#smokey would be proud

[kply-industries]

[nolassolace]

"A feeling new and surprising but it wasn't the sound that made my heart pound No, it was because I found her hand is in mine.

- Who cares what you are listening to, it's who you're listening with."

This piece has been the death of me but I think I'm finally happy with it 💕

[steelycunt]

Ridi, oh sweetest Ridi, I finished it.

When S said those three words, I couldn’t imagine R’s heart rate in that moment.

By the by, I had to annotate every book and every album you mentioned in this work. How do you choose what books R likes best or would read?

(And yes! Ridi actually means laugh! in Italian. It’s like an imperative form. If you put Sor in front of it - SORRIDI - it means smile!)

hi omg!! thank you so much bab im so glad you liked it!! :-) also ridi...sorridi...gorgeous i LOVE that omg xx

for choosing r's books--i may have missed one here but i think the three i mention are middlemarch, a single man and crash! some of these were for more specific reasons than others--middlemarch by george eliot was picked because the line from the title the son and heir of nothing in particular, from the smiths' song how soon is now, is a reference to a line in middlemarch: “to be born the son of a middlemarch manufacturer, and inevitable heir to nothing in particular." so while that one wasnt necessarily picked for its relation to what i imagine r's tastes to be, i threw it in for a fun little reference :-) jg ballard's crash is just a pretty insane (and controversial at its time) book i feel like r would pick out of curiosity even if he doesnt end up enjoying it, and isherwood's a single man is pretty sad book about a gay man dealing with the grief of losing his partner which. well r doesnt know much about that yet but he will innit xx anyway i did not mean to ramble sorry!! but thank you for your sweet ask :-) mwah!!

[soamericn]

𝜗𝜚 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐈𝐍 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄

🐰ྀི₊˚⊹ ‘ one night he wakes strange look on his face pauses, then says you're my best friend and you knew what it was he is in love ‘

𝜗𝜚… summary , ( f!yn x oscar piastri ) oscar piastri is head over heels for his best friend, though he keeps his feelings a secret. he wins his first race in f1 and after seeing her cheering him on in the crowd he can’t hide his affections any longer.

𝜗𝜚… type , irl

𝜗𝜚… faceclaim , up to your imagination <3

𝜗𝜚… triggers , there is none

𝜗𝜚… authors note , my first f1 one shot! I'm really proud ngl and it's as cute as I was hoping! hope ya'll enjoy!

🐰ྀི₊˚⊹ masterlist

all he could hear was his heartbeat in his helmet; it flooded his ears like static on a radio. After getting out of the car without a thought in his head, he stepped onto the car in front of the halo putting both of his arms into the air. 

Adrenaline flooded his senses, his colorful helmet shined under the night race lights. The cheers were overwhelmingly loud as each voice blended together into the sea of people. 

Subconsciously so, his ears searched for one voice in particular, one that was soft and comforting. The one he’d share a laugh with until three in morning. Or would tease him inexplicably. But the voice was stirred in with the rest. 

Oscar stepped down from the car, and the first thing he did was run into the ocean of papaya. Many hands covered him, patting his back or helmet hearing many compliments on his win. After a minute or so of drowning himself in the praise and affection from his team he stepped away removing his helmet and placing it on a pedestal. 

He ran a hand through his damp hair, it staying in place as he did so. A hand landed on his shoulder and he turned, seeing a man in a matching suit who pulled him into a hug. “Mate you did great.” He complimented, his voice directly in his ear.

The Australian didn’t realize how truly speechless he was until someone directly spoke to him. The words formed in his throat but never made it out of his mouth. 

Lando pulled away with a light two taps on his back. “Thanks, maybe not pelting me with champagne could be a good job present.” Oscar jokes. 

The Brit lets out a small laugh and shakes his head, “Oh c'mon you need the full podium experience-” Oscar’s attention on Lando was cut off, the voice. 

The one he’d scanned for, moments before the voice had made itself known. She shouted his name from behind the short fence with the rest of the crowd desperately trying to get the man she’d known for most of her life’s attention. Oscar’s eyes searched the crowd, until they found her, he could’ve picked her out in any crowd his entire being always seemed drawn to her.

“Oscar!” His best friend. The only one he’s ever really known. Always supporting him, even today adorning herself in all papaya wearing a jersey he’d known for a fact had a huge eighty-one on the back (and might’ve been stolen from his closet), all for him. 

Oscar rushed over, as soon as he’d spotted her after the race, he just knew he needed her in the moment. The calm, composedness of his being suddenly dissolved into the smokey air. Still with a small fence between them he wrapped his arms around her waist pulling her into a tight hug. Her arms naturally floated around his neck, they fit together perfectly like two puzzle pieces made just for one another. Camera flashes flooded their sudden embrace, and he lightly lifted her into the air as he tightened their hold on one another. They could’ve done the whole podium ceremony, everyone could have gone home and Oscar would’ve stayed here with his arms around her always.

“You did so well today.” Her voice was soft, the words only meant for him. She only wanted him to know how proud she was of him. How much her heart raced as he crossed the checkered flag, and how much support she’d carried with her for him through everything.

His impulsiveness took over as soon as he heard her speak, he wasn’t thinking about anything in that moment, not the cameras, the thousands of people that surrounded the pair, and certainly not the feelings he carried for her for many years; the feelings he kept deep down for too long, way too long. He only thought of her, the way her soft voice tickled against his skin and the flush it brought to his already red cheeks.

Placing a delicate but firm hand on her cheek which she covered with her own hand, her cheeks turning a light and kind shade of pink and a gentle smile formed from her lips. The lips Oscar just happened to notice how pink and heart shaped they’d been and how soft they looked compared to his own chapped ones.

Oscar slightly looked down and she’d looked up at him, her eyes seemed as if they were looking into him, as if she could’ve read his thoughts. Standing like this for a second, there was a moment where the Australian had contemplated, was he going to possibly ruin a friendship over his own feelings? Before he could even think about not doing it, her eyelashes fluttered warm and innocent and he filled the gap between them. 

They were perfectly made for one another. They moved in sync, and she’d tasted of an orange mocktail and strawberry chapstick and everything that's made her, her. His thumb lightly stroked her cheek, and his arm snaked around her waist holding her tightly. 

Both her arms ended up around his neck, smiling sweetly into the kiss and giggled lightly into the Aussies mouth. Not hearing the reactions from the crowd surrounding them. 

When Oscar pulled away they’d both missed the warmth and comfort of one another. But realization hit him like a tidal wave, remembering all of his actions so clearly except for how her arms fit so perfectly around him, and the way she’d smiled at his affections. 

His hand removed itself from her waist and mind started to race and he pictured missed calls, a missing eighty-one jersey in the crowd, losing the praise of a voice that motivated him to be better. He’d completely zoned out at this point and she’d used her hand placing it back on his freckled cheek and directing him to look at her. Of course she’d know what he was thinking. 

She always did. 

She’d looked up at him, a small glint in her eyes, that made Oscar wanna kiss her all over again but he held back, fear filling his chest so tightly he’d felt like he’d choke on it. He’d race cars at 300km/h without as much fear as he felt now. 

Placing a hand on his other cheek, she stood on her tippy toes reaching his lips giving them a light peck. Her way of saying everything was gonna be okay. His cheeks flushed a deep shade of red and his arms comfortably made its way back around her waist and his hand slid up her back.

She looked up at him, anticipating him to make a move. Though she was impatient, she pulled his racing suit collar down and her lips landed on his once again. He gasped in between his lips, a small surprise of her sudden affection. 

“I think I’ve always loved you.” He whispered into her mouth in between kisses, her heart shaped lips formed in a smile against his. 

She pulled away, lightly biting his bottom lip, “you think I didn’t?” She grinned a light giggle leaving her lips. 

It was like a candle had been relit in Oscar’s head, a candle that flamed only for her. A flame that reminded him how much he needed her, how much he’d been needing her. His arms tightened around her almost possessively so, he reveled in the taste and feeling of her, and how she finally knew that most of him was hers.  

𝜗𝜚… tags , @whitcferrari @miguelasdr @lcvelctters @cedarbcws

[thehouseofurmotha]

Shinsou head cannons!!!

Pairing: Hitoshi Shinsou x Reader (duuuuuh)

Summary: Hitoshi as a bf!!! Very cute and fluffy :)

What it's like dating Hitoshi <3

• Lots of kisses all the time, and I mean alllll the time. He loves to spoil you with his affection. He probably wouldn't kiss you on the lips in public, but would rather opt for small kisses on the hand, or the forehead.

• Speaking about hand kisses, he loves to kiss your hand all the time. It's absolutely his favorite part of your body to kiss.

• He tells aizawa about you while they're training one time. He notices that Hitoshi is happier, and he questions the boy about it. Aizawa tells him that he's proud of him, even if you're in his class or not. (Idk guys I js really love dadzawa (I fear I have daddy issues))

•ANYWAYS! He spoils the shit out of you, he spends as much money as he can on you. And even if he doesn't have much he'll make you things instead. His love language is vry much gift, he loves giving you things. Even if he finds just finds a small rock or something that he thinks you'd like he gives it to you.

•If you're not in the hero course with him he will absolutely sneak you into his dorm to have sleep overs. Aizawa has a soft spot for him and he absolutely abuses this to get out of trouble if you ever get caught.

• He has an emotional support cat! He got her registered so he could keep her in the dorms with him. He would be very upset if anything ever happened to his cat, she's his best friend. She's def a lil chonky cause he can't deny her food, he feels so bad. Her name is probably like Luna, or Smokey, definitely something basic. Or on the other hand it could be something completely different and odd like megatron or some shit.

• I fear I may be projecting, but I feel like he has daddy issues. Maybe an absent father, or just a shitty one. So it takes him a while to come around to the idea of you meeting his parents.

• Your parents absolutely love him, they think that he's absolutely perfect for you and your personalities compliment each other so well. (Grumpy x sunshine)

• He always wants to be touching you in some way, either it's just your pinkies wrapped around each others.

[dazed-and-confused23]

Dear Hearts and Gentle People 5

Pure Indulgence

Summary: Cooper doesn't know how he got here, but he's with you, and that's all that matters to him. Now if only the other ghoul that wears a tricorn hat would leave you the fuck alone, he'd be having a much better time. However, for you, he could learn to share.

Pairings: The Ghoul | Cooper Howard x Female Reader / John Hancock x Reader

Warnings: Drinking and drug use. Plans are made some light petting.

Part 2 -> HERE

Masterlist

John Hancock knows a good thing when he sees one, and you were definitely one of the best things that's he's ever lain his black eyes on. You were a wastelander. He could tell that by the way you held yourself, but the mayor could tell that you hadn't let the world shape you in a bad way. No, you took the world in your hands and shaped it to how you wanted it.

However, he could say a lot less about the ghoul that'd come in with you. He stuck to the back of the bar, feet kicked up on a table, and hat pulled down to cover his eyes. He'd not said a word, only dropped into the chair, but John wasn't stupid. The newcomer only had eyes for you, which made his game all the more fun.

"Well, not every day that someone new comes stumbling into my town," Hancock drawls as he steps up beside you, his voice rough and smokey, "Names Hancock."

He admires the way you cock a brow at him, not impressed what so ever, and repeat him, "Your town?"

John nods, his weathered lips pulling into a proud smirk, "Mhm, yeah. I'm the mayor of this little slice of heaven. If you ever need anything, I'm your man."

His cock twitches in interest when you regale him with a heavy lidded look, your lips quirking in an amused smirk that he wants to wipe away with a kiss, or his dick. Preferably both.

"Well, Mr. Mayor, I'll have to keep that in mind," you say, and Hancock picks up your accent this time and gives you a look of surprise.

"Not from around here, Doll?" He asks you and gets a nod in response. John sees movement out of the corner of his eye and notices that the ghoul has finally moved, stalking across the room to sit at the bar beside you. He eyes John, and something about the ghoul has his hackles rising, and his fingers itching for his knife.

"You makin' friends over here without me, Darlin'?" The newcomer asks, and you surprise John be snickering and bumping your shoulder against the cowboy.

"Wouldn't be me if I didn't. Are you getting jealous, Coop?" You tease and turn to send a wink at Hancock. He smirks right back and shifts in his seat, his knees bumping against your own.

Cooper would very much like to strangle the other ghoul that has your attention, please, and thank you. This guy's like him, whole and complete, not rotting with peeling skin and exposed bone. Fucker was probably handsome when he'd been a human. He doesn't like that you're so interested in him, and green jealousy burns bright in his chest.

"Any man would be jealous," Hancock says and boldly reaches out, his hand landing on the smoothskin's thigh, his thumb rubbing distracting circles. He flicks his black eyes up and locks with Cooper’s own, a dangerous smirk crossing his thin lips.

Coop sneers back, eyes full of blazing fury until you clear your throat and glance back at him. He grins at you, though it's mean and full of teeth with dark promises. An idea suddenly strikes him, and he cocks his head to the side then shifts forward, arm winding around your waist and chin hooking over your shoulder.

"One ghoul not enough for you, Sugar?" He purred in your ear and smirked at the way you shivered, eyes going half lidded with interest at his sudden change in behavior. Cooper met John's black eyes and eyed the other man, "You greedy for an extra set of hands?"

Hancock watched the exchange and smoothed his hand up your thigh, fingertips dipping in between your thighs and stroking along your clothed sex. The sound he makes is closer to a growl, and it lingers in his voice, "I think I can have that arranged."

[lovingseventeen]

svt doing your makeup

a/n: i luv fluff and i luv seokmin UGH. and i’m releasing this as my 1k event is still going on bc i figured y’all deserve some new ideas too. but please go check out that series too! i’ll put the link to it right here <3

seungcheol:

✧ claims that sitting on his lap while he does it is necessary

✧ “sit here” he says, patting his lap, “i need you up close”

✧ tries to be as gentle as he can

✧ whines when eyeliner is hard to do then he whines even more when you laugh at him

jeonghan:

✧ lowkey pranks you by telling you he’ll attempt one look but he does something very different

✧ nothing crazy, like he wouldn’t purposefully make you look bad by any means

✧ but maybe he wants to gently push you out of your comfort zone so he picks a new eyeshadow color, but still subtly does it so it isn’t too vivid

✧ “you said you were gonna do my usual!” you gasped when you finally checked yourself in the mirror

✧ he actually did pretty well, you were just caught off guard

✧ “i always wondered how you’d look like this” he tells you, “and would you look at that, i knew you’d look so good”

joshua:

✧ he likes to watch when you get ready most of the time so he knew your routine for the most part

✧ his hands are confident as he works, his lips gently parted as he focuses

✧ tilts your face by gently holding your chin

✧ gets up very close to your face to put your makeup on but also to definitely fluster you (he’s evil for this)

jun:

✧ thinks watching one youtube tutorial is enough but it is in fact, not

✧ forgets how to do something as soon as he puts a dab of concealer on your face

✧ “wait, wait a minute-”

✧ he’s rewinding the video he referenced and maybe he swaps a method here and there - like jun the dot of makeup is starting to set

✧ you don’t look too bad at the end either, but he’s very relieved to be done (after an hour) as he’s spritzing your setting spray

soonyoung:

✧ get so excited, “can i pick your outfit too!”

✧ really really wants to do it well so he asks you about everything, every step of the way

✧ “is this the one they use when they get rid of my eye bags?” he asks

✧ “i have to tap the excess off right?”

✧ “what’s the difference between these two?”

✧ maybe you have to retouch a little at the end, but you’re proud of him (may have been light handed because he didn’t want to overdo it)

✧ loves it when you put on the outfit he picked and give him 360 of your look

✧ you give him a kiss on the cheek after and you leave a kiss print with your lipstick (he’s the kind of bf to not wipe it off too and he sends a selfie to the svt group chat to brag)

wonwoo:

✧ calm about the whole ordeal

✧ googles general makeup instructions and references this one article as he does your makeup

✧ he keeps looking back between the article and your face

✧ doesn’t go for anything over the top, but more or less just perfects your skin

✧ “very pretty” he comments as he assesses his work

jihoon:

✧ also does research and he’s the only member who learns how to undo a mistake

✧ he mutters to himself “wait, this is not it, wait, don’t look in the mirror right now,” as he’s scrambling for your concealer

✧ very careful hands

✧ kind of under pressure because he doesn’t want to be at fault for making you look bad

minghao:

✧ he’s so fun, he wants to do a matching look with you

✧ wants to go for something edgy, maybe some soft smokey eyeshadow

✧ winds up being a session where he does your makeup (with the most delicate hands) and you do his

✧ you also end up painting each other’s nails to add to the look

✧ easy to say both of you look very hot together

mingyu:

✧ APPALLED when you flinch away from him when he’s holding your eyeliner

✧ he’s already talking in pout when he goes “have i ever hurt you before? baby trust me”

✧ he’s so pouty from that point on and he’s even more motivated to make you pretty (well, more pretty than you already are)

✧ “here, look” he tells you, holding out a mirror so you can examine his work

✧ you gasp, “‘gyu you did so good!” he’s blushing but still a little sulky

✧ “see? i’d never hurt you! you had no reason to flinch!”

✧ “i know, i know” you assure him, taking your usual seat in his lap to wrap your arms around his neck to snuggle him. “thank you baby, i love it” (you know he’s already forgiven you when he wraps his strong arms around your waist to pull you closer)

seokmin:

✧ baby is so so gentle with you

✧ compliments you after ever step

✧ “your skin’s already so perfect i don’t have to do a lot..” he mumbles under his breath

✧ “wow this is so sparkly, your eyes are even prettier” he grins

✧ “pucker your lips for me?” he’ll ask (he takes off half of what he put on though because he cant fight the urge to peck your lips when they’re like this)

✧ squishes your cheeks when he’s done and he says “you’re so prettyyy” in that painfully adorable lovesick way he does

seungkwan:

✧ here’s our resident perfectionist — he does research thoroughly

✧ even finds some good alternatives for some of your current stuff

✧ winds up teaching you a better method for the looks you tend to go for

✧ “that’s not how i do it but-” you begin, only to be interrupted with “i thought you said i could do what i wanted! just wait, look, i’ll show you-”

✧ his lips are pursed and frankly, he’s starting to sweat because he’s passionate about getting you to look even better than you already do

✧ 10/10 look in the end, you could easily wear it out

vernon:

✧ he was surprised at your request to do your makeup but he agrees. though he does warn you it might not look great

✧ “you trust me with this?” he double checks as soon as you lay out your supplies on the desk

✧ “of course i do” this makes him grin

✧ he doesn’t look up anything but he lets you talk him through your steps and his touch is so light and a little awkward as he swipes across your eyelid

✧ he can’t hold his reactions when he messes up though, and he’s kind of like 😬 in that very specific vernon way. “i think you’re gonna wanna do this part babe” and he watches so intently as you do it

✧ amidst this though, he does learn about your process and even if he can’t do your look for you entirely, he might offer to do parts of your routine for you in the future. if you’re tired as you’re getting ready in the morning maybe he can lay your foundation for you and your concealer - the parts of your process that aren’t too intricate.

