#sorry for showing up here unscripted

[godsmistake13]

This is me Aya.. ‏🇵🇸

you wake up with nothing left.That's exactly what happened with us .we moved from having everything to having nothing.In a blink of an eye ,we lost everything, our house ,dreams,

memories belongings and our works. We are starting from zero and need your help to climb the leader step by step from scratch.

All the positive words cannot express how generous you are, especially in sharing my posts to inform other donors about the people of Gaza who are still suffering from the terrible conditions caused by the unjust war on Gaza!

Please continue to support us by donating directly or by sharing the link to let others know. Don't hesitate to help people in difficult and miserable times until the dark days are over. 🙏🏻🍉

https://gofund.me/c4c2cf82

hello again. i hope that you're doing well. i might not be able to donate as of now, so i hope that sharing your campaign would be alright for the time being. if you feel disappointed in hearing that, then that's perfectly fine that you feel that. for that, i do apologize.

i hope that more people will see your campaign eventually, so you, and your family will be able to evacuate safely without harm. i'm wishing you all the best.

(i do apologize if i have worded anything here wrong.)

https://gofund.me/651401af

€4,558 raised

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[8%]

please help them whenever possible.

please note that i'm not able to verify campaigns.

[archiveofvirtue]

PLEASE I BEG YOU <3 Drew x Journalist Reader. Got this idea based off just seeing Drew having a short interview by a girl at the Newport beach event who was a bit nervous and asked him a question twice. Maybe you can base it off that. Reader is not the most confident, a bit shy snd awkward sometimes. She messes up for her short interview with him and feels so embarressed but Drew found it adorable since it just shows that she's human and ''real'' in a sense. Maybe Drew tries to lock eyes with her throughout the event, from him being on stage, standing in the audience listening to others, but she is like ¨''Ain't no way. It's just a coincidence ''.......but you know....he tries further to make contact

ALL EYES ON YOU! ⸻ drew starkey

notes: BIG YES!! I saw that interview too and it was just too cute not to write about, so this request definitely came in handy. So thank you.

content: actor!drew x journalist!reader, reader is kinda awkward, drew being a sweetheart as usual, reader is in her mid 20’s, stangers to lovers kinda trope

The crowd buzzed with excitement as you stood near the edge of the red carpet, clutching your microphone and a notepad filled with carefully prepared questions. The premiere of Outer Banks Season 4 was a major event, and the energy was incredibly high.

The cast was expected to arrive any minute, and you felt your nerves getting the best of you at the thought of meeting Drew Starkey. Your Drew Starkey. Well, not exactly yours, but you'd been a fan for years, and he'd long since occupied a special place in your heart as your celebrity crush.

Taking a deep breath, you repeated your questions silently, hoping it would calm you. But just as you started to relax, you spotted him. Drew Starkey, looking effortlessly handsome and radiating that natural charm that seemed to captivate everyone around him. He was posing for photographers, his smile warm and his energy unmatched.

He felt good—excited, proud, and ready to talk about the new season. But he was also looking forward to something else tonight: connecting with people who genuinely loved the show. Sometimes, he missed that raw, unscripted connection during events like this.

'Come on, y/n. You can do this',

you reminded yourself. You usually felt so confident in these situations, but Drew seemed to have a unique effect on you, making you feel like a nervous wreck. Your cheeks were already heating up, and your heart beat faster as you raised a hand and gave him a small wave once he was finished with photos.

Drew spotted you and smiled, giving a nod before making his way over. There was something different about you. Drew grinned to himself, charmed by your genuine energy. Your mind raced, and you frantically tried to remember your opening question, but it seemed to have vanished as soon as he was close enough to hear you.

"Uh, hi! Drew... Starkey..." you stammered, mentally kicking yourself as your cheeks flushed even redder. Drew had to hold back a chuckle as you stammered. "Sorry, I—I mean, obviously you're Drew. So, uh, how—how does it feel to, um, be here?"

A small smile played on Drew's lips as he tilted his head, clearly amused and a little charmed. "It feels pretty amazing," he answered gently, giving you his full attention. "I think you might be the first person to be nervous to talk to me tonight, though."

You felt yourself relax, if only a bit. He didn't seem to mind your awkwardness, and his laid-back attitude made it easier for you to laugh at yourself. "I don't usually get this flustered," you admitted, "but, uh, meeting your favorite actor is a little... intimidating."

Drew's eyebrows lifted slightly. Favorite actor? He felt a warmth spread through him, more flattered than he'd expected, his blue eyes sparkling with adoration. "Well, now you're just making me feel special," he teased gently, leaning just a touch closer. "But don't worry, I'm not here to judge. Actually, it's refreshing to meet someone who isn't just asking the same scripted questions."

You couldn't help but smile at his words. He was down-to-earth and easygoing, making you feel at ease despite your earlier awkwardness. It almost felt like you were old friends catching up rather than journalist and actor.

"Okay," you said, determined to pull it together. "So, if you could sum up Season 4 in just three words, what would they be?"

Drew thought for a moment, letting his mind go back to the season they'd just wrapped. "Adventurous, intense... and wild," he said, grinning. "I think the fans are going to love it."

You nodded, managing to regain some of your confidence. "Thank you, Drew. And just so you know, Outer Banks fans will always be here for every wild ride you give us."

The way you said it, with that sincerity, had him smiling from ear to ear. "I'll keep that in mind," he said, meeting your eyes. "It's good to know there are people who care about the story as much as we do."

As he moved on, Drew felt lighter, the encounter lingering in his thoughts. There was something refreshing about you—authentic, unpolished, and kind. It was exactly the kind of conversation that reminded him why he loved doing what he did.

While he walked further away from you, you couldn't help but replay the interview with Drew in your mind as you drifted through the rest of the event. You had been a little starstruck, sure, but he'd been so warm and kind that it had made you feel strangely comfortable, almost like you'd got to know each other for more than just a few brief minutes.

And just like you had trouble forgetting about your encounter, Drew couldn't shake the memory of you either—the way your cheeks flushed, the slight tremble in your voice. Drew couldn't quite explain it, but there was something that pulled him back toward you, something he hadn't felt with anyone in a long time.

When he stepped up onto the stage with the rest of the Outer Banks cast, ready for the Q&A session, his gaze instinctively drifted back into the crowd, scanning the audience. Then he found you, standing off to the side with your notepad tucked under your arm, looking just as captivated as before. You were listening attentively to the panel, your attention fully on the cast—Drew was as charismatic as ever, grinning and laughing alongside his colleagues.

But several times, you could have sworn he was looking directly at you, but you brushed it off, refusing to entertain the thought that he might actually be looking at you. He's just scanning the crowd, you thought. There's no way he'd be singling me out.

Yet, each glance felt so intentional, his gaze warm and lingering. Each time you looked his way, Drew caught himself holding your gaze just a little longer than he should, his eyes following you with a subtle, warm curiosity, until you had to look away before you got lost in his eyes again. Still, you convinced yourself that you were being silly. There was no reason that Drew Starkey was staring at you.

But Drew was. He could see the way you tried to hide your reactions, the way you would quickly look away whenever your eyes met, almost as if you were embarrassed by the attention. He thought it was adorable. The more he saw you, the more he knew he wanted to get to know you better.

His gaze followed you even as he answered the crowd's questions, and the small, knowing smile he wore didn't go unnoticed by his co stars, who exchanged teasing glances with each other. They could sense something different about Drew's mood tonight.

After the Q&A ended, Drew made his way through the post-panel mingling, still keeping an eye out for you while you hung back. A couple of times, he seemed to be moving in your direction, and your heart thudded loudly. But then, just as quickly, someone would pull him away for a quick photo or handshake. You shook your head, convincing yourself it was nothing, just your own wishful thinking.

Eventually, you decided to call it a night, making your way out of the bustling venue with a small, satisfied smile. Meeting Drew had been more than you'd expected, a little moment you'd treasure, even if he'd likely never think of you again.

When Drew finally broke away, he glanced back to where you'd been standing, but you were gone, and his heart sank a little. He hadn't even gotten your last name or which media outlet you were with. All he knew was your first name and that undeniable connection he'd felt.

Drew had plenty of interactions with fans and journalists over the years, but there was something about you that was different, something he wasn't ready to let go of so easily. There had to be a way to reach out to you again, and he was determined to find it.

He could already picture himself talking to his publicist, describing you—the journalist with the kind smile, the one who didn't ask the usual questions. He would find you, he decided. He wasn't about to let this connection slip through his fingers.

The morning after the premiere, you arrived at work feeling the usual post-event exhaustion. Meeting Drew had been the highlight of your night, and although you'd convinced yourself he was just being friendly, your mind kept replaying the way his eyes had seemed to find yours in the crowd. But now, back in the real world, it was just a fun memory you'd carry with you as you returned to your daily routine.

You set down your coffee, flipped open your laptop, and began your morning tasks: drafting a few responses, diving into some research for your next article and sorting through emails. The office was buzzing as usual, your coworkers catching up on coffee breaks and deadlines. Just another ordinary day—until your eyes caught an email with an unknown addressee.

The message was short and to the point:

Hi y/n,

Drew's Team had a couple of follow-up questions about last night's interview. Would you mind getting in touch with us? The number is below if it's easier for you to reach us directly.

Your heart skipped as you read the last line over and over, your eyes glued to the phone number listed at the bottom of the email. Your hands trembled slightly, your mind racing with possibilities. You felt a small jolt of anxiety—had you messed up somehow? You told yourself to stay calm, to stay professional—but something told you this was more than just a follow-up. You quickly picked up your phone, dialing the number as you took a sip of coffee to calm your nerves.

The line rang a couple of times before a familiar voice answered on the other end, smooth and unmistakably warm. "Hello? Y/n? This is Drew."

You choked, your coffee going down the wrong way as you coughed in shock, barely managing to keep your composure. Drew? You hadn't expected this at all.

"Y/n? Are you okay?" he asked, a gentle laugh in his voice that only made your face heat up more.

"Y-yes! I'm fine," you stammered, quickly setting your coffee aside as you tried to regain your composure. "Sorry, I just—didn't realize it would be you answering."

Drew chuckled, sounding completely at ease. "Sorry about the surprise. I wasn't sure how to reach out to you and if you'd even pick up if you knew it was me," he teased lightly. "I just wanted to follow up about our conversation last night. And, well...I'm still around today, so I hoped we could grab a coffee later?"

Your heart raced, unable to believe this was happening. You managed to swallow back your surprise and keep your voice steady, even as a smile tugged at your lips. "I... I'd like that," you replied softly, realizing this conversation could lead to more than you'd ever imagined.

[kanmom51]

Are you sure? Announcement

Ok, so waking up to this little surprise kind of made my day.

With this following:

The two of them in a nutshell. 🤣

And this is how it looks on the Big Hit IG account.

Curious how their names are actually placed next to the other, so that JK's name is next to JM and JM's name is next to JK's.

Curious is what I am going to say.

But back to that little surprise we got.

And before I get into it I want to stress, and this is a given by now, but I will say it once again: these are my observations and opinions. Opinions being the key word here.

Just before we begin on this little surprise clip we got, can someone explain why it's titled 'Are you sure?!' Announcement (from USA) when it actually looks like this was filmed when they were in Jeju?🤔

I'm sorry, but we afraid of watering down, were we?

They couldn't even edit out the gay from a 1:23 min. announcement...

And this is them trying really hard to be on their best behavior for less than a couple of minutes on camera with a script to follow. 🤣

What will we be getting when they are in a relaxed natural setting???

With so much stand alone Jikook content, no amount of editing will be able to hide their dynamics, what they are to each other, what they mean to each other.

I cannot wait!!!

I've already mentioned this in the reblog of JM's Muse numbers, but I am bringing this up again the 1:23!!!

Intentional. A choice. Not a coincidence.

Not when this just keeps to happen again and again and again and again and again... countless times.

What can I tell you? They just melt my heart.

The way I just know that this ended with shits and giggles.

You can see JK breaking into laughter as the camera cuts. That little bob of his Adam's apple, snickering away.

This wasn't an easy one for them to shoot. JK looked tired (end or start of a day filled with activity?), JM looked I don't want to say flustered at times, because that is a big word, but at the same time I don't know what word to use to describe him being a little off his game. JK did his stimming and a little of his swaying, and as much as they clearly had a script to follow (I will get to that), it felt like it was still a hard one to keep a straight face to (JM was the one that mainly faltered on that part). I guess that was also him finding it hard to stay stoic when JK is being adorable, and even harder to do when you have to read out a script describing something that as is has you a little anxious, and you are JM and think that every single thing that JK does is adorable.

🤣

This announcement was all about them and only them. We know how they are with these announcements with the other 5 around to buffer them. Not only was there none of that here, but this was about them, their show, their travels, their Tokyo (notice how very unalike themselves they were while talking about the Tokyo trip? Trying to be unemotional? Like reading out of a text - which they basically were). This show is not a big deal for them. It's a huge deal. And it's not about 'coming out' or not. This is the first time we are being allowed into their world, just them. Not a few minutes of interaction. A whole show seeing them in what JM described ups and downs (I am very curious to see what that's about). We have seen them in relaxed situations in the past. We had BV and ITS. But that has 7 members with interactions and dynamics amongst the lot. This is just JM and JK the whole time. And even with a shit ton of editing that will surely be going on, we are going to be getting a peek into THEM, and this is something that is a huge deal for them, even more so JM.

