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[stellocchia]

For the send you a character thing and you give your opinion

What about c!Foolish

[Ask Game]

First impression:

My first impression of him honestly was that he was gonna be very fun if not more on the lighthearted side of things.

Impression now:

I love him so much Anon! He has some mystery to him, but mostly I think the way he has of interacting with other characters is simply rather unique. There is not one interaction of his that I haven't appreciated and that hasn't given us some interesting insight on him or the other character

Favorite moment:

Pretty much the whole stream he did after losing his first canon life. We hardly ever see people give that much weight to the first one while he did a whole ass stream to explore having to suddenly face his own mortality as well as his newfound fear of the Egg, which, if you remember, he always sort of underestimated beforehand. It was really interesting and really well done

Idea for a story:

Despite how much I love him, I don't think I'd be able to write a story centered around him, but I think anything exploring his mysterious past could be fun. I'd probably go for the whole "cleaning out the wither cult with Eret" thing

Unpopular opinion:

People will hate me for this one, but of all the characters added after the 16th he's the best one. He's the most consistent and generally the most interesting one. (Slime excluded, 'cause he was added after as well I think). He's more consistent than certain older characters as well and has managed to be more consistently interesting...

Favorite relationship:

Definitely his relationship with DreamXD. It's just interesting to me. Like, DreamXD in general is an interesting character. I do love myself when shows explore the fact that non-human creatures don't share our same concept of morality at all, and XD does that. And with him, Foolish also shows some similar traits, which just adds another layer to him

Favorite headcanon:

I like the idea that he can do some minor shapeshifting. I'm pretty sure that him changing sizes is canon, but I also like to think that he can shift between the totem look and a more human look he uses to mingle with people better

[harrywritingsbyme]

Y/N roleplaying as Harry’s maid!

Dress Up

Based Off Of This Ask

And This One

This One Too

Anonymous Said: U should Highkey write a boot humping one jeez

A/N: I feel like roleplaying is kinda duh with Harry. Like of course that man would have you in different costumes as he pounds the living shit out of you...and that's hot as fuck😗👉🏾👈🏾so I wrote something about it. Enjoy🙃

Almost 4k words

Roleplaying is definitely something that you and Harry are very familiar with and very fond of. When the idea of dressing up and stepping into a role of someone else while pleasuring each other first came up, both you and Harry weren’t against it in the slightest. The both of you are always interested in trying new things out in the bedroom, so when roleplaying came up, you and Harry were nothing short of excited and openminded to giving it a try. And let’s just say that the excitement didn’t stop at the simple idea of it all. Once you and Harry gave roleplaying a shot, you guys were absolutely hooked. You two were so obsessed with roleplaying that you went as far as to create a list of all the different scenes and roles the two of you wanted to play. The sex was already amazingly fun and spicy. Roleplaying just added another, and very welcomed layer of fun and spice to you and Harry’s incredibly active sex life.

And as the two of you continued on your journey through roleplaying, you began to add things on and make the experiences ten times better than they already were. For instance, instead of having an isolated event of you and Harry roleplaying in the bedroom (or out in public sometimes if you two were feeling extra frisky), the two of you would prolong things and stretch it out to carry you both through the entire day. Along with this, you and Harry also decided to add some pieces of clothing to the mix. Either you or Harry would find costumes online that were perfect for the roles you two were dying to play and neither of you could say no to a costume for you guys’ roleplaying so there was no time wasted in purchasing the costumes. They were all so cute and sexy that you were absolutely in love with them. You were so in love that you were willing to play the same roles again just so you could wear the cute little outfit. Harry of course didn’t mind this one bit since you looked absolutely amazing in them, and he’d be flipping it up or ripping it off of your body anyway to be inside of you. 

You guys’ newfound ritual of roleplaying was something that you two couldn’t get enough of.

This morning you and Harry were making light conversation during your post deliciously sloppy morning sex cuddles and the topic of you guys’ conversation managed to shift into the topic of possibly roleplaying for the day. You had some things that you wanted to get done around the house, and Harry had some work that needed to get done as well so the two of you figured that it would be nice to spend the day roleplaying a bit.

About two weeks ago, Harry had ordered a costume for you and it finally came in the mail a couple days earlier. As the two of you were crossing off the different scenarios for you two to try out, you and Harry saw that you roleplaying as his maid was next up on the list. So he decided to task himself with finding the best maid outfit on the market. He scoured the internet using the keywords slutty maid costume and sexy maids outfit to find the best one for you. Eventually he was able to find the best maid costume out there. It wasn’t by any means appropriate, but it did manage to leave something to the imagination. It was a tight little black and white dress with ruffles and frills that ended right below the lower curve of your ass. There was barely a top, perfect for your cleavage to spill out and ultimately pop out while you take care of your duties around the home. The frilly black and white skirt barely stopped below your ass, perfect for showcasing your thighs and perfect for Harry to have easy access for when he wanted to take you. 

Since the two of you talked it over numerous times and you’ve given him the privilege to take you whenever and however he wanted with the only stipulation being that the safe word would immediately stop it all, Harry was making sure that he was taking complete advantage of this opportunity you’ve given him.

 Now the previous details of the dress were great, but this outfit in particular had a unique detail that was the ultimate selling point for Harry. The entire dress would be secured onto your body by means of a pattern of laces that ran up the back of this costume. This meant that if you were walking away, Harry could simply latch onto the satin laces, yank you back towards him, and take you right then and there. Before placing the order, Harry decided to throw in a pair of white thigh high stockings with cute little bows on the top band. He knew you’d appreciate that little detail. He also throws in a shiny steel princess plug with a black jewel on top to complete the entire look. After a little over a week, the items finally arrive at your doorstep and now it was time to put them all to use. 

Since you two were all in, Harry decided to add something to add something else to them mix. Since he had some work that needed to be taken care of and he was playing the role of your boss, Harry figured that he’d dress the part as well. So to add onto his role of your boss, he decided to throw on a simple pair of slacks and a crisp white button down. He wanted to make his power known to you and really immerse you both into this new world that you were creating.

Once the two of you are all showered and cleaned up, the two of you go into your own separate spaces to get ready for your day. Before you put your “clothes” on though, you have to lay yourself across Harry’s lap so that he could push the plug into you. You were capable of doing it all by yourself, it’s just that you loved when Harry did it. He’d call you his good girl and tell you how pretty you looked with your princess hole plugged. Anyways, once you’re all plugged, Harry helps you up from his lap and he sends you on your way to get dressed. But before you’re completely out of sight, Harry instructs you to leave the panties behind. That was going to make it even harder! How in the world were you supposed to hold his cum inside of you, which you knew for a fact he was going to make you do, without any panties?! It was already hard enough with them, let alone without. This was going to be a very interesting day. You delicately roll the pretty white stockings up both of your legs and you take a moment to appreciate the cute frilly bands with the little bows before putting your shoes on. Even though you were trying to bring on the sex, you were not about to do housework in a pair of heels. So Harry was just going to have to accept you and your converses. And it wasn’t like they were that noticeable, they matched the whole black and white thing you had going on so it wouldn’t be that bad. Once you’re all laced and dolled up, you slip the dress onto your body. Even though it wasn’t snug yet, you had to give Harry credit for this one. You loved how cute yet sexy it was on your body.

“I need help.” You softly announce, stepping back into the shared space of you guys’ bedroom. When your voice rings through Harry’s ears, he’s quick to turn in your direction. And as soon as he does, he is completely locked in on you. Everything he picked out was just the way he imagined it’d look on your body (minus the dress at this point of course).

“C’mere.” Harry beckons, waving his hand over for you to come over to him. You swiftly walk over to him and turn around so that he could take care of the back of your dress. Without saying a word, Harry begins to adjust and tighten the satin laces. “Look so good baby.” He mutters lowly behind you, continuing to focus on fastening your dress.

“Thanks.” You reply simply. After a few more pulls and adjustments, Harry was tying the laces into a little bow at the bottom of the upper part of the dress.