✧ future vernon maybe even offers to take off your makeup for you at the end of a day instead

chan:

✧ he believes the phrase “shoot for the moon. even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars”

✧ in hindsight, it could be poetic but he really just bites off more than he could chew

✧ rewatches the same ten seconds of a tutorial over and over again and he still doesn’t quite understand what cutting a crease means

✧ please kiss his forehead and walk him through it

[ichorai]

hell, yeah ; roman roy ; part six.

pairing ; roman roy x f!reader

synopsis ; pain was an old friend for the both of you.

words ; 13.8k

themes ; angst, fluff, drama, slowburn, childhood friends to lovers

warnings / includes ; depictions of mental and physical abuse, major character death, heavy angsty shit, sexual jokes and general foul language, business talk, roman is so in love, connor gets a bit of spotlight for this chapter </3

a/n ; sorry i'm taking so so so long w this series! uni keeps getting in the way of my writing HAHA but i hope you guys enjoy :)

series masterlist. main masterlist.

Bidding wars had never really been fun for you. It was always emails upon emails, calls after calls, Logan yelling, Gerri scrambling, negotiations, bargains, deals—it was all too much.

But this… even you had to admit, this was fun. 

Maybe because it was the first time you were working against Logan and not for him. And being around the Roy siblings reminded you of your childhood—a time where the four of you got along for the most part, even with the bloody noses and scraped knees and the yankings of hair.

Buying Pierce had been something you were starkly against while you were working in Waystar, but with this new thing that the Roy siblings were crafting, you had complete faith that Shiv, Kendall—hell, even Roman, would keep the news station’s values in check.

And, though you weren’t entirely proud of it, there was a thrill, a rush of adrenaline, when the four of you raised your bidding price to a healthy ten billion as a closing offer, knowing there was no way Logan could ever consider outbidding that.

Nan Pierce accepted with little pushback, much to Logan’s fury.

Your godfather yelled at the four of you through the phone later that day, but there was no fear sitting within your stomach, like there usually was when he got angry. No, you were laughing. Kendall and Shiv and Roman—they were stifling their own smiles down at the screen, too.

That night, you stood on your balcony, a lit cigarette loosely balanced between your fingers. You weren’t at all a smoker—in fact, you hadn’t had one ever since you joined Waystar. It was an unprofessional look, in a sense. Not something you wanted to be associated with. 

The goddaughter that smelled of cheap cigarettes. Wasn’t that an unattractive thought?

But you didn’t have to worry about that anymore, did you? Honestly, you weren’t quite sure yourself. You’d just assumed you were no longer part of the company, but knowing Logan…

He always had something up his sleeve. Maybe he’d wait until the siblings lowered their guards to snipe you in the back of the head. Or lure you back with meaty bait. 

You took a short drag, faint grey wisps falling past your lips as you breathed out. 

“You smoking now? Doing a little smokey smokes?” came Roman’s voice from behind you, making you turn your head with a slight grin. “Since when?”

“First one since I was a little baby teenager, I think,” you replied. Roman leaned onto the balcony railing beside you, shoulder pressing flush against yours. “They taste disgusting. Here—”

You took a drag—a longer one, this time—leaned forward until your lips were just a whisker away from his, and blew the smoke into him. He inhaled deep before jerking forward to kiss you, nose nudging yours in his fervor.

“Yeah. Fucking disgusting,” he mumbled against your lips, as if wanting to propel you into something more than just kisses. 

Your eyes lit up with amusement, but you pulled away, leaving a lingering kiss on the side of Roman’s nose. The cigarette wasn’t at all used up, but you put it out on a small ashtray you had taken with you. 

“I just wanted to try,” you said. “Was wondering if I’d like it after all this time, now that I have the freedom to.”

There was a curious glint to Roman’s molten eyes. “And do you?”

“Nah. Like I said—they taste disgusting.”

“Some people like disgusting,” he off-handedly said, and you shot him a pointed look.

A breezy laugh, lost to the wind. “Yeah. I might know someone.”

“You’re a goody two-shoes, you know that?” he commented snidely, but his eyes were far too soft for his words to strike harsh. “But it’s good. We need someone like that. The company, I mean.”

“I know,” you whispered back. “I’m glad we’re doing this.”

“Yeah,” Roman said, his hand lacing with yours. He began tugging you back inside. “Me too.”

Connor wanted the four of you to come to his wedding rehearsal at a fancy restaurant downtown—he texted you multiple different addresses, each text telling you to disregard the last one. Then, he called you (called Shiv first, but she was on the phone, passive-aggressively bickering with Tom), and told you exactly where he was. Apparently Willa wasn’t very happy with the venues they’d booked. He sounded sad—it was always easy to tell when he was sad.

And so the four of you set off for him, though not without Roman’s constant complaints. Spending some quality time with their eldest brother was the last thing the Roy siblings wanted to do—they had far more pressing matters at hand. 

Sandi and Stewy, for one. They wanted to veto the acquisition for more dollars squeezed from Matsson’s hand. Roman was starkly against the idea, not wanting to blow more bullets into his father. Shiv and Kendall were far more willing to listen, though Kendall eventually backed down. It was appealing, you had to admit, especially because you hated Matsson’s guts, but you wanted to put business aside for the moment. Spend some time with Connor—after all, he was going to get married soon. If that ever ended up happening, that is.

Once inside the restaurant’s halls, you caught sight of Willa hurrying down the wide staircase by the entrance, looking a bit frazzled. 

“Oh, hi!” she said, slightly breathless. “So you’re here now, huh?”

“Hi, Willa,” you greeted, embracing her with a loose hug before stepping back. “Are you… going somewhere?”

“You standing up my big bro?” Roman quipped from right behind you. He was joking, but Willa only frowned. “Are you okay? Did something happen?” 

There was a nervous laugh from both parties.

“Oh, yeah! Yeah, yeah, I’m just—I’m having a little drink. Away.” 

Both you and Roman spared each other confused glances.

“Is the dinner rehearsal thing over? He still up there?” Roman asked.

The blonde fiddled with her phone, nearly dropping it. “Oh, uh, the rehearsal isn’t—it’s not done, no.”

“You’re leaving your own wedding rehearsal?” you gently questioned.

She smiled, though it came off only sad and tired. “I think they can manage. I’m not vital from here.”

Roman squinted at her. “Yeah, well… I mean, normally the bride is generally considered—correct me if I’m wrong—I think the bride is pretty vital in a wedding. Don’t you think?” 

“Well! Yeah, but… I should go, though. Have a think about it all. I’m in a bit of a fuzz.” She laughed again, though it looked like she wanted to cry. 

Nodding, you said, “Take care of yourself, Willa. Let us know if you need anything.”

She pursed her lips, eyes soft with appreciation. The two of you had never been quite close, but there was a mutual understanding between you. To be the pedestals of Roy men, the unnamed crutch, the woman on the arm. 

With that, she hurried away. 

“Fairy tale wedding, huh?” Shiv said, eyebrows raised. “Should we even go up? Seems like the rehearsal is over.”

“She said it wasn’t,” you replied, shrugging. “We should go see Con.”

Roman crossed his arms. “Yeah, Shiv, we really should. Why? You got something better to do than see your own brother before his wedding?”

“No, it’s just—we’ve got quite a lot to discuss, that’s all.”

It was Kendall’s turn to query, “What? Sandi and Stewy? They’re baiting us. Just let it go, Shiv.”

“I think they could really help us! We overpromised on Pierce!” she hotly defended.

“It’s a mind game,” Roman agreed with Kendall. “Just—fuck ‘em, okay?”

The redhead looked at you, but you shook your head. “Let’s just go see Connor, okay? We can hash it out after making sure he hasn’t got a gun barrel in his mouth.”

“Sure. Fine,” Shiv said, though it didn’t seem all that fine to her, judging from her pinched expression.

The four of you traipsed up the stairs, spotting Connor instantly—alone, surrounded by near-untouched platters of expensive food.

“Found him,” Roman sarcastically commented, pointing a finger at his oldest brother, who cracked a fond smile.

“Finally,” Connor said. “Took you guys long enough.”

Roman gave him an embrace from the side, saying, “Hey, bro. Hugsy.”

To the other side, Kendall patted his shoulder, another hand thumping on his chest. Shiv only barely leaned down to hug him, telling him, “Dad screwed us.”

“Yeah,” the eldest said. “I heard. But look at you guys—the Rebel Alliance.”

You were last to give Connor a hug, squeezing him tight, pressing a chaste kiss to his cheek. “How’s the rehearsal been?”

A non-committal noise slipped past his lips. “Been good. It’s been okay.”

Roman made a strange, wincing sound, sucking air through his teeth. “Sure. Yeah, I believe you.”

Keen to change the subject, Connor surveyed his siblings—and you—with narrowed eyes. “So this is how it is, huh? Battle royale. Me and Dad on one side, you guys on the other?”

Strange, you hadn’t quite recalled Connor being so in with his father’s business plans. And… the fact that Logan hadn’t shown up to the wedding rehearsal at all.

“You okay, man?” Roman queried, genuine concern slipping over his features. He was always one to wear his heart on his sleeve. “We bumped into Willa on the way in. She seemed all…” He drew up his hands to his face and shook his fingers about.

Pointedly, Connor dropped his gaze down to the table. Untouched food left and right.  “Yeah. It’s alright. I think it’s fine.”

“You sure, Con?” you asked, slipping into the seat beside him, Roman on your other side. 

“Yeah, well, I guess she just—she stood up to do her speech, and then she froze. Said that she couldn’t do it.” There was a laugh, dry and unpleasant and somber. “Then she went to the bathroom for forty minutes with her so-called friends.”

Roman wrinkled his nose and squinted his eyes at nothing in particular. “Oh, no, no, that’s—that’s totally fine. Don’t you worry about that. Just toss her another ten grand—or a snowmobile. Teeth-whitening vouchers.”

Unhappy with the meaning behind his brother’s words, Connor pushed himself away from the table, heading off to speak to Willa’s mom. 

Tossing a glare in Roman’s direction, you sighed out, “Was that really necessary?”

“What? It’s the truth, isn’t it?”

Slumping into the chair across from you, Kendall huffed out, “This is so fucking weird.”

“Do we regroup at my place?” Shiv asked, still standing, impatient to leave even though they’d just gotten there.

Tilting his head, Roman incredulously said, “Shiv. Come on. He’s… he’s looking a little rough. Don’t you think?”

“Well, sure. I’m sorry that Dad fucked us and I’m sorry that we’re late. But we do need to decide fast.” 

“The Sandi and Stewy deal?” you queried.

Shiv let out a frustrated exhale. “Yeah.”

“Well, I think we’re already decided, no?” Kendall said, lifting a shoulder in half a shrug. Roman nodded in agreement.

“Are we, though? They made some pretty compelling arguments.” Shiv tapped her foot against the hardwood floors impatiently.

Glancing over at Connor, who was trying his best to console Willa’s mother, you bobbed your head, hesitant. “It could potentially ruin Matsson. The deal. I’d like to see it.”

Groaning a little too loudly, Roman said, “Sandy’s just a greedy little bitch. She’s got her hand up the ass of the carcass of her dad, and Stewy’s just coming along for the ride. Can we not do this right now? It’s a fucking—it’s a packet of horseshit.”

Trying her best to stay calm, Shiv perched herself on the edge of the seat next to Kendall. “Okay. And what if I want to talk it through? This would help us.”

Kendall arched a brow. “I think we should just rise above it.”

“Yeah, okay, but maybe Dad is not on it like he used to be—and maybe he’s underplayed his hand, and the board are all just hand-fucking-picked Japanese plastic cats just waving it through,” Shiv argued.

“It doesn’t hurt to try,” you added, trying your best to sway Roman by nudging him gently. He merely rolled his eyes and prodded you back, but said nothing more.

It was then that Connor came hurrying back, carding a hand through his hair. He tiredly sank back down into his seat. “No luck. Still incommunicado. I just really hope she’s okay.”

“I’m sure she is,” you told him, rubbing a hand over his shoulder. “She just needs space, is all.”

“Yeah.” As if he’d flipped a switch, Connor straightened and plastered on a smile. “So, what do you guys say? A little bit of karaoke?”

All three siblings grimaced. 

“Or would it be possible,” Roman began, scratching at his jaw, “to do anything other than that, in the entire universe?”

“I think karaoke sounds nice,” you offered. Honestly, you weren’t too keen on doing karaoke when your mind was abuzz with a million other things at the moment, but it was Connor, and he seemed so down about Willa at his own wedding rehearsal, and you just couldn’t bring yourself to say no to him. It was like kicking at an already-wounded puppy.

Connor grinned. “Nice! One in the bag. Come on, you guys. Don’t leave us hanging.”

Shiv looked near ready to bash her head against the table. Kendall was glancing down at his phone—texting someone.

Roman rolled his eyes and groaned again, even louder than before. “Ugh. Fine! We can drink, though, right? I’m not listening to you sing sober.”

Clearing her throat, Shiv said, “Well, I just, we kind of have—other engagements right now—”

“Oh, sure. Everybody’s busy,” Connor crooned. Though, if you looked close enough, you’d see the unmistakable hurt in his eyes. Why didn’t his baby sister want to spend time with him?

“Come on,” Kendall said with an urgent hand slanting over Shiv’s shoulder, phone gone for now. “Let’s give him a drink.”

Clapping his hands, Connor stood up again. “Great! But—not any of your stupid places. Somewhere fun and real and—away from all the fancy dance. A real bar with, uh, with chicks, and guys who work with their hands in grease—sweat dripping down their backs and blood all over their hair.”

“I don’t like these guys. They sound like a medical experiment gone wrong,” Roman piped up, slinging an arm over your shoulder.

“Sounds hot,” you said with a genuine laugh. “Let’s go.”

The bar itself was atmospherically ambient, the lights warm and unharsh, the chatter light and friendly, the television playing a football match at a soft volume. You smiled—it’d been a while since you stepped foot into an actual bar full of people who weren’t aristocratic assholes.

Normal people doing normal things. What was that like?

Roman, on the other hand, looked particularly uncomfortable, shoulders stiff and expression taut. He was only here for his big brother, but his saint-like kindness only wore so thin.

Kendall ordered drinks for the lot of you—whiskey on the rocks for himself, a sealed soda for Shiv since she didn’t trust anything from the bar’s “tainted” nozzles, a fancy beer for Connor, a vodka tonic for Roman, and a strawberry margarita for you. He snorted when you asked for it, rolling his eyes to the side. 

“You and your strawberries,” Kendall said, before heading off to call the bartender. You weren’t quite sure if his expression was fond or derisive. Perhaps both.

You sat beside Connor, peering over his shoulder, where he was staring at the screen with heavily knitted brows.

“Is that—is that Willa?” you asked, eyes widening upon seeing him zoomed onto a map with a tiny blue dot. “Are you tracking her?”

“Jesus, Con,” said Roman, laughing his high-pitched laugh. “That’s low, even for you.”

“What? I have her location shared,” the older brother said, earning quizzical looks from the three of you. “It’s a factory setting.”

Shiv made a noise of amusement. “It’s not.”

“Well…” Connor’s eyes darted back down to his screen, zooming in impossibly closer. “I’m reassured she’s definitely not on her way to Cuba.”

From his other side, Kendall appeared, hands shoved deep into his pockets. “Well, her phone isn’t.”

Connor decided to ignore the comment. “She stopped moving, so… I guess she found a spot she likes.”

“Sure!” crooned Roman. “On another man’s dick.”

The rest of you sighed, and you shook your head. 

“On a much bigger, nicer, harder, younger dick, is all I’m saying,” Roman reassured his eldest brother, patting his shoulders.

“Can we not?” Connor softly said, though he was smiling down at Rome. Even though his words hurt, just the fact that he was there for him cheered him up just a little bit. “Okay? I’m feeling—I’m having certain anxieties, alright? I want to have a good time!”

Once Roman muttered a quick apology, you bumped him off to the side so you can press up next to Connor again, staring down at the blue dot, still unmoving. “I’m sure she just needs a breather. It’s a big deal, y’know. Marriage.”

“I know,” said Con, sucking in a deep breath. There was a profound sort of loneliness to his eyes. “I just thought—I thought it was enough. All of it. It was enough for her.”

“It will be,” you said, nudging him. “Eventually. Just give her time.”

The drinks came then, and you hummed contentedly after taking your first sip. “Fuck. Why don’t they ever have shit like this at the fancy events we go to?”

“Because it’s diabetes in a cup,” Roman replied, but he plucked the glass from your fingers to snag a sip for himself. “It’s literal sugar water. Barely any alcohol in here.”

“Well, I’m not looking to get wasted,” you said, before snatching it back, shooting him a half-hearted glare. “You drank so much!”

“Nuh-uh, there was barely anything in there to begin with!”

“Roman, it was filled to the brim two seconds ago, what are you talking about?”

Before the two of you could divulge into a round of childish bickering, Connor abruptly straightened in his seat. “Her dot is at an aquarium supply retailer. That doesn’t make sense—is that a drug thing?”

Kendall cleared his throat. “No, I don’t think so.”

“You sure?”

Roman snickered. “It is. It’s a drug thing.”

“Maybe she’s getting a pet fish,” you unhelpfully supplied. “A little pre-wedding gift for the two of you?”

Frowning, Connor said, “Now she’s at a dry cleaner’s.”

“Probably getting her panties cleaned from the new dick’s cum,” quipped Roman. The absurdity of the statement made you laugh unexpectedly, but you quickly quietened when Connor stared at the two of you in horror. 