This is JM talking about the show, their moments that they will be sharing with us. And think that this is JM talking before Sapporo (not to mention Tokyo which looks like we aren't going to be getting any of in this show - shock - not really).

If there was an unscripted moment in this clip, I tend to think this might have been it. Other than that, I think that the two were pretty much on script.

Now let's address that one for a second shall we?

I do believe this announcement recording was scripted. They weren't doing bullet points. This was too hard for them to come up with off the top of their heads. Situation too charged. So there was a script, that could have even been written by themselves. There were things that needed to be said, points to keep to, especially if it was them having this all squeezed into a neat 1:23 minute clip. And just winging it, even more so on this specific subject matter was not an option (btw, most of their announcements are scripted, we see that, we know that, and this in that sense is no different, although again, this one was, in my opinion, way harder for them).

This clip we got to see today is them being on camera scripted for 1:23 minutes.

And this is them on camera without a script for basically the same amount of time (even less in the one frame).

This, my friends, is a good example as to why they needed not only dot points but an actual script to follow here, lol.

So, you understand now why this HAD to be scripted. Same reason why JM kept denying JK of his wish to have a live together.

Before continuing, just wanted to mention this as well:

The way JK is holding on to his hand (there was absolutely nothing wrong with it, this was just him holding himself back). That was the first thing I thought of when this clip started and JK was standing that way holding his hand. But then I looked again and what did I see? Nothing too significant, just the two mirroring each other in they way they are placing their hands, left hand over right. Not a biggie, just a cutie. At the start of the clip, as seen above. And towards the end of it, as seen below.

Cuties.

Back to the scripting... sorry for getting off track. It's not me it's them.🤣

And then you will say: "well, what's the difference between that (as in the announcement clip) and the show?" and to that I will reply:

"Everything".

The show is them being them, travelling, having fun doing different activities, relaxing, at times forgetting the cameras are even there. They get to be themselves without holding back. Because they know that if they are themselves too much then they have the editing to fall back on. Not to mention the difference between an announcement or a live where the full attention is on the audience, that's us (and if they don't have a script they tend to lose focus on us and focus on each other instead - same reason JM told us in the past why he didn't have JK over for his live - he would be paying attention to him instead of us), and the travel show where the attention is on them and their interactions. In that capacity they are supposed to forget the cameras are there. The cameras are there to document them being themselves, natural, with genuine interactions, which they will be, and we, my friends, are going to enjoy every single second of it.

Back to our announcement clip.

The amount of cuts and probably re-takes they needed here. And even with this obviously scripted message it was hard for them to stay grounded (yes, for both of them).

I see where Bunny is going with this and that cut does feel a heck a lot sus. And it is very possible that JK did say something that flustered JM. Although I do still believe that his "I'm not even sure it's ok to release this" isn't meant for something JK might have said while recording this clip (which had multiple cuts to it as they knew it would), but more so to what was referenced by them as "you'll see us as we are".

And yes, it appears like JM is pulling JK back into frame, but if you watch the full video you see that they were both kind of going in and out of it without JM bothering too much. So why here? First off, I think that JK was a little more jittery at this point, he was stimming more and doing a little of his swaying, which JM calms with a touch at times. Perhaps because this was the 'revealing' part? The one they get into a bit of the nitty gritty of the show? Idk.

But I don't think that was the only reason either. I think JM needed the touch at that moment as well. See how he moves from JK's arm to his nape holding on as he says "I'm not even sure it's ok to release this"... like he needed that reassurance himself as well at that moment.

Idk, to me it felt like JM hand placement was done not only to comfort JK but also himself.

And cut/edit, JM is not holding on to JK anymore...

I guess what I'm trying to convey is that we are used to JM being the one to calm JK, ground him. And although I do think that was the correct assumption in the past, I do think that since 2021 that has changed and JK is to JM as JM is to JK the person who calms or grounds them. JM told us as much in Letter.

We also got to see the two with one single hoop in their left ear.

Was this the same day, or did they just wear the hoops like that their whole Jeju getaway? JK in the photos from their meet up with Tae seems to have another earring in his right ear, so possibly not same day.

And will leave you with this as well to do with as you wish.

Ok, not going to talk your ears off, pun intended.

Just one more little secret to tell you, if I already have you here:

Shh...

Don't tell anybody else, this is between me and you...

These two...

They're in love.

Shh...

You didn't here it from me.

[hologramcowboy]

Hi,

I' be been reading your blog and although I'm a big fan of supernatural and Jensen, I have to agree with most people on here about Danneel. It's not jealously, I mean I'm not an idiot, I don't live in the same orbit as Jensen and Danneel just being his wife is no reason to dislike her. It's just her I can't stand. I've tried liking her but it's so hard. Anyway, I wanted to ask if you or anyone knows about how soon after Ten inch hero that they got together. It really doesn't sit well with me that Jensen would steal his friends girl. Him and Riley knew each other for years. Did he really have no morels at all? Sorry it's a bit long.

Jensen and Danneel knew each other way before Ten Inch Hero. They do claim they "fell in love" while shooting the movie and often people believe they first met on that set. That is untrue. They both hooked up during filming, and the director and cast members noticed this so the story of their two characters was rewritten to reflect that. Jensen had a girlfriend at the time and Danneel was super engaged to Riley Smith, Jensen's ex best friend. As for morals, I think Jensen was struck by Danneel's naked scene and his other brain took over. Both of them try to romanticize their story but let's be honest, Ten Inch Hero was a shitty movie, they had an even shittier plotline and Danneel's role was pure trash. Danneel tried claiming she kissed him during filming and it was unscripted but if you search the internet you might run into an interview with the movie director where he clearly explains they did rehearsals at his home for the movie. Not to mention the camera setup during the entire scene clearly shows everyone knew the kiss was coming. In other words, Danneel lied, as she always does. There is no such thing as surprise kissing anyone on set unless you want to end up with a restraining order and fired. No actor is allowed to violate the boundaries of another, this is a heavy rule on every set which is why intimacy coaches are a big part of the filming process when it comes to intimate scenes.

[dorizardthewizard]

HSM (2006) rewatch pt 16 (final)

16: WHAT TEAM?

Yaaay champions! I like how he actually fakes right and breaks left in the game haha

We don’t get to see Gabriella winning though, but I imagine a scholastic decathlon win wouldn’t look so interesting

AND THE COCKBLOCK COUNTER STARTS NOW! : 1

This will be more relevant in the second movie

And yes I'm going to read too much into Chad breaking them up

Chad: So, you're going with me to the after-party, right? Taylor: Like on a date? Chad: Must be your lucky day!

Smooth, Chad, real smooth. Although I wish we could have gotten some moments of them actually becoming more close because it’s kind of out of nowhere? It's like they said, here’s the black best friend characters. Obviously we should just pair them up, no need to actually develop that everyone should get it.

^ For reference, it took like a few minutes of screentime for us to buy into Troy and Gabriella being into each other, so they really could have squeezed something in like, maybe during their talk when they realised they fucked up? They could have a genuine moment there.

Also quick fast forward but I read in an interview with Monique I think that she had the idea of giving Taylor a Britney-inspired outfit for the last scene, and yeah it's a pretty nice touch! A mix between preppy but also showing her letting loose.

I didn't clock that outfit at all at first though because I'm used to seeing school uniform in my country asdjhsf

Anyway yeah it’s too sudden for Sharpay to suddenly be cool with everyone now, but I don’t really care because they had no idea how big this movie would become and that they’d get sequels so I get why they wrapped that up quickly.

Awww Zeke! You gotta let it go man, there’s plenty of girls out there who will appreciate your cookies. Why does Sharpay reply “ew” to cookies what 😭😭 adding this to my lesbian Sharpay agenda

But Ryan picks them up at least and congratulates Zeke, he’s also wearing red so… supportive? Ok I see you Lucas I see what you were trying to do and I’m sorry Disney wouldn’t let you do it, but I do still find it hilarious how these little moments just get completely overshadowed by THAT scene in HSM2 LMAO

Aww Kelsi looking happy but awkward, same. Looks like everyone had an outfit change! She’s the playmaker! Troy’s like Kelsi fan number one and their friendship is so underrated honestly, he’s always lifting her up. Which must have been crazy for Kelsi, in the novelisation during their first interaction she’s like “THE Troy Bolton is being nice to me holy shit??”

Kelsi’s reaction is so funny though like, yeah I too would be like “Thanks!! Errr what do I do with this now I don’t know anything about basketball? Do I shoot it for fun? But I’ll probably flop and lose the ball, how long am I supposed to carry it for? Can I just… leave it to the side? Put it away I mean they’re gonna need it again? But I don’t want to look like I don’t appreciate it?????” This is what my brain is like during every single unscripted social interaction I engage in btw

Jason noticing her being a bit awkward and helping her shoot the ball is sweet, he’s just like that. Not a huge fan of taking her hat off though, I know it’s like this ooooh she’s letting loose moment but…. she had it on during Breaking Free when she’d just stood up to Sharpay and she was all energetic and confident during the performance, she’s all about her hats let her wear her hat! It comes off as the “oooooohhh this nerdy girl with questionable fashion sense is actually really beautiful if she just presents more conventionally!” trope

And now the final song! I've given up on making passable screencaps

I love watching the extras in this one because they’re obviously professional dancers and they just show everyone up, especially in that bit once the end credits start rolling. Ryan slays in this too, and happy to see Martha freely dancing there! As for the song itself, it’s iconic of course. For my personal listening tastes though, it's just a liiiittle too cheesy and for the kids. That’s what they were going for, with a pretty learnable choreography and all. Which is fine! It’s just not something I’d listen to much in my free time. I’m also haunted by another vine where these guys do a handshake or something and then break into this choreography idk, I can’t find it. Anyway B tier

WILDCATS EVERYWHERE! WAVE YOUR HANDS UP IN THE AIR! THAT'S THE WAY WE DO IT LET'S GET TO IT COME ON EVERYONE!! 😭

Hahahaha this post-credits scene, what was Zeke even doing just wandering around there aimlessly. Thinking about his rejection? : ( But no one can resist his baking for long!

His smile at the camera is so funny, yeah they never really went anywhere with this Sharpay-Zeke thing in the series so it’s kind of weird they keep throwing in little hints and Zeke still has a crush on her every movie

Aaaaand that’s the movie! This commentary has clocked in at over 9000 words, this is insane.

[mzannthropy]

Sam Claflin Doesn't Read And Yet Keeps Starring In Book Adaptations - But That Doesn't Matter

It is the truth universally acknowledged that Sam Claflin has done many book adaptations (and by the looks of it, keeps doing more!), yet he is no reader himself. (Side note, check out this gorgeous gifset, and my post on Sam's adaptations here.) So I did some thinking about it and concluded--it doesn't matter!

I don't know whether Sam reads the books once he gets cast in their adaptations, I think he does, but as I can't claim one way or the other, I'm not gonna dwell on that point. He reads the scripts (duh, obviously, as an actor) and whatever other resources he needs to get the role right. And he does. Sam Claflin, as the saying goes, understands the assignment. As someone familiar with the book, I can tell you that he nailed the role of Philip in My Cousin Rachel 100%. In this video here, he correctly calls the book a gothic thriller. When Sam was confirmed as Finnick Odair, he initially got backlash--hard to believe now as I bet majority of people can't imagine any other actor in that role! He gets it. His performance in Journey's End, based on a play, is so good that you have to wonder why he wasn't nominated for an Oscar.

There's also the fact that some adaptations are not exactly faithful to the books. My favourite scene in Daisy Jones and the Six--and one of the best scenes of his career--is the "pick up your kid" with Camila Morrone, which doesn't appear in the book. The crying was unscripted, also I read that apparently when they did a test of this scene, Taylor Jenkins Reid was there and she said "I don't care if he can sing, just give him the role" (sorry I don't have a source for this, it was one of the myriad of articles that came out when the show premiered). Then take Enola Holmes. As I was informed, Mycroft appears only little in the books (same goes for Sherlock, apparently), yet his role was quite big. Therefore reading them would have been useless anyway. (He said in one interview he had never read any Sherlock Holmes stories, but those would have not helped him either bc his version of Mycroft is far removed from the original.) So, you know, reading books is not everything.

[stingslikeabee]

The captain's eyes opened slowly. He winced against the bright bloom of light that filled them. Slowly, Daigo became aware of where he was : sickbay. Its ceiling was all too familiar. With a soft groan, he started to look around.

This was the . . . surgical section. Frowning, Daigo moved to prop himself up but was forced to abandon the endeavor. His right arm was firmly encased in bandages and a gleaming metal cast to stop it from being jostled. Perhaps that was why he ended up here. Daigo vaguely remembered his last mission on that planet not going to plan ; the vegetation there had been far more sentient and defensive than expected. That would explain his shattered arm and the stitched incisions across his middle.

With a sigh, the captain settled back into place. He groped for the thin blanket over his legs and brought it up to his torso. The screen showing his vitals flickered to life nearby, updating its hourly log. Everything there looked good, at least.

The hiss of the nearby door caught Daigo's attention, though his eyes remained fixed to the display of his heartbeat. "Kashiwagi-san," he said, voice still clipped and commanding despite the fog over his thoughts, "can you tell the first officer to report here ?? I want to make sure that idiot is alright. If I . . . "

Daigo sluggishly turned his head then, words faltering at the sight of the figure in the entrance. "Counselor ??" he breathed, unable to help the curious mix of emotions in his expression. The captain ( carefully ) propped his torso up on his left arm with a grimace. It was then he saw the bloody scraps of his uniform, sealed up neatly in a bag on the nearby seat. "What are you doing here ??"

unscripted asks . always accepting

Things with the Tojo had been... Eventful, to say the least. Within the last few hours and given the delirious state of their captain (in addition to certain injuries that required medical care of his first officer), the bridge had been temporarily under command of three different officers, who changed places with each other as their superiors either returned or got discharged from sickbay.

