#she wears six inch heels and can run in them

[musicfeedsmysoul12]

This is based on my ‘Party Girl Izumi with IiDeku’ tags by @dark-elf-writes

Yes. This is legit what happens. Tenya just saved someone his age while she was trashed from a night out, she flirted heavily and left. He went home after his insomnia walk to try and get rest for his first day at UA Univesity.

And there, looking like she wasn't three sheets to the wind, is the girl he saved. She's wearing a tight tank top, a skirt and a pair of knee high boots as she taps away at her phone.

Not only is she there and fully functional but she demolishes half the class when it comes time for their Quirk Assessment. She has red lipstick, dark eye shadow and brings the pain.

Tenya is impressed, confused and a little intrigued.

(He will get eaten alive but man what a ride)

[zegrasdrysdale]

[ it’s a love story ] t. zegras

pairing : Trevor Zegras x fem!reader

summary : Trevor goes with his girlfriend to Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour when it comes to LA, and he has a surprise in his pocket when “Love Story” is played

warning(s) : none

author’s note : i keep seeing tiktoks of proposals during love story and i couldn’t not write a lil fic featuring the nhl’s resident swiftie so enjoy this probably cliche filled story that i couldn’t resist writing anymore

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This show has been something she and Trevor have been looking forward to since they both sat on their respective Ticketmaster accounts for almost 24 hours in November. She basically went through war for the general admission tickets she somehow managed to get. It was worth the wait and the hundreds of dollars she spent.

She went all out for her outfit. A short pink dress that is covered in glitter with matching heels pairs well with the pink makeup look that she decided on while she was doing her makeup. Her hair is curled with pink gems scattered throughout her locks. Trevor wasn’t sure how he felt about it but the look as grown on him in the hour or so since he first saw it.

The two of them get to SoFi Stadium at two in the afternoon with multiple water bottles in hand since it’s early August in Los Angeles. She wasn’t going to get there super early but didn’t want to get there super late either.

Of course, she made a bunch of bracelets so she trades with people while waiting in line to get in. The VIPs go in early then they go in about an hour later. She runs as fast as she can to find a good spot on the floor. Trevor is right behind her.

They end up near at the point of the diamond part of the stage but about fifteen rows of people back. It’s still a good spot despite getting to the arena at two instead of six in the morning. She’s very happy with where they end up.

Trevor stands behind her with his arms wrapped around her shoulders while they wait for the show to start. Gayle opens for Taylor Swift and the set lasts about 45 minutes or so. She vibes with the music, but gets so excited when it’s between sets.

Her boyfriend kisses the top of her head and asks close to her ear, “Are you excited? Nervous? Both?”

“So so excited,” she tells him as she looks up at him. Despite the heels, she still has a disadvantage when it comes to height. Trevor is six foot, but she’s five-foot-six with two inch heels on. “Thank you for coming with me. It means a lot to me.”

Trevor smiles and says, “Wouldn’t want to be here with anyone else.” She raises her eyebrows because she knows a handful of people that he would want to come to the Eras Tour with. “Okay, you and Jamie are the only people I’d want to be here with. And maybe Cole but I’m here with you and I’m happy to be here with you.”

She spins in his arms and wraps her arms around his torso. He’s wearing a button up but only half the buttons are actually buttoned. She gets makeup on the exposed part of his chest and feels his cool chain against her cheek until she pulls back.

The clock pops up on the screen and everyone, including her, loses their minds. Trevor lets her go so she can freely dance and sing as the Lover era begins. She gets very into “The Man” since it’s her favorite off of the Lover album.

As soon as the Fearless era begins, she pulls out her phone so she can make sure to get Trevor singing “You Belong With Me” when she plays it after “Fearless”. He tries to block the camera when she puts it on him but she does end up getting Trevor singing the song. She makes a mental note to send it to Jamie and Cole after the show.

“Love Story” plays next and she records Taylor singing it while Trevor drapes his arms around her waist. She sings along to the song.

The song slows for the bridge and she sways in Trevor’s arms. He presses a kiss to her temple as the bridge transitions to the chorus for the last time. She feels him let her go as Taylor sings “Is this in my head? I don’t know what to think”.

Only the crowd around her begins to scream and turn their recording phones toward her as “He knelt to the ground and pulled out a ring, and said” is sung. She turns around to find Trevor Zegras on one knee with a box in his hand.

In the box is a diamond ring.

Her hands fly to her mouth as Trevor sings along with Taylor on stage. She immediately begins to nod her head yes to accept the proposal as tears that she didn’t know were in her eyes roll down her cheeks.

Trevor stands up and takes the ring out of the box. He slides it into her left ring finger before she flings her arms around Trevor’s neck. He leans down and presses a deep but quick kiss to her lips. She cups his jaw as she kisses him back.

“I can’t believe you proposed to me during ‘Love Story’,” she comments without pulling back too far. “God, you’re such a romantic.”

He smiles. “You know you were thinking about it when we got tickets,” he replies. “I went out and got the ring the week after you secured the tickets. If I was ever going to propose to you, it was going to be at the Eras Tour.”

She leans up to press one more peck to his lips before she looks at the ring on her hand. It’s simple but it has enough sparkle to it. She never wanted a large diamond on her ring whenever she got engaged and Trevor knew it.

The rest of the show feels like an intense fever dream. It is probably the best day of her life. Well, it’s probably tied with Trevor getting drafted in 2019 but still. It’s one of the most important days of her life.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

yourusername

liked by jamie.drysdale, trevorzegras and 76,892 others

yourusername baby i said ‘yes’ 💍🤍

view all 1,989 comments

colecaufield THIS IS WHY I DIDNT GET INVITED ISNT IT

fan1 lmaooo cole

jamie.drysdale jesus cole

yourusername sorry coley

fan2 TREVOR IS ENGAGED ??? HOLY FUCK

fan3 he’s all grown up 😩

jackhughes the FUCK ???

yourusername hi jack

jamie.drysdale my favorite people. congratulations !! (it’s abt time @ trevor)

yourusername love you jimmy 🫶🏼

trevorzegras thanks for keeping my secret bud

trevorzegras you’re my entire heart. forever 🤍

yourusername and ever 🤍

_quinnhughes congrats !!

anaheimducks Congratulations to the future Mr. and Mrs. Zegras !! 🧡

fan4 mrs. zegras is insane

fan5 alexa play that should be me by justin beiber

fan6 LMAOO 💀💀

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[actual-changeling]

hello and welcome back to angst time with alex, the series where i, alex, (hopefully) cause everyone severe emotional pain for funsies!

have a pre-arcadia ficlet because "you're making this personal" has been bouncing around my brain like a screensaver all day.

tagging @today-in-fic

———

You're making this personal.

Did she make it personal? Did she really? Even more than three weeks later, she still cannot answer her own question.

It had been personal, that much she knows for certain, no matter how much Mulder might try to deny it; the past is not what is spinning a web in her mind. 'Making' implies it hadn't been personal before, and Scully thinks about love confessions surrounded by chlorine and disinfectant, high school reunions, and a Christmas filled with ghosts.

If none of that had been personal, if all of it had been, what, professional? The mere idea feels like nails scratching on a chalkboard, fundamentally wrong and against everything she knows—everything she thought she knew, anyway. Doubts are infecting her heart and festering within her blood, a poison that can only be purged the same way it was injected.

Fault lines are tearing apart the ground underneath her feet, and in the aftermath of the earthquakes they lived through, she is still waiting for new tremors to appear. Meanwhile, Mulder is flipping through their newly assigned Arcadia files and cracking sunflower seeds between his teeth.

Every discarded shell is another foot of earth breaking away, another inch of dark nothingness added to the ever-growing chasm separating them.

You're making this personal.

Maybe she did, just like he did in the hallway right outside his apartment, and her skin itches with the need to get up to try to run away and away and away. 

Simply to see if he will let her disappear this time. If he will grab her wrist and make it personal again. If he will force her to listen to a door slam shut behind her back as she questions the last six years of their partnership.

Another sunflower seed cracks open, another imperceptible flinch runs through her fingertips.

A matching set of rings is glinting between them on the desk, fitted to their hands, and, somehow, she knows Mulder will make it more than personal. He never not made it personal, not when he started all the way back in Bellefleur, not almost a month ago, surrounded by the Lone Gunmen and despair.

Scully feels the weight of his gaze and resists the urge to snap at him; she can practically hear him attempt to profile her. She doubts he will get it right any time soon.

"How about Rob and Laura?"

A day of fake names and faker marriage stories flung across the office, a day of heavy silence and jokes she left hanging in the air. She considers throwing the file in his face and going home. She considers starting a fight and pushing his buttons until he gets angry enough to be mean to her. Again. Until one of them slips up and speaks the name that's dangling above them like the blade of their personal guillotine.

Until he tries to make it personal, because it isn't—not anymore, not the way it was, and they both know it.

Instead, she flips to the next page and crosses her legs; she is wearing too much black and hasn't touched a skirt in two weeks. Familiar armour made of fabric and shadows, of heels, frantic sidesteps to avoid his touch, and the refusal to meet his eyes.

Mulder jokes and pushes because that's who he is. Scully lets him because the ghost of them refuses to dissipate, lingering in the corners of every room they're in.

Because the true lie of personal interest is all they have left.

"Sure, fine." Her voice sounds faint and hollow, and another sunflower seed shell hits the desk like a gunshot. "Whatever."

[the-head-ancho-chilli]

Demon Slayer Characters and if I Think They Can Walk in Heels

I SWEAR IM NOT DEAD

Now that I’ve moved into my new place, I’m just trying to get some stuff sorted out so apologies for the delay, I swear I’m working on your requests T_T

In the meantime, here’s this post that I finished a few days ago that I started during finals season

Enjoy!

Word count: 1.4k~

Part 1 (you're here!), Part 2 (coming soon), Part 3 (coming soon)

Modern au-ish...

Mitsuri Kanroji

She doesn't really wear heels unless she's going out somewhere

Mitsuri will wear heels if you take her to a club, a date, a restaurant, and any other nicer event

But honestly, she prefers running shoes!

They're convenient, comfortable, and they tend to match their outfits more often than not

Do not get me wrong, Mitsuri can definitely rock a pair of heels

I would say that the highest she can go is six inch heels and that's it

Anymore than that and she's wobbling

Mitsuri's favourite pair of heels is a knee high gladiator sandal that's all gold, and maube about 4-5 inches high?