“Alright, now let me see you.” Harry says, moving his hands to your waist to turn you around to face him. With the costume properly on your body, he was able to see all of things he was looking forward to seeing when he ordered it online. Your breasts were pushed up on the verge of spilling out the way he hoped and he was very much looking forward to watching them move around a bit as he fucked into you. He then shifts his attention a bit lower and before you know it, he’s bringing his and up under your skirt to see whether or not you followed his instructions. When he feels that you’re completely bare and not wearing any panties, he gives you a little pinch and brings his hand away from you. “Look so good babydoll, just wanna bend you over and tear into that pussy.” Harry grumbles down to you. He knew you’d look good, he wasn’t expecting this though. 

“Whatever you want sir, have t’make the bed anyways.” You comply submissively. And with that, you’re being spun around and pushed down onto the bed. Harry is quick to undo his pants and pull out his hard cock before kneeling onto the bed behind you. He flips up the bottom of your skirt to expose your plugged hole and your sopping wet pussy. As Harry takes in the sight before him, his hand subconsciously begins to tug at his solid shaft. He quickly snaps out of his trance and spits down onto your pussy. He uses the head of his cock to smear it all over you before pushing into your weepy and velvety hole. As he pushes into your cunt, you let out the loudest moans and whimpers possible. It didn’t matter how many times Harry fucked you into oblivion, you were never going to fully adjust to his cock. You could feel him invading your walls and stretching them to fit his large cock as he pushed himself all the way into you. 

“Who would’ve thought that my little maid has such a pretty little pussy.” Harry grunts, pushing the rest of the way in and settling into the deepest part of your body. “If you’re a good fuck I might just keep you around.” Harry grumbles, pulling his hips back from you. And within a split second, they’re slamming right back into you. From that point on, he doesn’t stop. He continuously slams into you over and over again, not once stopping to let you adjust.  Even though there wasn’t a little window for  adjustment, it still felt so good. The way he was just pounding into your pussy without giving you a second thought was insane. You loved the way he was using you for his pleasure. As he continued to pound into you, you could feel him nudging at the pit of your stomach and slamming into your sweet spot all at once, shoving you close me to the edge with every thrust. His cock wasn’t the only thing pushing you closer and closer to your release though. His words were also doing a number on you. He was constantly calling you his pretty little fuck toy and making it known that he controlled you.

As Harry fucked into your pussy, he couldn’t stop thinking about all the things he wanted to do to you today. He wanted to make you do any and everything he said when he said it and he wanted to make a full blown mess out of you. He also wanted the area between your delicious thighs to stay sticky and always ready for him.

“Now what’s your purpose?” Harry grunts, sending one hard thrust into you and staying there until you answered.

“To serve you!” You cry out to him, tightly gripping onto the sheets. 

“That’s right. And what’s my name?” He asks, lifting his hand to deliver one swift blow to your backside.

“Mr. Styles!” You whimper out to him from the sting of that hard slap.

“M’gonna have so much fun with you.” He growls before continuing on with his thrusts. You were so close and Harry could feel it. He could feel your walls clenching up around his cock and he could hear your whimpers become shakier. This was pushing Harry right to the edge and he was about to topple over. “Don’t cum until I say so.” He shudders, sending one final thrust into you and releasing his seed inside your walls. You listen to him pant behind you as he pulls himself together from his release. 

Once he’s calmed down, he pulls his cock from you, wiping any left over cum that was on his cock onto your ass. Before standing from the bed to redo his pants,  he leans down to press a kiss to your neck and he tells you that he loves you. He always did that in the beginning of any type of roleplaying between the two of you. He did that because it could get pretty intense and he wants to make sure you know that he loves you and that he’s just playing a character. He then gets up and does his pants and everything back up before making his way out of the room. Before leaving you alone, he stops to make his first “official request” of you. 

“Don’t lay there too long, you have a job to do. And change the sheets while you’re at it, don’t want a cum stained duvet on my bed.” He orders before heading out of the bedroom and to his office downstairs, leaving you limp in the bed with his cum leaking out of you and a release still bubbling in the pit of your stomach. 

It was going to be a really long day. 

And it was. After Harry gave you a list of things to do (even though you had already planned on doing them), you went on your way and worked. As you did so, Harry’d come around and find you, inspecting your work and pointing out what you’d miss. When you went to go fix your mistake, he’d start to touch you. He’d push his hand down the top of your dress and squeeze your breasts. He’d leave kisses and suck marks into your neck. He’d reach up under your dress to move your princess plug around, telling you that if you did the job right he’d pour some of his cum inside. He would even wrap a hand around your throat, tight enough so his rings made little indentations in your skin, and then he’d spit into your mouth. This wasn’t even the half of it. These were innocent in comparison to the other things he’d do to you. Sometimes he’d quietly come up behind you and just push two fingers into you (even though he knew that you were constantly wet, he still sucked on them just in case. He wanted you to be comfortable.). He’d finger you so good and bring you to the brink of your release just to stop. He would also thrust up into you through his pants and pretend like he was fucking you. He’d do this because that’s what you wanted. You were constantly wanting his cock and in this situation, he had the sole power to give it to you. Amongst his many antics, Harry would also order you down onto your knees and make you suck his cock. He’d pinch your nose and thrust his cock into your mouth. He’d mock you and ask if your pretty little throat needed a break, when you nod yes, he’d simply reply with a too bad and go back to making you gag and choke on him. Once he finally came, your pussy was on the verge of exploding, your throat was a little sore, your eyes were watery, and your mouth was overflowing with your saliva and his cum. This all lasted for a good couple of hours before up until the time Harry had designated to stop working for the day. 

When it was getting closer to that time, you made sure that you were standing in the doorway of his office just like he’d instructed you earlier. And you stood there quietly until he gave you further instructions, you didn’t want to get punished.

“Crawl.” Harry simply says, keeping his attention focused on the computer screen. When you hear him say that, you immediately drop to your hands and knees and you begin to crawl over to him. When you round his desk, you see him turned outwards towards you with one of his feet pushed outward in your direction. “Now I have a quick meeting I have to go to. You’re allowed to hump it all you want, but if I feel like you’re too loud I’m gonna make you hold my cock in your throat for as long as I want. Understand?” Harry explains. 

“Yes sir!” You promptly reply you were in need of some type of friction down there. You’d take anything, even if it was just his boot. 

“Good, and no cumming.” Harry replies before shifting his attention away from you. You then waste no time straddling his boot. It felt so good to have something between your legs again. During the entire meeting you were trying hard to stifle your moans and whimpers. Periodically, Harry’d look down and watch you hump his boot. He couldn’t help but mentally coo at how adorable you looked. You were a needy little thing, clinging onto his leg as you humped his shoe in hopes of some form of relief. The meeting lasts for a good 20 minuets, giving you the perfect amount of time to pleasure yourself.

What you didn’t know was that you’d be able to pleasure yourself even more.

“Y/n” Harry calls down to you to stop your movements, but you didn’t stop. You were so caught up in how good his boot felt against your pussy that you weren’t even paying attention to him. “Y/n” Harry calls out again, this time reaching down to tap your cheek. When you perk up to look at him, he couldn’t stop himself from laughing a little. You were so adorable. “Now you still have some things that need to get done. But since you worked so hard today, m’gonna let you ride m’cock. Is that fine with you?” Harry asks. The question was bordering condescending since he already knew the answer. You were humping his boot for goodness sake!

“More than fine sir! Thank you.” You reply graciously.

“Don’t thank me, just do it.” Harry replies nonchalantly, picking up his book from the desk to pick up where he left off. While he’s reading his book, you undo his pants and you pull them down with a little help from Harry. Once his pants are down and his cock is out, you straddle him and you wrap your hand around his girth shaft. Since he was so big, you often struggled with taking him on your own. Whenever he fucked you, he’d push into you all at once. But since you were in control so to speak, you had the power to pace yourself. And this is what Harry wanted. Whenever you had the power, you always took forever to get on his cock, you always fought with it and tried your hardest to take him inside. So while your fighting, he just passes the time with his book. After a while of listening to your whimpers and cries as his cock pierces into your weepy hole, you finally take all of him inside. His eyes dart up from the pages of his book to your face to see how proud you were for taking all of him.

“S’all inside! I did it!” You announce softly, yet excitedly.