It should have been an easier assignment - their databases were either terribly outdated or something had happened to the environment of Mirila III over the last decades to explain the hostility that met the Tojo's away team. However, if the captain had stayed aboard the ship, as it was provided for in the regulations of the fleet, he would have not been returned in such a sorry state and mumbling incoherent thoughts.

The vegetation there was toxic in levels that far exceeded their preparations; the poison that spread through Daigo's blood had made him delirious, one of the very few things that made sense being his cries for the ship's counselor. Melissa had gone there immediately - regardless of whether or not it was a fever dream, in her experience these hallucinations tended to have some minor grounding in real (albeit sometimes unconscious) needs.

The woman had stayed there during most of the procedures required to immobilize his busted arm and estabilize his vitals - luckily Kashiwagi had seen a similar case of severe poisoning in another planet within the same system, and the tested solution of the past worked beautifully on Daigo and the other crewmembers who also got in contact with the toxins. The captain, however, had taken it harder - ever the self-sacrificing individual, he had jumped in front of others, and shielded his people in a valiant act of bravery (much to the displeasure of his first officer, who constantly argued about the unnecessary danger Daigo put himself in).

Melissa had really been dropping by to make sure the captain was feeling better - a purely professional endeavor, of course. Not at all associated to personal feelings on the matter and the way that she refused to leave his bed until Kashiwagi ordered her to, outranking the counselor in medical matters (although his voice was stern, his eyes were kind; he understood she meant well). The bracelets with the black stones that doubled as neural blockers were around her wrist, a sign of the commitment to not invade his privacy during such delicate, vulnerable moments.

"Hello, captain. Good to see you're recovering well," Melissa smiled in response, walking over to the bed and gently fussing over Daigo - her hands helped him back to the original position, knowing that Kashiwagi would be furious if he returned to find her causing some undue excitement or exhaustion for their leader. "You asked for me earlier, when they brought you back from the surface. I just wanted to see if I could be of any more help to you."

Melissa did not say much afterwards - but her honey-colored eyes looked at Daigo with a softness that was not usually reserved for anyone. The woman gingerly fixed his hair and pulled the covers back to prevent the captain from straining himself, and then placed a hand over his shoulder as if it was a featherlight caress - just a grounding motion rather than an overwhelming one.

"I will look for Commander Akiyama and pass on the message, but he is fine, sir. Your heroic attitude back at the planet prevented the worst, but I'm fairly sure he is also keen on giving you a lecture later. You are far too important to the Tojo to be injured while looking out for the crew, sir."

A small smile followed - Melissa knew Daigo disagreed; their progress in sessions had been slow, but it was evident that he felt everyone else under his command more valuable and precious than himself. Admirable to a degree - but also self-destructive. Akiyama had been working on that for some time, but he lacked the professional training the ship's counselor had. Perhaps, as much as Admiral Sohei had tried to make his son's life harder, he had unknowingly assisted in improving it by ordering his child to forcefully go to therapy.

"I will also say that the captain is currently experiencing mild hallucinations as a residual effect of the toxins in his blood, and should rest for a couple more of days," the brunette said at length, her smile taking on a slightly mischievous and conspiratorial edge, "I'm risking my reputation to free you from a sermon, captain. If the first officer drops by later, I fully expect you to act like an idiot," the counselor paused, chuckling before adding, "Sir."

[babacontainsmultitudes]

Lovelace fans, I have seen that many of you have been voting for Carlos as an act of vengeance against Glenn and... Ah, I get it. Genuinely I do, in all honesty when my boy Nicky was fighting in an earlier round I was pretty ready and willing to do the same.

It fucking sucks, fighting like hell for a character you adore, only to watch them fall. Moreover, it is the unfortunate (albeit logical) nature of the bracket structure that the Night Vale champion gets to waltz into the finals essentially without any real blood on their hands (in addition to already benefiting immensely from the massive reach and popularity of wtnv), while the rest of us significantly smaller fandoms are pitted against each other and forced to fight tooth and nail for the characters we love (or at least find sexy). If my fandom had gone down last round, we would have been absolutely crushed and... I'm sorry it had to be yours instead!

I wish I could offer you guys a compilation in exchange for joining us like I have some other fandoms... Unfortunately, Wolf is on the top of my list of podcasts I want to get into, and as much as I care about this tournament I don't really want to spoil myself on that. But, there are a lot of things other people are offering if you vote for Glenn- that's a shit ton of people who could draw Lovelace pictures for you!!!

Listen, we're up against a giant here (I will remind you that a big reason this poll exists in the first place is because of Lovelace losing to Cecil in the finals of last year's competition!) and we can't do this alone. If Glenn loses now, after everything people have done to keep him in the game, what hope is there for any of us smaller fandoms in future years of this competition? Will the loss of everyone in the scripted and unscripted brackets be in vain? Will our podcasts be forever doomed to kneel to Night Vale's monopoly of the spotlight because we aren't willing to make amends?

"Hmmm... Eh, I'm still kind of in the mood for vengeance?"

Heh, I thought you might say that. Fair enough! We could all use a little catharsis I think. Hehe, well as I said I can't myself offer much unfortunately but I can do this-

SHOW ME PROOF OF VOTING FOR GLENN CLOSE IN THIS ROUND, AND I WILL SAY THAT THE CHARACTER OF YOUR CHOICE* IS SEXIER THAN GLENN. Hehehe, depending on the character I might even agree with you! Who knows, I might even roast Glenn a bit while I'm at it. If there's anything I love more than hyping my blorbos up, it's making fun of their goofy silly asses.

*Except Carlos or Cecil for the sake of morale, character must be 21+, no real people unless it's very funny, OCs are allowed! Feel free to take this as an opportunity to show them off.

Heh, one more thing Lovelace and Pickman fans:

It isn't much but, If Glenn wins this round, I will vote for Lovelace and Pickman in every round of their respective brackets next year (and if they face off against each other either is fair game lol). Even if it's against a dndads character! You can hold me to it and ask me for proof!

Thank you for considering my goofy silly offer, signing off.

Sexiest Podcast Character — Round 8|Ζ (Final Round)

EDIT: Carlos the Scientist is from Welcome to Night Vale.

[mdhwrites]

Have you read The Raven & The Owlet? Very good very long Lilith & Luz fic by Soulfyre, Lumischa endgame

So I'm going to make this a sad one. I don't have to. My response could just be "Yay, Lumischa! But I haven't read it, sorry and it being long means I'm unlikely to get to it." But... I haven't properly finished a story in six years that wasn't my own. At least. And if that sounds insane to you, well... Have you ever read one of my blogs and just gone "Turn your brain off, Michael. Why can't you just sit back and enjoy?" And that's a fair response. Problem is my brain NEVER turns off. It never shuts up. It never has for my entire life and is probably something attributed to me being autistic. When I was young, books were actually somewhat of an escape from this. I could picture the worlds, get deeply invested and love what I read. I read so much that I often got told by teachers not to read and walk before proving that I was more aware of my surroundings than my peers because I learned how to read and walk. I did pretty well in Battle of the Books and acrewed a knowledge of writing from those years. Then when I was almost 18, I began writing and realized I loved it. It was my passion. At the same time, I was finally getting into fandom and enjoying the analyses videos put out by the brony community (MLP was my first and only other fandom I've truly been a part of besides TOH, take that as you will) and that fed my analytical side. Worse yet, reading takes time and I found I wanted to put that energy more into writing. And then came the coup de gra. I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety. So now I had a brain that couldn't shut up, hated myself, worried about everything, and could never stop considering things from a partially analytical viewpoint. And writing was my passion and what I was honing my craft with. I don't watch much media. I watch streamers and let's players. I can't criticize unscripted content that is just a person. I hate media, I don't hate people. That's because I can't HANDLE media all the time. I tried getting into Wednesday and had to take multiple breaks because the show made me so upset. My lack of much to say critically about Amphibia besides it being very good is probably part of why I fail to connect to it as I did with TOH. And in general, it's just hard for me to enjoy most things and if that sounds miserable, I AGREE. And writing is where I'm most severe, especially now that I'm at a level where fan editors don't usually have anything useful to say about my works unless it's a blatant error that comes from my hands going too fast. I tried helping someone recently and took ten minutes getting through the first paragraph because I had so much to say about why I suggested minor shifts. I will find every little thing needling into my brain while reading something and while I can tell I've relaxed, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to work with another author on a project, that side of me is still there. And that amount of time and focus is deeply triggering for me. It's part of why I don't do self edits. I literally can't spare the time if I ever want to write. And none of this is happy. I don't like using this as an excuse. I want to be a part of writer communities. I want to help people take the same route I did in learning to write. To give back like others gave to me. I just... can't. Not without getting into a really bad mood or just having a complete mental breakdown. And I'm sorry about that because I'd love to be able to discuss and highlight fandom ideas and works here. It just isn't something that's going to happen until I have more peace in my own mind.

[electraslight]

Not a request so much as a question:

I know you hc Ben as aroace, so I’m not trying to pose this as a shipping question, but do you think his dynamic with Rook would change at all? Or how do you view their relationship?

heya anon!

I personally always viewed rook and ben as very close friends, not for any real reason other than i watched the show when i was a little baby and had no concept of romantic relationships. and i dont neccessarilly think they need to be in any sort of relationship. one of the problems in the show is the writers constantly feeling the need to pair ben up with any available female within a 12 mile radius, and that kind of turned me off to shipping him with anyone in general.

I obviously dont have anything against people who do ship it though, i just feel like ben would be dogshit in any relationship at all, even if it was with a man.

as an ace aro person, my friends are the closest people to me . In fact, my own best friend is a lot like rook lol. i feel like you can love someone tons and tons and not have it be romantic!!

anyway, sorry for the unscripted word vomit. heres your reward for listening to my ramblings. enjoy!!!

[findingjoynweirdstuff]

Dream SMP Recap (May 18/2021) - The L’Sandburg Deal

A “lore stream” from George takes an unexpected turn, and Foolish finally confronts L’Sandburg, taking up Bad’s offer to meet about a possible sale to end things peacefully.

---

VOD LINKS:

Ponk

Foolish

Georgenotfound

Ranboo

Sapnap

Foolish

Badboyhalo

---

- George starts walking to the prison. Tommy tells him in chat to turn around as he asks why the prison is so big to contain only one person

- Tommy says George told him he wanted to do this today, asking if he still wants to

- George starts following Tommy down the Prime Path and Tommy tells him to take the blood from the path. He says this is real, not a time for primes

- Tommy tells him they need to go get the Nightmare armor from Tubbo and asks how George is feeling. George isn’t feeling well

- Then he tells George no armor, then tells Tubbo to prepare the battle stations

- They run to Snowchester, Tommy says “nukes” in chat

- Tubbo is standing there holding a rosebush. George asks why he’s holding them, but Tommy says there’s no time as Tubbo leads them to the Snowchester vault with Dream’s armor. George takes it

- George looks at the camera and says it’s time to go and kill Dream

- Suddenly, Tommy joins VC and pulls down the green screen to reveal that this wasn’t a lore stream but a meetup, and Jack, Tubbo and Niki are also all there!

The stream immediately ends.

- Later, Sapnap and Karl hang out with Drista for a bit

- Bad hangs out with Sapnap and Karl (in VC) in L’Sandburg. Sam comes over and accuses Bad of smacking his butt

- Bad and Karl talk some more before Karl eventually leaves the call and Foolish arrives in L’Sandburg. It’s time to do some lore to decide the fate of L’Sandburg!

- Foolish orders Bad to tear down the walls and Bad says he wants to sell L’Sandburg to Foolish. Soon, though, Sam comes over to interrupt. As the warden, Sam is here to oversee the conflict.

- Foolish tells Sam to put Bad in prison for taking his land, but Sam reminds Foolish that Bad is one of the guards. He was just coming over to tell Bad he’s on duty tonight

- Bad shows Sam L’Sandburg, and Sam likes it. Karl interrupts in VC. Bad explains to Sam the extent of L’Sandburg’s territory and Corpse Husband joins the call to apologize that he can’t make the lore stream

- Foolish tells Sam he built the obsidian walls to restrict their expansion, but Sam says by doing so, Foolish sanctified L’Sandburg’s status as a separate territory, and Sam is the keeper of law on the server. He believes that L’Sandburg is independent

- They push Foolish out of L’Sandburg territory and Bad explains to Sam and Foolish that he wants to sell the toll gate but keep the L’Sandburg tower

- Foolish offers a stack of leather and a stack of bamboo, but Bad doesn’t accept the offer. Sam considers buying it -- he’s making a bank and needs a steady form of income for it

- Sam offers Bad seven diamond blocks. After much bargaining, Foolish offers seven diamond blocks and steak. Sam offers steak for free, then Foolish increases to eight blocks, then ten. 

- Sam backs down, and Bad asks Foolish what he would do if he bought L’Sandburg. Foolish would tear it down

- Sam would have to enforce the tollgate, but he says he can divvy up his time between the prison and watching L’Sandburg. Bad would rather take Sam’s offer, and Sam says he wants to make it much bigger -- all the way to block limit

- Foolish protests. Bad asks Foolish to reimburse him materials and they accuse Foolish of vandalizing signs. 