“What’s wrong with you?” he asked, as if he were a parent scolding a naughty toddler. 

“I’m not saying it’s your cum! Your cum, I’m sure, is very washable.” Roman droned on to an incredulous Connor some more, but your attention was drawn to Kendall, whose phone began to ring, and he quietly excused himself from the bar to take the call, face twisted into unmistakeable dread. You briefly wondered who he looked so anxious to talk to, but the thought was quick to banish from your mind entirely when Connor prodded Roman in the shoulder and said your name.

“Okay, that’s enough from you. Y/N, can you tell him to stop? Tell him to stop.”

“Stop it, Roman. Don’t talk about your brother’s cum, you weirdo.”

Rubbing his palms together, Roman shrugged the matter away entirely. “I’m starving. Anything to eat in this shit shack, or what?”

By the time Kendall came back, the rest of you were crowded into a small booth with a dingy little light hanging a little too low over the table. There was a platter of cheesy nachos in the center, which Shiv eyed with distaste. Roman was still looking over the menus, sarcastically wondering aloud from which creature they’d clipped the wings off of.

“Who were you talking to, Ken?” you asked. “It wasn’t Frank again, was it?” 

Kendall’s eyes darted from your face down to the floor. “Uh… no. No, it was—it was Stewy.” 

Something about his demeanor screamed that he wasn’t telling the entire truth, but you kept quiet, watching him with just barely narrowed eyes. 

“Oh, great. What the fuck does he want now?” Roman hissed, peering over the crinkled lamination of the menu he was holding. 

Kendall leaned forward slightly, regarding Shiv with a pointed stare. “Actually, guys, can I… can I show you something? On the comparables. It’s actually pretty fucking intriguing.” 

Your eyebrows rose a fraction. Just a few moments ago, Kendall wasn’t at all interested in Sandi and Stewy’s pitching. What changed his mind?

Nodding in satisfaction, Shiv added, “Yeah, see? It makes you think. Maybe Dad isn’t on it like he used to be. You know, he’s being pushed around by Matsson—hell, even by Kerry. Giving shows to his girlfriend? That’s just—it’s an embarrassment!”

Loudly, Connor exclaimed, “Fuck, she’s in the East River now! She’s in the—oh. Wait, no, she’s just on the bridge.” You popped a nacho in your mouth and glanced over at Connor, who was squinting down at his phone.

“Looks like she’s going on a little trip,” you hummed. “She’ll be fine.”

“Yeah, okay, not to be dicks, Con, but is it okay if we do a little breakout chat, just the four of us? We won’t be long, like—two minutes max,” Shiv said, expression serious and unyielding.

Rolling his eyes, Roman gestured to his oldest brother. “Hey, just—fuck it. Why don’t we fold Con in?” 

“Well, he’s not on the board, so—”

“Yeah, but he has a share. If the deal falls, he loses his payout.”

An incredulous frown pulled at his lips. “Excuse me?” Connor said.

“Oh, okay, so Shiv wants to get us mixed up in some drug deal that will fuck the vote tomorrow,” Roman told him, pursing his lips in an exaggerated fashion.

Holding her hands out, Shiv shook her head. “Uh, no. All we’re aiming for is a small delay. We all want the deal to go through.”

“Right,” you said with an amused snort. “Sure.”

“I, uh… I think I agree,” said Kendall.

Roman’s eyes widened. “Oh, what the fuck? Seriously?”

 “It’s just—looking at the numbers… it’s compelling.”

With a grand scoff, Roman shook his head. “It’s compelling? Wow. You’d find a bag of peanuts more compelling, Kendall.”

You placed a hand over Roman’s jolting knee. “Rome, why don’t we just hear them out?” His eyes met yours, hesitant and conflicted. “And think—wouldn’t it be fun? Fucking Matsson in the ass?”

“Yeah, I bet you’d like that, you freak,” he scoffed, crossing his arms.

“So you guys are just gonna force Dad to grovel?” Connor asked, mouth parted in surprise. “Oh, man. How long will a renegotiation take?”

Shiv’s lips twisted downwards, though it was more of a smile than a frown. “It’s a play. More money is more money, and that’s all there is to it.”

It was then that Roman’s phone, facing upwards on the chipped table, vibrated thrice. The screen lit up with a text notification. 

Dad.

All the siblings had seen it, and Shiv rushed to angle the phone towards her. Roman slapped her hand away, yanking his phone towards his chest. Hiding it.

“What the fuck?” Shiv asked, wary. “The fuck is Dad messaging you for?”

Roman stood frozen, reminiscent of a deer in headlights. “Uh, I don’t know. Why don’t you ask him? Stupid question, Shivvy.”

Kendall stared at his younger brother blankly. “You’re not gonna read it?”

There was a brief pause. “Yeah, I’ll—I’ll read the damn thing. Sure.” A swipe of his phone, a kink to his brows. “It’s just a check-in.”

“Oh, yeah?” Shiv said, skeptical. “A check-in? Oh, yeah. Classic Dad. He just loves to check in on us, see how we’re doing.” 

Backing down, Roman fessed up, “Okay, fine, I sent him a text on his birthday. Just saying, you know, happy birthday, sorry we missed it—”

“I’m sorry, wait a minute!” Shiv exclaimed. “You texted him first?”

Roman frowned. “It was his birthday, yeah.”

“We said no contact until he apologizes!” she angrily pointed out.

“Okay, so then never?” Roman shot back, scowling.

With a tilt of your head, you said, “It was just a simple happy birthday, right? That’s harmless. Right, Roman?” You pressed your foot over his, enough so he could feel the pressure, but not enough to hurt him.

“Yeah. That was it.”

“Nuh-uh. I want to see your phone,” said the red-head. 

A flicker of panic flashed across Roman’s eyes. “Oh, really? Show me yours, then! World’s biggest WhatsApp group of people sharing pictures of your snatch. No, thank you. Fuck off, fuck you.”

“Roman, come on,” Kendall said. “We have to trust each other.”

Memories of Kendall forcefully taking Roman’s phone from you in Hungary briefly crossed your mind. You pursed your lips. He’d been hiding things from you then, who was to say he wasn’t hiding things from you now?

Relenting, Roman tossed his phone onto the table, almost hitting the platter of nachos. He was growing angrier by the second, frustrated by his siblings' shoes pressing against his spine. “Fine, take a good look. I don’t give a shit. It’s just dick pics, anyway. He’s got a real taste for ‘em now.”

You leaned over to read along with Shiv and Kendall. It looked fine to you—since it was just a simple birthday wish, but they seemed much more harsh in their critique.

“This is more than one text, Roman.” There was a crease between Shiv’s brows.

“Okay. What is it? Two, three?”

Kendall rubbed the faint stubble over his jaw. “It’s a bit warm.”

“Warm? Why, what did I say?”

“Take care.”

Scoffing, Roman’s eyes rolled up to the dingy, low-hanging light. “What was I supposed to say? Happy birthday, hope you fall down a flight of stairs, shithead!”

“I feel a little bit weird about this betrayal, if I’m being honest,” Shiv said in a steely tone. 

“Betrayal?” Roman parroted, almost offensively. “The betrayal of happy birthday, Dad. Take care!” 

“You know what?” Kendall chimed in. “I’m feeling a bit betrayed, too.”

Upset, Roman just about slammed his phone back down on the tabletop. “Wow. Great. Fucking family guilt-trip fest.”

“It wasn’t that bad,” you said, pinching the space between your brows. “It’s not illegal to say happy birthday, guys. Relax, okay?”

Connor nodded. “It’s hard. It’s been hard on everybody.”

The five of you sat in silence for a bit longer. Has it been hard? Or did it just feel like it because all of you had been so accustomed to getting everything handed over on a silver platter? 

Finally, Shiv swallowed heavily and said, “You know that he advised Tom on the divorce? Gave him a Dad trick—went and spoke to every pit bull in Manhattan and tied them up. I got Mommed.”

You frowned. So much had happened in the past few months, you’d sort of even forgotten Shiv and Tom were heading for divorce. “Tom did that? Jeez… I’m sorry, Shiv.”

Roman blew out a breath, mildly relieved that the heat was taken off of him for a moment. “I mean, there’s probably one more horrible motherfucker lawyer around somewhere, but, uhm… that sucks. I’m sorry.”

Shiv refused to meet either of your gazes. She didn’t want to be reduced to… Tom’s ex-wife. A shadow of her mother. 

“Guys, I just feel like we need to stick together,” Kendall said, firm. We should push back, and we should all be on board. We squeeze them.”

Equally level, Roman placed his hands on the table. “Okay, but, we want to do Pierce, right? We want an out?”

“Yes. But just with a bit more money,” Kendall agreed. 

“Yeah, that’s the thing—I don’t think Matsson will go up in price,” Roman argued. “He won’t! I know this, because I’ve spoken to him. I really think he might walk.”

 Good, you wanted to say, but you bit down on your tongue.

Both Shiv and Kendall began poking fun at him for not calling Matsson’s bluff.

Exasperated, Roman rubbed his knuckles along his hairline. “Okay, it just sounded like he meant it.” He didn’t look happy with the prospect of blocking the deal. He wanted to be a traitor to his Dad without being a traitor. To have his cake and eat it, too.

Shiv and Roman fell into another argument about whether or not Roman cared over conflict—that he was scared of his own Dad and wanted to back down like a coward.

Quelling his riled-up siblings, Kendall motioned for them to quiet down. “Honestly, though, guys. I think going with Sandi and Stewy is the best thing for us to do. As a team.”

Shiv nodded in agreement. “It’s a play. Buys us a couple weeks and more money.”

“He’ll get it,” Kendall said, trying to sway Rome. “It’s what Dad would do in his prime.”

And was that the goal? To try and imitate the beast to scare him off? A moth with false eyes to ward away predators?

Roman squinted at nothing in particular. Then, he angled his face to look at you. You hadn’t at all realized that your features were immobilized in uncertainty. 

“What?” Roman asked, knee knocking against yours.

“Your Dad’s going to hate us if we pull this.”

Roman laughed, high and nervous. The idea made him nauseous. “Seems like he already does.”

“No, he… he loves you. All of you. But this is… he’ll hate that he loves you, sure, that’s always been the case. But this time… he’ll hate you if you’re the reason he can’t win.”

Something sick twisted within Roman’s gut. He seemed to go all pale and wide-eyed. 

“It’s just a play, though,” Shiv said. 

“Just a play,” Roman echoed, sounding unsure. “It isn’t real?”

Kendall nodded. Shiv, too.

“Fine. Yeah, fuck it. I’m in.” Roman caved, and the two smiled at him. You squeezed his knee. 

With a sharp exhale, Connor huffed, “God damn it. God fucking damn it! You ruined it. You ruined it all.”

Roman apologized, but it seemed to fall upon deaf ears. Kendall tried to calm him down by asking his brother what he wanted to do. After all… it was supposed to be his big night before the big day.

“I wanted to get married tomorrow,” he said, cross. “I wanted to spend tonight with my family and tomorrow with Dad. I wanted to get my fucking money out. But you guys fucked it!”

Feeling mildly guilty, your other hand came up to rub Connor’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, really. You’re an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire. What can we do to make you feel better, Con?”

Several moments passed by in silence as Connor thought about it. What did he want? A giant bowl of ice cream so large you couldn’t see around it? A perfectly-tailored suit from the most expensive store he could find? A vintage bottle of whiskey and a nice book to sit with? They all sounded appealing to him.

“I would…” he finally started, “I’d like to sing one fucking song at karaoke because I’ve seen it in the movies, and nobody ever wants to go.”

Roman just about banged his head on the table. You flicked at his ear, before turning back to Connor. “Karaoke. Yeah, we can do that, Con.”

The room was illuminated with hazy shades of purples and blues, the lights hidden behind indents in the wall. It looked modern and sleek—an upscale to what was typically seen in the movies. Connor didn’t hesitate to make a beeline for the karaoke machine, fiddling with buttons and remotes and smiling to himself when he managed to get it up and working without asking for help. Shiv and Kendall wandered around cautiously. Roman was quick to toss himself onto the long, spacious couch, hanging off of the seats as if he were melting. You curled up beside him with a pleased hum, nose brushing over his lower cheek, scratchy with barely-there stubble.

There was a bit more dilly-dallying—Connor was concerned about Willa’s blue dot disappearing completely. The siblings were quick to brush him off, reassure him, tell him he wasn’t going to ever do better than Willa. The usual.

You sipped on a glass of champagne that Kendall handed you. There was more chatter—amicable and light and teasing. You poked fun at Kendall’s lame hat whilst Shiv plainly told Roman that his shoes were a size too large for his feet. That his feet were small and dainty and he would fall over if they were any smaller. More drinks, more giggling, more stories. You learned that fresh-faced college Kendall once puked on Stewy’s bed and cried at the foot of it after drinking too much. You told the siblings that you once slept with Angelina from accounting during your first year at the company, to which they responded with shocked snorts. There was a point where Roman grabbed your face and kissed you and kissed you until the rest of the siblings began faux-gagging, and Connor complained that it was like watching his siblings make out. Goddaughter-and-son incest, he’d said. 

It was fun, maybe. The closest to fun you could have with Roy siblings.

And it was gone in a second, like a candle snuffed in a hurricane. 

Logan was coming. Connor invited him because he loved him and he loved all of you and—

It hurt. Simple as that. It hurt to see the people he loved so… so torn.

The smiles melted away, and the laughter buzzed down. It was tense again. Family turned business once more. Connor finally put on a song to sing while he waited for his father to come, but your ears rang with white noise, so you didn’t quite register which song he was brokenly following along.

You were scared, you realized. Scared to face the man with the knife in his back. Roman worked his jaw and he complained some more. Not that you really heard what he said.

At some point, his phone began to ring, vibrating in his pants, pressed up against your leg. You raised a brow and scooched back so he could take it out to check. 

Logan. Dad. Of course. Roman’s hands shook, but only a little bit. Enough for you to see. Shiv grabbed it and hung up for him, not liking how long he hesitated. You stared at the black screen for a bit longer, your own fingers twitching.

Connor continued to sing. He finished three songs—maybe four—until the door creaked open. No knocks.

Colin came in first, then your godfather, then Kerry. He nodded, almost polite, with a casual greeting hanging in the air. It was eternally strange, the way Logan smiled at you. Warm, maybe. You didn’t know.

“Shit,” Roman said, almost amused, mostly… unprepared.

Chancing a glance to Shiv and Kendall, you noticed their stiff upper lips, their frozen postures. 

“Can we go somewhere else?” Logan asked, glancing around the large room. “These lights, er…”

Shiv shook her head in exasperation. A roll of her eyes. “We’re not going anywhere.”

There was little resistance to Logan. “Fine,” he easily acquiesced. With that, he took a seat in a velvet black chair, across all the siblings and you. Kerry jerked to sit next to him, which made Shiv recoil with a sneer.

“We won’t be needing you, Kerry. Thanks.”

Roman nodded. “Yeah, this here is a family fuck-fuck.”

There were a few glances around, Logan and Kerry looked at each other but neither moved. 

“Let’s get this figured out, and I can let you get back to your fun,” said Logan, ignoring them.

“Might be a wasted trip,” Kendall sardonically replied, tongue sharp. “Wanna give us a blast of New York, New York and fuck off?”

“I wanted to say something,” their father said.

Shiv retorted something else, and Kendall snickered under his breath. The buzzing in your ears grew louder.

“I guess I just wanted you there, a bit,” Logan said. “At my party.”

It was a play. Was it? Yes, of course. But if it wasn’t… 

But it was.

“Holy shit,” Kendall crooned. “Did Dad just say a feeling?”

“Well, you know. I thought maybe it would be nice,” said Logan. 

With exaggerated motions of his hands, Kendall exclaimed, “Oh, fuck! Now it’s all coming out! Oh, my God, Mr. Melodrama here! It’s like a fucking telenovela!”

Connor gestured between Kendall and his dad. “Come on, guys. He’s trying.”

Logan smiled, calm. “Y/N, dear,” he began. Your eyes snapped up to meet his and your spine seemed to grow rigid. “I had a lovely chat with your father. He was… surprised that you’re no longer holding Waystar together. Wouldn’t it be a shame, considering all the money he’s invested into the company? You’re setting millions on fire.”

The siblings all looked at you, curious. You swallowed, finding your throat painfully dry, despite all the champagne you’d been sipping prior to Logan’s arrival.

“If they expected me to stay at Waystar my entire life, they were always bound to be disappointed,” you responded, careful. “I won’t be tied down.”

A twitch of the old man’s mouth. Down or up or perhaps it hadn’t moved at all. “A shame. You worked so hard to compose acquisition branch details on Pierce just under a year ago. So much paperwork.” He shook his head. “And all of you—you knew I wanted Pierce ever since then. When I lost out, it wasn’t a good feeling.”

Fed up, Shiv finally leaned forward and hissed out, “I’m sorry, can we just cut the shit? It’s obvious why you’re here, Dad!”

Unsuspectingly, Kerry chimed, “Your father wanted to address the personal stuff and not just launch into business.”

Shiv’s jaw clicked. “Well, see, this isn’t personal, Dad. This is a business decision. This is about the money.”

Logan bobbed his head. “Look, you’re smart to ask about the money. You are. But Matsson—he won’t go there. You haven’t been around this, but I’ve got done a good deal and you’ll get enough to do whatever you want. I do ATN, you do Pierce. It’ll be a fresh start for all of us. It’ll make things better, and it starts there. All you have to do is… vote yes and support the deal.”

There was an uneasy shift next to you—Roman looked torn.

“You can separate the personal from the business,” Kerry offered. “Reset your dynamic as a family.”

Shiv snorted. “Oh, super! It’s gonna be just like how it used to—summer vacay and road trip musicals!” 

Hesitant, Roman supplied, “It just… it may be more complicated than that, dad.”

“I guess you’re still in the honeymoon phase,” Shiv told Kerry, cold and sarcastic. “Getting your own show on TV… amazing.”

The dark-haired woman glanced around, seeming to shrink further into her seat.

“No?” Roman asked, his attention piqued. Anything to latch onto to make everything feel less—tortuous. “You’re not going to be on TV now?”

Shiv laughed. “Has he fucked you on that?” 