“Good for you, now ride it.” Harry hums, keeping his eyes on the pages. He likes a little bit of background noise so having you bouncing on his cock and crying was a nice tune to cut the silence. As you get more and more comfortable, you begin to get a little rhythm going. You were so happy with the way you were taking his cock and you were feeling so good. Harry could see and hear that. And yes he was glad that you were feeling good on his cock, but he wanted you to be a bit of a mess. So as he continues to read, he thrusts up into you, screwing up the entire rhythm you had going. When you feel him go deep inside pf you like that you instantly yell out to him and push down on his stomach. 

“Sir, too deep!” You whimper, beginning to pull away from him. But Harry was quick to nip that in the bud. 

“If you try take me out, so help me I’m going to read this whole book, and the entire time I do you’re gonna sit here and not cum. Do I make myself clear little girl?” Harry grumbles, keeping his eyes on the pages. 

“Yes sir.” You moan, continuing to move up and down on him. Since you’d been holding your releases all day and you weren’t allowed to touch yourself, you’d built up a ginormous release that was bound to over power you. As your movements continue, you feel yourself getting closer and closer. You try to hold back but it’s no use. Your release completely takes over your entire being and it catapults you off of the edge. “Oh my-“ You gasp, feeling your hot juices gush out of you. It felt incredible to finally let go and just feel your release(s). When Harry sees and hears you cumming, he’s upset. He specifically told you not to cum. 

“You little slut.” Harry grumbles, snapping his book shut and placing it onto the desk behind you.  “Did you just fucking cum?” He grumbles, looking towards you for an answer. 

“Mhm.” You whimper in response, still trembling from you seismic release. 

“Did you just fucking cum?!” Harry growls again, bringing his hand up to squeeze your throat. If you weren’t going to use your breath and answer his question, he was going to take it from you.

“Yes sir.” You gasp, your eyes widening at his tight grip.

“I want you to get off my cock and get back to work you aren’t getting anything now.” He growls to you authoritatively, letting go of your throat and pushing back as he does this to signal for you to get up. “And crawl on your way out.” He continues.

 He then sends you a quick wink and smirk to let you know that it wasn’t Harry talking, it was Mr. Styles. This wink was also telling you that he was going to fuck you later.

 Masterlist

[afictionalwhore]

Mr. Tough Guy

A/N: this is for my dear friend @libiraki as a sort of pick-me-up for bad days 💞 it’s my first time actually writing for Dabi and not messing around so I was nervous af writing for the Dabi Queen 🥺

TW: ??? Soft Dabi???

Word count: 2K

•┈┈┈••✦♡✦••┈┈┈••┈┈┈••✦♡✦••┈┈┈•

You rolled on your side to glance at the clock. Glaring electric numbers and letters taunted you back—2:36 A.M. Dabi wasn’t coming home again tonight. You knew you couldn’t get mad at him; it was Shigaraki always sending him out on ridiculous missions. But you were much too afraid of voicing your complaints to the temperamental man-child, so you contended yourself with being mildly annoyed at your pyro boyfriend. You sighed before pulling his pillow across the bed and over you, spooning it and breathing in the lingering scent.

You were almost asleep, when you felt the mattress dip beside you. Warm, rough arms wrapped around your small frame, pulling you into a lean chest. You felt the gentle tug of staples on the thin shirt you were wearing, shaking you awake just enough to be coherent. 

"So you finally decided to come home?" you sleepily grumble, refusing to turn over to look at him.

A husky, smoke-heavy voice hummed from behind you before you felt Dabi nuzzle his face gently against your back, careful not to hook any more of his staples in your clothes. You were annoyed enough at him coming home so late without him accidentally ripping your shirt or staining it with blood from his charred skin. Dabi breathed you in. 

"You're wearing my shirt, doll," he said, grateful that you were turned away so you wouldn't witness the blush dusting his unscarred cheeks. "You must have really missed me." 

"Don't flatter yourself," you replied. Knowing how much he loved seeing you in his clothes but being unsure of when exactly Dabi would home, you had been going to sleep in his loose shirts. The large scoop neck did next to nothing to hold in your boobs, and the hem typically reached your midthigh standing, rolling up to barely come over your ass in your curled position, a fact that did not go unnoticed by the man himself.

“No, Dabi,” you huffed as he began to slowly grind into your ass. “You stink. How long has it been since you had a bath?”

“How long have I been away again?” You could hear the smile in his voice. Dabi never took a bath without you to help him. Bathing Dabi after a long mission quickly became one of your favorite activities. He knew this and was absolutely using it to get back on your good side, though you didn’t mind the fact at all. His latest excursion was almost two weeks, and you wondered how his league mates could stand him for so long.

“Go warm up some water and get some wash rags.” You told him. 

“Yes ma’am!” Dabi pressed a chaste kiss to your cheek before rolling off the bed, the mattress springs giving a low groan with the shifting of his weight. 

As you rose from your comfy position, swinging your legs over the side of your bed  and planting your feet on the cold floor, you remembered the first time you had given Dabi a bath. 

You had, simply put, a rough day at work. You knew that when working retail, most days would be simply not good, but that day really took the cake. Somehow the blame for everything landed on you, despite the problems originating in different departments. Your fuse was blown short when a middle aged woman insisted she knew more than you, screaming that she wanted to speak to your manager and accusing you of "withholding" items from her when you didn’t take her expired coupon for an item that she didn’t have and you didn’t carry. Somehow "ma'am, we don't even have a back to check. I’m sorry," escalated into "you dumb bitch can't get laid and has to take out her pent up frustration on retail workers." Needless to say, your boss did not appreciate the comment, and you were told you had to be "let go", as though he was trying to break up with you gently instead of firing you.

 You would much rather go out and get something to eat on days like this. Chicken nuggets, fries, something greasy and comforting. Unfortunately for you, you and Dabi had recently started a budget, after a scare of not making rent due to spending too much on delivery and takeout. With your newfound unemployment, you decided the wisest decision would be to just go home and take out your frustration on some poor helpless rice cakes. Spicy but simple was perfect for the day you were having.

That’s what led to you hunched over the stove, saibashi in hand, viciously stirring the bright red sauce into the cylindrical gooey rice cakes.

“I need your help,” Dabi had said, appearing in the small entryway between the kitchen and your bedroom. 

You stopped your stirring. Dabi needing help meant one of two things: he needed to hide a body or he wanted a blow job. After the day you had, you were in no mood to play any of Dabi’s games. You turned fast to face the man, almost giving yourself whiplash and pointing your chopsticks at him as though you would stab him if he didn't choose his next words very carefully. Dabi took a step back and raised his forearms up in surrender.

“What do you want?” you practically growled at the man, shaking your chopsticks and dripping red sauce on the floor below.

“Do you think you could help me take a bath?”

Your eyes went wide with shock before realization of his request set in, and your features immediately softened, the muscles holding you tense relaxing, as Dabi gazed at you with a shy, almost sheepish, expression. You gently set the poor saibashi that were about to snap in your grasp down on the counter beside the stove.

“Okay, baby,” you said, smiling at him, the corners of your eyes crinkling, tears threatening to spill over at his sweet request. “Of course! Why don’t you go get some warm water and a soft rag?”

Since then, Dabi would every so often request help with a bath. It was always something that he had to be the first to mention. This was a side of Dabi you cherished. It was like watching the hummingbirds sip from the nectar feeder outside your window. To ask of it yourself felt almost akin to trapping the bird and keeping it under lock. He would never tell you what it was that made him finally decide to look more after his hygiene. You had the slight feeling that it was his insecurities settling in. Everyone in Dabi's life had abandoned or used him, and you had deduced that he feared you would leave him if he didn’t start to take better care of himself. The scent of light cherry blossoms and sweet peaches radiated from you while he smelled of rotting flesh and old cigarettes.

You made your way to your bathroom, a typical affair for a tiny Tokyo apartment, but it was just enough for you and Dabi. You pushed the sliding glass shower door open and stepped in, knocking over a few almost empty bottles, still clad in just Dabi's white t-shirt. 

He sat on a small stool placed in the center of the shower, glancing up at you as you slid the door open. The seat was just a little too small for him, forcing his knees to bend awkwardly up to his chest as he slouched back over. You drank in the sight of him. From the scars that decorated his chin and the top of his chest, forearms, and legs to the gleam of the staples that just barely held him together. You loved everything about him, despite the patchwork of purple scars that littered his body. You had a feeling deep down that despite his rough exterior, Dabi was insecure about his body. When you had met, he smelled of rotting flesh and cigarettes, and while he still retained the smoke smell, you figured that he began to grow self conscious over how you may have perceived him. 

