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weirdmarioenemies · 1 year

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No one stopped me but myself, but I'm back to ranking all the Super Mario Galaxies

Sorry this took so long! Mix of some busy weeks and some low energy. These are long posts! Takes a lot of time to write them.

Hello, everyone! Today we're approaching the top of the mountain. The very best galaxies these games have to offer... at least to me. I know I've stated this a lot but like, opinions are totally subjective, and what appeals to me may not appeal to you and vice versa! But these ones appeal to me and quite a lot.

By the next entry, we will have covered all of the galaxies there are, which is pretty exciting. You can expect it on some Sunday, but given how the last few weeks have gone, I won't make any promises about the specifics of when. And if this is the first time you're seeing one of these posts and want to catch up, I've got you covered. Here's part one, part two, part three, and part four.

With that out of the way, I think we're about good to go! Let's start covering some of the best these games have to offer!

20. Grandmaster Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy 2 Tier: S

Grandmaster Galaxy should be grateful we're not ranking the galaxies in the order you play them, or else it'd be dead last.

If I'm not mistaken, Super Mario Galaxy 2 was the first game to feature a very long, very difficult gauntlet as a "final test" of sorts, and here it is! This is another of those things that has basically become a series staple of Mario games at this point, with similar levels existing in 3D Land, 3D World, and Odyssey, and given they've latched onto this concept so much, it's probably not controversial to say that the first instance of this probably did something right.

And it did! The Grandmaster Galaxy throws a number of different obstacles at you, from a segment where all you have to get around is those Yoshi Tongue Flower Things, to a segment with electrical mazes, to a segment where you have to dodge Ring Beamers around flip-swap panels and disappearing platforms, to a segment with some tricky pull star timing. I would go ahead and say the segment with the flipswitches and Sentry Beams is on the easy side, but that's towards the start, so it's probably fine.

The first run of the galaxy is challenging, but also feels a bit like a "practice run," giving you room to acquaint yourself with each step of the galaxy before the Perfect Run, where you have to do the whole thing in one go with only one health. This is the time where I admit: I've only ever beaten the Perfect Run with help from a Co-Star Luma. Is that cheating? I dunno. I never promised I was great at video games! Only good enough to 100% most of the game and beat the Grandmaster Galaxy non-perfect run, and still do the Perfect Run with a little help. ...That counts for something, right?

Either way, I think Grandmaster provides more than an adequate challenge, making it succeed as both a test of skill, and as a finale for the rest of the game to build up to.

19. Matter Splatter Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy Tier: S

If you exclude boss missions, I'd say Matter Splatter Galaxy is probably the best one-off galaxy in the first game. Actually, the Garden in general is a really good dome. This is the first of its galaxies I'm covering on this list! (As long as you don't look at the Hungry Luma standing outside. I question how much Snow Cap Galaxy single-handedly weighs down this dome if you're willing to include it.)

I've kinda ragged on a lot of the smaller-scale galaxies in the first game, and while the small scale is maybe part of the reason I've been more dismissive of them, as a whole, I think what hurts them more for me is that I rarely find their gimmicks all that unique or interesting. If a gimmicky one-off galaxy has a good enough gimmick? Then yeah, I'll love it to bits! And Matter Splatter Galaxy has that "good enough gimmick".

I touched on this one a bit when talking about Sweet Mystery Galaxy, what with how both make use of the "what you can see is all that's there" concept, but as a whole, I think Matter Splatter does it a bit better, due to the lack of player control. It adds an element where you have to consider when you want to approach, and makes for some fun improvisation when your timing is off. You lose out on some of that improvisation when the location of the ground is something you have more control over, you know?

But what truly escalates Matter Splatter to me is how much variety they get out of its gimmick. For the first half of the galaxy, droplets of matter will "light up" the ground you can walk on, with the ground gradually fading until another drop hits the same spot. It's a fun test of pattern recognition and timing, and it comes with both 2D and 3D segments for a bit of added variety! As a whole, I'd say I generally prefer this half of the galaxy since it feels a bit more distinctive, but it's not like this galaxy suddenly becomes weak in the back half.

The back half switches things up, focusing on large, moving "spotlights" you have to keep yourself in, changing to a bit of an autoscroller, where you have to swiftly adjust to whatever obstacles are coming up ahead, now testing your reflexes and improvisational skills a bit more. Once again, we get both 2D and 3D segments for added variety, and the mix of the galaxy's unique gimmick and autoscrolling format allows for some really fun misdirection in this part. It's a fun switch-up that doesn't depart dramatically from what makes this galaxy so great. All of this comes together to make a one-off gimmick galaxy that feels like it truly gets the most out of a unique concept.

Before I move on, though, I want to talk about the Spring Mushroom. The Spring Mushroom is a weird power-up. It's pretty infamous, and like, for good reason. It's difficult to control, it feels kinda jank to use at times, and most people find it more frustrating than fun and like. I'm not even gonna say I disagree with that sentiment! And yet somehow, against all odds, every galaxy that prominently features the Spring Mushroom has ended up scoring really highly for me. Are these galaxies just great in spite of featuring the Spring Mushroom? Is the Spring Mushroom's jank secretly a good thing? Or is there just something wrong with me? The answer is probably a mix of all three.

18. Bowser's Galaxy Generator

Game: Super Mario Galaxy 2 Tier: S

Oh hey, it's the finale of the main Super Mario Galaxy 2 campaign! These big finale boss missions are always great, and while I think Galaxy 2's doesn't quite stack up to the first game's, I'd still say that I'd consider it a worthy successor. It still absolutely succeeds as one last grand mission to close out the main game.

Like any good boss galaxy, I love Bowser's Galaxy Generator for its length and sense of variety. Possibly even more so than the Galaxy Reactor from the first game, the Galaxy Generator seems to try testing your knowledge on everything you know, featuring most of the game's brand-new power-ups, save for the Rock Mushroom and Bulb Berry. I think this idea of focusing on the game's new content was the right call, since it helps it feel a bit more like a finale to Super Mario Galaxy 2, specifically.

The level is also adequately challenging! I find the Yoshi segments towards the end to be the toughest, with the Dash Pepper segment being tight enough that even the smallest mistakes can be punishing, while the Snake Block section afterwards requiring some pretty tight reflexes to dodge the Magmarrghs.

With that out of the way, while the level is solidly challenging, I do think the final boss fight is a bit on the easy side. Both the asteroids and Bowser are big enough that landing the hits isn't too much of a challenge, even in the second phase. Heck, arguably less so in the second phase, when replaying this level, I always think of that phase of the fight as being sort of a freebie.

But I also wouldn't say it's a bad fight -- it does a good job escalating the game's previous Bowser encounters, and ground pounding asteroids into a massive Bowser while hurtling through space definitely has a sense of grandeur that I really appreciate. Maybe it could've been a little more difficult or a little longer, but it's certainly memorable, and still very fun, so the fact it's not as difficult as it arguably should be doesn't bother me that much, and doesn't hamper the Galaxy Generator from its S-tier position.

17. Flip-Out Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy 2 Tier: S

I find it a little weird that this is the penultimate galaxy in Super Mario Galaxy 2, you know? Between the boss rush and ultimate challenge levels, you have this weird one-off gimmick level that introduces a variant of a gimmick seen back in World 1, just with an added twist. I guess they wanted the final Hungry Luma galaxy to be a parallel to the first one? I'm not really sure. None of this matters of course, because Flip-Out Galaxy is fan-flipping-tastic!

Yeah, I know that doesn't hit as hard as a real F-bomb, but we try to keep the blog at least somewhat family-friendly, you know? And also the pun!

Anyway, as you may remember, I love Flip-Swap Galaxy quite a bit. Top-notch weird gimmick galaxy, always a joy to play. So I think it goes to say that I love this more difficult spin on its gimmick just as much, if not even more, if the rating hasn't spoken for itself already. Flip-Out Galaxy shifts the focus from the red and blue Flip-Swap panels to red and blue walls that pop in and out when you spin. And of course, that means it's time to perform some Wicked Wall Jumps! This is what that weird short mission in Honeybloom Galaxy has been training you for!

Since this is the penultimate galaxy in the game, it's a pretty tricky one, since a poorly-timed spin can take out not just the walls you're jumping on, but the floor underneath as well, and you'll have to spin a lot when alternating between red and blue walls! Timing will also prove important, not just for exiting a wall jump and spinning to give yourself solid ground to stand on, but also for a segment where you have to keep wall jumping until the spikes underneath you recede, which becomes especially difficult when you throw in the Cosmic Clones...

On that note, I love the decision to use specifically the Cosmic Clone mission for the second Green Star here, and putting it towards the end, too. Makes grabbing it a bit trickier, which is nice for a galaxy this late in the game! Flip-Out does pretty much everything I'd want it to -- it brings back a great old gimmick, changes it up in a way that feels unique, and uses it to craft a fun, albeit challenging late-game mission. My only knock against it? It being so late in the game means you have to play a lot to get there, and they crowd so many of the game's worst galaxies before it, just to rub salt in the wound. But hey, if it's for a galaxy this good, it may as well be worth it.

16. Cosmic Cove Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy 2 Tier: S

I know a handful of people have been disappointed by the low rankings I gave to a lot of these games' water galaxies, so consider this an apology. Well, an apology of some sort, it's not like I decided to move up Cosmic Cove a bunch because people were upset that I didn't like some of the water galaxies. It just happens that I felt a lot of them suffered from having weak missions, hampered a bit by somewhat janky underwater controls. Give me a water galaxy that mitigates both these problems, and I'm sure to fall in love with it. "Underwater" is like, a pretty notable part of My Brand! There's a reason I've put three water galaxies on today's list, everyone!

Case in point: Cosmic Cove Galaxy! Cosmic Cove Galaxy is just gorgeous. I'd say that it's aesthetically one of the strongest galaxies in Super Mario Galaxy 2, which definitely counts for something! I mean, have you heard its music? The harps and pianos create such a relaxing atmosphere, and it sort of reminds me of the music in the next entry on our list...

But let's not get ahead of ourselves! Cosmic Cove isn't surviving on looks alone, because it's a pretty fun galaxy to play as well! I think they hit a really nice balance here, where the underwater sections have a somewhat linear path to take, so it doesn't feel like you're wrestling with those Janky Water Controls, but if you decide to go off the beaten path, there's a good bit more to see than you'd expect, which is nice, given this is a very pretty galaxy and one I enjoy spending time to take in! Obviously there's less to do once you've frozen the water, but having a big open plain to skate around on is also pretty fun. And while we're talking about ice skating, the Hungry Luma star is probably the second best bunny chase in the Galaxy games.

And let's not forget the second main mission, either! The underwater sidescroller is really neat, especially when they start having blocks of water floating in space, and even moving on their own. I think this is another of those concepts they brought back in Super Mario 3D World, if I'm not mistaken! It's such a memorable part of the galaxy, that I sorta forget there's that planet with the Spin Drill and the Micro Mecha-Bowsers and the Fizzlits at the end, but that planet is fine too.

Cosmic Cove manages to do a seamless job blending aesthetics and gameplay to create one of the series' most memorable galaxies. And it introduces us to Snoodles and Fizzlits! Those are like, maybe two of my favorite enemies. Bonus points for that!

15. Space Junk Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy Tier: S

Can I be honest? Space Junk Galaxy is one of those galaxies that mostly made it this high for the vibes, above all else. Don't get me wrong, I like Space Junk Galaxy a lot. I think all the missions here are fun, if I was rating it on gameplay alone I'd probably still rank it highly. Space Junk on its own is a solid A-tier galaxy, but I think this is one of those galaxies where the atmosphere brings it up a tier higher for me.

While most of the galaxies in these games focus on the grandeur and excitement of exploring the cosmos, Space Junk Galaxy takes a more melancholic approach to the setting, the idea that outer space is mostly, well, space. Space Junk Galaxy isn't really focused on having big, exciting setpieces. Space Junk Galaxy is about everything inbetween, from lost spaceships, to small asteroids, to well... miscellaneous space junk. And I think it works in its favor!

I could make the same argument that I made against Gusty Garden Galaxy, that Space Junk Galaxy feels like it was cobbled together from miscellaneous bits and bobs of larger levels that were getting too big, but in this case, I think that's the point. To the extent that something trying to be a cohesive level design in a 3D platformer can at least, Space Junk does a really good job capturing that feeling of emptiness, in the best possible way. The first mission here, which largely consists of Mario floating through space via a trail of Pull Stars, may not be the most exciting mission, but it has such a specific atmosphere that I can't help but say it may very well be one of my favorites across both games.

Admittedly, this is the part of this review where I have to concede that Space Junk's biggest strength is probably also one of its biggest weaknesses, that a galaxy so focused on all the emptiness and in-betweens of space struggles to find enough content to fill out six missions. The second mission basically has none of the atmosphere, instead being a weird Airship mission with a boss fight at the end, and then the third mission has another boss fight, because what else are you gonna do here? Don't get me wrong, these are still fun missions, but I think they end up working against the general atmosphere and tone that this galaxy sets up in the first mission. I think this is one that would benefit from the sequel's smaller-scale galaxies, with two "main" missions, and a comet or secret star or something.

Still, this is a galaxy that is fun from start to finish, and when it goes for being atmospheric, it nails it. I mean, have you heard the music here? This has easily gotta be a top 5 song across both games for me, I love it so much. While I think having fewer, more focused missions could've benefited it a little, Space Junk Galaxy will always leave such an impression on me that I can't help but feel like it's one of the standouts from these games.

14. Cloudy Court Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy 2 Tier: S

I've mentioned before how a few of the galaxies in Galaxy 2 feel like they're meant to be "sequels" to galaxies from the first game, and Cloudy Court is no exception, feeling like a bit of a follow-up to Gusty Garden Galaxy. I mean, you have the grand orchestral score, you have the "garden in the sky" theming, you have lots of segments where you're riding on wind currents, even the Japanese name, "Cloud Garden Galaxy" ends up harkening back to the first game's "Wind Garden Galaxy". I think there's a reason they showed this one off a lot in the game's earliest trailers.

That being said, while it does feel a bit like an attempt to capitalize on Gusty Garden's success, in many ways to me it also feels like a refinement of Gusty Garden, taking some of the concepts that worked there and expanding on them a bit to make something that, to me at least, feels more interesting and cohesive. In my review of Gusty Garden, I characterized it a bit as a galaxy largely carried by its music, that otherwise felt like it could've been thrown together from leftover assets from galaxies that had gotten too large. Cloudy Court manages to avoid that feeling pretty easily, it was pretty clearly built from the ground up, and given how much it changed from the initial trailer to the final release, it seems like one they spent a lot of time on trying to get just right.

And in that regard, I think they largely succeeded! Cloudy Court manages to hit on the familiar elements we love about Gusty Garden, but also manages to hold strong on its own, with a number of distinct and memorable segments. I don't know why the drum trampolines are here, but I'm not complaining, it's fun to have them! And the combination of the wind currents and the Cloud Flower makes for some very memorable platforming challenges. And some fun secrets, as well! Obviously as a Galaxy 2 entry it's gonna be a bit more linear by default, but even then they manage to hide a lot of 1-Ups here, adding a little extra reward for going off the course, which you know I always appreciate.

While a lot of "sequel" galaxies end up falling flat to me when they struggle to live up to what came before, Cloudy Court is one of the rare exceptions that not only lives up to its predecessor, but in my opinion, surpasses it. I feel like we think of Gusty Garden as a better galaxy than it truly is, but Cloudy Court simply is that good, which to me, makes it a contender for one of the series' very best.

13. Boo Moon Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy 2 Tier: S

Man, it's hard to go wrong with ghosts. Nice for an appropriately spooky galaxy to end up at #13, huh? Maybe that was a little deliberate on my part, but it's not like I don't think Boo Moon Galaxy deserves it.

Boo Moon Galaxy is so, so stylish I think. I feel like Super Mario Galaxy 2 goes for a bit of a "storybook" aesthetic, so why not have a galaxy that leans into that a bit? Stuff like the dark maze at the beginning, poison swamp folding up at a 90 degree angle to match the snake blocks, the crescent-moon see-saw planet, and the haunted house pop-up book at the end are all such distinctive visuals with a bit of that Storybook Feel to me, and end up making for a galaxy that manages to provide a very fun twist on an already fun theme.

Not to mention that this is also a decently tricky galaxy! I gotta be grateful for those musical notes that spawn the three 1-Ups during the Snake Block section, because I've fallen into that poison swamp more than a couple times, especially when going for the secret star, and even more so when going for that one Green Star. The second mission, which I believe is the sole appearance of the Boo Mushroom in Galaxy 2, also involves some precise timing as you weave your way through Octoboos, particularly towards the end.

I'm a sucker for a good ghost galaxy, so this one was probably gonna get high marks no matter what, but with a stylish and distinctive aesthetic, that's enough to bring it up to a top-tier with a fittingly spooky number. Happy Halloween, everyone!

I mean, it's September. That's basically Halloween.

12. Tall Trunk Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy 2 Tier: S

Really, shoutout to World 3 of Galaxy 2 just giving you a choice between two absolute bangers right off the bat. I think Tall Trunk ends up just barely winning out against Cloudy Court for me, but the two are really close in quality, and no matter which I'm in the mood for, I know I'm in for a great time.

Like Puzzle Plank, this is another galaxy that brings such a high level of unfiltered joy whenever I reach it in a playthrough. Maybe there's something about these big galaxies made of wood, I dunno. Probably also has something to do with the music. Yeah, I know this one just borrows the music from Yoshi Star Galaxy, but I always associate it with Tall Trunk first and foremost. Unlike Puzzle Plank however, I think Tall Trunk feels a bit more fully realized -- I never really feel underwhelmed playing through Tall Trunk, which let it climb a good bit higher on my tier list.

Tall Trunk is a galaxy not only with a great aesthetic, but two very fun and very distinct missions! The first mission is a showcase of the Blimp Fruit, and I love how it gets used in so many different ways, from climbing a tree, to searching for Star Chips around a cylindrical planet (Super Mario Galaxy 2 has a lot of those, huh?), to making your way through a long spiral to grab the Power Star. Then there's the slide, which weeeeeee wheeeeeeeeeee yippeeeeeeeeeee wahoooooo!

It's fun.

This galaxy also has to get bonus points for being the home of the Whittles, arguably the best Galaxy NPCs. Don't get me wrong, the Gearmos offer close competition, but the Whittles are just too adorable. Also, the Tall Trunk Galaxy is a sacred site to the Whittles, giving us one of few glimpses into Religion in the Mario Universe.

I think I have to agree with the Whittles when it comes to this galaxy: "Treetop. Good." Truer words have never been spoken.

11. Flipsville Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy 2 Tier: S

Oh hey, I've talked about this one before! I mean, clearly I have to enjoy this one a good bit to give it its own post with some in-depth analysis, though I hate to say, I still have yet to figure out who's selectively breeding Pupdozers, why they'd be doing it, or if that has even happened at all. Sorry. I know you're disappointed in me. Maybe I'll have the answer next time I talk about Flipsville.

I did sort of go over my opinions in that post, though more of it was dedicated to talking about the galaxy itself, so I probably don't have to fear repeating myself too too much. To reiterate: I think this one is great! The gimmick of the grates that reverse the gravity of the galaxy is really really neat, and this galaxy uses it in some interesting ways, particularly during the autoscroller where you have to flip at the right time to avoid running Mario into spikes. (That being said, my favorite usage still gotta be that one Green Star that you can only reach by taking a leap of faith from underneath.)

Also shoutout to the Pupdozers as an enemy design that takes advantage of this gimmick! I'm pretty sure they're only in this galaxy, so I may as well talk about them here. I also have to shoutout this galaxy's distinctive aesthetic, "weird 1950s suburban house" is not really a level theme you see in video games often, and it gives this galaxy more than just a unique gameplay gimmick. I really dig it.

Speaking of digging, I do remain a little iffy on how the second mission shifts focus to the Spin Drill, I feel parts of it end up feeling pretty similar to the Spin-Dig Galaxy, but the gimmick of flipping between the two sides of the planets remains in tact, and the final room with the gravity walls that switch in time with the music where you have to use the drill to grab Silver Stars or Purple Coins is really cool, so I can't complain about it too much. I mean, it's not like it makes this galaxy any less fun, y'know?

Flipsville Galaxy will always stand out to me as one of the most distinctive galaxies in the sequel, both in its theming and in its gameplay, and for that I will always consider it a personal favorite!

10. Slimy Spring Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy 2 Tier: S

Slimy Spring Galaxy is one of the most atmospheric galaxies... well, I was gonna say in Super Mario Galaxy 2, but it's really one of the most atmospheric galaxies in general. I'd say that as a whole, the first game typically wins out on atmosphere, but there's a few places where the sequel really shines, and more than any other, I think Slimy Spring showcases that.

Slimy Spring Galaxy is so, so very claustrophobic. You're given a green shell, and from there, it's a long, linear swim through a narrow underwater cave. Besides the very start, there's hardly any coins or air bubbles to refill your air meter, so you have to rely on what little air you do have to make your way to the end. And believe me when I say that these tunnels are designed to be just long enough to run you to the very end of your air meter. You only really get a brief breather in the middle, and with limited air, mistakes made in this galaxy can be especially punishing.

I love the way Slimy Spring Galaxy puts you in this distinct state of mind. Watching your air slowly run out while making your way through a dark, seemingly unending tunnel can be a bit nerve-wracking, but obviously the game's not gonna present you with a galaxy that's impossible to beat. You just have to trust that the game's gonna take you where you need to go, and try to avoid letting any obstacles this galaxy throws at you trip you up. Admittedly, I still see my fight-or-flight reflex kick in when I reach the Gringills.

Slimy Spring Galaxy is one I've really only grown to appreciate more and more with time. It's not really one of the game's most "fun" galaxies by any stretch of the imagination, but it doesn't really feel like it's trying to be -- the rest of the galaxies exist to be fun, so what does it matter if Slimy Spring Galaxy tries to do something else? Slimy Spring Galaxy is pretty much unrivaled in its atmosphere, and for that, it has easily become one of my favorites.

I really love the sunset at the end of Slimy Spring. It sort of feels like the game saying that even in the most uncertain of times, everything's gonna turn out alright at the end. I feel like I'm being a bit wax poetic here, but I dunno. I think Slimy Spring Galaxy just does that to a person.

9. Honeyhive Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy Tier: S

So remember how earlier I said this was a top 10 Galaxy? Well how many of you guessed it'd show up at #9? Congratulations if you did! I'm sorry I don't have anything to award you, besides I guess my review of Honeyhive Galaxy, but even people who didn't guess correctly are getting that... Sorry.

Whatever. Honeyhive is great! I mean, you've seen me talk about it when talking about every other bee galaxy. This is the honey-gold standard all other bee galaxies strive for, and few can achieve...

What makes Honeyhive so great to me is its sense of scale. It arguably has the largest starting planet across both games, with lots of little nooks and crannies that all get utilized throughout its many missions. I get the feeling you wouldn't even need to add more to this galaxy to give it a full set of missions, but Honeyhive Galaxy is here to spoil us anyway, because it's Honeyhive Galaxy, and it's great. It does a very nice job making each mission feel familiar, yet distinctive, which I really appreciate.

I also think it does a really good job showing off the Bee Mushroom, with lots of high ground that becomes much more accessible with it, plenty of water to show off its main weakness, lots of flower and cloud platforms you can only access with it, and honey walls to climb up. Not only do you get to spend time among the bees, but you get to join them. Become one with the hive.

Oh, and have I mentioned that the main missions here are all super great too? The first mission is the big showcase for the Bee Mushroom I mentioned above, but the second has some fun platforming through a wooden obstacle course, and the boss fight against Big Bad Bugaboom is always a blast that makes some great usage of the Bee Mushroom. The Purple Coin and Luigi missions are sorta whatever to me, though I appreciate the Cosmic Mario race and the weird shortcuts you can take in it, I think it's nifty.

Really, I think the thing holding back Honeyhive from an even higher spot for me, and this is pretty unfair, is the fact that it's so early in the game, that the novelty of it all has kinda worn off for me. It's hard to get excited about Honeyhive when it's a place you have to go to early in the game, you know? But again, that's a small gripe that ultimately changes nothing about just how good this galaxy is. It's sweet as honey!

8. Deep Dark Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy Tier: S

Deep Dark Galaxy is one of those galaxies that always kinda surprises me when I play through the first game. It's one of those galaxies I never really think about all that often, and I'm rarely that excited when I get there, but then I play through it and go "wait a second, this one rules!"

I'm wondering if it's because it's in the Garden, where it has to deal with some serious competition. Being "that water galaxy with the dreary atmosphere in the way of Dreadnought and Melty Molten" isn't exactly the most flattering look, but at the very least it makes for a galaxy that always manages to surpass my expectations. Hopefully, putting this one at #8 will make me stop forgetting how good it is once and for all.

Still, I don't think counting the dreary atmosphere of this galaxy against it is really fair, because that's kinda what it's going for -- it's literally called "Dungeon Cave Galaxy" in Japanese. And you know what? For a Dungeon Cave, I love how silly they still let this Galaxy be! Stuff like the weird inflatable duplicate of the Gateway Planet, the weird floating circus platform, and that planet where you have to ground pound tennis balls into a watermelon to make it grow are such odd things to put in a galaxy like this, but I think they all end up working in its favor. The added surrealism makes this place so much more memorable.

And man oh man, I know I've talked a few times about how I love galaxies that let you goof off and do whatever, and I think no galaxy does that better than Deep Dark. I swear, in my latest playthrough of Galaxy, I spent more time in the spawn beach area than I did playing the rest of the mission. For an area that looks to have so little going on, there's lots of hidden goodies to look for, and shooting yourself out of the cannon at the Gateway and Octoguy planets is so, so fun.

While I'm sort of lukewarm on the mission where you swim through Guppy's eight rings, everything else in this galaxy I think is super fun, from the Kamella rematch on the pirate ship, to the aforementioned weird watermelon planet, to even the untimed Purple Coin mission! Usually those untimed exploration-based Purple Coin missions are never my cup of tea, but in this case, I think the combination of a smaller area to explore, better utilization of the underwater areas, and no places to fall off makes it feel a lot less grueling to me.

Deep Dark Galaxy is a great galaxy that always surpasses my expectations, and for that I think it deserves a spot in my top 10.

7. Freezeflame Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy Tier: S

Freezeflame Galaxy is so cool. And also so hot. That's kind of its whole gimmick. I feel like I made the same joke with Shiverburn Galaxy. Whatever. Freezeflame Galaxy's missions consist of an excellent ice level, a pretty good fire level, and a combination of the two, to make a galaxy that is as varied as it is fun. I will come forwards and say I like the Freeze part of this galaxy a bit more than the Flame part, but again, both are good.

I love the feeling of verticality you get from the ice sections. I love that upwards climb with all the varied obstacles and Ice Flower platforming, followed by a pretty fun boss fight against Baron Brrr. And then you can climb the other side of the mountain too, with its own varied obstacles and platforming challenges! Let's just say this one's good for my inner West Virginian mountaineer, okay? And then you have a Purple Coin mission that makes you climb both sides, which might be a bit much, but I'm glad they were being thorough.

But while the peak of the mountain may be the peak of the mountain here, it's not like the fire mission isn't doing any heavy lifting here, either. It's no Melty Molten, sure, but the Fire Flower gets used for some pretty fun timing puzzles, and I appreciate the use of the Galaxy games' gravity shenanigans halfway through. Really, most of my gripes with this section come from how the Fire Flower is handled in these games. The fact you need to spin to activate it, combined with how it stops you in your tracks when you throw a fireball just doesn't feel very good at all, especially when you throw in the timer. But that's not really this specific galaxy's fault, is it?

Gripes about the Fire Flower aside, I'm happy to say this galaxy's two great tastes taste great together as well! I'm a little bummed it takes until this galaxy's third mission to put the fire and ice together, but when they do, they use it very well, making for fun segments where you switch between the two, followed by a memorable segment where you use the Ice Flower to skate across lava. And on that note, I really enjoy the Cosmic Mario race here. Lots of places where I decide to take a risky shortcut, and it doesn't pay off and I fall in a Black Hole. Classic.

The Freeze and the Flame aren't perfectly balanced, from the levels to the Flowers featured within (no seriously. where was the Ice Flower in Galaxy 2), but both are very enjoyable, and the combination of both in one galaxy makes for a very memorable location. Not surprised at all they decided to revisit this idea in Galaxy 2.

6. Chompworks Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy 2 Tier: S

Look, I can spend all day talking about the gorgeous atmosphere of Cosmic Cove or Slimy Spring, or the exciting challenges of Grandmaster or Flip-Out, but when you ask me what my favorite galaxy in Super Mario Galaxy 2 is, I'll probably say it's Chompworks, because I'm only human, and I love Funny Chain Chomp Factory Galaxy. This is literally a place where Mario enemies are made! How can I resist?! There's Star Bits arranged like Chomps in the sky and everything!

I just love everything about Chompworks, from the music, to the theming, to the gameplay itself. It's one of those very unique galaxies that always stands out in my head, and if you know me, that can only be a good thing! I really appreciate the light timing puzzles they incorporate into this galaxy, the balance of needing so set everything up just right so the Chomps can reach their goal, but also not get too close because as you may realize: getting hit by a huge ball of steel rolling at you, even at slow speeds, hurts a lot.

I really like the active role this galaxy gives you in Chomp Production, how even when the Chomps start rolling, you'll need to make some adjustments to its path if you don't want it to crash early. Like, this galaxy has one of the rare inclusions of Flip-Swap panels outside of Flip-Swap Galaxy, just for the purpose of crafting a puzzle that can use them, and I appreciate that! If anything, I feel like there's room to elaborate on this mechanic even further, but I'm not gonna pretend that this galaxy isn't doing more than enough already. I think the Cosmic Clone comet is a fun enough shake-up, since you're gonna need to stay in one place a lot for some of the challenges.

You know, this factory doesn't seem very efficient. All their assembly lines are weird obstacle courses that need manual intervention, and most of the Chomps get destroyed at the end anyway. The Gearmos always chastise you for your poor efficiency, but maybe they wouldn't need Mario if they just built a more efficient factory. You see Gearmos? This is why you're only the second best Mario Galaxy NPC species. If nothing else, feel grateful your horribly-designed factory is a really, really well-designed Video Game Level.

Circling back to what I said about the Spring Mushroom earlier, same sentiment applies here. Not a great power-up on its own, but when I reach the mission that uses it here, I never see myself going "Ugh, the Spring Mushroom?", probably because the level is designed with it in mind, and the trickier control scheme is kinda the point. That being said, if you really don't want to use the Spring Mushroom, know that there's a fun optional challenge in trying to beat the level without it! As far as I'm aware, it's possible, and I know I've had my share of fun backflipping over Chomps in the past.

Is Chompworks Galaxy the best galaxy in Super Mario Galaxy 2? Maybe not, but since when has this list been about objective quality? I don't want to pretend I'm presenting anything other than my personal opinion here. Chompworks Galaxy appeals to my autism brain in some incredibly specific ways, and with a mix of that and its unique theming and design sensibilities, managed to end up at the top of Galaxy 2 for me. Sorry you couldn't make the top 5!

Speaking of the top five, I think they're all worthy of their own post, as I've hinted to a couple times at this point. It probably shouldn't be too hard to figure out which ones they are via process of elimination, though I do find it fascinating that after Galaxy 2 generally performed better, all the top 5 are from the first game. Again, Galaxy 2 is a remarkably consistent game that clusters around A-tier, while Galaxy 1 has some higher highs and lower lows.

The finale for this series should be ready next week, or the week after, or the week after that, or the week after that. I'm not really sure anymore. There's a Splatfest again next week, so I'll probably want to tune into that (Go Team Frye!) but I also have fewer galaxies to cover in general, so it might not take along as this one. Then again, I probably have more to say about my favorites... Either way, thank you for reading the series up to this point! Nothing matters more to me than knowing that people will listen to my ramblings about 10-to-15 year old Videos Games.

