#sports bars in Manhattan

[infinityguests]

Top 5 Sports Bars in Manhattan, New York

In search of a fresh location to catch the big game? On our list of the best sports bars in Manhattan, you’ll find boisterous beer halls, low-key hangouts with craft brews, some of the city’s best dive pubs, and even a pub with a focus on all things Canadian.

[ladykailitha]

The Caged Bird Still Sings Part 19

Hello everyone! Welcome to the new year! I am back and swinging! I have a good backlog now and I'm feeling better about writing after that break. I was feeling really burned out after Christmas. I still love writing, but I didn't have the energy to do it.

But after that three week hiatus, I am back to writing 800-1000 words a day which is what keeps me up to date on my backlog when I'm posting.

I recommend reading the last chapter again as a refresher before this one (linked below).

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16 Part 17 Part 18

In this chapter we have the boys' night out and Eddie and Steve talk about where they stand with other.

~

Eddie was standing at the front of the hotel looking at his watch and tapping his foot, when the three adults pulled into the valet parking lot.

When Gareth got out and tossed Steve the keys, he came bounding up to them. “What time do you call this, young man?” he teased, putting his hands on his hips.

They all burst out laughing as Eddie tried to hold the serious pose and failed miserably.

“Just a small hiccup up at the stadium,” Jeff said, rolling his eyes. “A fan recognized me and Gare and we were signing autographs for about a half hour.”

Eddie paused for a moment and tilted his head to side. “You were signing autographs without me?” He put a hand on his forehead and pretended to swoon. “You have forsaken me!”

Steve turned to Gareth and blinked rapidly. “Um..is he always this dramatic?”

“No,” Gareth snorted, “he’s worse.” He turned to Eddie. “Chill out you big baby. You don’t like sports and would have been miserable.”

Eddie stopped for a moment and then straightened up. “Yeah, that’s fair.”

“God,” Jeff huffed, “I’d kill for a stiff drink. Have the front desk call Brian up and meet us in the bar.”

“Sounds good to me,” Eddie said, falling into step next to Steve as they walked to the bar, Gareth splitting off temporarily to get Brian to join them.

“Did you have fun?” Eddie asked, a big grin on his face.

Steve rolled his eyes and licked upper lip. “You’re the one that suggested they take me, aren’t you?”

“Guilty as charged,” Eddie said, twirling his rings. “But Jeff and Gareth loved the idea. They wanted to get a chance to know you better and this basketball game seemed like the perfect opportunity. Plus I know you’ve been feeling trapped in this town with all the bullshit that happened with your dad.”

Steve smiled up at him. “Well, I approve. It was lots of fun. The Harlem Globetrotters are known for their wacky playing style and over the top theatrics. So I was a little,” he held his finger and thumb really close together, “surprised when you didn’t want to come with.”

“I think I would’ve been more annoyed,” Eddie huffed. “Can’t stand it when people play normally, so having a group of players just fucking around and still have it be legal...no thanks.”

“Fair enough,” Steve said as they reached the bar.

They sat down at one of the tables and Gareth ordered two draft beers, one for him and one for Brian. Jeff ordered a double shot of whiskey and Eddie ordered a Manhattan.

“I’ll have a Coke and lime,” Steve said as a waiter took their order.

Eddie smiled slyly at Steve. “Good boy. I was wondering what you were going to order with my little ban on alcohol until you’re actually twenty-one.”

Steve snorted and rolled his eyes. “If I keep up this dry spell, I’ll lose my tolerance for it and lose my title as keg king.”

Jeff who had been taking a drink, did a spit take. “You were a what now?”

Their drinks arrived, so Steve was able to dodge the question for a moment longer. But he was forced to confess under the stern eye of Eddie Munson.

“Me and my friends would have chugging contests,” Steve said with a shrug. “I had the best time. Like always. But I haven’t even had a beer in literal months.”

Eddie blinked. “Wait, really? I would have thought for sure you would found someway to get a beer at least.”

Steve shook his head. “The people who still like me are kids and their parents. One of which is the Chief of Police. Yeah, I’ve been sticking clear of booze thanks.”

“Um...” Jeff said, rubbing his chin. “The hotel room is in Eddie’s name and he’s over twenty-one. You could literally order from the hotel and no one would bat an eye.”

“I just figured that fell under the umbrella of buying alcohol using Eddie’s money,” Steve said with a shrug. “So I just didn’t.”

Eddie slid over his Manhattan. “I wasn’t intended to dry you out completely. I just didn’t want you flashing that fake ID around using my credit card.”

“Oh,” Steve blushed and hid it by taking a sip of the Manhattan and he closed his eyes, letting the alcohol hit his system for the first time in months. “Yeah, I’m going to have to go easy on these otherwise you’re going to be dragging my drunk ass up that elevator.”

They all laughed.

Steve finished off the Manhattan while Eddie ordered a different cocktail. Then he went back to the Coke and lime as to pace himself.

They all talked and laughed and got to know each other better. Steve was only tipsy when they called it a night.

Eddie walked Steve to his room, not only because he was the suite across the hall, but because he wanted to make sure Steve got in okay.

“All right, little Canary,” Eddie said sternly. “What aren’t you, Jeff and Gareth telling me?”

Steve put his arms around Eddie’s neck and cooed, “What makes you think we aren’t telling you something?”

Eddie raised an eyebrow. “I might not know you as well as I would like, Stevie, but I know when Jeff and Gareth are leaving something out. And with you a little tipsy, I thought I’d see if I could weasel it out of you.”

“Missed you,” Steve breathed, trying to grind against Eddie’s crotch. “I’ll be super good for you.”

Eddie grabbed Steve’s hips and pulled him a little bit away from his waist. “You are a treat, sweetheart, make no mistake. But you’re a little too drunk for anything other than conversation. So why don’t we get you in bed?”

Steve pouted but did as he was told. He opened the door to the hotel room and immediately started stripping his clothes off.

Eddie turned his eyes skyward, with his hands on his hips until Steve pulled up the shorts on his pajamas Eddie had gotten him his first night at the hotel. But he was grateful when Steve shimmied the top over his head, neglecting to undo the buttons.

“You look cute, Stevie,” he murmured as he came up to him, checking him out as he neared. “I thought you would. You really look good in yellow.”

Steve blushed, tugging at the hem of the top, “Thanks.”

Eddie scooped him up and carried him over to the bed, that was turned down by Rosa, like it was every night. He laid him in the bed and then tucked him in. He brushed Steve’s hair out of his face and kissed his forehead.

“Good night, little Canary,” he murmured.

Eddie moved to stand up, but Steve caught the hem of his jacket, keeping him there. He looked down at Steve and immediately his heart broke. Steve had tears in his eyes and one slid across his nose.

“Baby?”

“My dad was at the game,” Steve murmured. “We didn’t see him until after we were leaving, so we don’t know if he saw me. But that’s why Jeff and Gareth did an autograph signing, so that I could sneak past him.”

Eddie’s knees hit the floor and he was gathering Steve up in his arms from one breath to the next. “Oh, Stevie...” he whispered into Steve’s hair. “Now I understand why you guys didn’t want to tell me and I’m not mad. Well, I am but at your dad for ruining your night out. I wish I could just make him go away for you. Just *POOF* off the face of the earth.”

Steve let out a shuddering breath and then another. “But at least this means we know they’ve been staying in Indy.”

“There you go,” Eddie whispered, smoothing out Steve’s hair, “a silver lining. So we’ll make sure you get to go places other than Indy and you know what your dad likes so if there is a fun thing you want to for one of your kids like skateboarding or something that you know your dad would avoid like the plague, we still send you to those, okay, little Canary?”

Steve ran his nose along Eddie’s jaw and he shuddered with want. But he knew Steve was too drunk to do anything but sleep, so he gently untangled himself from Steve’s arms, and before he could even get to his feet, Steve was sound asleep.

“Sleep well, my little angel.”

~

Steve woke up with a pounding headache and lancing of shame down his spine. He had basically thrown himself at Eddie last night and the man had been a perfect gentleman. He threw his head back and stared at the ceiling, wallowing in his misery.

There was a gentle knock on the door and Steve forced himself into a standing position and waddled over to the door. He opened it to see Eddie on the other side, bright and cheery. Which made the pain in head throb worse.

Eddie held up a bag of McDonald’s and grinned. “I brought you best hangover cure known to man.”

Steve let him in and Eddie set the food on the table. Then he went over and started brewing a pot of coffee. He then filled a glass with water from the tap in the bathroom and handed it to Steve with two pills that were obviously ibuprofen. All this without comment or condemnation.

Steve took the painkillers with a grateful smile.

“Eat one of those Egg McMuffins,” Eddie said indicating the bag with his chin. “Then go shower. By then the coffee will have been brewed.”

“Thanks,” Steve muttered and ripped into one of the breakfast sandwiches with relish. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “I behaved badly last night and I’m sorry.”

Eddie chuckled. “You were cute. But nah, I get it. You’d been dry for a couple of months there and then suddenly drinking again? Yeah, I would have been more than a little tipsy, too.”

Steve blushed and focused on his food for a moment before he said, “It was really scary seeing my dad last night, but Gareth and Jeff handled it. Better than I would have had I been alone. I really owe them.”

“I talked to them after tucking you in,” Eddie said sprawling out on the sofa. “They didn’t want to tell me because they were worried that I would forbid you from going out again. Which, I can see where they’re coming from. But I would rather know about it and plan better than not. So they agreed to tell me from now on.”

“Lucas loved hanging out with them,” Steve said, smiling around his bite of food.

Eddie chuckled. “I don’t doubt that. Jeff and Gareth had a blast, too. Jeff is talking about getting season tickets to the Pacers’ games. I told him to hold off on that for a bit to see where this goes first, but they definitely want to hang out with you more.”

Steve finished the sandwich and wiped his mouth again. “I had fun hanging out with them, too.”

“Go get your shower, little Canary,” Eddie said fondly. “I’ll be waiting for you when you get out.”

Steve got up and rummaged through his drawers for something to wear. He settled on comfort over style because even though the pain in his head was beginning to recede, it was still there throbbing behind his eyes. The shower went a long way in driving the pain further from his head so that when he got done with his routine he could walk almost normal instead of everything hurting with every move he made.

When he walked out, there was a woman arguing with Eddie. A woman he vaguely recognized. Then it hit him. Chrissy Cunningham. Their manager. The one that currently didn’t like him because he took up too much of Eddie’s time.

“You know,” he said dryly from the bathroom door, where he was leaning against it with arms crossed, “I might be only nineteen, but I at least know to talk to someone when they have a beef with me.”

Chrissy whirled around and stared at him in shock. Like she had forgotten this was his hotel room. “Steve!”