It pairs lovely with her favourite dresses and skirts, especially when she's going out of her way to turn a few heads

I also think that she's the most graceful out of everyone here

Overall 9/10 she absolutely slays this

Obanai Iguro

He thinks it's stupid that he needs to clarify this at all

Can Obanai walk in heels? Without a doubt

Your next question should be if Obanai chooses to wear heels

And shockingly, he does

I think that Obanai will sometimes wear a two inch loafer heel just for some added height

Hella confident in them too, look at him go

Obanai will totally wear them to work, class, or anywhere he feels like putting on a little bit of effort into what he's wearing

I think on more fancier occasions, like a high end date or club, he might wear some pointed toe stilettos with a nice pair of slacks

Honestly he's not really one to exclude heels from his wardrobe, he's just weirded out by how fascinated people are on this topic

8/10, nailed it

Tengen Uzui

Do I think Tengen can wear heels? I know for a fact he can

But I just think that he never does because he can never find any in his size

Poor guy

To be fair, this man is fucking huge

I even have problems finding boots that fit my calves, deep down in my heart I know that Tengen has it so much worse

Cause even if he manages to find something that fits his foot, it might not fit the rest of his leg

He's actyally really devestated about it

All he wants is a nice pair of pumps to match Hina, Suma and Makio

And maybe a pair of lobster claws...

3/10, a slay in theory but not in practice

I WILL GIVE HIM THIS, if he manages to pay for a custom pair of heels, he will probably rival with Mitsuri in who looks the best in heels

Sanemi Shinazugawa

He says he can walk in heels

But I assure you, he cannot

I think that Sanemi is lowkey intimidated by the results of the other Hashira on this list and now he's in too deep to back down

So when asked if he can wear heels, he will lie to your face

"Obviously, you think I'm gonna allow a pair of shoes to get the best of me?"

Sanemi, you've got a big storm coming

All his machoness goes away the second that he puts them on

Why is he walking with his knees out...

He's not even wearing stilettos, no

Sanemi's wearing three inch cork wedges

They don't really suit his style so he'll never go out of his way to wear them

I think after embarassing himself like this, he's never going to want to learn how to walk in them

-2/10 Sanemi you fucked around and found out huh

Shinobu Kocho

Can absolutely strut in six inch heels no problem

I think that Shinobu wears heels often, especially if she's going to be out in public where she is certain she's going to encounter someone she knows

But I don't think she enjoys wearing them

In some way I think Shinobu wears heels on a semi-daily basis to compensate for her short stature

She wants to be on equal standing with others and in a way, this is her way fo tring to achieve that

Two inch boots aren't going to stop her from being taken seriously

She does try to find some light in her circimustance though

Her favourite pair are these cute mary janes, and she has another pair with a platform sole

So even if you see her wearing heels, please don't mistake that she finds them powerful to wear

It's more of a social thing really

7/10, I wish she had a better experience :/

Kyojuro Rengoku

I am going to say this as nicely as I can

Please be patient with him, he's learning T_T

He can still get to where he needs to go, he just looks a little unstable???

Kyojuro would really appreciate if you held his hand a little

Though I will say, he is enthusiastic about learning!

In a few months he can probably walk just fine in them

I don't think that he would wear them to work or on a date, but he might if he's going to a particular event where you try to look better than usual

Like a high end club or exclusive event, he'll probably wear something classy

I think his go to is wither a pair of corset heels or high blocks

Obanai is lowkey jealous because Kyojuro doesn't really need the extra hight

4/10, keep up the hard work :)

Giyu Tomioka

My first instinct was to immediately put Giyu on the 'Not Allowed' list

A hunch just told me that he would somehow cause more trouble if he wore any

But I considered it further and came to this conlcusion

Giyu can and will walk in heels, just nothing above three inches

He tried walking in four inch platforms and he was nearly tripping every two minutes

And if Tengen sees him exiting his apartment wearing them again he will not hesitate to put those things back where they came from

Giyu does like wearing heels though, even if he's not allowed to wear very high ones

Only wears them if he's going to a club though

His favourite pair is a professional looking pair of blue, beige and black slingbacks with a three inch heel

5/10, but he's walking on thin ice

Gyomei Himejima

I don't think that Gyomei could walk in heels smoothly, but he can certainly get from point A to B

He just can't do it gracefully

If Gyomei walks in heels, he won't ever admit that he's struggling and he'll insist that he's walking just fine

But he has his arms outstretched like he's walking on a tightrope

It's honestly just not his thing, and I don't think he would be able to incorporate it with his current wardrobe

Even if he had the desire to learn, I think he would hear the struggle that Tengen's going through and just give up

He already has to go on a lengthy search to find anything to fit him regularly, let alone a pair of heels

2/10 I can't say I would recommend this for him, no

Muichiro Tokito

You know those pictures of kids wearing their mom's heels?

And their foot barely fits in the shoe?

And they just look so awkwardly out of place?

That's Muichiro

Poor baby

I think he has some growing to do before he's going to learn how to walk in them

But Muichiro definitely wants to learn!

Given how his sense of style is usually baggy or loose fitting clothes, I can see him maybe going to Obanai for style advice in the future

Probably nothing high or flashy either, just probably a pair of classy heeled boots

I just don't think it's for him right now, at his current stature

Muichiro just looks a little bit out of place in them right now though...

1/10, maybe when you're a bit older buddy

꒷꒦˚︶︶꒦꒷︶꒷꒦˚ ꒷꒦˚︶︶꒦꒷︶꒷꒦˚ ꒷꒦˚︶︶꒦꒷︶꒷꒦˚

Thanks for reading! I have two more parts of this prompt with the slayers and demons so I should be sending that out in a while. I’m also working on a Kyojuro request and I’m hoping to have it out soon, so stay tuned lovelies ^^

Also thank you all for 200 followers, I swear I’ll work harder so I can post more often! I’ll be working on some requests in the meantime :)

Asks and requests are still open, just please read the rules before submitting anything ;)

[slippinmickeys]

Five paragraph prompt:

As they’re unwinding after a case, Mulder becomes preoccupied with watching how a man across a diner / restaurant / bar is eyeing Scully. Earlier seasons (or before FTF, anyway) so that there’s a more buttoned-up MSR vibe, maybe.

It’s odd, he thinks, how he’s never really noticed the sway of her hips.

Okay, he’s noticed, but he hasn’t looked. Not like the guy at their 10 o’clock is looking. Watching as Scully sashays back to their table, her clompy heels scuffing along the floor with a gritty, salacious rasp.

It’s summer in the District. Her foundation has long since been sweated off, revealing a beauty mark above her lip, maybe freckles, and in the heat of the field, she’d shucked off her suit coat and was now wearing only a sleeveless silk blouse, one so sheer that Mulder (and the guy at the bar, no doubt) could make out the shape of her bra, the soft globes of her breasts pillowing out slightly above the cups.

Scully against the backdrop of over-varnished, sticky tables. Scully moving through the chessboard cones of bad light. Mulder can’t look away either.

The guy turns his body in a complete 180 so that he can follow her progress, and something ignites inside Mulder’s chest. But he can’t move. He can’t so much as intimate any kind of possessive impression or Scully would pin him with a glare so intense his ball hair would try to climb back into his scrotum. It’s not like that with them.

“Evenin’ y’all,” says a voice as Scully slides back into their booth, and they both look up to see Bar Guy himself, hovering at the edge of their of their table. That was quick, Mulder thinks. “I have a bet with my buddy over there that y’all aren’t together.”

The man’s hair is very shiny and his teeth are very straight. Mulder bets he’s the kind of guy who puts his seat back the second the flight attendant sits down for takeoff. In any event, he sounds like Foghorn Leghorn, which Mulder assumes is performative. Do people from Virginia even have southern accents? Not in his experience, though Alexandria’s not exactly deep in the state.

“Kind of a circuitous way of asking if I’m her boyfriend,” Mulder says, though Scully is wearing a small, beatific smile. Mulder smiles at the guy, too. But it’s more of a that’s nice, off you fuck kind of smile.

“Are you?” Foghorn asks hopefully.

Mulder looks to his partner, seeing where she’d like to go with the question. He’d posed as her beau before; sometimes it was just easier to fend off suitors that way, especially if she was tired.

“No,” Scully says, kindly. “But I’m not in the market.”

“Can’t blame a guy for trying.” Foghorn smiles before walking away, inclining his head politely at Scully. Even Mulder is a little charmed by the guy’s bravado.

“You have to admire the lack of subtlety,” Mulder says, his eyes following the man as he collects both his sport coat and his buddy, disembarking to search for a more target-rich port.

“Do you?” Scully asks dubiously. She’s looking at the table, occupying herself by running her finger along the rim of her wine glass. The tone her wet finger brings forth is as rich as a ripe plum.

“In and out in under ninety seconds,” Mulder points out. “Better than standing there stammering for five minutes like the last six guys.”

“You make it sound like this happens all the time.”

“It does.”

Scully makes a dismissive gesture.

Mulder thinks just then that every single man they meet either wants to kiss her or kill her, but he’s not dumb enough to say it. Instead he downs the last of his beer.

“You ready to get out of here?” he asks.

“Not yet,” she says, gesturing about six inches beyond his left shoulder. “There’s a queue of GS-12’s waiting to ask for my hand.”

Mulder can’t help but turn to genuinely look, which earns him Scully’s charming squawk of laughter, the one she rarely trots out. When he turns back to her, she’s already sliding out of the booth and grabbing her coat.

She looks up at him as he stands up beside her and pokes him in the chest.

“Not every man in this bar wants to jump me,” she says, a teeny, tiny bit drunk.

“Nah, you’re right,” Mulder answers, his own cheeks warm with drink. “Only one or two of them do.”

He realizes, only as the words cross his tongue, that the call is coming from inside the house.

[writingsofwesteros]

"Aunty Nowa!" Aenar clapped his little hands. "Ball!" He excitedly watched her play tennis with Jace, as Saera dozed in her carrier and Baelon sat on his Mama's lap as she chatted with Sara. "That's right my love!" Nora blew him a kiss. "So, how long have you and Jace been official?" Daella asked Sara kindly. "About six months," Sara told her. "That's so cute," Daella smiled. Baelon smiled shyly at Sara. "He's been so great, honestly. And your family's been great too." Sara said. "How was Rhaenyra when you met her?" "She was really nice...at first she was a bit hesitant. Your mom's super nice too, I think Alicent helped her warm up to me the first time." Sara explained.