You started with his face, dipping the soft rag into the bucket of warm, soapy water Dabi had made before pressing it gently over his closed eyes. You made your way around Dabi's face, lightly patting the warm, damp rag against his skin.

Dabi made a small hum in the back of his throat as you made your way to washing his neck, the same gentle patting motion you had used to wash his face. 

"That feels really nice, doll," he sighed.

You moved on to his arms, starting with his right shoulder and gently nudging him to rotate his arm. With as many times as you have done this now, it didn’t take much for Dabi to pick up on your wordless request. You worked your way down his arm and back up, wringing the rag out to run down the drain before dipping it into the clean, mildly soapy water to start washing his left side. 

As you repeated your gentle motions on his left arm, you noticed Dabi staring off. He looked deep in thought, enough to worry you as Dabi usually had a sharp tongue during his baths, hoping to stir you up and enjoying watching your face flush with embarrassment at his crude words on what he planned to do to you to repay you.

“You tired?” you asked, a small smile crossing your face.

“Mmmm” Dabi nodded. “Yea, I guess.” You decided not to push it and rang out the rag again so you could move on to his chest.

As you pat the damp rag onto his collarbone, careful not to let the charred skin get any more damp than what was necessary to keep him feeling fresh and clean, you heard Dabi mumbling.

“What was that?” You looked up at him, eyes wide in fear that you had hurt him. Dabi was still staring off to the side.

“I’m sorry,” Dabi murmured, barely audible despite your closeness. “For being away from you for so long.” He still refused to look at you.

You couldn’t believe what you were hearing. Was Dabi really apologizing? And for something that deep down you both knew wasn’t truly his fault. The Dabi you knew would never, even if bathing Dabi did tend to bring out a softer side of him. You were dreaming. You had to be. You had fallen asleep, waiting for Dabi to come home, and ended up dreaming of bathing your lover. 

“I mean it,” Dabi whispered, looking down at you with bright blue round eyes more befitting of a small husky puppy than a wanted arsonist. "I'm sorry. You put up with so much from me. You could have left at any time while I was away, but you didn't. You just kept waiting and trusting I'd come back." Dabi took in a deep breath. "I think I love you."

Despite his frightening exterior, Dabi was truly quite soft; he just often had trouble expressing that softness. Bathing Dabi brought out a side of him that only you saw, a sweet, lonely man who so desperately wanted to open up to someone but was afraid of being abandoned or worse, betrayed. This was who Dabi really was underneath his tough guy shield. This was the Dabi that you loved. Something must have happened while he was gone to make him really open up to you like this, but you didn’t want to pry; Dabi would share in his own time. Just hearing those three little words was enough for you.

You tried your best to stifle your tears, ducking your head down and dropping the rag in a pitiful attempt to hide your tears. 

“Aw damn,” nothing got past him. “I went and fucked up again didn’t I?”

“No,” you started, sniffling lightly. “No, Dabi. I’m just really happy you’re home. I love you, too.” 

“Hurry up, would ya!” Dabi tried to bark, an attempt to gain back his tough guy act. “You've still got my whole bottom half to do, and I’m getting cold over here!” 

You couldn't help but giggle at him, pressing a sweet peck to the scarred part of his cheek and fully enjoying the blush that crept up the rest of his face.

[atinymonster]

mine

ateez 9th member.

when sunwoo’s jealousy gets the better of him during kingdom.

this is literally a combination of requests tehe but enjoy!

➴ taglist: @banhmi07, @jiyeons-closet, @jaeminpeachy, @mochibabycakes

➴ masterlist

"Let me go, right now! I am a second degree black belt—!

“Lovebug! Calm down, it’s just me!”

She didn’t think a trip to the bathroom would result in her arm practically getting ripped off by someone dragging her into an empty waiting room.

Opening her eyes, she realized she was face to face with someone’s chest. Eyes traveling up, she breathed a sigh of relief when it was just Sunwoo. Her eyes wandered his body, appreciating the stylists’ decision to put him in a black and red suit that made him look even more handsome—

“Liking the view?” his cheeky and teasing voice broke her from her reverie. 

Hold that thought. 

“I was until you opened your mouth,” she joked, punching his chest. “Why did you even drag me in here? Where are we even?”

“Just one of the empty waiting rooms. And is it a crime if I just wanted to see you?”

“Love, you literally opened the door and dragged me like a rag doll. While that was indeed hot, be careful, I don’t want the chain to hurt you.”

A sullen look passed over Sunwoo’s face. He really didn’t mean to be so rough, but there was a sense of urgency in him that he couldn’t explain. Or rather, he knew what got him all hot and bothered, but he felt stupid for voicing it out loud to her. Unconsciously, his arms around her tightened.

Peering up at his face with concern, she waved a hand in front of his face. “Hey, Woo, everything okay?” She figured something was wrong from the beginning since he wasn’t one to be this rough. 

“...You’re mine, right?” he softly asked, eyes trained on the familiar white bracelet that decorated her wrist. 

She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion at his question. Looping her arms around his neck, she played with hair, something she knew he loved when she did. “Of course, what made you think otherwise?” 

Sunwoo felt his face burn before he leaned down to rest his head on her shoulder. “Just...earlier...during the ranking announcement...”

She tilted her head in confusion. “What happened—oh.”

It wasn’t a secret to anyone that Jiyu’s popularity had skyrocketed after the first and second round. Her charisma and duality, not to mention her visuals, had been a hot topic amongst other groups for the last two weeks. And with the garnered attention, came admirers. 

“Hey guys,” Jiyu quietly called out to her members once a break started in the middle of the ranking announcement. “I don’t mean to be cocky or anything but do you guys feel the pairs of eyes on us?”

Yeosang turned to face her. “I’m surprised you only noticed now. They’re all on you.”

She pointed to herself out of disbelief. “M-Me?”

From afar, there was someone who couldn’t help but have his gaze wander over to where Jiyu was. He, much like everyone else, admired her stage presence and performance.

But it’d be a lie if he denied her being extremely attractive as well. 

“Hwiyoung keeps looking over there, what are you—” Before Inseong could finish his question, he followed the younger boy’s gaze and instantly started laughing. “Are you looking at Jiyu?”

Having been caught and called out, Hwiyoung instantly tore his gaze away from her before throwing a half-hearted glare towards his hyung. “N-No...”

“Don’t lie, you even said she was pretty multiple times back in the waiting room when ATEEZ were performing.” Jaeyoon commented—just a little too loudly to go unnoticed.

Jiyu awkwardly pressed her lips together at the outburst that she was pretty sure she wasn’t supposed to hear. Looking at her members, she was pretty sure they heard it, too. Laughing off her embarrassment, she shifted back in her seat.

Yeosang raised an eyebrow in confusion. “I hate to break his bubble...but he does know that she and Sunwoo are dating, right?”

“Our Baby Monster sure is popular today,” Wooyoung teasingly commented, throwing an arm over her shoulder. “But then again, we should know firsthand at how scary your duality is.”

Seonghwa couldn’t help the mother instincts in him as he noticed all the eyes on her. She was still a child in his eyes, so to see her bombarded with stares from others made him a little want to just cover her with a blanket. 

“I know he’s our sunbae, but he needs to get through us first!” San quietly declared, pretending to roll up his sleeves. Wooyoung nodded in complete agreement.

“San, no, like you said, he’s a sunbae!” Jiyu frantically whispered. “Besides, we’re not even allowed to interact with other groups, so I’ll be fine.”

San playfully huffed. “Yet that didn’t stop you from sneaking around backstage a few weeks ago. Maybe he’ll do the same.”

Jiyu snorted at their reactions towards the SF9 member. ‘At least they’re advocating for my and Sunwoo’s relationship...?’

Hongjoong peeked back over towards SF9 and caught a glimpse of a comedic scene. Quietly tapping Yunho’s and San’s shoulder, he discreetly pointed to what he saw. 