He walked up to her and huffed out a breath out of his nose. “It’s a free country the last time I checked. Eddie can spend his time and his money how ever he wants. So either suck it up or hit the road, because even I know I can’t reason him out of giving me things.”

Chrissy looked between Eddie and Steve and then sighed. “You don’t care that he’s basically your sugar daddy at this point?”

Steve crossed his arms over his chest and licked his lips slowly. “Considering the alternative is living out of my car? No. It took me a long time to come to terms with the fact that Eddie wants to take care of me. So you know what? I’m going to let him. I like him. I enjoy spending time with him. I’m not a gold digger or whatever else you think of me. But I will enjoy it while it’s here.”

Eddie slow clapped. “He’s got a point. We get along great, we enjoy each other’s company, and I like spoiling people. Is my Uncle Wayne a gold digger because I take care of him too?”

She glared at him and then threw her arms in the air and then with a terse, “Fine!” she stormed out of the hotel room.

Eddie grinned. “Now where were we?”

Steve just threw his head back and laughed.

~

Part 20 Part 21

Tag List: CLOSED

1- @itsall-taken @wheneverfeasible @zerokrox-blog @beelze-the-bubkiss @blondie1006

2- @gregre369 ​@a-little-unsteddie @themoonagainstmers @cryptid-system @maya-custodios-dionach

3- @goodolefashionedloverboi @val-from-lawrence @carlyv @wonderland-girl143-blog @irregular-child

4- @bookbinderbitch @bookworm0690 @forgottenkanji @yikes-a-bee @awkwardgravity1

5- @dragonmama76 @ellietheasexylibrarian @thedragonsaunt @useless-nb-bisexual @disrespectedgoatman

6- @counting-dollars-counting-stars @tinyplanet95 @ravenfrog @swimmingbirdrunningrock @lingeringmirth

7- @gutterflower77 @a-lovely-craziness @w1ll0wtr33 @sticknpokelightningbolt @just-a-tiny-void

8- @scoops-aboy86 @kurofuckingshi16 @watermelonmite @eyehartart @dreamercec

9- @little-birch-boy @yearningagain @micheledawn1975 @sadisticaltarts @steddieislife

10- @fearieshadow @kultiras @thesecondfate @tartarusknight @genderless-spoon

[dingochef]

Pairing: Jake "Hangman" Seresin x You (OFC)

Warnings: Swearing, Smut (MDNI 18+ Only), Protected P in V, oral (female and male receiving), age gap, CougarOFC!, mentions only of mommy and daddy kink, mentions of cheating

Summary: A chance encounter at a bar with a man on the young side leads to a delightful night.

Masterlist

Word Count: 4.5k

On the Prowl

You saddle up to the bar, sighing as you try to expel the frustrations from stupid negotiations you've had to deal with today. You were trying to make a deal between your aerospace company and another to be the exclusive suppliers of the next versions of the F-whatever fighter for the Navy. You order a Manhattan hoping the sweet burn of the vermouth and whiskey will sooth away your frustration.

The bartender has barely slid your drink across on its coaster to you when a man approaches, about your age. You snort internally to yourself, there is nothing about your overall air and appearance that makes you approachable. Your hair is frazzled, your giant laptop bag is slung on the stool next to you, and you're pretty sure your residual resting bitch face is dialed up to an 11. Still, the prospect for a possible quick romp in the sheets and the slim possibility of an orgasm, makes you turn ever so slightly as he sits down next to you.

“Tough day?” he offers to you, after ordering a drink.

“You could say that,” you humm, noncommittally and take a sip of your drink.

“Well, I'm all ears if you want to talk about it,” the man replies, offering his hand,

“I'm Mike, and you are?”

You take his hand and tell him your name.

“Pretty name for a pretty lady,” Mike responds. You stifle your eye roll at the cheesy line. The drinks arrive and you fall into a light if stilted conversation of small talk. The usual topics are covered the weather, why you're both in town, and a few sports references. You're pondering if you want another drink when Mike leans closer to you,

“So this bad day. You want to talk about it,” he says as his hand sliding out to catch your wrist, “Or do something about it?”

He rubs his thumb over yours and you catch the glint of a wedding ring that you had missed earlier. Any thoughts you had of maybe seeing where this could go are immediately stopped.

“You're married,” you state, flatly.

“It's complicated,” he counters.

You let out a long exhale,

“Not complicated enough that you didn't even go through the smallest bit of effort to hide the fact. I'm not interested in being the other woman. A little too recent experience from the other end of “it's complicated.”

Mike nods, properly chastised and walks away with his drink.

You sigh and lean down on the bar with both elbows, letting your head hang down as you feel more frustrated, the possibility of some distractioning sex long gone now. A disappointing thought forms in your brain as you remember that you did indeed forget to pack your vibrator. But somehow you remembered condoms and lube, ever the optimist. Not a hopeless situation, but would have been better with some “assistance.”

You're brought out of your pity party by a slight southern twang delivering this line,

“A woman so beautiful deserves to have a smile on your face and I'm just the man to do it.”

The line is accompanied by the dazzling smile of a very handsome blonde man, definitely younger than you and with memorable green eyes.

“Has that line ever worked?” you ask, your patience strained by your interaction with Mike the Adulterer, as you survey the man in front of you.

“You tell me,” he replies smoothly, the corner of his mouth tugging up into an endearing smirk. He's gorgeous but young enough it's a little beyond your usual range in men. Tired by the evening so far, you take a harsher tack back.

“You're out past your bedtime, baby boy,” you volley back, drinking the last bit of your drink and chewing on the cherry.

“Baby boy? I assure you I'm all man, I could be the man of your dreams if you let me,” he counters, smirk still firmly in place. You contemplate your next move as you chew on the cherry from your drink.

“What do you want with me? I'm sure Addison or Kayla and her other twenty something friends would be more than willing to be wooed by a cheesy line and nice smile,” you say, flicking your head towards the gaggle of giggling coeds at a high top table near the windows. He looks over and shrugs,

“There's a difference between women of quantity,” he tips his head towards the giggling girls, “And a woman of quality,” he waves his hand at you.

You laugh,

“Okay, that's smooth. What's your name baby boy?”

“Jake, Lieutenant Jake Seresin,” he extends his hand, “And you are?”

“Y/n,” you reply, setting your hand in his.

“Nice to meet you, y/n, can I buy you a drink?”

“Sure, why not,” you shrug.

The bartender comes over and you order,

“Manhattan with rye, please.”

Jake nods and says,

“The same.”

The bartender walks away to make the drinks and you consider Jake.

“So, what's your game here, Jake? I'm a little old for you if you haven't noticed,” you state.

“You're beautiful and you're not that old. What 35, 38 tops?” he replies.

You laugh,

“Try 45, I use sunscreen. What are you, like 28 maybe? Can you even rent a car?”

Jake laughs in response,

“32, I use sunscreen.”

His parroting response makes you laugh. He slides his hand into yours, running a soothing circle with his big thumb on the pulse point of your wrist in an understated gesture.

“And my game is that, you are gorgeous and everything about you screams that you're in control. The tailored business suit, the designer bag, expensive shoes, and a watch probably worth more than my first car,” he pauses for a second,

“Let me guess, you're an upper level executive in a high stress industry in town for a conference, because I for sure would have remembered you if you've been here before. So, here's my bet, you're either a woman who knows exactly what she wants in bed and leads the way or….,” he leans in closer, “Needs someone to boss you around and take control, so you can let go.”

He leans back and gives you a brilliant smile.

“Either way I know I'll have a hell of a night.”

Before you can answer, the bartender reappears with your drinks. You take a sip and consider your response, Jake doing the same with a quirked eyebrow in question.

“You're a confident little shit, I'll give you that.”

He smiles, wide and bright.

“And yes, I'm in San Diego for business. Yes, I'm a COO for an aerospace firm. As for the other question, that's something you'll have to figure out.”

“I'm up to the challenge,” he replies.

You take a moment to consider the man before you. He's tall, broad shoulders, dark blonde hair, and a delicious amount of stubble that you can already conjure up the feeling of on your inner thigh. He's wearing a dark brown leather jacket over a navy blue button, dark jeans, and charmingly, cowboy boots. All in all he is gorgeous.

“Allright, Jake, I'm game,” you say, leaning into him, close enough you can smell his aftershave, a cedar wood smelling aroma. He grins and takes another sip of his drink.

“A few deal breakers to get out of the way. Married?”

“No. You?

“Recently paroled.”

“Congrats on your newfound freedom.”

“Girlfriend, or other romantic entanglement, such as it's complicated?”

He laughs,

“Nope, I don't have anyone or anything tying me down. I don't even own a houseplant.”

“Good, protection is required. I have some in my room.”

“Agreed.”

“I give what I get, if you want me to suck your dick, you'll need to eat me out first, and be good at it.”

“Don't think that's going to be a problem, sweetheart. I'm a man of many talents.”

“And finally, you will not call me mommy or any other similar derivative. If that's an itch you need scratched, then maybe Addison and her friends would be happy to call you daddy.”

He laughs,

“Not my cup of tea, darling. So where's this hotel of yours?”

“Right across the street,”

“Then by all means lead the way,” he says, as he pulls a fifty out of his wallet and leaves it in the bar.

Jake offers his hand to you as you step down from the stool. He grabs your laptop bag and easily slings it over his shoulder as his other hand finds the small of your back. The walk to your hotel is quick, Jake has pulled you close to him.

The lobby is relatively empty and the echo of your heels clicking across the marble floor fills the space. Once you're In the elevator, Jake sets your bag down and pulls you close for a kiss. It starts out soft, he is almost tentative, a surprising contrast to his unmatched confidence earlier. But now you crave a different energy tonight; after a day of frustration you're going to get what you want.

You run your hands through his perfect hair and lick at the seam of his lips, begging for entrance as you press your whole body against his. You back him up to the wall of the elevator. A heavy roll of your hips against his makes him moan and your tongue slides in next to his, finally.

His hand slides from the chaste placement at your waist and grabs a firm handful of your ass as he shoves his tongue down your throat. The heat between you escalates but before you start fucking in the elevator the bell dings announcing your floor.

You step back and appreciate your work.

Hair askew, your dark cherry lipstick smeared across his mouth, Jake looks ready to fuck.

“You look good like that. It's a great color for you,” you tease stepping out of the elevator with a quick glance over your shoulder

Jake snaps out of his lust induced trance grabbing your bag and trotting quickly to catch up with you. He places a trail of kisses down your neck as you press the key card to the handle, a warm hand kneading at your waist.

The door opens and you almost tumble in,

Jake is quick to drop your bag as you lock the deadbolt.

When you turn he closes in on you and backs you up against the door. He initiates another kiss that you eagerly return. The same heat from the elevator returns and burns brighter as you start to pluck at each other's clothes.