"Harwin's coming down this weekend for Jace's birthday, I hear," Daella said. "Are you excited to meet him?" Sara glanced at Nora on the court, then Jace before she said, "Yea, I uh...Can I ask you something?" "Of course," Daella reached forward to adjust the little hat on Saera's head. "Jace mentioned that Harwin and your sister..." Daella giggled. "Oh, yes I heard about that when I got home from boarding school. It's true." She confirmed. "And it's not weird for Jace at all?" "Not really, I mean it can't be when he and Nora-" Daella blushed. "Oh- Oh." Sara glanced between the two as her boyfriend served another ball. She looked at Nora, who hit the ball with her racket, wearing nothing but a tiny skirt and a tank top in the heat.

"You think she's pretty don't you?" Daella asked. Sara blushed. "Oh, I-" "Don't worry about it," Daella reassured her. "Jace won't be mad. And honestly, I'm not surprised. I love Nora to death but it's insane that I've never met someone who isn't attracted to her. I mean literally never."

"You should tell him," Daella said. "After all...you never know what it might lead to. You should talk to Robyn- she and Nora are pretty good friends, she can confirm any...fantasies you might have."

"C'mon Jacey, I can make better serves wearing heels!" Nora teased Jace on the court, and Saera, who's just woken up, giggled and clapped her tiny hands. "That's actually true," Daella told Sara. "I've seen my sister play tennis in six inch Louboutins."

Aenar is the CUTEST! I just want them, they are so cute!! He will run across the pitch when he's bored and collect the balls thank you very much.

His laughter will wake Saera up and she's so grumpy!

[sebsallowapologist]

Little Bird || Part I

This was up on AO3 for a bit- but I’ve done more writing and I’m going to be posting more chapters, so I thought I’d edit it to be more reader / MC instead of an OC (I feel like Tumblr likes that more but lmk!) Little outtakes from the trio’s last year at Hogwarts <3 

Sebastian Sallow x F! Reader • 7th Year • Friends to Lovers

warnings: none for now- I’ll update if future chapters get a little 🌶 First one is a little short but they get longer. 

Over the summer before her seventh year MC has really come into her own. Figured out how to do her hair, dress to accentuate her favorite features, and finally looks like a full grown woman, instead of child. It seems like everyone has noticed - everyone except her crush best friend Sebastian Sallow.

She tries to deal with her deepening feelings, loosing control of her ancient magic and feeling like she’s not ready to leave Hogwarts.

________________________________

I hadn’t gotten farther than throwing my trunk down next to my bed before I turned on my heel and ran out of the Ravenclaw dormitories.

I come around the corner, bolting for the stairs that will lead me out of the Astronomy tower when I smack head first into Everett, who reaches his arms out to grip my shoulders and steady me before I hit the floor from the force.

“Woah there now.” He laughs, giving me a once over while keeping his hands on my shoulders. “In a rush already? It’s barely the first day of the term.”

I tuck my hair behind my ear and back up a few steps as I answer him, his hands falling off my shoulders as I walk away, backwards toward my escape. “Yeah, Yep. Got plans.”

“What about later? We can catch up from summer over a butterbeer? Three broomsticks, yeah?”

“Uh yeah I’m sure I’ll see you there.” I laugh a little awkwardly, wincing as I turn around. I was willing to say anything to get out of the common room, but I wish I hadn’t left the door open for the butter beer. Truth be told I’ve never really liked Everett. Not after I saw him bully another student in my first year here. Giving him a mean nickname and refusing to let it drop. I’ve done some things I’m not proud of, but teasing people for something they can’t control is just cruel. I’d always had the feeling he didn’t particularly like me either- or really remember I existed.

“Well I was thinking we could make a specific time, and meet there.”

crap.

I take a few more steps back and plaster on a polite smile.

“I’ll talk to you later!” I wave as I break back into my run, stepping down the stairs I knew all too well, using the bannister to swing my body around the corners and keep my speed up. I burst through the door and only have to take a few steps before I come to a screeching halt. Because I see him. 

Him. 

Sebastian is leaning against the wall, always the picture of nonchalance. He’s not yet wearing his shapeless robes, a thin sweater clinging to the muscles that has gotten even more pronounced over the summer. For Merlin’s sake how did that happen? 

Ominis stands straight next to his slouched friend, I feel like he had a few more inches on him now too.

It was so good to see them together as friends again, hanging out without me orchestrating it. It had taken me all of year six, but finally they were on good terms, and I was quite looking forward to no longer playing referee.

He catches me staring- and when we lock eyes a brilliant smile spreads across Sebastian’s face, freckles crinkling around his eyes. I break back into my run, faster than ever and he pushes himself off the wall to catch me in a hug, spinning me around twice in the air before setting my feet back down on the stone floor. “Hi little bird.” he smiles and all I can do is smile back up at him. “Did you have a good trip in? Hogwarts Express gave you no trouble, right darling?” I nodded.

He of course didn’t have to ask how my summer was, there wasn’t a week where we didnt send owls back and forth. “Don’t hog her.” Ominis smiles, opening his arms for a hug.

I wrap my arms around him and bounce on my toes, trying my very best to contain my excitement. “I missed you both so much, life was terribly boring without you.”

“Your life? Terribly boring? I know you get up to trouble whenever you can, don’t lie.” Ominis laughed and I pat his cheek. “Are we going for food? Hogsmeade? What are we doing?” I ask.

“Well I vote we get obviously drunk at the three broomsticks, wanter around hogsmeade and come back to generally terrorize year ones, it’s our job since we’re year seven now.” Sebastian smirks, cracking his knuckles for his ever present dramatic effect.

I smack his chest, fighting the urge to not run my hand over the soft sweater. “Stop it’s their first year they’re probably already scared out of their wits. Besides, we have the feast in a few hours.”

“Ominis already made one cry.”

“Listen! He stepped in my way, we almost took a tumble down the stairs-”

Ominis recounts his story as we start walking down the hallway. Sebastian walks next to me, and his arm rests over my shoulders. “Ah- I missed you little bird.” He mumbles in my ear as Ominis tells his story.

“I missed you too.” I whisper and he kisses the top of my head.

[hp-hcs]

Not really a request but holy crap your nb blaise fic was absolutely amazing hell yeah ill integrate that into my belief system. Do you have any other hcs about that bc it's super cool

(more) nonbinary! blaise zabini headcanons — a (sort of) part two to my fic uniforms

there’s a lot, so i’ve divided them up into sections and subsections

also i’m tired and it’s late if there are any typos shhh no there aren’t

~ 𝔾𝕖𝕟𝕖𝕣𝕒𝕝 𝕙𝕖𝕒𝕕𝕔𝕒𝕟𝕠𝕟𝕤 ~

they’re better at makeup than you, hands down

isn’t blaise like canonically (aka, the actor) 6’3”? well anyways, they wear heels. they don’t need them, but they own six inch stilettos and won’t miss a step. absolutely strutting on the moving stairs while everyone watches like “how the fuck—”

(if you ask why they wear them, their answer will always be “so i can step on men, duh”)

~ ℝ𝕖𝕒𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕤 𝕥𝕠 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕞 𝕔𝕠𝕞𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕠𝕦𝕥 ~

• mrs. zabini •

their mom is hella supportive!!!

one of her definitely-not-murdered ex-husbands mysteriously went missing after making some joke at blaise’s expense

no, mr. auror, i haven’t a clue how my husband ended up at the bottom of the black lake with the word ‘transphobe’ magically carved into his forehead what that’s crazy

• slytherin squad™️ •

draco: shouts “i knew it!!!!” and runs off to go get his money from whoever he bet against

theo: could not give less of a fuck. i kinda hc theo as being fluid or at least apathetic to their own gender, so it’s all love & support over here!!

mattheo: needs it explained a couple times, but once he gets it, he never messes up their pronouns and will fight any bitch who does

pansy: absolute queen. she will d r a g them to diagon alley to go shopping with her and will buy them their first personal makeup palette. we stan.

enzo: already knew. knew like, two years ago. when they come out, he’s just like, “oh!! i’m so happy you finally figured it out!! i’ve been waiting for you to say something for ages!!!!”

• adults •

dumbledick: completely ignores their pronouns bc all slytherins are evil and he’s definitely not biased or anything

snape: is an asshole about it.

voldemort: would be like 🧍‍♂️“ok but ur still one of my death eaters right?”

narcissa: does that one fake polite smile and nod that every white mom is capable of. “how lovely, dear.”

bellatrix: man, bitch is crazy. who even knows

tonks: AGGRESSIVELY supportive

• golden trio (& co.) •

harry: gets into an argument with the slytherins and calls blaise “he”. draco’s ready to beat his ass, but blaise just calmly explains their gender identity and harry apologizes, then goes back to arguing with them, ✨respectfully✨.

ron: (what no i’m definitely not a blairon shipper shut up) immediately switches to strictly gender-neutral language and goes out of his way to ask them what terms/compliments/etc they’re comfortable being called.

hermione: hot take! i hc her as a closeted lesbian with internalized homophobia, and i think she’d try to make an argument about “bUt ThEy iS pLuRaL”.

neville: cutie pie!! he just nods and is like “okay! 🥹🌱”

ginny: doesn’t give a fuck. blaise is on the slytherin quidditch team, and damn if you think she isn’t going to do everything in her power to continue trying to beat them

luna: sagely nods like it was obvious. “oh, the nargles already told me.”

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

comments are always appreciated!! the author thrives off encouragement, like a toddler being given a gold star sticker!!!

[thelampisaflashlight]

Finally made that "angel" oc.

Notes below the cut.

-Her name is Alma and she works as a caretaker for a haunted church, and resides on the property.

-Alma grew up attending a megachurch with her parents, who fell hard into the idea that they could buy their way into heaven, to the extent that they drained Alma's entire college fund making donations to the church.

As a result, Alma has a generally negative view of religion as a whole, which leads to the question... how is she an angel if she's agnostic at best?

Simple answer; She's not.

As a teenager, she developed a "miraculous gift", which enabled her to commune with the dead, one which her parents took full advantage of in order to gain a higher social status in their church, and people started calling her an angel, and, well, the title stuck until she graduated high school and got the hell out of her small town and far the fuck away from the people she grew up around.

-Alma's casual wear tends to be like the outfit she's pictured in above, with her dressing more practically for work and business related things, but she generally prefers things that are fairly cutesy and/or sexy, usually in pink.