Following their leader’s finger, they saw a brooding Sunwoo, looking as if he was trying to hold his act together. His members, mainly Eric and Hyunjae, were laughing and teasing him. Seeing him bothered by jealousy wasn’t a sight they saw everyday—and boy were they soaking that up. 

Jongho followed their gaze and snorted. “You know what, I think she’ll be fine without our intervention if anything happened. 

Jiyu chuckled at the giant baby in her arms. “So you were jealous of Hwiyoung sunbaenim?”

He didn’t even bother to deny, nodding at her question. He pulled her closer to him and snuggled his face deeper into the crook of her neck. He knew being oggled at by others comes with the job, but he couldn’t help it when he has to witness it first hand. 

Not to mention, she was the only girl on the show. The only girl amongst five boy groups. 

Suddenly overcome with an urge, he picked her up and gently tossed her over his shoulder. Ignoring her questions as to what had gotten into him, he silently walked over to one of the couches and set her down so that her head was resting against the armrest. 

Jiyu stared up with wide eyes at the body towering over her own. They were in a pretty compromising position with his body hovering over her’s and her head caged between his arms. Literally anyone could walk in on them at any given moment and would assume they were up to something that wasn’t meant for the public to witness. 

But all words died in her throat when she stared into his eyes. Unlike the usual bright, bambi eyes that she absolutely adored, she swore she saw his eyes darken as they fixed on her lips. 

Smirking, she leaned up closer to him to the point that she could feel his breath fanning across her lips and tilted her head. Two could play at this game, and she certainly didn’t want to lose.

Taking that as a green light, he closed the small gap between them and melded their lips together. 

Jiyu let out a surprised, yet satisfied sigh at the foreign feeling of his lips against her’s. The feeling was just like had imagined, soft and gentle, but also an underlying roughness that she knew he was holding back. 

She wrapped her arms around his neck as their lips continued to part before immediately gravitating together again like two magnets. As cheesy as it may sound, it felt like their lips were made for each other. His lips against her’s felt like the missing puzzle piece. 

Unfortunately, they both had to pull away to catch their breath. Slightly panting, they both shyly smiled at each other as if they weren’t kissing each other with a newfound fervor a few seconds before. 

“I swear this wasn’t how I planned our first kiss to be like,” he smiled, gently stroking her face with one of his hands as the other stayed pressed to the armrest to keep himself up. Seeing her face flushed while trying to catch her breath stirred something inside of him, but that was another story.

“Hm...some things go better unplanned, don’t you think?” she mused, gently ruffling and tugging at his hair.

He smirked, picking up on her underlying teasing tone. Sitting up, his hands wandered to her side and gave it a small squeeze before assaulting her with tickles.

“You may be the only girl here, but just remember you’re mine,” he playfully commented, but there was a weight of seriousness to it, as well.

But hearing her laughter and watching her squirm broke his facade, and his adoring smile was back. Stopping his hands, he leaned back down and rubbed his nose against her’s like a kitten. The childish giggle that emitted from her was the most melodious sound he’s ever heard. 

“It’s kind of quiet in there, are you sure they’re okay?” 

Hushed whispers from outside brought them back to reality and they both craned their neck to look towards the door. 

“I say we barge in.”

“No! That’s just rude and I don’t want to see anything indecent.”

“Same, I could live without seeing two of my best friends at it.”

“Why would you say that?! Now Seonghwa-hyung looks like he’s going to pass out!”

Jiyu quietly chuckled at their running imaginations while Sunwoo looked like he just wanted to open the door and wreak havoc on the peeping toms outside. One last time, she cupped his face to make him face her before planting a soft peck on his cheek. 

“Love you, sunshine,” she innocently smiled.

Now how could he continue to be irritated after seeing that?

He kissed her forehead. “Love you more, lovebug.”

[ddarker-dreams]

A concept from a dream I had: Hisoka wants Chrollo's darling for himself and tries to steal her from him. Darling gets injured in the ensuing fight and has to get patched up afterwards by Machi. Then, a bit of fluff, darling seeks out Chrollo and hugs him for comfort because the whole thing has her a bit shaken. (Love your writing btw, it's super well written and captivating!)

Tunnel Vision. Yan Chrollo x Reader

Warnings: Implied amnesia.  Word count: 2.2k. Note: thank you very much!! i made some minor changes, where darling is a member of the phantom troupe, and not yet aware of chrollo’s obsession. i hope you enjoy! i’ve had a lot of ideas for this specific darling with nen abilities and this idea seemed to fit her very well...

Sharp, pointed nails digging into your skin. The sickeningly sweet fragrance of bubblegum blended with metallic blood. Black dots obscuring your vision, the world growing further away with each miserable second. Through labored breathing, a tense dialogue is exchanged between both parties, the ringing from your ears making it impossible to know for sure what they’re saying. Falling in and out of consciousness, you pick up on a few phrases. 

“Just admit it, you’re no worse than I am. Look what you did to the poor girl. ♥” 

“Maybe so, but that’s inconsequential. Your judgment means nothing.” 

...

“Ah… what… a shame, that I didn’t... get to play with her as much as you did--” 

“Hmm… to think your voice has never bothered me this much until now. This should silence you permanently.”

“--So you shouldn’t move around much until it fully heals,” Machi instructs, her voice clear and direct. At your lack of immediate response, she frowns, snapping her fingers to pull you from your trance-like state. “Oi, [First]. Are you even listening?” 

You blink, her voice cutting through your clouded mind like a knife. “My bad, I wasn’t paying attention.” 

Machi sighs and places a hand on her hip. Sapphire eyes glance over your person, not even bothering to hide her intentions, stopping every time she reaches your healed wounds. Even though your inebriated state, you can tell she’s deep in thought. You doubt she’d tell you what’s on her mind if you asked. So you sit there in silence, politely waiting for her to repeat what you missed. 

“I could tell. Just take it easy, you’re going to need a few days of rest.” Machi walks to her bag, rustling through its contents. She picks up a bottle of pills and places it on your nightstand. The same medicine that she had given you before treatment, to dull the pain. You fight back the urge to smile at the small gesture. Had you been any other customer of Machi’s, she would’ve left by now without a word, indifferent to your condition. Despite your best efforts, she catches onto your softened expression and clicks her tongue.

“Don’t look at me like that,” she deadpans, shooting you a glare. You give an apologetic smile. “Take one a day until it’s gone.”

“Thank you, Machi. I appreciate it.” 

“As you should,” Machi throws her bag over her shoulder and goes to the door. Before she can turn the nob, she turns back at you. “I forgot to mention, but you have a visitor. The boss has been waiting here since he brought you in.” 

An unknown emotion stirs in the depths of your soul. Any playful retaliation you had for Machi’s previous comment dies on your tongue, your eyebrows furrowing. Why do you feel troubled by this revelation? You fight back the anxiety that bubbles up in your stomach. There’s no time to linger on this newfound unease, as Chrollo enters the room after exchanging pleasantries with Machi. Despite your efforts to suppress your discomfort, your body does as it pleases, heart palpitating and throat feeling tight.

He shuts the door behind him quietly and leans against the wall.

Chrollo Lucilfer. You consider your relationship to be a strictly professional one -- maybe a touch of reverence on your behalf -- never feeling as friendly with him as with the other members. He stands before you now in casual attire. Jet black hair frames his face, loose and fine, proudly showcasing the unusual tattoo on his forehead. It’s strange to see him without his trademark leather coat. Instead, he wears jeans and a navy blue undershirt. Immediately, you pick up on the bloodstains on his shirt, assuming he had shed his coat before coming in.

He smiles at your staring, not commenting as you glance away. “How are you feeling?” 

“The medicine hasn’t worn off, so not too bad,” you struggle to exhale, your breathing ragged. Why does it feel so warm in here all of a sudden? “Machi told me you, uh, carried me here. Thank you. I’m sorry about your shirt… I’ll buy you a replacement.” 

Chrollo puts a hand up to stop you. “There’s no need.” 

Being one on one with your mysterious boss is as awkward as you imagined it would be. You still don’t know why he’s here. In between jobs, Chrollo would disappear into thin air, untraceable until calling the Troupe back together. So him being the one to find you on the verge of death hasn’t made sense. Machi gave noncommittal answers whenever you brought this up or told you to ask him yourself. Which you intended to at the time, but now that you’re in his intimidating presence, the words die on your tongue before they can begin. 