You push Jake's jacket off and start to work at the buttons of his shirt. Lips never leaving each other finally he is shirtless in front of you and it is a glorious sight. All hard planes of pure muscle with a delicious amount of chest hair.

“Aren't you just the prettiest?” you coo, obviously checking him out, manicured hand running down his sternum and teasing at his belt buckle

He simultaneously preens and blushes at the praise.

“On your knees,” you order and he quickly complies, one eyebrow raised in question, just enough attitude to make it interesting. He looks up at you while you unbutton your blouse and drop it to the floor, revealing your black lace La Perla bra. He kisses the hem of your skirt, green eyes blown with lust watching your every move. You raise your left foot and put your Louboutin on his denim clad thigh and ask him,

“Help me out of these heels, sweetheart.”

The last word is said with a little bit of mocking, a bit of manufactured twang. Jake smirks at your teasing and unbuckles your shoe, setting it aside. You switch sides and he repeats the motions.

He thumbs tentatively at your skirt awaiting your permission

“Go on. Let's see those skills, pretty boy,” you taunt. He slides your skirt up and groans when he sees the matching garter belt and stockings to your bra and no underwear,

“Fancy lingerie, too,” he says, his mouth close enough to your bare mound you can feel the gentle puffs of air against your skin.

“Enough talking, get to it,” you order, the earlier frustration of your day seeping back into your mood.

He nods and places a firm hand on your stomach to anchor you to the door. His other hand slides along the seam of your stocking clad leg starting at your ankle gently lifting your leg up to rest your thigh on his shoulder, granting him even more access to your glistening cunt.

“You smell so good, I bet you taste even better, sweets,” he coos.

Before you can implore him to hurry the fuck up he dives in, parting your folds with his tongue to begin his attack on your clit. The intensity knocking your breath out of you. There is no warm up, just all the way to 100 right away. Your heartbeat speeds up to match the fast strumming of his tongue against your clit. You card your fingers through his hair to ground yourself just as he teases your slit with his finger.

Jake circles around your opening with his thick finger, a mischievous look in his eyes as he looks up at you, tongue never ceasing on your clit. You roll your eyes and push your hips down desperate to get his finger inside you just as he relents and slides his finger in quickly followed by another. The stretch is more than you've had in awhile, no thanks to your ex and busy schedule that makes dating difficult, but it is exactly what you need right now. And then Jake curls his fingers just right and sparks blur the sides of your vision. He earns the privilege of having you pull harder on his hair and moan a breathy,

“Fuck, that's good.”

He raises his eyebrows down below you, smugness apparent even when his mouth is full of your pussy.

“Don't let it go to your head,” you say back, lacking the bite you had hoped for.

He laughs into your cunt, but continues his mission. Fingers pumping away at you. The band inside of you starts to pull taut, that exquisite build up to release starting to form deep in your belly.

“You better not fucking stop! Fuck, right there,” you shout. Looking down you catch Jake's eyes and his gaze is as unwavering as his rhythm is steady. He continues his assault on your clit and cunt, the sounds of your arousal and his tongue obscene in the quiet darkness of your hotel room. You've always been loud when you come and tonight is no exception, the words rolling off your tongue,

“Fuck, so good. I'm close, Jake. Make me come, pretty boy.”

He responds by thrusting his hand harder and faster and lapping at your clit at even higher speed. He just grazes his teeth on your clit and you're gone.

“Fucking God, I'm coming, don't stop. More,” you shout as the bliss breaks over you, grabbing Jake's hair and holding him to you. The pleasure is so much that you go up on the balls of your feet before you come back down and continue to grind your pussy on Jake's face. Jake complies and keeps up the intensity and soon another climax is barrelling down on you. This one is so intense that when it crests, you practically collapse over Jake, your knees having gone weak as the pleasure ebbs through you. He catches your hips and guides you down to his lap. He holds you as you catch your breath, sweetly kissing your temple as your chest heaves.

Breaking the silence he asks,

“Did I earn that blow job?”

He earns a dry chuckle from you as you turn to straddle his thighs.

“I think that was at least adequate,” you mumble as you lean down to kiss Jake, licking the taste of yourself from his chin. He deftly unclasps your bra from behind and drops it to the floor.

“Been wanting to see these beauties since I saw you at the bar,” he murmurs as he slips your nipple into his mouth, his rough hands cupping your breasts. Your hands again find themselves in his hair, pushing him harder into your chest, your tits heavy and full with desire. As much as you enjoy Jake's efforts, the marble floor of your hotel suite is cold against your overheated skin.

“Get on the bed and get naked,” you command Jake after harshly pulling him away from your chest by his hair. You notice the wave of pleasure wash across his face from the pain. Confidently, you get up and walk over to your bag, making sure to sway your hips in an enticing way. A quick search of the bag and you find the condoms you're seeking.

When you turn back Jake is on the bed, on his back completely naked. He is gently stroking his hard cock as he watches you stalk towards him. Throwing the condoms on the nightstand you lower yourself to the bed near his feet. Like a lioness on the prowl, you crawl up the bed towards him.

“I knew you'd have a big dick. No one is that confident without one,” you say as you get even with him. He grins in response, his hand slowly stroking his cock as he watches you approach. You settle yourself so your wet cunt is on his abs, achingly close to his dick but so far away at the same time.

“I know my assets,” he says, reaching up to pull you down for a kiss. You slide your lips along his jaw, trailing a path of kisses down his neck and across his chest. You lap at the hard buds of his nipples as you grind yourself on his rock hard abs. Jake lets out a whine as you continue your efforts. You stop all your movement and look up to Jake where he is clenching his jaw.

“You want something, pretty boy?” You taunt, sliding your pussy just a bit lower. The movement occupies the last two brain cells he has available and his words come out in choppy mess,

“Want–need your mouth. On me, suck me please. Fuck, please.”

You laugh condescendingly as you pretend to ponder his request,

“I did say I give as good as I get and you did get me off. I suppose I could be nice and return the favor.”

He visibly relaxes, the worry flowing out of his face. He pushes himself up on the bed so he is in a sitting position, primed to watch your every move.

You position yourself so you are kneeling between his legs, his delicious cock standing proudly at attention.

With the faintest of touches you let your fingers trail up and down his dick. Surprisingly he stays stock still, waiting for you to move at your pace, his dick twitching at your feather light touches.

“Look at you, pretty boy. So ready for it, hmm?” you ask as you grip him a little bit harder. His eyes roll back as you start to stroke him, the throbbing veins in his cock gliding along your palm.

When you lean over and start to kitten lick the ruddy tip and Jake snaps open his eyes, not wanting to miss the splendid sight in front of him. The groan you pull from him when you spit to aid the glide of your hand is one of the best things you've ever heard. Your grip gets firmer as you slide your hand up and down, increasing your pace. On the next downstroke you follow your hand with your mouth, lips matched with your fingers.

It doesn't take much for Jake to hit the back of your throat and you relax to take him down your throat.

“Fuck, sweetheart,” Jake pants as you work to diligently suck his cock. Your eyes locked with Jake's as the pleasure rolls over him.

“So good, you look so good sucking my cock,” he drawls, his accent getting a bit thicker with arousal. You're about to change up your technique when Jake cups your chin and pulls you up to him for a kiss.

“As much as I would like to come in your mouth. That pretty pussy needs to be fucked,” he says, flipping you on your back as he reaches for a condom. He quickly rips the wrapper and rolls the condom down on his hard cock.

“You ready for this?” he asks, gliding his tip along your clit.

“Yes, just fuck me aleady,” you answer, a little exasperated.

When he finally slides home, you're glad that you had the little warm up with his fingers against the door. He's huge, probably the biggest you've ever had and it is amazing. He goes slow, dragging out the experience, a low moan escaping his mouth when he bottoms out. A gentle rhythm forms between the two of you as he starts to thrust and you roll your pelvis to meet him each time.

“Fuck, you're so tight,” he grunts.

You laugh,

“Thank my pencil dicked cheating ex-husband. Didn't give it to me for over a year.”

“What a fucking tragedy, this beautiful pussy needs to worshipped,” he agrees, thrusting particularly hard into you causing you to cry out.

“Give it to me good, pretty boy,” you scream, wrapping your legs around his waist as he sinks deeper into. Every thrust hitting deeper and deeper.

“Harder! Jake, harder,” you cry out.

“If you want harder, you'll get it, sweets,” he pants.

He pins your hips to the bed as he pulls out earning a discontented squeal from you. Before you can express the thought, Jake flips you over with ease and you land on your stomach. He is quick to grab your hips and pulls you flush to him as he kneels on the bed.

“Hold on, sweetheart,” he grunts as he slides back into your warmth. His strong grip on your hips the right side of too much, you clench around him at the thought of bruises tomorrow, aching slightly as you sit through hours of meetings and negotiations. He slams into you and bottoms out quickly. His pace is relentless as he pounds into you. The exquisite way your pussy flutters around his cock is pushing you closer to the edge. Each slap of skin from his strong thighs against your bare ass ratcheting up the growing tightness in your belly.

“Can feel you getting close, darling. Just when I thought this pussy couldn't get any tighter, you're strangling my cock,” he grunts out between harder and harder thrusts.

“Less talking, more fucking,” you volley back, meeting each of his thrusts with your own. Jake lets out a low chuckle,

“As you wish, sweetheart.”

On his next thrust he extends his hand to wrap around your shoulder pulling you against him abruptly, your back to his chest.

“Fuck,” you pant, this new angle hitting all the right spots deep inside you. A strong arm wraps around your waist as Jake's free hand snakes over your garter belt and parts your folds. When his rough finger contacts your clit you cry out, arms and hands scrambling for something to hold onto. Jake guides your arms up and arounds his neck, your hands tangling themselves in hair.

“Fuck, sweetheart,” he grunts in your ear, “So fucking tight, can't wait to feel you come on my cock.”

All you can do is moan in agreement as he circles your clit with practiced and precise motions.

“What a beautiful pussy,” Jake pants, his ability to speak now impressive,

“And fuck I'm glad you gave the me the sweet, sweet privilege of fucking you tonight.”

He pinches your clit and the building wave inside you crests as you come apart clenching hard on his cock.

“Oh fuck, fuck, I'm coming,” you scream, definitely loud enough to be heard by your neighbors.

“That's it, give it to me. Fuck, you feel so good,” he grunts.

He maintains his rhythm as he fucks you through your orgasm intensfying each aftershock. Jake is holding you up as writhe in pleasure seeking his own, hips pistoning away. You tug hard on his hair as you command him,

“Come for me, Jake. Come for me.”

All of it comes together and Jake holds you hard against him as he spills inside the condom, a long low groan rattling up from his chest. Your mutual rhythm slows like a swing coming to rest and you fall to bed, Jake following, flopping on his back next to you.