#mod hooligon #super mario galaxy #super mario galaxy 2

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starogeorgina · 5 months

Text

𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐞

Pairing: Joel Miller x reader

Warnings: Swearing, mentions of child death, blood, smut, mentions of cancer, age gap, use of y/n

1.01

Exhausted, you snuggle up on the faded green couch, your freezing feet covered by worn-out socks and a wooly blanket. The sound of gunfire and screams in the distance is muffled by the heavy rainfall battering against the windows. Settled down, you open the romance book you found a few days prior while savaging and opening it. The pages were ripped and stained, but it would be an escape from reality, one that you desperately needed. A few hours later, you're so engrossed in the story that the sound of the door of your apartment creaking open catches you off guard.

You glance up, your heart racing, as you see a shadowy figure enter. You reach for the handgun sitting on the side table and aim it at the person. “Take one more step, and I’ll blow your fucking head off.”

“Shit, it’s y/n, right?”

You almost shoot the intruder, but don't when you sense a familiarity about them, it was Tess’s partner in crime. “Texas, ain’t it?”

“Joel will do. Mind lowering the gun?” As the intruder steps into the light, you recognize him as your older sister's friend. Relief washes over you, but it's quickly replaced by irritation when he dangles a key on the edge of his finger. “Tess gave it to me. She told me to let myself in.”

You lower the gun and place it into the holster on your belt, then get up and snatch the key from him. “Mind telling me why she gave you the key to our home?”

He rolls up his sleeve, showing you the deep cut on his arm. “She said you could help patch me up... I can go—”

Of course Tess sent him to you; she had a tendency to volunteer you as a first aider for her criminal buddies. Scoffing, you grip his arm to get a better look at the wound. “It’s deep; you’ll need stitches. I don’t have any numbing cream left, so it’s going to hurt like hell.”

“I can survive a little bit of pain.”

—

As you carefully clean the wound on Joel's arm with a damp cloth, you can't help but feel the weight of responsibility on your shoulder. Your medical supplies were starting to run low, and with more bombings than before, you’d definitely need to get some more soon. And Tess sending strays to your door wasn’t helping.

Joe winces as you gently probe the wound, his muscles tensing under your touch. He looks at you with eyes filled with gratitude and a touch of pain. He holds a torch with his free hand so you can see what you are doing without drawing attention to your apartment with a brighter light on.

“I don't know how to thank you,” he says hoarsely, his voice barely above a whisper.

You shrug. “It’s fine.”

“Tess is always looking for supplies to bring back to you. Did you work in medicine?“

“This is going to hurt,” you say, before punctuating the first bit of flesh on his arm with the tiny needle. “You smuggle guns and drugs with my sister, right?”

Joel grits his teeth and nods.

“Me and Tess have both picked up extra work over the next couple of weeks. If I write a list of things I need, would you be able to get them for me?”

When he doesn’t respond, you look up and see how tightly his hand is squeezing around your torch. Sighing, you take the torch from his free hand and pop it between your lips. A few moments later, you’re finished, and you tie off the ends of the stitches.

“Fuck!” Joel lets out a noise of relief. “That hurt more than I thought it would.”

“Meaty part of the body,” you shrug.

Joel studies the stitches in his arm for a few seconds, then carefully rolls his sleeve back down, then stands. “Thank you. I'm burning infected in the morning, but you can slide the list underneath my door, and I’ll try and get you what I can.”

“Cool. You can let me know how many ration packs I owe you once you’ve got them.”

—

Soon as you walk into your apartment, you peel your top that’s sticking to your body with sweat over your head. You sniff it before tossing it onto the heap of dirty clothing on the floor. You glance over at Tess, who is watching with an amused expression on her face.

“What?”

“Not smelling like roses, huh?”

“I smell of sweat, smoke, and piss.” You walk by her into the small kitchen and start to boil some water. “Anything else you want washed?”

Tess shakes her head. Washing was a luxury you didn’t always have, but since the generator was working in your building, you’d take advantage of the opportunity while it was there. Once the water was boiled, you’d pour it into the bathtub, wait for it to cool down, then clean your hair and body, then wash the pile of dirty clothes. The color the bath water would turn afterwards would no doubt turn your stomach.

“Joel stopped by earlier,” she says, holding the cup of shitty coffee close to her lips and breathing in its smell. “He got the first aid kits you wanted.”

“Thank god, I had hardly anything left.” You open the door to the cupboard you keep your ration packs hidden behind a slab of wood. “What did he want for it?”

“Nothing.”

You snap your head up to face her. Nobody does anything for free these days. “Come again?”

“He says your square is for stitching him up.”

“Oh, that’s good,” you say.

A small smile pulls on your lips; at least you got to hold onto your ration packs for a little longer.

“What’s with the blood?”

You look down at your stomach and see the dried-in red patches. “It’s not mine. A couple of FEDRA soldiers got into a scuffle, so instead of getting a real medic, they asked me to clean them up. Nothing major, just a broken nose and burst lip.”

She chuckles. “I did try to warn you that this would happen. You made your own bed the moment you spilled on working in a hospital in your past life.”

—

As you carefully clean the wound on Joe's knee, you can't help but notice the tension between him and Tess. When you arrived home, the two of them were arguing, but all you overheard was Joel saying Tess was getting greedy, and she thought he needed to toughen up before they noticed you’d returned.

Tess was already a teenager when you were born, so growing up, you idolized her and have never seen her as anything other than fearless, so her saying Joel needs to be tougher made you question what the hell they were up against.

The threats within the quarantine zones have been getting worse lately; the firefly attacks have increased, and with the sounds of screams echoing through the walls of your apartment building, you assume one of the men who died in the bombing a few hours before was important to someone in your building. Your sister is pacing the room, her face drawn with worry. She keeps glancing at the window, as if she can see beyond the grimy glass to the dangers lurking outside. You can tell she's afraid, but she won't admit it.

Not yet anyway.

Sitting cross-legged on the ground to get a better look at Joel’s wound, you casually ask, “So what did you cut yourself on this time, Texas?”

“Scraped it on barbed wire.”

“How did—”

“Don’t,” Tess hisses. “Don’t ask questions you don’t want the answers to.”

She was right to an extent; you didn’t really want to know what lawbreaking your sister was doing; it would only keep you awake at worrying about her. But a part of you wanted to know how Joel was involved. You wanted to know more about their relationship and if it was platonic or something more.

—

“Hey, can I ask you something?”

Although you lived with Tess, you hadn’t seen much of her over the past few weeks. One of you had either been working or sleeping while the other was home. Moving the bodies of those who had been given the lethal injection before turning from the back of a truck into a fire was the most time you’d spent together in a while. A grim job you’ve become all too familiar with.

“Fire away.”

“What’s going on between you and Texas? Are you guys dating?”

She scoffs, “Of course not. I don’t mix business and pleasure.”

“Fair enough,” you shrug.

The air reeks of smoke and ash as you heave another corpse onto the pile. Its limp form hits the ground with a heavy thud, sending up a cloud of gray dust into the air. The acrid smell of burning flesh fills your nostrils, making your stomach turn. You readjust the bandana covering your nose to keep the smell out, but it has little effect. You’d definitely need to scrub hard later to try and remove the smell of death from your skin.

Tess stares at you intensely. “Y/n...”

“I was just asking because he’s always at our place. I didn’t know if you two were seeing each other or planning out ways to dig yourselves deeper graves.”

In the blink of an eye, Tess is standing in front of you. She pulls her own bandana down so there’s nothing muffling her voice. “Let me be clear: I value Joel; he’s a good friend of mine. He’s the guy you want around when shit goes down, but he’s not a good person. Y/n, me, and him have both done unthinkable things to stay alive.”

“He’s the muscle; you're the brain.”

She nods slowly, “something like that. I don’t know Joel’s full story; he’s reserved.”

Before you can say anything else, another truck loaded with bodies pulls up. “Oh shit, it looks like it’s going to be a double shift.”

—

Joel appears at your apartment a few nights later, with an unopened bottle of whisky in his hand. “I heard you had a shitty day.”

Without saying anything, you open the door, letting him in. Tiredly, you rub at your eyes before getting two glasses from the cupboard. Joel opens the bottle and then pours the whisky into the glasses. You assumed the news of what happened earlier in the day affected him as well. Licking at your lips, you mumble, “It doesn’t matter how tough you are; the death of kids always gets to you.”

He takes a massive gulp before slamming his glass onto the table and pouring himself another. “Fuck, yeah.”

You go over to the couch, zip open one of the cushion covers, and pull out a packet of cigarettes. “Want one?”

“I don’t smoke.”

“Neither do I, usually.”

You pull out one cigarette, then tuck the packet away again. You only ever smoked while stressed: “Five kids, five fucking kids lives gone within seconds.”

A bomb was supposed to be planted underneath the death square where they hang criminals, but something had gone wrong, and the firefly transporting the weapon set it off early, killing himself and anyone in close proximity immediately, including five innocent children. Sometime passes before you finally speak again. “Tess told you about Michael, didn’t she?”

Joel nods as he comes and sits beside you. “She mentioned you had a son who was sick.”

“He was diagnosed with leukemia when he was two; he died just before his sixth birthday.”

“I’m sorry.”

You take another shot of your drink and say, “He’s the reason I became a pediatric nurse.”

“What about his dad?”

“Probably dead,” you snort. “Paddy, my high school sweetheart didn’t like the idea of being a teen dad to a sick kid so bailed.”

“That’s shit.”

You sink further into the couch. “What about Texas? What’s your story?”

“I’m going to need a whole lot more liquor for that.”

—

You and Joe huddle close together in the dimly lit room, the flickering candlelight casting eerie shadows on the walls. The whisky was going down far too nicely, as Joel told you how he married his ex when he found out she was pregnant, but after his daughter was born, his wife left one day, and he didn’t hear from her again until she sent him divorce papers. Joel’s daughter, Sarah, died at the start of the outbreak after being shot by a soldier.

“Who knew we had so much in common?” you whisper, your voice hoarse from the cheap whiskey. “But at least we don’t ever need to see our assholes ex’s again.”

A dark chuckle passes his lips. “You’re just always looking for that silver lining.”

As you both finish your drinks, you lean in closer to Joel, feeling the warmth of his body against yours. You close your eyes and imagine a different world, one where the outbreak never happened.

—

As the months went on, Joel would visit you more frequently; sometimes he had alcohol, other times he brought dinner. You tried not to look too much into the fact that he mainly came at night when Tess was on shift. Although he still spent time with her smuggling various items, he also liked spending alone time with you.

Your lips meet in a passionate kiss as you straddle Joel’s waist, tongues tangling as you both lose yourself in the moment. The tension between you has been building for far too long, and tonight you both have just enough adrenaline and whisky pumping through your bodies to give into your desire for him. Your hands roam over his body, exploring every inch of skin that you can feel. Your thighs are left bare as the long t-shirt you wear to bed rides up, and Joel grips on them tightly as he grinds up against you. The sound of your heavy breathing fills the room, mingling with the soft sound of the wind howling outside.

You pull back for a moment to catch your breath, locking eyes with each other.

You lean in to kiss him again, but Joel takes you by surprise when he gently pushes you off his lap and sits you back onto the couch. At first, you take this as a rejection until he starts kissing down your neck. He slowly kneels on the ground between your legs, his eyes fixed on yours, as he slowly pulls down your pants. You gasp as his hot breath teases your sensitive flesh, and then he takes you into his mouth. His tongue circles your clit, sending waves of pleasure coursing through your body. You arch your back, unable to contain the moans escaping your lips.

“You gotta be quiet; I can’t have you waking the neighbors now.”

The cocky smile on his face turns you on even more. You throw your head back, letting out a long, low moan as Joel's tongue teases your sensitive flesh. His hands grip your hips, holding you in place as he devours you. The world outside your rundown apartment fades away, replaced by the intense pleasure coursing through your body as Joel gives you the first of many orgasms that night.

#the last of us #joel miller fanfiction #joel miller the last of us #hellfire #the last of us smut #joel the last of us #the last of us fanfiction #joel miller/you #joel miller x female reader #joel miller x reader #joel miller x f!reader #joel miller x you #joel miller #joel miller/reader #joel miller x y/n #joel miller smut

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pomplalamoose · 1 year

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I fucking love you you’re the only person who talks abt Luke and I need more stuff abt him PLEASE litreally anything will do

Really, this means SO much to me because the only reason this blog exists is an outrageous lack of Luke content, so now I'm making it myself😤

I didn't know what you would like to hear about so here's a random collection of Luke thoughts and ideas I had since August (mostly in collaboration with my girly @little-skywalker )🫶🏻

Also this turned out a little bit more nsfw than what I usually do, I hope you don't mind

• in my mind Luke is very good with children and they like him a lot in return

• so if you have been in a healthy and loving relationship with him for a while, he'll probably ask how you feel about kids of your own

• as someone who wants to avoid pregnancy at all costs I like to think he'd be very understanding about you feeling uncomfortable with giving birth to a child yourself

• because of this he'd be more than happy to adopt too

• especially because he knows what it's like to loose caregivers and grow up without knowledge about your real parents, he'd be so enthusiastic to raise orphans with all the love they deserve

• along with the ones already in his Jedi Academy, you'd have a shit ton of kids around

• related to this I can totally see him giving out fun stickers as rewards

• the children cleaned their rooms? Sticker. They did their house hold chores? Sticker. They did well at school? Sticker. They made him laugh? Sticker.

• he likes to give you some too if that's what you want

• (although for wildly different reasons)

• when he's in a good mood, Luke is a tease

• often about pretty innocent things like a stain of marmelade on your top or when you mispronounce a word lost in thought

• other than that he likes to gently pull your hair while he's sneaking up on you

• or to grab your nape with ice cold fingers after washing them

• he loves hearing you shriek his name and your indignant expression after

• when you're alone though, things quickly take a turn in a whole other direction

• he's never mean of course, but making you blush is one of his favorite activities

• he likes to mock the sounds you make in bed, sometimes even going as far as mimicking them

• he likes to pinch and squeeze your soft thighs, your arms and ass or your breasts until you swat his hands away

• when he discovers something new you like, you won't hear the end of it for the next few weeks

• he has a way of glancing and smiling at you suggestively while others are around that makes you fume

• Luke likes to see you in pretty lingerie, no matter whether you bought it yourself to surprise him or if he gave it to you as a present

• one can argue about his favorite colors in that regard

• my first idea was a nice pastel green to match his lightsaber

• until I realized his lightsaber is neon green

• the ultimate conclusion: Luke likes to see you in neon green lingerie

• (maybe go for black, you can't go wrong with black)

• Luke is ✨well endowed✨ and while not too big, he's still a lot to take

• I like to think you'd need to practice to get him fully inside of you

• he's always patient and careful with you though, and knows how to make it as pleasant as he possibly can

• he doesn't want to hurt you

• that said, sometimes he tends to forget himself while you are going at it

• when at first he was slow and gentle, he sometimes gets a little bit too into it and his thrusts grow rough, almost bruising

• he'll catch himself quickly and apologize, though if you liked it, he may be willing to change up his pace a little bit

• I'd like to add how insanely attractive that man is as well

• everything about him is good looking, even (or especially?) his hands

• they are simply made to be kissed and licked

• (imagine sucking on his fingers)

• also it'd be nice to just be held by them

• your hand would completely disappear in his

• and they are always nicely warm

• I'm sure that Luke is very strong as well

• he didn't train in that swamp on Dagobah for nothing

• we all have noticed his arm muscles

• that combined with his height, he's easily able to manhandle about everyone

• the children love when he picks them up to spin them around or to throw them up in the air as if they weigh next to nothing to him

• you like to be picked up as well, especially if he then pins you to a wall

• or down on his bed

• if he wants to cuddle there is not much you can do about it

• while I'm not necessarily into nicknames or other kinds of endearments, the thought of being called bunny by Luke drives me crazy

• I find it to be fitting in every kind of situation too

• it doesn't matter if it's said in a soothing manner or just casually during the day

• imagine him calling you bunny to admonish you

• OR when you're bouncing up and down on his enormous d-*gunshot noise*

#ask #luke skywalker #star wars #fanfic #luke star wars #star wars fanfiction #luke skywalker x reader #luke skywalker x you #star wars a new hope #star wars empire strikes back #star wars return of the jedi #headcanons #luke skywalker fanfiction #luke skywalker smut

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soracities · 1 year

Note

Your account is absolutely wonderful.. I am assuming that it takes a lot of time and dedication to absorb so much art... I find myself drifting away, always exhausted from my job... So I guess my question is what do you do for work and how do you stay inspired?

most of my time is spent child-minding and while that has left me with very little time to read and watch the things i want--and can be quite exhausting in and of itself--i think there is a little trade-off in that children keep you attentive to the world around you in a way you would not otherwise be, if only because you have to be that attentive to answer all their countless questions. so in a sense there is some inspiration i glean from that.

otherwise, i think this blog sometimes does give off the impression that i'm more well-read than i actually am; in reality, i dance on the surface of a lot of artworks but am passionate about maybe a tiny handful of works, and maybe, like, two painters. i have a "to watch" list that far exceeds my lifespan given that i actually watch, maybe, 3 movies a year. i have finished one (short) book since 2023 started and it took me six months to read that. the books that i've managed to read over the years, i've read chiefly in bursts and almost always in time periods where i was lucky enough in that i didn't have much to occupy me; even then, i'm aware i didn't read as much as i could have done with the time i had, but i'm also the kind of person who cannot devour book after book endlessly, either--i have a very clear saturation point, after which i need to do something different.

i think this blog, more than anything else, is a kind of repository of all the little fragments of thoughts or books or the world that interest and catch me and that i want to keep, but what i actually spend time with and dive into makes up an absolutely miniscule fraction of that. there have been long months (and years) where i did not have it in me to maintain any kind of sustained attention to reading or poetry, but i think the ability to do so is a huge, often unacknowledged, priviliege that requires not just time and economic security, but also mental clarity. i'm saying this to stress that what you feel, especially with whatever demands your job makes on you, is entirely normal and not anything to be ashamed of: the toll bills take, that laundry takes, that cooking and cleaning and countless other errands take are not to be underestimated when you go into them already sapped of most of your reserves in the first place.

it's something i've felt quite often (and still do); carving out the time to read as much or as often as i would like to does require dedication which i do not always have the energy for. but i think for me, to answer your question regarding inspiration, especially during the times when i'm not reading anything, inspiration is in paying as much attention as i can to the world around me, no matter how tiny the details are. there's a quote by william stafford where he talks about the ability to have "one vivid morning" and then "chain myself to it for fifty years". i don't have any set "philosophy" on life, but that is one thing i have always lived by: i still remember a single razor of light i saw on the railway tracks one morning a year ago which caught me by surprise, or the time on the bus when the setting sun filled the top deck and i knew then by the colour of it that summer was coming, or when i got up close to a patch of damp moss to see all its tiny little hairs more clearly, or one afternoon five years or so ago when i bought some loose pears from a corner shop and they were the sweetest, most-melt-in-the-mouth-juiciest pears i'd ever had....i can obsess over the light through a window over and over and over again no matter how often i see it. my mother put some lilies in a vase in the living room a few weeks ago and the entire time i was enraptured with how the scent hit me everytime i'd come into that room. even after more than a week they still enraptured me; each time was like i discovered them all over again and that brightened my mood so immeasurably.

for me inspiration is chiefly about recognizing the things that bring me joy and then holding them as closely as i can. there's a game i've started playing if i'm on a long bus trip where i take the number of a random bus stop i pass and if it's lower than 2020 i google what events happened in that year and pick the one that interests me most: if i'm going to be on my phone anyway, i will be on it in a way that aligns with what i already enjoy (FACTS!) and won't drain me (social media). when i don't have the energy to finish or even pick up a book, i'm subscribed to sites like Aeon, Ordinary Plots, Diaries of Note, or grieftolight on instagram (shoutout to forever beloved @firstfullmoon doing the lord's work with that account, truly), or podcasts i like, which allow me to read or experience little bits and pieces here and there without the pressure or anxiety-inducing commitment. if there is a poem i love i try to spend as much time with it as i can, which often just takes the form of me writing it down (by hand, usually-- that part is important) into a ledger of poems i keep which i can return to whenever i want, underlining my favourite parts or just rereading what spoke to me (i also love going to exhibits or museums (which, luckily, are mostly free where i live) or taking note of all the random bits of street art i see)

a year or so ago i also started, and this has changed my life, to copy down some of my favourite quotes i've reblogged onto little cue cards and stick them on the wall by my bed. some are poems, some are bits of novels or scraps of philosophy, some are motivational tidbits, but all of them are things i want to be reminded of. it helps me remember the lines i most want to keep and also grounds me in an odd way, but more than that, it just makes me happy. if i'm doom-scrolling, or having a rough evening, i can turn to that wall and read the things that mean most to me.

i don't know if any of this helps, and i'm conscious of not putting these out there as a cure-all because i'm very aware of how quickly, and how easily, this society and its set-up can drain you. i am, though, a staunch proponent of approaching art (any kind) and your engagement with it from a place and a pace that is true to you, before anything else, and that includes taking into account your own circumstances and what would bring you the most enjoyment within the means you have available to you: sometimes that's a 20 minute radio interview about blackholes, sometimes it's counting how many birds you pass as you walk through the park, sometimes it's 150 page novella it takes you half a year to finish. whatever it may look like, center your own pleasure first. i hope this can give you something, anon ♡

#also cannot understate the impact of the people in my life #the LUMINOUS brains of my friends and the people i love give me an education on the world no university can compete with #ask #anonymous #notes from elsewhere

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sex-storytime · 1 year

Text

Coming Together

I met Jeff when I was 23. It was late August and the thickest heat of the summer. We met at the park, chatting each other up about our dogs (who happened to look very similar to each other). Jeff caught my eye from the first moment I saw him. He was tall, dark, and handsome, as cliche as of a description as that is. The first time I saw him he was wearing a tank top and his shoulders and arms looked super tanned and strong. His arms are still one of my favorite parts about his body. He has a very classically handsome face with a defined jawline, thick and shiny dark brown hair, and sexy blue eyes that sometimes look green in a certain light. He's extremely fit and lean, with defined cut abs, and strong arms and shoulders that drive me wild. He has a deep voice that is commanding and sexy. After a week or two of playful flirting, he asked for my number and we made plans to go on a date.

We met that Sunday evening in front of my apartment to go for a walk along the river near our neighbourhood. It was a warm night and I debated about what I should wear for probably an hour before we met, but I ultimately decided on a thin white tank top tucked into a navy blue cotton mini-skirt and a pair of leather sandals. Underneath, I wore my favorite white lace bra that made my perky breasts feel full and lifted and a matching white lace thong. I had decided before we even left that I didn't want to sleep with him that night, since we were essentially strangers, but I couldn't resist the temptation to wear a matching set of lingerie since I always feel sexiest when I do.

When I went outside to meet Jeff, he was wearing a blue long sleeved sweater and a pair of shorts and loafers. I was again confronted with the sexy shape of his shoulders and arms, and he seemed taller than I remembered as I leaned up to hug him hello. We headed out for our walk and ended up strolling for about 3 hours--we were lost in conversation and had some really intense chemistry.

When we finally circled back to my apartment, I didn't want the night to end, but I wasn't ready to have sex with him yet. When we arrived, Jeff leaned in closer towards me, feeling the small of my back gently with his sturdy hands. I looked up at him and he asked if he could kiss me. As our lips met, I could feel myself getting wet and excited since I had spent the past 3 hours anticipating what his tongue would feel like against mine. We made out for a bit in front of my place and I finally got the chance to feel his arms and shoulders and they turned me on. My mind was racing thinking of how his body would feel underneath his sweater. The feeling of just my thin white tank top separating his hands from my skin was driving me wild.

He asked if I wanted to come over to his apartment and watch a movie, which I knew was code for sex. Reluctantly, aware of how tempting the situation I was about to be in would be, I decided to accept his offer. As we walked back to his place I continued to remind myself not to sleep with him yet.

We arrived within a few minutes to his place. The long walk and the late summer heat had left us both a little hot after the walk and he began to take off his blue sweater and change into a grey t-shirt. I turned away instinctively, feeling as though I couldn't look at his body yet--I knew seeing his strong arms and tight abs would make me wet with excitement and make sticking to my plan all the more difficult. He made a joke about me turning away when he changed. I know he wanted to catch me looking at his shirtless body.

We decided on a scary movie to watch. He turned it on and we sat close together on the couch, him with his muscular arm that I had grown so fond of over the evening around my shoulders. I don't think I payed a single moments attention to the movie...I was so fixated on the feeling of his warm skin touching mine.

My mind began to wander to the thought of what his cock looked and felt like. I could feel my pussy swelling as I tried to quell my thoughts, and I realized I was instinctively squirming...crossing and uncrossing my legs in an attempt to subdue my visceral bodily response to being physically close to him.

Before I knew it, he gently grabbed my chin and began to give me slow, deep kisses that left me overwhelmed with lust. His shoulders felt so tight and strong underneath his grey t-shirt (which happens to be my favorite thing for a man to wear--I find it so sexy), and before I knew it, I was straddling him.

Our kisses intensified as I felt his strong hands slowly slip under my skirt. I swirled my tongue slowly around his, feeling his shoulders as I slowly moved my hips around in a circular motion over his body. I could feel my clit engorging as his hands gently gripped my ass--one hand moving from one side to the next, and the other feeling up and down the side of my stomach, working his way up to my breast.

I was becoming so overcome with desire that I knew I had to stop things or I would lose all control and have sex with him, and despite our obvious physical chemistry, I still wasn't ready for that.

I told him that we should stop because I wasn't ready to sleep with him, and I slowly returned to the spot next to him. I glanced over to see the outline of his cock in his shorts...it was bulging so much and I felt overcome with the desire to unzip his shorts and take his cock in my mouth. I was desperate to see what it looked like and feel it in my hands, but I had to be patient.

We continued watching the movie, and I wasn't able to focus on anything besides the feeling of my thin lace thong soaking wet.

I decided it would be best for me to head home, as it was starting to get late and I was losing what little self-control I had left. I knew if I continued sitting next to him I would straddle him and slide his thick cock deep inside of my tight pussy in a matter of minutes.

We got up from the couch and began walking towards his kitchen. I leaned up against his kitchen counter, feeling the cold counter top against my ass through my thin skirt. I had a silly thought of how much I hated my skirt for separating me from Jeff's body the entire night. I wanted him so much. Waves of excitement coursed through entire body and I couldn't help myself...I had to keep kissing his full, sexy lips.

He pinned me further against the kitchen counter top, this time his kisses were deep and hard and I felt his hard cock pressing against my bare leg through his shorts. He reached his hands onto my perky breasts, slowly but firmly pulling them out of my thin, white tank top and white lace bra. He let out a moan of excitement as he saw my small, perfectly shaped nipples, hard and firm with desire. His tough strong hands felt so powerful cupping my soft breasts and my breathing became short. I let out soft moans of pleasure as he kissed up and down my neck. I felt his soft beard brushing against the curve of my neck and knew that my clit was completely engorged.

He lifted me onto the counter top effortlessly and I spread my legs as he pressed his pelvis towards me. I lifted his grey t-shirt over his head and marveled at his sculpted, gorgeous abs and arms. He was ridiculously sexy and I almost couldn't believe that I was here with him, desperate to feel my lips wrapped around his cock. I glanced at his bulging shorts to see how excited he felt when he suddenly lifted me up from the counter so that he was holding me, my thighs wrapped tightly around him.

Because he was holding me, my skirt was lifted up so all that was separating my wet little pussy and his fat hard cock was his shorts and my white lace thong, which was sopping wet at this point. I felt my breaths become rapid and short, and I let out little moans of delight as he began to thrust onto me as though he were fucking me right then and there. It felt so sexy to be so close to having his cock thrusting in and out of me. The teasing was driving me mad with desire, I felt incredibly turned on. I gripped his soft hair passionately and ran my fingers across his broad, sexy shoulders and down his back. I could feel his muscles gently moving underneath my fingers as his hands gripped my ass so firmly...I thought I was going to cum then and there.

By some insane sliver of self-control, I put our near-fucking make out session to an end. I told Jeff I just wasn't ready to sleep with him yet and that I should head home. We kissed goodbye and I embarked on the 5 minute walk back to my place.

My wet pussy was almost shaking with desire as I rushed home.

Finally there, I closed the door behind me and immediately kicked off my sandals and slipped out of soaking wet thong. I felt my right hand slip under my skirt and I gently felt my pussy lips, still swollen with desire. I brought my left hand to my mouth and sucked on my index and middle fingers, imagining the taste and feel of Jeffs thick hard cock between my lips.

I began to touch my engorged clit in a circular motion, going faster and pressing a little bit harder as I took my fingers in and out of my mouth. Feeling my lips around my fingers was just a fraction of how it would feel to take Jeff in my mouth and my awareness of the difference in the size of my fingers and the size of his massive cock was making me feel incredibly turned on. As I continued to rub my clit with more and more intensity, I let out soft moans of pleasure. I took my left hand from my lips, licking them in a swirling motion as I would on the tip of Jeff's cock, and pulled my breasts from my shirt and bra, feeling the cold wetness from the fingers I was sucking on my breasts. My nipples were hard and I gripped my left tit hard as my clit became more and more engorged.

Leaning back against the door, I was circling my clit like mad. I moved my other hand down to my dripping wet pussy, and slowly began to enter my fingers inside.

Teasing myself, I put them in just a tiny bit until I was begging for it in my mind. As I inserted my two fingers fully into my wet pussy, I let out a moan and a whisper, "Jeff..."

He was all I could think about...imagining his hard cock and his sexy shoulders was making me so aroused. The inside of my pussy felt so fucking tight around my fingers and I thrust them in and out faster and faster, as my other hand continued to circle around my pulsating clit. As my moans grew and my pussy began to drip my juices over my hands, I felt myself on the precipice of cumming.

With my fingers as deep as possible inside me, my other hand was rubbing my clit harder and harder and finally, I came so hard my knees were shaking. I couldn't wait to feel Jeff's cock inside of me.

________

For the next week I couldn't keep my mind off of him. Each time my phone buzzed I hoped it would be him asking to see me again. After a few days without hearing from him, I dramatically decided that it was over. He was probably disinterested in how big of a tease I had been the other night.

That afternoon, I took my dog for a walk in the park and ran into Jeff. I saw him from a few steps away and my heart began to pound in my chest. He looked somehow more handsome than I remembered and I was so nervous to see him since I had made up in my mind that he wasn't interested.

As I approached him, he looked at me and smiled. I instantly felt more at ease. We spent a few minutes catching up on what we'd been up to in the past week. While he was talking, I glanced across his shoulders from left to right and was overcome with the memory of how it felt to have my thighs wrapped around him. I felt my pussy softly pulse at the thought. I needed him inside of me.

After what turned out to be an hour long conversation, he asked me on another date for the following day. I felt both relieved and nervous at the prospect of kissing him again.

At that point, I still wanted to wait to get to know him better before sleeping with him. I let this guide me when choosing what to wear this time, deciding that a skirt or dress created way too much temptation for me last time. For this date, I went with a pair of skin tight jeans that made my round ass look amazing, a dark blue low cut top, and a matching set of black lace lingerie.

As with our first date, he came to pick me up and we set off for an evening stroll through Soho.

As we strolled along, his charming personality continued to impress me. At one point on a crowded street, he put his hand on the small of my back to gesture me forward through the crowd. As I felt his hand on my lower back, I instantly decided that I wanted him to fuck me that night. I couldn't wait any longer and I didn't know if I'd have another chance.

We strolled and chatted for probably another two hours, finally ending up back in our neighborhood. I asked if he wanted to come up and he obliged. As we walked through my building door I began to feel extremely nervous but also aroused and excited at the thought of taking his cock in my mouth so soon.