He pushes himself off the wall and sits on the edge of your bed. The proximity feels strangely intimate, your face flushing at how familiar the act seems to him. Chrollo’s close enough now where you can pick up on his rich cologne. Dry wood with hints of leather. The scent increases your heart rate, anxiety at a new peak. You bite your lip and ball your hands into a fist to try and cope with the all-encompassing unease. To appear weak in front of him would be an insult to your tattered pride. 

“Machi informed me about your memory,” Chrollo leans forward as if to inspect you. Grey eyes bore deep into your soul, searching for something. “She said you thought it was July when you regained consciousness.” 

You swallow thickly at his questioning. How humiliating is this? Whatever it was that had happened to injure you already felt degrading enough. your pride as a competent Nen user in shambles. The most plausible explanation is that Chrollo discovered you after you had lost a fight, but the remaining details are fuzzy at best. Theorizing is all you can do. The unexplained amnesia is frustrating, but it’s only a few months, so you figure it could’ve been worse. 

“That’s correct.”

Chrollo closes his eyes, as if in deep reflection. “So that’s how it is. I’m sorry to disturb you while you’re trying to recover, but can I ask a few questions?” 

“Ah, of course. I’m sorry if I’m forgetting something important…” 

This catches his attention, his posture tensing ever so slightly. You notice how his jaw tightens and assume your guess was correct. Your desire for answers on these missing four months strengthens and you feel hopeful that Chrollo holds some of the answers. It’s frustrating how both Machi and Chrollo seem to know more than you do but are refusing to give solid answers. Maybe they’re being considerate of your health? You’re not so fragile that you need to be coddled by your fellow Troupe members. 

Chrollo looks down at you through thick eyelashes. “Do you think that you are?” 

“I… I think so, yes.” 

He sits silently for a moment, running a hand through his hair and giving a bittersweet smile. “We’re in a relationship.” 

Wait, what? This would explain why Chrollo was with you at a time when the Troupe wasn’t gathered and his casual demeanor. Your expression must not be as schooled as you intended, as he gives a humorless chuckle to your wide eyes and parted lips.  You… were in a relationship with The Phantom Troupe’s boss? Your boss? When did that happen? How did that happen? Did the others know? Ah, the teasing that would come with that. It’s not that you don’t find him attractive, your eyes work just fine, but the revelation still takes you back. Cheeks burning, you break eye contact and play with your hair. Feeling overwhelmingly self-conscious, you pull your blanket up further to cover your bare shoulders. 

“There’s no need to be so embarrassed, [First],” Chrollo chastises with a playful tilt of his head. “I’ve seen all of it many times before.” 

He’s not making this easier on you. You’re desperate to move on from the subject and decide to bring up another troublesome topic. Though you have an idea of what the answer will be, you’d still prefer that he’d confirm it for peace of mind. 

“I was wondering, boss--” you cut yourself off with an apologetic smile when he furrows his eyebrows, “--I mean, Chrollo, about my Hatsu. I can tell I don’t have it now. Are you ‘borrowing’ it?” 

There’s no other plausible explanation. In what other scenarios would you lose a fight that horrendously? You can’t picture anything else, your abilities have been enough to earn you Chrollo’s recognition and subsequent invitation to the Troupe years ago. It’s not uncommon that your boss will ask to borrow other Troupe member’s abilities. Sometime during the months that you’ve forgotten, this must’ve happened, or so you assume. 

Chrollo nods his head. “I am, yes. Why do you ask? Would you like it back?” 

“It does feel like a part of me is missing,” you admit sheepishly, scratching your cheek. “So, if it isn’t too much trouble…” 

“I had to delay the job I borrowed it for due to what happened to you. Is it alright if I hold onto it for just a bit longer?” He’s moving even closer to you now than before. The bed shifts underneath his weight, Chrollo delicately taking your face into his hands. Your mind has trouble scrounging together a comprehensible response. How can you focus when the pads of his thumbs rub soothing circles against your cheek, his deep eyes hypnotizing. You swallow thickly when his pointer finger drags slowly against your bottom lip. Chrollo told you that you’re together, you remind yourself, assuming he has just missed touching you. It’s impossible to not notice the hungry gleam in his eyes.

“Oh, well, in that case, it’s fine.” You only manage to relax when he pulls away from you, content with your response. This has been a draining series of events. Chrollo’s one-sided familiarity isn’t easy to keep up with, you still view him as your boss and he views you as a lover. Sensing your apprehension, he takes your hand in his and places it over your pounding heart. 

“Do you feel this?” He hums, to which you nod, speechless at the bold action. “Even if you don’t remember your love for me, your body hasn’t forgotten a thing from our time together.” 

Is that what this feeling is? Love? You want to trust him, to take his word for it, but something still doesn’t feel right. Chrollo’s presence has kept you on edge ever since he entered your room. Even now, your skin is covered in goosebumps, hair standing on the back of your neck. What else are you forgetting? This is the question that reverberates in your mind, threatening to consume you entirely. Softly, as not to offend him, you take his hand off you. Chrollo’s expression is unreadable as you do so.

“I’m sorry, Chrollo, I’m just not sure I’m ready for... this yet.” You admit in truth, guilt washing over you at how his flirtatious demeanor changes to a calculating one. This is the version of Chrollo that you’re most familiar with. Your mysterious boss, who coldly issues orders and relishes in thrill of thievery, someone not as personal as he’s been acting like. Chrollo moves back and you’re grateful for the room to gather your bearings.

“Of course,” his aloof tone sends shivers down your spine, a distant gleam in his eyes. “I hope you don’t mind, but I have every intention of watching over you until you recover. It wouldn’t sit well with me otherwise.” 

Chrollo motions to your closet door, which is slightly ajar. Inside you recognize some of his clothes that are hanging next to yours. “And I do live here, but I’ll sleep on the couch for tonight. How does that sound?” 

So the two of you were so close that you had invited him to move in? How fast was this relationship going, anyway? It doesn’t feel like you to get that intimate with someone else in such a short time. The way Chrollo phrased it makes it sound like you used to sleep in the same bed too, how embarrassing… God, his comments are going to be the end of you. You need time to think. To let all this information that’s been thrust onto you sink in. 

“If it’s not too much for an inconvenience. I feel awful… about forgetting as much as I have. Machi said she didn’t see any notable head injuries, so I can only assume it was a Nen ability.” 

“That could be it,” Chrollo responds more flippantly than you expected, standing from your bed. You thought he’d be eager to explore the avenues of returning your memory. Maybe it’s too painful to think about? “You haven’t eaten since this morning, so I’ll get us some dinner. Keep resting up.” 

“Thank you. I’m sorry for all this trouble.” 

Chrollo waves away your apology without concern. He does, however, acknowledge you before leaving your shared bedroom. There’s a smile on his face that doesn’t quite reach his eyes. You hope you’re imagining it. 

“By the way, [First]... I want you to know this. I’ll have you fall in love with me again. That’s a promise.” 

Then he’s gone without another word.

[dameronology]

love in a time of p.t.a. meetings {marcus moreno} - 5/5

v summary: you hadn’t expected to find anything at a stupid p.t.a. meeting - but somehow, you found everything {series masterlist} 

warnings: swearing, one very mild innuendo 

there’s a long message at the end but...this is the last official part and i’m very sad about it. with that said, i hope you enjoy❤️

- j

Being a parent was tiring.

So much so that you hadn’t even made it to bed last night.

In fact, none of you had. The entire household was slumped together on the sofa; Marcus was in the middle, with one arm wrapped around Missy on his left side and the other stretched across you and Jack on his right. You’d completely flopped into his chest, with your kid passed out on you in a similar manner. The dogs (plural - but more on that later) were both stretched across the four of you on your laps, snoozing quietly. It had been a long week, clearly; between the school year coming to an end and the hot weather, you were all worn out. It had been a rush of finishing up projects at school, evenings in the pool and ordering take out. Marcus had been working late and your cooking skills were...well, calling them skills was an overstatement in itself. 