The silence after is filled with yours and Jake's heavy breaths, willing your heartbeat to slow down. Jake is lying with his forearm over his eyes, a light sheen of sweat on his chest.

You roll over and pull his arm down, and ask,

“Did you figure out your answer?”

His brow furrows as he contemplates your question,

“That I lead or let go in bed?”

He laughs,

“You're definitely in charge and I'd let you lead me anywhere,” he replies, laughter in his voice. He gives you a quick peck and slides out of bed to take care of the condom. You stretch and sit up and start taking off your stockings. Jake is picking up his clothes and watches you shimmy out of your garter belt. He puts his clothes back on as you get ready for bed, starting with removing your makeup.

He comes to stand behind you as you swipe the cloth over your face, his full clothing a nice contrast to your naked skin. He kisses your shoulder gently,

“As much as I'd like to stay for another round, I'm due at base early tomorrow.”

“No hard feelings, pretty boy. Thanks for a good night,” you reply, turning around for one last kiss.

He sighs when your lips part and gives you a kiss on the cheek as he breaks away. Turning back to your nighttime preparations, the sound of the door opening and closing filtering from the main room, you smile to yourself. As you slide into bed, you see the note on the hotel pad,

“Call me if you want some more company.

–Jake.”

A phone number is written under the note.

The next morning finds you holding a latte and being shown around hangar after hangar at North Island. What this is supposed to do for your negotiations, you don't know but it beats sitting in a stuffy conference room. Admiral Simpson is droning on about the fighter weapons school when he catches the eye of someone behind you.

“Ahh, here is one of the test pilots for the new F-series,” he says as you turn around and meet some now familiar green eyes,

“Y/n, meet Lieutenant Jake Seresin, call sign Hangman.”

That goddamn smirk is firmly in place as he shakes your hand.

@kmc1989

@starswholistenanddreamsanswered

@mamachasesmayhem

@callmemana

@dempy

@hangmanscoming

@lanie-k

@callsign-viper

@senjoritanana

@djs8891

@atarmychick007

@memoriesat30

@midnightmagpiemama

@mygyn

[stuckysbike]

All Or Nothing

A/n: All mistakes are my own. Written on my phone.

Pre-Stucky x Reader, pre-Bucky x reader, Stucky, Steve x reader

AU: Bucky wants his boyfriend back, but his boyfriend is your husband now. And the father of your child.

Warnings: angst, eventual smut, 18 plus only please, fluff, implied cheating (but not really) mob!Bucky, mob!Steve, presumed unrequited love, polyamory, MMF, bisexual Stucky.

I hope that’s everything!

Part One

You wanted for nothing.

There was a tall Brooklyn Brownstone, a Manhattan Penthouse, a sprawling Hampton Mansion. Further afield was the Aspen Ski Lodge, the Montana Ranch. Overseas was the Mediterranean Villa, the Irish Cottage and the Romanian Castle.

Yes, he owned a castle.

James Buchanan “Bucky” Barnes was the only male heir to three very successful brothers who built themselves an empire. He and his three sisters had been given the keys to the kingdom when his father, the youngest of the three and the last surviving brother, died.

The first thing Bucky did after securing his position was to track down the only person he wanted to share his life with. Trouble was, that man Bucky was in love with was your husband.

You met Steve Rogers five years ago. He ended up in a bar fight defending a woman getting unwanted attention from a group of guys. Feeling lucky you joined in, cracking a bottle over the head of one of the pricks. You had been together ever since.

Steve talked about Bucky to you, he kept no secrets and you knew he had ran to save his life. When you discovered you were pregnant Steve proposed.

“I love you so much honey,” Steve had promised as you hesitated. “You’re mine. And I’m yours.”

Three days later, you were wed.

You wanted for nothing.

There were private planes, helicopters, luxury SUV’s, sports cars, motorcycles, a yacht and other various pleasure boats.

Steve loved anything with an engine that gathered speed, and Bucky was happy to indulge Steve’s whims. Money was no object, and you soon found that Bucky had been loyally taking care of Steve’s ill mother whilst he was on the run, getting her the best healthcare.

Bucky adored your precious Belle, the apple of Steve’s eye. She looked just like her father and had that stubborn streak of bravery just like he had too. You had never seen love at first sight until you saw Bucky meet Belle. Her face lit up and his eyes gentled and an instant bond was formed that terrified you.

Your wedding band meant nothing. Bucky belonged to this family, slotted in perfectly by charming your husband and delighting your daughter.

You had hung back, nodding in greeting and watching your family slip away.

So here you stood, in a designer dress and heels wearing jewellery worth more than you had ever earned watching Steve and Bucky waltz around the vast ballroom with Belle between them, her squealing with delight.

You wanted for nothing except the days before Bucky Barnes turned your life on its head.

Part 2

[jeanie-g]

gotta be myself at all times 16 and NicoJack please!

you got it! 💕🤭

[#16] Everything is romantic (Charli xcx)

Early nights in white sheets with lace curtains / Pompeii in the distance / In a place that can make you change / Fall in love again and again

Jack never thought he could feel the most like himself in a place he'd never been before. Anonymity was a concept that'd become foreign to him, far more foreign than the white sand beaches of Greece or neon skyscrapers of Tokyo.

Ever since he was a preteen, he had a target on his back—was generating a low, but insistent buzz in the hockey world that followed him through his draft day and into his rookie year. And he won't kid himself, he's not a celebrity, but he doesn't have the luxury of being blissfully unrecognizable in a crowded bar in Newark or subway station in Manhattan.

But that's America. He's big in America (and, sure, Canada, depending on who you ask), but in the winding side-streets of Brussels or Nice or Naples, Jack blends into every other twenty-something dude with brown hair and Adidas Originals. When he grabs Nico's hand and brings it to his lips, he doesn't have to look both ways and make sure there's no cameras. When he drinks one too many Aperol Spritzes at a dark nightclub, he doesn't have to hold himself back when he sways close to his boyfriend, lips ghosting over his. He doesn't have to shake his head and maintain a respectable distance.

No, he gets to kiss him in the middle of the dance floor, and no one will care.

It makes coming home after trips like these all the more difficult. It makes Jack feel like an asshole because he is so lucky to be doing what he's doing, playing the sport he loves and making enough money to be set for life.

But still.

He can't hold Nico's hand across the table when they're out at dinner. He can't make dopey, lovesick faces at him over coffee at Pat's Cafe. He can't act like anything other than a friend and teammate or his whole world will fall apart.

Maybe one day, when someone does it before him. Or five people do it before him. Yeah, when five or six or seven do and don't get laughed out of the league.

Until then, Jack has Nico in secluded street corners in Ottawa, sweet-smelling hotel rooms in Tampa, and dingy single-stall bathrooms in Dallas.

And, of course, under the twinkling lights of Paris, Edinburgh, and Madrid.

And when it comes down to it, he'll take what he can get.

[joverflowers]

Ultimate Jinmin Fic Recommendation pt 2

Neighbors/Roommates

efflorescent by minchimcheree

summary: Jimin gets an unexpected new neighbor.

silent speaking words by bucephalas

summary: Kim Seokjin lives alone. Worse still, he feels alone. There's nothing to be done for it. Until one day he finds a cat on his fire escape and meets Park Jimin - a man with the softest of voices and smiles and a laugh like bells.

recipe for success by prosperousends

summary: Jimin runs a potion shop; Seokjin runs a stand selling potion ingredients right across the street. Despite Jimin's best efforts, they find common ground.

Nevermind by eternal_octopus

summary: Wherein the most beautiful man Jimin's ever seen moves in next door, but it's too good to be true when he also turns out to be the lead singer of a rock band that practices at all hours of the night.

You Gave Me A Key (And Called It Home) by caecoethic

summary: The apartment isn't much, not really, and Seokjin thinks there could be better decor in the place; but it's all his. In time, he thinks it could be a home. (and then he gets a roommate.)

dis-ease by gardenjins

summary: roommate park jimin: I’m stopping at the supermarket after work today. anything you need?

me: medicine :(

roommate park jimin: that’s. really vague hyung. what kind of medicine?

the light will wait for us by moonbabie

summary: jimin is studying to be a fortune-teller, born to generations of fortune-tellers and mudangs before him, in an apartment building he's spent all his life in. seokjin is a new tenant, untethered and opaque. why is he so familiar?

press home to unlock by jnkkgay

summary: seokjin would very much like to know if it is normal for your roommate to suddenly set the backgrounds of all their electronic devices to photos of you.

Sports

ain't no mountain high enough by smashthatlikebutton

summary: Jimin looks over at the man with the nice lips and hips and broad expanse of back, standing at the bar without a care in the world. Snowboarding suits him, he thinks. “Cool, I’m going to seduce him.”

“You can’t just seduce Kim Seokjin, Hyung, he has a Wikipedia page!”

Under the Moon by idyllic_hummingbird

summary: They were the top two figure skaters in the nation. Heated rivals on the ice, but no one knew about what went on behind closed doors. Five years passed after Jin's retirement before Jimin heard from him again, inviting him to the beach where he now lived.

Kill V. Maim by newbensolo (orphan_account)

summary: Kim Seokjin is the star of the ring where Jimin used to shine.

Co-workers/Rivals

Paper Planes Through the Skyscraper's Window by Onion_Path

summary: When Kim Seokjin first stepped into the streets of Manhattan with his luggage full of hopes and dreams of building planes and watching them take off above the sky, he wasn’t expecting the said planes to be made of paper out of all things. Neither did he expect them to find a place to land in the apartment across the street; yet here he is now, trying to confess his feelings for his co-worker through weather forecasts and wind speed calculations.

Past the Perfect Pictures by seoulsunset

summary: While they both had the perfect chemistry in front of the flashing cameras, the fact remains that Jimin hated Seokjin, and Seokjin hated Jimin. The competition is tough and the hate game is really strong… or is it really just hate?

Because the last time they checked, you don’t get on your knees for the person you hate.

sweet hot jackpot (winning the office pool) by stickyrum

summary: Jimin commits the most heinous of office crimes against his department manager aka the man of his dreams, and his journey to redemption.

blank by formerlyunknownas

summary: The one where Jimin had too many tequila shots, blacked out, and ultimately slept with his boss (maybe literally, maybe not).

Unnecessary, not stupid. by newgs

summary: Kim Seokjin has been the best. Best chef, best looking, best employee.

Until.

Until Park Jimin, the new owner of the hotel, decides that Kim Seokjin isn't good enough.

Selfish Harmony by tiny_joon

summary: Jimin sighs. He’s not sure how to explain it without it sounding super weird. He dives in anyway, “Okay, so. Hyung and I are in a little bit of a competition to see who can pick up the most passengers at the bar on nights he works. He’s in the lead, obviously, but I’m not that far behind!”