- Bad says he’d be willing to accept Foolish’s offer of ten blocks if Bad owns the tower. Foolish says the tower belongs to Foolish and not Bad, and Bad disagrees and rejects the offer. Sam says the toll will be a diamond block now

- Foolish walks around the wall and Sam attacks him, saying he bypassed the toll

- Bad makes his offer again. If he owns the tower, he would get all vertical space included in the chunk, and he wants nothing less than full ownership

- Sam positions himself as a neutral third party. Foolish shows Sam the books. If Bad owns the tower, he would put a toll on the chunk of land

- Bad is concerned that since Foolish would own the land outside his tower, Foolish might box him in. Foolish agrees that he wouldn’t disrupt Bad’s line of sight from the tower and Bad gets a buffer zone

- They agree on the deal and Bad gets the ten diamond blocks, Bad confirming L’Sandburg is a country. Bad gives Sam his “cut” of five diamond blocks

- Foolish asks what Bad means, his “cut.” Sam was supposed to be a third party! Sam says good day and leaves Bad and Foolish to start taking down the walls, Foolish unhappy

- Sam whispers to Bad:

DON’T BACK DOWN ON THIS YOU WANTED TO DO IT. REMEMBER QUACKITY SAID THIS WAS A GOOD THING FOR BUSINESS.

- Bad agrees with Sam and continues to work. He’s pleased. Every nation has to start somewhere, and he now has what he wanted the most: acknowledgement as a sovereign entity

- Bad wants there to be no hard feelings, so he gives Foolish the five remaining diamond blocks he has as payment and apologizes for everything. He explains that on that one day, when he was standing on that one spot...he realized he just really wanted it

- The problem, he goes on, is that you can’t just “pick up a spot” and carry it to “a chest in a secret location.” Now he has it!

- Foolish asks what happens when somebody else decides that they too can claim it. Bad says when that day comes, they can fight together as neighbors! L’Sandburg is like an embassy

Foolish: “Wait wait wait a second -- am I talking to former Eggboyhalo or is this a slightly different Badboyhalo?”

Bad: “No, this is past the Egg arc.”

- Just then, Bad gets a message from Skeppy. He’s confused that Skeppy is messaging him that Foolish took him prisoner and won’t release him until he gives up L’Sandburg. Bad demands Foolish explain, and Foolish lets slip that there was a plan to kidnap Skeppy

- Foolish tries to explain that it was just backup in case Bad had an evil plan up his sleeve. Bad shouts at Foolish, asking where Skeppy is

Foolish: “I should tell you something...Skeppy said he was getting tired of living with you.”

Bad: “...”

Foolish: “He said he needed a break, so I was gonna offer him a vacation.”

Bad: “...You take that back.”

- Until Foolish returns Skeppy to Bad, Bad declares war. Foolish doesn’t know where Skeppy is, as it was an unmarked location. Bad is horrified and immediately goes searching all over for him

- Foolish reminds Bad that Bad tried to kidnap Finley, but Bad says he gave Finley back safe and sound

- Bad gets another message from Skeppy saying he’s cold and hungry. Foolish says it’s just a prank, and he has Tall Mama instead. Bad goes to leave

- Foolish asks if they’ll still be able to be friendly neighbors

Bad: “I hope so, Foolish...”

- As a token of friendship, Foolish hands Bad the decorative button from the now-torn-down L’Sandburg tollgate

- Bad heads back through the Nether, looking down from the bridge into the lava and calling for Skeppy. He walks down the Prime Path, saying he was sorry for going off and making L’Sandburg

Bad: “I know things didn’t go the best with the whole Egg thing, but come on...”

- He makes it to the mansion and sees the poster of the shark with its butt out. It’s the ransom note

- He searches through the mansion. L’Sandburg was supposed to be a place where he and Skeppy could hang out together...

He keeps calling for Skeppy but there’s no answer, and the screen cuts to black.

---

Afterwards, Bad does a brief lore QnA:

- L’Sandburg canonically takes place after the final Egg stream, which Bad says is going to have “a doozy of an ending,” and he “doesn’t want to make you guys too sad.” 

- All the L’Sandburg lore was on the fly. Nothing (except for Skeppy getting kidnapped) was planned, it’s all unscripted and fun

- People will either love or hate the next Egg lore stream. It’s going to be crazy

- There is one more stream that will wrap up the Egg lore and “set everything in motion.” 

- He says you do not want to miss it. Bad will announce the date before it’s time

- A dono asks, if the Egg lore is setting stuff up, is it taking a break and coming back later?

“Coming back later? You’ll see. It’s gonna be interesting. You’ll see.”

---

Upcoming Events:

- The final Egg lore stream

- Foolish’s date

- Quackity’s business opening

- Quackity’s next lore stream

- Tales From the SMP: “Space Race”

- Ponk’s lore stream

- Dream’s lore video

- Sapnap’s possible lore stream

- Awesamdude lore stream

[trashcancollective]

I like this view of things and wish it was true, but as someone who is very invested in the politics of my home country, it's unfortunately not the case.

For the last 2 years, all democrats with public statements were in full support of Biden, claiming his age wasn't getting in the way, that he was just as sharp as ever, and he was going to be the nominee. Up until the debate.

Now, you probably haven't seen the debate, but it was Bidens first unscripted piblic appearance in almost a year. There had been whispers from those closest to him that he was having problems, but by and large it was kept under wraps.

His performance at the debate showed people just how bad he had gotten. He had trouble with almost every sentence, he couldn't stay on-topic, he struggled to think. When he stepped off the stage, he had to be helped down the stairs by his wife.

It showed all of America, including Democrat leaders that didn't have a personal connection with him, that he really was an old grandpa who should really just retire.

And after that the party flipped. There started being calls for him to step down. He was asked on multiple occasions if he would and he staunchly opposed. He said only himself and God could lead his decision, and he would be staying in the race.

As the clock ticked down for the democratic national convention (where the party actually finalizes their nominee) those calls became more forceful.

All the Democrats that Biden had worked with in the past, notably Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, called explicitly for him to step down, or at least consider stepping down. (Just a side note here, Hillary Clinton is a woman that just doesn't know when to quit, so the fact she was saying Biden should quit was very ironic)

He made this decision at the last minute not as some masterful strategic play that would disrupt the republican race, he did it at the last minute because his back was against the wall and all his party leaders were telling him in no uncertain terms "you can't win. She MIGHT be able to win. You need to step down"

It's honestly just the sad story of an old man who achieved his lifelong dream of being president just a little too late to see it through to the end. And I know this must have been a difficult, heart wrenching decision to make, but it's for the best because of the side effects you talk about in your post, op.

Because he was a stubborn old man, he actually hurt the republican race in catching them off guard.

But the republican base has known who their nominee was going to be for 4 years, and with the failed attempt on Trumps life, their base is more fanatical than ever.

I don't know if it even matters that Trump doesn't have any witty lines against Kamala, or if they find it hard to fight against her. The people that were going to vote for Trump still will.

What this has really done is to bring the democratic base back a little bit. Lots of people knew Genocide Joe. Lots of people didn't want to vote for him for that reason, or because he's too old, but with Kamala, she's a "clean-slate" (well, a relatively clean slate) for the Democrats.

Sorry for the long ramble, I just have been following this topic very closely because I've hoped Joe Biden would step down long before this, so I've been keeping up with almost every public and private leaked statement from those in the democratic party, and inside the white house.

I hope this adds more nuance to your post and you don't see it as a rejection of your idea or a contradiction.

I usually try to stay out of politics of a country that's not my own, but can we for a moment admire the absolute ARTISTRY of Biden's dropout move?

Like, this is the check mate move of politics. He stayed as a nominee until the last possible second so the Republicans would waste all of theit anti-campaign money on him, let them make fools of themselves in their overconfidence, with Project 2025 and fucking Vance as vice nominee, let all of the slander and bad press be atributed to him, and then dropped out and let Kamala Harris step in as the squeaky clean candidate that the Republicans had no plan for? This had to have been planned, but they kept it quiet until the last minute so it could take their opponents completely off their guard, Republicans are scrambling and every Democrat voter is suddenly motivated to get her into the seat because they know she can do even better than Biden already did.

Shah mat indeed. The Republican king is helpless. And I think that's beautiful.

[kanmom51]

I’ve been watching the JK/JM IG angst with interest. People are really losing their SH*T over it! Why isn’t Jimin posting? Why didn’t JK comment on the few posts he has done? Why are Jk and V interacting in IG? What does it all mean!? Thankfully, you’ve made a couple of really Important points on this. 1. These are business accounts. They were all activated at the same time and were created (as I believe was mentioned) to give the artists a chance to basically sell their brand, to let fans get to see some things about them individually. They do not have to share ultra personal stuff, and most likely won’t. 2. If JK &JM are together all of the time, why WOULD they need to comment on each other’s posts? They most likely just share them with each other in real time. Kinda like when JM told everyone to email him their submissions for BE and JK said “I can just tell you mine, right?” Why? Because they are always together, so emailing would have been unnecessary and redundant.

People also say that something must be wrong because JK & JM used to post selcas and interact more on social media than they do right now. Well, they are older and have probably learned the hard way to be selective in what they share. Still, we’ve recently had a LOT of very nice LIVE Jikook moments (concert moments, a couple of great VLives, press, behind the scenes, Etc.…). These are unscripted, spontaneous moments that show the real deal that is Jikook. On the flip side of that, Social Media posts are basically scripted. The poster thinks about what they want to share, what the reaction will most likely be, etc. With Jimin getting so much crap on Social Media from crazy antis (TKK)why would he want to put himself out there? He’s doing the bare minimum and that’s it. He’s even said he’s “not on the internet much”, meaning social media I assume. It’s a mentally dangerous place to be for him, so he’s smart to keep it an arms length. Bottom line, when we’ve seen Jk & JM together for anything recently, all indications are that they are still together and very happy. Nothing has happened to say otherwise. Why is everyone so willing to go down that road with no evidence to support it? Yes, JK and V have had interactions through IG, but nothing about it has been “romantic”. I mean, Jk even used that Mike Tyson quote about everything being good until someone gets punched in the mouth when talking about V wanting to spar. That’s BRO talk, not BF talk. Can you imagine him talking to Jimin that way? Good grief, the man wouldn’t even shoot fake camera bullets at him! JK and V are friends/bros obviously, and we should all be glad to see it.

Anyway…sorry this is sort of a rant, but I just had to speak up. Thanks for always being so reasonable and for taking the time to answer everyone, even those who must rub you the wrong way. You are amazing! (Side note: I’ve enjoyed watching a lot of your posts recently to tide myself over while I wait for everyone to come back from their break. Watching all of the Jikook content together like that makes their relationship overwhelmingly obvious. They are just lovely, aren’t they?)

Wise words indeed, you are certainly welcome to rant here anon.

Thank you also for your kind words. And yes, they certainly are lovely.

[queenshelby]

THE SECRET - part two of three

Featuring: Cillian Murphy x Virgin!Reader

Words: 5,597

Warning: Smut, Age Gap

Tag List: @lilymurphy03 @deefigs

@chrisevanshoeeee @desperate-and-broken

@weepingstudentfishhorse  @fookingshelby  @livinginfantaxy

@atomicsoulcollecto  @datewithgianni @mariapaiva13

 @hanster1998  @elenavampire21  @nerdy4itall @peakyboyslover  

Raising Suspicions

You stumbled across the hallway of the apartment building in a haste just as you threw the jumper over your head.

Whilst you hadn’t discussed with Cillian what you would do now that you both admitted your feelings for each other, it was obvious to you that, ideally, you would need to keep your relationship secret until filming for Season 6 was finished.

The last thing you wanted is to be seen as the young actress who is sleeping her way up the ladder, being involved not only with the lead actor but also one of the producers of the show. You didn’t want any favouritism nor did you want people to get the wrong idea about you and Cillian. You truly and deeply cared for him and you could see yourself with him long term. You were falling in love with him.

You also realised that it wouldn’t look good for Cillian either if he was publicly involved with someone your age, someone he works with. With that being said, you knew that, eventually, if this was going to last, you would have to deal with some backlash because of your age gap. But things were too fresh, too new and too personal to be dealing with this now.  

With these thoughts on your mind, you inserted the key into the door of your apartment quietly in the hope that your roommate Emma would not notice that you were gone.

To your disappointment, she was sitting at the kitchen table eating her cereal just as you unlocked the door and walked inside.

‘Good Morning Sunshine’ Emma said with the biggest grin on your face as you walked into the door.

‘Uhm, Good Morning’ you said shyly.

‘So where are you coming from huh?’ she asked, still grinning at you.

‘Just got up early to go for a walk’ you said, your cheeks flushing. You were an actor but you were still terrible at lying.

‘In the same clothes that you were wearing last night? Interesting’ Emma said sheepishly.

‘I just, yeah…put them on quickly this morning’ you said with embarrassment and in a tone that would usually constitute a question. The truth was, you didn’t know how to respond to Emma’s comment.

‘Come here Y/N, have some coffee and tell me about your walk’ she soon said after you were about to walk into your bedroom.

Surprised by her comment, you agreed and sat down next to her.

‘What’s that?’ she asked, looking at you and grinning even more than earlier.