Kendall nodded. “That’ll happen. The fucking. But congrats on losing your betrayal cherry—”

“Enough!” Logan said. It wasn’t loud, but heavy with finality. Your pulse skipped a beat, scratching down your ribcage almost painfully. Logan looked tired. “I though you’d be interested in an apology, but that’s enough.”

Incredulous, Shiv held a hand out. “Wait, what? An apology? We missed that, I think.”

Logan fixed an intense stare over all his children. “Look, I don’t do apologies. But if it means so much to you, then… sorry.”

In all your years of living, you’re not sure you’ve ever heard Logan apologize before. Was it genuine? Was it real? There was a long, terse silence. Roman stared at his father with his mouth slightly agape. You wrapped your arms around your stomach and stared at the door. Connor was looking down at his shoes. Kendall aimlessly observed Logan, finding that the apology he’d yearned for so many years of his life seemed to fall incredibly flat.

Shiv just about glared at her father in a challenging fashion, lips pursing tight. “There is nothing you could say to me now that I would ever believe.”

“This deal push could be worth a hundred mil to us, Dad,” said Kendall. “How many sorrys do we get for that?”

Kerry was starting to say something, but Roman butted in, looking incredibly troubled. “What are you actually sorry for, Dad? Are we actually doing this? Because I think, you know… seriously, what fucked all of this was when… it all happened with Mom in Italy.”

Logan averted his gaze to the carpeted ground. “Yeah, okay. I’ve had certain thoughts about that. With the best of intentions, I got the structure of the holding company, and the ownership structure of the family trust. There is a lack of clarity, and maybe you got a—”

“Amazing,” Shiv deadpanned, cutting her father off. “You sure you’re not having a seizure?”

For the first time in a very long time, Connor raised his voice at his baby sister. “He’s trying, Shiv! You said you were interested in an apology!”

Shiv glared at her father again. In a less harsh tone, she asked, “Anything else, Dad?”

There was a long pause. You wondered if Logan was haggling for words. 

“Come on, Dad,” Kendall goaded. “What are you sorry for?”

It felt like bullying, almost. In a severely twisted way. 

Kendall continued on, “Are you sorry for fucking ignoring Connor his whole life?”

“Bit strong,” protested Connor.

“Hitting Rome when he was a kid?” Kendall pointed at Roman, who shrugged.

“Oh, no—I mean, everyone hit me. I’m fucking annoying.” 

You frowned at Roman’s words, wrapping an arm around his waist. 

“Having Connor’s mom locked up?” Kendall continued on. 

Something twisted in the eldest Roy sibling’s expression. “Can we not do a whole show trial here?”

Finally, Shiv hissed out, “Okay, what about advising Tom on my divorce? Yeah? I mean, that took effort. That was above and beyond.”

“Tom asked me for advice,” said Logan. It didn’t go past everyone’s notice how he ignored all the rest of the hurtled accusations. “I recommended someone he could speak to. You weren’t around. If you’d been around, I would’ve offered you the same advice. But I can’t help you if you don’t see me.”

Shiv was hurt. It was clear as day, even if she refused to show it. She built up a wall, a front, brick by brick, and spun her hurt feelings into a low-flamed fury.

“Bottom line is, if we ask for more money, Matsson walks. I know that.”

“No!” Shiv asserted. There was something firmer in her tone this time. Angrier. “You don’t know that! You don’t know him! You don’t fucking know everything! Just because you say it doesn’t make it true! Everyone just fucking agrees with you and believes you so it becomes true—and then you can turn around and say oh! You see? I was right! But that’s just—that’s not how it is. You’re a human fucking gaslight!”

The silence that stretched across the room was thin. You were afraid to breathe, and so you bit down on your tongue.

Logan nodded and nodded. The brothers were quiet.

And so you felt compelled to say something. Sick with nerves, but compelled nonetheless. “Matsson has been fucking the company since the very start of negotiations. It’s only fair if you… bite him back.”

Logan watched you. There was something in his eyes that seemed to soften, but it was near imperceptible. Maybe you were simply seeing what you wanted to see. “I can’t take that risk,” he finally said. “Look, I just wanted to get us all together. What you kids don’t realize… this is a good deal. The world likes it. It makes sense. But deals have a habit of disappearing because pricks like Matsson get pissed off or snubbed. This… this is fucking real.”

You turned your head away and stared at the door once more. You wanted to leave. Crawl into bed and stop thinking about it all. Beside you, Roman was biting down on his thumb. A nervous habit.

“Okay, I think I can speak for everyone when I say this… go ask him for more money, Dad.” Shiv narrowed her eyes at her father.

“Why?” Logan asked. Are you not satisfied with what you already have? was the unsaid, lingering question hanging in the air.

Kendall tilted his head up. “Just good business sense. Gotta make our own pile. Right, Dad?” 

“Yeah, I just have to listen to my gut. I just gotta go with what my gut says,” Shiv piled on.

“Oh, come on. Jesus.” Logan pulled at his face, tired. In a span of five, maybe ten minutes… he seemed to age a decade. Finally, finally, the nice mask slipped. He leaned back in the velvet seat and spat out, “You’re such fucking dopes.”

Roman’s nose twitched and he shifted so he could lean further into you. You let him.

“You are not serious figures,” Logan went on. “I love you… but you are not serious people.”

His eyes were glassy for a second, but you weren’t exactly sure, because he stood up and hurriedly strode out of the karaoke room the very next second. No goodbyes. Kerry followed close behind him.

The hazy purple lights were beginning to make you nauseous. 

Everybody sat in silence for a little while longer. Let the conversation marinate. Shiv poured herself a drink and smiled into the rim, expression victorious.

“How was it for you guys?” she asked the group. “Fucking Dad, that is.”

“Amazing. Just over too soon. I could’ve kept going,” Kendall admitted.

Roman abruptly stood up, scratching the back of his head uncomfortably. He made a noise of disgust.

“Rome, we’re kidding, man,” Kendall said.

He began to pace around, like a caged animal. “No, I know. It’s fine. It’s cool.”

Connor also stood up, shrugging on his jacket. “Well… I’m going home. ‘M tired.” 

“G’night, Con,” you said. He reached over the couch to give you a one-armed hug from behind. “She’ll come home. Willa.”

“It’s fine,” Connor said. 

Kendall arched a brow. “Really?”

“Yeah.” There was a nod and a tap of his shoe. “The good thing about having a family that doesn’t love you is that you learn to live without it.”

Shiv’s face crumpled. “What? Con, that’s not—”

With a shake of his head, Connor scoffed. “You’re all chasing after Dad saying, “Oh, please, love me, love me, I need love, I need attention!””

“I think that’s the opposite of what just happened,” Shiv argued. 

“You’re needy love sponges,” Connor pressed. “And I’m a plant that grows on rocks and lives off insects that die inside of me.”

Shiv laughed, Roman huffed, and Kendall stayed silent. 

“If Willa doesn’t come back, that’s fine. ‘Cause I don’t need love. It’s like a superpower,” he said. “And if she comes back and doesn’t love me, that’s okay too. I don’t need it. Thanks for the party.” With that, he stepped out of the karaoke room.

You jolted out of your seat, ignoring Roman’s questions as to where you were going. You rushed out the door after Connor, nearly tripping over your own feet in your haste.

“Connor!” you called out. The older man halted in the middle of the dimly lit hallway.

“What? I’m not looking for pity, Y/N—”

You shuffled forward the last few steps and put your hand on his elbow. “Con, I just… I wanted to say—” You shook your head and wrapped your arms around him. “You’re my brother. I know you are. And… even if you don’t need love or whatever you were on about in there… I’ll still love you anyway. Okay? I don’t need you to need my love. You’ll have it.”

There was a momentary pause before Connor jerkily moved to pat your back and hug you back. Loose, but solid.

“You’re just a kid. A kid with my kid brother,” he said once he pulled away, rubbing his palms up and down your forearms. His eyes seemed to be watery and tired, but he laughed right from his belly. “I love you, too, kid.”

“Yeah?”

“Of course.”

The two of you grinned at each other. 

“G’night, Con.” He let you go when you stepped back. “Big day tomorrow.”

“Yeah…”  Connor nodded. “Big day.”

He walked off, and you watched him go. When you heard the door open, you turned to see Roman peeking his head out.

“Hey, Rome,” you greeted. “I love you, you know that?”

His eyes roamed over your face, and he smiled back. It was lopsided and slight. “Mmkay. Yeah, me too, fuckface. You feeling okay?” 

“Yeah. Should get home.” You craned your neck to lean forward, affectionately pecking his cheek. “You coming with?”

He shifted his weight from foot to foot. Eyes to the ground, then to the walls. Not on you. 

“Not… not yet. I’ll come in a bit. Just need to grab something from my place first.”

His place was barren. Everything in his place, you had in yours. You probably had more of his clothes in your closet than his own. You regarded him with a curious look, but decided not to press further.

“Okay, Rome. You have the key. Just don’t jostle me awake when you climb into bed.”

He guffawed. “I’ll sleep on the floor then, your royal majesty.” 

“Thank you.”

“I was joking. Just so you know. You prick.”

“I know. I wouldn’t want you to sleep on the floor, anyway. A waste of body heat.”

He kissed you then, surging forward to chase after your lips. You hummed in pleasant surprise, but kissed him back with just as much vigor. His lips were a darker shade of pink when he pulled away.

“See you at home, Roman.” After a final pat on his cheek, it was your turn to walk off. 

Roman wrung his hands nervously. There’d been a text to his phone while you were out talking to Connor—from his Dad. He glanced back at the door, where Shiv and Kendall were still speaking to each other inside. He rolled his shoulders and began to slowly walk out of the building, careful not to bump into you.

He was going to go pay his father a visit.

The top spot at ATN. Was it a tempting offer in it of itself or was it just tempting because his father was goading him to lick off the silver platter?

When he told you, and of course he told you, you just about blew up—in the most professional, stick-in-ass way possible—warning him not to take the offer with a strained voice and wide eyes. Not even consider it. ATN wasn’t where he wanted to be. His father was offering him a cyanide pill, obscured by a layer of fucking strawberries and cream.

The next morning, he numbly got dressed for Connor’s wedding. Got into the car after you, pinching your thigh once he clambered in next to you. His father called him on the way there, much to your dismay, telling him to come with him to meet Matsson, despite Connor’s wedding being literal hours away.

Roman turned him down. But he didn’t turn Logan away when he told Roman to fire Gerri since, apparently, he was beginning to lose faith in her. 

You were pretending not to listen to their conversation, but he knew you were. He could tell by the way your jaw seemed to twitch at the prospect of cutting Gerri loose. 

“Shit,” he breathed out once Logan hung up on him. “That’s fucking… bullshit.”

You drew your eyes away from the window, regarding him with narrowed eyes. “Don’t do it, Rome.”

Everything felt crowded and tense all of a sudden. Roman squared his shoulders defensively. There was a stinging quip on the tip of his tongue, but nothing seemed to come out other than a rather passive, “Mmh.” 

The rest of the drive to the wedding venue was silent. But your hand came to lace with his, and that made him feel just a bit better. 

Once there, about half a dozen cameras swarmed the two of you coming out of the car, taking several candid shots, much to your irritation. It was only expected, what with Connor being in the run for president and the whole wedding being a PR move, anyway. But you gave them a smile nonetheless, made a show of kissing Roman’s cheek and walked off to greet other work acquaintances and wedding guests. From the corner of your eye, you could see Roman trying to talk to Gerri with a rather terse look on his face. You tried not to pay him any mind. He was digging his own grave.

Half an hour later, the wedding planner announced for family and friends to start boarding the boat. The few businesswomen you were chatting to kissed you on the cheek and told you they’d see you soon. You waved them goodbye and made your way onto the boat. Kissed and hugged and congratulated Willa. She looked beautiful in her wedding dress, even if she didn’t appear all too happy wearing it. After a short conversation, you moved on into the boat.

It was lavishly decorated, screaming luxury and American patriotism. There was a concerning amount of blue and red strewn everywhere. They weren’t being very subtle, were they?

You made your way onto the second floor, greeted by Kendall in a pair of sunglasses.

“Hey, loser,” he said, nudging you in the side. “You look nice.”

“Thanks,” you replied, giving him a quick once over. “You look shitty. Hiding your terrible eyebags behind those shades, are you? Not doing a very good job, by the way.”

He seemed unfazed by your jab. “You excited for the wedding?”

“Neither Connor nor Willa seem too hot about it,” you told him with a mild grimace. On your way to the boat, you heard Connor yelling at his wedding planner about the cake being inadequate.

Kendall shrugged and pulled a nonchalant expression. “It’ll blow over. They’ll be fine.”

“I know. It just feels so… fake. All of it.” You jerked your head toward a frilly blue, red, and white banner. 

“Yeah, well, yours won’t be,” he said, scrutinizing you behind those ridiculous shades of his. “With Rome, I mean.”

“Wow! Yeah, well, we aren’t quite there yet, I think.” You laughed and rolled your eyes to the ceiling. “Besides, I can’t guarantee that you’re even invited to this hypothetical wedding. Who knows? I can never tell with you guys. You’re always five minutes away from ruining each other’s lives or being best friends.”

“I’ll crash your wedding if I’m not invited. It’s my baby brother, dude. I have to be there,” he said. You couldn’t tell if it was a joke or not. 

“Good to know,” came your lighthearted retort. “I’ll be sure to save a slice of cake for you.”

With that, you bumped your fist into his bicep and walked off. Then, you spotted Roman out on deck, phone in his hand. You stepped out just in time to hear him bark out, “Don’t listen to this if you don’t want to—but I’m not… I’m not, uh, totally okay with… are you kinda just being shitty with me, Dad? ‘Cause… your son is getting married, and you can’t fucking just keep expecting me to bend over for you and being cunty, so I’m just asking. Yeah—that’s the question, actually. Are you a cunt? Okay. Give me a buzz.”

There were a few seconds of silence after he hung up. You approached him from behind and slung both your arms around his waist, resting your chin on his shoulder. 

“Hey, fuckface,” he said. He sounded tired. Distressed.

“Hey,” you quietly said in reply. “I’m proud of you.”

“For calling Dad a cunt?”

“Yeah.” You huffed out a laugh. “I really am proud of you.”

Roman leaned back against you and hummed. “I just got on this boat and I already want to fucking leave.”

“That’ll break Connor’s heart.” 

“I know. I’m his favorite brother.”

“I think Shiv is his favorite brother, actually.”

The two of you laughed, and he didn’t bother arguing back. 

“Come on. I think Kendall and Shiv are looking for you,” you said, tugging him inside.

The two of you greeted the three other Roy siblings, where Connor was giving a rundown of his plan for Logan. 

“Okay, so the idea is that Dad will pop by, be dockside, and you guys will just be up here. I think that’s cleanest,” Connor told all of you.

Shiv pursed her lips and tilted her head. “Oh… okay. You really think he’s going to pop by?”

“I spoke with Kerry,” Connor said with a smile, crossing his fingers. “He’s hoping.”

With a nod of thanks, he gave you and Roman both a quick hug, before rushing back downstairs to be with his wife-to-be. 

“Well, someone’s gotta tell him,” said Shiv. “We should tell him.”

“We should,” Kendall agreed. Both you and Roman nodded. 

“Well, Shiv, you are his favorite,” you offered. 

The woman’s face regarded you as if you’d just stabbed her in the back. “No, come on—really?”

“He likes you,” Kendall insisted.

“Fine,” she sighed with slitted eyes. “I’ll be the wedding Grinch. Fuck you.”

The three of you watched her go with muted snickers. 

Then, Roman’s phone began to buzz. He fished it out of his pocket and let out an annoyed groan upon seeing Tom’s caller ID. 

“Oh my—ugh,” Roman hastily pressed on the green answer button, “Hello? Fucky-sucky brigade, how can I help you? Yeah?” 

You leaned onto the fancy leather couches next to Kendall, who was staring out the window, watching the gentle waves roil over the surface of the harbor. “Hey, Ken?”

“Mmh?”

“I’d invite you, you know.” 

Kendall’s eyes left the waters to look at you. “What?”

“To my wedding. Before I said I couldn’t guarantee you a spot—but I’d want you there.”

Something akin to gratitude flashed across his face. Before he could say anything, Roman’s panicked voice echoed over, and the both of you snapped your heads towards him.

“What?” he said into the phone. “Tom, what are you—?”

“What?” Kendall asked, immediately on his feet. “What’s happening?”

You followed suit, the two of you hovering over Roman’s sides. 

His palms grew white over the phone. “It’s—uh, Tom. Apparently Dad’s sick. Uh, what do you mean he’s sick? Sick, like—Tom? What’s going on? Are you still there?” 

“Where is he now?” you asked, brows furrowed. Roman could only shake his head, equally clueless, pulling the phone away so he could put it on speaker.

“Is he okay?” Kendall immediately asked. “Who’s with him?”

There was a lot of rustling and rummaging. It felt as if your heart had crawled its way into your throat. 

“It—it seems bad. Very, very bad. I’m so sorry to call you like this,” Tom’s voice crackled through.

“What?” you croaked. “What is it, though? Like, a fever?”

“Can you put him on the phone?” Roman asked. His voice shook and his brows were pulled tightly together. 

Again, Kendall asked the same questions, “Who’s there? Tom, what’s going on? What happened?”

“Ah—” You could practically see Tom scratching at his head. “He was short of breath and he went into the bathroom. And, well, uh, someone heard something and we were concerned, and they went in there.”

Kendall used his hands to gesticulate to nobody in particular. “They broke in?”

“They broke in, yeah. They had the key and they got in, but he’s not responsive.”

“Not responsive?” you parroted, eyes widening. This was far worse than just… sick. “Like—is he conscious?”

The brothers started to blurt out a multitude of questions, concerns exponentially heightened. 

“Is he talking? Can he talk?” Kendall asked.

“Is he breathing?” Roman’s shoulders were hunched over, as if he was trying to shrink in on himself. 

There was a brief pause. Uncomfortable and festered with fear. 

“They’re doing chest compressions,” Tom’s voice pierced through.

Your lungs seemed to contract in panic at his words. The room felt all the smaller. 

“Oh!” Roman exclaimed in a mixture of both shock and anguish. “Fuck.”

Kendall only pressed on with his queries. “Has his heart stopped?”

“I don’t know.”