“You are?”

“Well, he doesn’t know.”

you're such a star by kinskins

summary: If asked Seokjin, among of all the annoying things the cruel adult world can throw at you, is one wonderful Park Jimin, who makes the cruel adult world a bit better place to be.

we don't have to say it out loud by capucapu

summary: Seokjin is terribly chaotic, Jimin might be just a bit petty, and everyone else is just struggling to survive another workweek in this capitalist hellscape.

Kim Seokjin from Payroll by tender_tenderly

summary: “…Drama?” he asks. Seokjin only nods, resolute. “How would we cause drama?”

“It’s simple!” Seokjin says, taking Jimin’s hands and pulling him to his feet. He spins him around before tugging him in close until they’re eye-to-eye, chest to chest. Jimin feels his face heating up as Seokjin brushes his hand against the side of his face.

“Gorgeous, excessive, disgusting PDA."

Fluff/Humor

tell me about the seagulls, sam by ebenroot

summary: Park Jimin sets out to get his co-worker Jeon Jeongguk together with his boss, Vice President Kim Namjoon. Not because he's promised a big promotion if they get together, or because he wants Kim Seokjin to lick the bottom of his shoe, but because he is a Good Person (tm).

jack i'm flying! by ameliabedelias

summary:“Are they okay?” A concerned booze cruise attendant walks by. “They’re not gonna jump, are they?”

“Please, just ignore them,” Hoseok sighs, flopping into one of the deck lounge chairs as Seokjin and Jimin get into position. “They’ve been doing this for three years now. It's kind of their thing.”

you're the right time (at the right moment) by merryofsoul

summary: Five times Seokjin and Jimin's friends try to set them up, and one time Seokjin takes matters into his own hands.

(Feat. Jimin working harder than any of them for the same goal.)

sing it back to me by chahans

summary: Jimin is a part-time concert security guard and Jin is the scalper he's willing to make an exception for.

A Long Walk Off A Short Pier by exfatamorgana

summary: Jimin and Seokjin are panicking; their friends are assholes.

Jimin and Seokjin are panicking; their friends are over it.

Beaches and Summer by arysthaeniru

summary: Jimin has a billion videos of Jin doing stupid things on his phone.

Virtual World/ Androids

Limitations Of Virtual Experience by tullycat

Summary: ”So…” The man hesitates. “You know you normally live in virtual reality, yeah?”

Seokjin shrugs. “Of course. You know you breathe?”

Midnight snacks and mechanical dreams by closetfairy

summary: Cake vending machine android Jimin spends his life in a box. Seokjin orders a cake every week, and longs to show Jimin the world.

Pet shop/Animal Shelter/Hybrids

Enough Fish in the Sea for Two by MissCeeEmBee

summary: After quitting his high stress job in Seoul to become a fisherman in a small village, he hasn't caught a single thing. Not even a boot. Dispirited by his lack of success on the high seas, Seokjin almost misses the pitiful mewl coming from the docks. He investigates and finds a tiny, neglected calico cat who shies away from his touch. Gaining the cat's trust, Seokjin eventually takes him home and realizes that the cat isn't exactly who he seems.

Birdsong by sweetjimbles

summary: Jimin, a Lovebird hybrid, has the fattest crush on his best friend's roommate. Each morning in his bird form, he hides in the tree outside Jin's room and sings his little lungs out. It's a shame Jin thinks this bird is purposefully annoying him when he's trying to sleep.

My Tail 'Round Your Waist, Your Mane in My Face by sleepydrabbles

summary: Seokjin looks forward to all his evenings with Jimin, even when they're both a little grumpy.

A Purrfect Match by hope_and_hardship

summary: When Mr. Tall and Handsome came into the animal shelter in a Canali suit, Jimin was not impressed. But then the man did something unexpected. He sat down in his expensive wool suit on the concrete floor in front of the first cat cage and introduced himself to the cat.

Soulmates

Can't Let You Slip Away by edi-neil (sweet_trick)

Summary: Park Jimin thinks that he and his husband have the perfect relationship. They're going to adopt a baby, have great friends, and are grossly in love. The only thing missing is the bright red soulmate string to bind them together permanently.

when all the stars align by orphan_account

Summary: Seokjin doesn’t know what to do with a soulmate who doesn’t want him back.

Crashing into Destiny by Yumi44

summary: Seokjin is beyond ready to start over in a new town with a new job. Possibly even a whole new him. While he comes to Harmony Springs for a change of scenery and completely on a whim, his expectations are very low as this isn’t the first time he’s escaped, but his third. But destiny has other plans for him when a stranger comes crashing into his life, literally.

Show Me (I'll Show You) by mellzmallow

summary: Jimin is starting to get frustrated now. He is beyond confused and fucking hurt that his soulmate just turned his back on him after admitting to his love for the younger. “Why?” He yells at the elder. “Tell me why, hyung!”

“Because,” Seokjin raises his own voice, obviously irritated at Jimin’s persistence. “We’re soulmates, Jimin. I feel everything you feel. That’s why I know you can never love me as much as you love him.”

Fantasy/Magic Au

luck be my lover by wonsteapot

Summary: On a beautiful day, under a cloudless sky, Seokjin meets a pastry-wielding Park Jimin outside a bakery; a young man with bubblegum pink hair and the most beautiful smile in the world—the man who would steal his heart and change his luck in ways he could have never imagined.

Before he knows it, he's living his very own fairy tale. Literally.

The Universe Has Moved For Us by gardenjins

summary: Seokjin runs into someone who looks and acts just like that boy he fell in love with a few centuries ago. he doesn’t want to fall in love again, but it seems he can’t stop himself.

The Golden Rule of Love Curses by smiles

summary: An incomprehensive list of things Seokjin did not expect when he took a job at the library:

a talking seagull.

did he mention the talking seagull, because he feels like no one is properly panicking about a talking seagull?

oh, and also a wizard places him under a curse.

sorry, correction, a wizard places him under a spell. There is obviously a very significant difference, apologies Jimin. A spell is so much better than a curse.

the pearl in the pond by stickyrum

summary: His back sloped from the widest pair of shoulders Jimin had ever seen. Sand stuck to sections of his back and arms, a small river of sweat forming between the dip of his bowed spine. Jimin swallowed dryly. He had back dimples.

Of Spanish Roses & White Lilies by Always_Somewhere

summary: Once upon a time, a lonely rose fell in love with a handsome prince.

Like the Touch of Rain, He Was by portscutie

summary: If Seokjin could he'd live in a rainforest surrounded by the sweltering heat and soothingly fresh rain that always had the power to bring a smile to his face—

But then again, maybe being with Jimin was happiness enough.

hearts on fire by seokjininheaven

summary: Of all the things Jimin thought would happen once he started practicing magic, he never did think that lighting his mentor's hair on fire would be one of them. It wasn't his fault that Seokjin was the most handsome man Jimin had ever seen.

fae, love-laced by honeyslice (heavensring)

summary: Jimin is a house fairy assigned to Seokjin, human-extraodinaire—at making his job frustratingly difficult.

Hurt/Comfort

comfort blanket by wonsteapot

summary: When normality comes crashing down around him, Jimin turns to Seokjin for comfort.

two left by Saltyghostsuga

summary: Performance Artist Jimin finds himself as a teacher's assistant in Hoseok's Contemporary Dance class for Beginners (yike) as he recovers from an injury, working his way back to being on stage again. He learns just as much about dancing from his student, tech supply conglomerate executive with two left feet Kim Seokjin, as Jin does from him.

love fallen by celestialfail

summary: Jimin finds out the village's demon is really a fallen angel inflicted with a terrible sickness.

despite everything i love you by asteriafics (orphan_account)

summary: Jimin realizes he's in love with Seokjin and promptly goes through the five stages of grief.

A Certain Sense of Synergy by deepslowpanic

summary: They barely even dated, Jimin doesn’t feel like he can even call it a relationship. The breakup wasn’t even a breakup, just them moving seamlessly into being friends instead. And now, years later, things are easy and comfortable. But when the first of their friends get married, Jimin starts to see things, and Seokjin, in a new light.

not spring, love, or cherry blossoms by jinminrising (xiujaemin)

summary: On the spring of 1988, Jimin feels the giddiness of first love. But happiness isn’t all there is to falling in love, and Jimin realize that maybe the heartache isn’t all that worth it.

Coffee shop/ Bakery/ Flower shop/ Book shop

you make me bloom by orphan_account

summary: In their flower shop, sunflowers bloom only when Jimin is happy. For all the years he's lived with Seokjin, there's a new one in the bathtub every morning.

Love You A Latte by gardenjins

Summary: Kim Seokjin was not a coffee person.

Ninety percent milk was…well, it was still coffee. But it wasn’t the worst thing in the world. Not when he found himself staring at a graceful swan every time he took another sip.

Wait, did he say cute barista?

cherry picking by untilitbreaks

summary: Jimin meets a beautiful man named Seokjin, and allows him and his charismatic coworkers to fit into his life and teach him the meaning of honesty, love, and self-acceptance in a battle against his anxiety.

Canon Verse

blooming starlight by anakhronism (orphan_account)

summary: With his arms around Seokjin's waist and Taehyung's words ringing in the back of his mind like alarm bells, Jimin realizes he and Seokjin might not be just friends.

The rarest pair by closetfairy

summary: The boys get curious about their fanfiction stats. Everyone laughs about their ship rankings, but Jimin can't get the thought of him and Jin being incompatible out of his head.

rivers connecting lines by ninemoons42

summary: Time is slipping through Jin's fingers, but fortunately Jimin has no plans of letting (him) go.

You're the Moon by hopelessandcynical

summary: seokjin manages to get some vacation time and surprises jimin at home after seeing his guilty video and then they proceed to be the cutest boyfriends for about 5k words. that's it, that's the story.

Satisfied by peridotfairy

summary: Jimin had always sought perfection and for a moment, he'd thought he'd found it in Kim Seokjin.

what sweet addiction this is, darling by stickyrum

summary: "You know, this would be so much easier if we could just say, 'going on a date," Seokjin murmured under his breath, threading Jimin's fingers with his and sliding their hands into the pocket of his coat.

Youth by taejinyo

summary: Jimin sees stars in Seokjin's eyes.

just let me love you by wonsteapot

summary: Jimin shifted in his seat, a steady heat flickering to life in his gut as the realization slowly dawned on him.

Seokjin was flirting with him.

ABO Verse

Wild Woods Calling by MmeIrene

summary: Seokjin wakes up in a world not his own, a world full of wolves and danger, where betas are prized beyond reckoning for their healing abilities and the local wolf packs would do anything - anything - to claim a beta for their own.