We entered the elevator, and as the doors shut, I immediately wrapped my arms around his neck and began kissing him hard.

Our lips pressed together and I felt a wave of intensity course through me as I ran my hands through his soft hair. He gently wrapped his strong hands around my waist, moving slowly to caress my ass over my skin-tight jeans. Suddenly, he pushed me back to the other wall of the elevator, pinning my hands above my head as our kissing intensified. I felt his tongue swirling gently around mine and the force of his body pushing me against the wall, and feeling his hard cock on my leg from under his pants, made me immediately wet.

The elevator door opened on my floor, and I grabbed his hand and hurriedly led him to my apartment. Once inside, our kissing commenced and we made our way to my bedroom. As soon as we were there, Jeff began to put soft, slow kisses along my neck. I let out a gentle moan of pleasure as he kissed me right below my ear lobe. I could feel my pussy pulsating.

As he kissed my neck, I felt his hands slowly inch their way below my shirt, making their way up. He slowly lifted my shirt off and began to move his kisses down my torso. Feeling his soft lips against the skin below my belly-button was making me so aroused. As he kissed my stomach, I moved my fingers through his hair--I couldn't get enough of it.

He stood back up and passionately held my face in his hands as he kissed me hard and fast, my breath getting quicker and my soft moans becoming more frequent.

Quickly, he pushed me onto the bed and started unbuttoning my tight jeans. I felt so overcome with arousal that I was becoming impatient...I glanced at his bulging cock through his pants as he pulled mine off, revealing my black lace thong. "Fuck..." he said softly.

He began planting small gentle kisses on my pussy over my thong, he could feel how wet I was. I let out a soft moan that turned me on even more and I could feel my pussy pulsing for Jeff's cock. I needed him inside of me.

He moved my thong over to one side to reveal my engorged clit and wet pussy lips and he softly traced his tongue up and down my lips. I felt my hands tighten to grab the bedsheets as he teased me with his tongue for a bit longer. I couldn't help myself and I grabbed my tits, revealing my nipples from the black lace. I squeezed them hard and he glanced up at me. We made intense eye contact and he let out a sexy groan that drove me wild.

He swirled his tongue around my clit very slowly, and I felt it becoming more and more engorged when he spat on it and entered one finger inside of me. I moaned "Fuck..." as he began to thrust his finger in and out of me...slowly at first, then faster and faster in sync with my breaths.

"Take off your bra," he said in his deep sexy voice. It was commanding and assertive, and I couldn't wait to hear what else he would demand me to do.

I unhooked my bra and felt his hand move up and grab one of my nipples, his other still thrusting in and out of my wet pussy. I could feel myself on the verge of cumming, I was so stimulated by him eating me out and the excitement of what was to come. As he continued to thrust his fingers in and out of me, now using two of them, and swirl his tongue around my clit, faster and faster, I was almost there...

"You're gonna make me cum..." I whispered between moans.

He began to move his tongue even faster and it sent me completely over the edge. I felt my entire pussy shake as I came.

He looked up at me and said "Good girl." I was so turned on by him saying that. I thought I needed him inside of me before but now I was desperate to feel his cock.

I pulled myself up to him and grabbed his face, guiding his mouth to mine. I kissed him long and hard while I moved my hands underneath his shirt to pull it off. His body was ridiculous--his abs so tight and his arms so sculpted, just looking at him turned me on. I began to kiss his chest slowly as I worked my way down to his pants. As I hurriedly unhooked his belt, I looked up to meet his eyes.

Keeping eye contact, I pulled his fat cock out of his pants. It felt so thick and hard in my soft hand. I glanced down at it and could see a drop of pre-cum forming at the tip and I slowly dribbled my saliva over the tip and moved my head down to swirl my tongue very slowly around the tip of his cock.

With one hand wrapped firmly around the base of his cock, I took him in my mouth slowly--I could barely fit half of him in my mouth at a time because his cock was so big and I felt incredibly turned on by my awareness of his size. I switched between thrusting his cock in my mouth quickly and swirling my tongue and teasing him slowly up and down. He let out moans of excitement and I looked up at him.

"I want your cock inside of me," I told him.

Quickly and assertively, Jeff stood up and pushed me forcefully onto the bed. He spread my legs out on the bed and pulled my thong off. I looked down at my pussy and could see my juices all over my lips. I bit my lip as he began to slowly rub the tip of his cock over my engorged clit.

"Babe..." I said softly, "Fuck me, please..."

He looked me in the eyes and began to put the tip of his cock in, but stopped there. I was panting. I felt so overwhelmed by the desire to feel him inside of me.

"Please" I whispered.

He inserted his entire cock inside of me and then immediately pulled it back out so only the tip was in again.

"Fuck..."

I was going to explode. My pussy was so fucking wet, I couldn't contain myself.

"Fuck me, Jeff. Please..." My breaths short, dispersed with soft sighs of pleasure and excitement.

He inserted his entire cock inside again, and did the same thing--immediately pulled back so only the tip remained. I was going to go mad. I felt so incredibly turned on as I looked at the vein in his fat cock and my swollen pussy lips wrapped tightly around his tip.

"Please Jeff, please fuck me..." I said loudly.

He let out a moan and suddenly began fucking me hard and fast as I screamed with pleasure.

He held both of my legs up as he fucked me fast and deep. It felt so incredible to finally have his cock inside of me.

Watching the muscles in his abs and arms slowly move as he fucked me was driving me wild. I could feel my pussy becoming wetter with each thrust.

"Open your mouth," he commanded.

I did what he asked and he spat in my mouth. It was unbelievably hot to have him control me like that. I felt my pussy grip his cock tighter as his saliva covered my mouth and lips.

He began to slowly kiss along my calf and ankle, making his way towards my foot. He gently kissed my manicured toes.

"Oh my god..." I moaned softly. "...Babe...You're going to make me cum again…"

His cock was so deep inside of my tight pussy and I felt myself so close to cumming again. The buildup made me so horny I couldn't believe I was able to cum so quickly.

As he thrust his cock in my pussy faster and harder each time, I pressed my fingers into his back as I came so slowly. It felt unbelievable. It felt like I was completely in control and completely out of control at the same time. It felt like I came for an eternity.

As my grip on his back loosened and my body became relaxed, he flipped my legs over and said, "I want to see that pretty little ass."

I was practically shaking from the orgasm and his words made me so aroused again. I quickly turned over and got into doggy style, wanting to please him. I would've done anything he asked. I wanted him to boss me around.

He slowly pressed his fingers around my asshole, eventually moving his tongue to doing the same thing.

"Ooh...good girl," He said as he began to very slowly insert his finger inside of me. I felt my pussy shake. I slowly moved one of my hands towards my clit and began circling it.

"Good girl, rub your clit for me..." He said. I was insanely turned on. He began to finger me a little faster and said, "Do you think you can take two fingers?"

"...Yes, babe" I said between moans.

"You think you can take it?" He said again assertively.

He slowly inserted both fingers and I felt my pussy drip. "Fuck, baby...." I said.

As he moved his fingers in and out slowly, getting a little bit faster with each thrust, he began to insert his cock inside my pussy. It felt so incredibly arousing to have his fat cock inside of my pussy and two of his fingers in my little ass.

"I can't wait to take your cock in my ass one day," I told him.

He moaned as he began to force his cock in my pussy faster and faster, moving in synch with his fingers. "That feels so good..." I told him.

We both were breathing quickly and gently moaning. I was still gently circling my clit--the feeling of having all three stimulations, my clit, my pussy, and my asshole, was unbelievable. I had never experienced anything like this before, and I knew I was getting close to cumming again. I knew this time would be intense because he was hitting my G spot perfectly in this position, and I felt like I was going to have a clitoral orgasm too.

As he thrust harder and harder, and I rubbed my clit in unison, I let out deep moans.

"Uh...Uh....Jeff.....I'm cumming.....Uh......"

"Fuck...I'm gonna cum," He said.

"Jeff...." I screamed.

In that perfect moment, I felt his hot spurting seed fill my pussy at the exact moment that I came.

I came so hard--harder than the other two times combined. I felt my legs shake and my pussy pulse as I came for what felt like an eternity.

We both dropped to the bed, exhausted with pleasure.

#rachel #fucking #her perspective #her pov #first love #first time #unprotected sex #sextacy

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volklana · 5 months

Text

I Could Drown Myself In Someone Like You

Part Three

Part I // Part II

You can find my other Biker!Bucky fic here:

Title Comes from this Song:

Request: Hey girl I literally just found your blog and when I tell you I BINGED your Ride series. Please I beg could we have some more Biker Bucky? Maybe barmaid reader? I really don't mind as long as we get some BikerBuck!

Warnings: This chapter references domestic abuse, and a paragraph of torture/violence towards Bucky. If that isn't for you, please don't read, protect your peace and you can catch me next time xx

Introduction of the Asshole Ex : Zemo

You sat outside in your truck, drumming your fingers on the dash to a song playing on the radio.

This had become your little routine the last few weeks, sitting outside in your truck while Bucky had his therapy session with Dr. Raynor. She was a therapist who specialised in veterans and military trauma that you had found online, and you couldn’t believe when Bucky had agreed to go.

He had shuffled awkwardly into your cottage the morning of his first session, cheeks slightly tinged pink when he’d asked if you would bring him to his first session and that was how it started and now you were sitting outside what was his sixth or seventh session.

After every session you would take the long way home through the winding Californian Redwoods, with the windows down and music playing. Bucky said it helped to ground him after every session and sometimes you would stop at a little food truck at the beginning of a hiking trail and treat him to a coffee.

Bucky was always quiet on the journey home and you never pushed him to talk until he was ready to, but you were beginning to see the change completely in his demeanour, he was calmer, softer and a lot more aware of his actions. He had taken Sam out for lunch after his third or fourth session and apologised profusely to him and it warmed your heart to watch their relationship blossoming again. You were even surprised when he opened up about what had happened to him in the Middle East, how he had nearly lost his arm through chemical experimentation and torture and how he really believed he was going to die in that bunker until Steve’s squad successfully tracked him down and rescued him.

You too were having a lot of honest conversations, opening up to Bucky about the full extent of the abuse you had suffered at the hands of your ex boyfriend. You too had thought you were going to die at the hands of that man and Bucky had pulled you to him in a bone crushing hug.

Because the thought of anyone ever hurting you like that was enough to send him over the edge.

So you were taking your relationship slow, really getting to know each other and helping each other through the healing, you both clearly needed to do.

The first time Bucky told you he loved you caught you so off guard. He had begrudgingly agreed to go on a hike with you, claiming it was very much not his style, but to his utter surprise he ended up enjoying it more than expected.

You talked him through identifying certain trees by their leaves, you picked wildflowers and insisted he smell every one and you took a million pictures of him because you thought he looked cute and fuck if you didn’t make his heart flutter in his chest.

“It’s right up here,” you pulled him from his thoughts, grabbing his hand and pulling him behind you. Finally gasping when you came to the viewing point at the top of the mountain, pulling Bucky closer to the ledge and releasing his hand to spin in the morning sun, arms outstretched and eyes closed as you spun.

When your eyes finally landed on Bucky, his face was the most serene thing you had ever seen, the sun hitting his eyes making them almost glow.

“What?” you grinned at the way he was looking at you.

“I’m so in love with you,” he mused and you leapt forward to capture his lips with yours, so happy you felt like you could burst.

“I love you too,” you told him honestly and he scooped you up spinning you around as he kissed you with all he had in him

________________________________________________________

Steve was serving drinks but attempting to keep an eye on the table who had wandered in and seated themselves about an hour ago. Two muscles he could tell were armed and the other man, clearly their boss, sat back, slicked haired and well groomed. Zemo, your ex. He looked too well put together to be hanging around with these two goons and something did not sit right with Steve and from the side glances Sam was throwing his way, he didn’t feel right about it either.

“Can I get you fellas another drink?” he asked and he hated the way the sophisticated one feigned passiveness “Yes please, I will take another espresso, thank you.”

If Steve hadn’t been trained to read people he could have easily fallen for the harmless act, but he was under no illusion, this man was a shark in human clothing.

When Steve returned with his espresso, he stopped him, “Say you wouldn’t happen to know if my friend has stopped by this town, I’m trying to track her down,” he smiled innocently before turning his phone around to show Steve a picture.

Steve tried to control his breathing as your eyes looked right back at him through the screen, he used all his military training to keep his expression lighthearted and neutral “No, can’t say that I have ever seen her,” he shrugged.

“It’s such a small town, she would have been hard to miss,” the stranger cocked his eyebrow at Steve.

“Absolutely,” Steve agreed “Perhaps you will have more luck in the next town over.”

“Perhaps,” he smiled and Steve smiled back before turning on his heel back to the bar.

Steve must have sent Bucky damn near twenty messages and called him just as much but his phone was out of range. In a last ditch attempt he tried calling you, but had the same effect.

Finally, the trio left the bar, fixing Steve up and leaving a hefty tip that he was tempted to throw in the bin.

After what seemed like hours Bucky finally called him back, “Is everything okay?” he panicked and Steve shook his head “Not really, no. Where is y/n?”

“I just dropped her home. Steve what is it you’re freaking me out.”

“Just get here quickly,” Steve ordered before he instructed Sam to close the bar.

When Bucky arrived to the bar closed he was in a panic, which only intensified when Steve relayed what had happened.

“Fuck! Fuck!” Bucky spat “He’s found her,” he was panicking, all his worst fears were coming true.

“We have to get to her, warn her, keep her safe,” Bucky was spiralling but now was not the time to fail you.

The bell over the door rattled and Steve said “Sorry the bar is closed,”

“Not to us it isn’t,” the shark in human clothing spat and Bucky bristled, but he continued “The whole bar is surrounded so let’s not try anything stupid here.”

Within seconds the bar was infiltrated and Sam and Steve were manhandled, bloodied and beaten to the floor, Bucky fought off as many as possible but there was simply too many and eventually he was wrestled down to the ground, pulled out into the middle floor and forced to his knees with a gun to his head.

“My patience is growing thin so I will ask once. Where is she?”

“Fuck you,” Bucky spat and was rewarded with a pistol whip to the face.

Zemo grasped a handful of Bucky’s hair forcing him to look up into his menacing brown eyes, Bucky remembered how you had shivered when describing him “You don’t understand Buck, he’s secret service trained in his home country. He’s done unspeakable things and he doesn’t care who he kills to get what he wants.”

Looking up into those eyes he could understand why you were so afraid of this man, he was controlled and cunning, the worst kind of bully.

“Maybe we should call her,” Zemo smiled sweetly while one of his heavies wrestled Bucky’s phone from his back pocket.

“No,” Bucky struggled as Zemo put the phone to his face watching in horror as the phone unlocked, his screensaver a picture of you two on one of your first proper dates, your face one of pure joy as he kissed your cheek.

“Bingo,” Zemo sighed and rummaged through his contacts until he found you, the unmistakable sound of the video call tone that used to make Bucky’s heart flutter with excitement now it was dread, begging the gods that you wouldn’t answer.

“Bucky, you couldn’t be missing me already,” your voice came through like a song and then your face fell at Bucky’s bloodied face, “What happened?” you shrieked and then the camera was turned around to a face that haunted your nightmares for months.

You wanted to cry, you wanted to beg him to tell you how he found you but all that left your lips was a plea “Please. Please don’t hurt him.”

“I won’t. If you are here in the next half hour I won’t hurt your little boyfriend, but-”

“-Don’t come here y/n,” Bucky shouted over Zemo “Run, run far away. Don’t look back.” Bucky would rather have been killed than see you back in that hell.

“Shut the fuck up,” one of Zemo’s heavies shouted and punched Bucky full force into the side of his head and kicking him a few times in the ribs when he slumped forward.

“Stop,” you pleaded “I will be there.”

The drive back to the bar was a haze of tears and panic, and you were fairly sure you broke every speed zone on the route but it didn’t matter you had to get to Bucky.

As you finally clambered through the door to the bar, you wanted to be sick when you saw the state of Bucky’s face, bloodied and swollen, cloth shoved in his mouth to keep him quiet, and Steve and Sam were tied to a radiator, at the end of the bar.

“Let him go,” you pleaded, taking shaky steps towards Zemo, “Please he has done nothing wrong.”

“Look boys, the little rat has scurried out of its hiding place,” he mocked and Bucky struggled against the arms holding him tight, “As she always does.”

“Let him go,” you repeated, voice shaky, your legs threatening to give way.

“But he has been a bad boy,” Zemo tutted “He took something that belonged to me, when he really shouldn’t have.”

“I don’t belong to you!” you quipped which earned you a harsh slap across the face and Bucky screamed into his gag. Your hands flying up instinctively in surrender.

Zemo pulled out his knife and your eyes widened in fear, trying to place yourself between him and Bucky, “You promised you wouldn’t hurt him,” you cried and Zemo smirked “Hurt, yes but I never said he wouldn’t be punished for being such a bad boy.”

You cried in shock when you were pushed into the arms of one of Zemo’s men and to your horror Zemo began hacking off pieces of Bucky’s long hair with the blade and you cried out in horror as soft locks began to litter the floor. Those locks that you would lovingly run your fingers through, that you would grasp onto when you made love, and that Bucky would absentmindedly let you braid or play with when you were anxious, lay in uneven chunks on the ground and this was precisely when your legs gave way.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” you were crying and Bucky’s huge blue eyes were on yours as Zemo laughed at the scene, examining his handy work. Buck’s hair was a mess of uneven chunks and blood where the knife had nicked him and this image would be burned into your brain for the rest of your life.

It was like a bomb had exploded beside you, you could hear nothing but the thumping of your own heart, as figures ran around before your eyes, Zemo was talking but you couldn't make out what he was saying. Bucky was pushed down to the floor and someone grasped you, hauling you up from the floor and you were bundled into the back of a car before you could even process what was happening. Bile rising in your throat until you wound the window down and puked out the side of the moving car.

What had you done? How had you allowed yourself to become so complacent? How had you ever allowed yourself to think you could have found happiness with Bucky. You had destroyed his life and for what, because you had fallen in love with him? You were undeserving of his love from day one and you should have left him in peace. Instead you had left him in pieces and you would never have the opportunity to make it up to him. Or tell you just how much he had meant to you. The only man you had ever truly loved, lay broken on the floor among the chunks of hair that you had loved so much.

And you were trapped with the man who had destroyed your life time and time again.

Tagging:

@spookyparadisesheep @jbbarnesgirl @salvatoreitmeanssaviour@princesscornbread @loki-laufeyson-1054 @firstcashheroathlete @missvelvetsstuff nana1000night sapphire-rogers @sarahrogersevans @steverogerssimpp @spudinthemud @mrsragnarlodbrok @buckgasms @miss-patriciah-maximoff @hellomissmabel @knittingknerdy @shamvictoria11 @buckysberrie @assembletheimagines @dearthofequanimity @wellthatsrandomkek @mitra-k-w @nikkitia7 @fantasticimpaladoctor @feelmyroarrrr @sebseyesandbuckysthighs @andhiseyesweregreen @frickin-bats @buckyywiththegoodhair @iiharu-kunii @bellenuit45-blog @james-bionic-barnes @avengerofyourheart @jaegers-and-kaijus princess76179 brasspistol thelittleredrobinhood tiedyedghoulette mishkatelwarriorgoddess @casa-boiardi

#bucky x reader #bucky x you #bucky barnes #mcu fanfiction #zemo x reader #zemo x y/n #volklana writes

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sirthisisa-wendys · 2 years

Text

Woven Serpents (Part 3): Namor x Mutant!Reader

synopsis: Accept the offer, or don't? You'll have to make a choice sooner than expected with the serpent god snapping at your heels.

wc: 703

tw: none, some fluff

previous part 🌊 next part

"You've avoided me long enough," the feather-footed god shouts as he storms into the cave. Your fingers cradle the fruit you'd been given, but thick fingers instantly pry the food from your hands. "You eat and sleep for weeks, but don't think about the gift I've given you!" You meet the god's eyes with your own, frowning deeply.

"The man said I was not a slave," you echo. "The one who came to get me."

"Attuma knows nothing of--" The god pauses, pressing his fingers to his nose before exhaling.

"And I was eating that," you murmur, pointing to the fruit deposited onto the ground.

The Great K'ul'ulkan looks at the fruit, then back at you, nodding. "My apologies. I will make it up to you. Come with me."

You stand from the hammock, looking at the god carefully. "You have fooled me twice," you breathe, sneering at him. "You will not fool me again."

"I have gotten what I wanted," the god laughs, turning to face you. "Even if I fool you a third time, will you not be in the same predicament as before?"

"I do not think this is a wise idea," you moan, slipping into the large suit with clumsy steps.

"Trust me," the god replies, handing you the helmet for your head. "It is either this or suffering."

"I can heal myself," you remind him, holding the helmet in your hands.

"You have never drowned, have you?" The question stuns you, so you don't answer. The diety takes the helmet from your hands and places it on your head, watching you through the glass. "You will be safe in this." He leads you into the water, and as you're submerged, everything in you braces for impact. But instead, you're sucked in, pulled toward someplace you don't know and don't want to know.

"Is this another trick?" you shout over the rushing water around you. The god-man looks at you, his eyes coming to life as you raise your pitch and flail about.

"You look better alarmed," he cackles, watching you unmoored. "It makes you look like a kid."

You curse at him through your teeth as the stream ejects you, then meet him at the top of what seems to be a high cliff. "Come," he beckons you with a single arm extended. "See Talokan."

You take his hand - for your sake, not his - and venture into the aquatic underworld. You're taken aback as you pass by citizens, plants, animals, and even a few friendly smiles. You try to mask the shock from the diety beside you, but he immediately catches onto your stunned silence.

"That is not the best part," he resumes, pointing toward a looming archway. As if by his command, the archway presents a light source filled with blue radiance, showering its supposed warmth on the people around the city. "It is like the sun has come to Talokan."

You watch the god's eyes brighten with every second of the secondary sun's luminosity. You cannot deny its beauty nor its purpose, and a part of you relishes the sight. "Do you now see the reason I have brought you here?"

"I..." Faces and smiles greet you again, and you raise your hand in response. "I see your people are happy and well cared for."

"And even more so with you here. There is sickness down here, old age... with your help, my people can be whole. They won't have to lose their loved ones suddenly. You will be there to heal and be healed."

"How?" you whisper, and the god-man smiles widely.

"Through the people who will love you." You inhale deeply, but the god reaches out his hand to touch your helmet as if he could touch the skin of your cheek. "Let us show you that we care for people like you. Unlike the surface dwellers who strip those of us who are gifted and beat us without mercy."

You think about it, noting his correctness without malice. Then you raise your head, clearing your throat.

"When do I start?" The father-serpent god smiles.

"Right now, if you are ready." You nod, taking his hand once more.

"I'm ready."

taglist:

@thebadasssass @capitanostella

#tenoch huerta namor #namor x reader #mcu namor #namor the sub mariner #marvel cinematic universe #mcu

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thatbanditqueen · 1 year

Text

No One Walks Out Ch 4

No One Walks Out On Big Daddy

Chapter 4: Kaleidoscope

Summary: Elvis convinces Becky that this is actually a romantic gesture, and he brings her to Graceland to meet his family and spend some time together as he prepares to have his daughter come to Memphis. A fluffy, smutty nuzzlefest with some foreboding and Jerry shenanigans.

Warnings: NSFW, Minors DNI, cunnilingus, vaginal sexual penetrative intercourse, cursing, drug use and alcohol, and, because it's Elvis, weird mind games and jealousy. Some historical inaccuracies.

Words: 18.6K EVERYTIME. Every. Goddamn. Time. With every fic. I tell myself, this time, 10 K is enough. And then I write more than i did last time. I think I loose readers every time it gets longer... but .. fuck.. I don't know. It's hard to kill your darlings.

I made a playlist just for this chapter in order of the songs that get sung or played.

I'm so bad at attention to detail, sorry for the typos.

This chapter is part of my on going fic about 1975-era Elvis and a single mom he meets after a concert in Jackson, MS. If you haven’t read it, you can here:

Catch up on Chapter One here

Catch up on Chapter Two here

Catch up on Chapter Three here

Thanks to everyone who has commented, sent asks, and supported this story. If you enjoy it, please, for the love of big daddy, reblog, comment, share. I always like hearing what works and what doesn't, because it gets into my fingers and shapes the way they write. Pretty sure the smut is ridiculous here....

Sunday, June 14th

1 PM, Pop’s Gas Station

Somewhere in Mississippi

The coffee was hot as it rolled down Jerry’s throat, and he shifted against the raw wooden grain of the bench outside Pop’s Gas Station, somewhere off Highway 61. It was bright in the muggy, midday heat of Mississippi, and Jerry adjusted his sunglasses, intentionally turning his head away from the yellow Cadillac parked askew twenty or so feet to his right. Lush green trees lined the two-lane highway, and Jerry stared at the overgrowth, trying not to focus on Elvis’ laugh bubbling up as it was interrupted by yelps as Becky hit him again and again on his upper arm. Jerry made no visible acknowledgement that he could hear or see everything being said in the car twenty feet away.

"Elvis THIS IS NOT FUNNY! Turn around and take me home… I don’t appreciate being taken against my will…”

“Thought you liked being taken by me, ouch…. last night you said you wished you could co—”

“No, I never said—”

“Yes ya did, ya said,” Elvis’ eyes laughed and his lips pouted while he spoke in a high falsetto, “Oh Elvis you big strong manly stud, I wish I could stay like this forever, naked in your arms…c—”

“No, no, no, now.” Becky flipped her long, dark auburn curls over her shoulder and looked out the window at Jerry, still aloof, disinterested, his eyes focused on an indeterminate point in the distance. “I didn’t say it like that, I was caught up in the moment and I said ‘this is nice, just being here like this, together.. wish it could last forever,’ the kind of stupid thing weak-willed women like me say after making love….I never said I wanted you to go——”

“Well, I saw it in your eyes… and again this morning, when you were trying to play it cool while ya wa warshin’ my clothes for me, ironing ma pants…” His fingers rubbed the side of her arm, stroking up to the top of her shoulder then back down to her elbow, trailing lightly along her thigh. Becky settled a little as Elvis’ voice rumbled into her ears. She stopped punching him and crossed her arms with an exasperated sigh. Elvis leaned in closer, still a few inches from her ear, murmuring while his hand circled the top of her left knee. “C’mon woman, ya really don’t wanna spend a few more days with me?”

Becky crossing her arms even tighter, and a guttural growl emerged from her throat with a “Humpf… Elvis…. I can't disappear on a whim just to be your fuck buddy for a week…”

“Whoa now, first a all, this ain’t just about screwing around-”

Becky arched an eye brow.

“Maybe for you, ya wanton woman…”

“Ha!”

“No, now a man can only do so much a that… now just come here a second….”

Elvis's hands pulled Becky across the front seat of the car and into his arms.

“Now honey, I like you, we have fun in each other’s company, hmmm?” He kissed the top of her dark curlscand her skin smoldered under the heat of his large hand massaging her shoulder. The bottom of his glasses bumped along the top of her head and she took another deep, protracted breath, uncrossing her arms.

“Mhmmmm… I… it’s not ok to go behind my back just because you want something to happen a certain way…it doesn’t feel good to be tricked into something…”

“Ok, ok… ya right…. See, I … I knew you was too shy to ask your folks… ” Becky jabbed him softly, playfully, moving her elbow up and down along the soft cushion of Elvis’ belly. “Ok, ok, simmer down, I’m sayin’ you are right, honey, I'll never trick you again or do something without asking….promise…I’ll never not consult you again when I’m planning a grand romantic gesture that sweeps you off ya feet…”

“HA … that what this is? Awfully optimistic of you, thinking anything like this will ever happen again .. I have a mind to make you drive me back to Jackson on principle…”

“OK, well, now, look, we’re only ‘bout on hour from Graceland, let's head in and if ya still set on leavin’ in the morning,” Elvis winked as he said this. “I’ll have Jerry drive you back…”

Becky softened and leaned into him, her hand worked its way around Elvis’ waist. “Oh no, no Jerry, no Joe, you’re not gettin’ your friends to do your dirty work for you - you did this to your self, and you need to be the one sufferin’ the six hours driving me to Jackson and back…”

“So what I’m hearing is that you want the maximum time ta cuddle with me … I gotcha, I gotcha… so come an’ get it now, silly woman!”

Elvis’ right hand tightened around the edge of Becky’s shoulder, his thumb gently swiping up her shoulder blade as she scooted into him, releasing all of her resentment about this surprise trip to Memphis. Becky made a mental note to save any indignation that remained for Ida as she snuggled into Elvis chest, giving into it’s warm comfort and burrowing her nose into his breast. Becky smiled as Elvis let out a deep hiss as the tip of her nose traced over his nipple. Her hand moved down to tease him along the crease of his pants where his belly met his thigh. Slowly, her fingers crept further along the ridge of his tummy and onto the top of his legs, just to the point above his crotch, then giggling softly as Elvis gasped and exhaled with a low exclamation.

“Gawdddddammit… lil gal… gonna loose my foot tryin’ to get us back to Graceland…show you that sound proof….roommmmmm,” his voice purred as Becky’s fingers needled the round flesh at the top of Elvis inner thigh.

The friction created a heat between them, and Elvis fingers started to rub Becky’s shoulder with a blistering need. He kissed the top of her head, and Becky watched him push against her in the rearview mirror. Her chest filled with warm exhilaration at the sight of Elvis’ lower lip hanging down, his eyes blown wide with earnest, needy lust. She watched his lips smoosh sideways as he kissed her forehead, maintaining a charged eye contact with her through his glasses. The intensity of his stare was overwhelming, it made her heart beat so quick that she heard it in her ears, almost drowning out the sound of Elvis’ left hand rolling down the window to yell out for Jerry to get back in the car, never breaking the bond between his chin and her forehead.

Elvis blue eyes simmered as they stared her down through the mirror, and Becky couldn’t stop herself from biting her lip. His fierce stare was juxtaposed by the softness of his voice as he whispered into her hair while they drove along the highway.

“He’s sawry if he upset ya baby …” Elvis voice went into a low, intimate babyish tenor, the movements of his thumb became more protracted, and Becky shushed him through his shirt. “Such a sweet baby ta me… baby baaaaby ba da di dooo, ohh… yeuahhhhh…..” His voice lulled into a gospel tune momentarily. “I cain’t wait ta show ya all ‘round ma house… all ‘round ma property… fourteen acres… ever stayed somewhere so big? Think ya… can handle that size?”

Becky chuckled, and Elvis’ face beamed at the soft rose color of her blushing cheeks.

“Mhmmm… well, I’m not sure… guess I’ll just have ta see what happens….” Becky kissed Elvis chest, softly, murmuring into it. Her right hand snaked around his back, her left feathering over the round swell of his belly. “You know, I was just starting to like you this morning before you played this dirty trick on me … you’re so funny and sweet …. But I just need to say… one last time, then we’ll put it behind us… I… don’t like plans being made for me…” Becky looked up at Elvis face from where she leaned on his chest. The side of his face loomed large above her, his lips pursed in thought above the bulge of his chin. “I can see how you meant this as a romantic gesture… but I … I don’t like being tricked…”

Elvis’ chin rippled above Becky as he nodded, and he drew her in closer. “Awright honey… from now, s’all ‘bove board… no more tricks… no more surprises, kay? I promise. Won’t ever lie or mislead you or keep something from you.” The softness of his chin pressed into Becky’s forehead as Elvis’ kissed the top of her head and squeezed her shoulder.

Calmed into a tender embrace, Becky and Elvis retreated into their own little enclave in the front seat, where Jerry’s presence was ignored and almost forgotten about amid the sweet nothings Elvis and Becky exchanged along the highway up to Tennessee.

“Ya know you got the cutest yittle eye lashes I ever seen,” Elvis whispered, and he kissed her forehead again, catching her mouth as Becky tilted up to him to kiss his cheek.