‘What’s what?’ you asked with curiosity. You had no idea what she was talking about.

‘Turn to the side’ she said as she pulled aside your jumper.

‘You are making me nervous Em’ you said just as Emma assessed your neck.

‘I fucking knew it’ she shouted all of a sudden.

‘Knew what?’ you asked.

‘Finn left early last night and Natasha wondered why. I had some ideas and, obviously, I was right going of the giant hickey on your neck’ Emma said, grinning heavily.

Emma’s comment caused you to spit some of your coffee back into your cup. You were shocked. Did she really think that you were sleeping with Finn? This was a disaster.

‘Emma, there is nothing between me and Finn’ you explained. ‘Nothing at all’ you added.

‘Sure, if you say so. you have to go now, you will see you on set?’ Emma said.

‘Sure’ you said laughing.  ‘But I am serious Em, there is nothing between us’ you added. You couldn’t believe that Emma thought that you were sleeping with Finn.

Emma ignored your last comment and gave you a wink before she left.

You had quick shower as soon as she left and, shortly thereafter, made your way to set as well.

Your first stop was always the make up artist. You hated wearing a lot of make up but it was part of the job.

As you arrived, you noticed Cillian sit there, shirtless. He was getting his Tommy Shelby tattoos applied.

‘Hi’ Cillian said with a smile as he saw you.

‘Hi’ you responded shyly with a smile.

The silence between you was awkward as you were surrounded by the make up artists.

‘Sorry Cillian, we should probably take Y/N to another room while we get the tattoos on’ the make up artist said, concerned about the inappropriateness about him sitting next to you shirtless.

‘I don’t mind Alison. It’s not like she hasn’t seen me naked before’ he laughed, causing the make up artist to raise her eyebrows in surprise.

‘Oh, she has?’ she asked surprised, looking at you with her eyes full of questions. You shuck your shoulders in response, wondering where Cillian was going with this.

‘I am not sure where your mind was going Alison, but we had a scene together a few weeks ago’ Cillian laughed.

‘Oh right. Of course’ she giggled, her cheeks flushing. Little did she know that you’ve seen so much more than just his bare chest.

After the awkwardness was cleared, you sat down next to Cillian with a grin on your face while the make up artist applied your make up.

Just as the make-up artist finished the foundation on your face, she noticed the bruise on your neck.

‘Well, we have to cover this up too, turn your head to the left please’ she said, giggling, causing to Cillian to laugh.

‘Whoever gave this hickey to you, tell him to be gentler next time. It’s hard to cover up without staining the white blouse’ the make-up artist said, still giggling.

‘I will sure tell him’ you said firmly, looking over at Cillian.

‘I wonder if he will listen, eh’ Cillian said sheepishly putting on his Tommy accent, causing the make-up artist to laugh.

‘Yeah, I wonder’ you said.

It wasn’t long until Cillian’s make up and tattoos were finished and he left you to be with the make-up artist Alison.

‘See you on set Y/N’ he said with a smile just as he left.

‘He was in a good mood. He must be good to work with’ Allison said to you.

‘He is, I enjoy working with’ you said shyly.

‘I am sure you do’ Allison said with a little giggle. Little did you know that Cillian was carrying marks on his body which, in some way, were matching yours and she certainly had her suspicious.

Filming Continues

The scenes that day were uneventful and you got to spend an hour together with Cillian for lunch.

As much as he would have liked you to stay over that night and any other night for this matter of fact, it was impossible to do this without raising suspicions.

Therefore, over the course of another ten days, you only spent a few hours here and there together and, whilst you managed to be intimate with each other, time for it was limited.

You appreciated Cillian’s patience. After more than week, you still haven’t slept with each other and, ideally, you wanted the timing to be right. You didn’t want to simply stay an hour and then having to leave, but you thought about it. You thought about it a lot, every time you were intimate with each other.

Little did you know that the thoughts about him making love to you would heighten and intensify very soon and you would no longer be able to resist despite his willingness to wait.

Cillian and you were in his trailer on set getting ready for your next scene together which was the re-take of the intimate scene between Tommy Shelby and his love interest Yvette.

‘Did I tell you that Emma still thinks that I am sleeping with Finn’ you said quietly.

‘That explains everything’ Cillian laughed, knowing that Emma had been giving Finn some hints concerning you and what you like throughout the last couple of days and Finn asked Cillian if he knew what Emma was on about.

‘I know that Emma has been speaking to Finn’ you laughed.

‘She sure has been. You know, it will be difficult to keep this a secret for another three months Y/N, in particular since you live with Emma. And I really want to spend some more time with you’ Cillian said, just as he leaned in to give you a kiss.

‘I know Cilly, but how bad would it look if we were together on set?’ you asked as your lips drifted apart.

‘I agree. I was just making an observation and I love spending time with you, that’s all’ he said, cupping your face, just as you heard a knock on the trailer.

‘Ready in ten’ the set assistant said.

‘Are you ready to film this scene again?’ he asked, his hands on the sides of both your arms.

You nodded, shyly and nervously.

‘Good. You will be fine. Just relax, alright?’ Cillian said with reassurance before he gave you another kiss.

‘I will try’ you said shyly.

‘Just ignore the cameras and focus on us’ he said. You certainly felt more comfortable this time around. You were familiar with each other’s bodies and touch and you trusted him entirely.

You both walked to set together, each wearing a white robe. The director could tell that you were relaxed and felt reassured by your confidence this time around as he called in the set assistant.

The set was closed and only one set assistant was allowed in. She was quick to take both of your robes and allowed you and Cillian to get into position.

Cillian and you could barely keep a serious face while he climbed on top of you. The awkwardness was gone, but you still felt embarrassed in a different way. You worried that the director would notice the obvious attraction between you.

When the director called action, Cillian’s lips met yours, slowly and passionately. The kiss was not even an act, it was real and it looked real.

You looked into each other’s eyes as you pretended to make love. Of course, the scene was an act, your movements pretend, but the passion between you was real.

Your hands touched his skin comfortably and his lips trailed kisses down your neck, which was clearly not part of the script.

It wasn’t long until Cillian and you completed the scene and the set assistant handed you both a dressing gown.

It took no more than one take and the director got more than he had bargained for. A fair amount of unscripted material.

You stood up, covering yourself with the gown, but you observed that Cillian remained seated, covered by the bed sheets.

‘Are you alright?’ you whispered.

‘Yes, just needing a minute to think about something…uhm…not nice’ he whispered back with a slight laugh.

You giggled and walked over to the director to see whether he got everything that he needed.

‘We got it Y/N. It’s very good. You guys have great chemistry’ the director said proudly.

‘I am glad’ you said before excusing yourself.

Cillian left the set shortly after you. Obviously, he had calmed down.

‘Did this ever happen to you before?’ you giggled quietly as he followed you to the change rooms.

‘Most defiantly not and as much as I like working with you, I am glad that we do not have another scene like this soon’ Cillian said with a laugh.

Filming this scene with him sent shivers down your spine as well, in the most pleasurable way imaginable. You were prepared to go further. You wanted him, for real.

Unfortunately, for you, the following day, Cillian was flying to Dublin for the weekend as filming paused every so often. It was his mother’s birthday and, of course, he had to visit her.

You had scenes on to be filmed at night that day and knew that you wouldn’t get much time with him. Taking things further would need to wait until he comes back.

Just before he left for the airport, you went to see him.

‘I was thinking that I could stay over Sunday evening when you get back?’ you suggested.

‘I would love that. But what about Emma?’ he asked.

‘She’s going out with her sister to some kind of cabaret show. She is visiting from France and staying in a nearby hotel’ you said.

‘It’s date then’ Cillian said before kissing you gently. ‘I will miss you’ he added.

‘I will miss you too’ you said, kissing him again and before saying goodbye.

Making Preparations

You were determined that Sunday was the day and you decided that, on Saturday, you would spend the day shopping for something nice to wear and fill your script for the pill.

You never bothered with contraception because you weren’t in a relationship but, now that things were getting more serious with Cillian, you thought that it be timely to make some arrangements.

Finding some nice lingerie was easy. You went with black lace lingerie and matching hold up net stockings.

After spending an hour at the lingerie shop, you made your way to the pharmacy to fill your script.

There was some wait for filling scripts and, as it was finally your turn, the pharmacist asked you some intrusive questions.

He advised you that, since you have never taken this medication before, you would also need to use condoms for contraception for the first two weeks. Accordingly, the aisle with the condoms was your next stop before check out.

So much to choose from, you thought when you looked at all of the different boxes. Your face was flushing and you were somewhat embarrassed.

You eventually grabbed a box and made your way to the check out and, as if things couldn’t get any more embarrassing, you walked into Emma and her sister.

She greeted you and, of course, noticed what you were carrying in the small red pharmacy shopping basket. A packet of your prescription pill and a box of condoms.

You wanted to sink into the floor right then and there.

‘Looks like you are all set’ Emma laughed noticing the contents of your shopping basked and the lingerie shop bag that you were carrying.

‘I think this has officially become awkward’ you said before you introduced yourself to Emma’s sister.

‘It’s only awkward because you and Finn are both keeping it a secret’ she whispered so that her sister wouldn’t hear.

‘Em, it’s not Finn. I am not seeing Finn’ you said, causing her to ponder. If not Finn, who were you seeing?

Emma decided to let it go and drill you about it another time when you were alone together. It was inappropriate to discuss relations with other cast members when her sister was around.  

Emma then asked whether you would like to join her and her sister for dinner late that evening and you agreed.

You met them at a local pub at 5.30pm and had a couple of pints of beer and something to eat.

The beers quickly made their way to your bladder and you excused yourself to go to the bathroom.

As you came back, Emma informed you that you had a missed call from Cillian.

‘Oh right, did you pick up?’ you asked shyly.

‘No, why would I pick up your phone?’ Emma asked laughing.

‘Hang on, Cillian as in Cillian Murphy?’ Emma’s sister asked, causing you to nod.

‘Why does he call you on the weekend?’ Emma asked.

‘I don’t know. I will call him back later’ you said, your face beginning to flush again.

Your flushed cheeks soon turned into bright red when Emma’s sister told you that she has a crush on Cillian. This is when the conversation became very awkward.

‘Perhaps Y/N can introduce you’ Emma said jokingly.

‘Oh god, I would probably faint’ her sister said, causing you to become rather quiet.

‘He’s good looking, but he’s also twice your age’ Emma said.

‘Age is just a number’ her sister responded sheepishly as you sat there quietly and uncomfortably just as a text message from Cillian popped up on your phone.

You grabbed your phone quickly before Emma had a chance to read the content of the message preview on your phone and texted back.

‘Text him that you met a nice French lady who you would like to introduce to him’ Emma said sheepishly.

‘Would you guys stop it’ you said somewhat embarrassed.

‘No need to be so offended, we are just joking’ Emma said. ‘It’s almost like you’ve got a crush on him yourself’ she giggled, causing your cheeks to flush again.

‘We are working together’ you said shyly before finishing up your beer.

‘And texting each other on your days off’ Emma said with a grin as she saw another text message pop up on your phone.

‘Yes, about work’ you said.

‘You are easy to tease Y/N. I am just mucking around. He’s twice your age. But then again, according to my sister, age is just a number so you could probably join the back of the queue of women on set who want to get their hand on Mr Murphy’ Emma said laughing.

‘There is a queue?’ you laughed.

‘Oh god yes, I can tell you of at least one other actress and four crew members who want a bit of Tommy Shelby’ Emma laughed.

‘Good to know’ you said, just as another text message popped up.

‘Or you could go straight to the front of the queue’ Emma laughed when she looked at your phone.

After a few more minutes, your food finally arrived and you changed the topic of the conversation.

The evening went fast and, overall, you had a good time with Emma and her sister.

Going all the way

After a good night’s sleep, Sunday had finally arrived and you spent the day reading and rehearsing your scripts, going to the gym and talking to your parents in France.

At 4pm you went to have bath and get ready to see Cillian. You put on some light make up, curled your hair and put on your lingerie.

On top of the lingerie, you wore a simple black cotton wrap dress which comes undone in an instant. Very practical you thought.

Just after Emma had left to meet her sister, you put on your sandal heels and sneaked out of your apartment with a small handbag.  

You walked down the corridor towards Cillian’s apartment quietly as you were always very nervous that you could be seen by other crew or cast members.

After nocking on his door, you waited for a minute or two before he opened.

‘Hi’ you said shyly as Cillian let you inside.

‘You are early’ Cillian responded, greeting you with nothing but a white towel wrapped around his waist. He clearly just stepped out of the shower.

‘Yes, I sneaked out just after Emma left’ you explained before giving Cillian a passionate kiss and putting your small handbag onto the floor.

‘Smart move. Would you like some wine?’ he asked after your lips drifted apart, causing you to nod.

You got rid of your heels while Cillian poured each of you a glass of wine and complimented you on your outfit before excusing himself in order to put on some clothes.

‘Don’t’ you said as Cillian was walking towards the clothes cabinet.

‘Don’t what?’ he chuckled.

‘Don’t bother putting on some clothes’ you said, causing Cillian’s eyebrows to raise.

‘Alright? No clothes then’ he said with some curiosity and, in that moment, you unwrapped your black dress, letting it drop to the floor and revealing your black lace lingerie.

You had never worn anything like this for a man and, whilst you tried hard to look seductive, the expression on your face highlighted your shyness.

Cillian’s chin dropped as he saw you. He was lost for words and simply walked over to you and pressed his lips onto yours for a passionate kiss.