Lost by lovewaves (jinsan)

summary: Omega Seokjin is bestowed to Alpha Jimin who shows him that love is a kind of holiness.

The Fox Who Stole the Moon by MissCeeEmBee

summary: On his way to another futile matchmaking meeting, gumiho Prince Jimin is waylaid by a strange creature of fire and ash. To protect himself from deadly injuries, his transforms into a fox.

Disgraced Healer Seokjin comes across the poor creature and takes it back to his supposedly haunted hanok to recover. Jimin discovers that perhaps he was looking for his precious mate in all of the wrong places.

It's You by nunu_noodles

summary: Seokjin has turned 25 years old, which means his time is up.

No more grace period, no more time for romance.

These days, they can only wait so long for nature to take it's own course, ever since nature stopped working the way it should, and the worlds population started slowing down.

It's time for the tireless wheels of the government to turn and procure him a mate.

Selfish (for now) by monomoonluv (jooniebug_95)

summary: Natural Born Vampire Princes Seokjin and Jimin have been best friends almost their entire lives. But with Seokjin's impending engagement he realizes that maybe his feelings for Jimin were something else entirely.

Actor/Singer/Artist Au

Myself in the Sea by bangtanagan

summary: He’s a good actor. He’s not sure when he started using it like this, to hide from his friends too.

These days, Seokjin feels like a passenger in his own life.

Cake Waltz by gardenjins

summary: Jimin works for a catering company and bumps into handsome prince famous actor Seokjin at a ball fancy business event

the portrait by orphan_account, raplinehoes

summary: Seokjin is a bored rich man who seeks something, anything, to give his life a meaning, until he finds the perfect painting: a portrait made by one artist named Park Jimin.

this is my second date by misspamela

summary: In his defense, it wasn’t Seokjin’s fault he didn’t notice the near-apocalyptic storm raging outside or a small avalanche hitting the resort’s backup generator. How could he be expected to focus on something as trivial as the weather when the hottest guy he’d ever seen in his life was riding him like he was trying to kill him?

Fake/ Pretend Relationship

Fate in The Papers by yoonminnycupcake

summary: Seokjin and Jimin gets drunk married to each other.

down to deny by tullycat

summary: If Seokjin had to choose a friend to fake date, life or death, gun-held-to-his-head decision, Jimin would be at the top. Jimin is cute, Seokjin is cute, they're both comfortable with physical affection, especially with each other. How hard could it be?

High School/College/University

Sweet Smiles (are Natural Disasters) by VenusBiTrap (ShineyT)

summary: Seokjin can see his friend is really uncomfortable with a stranger's flirty advances, so he interrupts and introduces himself and gets a date.

we were written in the stars by stickyrum

summary: In the now empty clubroom, he reached up and caught the kiss before it could fly away to some other hopeless idiot with a crush and made his way back to his little desk, face aflame. Seokjin read his horoscopes. Kim Seokjin, senior president, business and food industry major, read Jimin's horoscopes.

A Comfort-Colored Thing by exfatamorgana

summary: Bedtime stories are for babies.

It's not tough, I just miss you by onlypreciousloves

summary: It’s Valentine's Day, their first anniversary as a couple. Yet there’s thousands of miles between them and Jimin feels guilty that he’s lonely. A long distance relationship is so much more difficult than Jimin had imagined.

break a leg by ultjinmin

summary: Jimin just wanted to practice in peace. He hadn't meant to meet Kim Seokjin, or agree to be the choreographer for his upcoming show.

But now all Jimin wants to do is impress Seokjin. Just once.

you tread a fine line by wonsteapot

summary: Jimin has never understood the hype around Kim Seokjin. He'd rather live a life where he didn't have to come into close proximity with the other man.

Unfortunately, fate has other plans for them.

Holiday Wish List by xiujaemin

summary: There’s a fine line between taking risks and being stupid. Jimin seems to be treading somewhere in between. If anybody asks though, he'd probably say it's Taehyung's fault.

Red Cheeks by orphan_account

summary: “Yah!” Seokjin lifted his arms protectively as Jimin raised the textbook again, his cheeks a furious red, “You said to be honest with you! Why are you hitting me?”

치맥 (Hello, Delivery Boy) by TrappingLightningBugs

summary: If you ask Jimin now, he would tell you love smells like fried chicken and looks like a very drunk university student.

If you asked him before, he would call those the recipe for a very annoying Friday night.

smooth sea never made a skilled sailor by stickyrum (Restricted)

summary: A lash of pain split open across his calf. He jerked away instinctively, limping out of the water and kneeling down on the sand, his leg stinging fiercely. A welt had formed a loose ring just above his ankle. He glanced up in time to see a pale, gelatinous blob sink beneath the waves again, its tentacles causing the water to writhe like a pool of sea serpents. A jellyfish.

"You've gotta be fucking kidding me," Jimin cursed under his breath.

i think about you all the time by seokjininheaven

summary: When Seokjin asks Jimin if he'd like to be friends with benefits again, Jimin's answer is the last thing he expects.

But it just might be the push he needed to realize some things

[pucktoxicity]

Best places to run into players in Jersey or Philly? is that weird to ask…. Honestly feel like I’m so oblivious I wouldn’t even notice if a player was in the same place as me lol

i don’t think it’s a weird ask. i think if you said where do they live, i’d be concerned, but asking for public places? that’s totally fine to me 🤷‍♀️

in philly:

- 100% barstool sansom street. jamie and cam are there so much people joke they secretly own it. it’s a really easygoing bar, good food, very laid back environment, and most younger philly athletes like it for that reason.

- any games for other Philly sports teams. the flyers’ guys are pretty frequent fliers of phillies games, and 76ers games, eagles games sometimes but they’re usually up in the famous people suites lol

- pretty much every nice/boujee bar in the city

in nj:

- philly players are all over the surrounding suburbs out there, they’ll usually be seen everywhere in the wealthier suburbs of philly in south jersey (alec bohm, brandon marsh, and bryson stott from the phillies are seen around a few towns out there all the time, for example)

- any bar or restaurant in jersey city, hoboken, and the surrounding cities that are all clumped together right across the river from manhattan

- there’s a lot of parks, and pickleball courts, and outdoor areas on the water, the guys will usually walk there (outdoor kings), especially if they have dogs

honestly i stumble across athletes when i’m not trying to, and have been somewhere and not even realized oh, fuck, that’s jack behind me for, like, several minutes before i see him and then go chat with him. we’ve all got that that’s-an-athlete blindness sometimes! 😭

[avamhollis]

context: generic manhattan bar with: open!!

She's been nursing the same watered-down drink for over half an hour, index finger absentmindedly tracing the edge of the tall glass.

Her focus? The TV above the bar playing non-stop Olympics footage. Ping pong switched to synchronized swimming switched to golf switched to--

"They got the channel wrong," she says out loud though it quickly becomes evident that they didn't and yes, breakdancing is now an olympic sport.

Like any other level-headed person, Ava has thought about what her discipline of choice would be and she thinks she'd amount a large following of Twitter girlies if she went into shooting like that one lady. You know who she's talking about.

To the person at the table behind her, she turns and nods at the TV when it switches back to figure skating. "You look like you could beat them. Ever thought about trying out?"

[boroughshq]

Welcome to the community bulletin board! Here are some events happening around the Boroughs this month:

August 8: Puppy Olympics @ Bark Park, Manhattan

August 10: Clearance Sale @ Antiques, Queens

August 11: Silent Auction @ Haze Gallery, Brooklyn

August 12: Jaymie & Teddy's Birthday Extravaganza @ Glow, Brooklyn

August 13: 90s Night @ Songbirds and Sangria, Staten Island

August 16: Singles Mixer @ Puzzles, Manhattan

August 18: 10 Things I Hate About You @ Prospect Park, Brooklyn

August 20: Bobblehead Night @ Yankee Stadium, the Bronx

August 23: Angel's Night @ The Tool Shed, Staten Island

August 24: Devil's Night @ The She Shed, The Bronx

August 29: 10 Year Anniversary @ Casa De Tacos, Queens

August 8: Puppy Olympics @ Bark Park, Manhattan

The event of the season is finally here for the members of Bark: Puppy Olympics! Members are welcome to bring their furry friends to participate in a series of obstacles meant to replicate various Olympic sports. While only the top ranking dogs in their "sports" will take home a medal, every dog who participates will get to enjoy delicious, dog-friendly peanut-butter muffins that'd make even the Olympic Muffin Man jealous!

August 10: Clearance Day @ Antiques, Queens

As new pieces are put on the shelves, a large array of older antiques have been significantly marked down, and only for the day! Now's the time to drop by and buy that silverware set or vinyl you've been eyeing before it's gone!

August 11: Silent Auction @ Haze Gallery, Brooklyn

The dilettante's of New York's elite are sure to make an appearance at Haze's Annual Silent Auction. The collection of Autumn-inspired pieces were created by New York's finest artists for New York's finest clients, with every piece expected to be sold by the night's end.

August 12: Jaymie & Teddy's Birthday Extravaganza @ Glow, Brooklyn

Come and celebrate the Warren way! The twins are turning 30 for the third year in a row and they've bought out GLOW for the occasion! Starting in the late hours on Jaymie's birthday and sliding straight through midnight to the seedy morning hours of Teddy's, they've decided that they want to have a Mamma Mia! themed party. Come out and celebrate with free drinks, an all-night ABBA karaoke room, and projected screenings of both films! The Warren twins are aging up in their classic, overindulgent way, so don't be afraid to get dressed up as your favorite character and have a great time! All are welcome.

August 13: 90s Night @ Songbirds and Sangria, Staten Island

It's 90's night at Songbirds and Sangrias! If it's not from the decade, it's not allowed to be sung! And don't forget the raffle - order one of the few specialty cocktails for the night to enter into the raffle to win a nostalgic trinket from the 90s!

August 16: Singles Mixer @ Puzzles, Manhattan

What better way to make a connection then over the no-pressure environment of board games and beer? 21+ singles are invited to enjoy refreshing drinks and get a chance to meet their potential match at this ticketed event!

August 18: 10 Things I Hate About You @ Prospect Park, Brooklyn

Bring a blanket and a friend and come watch a feature film under the stars! Tonight's feature is the rom com classic, 10 Things I Hate About You. The Lawn opens at 6, and the movie starts at 8!

August 20: Bobblehead Night @ Yankee Stadium, the Bronx

The first 18,000 guests to enter for the Yankee's home game against the Guardians will be gifted a special Joe DiMaggio bobblehead. Go Yankees!

August 23: Angel's Night @ The Tool Shed, Staten Island

It's Angels Night at The Tool Shed! Guests are invited to don their most angelic attire and engage in a fun night of drinking and mingling.