She murmured over his nipple. “You have the kind of chest a girl could get used to leaning on…” she rubbed her hand under the plush groove of his belly.

It was only when they got to the state line that Becky began to feel a slight unease creep up from the bottom of her tummy and take residence at the top of her bosom. An icy chill followed up her spine, she felt anxious as she realized they were entering Tennessee. She was about to experience another layer of Elvis’ home life that she hadn’t had any time to prepare for or even think about. She squirmed out of his tight embrace and sat up straight, looking out the window at the big sign announcing they had entered Tennessee.

Elvis’ left hand remained straight, steady at the wheel while his right palm chased after Becky’s, grasping at her fingers and intertwining his between them at the top of her knee. He turned his head from the road, momentarily, looking at the back of her head as it stared out the window. Elvis’ hand engulfed her’s, squeezing it tight, lifting her palm to his mouth and kissing the top of her hand.

“Hey - ya nervous?”

Becky’s big brown eyes met his tentatively. Her lips pursed together, then wiggled back and forth as she shrugged her shoulders.

“Mhmm… what is your family gonna think of me… this random girl… coming back to your house with you? What if they… don’t like me…. What about these six girlfriends you told me ‘bout? I…. Anyone gonna be chasing me out the house with a rolling pin?” Becky’s voice stopped abruptly, and her words hung in the air.

Elvis released Becky’s hand and looked over at her, then turned to look at Jerry briefly for the first time since they had left the gas station. “You watch too many soap opera… Graceland ain’t The Guiding Light… I lay down the law, and there ain’t no drama… no other chicks living there right now, and everyone’s gonna be just as crazy about you as I am, lil girl… but I’ll tell ya right now, my opinion’s the only one that matter’s at Graceland… so’s you jus’ let me know if anyone… anyone… disrespects ya, hmmm? Trust daddy, now, everything is gonna be fine….”

Elvis turned up the radio and rubbed Becky’s knee, and the sound of The Allman Brothers’ “Ramblin Man” filled the car.

**********************************************************

The white mesh gates opened back and Elvis flicked his cigarillo out of the car window and steered the yellow Cadillac up the curved driveway. A wistful smile spreading over his face. Exhaling, he seemed to relax as he paused the car at the little brick guard house behind the gate. Elvis motioned at Becky to roll down the window and yelled at the older man standing watch.

“Why hellloooo der Vestor, stayin’ awake I see?”

The guard nodded, and Elvis chuckled, ignoring Becky’s questioning eyes as he drove the car around to the front of the house. Jerry was out of the car first, waiting as Elvis popped the trunk and squeezed Becky’s knee, turning to give her a soft kiss followed by a second, more vigorous smack. His fingers tousled her curly locks as he comforted her.

“S’gonna be great…” his voice lilted up into a refrain. “Welcome ta my world… Becky Butt” he grinned, giving her a wink as he slapped her thigh and opened his door.

Elvis pulled himself out of the car and strode around to grab Becky’s door just as she was about to pop it open. Taking her hand, he adjusted his sunglasses and smiled wide, tugging her up the portico behind Jerry. Opening the front door, Jerry glanced briefly at Becky, then told Elvis’ he’d run the bag Ida packed upstairs. Elvis stopped them in the front foyer, his arms hugging Becky from behind as he clasped his large hands around her waist and notched his chin into her neck. He nuzzled into her right ear as Becky looked from one side of the entry way to the other. Her eyes took in the scarlet red carpeting that trailed down the grand staircase in front of her and lined all the floors that she could see, punctuated by the occasional white fur rug.

“Welcome to Graceland….” Elvis whispered. Becky’s cheeks began to match the carpet as Elvis hummed “Amazing Grace,” into her neck with a mischievous grin that told Becky he was also thinking about the same intimate moment they had shared two nights ago. The image of Elvis mouth singing this song as he licked her pussy was now indelibly linked to in her mind.

“So… whatcha think?” Those same lips asked.

Red. That was Becky’s first impression of Graceland’s interior. The color was so overwhelming, it was the only thing she could think of as she looked around. Deep, scarlet velvet drapes lined with golden fringe hung down to meet the carpet at the entrance to every room. The dining room table on her left was enclosed by high-backed candy apple colored chairs covered with rhinestones. To the right was a parlor with a long Victorian settee that was, you guessed it, a deep Burgundy color held up by a white wooden trim. Becky momentarily mused that this might be what Belle Watlings' vagina looked like: an ornate opening lined by red velvet drapery welcoming customers into its cavernous warmth. It was the sort of place a girl would feel comfortable getting an unexpected visit from Aunt Flo. Or the perfect setting for a villain to hold a clandestine meeting with James Bond. Becky kept all of these thoughts to herself, inhaling deeply as she took it all in.

“Wow… it's … so… fancy… like no where I’ve ever been, that’s fa sure…”

Elvis seemed pleased by this response, and kissed Becky’s neck. She murmured at the warmth of his breath on her skin as she continued.

“Gosh… s’not what I expected… S’much bigger than I thought driving up…”

“Mhmmm…. That’s what all the girls say— ouch!”

Becky reached her hand above her to playfully slap Elvis’ face, and he bite his lip and waggled his eyebrows down at her. Elvis’ thumb nestled inside inside Becky’s palm, swiping up and down slowly over her soft skin as he led her excitedly around through the dining room and into the kitchen where they came upon a short, stout Black woman filling the refrigerator with Pepsi bottles.

Elvis dropped Becky’s hand to make a loud “CLAP,” chuckling as the woman jumped back and shrieked.

“Oh lawd, Elvis, ya scared me outta of my skin!”

Elvis hugged the woman, speaking through his chuckles. “Jus keepin’ ya on yo toes Miss Mary, I reckon it’s been too quiet round here since I been gone…”

“Hmmm, well your daddy been callin’ over to ask if you back yet, want me to —”

“Nah, let the old bugger stew… he’s pestering me ‘bout that plane, an I don’t care ta hear it.” Elvis rubbed Mary’s shoulder, then turned to look back at Becky. “Mary, I got a lil girl I’m awfully fond of that I want ya ta meet, this here’s — ”

“Why it’s Becky!”

There was Charlie, a big beaming smile radiating happiness through the kitchen as he walked in from the other side.

“Hmmpf… if it ain’t ol Waterhead ‘im self….” Elvis walked back over to Becky and drew her into him tight, kissing her forehead as his eyes narrowed and Elvis’ left hand grazed the top of his belt.

Charlie’s expression toward Becky shifted immediately from joyful greeting to a more solemn “Glad to see ya ma’am.”

Mary asked Elvis what time he wanted dinner, exclaiming, “Well, an early dinner, huh,” in response to his 8 pm request.

“Woke up early ta day, Miss Mary… Becky Butt here’s harsh mistress, had me up all hours a the night,” he winked and then smiled deeper as Becky’s face grew red. “Then she had us up at 8 ta drive her baby to summer camp… who knows when her demands will end?”

“Ha, you have some nerve, Elvis Presley…” Becky whispered into Elvis armpit, pinching him under his jacket and causing him to chuckle and kiss her forehead again.

Elvis twirled her out from his side, looking at her as he swung her around. “Ain’t she just got the perfect hourglass figure Mary? Just need to get her some nice clothes, add a lil’ make up, and she shines like the Hope diamond...”

Becky swung herself back into his armpit with another pinch and reddening cheeks, whispering “Considering everything you put me though today, I look like a movie star…”

“Yeah…ya sure do look like a movie star, honey…like Bette Davis in Baby Jane….” Then Becky’s face fell and Elvis stopped snickering and rubbed her back, his lips on her head. “Oh sweetheart, I didn’t mean it now…” he laughed as she hit him and burrowed into his armpit further.

Jerry’s footsteps announced his entrance into the kitchen behind them and Becky turned to see him nod at Charlie before briefing Elvis on some scheduling and business matters. Becky stole a glance at Charlie and smiled at his shrug and eye roll, half of which Elvis caught and responded to with a sharp look in Charlie’s direction, tightening his grip on Becky’s waist.

“Huh, well, keep me posted when Dave lands at the airport tomarra with Lisa… alright, enough pleasantries, c’mon lil’ gal, Imma give ya the VIP tour….”

Becky smiled and called out behind her, “Nice to meet you Mary, good to see you Charlie!” before she felt the clack of the swinging door her backside.

Elvis lugged her into the back hallway to a room with bright green carpeting and wood panelling. The coffee table looked as through it had been sliced out of a tree, and the soft trickle of falling water drew Becky’s attention to the north wall as Elvis sank into a brown fur-lined couch. He pulled her onto his lap, twin sea serpents roaring out of the carved wooden armrests to meet Becky’s hand as she steadied herself to keep from falling off Elvis. To balance, Becky settling her bottom into Elvis’ groin, and he pulled Becky closer, leaning back as his fingers worked their way under Becky’s tee-shirt to caress the softness of her belly, his voice rumbling into her neck.

“This is the den…whaddya think?”

Becky turned to look at him, his hands shifted her around so she was now straddling him where he sat at the sofa’s edge.

“It’s magical… this is my favorite room so far… right here…”

Elvis lit up behind his lavender glasses at the wonder in Becky’s upturned eyes; he relished her gasp at the green carpet covering the ceiling above. His right hand massaged the tender hip flesh spilling out of her jeans, while his left hand moved under her shirt to where her shapely bosom jiggled ever so slightly with the delicate thrusts Elvis’ begin to send upward into her, and he leaned in to kiss her clavicle.

“Elvis… you.. havta… I wanna… you’re in the middle of giving me a tour…” Becky whispered, the burn of desire beginning to brush at her base. She grasped his left wrist to stop the jaunty beat his index finger was flicking into her nipple.

He ignored her, his eyes singularly focused on her bust. “Honey, I don’t know if you are aware of this, but you are not wearing a brassiere….”

“Mhmm yeah, that was a clothing choice made in a hurry this morning, out of comfort and necessity… it is NOT an invitation…”

Elvis smirked to himself as his fingers relented, only to be replaced by his warm mouth pressing into Becky’s pebbled nip through her tee shirt, mumbling into her breast.

“Well sho seems like an invitation …*suckle* …to this humble wanderer …*suckle* …feel like I been stuck in the desert …*suckle* …seeking sustenance…*suckle*… an now ya’d deny me…” his mouth pressed his teeth through the now damp fabric onto her nipple, “this ripe fruit I’ve found…that I so desperately need ta nourish …*suckle* …ma soul…”

Becky couldn’t stop the moan escaping from her chest despite her exasperated fatigue and self-conscious awareness. Elvis’ hands moved to fondle her bottom and pull her further onto him, and he squeezed her cheeks as she giggled. Suddenly she wasn't that tired and instinctively surged into Elvis’ lap, before pushing off of his chest and wriggled backwards. She felt his growing erection as she stumbled off him and balanced her self on the ground. Shakng her head, Becky smoothed down her tee shirt and tried to keep a straight face striding backwards along the couch, stopping at the dual staircases at the back of the room.

“Hey now… mister… there are people in the next room over… why don’t we continue the tour …”

Elvis stood, lips parted below a predatory look as if he might leap over the sofa and devour her right there and then. Becky shrieked as he stalked toward her.

“Hmmmm… s’my house honey, and I do what I want.. where I want… so no reason to be worried… this is all part of my hands-on, personal tour…” He caught up with her and pulled her into him.

“Well…” Becky leaned up, her lips faintly hovered below his. “Those hands are… gonna havta catch me… don’t know what kind of girl you think I am but I don’t go ‘round making love in public places… or before this tour is finished!”

She giggled again as she rushed down the staircase to the basement, Elvis' loud belly laugh followed her as the sound of his heavy foot steps filled the passage way. Turning back briefly, Becky saw that Elvis’ body blocked out all the sunshine from the corridor. His ravenous expression sent a thrill up her spine as she tripped down into the darkness of the basement and ran smack! into a doorframe. Elvis caught up to her as she massaged her fingers into the side of her forehead, that's probably gonna cause bump... how sexy.

“Mmhmmmm … look what I caught … think this tour is over… for now…” Elvis kissed her shoulder from behind, his breath trembling out a chuckle between his words. “Oh no, ya not hurt?”

She smiled. “No, I’m fine… just stupid.. runnin’ round a basement in the dark…”

Elvis pulled her in, replacing her fingers with his lips. “Aww, baby, let him kiss it and make it better…” He peppered soft, sweet kisses on her temple and Becky felt the cool sheen of perspiration on his chin from the jaunt down the stairs. The soft, damp sensation of his skin against her was electrifying, and she absorbed him eagerly, her hands went under his jacket till he shouldered it off, his hands trailing down to her waist. She groaned out as the heft of his body insistently impelled her into the doorframe.

Becky bit her lip as her hands meandered over Elvis’ back, cherishing the soft, pliable ridges and rolls, then daintily moving up to clasp his neck. He muttered out an “OH baaaaby…” and she responded with a whimper. Elvis grinned wide, stroking Becky’s cheek with his knuckles, down to her mouth, his kisses moving lower along her neck, more passionate and insistent with each smoosh.

Elvis grunted and heaved as hee lifted Becky up, carrying her moaning body through the doorframe an onto a dark, velvet, sectional, her head bump all but forgotten. Her eyes sort of noticed her surroundings, yellow and black walls lit by a dim solitary table lamp at a bar. Becky’s eyes adjusted to the darkness and watched Elvis kneel down in front of her and place his glasses back on the coffee table behind him. Looking up, she realized the ceiling in here was made entirely of mirrors.

“So… is this another den?”

“Mhmmmm …. tvs, movie screen, record player, bar…” He leaned into her, hands on Becky’s thighs. “Got all the entertainment i need right here though...jus wanna look atcha .... still a second… no moar running …”

Becky exhaled and sat up, stroking the hair off Elvis’s face as he caught his breath, captivated by the pull of his deep, blue eyes. They were like the middle of the ocean and called her to jump off her life raft and dive right in.

“You are… you are …” she mumbled, running her left fingers through his sideburns, trying to think of the right words to tell him how attractive she found him, how his smile and that impish way his mouth quirked and his eyes danced with desire commanded her to body forward toward him. But all the phrases that came to Becky’s mind seemed inadequate and cliche. Also, she was reluctant to let him know how she felt, insecure and afraid it made her boring, easy, a push over. She had the impression Elvis needed validation, but also enjoyed the pursuit.

Becky looked down at his thumbs trailing over the ridge of her jeans, his eyes intent on her.

“Hmmm… yeah baby, whatcha trying ta say?”

“You are… not so bad… for an… Elvis Presley…” Becky closed her eyes and held him to her cheek, as he chuckled softly, and started unbuttoning her pants.

“Well I like you too, darlin’… mmhmm…” His eyes were earnest and she inhaled as they narrowed, his hands were needy as her pulled off her jeans and threw them behind him. Becky guffawed watching them fall over a white, porcelain monkey that gleamed in the dark.

Then he suckled at her nape, and Elvis’ cheeks scrunched up in a smile at Becky’s moans, inhaling as he moved to draw off her panties. She could feel the excitement scorching up her center as he looked into her eyes, tugging her panties off. Becky sucked in her tummy, maybe he won't notice the soft stretch marks at her hips. Stretch marks were the last thing on his mind, and her full, round hips beckoned him to grab on and smother himself within her. Elvis’ eyes looked into Becky's with a fiendish gleam, and he arched his left eyebrow as his hands continued to pull at her underwear without looking down. Becky giggled while he pursed his lips, removing her pink cotton skivvies one leg at a time. Elvis’ baritone voice dipped low as he lifted her legs over his shoulders, his thumbs teasing over her soft, curly fur, then slowly parting her lower lips.

“Hello darlin’ nice ta see ya….….It’s been a long time…” he sang, kissing the hair at the top of her entrance, once, twice, three times. “…Ya just as lovely as you used to be…”

Becky started chuckling, “I think Conrad Twitty would be horrifi——” her commentary on Elvis’ serenade to her pussy was interrupted by the flick of his tongue on her clit. She arched her head involuntarily as his chuckles hummed in to her. Opening her eyes, Becky saw Elvis’ body in-between her legs above her in the mirrors. His head bobbed forward and back as his fingers sought out the silkiness within her, prodding her pleasure point. Elvis tongue seared a path along her center, and a warm throbbing began to ache causing Becky to shift her hips forward to meet his mouth, twitching in sync with the glide of his fingers. Moving his index and forefinger up and down into her, Elvis let up from his efforts momentarily to look at her face, beaming at the way her lip hung down and her face convulsed in time with his fingers' movements. His head turned up into the mirrors reveling at the view of himself pleasuring Becky, widening her legs a bit so he could get a better view of his hand inside her. Becky cried out as his index finger made contact with that special spot once more, and he looked her dead in the eyes.

“Enjoy watching you squirm, darlin….”

Becky had trouble forming a sentence, stuttering out “Uhh.. well.. that… you know…”

Elvis laughed and returned to her cunt like a man who'd been fasting a month, consuming her with firm, generous strokes. Becky felt the tension build, and her eyes went back up at the mirrors when she arched herself into him, watching as Elvis’ devoured her and his strangled breath filled the room. He was knuckles deep inside her, flexing back and forth in tandem as his tongue cleaned her, each round bringing her a step closer to absolution. Her fingers threaded through Elvis’ dark hair, and in the dim light of the mirrors, Becky would swear she had a wild boar between her legs. A grunting, dark, wild beast snorting and rooting for treasure in her depths. Her hips thrust up into Elvis’ face with a powerful whack and he grabbed her buttocks, his lips sucking her nub through the waves of heat that broadcast out through her entire body. Thrashing, twitching and cursing like a sailor, she tried to free herself from the overstimulation of Elvis’ soft mouth and hard tongue.

“Fuck fffffff fucking FUCKKKKK ing FFucccKKKKKK cocksucking motherfucking FUCK I can’t believe that……”

She panted hard, shaking her head at the smug, devilish look on Elvis face as he lowered her feet in front of her and wiped himself on her thigh. His fingers did a squeeze inside and a chuckle came out watching Becky twitch and jerk on his hand. She grabbed his shoulder, tightly, a sign to stop. “S’too much … to intense.” He did it one last time chuckling, then relented and glided his fingers out from her, licking them with filthy glee.

“Ha! I've never met anyone… who did that… who cared.. or liked the way women taste … like you do….” Becky exhaled, catching her breath.

“Mhmmm… not all women… but you … you taste amazing… I could eat this for breakfast, lunch and dinner…. And still be hongry fa moar…..”

Becky laughed, sliding forward on the sofa and pulling his head to hers to crush their mouths together. It was like being inside herself. The hands cupping her cheeks, his entire face, it all smelled like her. And him. Sweat and spit and cologne and lavender oil and dirty hair. All melded together. It was intoxicating, and they stayed like this for several minutes, locked in a lover’s embrace, the smacks of their sloppy kisses replacing the sound of Elvis face slapping against Becky’s thighs. Becky wound her legs around his bottom, and he grabbed her, lifting her up off the couch then thumping her back down as he ambled over to the bar.

“Pffft… need.. some…water…”

She followed, and Elvis grinned at the sound of Becky’s wet nakedness squelching over the yellow bar stool.

“Thanks for polishin’ the furniture, baby…..” Elvis winked, as she inadvertently squeaked again against the leather.

Becky blushed, and Elvis’ jaw widened with a deep breath.

“Damn, honey, I’ll never get sick a watchin’ that blush creep up ya widdle cheeks…” He leaned over the bar and squished her cheeks with his right hand, kissing her forehead.

She stood and backed away as he came around the bar.

“S’not nice to tease a girl… first you offer to give me tour, but then corner me in this here tv room, and now ya making fun of the way all your cavorting makes me squeak and blush——”

He grabbed her to him, pulling her lips back onto his. She giggled and squirmed away.

“Oh no you don’t—”

Elvis stepped toward her again, but Becky squealed and turned, running back into the basement corridor. She didn’t have a plan, and when she remembered she wasn't wearing pants she scurried into the dark room across. Elvis’ body clambered loudly behind her as he growled. “Though we agreed no more runnin.’”

She stumbled back onto a large table as Elvis caught up and lifted her onto the thick barrier of a pool table. Becky’s hands half-heartedly pushed back against his chest as she whined.

“Now Elvis… pretty sure I was promised sound proof walls ….”

Elvis mumbled into her ear, “Hmmm.. that why you got me chasin’ you round, tryin not to excite me???? I’d rather be in the comfort an privacy of that a room too ... but it is much too far away… two floors too far ta be exact… don't worry, though, this basement is sound proof too … I've tested it ma self…" He winked. "Ain’t no one gonna know …”

Becky stopped nuzzling back into him, her tone became earnest. “Have you done it lot… down here…? Made love, I mean?”

Elvis stood up straight and grunted, his hands steadying her precarious position on the edge of the pool table.

“That was probably the wrong thing ta say, hmmmm?”

Becky’s eyes trailed to the dark hall way she had just run through, and told her self to be cool… you knew he has more experience than you… a lot more… what did you expect? Would it matter if you were in his bed? Probably fucked even more women there….

“Nooooooo…I guess I’m a idiot for asking…” she shifted up to look into his dark eyes.

Elvis wiped his forehead while he pushed himself between Becky’s legs. His hands were rubbing her thighs softly up and down, and he glanced down at her chest before returning his gaze to those big brown eyes. The look there made him regret even conjuring up past sexual escapades. The wholly unfiltered, self-conscious insecurity in her eyes made her all the more alluring. Becky was unvarnished, unaffected, and the way she didn't try to cover up her nervousness in order to impress made him throb with yearning. Acting like a damn teenager, running after women in hallways or corridors, he thought, your gonna feel this in the morning. Who are you kidding. In an hour. Elvis really would have preferred to take Becky the comfort of his bed, but at this precise moment comfort was from from a priority, all he knew was that needed to feel Becky’s skin against his, feel himself inside her, possessing her completely and defusing all her misgivings about him with the warm deluge of his adoration.

“Nah, not an idiot at all… look, we’re both grown ups… we have histories…” he kissed her neck slowly, tenderly. Her eyes closed with a quiver as his voice dissolved in her inhibitions. “Make you feel better if I tell ya it’s been years since I fooled round down here? Aw honey…. I can't even remember their faces ... don’t want anyone else but you…”

Will you remember mine in a year? She wondered, but her body didn't care, and it's instincts propelled her back into him. She pulled his neck to her and his lips hit her forehead. He felt his manhood stiffen even more and it made his fingers needier as they trailed up her sides. Elvis’ lower lip hung down with longing and his eye lids drooped with lust. Becky hastily began to unbutton his white dress shirt.

“Ahh, sweet baby, you’re so goddamn beautiful….” Elvis voice made Becky stop mid-button and she looked up at him, her hands moving up to his cheeks.

“Please don’t lay that charm on too thick… I’m already here… I’m naked…an… I know you like me an… I can feel you’re attracted—”

Elvis pulled her hand down to feel the pulsating steel rod bursting along his slacks “ — Ya can, huh? Feel my attraction?” Then he saw the hesitancy in her eyes. “Wuss tha matter sweetheart?”

Becky sighed. “I just….I know I’m not beautiful, not like the super models I’ve seen you with in newspapers and magazines…. I just… if you exaggerate, go too over-the-top… well, it ruins it for me… I hate false compliments…”

Elvis’ eyes narrowed. “Honey, over-the-top is my middle name… ”

Becky let out an involuntary guffaw. “Say that again… I mean, this whole house... But what I mean is, I wish you would stop givin’ me your pretty movie star lines —”

Elvis shook his head and grabbed Becky by the chin, the look in his eyes an intense warning. “Sometimes you make me think no one has ever told ya you were beautiful…” The way she pushed his hand aside and looked down, uncomfortably told Elvis he had accidentally stumbled on the truth. “Nooo….. never? I don believe it….. no, cuz ya really are… here, I gotta turn the light on jus so’s I can see ya better….”

He flipped a switch on the wall, and suddenly the pool room was bathed in a warm glow. Becky gasped as the light revealed a cacophony of textured colors along cloth-covered walls. Her eyes followed the fabric up to the ceiling, feeling as though she had slipped under the skirt of a Victorian lady. Colorful pleats lined the walls and gathered into the middle of the room above two hanging Tiffany lamps. Elvis lips on her shoulder as his hands took off her shirt brought Becky back into her body. A breathy giggle worked it’s way out when Elvis’ knuckles stroked Becky’s face. She quit resisting and just held up her hands, watching as he lifted her shirt over her head and gulped, his eyes languidly roving up and down her body.

“Mhmmm… yessiree… fit right in here with all the other beautiful things I fill this ole house with…ya know… I have an eye for beautiful things —”

“Elvis, please… quit teasin,’” Becky wiped a lone tear drop from the side of her right eye.

Elvis brought her hands up to his lips, kissing each top as he held her gaze. “Woman, you better stop that… might think you’re questioning my aes -thee- ET-ic taste.” He drawled, clearly amusing himself with his pronunciation of aesthetic.

Inhaling, Elvis pulled Becky’s face back towards his with a kiss that lingered on her soft lips. Elvis coughed as Becky pulled off his shirt and his tummy jiggled with a wave of laughter. Looking down, she saw him flinch at his own belly and Becky dragged the back of her hand across it slowly, sensuously.

“You are… the most handsome man…” Then she blushed and hid her face in his chest hair, her hands curving up around his neck as she tried to crush herself into him, kissing his sternum and muttering how she was glad she’d met him.

“Why honey… there she is… there’s that sweet girl I like, been hidin’ underneath all that sass…” Elvis breathed into her ear, his hands moving over her head, tousling her hair, then using his right hand to bring her chin up to his. “Becky, ya like a goddamn Greek goddess … if I say your beaut - TEE - full, then ya are, end of story …. Don’t ever wanna hear you tellin’ me what I can or can na say… ’specially when I’m in the throes of love making,” he chuckled. “Derails my manEUvers …”

Elvis hot breath clucked into Becky’s ear, he kissed her cheek and waggled his eyes. Becky pulled herself to him, and began unlatching his pants. Elvis stopped her, drawing out his pistol and pushing it across the pool table. Becky watched the metal of the gun glisten, the carved handle was elaborately engraved and she caught his grin watching her eyes follow it.

“That thing s’not loaded, is it?”

Elvis laughed. “Course it is, baby, how else arm I s’posed to use it? I’m always ready for action…”

“Hmmm. Speaking of which….” Becky’s hand returned to Elvis’ pants. “Are you aware, Mr. Presley… that you are not wearing any underwear?” She asked, in a high, breathy refrain pulling down his pants and and gripping his cock gently. “Someone might say s’its … almost an invitation…?” Elvis bent his head back as a loud belly laugh escaped his throat.

“There ya go, using ma own words against——uhhh fuck, baby girl!” Elvis looked down to watch as Becky lowered herself in front of him and kissed the tip of his cock, her eyes all innocence.

“What? Just bein’ friendly… responding to that open invitatioOOM…..” She grinned as she plunged her mouth around him half way through the last word, humming the syllable onto him while her eyes widened and she grasped the rolling handles at his side to hand on to.

Elvis tried to pull her arm back up. “Honey, I don’t wantcha to do that… s’not something I like from women I respect…”

Becky pulled his hand off, her puzzling eyes searching his face. “I did this the first night we met…”

“Well… didn’t think I was ever gonna see ya again… didn’t realize how much I liked ya til I woke up and you were gone…”

“Well, s’too late… I got a taste for this lil fella, and it’s hardly hospitable —” Becky kissed his tip and Elvis shuddered. “To invite me to dinner then not feed me…” she grinned, as he shook his head and put his hands up in defeat, giving in to the irresistible movements of her mouth over, under and on his johnson.

Becky tried to exude a sexy playful confidence, but then gasped and choked as she forced his girthy length to the back of her throat, giggling at Elvis’ bemused expression. His heart swelled with reverence as his cock thrust into the glorious traction of Becky’s mouth. His fingers gently dragged through her hair, and he sucked in his breath while expelling a succession of needy “fucks.” Elvis lifted his head to the heavens in prayer when his tip banged into the softness of her throat, moaning while Becky stubbornly sucked in further, her cheeks hallowed and her mouth coughing down the gag reflex as best she could. Making eye contact, Elvis couldn’t help the way his hips surged back and forth almost of their own volition at a increased pace, spurred on by the determined look in Becky’s watery eyes.

“Fuck honey… whooo…hey…. ok…I am gonna compromise and say…ya can do this anytime ya want…”

Becky giggled at that into his cock as she glided forward.

Elvis could feel his orgasm bubbling up, and seized the side of Becky’s head to stop her, “Darlin, I wanna be inside you…. Come up here…” Elvis held out his hand and gently turned her against the pool table with a questioning eyebrow. She nodded and leaned into the wooden ledge of the pool table, sighing out as she felt Elvis kiss her shoulder and tilt her hips to him. She watched his dazzled expression over her shoulder as he pushed in and out of her slowly. He looked into her eyes while lunging in farther and groaning out a “FUck honeeeyyy.” Becky gasped sharply, savoring the tight pinch this position created.

“Damn, baby… you wuddna hardly think I been breaking you in all week..”

Becky giggled, “Elvis, how can you talk about me like that? Ughhh …. I’m not a horse…. Ughhhh….”

“I know, honey, I know… and I wantcha ohhh god damn…. Unnnnhhhhh…. meant no disrespect… but ….I am just always surprised how I wished I had a damn shoe horn with me... every time.” He laughed at her pout, and then moaned. “Now Becky Butt" he hit her bottom as he pulled out with a slight pat, "Don't look at me that -a way, s'its a compliment… should thank me… god DAMN woman….”

Elvis shifted positions to steady himself and smiled when he noticed that Becky sighed out with a crescendoing “oohHHHHhhhhhhhahh” every time he speared her at this new angle. Elvis let out a low chuckle, muttering, “Can ya hear ya self Becks? Like a goddamn accordion, suga… think... I found… ma new favorite instrument… Becky’s squeezebox…”

Becky shook her head, giggling and then moaning out again as she leaned into the hard surface of the pool table. Elvis’ heaved and breathed a little harder as he moved his right hand around Becky’s waist and began to rub her clit, grunting into the pale alabaster skin of her shoulder.

“Oh my fucking Gawd Elvis… what are you doing to me? I don’t know if I can take any more” She moaned out, looking back at him through messy hair.

He kissed her neck. “Shhhhh…. now... let daddy take… care…UNGHHH… a ya…” then grunted again, burrowing back into her.

Eyes squeezed shut, Becky shuddered with each thrust backwards, her body clapping onto his in a rhythmic tug-a-war chasing the heat churning in her core. It broke loose, galloping over her like a runaway horse, and Becky screamed a long, loud guttural cry that echoed through the basement, up the stairway and through the entire north wing of Graceland. Mary sat at the kitchen counter drinking her coffee and smiling into her newspaper, shaking her head. It had been a long while since the sounds of lovemaking had ricocheted through the halls of Graceland like that.

“Uhhhh, there she goes… good girl…. ” Elvis slowed down, his lips planting a succession of soft pecks along the back of Becky’s shoulder, pushing her hair gently aside, and then moving his hands to tap out a pitter patter along the top ridge of her bottom where he continued to dip in and out of her.

“Oh goodness… ughhh… do you t think they heard me up stairs?”

“Nah, honey…don’t trouble ya self… I promise you, no one knows what we’re up to down here… could be playing billiards... mmHHMMm…unghhhhh… or watchin’ TV… or making a porno for all they know..”

“HA! Unghhhhh” Becky bite her lip, forgetting to be affronted enveloped by the comfort of Elvis' sweaty, warm body.

He leaned further and further into her, the thunder of each thrust reverberate up through Elvis’ tummy onto her, his hips crushing her even harder onto the pool table. Becky rocked back and forth with Elvis’ body in a post-orgasmic high, looking up at the colorful walls through blurry vision. She was inside a kaleidoscope, and she smiled watching the technicolor spectacle dance in front of her eyes. Elvis increased the tempo of his efforts.