-She can run in heels on grass, and has, on more than one occasion, chased down people ghost hunting in the attached graveyard without permission before, and there's something uniquely terrifying about a woman in six inch heels sprinting after you because you're making too much noise after hours.

-Alma got her current job because she most of the people who had the position before her got scared away, and the folks who hired her half expected her to quit the same day, but she's stuck it out for... Mn, ten years now?

Yeah, turns out ghosts are less freaky when you realize 1.) They can't hurt you, and 2.) You saw them trying to be all mysterious and scary knocking shit over and were able to physically grab them and yell at them for fucking up your hard work.

And lastly;

-The church she works for is actually owned by the ministry, so occasionally clergy members show up and they never seem prepared for the cute receptionist lady with pink glitter eyeshadow to suddenly grab a shovel and go, "Right, cool, you fill out your paperwork and shit, I have to go dig a hole because somebody won't pay for a fucking backhoe."

...She is to be feared.

[wandaluvstacos]

Chapter 33 of Good Investment is now up on my Patreon!

Good Investment is available at the $5/month tier. People who pledge $5 a month have access to not only Good Investment but The Sponsors series (ongoing), Pretty Things (complete), May the Blood Run Pure (complete), and Kept Man (complete), along with the $1/month tier books, the Reflections trilogy (ongoing) and The Halfwife (ongoing).

Adri Schvaneveldt has always felt split between two worlds. In one world, they are the adopted child of a large and conservative Mormon family. In another, she is the CEO of a burgeoning fashion empire that pushes boundaries. But in order to be the latter, Adri first has to find the funding. After gaining a hefty following as a social media influencer/model, Adri has the potential customers– if they can get a reliable production model pounded out. And that means a bit of groveling at the feet of investors, most of who have never even heard the term “non-binary”.

But Adri lucks out with Gideon Snow, whose youth and open mind bring much needed funds to make Adri’s dream of diverse, accessible fashion a reality. Of course, lifting a newborn company to its feet is no small task, and late nights drive Adri to occasional stays at Gideon’s nearby house, where their relationship begins stretching beyond business. Adri knows they can’t put an entire business venture at risk for the turbulent whims of their heart. But reason doesn’t always win out.

Excerpt:

Adri’s impractical six-inch heels didn’t do well on cobblestone, so at some point she took them off and carried them in a hand as she finished the rest of their journey to the room barefoot. Right before she pushed the door open, Gideon swung out an arm to stop her.

“What?” she asked, eyebrow raised.

“Because this is supposed to be a romantic vacation, I have to try something.”

“Like—oh!” Adri let out a surprised laugh as Gideon attempted to bend down and pick her up. But she was much heavier than she looked, and carrying her like a new bride into their hotel room proved much harder on his back and his ego than he’d predicted. Still, he did manage, and she seemed very amused and delighted by his attempt, which made it worth it.

“Easy peasy,” Gideon huffed, hoping he hadn’t pulled anything in his back. He was too old to be doing this shit.

“Consider me properly wooed,” Adri said, rubbing a hand over his arm. “You’re so cute.”

“Yeah, well.” He straightened with a wince. “That’s my job. You’re the smart successful business person, I’m the hot one. That’s the dynamic.”

Adri smoothed a hand over the collar of his shirt, smiling. “This smart successful business person is going to take a couple minutes to change into something more comfortable.”

“May I suggest five-inch heels?”

Adri knocked her shoes against his chest before stalking away. “If you don’t like me wearing the shoes, then maybe try not to stare at me so much when I wear them.” She looked at him over her shoulder with a smirk before vanishing into a bathroom.

“A couple minutes” turned into more like forty-five minutes, and Gideon was starting to wonder if Adri had drowned in a bathtub or something. He decided to go to the door and knock.

“You okay in there or do I need to call for an ambulance?” Gideon asked.

“One sec,” came Adri’s response.

“You said ‘a couple of minutes’ forty-five minutes ago so I’m starting to distrust your understanding of time. Was it something you ate?”

“Ew, Gideon, no, I’m just—two seconds, okay?”

“Oookay,” Gideon replied, then wandered back to the bed to twiddle his thumbs for a bit. It wasn’t two seconds, but it was a reasonable minute or so before the bathroom door opened and out walked Adri in the same heels she’d abandoned on the walk back to the hotel room, but the relatively conservative maroon dress was gone. In its place were thigh-high nylon stockings with garter straps and a garter belt, black underwear, and some kind of long and flowy black lace robe that was tightly affixed to her torso from the waist to her sternum but otherwise flowed out and away from her legs and arms. With a wily grin, she struck a pose with her back and one foot resting against the bathroom threshold, cocking a shoulder as she grabbed the bottom of her long robe and held it high like a tango dancer before tossing it away dramatically.

“Well? How does this smart successful business person look now?” Adri asked.

[screenmaven]

Film Share Sunday - with Banannasui

*update as of 10/27/23 I am no longer doing film shares do to a hectic time in my life, I do however appreciate anyone who has taken the time to join me in that spotlight. I may return to in the future, but for now I do not have time.*

I usually spotlight creators Top 5 Favorite Films each Sunday, via my SCREENMAVEN Instagram (now just starrymayx) but this week I welcome an extension of that to the blog. I love fashion probably as much as I love film, so it’s a two for one special when a film produces both.

I had the pleasure of connecting with one of my favorite fashion content creators Banannasui, and wanted to share her insight into why she highly acclaims these as her top 5 fashion films.

Charlie’s Angels (2000)

The 2000 Charlie’s Angels is fast-paced, flirty, lurid in both color and dialogue, and I feel like the outfits completely reflect that. The opening scene alone give us Cameron Diaz wearing the ultimate accessory that bridged the late 90s and early 00s: gradient sunglasses adorned with rhinestones (hers specifically were from Chloé). I remember reading that the costume designer had stacked up 3,000+ outfits for the movie, with each of the three girls having a wardrobe cultivated specifically for their character; Cameron is the all-American girl, Lucy is sophisticated and mature (her cooking muffins in a leather corset is amazing), and Drew is the scrappy rebel-type. Overall the movie is such a fun, campy feast for the eyes, but I think my absolute favorite outfits are the trio of glossy red white & blue jumpsuits they don on the racetrack.

The Bling Ring (2013)

God, it’s such a period piece of its time. A millennial’s period piece. The outfits aren’t ones I’d necessarily consider fashionable now, but (the year it came out) it was the pinnacle of it! The skinny jeans with pumps, the Uggs, the clunky jewelry, the scene of them walking out with their iced coffees wearing capes and vests and scarves and pencil skirts. All staples of that weird time period where office-chic infiltrated Polyvore boards. I love movies where the outfits are such a direct reflection of the person wearing them, it elevates the wearer to the point where you stop seeing them as the actor and start seeing them as the character. Especially when the one dressing them does their homework! Case in point, costume designer Stacey Battat said she bought every back issue of US Weekly from 2003 in preparation for dressing the cast, and then incorporated elements of the early 2010s as well, in order to make the time period of the movie feel more ambiguous. Although not included in the film, thinking of the outfits reminds me of a line from the famous Alexis Neiers phone call to Nancy Jo Sales: “..you saying that I wore six inch Louboutins heels to court with my tweed skirt, when I wore four inch little brown Bebe shoes.” It’s just so of its time.

Faster Pussycat! Kill Kill! (1965)

I love, love, love the outfits for Faster, Pussycat! It’s campy, visceral, with an appropriate amount of violence— you can see echoes of it in John Waters and Quentin Tarantino films (both of whom have cited the movie as inspiration). The outfits within the movie are very 60s, composed of simple shirts and jeans, yet are menacing, sexy, and striking. There’s no shortage of tight pieces and plunging necklines, yet the provocativeness doesn’t feel exploitative or demeaning. I like the idea of sex as armor in this movie, a notion expanded upon by Robert Ebert in a 1995 review. Despite the much exposed skin and cleavage, Ebert notes that the director, Russ Meyers, “from the beginning of his career and almost without exception, has filmed only situations in which women wreak their will upon men.” The trio of intimidating women in this film constantly leave behind a streak of havoc, literally snapping men’s spines and running them over with cars. They do all this whilst donning tiny tops, push up bras, hot pants, and bikinis, taking full control of their situations. It subverts the girly 60s look, both in attitude and appearance. Personally, I especially love Billie’s (Lori Williams) looks in the movie, in particular her iconic white hot-pants and polka-dotted crop top getup.

Female Trouble (1974)

I love 70s fashion, a lot. I also enjoy the garish vibrancy of camp, where the attitude of the story bleeds into the wardrobe. Female Trouble deploys all of that, served on a sickening platter of glitz and glamor. The John Waters film stars legendary drag queen Divine, and is chocked full of fashion references to the 50s and 60s, splicing decades of style together in a way that matches the pacing and overall attitude of the movie. There’s beehive hairdos and pastels, as well as brightly colored dresses, slick animal prints, heavy eye makeup, sequins, and fur coats. It’s very gaudy, very glamorous, and very much full of fashion inspiration. I actually originally found out about this movie due to fashion collections that took cues from the film, namely Miu Miu spring ‘15 and Adam Selman fall ‘15.

I love how despite the frivolity and outrageous storytelling that the outfits weave, they’re also very stylish in a wearable way. I mean, the orange transparent mini dress with a fur coat and sky-high hair? I’d wear it.

Blow Up (1966)

It’s a cult fashion movie, and for good reason. The movie takes place in the midst of the swinging sixties, and the clothing is accordingly immersed in the world of mod: flats with tights, kitten heels, a-line mini dresses, sharp lines and sleek ensembles that evokes imagery of both Twiggy in Vogue, and Edie Sedgwick in her iconic black tights and chandelier earrings (though of course, Edie had shrugged away the label of mod). It’s very much representative of its time, notably featuring a young Jane Birkin, as well as legendary model Veruschka playing herself. Some of the frames in the movie might as well have been pictures of collections from the iconic designers of that era, including Mary Quant, André Courrèges, and Pierre Cardin. It’s fun, simple glamor, encapsulating the time in which it was created.

I’ve always loved the style of this era of the sixties, and how it’s portrayed in Blow Up; simple mini dresses that accentuate attention-stealing pieces such as fur coats and red tights (which are timeless, even now). Nothing beats a barely there a-line dress to me, and they are bountiful in this movie.

I myself (screenmaven) absolutely love Blow Up!! That one is definitely on my film style list.