August 24: Devil's Night @ The She Shed, The Bronx

Where there are Angels, there must be Devils - at least that's how The Tool Shed's sister bar sees it. Guests are invited to don their most wicked attired and engage in a fun night of drinking and mingling.

August 29: 10 Year Anniversary @ Casa De Tacos, Queens

In celebration of 10 years of successful business, Casa de Tacos will be running a specialty deal for their anniversary - order 10 tacos (pastor, chorizo, carnitas, or pollo) for only $10! Business is expected to be booming, so make sure to come early if you want to secure a plate!

[junikicker]

Scarface - Hope van Dyne x fem!reader

Scarface - Hope van Dyne x fem!reader

Pairing: Hope van Dyne x fem!reader

Warnings: implied smut, alcohol, mentions of scars

Summary: Stark throws yet another party where you meet Hope van Dyne.

Note: Unpopular opinion: Hope w short hair looks hot.

Tony Stark. He and his stupid parties. You had just gotten back from an exhausting mission yesterday and would have loved to just take some more rest. But apparently, Tony had made other plans and insisted that you made an appearance at the party. And not just for an hour or two. He was really passionate about this one, hell, he even made Nick come.

You were never one to sport a dress and heels, and you were also not one to dress up, so you decided to keep it rather casual, rocking a dark blue pantsuit with a white dress shirt underneath, leaving the top three buttons unbuttoned. Your hair was put in place with some hair spray and you finished off your look with some jewelry and a pair of white sneakers.

“Y/l/n, you better be up here within the next ten minutes.” Tony’s voice echoed through the room. “I was just about to leave, Stark.” You replied through gritted teeth. “In that case, I didn’t say anything.” Was the only thing he said before his voice was gone as quickly as it had come.

You sighed and left your room. Walking through the hallway, you accompanied Maria who seemed to be on her way upstairs as well. Together, you got on the elevator. “Hill.” You acknowledged her presence. “Y/l/n.” She responded. You weren’t on a first name basis yet. There were a few moments of silence until you spoke up again. “How’s Tasha?” You asked. You hadn’t seen her since you had come back from your mission, you had spent quite some time in the medical wing, getting checked up after being exposed to some unhealthy fumes on your mission.

“She’s good,” Hill replied, not meeting your eyes. “Wait- how do you?” She asked, now turning towards you. “I just do.” You winked at her and exited the elevator which had now reached its destination.

You saw Natasha behind the bar and decided the first thing you needed to survive this party was a drink. “Tasha.” You greeted, sitting down on the stool in front of her “Hey there, Scarface.” Natasha teased and you smiled. She was the only one who was allowed to call you ‘Scarface’ without possibly losing a limb.

“I saw your girlfriend on the elevator.” You beamed at her, smiling. “She’s not my girlfriend.” She replied sternly. “Well, she seemed pretty flustered when I asked her about you.” You smiled like a little kid. “Okay, we slept together one time. But that doesn’t mean anything.” She insisted as she poured your whiskey into a glass. You just looked at her sternly, eyes narrow. “Okay, maybe it was six times, but who’s keeping count.” She shrugged it off as if it was nothing. “She is your girlfriend.” You stated, leaving no room for Natasha to argue as her attention shifted to the person approaching the bar.

“A Manhattan, please.” The voice requested and Natasha got to work. You turned around on the stool. Facing the woman who had just ordered her drink.

You were met by a stunning brunette in a pitch-black jumpsuit, the top secured around her neck, leaving her arms bare. The top had a cut-out that showed a few of her inner breasts. Her heels matched in color. “Hope, this is Y/n Y/l/n. Y/n this is Hope van Dyne.” Natasha commented from the side, setting the Manhattan in front of the woman whose name you had learned was Hope.

“Pleasure to meet you, Miss Van Dyne.” You said, shaking her hand, smiling. “The pleasure is all mine.” The slightly smaller woman had replied. Natasha winked at you and then disappeared towards Maria who was standing a few meters away.

You talked for a while, getting to know each other. You couldn’t help your eyes drifting to the cutout piece on her top every now and then. “My eyes are up here, honey.” She chuckled and you blushed, scratching your neck awkwardly. “I’ll let it slide.” She smiled, shifting closer to you. “...If you tell me how you got that one.” She raised a hand to your face and gently caressed the scar that went from above your left eye to about mid-cheek on the same side.

You smiled and got a hold of her hand, placing it in yours on the counter of the bar. “Let’s say, I flirted with death.” You started. “Wanted too much too fast, thinking I was stronger than I actually was.” You suggested. “Knife?” She inquired. You shook your head. “Dagger.” You corrected, chuckling. “An old friend of mine used to say Love is a dagger, it’s a weapon to be wielded far away or up close. You can see yourself in it, it’s beautiful until it makes you bleed. But ultimately…when you reach for it…” You resigned. “It isn’t real?” She finished your sentence.

“I suppose love is as real as one wants it to be. If you don’t want it to be real, then it won't be. If you want it to, it will. It is a dagger, it is beautiful and it will make you belled. You decide how deep the world is going to be.” She spoke.

“I think it’s a bit too early for a conversation like this.” You sighed, downing the rest of your drink. “May I have this dance, Scarface?” She asked in a teasing but still sweet tone, getting up from the stool, and offering a hand to you. You reached for your hand and the two of you made your way to the dance floor.

The dancing was playful at first, you sun Hope around her and there and she would playfully push you back, her hand against your chest when you were shoved towards her by someone else on the dance floor. When Smack That starts playing, you playfully wiggled your eyebrows at her and she laughed in response but from then on started to ‘accidentally’ grind into you whenever you spun her around.

With the next song, you find the courage to make another move and pull her closer and her hips flush with yours. She gasped in a teasing way, “Bold.” She teased but you just shook your head laughing in response.

Where have you been started playing and your hands on her hips encouraged her to roll hers with yours. Then your eyes met for yet another time, but now it was different. Your bodies continued to move, and your eyes stayed focused on the other’s. You didn’t hesitate and leaned in. What was the worst thing that could happen?

Hope was surprised at first but kissed you back as soon as she realized what had happened. You kept your hands where they were, on her hips, while hers traveled from your neck to your face, cupping it, gently holding it in her hands. You weren’t sure if it was a whistle you heard from somewhere but you couldn’t care less. You let your arms wander down her body until you reached her ass and gave it a squeeze. She gasped in response to your actions, which gave you the opportunity to gain back control. You pulled away a moment later, the need for air had your lungs burning. But it was a good burn.

“Should we get outta here?” You proposed and she nodded. You grabbed her hand and pulled her after you and into the elevator. As soon as you were in the elevator, she had you pressed to the wall, hands pinned up over your head. She made sure you knew she was in control and you had nothing against it. The doors closed as your make-out session continued on the way down.

The door opened and you freed your wrists, grabbing her by the hips, leading her out of the elevator backward. As you reached the door to your room, it was your turn to pin her hands above her head. “Oh, this is gonna be fun if you think you’re gonna be on top.” She breathed out as you peppered kisses all over her neck and throat. This was gonna be one heck of a night.

[goodlucktai]

give me something that’ll haunt me when you’re not around

chapter ten: standing here hoping it gets to you

rise of the tmnt pairing: leoichi (leonardo / usagi yuichi) word count: 3k title borrowed from message in a bottle by t swift post-movie

(previous) (next)

read on ao3

x

Free-climbing up the side of a high rise in downtown Manhattan might be considered an extreme sport in most other circles, but Yuichi doesn’t know anything about those circles. They sound boring.

It’s drizzling a little, and the next window ledge he reaches for is slicker than he’s expecting. The second his grip slips, a huge green hand shoots out and catches him by the wrist.

“Thanks, Raphael,” he says when he’s found a better foothold. His heart skipped with the close call, but otherwise he isn’t fazed.

“You’re gonna have to break and call Raph by a nickname sooner or later,” the eldest turtle says, playfully stern.

Yuichi busily looks down at his hands as he climbs, flustered. It makes Michelangelo laugh, ringing and bright.

“I can’t believe we used to think you were scary,” the spotted turtle says. He’s perched on Raphael’s shell like gravity is a neat concept in theory but not one he’s particularly interested in.

“Come oooon,” Leonardo’s voice calls down from the roof. “¡Vamos hermanos! Hey Cottontail, I thought rabbits were supposed to be fast!”

“Hey Stripes, I thought turtles were supposed to be quiet,” Yuichi calls back without missing a beat.

There’s an immediate chorus of “oooh”s at the burn, and Leonardo makes offended squawking noises, and Yuichi is smiling when he finally pulls himself over the parapet onto the flat rooftop.

The view from here is breathtaking. NYC at night is unlike anything else Yuichi has ever seen. The blinding lights and the rumble of traffic and the kinetic energy of millions of humans going about their night.

It’s absolutely bursting with life, and they’re sitting above it all, a part of it and apart from it.

Yuichi’s muscles are pleasantly sore from the workout and he stretches out to cool down and get his breathing back. A nudge at his side makes him glance to the left to find a mechanical arm offering him a water bottle. Donatello doesn’t acknowledge his thanks, but he also gives Yuichi an energy bar.

It’s one thing to know that the Hamato siblings are ninja in theory, and it’s another thing entirely to see it in practice. None of them have broken a sweat, not even Casey.

“Do you guys do this a lot?” Yuichi wonders aloud.

“We try to patrol once every week,” Raphael explains, then seems to catch himself. He glances at Leonardo and gets a thumbs up before he goes on, “Otherwise, Donnie has alerts set up for suspicious activity, and we go check it out if it’s our brand of weird.”

Leonardo’s family has an impressive number of adversaries, though none they really seem to take seriously. The ones they call “mutants” all have a grudging understanding with the turtles—from the tone of the stories they tell him, Yuichi secretly thinks it’s pretty likely that these grown-up yokai just don’t want to deal with a handful of teenagers any more than they have to. There’s a mantis that runs a junkyard they’re at constant odds with, but in the manner of a grumpy old man chasing annoying kids off his property. And apparently they got invitations from the hippo and the worm to save the date for their upcoming wedding.

There’s some dissension among the siblings about this, but if Yuichi is understanding the thread of the argument entirely, it’s not a matter of whether or not they’re going. It’s a matter of the gift registry, and why the hell they should subject themselves to Pottery Barn for those guys when Target is right there.

The ones that call themselves the Foot Clan are another story. They’re a hereditary enemy, and the ones responsible for the invasion in the first place. The turtles and Casey all have dark looks on their faces when the Foot comes up.

It’s nice to have people to blame for the shadow that passed over Leonardo���s light. Yuichi unwinds his yo-yo a few times, sparks flying off the reinforced string, and looks forward to meeting the Foot on the street sometime.