“Do you guys have the machine on board? The heart thing?” Roman asked.

“The defibrillator,” you said, clutching both your anxious, wringing hands to your chest. 

How had the day turned on its head so quickly?

“Is Siobhan there?” Tom’s voice was patchy and unclear. It was hard to hear over Kendall’s barrage of frustration.

“No, she’s not,” said Roman.

“Karl said that maybe he’s breathing,” Tom claimed.

Leaning forward, you hissed out, “Karl isn’t a medical professional, Tom. Who’s trained in there?”

“The, uh, the people. The attendant. I’ll put you on speaker—here’s, uh, Karl, here—”

The older man’s voice buzzed through, “That captain has been informed. The cabin staff are receiving medical advice from their service.”

Both Kendall and Roman barked questions over each other. Faintly, you heard an additional third voice in the back of the call.

“Is that Frank?” you asked. 

Tom cleared his throat. “Yeah, so—Frank thinks you guys should speak to him.  And I can—I can hold the phone near him if you’d like.”

Roman bit down on his tongue, angry. “Why does Frank think that, Tom?”

“I guess if it’s a last chance, you know. I think it’s the last chance.”

A shudder and a glare from Roman to the phone. “What the fuck do you mean, Tom?”

“You think he’s gonna die?” you whispered, eyes stinging as you stared down at the screen, watching the seconds of the call tick by.

“He’s… he’s not in good shape. They’re doing chest compressions.”

“Well, should they be doing that?” Roman just about yelled at the phone. You placed a hand on his hunched shoulder.

Frank began talking again, “They’re getting advice, they know what they’re doing. But I think you should talk to him. I’m not sure he’s breathing.”

The two both spluttered angrily. In denial, in frustration, in utter devastation.

“We just heard that he was breathing two seconds ago, Frank. You shouldn’t be doing CPR on someone who’s heart is still going! What the fuck is going on, Frank?” Kendall gritted out.

“I’ll put you by his ear,” Tom said. “I’ll put you right by him. He’ll be able to hear you if—if he can.”

If you hadn’t been so hyperfocused on the call, you would’ve realized that your entire body began to simultaneously tremble and tense, like a plank of wood caught in a hurricane. 

“Uh, you might wanna get Shiv, so she can—” 

“Yeah, we’ll—we’ll get her,” said Roman.

“Okay, I’ll put you by him now.”

“Is he okay?”

“No, Rome, he’s not okay.”

“You can speak now. Go ahead.”

There was a blistering silence. Roman gestured for Kendall to take the phone first, but he shook his head. He turned to you, but you weren’t even looking in his direction, clamoring for your own phone to try and contact Karolina. Your hands seemed not to work in coordination with your mind, because you struggled getting your phone to unlock, and then struggled even more to open up the right app to get to your contacts list.

This left Roman to speak to his maybe-dead dad on his own. He hurried around the room, as if there was going to be a corner on this wretched yacht that would make this somewhat easier to say. He ended up crouching by the end of the leather couch. 

“Hey, Dad. I, uh, hope you’re okay. You’re okay. You’re going to be okay.” Was he reassuring himself or his father? “Because you’re a—you’re a monster, and you’re going to win. ‘Cause you just—you just win. That’s what you do. And you’re, uh… you’re a good man. You’re a good dad. A very good dad. Uh… you did a good job. No—no. I’m sorry, I don’t know how to do that.”

With that, Roman unceremoniously stood up and shoved his phone right into your palms, tugging away your own. “It’s your turn.”

Your shaking grew all the worse, but you put on a brave face and held it up to your face.

“Oh, uhm—hi, Uncle Logan. You, uhm… oh—I wasn’t prepared or this, you know, I would’ve… I would’ve, if I’d known, I wouldn’t have…”

It occurred to you that you managed to say absolutely nothing in the precious few seconds he had left. This sent you spiraling into another bout of anxious trembling. You only barely registered Roman’s own shaking hand on your side.

“You were so—such a big role in my life. So important. And—and, and, I really couldn’t have done anything without your help. Thank you. For everything. I… I love you, Uncle Lo. Really, I do. And I love your kids like my own siblings, and—and Rome, I’m—I love him. I promise I’ll, uh, I’ll take care of him. I just—uhm, I can’t really, there are just so many things you…”

Your nails scratched over your chest as you heaved out a shuddering breath. Realizing you couldn’t finish, you made your way over to Kendall and handed the phone to him with teary eyes.

“Okay,” Kendall said with the phone by his nose, blinking helplessly at the ground. “Hang in there. Yeah? Uhm…”

“It’ll be okay,” Roman softly whispered to him.

“It’ll be okay,” Kendall repeated into the phone. “We love you, Dad. Okay? We love you. I love you, Dad. I do. I love you, okay? Uh—and… it’s okay. Even though you fucking… I don’t know. I can’t—I can’t forgive you.”

You sniffled and wiped a stray tear with the sleeve of your dress. 

After a few final words, Kendall handed the phone back to Roman. Tom’s voice crackled through again, asking for Shiv. 

“Ken’s gonna get Shiv,” Roman said, voice small and child-like. Kendall nodded and staggered his way out of the room.

There was more commotion on the other end of the line. 

“What’s going on now?” Roman asked. 

“I, uhm—there’s, I’m not so sure—” Tom’s glitchy voice replied. “I think he’s gone, Roman.”

“What?” you asked.

“I think—I don’t know, I think there might not be a pulse, they’re not—”

A few seconds passed, with only scuffling noises on the other end. Shiv and Kendall appeared through the doorway just a minute later.

“They think he’s gone,” Roman told his sister as he handed the phone to her. “They think he’s dead.”

“What?” Shiv asked, her eyes welling up almost instantaneously. “No! I… I can’t have that.”

Tom spoke a few words to his wife, telling her that he was putting the phone back by Logan’s ear. Shiv strode away to ramble to her father in a semi-panicked fashion. She called him Dad at first, which spiraled into whisper-cries of Daddy, and angry curses intermingled with a multitude of I love yous.

You tugged at your face, aching with all the tension you were carrying. Roman’s hand was on your arm, but he left your side half a minute later to take the phone away from Shiv, who seized up with incoherent noises through blurred tears. He hugged her, but she didn’t return it, frozen on the spot.

The siblings all asked him more questions. 

“Is he okay at all?” Kendall asked.

“He’s not okay, no,” replied Tom. “He’s not.”

Shiv sucked in a shaky breath. “Is he gone? Tom?”

A brief pause.

“They say his heart stopped and his breathing stopped, too. For a while, maybe.”

“Okay, but that doesn’t mean he’s dead, medically!” Roman asserted. “Right?”

You didn’t have the heart to tell him that it did mean exactly that.

“I don’t know,” came Tom’s calm voice. “They’re still doing chest compressions.”

Kendall began to order Tom around, then Frank, then Jess. Something about getting the best doctor in the world. The best airplane medicine expert, whatever that meant. He disappeared out of the room to go up to the deck. You took a seat on the couch and sank your face into your palms.

When Kendall returned, his face was solemn and set in stone. “Frank thinks he’s gone,” he said.

Roman sank down on the ground, right by your feet. Shiv took a seat next to you.

“Why didn’t you come and get me?” Shiv sniffled, looking up at her big brother. 

“I—Shiv, I did. We did,” Kendall said.

“No, but I was right out there. How long was it happening before?”

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry, I’m—I wasn’t thinking—” Kendall shook his head.

Roman drew in a sharp breath. “There was no time. I promise you, there was no time at all.”

Kendall took his little sister’s hand and repeated his apologies. The sight made more tears spill over your cheeks.

“I’m sorry, guys,” you hoarsely said. “He’s not even my dad.”

“No, it’s…” Roman patted your knee. “He was. He is. Kind of.”

“It’s just—on the phone Tom said that Kerry spoke to him. Quite a bit,” Shiv said, voice bitter.

“I don’t know,” said Kendall. “I don’t—we don’t know if he could hear us.”

Another sniffle. Shiv nodded a bit. “Yeah. I’m just sad, I guess.”

Roman shifted uncomfortably, looking up at his siblings and you with large, worried eyes. “Uh—do we know if he was on his phone at all? Like, if he checked his messages or anything?”

Faintly, you recalled Roman leaving a voice message for him. Right. Roman had called his father a cunt. And you’d said you were proud of him for it. Nausea pressed fervently against the inside of your stomach. Roman drew in a sharp, stressful breath.

“Rome, it’s okay,” Kendall assured him. “We’re okay. You did good.”

The words didn’t sit with you well. You did good—as if it were one last performance before the curtains closed. The circus monkey and the ringleader. 

“Yeah, I know,” he quickly replied. Roman’s expression crumpled. “I don’t know if—I just don’t know. Like, if I said… I just feel like I didn’t—did I even say I loved him?”

Kendall nodded. “I think so, yeah.”

“I’m pretty sure I didn’t,” Roman asserted. The grip he had on your knee tightened. “Do you know?”

“Ro, hon, I’m—” The words lodged in your throat as you reached out to brush your knuckles over his cheekbone. “He knows.”

“No, but I really don’t think I did—” Roman jerked away to lean closer to the phone Tom was calling through. “Tom, could you put me back to his ear for—ergh, fuck it. Never mind. I don’t know. Maybe just keep the line open.”

If Tom replied, you didn’t hear.

Instead, you glanced out the doorway, where you saw Connor speaking to some other wedding guests. He didn’t know.

“Oh, fuck. We need to get Connor. We need to tell him,” Roman said, following your gaze. “Can you do it, Ken? I don’t think I can. I mean, I could, I definitely could, I just—”

Kendall nodded solemnly, and stood up. Shiv offered to go with him, rising to her feet and drawing in a deep breath in a fruitless attempt to maintain her long-gone composure. 

“Thank you,” Roman said from the ground. He crossed his legs and leaned against the side of your shins. In turn, you placed your hands on his shoulders and squeezed reassuringly.

“I don’t remember the last thing I said to him,” you mumbled, voice filled with irritating tremors and warbles. “In that karaoke room. I don’t remember any of it, and I wasn’t even drunk or anything, I just—”

Roman pressed his cheek against your thigh, shutting his eyes. “I think you were okay. I don’t know. Maybe he heard us. And you have such a nice voice, y’know? Maybe it was good for him. If he heard it.”

The two of you sat in stuffy silence for a few minutes more. 

The three other siblings came to fetch the two of you sooner than you would’ve liked—whisking all of you upstairs to a more secluded room. Connor had tears in his eyes when all of you filed in, face wrought with anguish. “What happened?” he asked, sounding utterly devastated.

Roman apologized over and over again, but made no attempts to explain to him. Instead, he reached forward to grab at his oldest brother’s arm in a strange sort of semi-hug as Kendall filled Connor in on what happened.

“Well, actually, we don’t really know that he’s gone,” Roman asserted to the rest of you, drawing away from them. 

Both Kendall and Shiv began to clamor over the likelihood of Logan’s death. They seemed surprised that Roman was clinging onto such hope that he was alive. You watched Roman with such sad eyes that when he looked at you, he found himself growing even more upset.

“What?” he asked you crossly, brows drawing together. “Why are you looking at me like that? He—he could still fucking be alive! We don’t know! Are you going to trust, what, like, fucking Frank and Karl’s word on it? Don’t look at me like I’m crazy!”

“Right, well, you sound delusional, Rome,” Shiv tried telling him. You could tell she was trying to lay it easy on him and be nice, but it didn’t quite sound that way.

The siblings argued some more. Roman kept denying that Logan was dead, while Shiv gritted out that he’s gone. 

“All I’m saying is that we don’t know for sure. And—and until we do know, it’s just not a very nice thing to say, is it? So just fucking stop!” Roman yelled the last word out, and it ricocheted across the room like a bullet would. 

They all fell silent for a moment.

“Okay,” Shiv said. She looked to be on the verge of crying again. With quiet, reassuring words, Connor wrapped an arm around his little sister and let her lean against him.

“Roman,” you said, making his eyes snap to you. They were red and looked so tired. You were sure yours looked just the same. When you spread your arms as a non-verbal invite, he surged forward and buried himself into your embrace. The two of you held onto each other as if you were both lifeboats for one another in this vast sea of fucking nothing.

Kendall, disillusioned, went back to staring out the window.

“He didn’t want us together,” Roman choked out, forehead drooped onto your sternum. “He fucking—he told me to end it, and I didn’t listen, and I just never listened to him…”

Both your hands rubbed up and down his back. “I know. I know, Rome. I love you even if he didn’t want me to.”

Your words made Roman’s shoulders curl closer to his chest. Closer to you. “Fuck. Me, too, okay? Me, too.”

Half an hour later, the boat began moving away from the dock, much to all of your chagrin. 

Hugo had also come into the room, acting as a liaison. He told the lot of you that the plane-folk were starting to draft a statement to release to the news. The siblings angrily called them to ask what was going on—which did little to sway them.

Not too long after, Gerri came in to offer her condolences. Her presence made Roman all the more turbulent, and he lashed out at her, telling her to fuck off. 

Shiv asked her godmother if maybe they could stay up in the air a bit longer to give everyone some more time to think—and Roman told her to fuck off, too. At that point, you stepped in to say that it’s probably best not to delay the inevitable. Thankfully, Roman didn’t tell you to fuck off at that.

“Just to say,” Kendall said once both Hugo and Gerri hurried off to answer calls and get more information, “every single thing we say and do today… it’s all going in the memoirs, going in the fucking congressional record, it’s coming up at board meetings, it’s going in SEC filings.”

“God, Kendall,” you said, pinching the space between your brows. “Your grief is not a fucking spectacle, okay? It’s not—none of this is meant to be a performance. You can… you can be a fucking human being for once, okay?”

“No, but, listen, I’m agreeing with you,” he said, holding out a hand. “If we tell them to circle the plane around to buy us time, then some fucking rumors start up, and we get crucified for being cold-hearted, or—I don’t even know. We’re highly liable to misinterpretation right now. What we do today will always be what we did the day our father died. So I’m agreeing with you, Y/N. We shouldn’t delay the inevitable.”

Nose flaring, Shiv shook her head in a frustrated manner.

“So, you know, let’s grieve and whatever,” Kendall continued on, “but not do anything that restricts our future freedom of movement.”

“Okay,” you whispered, nodding in agreement. “Okay, Kendall. We’ll be careful.”

The siblings stepped out to discuss drafting statements themself, and you told them you’d arrange transport off the boat to the airport, where they’d be landing. 

Before you reconvened with them, however, you dropped by to see Connor one last time.

“I’m sorry,” you whispered with a frown that felt strangely childish, enveloping him in a hug. “I’m sorry your dad died, and I’m sorry I won’t be here to see you get married. Everything’s gone to shit and I hate that I can’t do anything about it.”

“It’s okay,” Connor said, rubbing your back comfortingly, not unsimilar to what you did with Roman. “It’s okay, kiddo. I appreciate you coming here to tell me.”

You pulled away, using the back of your palm to brush away your tears. “I got you, uhm—as a wedding present, I got you an oil painting kit. It’s not much, but I thought it’d be fun to try it out with you one day. I guess I just didn’t think—I thought I’d be able to give it to you after the ceremony, but… I don’t think I’ll be around. I’m sorry.”

Connor nodded, and smiled at you sadly. “It’s like you haven’t changed at all in twenty years, you know that? I feel so fuckin’ old.”

“Have a happy wedding, Con,” you told him. With that, you turned on your heel and headed off, breathing out a sigh of relief upon seeing a smaller boat right by the one you were on, ready to take you back to land.

One boat ride, one helicopter flight, and one private car later, you arrived at Teterboro Airport, where their plane touched down. Logan was announced dead at arrival. Roman balked and nearly puked up what little he’d eaten on the boat—you rubbed his back and told him everything was okay as he dry-retched nothing in the airport bathroom. There were already dozens of news reporters and journalists flooding the entrance-way for the impromptu press conference the Roy siblings were holding.

Before the sun was down, the news was spilled at the hands of Shiv. It was short and concise, over in no more than a minute. Questions, questions, and more questions—none of which were answered.

“Are we going to go see him?” Roman asked once it was all over. The plane was in view.

“Do we have to?” Kendall replied.

“I mean, he’s not going to be angry if we don’t,” Shiv replied. The rest of you smiled in silence.

Then, Kendall opened his arms, and the four of you leaned into a brief group hug. You kissed Shiv’s cheek and told her to get home safe. She nodded and took her leave. 

Roman jutted his head in the direction of the plane. “I’m gonna go see him. You coming, Kendall?” 

The oldest scuffed his shoe into the concrete pathway. “I’m gonna—I’ll watch him come down from here.”

“Okay,” said Roman. There was no surprise in his tone, but it lacked any sort of harsh judgment. 

“I’ll come with you,” you told Roman, taking his hand. “If you’re going to go see him, I’ll come with you.”

“Didn’t expect anything less,” he replied, eyes soft and sad. 

With a nod of goodbye at Kendall, the two of you left him to stand by the airport exit. 

“Do you think he would’ve been okay with us being together eventually, though?” Roman asked after a while, growing increasingly nervous as you neared the plane. Even now that his father was dead, he was still grasping for his approval.

There was a moment of contemplative silence. You wondered if you truly knew the answer to that, or if you were simply feeding into the kind-hearted caricature of a man Logan often didn’t live up to. 

“I think so,” you replied. Roman squeezed your hand. “I think he would’ve been proud of us for sticking together, even if he didn’t want us to at first. He would’ve respected you for it, eventually, because you didn’t take his shit.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.” You beckoned to the stairs leading up into the plane’s cabin. “You ready?”

“No.” Roman’s jaw squared. “I’m scared, I think. But I have to go see him. You don’t have to come, you know. You don't have to be so fucking good all the time. You can just leave if you want to.”

With a contemplative hum, you nodded once after barely giving his words any thought. “I know I don’t have to be here. I know it all, Rome. But I’ll come with you anyway. Anywhere you go.”

Roman raised your conjoined hands, kissed your knuckles in an appreciative manner, and led the way inside.

[ghostssweetgirl]

A Ghost's Promise (tooth-rotting fluff)

A/N - please excuse me, I've never been to a wedding, so I apologize if anything is inaccurate. But I thought this would be so sweet.

The main song choice for this is Young and Beautiful - Lana Del Rey.