As he kissed you, he brought you against his hard body, his erection trapped between you, and not having looked, but being able to feel it, you gasped.

‘Oh wow, that didn’t take long’ you giggled. ‘I take it that you like what you are seeing Mr Murphy’ you smirked as you ran his hand over his hard cock.

‘I do’ he whispered before pressing his lips back onto his. He was surprised by his reaction on set and now, right here with you.

In his mind, he admitted that, over the past week or so he wanted nothing more than to sleep with you. But, being the gentleman he was, he would never have pressured you into it.

Little did he know that you came over to his place with an intention that night.

‘Cillian?’ you asked nervously as you reached for your bag after you broke the kiss.

‘Yes? Are you alright?’ he asked, noticing your nervousness as you roamed around in your small handbag.

You nodded and took hold of the box of condoms you bought yesterday and handed it to him.

Cillian’s eyes widened as you placed the box into his hands.

‘You know there is no rush with this. I am happy to wait Y/N’ he said reassuringly.

‘I know. But I want you to sleep with me Cillian, please’ you said, causing Cillian to take a deep breath.

‘Are you sure?’ he asked again.

‘I am sure’ you said before pressing your lips onto his again.

In that moment, Cillian picked you up, lifting your feet of the floor and carrying you through the door to his bedroom. He kicked the door closed behind him with his heel, all while his lips never left yours.

You smiled at him tenderly, nuzzling his chin as you crossed the room.

He laid you down on the bed, being exceedingly careful with you in doing so. It's the care he takes with you that made you feel sure about your decision to take this next step.

You cupped Cillian's cheek as he worked his hands over the back of your bra, unclipping it and taking it off.

While kissing you passionately, your lace panties followed soon after. Both pieces of lingerie soon ended up far on the other side of the room.

‘God you are beautiful’ he whispered as he pulled away his towel, leaving you both bare in front of each other.

Him looking at you like you are the only woman in the world was heady and made you tremble a bit as you scooted into the centre of the mattress. Your cheeks betrayed your feelings, turning pink while you watched him climb right next to you.

His fingertips ran over the skin of your stomach, giving rise to goosebumps. They travelled up and onto your ribs to cup one of your breasts and push it up making it look fuller than it was.

Cillian leaned down and took that nipple in his mouth, his tongue swirling around the rosy peak. It was a slow process and the entire time you felt movement, the air was filled with your breathy groan. You leaned in his direction, so he didn’t have to go as far as he continued to bat the bud of your breast with his tongue.

‘You drive me crazy, you know that?’ Cillian said when he finally stops teasing you.

‘I want you so badly Cillian. Please’ you moaned as he pulled you closer, his cock pressing into your belly.

‘Slow, Y/N. Trust me. You need to take it slow’ he said, knowing that, if he was to proceed directly to the main event, he would hurt you quite a fair bit. Whilst he didn’t expect to have to do any of this again at his age, he was experienced enough to understand how this may play out.

Just as you were sharing another kiss, you put your hand on his bare hip. Though you've wanted this moment, you suddenly were not feeling bold enough to go straight to where you would be sure he wanted your hand to be.

Your blunted nail ran over the protrusion of his hip bone, and Cillian shuddered in response, biting down gently on your shoulder while he trailed kisses down your neck.

At the same time, you trailed your touch over his stomach and up to his chest while his mouth wandered back to your breasts.

The way his lips worked over your chest created a want in you—a want to feel the member that's pulsing against your abdomen and your hand immediately sought it out.

You were light in your touch at first, your fingertips grazing over the veins and ridges of his shaft, as you cherished the noises he made.

He felt warm and his tip was moist from the precum that had already pooled there.

You loved stroking him and, at the same time, every kiss, nip and suck from him on your breasts began to pool in between your legs.

It wasn’t long until Cillian rolled you onto your back making you squeal and giggle breathlessly at the surge of strength. You liked knowing that he can throw you around like this.

In this position, Cillian soon got in between your legs, and you could see the head of his cock near your mound...and then he moved and the tip of him touched your clit making you whimper. His cock barely brushed you and you were so ready just from that small touch.

You ran your hands through his hair and pulled gently at the strands, trying to silently beckon him inside you.

‘Y/N, slow down’ Cillian chuckled before kissing you again gently.

His lips trailed down your neck again and back to your chest, lavishing your breasts with attention. Each nipple is worshiped separately making you mewl and pant.

He was clearly teasing you and you were getting wetter and wetter by the second.

Then both your nipples are left to the cold air. He's moved lower to your stomach, his slight stubble tickling your sensitive skin, and as soon as he realised it made you squirm, he purposefully ran his chin along your abdomen, moving lower still.

Within seconds, his slippery tongue touched your clit and you moaned loudly, trying to scramble back across the bed. It felt almost too good, too intense, just like the last time when he made you come with his tongue and fingers.

Cillian grumbled and pulled you back by your hips. He laid a heavy arm over your stomach to hold you still and lowered his head once more to lick your most private area.

Your eyelids fluttered closed as you could feel his lips suck and pull gently at your folds.

The alternation of a gentle pointed tongue and a broad hard stroke was driving you wild. Your hands gripped the deep navy bedspread, pulling at the fabric to find some outlet for the wave of sensations you was being saddled with.

‘Cillian, fuck…Please you need to stop. I want to cum with you inside of me’ you moaned. You knew that you were going to come soon if he kept this up.

But, there was no need to tell him, he knew by the sound of your moans and the rest of your body language that you were close.

His tongue movements soon slowed down and he lifted his head.

‘You are so inpatient, you know that’ he grinned as he moved up to give you a kiss.

You could taste your juices on his lips as your tongues danced in sync with each other.

Just as your lips drifted apart, he lifted himself up onto his knees and reached for the pack of condoms which he had earlier placed on the bedside table.

You bit your lip in anticipation and watched him put the condom on his hard cock. It must have been one of the sexiest things you’ve ever seen.

Just as he leaned down again and positioned himself in between your legs, you took in a deep breath.

‘Are you sure this is what you want?’ he asked as his deep blue eyes looked into yours.

‘Yes, I am sure’ you smiled and, just like this, you could feel the head of his cock against your entrance.

‘Tell me if I hurt you and I will stop, alright?’ Cillian said reassuringly as he began to enter you with his thick cock.

You could feel yourself being stretched by him, slowly, inch by inch and it did hurt, a lot.

‘Oh god, stop, don’t move’ you said as you adjusted to his size and he obliged to your request, holding still with half of his cock buried inside of you.

‘Are you alright?’ he asked concerned and you nodded, pressing against him a little to indicate to him to keep going.

You held your breath as a further inch or two of his length entered you.

He held still for another moment before he pushed more of his length inside of you carefully.

Holding still he looked for cues on your face to see whether you are still in pain.

When you gave him a nod, he knew he could keep going. And just like this, Cillian smiled at you softly and lowered his head.

‘I am sorry’ he said quietly and gently.

‘Don’t be’ you said just as you pressed your lips onto his.

Your lips moved in tandem, the faint taste of yourself still in his mouth as your tongues mingled, and, before you knew it, his hips hit the back of your legs. He was fully inside of you and that feeling you had of being empty is gone along with the pain.

You had adjusted to his size and began to relax. Your body was no longer tense and feeling him like this felt incredibly good.

You squeezed your muscles round him testing how you felt and he inhaled sharply in response.

‘Fuck Y/N’ he moaned at the sensation.

‘What?’ you giggled.

‘You are just very tight’ he responded.

‘I thought that’s a good thing?’ you said.

‘It is. It’s nice and you feel incredible’ he said as his head dropped to your shoulder and you cupped the back of his head, kissing his temple.

Feeling your body being totally relaxed, Cillian knew that he could start moving inside of you now.

He started as a gentle lover, withdrawing from you leaving you trying to chase after him with your hips. Then dipping back inside of you, causing you to moan loudly every time he renters you.

His thrusts soon became firmer and steadier and your body soon went into overdrive.

You felt the need to move so you writhe beneath Cillian’s hard body, your hands roaming as his pace quickens.

His teeth grazed your neck and your body was covered in goosebumps as he closed them and sucked at your skin. There's nothing you can do but to grasp at him, your freshly manicured nails digging into his shoulders as his thrusts come hard and fast.

There are wet noises coming from you as your bodies join, reminding you of his tongue on you minutes before. You wished you could feel both at the same time, his cock and his tongue, and the idea fuels the desire in you. Your legs wrapped around his waist, keeping Cillian from pulling out of you too much because you hate how you feel when he does.

Cillian has let go of his worry that he might hurt you, at least for the time being. He pounded you with reckless abandon, grunting and groaning into your neck. Your eyes squeezed shut as you listen to him, letting his excitement carry you to your orgasm. There's something about the guttural nature of his noises that turned you on enough that when he shifted and his pubic bone brushed your clit, it sent you over the edge with a scream of pleasure.

‘Yes, yes, yes, yes’ you shrieked repeating the word every time he hit deep within you. Your walls closed in around him, trying to usher him to his own orgasm.

‘Fuck, Y/N’ he hissed, his steady thrusts hitting harder than ever, making you squeal.

With a loud shout Cillian entered you one last time and stills. You could feel his cock twitch as he released his seed. His chest heaved with every breath as he collapsed on top of you, unceremoniously sliding from you as he did.

‘Fuck, this was nice’ you said, causing Cillian to chuckle.

‘It was, very nice’ he laughed just as he reached down to take off the condom and dispose of it discreetly.

‘Are you feeling alright?’ Cillian asked as he returned from the bathroom.

‘Yes, more than alright. In fact, what do you think about round two?’ you asked.

‘It would be my pleasure’ Cillian smiled before kissing you gently, his hands roaming over your body once again.

‘I think we will need lots of coffee on set tomorrow’ you giggled.

‘Yes, I would say so if you make me keep going all night’ Cillian chuckled.

‘Oh I will make you keep going all night Mr Murphy’ you said with determination.

[eideticmemory]

PERFORMANCE | MATTHEW GRAY GUBLER

Description: You film a sex scene with Matthew Gray Gubler, and have a big urge to try it off camera.

Word Count: 2,953.

Rating: M.

Warning/Includes: Sexual intercourse, choking, 18 year age gap between adults.

You filmed the sex scene in one take.

The cool air trailed over your bare breasts as you laid against the bed, Matthew’s torso between your legs, his lips on your neck. You had never done a sex scene before, but you knew it shouldn’t have felt this good. You knew your moans should’ve been fake, your facial expressions exaggerated, your body working in an absentminded rhythm. But you found yourself trembling, weak, releasing breathy moans into his ear. All from the feeling of Matthew creating friction between your legs. In an unscripted moment, he gropped your boobs in his hands, and the force sent your back arching. You became so focused on the sensation of his body, the heat trapped under the duvet cover, and his lips as they pressed against yours, the eyes of the crew were drowned out - long forgotten.

When the director yelled “cut!” you pined for Matthew’s lips, the sudden loss of them leaving a bitter feeling in your stomach. Holding eye contact with him, you allowed him to help you out of bed. He promptly handed you your robe, and you couldn’t help but watch as he began to put on his own. Your eyes raked down his body, studying his skin, his torso, his chest, his hips. Your arms folded over your chest to hold the clothing in place, you quickly removed yourself from set and disappeared for the rest of the day.

It would be hours before you got over the feeling. The intensity, the passion, and the pure embarrassment of allowing to let yourself get carried away. It was silly to think a man, of Matthew’s status and age, would find a way to express any sexual attraction towards you. It was wildly unprofessional of you, not to mention completely inappropriate considering the 18 year age gap. But, fuck, you couldn’t help but think about it.

After a substantial amount of time locked away in your dressing room, you finally gathered the courage to head out and head home. You kept your head down as you went to exit the set, eyes trained on your feet. Headphones in, you weren’t sure someone had called your name, but you still stopped in your tracks. When you turned around, one earbud in your hand, you saw Matthew, racing over to you. 

“Hey,” he smiled. “You going home?”

“Yeah,” you shrugged. “Tired.”

“Aw, man,” he sighed. “I was hoping we could, uh, run some lines together? Prepare for tomorrow’s shoot? But if you’re tired, then—“

“I’m not tired,” you interrupted him. The words flowed from your mouth before you could catch them. “We can run lines. That’s-that’s cool.” 

He gave you a soft smile, his eyes peering into yours. “Awesome. My trailer?” 

You gave him a speechless nod, still attempting to catch your breath at the sight of him. You followed him into his dressing room, with him opening the door for you to grant you entrance. You stepped in shyly, and set your bag down on the couch. 

“Nice place you got here,” you said.

He closed the door behind himself and laughed, “Thank you.”

You dug your script out of your purse and sat down beside the accessory, flipping through the pages awkwardly. “So, what scenes did you want to rehearse?”

“How about,” he whispered, holding his own script in his hands. “Our second love scene?” 

You cut your eyes up at him, your breath caught in your throat, “You teasing me?” You pouted.

“Teasing you about what?” He smirked. 

You shyly shook your head, and looked down at your toes as he took a seat beside you. “I’m sorry,” you whispered. “Sorry if I made you uncomfortable.”

Matthew’s eyes went wide, the shock of yours words having him taken aback. “Uncomfortable? [y/n],” he chuckled under his breath. “You made me...the complete opposite of uncomfortable. I might have been, um, a little too comfortable. It’s a sex scene. It happens.” 