“Honey, I’m bout ta explode…”

His fingernails dug into her sides as he moaned out deeper, his head throttled backwards, hips prodding into her slowly and deliberately, evincing a moan with each thrust until he came with a loud grunt, singing breathlessly as he sputtered into her.

“Aaaaamen….. aaaaamen…. AAAAMEN… amen … ammmmmennnnnn.”

Then Elvis collapsed head forward into the space between her shoulder blades, wiping sweat and hair onto her back as he whispered, “Thank ya Gawwwd… for bringing this lil gal ta me …. Lord… I feel your spirit.”

Becky shook her head with a breathy chuckle. “Well, now I feel your spirit all over me…”

Elvis kissed her with a laugh, fondling her hips and pressing back into her deeper as he softened.

“Hmmmm… good… s’holy sacrement…” Elvis said, eyes closed, as he kissed her cheek, rubbing her sides slowly up and down as lil Elvis savored the warm, wet cloister of her cunt.

He almost collapsed over her, muttering goddamns until their breath synchronized. Elvis’ hands stilled on Becky’s hips and he coughed out, grunting, then laughing. She rolled over, gazing at him with amusement as he staggered back for effect and pulled up his pants. Her eyes danced over his wide, glistening body, the chest hair matted down, the belly that heaved forward and distended over his waist, his goofy boyish smile beaming from ear to ear. It was almost regal how he held his hands pushed into his hips, below a belly that jutted out. He took his shirt and bent to gently wipe between, gathered the cloth into his face with a loud, effected sniff before putting it back on. Their eyes met, giddy laughter echoed through the room.

Elvis zipped up his pants and retrieved his gun, giving Becky a naughty wink as he pushed it back into his waist. His shirt hung open as he turned to move across the passage way walked back to the TV room and collapsed on the sectional. His chest heaved and his breath was ragged.

“Goddammit woman… tha most exercise since ma last concert.” Elvis combed his hand through his damp sweaty locks, looking over as Becky followed him, barefoot in just her her shirt and bending to finding her panties near the couch. Elvis pulled her on to him at the couch, kissing her belly.

“Got me runnin’ round like a 20 year old horn dawg…." Then he slapped her bottom. Again. "Well, don’t just sit here women, do something… help me...go get me a Pepsi, huh baby?”

Glancing into the mirrors above her, Becky’s eyes met Elvis’ smirking reflection.

“Nex time we’ll have ta try it in here… ”

Becky guffawed loudly, and pushed his shoulder with her head, then getting up to grab some drinks from the bar.

“You truly are a lecherous old goat…”

“Aww Becky, love it when ya talk dirty ta me… you have no idea what a dirty old goat I can be…. Jus you wait…” Elvis chortled.

She dropped next to him with the sodas, and watched as he drained half of his in one fell swoop. She leaned her head into the curve of his arm, bouyed up by his chest, she listened to the sound of his heavy exhales as he fiddled with a strange contraption pointed at the TV.

“What’s that?” Becky asked, soothing her hands over his belly.

“This… this is really high tech stuff… s’ a remote control…welcome to the future, Twitch…got all the latest gear ….let me show you how it works.” Elvis sipped his drink and excitedly explained the science behind his gadget , showing Becky how it turned the TVs on and off using blah blah blah radar gizmo whatevers. She vaguely ohed and ahed, happily trying it out as his hand guided over her over the switches and buttons on the device. Just enjoying the feeling of his chest under her head. Becky scootched closer as Elvis’ left hand trailed down her side. She let her head sank down more and more into the top of his tummy, rubbing his belly hair as she watched the three TVs in the wall flicker on. Before she passed out, she wondered how anyone could possibly follow three different news programs at once.

*************************************************************

Becky awoke to the sound of voices behind her, alone on the sofa and uncertain where she was for a moment. She closed her eyes again instinctively. Someone else, an older man perhaps, was speaking in a whispered hush with Elvis in the hallway.

“—— well I wish you had made your damn mind up ‘bout which airplane ya wanted before I gave the other one a down payment. Now I have this new contract with Delta … just don’t know what was wrong with chartering —”

“Aw hell, daddy, s’just money… you think I’m gonna stand by while Killer gets his own plane, an I’m still waitin’ on the runway with my dick in my hand for a charter? No sireee… ya got another thing comin’”

There was a long silent pause.

“Well… ya tied my hands now anyway… and I’m left cleaning up the mess… Speaking of people who clean up ya mess, where’s Linda?”

“How should I know? In the condo I bought her in LA, or the house I got her round the corner… actin’ like a hurt puppy dog sulking back and forth and hardly sayin a word to me in the last few weeks… refused to come on tour…”

“Well, she isn’t refusing that credit card you gave her, just got the latest American Express bill and let me tell ya, it’s a doozy…”

“Now, I promised that girl I’d take care a her, long as she wants, so don’t bring all that up again… don’t care if she charges $30 or $30,000… still my gal….”

“IS she? Maybe she’d be ‘round more if you didn’t bring floozies like that un home —”

“Now daddy, that lil gal right there is a good, sweet kid, won’t have you disrespectin’ Becky—”

“Uh huh, and what pills is Becky on, hmmm?”

“Nothing… she’s just tired.” Becky could almost hear the smirk in Elvis’s voice as it went lower. “Poor thing ain’t had a lick a sleep in the last three days… but she’s a good girl. Comes from a good family back in Jackson.”

“Mhmmm… well, I never know who I’m gonna find here, some stranger you picked up at the gate? A baseball announcer? The local PE teacher? Or a random super model you’ve decided to buy an apartment for and put on the payroll without telling me… probably just be cheaper to give the local brothel a full retainer…”

“Ok, now, daddy… that’s enough… I don’t wanna think bout all this right now…”

“Son, all I’m saying is, I don’t blame Linda for being sore atcha…”

Elvis voice raised by several decibels. “Well, you get your woman under control and then you can come lecture me… last I heard you’d been kicked out of yourn. And got a new house. Let’s not forget who’s payin’ for it all….”

About thirty seconds of silence passed.

“Well, I ——“

“I’m ‘bout to wake that lil gal up, so we can go dress for supper - SO leave it. Nuff. I don’t wanna squabble no more….you should join us to eat, I know’d the gals be happy to see ya…”

“Hmmmm… any other mouths knockin’ ‘bout?”

“Hardly no one tonight… Jus Charlie, Jerry, Billy and his family… ”

“Yeah. No one, just ten people he says… that’s no one… hmmm….I’ll think about it…”

Becky waited until she heard the footsteps go up the stairs before opening her eyes to see Elvis hovering over her, his shirt was still unbuttoned and he held her jeans over his left arm.

“You’re a bad faker, Becky….”

“Hmmmm?” Becky said, unable to stop the blush returning to her cheeks. “How’d… how’d ya know I was awake?”

Elvis grinned. “Ya snore… s’cutest itty bitty breathy heavin’…. But I noticed a few minutes ago that ya’d stopped, when daddy quit yapping.” He handed her jeans to her. “Here, don’t want no one seein’ ya half naked… Let’s get you covered up….”

Becky flashed a feeble smile as she pulled her pants on, and crooked into Elvis arm, he kissed the top of her head and slapped her bottom to signal she was to trudge up the stairs in front of him.

*************************************************************

Going through her bag, Becky held up another pink halter top and sighed. Before her shower, she had chewed Ida out on the phone for aiding and abetting Elvis with her the surprise trip to Memphis. And for packing an assort of really tight halter tops, mini skirts and a few dresses, all of which she suspected came from her 22 year-old cousin Harriet’s wardrobe.

“Ida, these clothes barely cover me….”

“Oy vey, Rebecca, that’s the point….. Ruth’s at camp, I put Saul back at the store, everything is fine, you go have fun… with Elvis Presley….” she screeched his name.

“Ida, don’t get your hopes up…. this is just a short term affair… I don’t want you to be disappointed when this plays itself out…”

“Becky,” Ida’s voice grew stern. “That is exactly the point, my meshugganah kindela… of all the people who get to have an affair with a rock star, why not you? What I would have given for one night with Rudy Vallee….”

Becky sighed. “Ok, ok…. maybe I’ll thank you one day…. give Saul a kiss for me.”

Now she stood in the master bathroom, hair up in a towel, Becky looked back in her traveling bag. No bras, five pairs of underwear, sandals and a pair of nice pumps. Other than this, she had the jeans, tee and converse sneakers she's worn to drive Ruth to camp. There was also little case with her toothbrush, and a bag with some of Ida’s Avon make up, perfume and matching talcum powder in Avon’s original Sweet Honesty scent. Becky grimaced at the sickly intense floral smell, but did a half spray on her wrist anyway. She coughed as the talc powder wafted into her nose when she spread it under her arms and between her thighs to dry and smooth her skin. She straightened the towel wrapped around her wet hair and looked at her face in Elvis’ bathroom. A line of small red bumps had started to form around her chin. Ughhh, this always happens when you start having sex again… you break out. She inspected them closely to make sure they weren’t white heads, and then rummaged through the Avon bag for foundation and concealer. Keeping her make up simple, Becky applied a light layer of mauve eye shadow to match the flowers on the white floral dress she had picked out, and the pair of light mauve shoes Ida had packed. She shimmied into the dress, smoothing it down, looking at the way the thin white floral pattern stretched over her breasts and then clung to her body's ample curves. The top only had one tied, petal sleeve, her other shoulder was bare and she sighed. This had been the most modest clothing nice option for dinner she had found in the bag.

When she finally emerged into the bedroom, glanced over Elvis’ large, black bed frame and the dark Burgundy bedspread covering it. Shivering in the cool air, she walked over and checked out the assortment of pistols, rifles and hand guns on top of his big dresser. Elvis footsteps brought her eyes up from the arsenal, and she smiled at the white tailored suit and blue silk shirt ruffled he wore. Her breath hitched in her throat as he straightened his sunglasses, and ran his hand through his long shag hairdo. Then he moved closer and Becky felt the elastic give of her dress ripple when Elvis' fingers snapped the tie holding her lone sleeve up.

(Just imagine this dress but one asymmetical sleeve ^)

“Hmmm, couldn’t you find anything revealing to show off how pretty ya are for my folks, hmmm?”

Becky’s bottom lip dropped down with her eyes, and she lifted her hands to nervously fix some of the hair pinned on top of her hair in a messy bun, a worried expression on her face. “I thought this was too revealing—”

Elvis smirked, chuckling, “No, I know honey ... seems like they forget a whole sleeve… not that this sleeve has much to it neither… that little knot is holding on for dear life…” His hand moved under her breasts to jostle them up with a soft swat and eyes watched with delight as her bosom bounced up and down. “Hope you didn’t pay full price for this half a dress…” his eyes lit up when Becky elbowed him. “… Aw, no, I like it… sexy as hell…” He whispered in her ear and the warmth of his breath sent a tingle up her spin and through her core.

Becky’s nether regions shivered, still sensitive from earlier activities, moreso as the soreness settled in from the vigorous pounding Elvis had given her. She had felt a slight burn when she peed, and she made a mental note to drink a lot of water. You don’t want to get a UTI on the first fucking day here. Maybe do some kegels during dinner too.

Elvis’ kissed Becky’s cheek, breaking her train of thought as he led her downstairs. Feeling her shiver, he covered as much of her bare skin as he could by hugging her into his jacket. “Maybe wouldn’t be so cold if ya invested in some long underwear…”

Becky nuzzled into his armpit. “Maybe if you didn’t live in a meat locker people could dress comfortably…”

The sound of Elvis’ hand walloping Becky’s bottom (AGAIN) rang through the stairway with the rumble of his “Quit ya fussin’, woman, ain’t gonna change the temperature a this house jus' cuz you can’t be bothered to own a bra.”

Dinner was laid out in the kitchen, and Becky retreated further into Elvis’ embrace as he introduced her properly to his younger cousin Billy, who she’d seen from afar at the Jackson concerts, Billy’s wife Jo, their sons Danny and Joey, his father, grandmother Minnie Mae, and Aunt Delta, who was curt, quiet and smelled of a heavy rose perfume with an undertone of vodka. She felt naked when Elvis parted from her to make up a plate of food, spooning out black eyed peas with bacon, meatloaf, mashed potatoes and more from the large serving dishes on the counter. She felt even more awkward as he followed Jerry into the dining room while she looked for options not smothered in some sort of pork, smiling nervously at Mary who filled up the pitcher of sweet tea and then stacked more bacon on top of the salad.

When she entered the dining room, Elvis clapped his hand on the red cushion next to him at the head of the table, then stopped mid-sentence in his conversation with Billy to do a double take at Becky’s plate.

“Just cornbread and potatoes?” he asked in an accusatory tone, looking from the plate to Becky’s eyes. The whole table went silent. “There’s salad in there.”

Becky straightened and looked at Elvis. “I’m good. There’s bacon all up in that salad-”

“Well, use ya head, now Becky Butt, you can jus pick it out - there I solved ya damn probl—”

“I like this fine, Presley, mind ya own business.”

Jo gasped, and Billy put his hand over his wife’s under the table. Billy then coughed uncomfortably and tried to change he subject. “You don’t eat bacon? On account of being a Hebr—”

Elvis put his hand up to stop Billy “On account of being a doggone vegetarian.” Then he looked Becky squarely in the eye, and spoke with a benevolent humor. “No reason to be a bitch ‘bout it.”

Aunt Delta whispered loudly to Jo, “What Billy say?”

“He asked Becky if she didn’t eat pork cuz she’s a Jew.”

Vernon called down to Becky. “That true?”

But Becky was staring back at Elvis. “Look, I was eating my dinner just fine, you’re the one trying to tell me what ta do… I like mashed potatoes an cornbread… mind ya own business…”

“Everythin’ that happens in this house is my business, oughta box ya jaw, talking’ to a man like that in his own damn house …”

“YOU the one that kidnapped me Presley on account of how fond ya are of me, why, I bet you’d sooner hit ya granny there ‘fore you’d hit me.” She arched her eyebrow with a smirk.

“Oh you better shut that big ole mouth, get ya into trouble.” Elvis pulled Becky on his lap, arms around her waist.

She made a tepid attempt to get out of them, squealing loudly. “I don’t havta, you ain’t my boss.”

Before Elvis could answer, Minnie Mae announced, loudly. “Hesh up, canna eat ma supper.” Becky was shocked to hear such a powerful timbre from the frail, thin woman.

Elvis squeezed her sides, and kissed her neck, whispering. “You heard Dodger, hesh that big mouth up .”

“You better shut up, you love my big ole mouth….” Becky murmured back into his ears, arms around his neck. Elvis leaned his head back, laughing, and Dodger shot Becky a stern look, as if her grand son’s unseemly behavior was somehow her fault.

The others went back to eating and low polite conversation, but Becky finished her meal in another dimension on Elvis lap. She took a large forkful of mashed potatoes, enthusiastically humming “MMMMhmmm MM!” as she swallowed. Elvis shook his head and let out a belly laugh, chewing his meatloaf in her ear and then giving her a big kiss, during which she feigned disgust.

“Get that meat off my lips, Presley,” she muttered.

“Huh, ya love my meat, honey.” He growled under his breath, pushing another big bite in his mouth and pressing his mush against her ear.

Becky writhed silently in her seat, wiping off the greasy ground beef granules sticking on her lobe. “Didn’t no one ever teach ya any manners?” she hissed back at him.

“Gonna teach you some manners…you and that big mouth…” Elvis grinned like a goofy clown, and Becky couldn’t stop his contagious smile and playful energy from taking over her body.

She beamed back, still trying to seem irritated, murmuring into his fluffy shagged out hair, “Like to see you try…”

The thin soft knit fabric of Becky’s dress grazed her skin as Elvis massaged the top of her thigh, his strong fingers pinched the side and rubbed the rolls of her hip together, whispering in her ear. “Jus you wait… …”

They spent the meal thusly, in their own dimension at the head of the table, flirting, whispering, pinching, rubbing and feeding each other food.

Elvis took some black eyed peas, biting the piece of ham hock off his fork, before feeding them into Becky’s open mouth with a “mhmmm... he thinks she needs some veGEeeables…”

Then Becky broke the edge of her corn bread off, “Better shut you up with something sweet in that mouth... know you like sugar on your tongue... Get any a this? Mhmmm… sweetest corn bread I ever ate…”

He chuckled, talking with her fingers in his mouth. “Honey, I live on sweet stuff... like this cornbread... s'my house…. course it’s the best….”

They were only roused when Vernon stood to leave, followed by Aunt Delta’s movement helping Minnie Mae to her room. Becky started to help Mary clear the table, but Elvis grabbed her hand, telling her to let the woman do her job, and pulled her to follow the rest of the party into the den. Mary caught Elvis in the back hall to pass him a note, and he motioned to Jerry after he read it, slapping Becky on her butt, which she realized was code for "hi," "get to it," "bye," "good idea," "uh nuh," and many other expressions as he begged off to make a business call in his office. Becky sat making small talk with Billy, Jo and Charlie for a time, then excused herself to fix her face upstairs, a happy excuse to go settle her nerves for a short spell alone and try to salve the self-conscious anxiety gnawing at her diaphragm. As she rounded the top of the stairs, she saw Jerry come out of the office, and he left paused to make sure he left the door ajar as he saw her.

“Everything ok?” Becky straightened her dress strap.

Jerry looked Becky up and down with an uncertain stare, then nodded. “Mhmmm…he’s just talking to his girlfriend in LA, Mindi.”

Jerry’s heart dropped when he saw Becky’s ashen response, her lip trembled, just for a split second, before she forced a smile. “Oh, ha, well that’s good, was just about to call my sugar daddy in New York….” She changed the topic after shivering from the second floor’s cold air. “Cold, isn’t it… why is it so cold up here?”

Jerry frowned, and decided to go all in. “It’s the downers... the painkillers… makes you feel like you’re in a warm hug, like you are wrapped in a snug wool blanket… “

“How do you know that?”

“Cuz I’ve taken them, Becky… makes me drink gallons of lemonade, only wanna eat ice cream… never have enough of that cold sensation in your mouth, on your skin….”

“Oh.” Becky looked down. “Why does Elvis take them…” She shifted her feet.

“Back pain, insomnia, night terrors… at first… but it's easy to grow a tolerance and he needs more and more… can make him seem out of it.” Jerry stepped closer, and grabbed her arm. “If you are gonna be here, sleep with him, you need to watch him…if he goes to the bathroom , you go to the bathroom, if he passes out, make sure he is breathing… got it?”

The blood drained from Becky’s face, and she thought of the pills he took after the concerts in Jackson.

“Didn’t seem so bad when he was at my house.”

“Cuz he only had the random pills in his pocket… that was an impulsive trip, we didn’t even pack a tooth brush.”

“Oohhhh, haa…”

Her voice trailed off as Jerry patted her shoulder with a sympathetic wink, banking that she wouldn’t tell Elvis about their conversation. Jerry half regretted his bluntness, but her wounded look reaffirmed his commitment to show Becky as much of Elvis’ selfish nature as he could, as quickly as possible. With any luck, he’d have her hightailing it back to Jackson within the next 48 hours. Content with the work he had done, he excused him self for the night, while Becky stayed in the second floor landing, waiting for the sound of Jerry’s footsteps to end so she could creep closer to Elvis’ office and indulge her morbid curiosity.

“—no, no course, no, don’t even talk bout Rome… cuz I said I would… why honey, of course — why all ya gotta do is ask — no, now who’s name is on the marquee… that’s right darlin - my daddy works for me, not t’other way round…. Of course , s’no problem, how much ya need? Well …. Now, Joe’s out there himself, Jerry’s gonna square the wire first thing tomarra —— well, now, that’s more like it… I miss you too… whatcha you wearin’? Ohhhhhh you little minx, I oughta—”

Becky felt sick to her stomach. It had only been a few minutes since that warm voice had been murmuring honeyed words into her neck. Her hand shook as she slunk over to the bedroom, and shed a few tears in the bathroom, then slapped herself in the face.

“Shut up you big baby. You’ve been giddy as a school girl since you got here. You are just here to have fun. If you’re blue, well, that’s what you get for eavesdropping. People just having fun and enjoying free love don’t sneak around eavesdropping. It’s like Ida said, just enjoy the fucking experience… don’t get too deep, don’t take anything on...” She forced a smile. “Shepard’s pie. That’s what Charlie said. You’re comfort food... he doesn’t like one night stands, he likes to fool around for a set period of time. Maybe he’s your shepard’s pie too. Who are you kidding? You might be his comfort food, but Elvis fucking Presley is filet mignon to you, Rebecca Grace Hoffman. No one knows that name. Because you’re a nobody. Are you gonna ruin this trip by nagging him about other women? Or sleeping pills? No. Just. be. fun. Becky.”

The cold marble of the bathroom sink transferred from her hand to her cheek as she slapped her self again. “OK. Fun Becky.” She nodded at herself and felt a little better after she washed her face and fixed her make-up. Taking a deep breathe, Becky shivered in the chill of Elvis’ bathroom. “Shake it off, baby…” she repeated to herself, rolling her shoulders and wiggling out her arms. As she walked downstairs, she told her self that if she felt uncomfortable, she could get a cab to the Greyhound station tomorrow, or, worst case scenario, call her sister. This calmed her down, and Becky looked at her reflection one last time in the foyer mirror and smiled, happy with how she looked. Content with her decision to make no decisions and ready to enjoy the rest of the night if it killed her.

She instantly felt better when she peeked into the den and saw Charlie’s friendly face waving her in. The the woodsy decor, low lighting and water fall created a soothing atmosphere. Charlie was strumming a guitar while Billy got up to grab beer from the bar downstairs, an offer which Becky responded to almost too eagerly as she slide into the sofa next to Charlie. She nodded at Jo sitting on the floor against Billy’s chair. The women spoke for a little, Becky asked about the kids playing cards at the back of the room while Charlie played the melody for the Gordon Lightfoot hit “Sundown” on the guitar. Billy came back up with cold bottles for everyone, and the cool sour bubbles refreshed Becky while she struck up a conversation with Charlie.

“Hey Decatur.” She said, smoothing her lap and crossing her legs.

Charlie was now strumming chords aimlessly on his guitar, a shy grin curled at the corner of his mouth. “Hey yerself, Birmingham.”

*************************************************************

The chords from George Jones’ and Tammy Wynette’s hit duet “Something to Brag About” met Elvis’ ears as he thumped downstairs, and he stood at the entry of the den noting the five empty beers on the coffee table. He watched Becky take a sip from her beer bottle as Charlie played guitar and sang the duet’s male part.

But I've got something to brag about

Something to brag about

Something to brag about in you

Becky closed her eyes as she sang out Tammy’s verse vigorously to the green carpet above her head, the deep emotion in her voice warmed Elvis entire body and he watched her with the keen eye of a voyeur. He felt the prickle of desire buzz along the back of his neck as he gazed at her sing and bounce on the sofa. The curls on top of her head seemingly had a life of their own, animated by the intensity of her delivery. He liked power he felt watching her from doorway, knowing she had no idea he was there, knowing she wasn’t responding or performing for him. Just existing in the world as the free spirit that she was.

When you're with the fellas, I know

You start braggin' 'bout

My hour glass figure and my big brown eyes

Becky giggled, moving her hands suggestively over her body as she sang.

Then a you tell your girlfriends 'bout my

Sweet, sweet lov—‘

Just as Charlie started to sing the word lovin’ he looked at the door and gulped, his hands froze while the last chord still reverberated throughout the den’s acoustics. He knew the power of that stare all too well, and the horror on his face showed his recognition.

Becky turned her head upside down, leaning back over the wooden serpent armrest, that second beer had made her back impervious to the wood carving’s hard ridges. A goofy smile spread across her upside down lips.

“Heyyyyy daddy!”

Elvis stepped forward, towering above her. The waddle under his chin hung down as he tousled Becky’s hair from above, then pulled her dress strap up from her shoulder where it threatened to slip off and release her heaving bust.

“Mmhmmm … hey baby…don’t let me interrupt y’all…” The edge in his tenor went over Becky’s head as she giggled, a dreamy look on her face as she blew a kiss up at him.

Leaning back as she was, Becky missed Charlie’s nervous glance at Billy, and she pulled herself up, slapping Charlie’s knee. “C’mon Decatur, where were we.”

“Ummm, uh… I uh, forget how it goes on from here…” Charlie coughed out.

Elvis staggered around the sofa behind Charlie, leaning down on his hands at the back of the couch. “Hmmm….. maybe it’s time ta let a professional take over…?”

Becky guffawed, slamming down her beer on the coffee table and raised her hands out for the guitar. “Professional skunk, more like. Don’t let him bully ya that way, Charlie… I can play if you... if you forget how it goes from here….” Charlie shot Becky a weak grin, and leaned over to hand her the guitar as he shakily stood up.

“Thanks darlin, but uhhh, need to use the John anyhow… y’all go on with out me….” Charlie twisted to look over his shoulder as Elvis plopped down in one of the large arm chairs across from the sofa.

Billy sat in the other large armchair, his face was blank and inscrutable to Becky as he nodded at his cousin, and squeezed Jo’s shoulder below him.

Becky looked down at her hands, finding the chords on the neck of the guitar, then smiling at the others as she strummed lightly. Her voice was solemn and sad as it lifted up into “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Old,” pausing at the chorus to yell out, “C’mon on y’all, sing it with me….”

The night they drove old Dixie down

And the bells were ringing

The night they drove old Dixie down

And the people were singing

They went, "Na, na, la, na, na, la"

Jo joined in exuberantly, and elbowed Billy into singing. Elvis grinned, he did not sing during this song, but rather, leaned back and watched Becky intently. After a few minutes, he pulled out a cigarillo and looked expectantly at Billy, who paused his contribution to the next chorus’ “na na nas” in order to hastily jump up and light Elvis’ cigar.

Becky laid the guitar down on the couch next to her when she finished singing and stood slowly, throwing her hips back and forth as she paraded around the coffee table to sit on Elvis’ lap. He looked up at her, blowing his cigar smoke to the side.

“Dontcha know… that’s a man’s song?”

“Hmmm…” Becky purred as Elvis belly bounced into her and she leaned into his face, her fingers edging around Elvis’ cigar to pull it out of his grasp to her own lips. A sly smile emerged on her lips as spoke. “Oh ya know…. I like…” she sucked on the sweet, woodsy smoke from his cigar, exhaling as she finished her thought. “Men’s things….”

Elvis pulled his cigar back from her fingers, his lips hovered below her chin. “Already know that…”

Becky leaned her forehead down against Elvis’, his left hand jiggled her closer and he chuckled up into her mouth, his eyes danced behind his sunglasses.

“You know, you have a sad melancholy in that voice a yourn….” He murmured just to her, pulling Becky in the warm enclosure of his arms, a world where only the two of them existed and they spoke to each other in hushed, intimate voices as if no one was around. Here there were no external problems, no girlfriends, no downers, no children, no 200 miles stretching out between their houses. The only barriers were the clothes they wore and the space between their bodies. Billy and Jo looked at each other and shrugged awkwardly.

Becky didn’t notice.

“You don’t like my voice?” she stammered, her lower lip trembling.

Elvis brushed his lips over her chin, closing his eyes as he tilted his forehead into her nose and growled into her breasts below. “Honey… I don’t like your voice……” he paused for effect, his left hand grabbing the back of her hair, loosening the bobby pins that held it up with the force of his fingers. His jowls vibrated as he intoned, deeply. “I loooove your voice…..”

Charlie coughed as he walked back in, and picked up the guitar to put it back with its stand against the wall. Elvis’ eyes shifted, momentarily brought out of his trance, but he left his head resting against Becky’s chin.

“Hand that over here, son…. nah, give it to Becky … yoar a better gee tar player than I am any how…”

“Liar…you just lazy and wanna smoke that cigar...”

“Shut your mouth and get to playin’,” he blew his cigar smoke in her face.

“You still ain’t the boss a me… ”

His left hand lowered down to slap her side. “Hesh woman… c’mon, what are we singing…”

Becky grinned, and played the opening bars twice as she asked, “You know this one?”

“Ohhhh baby, I had that stuck in my head since the first night I met ya….” Elvis confessed, stubbing out his cigar in the green glass ashtray stand next to his chair.

“Alright, I’ll count us off.. one, two three…”

Their voices roared together in unison as they sang the opening stanza of June and Johnny’s “Jackson…” Elvis’ face lifted up to Becky’s, her breasts bounced as she strummed and his left hand drummed out a fast rhythm on the bottom of the guitar from where it squeezed her waist. Her body rocked back and forth into his belly, relishing the way his low voice took the melody somewhere new for her, and she belted out a “HA!” as he sang this verse.

When I breeze into that city

People gonna stoop and bow (hah)

All them women gonna make me

Teach 'em what they don't know how

Charlie looked at the others, his brows raised, and Billy shrugged again, his eyes conveyed a knowing weariness. Neither Becky nor Elvis noticed this exchange, their eyes were otherwise occupied, and Becky leaned her nose down to nuzzle Elvis’s as she breathed out the next verse into his face through simpering amusement. Her warm breath sent a lightening bolt across Elvis’ body, and the thump of her bottom against his tummy and worked to increase the humming of his skin, amplified further when he sang and his lungs expanded swelling up his belly into derriere even more. Elvis kissed the top of Becky’s shoulder softly as she leaned into him, finishing her stanza.

Yeah, go to Jackson

You big-talkin' man

And I'll be waitin' in Jackson

Behind my Jaypan Fan

Becky purred along as Elvis sang the last chorus, swaying back and forth over his lap, and his arms closed tight around her as they hummed the last few notes together. They stayed in the den for hours singing, long after Billy and Jo found their children and said goodnight, Charlie tottered after them with a farewell. Their voices joined in happy harmony, mingling in the air was they started, stopped, paused, laughed and crooned together the melodies for “I Saw The Light,” “Don’t Think Twice,” “The City of New Orleans,” “Louisiana Women, Mississippi Man,” Elvis changed the words to Alabama woman in this last one, to which Becky responded with a chuckle, which made him laugh and they giggled into each other’s cuddles on the furry arm chair.

******************************************************

Becky lay back in Elvis’ bed, sniffing under the silk navy pajama top she had borrowed from him to sleep in. His monogrammed initials met her eyeline as she checked how her armpits smelled. After brushing her teeth, she had dusted herself with talc powder again, she was now covered in that old familiar Sweet Honesty scent by Avon. It was starting to grow on her. The beside clock told her it was 3 a.m. Elvis had been in the bathroom for twenty minutes, what is taking him so long? She thought of what Jerry had told her, what’s so wrong with taking downers to sleep? If he has night terrors and insomnia? Yeah, so far she had watched them knock him out, but he had been fine otherwise. These thoughts were interrupted by the sound of something sliding across the tile in the bathroom, and Becky jumped up to check on it, only to be met by a swinging door and revelation of Elvis’ broad, dark silhouette. He swaggered towards her, taking her hands and waltzing her around, then dipping her back into the exposed silk sheets of her side of the bed.

“You ok? Thought maybe you stubbed your toe…” she mumbled up to him, his piercing dark blue stare made her chest ache. Lost in the deference Becky’s brown eyes offered up to him, Elvis hummed, savoring the way she turned her cheek into his knuckles as they roved up her face.

“Mmmm… what Twitchy?” His eyes narrowed, processing her question. “Oh, nah, just me stumblin’ ‘round tryin ta give myself a shot of B 12 … s’apart of my vitamin regimen, ya not the only one tryin’ to be healthy round here, miss veg a ma tarnation ..” Becky’s questioning face followed him as he rolled over on the bed and she cuddled into his chest once he joined her under the covers, half-sitting up pushed into the pillows. He took a ring off his pinky, the design was a wide platinum metal band that tapered off as it bent towards the back, in the center was a flower made of six large, glittering diamonds. Picking up Becky’s right hand from atop his chest, Elvis pushed the ring onto her finger, bending her hand up to watch the jewels catch the light. A gleeful grin bobbed his round, full chin and his eyes gleamed.