Pairing: Simon 'Ghost' Riley x fem reader (fluff)

Warnings: none, I think. Just don't let your heart melt, alright? :) maybe some curse words, but I don't think so. Let me know if I missed any.

WC: 2.4k~

Simon had proposed to you 6 months ago. It felt like something straight out of a movie, although it was unexpected at the time. You were at a lake, a beautiful one, surrounded by mountains, somewhere you were camping at. You were hunched over like a gremlin, looking at the cool rocks and stones. You found a shiny black stone, sat up and jumped in place, excited to gift it to Simon but as you turned around, you found him on one knee, eyes crinkled in a soft smile. Unmasked, with tears in his eyes, holding out a beautiful ring, too beautiful. A ruby, surrounded by skulls and roses, a black band. 

You couldn't speak, couldn't make a noise. You held your hand over your mouth as you smiled ear to ear, tears welling in your eyes. Your eyes met Simon's soft ones, a stray tear falling out of his left eye. He didn't even have to ask it, you were already sobbing.

"Yes! Oh, Simon, yes!" you cried, reaching out for him as he sat up, hugging you tightly. His hands rubbed your back, soothing you as the other hand placed the ring on your finger delicately, rubbing the back of your hand. You heard him sniffle as he kissed your forehead.

You pressed your face into his chest, unable to stop the happy tears from flowing. He laughed, which made you laugh, looking up at him to meet his eyes. Both of your wet eyes crinkling as you smile at each other lovingly. 

"I fucking love you," you spoke, your voice pitched as you're laughing, crying, smiling. 

"Yeah, I fuckin' love you," he chuckled. "S' much."

--

You think of him proposing to you, trying not to tear up while you're getting your makeup done before the big day, you'll officially be Mrs. Riley. That has a nice ring to it, doesn't it? Every cherished moment you've spent right beside him. Every date, especially the first date where he was stuttering while talking to you and all shy. You remembered the first time he revealed his face to you; you were in utter awe, wondering why he had hidden such a beautiful, gorgeous treasure from you for so long. 

You smirked, humming a laugh while the makeup artist tilted your head back to make the final touches. "Beautiful!" she chirped, proud of her work. 

You look in the mirror, examining the remarkably done work. A red and black smokey eye, cat-eye eyeliner with subtle mascara, to pair beautifully with your red and black gothic wedding dress. 

Your mom toddles along, smiling at seeing her daughter on her wedding day. Her eyes were wet, she'd been crying, her daughter really was all grown up now. "Oh, sweetie," she cupped your cheek. "I'm so proud of you and so happy for you."

"Thanks, mom," you smiled at her, tears threatening to prick your eyes while you tried to laugh it off.

"Let's go get you in your dress, shall we?" she suggested, helping you stand up. One of the workers walked up, asking if she could be of any help, your mother politely declined. 

--

You kept your eyes glued shut, not wanting to look in the mirror quite yet while your mom zipped up the back, fluffing the skirt, making sure it was all perfect. 

She sighed contently, resting her chin on your shoulder. "Ready to see how beautiful you look, angel?"

You sighed a deep breath, nervously chuckling before opening your eyes, seeing yourself in all your glory in the mirror before you. The blood red fabric under the black lace bodice, the beautiful pattern of the sleeveless lace-straps. The way the skirt barely poofed out slightly.

You felt like a princess, Simon's little princess. 

"Oh, wow," you remark, smirking in the mirror as you twirl around. Your mom laughs proudly, her voice hitching from tears.

"I just... I raised such a beautiful daughter. I love you! I can't wait to see this new chapter of your life."

"Mom, stop, you're going to make me cry," you pleaded. "I love you, too."

"I know, I know, I'm sorry," she wiped her tears. "Just can't believe it still."

Last minute, your father walked in, he proudly smiled, crossing his arms as he watches his once little girl, be all grown up on her wedding day. He was a quiet man, but you could feel the love from his soft gaze upon you.

--

Simon and Johnny were in his dressing room. Simon grumbled at Johnny while he was obsessively and neatly fixing every crinkle in his suit and straightening up his tie and sleeves of his shirt. 

"You nervous, Simon?" Soap asked, his voice soft and curious.

"Little bit," he lied, he was nervous as fuck. Obviously, he's never done this before. There were so many people here to witness your ceremony. Of course, he wanted everyone to know how much he loved you and that you were his, but being eyed by a lot of people made him incredibly nervous, understandably. But most of all, he was so nervous to see you and how elegantly beautiful you would look. He fears he may have a heart attack at the sight of you walking down the aisle.

Price shuffled into the room, cheering his cigar and beer to Simon. He smiled at Johnny, then back at Simon. "We're honored to be your best men," he nodded to Johnny. "And your groomsmen, Simon."

Simon nodded stoically, "Thank you, sir."

"Almost time," Johnny smiled, patting his best friend on the back, nodding at him in the mirror. "Yer goin' to do amazing, L.T. 'M so happy for you and y/n."

--

You were catching up with your bridesmaids, chit-chatting and squealing about how happy everyone was. You peek around a corner, and look at the venue. Oh, Simon...

He had set up such a beautiful theme for your outside wedding. Tables set up with black tablecloth draped over them, littered with beautiful arrays of matching dishes, translucent-black wine and champagne glasses scattered about, with beautiful dark candles lined up perfectly. Across the walkway, freesia flower petals scattered among it. So elegant.

Viewing the altar, you spot a black arch, wrapped with a red silk drape with roses across it. Your mouth fell agape as you took in everything. This is everything you could ever ask for and more. Soft, soothing music played in the background while everyone was getting into their seats.

Your maid of honor, your best friend, lightly tapped your shoulder. "He really loves you, you know... I mean, this is just... beautiful, y/n."

You smile whole-heartedly, meeting her eyes. "I know, I-I'm in disbelief, is this even real?"

"Yes, silly! You deserve it!" she wraps you in a tight hug. "I'm so happy for you, I can't explain it."

--

You soothe yourself by rubbing the back of your hand, nervousness setting over you as you watch the officiant walk down the aisle; it's about to start. You fix your posture and start taking deep breaths. Your best friend makes final touches, making sure you're looking as amazing as you should on your day. She's taking your attention off of Simon walking down the aisle to his place as his groomsmen follow not far behind. 

"You're so beautiful, it's going to be amazing," she whispered, cupping your face, before her and your bridesmaids go into their place.

Your father walks up, nodding at you, silently telling you 'it's time'. You lock your arm around his, as he sets still for a moment, cherishing this moment before he 'lets you go'.

--

As your father walks you down the aisle, everyone is smiling ear to ear, proudly as they keep intense eyes on you. You'd focus on them if possible, but seeing how handsome, how beautiful Simon looked, you could have burst into tears right then and there. This was really happening, and you were about to be able to finally call him your husband.

His breath hitched, a fiery lump burning in his throat as he attempts not to cry from seeing how beautiful you look; how proud he was to call you his. And here you are, walking to him. He's always been happy with you, but no moment compared to now. 

A song softly starts in the background, Young and Beautiful by Lana Del Rey

Time slowed as you walked up to him, smiling at him proudly, also holding back tears. Your father lets your arm go as you finally approach your groom, standing directly in front of him, both of you all teary-eyed, happiness radiating off of each other vibrantly.

The officiant asks everyone to be seated as they had stood up, softly clapping for the two of you. 

"On behalf of Y/N and Simon, I would like to thank you all for being here this afternoon. For taking the time and making the journey, and for all the effort that it takes—not only to be a part of this day, but to be a part of each other’s lives," he paused. "Y/N and Simon have invited you here to this beautiful place to show you a glimpse of an important piece of their love. To share with you their journey through the past years of their relationship."

"I wish I could tell you a single story about Y/N and Simon that summarizes their relationship and how they enrich each other’s lives, and the lives of each of us, but the truth is there isn’t one single event that is a good encapsulation of what they mean to me, to each other, and to all of us. But what I do know is that both of them care deeply and passionately for each other; they protect each other; they make each other laugh and they think outside themselves; that time magically seems to both fly and slow down when they’re together. They help each other in ways that are obvious and unnoticed, but always appreciated."

If you weren't worried about not knowing what to do, and focused on what the officiant was saying, you could have gotten lost in Simon's eyes right then and there. You knew he loved you; but this, this... 

"As a third-party spectator to their developing love, it was extremely clear that the two of them represent a perfect pairing because each of them complements the other so well. They balance one another, and while each of them are tremendous individuals on their own, together they are even better. And being better together, as a team, a unit, and partners in crime, is what has been many years in the making and ultimately leads us to being here today, witnessing their commitment to one another in front of those they love most."

"So, without further ado."

"The symbolic vows that you are about to make are a way of saying to one another, “You know all those things we’ve promised and hoped and dreamed? Well, I meant it all, every word.” When you love someone, you do not love them all the time in exactly the same way. That is impossible. Yet that is what most of us expect. We forget the ebb and flow of life and of love and of relationships. We insist on permanence, on duration, on continuity. But in love, as in life, the only stability is in change, in growth, and in freedom. Therefore what you promise today must be renewed and reaffirmed tomorrow and all the tomorrows to come. The Bride and Groom have now prepared their own vows. Y/N… "

You gulp, and have to stop yourself from looking around the room. You softly clear your throat. 

"Simon..." you smiled.

"I always thought it would be difficult to find someone who will love me when I'm always scattered in a thousand pieces.

It's like trying to complete a puzzle when you don't even know if you have all the right pieces. But then you showed me that every piece doesn't have to be in place to create something beautiful.

That love can exist in the most imperfect lost and broken people And I promise you that love will be just as beautiful, if you're in a thousand pieces or just one."

You could see his Adam apple bob as he cleared his throat. You saw a stray tear fall out of his eye. Dammit, he's going to make you cry!

"Y/N," he cleared his throat again, shifting in his step.

"I didn't fall in love with you I walked into love with you with my eyes wide open, choosing to take every step along the way. I do believe in fate and destiny, but I also believe we are only fated to do the things that we'd choose anyway.

And I'd choose you; in a hundred lifetimes, in a hundred worlds, in any version of reality, I'd find you, and I'd choose you."

"Having considered all of these things, Simon, do you promise again to do your very best each day to create a loving, healthy, and happy marriage?"

"I do," he reassured softly.

"Y/N, do you promise again to do your very best each day to create a loving, healthy, and happy marriage?"

You smile, nodding eagerly. "I do."

"No one but you can declare yourselves married. You have begun it here today in speaking your vows before your family and friends, and you will do it again in the days and years to come, standing by each other, sharing the highs and lows of life. Go forth and live each day to the fullest." the officiant spoke. "You may now kiss the bride."

The officiant stepped away, your hands locked with Simon's before he pulled you into the most passionate kissed you've ever experienced, your first kiss as husband and wife. Your tears fell hard, falling down your cheeks over your pressed lips. The kiss dove deeper, his hand caressed the small of your back as he took a deep breath, having to pull back before he got carried away.

"Mr. and Mrs. Riley!" the officiant whooped, holding his hands up in celebration. The crowd cheered for you, and you could hear Johnny, Price, your best friend and bridesmaids screaming and shouting happily. 

You both smile ear to ear, your arm locked in his as you walk back down the aisle - together. You make eye contact with your parents, your stoic dad allowing a few tears to fall, your mom sobbing heavily yet smiling. 

--

As the night went on, you experienced your first dance together. Your head lay on his chest as you sway back and forth, comforted by the slow pace of his heartbeat. Lost in your own world, you look up at your husband.

"Simon?"

"Yeah, darlin'?"

"I love you. I'm so glad to have you. Forever isn't long enough..." 

"I know. I know. I love you, babe." He held your head flush to his chest, rubbing your soft hair. 

--

A/N - Alright I really didn't know how to end this, but WAS IT GOOD?! I hope so 🥺😭

[anythingforjtk]

Scream for Me

Pairing: Jake Kiszka x reader

Word count: ~2,500

Warnings: alcohol, cursing, unprotected sex (p in v) (wrap it up!), light choking, fingering, mentions of murder (not seriously), minors DNI!!!

a/n: I wanted to pick a halloween fic topic based off of the list @hearts-hunger created! I picked topic 17 (halloween party) It’s different from the other fic I recently wrote but it was fun to make! enjoy the halloween jake smut 👻

“y/n would you hurry up! The uber will be here in two minutes!” Shouts your best friend Cam from the bottom of the staircase.

The two of you are about to leave for a Halloween party. You decided to go with a classic yet sexy costume, a pirate. You’re wearing an off the shoulder long white dress with a corset around your waist. You are covered in silver jewelry: necklaces, bracelets and earrings. You opted for a dark smokey eye and eyeliner in your waterline. Your finishing touches include fishnet stockings, black boots and a red bandanna over your hair.

“I’m coming Cam!” You reply before throwing your phone and keys into your purse and running down the stairs to meet her at the front door.

“You may have taken forever but I can see it was worth the wait, you look sexy girl. Now let’s go!” Cam pulls your arm and drags you through the front door, guiding you towards to uber.

Once you get inside of the car you finally have time to take in and appreciate her costume.

Not only is she dressed as Pennywise from the movie IT, but she is the sexy version. She’s wearing a white corset top, embellished with red pom-poms, small white shorts, clown makeup and a pretty orange wig.

“I admire your ability to be scary, funny and sexy all at once. You truly have a talent,” you giggle to her.

“Oh what can I say my dear? I’m multifaceted,” Cam says as she jokingly flicks her orange wig behind her shoulder.

The ride to the party is fast, only lasting about fifteen minutes. You both hop out of the car when you arrive and hook arms, walking to the front door together.

The party is hosted by Cams new boyfriend Daniel. You have only met him two times but he seems like a sweet guy.

Cam opens the front door without knocking and you’re immediately transported into a Halloween wonderland. You didn’t expect so many decorations.

The lighting in the house is dim. There are string lights and cob webs hanging from every inch of the ceiling. You see black and red streamers hanging from the walls and candles lit on every table. The kitchen island was filled with spooky treats and alcoholic punch. It is very impressive for a twenty-something year old guy.

“Wow Cam,” you shout over the loud and eerie music. “Daniel really goes all out. This is amazing.” You try to keep your jaw from hitting the floor.

“Isn’t it?!” She doesn’t seem shocked by his effort, only proud.

There are a good amount of people in the house. Not too many but not too little. Just enough for a comfortable party.

“Im going to search for Danny,” Cam shouts over the music into your ear. “Go get some punch and i’ll meet up with you when I find him.”

She runs off and you’re now left to fend for yourself.

You take her suggestion and walk over to the kitchen island to get a drink. You are completely sober currently and in need of something to lighten your anxiety.

Your pour yourself a class of the punch and it’s delicious. It’s strong, but really good. It is the perfect drink to get you drunk fast without feeling the burn of consuming alcohol.

You lean against the counter while sipping your drink and begin to people watch. You love taking in everyone’s costume choices. Some people are opting for a scary approach, some look beautiful and some look funny. It is interesting to see what people choose. As you’re looking at the crowd, you feel a presence beside you.

You look over to see a man wearing black from head to toe. He’s wearing black skinny jeans, black chelsea boots and a black shirt that is holding on by one button.

You think the outfit is rather sexy but you can’t see his face. That is because he’s wearing a Ghostface mask.

He speaks, breaking you from your thoughts. “Hey I haven’t seen you at one of Danny’s parties before. What are you doing standing over here alone?”

His voice is kind and boyish but raspy. It’s very attractive.

“Oh my friend just recently started dating him so this is my first time here. I don’t really know anyone but her and she’s looking for Daniel,” you reply.

He extends his hand out to you, “Well my name is Jake. Now you know someone else.” You can’t see his face but you can almost hear it in his voice that he’s smiling.

You reach out in return, shaking his hand. “It’s nice to meet you Jake. I’m y/n.”

“Well y/n, I must tell you that I was intrigued to come over here and talk to you because you’re dressed as a pirate and if there’s one thing about me, I find pirates to be very intriguing.”

A blush comes across your face. You hope he can’t really see it through the mask he’s wearing.

“I hate to disappoint you Jacob but,” you lean in closer and whisper towards his ear, “I’m not a real pirate. Don’t tell anyone tho.” You shush him by putting your finger over your lips.

He giggles genuinely at your attempt at a lame joke.

Jake speaks up from behind the mask, “Well then you should know that i’m not a real cereal killer.”

“Oh damnit. I was kind of hoping you were,” you reply. Although you weren’t actually hoping that, the idea of a sexy and dangerous man in a mask turned you on.

“I mean, I can be anything you want me to be tonight darling,” Jake says with sex dripping in his voice.

You didn’t know if it was the alcohol, the halloween party or the masked man in front of you but you wanted Jake to take you away from this party immediately.

“If you take me somewhere quiet i’ll show you exactly what I want from you mr. Ghostface. Just as long as you don’t kill me of course.”

Jake grips your wrist firmly and guides you up the stairs and away from the party noise at a fairly quickly pace.

He throws your body into what looks like a guest room, slams the door shut, locks it and pushes your body against the wall.

The room is dark, only lit by the moon in the night sky.

Jake begins to grab the bottom of his mask, getting ready to reveal his face to you but you quickly grab his hands to stop him.

“Keep it on.”

His strong hand then snaps around your neck. You can’t quit see his eyes but you know he’s staring at you like you’re his next meal. He slowly moves his head so his mouth is hovering over your ear.

“I like you sweetheart.”

You slowly begin to smirk, knowing he’s willing to keep it on.

His hand leaves your neck and slowly travels down your body. He lifts your skirt up, revealing your black thong covered in your fishnet tights.

“Is this okay?” he asks.

You nod your head quickly in reply.

His hand shoots back around your neck. “Words baby.”

“Y- yes. Yes it’s okay.” You struggle to say through your heavy breathing.

“Good girl,” he says while lowering his hand beneath the band of your thong. His fingers reached your heat and he begins swirling his middle and ring finger in your wetness.

Without much warning he shoves both of his fingers inside of you. You gasp at the sudden contact and grab at his strong forearm to ground yourself.

“How fast do you want it baby?” He questions, wanting to know the proper way to please you.

“Fast and hard,” you moan out to him while leaning your head back against the wall behind you to prepare yourself.

His fingers start plunging in and out of you at a painfully delicious speed. He curls his fingers at just the right angel to hit a spot that makes you nearly scream.