“What do you do...um, when-when it does happen?” You couldn’t bring yourself to look him in the eye, but you could see he was smiling. 

“Just rehearse,” he shrugged. “Get aquatinted with the other until you fall into your own groove.”

“Wow,” you looked up at him, a sly smile on your face. “So much wisdom.”

“Is that a jab at my age, kid?” He gasped, trying to keep from laughing. “Because I gotta tell you, that hurts.”

“No, no,” you shook your head. “So, let’s get aquatinted then. Um, page 67?” You asked, pinning the paper in your script. 

He nodded, “Yep. So, again, we have to improvise the scene. The initiation, the tension, the act itself.”

“Right. So...how should we start?”

“Hm...” he hummed. “Can you start reading your lines? We can do some quick improv.”

You shrugged, “Sure.” 

You set your script down and began to recite the words from memory, staring at the space across from you as directed, and putting on a somber face. “I don’t know why you came here,” you murmured, presenting a voice on the verge of breaking. “You want to sit here and pretend to care about me, when we both know that’s not the case—“

Matthew watched you for a long time before he started kissing your neck, “I wanted to see you,” he breathed against your skin. “I had to see you.”

You draw in a shaky breath, feeling Matthew’s hand on your leg. “Had to see me? See me? You-you haven’t called me since...since....” You trailed off, Matthew’s lips now tracing your jaw with soft kisses. His mouth felt nice. Like it was meant to be on your body. 

“You okay, [y/n]?” Matthew whispered in your ear. By now, your bodies were pressed together, your shoulder leaning into his chest as his hand moved to your inner thigh. 

“Yeah,” you replied. “I’m fine.” 

“You don’t get touched often, do you?” He asked. 

You sucked in a sharp breath, and only shook your head no in response. 

“How?” He kissed your cheek. “You’re so beautiful.”

“I’ve never...” You licked your lips. “Never...never, um...”

He pulled away from you instantly, his eyes concentrated on your face. “You’re a virgin?” 

You looked away as you nodded. “And please don’t give me the whole ‘22-year-old-virgin’ speech. I know it’s lame.” 

“Hey, look at me,” He pressed his fingertips into your chin and lifted your head up. “It’s not lame. Not at all.” 

“However,” you spoke quickly. “I’m-I’m not entirely attached to this virginity. I’ve been meaning to get rid of it, actually.”

He looked at you for a moment, and scoffed, “[y/n]...”

“What?” You whined, turning to face him. “Did you not see me earlier? I’m a complete mess for you.” 

“I don’t want you to regret this. I don’t want you to feel pressured or uncomfortable or anything like that. And I don’t want you to regret choosing me.”

You stood to your feet, calmly positioning yourself in front of him. You pulled your shirt over your head and dropped it to the floor, your bra following. You began massaging your breast as he watched. “I could kind of tell...that maybe, you liked these.” 

He bit his lip, “Fuck, [y/n].”

You boldly straddled his lap, pressing your boobs into his chest. “I...I don’t want to pretend anymore.”

“You...have no idea what you’re getting yourself into,” he whispered. “At all.”

You placed a sweet kiss to his lips, “Show me. Please?” 

So, he did. He kissed you, fiercely, and had you laid out on the couch in seconds. He expertly removed your shorts and panties, tossing them to the other side of the room. His enjoyed the view of your body as he kneeled down between your legs. “You’re so beautiful,” he told you. “And so lucky.”

“Lucky?”

“Yeah,” he nodded. His finger presses against your clit and rubbed you in small circles. “Because I’m taking it easy on you tonight.”

You gulped, and started pant at the small touch. You watched him as he leaned down and kissed your labia. “You’re already so wet,” he commented. He drew a finger over your slit, “Here, see?” He placed the covered fingers against your bottom lip and you instinctively opened your mouth to suck on it. 

“Good girl,” he purred. “Perfect.”

He dove his head in and ate you out. There's something about the way Matthew does it. Like he's starving. Like he's dying and you’re the cure. Like he's in the desert and you’re the only drink of water. He devours you. Completely buries his face and presses his tongue down with so much force, it sends chills up your spine. His hands are tight on your thighs as his tongue encircles one spot on your clit, the one he knows drives you wild.

Embarassingly quickly, your orgasm built in your stomach. When you first noticed it, you began to pull at Matthew’s hair. Push his head away, clench your thighs together. But he only responded by swatting your hands away, putting one hand around both your wrists and the other on your breast. 

“M-Matthew,” you whimpered. “Ah, fuck, I—“

He looked up at you, his eyes peering into your soul from under his eyelashes. He sped up the velocity of his tongue, the muscle applying immense pressure to your bundle of nerves. 

“Mm,” you whined, attempting to pull your hands from his grasp - no success. “Please, please, please.”

You tried so hard. So hard. But it was good, and it was Matthew, and you came. His name falling off of your lips and your chest heaving up and down. He rolls his tongue along your slit, the stickiness covering his mouth. He stared up at you, hungrily, “So, so lucky.” He whispered.

Matthew pulled a condom from his pocket, and hovered over you as he pulled his pants down to his thighs and released his cock. You licked your lips, to which he gave you a knowing smile. Condom on, he sat beside you on the couch, “Ride me.” He commanded.

“What?” You murmured. “I-I don’t know how to do that.”

He chuckled, “I’ve got you, just come sit on my dick.” 

How can you say no to that? You sat up and straddled his lap once again, body shaking with anxiety. 

“You okay?” He asked. 

You nodded, holding yourself up on his shoulders. His hands guided your hips as you slowly, very slowly, sunk down onto his cock, the length and girth filling you up. You let out a vulnerable whine, biting onto your lip. 

“Stay with me, babygirl,” he said. “You’re doing so good.”

With his erection fully buried inside your, you fell against his body, sitting completely still. He asked if you were okay again, and you replied by sitting up, looking him in the eye and saying a quiet, “Yes.”

“Okay,” he whispered. His hands gripped onto your ass, waiting to guide you. “So, you’re just gonna raise your hips up, like this,” he pushed your thighs up, his cock pulling out of you about halfway. “And then you’re gonna come back down.” He relaxed his arms, allowing you to take his length back inside of you. 

Immediately adjusting to the movement, you started to bounce on him, slowly, awkwardly, and he loved it. 

“Oh, yeah,” he moaned, leaning back to watch you. “Fuck yeah. There you go, baby. You got it.”

You smiled at the encouragement and absentmindedly started to rock your hips faster, the sensation of his dick sending you into a trance. 

“Fuck, fuck,” he swore. “Your pussy is so, so fucking good. Give it to me, beautiful, give it all to me. I want it.”

That’s when you lost yourself. You supported yourself by placing your palms on his chest and continued to ride him, quickly, eagerly. Beads of sweat formed on your forehead and you couldn’t stop your jaw from dropping. You’d been touched by other guys, kissed by other guys, eaten out by other guys. But it wasn’t like this. Nothing was ever like this. 

"Look at me," he said. "Look at me."

There's a hint of pleading in his voice, but just enough power to compel you to open your eyes. 

“Let me pound you,” he requested. “Hm? Let me make you come on my dick, huh?” 

And before you could fully nod, he stilled your hips, grasping them in his hands and angled himself before slamming into you. You threw your head back and let out a guttural moan. Shivers racked your body as his hips picked up this new momentum, fucking you so hard and so fast that the couch wobbled. 

“Ah! A-Ah!” You cried out.

“C’mon, [y/n], you can take it. Say you can take it.”

“I-“ you stuttered. “I can take it. I can take it.”

“Mhm, yes, you can.”

Staring into Matthew's eyes while he's pounding into you is a religious experience. When you open your eyes and make that first bit of contact, his jaw drops and this strangled moan came out. 

"Is this good?"

"Yes."

"Tell me it's good."

"H--huh—fu--it's good."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"How good?"

"So good."

"Say it again."

"S--so good."

It is. It's so good. He buried his face in your neck, making the loudest groans possible against your skin. And you felt his tongue licking from the base of your neck to the edge of your jaw, slimy and icky and drool dripping down your skin. So dirty, so disgusting, Jesus christ. He knows the spot. The one right on your jaw line that sends you over the edge. And he sucks on it endlessly while one hand begins to play with your boob, teasing the nipple between his fingers. Then there’s his tongue again, making it's way to your ear. 

"Say my name."

"Oh, my G--god."

"Say it." And he nibbled on your ear. Your eyes rolled back. "Who's fucking you?"

"M-M-Matthew." 

"Who?"

"M--fuck-Matthew."

He found your clit, such ease, such speed. He presses his middle finger down, the pressure alone making you squeeze his bicep with all your strength. You squeaked, you gasped, you trembled, you tensed up. "Fu-ck."

And he rubbed in circles, quick, hard. Hard. 

"A-ah. Fuck. M—Matthew, please." There were tears in your eyes. Literal tears. He looked at you and wiped them away, not breaking the gaze for a second.

"Oh, baby, you're so close."

You nodded.

"Your legs are so tense, you can b-barely hold your eyes open, your pussy's so tight, fuck." 

You were so, so close. 

"Am I right?" 

"Yes."

"About what?"

"I'm gon-Ah! I'm gonna come."

"Yeah?"

"Uh-huh."

"Then do it." And his hand moved at super sonic speed, the motion of his fingers moving at almost the same tempo as his hips.

That did it. The curve, the fingers, the way he looks at you. You threw your head back. You came. It was good. It was long. His hands. Your throat. Fuck.

“Oh, come on, baby,” he cooes. His hand smacked your face, lightly, just forceful enough to pull you from your daze. “Don’t wear out on me now. That was only number two. I know that’s not all you’ve got.”

“Matthew,” you whimpered.

“Hm?” His hips have slowed to this sweet, tempered rhythm, the tip of his tongue pressed against your bottom lip. The steady pumps send shivers through your spine. “Do you want to stop, baby?” 

You dug your nails into his shoulders, your eyes soft and pouty, misted with tears. 

“[y/n],” he calls. “Say the word, and I’ll stop.”

“I don’t want you to stop,” you shook your head. Quickly, harshly, your face flushed and your body quivering. 

“That’s my girl,” he murmured. “Can you give me one more? Just one more, baby.” 

“Matthew, I can’t,” you whine. “I can’t, I can’t come again.”

“Yes, you can, you can give me a third one. Watch,” His thumbs locates your clit once again, the mere touch drawing a shaky moan from your lips. “One more, baby. That’s all I want. Just one more. Can you do that for me?”

You nod, weakly, holding his face in your hands. 

He's real good about making sure you come again. But when you do, after you ride it out, it's all about him and you’re all for it. He grabs you  by the throat and watches you tremble, sticking his thumb into your mouth. 

"Fuck. Fuck!" he moans. "Mm, am I being too rough?"

Rough? Yes. You could feel him in your chest he's pounding you so hard. It's sloppy and uncoordinated and you feel like you could come again in seconds with the amount of force he's using. 

"No. Keep going." You begged. 

"Fuck." His voice, so dark, so deep. 

He grips onto your throat harder and leans in. "Where do you want it?"

This man is so hot.

You do nothing but stick your tongue out, exposing your throat. He laughed and nodded, biting his lip as he pushes into you harder and harder. 

The transition from your pussy to your mouth was quick. The second he was down your throat, he came and he held onto your hair while he did. He tensed up, eyes screwed shut and head thrown back. "Agh! Uh! H-huh! Fuck. Fuck."

What calms you down, after the waves and waves and waves of intensity, is the sound of Matthew’s heartbeat. You end up with your ear pressed to his chest as you two bundle up on the couch, your fingertips tracing his sweaty skin. 

He kissed your forehead, “You okay?”

“Thought you said you were taking it easy on me tonight.” You giggled. 

“Oh baby,” he huffed. “That was easy.”

[silvercrystalwhump]

The Death of a Tyrant

Vincent Shield belongs to @ashintheairlikesnow

TW: antagonising, bbu content warning, owen grant

-

The lights shine down across the stage, three cameras spin and whirl in the shadows beyond. Vincent can feel the eyes beyond the camera watching every hair on his head. He can almost feel the millions of eyes on the other side of the lens.

Today was a long day of interviews for the first television show that he’s ever been in and Ann’s, the young actress to his left, first-ever adult role.

Vincent can almost feel her anticipation through his skin. The poisoned nostalgia freezes the air in his already tense lungs. The interview boasts eyes of venom and they are poised directly at him.

This interview was supposed to be about the show.

It turned into a drama cast very quickly.

“So,” The interview leans back, eyes scouring across Vincent’s face. He can feel the resignation behind his eyes. Simmering coals eat under him. Vincent can feel the question before it leaves his lips, “How has the recent tape release affected you, Vincent. It must be rather hard to deal with the aftermath of being forced to come out.”

Vincent pierces his lips. Watching the lens on the camera pointed at him shift, Vincent draws up the mask, “While I would rather we keep this conversation on Iscariot and the Strings of Time, I will say that there has been many people who have been very helpful during a time that has been definitely stressful.”

The interview looks almost disappointed, eyes dropping into shadows before perking up as the focus returns to him. Vincent can really tell in these moments that this man sitting across from him and Ann was once an actor. Every movement in his face is planned and Vincent can see Ann’s gaze trying to avoid his.

She’s not used to this.

“Vincent, how do you feel about the Director’s new Box Babe, Kat?”

There it is.

Vincent sighs, “Han and I have had a conversation about this. He did not want his decision to get in the way of professionalism. He is aware that I will not hesitate to contact the Commission if I see any sign of abuse.”

