#something about each other noone else notices

[hoshiboshimax]

Inspiration

[p0orbaby]

Little fic where is alexia dating an English player who finds it difficult how affectionate Spanish people are with each other. Alexia having to reassure her that it’s a Spanish thing and she’ll try to be less touchy etc.

-

You’re not sure when exactly it starts to get on your nerves, but by the time you notice, you’re on a sun-bleached terrace in Barcelona, watching Alexia kiss three people hello in under five minutes. It's an odd thing to obsess over, and yet here you are, eyes narrowed as you sip on an overpriced cortado that tastes like dust and regret. You’re not jealous. Of course not. That would be absurd. You’re simply... perplexed by the excessive touching, the relentless stream of hugs, kisses, and arm squeezes that seem to form the bedrock of Spanish existence. Everyone’s always touching someone.

In England, a handshake is intimate enough, and in London, where you’re from, if anyone dared speak before your tea even cooled, you’d probably alert the authorities. But here? It's practically a greeting card in motion. You’ve seen grown men embrace in the street like they’ve just survived a shipwreck. It's baffling.

Alexia sits down across from you, smiling in that way that makes you feel foolish for being annoyed by anything. She’s impossibly beautiful, and the knowledge of that fact gnaws at you constantly. She’s all golden skin and nonchalance, legs casually crossed, one hand fiddling with her sunglasses as if she’s in some sort of commercial for ‘cool.’

“Are you okay?” she asks, her accent making every word sound softer than it should be, like it's wrapped in velvet. She’s genuinely concerned, or she’s pretending really well. You can’t tell which.

“Yeah,” you say. “Fine”

And then, because you’re not actually fine: “Do you have to kiss everyone?”

She looks at you like you’ve just asked if the sky is blue. “It’s how we greet people here”

“I know that,” you say, setting your cup down with more force than necessary. “But does it have to be every time? You’ve kissed three strangers today already, and it’s not even noon”

Alexia blinks at you, then laughs. “It’s just being polite”

Polite? You're thinking. In England, you say "hi" and move on with your day. No one has to swap saliva to prove they like you. But this? This is something else.

“Well, it’s... it’s excessive.” You try to explain, gesturing vaguely in the air like you can catch the sheer madness of it all. “People just... touch all the time. And I’m not used to it”

Alexia’s mouth twitches, trying to suppress a smile. “We’re just more affectionate”

“Affectionate?” you say. “It’s like a plague of hand-holding and cheek-kissing”

She finally lets out a laugh, full-bodied, the kind that makes her eyes crinkle. “You sound like an old lady”

“Maybe I am,” you mutter, trying to keep a straight face. “Maybe England has made me emotionally unavailable”

Alexia reaches out to touch your arm, then stops, hesitating, her hand hovering mid-air like she’s not sure if it’ll set you off again. “Do you want me to stop?”

“No, no,” you sigh, waving her hand toward you, now feeling like the crazy one. “It’s fine. Just... give me a heads-up before the next 12-person cuddle fest”

She grins, leaning back. “I can try”

You shake your head, biting back a smile. “You’re so annoying”

“And you love it

You do. And you hate that you do, which is probably the worst part of all this. She knows you’re wound too tight for your own good, and she’s infinitely more relaxed about everything, like the world bends to her will instead of the other way around.

You finish your cortado, now cold. “You realise you kissed the barista on the way in, right?”

Alexia nods, grinning wickedly. “She made my coffee right”

You groan, but you’re laughing, which only encourages her. “I’m never letting you set foot in the UK again”

“That’s fine,” she says, leaning in, all confidence. “Spain suits you better anyway. You just don’t know it yet”

[dwaekkicidal]

Sharing is Caring [3: HyunLix]

˚ʚHyunLix x fem!Readerɞ˚

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ summary: Hyunjin and Felix take after their leader, using their way to push your body just far enough past its limit.

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ word count: 4.4k

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ warnings: fem!reader, chanlix mxm mentions before the 1st divider, ot8 x reader mentions, chris x reader fluff in the very beginning, 'baby girl' and 'princess' used (1) time each, threesome, rough sex, mentions of chan/chris x reader and filming+sharing the video, hard(?)dom hyunjin, soft dom lix, overstimulation, filming, fingering, squirting, yellow from the light system is called (1) time, p in v (be safe about it irl), oral (f and Hyun receiving), spanking, slight aftercare mentions, that should be all?

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ notes: we dont talk about how late this is lol. Also sorry if the plot parts seem rushed >< I didn’t know what else to fluff it up with but there was already so many words so i left it as is lol

Sharing is Caring Masterlist

DO NOT republish or translate+post my work!

Chris’ hands roam up and down your back as the two of you lay on the couch in his dorm, you settled between his legs and draped lazily over his torso. His chin pokes at the top of your head as he strains himself slightly to look down, eyes sparkling with nothing but admiration and love. You stare up with a similar expression, a small smile taking over your features as the TV show is long forgotten.

“I’ve missed this.” His voice comes out hushed and quiet as he tries to keep this moment private, not taking even the slightest chance to wake up his roommates. It was super late into the night, past 2 am if you had to guess, and this was the first time in weeks he had gotten alone time with you.

You smile a little wider and nod, resting your cheek near his shoulder as a hand comes up to rest on his cheek. “It has been a while. The boys have been throwing me between each other so I haven’t had any alone time with you. Let alone one on one time with the others-'' He laughs before quieting himself again, “Yeah… They really have.”

A comfortable silence fills between you two for a while after that until you notice that Chris is making a weird face, a cute one though. It’s the face he makes when he’s thinking about something really hard so you poke him a few times, tickling him in an attempt to get an explanation out of him. He smiles at you again and thinks to himself as if he is trying to find the right words. “How do you think I should go about trying to sleep with one of the other boys?” The question makes you perk up and you stare at him with wide eyes.

“Sleep as in… have sex with?” You laugh lightly before laying back down against his chest. “Is this about Han?” He bites his lip and looks up at the ceiling. “Yes and no? Uh… basically that first night we opened up the relationship, Han told me that he messes around with Felix sometimes. I’ve always been interested in Lix, but it's gotten worse lately. I just don’t know how to go about it…”

You massage his ear as you get lost in thought, tenderly rubbing the area there in an attempt to calm his nerves. “I mean… realistically, you could just be honest with him. I mean, this is Felix we’re talking about. I don’t think you could offend him or cross a line with him even if you tried.” He chuckles and rolls his eyes.

“If it would make you feel better, I can tell him that you want to talk about something and get the two of you some alone time. I can even distract the boys for you if you need it.” You both laugh and he nods in agreement.

He deems it bedtime not long after that, helping you to your feet before joining you on the short journey to his bedroom. Already being in your pajamas, you just throw yourself on his mattress and groan when he throws himself on top of you. Some giggles are exchanged before he normally lays on his back and pulls you into his chest, smiling to himself as you nod off.

“Good night, baby girl. I love you.”

It was around noon the next day when you woke up. You were used to the feeling of the bed being empty thanks to Chris’ tendency to leave early and head to the studio with the other two producers. However, today was a little different thanks to an unknown figure who throws themself on the bed behind you, wrapping their arms around you and whispering a deep “Good morning.”

Hyunjin walks into your vision and smiles sweetly, laying down in front of you and snuggling close to you. He shoves his face into your neck and places tickling kisses there as you come to your senses. Felix pokes his head out from behind you and pulls you to lay on your back before assaulting your face with kisses, causing you to smile and wiggle between the two of them. 

After a while of cuddling and sleepy kisses, the three of you eventually get up in order to get some food in your stomachs. As you all ate, Felix explained that everybody else was busy doing their own things and he was lonely in the other dorm, so he came over to spend some time with you and Hyunjin. Then, once everybody ate, Hyunjin dragged you out to the living room to hang out with them despite your pleas to go back to bed and nap, which is how you all ended up cuddling on the couch watching Felix play Tekken (and losing miserably).

The boys sometimes snuck you kisses between rounds, conversing with each other and updating you about the newest songs or choreos as well as any promotions you were unaware of. You could tell something else was on their minds though. Between matches Felix would nervously bite his lip and try to sneak his hand to his neck, checking the pulse while he and Hyunjin exchanged weird faces at each other. You ignored it at first, but once Hyunjin started fidgeting from his spot beside you, you finally made them spit it out.

Now… Both men were aware of how you could squirt. Hell, the whole group was! They all witnessed it themselves when a 3-minute video was sent to the group chat a week ago: the video containing your lower half with Chris’ fingers shoved deep into your cunt that spewed a waterfall towards him and his phone’s lens. They all admitted how insanely hot it was, but ultimately moved on from it and hadn’t brought it up again. These two, however, just could not get it out of their heads. More so, they wondered if they could get you to that point and wanted to experiment.

And that is unfortunately how you found yourself in your current situation. An hour later with both men on each end of you; Felix sitting up on his knees with your head in his lap and Hyunjin between your legs, holding them open as he ate you out like it was the last meal he would get his hands on. They had spent the first 30 minutes or so minutes on foreplay, riling you up in all your favorite ways before you were even given the chance to undress. And since then, they managed to pull multiple orgasms from your body in this same position. They insisted on making you squirt their way instead of Chris’; meaning they slowly relaxed you and your body with foreplay for as long as they desired before using meticulous movements to overwhelm you. 

“You can do it, love. You gotta make a mess for us so we can fuck you.” The deep voice in your ear pulls you back down to earth and you shiver in his hold when his fingers return to your nipples like they had before your last orgasm hit. You can only nuzzle your cheek further into his thigh, letting out pathetic moans as the onslaught between your legs continues. Hyunjin never once pulled away from you, instead mumbling his response against your clit while his fingers hooked themselves inside of you.

They could tell you were close again and they worked harder, desperately wanting to see you squirt with their own eyes, not through the pixels of their phones. You knew yourself that you were almost to that point, you could feel it in your bones, but you also weren’t used to the gentleness of things. Chris always bullied his fingers in you aggressively, though extremely pleasurable at the same time, so you needed a little something else to push you over the edge. And, somehow, the younger of the two was already way ahead of you.

One of his hands was removed from your chest and in the corner of your blurry eyes, you could see him reach for a thin black object. The sudden bell-like sound of a recording beginning was played right next to your ear. You blinked away the blurriness in your eyes and watched as Felix panned his phone down to Hyunjin’s face, zoning in on the tongue licking shapes into your clit. He then moved the phone right under your face and zoomed in, letting you get an enhanced sight of the boy between your thighs and making you moan loudly.

Your eyelids tried to flutter shut but you held them open, desperate to watch the enhanced image of your beautiful boyfriend’s face that was glistening from your juices. Hyunjin caught on fast and tried to rile you up more, teasingly staring straight into the camera lens and licking a long and rough line along your clit. You even got a short glimpse of his tongue literally dripping from your cum as he pulled away to reposition his tongue inside of you.

Felix takes the chance to remove his free hand from your chest and reach forward, rubbing his fingers messily around your clit. It was all too much. Felix’s phone pointing at you as he humps the air by your head and occasionally pinches your clit mixed with Hyunjin’s long fingers bullying against your g-spot all while his tongue curves at the very entrance of your cunt and while he stares up at you intensely has you overwhelmed in all the right ways.

Your head is thrown back as you moan pathetically at the feeling of you gushing. Your legs desperately try to close around Hyunjin’s head, but Felix removes the hand on your clit and drops the phone on the bed to wrap his hands around the underside of your knees, holding them to your chest and giving Hyunjin the freedom to continue bullying your cunt.

With your head thrown back against Felix’s thigh, you don’t get to watch as Hyunjin backs away slightly, moving the hand that was resting on your thigh to rub roughly against your clit in order to pull more from you as his shirt gets completely soaked. While he does this, his long fingers continue to curve upwards and dig into your G-spot.

"F-Fuck! Wait!!" You moan out a cry and shoot your arms down to push his hands away, only for his now-soaked hand to come up and take hold of both of your wrists. They hold you tightly like this, keeping you in place as they push your body’s limits. What feels like hours of begging passes before you genuinely feel like you’re gonna pass out. The amount of wetness that falls from you has lessened more and more as they continue, but it hasn’t completely stopped so you knew they would have kept going.

“O-Okay, okay! No more, p-please- Yellow!" In an instant, Hyunjin’s hands stop their movements and Felix loosens his hold on your legs, finally allowing them to slam shut as the aftershocks take over your body. Felix’s hands move up to your head, where he strokes your cheeks and coos at you. He lays down beside you and kisses your forehead, whispering sweet nothings in your ears as you come down.

“Haha.. you okay, pretty?” Hyunjin’s hands rest on your calves, soothingly rubbing the area there as he waits patiently for an answer.

“You… You guys are fucking d-demons…” you gasp out with shaky breaths. “Even Chris didn’t try to push it for that long.” Felix giggles, pulling away from your ear to nuzzle his nose against your cheek. “We gotta prepare you, baby. I know Seungmin really liked seeing you squirt. ‘Said he was gonna learn from Channie how to do it fast so he can do it to you himself.”

Hyunjin leans forward and places soft kisses on your calves, “It’s better that we got to you before he did. You know how he is.” Instantly images of your past experiences with the boy in question flood your mind, and you clench at the thought of his mean-ass in Hyunjin’s place. 

“Fuck.. Don’t tell me that... That’s so hot.” They both chuckle and continue to dote on you, even long after your body has calmed down and your breaths returned.

“You gonna let us fuck you now, baby?” Your eyes snap open at the deep whisper in your ear. You glance down and watch as Hyunjin silently studies your lower half, now shirtless and taking in every little detail as if he wanted to paint you. Hell. He probably is going to. Felix’s hands rub up and down your tummy as a silent reminder that he asked a question. “Mhm.”

“Gonna let me take care of you?” Hyunjin’s damp fingers draw shapes into your thigh with your release, trailing some of it to your hole where he dips a finger in experimentally. You whine in agreement and allow Hyunjin to flip you over, landing you on your knees as he pulls you up against his chest. You smile and lean back, relishing in the warmth he gives off. His hand reaches up and tilts your head sideways, allowing him to lock lips with you. He smiles into the kiss and his hands roam all over your body, occasionally stopping at your hips to give your ass a good squeeze.

He pulls away slightly and speaks while his lips ghost yours, “Ready, Princess?” You whine out an “mhm” and he slides his dick through your folds, pushing in after the 3rd swipe. Moans fill the room from both of you at the feeling of him pushing in and stretching your walls farther than their fingers. He pushes his lips against yours again, pushing a few more inches in before stopping to let you adjust. It doesn’t take long, thanks to their onslaught earlier, and he easily finds a comfortable pace to start with.

Though, that one is quickly thrown out the window when your walls start to wrap around his dick tightly. Out of nowhere his right hand pushes against your back, shoving you forward so you’re on your hands and knees as he speeds up. Your arms wobble as he continues to fuck you, and you end up completely missing the dip in the bed in front of you. It’s not until Hyunjin’s big hand wraps into your hair and angles your head backward that you notice the pretty boy sitting in front of you.

It’s an uncomfortable angle, but Felix quickly distracts you by pushing his lips against yours. His right hand lovingly settles on your cheek as Hyunjin fucks into you, getting rougher with each passing second. Eventually, Felix pulls away, settling against the headboard again as he strokes himself sluggishly to the sight of you getting fucked.

Once he’s sat, Hyunjin takes the chance to go even deeper, now pushing your face into the sheets as he pounds into you roughly. Your hands clench the sheets and try to push your torso back up only for him to grab your arms and hold you down. His hands position on your upper arms and he uses some of his body weight to hold you down, keeping you still for him as he continues to fuck you open.

He goes deeper at this angle, faintly pushing against your cervix while simultaneously ramming into your G-spot. And when he’s fucking you this good, barely giving you time to think, your orgasm sneaks up on you all too easily. Tears fall from your eyes against the sheets and your legs shake as he drags another orgasm through your body. Your moans become choked as he continues to hold you down. He feels you cum around him and, thankfully for you, the clenching around him was all he needed to finish.

Your tight walls milk him dry as he rides his own orgasm, using you like a fleshlight while he does so. He moans loudly and thrusts sharply a few more times before slowly pulling out. Your body reacts with an aggressive shiver and he giggles, placing a kiss on your ass as his fingers try to soothe your arm in case he was too rough.