“Wannn ya ta have this….” Elvis dropped Becky’s hand, and began rubbing her belly, pushing up the silk button down top warming her skin.

“Elvis…” Becky shook her head, and started to pull the ring off, readying her diatribe on how she didn’t want gifts.

“Honey don’t… “ Elvis palm glided over her soft, bare belly, pressing into its plush expanse as he trailed from side to side, smiling when he noticed these movements made her bust jiggle. “Now…. Can’t believe ya aint evvvva had sum un tell YOU that ya beautiful….” His speech started to slow as he spoke, each syllable seemed to get caught on the roof of his mouth. “Cuz you arrrre… so beautiful…. And beautiful people deserve beautiful things…. Help ya sparkle…. Help others seeee how beautiful you are…”

Becky could feel tears pooling behind her eyes at this declaration, unsure if she should protest. As if he read her thoughts, Elvis began to preemptively console her.

“Shhhhh…now shhhhh…. Let me do this…. I wanna give you deems … uh..” His eyelids fluttered closed, and a growl worked up his throat as waves of demerol warmed his chest and slowed his heart. “…. uh…” he jerked open his eyes, fighting to stay awake, his lips open and pouting like a baby. “Huh, what was I sayin, now…. oh yeah… it means somethin’ for me to give you deese things on account that you never had ‘em before… means more ta me…. knowing…. that I found you … gonna show the world how beautiful you are…”

Becky shoved her face into his, and pelting a series of soft kisses across his cheeks as his eye lids began to droop down again, his hand still slowly tracing over her tummy,

“Gaawd, your skin is sooooo soffftt, like a baby’s….. wantcha ta be my baaBY…. I can be your daddy, ….an you can be my mommIEEE ….. and we can beeee each udder’s babies…..” His voice lilted in a higher tone, like a little boy musing about what he wanted to be when he grew up. His eyes completely closed, then struggled open, looking into her face.

“You’re sayin’ you want this to last more than a few days...” Becky thought of the other girlfriends in his life. It was one thing to spend the last week screwing around with a rockstar whose girlfriends, plural, knew or even condoned his polyamorous proclivities. It was another thing to join their sorority. “I’ don’t know if that——”

His jowls rippled as he shushed her, index finger softly held to her lips. “Jus thin ‘bouuutt it…. I know you a stubborn independent woman…. like ta make up your own daaaMN mind…. ya don havta decide now…. In fact, I don want ya ta, mean more if I earrrrn sit…. Stay here for a month, see how much you like me…. I know ya will… be my baaby, my little baby…..”

“Elvis,” Becky whispered. “I cannot stay here for a month…” She looked up from her position snuggling into the silk shirt over his hairy chest, and realized his eyelids had completely dropped down. A low, staggered breath forced out of his mouth. Becky hoped maybe he was so out of it on his sleeping pills that he would forget everything he just proposed. But as she noticed his breath decrease, she pushed in closer to him, her fingers softly skimming the hair across his forehead and rolling down his nose, just as did to put Ruth to bed.

“Oy gavolt, daddy… what’s in those vitamins, hmm?” she yawned, then frowned, leaned her head on his chest to make sure it was lifting up and down with life, her own fatigue put off by the cold air and lifelessness of Elvis' body. Nuzzling further on to his chest, she thought of what Jerry had told her, and tried to stay awake, monitoring his breathing. Eventually she dozed off listening to the hum of the air conditioner.

*************************************************************

Monday, June 15th

12 p.m. Graceland Master Bedroom

The creak of the door woke Becky up, and she lay on the mattress trying to remember where she was and what she was doing. It must have been five am when she finally fell asleep, but she couldn’t tell what tie it was now because the room was still so dark and cold. The large padded black leather door was ajar, but Becky didn’t see anyone, and as her eyes adjusted to being open, she realized Elvis’ head was on her breasts, and his right hand was cupped over her pubic hair, settled at the apex of her legs between her thighs. I guess he still has some life in there somewhere while he sleeps. She smiled, only to jump up at the sound of a little voice from the side of the bed.

“Who the hell care you?”

Becky shrieked “Fucking cock—mucker...” She threw Elvis’ hand off her and pulled the red, satin bedspread over her legs and panties. Elvis barely stirred, his snores only increasiing as Becky rolled him off her.

She took in the patch of dirty blonde hair propped up at the edge of the bed, and then sat up further, pushing back against the headboard and smiling at the little girl who stood before her with hands on her hips and a look of disgust on her face.

“Why… hello there. Sorry for yelling… you uh… ya startled me… I’m Becky, who are you?”

The girl looked her up and down with those the same blue eyes and sneered curling her lip as the man sleeping next to hear. She ignored Becky’s question, emphasizing the edge in her voice.

“Where’s Linda? Does she know you’re here…?”

Becky sucked in her breath as she tried to think how she was going to navigate this scenario. This was not what she had in mind when Elvis had invited her to come to Graceland and meet his daughter. She had pictured a sweet, coordinated meeting in a living room or foyer. After having been briefed on Lisa’s likes and dislikes, Elvis would fondly introduce them to each other and handle any of the hard questions about his choice of companionship. As she sat there flummoxed, loud footsteps stopped at the entrance to Elvis’ room and Lisa scurried to hide behind the door just before Aunt Delta’s grimace poked around it. She squinted at Becky, and somehow her frown seemed to deepen into the wrinkles at the side of her mouth.

“You seen that little she-devil?” Delta huffed.

Becky looked over at Lisa Marie behind the door, who was vigorously shaking her head.

“Nope! Why?”

“Ughhh, that little gal needs to come unpack her suitcases… if we don’t do it now, I’s reckon she won’t do it all. That boy just let’s her run wild.”

Becky nodded, although Delta seemed to be talking more to herself, muttering as she turned and pulled the door closed behind her. Becky rolled off the other side of the bed, pulled her jeans off the chair they hung over and stepped into them as she made her way around the bed to Lisa Marie.

“C’mon, she-devil, I’ll help you unpack…”

Lisa Marie crossed her arms. “Chores’ for suckers… Nancy’ll just do it for me when she gets here… you can’t tell me what to do… you’re not my mom… you’re not even Linda…”

Becky chuckled and shook her head, then looked back at Lisa Marie as she opened the famous sound proof double doors that didn’t seem to do anything to keep the rest of Graceland out.

“Thank god I ain’t yer mama…already got one daughter who doesn’t listen to me. Though I find in general I can’t make anyone ‘round here do anything they don’t have a mind to do themselves…” Becky looked over at Elvis’ body on the bed as she said this, then lowered herself on her legs so that she was eye-level with the little toe-haired firecracker. “But I am your guest here at Graceland… so if I like unpacking clothes, you have to let me do it…wouldn’t want to wake up your papa and tell him you aren’t being a good hostess?” She watched Lisa Marie hesitate. “Well, are you the lady of the house or not?”

Lisa Marie uncrossed her arms and sighed up into her bangs. “Sho nuff I am...daddy told me this is my house...an.. I'm... I’m gonna inherit it, have my babies here… s’the Presley legacy… so.. um yeah, I am THE lady of the house…. Ok, well if you wanna be a sucker and unpack my clothes, it's your funeral…”

The slight girl led Becky down the hall towards her bedroom, stopping in front of a glass showcase filled with award trophies below a banner reading “Miss Tennessee 1972.” Lisa Marie paused in front of the shelving and looked at Becky, her eyes rolling up and down Becky’s body in judgement as she announced:

“These are Linda’s awards, she’s my daddy’s girlfriend… they’re gonna get married one day… she’s a real beauty queen. She’s teaching me ‘bout fashion, how to get into a sorority, which ones are the best ones….”

Becky swallowed, groaning internally. This kid knows exactly what she is doing, she took one look at you and already twigged that you don’t belong here with her daddy. She’s just trying to get a rise out of you, it’s almost sweet. Can’t be easy to be Elvis’ daughter. Breathing deeply, Becky pushed any idea of competition with Linda aside.

“Mhmmm, Linda certainly deserves these doesn’t she, I mean, she’s gorgeous.” She walked beside Lisa. “People always told me I had a nice sense of humor in high school…. You know what means, don’t ya?”

Lisa Marie shook her head.

“S’nice way of telling me I wasn’t beauty queen material….”

Lisa Marie let out a loud laugh, the tried to hastily suppress her smile as she continued to lead Becky to her bedroom. Becky tried distracted Lisa, asking her what the best sorority was, how to join one, what college she wanted to go, what music she liked. As they talked, Becky soaked in the sheer excess of Lisa Marie’s bed room. There was a round faux fur canopy bed larger than Becky’s bed at home, and it had a stereo and mirrors in the top. There was also a big television, a jewelry case filled “with real diamonds,” Lisa Marie explained, and several large sets of drawers and a big armoire Becky opened the suitcases and started unpacking, pausing to ask for help with every piece of clothing she took out, while asking Lisa Marie about herself.

“Hey where does this dress go?” Becky asked casually.

Lisa Marie took it with a huff, walking it to the closet, “In here, obviously,” the little girl said as she hung it, and Becky nodded, muttering how silly of her, then folded some tee shirts and skirts into piles.

“So Lisa Marie, what are you into?” Becky asked, handing the little blonde a bunch of rolled socks.

“Lisa… you can just call me Lisa.” Becky nodded at this. “Fast cars, karate, guns and hawwwt music.” Lisa said with a deep affect and an impish smirk

Becky laughed. “Really? Hmmmmmm sounds like someone else in this house… you forgot beauty queens…”

“True… I’m fixing to be a beauty queen ma’self… gonna do karate as my talent at pageants…that or target practice…”

Becky grinned and shook her head, fingers locking the clasps and holding up the empty suitcases with an eye brow arch. “You know, I’ve never even held a gun - you good at shooting?”

A devilish expression energized Lisa’s face as she turned. “Wanna learn?”

Becky stood, wondering if she should shower and get Charlie or Mary or Jo to take her out to buy a bra and some more modest blouses as she looked at the pajama top over her jeans, mumbling in response. “Learn what, sweet girl?”

“How to shoot a gun a course…” Lisa began walked through a swinging door outside her bedroom, next to a second narrow staircase.

Becky glanced down its dark depths as she ambled behind Lisa, realizing she was being led into Elvis’ dressing room on their way back to the master suite. Becky followed slowly, frowned at the bags under her eyes as they walked through the master bedroom. Dressed, get dressed. Becky struggled, and she took a purple halter top out of her travel bag and slinked it on as Lisa Marie gasped from her position tip toeing over the dresser showcasing Elvis’ arsenal.

“Did you just flash me?” Lisa made a disgusted sound.

“We’re all girls here... sorry, didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable honey… I guess maybe I feel a little too comfortable….”

Lisa looked Becky up and down again. “You really are different from his other girlfriends…. Here, any preference ta which one do you like… oh wait, never mind, you already said you don’t know nothing bout guns, better let me do it ... I’m an expert.”

Becky walked over, clipping her dark brown curls in up, her lips pursed and her eyebrows knitted in concern. “What does your daddy say about you using his guns?”

“Ta never ever touch ‘em.” Lisa said as she gatheredd two pistols in her hands, the same way that Ruth would glance over and select Barbie dolls to play with. Lisaa tilted her head to the door, and Becky followed with a disturbed expression as Lisa led them out of the room, downstairs and out back to the smokehouse. She wondered if she should be doing this, but then again, several kids in Ruth’s class already had marksmanship awards. What did she know, did she want her first interaction with Elvis's daughter to be a power struggle?

***********************************************************

Becky’s barefoot feet wriggled further into the sawdust, and she inhaled deeply shutting her eyes. The pressure of the exploding bullet from the shaft of the colt 45 revolver caused Becky to jump back with a little scream. She looked up, there were no holes on the target sheet hanging at the end of the room.

Lisa laughed, and came over. “You havta keep your eyes OPEN for starters.” She took aim with her gun, as Becky stepped back and watched her squint and stay perfectly still shooting a perfect bullseye. Lisa then turned with an elated gleeful smile, blowing over the top of the gun as her eyes met Becky’s.

Becky chuckled. “Wow… impressive… do you have a favorite gunslinger?”

Lisa turned and shot two more rounds, each one hitting the red center of the bullseye. “Dirty Harry.” She answered without skipping a beat, then flipping her hair back over her shoulder.

“Wow…. Have you seen that movie?”

“Only about a thousand times…. it’s one of my favorite movies….”

“Wow, well, what about a girl shooter? Have you seen Annie Get Your Gun?”

“Of course.” Lisa huffed, refilling the cartridge of her gun. “I even used to have a pink cowgirl vest just like Annie Oakley, ‘cept it’s too small for me now.”

“Well, if we had a sewing machine I could make a new one for you.”

Lisa looked up at Becky with an excited expression, and took her hand, dragging her out of the smokehouse. “Dodger has ‘un…. Let’s go find Charlie, we’ll get him to take us shopping…”

Becky’s bare feet stumbled over the grass and pebbles as Lisa’s hand took them towards the long white building at the back of the mansion. “Um, let’s not bother Charlie… he might have other things to do.”

Lisa’s face turned back to Becky as she rapped on the door, announcing with all earnestness. “Are you kidding? Charlie always does everything I say….”

Three hours later, Becky was sitting at a very large, heavy cumbersome metal Singer sewing machine that Charlie had lugged out from Minnie Mae’s room into the adjourning living room. Becky had given him an apologetic grin as he stumbled and told her that it “Really weren’t no trouble.” Her fingers pushed pink suede through the stitcher and she bit her lip in concentration as she controlled the lever with her foot. Lisa hovered over Becky, perched on the sofa attaching rhinestone beads to the fringe on the smaller vest Becky had already cut and sewn together with Lisa’s proportions.

“You think this is really gonna fit him?” She said with excitement and Becky nodded, grinning at the thought of Elvis wearing a matching pink suede vest. Not as gaudy as those jumpsuits but in the same family, she thought. Lisa turned to grab another bead from the bowl of glimmering silver rhinestone beads.

Lisa jumped up and down, clapping her hands. “It’s SO perfect! They match…”

Jerry walked by and stuck his head in, a middle aged white lady behind him. “Hey honey - I set up the film reels of The Pink Panther for you down in the TV room like ya asked this mornin…”

Lisa’s eyes stayed fixed where she tied another silver bead on her vest fringe, then waving Jerry off. “Thanks Jerry, maybe later…. We’re busy… oh hi Tish…” Lisa added, seeing the older woman. Jerry looked at Becky, bewildered, but didn’t inquire what they were doing, turning to escort Tish upstairs.

“Whose that?”

“Oh that’s jus daddy’s nurse… he has some back pain and digestible issues… she’ll start coming by to give him his medicine every day now that he’s home… she takes real good —— ok, is it done ?” Her voice trailed off as she watched Becky pull the large pink vest out of the machine.

"Not yet, I gotta slice the fringe and get some of this shiny beads on here…” Becky smacked her lips and squinted at the stitching.

Lisa nodded, nothing another bead, heat feet dangling over the edge of the couch. “Say, where did you learn to do all this? Ya mama?”

Becky turned to Lisa, grabbing a bead as she worked on Elvis’ vest. A “Ha!” escaped her mouth at Lisa’s question.

“No, my mama was busy being a lawyer…. Our nanny, Helga, taught me everything I know… and I try to teach it to my little girl, Ruthie…”

“You’re mama was a lawyer?” Lisa’s eyes were wide, and she paused her work.

“Yeah, everyone in my family is a lawyer… ‘cept my sister, she’s actually a judge up here in Memphis… I think she was the third lady judge in this town.. Maybe I'll see her while I’m here…” Not if I can help it, Becky thought.

“And you? You didn’t wanna be a lawyer?

Becky chortled. “No…. Not alll…. “

“Are you a working mom?”

“Oh honey, all moms are working moms…. We’re like CEOs of small businesses. And those businesses are you,” she said, poking her finger into Lisa’s belly and conjuring a playful squeal.

“OK, but do you work work?”

“Sorta … still trying to figure out what I wanna do when I grow up…. When I was in high school, I wanted to be a park ranger in the Great Smokies…. Sounds silly, huh?”

“Noooo…. What happened? Couldn’t you still do that?”

“What happened…. Oh what happened…. Well, I got real lucky, and the universe put baby Ruth in my arms…. Hard to be a park ranger with a baby strapped to my back…”

“What would you do now if you could do anything? As a working working mom, I mean.”

“Well, I’m already a working working mom, I’ve kinda always had to be... I help my folks with their hardware store…. If I could do anything…. I guess I’d like to own something, a little book store, maybe sell records too, have a juice bar and a kitchen serving up vegetarian food, maybe I run it with a husband, a nice divorced man I meet one day back in Jackson, living out a Brady Bunch fantasy….”

Lisa patted Becky’s shoulder. “You can do anything you put your mind to, Becky. S’what my daddy always says. If you want to find a divorced man to own a juice bar with, I believe in you…. What’s a vegetarian?”

Becky giggled, putting down the vest after tying the last bead on. “Someone who doesn’t eat any meat.”

“Wait, so you really don’t eat any meat?”

“Mhmmm….”

“That’s ridiculous… how can you even have a complete meal?”

“I have my ways…they involve tofu, peanut butter or beans….”

Becky and Lisa stayed in the living room talking, as Becky explained some of the reasons she didn’t eat meat, asking Lisa if she would eat a horse or pet dog, and then why a cow or chicken was different. She looked at the large, ornate golden clock over the fireplace and realized it was 3:30.

“Speaking of food, I’m honnnngry, haven’t had anything to eat all day.. y’all have peanut butter and jelly?”

Lisa smiled and jumped off her perch on the sofa, laying her vest over the larger one and waving for Becky to follow her. “I’ll do you one better, I’ll make you one of my famous peanut butter banana sandwiches.”

Just as she jogged into the foyer, a pair of large hands reached out and grabbed Lisa and lifted her over the shoulder of an Elvis shaped frame, pinching her sides.

“Ya mean my famous peanut butter banana sandwiches….” Elvis voice tumbled out with a chuckle as his daughter squealed in delight. “See ya met my friend here…” he added as he put his daughter down, his face aglow as he looked at Becky. This shifted to a look of displeasure when his eyes saw the dirt on her feet.

“Honey, what’s with ya feet?” He tisked.

Lisa bumped into Elvis waist, pushing his arm around her shoulder as she giggled. “She’s been running ‘round outside without any shoes on…. And she flashed her big boobies at me getting dressed this morning…. AND she’s teaching me how ta be a vegetarian…”

Elvis left eye brow arched up high, looking from Lisa to Becky. “Oh reeALLLY…. Hmmm…. Looks like y'all been getting to know each other good..." He stepped over to Becky, hand around her waist, and whispered in her ear. "Honey, why don’t ya go wash up and put something nice on, maybe a little make-up?”

Becky frowned. “Think you can snap your fingers and I’ll —”

Elvis walked her to the staircase, his hand rubbed her bare shoulders, his eyes melting away all the retorts forming in her mind as she took in the track suit he was wearing. His voice was soft but firm, “C’mon, go get presentable... want my daughter to see how beautiful ya are when I introduce ya…. Go on now.” He slapped her butt playfully as Becky turned, unable to stop her body from complying with his directions as her mind spun in a tizzy from the feel of his hands and the way his big blue eyes looked into hers with a mix of lust, admiration and smug bravado. Introduce me to your daughter my ass, I’ve spent the last six hours unpacking clothes, shooting guns, shopping and sewing with her.

But she thrilled with elation as she bounced toward the kitchen twenty minutes later, proud of the way she had done her make up and fixed herself after taking a quick rinse in the shower. Sweet Honesty was now her favorite perfume and she smelled her wrists backing into the kitchen’s swinging door, gasping with delight at the sight of Lisa and Elvis in matching pink fringed vests. Lisa sat on the counter next to the sink, eating a sandwich, and called out with a full mouth. Her white Mary Jane shoes hit the cabinets below. “Becky! Lewk ift figs!!!” She pointed to her dad, and Elvis turned from the stove, running his hands over his vest.

“Jus what I been needed… a pink shiny vest… ! Gonna hafta keep ya round, I have a list of mending been tryin to get Delta to do for the last year.”

Becky curled her lips. “I won’t be darnin’ your socks, Presley…”

Elvis grabbed her hand and kissed her cheek with “Hesh… now, let me look at ya.” He twirled her around in the middle of the kitchen. “There she is…. now that’s better honey… look, Goobernickle, the most beautiful girl in the world jus wandered in ta our kitchen, ain’t we lucky.” Lisa kicked him. “Sorry, how silly a me, second most beautiful gal in the world after that lil gal right there.”

Becky blushed and Elvis kissed her hand, taking her to sit on the orange kitchen stool near the TV. Back at the stove, he flipped what looked like a grilled cheese sandwich out of the pan and onto a plate, cutting it in half and blowing on it as he brought it over.

“Get ready to have the most delicious thing in that mouth of yours since you got to Graceland…. I mean second most delicious…” Elvis stood in front of Becky, taking up a sandwich to feed her, chuckling at her horrified expression. Good, she got my innuendo, he thought, then looked back at Lisa who was obliviously chewing on the second half of her sandwich. “I meant after the corn bread you ate last night, whatcha think I meant? Crazy woman.”

Becky sighed, closing her eyes, her exhale a mix of exasperation and excitement as she opened her mouth to taste the sandwich Elvis guided in as he held her chin.

She couldn’t help the instinctive reaction her body had to his voice, touch, and the way his eyes danced with impish joy at her unease. But Becky also found herself sickened by how weak she was, how her pussy tingled when she swallowed the salty, sweet goodness of the sandwich. Elvis thumbed along her jawline, much the same way he had when she had sucked his cock the previous day, and her eyes widened as she felt the buzzing energy of his touch caressing her face. She swatted him away and stifled the deep sensuous moan threatening to increase. Lisa Marie seemed unperturbed, jumping off the counter to get some milk from the fridge. Elvis chortled loudly at Becky’s angry stare and pushed another bite in her mouth. She rolled her eyes, then whimpered involuntarily at how the fried, buttery carby goodness hit the back of her throat. Becky had never been with anyone who pushed and pulled and blurred the boundaries between all the different aspects of her personality together at once.

Elvis winked.

“Tastes good, don’t it?”

********************************************************************

Read Chapter 5 Here

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gayf1hoe · 2 months

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Part 1

As I sit down with my bowl of cereal I begin to open my laptop and see an abundance of emails that I have ignored over the course of the past few weeks, because I've been having a full media and work detox.

As the emails load I see the latest email is from Gunther so I decide I best not ignore it otherwise if I ignore it like I did when I first joined the team he will give me a lecture about how rude it is to ignore emails. Opening it I scan it with my eyes whilst spooning my cereal into my mouth. I read that Gunther has called for a meeting for today which isn't much of a surprise given it's only a few weeks until pre-season testing and I don't even know who my teammate is. After last season I need a good teammate. Nikita was a great person but a terrible teammate. It was like Haas had only one driver driving for them because he spent half of his time spinning off the track or going into the wall so this year I need a teammate who will be able to score points alongside me.

I continue scrolling through the emails and curse myself for putting myself in this position, when people say F1 drivers just drive a car they are so wrong. They should try keeping up with all the emails and brand deals we have to do.

I finish my breakfast and quickly jump in the shower and dig out an outfit from my draws that are more than due a clear out but that's very far down on my very long to do list that never seems to be fully complete.

I double check I have everything before shutting the door to my apartment and heading to the factory where the meeting is, thankfully it isn't far away as when I joined Haas I bought an apartment close to the factory and moved.

As I approach the entrance I am handed my ID pass and make my way to Guenther's office. The building has become like a second home to me, in fact I have probably spent more time here in the past 2 years than I have at home, it's full of loads of Haas memorabilia such as the burnt Halo that saved Grosejans life, or the chassis of previous cars. Unfortunately the trophy cabinet isn't as grand or as full as Red Bull's or Ferrari's but it still displays the team's short history.

Eventually after greeting everyone who I haven't seen for a few months I reach the door of Gunther's office and confidently knock and wait for a response from within, it doesn't take long for him to say "come in".

Whilst he is my team principal he is also like a father figure to me and I would be lying if I said I didn't miss his dry humour and constant use of profane langauge over the course of the break.

I take a seat opposite him and see that there is another chair next to me so I assume someone else will be joining us shortly. We take a brief moment to catch up after the break and we discuss what we did and he asks if my swearing is under control yet. As last year every team radio and interview I almost certainly used a swear word, although I don't think he has much room to talk.

I could tell how stressed he was last year having Nikita crashing his car every 5 seconds, Dimitry threatening to pull out the Uralkali sponsor and having 2 rookies on his team was never going to be easy but I don't think he envisaged it being that hard, last year Haas managed to get 112 points all of which came from me so by the end of the year I was very burnt out and spent the entire break doing absolutely nothing.

The conversation bounces back and forth until there is a knock on the door causing silence to hit the room, Gunther goes over to the door and greets who ever is there but I can't see or hear who it is until Gunther moves out the way and motions to the chair, causing me to stand up and prepare to shake the person's hand what I didn't expect was to see that my new teammate was Carlos Sainz.

I knew Carlos was out of a seat this year, with much controversy behind it. I just never would have expected him to come to Haas, it's not that I'm unhappy with the team choosing him but he's going from one of the top teams to a team that is struggling to stay in the fight to be a midfielder.

Another reason I'm stood in silence is because well, Carlos is gorgeous there is no denying that and his natural charm makes him irresistible. I'm snapped out of my thoughts by Gunther repeatedly saying my name until I turn my head towards him and he then motions with his head for me to shake his hand. I shake his hand, make eye contact with him and say hello.

We both take a seat and Gunther walks around to his side of the desk, it kind of feels like you've been called to the Principal's office, even if you know you have done nothing wrong there is always nerves in your stomach.

"So Y/N if you can't tell by now Carlos is your new teammate" Gunther says in his typical blunt tone that makes me smile.

"Yes I had gathered that much Gunther"

We spend ages talking about media and contracts but it's more focused on informing Carlos on how the team works and what the expectations are although I can only assume they are a lot lower compared to Ferrari.

We are doing pre-season testing and revealing the livery in 2 weeks time so there are a lot of things to sort out in a short period of time. But after the meeting Gunther lets us go to lunch and it provides me and Carlos with an opportunity to get to know each other. before we go into the simulator for practice.

The lunch hall is quite full as the preparations for the next season are very much in full swing and with MoneyGram being the new sponsor there is a lot to change, I wish I could say I will miss having Nikita as a teammate but his father and Uralkali made my first season and absolute nightmare constantly accusing me of having a different or better car to Mazepin, I can't even begin count how many times my car was inspected by the FIA last year.

We collect our food and head to a quiet conference room as the dining hall is flooded by engineers, designers and loads of other staff that makes it barely possible to actually hear anyone. We eventually reach a quiet conference room and place our lunch down at the table before sitting down. For the initial 10 minutes we are just sat in silence before I'm the one to ask the first question.

"So why Haas, you must have been pretty desperate for that F1 seat? I say trying to break the silence with some humour.

"No, I wanted a team that would challenge me and I thought you would make a great teammate" as he finishes his sentence I have to look down because I can feel my cheeks blushing bright red like I've just seen my high-school crush.

He has great charisma, humour and looks and he is an extremely talented driver, the polar opposite to my previous teammate so I am elated at the fact he is my team mate although I'm sure my attraction to him will at some point cause a predicament that will arouse drama for us and the team. I can't help but admire him from the opposing side of the table, I probably look obsessed right now - but maybe that's an accurate description.

Throughout lunch we get to know each other more and more. He speaks about what it was like to have Charles as a teammate and I speak about what it was like to have Nikita as a teammate and I think I win at having the more Interesting stories.

But no sooner than lunch had started we have to go and do testing in the simulator which is an all too common thing in preparing for the season however I have never been a fan of simulators I don't feel they give the proper experience and plus 20 to 30 years ago there was no such thing as simulator testing and the drivers managed just as well. Me and Carlos go to separate rooms for the simulator tests and after we have to get our seats moulded so we don't see eachother until about 5 PM when we are allowed to go back home.

Unlike Carlos I live near the factory however he still lives in Spain so he's renting a hotel room. When we meet in the lobby I suggest we go for dinner at a nearby restaurant I know well and he agrees. We both head to my Audi and take a seat, "nice car" he compliments as he buckles his seat belt. We begin driving and in typical England fashion it starts to rain and the sound of rain pelting against the metal is a sound that feels the air of silence. But eventually Carlos sparks a conversation between us that is more personal and detached from racing.

"So do you have a partner?" He asks "nope, painfully single and probably will be forever" I reply further questioning "What about you?".

"Same, still single" he replies, "but sure someone with your good looks would be able to find someone" I instantly regret saying that it sounds like I'm hitting on him and he can clearly tell that I'm embarrassed.

"No need to feel shy, I am very honoured that you think I'm good-looking" whilst his response calms me, I still can't help but feel a little embarrassed still.

Shortly after making a fool of myself we pull into the parking bay of the restaurant and step out into the rain. We hastily rush into the restaurant taking refuge from the rain and are guided to our table by the waiter I know very well.

We are sitting down at the table and the waiter comes by again, "Now Y/N will it be the usual" he says whilst placing his hand on my shoulder, Carlos quickly averts his attention away from us and back to the menu after he's finished taking our orders Carlos comments on his behaviour.

"He's very touchy don't you think, maybe he likes you"

I laugh at his comment, "please I know his mother and he's so not my type"

"Well what is your type?" He presses on.

"The complete opposite of him" I state trying to give as little away as possible.

"Anyway, what's your type?" I ask, trying to deflect.

"Well I don't have a specific type I'm open to all kinds of people" He answers and as he finishes our food comes out putting an abrupt end to that conversation.

Over the course of dinner we talk about the plans for the forthcoming weeks and what the reaction is going to be like when everyone finds out that he's going to be driving for Haas. I can't lie, I can't wait to see the out roar of disappointment when they find out Carlos Sainz, one of the best drivers on the grid is in a Haas. I bet it's an image some can't even begin to imagine.

After dinner I drive Carlos back to his hotel which isn't too far from the restaurant and as I am about to drive off he invites me in.

"Hey, do you want to come in for a glass of wine?" He asks whilst undoing his seat belt.

"I can't, I'm driving" I say.

"Well you can just stay the night", I think about it momentarily and agree to come in. I quickly park the car and walk into the hotel with Carlos.

When we reach his room he quickly digs around in his pocket and pulls out his key card and opens the door. His room is more grand and well decorated than my own apartment and it's fixtures are more extravagant than anything I had ever seen.

Carlos walks over to the mini bar and pours two glasses of red wine and hands me one as I'm walking over to take a seat. I take a moment to admire the rest of the room, and wonder where Haas found the money in the budget for such a nice hotel.

We continue talking about our F1 careers and whilst mine is only 2 seasons old his is much more interesting than mine. We also talk about our personal lives, friends, family, relationships, hobbies and soon one glass of wine turns into a whole bottle.

Whilst I'm not drunk I'm certainly a little tipsy and probably not in the right mind frame to drive or walk home so I decide to take Carlos' offer of staying the night so I quickly get changed into some shorts and a t- shirt Carlos had given me and climb into the bed. Yes it's a little weird sharing the bed with my new team mate but I have known Carlos since last year so I guess it's not that bad.

A little after I had gotten into the bed Carlos comes out of the bathroom and gets into the bed next to me and turns the TV on.

"What do you want to watch?" He asks.

"I don't mind," I respond.

Shortly after he picks a TV show I drift off to sleep and don't really remember much.

Waking up in the morning I feel a headache and a slight hangover sweep over me. I hadn't had a single alcoholic drink since the last race of the season so it hit me pretty hard.

With my eyes feeling extremely sensitive the slight slither of light that bypasses the blinds peirces into my eyes causing me to let out an audible groan that causes Carlos to wake up.

"Are you ok?" He asks.