The interviewer pauses, waiting for more words to come. They do not.

Then, Ann laughs, shifting in her seat, “It looks like he pulled an Owen Grant, Kat looks so much like his ex-wife to the point where it’s almost uncanny.”

The air stills for a second as the words settle into the floorboards. The sound of the lights quietly can be heard above. Those few heart-chilling seconds seem to eat at the very fabric of his turtleneck. It suddenly feels just a little too tight.

The interview picks up again, “Well, I believe that all of us can say that we are looking forward to seeing how you two work together in this new dynamic.”

Vincent draws a smile onto his face with an invisible sharpie. Ann scrambles to scoop up her own as the camera does doubt pans out to view them all.

“Are you allowed to reveal a date?” The interview leans in, the side of his face away from the camera twitching slightly.

Ann nods and nearly bounces out of her chair. Vincent remembers the excitement when he was younger that came with being the one to say the date. He used to itch for it when he was with his old studio. Something else I’ve lost.

“The first episode will be available on Netflix on November 1st!”

The interviewer sits up straight and clasps his hands together, “I cannot thank you enough for your time out here today, thank you everybody for tuning in and we all anticipate the debut of Strings of Time.”

Vincent watches as the cameras are shut off and pulled away. He holds himself in the chair until all of the cameras have been pulled away and the interviewer stands. In one movement he is off of the stage and talking with someone. Vincent brings his hands on the armrests and pulls himself to his feet.

Vincent floats for the door, plans to go home, and just passes out on the couch already bubbling across his vision. He hates the air conditioning here.

Why did he have to get brought up?

Vincent adjusts his blazer and steps out of the recording studio. Regretting wearing a turtleneck, he makes his way towards his dressing room. The sound of his shoes clicking against the tiled floor echoes around him. Air catches in his throat as the faint memory of a different set of oxfords walks down a hall only a wall away from him. The memory tastes like Coke.

Just grab your paperwork and go home.

A hand grabs his arm, “Excuse me, Vincent.”

Vincent spins around, panic, like an ivy spreading up his veins. Ann stands behind him, looking a bit flustered, “I need to apologies to you.”

“For what,” Vincent asks, forcing his muscles to relax.

Ann smooths out the edge of her blouse and forces her eyes, “Once the words came out of my mouth I realized how insensitive it was to just… nonchalantly mention the Owen ordeal as um.”

“Hey,” Vincent says, “I- You were nervous I could tell, I’m not offended.”

“Yeah, but especially since his mother just passed and he’s going to be working with us I- it feels wrong, I’m sorry.”

I’m sorry, what!

“I accept your apology, Ann. Don’t think too much of it. This is your first gig since moving into adult acting, right?”

Ann nods, leaning back on her heels. It is painfully obvious that she is very new to interviews that ask unscripted questions.

“It’s alright,” Vincent reassures, “Honestly Ann, don’t stress about accidentally stumbling over words. It happens.”

Ann relaxes just a little, “Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure.”

“Okay, thank you,” Ann smiles, letting gallons of air escape her tense lungs. She turns around and trots for her room a few halls down. As he watches her walk away the nostalgia hits him like a truck. The people-pleasing, the desire to be perfect, to be without controversy, makes him flash a piteous smile and shake his head.

He straightens his spine and turns around.

A very intense woman is standing behind him.

“Oh, hello,” Vincent nearly exits his skin as she draws her gaze up to him, “I didn’t realise you were there.”

“Vincent Shield, am I correct?”

Vincent nods, squirming under her very intense gaze, “Yes, you are.”

She holds out her hand, “Keira Harker.”

He takes her hand and shakes it, “Pleasure to meet you Ms. Harker. How can I be of service?”

“You’re known to be very active in the Pet Lib movement and you were basically responsible for the creation of the Commision correct?”

Where is this going? “I wouldn’t say that I’m responsible, there are many people who helped put in place the building blocks that would lead to the Commision.”

“I am aware,” she responds, holding her gaze firmer than Vincent does, “However you have a lot of knowledge about the underground and many of the safehouses.”

Vincent raises a hand, feeling himself freeze under the delicate mask, “Ma’am, everything I have done has been within the limits of the law. I can assure you all of my associates are also performing their actions under the law.”

Her face hardens and she takes a small step towards him, “I am not accusing you of breaking the law.”

I have just gotten out of multiple interviews and a press conference and in the press conference, I was called a felon at least four times. I wanna go home and eat Dmitri’s chicken and rice soup.

“All due respect Ms. Harker that is what this is beginning to sound like.”

Keira sighs and relaxes slightly, “I am asking for your help, if I were to accuse you of being a criminal that would not be very productive.”

Vincent lets his body de-tense but he is in no way relaxed, “My apologies Ms. Harker. I have been on the butt end of those accusations for a better part of today. Just on my toes.”

“I understand,” she responds, almost mimicking his behavior, “My brother was… voluntold to join the pet program. I tried everything in my power to find him and I found out that he was sold to the son of a very powerful senator.”

“He was sold to Owen Grant.” Kauri.

Keira nods, glancing over Vincent’s shoulder, “While I wish not to speak ill of the dead, now that she is deceased. I believe it will be easier to discover his whereabouts without WRU getting involved.”

The weight of her words start to weigh on him. If she is looking for her brother, how many others are now looking for their family?

“Well, I agree in that sentiment,” Vincent gestures forward, “If I can have a name, I might ask around to some more of my well versed colleagues.”

Keira reaches into her purse and pulls out a white card, “So, shall we keep in touch.”

“Of course,” Vincent takes the small card and glances down at the contact information, “We’ll be in touch.”

-

Vincent steps inside and can smell something good. He faintly hears Dmitri moving about his kitchen, making dinner. The aroma of fresh bread makes his house feel alive. Dropping his stuff at the door to his office, he floats over to the kitchen.

Dmitri stands in front of the stove, wearing a faded Kiss the Cook apron. Vincent finds a small smile blooming on his face as he steps up to him.

“Soup should be done in five minutes,” Dmitri asks as Vincent leans up onto the counter next to him, “How was the interview?”

“We cannot be doing that the night before an interview,” Vincent mutters and he fusses with the turtleneck. “I have been paranoid that someone has seen this all day.”

Dmitri smiles and chuckles, “Vincent you can barely see them, I highly doubt they would notice.”

“Dmitri, the media would go batshit if I had hickies in an interview!”

Dmitri swills the spoon around in the soup before turning towards Vincent, “You didn’t seem to mind last night.”

Last night, probably one of the first where he was both sober and relaxed. Dmitri had showered him in deep kisses. The two of them practically laughed themselves to sleep that night. They were so close yesterday.

Vincent had felt so. damned. cherished.

“Yeah,” Vincent pouts slightly while he leans into Dmitri, “I didn’t but I did this morning.”

Dmitri laughs, his chest rumbling against Vincent. His finger rests on Vincent’s hips and drums on his belt.

Vincent squints up at Dmitri, “If we get caught because of stuff like that I’m going to wring your neck.”

Dmitri leans down and places a soft kiss on his curls. His breath brushes across the strands and Vincent’s muscles relax. “I would love to see you try, cariño.”

The oven buzzes and interrupts their little moment.

“There’s the bread.”

-

Dmitri and Vincent sit out on his back porch, eating chicken and rice soup and just enjoying the crisp fall air.

“Can I ask you for advice?” Vincent says as he dips some of the bread into the broth.

Dmitri nods and leans in, “Always.”

Vincent rests his head back on the back of the seat, “Let’s say someone approached you and asked you to help them find someone. This someone has been missing for years but you’ve known their whereabouts for a while now. You want to reconnect them but you’re just not sure about what said ‘missing’ person would think? But you also don’t want to just completely cut of the person who asked for your help”

“Ask them,” Dmitri answers as he sips at his broth, “I’d just ask because they may not want to. They could have been trying to leave a difficult situation and don’t want to approach those who could have harmed them.”

Vincent sighs and tries to melt back into his porch cushions, “But what if he tells me not to talk to her at all, how am I supposed to explain that to her?”

“Improv,” Dmitri shrugs, “Lie.”

“Lie to someone who’s looking for her family?” Vincent blinks, “Isn’t that just cruel.”

“How do you know that she’s looking for them to be kind?”

Vincent pauses and lets his eyes wander upwards towards the dusk sky. The sky matches the color of the bottoms of the trees. The reds and oranges ripple above him and a sinking feeling eats in his gut.

“I don’t.”

Dmitri takes a final sip of his soup and gives Vincent a gentle smile, “Just ask them first, they might just wanna meet her and do it themselves. All else fails, just give them her contact information.”

I don’t think Kauri will. “Alright, okay.”

-

Vincent stands at the door to the safehouse. The sounds of the town around him drape the porch in waves of white noise, masking the sounds from within. Reluctantly, he raises his hand to knock on the wooden door frame. His knuckles barely tap it before two sets of locks are unlocked and Kauri opens the door.

They make eye contact and Vincent watches Kauri’s expression shift.

“Make this quick, I have stuff to do.”

Kauri lets Vincent step inside the safehouse. The air of the interior feels heavier than before, solidified by the sound of the deadbolt locking.

“I’m so-”

“If the words I’m sorry leave your mouth at anypoint, I’m gone,” Kauri says as he walks over to the kitchen, “Just get this over with.”

Vincent follows in his footsteps, glancing over at Jake who lays asleep on the pull-out couch. The makeshift IV step sits on the table next to him, out of use.

Remind me to send Nat money over to cover that.

Kauri places his hands on the counter behind him and shifts his weight into it. Crossing his arms out in front of his chest, he looks up over at AJke before returning his gaze to Vincent.

He looks exhausted.

“How has-”

Kauri raises his hand and presses his fingers together, making a “close your mouth” gesture, “Cut to the chase, I have errands to run today.”

“Alright then. A few days ago I was approached by a woman named Keira Harker who asked for my help in finding her brother, Liam Harker, who was taken by WRU. She said that she thinks the person he was sent to was Owen Grant and, now since Carlotta is no longer alive, she can try and find him without her getting in the way,” Vincent says, leaning his weight into the kitchen table, “She gave me her contact information and asked me to help her in finding-”

Kauri spins around and opens the cabinet behind him. Pulling out a white bottle, he sets it down on the counter and mutters, “So she’s looking for me?”

“Yes.”

“What else did you say?” Kauri asks as he pours himself a glass of water, “Did you tell her where the safehouse is? If you did I swear Vincent I’m-”

It’s Vincent’s turn to interrupt, “No, I didn’t say anything. All I said is that I would keep in touch.”

“Good,” Kauri says as he pours two pills out of the bottle and into his hand, “Cheers.” Kauri tosses the pills into his mouth and tilts the glass of water towards Vincent before drinking.

“What are you doing?” Vincent asks, tugging some at the sleeves of another turtleneck.”

“Migraine meds,” Kauri answers, pouring the rest into the sink, “I get them when I hear Liam Harker.” Just like clockwork, Kauri winces and rubs his temple, “Just something else to deal with.”

“I’m sor-”

“I will leave until Nat gets back.”

Vincent purses his lips and watches Kauri walk over to the fridge. The air stills around them in the way the air in a freezer is still. Something hangs over the room, could be the tension, could be the unease, could be the new presence in their lives, Vincent can’t tell.

“I have her contact information if you want it,” Vincent speaks, trying to shoo away the stillness, “On your time.”

Kauri pauses mid-reach. He rests his forehead against the fridge handle and says, “I- maybe later. I have far too much on my plate right now, running to the safehouse almost by myself. Nats with Jameson at her house, Jake is still recovering, the whole issue with Chris and Laken, the Oly- I just can’t take on something else right now.”

“I get it,” Vincent nods, shifting his weight onto his back foot, “I’ll keep it if you want it when all of this blows over. But, if she does try to press me for information-”

“Pretend you have no idea who me, Nat, and Jake are,” Kauri answers while pulling out a plastic pitcher of what smells like cold brew, “If I ever decide to contact her I’ll deal with it, okay? I’m just not ready or have the time right now.”

Vincent leans back on one foot to try and see the clock on the wall, “Um. what time is Nat supposed to get here, we have money stuff I have to talk to her about.”

“Around four,” Kauri answer while pouring himself coffee.

The sound of the deadbolt unclicking sounds softly crosses the room. Kauri barely glances over his shoulder.

“Is Nat back already?” Vincent asks as he tries to see the door.

“Nope,” Kauri says, popping the p. “Just Chris.”

“I- I’m back and I have Laken,” Chris beams as he dashes past with Laken in hand, “Oh hi Vince.”

Vincent gives Chris a small wave, “Hi Chris.”

“Wait- is that Vinc-”

But Chris has already whisked Laken away before they could get the last words out. Vincent follows them with his eyes for a moment before looking back at Kauri.

Kauri looks relieved. A tired smile adorns his face as he takes a sip of the cold brew.

Vincent doesn’t ask, he puts enough of the dots together to know something just fixed itself. Good for them.

“Anywho,” Kauri chuckles, looking back over at Vincent, “A turtleneck won’t hide your sins Vincy.”

“Shit, how obvious has it been?!” Vincent panics and readjusts the hem of his shirt.

“I was just joking...” Kauri’s smile deepens as the mischief returns to his face. He gives Vincent a look over and sing-songs, “...So, what’s Dmitri like?”

“We just kissed Kauri!”

“Sure, and I just kiss Jake.”

“Kauri!”