You’re thankful for it and it feels great, though it leaves your mind soon after due to how watery your brain has become. All the orgasms have started to catch up to you and your whole body feels like mush. You’re nothing more than a blob melted into the sheets as your boyfriends’ hands run all over your body. The only slightly grounding thing that pulls your mind back to earth is the deep voice that rings in your ears.

“How are you, baby? Talk to me.” You look up to see Felix hovering over you, face scrunched in concern. You chuckle at the sight of your boyfriend and wrap your arms around his neck, pulling him down into you and placing a kiss on the corner of his mouth. “‘M good, I promise. My body jus’ feels like putty right now.” You giggle again and he finally relaxes, leaning forward to place kisses along the tear streaks on your cheeks. 

Despite the sweet moment you share with your boyfriend, your worn-out body craves for more. One of your hands unwraps from his neck and rakes down his back, digging your nails into the skin there playfully. Then, the hand still around his neck wraps into his hair and tugs it lightly. He moans into the kiss and unintentionally bucks his hips against yours, growling as he pulls away. “Baby…”

You hold back a laugh and peck his lips, pushing him over and flipping your positions so that you’re straddling his hips. His still-hard cock is sitting directly under your crotch and you teasingly grind against it. He sighs happily and his eyes flutter shut for a moment and his hands reach out to grab your hips tightly.

“Can I ride you, Lixie?” His eyes snap open and he nods desperately. He dives a hand between you and grabs his base, angling himself upwards as you lift your hips. His other hand rests on your hip tightly and, once his tip pokes at your entrance, he pulls you back down into him. The slide makes you whine, still overly sensitive. But you’ll be damned if you’re not getting both men tonight.

Both of his hands rest on your hips, drawing circles into your skin there as you take deep breaths. You sit there for a while it seems because before you have time to adjust fully, a harsh slap is sent to your ass. You were caught off guard, not expecting such a powerful hit from the boy below you who tended to be softer with you. But then, you’re reminded that your other boyfriend was still in the room. The older man lands another smack, unhappy with your still unmoving form.

“What happened to wanting to ride him, Princess?” He wraps a hand around your torso, angling it up to wrap around your neck as his other rests just above Felix’s on your hip. He uses the grip there to start moving you, bouncing you up and down, albeit slowly at first. But you both know Felix doesn’t mind. Especially not when he has such a big smirk painted on his face.

Hyunjin continues fucking you up and down on top of Felix, occasionally squeezing your neck until you start to move on your own. Then he lets you go completely, causing you to fall forward and just barely catch yourself with your hands on either side of Felix’s head. You lose your rhythm for a moment, only for Felix to thrust up into you roughly as if to remind you what you should be doing.

His hands move down to your ass as you begin to ride him again, this time desperately chasing his orgasm as yours builds up fast again. You purposefully clench around him from time to time, thriving off the way he moans loudly and twitches at the feeling. Before you realize it, Hyunjin is kneeling beside you, pumping himself and looking at you with the sexiest smile ever.

However, you only get to admire it for a moment before his hand creates a makeshift ponytail in your hair and pulls you towards him. The new angle forces you to stretch a little and causes your hips to stop moving. They’ve pushed your body through so much in the last couple of hours, so you can’t help but lose focus all too easily. You can’t multitask and take care of them as much as you wish you could. So, you instead focus on sucking Hyunjin off and only grind your hips slowly against the man below you.

Felix whines, sighing loudly before lifting your hips a few inches. You’re not given any time to react before he plants his feet in the bed and starts to fuck up into you roughly. Your eyes roll into the back of your head and your jaw manages to drop further. Hyunjin laughs, the push and pull between the two men becoming more entertaining for him than anything else. He decides it’s his turn now and tightens the grip on your hair, thrusting his hips slightly each time he shoves you down, making you deepthroat him and choke around his dick.

You sit still, pliant even, as you let both men use you as they wish. You’re so close and you trail a hand between your legs, amidst all the bullying your cunt is receiving, and rub your clit back and forth. You moan loudly around Hyunjin as you cum, your orgasm crashing down on you just as intensely as the other ones. Felix’s hips falter due to your persistent clenching catching him off guard. His hips slow to a complete stop as he revels in the feeling of your walls fluttering around his dick.

And, thankfully for you, Hyunjin finishes soon after you do., the vibrations from your moans sending him over the edge. He watches with furrowed eyebrows and parted lips as you swallow around him and his teeth catch his lip as he pulls you off, whimpering slightly at the way you suck harshly to get every last drop. His legs twitch when you especially suck his tip hard, and he huffs out a laugh.

“Can’t go one day without being a troublemaker, huh?” He laughs and places a kiss on your forehead before backing away, allowing the younger to chase his own orgasm. He disappears after that and, had you been paying close enough attention, you would have noticed the sound of the bathroom door opening.

But you can’t be bothered by that. Not when Felix is pulling out and flipping the two of you again. He shoves you onto your back, pushing your legs up and to the side. One arm rests on his forearm by your head as the other positions his dick again. Your eyes lock with his as he pushes in again, moans falling from both of your lips as he sets a fast pace right away.

The eye contact is held as he pummels into you. His eyes break away from yours for a moment as he leans forward and pushes his chest against yours. Messy kisses are placed along your jaw as his thrusts become sloppy.

You thought the previous orgasm was your last, but when Felix drags so nicely against your walls and shoves his tip so meanly into your already bruised G-Spot, another one sneaks up on you. Your eyes snap closed and your legs try to close around his torso as you squirt again, this time soaking your other boyfriend’s stomach.

The sheer pressure coming from your cunt forces him out of you and he only laughs, pulling away from you as he watches you gush. He holds one of your legs open as he jerks himself off, using the new wetness as a lubricant. He finishes on your stomach soon after, voice jumping back and forth between deep groans and high-pitched moans as he milks himself dry at the sight of you.

You both sit there, chests heaving and heavy breaths filling the room. His eyes rake up and down your body as he catches his breath, his hands mindlessly rubbing up and down your sides as he tries to help you calm down. Your eyes meet and he smiles widely, eyes crinkling at the corners as he giggles at you.

“You did so well, baby. I can’t believe you did it a second time…” He giggles and crawls over you, hovering over you as he pushes his lips onto yours. “Lixie…” You whine against his lips and wrap your arms around his neck. He pulls away and pushes his lips against your jaw once more, “No more, Honey. Time to clean up, okay?”

Hyunjin’s voice suddenly comes from the bathroom, in a very dramatic ‘over the intercom’ voice. “Baby 1 and Baby 2, if you could please make your way to the shower so I can give you some lovin?” You and Felix laugh at the same time and you continue to lay in your spot, even after Felix has stood on his feet. He drags you by your ankle to the edge of the bed and, despite your groans and whines, pulls you to stand with him.

The two of you wobble over to the bathroom where Hyunjin is standing in the shower. He smiles and curls his finger, gesturing to both of you to join him under the steaming water. Felix taps your ass playfully, sending you stumbling forward. Both men laugh as you stick your tongue out at the younger and speed-walk your way to Hyunjin.

The three of you squeezed into the shower and, thanks to the newer dorms, the shower is big enough to comfortably accommodate you all. They take turns washing you off and you help them wash each other off while some soft kisses and tender caresses are exchanged in the cooling water.

Your body is still shaky by the time you’re fully dressed and tangled in the new sheets with both your lovers. You’re sandwiched between them, covered by the fluffy comforter, and basking in the warmth of their bodies that are tangled with yours. Hyunjin is the first to fall asleep, cheek squished against your chest as you lay on your side facing him. Felix is behind you, one arm holding his head up and the other rubbing your shoulder softly, easing you into a slumber. Right before you give in to your exhaustion you’re reminded of your earlier conversation with Chris.

“Ah- Lixie?”

“Yes, love?”

“Channie said he wanted to talk with you about something.” You smile and wiggle your eyebrows before sleep finally takes over you, leaving a very confused Felix who just shakes his head at you mid-laugh.

Taglist:

@valkyriexo @lunearta @jabmastersupriseee @rylea08

@yaorzu-blog @amararosesblog @jiminssluttyminx @clemissleepy

@miss-daisy04 @kittyxnoa @dwaekkiiracha @bubblerizz

@baby-stay92

[zae-heeyyy]

Erudition

Summary: Arthur teaches you how to read. Pairing: Arthur Morgan x female!reader Word count: 2,790 Tags: smut, high honor Arthur Warnings: 18+ MDNI

a/n: I spent an unnecessary amount of time perfecting this one. Tried my hand at sketching/tracing/cut and pasting pieces of Arthur's original journal to make this one (don't look at it too close lol). Hope you enjoy!

Edit: If you didn’t know, it was common for adults to be illiterate in 1899 due to the lack of widespread public education.

erudition: the quality of having or showing great knowledge or learning; scholarship.

Poor Hosea had tried everything in an effort to teach you how to read: encouraging you with kind words first, then employing tough love tactics when your stubbornness hindered your progress. On one particular day, you had enough of each other. In a rare moment of weakness, he slammed his hand on the table when you refused to try.

"Wanna be an illiterate ninny your whole life, do ya?" A scowl etched deep lines on his face, and you stormed off, not saying a word. A cough riddled him, and he bowed his head in part frustration and part regret for letting himself lose his temper with you. He only wanted the best for you, even if you didn't want it for yourself.

A particular contemplative cowboy had been watching a short distance away, a pattern Hosea had noticed lately. Still coughing, he waved him over.

"Ah, Arthur. I know you're smarter than you look. Maybe you can reach that girl. I've done all I can, I fear." He pressed the book into Arthur's hand in more of a silent demand than a request. Arthur nodded in understanding, sighing, wondering how he'd been demoted from gang enforcer to teacher.

Cursing under your breath, you prayed that Arthur would just walk away, not because you didn't like him, but because you liked him too much. You and the other women got a kick out of watching him do chores around camp, his shirt nowhere to be found. He was damn gorgeous and didn't have a clue. Nobody else had a clue, either, that you wanted him. You wanted him in many ways and cared about what he thought of you.

The hope that he'd refuse Hosea's request or come another time fell short when his figure towered over you, shading you from the high noon sun. You kept your head bowed, refusing to meet his gaze until he tapped the book's hardback cover, bidding for your attention. Your eyes met his sheepishly. Reading him did not come easy either, especially in your interactions. Something about the way he carried himself around you left you feeling unsettled. There was a perpetual tension that he seemed to shed in the company of anyone but you. You didn't quite get it, though, because he always remained gentlemanly despite it all.

"C'mon." A sculpted, outstretched arm reached down to you, and you took it reluctantly, letting him lift you up from your spot. Following close behind, you let him lead you to the outskirts of camp near a boulder and a broken wagon. The cacophony of camp faded away as you joined him on the ground, your backs against the rock. You sat expectantly, concentrating on your fidgeting hands and fighting off the urge to cry.

"You just gotta focus," he said, opening the book to where you last left off and putting it back in your hands. Shaking your head, you tried to blink away hot tears building up behind your eyes.

"Don't want you to think less of me, Arthur. Don't wanna do it." Keeping your voice steady and suppressing the lump in your throat proved increasingly futile.

"Hush and focus." His tone only made the mystery of him hazier. How could he so easily switch between evil debt collector, out for blood, to nothing short of a gentle giant, so comforting and protective? The thought only made your vision cloud up more.

Blinking rapidly, you took a deep breath to calm yourself before reading the words on the page aloud. You could only get through the first sentence before your voice betrayed you, shaking unevenly, accompanied by a saline drop rolling down your face and onto the page.

"Hey..." Arthur clutched your chin and turned it to face him, forcing your eyes to heed his. "You gotta stick at things. I know it's hard, but that ain't no reason to cry about it." A rough thumb wiped away your tears. He scooted closer to you, wrapped one arm around your shoulders, and held the book with the other hand. "Just relax. It's just me and you out here. I ain't gonna think less of you or let anybody else, for that matter. Forget about all that." You held one side of the book with your left hand, and he had the other with his right, " Here, start again, slow now."

Goosebumps prickled your skin as a wave of calm washed over you. Arthur stayed patient while you composed yourself and read through twice, the second time outshining the first. He nudged you with his elbow, flashing a toothy grin. "See? Not so bad," he remarked. With another breath, not as shaky as your other ones, you closed the book and returned it to him, feeling more accomplished than you had in a while.

Now that your attention wasn't being spent so much, the pounding in your ears grew louder, the source of the sound leading to none other than the relentless beating of your heart. The musk of tobacco and leather infiltrated your nose, making you suddenly aware of how close you were to him. He removed this arm from your shoulders, the missing weight of it making you feel unexpectedly empty. Before he could scoot away some more, you turned to kiss his cheek.

"Thank you, Arthur, for helping me. I know I'm not easy to work with." He smiled shyly and dipped his head, avoiding eye contact. A silence fell between you, and you spoke again, dismissing yourself. "I should probably get back to it." You gathered your skirts to stand, and he wrapped his fingers around your wrist before you could walk away. Even though crimson had crept up in his ears and neck, he kept his face impassive as always.

"When Ms. Grimshaw can spare you, come find me, and we'll keep at it."

So you did. You'd meet in the clearing behind the rock on the rare moments of shared free time, continuing the routine, and you were getting better every day. Then, Arthur brought you a mystery book that he'd found or stolen, and it was nothing like a Penny Dreadful, too complex and challenging for you to decode. You felt like you'd taken one step forward and two steps back.

And just like you'd done with Hosea a few days ago, you tried to storm away from Arthur. You didn't get far before his hands were on your hips, dragging you down into his lap. Faces inches apart, his hot breath warmed your face as he spoke, eyes stern.

"You can't just throw a tantrum whenever life gets hard, woman." Huffing in defiance, you opened your mouth to argue, but you closed it promptly, keenly aware of the change in his demeanor. Your eyes were on his, but his were on your lips. He licked his own, face set with resolve. Letting his forehead press against yours, he kissed you. Without a thought, you kissed him back, melting into his arms. Gaze intense, he tore away from you, talking low and firm. "You're gonna sit your pretty self down and do this, alright?"

Your hand went absentmindedly to your lips, drawing them in as you tasted him. Who knew a kiss was all you needed? With a gentle shove, he settled you back on the ground beside him, retrieved the book, and opened it once more.

When you finished, you looked at Arthur, and he was staring back at you with a cocky grin. It was the first time you'd read with no mistakes. You threw yourself back into his arms, climbing into his lap, a knee on either side of him. Holding you firm by the waist, Arthur didn't hesitate to kiss you again this time, letting desire he didn't even know he had guide him to you. He could have you like that for hours, and he did, only easing his grip on you when you heard pans banging, alerting you to dinner.

Arthur had discovered the key to motivating you, and since then, you discovered a newfound love for reading. You eagerly awaited your lessons, knowing the handsome outlaw's lips would be there for you when you finished.

Arthur was happy to help, but it wasn't just about the makeout sessions for him. Of course, he could die a happy man with you on top of him, but he loved how your eyes lit up when you made progress. He loved seeing you feel confident. He loved making you happy.

Though he wouldn't dare complain, he couldn't help the nagging feeling that Hosea had knowingly arranged this? Arthur tried to go unnoticed in his subtle observations of you, attempting to conceal the fact that he was sweet on you and had been for a while.

"Can't con a conman, Arthur," his surrogate father once told him. Maybe that wasn't just about robbing. The gunslinger wanted you so bad after all this time, needed you, and hoped you needed him just as much. He'd made himself free today, waiting patiently for you to finish your chores, keeping himself occupied with minor tasks. Just as you finished, you watched him disappear behind the grass and head to your spot.

You joined him; the book rested in his lap while he smoked a cigarette. You took the cigarette from him, having a drag yourself and giggling at your own mischief. He snatched it back from you, pretending to be annoyed but smiling nonetheless. Taking one more puff, he snuffed it in the grass. Before he could make another move, you took the book from his lap, replacing it with yourself. Your hands went to the nape of his neck, drawing his lips into yours. He kissed you back, entertaining you momentarily, but withdrew with his hands still resting on your backside.