Thanks again, for sharing with me and my followers your insight into style through film.

Follow @ starrymayx on IG & banannasui for more great content.

[nehswritesstuffs]

okay so for the "500 words or less" excerpt DVD commentary i'm going to choose the opening of this fic because i can't help myself it is honestly one of my favorite parts and i gotta know what the thought process was

Having never really considered himself weak in the ankles, Law was beginning to rethink his lifelong self-assessment as he slipped his feet into the absolutely terrifying shoes that had been shoved in his direction. With Nami on one side of him and Perona on the other, Law shakily attempted to stand, not enjoying the extra wobble he gained by simply standing still. “What the fuck is wrong with you people,” he grumbled lowly. His girlfriend, however, scowled. “You live in heels—I don’t want to hear it.” “I wear boots, Nami-ya, not whatever torture devices these are.” He looked out over the rows of shoe racks and saw that the difference in height was… concerning. “Fucking hell—these have three extra inches than normal.” “Well, yeah,” Perona scoffed. “You need to look your best, and they’re already doing wonders for your ass.” She hummed. “Well, what little you’ve got, anyhow.” “Why are we even here?” Law groused. “Can’t I just order some online?” “We are not,” Nami said, “because I am not going to have to deal with ordering shoes for your massive man-feet and then them not fitting properly. Turnaround is way too quick for us to need to worry about shipping.” “I feel like a fool,” he grimaced as he continued to curse the integrity of his legs. “We did not drive to the only shoe store in Greater Logue Town that carries wides in-stock for you to chicken out,” Perona scolded. “I’m not chickening out,” he insisted sourly. “I just have way too much coordination to know first-hand why Cora-san practices walking in these things.” “Well, you’re about to get a lot more familiar with them if we’re going to get you anywhere,” Nami said firmly. “Now go ahead and try to walk to that rack there.” Two steps and Law went sideways into a shelving unit full of narrow-widths. Nami and Perona stared at one another—they had a lot more work ahead of them than they had feared.

Ahahahaha, yes! Although I love all this fic, I do particularly feel this part. A bunch of me projecting on Law under the cut.

Have an excerpt you want me to break down? Go ahead and let me know!

Nehs? Projecting on Law? Never! *fake shocked gasp* Okay, so let me break it down:

I need wide width shoes as well, and holy shit are these hard to find since Payless started going nuts after filing for bankruptcy. Twice. This is a modern AU set in a pseudo-Midwestern America, so my loss of the only place that consistently stocked wides is also his loss of the only place that consistently stocked wides. and don't tell me that [place] does bc i've tried I am waiting for when that void is filled with bated breath bc I hate shopping for shoes online.

I am also on taller than average. (I am not Law's height, but he is on the taller end for normal people.)

I also like wearing boots with chonky heels/soles.

I also like wearing heels/wedges despite it making me "so tall" so what if I scrape six feet that way.

I also have enough coordination to walk in heels/wedges.

I can fucking run in heels/wedges.

I can honestly say that aside from a couple choice moments (as we all have) I am fairly well-coordinated overall.

I recently tried on a pair of heels in-store (returns from an online purchase, I'm sure) and as I stood I almost toppled over like holy shit.

I did roll my ankle once while running in wedges and I went down hard that was fun.

Narrow-widths are apparently a thing.

...and what sort of outfit as spectacular as Dr. Hart-Steeler's is complete without the right shoes? Can't have her show up in Crocs because although that's thematically correct I don't think those are going to fly in a drag queen revue.

[janicekao]

Employee Of The Month

Pairing:Josh Hutcherson x Black oc Summary: Josh runs into his curvy ex girlfriend who he misses dearly. He is willing to do just about anything to get her back. Inspo for this story came from this tiktok edit

Warnings:sub bf, dom gf,tall girls rock, plus size oc, chubby, public s3x, pra1se k1nk, d3gradation k1nk,cr3am p1e, fan fic, br33ding k1nk, h3ad, etc. 3801 words Wattpad link:

Enjoy my babies <3 -------------------------------

Out on the town this evening after having her belly filled with ice cream as she enjoyed a date night with herself tonight, Camryn decides to spoil herself with new lingerie as she passes by her favorite store.

Rose's Silk, a boutique in Camryn's city that carries intimates for the full figured woman. And being that Camryn is six-feet tall and two hundred-fifty pounds of pure goddess, she makes it her mission to never pass by it without getting at least a little something.

Stepping onto the sidewalk in her six-inch pleaser heels, heads turn as they pass the now near seven-foot tall woman who's even taller due to her massive afro of tight coils. She wears a crop top and tight jeans that compliments her every curve, standing confident and radiant... casually being a living example of every man's fantasy.

The words 'stallion' or 'amazon' could never touch the magic that she is... Camryn oozes charm and overwhelming femininity, the queen mother herself!

The bells on the door of the boutique chime as she enters in, before she can even begin to shop, per usual, an annoying employee is already in her face.

But being that Camryn is stacked the way that she is, the employee isn't near her face at all... More like eye level directly to her chest.

"My god..." The store associate gulps. "Triple D?"

Camryn grins smugly in sarcasm. "H-cup actually, nice try."

As the employee looks up to finally meet the eyes of the customer, his heart stops and Camryn rolls her eyes in annoyance. Out of all the people she could've ran into tonight, she runs into her ex boyfriend... Josh Hutcherson.

"God Josh, who let you work here??" Crossing her arms she immediately sighs.

"Camryn..." He stills in disbelief. How could he not recognize her? He thinks about her constantly and the familiar smell of her perfume has already filled his nostrils... and his heart.

"Oh uhm—" he snaps out of his trance. "Well, the benefits and pay are incredible here, come on give me a break."

Rolling her eyes, Camryn steps left to pass by him. Josh quickly takes the same step, accidentally bumping his chin against the bustiness in her shirt.

His face finally bounces off her breasts as he denies her of stepping away from him. "Hey Camryn? I was just wondering baby, did you change your number or something?"

Cute and nervous he scratches at the back of his head, he continues to embarrass himself. "It—It's just I've texted you a few times... Even called, but I don't know, maybe it never went through on my end!"

"Yeah." She sighs. "Probably."

...

His heart breaks. "Right..."

Josh clears his throat, quickly ducking his hands back into the pockets of his khakis. "Well can I help you with anything? What are you shopping for?"

"Matching bras and panties."

His mind boggles at the thought, beginning to behave more like a past lover instead of a store associate. "Sure! I can even assist you in the fitting room."

Camryn rolls her eyes.

He chuckles. "What? It's not like I haven't seen them before."

He begins to reminisce, quietly speaking out loud with an unfocused gaze as he dives into deep thought. "Christ, I once sucked them so raw and bruised, you couldn't even go to work the next day. Had hickies all up your neck."

Camryn cringes, she scoffs even. "Would you stop reminiscing!"

"But I do reminisce!" He admits with a needy strain in the tone of his voice.

...and he is telling the truth, fantasizing about the kinky sex life he and his ex girlfriend once shared is one of his favorite pastimes. Getting himself off to the thought of his tongue work on her breasts at least twice a day. God, she was soo good for him.

Josh misses Camryn so much... Her laugh, her smile, her energy, and that goddamned warm honeybun pussy.

"So then stop!" Camryn snaps him out of thought.

"Fine! You're right." He refocuses. "But I am at work Cam, come on, I can help you shop!"

She refuses. Beginning to step towards the register, Josh can't even be mad as he watches the swaying of her hips and clacking of her stripper-heels as she walks away from him.

"Excuse me miss, are you the manager?" She asks Rose, the store's owner and Josh's boss.

Christ, she's going to end up getting him fired! Now stressing, Josh intervenes lightly.

His boss watches in curiosity. "Yes I am, is everything alright?"

Camryn chuckles sarcastically. "I'd like to understand why at your lingerie shop you have hired an associate that is a man?"

The woman pays no mind to Camryn's complaints. "It's 2025, we don't discriminate against gender. Plus, Josh here is employee of the month! He's made over five-hundred sales this month alone."

Camryn huffs. "Of course."

Josh smiles proudly, beginning to point at his photo on the pinboard, celebrating his victory as employee of the month.

She gives in. "Fine, you can help me."

———

As the two shop together, Camryn is surprised and lightly impressed with how well Josh can handle this job.

When he wants to be professional, he can clearly focus in on providing the customer with exactly what they need... Maybe making him employee of the month was the right thing to do. Camryn asks for matching sets, preferably something black and lacy, and lastly a lingerie set that is steamy enough for an actual date night now that she's back out on the scene. "Leopard print." He encourages. "It's sexy, the subtle peaks of brown will highlight your mahogany skin, a delicious pair."

Together they step into a dressing room where Josh assists her into each garment. Although enamored by the sight of her nude body, he wouldn't want to act out and scare her away being that he's missed her presence so badly.

Josh continues to stay professional, adjusting the straps of Camryn's lingerie and making sure each piece fits her like a glove as she checks all angles in the full length mirror. "Camryn, you really do look wonderful."

She blushes. "Thanks Josh, and I guess having your help today hasn't been but so bad..."

She jokes lightly, however, she soon realizes the sudden pain on Josh's expression. He backs away to the corner of the tiny fitting room leaving her to the try on haul as he admires Cam in the Leopard print bra and panties that he picked out for her.

"Josh?" She questions.

"Sorry, I'm listening it's just—" He sighs. "It's hard to watch you buy lingerie, knowing it's for another man and all... I guess you're dating again, right?

She sighs. "Yeah, I am actually..."

"Right..." He nods, slowly tensing up. "Anyone I know?"

"Josh." She immediately sees where this is heading.

"No you're probably right." Squeezing his eyes tightly to release his stress, he shakes the thought away. "I wouldn't want to know anyways, I'd probably lose my shit."

"Well what about yourself?" From conversing at the sight of him through small glances in the mirror, Camryn decides to turn around and speak face to face. "You're dating too aren't you?"

He takes a fragile breath in, trying his best to advert his eyes to anywhere but Camryn's full bust hardly covered in two tiny triangle pieces of leopard lace fabric. "Wh-What?"

"Me? No, no I'm okay." Becoming anxious, Josh can't help but to stare up at his tall crush, nearly trembling in heavy breaths.

"God, Josh." She begins to worry for him. Was the breakup really that bad?

He hates to be pitied. "I said I'm fine Cam."

...

Agreeing to leave it alone, she nods. "Okay."