"Aside from a banging headache I should be fine" I say, pulling myself out of the bed and walking over to his table where there is a pair of sunglasses and putting them on to reduce the strain on my eyes.

I walk into the bathroom and have a shower all whilst keeping the sunglasses on my headache only seems to intensify as time passes.

I get changed in the bedroom whilst Carlos has a shower and we have to be at the factory in less than an hour so I only manage to have an apple and a glass of water for my breakfast and due to my headache I can't drive, so I entrust Carlos with my most expensive possession and pray he doesn't have an accident, but as he is an ex Ferrari driver I have faith in his competence and driving ability.

Although Carlos is a good driver I don't think he understands the speed limit is a limit and not a target and I'm sure when I go home there will be a speeding ticket in the post. However we do arrive much earlier than expected so I guess that's a positive. As we walk into the factory the smell of automotive oil is a smell that doesn't help my hangover at all.

We are left standing around for about 5 minutes before the head of Technical Engineering arrives and tells us what we are doing today, not before he questions me.

"Y/N is there a reason why you are wearing sunglasses indoors when it is winter?".

"I've got a little headache" I reply but he already knows.

"As long as your hangover doesn't impact your performance today I will look past it" he says unlocking the doors to the simulators.

Today is the day that Haas will announce that Carlos is joining the team and we have been informed we are filming a short video which will cause many people to have the shock of their lives.

3 hours of my day is spent in the simulator running through every single setting the car has and the different types of balance settings the car has. It's quite boring but it's also important.

The media manager comes by and pulls me and Carlos out to film the video and we have to do so many retakes because we can't stop laughing and I keep on saying "Uralkali Haas" instead of "MoneyGram Haas" but the final result doesn't show how many times we had to go through it.

"Hi guys my name is Y/N L/N, and I'm Carlos Sainz and we are the drivers for MoneyGram Haas F1 Team"

The team are then going to take that speech and make a promo using photos of me and Carlos in the sim and in our race suits and by 2 PM the video is out and the Internet is going wild especially the other drivers who had no idea Carlos was going to Haas.

I get a text message from George who knows about my slight crush on Carlos and says:

"Don't get too carried away" I laugh at his message and Carlos asks what I'm laughing at but I just say it's a meme, and technically I'm not lying because I am talking to the most meme-able man ever.

Over the course of the next hour the media is going absolutely berserk. They never saw this coming and quite frankly I can't blame them because I didn't either and I don't think Gunther expected Carlos to actually say yes.

Mid way through scrolling through the comments Carlos comes over and says, "I'm going out for dinner tonight with Lando, George and Alex and they told me to tell you that you are also invited" I thank him for telling me and I get back to doing some admin tasks to pass time and clear things off my extensive to-do list.

As the day progresses my hangover eases off and I manage to cope without wearing sunglasses and I vow to myself that I'm not going to drink for a few weeks, but these self promises never seem to stick.

I'm sitting in one of the conference rooms meticulously reading through emails, rules and regulation changes, and other miscellaneous things like sponsorship information. It's all quite banal and mundane but I'm in a great flow and manage to read most of the stuff that I had been tasked with so it should make Gunther and the management team very happy, last year I didn't really make an effort and didn't fully comprehend all the rules and may have accidentally touched Zhou's Rear wing in parc ferme and it was a costly mistake that resulted in me being shouted at by Gunther like a school child.

I decide that I have read enough for one day so I decide to collect my belongings and head down to the reception area to wait for Carlos. He is taking a while so I begin to pace up and down admiring the past cars that are on display showcasing the history of Haas, but eventually Carlos does turn up.

"Sorry I'm late, Gunther was lecturing me" he says sincerely.

"It's fine he does that often" I say putting my coat on and removing my keys from my pocket.

"So what restaurant are we going to?" I add.

"It's a Thai restaurant that Alex found, I'll drive if you want me to".

I think for a moment but see he clearly wants to drive so I chuck him my keys and we exit the building.

When we arrive the guys are already standing outside waiting for us and as we step out the car George is giving me his usual devilish smile that is insinuating something. We greet each other and shake hands and hug each other and they are all excited as they haven't seen each other in a few months. Despite being in F1 for a year I kept myself to myself and maintained a private life and didn't really connect with other drivers apart from George, Lance and Pierre so it's a little awkward for me as I have barely said 10 words to Lando or Alex.

We eventually head in and we are shown to our table. I try to sit next to Carlos but Lando gets there before me so I sit down in-between Alex and George.

I take this time as an opportunity to get to know Alex as we haven't really had much time to talk.

"So how's things going at Williams?" Is the first question that comes to mind but given the results of the season I can sort of make my own answer up.

"Yeah it was a tough season but we are working hard this year, anyway how are things going at Haas especially after Mazepin?"

"Going well, obviously I have a new teammate now so hopefully more points and hopefully the car spends more time on the track than in the wall".

He laughs lightly at my little dig at Nikita and then asks how I'm finding Carlos being my new teammate and I can't really think of an answer as we have only done two days of simulator testing so I can't really give a valid answer so I simply reply "it's going well, I think we get on" George hears my response and I see him pulling that grin again and I lightly hit his leg with my foot under the table causing his grin to dissipate.

Over the course of dinner Lando and Carlos are constantly touching each other and joking with one another and for some reason I feel angry, jealous?

I know I have nothing to be jealous of, it's not as if he's my boyfriend or even remotely interested in me so I have no idea why I'm feeling these feelings that are so irrational.

At one point Lando is holding on to one of Carlos' arms and I excuse myself from the table and head to the bathroom where I take a moment to just cool down and splash some water on my face. I don't intend to make an embarrassment out of myself over a guy I have only really known for 2 days. As I'm patting my face dry with the paper towel I hear the door behind me creaking open and see George enter.

"Are you alright?" he asks.

"I'm fine just struggling with a hangover still" I reply.

"You know you are one of two people after Carlos and Lando is fierce competition. He won't let Carlos go that easily, but don't give up."

"I'm not after Carlos I'm after a race win and more points are the only 2 things I'm after in this world, besides relationships just get in the way" I start heading for the door and George places his hand on my shoulder.

"Believe me trying to block him out it won't work, I've seen Lando try and fail doing that. And you are teammates you are going to constantly be reminded of him"

"Thanks for the words of encouragement George" I say sarcastically before heading back to the table.

I manage to finish my meal and decide I have had enough of watching Lando fanboy over Carlos and say I'm going home and I ask Carlos for my car key.

When he asks why I'm going I say I'm just tired and he asks if I want him to drop me off but I tell him it's fine and he can stay and enjoy his evening.

As I walk out to my car and press unlock I hear someone call my name and turn to see Lando running towards me.

"Is everything alright?" I ask

"Everything is fine, just do me a favour and don't make things difficult for me and Carlos," he says.

"I'm sorry what do you mean exactly"

"Well I like him and I want to get with him at some point but I know you like him too so please let him go and settle for second best"

When he says that I become enraged and say something I probably shouldn't have.

"I guess you know a lot about being second best considering Oscar is always out qualifying you and getting more points than you, McLaren must really love you to still keep extending your contract but you will never be as good as Oscar"

"Don't be bitter Y/N it's not a good look"

During the drive home I am fueled by anger and I have gone over the speed limit a few times but at this point I don't really care, I have never been so annoyed by a single person.

I spent a year with Nikita and Dimitry Mazepin. I thought I had the patience of a Saint to deal with them, yet some McLaren driver comes along, makes a few comments and I see red.

I fumble around with my house keys before eventually finding the right one and open the door. The entire apartment is dead silent apart from the faint ticking of the clock. I throw my keys onto the small table by the front door and sit on the chair by the kitchen Island sipping on a glass of water when my phone pings and it's a message from Carlos.

'Hey Y/N me and Lando are going to a karting track tomorrow for a quadrant video. Would you like to come?"

I can't think of any excuse to get out of it so I text back "sure" despite the fact I'm completely unsure and a day with Lando and Carlos will really test my patience.

#Carlos Sainz #Male reader #Carlos Sainz x Male Reader #F1 #Haas #Red Bull #Carlando #Lando Norris #McLaren #Lando Norris x Carlos Sainz

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fandomsnstuff · 11 months

Text

Look at me posting before 10pm (i work evenings lmao) anyway,

@taznovembercelebration

Day 8: super au/cooking

Angus McDonald is Spiderman. It's a pretty new gig, but he thinks he's doing okay. His secret identity is totally intact, so that's a win.

Read it on AO3

Angus lands in the street on his feet, the criminals he was pursuing trapped against the brick wall in front of him with an obscene amount of web. He wants nothing more than to take his mask off and get a breath of fresh air, but the wail of sirens is already on top of him. Cpt. Captain Bane steps out of the first car and says, "what the hell happened here?"

"Just me doing your job for you," he quips. "Same old song and dance."

Bane sneers at him. "I don't need a child to do my job for me."

"Then you need to be faster," he tosses and catches the vial he retrieved, "crime isn't going to wait for you."

Angus can see him eyeing it, the corrupt motherfucker. "What've you got there, Spiderman?"

He knows exactly what it is, but he shrugs. "Some project the Institute's working on." He jabs his thumb towards the perpetrators that the other cops are cutting down from the webs, "pinky and the brain back there don't even know what it is. They just took the first thing they saw and ran."

It's a highly experimental elixir that's supposed to allow the person who drinks it to become a powerful specter if their meat body dies. Lup and Barry aren't supposed to talk about it, but they really can't help themselves when they're in good company.

Bane holds out a hand, "hand it over."

"Uh," the last thing he wants to do is give him something from the Institute. Let alone something like this. Angus has been on Bane's case for years, well before he became Spiderman a few weeks back. "You know I think I better return it myself."

Bane opens his mouth to respond, but is interrupted by a shout of, "holy shit!"

They look, and Lup stands just down the street, her hair wild and face flushed. She's out of breath as she walks up to them and says, "I just ran… like five blocks…" she looks at Angus, "I only caught some of that fight, but that was amazing."

"Thank-" he clears his throat and tries to subtly deepen his voice, "thank you Dr.- uh- ma'am." Spiderman's never met Lup, he shouldn't know her last name. Although she has been in the paper, so maybe it would've been fine. Anyway, "I believe this belongs to you," he holds the vial out to her.

She smiles wide and grabs it, "it's intact!"

Barry catches up to her, huffing and puffing. "I can't run a city block like I used to," he groans.

Lup pats him on the back and says, "bear, look," showing him the vial.

"No way," he looks at Angus, "you got it back in one piece."

"I'm nothing if not careful, sir," he says, still trying to modify his voice. If they recognize him, he's so fucked.

"Dr. Bluejeans," Bane says, "I'm going to need you to hand that over," he reaches for the vial, "it's evidence."

Barry draws his hand back, "it's top secret Institute research. It's not going anywhere but back to the lab."

"It's been involved in a crime, it needs to come back to the precinct."

"Why?" Lup takes half a step in front of Barry. "You've got the criminals wrapped up in a bow. You didn't even need to do anything."

"Ma'am-"

"Dr. Taaco."

He sighs irritably. "Dr. Taaco, we're required to do a full investigation, which includes gathering evidence. That vial was stolen, so it's evidence."

"And you can come to the Institute on Monday with a warrant for it. For now, we need to take it back."

Bane clenches his fists. "Let me escort you," Angus interrupts. The adults all look at him. "You know," he says, "just in case."

Bane says, "absolutely not-"

"Sure," Lup says, "you can escort us."

"He's a child," Bane protests.

"He's Spiderman," Barry says. "He rescued our research while chasing criminals through the city, I'm sure he can protect it while we're just walking up the street."

Lup slings an arm around his shoulders and starts leading him away before Bane can argue any further. As they walk up the street back towards the lab, she and Barry talk about how the whole night shook down for them. They were working late, and had taken a break. They didn't hear the thieves enter or break anything, but the alarms started blaring, and they saw them running out. They gave chase, and saw him, Spiderman, swing in and apprehend them.

"Which reminds me," Lup says once they reach the Institute, "are you okay?"

"I'm fine." They got a few good hits on him, but nothing that won't heal by morning (thank you, nuclear spider powers). "You two should put that vial back and head home. It's late."

"We could say the same to you," Barry says. "What are you, like, fifteen?"

"I'm eighteen." He's super not eighteen, he's exactly two weeks away from his sixteenth birthday.

"Right." Neither of them look convinced.

"Well you're safe back at your lab," he laughs nervously, "I should be going. Stay safe!" He blindly shoots a web and takes off in whatever direction it takes him. He swings a good way down a random street before stopping on top of a building to get his bearings, and he heads home.

He lands on the fire escape just outside his window, and opens it slowly. It cooperates tonight, and doesn't screech too loudly as the old wood slides up. He crawls into his bedroom and tears his mask off, taking a deep breath of fresh air. He creeps to his door and cracks it open, listening for any activity within the apartment. It's quiet, and all the lights are off. He shuts the door again. He doesn't bother to turn on a light as he peels his suit off, he's found that he can see quite well in the dark nowadays.

He changes into pajamas. He longs to take a shower, but it's nearing 1am, and Taako's a pretty light sleeper. He doesn't want him to question why he's taking a shower so late.

His stomach grumbles, and he sees visions of the leftover pizza he knows is in the fridge. He creeps out of his room and down the hall to the main living area. His attention is zeroed in on the fridge, so he jumps out of his skin when a light suddenly turns on.

"You know, if you were going to be a vigilante, the least you could've done is tell me first."

"Taako, I- what-"

Taako's sitting in an armchair, arms crossed, looking very displeased. "It's polite to tell your guardian what you're up to, Angus."

He laughs nervously. "I'm not-"

"Oh, you're not? You start acting all sketchy and sneaking out, and a masked spider-themed vigilante shows up not even a week after you visited Lup and Barry's lab that, among other things, works with what?"

Angus knows when he's been had. "...spiders?"

"Spiders!"

Silences stretches between them, and Angus hangs his head. "I'm sorry, Taako."

Taako sighs and stands. "I'm not mad. I just need to know where you go. Because if–" his fist clenches, "if you don't come home, or if you get hurt, I need to know."

"I'm sorry," he tries to blink away the burn of tears in his eyes, "I just wanted to protect you. All of you."

Taako puts a hand on his shoulder, and he meets his eyes. "You don't need to protect us. We can protect ourselves just fine."

"Okay," he whispers.

"Are you hungry?"

His lip quivers, "I'm so hungry."

Taako smiles and squeezes his shoulder. "It takes a lot of energy to be a superhero and a growing boy. Sit, I'll make you a couple grilled cheeses."

"I wanted-"

"The pizza, I know. You can have that while you wait."

He sits at the dining table as Taako moves about the kitchen. He slides the box with half a pizza still in it to him, then works on making two grilled cheese sandwiches. Angus devours the pizza and is halfway through his first sandwich when he asks, "does anyone else know?"

"Oh yeah, we all suspected."

"So Lup and Barry talking to me tonight like they didn't know me was total bullshit."

Taako laughs, "she called me as soon as you left them, pumpkin. Told me she was one-hundo percent sure that you're Spiderman."

He sighs in exaggerated annoyance. "No one can have a damn secret in this family!"

#taz fic #angus mcdonald #taako #taz #lup #lup and barry were taking a break to either sleep or make out #but either way their ghost gunk still got stolen #but never fear #angus is here

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yumimak · 1 year

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Anomaly- Chapter 5

Hi friends! I don't want to keep you from reading this chapter any longer than I already have by typing a big message up here, but please make sure you read the author's note at the end.

I hope the chapter is the worth the wait!! Enjoy :)

- - -

Y/n

I’m fucked.

Everything was going so fucking well and some how, some way, I ended up just as fucked as I was when I was back with the RDA.

“Fuck,” I grunt as I rest my back against the door of my room, the satisfying click it makes signifying that I was finally alone. I bury my face into my hands. Being alone finally lets all my emotions from the past few hours resurface. Like a surging rush of emotions that come all too fast, consuming every part of me until all I can do is cry.

It’s not a small cry like the one back in the clearing, no. It's a deep sob that escapes the back of my throat eliciting a painful sound I’d never imagine myself producing. I muffle the sound with my hand despite the way that my sobbing makes me shake and heave for a breath I couldn’t quite catch.

My crying releases me of the last bit of energy I had stored in my body. My back slides against the smooth metal door until my butt hits the ground. I pull my knees to my chest, holding myself until I’m so drained of tears that all I can do is heave shortened breaths.

It’s only then that I will myself off of the ground and to my bathroom. My actions all feel foreign as I take off my hair pieces and jewelry, as I shower and carefully wash my hair, as I dry off and pull on a baggy t-shirt and sweats.

It’s like my expression of sadness has left me truly numb and empty. Well, until I turn off the main light of my room and I finally get to lay on my bed, encapsulating myself in my blanket. It’s then that the dark warmth of my sad blanket cocoon brings on another wave of sadness.

As my warm tears glide down my cheeks and unto my mattress I realize that this would be one of those nights of crying alone in my bed until the pain of exhaustion overrides the pain of sadness and I finally fall asleep. I’d experienced many nights like this back at the RDA, this past week led me to believe I’d left them back there.

I guess I was too quick to assume.

I continue to shed my seemingly endless amount of tears as I continuously think about everything that's happened today. The attack, the accusations, Jake’s words, and the painful trip to Mo’at simply topping it off.

Suddenly my cry sesh is interrupted when someone barrels through my door, “Bitch, you won’t believe what Lo’ak told me-” It’s Noah. “Y/n? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” I mumble in my best attempt to sound normal.

“Yeah and I’m going to be the next Olo’eyktan,” he jokes, his voice approaching after he closes the door. “I know you better than you know yourself so don’t bother lying. I know a ‘sad blanket cocoon’ when I see one.”

I groan in annoyance as I pull the blanket down, the lamp beside my bed provides just enough light for Noah to see my battered face and teary eyes. His face portrays a weird mix of anger and sadness, “Oh, God. Who the hell- who did this to you?” he asks, his voice rough.

I shake my head, “It doesn’t matter.” I didn’t need for him to go out causing trouble for himself on behalf of the trouble I had just been put into.

His anger forcibly leaves his face. He is left with that sad sympathetic look alone, his ears low and his lips turned into a frown. “Well, what happened?”

I somehow can’t figure out how to tell him. Too many thoughts mixing making me unable to find a starting point. In my inability to speak I feel my bottom lip poke out, more tears following it. Noah lets out a sigh, “Scoot over, crybaby.”

I oblige, scooting over in bed to allow room for my brother who took up way too much space in these human beds. Norm and Max hand put two of the mattresses against each other making it long enough for us to fit our legs but they still weren't that wide.

When he’s comfortably fit under the covers he pulls me into an embrace that I had not realized I needed. It’s strong and loving and makes me feel as though despite all odds, things might somehow end up okay. It isn’t until my tears have slowed once more and my breath is almost normal that Noah speaks again. “Try to start from the beginning. I know it had to have started with getting that sample from Norm so start there. What exactly started all of this?”

The attack.

My brain instantly clears recognizing the catalyst to the shitstorm I’d just experienced. That’s where I start in my long explanation of everything. Speaking about it clarifies the situation in my head enough for me to truly process it and all that it could mean. It leaves a pit in my lower stomach that I decide to ignore for the time being.

Like the amazing brother he is, Noah doesn’t interject. He doesn’t give an opinion or his advice because he understands that right now I just need to get it all out of my system, put it in the air and recognize the weight it puts in the atmosphere and allow it to linger until I eventually adapt.

There’s a moment of silence when I’m done speaking. A moment where we both rest in the weight of our surroundings. “Is- is there anything I could do?” Noah asks. “To help?”

I shake my head, almost breaking a smile at the kind gesture, “No, no, it’s okay. I will figure it out but until then I want you to keep going to training and giving your all. I don’t want whatever decision Jake makes to affect you too.”

He rolls his eyes at me, “If anything changes for you, it’s changing for me too. I wouldn’t abandon you like that.”

“I don’t think it’s considered ‘abandoning’ if I am the one telling you to do what’s safer for you.”

He scoffs out a laugh, “We really don’t have to get into the technicalities of this. If you go, or are not allowed in the clan, then so will I. There’s no talking me out of it.

“You are so aggravating,” I say finally letting out a small laugh.

He smiles at the gesture. “Says the one who thinks I am going to abandon her for a clan of people who don’t even like me. You will always be my priority, Y/n.”

His words burn as they enter my system. So genuine and meaningful, reminding me that through every bad thing I’d been through in my life, he was there. And as long as he had something to say it seemed it would always be this way. “I love you,” I mumble.

“I love you too. Now that’s enough of being sad. You will get better, I will keep going to training and everything will work itself out, okay?”

I nod, “Okay, except, please don’t talk to anyone about anything. Neteyam already knows but I’d rather not keep bringing it up. If anyone asks-”

“You are here healing and that’s all that matters,” he finishes for me, knowing I had not wanted any aspect of today venturing into a far bigger deal than it already was.

If that was even possible.

“Now enough of this conversation. I’m staying in here tonight and I think we should watch Gumball.”

I can’t fight the smile that freely smudges itself across my face, “I think we should too.” Noah reaches for my laptop on my nightstand. Opening it and pulling up the last file of the show I had watched last night.

Tv shows.

One of the very few miraculous things that humans had created. Growing up in the RDA, Noah and I had been very aware of videos. They were a way to capture a moment that you could replay but essentially, when you broke it down, it was just a bunch of pictures called ‘frames.’

I thought ‘videos’ were boring and I dreaded them. I had always associated them with a new training or a new order. But when I was fourteen and began getting closer to Norm, almost always looking forward to when I could sneak and speak with him, he somehow changed my feelings on videos.

Not only did he share the endless and breath-taking data he had on Pandora, which I found myself looking at almost every spare moment he could, but he also shared these different types of videos called ‘shows and movies.’

He told me they were videos that told stories. A lot of the scientists brought or got these video stories, or films as Max would say, to keep them entertained. Norm thought it was unfair for us to not have entertainment as well.

He sent the films over one night, loads and loads of files that I stored onto a flash drive and uploaded to the laptop the RDA entrusted me with for research. Noah and I spent every night together watching as many of the films as we could until exhaustion got a hold of us.

Some of them were funny, some of them were sad. But our absolute favorite was actually a show Norm had downloaded for himself. It was a ‘cartoon’ called ‘The Amazing World of Gumball.’ Each of the videos tell a story of Gumball, a blue cat, and his life with his brother Darwin, who is a talking fish.

The storylines were so unbelievable and so impossible yet Noah and I became obsessed with them and since then continue to watch the show. When we were planning to escape we were scared that we would not be able to bring my laptop with all our favorite videos shared.

Since the RDA gave me the device I feared they would be able to track me with it. In the end though I realized how easy it was to deep dive into the internetworkings of a computer and simply disconnect any trace of the RDA. We knew Norm would have the recordings but something about this laptop, our Gumball laptop, made it too important to simply leave behind.

Said laptop is placed between Noah and I as the episode starts, the nostalgic opening sound heightening my mood as I drop my head to lean on Noah’s shoulder. “Wait,” I say, remembering something. “What did Lo’ak tell you?”

“Huh?” he mumbles, looking from the screen to me.

“When you came in here you said that Lo’ said something to you..”

“Oh yeah,” he says, letting out a laugh. “Apparently Spider is into you.” “What?”

“Mhmm,” he hums yet continues to laugh. “Lo’ak thinks it’s because you are the first girl who somewhat resembles his race.”

“Gross, Spider?” I groan.

“Hey, he’s not that bad. You know you love that blue paint and white boy dreads.”

I slap Noah’s arm for saying such mean words about our friend but it doesn’t keep me from belting out a laugh of my own, “You are unbearably stupid, Noah.”

- - -

Neteyam

Practice with Noah was great today, but I am confused.

Just yesterday his twin went through so many things but he seemed so unconcerned. At first I assumed she had not told him in embarrassment or shame, but when I asked how she was doing he seemed to know that she was injured.

Did she lie about what happened to make her injured?

Or is she actually okay now and they aren’t concerned?

Or, worse, what is she is distraught about it and doesn’t want anyone to know?

Oh Eywa, what if she was so distraught but didn’t even tell her brother and now she’s just sulking all alone in her room?!

“What’s on your mind, son?”

“Hm?” I hum, looking over to my father. We were walking back from a late night hunt, the rest of the group split into the directions of their homes.

“You've been distracted today, in your own little world.”

“Yeah,” I agree, stopping.

He does the same, facing me, “What is it?” “Nothing, it's just- What you said yesterday.. Are you really rethinking your decisions about Y/n?”

“I- I don’t know. I have to protect the people, son. You know that.”

“Yes but I also know that Y/n would never do anything like that.”

“You may believe that but there was proof of her hurting them and none of them cutting her. The odds are not in her favor and if it comes down to new people versus old, I am obligated to believe Kumo.”

“What if I could prove that it wasn’t her fault? That she belongs here and Kumo is just a skxawng trying to keep her from our clan?”

There is a beat of pause, “Why do you care so much?”

He’s assuming things, I can tell by the narrow of his eyes.

“Because,” I sigh. “I know them and I know that this is not something either of them would do, especially Y/n. I care so much because I am sick of Kumo getting away with getting people in trouble. He used to do it with Lo’ak and now he’s trying it with Y/n and I refuse to let it happen if there is anything I can do to stop it.”

My dad almost smiles at my words, not a humorous one but one of pride, “Fine. You have until she is better to bring me some type of proof that justifies her innocence. I trust your word I just- I can’t pick them over our people.” I have to physically keep myself from grinning, nodding instead, “Yes, yes I understand. Thank you, dad.”

He smiles, roughly patting my shoulder as a ‘you’re welcome’ before we move again heading back home. For the rest of the night though my brain churns, through dinner and keeping me up through the night.

Millions of thoughts all pertaining to one subject… proving Y/n’s innocence.

- - -

Y/n

One week.

Seven days.

168 hours.

10,080 minutes.

604,800 seconds.

More specifically; six days, 13 hours, 24 minutes, and about 35 seconds.

That’s how long I've been in my room.

My only visitor has been my brother, checking in on me or, on one occasion, bringing me ointment from Mo’at. A couple times he’d watch Gumball with me after his training but never for long because he’d be very tired from training.

I told him he didn’t have to worry about staying with me because I understand him being tired so, aside from his little check in’s, it’s just been me. In all honesty the free time was nice, I’d watch Gumball, play with my hair, or read. But as the week has progressed this anxious pit has permanently seemed to find its place in my stomach.

It’s fueled by all my subconscious thoughts and worries about whether or not Jake would change his mind about me. Or whether or not I'd get to finish my training, and if I did get to would I even be capable of catching up in time?

It took away my motivation to truly do anything. When I watched Gumball it felt like a chore, my attention focused on my worries and not the cartoon. Even doing my hair was a hassle, the only thing I could get myself to do was pull it in a low bun.

Reading wasn’t that bad though. I’d have to focus on each word and letter leaving no space for my worries in those moments. In the past three days I've read seven books. Whether it was a science book or old novels the humans had brought, I’d engorge myself with the words all the same.

I was half finished with the book I had started last night when I decided to shower. I’d gotten dressed, back in bed, and back to my book by the time Noah got back. He dropped in to say a quick ‘hello’ before going to take a shower himself.

I go back to my book when there is a knock at my door. My ears peak at the sound. Noah never knocks, and Max and Norm gave up talking to me a while ago.

I sigh as I turn my book upside down on my night stand before stalking over to the door. I opened it just enough to see who was there. To my surprise I am met with a broad, blue chest. My eyes trail up to the face of the person, “Neteyam?”

“Hi,” he smiles.

“Hi?” I say, confused as to why he was here even as I open the door wider for him to enter. “What’re you doing here?” I ask, as I close the door.

“Well, Mo’at wanted me to check on your wound and I wanted to see how you were doing," he explains as I make my way around him, sitting on the edge of my bed.

“Oh? Well, I’m fine,” I tell him, not really wanting anyone to try to delve into the details of how I felt right now. I know the second someone tries I will break into a million pieces, each crying out to be picked up, cared for, and put back together again because Eywa knows I couldn’t do it myself.

“Oh okay,” he says, taking only a few steps closer before awkwardly asking, “Can I see your wound, please?”

“Yeah, of course,” I mumbled, realizing I was wearing a bigger t-shirt than normal which made it harder to see my side. I pull it up enough to expose the healing scar.

Neteyam moves much closer, kneeling before me. He inspects it, “It looks much better.” “Thank you.”

“Mhmm,” he hums before reaching into the small bag that was attached to his side. He pulls out a small container, “This is a new ointment that will help it heal all the way.”

“Does it hurt?”

“Mo’at made it so.. probably. But it absorbs so it's only a temporary burn.”

“Okay,” I huff, mentally preparing myself. The cream burns as he applies it over the partially healed skin that lined my stitches. When I wince he moves his hand to rest on my knee. His touch is gentle and comforting as his thumb mindlessly grazes the soft fabric of my pants.

It’s a specific touch that I remember from last week. One that constantly brought me peace even in one of the most horrible events of my life. I’d be a liar if I said I hadn’t thought back to his touches over the past week. The way that he held and caressed me with such care when I was hurt.

I’d been held before when I was hurt, only by my brother though. But something about Neteyams touch was different in a way that I couldn’t quite decipher.

All I knew was that for some reason I crave to have that touch more and more.

When he’s done applying the ointment on my side he rises. His hand moves from my knee to my chin, holding my face up so that he could apply more ointment to the gash on my temple.

I watch him as he works. The way he focuses so hard on the task at hand; his eyes trained on the gash, his brows furrowed, his lips tilted into a small frown, and his ears pulled back.

This very moment brings me back to last week. His gentle touch, his little jokes to lighten the mood, the way he simply cared for me.

Just as it’s been for the last two weeks, the memory is comforting before more memories eat away at that comfort. Memories of those boys' actions, Jake’s words. The way that I truly don’t know what’s going to happen to me after my accusation. The way that my last time in the forest I’ve come to love could have been one that involved me being attacked.

Just like that, this comforting moment is ruined. That pit in my stomach returns, making the back of my eyes and throat burn. I direct my attention from Neteyam’s face to the ceiling, finding the bright glow of the light to be a better focal point.

I can’t break down in front of him, that’s the last thing I need.

Just a couple more minutes and he’ll be gone.

I repeat those words in my head as he finishes applying for the ointment. “All done,” he says.

“Thank you,” I reply, finally looking away from the light, blinking in an effort to get the afterimage of its glow to fade faster.

“You are welcome,” he mumbles, as he returns the ointment to his pouch. “How are you aside from your wounds?” he asked. The pit in my stomach burns, I feel tears prickle at my eyes at the one question I had hoped he wouldn’t ask floods the room. I blink away the tears but he had unfortunately noticed. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

If this idiot doesn’t stop questioning me I swear he will be the next person I punch.

“Nothing,” I answer quickly, as I stand and walk aimlessly towards my dresser. I busied myself with moving stuff around to distract myself from the overwhelming urge to cry. “I’m fine. How are you?”

“I’m okay..” he responds uneasily. “But how I am does not matter right now. I asked about you.”

“And I said I am fine.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes! What makes you think I’m not?” I grunt.

“You’ve been locked in this lab for days, I could have sworn you were about to cry, and when I ask if you are okay you pretend to be reorganizing your belongings.”

I roll my eyes, “I am not pretending,” I say, moving a picture of Noah and I from the left side of my dresser to the right before moving it back to the left. He lets out an annoyed hiss from behind me, obviously noticing my actions and hating the way I lied. “Why do you even care?” I ask lowly, blinking away the few tears that threatened to fall again.

“Because I care about you, Y/n. And I saw what happened to you, and I heard what my father said and I refuse to believe you are just ‘fine.’ And I know you and Noah have hardly been talking about it and I’m worried about you. So are Tuk and Kiri, and Spider and Lo’ak. We all care so much and I personally refuse to let you be here alone and sad. So please, talk to me.”