"Read first, then I'll take care of ya', sweetheart." His eyes were half-lidded, and his voice lowered a few octaves, both weighed down with desire. You huffed and unmounted the cowboy, opening the book and reading, anything to feel his touch again. As you finished the last paragraph, your attention shifted to his hand kneading circles into your thigh. Breath thickening, his other hand fell to the hem of your dress, making it ride up as his hand traveled slowly up your leg.

The reading grew choppier now, your attention too consumed by his touch. You stopped reading altogether when his hand snaked over your thigh, and three of his fingers pressed against a warm, damp spot in the center of your bloomers. Flushing, a faint gasp escaped you.

"Gonna need to get these off, darlin'," he huffed into your ear. Wasting no time, you tossed the book aside and lifted your hips to slide the garment down around your ankles. Desire almost overpowered him; he wanted to devour you, to have his fingers and face buried between you, but he had a job to do, and he always finished the job.

Stopping, he moved his hand from your heat to your thigh and reached across you to grab the discarded book. Clearing his throat, he thumped the book, "Another page." Incredulous, you blinked a few times, gawking at him.

"Arthur, how do you expect me to focus when—"

He cut you off with a curt whistle and a stony glance, "Shut it, woman, and read." His grip tightened on your thigh. Those pools of blue and stern tone sent another jolt through you; god, if only he knew what he did to you. Like you were hypnotized, you opened the book, still very aware of your aching womanhood. He kissed your neck, his chest vibrating with amusement.

"Good girl," he murmured in your ear.

You were wrapped around his finger figuratively, and you craved to be literally, too. As you began to read aloud again, his hand smoothed over your thigh and landed right where you wanted it. He glided a finger up and down that sacred site, stopping on your clit and rubbing tiny circles there. Involuntarily, you arched up into his hand, and his name fell off your lips in a moan, your focus tearing away from the printed words at your hands. Then he stopped, taking away that sweet attention you loved so much.

"Shhh...Keep going;" his voice was low and deep, and he kissed down your neck to your shoulder. He moved his hand back when you started again; it was the most fluent you'd ever read. You don't know how you managed. As soon as you finished the last word on the page, you tossed the book and grabbed Arthur by the hairs on the back of his head, tugging him towards you and tasting him. He groaned and let a finger slip inside of you.

You gasped at the invasion, raising your hips off the ground and tilting into him. Pressing his lips to your ear, he kissed it and whispered mischievously, "You tryin' to get us caught?" You could feel him smile against your ear, and you pulled him to you once more, letting his mouth muffle your sounds of ecstasy.

He loved the way you felt, so velvety, slick, and tight. He teased you, pumping you with just one finger, then lightly circling your clit just to stop and caress you all over. You knew, and he knew, that he could bring you to that peak at any moment, but he didn't want it to be over just yet. He'd dreamed what you felt like for so long, how you'd respond to him, and now that it was reality, he wanted to savor every minute.

You were rocking your hips now, trying to feel any semblance of friction, trying desperately to reach the climax that Arthur kept you right on the edge of.

Then he sank two more large digits inside, making you press your head on his shoulder and squeeze your eyes shut. He waited for you to adjust, kissing your ear and talking you through the girthy new additions. His thumb back on your clit caused a shiver to run down you as you relaxed.

"There you go," he mumbled in your ear, and you knew it wouldn't be long then. His thumb never left, keeping a constant speed and pattern as he worked you. Your stomach burned as that sweet, sweet tension built inside of you. Arthur buried his face in your neck, focusing on bringing you bliss. "That's it, sweet girl. Give it to me."

He groaned along with you as your embrace on his fingers tightened, and your body shuddered. He kept his hand there as you came down, relishing in the way your insides squeezed and released him over and over again. His head spun when he removed his fingers from you; you were so wet, all for him. He'd been so focused on you that the bulge in his pants went unnoticed until now.

Meanwhile, you had replaced your bloomers and smoothed out your skirt, trying to reset after the fireworks behind your eyes had exploded. You giggled, seeing Arthur give attention to his own building arousal. You beamed at him, all cheeky and coy.

"I think I hear Ms. Grimashaw looking for me," you teased, standing and dusting your skirt. His face fell bewildered, and you couldn't look at him in fear that your innocent act would falter. "Gonna have to bed me properly if you want more, Mr. Morgan."

With that, you winked at him and walked away, leaving Arthur with just his hand and imagination to satisfy him. You'd decided to join Hosea at a table, taking a piece of discarded newspaper and reading it yourself. He watched, a proud smile growing on his face. It only took Arthur five minutes to calm himself, reappearing from the treeline with eagle eyes that focused only on you.

Crazed, he approached you, placing a heavy hand on the small of your back before removing it hastily, remembering he was out in the open now. Hosea's eyes shifted between you discerningly. He coughed and gestured to the paper in your hand. "Well, Arthur, it seems you're a better teacher than me, after all." Neither of you caught the hint of amusement in his voice. You patted Hosea's shoulder and stood.

"Thanks, old man. I love reading now. In fact, me and Arthur are gonna go to town right now for some more Penny Dreadfuls. We'll bring you another paper, too."

Arthur perked up at this new suggestion and followed after you, practically tripping over himself as you headed towards his hitched horse. Hosea returned to his newspaper, kicking his feet up and chuckling to himself knowingly. His hunch had been right about you two, after all.

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Know Your Place 1

Warnings: non/dubcon, power dynamic, age gap, and other dark elements. My username actually says you never asked for any of this.

My warnings are not exhaustive but be aware this is a dark fic and may include potentially triggering topics. Please use your common sense when consuming content. I am not responsible for your decisions.

Characters: Walter Marshall, destroyer!Chris [for the purposes of this AU, I will give him the last name Jackson] (Professor AU)

Summary: after a life time of home schooling, you finally get to experience the real world in college. (petite reader)

Part of the Bad Professors AU

Note: Please leave some feedback and reblog <3 As always, I love to chat with you all. 

The noise all around has you reeling. You’re not used to so many people. So many voices and smells and sights. The frantic action of it all reminds you of a mid-00s movie about a high school. The coeds are like animals milling about in groups with the odd single body rushing between with a mission stitched between their brows. 

You sit with your thermos of tea and try to focus on your schedule. You have a campus map from the Student Support Centre next to it, trying to map out your route for each day. Momma said you should try to get ahead, figure out where you’re going. She’s always right. 

You have two classes that day. As you find the buildings on the map, planting a finger on each, you find that they are on completely different ends of the campus. Of course. Well, momma didn’t know that where they would be, did she? She said you have to balance your load; if you’re going to be an English major, make sure you take some math and science for your electives. 

You circle the two buildings and put lets beside them denoting which day you need to be there, numbering them in the order the classes occur. A burst of laughter breaks your concentration and you look around, trying to find the source. You almost miss the calm isolation of your childhood living room. 

No, you’re grown now and you begged Momma to let you go to college. Not online, but in person. You even worked all summer at the deli so you could live in a dorm. She was proud but worried. She’s never been good at letting go. She’s already called three times today and it’s not even noon. 

As the crowd blurs around you, a sudden gust blows over the table as someone sits across from you. You stare back at them with a gasp. They must’ve mistaken you for someone else. You blink as the man tugs on the front of his letterman jacket and smiles. He doesn’t seem mistaken. 

“Hey,” he leans forward on an elbow, “you waitin’ for someone? Got some cute girlfriends on their way?” 

He’s so forward, he has your brows as high as they can go and your cheeks are on fire. It’s not much of an introduction. 

“Excuse me?” You eke out. 

“Ah, I’m sorry, hon, I’m getting ahead of myself,” he smirks as he crosses both his arms on the table. “I’m Colin. You looked lonely.” 

“Oh, uh, I’m just... figuring out my schedule,” you utter dumbly. Yor brain isn’t clicking. Why is he talking to you? 

Your ears tweak and you notice a group in similar jackets, sitting just across the dining area, gabbing loudly, snickering. You wonder why he isn’t over there with them. You wiggle your pen anxiously. 

“Ah, you’re not gonna give me a name for that pretty face?” He says. 

“Huh?” Your brows drop, “what?” 

Your momma’s voice echoes in your head. ‘Be careful of those college boys. They only want one thing.’ You didn’t believe her. They don’t want that from you. You were sure once you saw the other girls in their tight leggings and short tops. 

“Your name, baby? Gotta be something sweet, huh?” 

Your face ripples as you wade through surprise, confusion, then something else. You’re almost giddy. This man, with his mussed blond hair and bright blue eyes, and his chiseled features, is asking you your name. It’s flattering. 

“Mauve,” you can’t help but smile as you answer. 

“Oh, yeah? That’s pretty, well, Mauve,” he takes out his phone, “me and my buddies are having a party tonight and we’re supposed to find a hottie to bring with us. I’m having no luck but if I show up alone, well... I might not get to stay in the frat. You get it?” 

You stare at him. You're confused. You don’t really understand frats and whatnot. They just seem like clubs people join so they can drink. 

“You wanna do me a favour? Come with me?” He asks. 

He’s bold. Bolder than any one you’ve ever met. You sputter but can’t come up with any words. 

“Please,” he pouts, “promise, I won’t try anything, I just gotta get these guys off my back.” 

He looks over his shoulder at the table of rowdy guys. You squirm in your seat, uncertain. You’ve never been to a party. Wow. 

“Here, I’ll get your number,” he taps on his phone screen, “I’ll send you the details--” 

“Leave her alone,” a grizzly voice undercuts the frat across from you. 

A thick man stands behind him. He has a cardboard cup in his hand as he glares down at the coed. His burly figure is swathed in a dark green sweater and grey slacks. He’s older and his dark curls are threaded with subtle twinkles of silver. 

“Huh? Who the hell are you?” 

“Why don’t you show her those pictures you were snapping of her? The ones you and your pals were laughing about?” The other man growls.  

You frown. What? You don’t understand what’s going on. You look from one to the other. The younger man sat across from your sighs and rolls his eyes. 

“Fuck it. Whatever. Lots of pigs to go around,” he shakes his head and stands, facing the other man. “You know, bro, just cause you’re too old to get with any ass around here, doesn’t mean you gotta ruin it for others.” 

“Get out of here,” the thicker man snarls. The other winces just slightly before puffing up his chest and stomping away. 

You remain as you are, aghast and lost. The man with the dark curls looks at you. You shrug at him. 

“I’m sorry, sir, did I do something wrong?” You ask. 

The harsh angles of his scowl ease and he lets out a long breath, “uh, no, not you. That boy, you know, any one that wears one of those jackets, they’re no good. Just some advice.” 

“Oh, right,” you look over at that guy, Colin, “sorry, I didn’t know. He just started talking to me. I was being polite.” 

“Seem like a nice girl. Just tryna look out for you.” 

“Yeah, thanks,” you chew your lip and sniff. “Are you... are you teacher?” 

“I’m a professor,” he confirms as he holds his cup close to his chest. He's one of the biggest men you’ve ever seen. And his eyes are as blue as the ocean. “Professor Marshall but unless you’re a psych student, you can call me Walter.” 

“Walter? My neighbour is Walter. At home. He’s eighty-one and he collects baseball cards,” you let yourself smile. You always felt more comfortable around older people. You never had many friends your own age. 

“Don’t mind some baseball myself,” he dips his chin. “Well, you look out for yourself and avoid the Greeks.” 

“Greeks?” You make a face. 

“Fraternities,” he says. “And sororities, if you can help it.” 

“Oh, okay. Thank you, sir,” you feel a little better. You think he’s right and he is a professor. He would know. “I’ll do that.” 

“Sir? It’s Walter,” he corrects you. 

“Oh, sorry, Walter,” you smile. “I’m Mauve.” 

He nods and shifts his cup, “Mauve,” he repeats, “well, nice to meet you.” 

“You too, sir, er, Walter. Thank you,” you say. 

He hesitates then steps back on his heel, “yeah, no problem.” 

He slowly retreats and you watch him, your heart playing like a drum. You did it. You spoke to strangers and you didn’t melt. Things are getting easier. If you could get through that, you’re sure you’ll make lots of friends in your classes. 

[ash5monster01]

Learning to Love

Pairing: Rafe Cameron x FemReader!PlusSize

Warnings: 18+, langauge, angst, fluff, mentions of bullying, body image issues, fat shaming, fake relationship, eventual smut, minor enemies to lovers trope.

Summary: It's not uncommon for you to be shamed for your size, it is however uncommon to be told that no one would ever date you because of it. Rafe on the other hand is used to being called a jerk, that is until he is accused of seeing people for only what's on the surface. It's purely coicidental you two meet right after these accusations are thrown your way. So even though you two don't know each other, and probably never would've looked the others way before this, now you're both going to prove a point. It's simple really, prove others wrong and don't fall in love. Easier said than done.

word count: 3k

→ Part 1

Masterlist

You're used to crude comments, truly. Living in the Outer Banks has proven nothing other than the fact that kooks will always be cruel, even if it's towards other kooks. As long as you're in a bathing suit, something is going to be said. Which is proven true as you lie on the beach, book in hand, and sunglasses hung low on your nose. It's your only day off and you were going to enjoy it. Soak up the sun as much as you can because summer would fade away before you knew it. You had only chosen the two piece bathing suit to get more of a tan, maybe a little extra sun. It's only twenty pages into your book you hear two boys snickering not far from your own set up.

"Look a beached whale, should we call the authorities?" your ears burn red only slightly, after all you were used to it. Honestly you could care less anymore.

"God, she has to know that's gross" the other responds after his bellowing laughs have calmed down. They truly can't be that stupid they don't realize how loud they're talking right?

"No decent looking, hell self respecting man would ever date a girl like that" this punches the air out of your lungs. You knew your body type wasn’t considered attractive. This was common knowledge, but to hear someone say you couldn’t possibly ever date an attractive man is something else entirely.

“I know I wouldn’t” the boys laugh again, hands clapping together as they stare you down like you were the most disgusting thing on this beach.

You’re not upset about what they were saying. You survived highschool after all. Your school had already been divided by kooks and pogues, add in the big girl and that’s a recipe for disaster. You’ve heard the most vile and mean things a person could say. Somehow you came out of it with still a little self respect, hell even some confidence, because if you were anything at all it was strong. You had dated here and there, never had anything stick though. Maybe that’s why this comment resonated so hard with you. No matter how decent a person you meet maybe you’re bound to end up ugly and alone because an attractive man belongs with an attractive girl.

Rafe has had to attend hundreds of useless business meetings since his Dad died. He had wanted this. When he was nineteen and trying to prove to his Dad that he was worth it, but now he was gone. He had no one to impress anymore and at twenty three he carried the burden of being the CEO of an entire company with his last name on it. So that’s how he finds himself inside of dark clubs at noon, sharing a scotch with guys willing to play dirty to get what they want. He often wonders why he had wanted this life so badly. Everything he had believed in for so long was now gone. His Dad, the treasure, and now even kooks and pogues. Ever since his sister had found that treasue social classes had been practically eliminated or at least weren't acknowledged like they were before. All of this had now left Rafe without a sense of self and he desperatley needed something to change.

"Man, why can't they hire pretty waitresses to look at anymore?" Levi, a coworker slurred as he watched their waitress walk away. Rafe noticed her shoulders stiffen because she had heard what he had said. He hated he felt guilty over it.

"It's a bar, not a strip club" Matt, another coworker teased and Rafe rolled his eyes. Four years ago these guys could've been his best friends, and he would've teased the waitress right along with them. Now things were different, he was different.

"I happen to think she's cute" Rafe told them before finishing the last sip of his scotch. He knew when he got back to the office people would give disapproving looks but he didn't know what to do with himself anymore. It was like he was just floating and letting the tide drag him along wherever it wanted to.

"Yeah right" Matt snorted out a laugh and Rafe gave him a confused look as Levi started to laugh along with him.

"Seriously Rafe, you’re way out of her league" Levi told him, his shoulder bumping with his own.

"No I'm not and there is no such thing as leagues" Rafe told them with a pointed look but the boys just continued to laugh anyway.

"Yes there is and the only one's in Rafe Cameron's league are tall hot blondes with legs for miles and tan skin smooth enough slide on" Matt said and Rafe felt his stomach clench as they spoke. Had he unintentionaly maintained a type, only taken someone for their looks? Flashes of ex girlfriends went through his mind and he had realized after all this time he had only taken women for surface things.

“That can’t be true” Rafe shook his head and the boys just chuckled.