...

Beginning to strip out of the lingerie, Josh quickly stops her with a gentle grasp to her wrist.

Not able to let it go, He continues to speak his truth. "It's just... I never stopped loving you. A-And I know I was a shit boyfriend, always on the fucking game and streaming online but I swear to god I never felt more whole than when cradled in your arms at night."

Her eyes widen as he begins to plead.

"Please baby. I'm begging you, give me a second chance." His wide and thick hands grab onto Camryn's waist. He begins to redden down his neck, voice cracking as if he could cry. Wanting the cookie badly, he hardly can focus and yanks the store's keychain from around his neck.

Camryn takes notice to the many feet passing by them in the dressing room's gap beneath the door.

"What are you doing?" She frets, worried of all the surrounding customers that could possibly hear them. Camryn begins to tightly whisper. "Shut your mouth! You're so loud!"

He watches up at her with wide hazel eyes, just wanting to be heard, just wanting to be loved. "I knew this wasn't a good idea, Josh I think I'm done needing your help."

Her curves fit the angles of his body like perfect puzzle pieces. He was made to be her other half, her good boy.

He drops to his knees, folding his hands together as if he were to pray, he begins a pathetic trembled beg. "I promise I'll be— I'll be such a good boy. Okay? I'll be quiet. You won't even have to use the muzzle!"

Squeezing her eyes shut, Camryn bites down roughly on the inside of her cheek. God, his begging is so tasty.

His pleading worsens as Josh caresses her ankles, tracing her red butterfly tattoo above the heel of her foot and sweetly praising her mile long legs in six-inch heels. She gasps, eyes opening widely as he begins to kiss her knees and up her thighs, turning her around slightly just to take a bite out of her ass as if she were a ripe apple.

Letting his lips kiss at her skin, Camryn hesitates her hand reaching down to pet his short brunette curls... She knows that if they are to begin this again, her puppy would be right back on her leash. An unthinkably stupid idea knowing that he already fucked it up once before. Her long manicured nails seep into his scalp and Josh immediately purrs like a kitten, enjoying her touch as if he had been deprived and trying his hardest not to refer to her as 'mommy'.

"Baby? Can I just— Can I taste you? I need you on my tongue so bad, please." He sounds so whiny... it irks Camryn's soul but also sets her ablaze.

"Look at you! You're at work!" Annoyed, she groans. "Josh you sound pathetic!—"

He cuts off her cruel rambling. "I am, I am so pathetic." Nodding feverishly, Josh submits. Sheepish trembles as he stares up at his queen, he can hardly see her from his knees as he watches up at her fat cat, plumped belly, and bouldering breasts. He cherishes the sight, burning it permanently into his mental.

His compliance is so delicious. He never once stopped being wrapped around Camryn's finger and now she sees it. The pining continues with his glossed puppy dog eyes, Josh's fingers latch onto the sides of the leopard print panties resting on Camryn's hips as he waits patiently for her okay.

Unsure of it all, Camryn somehow still gives a slight head nod.

Within a thoughtless second, he peels them down and buries his entire face between her thick thighs.

She gasps. Being sucked off the bone, Camryn stares in the mirror and watches the short- yet sturdy man hungrily devour her as his face has disappeared into her heat. Knees standing firm against the ground, Josh's fingertips dent into her soft thighs as he forces her to ride his face.

His focus is on her clit, lolling at it as Camryn's knees steadily become weak. As his tongue plunges into her tight hole, Josh's nose continues the sweet toying to her needy bud and Camryn bites her lip until the faint taste of blood is present in her mouth.

He moans sloppily into this cunt. Hungry for it and slowly bringing Camryn to her relief. He remembers how much she loved a good eater, how much she loved an obedient boy who fiends for this pussy.

"You're not breathing." A breathy moan escapes her perfect pout as she continues to comb through Josh's hair, bringing his face deeper through her folds.

He groans breathlessly muffled through her wet flesh."Don't want to."

His tongue fuck is so messy and unfocused as if he were a teen and it were his very first time. But the hectic harass is more than perfect, watching him come undone from the pleasures of her taste alone. Josh's drooling and Camryn's juices begin to drip down his chin. He only stops briefly to assure that she's enjoying it, growing more feverish as he notices the cute wrinkle of delight between Camryn's eyebrows.

His only wish is to serve her. She begins to feel too sensitive. "S—slow, ah, slow down!"

Josh suckles slowly on her clit, pruning his fingers as he pumps two of his longest inside her and waits for her approval. Her hips buck and fingers tighten in his messy hair, "yes good boy." Josh's favorite pet name causes him to lose a bead of cum through his work khakis. Slowly rubbing the groin of his pants, he aches desperately for some type of friction on his swelling erection. Camryn notices his need and pulls him up from his stance before her knees give out from such Heaven-sent head.

In charge, Camryn has them sit together on the dressing room's bench. He waits earnestly to be told what to do. She unzips his khakis and licks her palm before reaching for his erection. His cock is already sticky with cum and pulsing for something more. As Camryn watches down at the handsome flesh colored cock filling the insides of her cuffed palm and fingers, Josh enjoys watching only her. Her facial features are soft and seductive. He enjoys witnessing her honey-colored skin blush a deep red as she licks her glossed full lips.

Squirming in his seat unable to keep still, his mouth hangs ajar panting pleasurably from her touch. Being slowly jerked by Camryn is delightful, but god would her mouth feel even better.

Pussy drunk as wetness continues to drip from his chin... He timidly goes for a request. "Baby? Can you..." He meekly begins. "Could you please, please suck me?"

She frowns, thoughts of Josh failing at being an attentive partner in their past absolutely enrages her. Pent up aggression spills off of her tongue. "No, you don't deserve that."

He nods obediently. "No, no. You're right I don't do I?"

"No..." Camryn coos. "I'm glad you agree." He leans closer to her, lips smacking as he laces her with quick sweetened kisses up the shoulder and arm that continues to tug his cock.

"Will you give me what I deserve?" Excited with the idea of Camryn taking her anger out on him, maybe he'll be choked, stepped on, or preferably pegged. Josh's breath heats her skin.

"Later."

A twinkle is bestowed in his eyes. Later? As in, possibly she is his again? As in, Camryn plans to come back home with him?

He nods with haste. "Right, later."

With a gaze glued to her, he cherishes her every inch. "God you're so gorgeous, what can I give you?"

A question all men should constantly ask the woman who makes their world go round.

Now careless of the busy store or their noise level, Camryn has ideas. Although now attempting dating again, she has been practicing celibacy. No one she ever met could take her where Josh gets her. His invasive digits earlier was a nice tease— being filled is the best feeling even if only slightly, but now having him absolutely stuff her is the only way to satisfy this burning pit in her gut.

"Need you— need you to fuck me." Camryn slowly blinks her long lashes, she tries her best to remain calm, so on edge she could climax off the heightened adrenaline alone.

Josh lowers his boxers and slacks to his ankles. His cock pointing upwards on his abdomen immediately ready to serve. "Can I please?"

Standing over him, Camryn slowly lowers herself onto his lap. She straddles him with slow grinds. His dick brushes against her cunt, becoming warm and slick as it begins to pique through her folds for lubricant. His fingers scramble for the back of the leopard print bra and finally unlatches it. Her tits fall out of the fabric with a recoiling bounce, landing in perfect low tear dropped shapes in front of his face. With eyes glazed over at the sight of her puffy brown nipples, he becomes far too excited. "Don't cum until I tell you too." Camryn assures that he's willing to work for it.

He's pitiful. His desperate cock had never been so hard in his life. "Yes, yes ma'am."

Gently raising to ease his cock inside her, Camryn realizes she isn't as hardcore as she thought. Her eyebrows furrow as the girth of his erection takes her by surprise... she hasn't been stretched in so long. "Mm-ah, fuck!"

The tightness of Cam's pussy causes his words to get caught in his throat, as his eyes roll to the back of his skull Josh can't make a sound but inaudible whimpers. Slowly she begins to bounce, rolling her hips deeply against him knowing that they both are on the edge of bursting. Her heavy body makes his thighs burn, but with the tight grip on the back of her ass Josh assures that each time Camryn bounces, it is with her all. He wouldn't have it any other way.

Her breasts try to suffocate him, each tit bigger than his head yet he continues to catch them in his mouth and lace them with swollen love bites. God, he has dreamed of this for months now, finally realizing how good he had it as Camryn's boyfriend.

"I bet you want to cum?" She questions with a slight tease. "Do you?" Josh raises his hips gently, fucking upward into her core as the lewd slapping bounces off the walls of the tiny room. He feels Camryn spasm around him, moaning in his ear from this slight trick.

"I want to." He admits. "Ah-sss." He hisses. "So— so fuckin tight, I can't—"

"God yes, please Cam." His outburst causes him to look directly in her eyes for this beg. But she won't allow. "Not yet."

He looks away, it pains him. Trying his hardest to behave however their shared perspiration makes it seem impossible. With a heart beating so strongly out of his chest, Josh can't tell if he is to have a heart attack or cum a load large enough to paint this entire room white.

The pulsing of his cock intensifies, he wants to cum so bad but wants to satisfy her even more. Hardly able to keep his eyes open, he whispers gibberish against her lips as Camryn kisses him softly. She grins at the taste of her own cunt on his tongue and Josh relishes in this out of body experience. "Ahh, Camryn I can't hold out much longer. I'm going to scream in this fucking store. Please let me cum."

"Then scream! You're not cumming until I say so." She makes him absolutely miserable with pleasure.

He nods. "G-uhh, God!"

The lewd slapping noises of a wet passionate fuck creates whispers outside of their door. Camryn can feel his weighty balls slap against her cunt and it makes her dizzy. His innocent obedience and watching her ex lost in pleasure is the sexiest thing she's ever laid eyes on, she loves him and never stopped loving him. A high pitch squeal releases from the back of her throat as Camryn quickly nestles her face in the crook of Josh's neck, tightening her core as she orgasms and bites gently into his flesh.

The climax takes a lot out of her, she's ready for him to fall undone with her. "Do you love me?" Her voice softens.

"With my entire being." His rhythm begins to waver, pussy far too tight and good for him to converse correctly.

He pulses mindlessly.

She continues. "Do you worship me?"

"You're my religion." Josh expels hardly letting Cam even finish the question.

"Do you want to fill me?" She teases deviously.

"Cam!" He frets— muscles tightened he tries to announce what's happening, however she knows and decides to clamp down.