His words poke and prod at my resolve, slowly breaking it and allowing tears to fall from my eyes. I bite at my bottom lip, holding back a sob I refused to release. My hands have given up on pretending to be busy, now finding them covering my face. “I don’t want to,” I say, the words muffling into my palms.

I’m so busy trying not to cry that I don't notice he’s approached me until I feel his hands land on the sides of my arms. He does that stupid thing with his thumb where he gently rubs it against my skin, a simple touch that somehow calms me while further destroying my efforts of staying strong. “Why not?” he asks, and I am certain he knows what he’s doing to me.

“Because I’m scared,” I sniffled, dropping my hands to pull at my fingers.

He sighs again before using my arms to turn me to face him. I kept fidgeting with my hands, the last thing I wanted to do was look him in the face. That doesn’t matter though because he does that other stupid thing where he holds my face and forces me to crane my head up and look at him.

I blink through my tears in an attempt to actually see him. I pick up on the way his eyes soften before following my running tears. His mouth falls into another one of his little frowns, “What are you scared of, sevin?”

I don’t bother myself with asking for the meaning of the unknown na’vi word. “I don’t know,” I mumble, eyes falling to look at the way his braids laid over his shoulders, preferring the sight of that over seeing the way he looked down at me. “I- I just don’t really understand what went wrong. I don’t understand why those boys hurt me, or why your dad doesn’t believe I wouldn’t do anything like that. And i’m- I'm scared that he will decide I’m better off at the lab or back with the RDA then here. And I worry that Jake’s impression of me will reflect onto my brother and then he will punish him too. And as much as I hate the RDA I would be okay going back. I just couldn’t live with myself if I was the reason Noah had to go back too because he doesn’t deserve that at all. And I'm really scared that even if nothing happens with Jake, I won’t be able to catch up with my training and none of this will even matter.”

I took a deep inhale realizing that in my word vomit I'd began sobbing exactly how I had not wanted to. I let my hands cover my face again, a strained sob escaping my lips before I hold my breath in a poor attempt to stop crying before I continue, “And I am embarrassed that I am crying right now, especially in front of you, because I am also scared that maybe I am not even strong enough to be one of the people, emotionally or physically. I’m scared I’m just not fit for the clan.”

My final confession makes me cry harder into my hands. So hard that I feel nauseous and my body feels the urge to ball up like the little baby I was acting like. “Shhh,” Neteyam says, his voice ever so gentle. “C’mere,” he mumbles, one hand pulling my head to his chest and the other wrapping around my body in a strong embrace.

I don’t hesitate to embrace him back, my arms wrapping tightly around his waist as if he was the only thing keeping me from getting lost in my own anxious thoughts. I genuinely believe he was as I practically tremble in his arms, struggling to simply catch my breath. His muscular form almost consumes my entire figure surrounding me with his warmth and comforting scent. One of his hands ran along the side of my hair as his deep accented voice assured me that everything was okay.

My ear against his chest picks up on the steady sound of his heartbeat. I close my eyes and focus on that steady sound and the way I could feel its rhythm against the side of my head. He continues to hold me even as my sobs turn into smaller cries until I’m sniffling in his arms, taking deep breaths in an attempt to regulate my breathing and slow my heart.

In the wake of my anxiety attack my brain is foggy and I am exhausted. I dread the idea of pulling away from his comforting hold, a big part of me wishing I could stay here forever. Luckily he doesn’t pull away from me, not until I do although he still holds me close.

He doesn’t force a conversation, but his hand comes to wipe away the remnants of tears on my face. “I’m sorry,” I mumble, my energy to speak any louder being completely drained.

“You need to stop apologizing for being upset. Everyone gets upset, Y/n.”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

A deep chuckle comes from his lips, “What are you apologizing for now?”

“I don’t even know,” I answer truthfully, letting my body weight fall forward as I hug him again. His arms instantly wrap back around me. “Thank you, Nete,” I mumbled against him, not even wanting to imagine how bad my breakdown would have been if it had happened while I was alone.

He responds with a deep hum as his hand gently rubs my back, “Feel any better?”

I shrug, “Not really.. Maybe a little. I think I needed to cry. Thanks for being here.” “You don’t have to keep thanking me, either,” he laughs again as I pull away from the hug just enough to look up at him.

“I know, but I feel like I should. You’ve helped me so much.. I don’t even think I have a big enough vocabulary in either English or Na’vi to express how grateful I am.”

“Well I’ll always be here,” he tells me. “You don’t have to be embarrassed about your emotions or what you say to me because at the end of the day I am here to help you. You just have to speak to me.”

I nod, “Okay.. Okay I will try. Just.. maybe not anymore tonight. I’m sorry I just-”

Another one of his laughs cut me off. The sound was so perfect I didn't even mind that he interrupted my sentence, “Stop apologizing. You are under no obligation to tell me anything, ever.. at any point. Eywa, you are stressing so much. You need to get out of this room.”

I roll my eyes, “You’re telling me. It’s so bad even my recent dreams are centered around being in the lab.”

His face shifts into an expression that tells me he’s considering something, “Would you like to get out?”

I nod, “Would love to.”

“Well why don’t we go for a walk?”

“Now?!” I question, my brows furrowing at his question. “But it’s like.. past eclipse by now.”

He shrugs, “It will be safe, you will be with me. Plus we won’t even go that far. It will be fun.”

I take a moment to think through his offer although, deep down, I knew I would say yes. “Okay then. I guess we can go,” I answer sarcastically. “Just let me change.”

“Okay,” he says, detaching himself from me. “I will wait outside.”

I nod in agreement, watching him exit my room before I am practically rushing to change.

I pull on black cargoes as usual but instead of my tank top I pull on a long sleeved top. It was on the tighter side to keep my arms from getting caught on the flora but it kept my healing scars covered. I fix my low but to look a little less messy and then I am pulling on my boots before I am rushing out the door to meet Neteyam.

I must admit there is a pep in my step I haven’t had in days. I can’t quite decipher if it was because I was getting to leave the lab for a while.. or if it was because of the boy I was getting to leave with.

- - -

Neteyam

Tonight is calm.

The wind is subtle, the sounds of nature are soothing, and the glow of the forest is bright as always.

I’d been worried about Y/n for a while. I spent the last view days trying to convince myself that I was overthinking, that she was fine. That I needed to just worry about figuring out how to prove to my father that she was innocent and belonged. That I didn't need to check on her myself, that if anything was too bad Noah would have told me.

I reached my breaking point today when I cut to the chase and asked Noah about his sister. He shrugged off my response, telling me she was fine. But with the way his ears twitched lower I couldn’t believe him, I had to come see myself. And after what I’d just witness, I’m glad I came.

The poor girl was on the brink of a breakdown even before I began questioning her. Being in this lab was no good for her so, despite it being past the eclipse, I was going to take her on a much needed walk.

The door to the lab screeches as it opens drawing my attention to the Y/n as she emerges. She’d changed into different clothes that matched the Y/n I was used to seeing, not the sad girl I had previously held in my arms. “I’m ready,” she says, walking towards me.

I can’t help but smile when I notice her more relieved expression. “C’mon,” I tell her, nodding towards the forest behind me.

She shuffles to my side as we walk. The walk is quiet, too quiet. So quiet that I am concerned that she’d been sad about something again. But when I look over to her, her attention is on everything around us; the glowing trees, the hyperactive plants.

Her jaw hangs slightly and her eyes are wide as if she had never seen the forest before. I missed that expression she’d wear whenever she walked around the forest. The way she was so infatuated with the world I grew up around.

The sound of running water tells me we’re close to our final destination. “This way,” I tell her, guiding her in that direction.

She follows until we reach the thick section of leaves that hang before us. My arm moves them out of the way for the two of us to walk through. “Wow,” she gasps, stopping in her tracks.

I stopped as well watching as she took in the spot I’d brought her to. A small section of the forest that was cut out by surrounding trees and other plants with a small section of a river that ran through. From what I know, nobody knew about it but me. It was my only place of peace. “Za’u,” I say, holding my hand out. (Come.)

She grabs my hand, following me as I guide her towards the river side only speaking when I stop to sit beside the river between two large rocks. She mimics my actions, sitting beside me and crossing her legs, “What is this place?”

I am too focused on watching the way my thumb ran over the smooth knuckles of her tiny hand to even realize she had said something.

Were her hands always this soft?

“Neteyam?” she says, her hand twitching in mine to get my attention.

“Hm?” I hum, finally looking up to her.

There is a small smile on her face when she questions me again, “Where are we?”

“Oh, I’m not really sure,” I mumble, looking around before my eyes land back on her. “I found it a couple years ago. Nobody really knows about it so it’s where I come when I need to be alone.” Her mouth turns into a frown, “What’s wrong?”

“I feel bad, like I'm invading your peaceful spot.”

A small laugh escapes my lips, “I purposefully brought you here, sevin. Don’t worry, you probably need the peace more than I do. And if anyone had to know about my spot I’d want it to be you.”

“Why’s that?”

“I love my family but they have a lot of expectations, I can never fully relax around them. But I don’t ever feel like that around you though.”

Y/n’s face warms to a shade of red I haven't seen in a while. “You’re comfy around me?”

“Comfortable?” I question, seeing if the foreign word she used was associated with another similar word I knew.

She smiles, “Yeah, comfortable.”

I nod, “Yeah, I am comfy around you.”

The word falls oddly from my mouth in a way that makes Y/n giggle, “I’m comfy around you too, Nete.”

I can’t describe it but her words make my chest and face burn. They make a feeling I can’t quite describe surge through my body. It makes me want to hear her tell me more about how I make her feel, makes me want to hold more than just her hand at this moment.

I don’t quite understand why I felt like this, but I had to distract myself from it before I did or say something that I shouldn’t. “Um- plus, I wanted to show you this,” I say, letting go of her hand and dipping mine into the river. The second my hand makes contact with the water the parts that rush against it glow a bright blue. Y/n gasps, amazed just as I assumed she’d be.

She sticks both her hands in the water, watching as the rushing water turns blue at her contact. I decide to talk to her about it, maybe I’d appeal to her interest in Pandora, maybe I’d impress her, “The scientists told me that it’s called-”

“Bioluminescent algae?”

“Yeah,” I smile. “It’s really rare to see in the forest so I thought you would find it interesting.”

“This is so cool,” she mumbles, her focus more on the algae than my words. I didn’t mind much though, I honestly found it almost adorable how she ran her hands through the water, how a smile strained at her face, and her eyes stayed trained on the water.

“You can swim in it if you want to,” I tell her, drawing her attention back to me. “It makes your skin look like it's glowing, it’s cool.”

An expression mixed with excitement and defeat crosses he features, “I can’t.”

“Why not?”

Her ears lower as she looks back down at the water, “It’s embarrassing. You will make fun of me.”

I roll my eyes, “You know I would never do that. C’mon tell me.”

She rolls her eyes herself before mumbling, “I can’t swim.”

“Huh?”

“I can’t swim!”

A small laugh slips my lips, “Seriously?”

Her bottom lip pokes out in a pout, “Hey, you said you wouldn’t make fun of me!”

I bit my bottom lip keeping myself from smiling, “I’m not making fun of you I just.. am surprised. How old are you again?”

She rolls her eyes at me before speaking in a mocking tone, “Ha ha.”

I laugh at her childish behavior, “I mean like why not?”

“Well I grew up in a lab, swimming lessons weren’t on the list of important topics.”

“Ohhh that makes sense.. if thats why then you shouldn’t be embarrassed.”

“Well I am,” she huffs.

Another small laugh escapes my lips, “Don’t worry I will teach you.” She smiles for a moment before it slightly falters and her attention is back on the water. “What is it?” I ask, noticing her change in emotion.

“Do you actually think I will get to stay here for you to be able to teach me?”

“Y/n,” I sigh, reaching to hold her hand again. My hold brings her attention back to me, her eyes glassy again. “You need to stop worrying about this.”

Her bottom lip pokes out again, “But if your dad says I can’t stay then you won’t be able to teach me how to swim. And- and you won’t be my friend anymore and I-”

“Shhh,” I stop her before she can get too carried away with her overthinking. “You aren’t going anywhere, Y/n.”

“How do you know that?” she asks, bringing her other hand out of the water to wipe away her single tear that had fallen despite smudging more water across her cheek.

“Remember when you first visited the village? When you had to go speak with my grandmother?”

“Mhmm,” she hums, nodding her head.

“Well, as Tsahik, my grandmother speaks the will of Eywa herself. She would not have said yes to your request had Eywa been against it.”

“But it’s not Mo’at or Eywa that I am worried about.. it’s your dad.”

I squeeze her hand and sigh, not exactly knowing how to comfort her. “My dad can’t reject the will of Eywa, whatever she has planned will happen. So don’t worry about what my father says, okay?”

“But what if it’s in Eywa’s will for me to not stay here longer than I have. What if this is only temporary and she wants me to go back to the RDA?”

“Then we will deal with that then, okay? As of now my father is giving me the chance to prove you are innocent in this entire situation.”

Her ears peak, “He is? How come?”

“Because I know you didn’t do anything wrong. And I’m not letting anything happen to you or your brother, not as long as I’m around and have a say. I promise you that.”

Her reaction is unexpected. After seeing her pretty warm smile I had expected a simple ‘thank you.’ Half of any of my thoughts cut off when the girl throws herself against me in a hug. I am quick to catch her, my arms wrapping around her waist as hers wrap around my neck.

She holds me tightly, her head buried so far against my neck that I can feel the smile her lips form against my skin. She moves her face back just enough to mumble out a ‘thank you’ before it rests against me again.

“You’re welcome,” I told her, my head leaning on her shoulder. This hug was different than the last, she wasn't clinging to me in sadness, no this was joy. Joy that’s so grand that I feel it seep from her skin, penetrating my emotions until I can’t help but feel joyful as well.

I squeeze her in my arms, my head mindlessly moving closer to her neck similarly to how she had. The action consumes my senses with an intoxicating smell that I connected to her. A sweet smell I had not encountered since that day I carried her back to the village, one that I crave to smell more.

Luckily for me the girl didn’t seem to have any intention of moving soon, so I pulled her the smallest bit closer, basking in her touch, the way she rested against me, and her smell. I close my eyes in content, this moment is perfect, one I never wanted to leave and would certainly think about later.

What is it about this girl that makes me want to stay in her presence forever?

Our hug lasted longer than the last, so long that I began to think that exhaustion from her breakdown had lulled her to sleep in my arms. Much to my momentary disappointment, the hug does eventually end when a glow of light from behind my closed eyes annoys me until I am forced to open my eyes. The sight is enough to make a slight gasp escape my lips.

One atokirina. It floats before my eyes, close to Y/n’s shoulder. I move my face back from off her shoulder despite the way that Y/n’s head still leans against me. In the absence of my head the atokirina lands on her shoulder.

I gently shake her arm, “Y/n.. Y/n look.”

“Hm?” she hums, finally pulling her head away from my shoulder to look up at me. A hand comes up to rub her eye, maybe she really had fallen asleep.

“Your shoulder,” I whisper. “Look.”

She does what I say, looking at her shoulder before her jaw instantly drops, “Woah.”

“It’s an atokirina.”

She looks up at me and I think she is going to ask me something but a rustling in the trees distract us. We both turn towards the sound, anticipating an animal or maybe even a person, but instead we are met with a bunch of atokirina gently falling from trees.

Totally amazed by the sight before her, Y/n pulls away from me. I can’t help but watch as she makes her way to the center of the clearing, her head tilted up as she watches the atokirina fall towards her.

The moment they begin to land on her a soft giggle escapes her mouth as she turns to me. I can’t help but smile back as I stand and make my way over to her.

Though I stand before her only a few atokirina land on me unlike Y/n whose body is almost completely covered in the glowing forms. I reach up and let one of the woodsprites land on my hand before bringing it to Y/n’s face.

I watch carefully as the atokirina hops from my hand onto her face. It makes her giggle again. “That tickles,” she whispers as the woodsprite moves softly against her cheek. My mind bursts with understanding as more atokirina land on her face. At this very moment Eywa was confirming the fact that Y/n did in fact belong here whether she believed it or not.

I am pulled out of my thoughts when one more atokirina lands on the last open space on her, her nose. She sneezes and they all float off of her at once. She gasps, hand covering her mouth as they begin floating away, “Oh no, I didn’t mean to scare them.”

“It’s okay,” I laugh, unable to keep myself from smiling as she watches the woodsprites float away. “Do you know what that means?”

She looks back to me, shaking her head, “No.”

“Sit with me,” I say, dropping to sit in the middle of the clearing. She sits in front of me, so close that our knees press up against each other. “You know how Eywa is connected to every living thing right?”

She nods, “And the energy keeping everything is only borrowed from her until death.”

“Right, well the atokirina are a bit different. They are like little pieces of Eywa herself moving as Eywa would.”

Her brows furrowed in confusion, “I don’t understand what this has to do with anything, Nete.”

I sigh thinking of a more specific way to phrase my words, “They reflect Eywa’s will. The atokirina landed on you. You belong, Y/n. Eywa just showed you that you have nothing to fear.”

A warm smile covers her face, “Really?”

I nod, “Yes, really. When I was young my mother told me of the time where the atokirina stopped her from killing my father back when she saw him as nothing more than a dream walker. They even covered him like they just did you!”

She lets out a small laugh, “You’re very excited about this.”

“I am! I’ve seen the atokirina move before but never in a way like this. The last time Eywa moved like that on behalf of someone who was not Na’vi the person became Toruk Makto and Olo’eyktan!”

“Alright now,” she says, a hand landing on my knee. “I am not going to be anything as grand as either of those names. But if what you are saying is true then I believe you.”

“So you will stop worrying so much?”

“I will try.. but I make no promises.”

“Good,” I smile before looking up. The sight of the sky brings something to mind. “I almost forgot,” I say looking back at her.

“What?”

“This clearing gives the perfect view of the stars at night,” I say pointing up.

She looks up, eyes shining from the light of the trees. “Woah,” she mumbles. I move to lay down on the ground, looking up at the sky. Y/n looks back down at me, “What are you doing?”

“Looking at the stars. It’s nice, lay with me.”

“Okay,” she says, moving to lay just a foot away from me. We both look upwards at the sky. It’s another quiet moment but it isn’t awkward, it’s comfy.

For a second there I began to believe it was so quiet because she had fallen asleep again. I turn my head against the grass to see but I don’t find her eyes closed from sleep, no. They are wide open, eyes seemingly darting from star to star as if she was trying to remember where each of them were placed.

My eyes trail to study her side profile; her long lashes, the perfect slope of her nose, the way her lips had a slight pout to them. The freckled designs on her skin take my attention next. I admire her unique designs, the way that she was the only person to have those specific marks although Noahs were very similar.

I found it interesting how they were brown and never glowed, but now that I see her in the dark of night I know that is not fully true. There’s a few of them that glow like mine, so little that if I took the time I could count them.

Part of me wanted to, wanted to count all the glowing marks on her face, and when I had that number memorized I’d count the ones on the rest of her body. I wanted to know the exact number, to kiss and trace her soft skin as I counted each spot so that I could remember it forever.

She’d become so smitten with me recently, maybe she’d let me. Let me see her complete beauty, undiminished by her human clothes or any coverings at all.

But that’d be too much to ask. Because even if she said yes, and I could have her, she’d be the only one I’d ever want. I’ve no clue where my infatuation with her began. Maybe it was her smell that’d got me hitched, it called me to her like an insect to pollen. Or maybe it started that first day I met her, when I saw that perfect smile.

I assume I will never truly know where or when it started, but I do know that as future Olo’eyktan I could not have her. At the end of the day, feelings set aside, I would have to be a leader someday. I’d need a Tsahik by my side. Y/n was learning how to climb through trees just two weeks ago and she isn’t even a part of the clan yet. To even dream of her possibly filling that spot would be wrong.

So as much as it made me want to gag and puke, I swallowed that truth. I would not have her because I know that’d I’d want to be the only one that ever could. I wouldn't want anyone else to know that special number of spots, or all the little things she loved. Whether anyone would realize it or not she’d be mine.

I couldn’t have that but I wouldn’t totally separate myself from her though, Eywa knows I couldn’t. Not now.

The past week she’s all I’ve thought about; memories of our momentary touches, her laugh, and her smell clouding my head until I broke and went to the lab, something I rarely do voluntarily. The only thing that stopped the thoughts was being in her room which smelt intoxicatingly like her, holding her in my arms over and over, and this moment right here, her laying on the grass in the dead of night beside me in the one place I vowed to never bring anyone.

I always thought that nothing could make this place more soothing, but having Y/n here has proved me wrong in so many ways. Being around her felt like an escape from all my worries, even when I was helping her with hers. Because although she thinks I am helping her, which I am, what she doesn’t realize is she’s simultaneously helping me too.

That’s the reason why I will keep running back to her until the day that I am officially promised to another. I’ll keep holding her, and laughing with her. I’d share every part of me that I could because even though I know she can’t be mine, I fear I may already be hers

I turn my head back up to the night sky, pointing up to one of the brighter stars, “You see that star right there?”

“Mhmm,” she hums.

“That is where my dad came from.”

“Really?” she asks, her voice like a gentle song.

“Yeah, Norm told me it'd take 4.37 light years to get here from there. I don’t really understand how they travel with light, especially with all the machines they bring.” Y/n lets out a giggle, a sound that is so small but makes me turn my head to her again, “What?”

“They aren’t traveling with light,” she says, glimpsing at me before looking back up at the sky. “It’s just a measure of time since light moves so fast.”

“How fast?”

“About 186,000 miles per second. A light year is just a measure of how long it would take light to get somewhere when compared to the length of an Earth year.”

“365 days?” I recall, remembering some of the very few things I’d learned about Earth.

“Yeah, that’s right,” she smiles. “In the span of that many days light is able to travel almost 6 trillion miles. So they use that number to simplify how long it actually takes to get somewhere so far away. From Earth to here is like 26,000,000,000,000 miles away which means it would take thousands of years but with light years you can just say about four years even though it's much more.”

“You know a lot about this stuff.”

She nods, turning to face me, resting her head on her arm, “Learning was one of my hobbies for a while. I hyper focused on learning as much as I could because I had a feeling it’d be important someday even though I thought I’d never leave that lab. Now it kinda feels like useless information.”

“It’s not useless, there will be a use for it some day I’m sure. Was learning and jewelry-making your only hobby?”

“No, I had other sporadic hobbies that I would get over. A consistent one was watching this show that Norm sent Noah and I a file of, we still watch it together.”

“What is a show?”

“Um, do you know what just a plain video is?”

“Yeah?”

“Well a show is basically just a video but with plot.. like a story being told with a video. It’s pretty cool you should watch it with me someday.. if you want to of course.”

I smile at her uncertainty, “I would love to. Sounds interesting.”

She smiles back before turning to look up at the stars again, “Is star-gazing your hobby?”

“Yeah,” I say, turning to look at the stars as well. “I have a couple others but this is probably the most relaxing one.”

“I agree,” she yawns.

We fall into another long moment of silence. After a while though, it’s too silent. I look over and this time, instead of finding her gazing up at the stars, her eyes are closed and her face is tilted to the side as she sleeps.

She looks so peaceful, so unbothered by all the things going wrong in her life. It seems to be such a rare state for her to be in. I almost don’t have the heart to wake her up, but I’d prefer she sleep under her fluffy cloths I saw in her room than on the floor of the forest tonight.

“Y/n?” I say.

“Hmm?” she hums, turning her head fully against the grass and curling herself up towards me.

“I think we should walk back to the lab, okay?”

“Okay,” she mumbles, but she doesn’t move. She stays there, sleeping on the grass.

I laugh at her refusal to get up, gently shaking her with a hand on her waist. “Y/n.”

“Whaaat?” she grumbles, eyes flickering up to me.

“I’m gonna walk you back to the lab, c’mon.”

“Okay,” she mumbles again, but this time she stands with me.

The walk to the lab is just as nice as the walk to the spot, although a part of me feels bittersweet from the thought of having to be without her again. I walk her up the stairs of the lab, standing at the bottom as I watch her climb them.

She turns back to me from the top platform. “Did you have fun?” I ask.

“Yes,” she smiles. “I really needed to get out and I almost forgot how fun you were to be around, so thank you.”

“Of course, anytime. You’re fun to be around too.” She smiles, before turning to open the door, but she freezes. “What’s wrong?” I ask.

“Nothing,” she answers, turning back to me. “Did you maybe want to watch that show thing I told you about with me?”

“Right now?”

Her face turns red as her eyes wander to the trees, “I mean yea, if you want to.. if not then-”

“Sure.”

Her eyes snap back to me, “Wait really?”

“Yeah,” I laugh.

“Oh okay,” she says, turning back to open the door. “C’mon.” I follow her through the lab all the way to her room. She closes the door behind her before moving to one of the pieces of furniture that holds clothes, “I’m going to change, you can lay on my bed if you want.”

“Okay,” I say as she walks over to another door in her room, entering the smaller room and closing the door behind her.

My gaze moves to her bed. The long surface is covered in cloths and fluffy things at the top. Spider had spoken to me about beds before, telling us that they were comfortable but of course making sure to emphasize the point that he loved the surfaces the na’vi slept on.

I question the unknown surface that I was expected to lay on. I start with pressing a knee onto the surface, surprised by how it sinks into the material. I move my hands to push against it watching how they sink into the seemingly solid material.

I crawl the rest of my way onto the bed, plopping myself down. I am amazed with the way it seems to support me, with the way the cloths are so soft, and of course how all of it smelled of Y/n.

I moved to lay myself at the top of the bed, surprised that this thing could fit my entire height. I lay my head on one of the fluffy things at the top of the bed amazed by how it supports my head like the bed but was so soft. I grab the other fluffy thing beside me and hold it over my face, burying myself in the soft warmth of it.

A gentle laugh fills the air, “What the hell are you doing?”

I pull the thing away from my face and turn to look at Y/n who is laughing to herself, “What is this thing?”

She walks over to the bed, grabbing a rectangular device from the table beside it before crawling onto the bed herself, “My pillow?”

“I love your pillow,” I tell her, burying my face into it again.

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah, it’s so soft and it smells like you,” I tell her, somehow she understands me despite the pillow

“What do I smell like?”

“Good.”

“Thanks,” she laughs. “Now can I get my pillow back?”

“Mhmm,” I hum into the pillow, before passing it over to her. She maneuvers it behind her, leaning her back against it. I follow her action, sitting up to lean against the pillow behind me. She places the rectangle she had grabbed on her lap, “What’s that?” I ask.

“My laptop,” she tells me.

“What does it do?”

“It’s like one of those big computers Norm and Max have but,” she places it on my lap, “it goes on your lap. It’s what Noah and I watch our show on.”

“Ohhhh,” I say, tapping the top of it. “How does it work?”

She leans over and opens the top of it, “Like this.” The screen glows and a circle swirls in the center of the screen until Y/n moves the laptop in view of her face. Only then does it seem to give her access. She taps around before turning the laptop more to face me again, “We’re going to start on the first episode.”

“Okay?” I say, not even understanding what an episode was.

Y/n rolls over and pulls a string on the light beside her bed, leaving us in the dark except for the light of the screen. She taps a button and leans on my shoulder as the screen begins playing a tune and showing bright colored beings that look so unrealistic.

When the song ends the first thing that pops up is a blue being with ears like mine, it’s talking to orange fish with legs. “What the hell is this?” I ask her. “Is that blue thing mocking me?”

“What?” she says, tapping something on the device to make the show stop before looking up at me. I look down at her, folding my ears against my head, that seems to make her realize. “Oh god,” she says before busting out in laughter.

“Are you mocking me now too? This isn’t funny, Y/n.”

“No, no I’m not,” she says, although she keeps laughing. “He’s supposed to be a cat!!”

“A what?”

Y/n deeply inhales, composing herself before speaking again, “A cat is an animal from Earth, and this show was made long before humans learned about Pandora.”

“So this is not a mockery?”

“No,” she giggles. “Just a coincidence. Now, can we watch the show?”

“I guess,” I huff sarcastically. She smiles before playing the show again and dropping her head back to rest perfectly on my shoulder.

The show is pretty entertaining even though I struggle to understand half of what the odd looking characters are speaking about. I watched about five parts of the show before I realized that the girl resting on my shoulder had dozed off again.

I try to gently move her from off me with the full intention of leaving without disturbing her rest. My attempts fail though when the second I try to move her she stirs just enough to mumble out a ‘no.’

“What was that?” I ask, hands hovering over where they had just touched her.

“Please stay,” she practically whines in her sleepy state. Her words are enough to make my heart melt, but when her arms maneuver their way around my torso I feel all my insides melt.

“Are you sure?”

“Mhm,” she hums, head pushing against my arm. I take the gesture as a silent request for me to move my arm. I lift it, placing it behind her as her head finds a new resting place against my chest. “Please? ‘m comfy,” she mumbles again, barely fighting sleep just to hear my response.

“Okay,” I answer, bringing a hand up to push a few of her stray hairs away from her pretty face. “I will stay.”

I am able to spot the smallest sleepy grin that appears on her face before her soft voice elicits a small, “Yay.”

She’s quick to fall back asleep but I find it hard to feel the tiniest bit tired. Not because I had not wanted to sleep, but because of how hyperaware I am of the situation I've found myself in.

I try to focus on the show that is still playing, seeing as I didn’t fully understand how to turn it off, but I am too distracted by the way that Y/n’s arms rest around me, or the way that her head would occasionally nuzzle further against my chest. I could feel and even hear the gentle rise and fall of her breathing against me.

I am surrounded by her; her touch, her smell, and her soft sounds. I disregard watching the show, opting to add the sight of her to my list. She looked so perfectly peaceful in this moment, thick lashes resting against her uniquely colored cheeks, her plump lips just barely parted.

I can’t stop the feeling of desire that rushes through me, I want to stay in this moment, or any of the other amazing moments I heard with her today, forever.

Realization is the next feeling that runs through me. The realization that maybe I was getting too attached to these moments, to this girl. The thought that should scare me, that I should avoid, warms my body and quickens my heart rhythm to the point that I am surprised the loud thumping had not awoken her.

I am distracted from my realization as a soft hand trails up my torso, landing to press on my chest. “Y’okay, Nete? Heart’s fast..” she slurs and I feel bad for keeping her from resting for the third time today.

“Yes, I’m fine,” I reassure her, moving her hand to wrap around me instead of pressing against me in a way that felt almost too intimate. “Just go back to sleep.”

“Mmmk,” she hums, arm tightening back around me on their own as she falls back asleep.

As Y/n rests in my arms I can’t help but wonder how she would react if she knew that the very heart that had just woken her up was beating at the simple thought of her. Would she pursue that desire? Or would it scare her away from me?

It of course wouldn’t matter, I could never have her because I had a duty to fill. I was going to be Olo’eyktan and I would need to find a Tsahik so I could not pursue Y/n no matter how much I wanted to.

I constantly remind myself of this fact but for some reason I just can’t seem to care that much. For the first time in my life I have something to be selfish about and I can’t seem to make myself feel bad about it.

I’ve spent my entire life giving up what I wanted but in this moment, as I finally come to terms with the growing feelings I have for the girl in my arms, I decide that if I would ever ensure I got what I wanted.. I would get Y/n.

- - -

A/N: Hey guys! I hope you enjoyed the chapter! I am sorry it took so long for me to update. A mix of school and personal life just got really stressful and I didn't have much time to write anything worth posting. I appreciate everyone who is intrested in my story but I don't think I will be able to post as frequently as I tried to in the begining. I started trying to post weekly but it began to feel like a chore and took the fun out of it and the product of that was really shitty writing. So, even though I will definetly try to avoid not posing for an entire month, my posting won't be scheduled. BUT I DEFINETLY WILL AVOID NOT POSTING FOR A WHOLE MONTH BECAUSE WHAT?! Anyway I hope you enjoyed the story and I promise I will try to post soon! - Mak <3

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