“Admit dude, you’re an asshole and you like pretty little things. Nothing wrong with that” Levi said as he slapped his back, taking another sip of his own scotch. Rafe however realized there was everything wrong with that. Yeah he’s been a jerk his whole life but had he ever actually dated a girl he liked? Someone with substance?

“Hell would freeze over the day Rafe Cameron dated someone other than a supermodel” Matt pointed with the scotch in his hand and Rafe just shook his head, eyes scanning over the small crowd that littered the bar. For the first time he was seeing people he never would’ve noticed before.

He wondered if this was a side effect of his life before. Privileged kook, popularity, a need to impress everyone around him. Had women become a part of all of that too? A side effect of a need to please, to be the best. Had he been wasting years of actually meeting someone with a personality due to his natural self destructive ways? God he hoped not. Then again he couldn’t recall ever really liking the girls he dated, he usually just tuned them out and used them when he needed to make an appearance with a date. He had never actually dated someone for fun. Worst of all he hated that everyone knew this of him. That he dated for appearance instead of happiness. He wanted to change that.

You could only take so much of the harassment coming from the two boys on the beach, so after three hours you declared you’d had enough sun and started to pack your things. When the cover up slipped over your head you didn’t miss the applause coming from them. Rolling your eyes you grabbed your bag and started the hike up the beach. You needed a drink.

Rafe hadn’t been able to shake the thoughts over the girls he dated. After a very long recollection of every girl he had ever brought around he couldn’t think of one he actually enjoyed spending time with. With this in mind he dismissed Matt and Levi back to the office, claiming he’d find a way back on his own. He needed more time to think about this, and a stiff drink to go along with it. So that’s how he found himself now sitting directly at the bar and not inside the dark booth. The whiskey in his hand suggested he wasn’t making it back to the office anytime soon.

Normally he wouldn’t remove his focus from the drink in his hands but when a bag is slapped on the counter top beside him he finds himself lifting his head. The girl claiming the seat beside him is dressed in stark contrast to his own attire. He’s still in his work suit, tie loosened around his neck, but the girl beside him has clearly just come from the beach. Her hair is wild and wrapped in a bun a top her head. A red bikini strap peaks out the collar of the white coverup. Her breasts had left wet spots slightly see through to the red fabric of her top, like she had left the beach in a rush.

“Hit me with the usual Randy” she calls to the bar keep and Rafe can’t tear his eyes away from her. She’s bigger, sure, but the dip of her hips and small pouted lips have Rafe every bit of intrigued. He can’t help the thought of her being a girl he might’ve never noticed before escape him. He wanted to notice her now.

“Rough day?” Randy smirks at her when he’s back, a tall glass with a dark liquid set in front of her. She takes a sip before responding.

“Every day is a rough day” she mutters and Randy just chuckles before walking off to serve other customers. It’s only when your eyes lock with his own Rafe realizes he has been staring this entire time. “Let me guess, you got something to say just like everyone else today”

“I, what?” Rafe doesn’t expect the coldness from you and how strong willed you are with it too. You aren’t scared of him, he isn’t used to that.

“Listen I’ve had my fill of assholes today so if you don’t have anything nice to say, keep it to yourself” you told him before turning back forward and taking a large gulp from the drink in your hand.

“Got someone bothering you?” Rafe asked finding his cool. He finally got himself to tear his eyes away from you, eyes scanning over the liquor bottles behind the bar. You turn to look at him, eyes drawn together in confusion.

“Not one specific person, everyone for some reason thinks they have the right to comment on my appearance” your words get him to turn back at you. Normally men don’t make you nervous but when you watch him eye you up and down you can’t help the way your heart accelerates.

“I happen to think you look just fine” the scoff that falls from your lips shocks him.

“I’m not looking for your pity, I happened to over hear today that no decent self respecting man would date me so let’s not lie to each other” you tell him and Rafe now feels the air knocked from his lungs. He can’t believe anyone would say that to you. Let alone to your face.

“If it makes you feel better I was told today that I only date woman for surface things” now you were the one drawing your eyebrows together in confusion, looking to the mystery of a man beside you.

“Surface things?” you question the stranger and he chuckles, his rings clinking on his whiskey glass.

“Appearances, apparently I’ve never looked deeper” this has you chuckling right along with him, lifting your own drink to your lips.

“Look at us then, two sides of the same coin. Makes you wonder if there really is anyone out there actually happy with who they ended up with” you say mostly to yourself, knowing this perfect stranger on a normal day would never look your way but you also would never find yourself thinking you had a chance with him.

“I think there is, at least the people who weren’t chewed up and spit out by the world” the optimism is what shocks you the most when he speaks. A hope for something better down in there.

“I wish I was one of those people” you find yourself saying and the boy turns to look at you again, eyes scanning over each of your features.

“Maybe we should prove them wrong” now you’re laughing, looking bewildered towards the boy beside you.

“And how do you suppose we do that?” you ask and he smirks, clearly having some sort of plan.

“We date. I prove to my coworkers that I date someone for more than just their looks and you prove to all those assholes that you can date a guy as good looking as me” he gestures to himself, as if his body is some of God’s best work. You scoff at his clear cheekiness but actually find yourself considering.

“I don’t even know your name” you laugh, trying to remind yourself that this ideal is completely absurd.

“Rafe Cameron, nice to meet you” his hand reaches across the bar, you take notice of how long his fingers are. With the shake of your head you find yourself putting your hand in his own.

“It’s not that simple” you tell him and he just smiles, dimples forming around his pressed together lips.

“Isn’t it though?” he says, a sparkle of amusement in his eyes and you sigh, finally removing your hand from his own.

“Date? As in fake date?” you ask and he nods, his head tipping to the side.

“Exactly, an agreement of sorts. We both benefit from each other, everything to gain and nothing to lose” he tells you like he’s already worked out every way this could end.

“We just met” you inform him and he shrugs, implying this wasn’t an issue.

“I’ve seen people date over less” he tells you and you sigh, holding your hand out to him. He looks are your empty palm confused and you quickly roll your eyes.

“You can’t take me out ion a date without my number dream boy” you tell him and he smirks while grabbing his phone out of his pocket and placing it in your hand. He watched as you meticulously open his contacts and punch in your number. You’ve named your contact ‘baby ❤️’ but he doesn’t get your real name until you type it into other names.

“Y/N? I like that” he smiles at you and you chuckle, clicking on the profile photo to take a selfie.

“We’re already off to a bad start if you want to stop liking people for just their surface things” he likes how quick witted you are and you don’t allow him a response as you lean into his personal space. “Can’t be a real girlfriend if I don’t have a profile picture in your phone”

You smile so easily and he instantly notices how beautiful it is. He’s not looking at the camera anymore but leaning in and taking in the sweet scent of your perfume mixed with the sunscreen and salty skin. You were like a walking beach and he loved that more than anything. That is how he finds his lips pressing softly against your cheek as the camera shutter clicks on his phone. Your body has chills that you have to brush off quickly as you look at the entirely real looking photo on his screen.

“If I didn’t like what was on the surface you would never be my fake girlfriend” he finally says as he takes his phone back before you could text yourself his number.

“I don’t like how easy this is for you. Are you sure I’m your first fake girlfriend?” you ask and he laughs, eyes falling on your face again.

“The first and the only” and you decide that coming into an agreement like this with a stranger shouldn’t be this simple.

“Then we need to lay some ground rules” this has him raising his eyebrows as you grab a napkin from the bar. He watches as you leaned over, searching for a pen behind the bar. Unashamedly he took the opportunity to inspect your ass, admiring the curve and thanking the see through fabric for revealing the cheeky bikini bottoms that laid over your large curves. He had never openly allowed himself to be attracted to a bigger girl. but now he was briefly wondering what it would be like to be suffocated by one.

“So, what’s these rules?” he smirked at you once you were sat back upright in your seat. He watched as you popped the cap off the pen with your teeth and leaving it in your mouth.

“Don’t worry pretty boy, I’ll keep them simple” you tell him, dropping the cap from you lips into the bar. He felt himself flush slightly at the nickname, watching as your neat and loopy handwriting moved across the napkin.

1. Must actively text/call/interact for a week before first “official” date.

2. PDA must be limited

3. Don’t catch feelings, no matter what

4. Attend whatever event your fake significant other asks of you

5. Most of all, don’t tell anyone, ever, that this is fake

“PDA must be limited?” you roll your eyes at the fact this was the only rule he questioned but you sign at the bottom of the napkin anyway.

“I don’t want to waste all of romantic gestures on something that isn’t real” you explain to him and he nods, sliding the napkin in front of him.

“I have a lot of work dinners I would like you to attend” he says as he signs the napkin.

“I’ll try my best” you tell him and now he’s furrowing his eyebrows at you.

“It’s your rule” he points at the napkin, more confused with you than when you first walked in here. “What could you possibly be busy with?”

“Work” you tell him and he still looks confused which you find adorable. Now rule number three only applies to you.

“Every night?” he questions and you chuckle as you return the pen to the other side of the bar.

“Usually, comes with the territory” and you laugh as he continues to try and process what you’re saying.

“What territory?” he asks and you smile, finishing the drink in front of you.

“My bar” and you gesture to the building around you. Rafe suddenly realizes why you know the names of the workers and why they know your usual drink order.

“You own this place?” and you nod, sliding off your seat and grabbing your bag. You also grab the napkin, now signed by you both.

“Don’t forget rule number one handsome” you tell him before heading towards the exit, determined to have a good rest of your day off. Rafe can only watch as you walk away, baffled any of what just happened actually occurred.

“Randy, I’m gonna need a refill”

Taglist: @sublimepenguinpeach-blog

Comment if you want to be added to the tag list :))

[spacedace]

Damian doesn't know who Santa Claus is and Danny tries to gaslight him into believing in Santa

Okay but, like, wouldn't even be gaslighting! Santa canonically does exist in the DC universe, I think I remember reading something about him fighting through an army in hell to give Darkseid a single piece of coal once?

So like, Danny doesn't have to gaslight Damian into believing Santa's real, he just has to pull out the proof (Danny has a binder of everything he knows about the Spirit of Christmas for the purpose of when he eventually goes to war with him, Danny hates Christmas so fucking much haha) and show him evidence that Santa is real.

Probably ranting the entire time about how much he hates the guy & Christmas and it's obvious that this is Danny's arch nemesis. His one true villain above all others. Pariah Dark? A nuisance. Dark Dan? Just a tuesday. Santa? That motherfucker is the bane of Danny's existence and he will pay for what he's done (spread Christmas cheer).

And Danny's the newest member to the family. Damian's been encouraged to get to know his new brother and try and bond with him a bit, make him feel like part of the family. So, obviously, the best way to do that is to help Danny in his quest for vengeance.

And of course Tim & Jason end of getting roped in on this. Damian's grown since he's first came to live with his father. He still is a little brat to his older brothers - he's the baby of the family it's his right - but he doesn't actively hate them anymore and can admit when their particular skills would be useful. Tim is the best at strategizing, and Jason is a combat master with access to all sorts of weapons. With all of them working together Santa has no chance, they will destroy him.

Which all just makes me think of something like this happening lol:

“What…uh, what are they doing?” Duke glanced between the chaos unfolding in the family room to where Dick was calmly seated in his favorite chair, sipping idly at a cup of coffee.

“Sibling bonding.” Dick said. There was that specific aura of calm around him that said that he’d already gone through several crisis and all the stages of grief at least twice. Considering the calamity and chaos the eldest batkid had seen over the years - and especially the last few months since Bruce officially adopted Danny and brought him into the fold - it was a bad sign that he’d reached this particular state of Done (TM) before noon. The earliest Dick even woke up was two in the afternoon.

Duke contemplated turning around right then and there - the particular combination of people all excitedly feeding off each other’s feral energy on the other side of the room was a catastrophe in the making he didn’t want to be anywhere near when it finally breached containment and spilled out into the wider world - but unfortunately he was cursed with the curiosity that afflicted all members of the bat clan.

“It looks like they’re plotting to try and kill Santa Claus.”

Dick turned to look at Duke fully for the first time since he’d entered the room. He had the eyes of one that was deeply haunted by the horrors they had witnessed. On the other side of the room Tim was ranting about anti-magic tech while Danny, Damian and Jason argued over what weapons would be most effective against a demi god. There were schematics of what looked worryingly like a rocket launcher looking device that - if the scribbles on the whiteboard someone had drug into the room where to be believed - was going to be rigged to shoot ecto-grenades.

“Danny hates Christmas.” Dick said, and Duke noticed for the first time that his hands around the coffee cup were faintly trembling. “He’s declared Santa is his arch nemesis.”

Duke blinked, glancing over to the others long enough to see Danny start frantically scribbling the words Christmas Nuke on the whiteboard. No one else was trying to erase it. Tim looked worriedly contemplative. Damian and Jason where both nodding in agreement.

He was going to regret this. “But Santa isn’t real?”

Dick’s eyes gained a faintly manic glean, and Duke could faintly hear the sound of porcelain creaking warningly beneath the desperate hold he had on his coffee cup. “That’s what I thought!” Dick said, with enough cheer to make Duke flinch back instinctively. “But apparently he is.” A distinct crack appeared in the cup, coffee dripping down into Dick’s lap. “And apparently they’re going to war with him!”

Well, Duke considered, at least that explained why he caught the four of them burning down the giant Christmas tree in the city center last night.

[venuscrashed]

HI HI HELLO HI MAY I REQUEST A SPINCER REID X MALE READER PLEASE PLEASE WERE READER IS NEW TO THE BAU PLEASE

@clownis-fixated

Word count: 1k+

Warnings: rushed, not proofread, male reader, forced kissing

Been a while since I wrote for him so sorry if it’s ooc

Within the bullpen the whole team sat at the table. They all patiently waited for the new recruit to arrive, well for the most part.

“They’re late. They most likely lack respect and consideration for others,” Morgan said while looking around to his other team members.

“They’re probably trying to make us wait in anticipation. I mean,” Emily started. “They’re probably young and fresh out of the academy. They don’t teach you how to act professionally in school.”

Garcia hummed in response before she looked at Hotch. Frantically she started to waver her hands around “I don’t want a new team member. That messes up our family and I don’t want to mess up my family. They’re probably mean and think they’re better than everyone else!”

Hotch slowly raised his hand in an attempt to calm her down. He looked around at the whole team, watching each of their expressions. He desperately tried to convince Laswell not to add a new member but something about unbalanced personalities convinced him. “Garcia,” he looked towards her with the same stoic expression. “Calm down. We need this new team member.”

“But we don’t,” Reid cut him off. “Realistically we’re at our prime with this team. Everything plays out on the field and we all click perfectly. Adding this new member will mess up the flow for who knows how long. They’re probably not that good anyways.”

“Not that good, huh?” The whole team turned around the door to see you leaning on the door frame. A slight smirk sat on your lips as you looked around, specifically at Reid. You stared at him before looking him up and down unamused. “Don’t even know my name and I’m already the talk of the town. This is supposed to be the perfect team dynamic?”

The whole team sat silent. Emily and JJ exchanging looks as Morgan silently laughed while looking at Reid. Reid was stammering and trying to redeem himself but Hotch cut him off before he could embarrass himself more. “Agent (L/N). Nice to meet you. Please sit down so we can discuss the case.”

You lazily pushed yourself off the door and into a seat. Next to Reid who you didn’t even spare a look at. JJ got up and started to go over the case. You sat there, focused on the case details, pretending not to notice the glances you got from the rest of the team. A sense of unease washed over them and embarrassment in some. The tension in the room didn’t settle down until JJ was done and Hotch told the team to get ready for the plane ride.

Reid knew that humans had the sense to know when they’re being watched, everyone knew that. Yet he still watched the new recruit. Noting all the details, from when he walked into his physical appearance. Noting how long and unprofessional his stride was, the slight up curve of his lashes, the bridge of his nose, the tint of his lips. The slight notes of fragrance in the cologne he was wearing. Everything JJ was saying was going over his head but he’ll read it on the plane ride.

By the time he realized he was in the plane he memorized the case. The team surrounded Hotch in their respective seats creating a plan. It just so happened that Spencer was paired with (L/N). When he heard this he looked over to the agent. A moment of eye contact happened before Spencer whipped his head around to Hotch. Nodding to whatever he said.