A hydrant burst of cum causes her a second orgasm, no time to even be mad that he couldn't follow her commands. Her pussy milks him for all that he has, fluttering around him as ropes of nut drip out from being far too filled. Josh's guttural groan is so fucking loud that traveling feet stop at their door. If their secret public hookup wasn't out, it sure is now. He trembles, blushing red towards the tips of his ears. They share a blinding pleasure and Camryn nods sweetly, reassuring him that yes, he is still alive.

Josh looks down, watching her plush hanging belly now full and pumped with his nut and lightly hopes that she's off of the pill... Mind boggling with thoughts of impregnating this woman to lock her down and keep her only for himself, taking more of his loads daily and gorgeously growing his seed. She grinds, sliding through the mess between her legs enjoying the feeling of her walls being coated in hot cum, her favorite feeling. Now sensitive and drained, Josh gasps at the sensation... watching his sweetheart glow and bask in the lifted energy around them.

As they tongue kiss, Camryn begins to giggle. "You know you're going to be so fired, right?"

He can't be mad, knowing it was all well worth it. "It's fine, I work for you now."

At least he's hardworking and obedient.

[coffee-n-bagels-comic-universe]

Road Krew: The Band's First Descriptions (C. May 1969) - Unknown Magazine

These are descriptions from one the band's first interviews as a group, there is no full date available, only the month is seen in the archives, May of 1969, which may mean that this was as early as May 10th when Trident Studios put out the band's first record, or possibly as late as May 25th from a BBC interview that lacks footage because of the poor record keeping of the BBC.

WARNING: Very long post, under the cut due to length

Major:

First enters the tallest, standing at an astonishing six-foot-six, this is the oldest of the band, 'Major'. At only twenty-five his face says he's older, harsh brows resting over tired dark brown eyes, chiselled cheekbones leading down to a square jaw and thin lips that he runs his tongue over to wet as he sits across from me.

He keeps himself professional, his hair, almost the same dark brown as his eyes, is slicked back, upon asking he claims it's just water that he uses. Notably, his three-piece suit is missing a shirt, just a pale, mint green vest with an emerald green blazer and slacks, a matching mint handkerchief in the breast pocket. His trousers almost hide his shoes, black dress shoes, or at least dark enough a shade to look black, they shine slightly green as he crosses a leg over his lap.

Around his neck sits a yellowed shark-tooth necklace, I ask about it and he claims it was a gift from his maternal grandfather, who happens to be a retired lifeguard in Australia, Bondi beach specifically. On his left wrist is a watch, gold plated, another gift from another family member, paternal grandfather, who happens to be a judge in Scotland.

I mention his nails, painted a light blue, and he grins, pearly white teeth and canines that look like fangs are shown for a brief moment, he tells me that he lets his niece pick the colour, unless he's performing that day, then he has to paint them green to match the rest of his gear.

Gore:

Next enters 'Gore', not quite as tall as Major, only five-ten, but most definitely built more muscular than the keyboardist. He's twenty-one and you can tell he likes being so young, shaggy, dirty-blonde hair covers his eyes for a moment, he's messy, but as is his brand, at least he isn't covered in 'blood' or whatever the red paint is he wears on stage.

The room isn't warm but he still removes his brown leather jacket, draping it across his jean-clad lap when he sits down and I finally get a better look at him. In all honesty, he looks quite plain, a cream or off-white shirt, light brown belt, and light blue jeans with these solid black boots, he looks almost too normal to be a 'rock star' as Trident wants him to be.

Crystal:

After the lacklustre appearance of a quite normal 'Gore' in comes 'Crystal', the first woman of the eight person band, even from the doorway she's an improvement on Gore. twenty-four and five-two with a heart tattooed on her neck, I have no idea where her hair would fall to if it weren't so well styled, deep black like ink and her pencil-thin brows are perfectly placed to make her eyes look bigger.

Her eyes themselves tell a story, big blue eyes with shiny white eyeshadow, her lips are a similar shade but slightly more pink, a thin top lip and a thicker bottom lip, like some sort of real-life Betty Boop. Her earrings match her nails, porcelain and sharp, thin crystal shards hang down from silver studs, and her nails are manicured to look more like claws, one questions oneself about if this impedes on her playing her instruments.

On one shoulder, her right, sits a coffin tattoo, and above her right elbow sits another tattoo, some sort of band, it's not exactly clear to see through the translucent sleeves of her jumpsuit, also a shiny shade of white, thick silver bracelets sit on her wrists, two on each wrist. Her heels are small, barely even half-an-inch, but they do allow me to see the shiny cream colour tights she's wearing.

Spirit:

The first of two red-heads enters next, Miss 'Spirit' is certainly a free-spirited individual, liking her blues and greys, dark blue lipstick on full lips and steel-grey eyeshadow visible under her stern brow-line, a sliver ring in her nose and drawing attention away from her green eyes, long hair sits over her shoulders and down to the middle of her chest.

She's young, but not the youngest, twenty years old and the same height as 'Gore'. One hand has the word 'Life' tattooed on it, leading me to see the bright blue nail polish on her well-trimmed nails, a massive tattoo of an hourglass sits over her right arm above the hand tattoo, with a knife over that, just below the torn sleeves of her dark grey shirt, she looks like she's just walked through a bramble patch, dark grey jeans and shirt torn all over and accompanied by bright blue tights visible through rips on her legs.

Around her neck sits a thick chain necklace, wrapped around her neck twice, it looks tight but she doesn't seem concerned by it. Through a rip I can see that her navel is pierced, I won't describe the jewellery here for fear of our readers who are already scared of her stopping before I relay the details of the other half of the band.

Red:

A pleasant surprise greets us next, 'Red', heftier and less muscular than 'Gore' and 'Major', his long ginger hair hangs just over his shoulder, held back with a thick crimson band, at twenty-three and five-eight, he's one of the more heavily-tattooed members of the band, with a voice deep and smooth when he introduces himself, a smile revealing his dimples, he looks like he should be 'Spirit's brother with lighter hair and brown eyes under eyebrows as stern as his band sister.

He wears a suit, dark red, and it's clear that he's put effort into his appearance, and I can't help but wonder dear reader if his name came not from his hair, but for his love of the colour he's adorned in. His nails, too, are painted red, and the rings on his fingers, all of his fingers, are rose-gold in colour, perhaps this is the closest he could get to red when buying jewellery.

Buzz:

The final man to enter is 'Buzz', he's tall, six-four at only nineteen, he looks like 'Major' has dressed him and helped him slick his hair back. He's shaved for the occasion and wiped off all his makeup, looking as young as he is, he's still wearing his vest from Trident's first batch of promotional images, with the name badges over the pockets, it's clear he's worn it through himself, rips and cuts made to make it look a lot older than it is, it shows very little sign of any other aging.

His hair hides his dark brown eyes, but he carefully sweeps it away, taking a moment to check in with his other band members as he adjusts the lime green suit he's wearing, his clothes are an eye-sore and I'm starting to wonder who exactly dressed him for this occasion.

Jewel:

Second to last is 'Jewel', twenty-two years old and five-four, she's the politest member of the band, except for Major, but she's also more at peace with the situation than him, rumours have already swirled that she was 'stolen' from another band, nobody knows who though, and perhaps we'll never know.

Her hair's short, kept in a neat bob resting in a way to frame her face, bringing attention to her sharp brows and bright, almost amber, brown eyes. She's wearing a dress, the only woman of the band to ever appear in one, the dress rests mid-thigh and I can spot several other journalists trying their best not to peek under it as she sits down.

Kandi:

Finally, 'Kandi', the lead singer, Trident's youngest ever singing at only eighteen, she's five-six and mostly covered by a dark green jumpsuit, very little skin to be seen, I can't even tell you how long her hair is, as most of it's length may be from extensions, someone's very clearly styled her to look more innocent than their music makes one believe.

Speaking of her styling, other than the jumpsuit and long green ponytail, she's the most made-up woman here, dark green lipstick on a set of plump, but not-too-thick, lips, a light dusting of pale-pink blush, bright green eyeshadow up to her eyebrows, filled in with a precise and dark brow pencil, I'm told she's a natural blonde, though her brows are certainly a shade of brown.

I'm also told that her beauty-spots are real and not fakery, as is the fact she really does have her helix pierced on both sides. The final detail I will give dear reader, is that her eyes are not blue, nor green, they are some sort of in-between, perhaps aquamarine or turquoise would be a better descriptor, and her nails are painted the same colour as her eyes, except for her thumbs, which are painted black.

[sirensofthefiveseas]

“Hm” She couldn’t even argue that, Paulie’s crew always met the quota she set out no matter how high it was. There was a reason every believed that Paulie was going to be set to inherit after Iceberg decided to retire from the business. Humming she tilted her head away from him, looking out over the rest of the docks. The men were milling about, the work wrapping up for the day. It was these moments of peace that made her almost regret that she wasn’t honestly here for them.

“There is only six inches of skin showing from the top of my boots to the edge of my skirt.” She had measured before, the first time he went off on her about the clothing she wore. Kalifa wouldn’t admit it but it was one of the reasons she had taken to wearing long heeled boots instead of normal heels, though apparently Paulie took offense to her knees and part of her thighs showing. At his answer she sighed softly and pushed her glasses up her nose.

“We shall check your locker first since I can already tell from your workbench it’s not there.” Turning on her heel she started to march off, pausing for a moment. “Would you like to meet me at the lockers so you can have a few words with your men?” She hadn’t missed the looks he had given them, nor their apparent desire to run

No matter what Paulie called Kalifa, he would never mean it as a true insult, she was a friend even if she enjoyed riling him up and annoying him.

"Busy meeting your quota" Paulie countered, ignoring the quip about him being busy losing his money in card games; he knew he was addicted to gambling, he could never and probably would never deny that. If he denied it then it was an obvious lie because everyone who knew him was aware of his vice. But, it was something that allowed him to relax in the evenings, even though he couldn't really relax after it all because usually he was running from debt collectors or avoiding Lucci so the bastard wouldn't grab him by the ear like an errant schoolboy; something the man seemed to have a habit of doing whenever he thought Paulie wasn't listening.

"You show too much skin" he huffed, lighting up another cigar and taking a drag of it to try and distract himself from it all. He could only ever admit it to himself, but even though he thought that she wore too little, it did suit her; she always looked professional.