You feel sweat beading on your forehead as he drives his fingers into you. You squeeze around him as you feel yourself starting to unwind.

“Come on pretty girl. You’re about to cum, I can feel it. Be so good for me and cum on my fingers.” he demands.

Hearing his silky voice speak those words to you were enough to have you unraveling on his hand.

“fuuuckkkkkk,” you scream out at a volume too loud considering there are other people in the house.

When you come down from your orgasm he gently pulls his hand away from your core.

“Open up,” he requests.

You follow his order. He places his two fingers onto your tongue. With his other hand he guides your chin to close around his fingers and he slowly pulls them from your mouth as you suck them clean.

You look down at his pants and see how painfully hard he is. You softly trace your fingers over his bulge and he sucks in his breath sharply as if you were hurting him.

“I want all of you. I want to feel you,” you say to him.

He picks you up from under your ass, carries you over to the bed, and slams you down.

While hovering over you with his hands on both sides of your head Jake says, “You don’t have to tell me twice.”

He removes his jeans and boxers while you remove your corset and dress.

He’s left in nothing but his low buttoned shirt and his mask, while you’re in just your tights and a thong.

You make eye contact with his dick and notice how thick it is. It excites you so much that you notice your wetness pooling beneath you.

“You don’t have to stare honey, it’s all yours tonight,” Jake giggles to you, noticing where your eyes have been lingering.

“Then what are you waiting for Jacob? Give it to me,” you demand from him as if you’ve grown impatient.

He wastes no time and crawls on top on you on the bed and you both move up until you hit the headboard.

He reaches down to your core with one hand and rips your fishnet tights to create a hole.

You feely annoyed that he ripped your clothing for one minute until you realize you were never going to wear them again anyway.

His hands begin to explore your body. He grabs at your breasts, massaging them firmly. He rolls your nipples between his thumb and pointer finger as you let out a heavy breath of ecstasy.

“You’re fucking beautiful,” he compliments you.

“I’d say the same for you mystery man but I haven’t seen your face yet,” you wink back at him.

He chuckles in response to you and continues working his hands over your body.

“Please Jake I need you now,” you practically beg him.

“You need me to what darling?” He mockingly asks you, wanting to hear you plead for it.

“I need you to fuck me.”

“You want me to fuck you baby? Is that what you need?”

“Yes. Yes. Please,” you almost sound like you’re crying.

“Oh baby… I’ll fuck you so hard someone will think you are getting murdered in here.”

He pushes your thong to the side and lines himself up with your core. He snaps his hips against yours in one quick motion, causing you to shriek. He begins rapidly pounding into you.

He quickly grabs and pillow and puts it under your hips, making the pleasure triple. You grab at his back and dig your nails into him, slowly running them down his back, hoping to leave him with a memory of tonight.

“Fuck- you feel so fucking good around my cock,” he says through his staggered breathing. “Does that feel good baby?”

“Yes Jake you feel so good inside of me I never want you to fucking leave,” you shout back to him.

Your response to him causes him to moan deeply in chest, so much so that it sounds like a growl.

He grabs one of your legs and wrap it around his waist so he can reach a new angel. Between the pillow placement, your position, and his rapid thrusts, your body is experiencing a feeling it never has before.

You can feel his dick brushing past your g-spot causing you to yell out his name and a string of curses.

You start to squeeze around his cock, getting close to your release. You can tell he’s almost there too as you feel him twitch inside of you.

“Cum with me y/n. I want you to soak my dick as I finish inside of you. Come on baby you’re almost there. Be good for me.”

His final praises bring you to the finish line as your body shakes through a mind bending orgasm. You let out a chorus of yeses and grab at his arms with all of your might. As you’re finishing you feel him twitch inside of you.

You both come down and catch your breath before he pulls out of you and falls onto his back on the bed beside you.

You turn your head to look over at him, still wearing the Ghostface mask, “That was fucking amazing.”

“Holy shit, yea it was,” he responds. “Can I take this fucking thing off now,” he laughs referring to the mask on his face.

“Oh please do,” you reply.

You feel nervous watching him begging to situate the mask to lift over his head. You have no idea what he looks like yet but you had been extremely attracted to everything he’s offered so far and there was no denying he is the best sex you’ve ever had.

The mask gets fully yanked off of him to reveal one of the most beautiful men you’ve ever seen.

You gasp out loud.

His hair is shoulder legnth and chestnut brown. His eyes are dark and filled with honey. His thick eyebrows and long eyelashes compliment his deep eyes so well. He has a strong and sharp nose and plump pink lips. He smirks slightly at you, revealing his perfectly straight teeth.

“What? Did my face scare you sweetheart?” He asks as a joke.

You press your body into his and brush the sweaty hair sticking to his face behind his ears.

“The only thing that scares me is how attracted I am to you,” you say in full seriousness.

“You’re in luck because I feel the same way about you.” He gives a quick peck to your nose. “Give me your phone. Let me put my number in it.”

You reach down to the floor where your purse was thrown and grab your phone from it.

You hand it over to him and let him type in his contact himself.

When he hands the phone back you look down to see the information he filled out and giggle at the screen.

His number was put in its rightful place and his contact name was labeled as “Ghostface🔪”

[hwasdvlly]

Kitty | s.mingi

✮ summary: a vampire and his mortal lover get into the spooky spirit.

✮ pairing: mingi x fem!reader

✮ genres: romance, slice of life, and fluff

✮ word count: 0.8k words

✮ warnings/tags: none. established relationship, vampire!mingi, tsundere bf!mingi, mortal!reader, halloween fun

✮ a/n: mingi has finally joined my library! it took a while but i am happy that i got the time and energy to continue writing. in the making of vampire/tsundere mingi i couldn't contain my squeals

The season of autumn comes in like the warmest hug. Chattering autumn leaves of gold and scarlet, and the soft wind echoes. But most of all, a spooky yet fun holiday is around the corner. 

Inside an apartment, a handsome vampire with ash blonde hair, snow-white skin, smokey eyes, and a tall physique dressed in comfy clothes is resting on the couch, scrolling through his phone. 

Mingi notices on his social media that people are preparing for Halloween. The vampire honestly doesn’t know if it’s a mockery for mortals to imitate supernatural creatures or something to celebrate fear as an enjoyment. Suddenly, he hears the beautiful voice of his girlfriend, more like ordering him.

“Let’s go, Mingi! I want to see if the store has what I want!” You frowned at your slouching boyfriend. 

He sighs and puts his phone on his chest. The vampire raises an eyebrow at your change in appearance. You are in a cozy outfit because it has gotten colder nowadays. Mingi puts his phone in his pocket and stands up from the couch while talking. “I don’t get the whole hype about this holiday. Is it to make fun of the ones in my realm?” After living in the mortal world for quite a long time, Mingi has been learning and adjusting to a new lifestyle. Of course, he did it for you because you are the light of his life. 

“No, it’s not that.” You shook your head and watched him go to the door to grab his sneakers off the rack. You walk up to him to put on your boots. Like a gentleman, Mingi holds your hand so you don’t lose balance. “It’s a holiday to get free candy, dress up however you want, and being scary is fun.” You tried to reason and made him understand that it’s not supposed to be an insult. Mingi responds, “Whatever you say.” He sounds so blunt, yet he’ll do it for you.

His seven friends, and you call him a tsundere. Mingi may act and look intimidating, but he goes all softie boy whenever he is around you. 

Walking down the streets, hand-in-hand, you are more excited while your boyfriend looks soulless. You turn your head to notice how unenthusiastic he is. “Come on, Mingi! Show some happiness on your face.” You encouraged him because you want to make his days joyful. Indeed, he is proud to be part of your life and is grateful that his kind doesn’t have a feud with humans. You truthfully don’t know how you made his stone, cold heart flutter constantly, but it’s adorable. 

Mingi lets out a breath. He shifts his neck to look down at his lover. Your petite self is so cute that he wants to protect you at all costs, which he does. Then a grin etches onto his stunning face. If you weren’t outside, you would’ve fainted on the spot. “T-There you go.” You sheepishly spoke as your face began to crimson. 

His grin turns into a charming smirk. He loves seeing you get flustered. 

As the lovers arrived at the Halloween store, you immediately dragged your vampire boyfriend into the costume section. “We should get costumes as a couple! Maybe this one.” You found a cute witch costume with a hat, a black corset dress, and striped stockings. Mingi observes it and would be lying if he said it wouldn’t look pretty on you. Anything that his love wears is gorgeous. 

“If we do that, then what am I supposed to be?” Mingi asked you. He sees his mortal love skim through the aisle, looking for the right costume. 

Shortly, your eyes brighten. “A-ha! Perfect!” You grabbed whatever it was and put it on Mingi. His curious expression quickly becomes discontented. “Are you for real?” He hopes his seven annoying but lovely friends aren’t watching him in the other world. Mingi also hopes the undead aren’t laughing at him. 

“I am not going to be your cat, Y/N.” He groans with sparkly cat ears on his ash-blonde head.

You ignored his complaint and hugged him tightly. “Yes! You are!” You opposed Mingi’s disapproval of your idea. You can blatantly admit that he would be the cutest kitty. 

“Are we done now?” Mingi questions because you haven’t let go of him. You shook your head while rubbing your face on his broad chest. “Nope. We still need to get decorations, and after that, we need fall snacks.” You informed him. 

Mingi allows it because he can’t escape from you. 

Once purchasing the items, the vampire has the bags in his hand and the phone in the other. You wrap your arms around his and lay your head on his bicep. Mingi texts his friends in a group chat. He explains to them he will be a cat for Halloween. As expected, they all were shocked and made teasing remarks. 

wooyo: kitty mingi! im dead!

sannie: that’s a SIGHT to see

jjong: not for me because it’ll be a nightmare

yuyu: y/n is a genius hehe

hwa: it’s nice that you agreed with her

joongie: tell y/n to send us pics

yeo: have a wonderful halloween mangi!

[honeeslust]

Choso Kamo | Screen Time

🖤 After months of this just being an idea and then a few more that I spent plotting how to make all the concepts fit together and lastly me trying my best to make it a little dark but still sweet at the same time because its Choso and he's so babygirl😌 😩. Bare with me. I got a bit long winded at the end and was running out of dialogue on the readers end 😬.

Anyway...

Im glad I ain't give up on this one.

Here goes....

🖤 WC 3k+

🖤 songs on repeat when writing…

Screen time Max Millz.

Body say Demi Lovato. (Don't judge me)

The offering. Sleep Token.

High Water Sleep Token(particularly because the drums around 3:25. it builds.. ya know 😮‍💨👌🏾 ... )

Pov: A pretty brown skin girl is sitting in her bed. Freshly showered and effectively dosed with a tall glass of wine.  Her favorite pillow is tucked between her legs while she plays a game on her switch. Her phones somewhere over on the nightstand charging. So her boyfriend isn't privy to the  glow currently spreading across her cheeks when he begs her...

Show me...

What?

Of coarse you heard him. But something about that deep monotonous tone bellowing into your ears has your brain tripping over itself.

I wanna see em'. Face time me.

Tsk!!Choso, nooo. Im on the last level... and besides. I'm already in my bonnet.

Bae you for real? C'mon. Like I care... now lemmie see you. His voice gets all deep and smokey sounding. Forcing you to pause your game as those damn butterflies started up their familiar dance in the depths of your stomach.

Fine.  You say reaching for your phone. You tap the icon above his picture, and moments later, there he is. Eyes smoldering through the messy tendrils of hair fringing his face.

Alright pretty girl. Lemmie see em'

Meanwhile...

Fuuuck! I need this girl.

That's all that Choso can think right now as he stares at his phone admiring the view. A slight chuckle escapes his lips even though he didn't think it looked funny. He only thought it  was cute because your normally fluffy hair was now confined to the polka dotted satin bag, giving the top of your head a funny shape.

Baby, c'mon...Put the bonnet thingy back on. You look cute in it. I like it... you look like one of the toad things from Mario.

Boy stop. You get on my nerves Choso.

I know...He says boldly as if he were proud of himself. Put it back on... pleeease!

Ugh, fine!! You tugged your bonnet on to your head feigning annoyance. To get back at him, you set your phone down leaving it to stare up at the ceiling.

Nah! Get off that game. Cmon and show me. He blares when he hears that you've switched your game back on.

He begs unnshamedly until you finally set up your phone and bring your body into view. Showing off the tight top and booty shorts that hugged the curves of your body. Your nipples poke through the thin ribbed fabric, making his mouth water after thr sight. The little buds would gently bounce underneath, moving with the shy laughter rattling in your chest as he gasses you up.

You need that one in every color.

Stop teasing Cho.

I'm not... Make sure you pack those when you come and visit me. I wanna see you in it up close....

Mmhmm. Sure Choso. But only if you make it worth my while. It's your turn. Show me somethin cutie.

Nah. These sweats are nothing special. You've seen me in them before.

I don't care...Thats not what I'll be looking at no way. Cmon Big head. Don't get all shy on me now.

He pretends to think about it before shaking his head. Nope.

Nuh-uh! Thats not fair!

Bae, what's not fair is you being so damned far away. I feel like I'm going fuckin mental over here. He sighs, visibly exasperated, he pushes his hair away from his face just for it to fall over his eyes again.

Exactly!! You exclaim looking into the camera. C'mon Cho.... Show me what I'm missing.

He relents, shaking his head over the full lipped pout you were giving him. He raises his phone and pans the camera down to show off all the prominent muscles as they flexed along his torso. He knew what you liked to see.

Ooh. You beamed, your face lighting up at the camera as you settled into a cozy spot in bed, ready to spend this night just like every other... laid up talking til the sun comes up.

…

As a vampire who never slept. He'd spend the daylight hours restricted to the confines of his home. And as a drummer. His nights were often spent playing bars and headlining secret shows, leaving those sleepless days wide open to sit around pining for the pretty girl who stole his heart.

The opposing schedules meant most nights were the same. Him just listening on the other end of the call,  many times staying long after you'd fallen asleep.  Rather than saying goodbye, you'd just nod off after a long comfortable silence.

Choso never complains about it though. Something about you sleeping was so gratifying. If he closed his eyes, your soft sighs would hum to him. Sobering yet siren-like. Momentarily easing the agony of the unbearable distance.

…

Tonight was no different. Eventually your sentences are shortened to half yawns and low sounding moans, your eyes lowerin, glittering with tired tears. He smiles to himself, knowing it wouldn't be long now before you drifted off.

He relaxes against the pillows. His half naked body buzzing as it always does at this hour. It's those steady breaths from you coming through his headphones and him visualizing the skimpy pink pajamas you wore stained with your blood when suddenly a soft thumping in his ears interrupts his daydream.

He glances at the screen and it's only a moment or two before he realizes what's happened.  You had to have been exhausted, given that the phone somehow ended up underneath you and you hadn't budged to correct it.

At first he calls your name a few times hoping to laugh about it with you, but then... he really listens.

Thump-thump. Thump-thump. Thump-thump.

He perceives each and every pulsation with eager ears, obsessively committing the rhythm to memory. Without thinking, his hand begins to wander along his body, a whisper of your name threatening to escape the place it hung on the tip of his tongue. He slips his hand underneath the waist band, intending to do something about the intense straining happening there. A half moan erupts from his lips when he flinches from his own touch, his dick so swollen and tender that it aches.

He makes out every little impulse coming through his headphones. Now spreading the sappy pre-cum around himself and dragging it down along the shaft. Your heart thumps unsteadily, making his erection lurch responsively within his grip. His hips buck lightly off the mattress. Soft whimpers beginning escape through his clenched teeth while he fucks himself against his grip.

He swallows his whines, hoping his pathetic sounds won't wake you. But he's unable to stop. He draws his lip under his teeth, stifling his slutty cries as he edges himself to you. Pacing in time with the barely audible surging of blood from within your chest. He keeps up until his toes are curling and thick ropes of cum are stroked out over his stomach.

…

From then on, he went on thinking he was losing his mind. Day by day, he grew a little more infatuated with the girl that was stuck in his screen. He drove himself crazy obsessing over what it would feel like to lay his head against your chest and feel the motion of it bumping against his ear. He was so desperate to hear it again that he found himself behind his drum set, replicating the cadence that was set within your chest.

The night comes when he finally gets the chance to see you in person. And from the moment he spotted you in the crowd, he couldn't take his eyes off you. You sang and danced in the front row, like you were a mirage made manifest from his crazy obsessive fixation.

For so long you were only a bundle of pixels trapped in his phone that you started to feel like a dream...Your lips. Always un-kissable. Your body so agonizingly unreachable and the hold you had over him completely unshakable.

The set ends and he rushes off stage to find you. He downs a handful of drinks, listening to you struggle to talk over the music. He's barely feeling any of the alcohols affects but since you've indulged in a few yourself, you've come out your shell a little. He can tell how the fruity drinks are affecting your inhibitions as you stand and face him, a look of determination on your face.

Dance with me.

He lets you drag him onto the dance floor. He touches with slow hands, pulling until you were nestled perfectly against him. Once you were writhing in his grasp, letting you go was not an option. He welcomes the weight of your body against him, pulling your hips closer until your ass was crushed against his lap. The song is a fast one,  but steady tantric movements of your hips stir in tandem with the inner beat.

Holding you this way allows him to take his first real breath of you and suddenly the rest of the world falls away. He draws you closer, his arm resting heavy and possessively over your chest. Your intoxicating scent permeating his senses and altering his state of mind. His fingertips embark on a journey along the length of your body... Pursuing the hills and valleys of your curves till they met bare skin.

Your bodys response was immediate and electric.  Causing your odd little heart to misbehave, tempting him to taste you right where you stood.. Your body moves like art against him, afflicting his ability to remain in control.

He dips his head into the curve of your neck and presses his lips to your exposed skin, eliciting a sharp quiver to trail the length of your spine. Sly fingers gently began to toy with your nipples through your dress as he snuck a tiny nip at the crest of your shoulder, resulting in a feint lapse in the rhythm he had become completely spellbounded by.

You turn to face him, emboldened in your elated state. You step up on your toes to whisper in his ear that you were ready to go. He was almost too hopped up on the high you gave him to let you go, but he takes your hand in his and leads you away.

…

The car ride did you no favors and once you got back to his place, you were embarrassed to admit the alcohol had caught up to you. But he offers aspirin and water and invites you to his studio to put your feet up for a bit.