“There’s only so much time she has,” Emily spoke up. She looked down at the file on the table. Going over the kidnapping case they had in Tennessee. “She got kidnapped around noon yesterday and considering her age she probably won’t make it till tomorrow. Reid?”

Reid cleared his throat and sat up straighter. Waving his hands around while he spoke, “considering the history of kidnappings in the country that are similar to this she probably won’t make it past midnight tonight. Even if she’s lucky she most likely only has 14 hours.”

“12 hours,” (L/N) spoke. The whole team looked towards him in shock. “You did your math wrong. Probably based off of the data from the past three decades. Not taking the past half decade’s statistics into consideration.”

Morgan laughed loudly. Rossi and JJ join in while Emily’s mouth hangs open. Hotch had the slightest smile on his face and Garcia had her hands covering her mouth. They all looked between Spencer and (L/N) waiting for the next move.

Spencer stuttered, looking for the right word. A slight red hue grew on his cheeks whether it was embarrassment or adoration he didn’t know. “I-I mean we should take in all of our more recent unsubs into consideration. We can’t go based off of ones from our time. Statistically more copycat crimes from decades earlier are committed then original ones.”

Before anything else could be said Hotch raised his hand. “Reid, (L/N) you two are paired up like before. Try to get along.”

Both agents sat quietly. They refused to look at each other. Even when the plane landed and everyone got off they still ignored each other. It wasn’t until the car did they finally speak.

(L/N) was driving towards the victims family’s house. No music was playing and an awkward silence filled the car. (L/N) lightly tapped his fingers to some unknown beat to Spencer. Who watched the new agent hum, noting the pitch and the bpm.

“Keep staring and I’ll drive this car into traffic,” Spencer’s breath hitched while looking away at a speed that could break his neck. (L/N) looked over his shoulder with a sly smile. He chuckled quietly and returned to driving. “Kidding. You need to lighten up….it's depressing.”

Spencer couldn’t help but lick his lips, a nervous habit of his. He knew that you weren't serious but he still couldn’t stop thinking. Something he noticed he’s been doing a lot of ever since he met you in the last couple of hours. Fiddling with his fingers he looked straight ahead. “You know people only use the term ‘lighten up’ when they’re uncomfortable. It’s a stress response due to not being considered ‘normal’ as others would put it.”

You hummed softly as you pulled up in front of the house. The both of you got out and walked side by side to the front door. Spencer knocked on the door twice before stepping back next to you. With a quick glance over to you the door opened.

An older man that seemed to not have slept for a while stood there. Dark bags under his eyes and noticeable bald spots. He looked the both of you up and down before sighing and opening the door. Motioning for you two to walk in he closed the door and walked over to the couch.

“Mr. Wallace,” Spencer stood next to you. “Were here with the FBI: Behavioral Analysis Unit. We would like to ask some questions about your daughter.”

Mr. Wallace sighed even deeper this time. Rubbing his hands over his eyes that had noticeable scars on them. “I don’t know what you want to know. I already told everything to the police. I can’t imagine that there’s anything else you can possibly know.”

“Yes but the police and the BAU work differently. Even knowing her favorite color will tell us more than the time she left that morning.” You looked up at Spencer from the couch. Continuing when you got a nod from him. “If we can, we would like to be in her room. If it’s okay with you, of course.”

“Yeah..yeah. It’s this way,” Mr. Wallace stood up. Walking to the hall of the side and into a room off to the right. “Just don’t be too loud. My wife….she can’t take anymore of this. I mean,” he laughed sadly. “Not even a full day and it’s already a spiral. Just don’t be too obvious. Please?”

You nodded and gave your best sympathetic smile. “Of course. She won’t even know we’re here.”

Spencer opened the door and let you walk in first. Closing it behind the two of you and looking around the room. He walked off to a corner of the room with a desk. “For someone who has only been here for a day you adjusted well.”

“Really?” You laughed. Sitting down to go through her chats on her computer. “I thought that was horrible out there.

This time it was Spencer’s turn to laugh. He flipped through some notebooks. “It usually takes about two weeks for new employees to adjust to a work environment. It took me a while. Still feels like I don't belong sometimes.”

“Really?” Much more sadder this time. The hint of sympathy was overshadowed by the sound of typing. “How long did it take you to adjust?”

“47.” He whispered.

“47? 47 what? 47 weeks?”

“No 47 days.” Spencer pulled out his phone and called Hotch. As soon as he answered Spencer started speaking fast. “Hotch, she's been planning this for 47 days. She didn’t get kidnapped, she ran away. And I think I know where. Let’s go.”

Spencer pulled you out of your chair and rushed out the room. Bumping into Mr. Wallace and out the door. You turned around quickly to apologize before jumping into the car. You quickly pulled out of the driveway and headed down the road. The siren was on as Spencer yelled directions, getting mad here and there.

As soon as you parked Spencer jumped out and rushed over to Hotch. From your view of the car you can see the two of them talking. The wind flowing through Spencer’s hair and the sun angling him just right. Maybe it was in the moment but was he always this pretty?

“(L/N)!” Hotch yelled. He motioned for you to come over. “You’re going undercover. We need you to blend in with Reid.”

“Sir?” You asked as soon as you stood next to them.

“It’s a meet up spot for young people. We think she’s going to meet up with someone.” Spencer said.

“I know that. But me?”

“You’re the youngest on our team. You’re new so we need to send in Reid with you. Take this and put it in your ear. Listen out, get it?”

“Got it!” The both of you walked into the place. Music's playing loudly and flashing lights of different colors blinding you. You two walked around side by side. Gaining a couple of glances until you spot her.

You reached for Spencer’s hand to get his attention. “There. Hotch we found her.” You gestured, looking for a way to approach her.

Spencer stared down at your hand. A light blush painting his face.

“Okay. Make sure to blend in. We need to see who she's meeting up with.”

Just as Hotch said that she turned and looked straight at you. Before you can think you grabbed Spencer and kissed him. His eyes closed and he leaned in. Taking a step forward he grabbed your face before pulling back. You two stared into each other's eyes.

Spencer looked up, eyes wide. “She’s gone.”

Part 2

[all4seth]

can u write something with seth being more touchy than usual nd ppl noticing nd teasing him about it, nd like u can write the rest😔❤️IDK IF U TAKE REQUESTS ND ITS FINE IF U DON'T DO U, LOVE UR WRITING💞

seth clearwater x reader

summary: you and seth attend edward and bella’s wedding that takes place in the evening (unlike in the movies where it's noon or something)

i barely ever write anymore, i’m so sorry you had to wait this long for this 😔

i clumsily entered the living room and as i did, two pairs of eyes measured me up and down before my parents jumped up and hugged me.

“you look stunning sweetheart” my mom said, tucking strands of my hair behind my ear. “i knew this shade of purple would look incredible on you”

“thanks, mom”

“i thought you weren’t supposed to show up looking prettier than the bride” my dad joked.

i rolled my eyes and hugged him, just as the doorbell rang. i followed behind my parents, nervously fidgeting with my dress. as soon as they opened the door, they stepped aside, revealing my boyfriend.

my handsome boy.

he was holding two bouqutes of flowers, one of which he handed to my mom, who accepted it happily.

as his gaze met mine, his eyes widened and the world stood still, like it did the first time we ever saw each other.

“you are so beautiful”

my parents made us pose for a picture and they watched us in awe as we headed towards the car.

seth wrapped his arm around my waist and i gently let my head fall onto his shoulder.

“whose car is this?”

“billy lend me jacob’s since he’s… you know”

he started the engine and drove slowly, since it was still quite early.

“i still can’t believe edward and bella are getting married! i mean, everyone knows how in love they are, but still, this is huge! and they’re both just 18” i blurted out.

“it is kind of mind blowing"

seth placed his right hand on my thigh and my heart skipped a beat.

“is this alright?”

“yes” i answered and gave him a huge smile, which he must’ve seen, even though his eyes were glued to the road, because a shy smile quickly grew on his face.

"do you think they’re too young though?" seth asked, after taking a few moments to compose himself. "bella and edward, i mean”

“they are, they’re just about to graduate. on the other hand, they love each other and love drives us all crazy” i giggled.

“do i make you crazy?” seth asked jokingly.

“soo insane, but i bet it’s nothing compared to the other way around”

“i’m crazy about you” seth looked at me for a slight moment and my heart jumped again.

“i’m crazy about you too, seth, you have no idea”

after a little while, he pulled into the cullens’ driveway and reached for my hand as he opened the door for me.

i placed my palm in his and kissed him briefly. his face lit up and he kept me close, his arm around my waist.

we were warmly welcomed by esme, who led us to the garden.

fairy lights hung from the trees, resembling fireflies. a few rows of wooden seats were placed before the altar that stood covered in white, dainty flowers, much like the rest of the place. some of their petals had fallen on the ground, giving the scene a fairytale-like air.

seth placed his warm hand on my lower back and kissed my cheek.

“are you alright, sweetheart?”

��it’s beautiful” i stated, still in awe of the remarcable scenery.

“so beautiful” he whispered.

i turned to him, but he was already looking at me.

we sat down and people started showing up.

finally, bella walked down the aisle, holding tightly onto her father’s arm. edward stood patiently, looking at her as if it was only the two of them, nothing else mattered. tears streamed down my face, overwhelmed by the beauty of it all.

they vowed and kissed and it hit me - there’s no such thing as ‘too early’ when it comes to love. it’s all about taking risks and putting your pride aside, because once you find the one person you know was made for you, you must hold tightly onto them.

“i love you so much” i whispered to seth.

“i love you too, beautiful” he gently placed his right hand on my hair and kissed my forehead.

his left hand stayed on my thigh, while the other fell onto my shoulder.

once the party started, seth and i were separted by the crowd, when bella pulled me aside.

“congratulations, sweet girl, you did it!”

i embraced her into a hug, and when i tried pulling away, she held me a bit tighter and whispered "not yet, i just need a moment"

"wow, you're a mess!" i laughed, referring to her makeup, which was mostly gone, due to her crying multiple times. "but you're a pretty mess and i don't blame you; God knows how many times i cried during the ceremony and it's not even my wedding!"

"it's so not safe for me to cry here, alice yells at me and emmett makes fun of me"

“where’s he taking you for the honeymoon?” i asked, excitedly.

“i really don’t know, he won’t tell me” bella laughed.

suddenly, i felt a hand on my waist and felt seth’s lips on my shoulder.

“well, hello to you too” i laughed and pecked his lips.

bella giggled awkwardly and looked around for her groom, who was at her side in an instant.

“you better slow it down, seth, these people seem too tired to handle another wedding tonight” edward joked and we all burst out laughing, but seth’s hands remained glued to my hips.

after a few moments, they both laughed as if one of them had cracked some joke bella and i couldn't hear, so she and i simply exchanged a suspicious look.

the newly wed couple was quickly stolen away from us by the other guests, and seth and i found ourselves wandering towards the quiet forest.

we got to a dimly lit opening; “a thousand years” could still be heard from the speakers.

“how can i love when i’m afraid to fall?”

seth tenderly let his hands fall onto my hips and looked me in my eyes and the same feeling came right back into my chest.

“all of my doubt suddenly goes away somehow”

i let my head rest somewhere between his chest and his shoulder, while we slow danced.

"i have died everyday waiting for you/ darling don't be afraid, i have loved you for a thousand years"

seth and i hummed along and mumbled the lyric "i'll love you for a thousand more"

[xyaehir]

all i need —

SYP — “girl ur made for me, cuz ur love is all i need” just scenarios <3

GEN. — fluff, crack

WARN. — gn!reader, not proofread

NOTES — yk i love the grumpy x sunshine and polar opposites troupe so why not incorporate some hints of that into this? might make a pt 2..

at first glance, not many people would expect either of you to pursue each other.

the way you both handle things are different, reactions and such. and when you think of that, there’s only one situation that comes to mind..

throwing your head back slightly, you laugh at one of his lame jokes. hand in hand, both of you turn the corner, still too invested in your conversation to take in the sight in front if you.

he’s the first one to look, halting his movements as he stays rooted to the ground. you, taking note of his tense form, stop to turn to him. cocking an eyebrow, you nudge him on his shoulder and worryingly ask, “babe? you okay?”

his mouth is agape a bit and his eyes are fixated on whats in front of him. seeing as he’s not gonna answer, you follow his line of sight and gasp slightly.

there in front of both of you stood a couple leaning against a wall, making out. you grimaced slightly, noticing their lust for each other through their eager movements. ‘they kiss like fish..,’ you thought, deadpanning.

you felt a tug on your arm, pulling you back.

“c’mon, let’s go before they see us. they might think we enjoy watching them eat each others’ face,” he whispered, hooking an arm around your waist.

you were about to comply but you thought of something way better than just ignoring it. a mischievous smile creeps its way on your face and he grows concerned, not liking that smug look on your face.

unraveling your arms from his, you gasp exaggeratedly, successfully catching the couples attention. they break away from each other reluctantly and flushed, glaring at you.

“i knew you had somebody else!” you screamed, stomping away and wiping away invisible tears from the corners of your eyes. he trails quickly after you, standing beside you as you both hide behind a wall.

“are you kidding me? ugh!” you hear one of them shuffling, probably walking away from the other one.

“wait, baby! i swear, i have no idea who that was!” the other one pleaded, scrambling after his ‘baby’. his thick accent making it all the more funnier.

you leaned forward, clutching your stomach in laughter. he stared at you in slight disbelief before joining in on your giggling.

“what are you doing?”

uh oh, caught in the act.

you turn around, hiding the item behind your back. you grin widely but sheepishly. “what do you mean?” you smile innocently, stuffing the perfume bottle up your shirt.

tilting his head slightly, he raises a brow, skeptical. he walks over to you and hastily snatches the bottle from your hands.

“hey! i wasn’t done with that,” you whined, reaching for it but to no avail. he held it far from your reach, above his head. he tsked.

“i’ll give it back if you tell me what you were doing.”

you sighed, mumbling something so soft it was barely audible. “huh?” he nearly squeaked.

“i wanted to spray my perfume on your clothes so when we go out, people know you’re taken,” you grumbled. “but mostly because people are doing it on tiktok..”

he didn’t stop babying you that whole afternoon. and he posted a tiktok about it. (it went viral)

it was a nice noon. the birds were chirping, the grass seemed greener and your boyfriend was throwing a tantrum.

“i don’t wanna!”

“stop acting like a baby. its not that bad.”

“this isn’t fair.”

“what isn’t fair? you lost the bet, you have to do my dare,” you huff victoriously, smirking slightly.

he sighs, knowing there’s no way of convincing you to let him off. “fine, help me find one.”

“gladly,” you chirped, bouncing on the balls of your feet gently. your eyes scanned around the park before locking on someone. “right there,” you whispered, leaning to him and pointing at the person with your lips.

you shoo him to approach the person. he shakes his head and complies, walking backwards to cast you a pouty look to which you rolled your eyes at.

“excuse me?” he asked, approaching said persons line of sight. she smiled at him, waving, “hello! is there anything i can do for you?”

“i just wanted to tell you that your child is the chosen one,” he replied bluntly, pointing at her swollen stomach.

the woman blinked at him.

“child? i’m not pregnant.” she narrowed her eyes at him.

“oh.”

he ran away, dragging you with him before your knees buckled from your wheezing.

— (bllk) NAGI, SAE, RIN (genshin) DILUC, alhaitham (star rail) DAN HENG, jing yuan, BLADE (haikyuu) SUNA, TSUKI (KNY) GIYU, sanemi (ENCANTO) CARLOS, CAMILO () YOUR FAVES

@xyaehir 2023. This is my content, inspired or not. Do not translate, copy or plagiarise my works in any way. Reblogs and likes are greatly appreciated. <3

[tonydaddingham]

so @theeminentlyimpractical and i were yodelling at each other in the DMs last night talking about general time-fuckery stuff in s2 and trying to riddle it all out, and i mentioned that i had noticed something that only now seems obvious from the s1 scriptbook (and im sure that someone pointed it out in 2019 but im wondering how relevant it still is):

everything is running late.

working backwards chronologically in s1, we have when newt arrives at jasmine cottage:

unfortunately the line isn't in the show, but in the interest of pooling all resources, the scriptbook says the following:

NEWT - I swerved to avoid Tibetans in the road. At least, I think I did. I've probably gone mad.