The question about his own paperwork had him blanking, he honestly had no idea where his paperwork was, he always made sure the men's were up to date and where it needed to be for processing; but he always forgot his. "No idea" he answered her honestly, not even bothering with an excuse this time.

[thebirdandthebee]

Easy As

A/N: I don’t know, I just liked this gif haha. I know we’re all pumped for JAW winning his first Golden Globe! This is lightly inspired after I got an ask for Carmy winning an award. This doesn’t have smut, but it is VERY fluffy! Also, no giveaways at gender of baby Berzatto if anyone has guesses :)

That being said, I am taking requests for this series again!

Vanessa Monaghan is the breath of fresh air that Carmen had been gasping for.

Page 29: Beard

“My love are you almost ready?” Vanessa called, putting in her diamond earrings as a finishing touch. She turned in the mirror to take in the final look. Though Carmen was insisting it wasn’t as big of a deal as she was making it out to be, Vanessa knew how big of a deal the James Beard Awards were.

Carmen was nominated for Best Chef: Great Lakes and if he won tonight, he’d be one of the few in history to win Best Emerging Chef and a Best Chef designation.

It was also a great reason to take a trip, with the awards taking place in New York – one of Vanessa’s favorite cities. Carmen had less fond memories of the Big Apple, but he was grateful Vanessa was here with him. Honestly, he’d much rather skip the event all together.

Vanessa sprung for a hair and makeup team to help put her together. After all, at six months pregnant, sometimes doing her hair took too much energy. Old Hollywood waves with kohl-lined eyes and red lips to top it all off would definitely be too much to do on her own. Just getting into her red velvet dress was effort enough. It was fitted across the middle to show off her baby bump with a sweetheart neckline, which Carmen appreciated as each passing months it felt like her breasts grew bigger and bigger.

“I need help with this thing,” she could hear him murmur as he walked back toward the bathroom suite.

“Carmen you look so handsome,” she smiled, clicking toward him in her heels that put her about two inches taller than him. Carmen looked up from the mangled bowtie around his neck and gave his wife the same look as when she walked down the aisle.

“Ness, you – you’re stunning,” he complimented. She was everything he’d ever dreamed of. As she stepped in his personal space to properly tie his bowtie, his hand slid naturally over her form, one landing on her waist the other on her baby bump.

“It might be silly of me to ask, but there is food at this thing, right?” She tilted her head.

“There’s not dinner,” Carmen shook his head. “There’ll be hors d’oeuvres but there ceremony itself is only an hour long. We can order some food up when we get back,” he assured.

“Good, we’re starving,” Vanessa said, sliding his bowtie into place. “God you look good in a tux,” she complimented, making him grin.

“You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen in my entire life,” he said earnestly, leaning forward to peck her lips just lightly enough that it wouldn’t muss her red lips.

“I love when you get to wear your real ring,” she said, holding his hand and running a finger across his gold wedding band, which was usually replaced by his silicone work bands. “Like it actually is making me a little horny,” she added, but then again, pretty much everything did in her second trimester.

“Really?” Carmen asked, brows pushing up his forehead.

“Come on, don’t let me tempt you – you have an award to win,” she said, “and our car should be here any moment.”

Carmen dutifully lead his wife, grabbing the car door and holding her hand as they pulled up to the historic theater the ceremony was being held inside.

“How do I look?” Vanessa asked, standing at the end of the red carpet.

“Incredible,” Carmen replied. “Ready?” He asked as the coordinator ushered them in front of the step and repeat. It wasn’t a crazy paparazzi-filled stretch, but there were a handful of photographers there.

Vanessa stayed close to Carmen who proudly placed his left hand on her baby bump.

“This is way more fun than walking at graduation,” Vanessa said, looking at her husband who smirked with a small laugh. She decided in that moment she’d buy each and every photo taken of them that night.

It was fun for Carmen to catch up and see some familiar faces from his days living in New York, at least, the ones he enjoyed seeing.

He knew he wasn’t going to win Best Chef tonight anyway, so he just wanted to make sure that Vanessa enjoyed the evening and there was nothing more she loved than meeting new people.

“When are you due?” Miles Regent, a chair member of the foundation who awarded Carmen his first James Beard medal six years ago asked.

“Valentine’s Day,” Carmen replied proudly.

“Congratulations, Carmen, seems like you’ve got it all,” Miles, an older man with a perfectly groomed beard winked.

“I do,” Carmen countered, smiling as he remembered his fortune.

“Baby, do you know where we’re sitting?” Vanessa asked as the lights in the theater dimmed as a warning.

“Uh yeah, they put the nominees in a specific spot,” he said, looking around for the signage.

“I can’t wait to take these shoes off,” Vanessa said as she walked alongside her husband, who found their table and pulled out her chair.

“Want me to get you a bite to eat quick?” He offered, to which she nodded with complete adoration in her eyes. Carmen darted off toward the refreshments as music began to play, and by the time he came back with a small plate of pregnancy-friendly treats, Vanessa had already made friends with everyone else at their table.

Carmen took the time used by the presenters to talk about the Foundation and history of the awards to study Vanessa’s hand that he kept in his lap. He admired her wedding ring, her freshly manicured nails and the little veins that ran from her palm up her arm. He also was glad to take a bite of any of the hors d’oeuvres she couldn’t finish for one reason or another. He thought the food was actually pretty spectacular and made a note to as Miles who catered the event. How do you pick a caterer for a room full of the best chefs in America?

Then, the awards began. Best Emerging Chef, Outstanding Chef, Outstanding Restaurant... and on and on. Vanessa was making a mental list of all the places she wanted to visit after baby arrived.

Before they knew it, they were calling the category Carmen was nominated in was being presented. His division included chefs from Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio.

“The 2024 Best Chef: Great Lakes is Carmen Berzatto,” the presenter read off the card. Vanessa’s head whipped around to face her husband who looked equally as stunned. He impulsively stood up, his legs acting on their own accord and Vanessa followed, giving him a big hug and a soft kiss to his cheek – both of them a little shocked.

“Get up there!” She giggled, eyes wide. He nodded, still in complete surprise. The presenter elaborated as he found his bearing.

Carmen Berzatto is only the second chef to be named both Best Emerging Chef and Best Chef in the history of the foundation.

Carmen made his way to the stage, standing at the podium as the medal was slipped around his neck. Now, he had to say something.

“Wow, not to sound cliché but I really was no expecting this,” his fingers grazed the medal which sat not too far below his collarbone. “Of course I would not be up where without the work of my amazing team at The Bear, it’s entirely a group effort,” he began. “When we changed my family’s restaurant over from what we’d been doing for fifty years to something entirely new, I don’t think in our wildest dreams we’d reach something like this,” he said honestly, “we mostly just needed to stay in business,” he added, earning a laugh from the crowd. Vanessa’s eyes flooded with tears. She was so proud of her husband she was sure she could take flight.

“This is entirely impossible without my beautiful wife who is patient, understanding, encouraging and supports me endlessly, no matter what,” he said, barely finding Vanessa’s gaze from under the stage lights. “I think anyone here can understand what it’s like in this industry and the demands it makes on us, but also our families, and she’s my partner in everything I do – there is no me without her.” Vanessa let out a wet laugh. “Thank you,” he said simply before being applauded off the stage.

As the next presenter took the stage for the final award of the night, Carmen appeared from beside the table, hastily taking his seat with his medal still around his neck. The moment he was settled in his seat, Vanessa pounced with a big, firm kiss.

“Carmen,” she said with wide eyes. “What just happened?” she whispered aggressively, a wild smile on her face.

“I have no idea,” Carmen whispered back, their hands clasped together. Thankfully, there was only one more award for the night and soon the ceremony came to a close. However, everyone wanted a piece of Carmen as the scheduled agenda wrapped up.

He did his best to accommodate those who approached him, shaking lots of hands and forgetting many names, but being as gracious as possible nonetheless. Soon, however, he could tell Vanessa was powering through and he wanted to get her back to the hotel.

Carmen, from across the room, encountered a familiar face. Not a friendly face, but familiar nonetheless. His former director who lived and died to make Carmen’s life fucking miserable.

He gave Carmen a smile, which was not returned. And as soon as Carmen made eye contact, he broke it again, ushering his wife out of the front door to where a car was already waiting to take them back to their hotel.

Vanessa let out a scream of excitement as soon as the car door closed behind Carmen.

“You did it!” She laughed, “Carmen! Congratulations!” She squeezed his hands in hers. “I’m so proud of you!”

“I can’t believe it,” he laughed, thoughts of his former director already banished from his mind.

“I can!” Vanessa insisted, scooting closer to him as the car pulled away from the theater. “I’m so happy for you, you earned this,” she said, kissing him again.

They bribed their driver to stop by a by-the-slice pizza spot where Carmen loaded up a box with all kinds of options and a fistful of cannoli.

“I don’t think it gets any better than this,” Vanessa smiled, laying back on their plush hotel bed in her plush hotel robe, double-fisting two pieces of pizza beside Carmen.

“I think it will get a little better,” Carmen reminded, sliding his hand over her belly.

“Okay, fair,” she giggled, making him smile. They shared a comfortable silence as they ate their pizza.

“Last time I won a James Beard,” Carmen spoke up. “I was so fucking miserable,” he said quietly, tearing off a piece of crust. “I was leaving Madison Park – not sleeping, living off of Xanax, cigarettes and kitchen scraps,” he listed off, Vanessa listening intently, slowly shifting to lay on her side and face him fully. “I hated waking up, hated going to work, hated leaving work, hated going to bed,” he tallied, “and I was sure that was as good as it was ever going to get. I was being rewarded for living the most miserable life.”

Vanessa reached over, resting her hand on his bicep.

“I guess I didn’t think I could do this while also being happy,” he said sincerely. “I meant what I said, Ness,” he scooted a little closer, turning so they were nestled closely, sharing a pillow. “You make me happier than I’ve ever been – sometimes I forget how hard shit was before you. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.” Vanessa smiled softly.

“You’re a star, Carmen,” she replied gently. “I feel fortunate just to be in your galaxy,” she pecked his lips. “We love you so much,” she added, gently grasping his hand and setting it on the bump.

“You make all my dreams come true,” he said, thumb rubbing back and forth over her little belly.

“Do you know what would be a dream come true for me?” She asked, taking advantage of her captive audience. “If I can have that last cannoli.” Carmen laughed, loudly and carefree before acquiescing to his wife’s demand.

“Anything for you, Ness.”