He helps you relieve yourself of your shoes, adorning you with sudden lengthy stares as he commits every aspect of you to memory.

Now that you were off your feet and you've hydrated. He could tell the alcohol was slowly wearing off. Your eyes shut as though you were lost in the music... Lying with your legs resting across his lap while you listened to some of his songs.

His hands begin caressing the soles of your feet. rubbing in tight circles, unwinding you knot by knot. He gives the right spot a firm squeeze, earning a moan that broke into a squealas his fingers trail a line along the inside of your foot. You giggle, nudging his crotch with your toes. Cho... that tickles.

What? ...This?? He mocks, letting his fingers continue their steady path up the inside of your calf. It's there that he stops to thrum out a little beat.

You laughed weakly wrestling your leg away from him. You and that drumming thing you do... it's cute.

He hadn't really realized he was doing it... but his favorite part of percussion was blaring through the speakers and bouncing perfectly off the soundproof walls. That which...unbeknownst to you was basically a musical rendition of your ekg.

How would you respond if you knew how obsessed he'd become with getting to this very moment?

You sit up, eyes still low from the lingering buzz. Giving him a look like something was on your mind.

I like this one...

He looks to you, his pale features blooming with color when he speaks. What would you say if...I told you this was you?

What do you mean?

You'll think I'm crazy if I try and explain it. Choso stares down at his hands now atop your thighs. It's ... Hard to put it into words...

Your expression brightens when you speak, helping to ease his nerves. Aww. Cho look at you blushing. You gotta tell me now. Cmon...pleease.

He's breaking apart at the seams, falling for everything about you. Your pulse stammers away in your excited state. And he's fixated, there's and aching his jaw, a sharpness ready to break through, when he bites his tongue, managing his control as best he can, all while continually rapping lightly over the little scar on your thigh.

It's you...

What?? You asked those endearing wide eyes affecting him in more ways than you knew.

This... he says gesturing to the sounds surrounding you. I memorized it. He utters astutely aware of the way your skin was smoldering beneath his finger tips.

Your eyes widen toward him and a certain melanated crimson warms your features under his gaze. Baby...you can hear that?

It's my favorite headache

You come closer but your heart stutters. Your favorite huh?

Mmhmm. My favorite. He repeats lowly and honeyed.

Let me see... You say extending your hand to him. You take his hand and place upon your chest... Now...you can feel it too.

His ghostly complexion reddens with desire. Your proximity is so mouthwatering that it alters him from each moment to the next. Your pulse yammers away under his palm causing the cascade of events currently taking place within him.

Abysmally deep wine colored eyes are suddenly overcast in a blood soaked tinge. A hungered gaze rests upon you… Riiight on the little spot just above your collar bone that was jumping frantically as your pulse quickened.

He wants you, more than he's ever wanted anything in his lengthy existence.

Its you. Its the blood. It's the touch. Its the way your lips are mere inches from his, impairing his ability to keep a humanly composure.

Just a taste y/n...please? he begs in a voice just barely rasping above a whisper.

His hand pushes up to your throat, wresting you closer to him so he can press his lips to your skin. You smell so good... I could just bite you right now. Bae...You just don't know...

The answer to his plea comes with your lips crashing into his.  He can hear the air escaping your lungs and feel the heavy thudding of your carotid jumping underneath his palm.

Slow movements of your tongue lap against his, and your head tilts to deepen the kiss. He feels your hand brushing over the stiff region under his jeans, and gasps into your mouth.

God your mouth... nectarous and your tongue artful. Drawing slick little circles around his own...Rousing a heady crescendo that builds in almost perfect timing with the music still playing in the background.

You clamor your way into his lap, feeding his appetite to feel you everywhere all at once. You shove him against the back of the couch as you settle neatly into his lap.

He tears your body free of your clothes, and buries his face in your chest. He drowns himself in your body heat, drawing a nipple between his teeth to tease and prod while pinching the other between his fingers.

Ahh. you cried curling your fingers into his hair giving his mouth free rein across your chest. His hips buck between your legs to let you grind into the opposing friction. Your rapid breaths aren't enough to drown out the soft wet gush coming from the place between your thighs. Your body responds so pleasingly to his touch and its causing the burning within him to deepen. He breathes you in deeper, his hands dipping between your legs to press into the wet imprint there. The slick feeling on his fingers has him unable to hold back now that he finally has you for himself.

The next moment he's ripping down his zipper and freeing himself with one hand and using it to drag his thickness through your leaky arousal. He coats your folds with the heady slick before pressing himself inside. Your walls cinch up, ensnaring him one mere inch at a time, until your nails are digging craters into his skin and you’re stretched tight around him.

Cho... That's so fucking deeeep! You wail half flinching.

Mmhmm.... I waited so long for you bae. He mutters into your skin finding it impossible to be gentle. His nose trails down the side of your neck, roughly bunting his cock into you. I need to taste you bae... Its all I think about. Please... Say yes.

Weakly, you finally nod, churning your hips against him when his fingers thread themselves into your hair. He yanks, roughly revealing the awaiting spot on your neck currently pulsing out of control. The sharp edged incisors erupt from their confines, ready to taste. Shh... I promise...It only hurts at first. He breathes only granting you a second to prepare for the sting that follows.

He sinks his teeth in deep, indulging without restraint. His bite is burning now as more of your essence slicks down his throat, inherently feeding the latent beast within him.

His movements grow harsh and erratic. Soft grunts rattle against your throat as the oncoming climax has your core bearing down around him and the elixir sweetens on his tongue. Your breaths are coming shallow and your strangled moans are dying as the rythym in your chest slows.

Choso acts swiftly. Releasing his teeth from you to bite into his wrist. He brings the hot liquid spilling from his veins onto your lips.

Drink, you'll be okay baby.

You obey, merely sipping at first...,Still lazily grinding yourself into his lap. The blood runs slower from your wound as it heals over and your body lingers on edge. He takes over, guiding your hips back and forth, holding so tight his fingers bruised your skin. He can feel the spongey center of your womb, tensing as he continued kissing that spot as repeatedly and as steadily as you needed it.

Cho... I.... Its too... You ramble on clutching him tighter as your climax left the words halted in your chest.

Fuuuck... don't wanna break you bae... but I need more. He moans out before sinking his teeth into your shoulder. You scream his name in surprise and tremble in pain. Crying tears from your eyes and pussy.

He can't let himself hurt you, but you're too fucking good to let go of. You cling to him, gasping loud and ragged versions of his name, grinding down against his cock until your insides squinched and trembled.  The soppy elixir of the combined wetness  makes a mess of his lap.

This time he stops short of you passing out and finds what humanity he can tether himself to and regains control of his senses. He nips his finger to expel more of his blood. You suck it between your lips allowing the droplets to coat your tongue.

He lays your body against his couch. Eagerly searching for a taste of you before the spasms between your legs had even stopped.He kisses along your inner thigh, his fingers withdrawing from your lips to toy with your nipples. He pinches harshly, peppering your clit with concise movements of his tongue until the swollen bit vibrated.

He was leaking his own release as he tasted yours dripping down on his tongue. He moans into your cunt, teasing that little knot until it hardens under his tongue and another mind splitting release had you pulling on his pigtails.

He arises from between your legs, panting as he licked up the messy trail of blood that had spilled down your body. The tickle of his tongue slowly brings you back to life.

You'll let me have more... wont you baby. ???

You pant to him as he claims his place between your legs, and slides himself back with a sharp grunt when the new angle had you strangling his cock in a completely different way.

You're ok right? he mouths against your lips before kissing you. Blood and saliva mix between his lips and yours. He slides away and pushes back again,  fucking you stupid, cutting out a perfect metronome with his hips meeting yours to the soundtrack of you own making. A soft smack sounds as his mouth separates from yours, leaving them bruised.

Yesss, God you feel so good. Bae. Mmm please come for me, he moans out feeling his body shake as he was ready to let go with you. He finally loses his rhythm. His thrusts become shallower, dragging our your climax until your nails cut into his back. Fuuuck Cho—.

Bae.. its so good I cant stop. You can keep taking me right??

Something about the half dazed look in your eye makes it hard not to keep after you. He could feel it again...

Even as your body tries to give out. He can't stop himself. Not until he could fill you up, again and again until smell his scent lingered on you. If he could procreate, you would've been pregnant for sure.

He lost count of how many times he fucked you. Right now all that mattered was this.

Thump-thump Thump-thump. Thump-thump.

Choso... you ask lazily running your fingers through his hair while his head rests against your chest. You could've told me ya know. I don't care that you're a vampire.

Endings kill me.😩

[asimp4bee]

if smokescreen and bumblebee had a reunion in RID, how would you think it’d go? *cue bumblebee saying smokey in a sad voice while ugly sobbing*

BROTHERS REUNION!! BROTHERS REUNION!!

They'd get all sentimental with their time in Team Prime and Smokescreen would probably be so proud of Bee 😭

Really wish we got to see Smokey in RiD 💔

[weenwrites]

love 𝓵𝓸𝓿𝓮 LOVE your writing! You’re one of, like, three authors I can actually identify. (I don’t pay attention to who writes what nor do I remember, but you write so well that from rereads and new reads I recognize you).

When you feel up to it, can you do TFP Smokey, OP, and Ratchet with an s/o (cargo plane alt, big bot, like Stratosphere) crashing like Smokey did and the surprise reunion? Aaaand maybe other misc reactions of such a big bot?

✎ A/N: Aa thank you so much for your kind words!! :D Also I could've sworn I did a reuniting with S/O on earth thing with Optimus and Ratchet before, so I leaned more towards reactions about having a massive S/O instead.

[ Please do not repost, plagiarize, or use my writing for AI! Translating my work with proper credit is acceptable, but please ask first! ]

Smokescreen

When the two of you first met, he was in complete and total awe at your sheer gargantuan size. In fact, the way he gawked at you the whole time he was passing by, may have caught your attention and saved him from bumping straight into a glass panel that two bots were moving, and if that wasn't the case, then ah well.

Anyway, back before the war grew so hectic, he was proud to have a partner as cool as you, and every time the random person he was talking with would comment about you, he'd casually just slip in a "yeah, that's my partner" with the most love-struck look on his face.

There's no place in the world where he wouldn't recognize you right off the bat. Aside from your size being your most defining trait, he'd recognize your color scheme, alt-mode, and voice anywhere, no matter what was going on. And the moment you crash-landed right in front of him, he was so confident that he knew you well enough to tell you apart from any phony.

Of course the rest of the team were immediately going at him, telling him that it's not that easy to tell their real friends apart from the spies, but when he's proven right that it is indeed you, he never lets them live it down and now all they want is for him to shut up about it.

As badly as he wants to share a habsuite with you, the chances are that you are waaay too big to fit in any rooms. The largest room that could possibly fit you is the training room, but even then you dwarf it easily (and also they need to use that...). Once you get your own room, however, he spends much more time with you in there than he does in his own habsuite.

He brags about you quite a lot to the rest of the team and says things like "did you know that my s/o—" or "oh hey! y/n used to enjoy doing that before the war—" and at this point they're all fed up with how lovesick he is. They would shove him off on patrol with you to take care of the problem. Even Arcee's started teasing you, about all these things that Smokescreen's said, and honestly it'll get so embarrassing that you'll probably ask him to stop at some point.

He's very eager to fight along side you, and keeps encouraging you to go out with him into battle. He'll paint vivid pictures of your shared glory—just imagine, the moment you step onto the field you'll completely level the cons to ashes! They won't ever know what hit them!

Optimus

If you met sometime before the war, when he was still an archivist, then he'd frequently go out to visit you since you were probably too big to be walking around the Iacon Hall of Records. Flying with you was one of his favorite past times after any long and difficult shifts. Unfortunately the two of you don't get to enjoy that once peaceful feeling of flying together when the war started. Flying lost its relaxing touch and soon became more stressful and frightening, as the fear of being shot out of the sky became more prevalent in both your lives.

Soon enough, the fear of losing one another had became something so horrifically possible, and the next second it became real, and the rest became history that passed in several long, agonizing years.

As opposed to expressing joy and relief to seeing you again—well, he partly was—he was initially skeptical that it was truly you. The team had been tricked by a decepticon spy before, who's to say it won't happen again? Yet the moment you confirm your identity, he allows his cold, distant front to drop, and he sincerely welcomes you back.

Though he didn't express any enthusiasm outright upon seeing you again, he makes his feelings clearer once the two of you are away from prying eyes. And as you catch up, it's not hard to miss how the war has made him jaded and weary, yet you don't have to look too far to see glimpses of how he was before.

He tries to situate a nice comfortable living space for you—preferably somewhere that's within the base, but since you're too big to fit in any of the current rooms they have, the best they'd have is probably someplace outside. And if this is sometime after the base was destroyed, then unfortunately the best he could do for you was get the biggest hangar they have on base to house you in your alt-mode.

But then there comes the problems with energon rations... Your massive size and your altmode automatically constitutes an equally large portion of energon is required for you to function, and with the team's unfortunate shortage and size, it's difficult to obtain enough energon to keep everyone functioning... Yet perhaps now with your assistance, it may be easier to obtain enough energon to supply the entire team.

Ratchet

Even before the war, he was no stranger to loss. There have been patients who he couldn't save and the war only increased that amount ten-fold, yet the feeling never ceased in it's capacity to tear him apart from the inside. A lot of horrible things have happened to him, but the moment he lost you took the cake for the "worst thing that's ever happened". And in that moment, it was as if things were as painful and horrible as possible, it couldn't get any worse and it would never get better again.

And yet that moment eventually passed, as all things do. Though the tears shed have long since dried, and the loud, echoing sobs have grown quiet, that absence always stuck with him. He doesn't think of it as much as he used to, he's far too occupied with his own work to mourn, but it's still there.

Beholding you was like beholding a ghost, and he couldn't really believe that you were standing right there in front of him. He's nigh speechless, but somehow he manages to get himself together to say your name at the very least. He's quick to run a general check-up, and your massive size doesn't slow his work in the slightest.

As much as he'd prefer to have you live within the base, the place is already pretty crowded as is, and with someone your size packed in with the rest of the bunch, he wouldn't be surprised if the number of accidents around the base would skyrocket tenfold. Of course he doesn't mean any offense to you, it's just that there's no space for you. Their current base is so ridiculously minuscule in comparison to the buildings back on cybertron that it feels like they're living in a cardboard box that the U.S. government kicked over to them. While it's certainly far from ideal, he still has to make do, so he'll try to help think of something to improve your living conditions.

Sure, the thought that someone could get hurt on a mission is something that weighs on his mind every single time, but for some reason whenever you're deployed, that anxiety of his worsens ten-fold. It may be because you're partners, but from a medical standpoint, if you were to get hurt, you could leave a massive crater in the team's resources. Not only could you easily wipe out what little energon they have, but the team doesn't have the proper resources to patch up any major injuries, and the last thing he wants right now is to be forced to say goodbye to you permanently.

[baby-alien11]

Blurb: Abigail Premiere (Y/N Ulrich Universe)

taglist (open): @volturi-girl-imagines @dessxoxsworld @camiesully @ethanlandryluver @nowitsmissing @aliciacat20 @gabbylovesreading @nikfigueiredo @itsaaliyah2

A/N: this was inspired by the video of some of the Scream cast going to see Abigail and support Melissa, hope you like it

Ever since Melissa unjustified firing from the Scream franchise for speaking against the genocide in Gaza, your support and love for your half fictional sister increased even more, along side her new projects, specially Abigail since she talked with you about the movie a lot (without spoilers), and when the trailer dropped your excitement for the movie was bigger

When the premiere day of Abigail arrived, some people of the cast including your dad, Matthew, Mason, Tony, Dylan, Liana, Jack and you, and since you love to coordinate your outfits with the ocassion, you chose to wear a long sleeved dress, along with black high heels, your Baby Vamp ring, a black clutch, your hair straightened, a glittery smokey eye make up and red lip gloss

Arriving at the event, none of you wanted to take the attention from the main cast, all of you went direct to the teather, and grab something to eat and drink during the movie

"I can't wait to see the movie", you smiled grabbing your popcorn and drinks, "And I really hope it makes more money than any Spyglass movie"

"Specially Scream 7", Jack mentioned

"Specially that, and I can't believe they offered me to be head of the VFX make up, like, the audacity"

"They were fools thinking you were going to accept it"

"Besides it ended good with the last one, except for the part where you die"

"So you don't care that Ethan would go around killing everyone?", Jack joked knowing your answer

"Absolutely no, Ethan defender for life, it's a Ghostface loyalty, the Ghostface princess needs her Ghostface prince"

"Kids, come on!", Matthew exclaimed from the entrance of the cinema, "We don't want to sit apart from each other"

"We're coming!", you exclaimed back, "I'm bitting my tongue just because I don't want him to block me again on insta"

"It would be like the third time"

"Yeah, and I don't want that"

Entering the cinema both of you spotted the Scream family group sitting with them in the two seats they guarded, and also Skeet with your purse who took it while you were getting the snacks; when the cast went on stage to say a few words about the movie, you filmed the entire thing and cheered the most when Melissa spoke

And at the end, it become one of your favorite scary movies and also gave it five stars in letterboxd

"I'm so fucking proud of you", you said to Melissa after the movie while hugging her, "And I love the movie, like every other project you've been"

"Having your support means a lot to me", Melissa responded, "And I can't believe you watched the entire Club de Cuervos and in spanish with english subtitles"

"I mean, you are in there, and it helped me with my spanish"

"Tell me a phrase you learned"

"Me vale madres", you said with a bit broken spanish

"Okay, let's go to meet Alisha"

"Yes, Matilda's crossover", you exclaimed since you played that character in one of your school plays and she played it in the musical adaptation

[zaccosnacco]

I would like a moment of your time to show you Hope and her very gay fathers

And whats this,, behold my version of Hope as an adult!

She is a journalist, documenting the town with a spring in her step. She grew up and embraced a few art forms on the way, like writing, drswing and photography. Her dads are very proud of her

She could also probably kick your ass, she's learned alot from her dads

Johns still a little worried though, being a journalist feels risky in this town. But Jack believes she'll be okay

As you can see this is like an alternate scenario of her being alive

And lastly take gay ppl, smokey donuts !!