ANATHEMA - If you have, noone's going to notice. You're twenty minutes late.

we then know that crowley was late for arriving to collect the antichrist:

which the scriptbook doesn't elaborate on/give a timeframe, and may be extraneous to the previous and next example, but the antichrist is reportedly part of the Great Plan, so im including it for the moment.

but the kicker is agnes nutter, right?:

a precise and accurate prophetess who doesn't foresee that pulsifer would arrive late to execute her? how?

so when it came down to it, i started to wonder where something might have happened that has shunted the timeline along, between 10-20 minutes... maybe something in eden? but no - laure cracked it:

GOD - Archbishop James Ussher claimed that the Heaven and the Earth were created on Sunday the 21st of October, 4004 BC, at 9:00 a.m. This too was incorrect. By almost a quarter of an hour. It was created at 9:13 in the morning, which was correct.

now. all of the times don't match up completely, but the general sense is that the world may be running a little behind schedule, compared to what it should be - ie. the timeline that agnes predicted, and ussher/his team calculated.

we know that adam reset everything at the end of s1, but:

given that he's not omniscient, would he know that the world is 15 mins behind schedule (and therefore, when s2 starts, are we still running late)? probably not, so does he revert things back but keeps the world on the original clock, so to speak?

alternatively, did he reset the clock, and is the universe that we see in s2 actually on the correct time?

this might not mean much, if anything at all (see: it's just all for The Bit), in the grand scheme of things... but im now starting to wonder if it does. because what would have happened if everything had run on time? because maybe it's not so much thinking about individual events, and how they would have played out otherwise if the world had been on the 'correct' timeline all along, but maybe just the sheer possibility that there is an 'alternate reality' in which those 10-20 minutes meant things played out very differently?

ive talked about the chair (x), and ive talked about the sideburns (x), and ive talked about how crowley somehow seems to be existing at a different time to everything else around him (alternatively - whickber street itself is running in a different... reality? timeline?), as well as the random moments where time seems to disappear entirely/the clock swaps its hands around in ep6 (x). about crowley's comment about it being "too late", and how he seems to act slightly odd just before aziraphale tells him about the metatron's offer (x)... but is it all somehow interconnected? and connected to the 13-minute delay?

and if it is... what caused it? what might have delayed god by 13 minutes, or what might have gone wrong to cause the delay, that has then had a hypothetical knock-on effect, whether it be because adam did fix it, or didn't fix it?

[selfloverrrrrr]

The Kyoto Girl

Warnings : yandere gojo, unprotected sex, smut, heavy smut, noncon, drugging, possessive , obsessive

( all characters are aged up/ 18+)

Masterlist

Minors Do Not Interact

Read those warnings carefully.....If you don't like my stories block me....not report....

I'm a student of jujutsu high. I was new there. Just started learning course technique. I couldn't even use course energy that much. But Utahime sensei was teaching me and I was trying to learn it.

So there's two jujutsu high school. One in Tokyo and one in Kyoto. I'm in the Kyoto one. So there's a sister event helding between this two school. we all participated in this event but that event was ruined because of a special grade course's sudden attack.

That was where Gojo Satoru saw me for the first time. He broke the veil and saved everyone. I was fainted somewhere middle of the jungle. I wasn't able to defend myself from that course and fainted there.

Gojo Satoru saw me. He slowly came near to me. He bend slightly to see me more properly, staring deep into me. One side of my shirt was open. My bra was the only thing that was covering that side of my breast. And my skirt was up. My panties could be seen. He was still stearing at my body.

He picked me up in bridal style then took me to the jujutsu high. When I woke up I saw shoko sensei doing my treatment. Fortunately there wasn't that much injury. And I don't even know that gojo satoru took me here. Noone told me that.

From then I met Nobara. We became good friends. The higher ups decided for a baseball match between Kyoto and Tokyo school mainly Gojo decided. Gojo spy on me from his room or office whenever he sees me. But no one noticed that.

The day came. The match day. Gojo and the higher ups were waiting for all students to come. Some were already there,some were coming. Me, Nobara and Miwa came to the field. Gojo's attention instantly went to me. Miwa went to talk to Gojo. Me and Nobara were talking and laughing. Gojo was starting at me.

When Miwa came to him he quickly turn his attention to Miwa. " Hello sensei" Miwa spoke with a smile. " Ohhh...helloooo" he replied with a smile. They talk to each other for a few moments then gojo asked " can I ask you something?""yeah... sure!" She replied. " Who's that girl?" Gojo asked pointed at me. " Oh... she's y/n, she's my friend. She's a new student." Miwa replied. " Oh I see....not gonna introduce her to me?" Gojo said with his iconic smirk. " Oh..um sure... why not?!" Miwa blushed and screamed my name. When I looked at her she was telling me to come to her.

I went to her. " Oh hey y/n...meet him, he's Gojo Satoru." Miwa told me. " Oh hey.... nice to meet you sensei. I heard you are the strongest here." I talked to Gojo. " So you know me?" He asked with smirk. " Yeah... I heard about you from the higher ups..." I replied shyly. " Oh... I see" he spoke in a seductive tone which made me blush a little.

The match started and ended as well. We had our fun. Now everyone was leaving including me. When Nobara came to me. " Heyyyy.... please stay two or three days more.... please!!!!" She cried. " Oh I really want to....but you know...I have to go:/" I replied. " Please please please please please please please please" she cried." But I can't-" I was replying when Utahime sensei came from behind me " you can stay you know" she said. " Really????!!!!" Me and Nobara both exclaimed. " Yes you can..." Utahime laughed.

So I stayed there. I stayed in the room that Tokyo jujutsu high gave me to leave all these days. Nobara planned for a party night. She proposed me to went to clubbing with her and I said yes. I wore a blue tight bodycon dress that Nobara gave me (in the photo). Ane we went to the club. We didn't notice there was someone else following us. Gojo Satoru. We were clubbing ,dancing , drinking enjoying the night. We ordered our drinks and went to a table and started talking to each other.

And there was Gojo Satoru staring at me the whole time. Scanning my whole body with his eyes. Mentally undressing me. When the waiter was coming to give us our drinks gojo put something in my drink , give the waiter some money and tell him to be quiet. And did as well. After the drink We leave the bar and went to a cab.

My head was paining a little bit. But I ignored it and went to our droom. There me and Nobara said bye to each other and I went towards my room. I was seeing colours and circles everywhere.

My head was paining a little bit. But I ignored it and went to our droom. There me and Nobara said bye to each other and I went towards my room. I was seeing colours and circles everywhere. I couldn't even walk properly when I bumped into someone. After a moment I saw his face properly. Gojo Satoru." Anything wrong?" He asked. ' I-I.... d-don't know.... I... can't see any... thing properly." I replied him. " I think you are drunk.... let's go to your room " he said and helped to go to my room and locked the door.

" T-T-Thank you..... s-sensei" I thanked him. He went to the kitchen grabbed a glass of water and give it to me. I drink it and spash some water in my face. I can see properly now but my body was still weak.

Suddenly I felt his hand on my thigh. I looked at him." You feeling good?" He said smirking. His hand started going upwards. My eyes widened." W-what are you doing, s-sensei." I spoke. " Nothing.... just completing my work" he replied. I was sitting on my bed. I started going backwards."w-what work?" I asked. " The work I started ~" he replied crawling towards me."w-what" I spoke." I was the one who put drug in your drink,y/n ~" he replied. My eyes widened. "W-wait... w-what.... why" I spoke. " Because you're so fucking sexy, I can't do anything, you are always in my mind, I just fucking want you and your that little pussy wrapped around my dick.... and want to make mine" he replied in a devilish tone.

with that he pressed his lips on mine. His kiss was so rough. He started undressing me. I tried to push him away but he was too strong.

He grabbed my boob and started squeezing it and I moaned in the kiss. Hearing my moan Gojo stopped the kiss and crashed his mouth on my breast. I moaned out loudly. He started sucking on my breast roughly. The more I moan the more roughly he sucks and  squeeze on my breasts."s-sensei please stop... I'm beginning you please stop...I promise you I wouldn't tell anyone about this please stop" I begged. "I don't care about anyone but you....no one can stop me. I'm not sceared of anyone. I'm the strongest." He replied with a smirk.

After a while he let go off my breast. I was breathing heavily. He started undressing himself. He took off his shirt and pant. He was now only wearing his boxers. I can see the outline of his bulge through his boxers and there was a wet spot where the tip of his dick touched his boxer. Fear grabbed me by my neck.

His hand reached for my pantie and he ripped it off. He looked at my pussy hungrily. He parted my pussy lips with his fingers and crashed his mouth on it, sucking on it roughly. I moaned so loudly. I tried to push him away by pulling his hair but nothing nothing nothing. He just continued his work. He pulled back and lined himself with me."please please please no no no" I cried. "Shhh....this is the main fun part" he whispered and slammed his whole length in one slide without any warning."senseiiiiiiiiiiiiii " I scremed and grabbed his back."oh my fucking god god god god god god......ahhhhhhhhhhh" he moaned out feeling my warm wet walls around him.

His thurst became harder and harder. I was an moaning and crying mess."you are so fucking...ahhh .... tight" he moaned out. With a few more thurst I came. dig my nails on his back. Feeling my warm wall clenching around him he came within a minute. I was already fainted.

" You're mine y/n... just mine. I wouldn't let have you or touch you... Even if anyone dare to look at you I'm gonna kill him by myself. You're mine. Just mine. You want or not you have to be mine" he whispered while stroking my hair with his fingers.

Masterlist

[axelsagewrites]

For that Ned Stark request...I was thinking a smut with low-born reader, maybe - I don't really know if your comfortable writing about cheating, or it could be before Catelyn during the war or after - he could be needing relief due to stress or pressure and reader could acting like a bit of a minx...

Ned Stark*MiLord

Pairing: Ned Stark x f!reader

Summary: Ned befriends a baker who helps him manage his stress

Warnings: p i v sex, innuendos, oral m receiving, ig you could say cheating but Cat and Ned are privately separated cause I don't think Westeros would approve of divorce :/ 18+

Word count: 2992

Masterlist Here

For that Ned Stark request...I was thinking a smut with low-born reader, maybe - I don't really know if your comfortable writing about cheating, or it could be before Catelyn during the war or after - he could be needing relief due to stress or pressure and reader could acting like a bit of a minx...

It was hard not to be an admirer of the Stark men especially when you were always so close by them. One Stark man that is. ever since your arrival at Winterfell it was hard to keep your eyes off Ned Stark.

You had come to Winterfell a few weeks ago for work and ended up getting a job in the kitchens as a baker. It often meant you were awake before the sun to make the bread for everyone else’s breakfast. However, once you were finished with your work for the day around noon you were free to do as you pleased unless the chef requested your assistance on an extra shift.

One morning for you and night for everyone else you awoke to venture down to the kitchens to prepare the seemingly never endless amount of bread needed for Winterfell. There were other bakers as well of course but you were always the first to arrive at the kitchens each morning.

The moon was still shining brightly over the castle, and you walked slowly to bask in its light. There was no one else awake and wandering the corridors so you didn’t bother to much with your clothes. You had of course thrown on a dress, but your chest was very much exposed in it, something you enjoyed doing but the up tightness of the rest of the North seemed to frown upon. You also opted to carrying your cloak and savour the cold breeze on your walk as once you reached the kitchens you knew you would be sweating till you left them. Any other time of day and you may have felt exposed at your careless dress.

The walk also served as a time for you to try and wake yourself, something you apparently had not been doing well. Perhaps he moved with swift silence or maybe you were too tired to notice but when you turned the corner suddenly you smacked into the man you admired in secret.

It was not a soft bump either as a yelp came from your lips and Ned had to grab your shoulders to steady you, “My Lord, I’m so sorry,” you breathed out, suddenly awake, “I did not hear you,”

“It was an accident don’t fret. I didn’t hear you either” he assured you, his hands lingering on your shoulders. The warmth of his touch comforted you more than his words, “What are you doing up so late?”

“So early,” you corrected with a small smirk, too tired to bite your tongue. Luckily Ned chuckled as his hands fell from your shoulders and suddenly you were cold again, “I’m off to start preparing the bread milord,”

“Ah a baker,” Ned smiled down at you, “I never realised how early you had to wake up,”

“Its hard to get used to,” you admitted, smiling yourself in his company, “But we do what we must. Im sure others have it much harder,”

Neds smile faltered before a sad one replaced it, “We do what we must,” he agreed, “I suppose I should let you get to it,” he said as he turned to walk away.

Without thinking, just wishing for a few more words, your hand shot out to grab his arm gently. Ned turned round with eyebrows furrowed but no anger in his face, “If you don’t mind me asking milord is everything okay? it’s awfully late for someone who has not slept to be awake,”

Ned sighed, “It is,” but you saw him force the smile back onto his face, “I couldn’t sleep very well. My mind is…very active at times,”

“I’m sorry milord,” your hand was still on his arm but slipped down to just above his wrist, your fingers ghosting the edge of the fabric of his sleeve, “If you ever need a friend milord, I’ve been told im an excellent listener,”

“I appreciate that truly, but I do not wish to burden you,”

“Tis not a burden milord. It is my desire to serve house Stark,” you told him, suddenly feeling bolder at how he allowed your touch. You lowered your hand to hold his softly and he let you. “Whether it be in baking your bread or lending an ear or whatever you desire milord. I came to Winterfell to serve,” his hands were rough and callused but warm and you craved his touch when you felt how they were against your own skin.

Neds’ breath caught in his throat, “You honour me…” he trailed off, waiting for you to give your name which you did. “(Y/N),” it sounded so sweet off his tongue, “But I think it is time I found a bed,”

“Very well milord,” you took your hand back from his and you swore you saw him reach for it again before correcting himself, “Sweet sleep milord,” and with that you walked away, deliberately slow with a slight sway in your hips as you felt his eyes on you. however, once you turned the corridor you scurried to the kitchens

That was your first encounter with Lord Eddard but not your last. Occasionally you began to bump into the Lord on your walks to the kitchens. You were beginning to think he deliberately stayed up later to see you but then you had began waking earlier as well. He began to walk you down to the kitchens, sometimes even talking with you in the kitchen as you awaited your fellow bakers. Slowly but surely, he began to open to you.

He told you of the struggles he had with his fellow lords and his general duties but then he confirmed what many had speculated. He had essentially separated from Lady Catelyn after many arguments and fights. She had taken up her own chambers and only spoke to him regarding their children or in front of the other nobles.

From the bags around his eyes, you could tell it had not been an easy conclusion to come to. “It must be so hard to have to sleep alone again,” you said as you walked to the kitchens, Ned by your side.

Ned sighed but nodded, “Aye well I don’t know what else I can do,”

“There’s nothing you can do,”

“I made a vow,”

“It is not your fault she won’t let you love her,” you told him, trying to bring him some comfort, “You swore to protect her, and you have, give her children which you did, you have broken no vow,”

Another heavy sigh fell from his lips. You linked your arm with his, something you knew he was originally hesitant of but not once had someone even seen you walking together so now, he was more open to your touches. “I don’t understand how she could do it,” you said, and Ned shot you a curious look, “If you were my husband, I don’t think I would be able to leave your chambers to start with,” you said with a teasing smile.

Ned chuckled at your boldness. Up until now he had never reciprocated your flirtations or innuendos, you had even noticed him glancing at your chest in the past. He would always chuckle and move on. “If you were my wife, I wouldn’t let you leave them,” this night was different.

“You flatter me milord,” you said, placing a hand to your chest in fake shock.

His eyes lingered on your chest before flickering back up to your face that still wore its teasing smirk, “I’m sure you’ve experienced much flattery before,”

“I have,” your cockiness made him laugh again, “but hearing it from you is the sweetest of sounds,”

“You pay me too much mind,” he chastised with a smile. “I enjoy our early mornings,” he confessed.

You stopped walking, now outside of the kitchen door you would be trapped behind for hours, “As do I. I only wish…” you trailed off, your eyes never leaving his.

“Wish what?” he asked.

Stepping closer, you rested your hand on his chest. You only wished you could strip him of his tunic right there, “That you would finally invite me to your chambers,”

“I- “Ned began to stutter.