You grumbled slightly as you woke - why the fuck did your neck ache so bad? Right, because you’d fallen asleep tilted sideways. You probably would have stayed passed out for hours more if it hadn’t been for the sunlight streaming through the blinds. The TV ahead of you had stopped now, displaying an are you still watching Friends? message. You’d started watching it at what...six o clock the night before? 

Rubbing your bleary eyes, you sat up. Instead of waking up, Jack simply flopped into your lap, clearly not phased by the sudden movement other than letting out a tiny oof! as he fell. The kid had fallen asleep on the log flumes at Coney Island, so really, it wasn’t a surprise. Plus, him waking up would mean having to get up and make breakfast, which you really weren’t ready for just yet. 

‘D’you know what day it is today?’ Marcus quietly muttered. 

‘One year.’ You peered up at him, a sleepy smile spreading across your face.

‘So where the hell do you think you’re going?’ He pulled you back towards him, broad arm wrapping around your shoulders to trap you against his chest. ‘Happy one year, baby.’

‘Happy one year.’ You leant up to a soft kiss to his lips. 

You stayed like that for a minute, head resting against Marcus as you gently ran a hand through Jack’s hair. It was sort of a moment of...reflection. A lot had changed in the last year and yet somehow, it felt like your life had always been like this. The four of you have had gelled together into a slightly chaotic but ever-loving entity and you loved it. With the combined antics of your energetic children, everything was in disarray practically all the time but you wouldn’t have changed it for the world. It had been the thing you’d had all along and the very thing that Marcus had been looking for; you had been the one to bring it into his life and he had been the one to teach you to appreciate it. 

The two dogs had brought a lot of chaos into your lives as well. After weeks of Missy and Jack insisting that the garden was too big for just Optimus Prime, you’d ended up traipsing to the dog shelter late on a Saturday afternoon. Bumblebee had become a valued member of the Moreno family within a matter of hours. 

‘I love you.’ You murmured. You could feel yourself getting sleepy again. 

‘I love you more.’

‘No, you don’t.’ You pressed a kiss to his shoulder.

‘At least that’s the only fight we’ve had over the last year.’ He reasoned. ‘What time d’we have to be at cook out?’

‘Twelve.’ You replied. Glancing at the screen of your dying Apple watch, you squinted at the screen. ‘It’s just gone eight.’

Every year, the PTA threw a cook out on the school field to celebrate the end of the semester. In previous years, you’d avoided it like the plague but this year you were actually excited. The last one had been in the very early stages of your relationship, and you and Marcus weren’t publicly showing affection when you’d been. There had been a lot of lingering glances across the field and knowing looks at one another but this time, you were solid. Everyone knew they were together and like hell where they gonna say things about you when you were with Marcus Moreno. Whether it’s because they’d suddenly got a newfound respect for you or because they were scared into silence by his reputation, you didn’t know, but you weren’t going to complain.

‘Do you want breakfast, hermosa?’ He asked.

‘Yeah, I’ll help-’

Having heard the b-word, Jack suddenly shot up. He was six now (too old, in your book) and just as much of a tiny, evil genius as ever. He’d upgraded from a Chewbacca onesie to an Ewok onesie, so that was something too, and you were proud of him. 

‘- what’s for breakfast?!’ He demanded. ‘I want waffles.’

‘Then waffles we shall have.’ You stood up, sticking your hand out to him. ‘What about you two?’

‘I want waffles.’ Missy sleepily murmured.

Jack followed you through to the kitchen, swiping his iPad off the side as he did. Despite the fact you’d put it in a nuclear bomb proof case, he’d still managed to crack the screen. There had also been at least five occasions where he’d tried to take it in the pool. And this was the same kid who’d insisted he was responsible enough for his own hamster. 

Marcus breezed into the kitchen a few moments later, pressing a kiss to your cheek and ruffling Jack’s hair as he went by. You heard him rustling around behind you for a few minutes whilst you prepared the food; he came up behind you, wrapping his arms around your waist. He placed a terribly wrapped gift on the counter in front of you, head coming to rest on your shoulder. 

‘Happy anniversary, baby.’ He murmured.

‘Hey.’ You dropped the knife you were holding, turning around to face him. ‘You didn’t have to get me anything.’

‘I know we said we wouldn’t do presents but since you got me a present last night and-’

‘- Marcus!’ You clamped a hand over his mouth. ‘There is a child in the room.’

‘He has his headphones in!’ He protested. ‘Just open it, please?’

‘Of course.’ You smiled. 

‘Jack even helped me wrap it.’ He said. ‘And decorate it.’ 

‘That would explain a lot.’ You replied.

Pulling the paper off it, you felt your heart drop in your chest when you saw what it was. 

It was a bright red photo with random doodles in puffy paint; the photo itself was one of you and Jack from when you’d all gone to New York for the weekend a few months previous. You were stood on top of the Rockerfeller Centre, the Empire State in the distance behind you and Jack on your shoulders. You were both grinning despite how windy it was, and his hat had blown off seconds after the photo was taken.

Don’t cry. Don’t cry. Don’t - ah, dammit.

‘I love it.’ You tried to keep your voice steady, but it wobbled despite your efforts. ‘I love you.’

‘I love you too.’ He flashed you a lopsided grin, pressing another kiss to your forehead. ‘I figured we could hang it up in place of the one he managed to smash last week with the broom stick.’

(He’d recently watched Harry Potter. Don’t ask.) 

‘Of course.’ You gave him one last kiss, before heading over to the empty space on the wall. It fit perfectly in the space, right between the photo of Marcus and Missy, and the sign that said 0 days since Jack’s last incident.

---

Four hours later, and after consuming enough waffles to feed a small army, the four of you finally reached the school. Both of the kids seemed excited to see their friends, but you were a little nervous.  What if people asked questions about you and Marcus? About your divorce? Or Jack’s behaviour, or whether or not-

‘You okay, baby?’ Marcus had suddenly appeared beside you, an arm coming around your waist. You’d been stood on the sidelines of the football field for way longer than you realised. ‘You’ve got eyes like dinner plates.’

‘I don’t know how to interact with these people.’ You murmured back. ‘They’re all...you know.’

‘They’re all what?’

‘Perfect. And shiny.’ You huffed. ‘Look at their cars! There’s not a dent in sight. And their kids aren’t wearing an Ewok onesie to a cook-out in July.’

‘I think Jack is admirable for embracing his unique sense of fashion.’ You could practically hear the smirk in his voice. ‘C’mon! They’re gonna run out of food if you keep longingly staring at their minivans.’

‘You’re right.’ You stumbled slightly as he dragged your hand, pulling you towards the crowd in the middle of the field.

‘I mean if you want a minivan, we can get one.’

‘Moving to the suburbs was already a big deal for me.’ You grumbled. 

Marcus continued to laugh, pulling you closer into his side as you reached the other parents. 

Naturally, he immediately jumped into conversation about one of the other dads with...actually, you weren’t really paying attention. You switched off as soon as you heard the word football. One thing you did notice, however, was his ability to be completely and entirely charming with anyone. You lacked that, normally shying away from talking to strangers. Especially strangers who had previously cast you out for being a single parent and constantly given you the side-eye. The only reason they’d stopped was because you and Marcus were together now.

You tried to remind yourself that it didn’t matter, that their thoughts and feelings weren’t relevant. They shouldn’t have been. You had the best guy in the world by your side and two amazing kids. The people most important to you were the ones whose opinions mattered - and they all thought the world of you. Marcus loved and supported you unconditionally, and Missy thought you were a bad-ass. Jack, though probably a little bias, thought you were the best parent in the world. That was what counted. 

But still, you couldn’t help but feel a little angry. You’d worked your ass off to get where you were, to raise your kid and make him a semi functional human being. You’d single-handedly kept a roof over both of your heads and provided for your family, even when you’d been married to a dead beat husband. 

Things were different now; brighter, happier, filled with more dogs and more love than you could ever have imagined. You didn’t want to linger in the past, not when everything else was moving forward. If anything, being here had just solidified your faith in your relationship. If all you wanted to do was go home and be alone with your partner, then that was a sure sign. 

‘Mum!’ You heard Jack from across the field. ‘Can you get my football out the car?’

‘Duty calls.’ You finally spoke. Marcus had noted how quiet you were, having made a mental note to bring it up later. ‘I’ll be back in a second.’