 But you pressed a quick kiss to his cheek before placing your hand on the handle to the kitchen, “I need to go to work. Goodbye Milord,” you grinned before quickly disappearing into the kitchens leaving a shocked Ned behind.

Perhaps you had went to far when Ned did not appear the next morning for your usual stroll however it got more curious when you learned he did not appear in any halls. The servants and staff at Winterfell were like flies on the wall so it did not take long to hear what had happened. Apparently, breakfast had been tense for seemingly no reason then Ned withdrew completely to the gods wood where he stayed till dinner. While the rest of the Starks dined, he went to his chambers, not even taking a bite of food with him.

Luckily you were friends with the people cleaning up the kitchens after dinner, so they didn’t comment on the food you had swopped into your basket. Even when the halls were busy no one seemed to notice you. you were able to get to Ned’s chambers in no time, somewhere you had dreamed of but never entered.

Before you knocked you pressed your ear against the door listening for any sounds before knocking when you were sure he was alone. “Who is it?” a grumpy voice shouted through the door.

“It’s me milord,” There was silence again for a moment before the door opened revealing Ned in just his undershirt and trousers, “I brought you some supper milord,”

Ned glanced up the empty hallway first before he moved to the side to let you walk in. his chambers were filled with soft greys and blues. He had a fire going in the hearth and the drapes were drawn so only the flames and a few candles lit the room. You noticed how comfortable his four-poster bed looked in comparison to your own cot. The life of a lord you supposed.

“You’re too kind my dear,” he said as he latched the door behind you. he gestured for you to sit at the table he and you complied, placing the basket on the table. “Im sorry I couldn’t make our stroll this morning,”

“Its alright milord. You can make it up to me another time,” you said with a slight smirk as you began to unload the basket onto the table. Ned took a seat across from you as he looked at the mini feast you had brought him, “You spoil me,”

“You deserve it milord. You work harder than anyone else at Winterfell,” you reached out to hold his hand, rubbing your thumb over the rough skin. “I worry about you,”

“You needn’t worry love,” Ned placed his hand over yours, “You’ve already done so much for me. You’ve been a gift from the gods.” You chuckled at his words. You were sure the gods would not approve of what their gift to Ned had been thinking about.

Ned ate some of his food but insisted you ate also. You moved your chair closer during your talk so you would be sat shoulder to shoulder with him. This gave you the perfect opportunity to lean in ways that exposed your chest which Ned was quick to look at. It also allowed for your hand to rest on his arm or shoulder or to wipe something off his face. Any excuse to touch him really.

You were laughing at one of his jokes when Ned smiled down at you, “I’m not sure what your fascination is with me love because no one’s ever laughed that hard at my jokes,”

“It’s not my fault no one else has appreciated you properly Lord Stark,” you leaned closer with a teasing smile. Neds’ eyes locked with yours and slowly you moved ever so closer.

Ned leaned forward slightly, faltering as he did, “We shouldn’t,” he murmured.

“Why not?” you whispered as your nose bumped with his.

“It’s wrong,”

“But how can it be wrong,” your lips were now ghosting over his, “when it feels so right?” Ned swallowed hard as he did his best not to lose composure under your gaze. “Don’t you deserve to relax Ned? To have some fun?”

The words must have got to him cause suddenly his lips crashed onto yours, his hand going to the back of your neck to hold you close. You gasped at first but quickly your lips fell into sink. It was you that introduced tongues but finally Ned didn’t seem to complain. He groaned when you pulled out of the kiss. you pulled your skirt up around your legs to allow you to climb into his lap easier before connecting your lips to his again.

His hands found your knees before slowly making their up your thighs, his fingers squeezing into the flesh at the top of your thighs. You manoeuvred slightly so that your clothed core would be above his cock which you could feel harden under the friction. Without warning you began to roll your hips into his which caused him to half groan and moan into the kiss and for his member to harden considerably more. His hands found your hips to help you set the pace.

“I want you,” you broke the kiss, pressing your forehead onto his, “I’ve been waiting all these weeks,”

Ned gripped your hips and stood up, pulling you with him. You couldn’t help a giggle as he quickly dropped you onto the bed. It was so much softer than you had imagined. Ned stood above you, his hands pulling off his shirt, “Are you sure about this love?” he asked. “We don’t have to,”

You sat up quickly, grabbing him by the waistband of his trousers to pull him closer, “I’m sure. This is what I want. I want you,”

Ned leaned down and placed a hungry kiss to your lips before you helped him rid himself of his trousers, letting his hard cock spring free. Ned crawled above you, kissing your neck, before loosening the strings at the front of your dress and pulling it down off your body, taking your shift with it. “You’re perfect,” he praised as he placed a kiss to your breast, squeezing the other with his hand.

You whined from which touch; your body almost jolting when he took your nipple into his mouth. “Please,” you whimpered under him.

“Please what?” Ned asked, realising your nipple before continuing to trail wet kisses across your skin up to your neck.

You stopped him, taking his face in your hands and looking him in his eyes. You brought his face closer to yours so that your lips brushed against his as you spoke. “Please fuck me,”

Ned’s lips crashed onto yours as his hand went between your bodies to find his cock. He took it in his hands and lined it up at your entrance, his tip rubbing against your wet folds. Finally, after weeks of tension and stress you gasped as he slid into you. a burning sensation took over your as he slowly filled you up. Ned stilled for a moment, his head lowering so he could kiss your neck. “Tell me when love,” he said, his voice husky and his eyes closed.

Finally feeling at ease, with a smirk, you began bucking your hips up, rolling them into his, causing Ned to release a loud groan, “Fuck,” he gasped as he began to thrust into you, his hands at either side of your head, “You feel so fuck- good,” Ned praised as his eyes screwed tighter shut with pleasure.

Your arm wrapped around his neck, pulling his lips to yours again for sloppy kisses as he continued his messy thrusts. Soon ned began to find a rhythm. He broke the kiss to lick his fingers before using them to rub circles on your clit. Moans began to fall from your throat, but Ned silenced them with his own lips. Your nails trailed down his back as you tried to conceal the moans he was causing.

Ned let out his own groans and soft moans which became strangled when your walls began to clench around him. You felt his cock twitching and began to roll your hips to meet him. His thrusts began faster but sloppier. Neds’ lips fell from yours, his head hanging low into your shoulder as he sped up. “Fuck, I can’t fuck,” he gasped as he quickly pulled out and fell to lay beside you, his cock still red and angry.

His hand went to move to his member, but you moved quicker. Without waiting for instruction, you moved to take him into your mouth. Ned gasped as your head bobbed up and down on his hard cock that was still wet from moments before. His hand went to your hair and within a few bobs of your mouth he was coating your mouth with his seed.

He was like a man gasping for air when you came up. “You still need to,” Ned tried to speak but you stopped him, placing a strong but brief kiss to his lips.

“Its okay milord,” you smiled as you held his face in your hands, “Another time?”

Ned grinned at your words, “Aye my lady. Another time for sure,”

No one was quite sure what had happened during Ned Starks seclusion but everyone at Winterfell noticed how much more relaxed he looked the next day.

Game of Thrones Taglist: @clairacassidy @nyotamalfoy 

[cognitivelypartiallyfurnished]

Tsukishima x mean!reader

-after Timeskip

If we can be completely honest for a second, Tsukkis gf could probably be as mean as he is and normaly he likes it that way, but what if a certain friend urged him to take a closer look...

Dont mind me, after writing this i want to recharge by taking a bath with my toaster...

warnings: teethshattering fluff, established relationship, implied smut ig and emotional unavailability, reader is a girl

Tsukishima x mean!y/n

For the past two weeks Tsukishima found himself staring at you while you were talking to some of your friends. He couldn’t help but notice the weird feeling in his stomach again, that seemed to remind him ever since that there was something he needed to talk with you about.

It all started when was hanging out with Kuroo, Bokuto and Akaashi on a weekend. They were all just spread all over the couch at his apartment. Everybody’s eyes were fixed on the television screen until his phone rang. Unfortunately, his phone was lying on the coffee table so he wasn’t able to grab it fast enough and when Bokuto took one glance on who the caller was he quickly snatched his phone with a smile. “Oya y/n-chan! How are you?” he howled into the speaker. Suddenly nobody really focused what was on the screen but rather on the caller. “Hey Bokuto, I´m fine, how about you? I´m sorry for disturbing your movie night, I totally forgot you guys were hanging out today!” came the response of Tsukishimas girlfriend. Bokuto tried to reply but the phone was grabbed by his blonde friend, who as soon as he noticed your voice tried to gain control of his phone again. “Hey, something up or are you just bored because I´m not with you?” he interfered the conversation with Bokuto before it even started. “Hey grumpy, in a good mood this evening? Its just the opposite, since you are finally busy, I can go out with some friends. Won’t be back till morning, just wanted to let you know in case you need help getting in bed like last weekend.” He didn’t have to see your face to know that you had a grin all over your face right now. Tsukishima furrowed his brow before replying “Don’t worry if you’re not here I don’t have to drink abnormal amounts of alcohol to forget your pain in the ass. Don’t be back till noon.” You giggled while announcing “Fuck you then, see you tomorrow dumbass. Try to stay in bed this time, will yah?” With a frown he replied, completely aware of his friends following the conversation eagerly “Only if you do it, what else is my girlfriend good for. Bring something to eat tomorrow and fuck you too.” As quick as possible he ended the call afraid of you mentioning his ungraceful fall out of bed last weekend for the third time. He was drunk and his senses weren’t exactly focused on the bed but rather on the girl that lied next to him. Taking of his glasses and pinching his nose bridge with his fingers he sighed. “I have never seen somebody more in love” Akaashi stated, his voice dripping in sarcasm. Tsukishima was confused, what was he playing at? But when Kurro asked “Are you guys always talking like that?” he started to think. Sure, in the beginning of your relationship it was a bit tampered down but you both were people who mastered the art of verbal bickering. After all it was one of the reasons he liked you so much. He shrugged and observed “I guess that’s just how we talk. I know that she doesn’t mean half the things she’s saying, and I guess she does the same with my remarks.” Kuroo took him in before commenting “Well ever since I’ve known you it was clear that you wouldn’t fall for someone sweet and innocent. I guess you finally found your match regarding the snarkiness. I can’t help but wonder if you guys talk like that all the time? Don’t you ever speak nicely with each other? And I never took y/n for someone to be that snarky around others? But maybe I´m reading too much into it, it’s your relationship after all. Let’s continue with the movie, I want to see this monster of a man again”. However, for the rest of the movie Tsukishima was lost in thought rather than in a cinematic universe.

Ever since this evening he was observing how you were acting with your friends and how your conversations were filled. He was in the final stages of his master thesis, but it itched him to gain knowledge on his relationship with you. After two weeks of doing so he came to the realization, that kuroo was a master of observing and he was right about Tsukishimas relationship. When you were with your friends there was a soft smile on your face, your voice a constant sound and even your posture seemed to be a bit more laid back than when he was with you. The blonde was aware of his quirks, especially expressing his emotions. He simply couldn’t help himself; he actually had no idea when it started and how he could try to have nicer or simply softer conversations with you. And then there even was something close to fear, he thought, what if after those roughly two and a half years you didn’t like him anymore? Sure, you cared for him but maybe you had fallen out of love with him and only wanted to remain friends? That was something he wouldn’t be able to do, he loved you too much for this, at least that he was sure of. The only idea he had was calling the person who had dealt with his snarky demeanor for the longest time and Akiteru was as happy as he wasn’t in a long time to be called by his brother and even asked for advice regarding his emotions. They sure had a lot to talk about this night.

For a bit more than a week your boyfriend was behaving very awkwardly you thought. It started when he kept staring at you having conversations with your friends even though he was supposed to work on his thesis to finish off his university career. When the staring stopped you heard and saw even less of him and after a week of very little contact and only half sided answers, you decided to contact him to explain this mess. Taking out your phone and texting him Hey smartass, I feel like we need to have a talk. Can we meet up or are you going to ignore me? you felt dizzy in your head.

After a few minutes, which you’ve spent in half agony, half hope his answer appeared on your phone: I agree, we need to talk, do you want to come over at my place Friday afternoon? Or do you want to meet on neutral ground?

You felt your heart sinking in your chest while reading his message, was he going to break up with you? Why was he proposing a neutral ground? Maybe you were too mean for him, maybe he needed somebody nicer? Or were you too clingy, too annoying or were you holding him back from reaching his potential? Despite feeling sick in your stomach, you agreed to meet him at his apartment.

Hearing the knock on his door he was startled. Closing his eyes, he had to remind himself that it was just you, you’ve been together for so long but he couldn’t help himself being slightly anxious, just like the first date you had or the first time you kissed. Tsukishima supposed, this was a first as well but this one he wanted to get over with. Opening the door he found himself astounded again, he had scarcely seen you the past days and now he was questioning himself why he prohibited himself from looking at you for such a long time. As usual he wasn’t quite able to point to what it was that kept him from looking elsewhere almost every time you where in his periphery. After more than two years he was aware, that your looks were slightly above average, so far he could tell objectively. But when he fully looked at you, he saw so much more than a slightly average girl. Somehow to him you looked harmonic, every tiny aspect of you fitted you so well in this whole picture of you that he was sure to be able to believe in a god if he told him that you where the gods eternal masterpiece. And then there was the feeling of home that settled between his shoulder blades each time he looked at you, he could practically feel your face on his back as he was making your morning tea and you were hugging him from behind. He had often wondered how on earth he was able to have all those thoughts, but he knew he’d never be able to speak them out loud.   

“Can I come in or do you want to watch me freeze to death in front of your doorstep?” you implied. It took almost all his restriction to not answer in his usual sarcastic demeanor. He stepped aside and you entered his small hallway almost immediately. Now you two were standing close together but you still felt like there was a big distance between you. This time he started speaking “Do you want some tea before your limbs freeze off?” You simply nodded and followed him into the small kitchen, the place where you two had cooked countless times together, shared so many laughters and had your deepest (and also drunkest) conversations. Now you understood why he had proposed a neutral meeting ground, this place breathed your shared memories. Unable to understand why you were thinking dramatic thoughts like that when you literally had last been here the weekend before you gratefully took the cup with your favourite tea from his hands, the slight touch of your fingers sending shivers like the first time you kissed down your forearms and back.

“Can I start? I think its best if we get this over with and before you say anything I want to tell you something, okay?” Seeing your big ass boyfriend mumbling you looked at him curiously, the voice of him not being snarky was rare to you. Afraid of disturbing the intimate and cozy atmosphere of the apartment in comparison to this cold and grey afternoon, you only whispered “okay”. While he seemed to gather his thoughts you were looking around. There was a reason you came over to his place more often than Tsukishima found himself at your place. His place was smaller but much more comfortable, he seemed to even have lit some candles you brought over on the small table in the kitchen. A strange feeling in your chest seemed to compress your heart, unsure of what was to come next you tried to take some last steady breaths. When Tsukishima started speaking, you looked him in the eyes, always lost in this weird shade of brown.

“okay…you are probably the only person…no who am I kidding… but you are the person who knows best how bad I am with emotions. However, there is something important I want to talk with you about. So, I guess unconsciously I was aware of this but what can I say, I’m good at ignoring my unconsciousness. When you called two weekends or so ago and were talking to Bokuto, you remember? Uhm, Kuroo mentioned something afterwards and I had to think about it ever since. I don’t think I´ll ever know a good way to say this so I’m just going to put it here: I think I don’t like the way we speak with each other anymore. Well, actually I’m sure I don’t like it. Most of the time I do, its just that I can’t help but wonder why we snark at each other all the time. Like when you talk to your friends you just seem so much nicer, I can’t help but think that its me who keeps you from being nice to me. I love your bickering, it turns me on so bad and makes me feel like I’m not the only sarcastic asshole but I think I also want to share nice moments with you. I don’t want to only have your mean side even though I know that you don’t mean the things you’re saying most of the time, I sure as hell don’t but I want to have all sides of you. I want to learn to have nice, normal conversations with you. I know that its not your fault or my fault alone, we both have to pull ourselves together for it, but I really want to. And now I’ve said all this and don’t even know if you still want to be my girlfriend, so if you don’t, please pretend I never said anything.” The breath he took when he was done was one of the loudest he’d ever taken, even in one of his volleyball games he scarcely was as out of breath as he was now. “Can we sit? Then its my turn to say something okay?” you proposed, suddenly aware of your trembling legs. Now you two were sitting across from each other, you gripping your cup of tea like your life depended on it and him doing his usual finger-fidgeting.

“I feel bad but I have to say it” You started, looking into his eyes, wide open and shocked, he was ready to say something but you continued “Shhh, now’s my time to talk. I thought you wanted to break up with me for the last week, so I was super afraid and nervous, well that doesn’t even cover it. I´m so glad, honestly, it’s been a while since I have felt this kind of relief. But now to your point. I think one of the reasons I’m snarky around you most of the time is that your kind of my Homeport…Around others I feel like I can’t talk shit all the time, nobody would like me, well except you. With you I don’t…I can just give you my thoughts without filter. However, I think I´ve been filtering all the nice and lovely things I´m thinking about you because I had the feeling that this just wasn’t our dynamic. I know you at least like me when you turn of the light and take my book away at night when I suddenly surrendered to sleep or how you know how to cook my favourite meals and how you tone down your teasing a bit on a bad day. Over the two years I learned to notice the small things and I hope you do too. But I agree, sometimes, especially when friends talk about their relationships, I´ll have a weak moment and just wish for some kind words or even something like I like you from my boyfriend. So if you’re feeling the same I´ll gladly put in the effort, I don’t want to loose you…You are very important for me…and I like you the way you are…and you probably ruined me for every other relationship if there is ever one because you just are you but like with a special place for me. I doubt that there’s anybody out there that is so well matched for me like you are so…don’t put me through this again. And remember those nice words!”  

Now it was Tsukishimas turn to be astounded. You both weren’t the kind to speak lots of words, deeming them unnecessary most of the time so you both rambling was a special occasion. Still fidgeting with his fingers he thought about your words. Slowly but surely there was a blood pouring in his cheeks, he could feel them heating up thinking about what you just proclaimed. “Come over here, I have something even better for you” Noticing how you were about to sob he kept his arms open until you were in reach and then pulled you into his lap. There were three magical words you’ve both only had said to each other so far when the other one was seemingly fast asleep. But after so much time together and hopefully even more he felt like it was now time to say it. “Y/n you’re a dork.” You looked at him deadpanned. “And I love you” now you were flabbergasted. Not being able to process a single thought you just stared at him while he hold you tightly in his arms and waited for you with a devious grin. Shoulders dropping and head tilting, you looked him in the eyes “I love you too Kei”. Next thing you know his lips are on yours, this must be the most love-loaded kiss you two have ever shared.

“If I´d known an I love you from me would shut you up for once I´d have told you waaay sooner”

“Kei, I´d shut up gladly hearing it from your stupid mouth again.”

“This stupid mouth will see about that in a minute, then you can tell me how much you like this stupid mouth!”

The smile you gave him now almost stopped his heart, it wasn’t exactly as pleasing as the soft smile for your friends but he was able to see your dimples and he decided, if there is one person who can laugh at him for falling out of a bed forever, it’s probably you. So no, there won’t be another relationship, except like, being engaged to you or something, but that could wait another year, Tsukishima tought.

[sirfrogsworth]

FFFF: Froggie's Fuckin' Fancy Foray

In a previous post I was debating whether I should go to the Sam's near me, which requires a short 11 minute drive, but the path to get there is quite stressful due to traffic and construction and frustrating detours onto narrow side streets.

There was even a time when a bunch of signs got knocked over or removed and I accidentally went down an unfinished road that dead-ended into a pile of rocks. That was a fun moment. Especially when people stared at me as I did some improvised off-roading to get turned around.

Like I said... STRESSFUL.

Or I could head the other direction across the river into Illinois.

A scenic 22 minute drive with empty highways to a much nicer Sam's. The extra 20 minutes of total drive time is a lot, especially after all the walking required to collect my groceries. And I feared it would test my energy limits, since I had to go to Sam's and Schnucks to get all of the groceries I needed. Sam's is great, but sometimes I just don't need seven dozen of something.

I was having a decent energy day, so the scenic route won.

My plan was to go to Sam's for the bulk of my groceries and then drive all the way back across the river, past my house, and go to the Schnucks that stocks my favorite new fancy Fitz's soda. Which would add another 30 minutes of driving. Though I figured if I wasn't feeling up to it, I could go to Schnucks another day.

But as I stood in the Sam's parking lot holding a five dollar rotisserie chicken, an idea struck me... "Maybe there is a Schnucks near here."

I opened Maps and to my dismay, there was a Schnucks just down the street and for three entire years I never thought to check.

Literally half a mile down the street.

I think we are all familiar with the concept of chain stores varying in quality depending on the area they are located.

There is a Schnucks only 1.2 miles from my home. It is what I would call "tolerable."

Let's deem this location "TS" for Tolerable Schnucks.

TS is clean and has all of the essentials but they try to shove ten pounds of Schnucks into a five pound bag. It is cramped and poorly stocked and the lighting is somehow extra florescent.

They managed to squeeze in a decent deli, but that is where the niceties end. They usually have one register open even if the checkout line wraps around the dairy section. I have yet to find a less busy time to go. It's always filled to the brim with people—morning, noon, and night.

And, frustratingly, they rarely stock my new botique soda obsession, Fitz's.

I allow myself one occasional sugary treat to manage the cravings and I never know if they are going to have it.

However, if I travel an extra 15 minutes then I can upgrade to the Schnucks I would call "nice." So we'll go with "NS" for Nice Schnucks.

Weirdly the NS is near the "tolerable" Sam's (no acronym because that would be confusing with Tolerable Schnucks (TS)). They are only 3 minutes apart but the store quality difference is pretty drastic. If I have the energy, I will try to stop at both places in one trip since they are so near each other.

NS is a much bigger store than TS and they even have a bigger selection to go with that extra space. I have to get my fancy soda there because I guess TS figured "let's just fill the aisle with Diet Coke and nothing else." NS has a much bigger deli and full bakery and a fish person and even a quaint little floral department. They usually have multiple registers open and they stay open past 8pm so you can go when it isn't busy. The lighting is a little better, they keep things in stock, and they even have half-sized shopping carts that are easier to push if you only need a few things.

I thought that was the gold standard for Schnucks.

As nice as it gets.

But then I discovered this new Schnucks near the Nice Sam's and that assertion was about to be shattered.

Let me introduce you to the FFS.

The Fuckin' Fancy Schnucks.

The first thing you notice at the FFS is the front has well-maintained landscaping. Like, proper shrubbery.

That's fuckin' fancy.

The second you enter the store you are greeted with a fully staffed floral department.

It felt like if Valentine's Day could manifest a jungle. Brightly colored flowers everywhere surrounded by mylar balloons wishing people happy whatevers.

Then I turned the corner to see the biggest Schnucks of my life. With one entire side of the store dedicated to bespoke food items.

They got a deli. They got a bakery. They got a fish person. They got another fish person who just makes sushi all day.

They have an entire wall of prepared food items made at the store daily. Sandwiches and salads and pastas and full chickens. They even make their own frozen pizzas.

And then I noticed... the Meat Masters.

They have their own damned butcher on staff!

I found myself just going up and down all of the aisles and discovering new things the other Schnuckses never stock. The soup aisle was ridiculous. I was getting pretty tired and I was paralyzed by too many choices. So I decided to just get my normal boring soups and come back another time to explore the Fancy Soup Section.

The FSS at the FFS, if you will.

And the lighting was just so much more pleasant. It didn't feel like a 90s office building.

And look at that flooring. Did they hire an interior designer?

TS & NS just have generic square tiles.

I mean, I guess making some of them blue is something. But even the ceiling is drab comparatively.

And look at the TS Zapp's display compared to the displays at FFS.

I will say, TS takes much better care of their robot friend. FFS stuck their robot in a very undignified location.

This Roomba with a giant erection spends all day counting stuff and they stick him next to the men's room? Let him hang out with the Meat Masters or the fish people.

This is how a robot uprising starts.

The soda aisle was at the end of the store so I arrived there last. I was nervous they might not have my beloved bottled soda pop. Not only did they have it, but they also had 4 other flavors I didn't even know existed.

I guess you could say the FFS had an FFFS! (Fuckin' Fancy Fitz's Section)

I got that same feeling when you unlock bonus items in a video game. I don't know what the difference is between cream soda and "cardinal" cream soda... but I'm gonna find out!

Update from Future Froggie: It's fuckin' tasty!

So...

Future Froggie approves of Fuckin' Tasty Fitz's Soda from the Fuckin' Fancy Fitz's Section at the Fuckin' Fancy Schnucks and is sad Nice Schnucks and Tolerable Schnucks Failed Future Froggie with their Lacking Fancy Fitz's Soda Section.

Or...

FF approves of FTFS from the FFFS at the FFS and is sad NS & TS FFF with their LFFSS.

Got all that?

I loaded up the FTFS and my frozen pizzas and my non-fancy soups and headed over to the registers. They had 3 lanes open despite hardly anyone shopping at the time. I didn't have to wait in the dairy section for 25 minutes. So I justified that extra drive time and then some. Because standing in line is harder than sitting and driving.

So I guess I answered my question about which path to choose. If only I had known about the FFS earlier I would have forgone NS and Tolerable Sam's and just drove the extra 20 minutes across the Mississippi River to and from MO & IL.

On the one hand, it is kind of depressing that just like public schools, property taxes dictate the quality of vital stores in our communities. I mean, these are stores run by the same company. I know the physical property can necessitate some variation due to size and configuration differences. But it's clear they are pumping a lot more resources into the FFS. Not just more cashiers with a bagger on every lane, but actual experts in flowers and fish and baking and deli.

And who knows how much a MoM costs. (Master of Meat)

On the other hand...

We live in a society and can't fix capitalism overnight and all that.

I need my FTFS and FSS at the FFS, okay?

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

To a Tea 2

No tag lists. Do not send asks or DMs about updates. Review my pinned post for guidelines, masterlist, etc. 

Part of the Sweet and Spicy AU 

Warnings: this fic will include dark content such as dubcon/noncon, and other possible triggers. My warnings are not exhaustive, enter at your own risk. 

18+ only. Your media consumption is your own responsibility. Warnings have been given. DO NOT PROCEED if these matters upset you. 

Summary:  A demanding customer grows increasingly needy.

Character:  Raymond Smith

The title is a pun, don’t @ me.

Please comment and reblog if it’s not too much. I always love getting to chat about these stories and hearing all your ideas! You all are wonderful and loved. 

You don’t often miss work, but that week, a burst pipe throws everything off. A morning spent waiting on your landlord, then the next few hours for a plumber, has things a bit off kilter. Even the next day, you’re not quite back on point. 

The patched wall next to fridge reminds you of the disaster and a dingy smell persists. You hope it doesn’t cling to you as you set off for your shift that day. If you can, you want to pick up some hours from others if their up for grabs. Harry doesn’t like Saturday’s, maybe he’ll hand over some. 

You try to leave your problems behind as you catch a bus down to the city centre. You get to the tea shop five minutes before the hour. Jenna’s wrapping up the opening tasks as you go to leave your things in the back. You tie on your apron and unlock the front door for the first customers of the day. 

At first, it’s a trickle. Never very much at all. The early risers who often come alone or if they aren’t, they don’t speak much or very loudly. The smell of fresh baking and the slow rising sun add to the lazy din. 

“Thought the special was strawberry today,” you comment as you transfer macarons from a cooled tray to the display. 

“Eh, it was but we didn’t have enough jam,” she shrugs. “Changed the sign, is all.” 

“Ah, thought my mind was lagging again. Everything’s been off since yesterday.” 

“Eh, how’s the apartment, anyhow? Marilyn said it was something about a leak?” 

“Burst pipe,” you explain, “they took out the wall above the sink, buncha clanging all day. When I tell you this place is like heaven.” 

She chuckles, “can be.” 

“There’s a formal tea booked in the Marigold Room at noon,” she intones, “forgot to mention that. With Mother’s day coming up, suppose we’ll get more bookings.” 

“Suppose,” you go to check the schedule hanging on the wall. “Party of twelve, wow.” 

“I’ll man the till. Honest, since those ladies at New Years, I’ve hated doing them.” 

“No problem, Harry should be here, shouldn’t he?” 

“Well, he’s... called in.” 

“Again?” You whine as you face her. 

“Are you really surprised?” She scoffs. 

“No one else to cover? Not even Louisa?” 

“Nah, she’s on holiday still.” 

You huff, “fine. Not much of a choose then, is it?” 

🫖

The tea room is as close to raucous as you’ve ever heard it. You have your back to the rest of the shop as you balance the stacked serving trays with an array of sponge cake, fruit, and biscuits. It’s the typical assortment for a tea party booking. 

You’ve already served the tea and the sandwiches, and dessert is the last bit, along with any further pots needed to be steeped throughout. With a partner, it isn’t hard to keep up, but alone, it’s rather overwhelming. Jenna does her best to assist but there aren’t many lulls around lunch time. 

Beyond that, the tourists are chatty. You could hardly get away to fetch each course as they wanted to chat about the culture and your suggestions of what they should do next. It’s nice that they’re friendly but still stressful. 

You put the trays on the cart and roll it around the counter. As you do, you nearly skid to a halt. In the rush, you hadn’t noticed him. Your eyes meet Raymond’s as he watches you. Intent, intense. You give an apologetic smile and nod in acknowledgement. Jenna wanted to deal with the main room, she’ll have to wipe down his table and do her best. 

You roll behind the wall and into the Marigold room. You present the tray and grab it by the ring at the top, lifting it onto the centre of the table. You roll around to gather the empty plates and cups, taking two pots for refill. 

You come back out and see Raymond standing, just as he was. He sees you too. Watching, hands folded, knuckles white, jaw set. He’s usually patient but you don’t know how long he’s been waiting. 

You roll behind the counter and sigh, clearing off the cart as Jenna steams a tea latte. 

“Can you wipe Raymond’s table?” You ask. 

“Who?” She furrows her brow. 

You glance over your shoulder toward the man in question and she follows. She rolls her eyes, “I tried, I wiped the the table. He didn’t sit.” 

“Hm, well... did you wash your hands first?” 

“Christ Almighty, what is he a child?” 

“Jen, he’s just... you know, my mom’s the same. He can’t help it.” 

“You can deal with him. I won’t be arsed,” she sniffs, “he was rude and you know I don’t got time for those ones.” 

“Jenna, I’m kinda up to my eyes,” you dump the used bags from a pot. “I know he can be prickly but just wash your hands and redo the table.” 

“Ugh, fine,” she sneers, “but you owe me.” 

“Let’s call it even,” you retort as you pour boiling water into the pots mouth. 

She shakes her head and huffs, “guess it is.” 

🫖

It’s nearly three in the afternoon. It’s quiet. Harry’s on his phone instead of doing the cups and your wiping the empty tables to keep yourself moving. The door opens and you glance over to make sure Harry’s alert. He’s not. 

Doesn’t matter. It’s him. Raymond. You stand and clutch the cloth tight in your hand as you greet him. 

“Be right with you, Raymond,” you assure him. 

He barely looks at you as he goes to wait next to his table. You go behind the counter and mutter under your breath in Harry’s direction, “...dirty cups.” You wash your hands and make sure to clink some of the empty porcelain in an effort to draw your coworker’s attention. He’s still entranced by his phone. 

You take the disinfectant wipes and go back out. You approach Raymond as he checks his watch. 

“How are you today?” You ask. 

He grumbles and shrugs, “fine.” 

“English Breakfast, black,” you declares as you finish wiping up, “usual.” 

“So you remember,” he challenges as he steps close, closer than ever, before sidling around to sit. 

“Of course, I always do,” you smile. 

“And last time?” 

“Last time...” 

“Twice.” 

You’re confused. What is he talking about? 

“I came on Tuesday and you weren’t here. Then on Thursday, you didn’t even say hello.” 

“Oh, well, I’m sorry, Raymond, it was a busy day. Tuesday, I had a personal emergency so I didn’t even know you’d been in--” 

“I’ll have my tea now,” he interjects tersely. 

“Right, tea,” you confirm and spin around. 

“Crooked strings,” he remarks dully, “again.”