‘Okay, baby.’ He pressed a kiss to your check. 

The sun beat down on your back as you trudged across the field, Doc Martens kicking up grass around you. Your outfit was cute at least; a pair of denim shorts and an old tank top with one of your boyfriend’s plaid shirts thrown over the top. You hadn’t even realised it was his until the lingering smell of aftershave hit your nostrils when you got in the car. After that, there was no way in hell you were taking it off.

The car park was around the corner from the field -- it was nice to get away for a minute. Even though you’d simply stood beside Marcus like an older man’s sidepiece at a business meeting, just being in the presence of the people and listening to them talk about their kids was exhausting. At least he had been good at pretending to be interested in their sugar free diets and screen time limitations and how their French lessons were going. You, meanwhile, hadn’t even tried to look like it piqued your fancy. You’d been half-tempted to put your sunglasses on so they couldn’t see you roll your eyes. 

Pulling Marcus’ car-keys out your pocket, you opened the boot and began to rifle around. His car was a thousand times more put together than yours, but it still accumulated a bunch of crap. 

You jumped backwards when you heard the gravel crunch behind you. 

Glancing over your shoulder, your eyes fell on Carol. It had been a while since you’d last seen her, but she looked a little worst for wear. What’s more was that she had a cigarette between her lips, despite being the one to run the entire school’s anti-smoking campaign.

‘I didn’t know you smoked.’ You commented, catching her attention as you slammed the boot shut. 

‘Oh!’ She jumped, quickly throwing it onto the floor.

‘Hey, I’m not bothered.’ You leant against the back of the car. ‘A lot of people do it.’

‘I don’t normally.’ She stamped on the remains to put it out, dusting off her bright pink work-out jacket. ‘I’ve just been stressed lately.’

‘Are you okay?’ You raised an eyebrow at her.

‘I’m fine.’ 

You tossed the football between your hands, giving her a nod. ‘If you’re sure.’

With that, you locked the car and began to make your way back towards the cook-out. If you could wear Jack out by playing with him all afternoon, then you might be able to catch some peace and quiet that evening. Then, you and Marcus could celebrate your first anniversary by ordering take out and watching Friends.

(Which is ironically, what you’d done for the last four nights).

‘Y’know, I’ve always been jealous of you.’ You froze when Carol called after you.

‘What?!’ You turned around to face her, confusion etched on your features. ‘Are you talking to someone else, or?..’

‘No, I’m talking to you.’ She muttered. 

‘Why me? I thought you hated me?’

‘Because I was jealous of you.’ She said it as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. 

‘Carol, you’re the perfect one here. You’re married to your high school sweetheart, you’ve got a big-ass house - with a gate! - and your kids are perfectly well behaved. And you drive a fucking minivan!’

‘Oh, please.’ She groaned, falling back against the nearest car. ‘My husband is married to his job and my kids are more interested in their iPads than me!’ 

‘So’s mine-’

‘- you’ve always provided for yourself.’ She continued, cutting you off. ‘Always put your kid first and just did what was best for you without worrying what anyone else thought. That’s..admirable.’

‘Thanks?’ You furrowed your brow. ‘I never really gave it that much thought.’

‘I never thought I’d wish for your life.’ She muttered. 

You gently approached her, placing a hand on her shoulder. With caution, obviously. You know that she had a tendency to be vicious and bite. Like a chihuahua. 

‘My life isn’t perfect.’ You said softly. ‘There’s a difference between happiness and perfect. And if you keep trying for perfect, you’ll never be happy.’

‘That’s deep.’

‘Actually, it’s a quote that you shared on Facebook.’ You snorted. ‘You just gotta appreciate what’s around you. Your house, your kids, your husband.’

‘Maybe you’re right.’ Carol nodded. ‘You’re a good parent. A good person. I’m sorry if I ever made you feel less than that.’

‘I mean...you were an asshole, I won’t lie. You’re nosey as fuck and you got involved with my kid, but I’d probably be doing the same if I wasn’t satisfied with my life.’ 

Okay, so you didn’t mean for that to sound so rude, but who could blame you? The woman had given you nothing but crap. You’d already felt bad for her, but now you felt worst.

‘C’mon.’ You stuck your hand out to her. ‘You have two lovely daughters and a husband waiting for you back on the field....you family waiting for you back on the field.’

Dragging Carol off of the car, you dusted off her arms and forced a smile. It didn’t make you happy that she was miserable, but at least offered an explanation for her behaviour. The fact she’d envied you this entire time didn’t make up for what she’d done - the rumours the spread, the things she said - but it at least helped soothe you a little bit. 

‘Can we be friends?’ She asked quietly, traipsing beside you. 

‘...maybe in a few years.’ 

---

As it turned out, Jack did not pass out early. Instead, the four of you ended up having another night on the sofa -- this time with an extra large pizza, just to celebrate the special night. 

Your head had been spinning since your conversation with Carol. You were glad you finally had closure on the whole thing, but it had completely fried your circuits. She was the queen of the hive, the perfect mum, the perfect wife. Her kids wore matching outfits to school and they never had a hair out of place. Her Facebook was filled with family photos of their international vacations and outings to all their activities. Was she not the blue print?

It made you take a step back and look at your own life, which was something you hadn’t done in a while. In fact, last time you’d done it, you realised you’d weren’t happy with your ex-husband. 

Now, it was the opposite. You were in love with somebody who was better than you could have ever imagined; he wasn’t perfect - he snored and he never did the dishes and he always forgot to put the bins out - but he was everything to you. You had a kid who, although was undeniably a tiny meddler, you loved with your whole heart. You had Missy, who had welcomed you into her life with open arms and embraced the chaos you brought. You had dogs, and a house with a fucking garden. 

You didn’t blame Carol for being jealous because, even though it was from perfect, you didn’t need it to be. You had everything you ever wanted and heck, you would have been jealous of it too if it wasn’t completely and entirely yours. 

For the first time all day, you finally had a moment to yourself. You were stretched out across the couch, feet propped up on a pile of cushions; Marcus’ shirt was still on, only now you had changed out your shorts for leggings and your boots for socks fluffy enough to be dangerous on the wooden floors. 

‘Hey, baby.’ Marcus quietly greeted you, shutting the living room door behind him. ‘Kids are asleep.’

You gave him a doubtful look. ‘Even Jack?’

‘Okay - Missy is asleep and Jack is on his iPad.’

You opened your arms to him, grinning. ‘I’ll take it.’

Marcus dropped onto the sofa, an equally big smile falling onto his face as you wrapped your arms around his neck and pulled him down to kiss you. He wound both of his around your waist, lifting you off of the couch and into his lap. It always reminded you of when you’d kissed on your first date -- it seemed like worlds away now. 

‘Has it really been a year?’ You murmured softly, resting your forehead against his.

‘Yeah.’ He shyly smiled at you. ‘I don’t know how I got so lucky.’

‘We both got lucky.’ You reminded him. ‘I got lucky that Carol guilt-tripped me into that fucking meeting.’

‘And I got lucky that you were the person I chose to victimise with my small talk.’ He chuckled. ‘You know you’re my whole fucking heart, right?’

‘Yeah.’ You slowly nodded. ‘And you’re mine.’

You’d completely changed each other’s lives - blown them apart, and used the tiny pieces to rebuild everything back into one. Neither of you had even been looking and you’d still managed to find one another. You’d been hurt before and he’d been patient. He’d lost a lot before and you helped him find it again. What he lacked, you had. What you lacked, he had. 

Above all, Marcus had embraced what everybody seemed to encourage; he saw value in the things you’d been insecure about and when he fell in love with him, so did you. In return, you brought an energy and light to his life that he didn’t even know he needed.  In one another, you found unconditional love and support, and a feeling of security that you’d both lacked for so long.

This was it. And it was everything . 

--

OKAY i’m actually so sad this story is over -- i’ve written over the course of maybe 2 weeks but when i TELL YOU i have become so attached? u better believe it. if you check out the series masterlist, you’ll see that there’s a few little fics i’m gonna write to fill in the gaps that were in the time skips between chapters, so that’s still something to look forward to!

thank so so so much for all your support on this series; it’s been so much fun to write & your comments are what encouraged me to finish it so quickly. 

- jamie xx 

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