“I’m glad Cass got out of there,” Raphael is saying. “What’s she up to now?”

Casey answers dutifully, “She told me when we went to lunch yesterday but she swore me to secrecy. She said ‘if you know, you know.’”

“Goddammit, it’s world domination, I know it is.” Donatello puts his head in his hands, staring into the middle distance. “She beat me to it.”

“I’m good with that,” Michelangelo says blithely. “When she’s finally running the show, we can take a vacation. Tahiti, baby!”

Leonardo is sitting on the edge of the rooftop, legs dangling over the side, with what would would be considered reckless ease for anyone outside his family. Yuichi sits next to him, because he’s exactly the kind of reckless idiot who would risk a thirty-story fall just to sit next to a cute boy.

In the back of his mind, the absolutely certain knowledge that he’s completely safe with this cute boy—this insane, amazing family—thrums like gravity, constant and steady and unspoken. It doesn’t even occur to him to be afraid of falling.

It feels like this is where he belongs.

“You know,” Leonardo says suddenly, staring up at the stars he can’t see through all the light pollution, “I keep thinking of something the General said.”

The atmosphere changes immediately. Yuichi can feel the overwhelming, undivided attention of a small ninja clan sharpening into a point. Leonardo is freer with his words now than he was two months ago, but he still generally doesn’t offer information about the Krang unless he’s pressed.

Yuichi shifts his hand across the concrete, feeling the rasp of it through his fur, until it bumps Leonardo’s.

Leonardo still doesn’t look at any of them, but some small line of tension in his shoulders bleeds away.

“Oh yeah?” Donatello asks in a tone that anyone who didn’t know him might mistake for mild.

“Yeah. He said, uh. ‘Strength always prevails.’ He said a lot of stuff, but that’s what I keep thinking about for some reason.”

Michelangelo looks like the only thing stopping him from flinging his arms around his immediate older brother is the quelling hand Raphael has on his carapace. His amber eyes are big and wide but he manages to sound halfway normal when he nudges carefully, “How come, Leon?”

“‘Cause it’s funny, isn’t it?” Leonardo says, as if anything about that day could possibly be funny. But Yuichi is watching him closely, and only sees wry good humor in his face. “If strength always prevails, and he’s gone and I’m still here, I guess that means I’m stronger than him.”

No one speaks. It seems like everyone is holding their breath. Yuichi is the one who says, “Well, yeah, Leo.”

Leonardo grins. It’s a little shaky, but it finds its footing  the longer it goes. He stands on the edge of the rooftop and throws his head back and faces the empty sky again.

The thought occurs to Yuichi, unbidden: Now I know why his brothers call him Fearless.

“I’m still here!” he screams. “I won! Fuck you! You’re gonna die alone and you’re never gonna hurt me again and I’m going to forget all about you!”

Casey laughs out loud, a harsh, relieved sound. Michelangelo slumps forward, hands pressed to his own plastron, but he’s beaming in a way that takes up half his face.

There are unselfconscious tears on Raphael’s face. Donatello’s staring at his twin’s back with vicious satisfaction, golden eyes glowing in the low light.

Someone lounging on a fire escape a few stories down, indistinguishable in the dark, lifts their beer and shouts back, “Yeah, fuck him! You’re better off, babe!”

Leonardo stumbles backwards off the parapet, laughing so hard he can’t stand upright. Yuichi reaches out to catch him, and finds himself caught up instead as this ragtag, war-torn little clan clings to each other and dissolves into hysterics together. The kind that starts from the bottom of your stomach and works its way up, scrubbing you clean. The healing kind.

Afterwards, it feels like a party. They want to celebrate this nameless thing shaped like recovery. So they go to Run of the Mill.

They’re a rowdy crowd clustered around the hostess stand, just by virtue of their personalities. There’s a table opening up in the back of the dining room big enough for all six of them.

From behind the bar, Qiao gives Yuichi a very knowing look—seeing the group he’s lumped with and Leonardo’s arm draped comfortably around his shoulders—and he has to fight not to hide behind his ears at their smug scrutiny. 

Sunita and April are here already, sharing a basket of garlic knots, and they both smile warmly when they see who just walked in. Kitsune and Gen are at a booth in the corner, wearing the world’s worst attempt at disguises and peeking at the foyer over their menus.

Señor Hueso is the one who seats them, looking annoyed by all the noise but making absolutely no move to subdue them.

He lays a hand on Leonardo’s shoulder, his sunken eyes soft with fondness if you know what to look for. The skeleton yokai says something in Spanish that Yuichi has no hopes of translating. Leonardo’s cheeks darken and he responds in kind, his tone rapid-fire and flustered. Señor Hueso confirms whatever he said with a perfunctory nod and then gathers a handful of menus and leads the Hamatos toward their table, leaving his honorary nephew sputtering behind him.

(“Podrías haberlo hecho peor.”

“Espera, ¿él o yo?”

“Sí.”)

Leonardo catches Yuichi by the sleeve before he can follow. He looks agitated, shifting his weight from foot to foot, and blurts, “Can you hang back? For a sec?”

Yuichi blinks and turns to face him. This doesn’t do wonders for Leonardo’s nerves, for some reason. The striped turtle glances anywhere but at him, and then finally darts a desperate look at Casey.

Across the room, the human lifts both his hands and gives him a double thumbs up.

“Okay,” Leonardo says. “Okay,” he says again, finally daring to look at Yuichi again. That only lasts about two seconds.

“Hey,” Yuichi interjects, tilting his head to the side. Concern is a little wriggling fish in the back of his mind, but he refuses to give it room to swim unless there’s real reason. “Whatever it is, you can tell me.”

He puts out his hands, an offer. He doesn’t know if it helps or not, because Leonardo snatches them up quickly, but he only looks more miserable by the second, in a vaguely seasick kind of way.

“Are you—” His cheeks darken. He’s still studying the polished tile beneath his feet like it’s the most interesting thing for miles. “I mean—if you’re free, whenever—would you—”

Yuichi sees the moment this cobbled-together courage starts to fail him. Give Leonardo a grenade to fall on and he’ll do it in a heartbeat. He’ll hold the line at the end of the world, he thrives in the eleventh hour. But an honest conversation? Way more terrifying than any of those things.

That’s okay. Maybe Yuichi can be Fearless this time.

And he wants this to be what he wants it to be. He’s willing to risk looking like an idiot if he’s wrong.

It wouldn’t be the worst thing, really. Leonardo is his friend. There’s real love between them already, no matter what shape it may take in the future, no matter if the edges of Leonardo’s feelings don’t quite match up to Yuichi’s.

It’s like sitting on the edge of that rooftop, feet dangling over cars that looked like toys in the street. He won’t fall. Leonardo would never let him fall.  

“Yes,” Yuichi says, calling on all the bravery that belongs to his name, every inch of the samurai spirit he inherited from Miyamoto himself. “I am. I would.”

Leonardo’s head snaps up, eyes like headlights. “What? Really?” The sweet expression on his face falters before it even has a chance to settle. “Wait, are we talking about the same thing?”

This idiot. Yuichi loves this idiot.

He squeezes Leonardo’s hands, a mirror of what his heart is doing. He tugs the turtle in a step closer, so there’s hardly any space left between them except for the space they need to breathe, the slim margin left open to keep holding hands.

Leonardo is staring at him, and Yuichi recognizes the look on his face. It’s the way Leonardo has always looked at him, since that first golden afternoon at Run of the Mill, but Yuichi didn’t know him well enough to read him back then. Not the way he knows him now.

And now he sees warmth in those eyes. Admiration. And powerful, precious hope.

That hope outlasted the apocalypse. It’s outlived every night terror and panic attack and strangling episode of self-doubt since. Yuichi wishes, absurdly, that he could pick it up and hold it close and carry it safely the rest of the way through the world.

He’ll have to settle for meeting Leonardo’s gaze squarely and telling him, in no uncertain terms, “I’m talking about going out with you. What are you talking about?”

“Samesies,” Leonardo breathes, and then closes his eyes, like he’s just pained himself beyond recovery. It’s ridiculous. He’s adorable. “I mean. Yes. That’s what I—that’s what—please make me stop talking.”

Finally. Yuichi leans in to do exactly that.

There’s immediate uproar from elsewhere in the room, because of course there is. Leonardo’s siblings and Yuichi’s friends waste absolutely no time making complete nuisances of themselves, hooting and catcalling and shushing each other in turns.

But the only thing that matters is Leonardo kissing him back.

It’s brief. It’s clumsy, a little self-conscious. Neither of them know what they’re doing, they’re both really nervous. It’s better than Yuichi ever could have imagined.

“Took you long enough,” Yuichi whispers. He feels light as a feather, like the slightest shift in the weather might blow him clear away. “That’s what I get for waiting on a turtle.”

Leonardo scoffs, breathless and flustered. He’s flushed all over by now, and when he rolls his eyes it’s clearly just an excuse to let his eyes dart away. Then he spots something that makes him groan.

“Oh god. Look.”

Yuichi follows his gaze to his siblings’ table, where they’re clearly straining to listen in on this conversation. Sunita and April have abandoned their bread basket to attach themselves to the ninja huddle. When Leonardo gives them away, only Raphael, Casey and the girls have the decency to bury their faces in a menu and pretend otherwise. Michelangelo and Donatello are outright staring.

“Ugh, they’re the worst,” Leonardo says. “I literally can’t imagine life without them.”

“I get that,” Yuichi replies honestly. As they watch, Gen and Kitsune slink across the dining room to join the Hamato clan, and they all begin having what looks like a very animated, very involved conversation, occasionally gesturing in Yuichi and Leonardo’s direction. That can't be good.

Sometimes retreat is the better part of valor.

“Hey,” Yuichi says, lowering his voice into a conspiratorial whisper, “you wanna get out of here?”

The cheesy line is rewarded in a heartbeat by Leonardo’s blinding smile. He clusters in a little until their foreheads bump. He loves a scheme, he loves to be in on it. They’re back on solid ground together.

“Let’s do it. Where do you wanna go? Anywhere in the whole world.”

There’s something very earnest in the question, behind the chaos gremlin energy, the giddy good humor. He’s vulnerable, laying himself out for Yuichi to see plainly.

His ninpo is such an intrinsic part of himself, the thing that houses his soul, and he’s saying, Use it. I’ll let you use it.

It’s not a hard choice. Given his pick of any destination in the world, Yuichi has his mind made up in about five seconds. He doesn’t even really have to think about it.

“I kind of want to go to Hungry Burrito and try those carne asada fries you never shut up about,” he admits.

It’s the right thing to say. Leonardo tips his head back and laughs, and it sounds exactly like the very first time Yuichi ever heard it. Before the invasion, before the months-long recovery, before the monster that tried to ruin him and every good thing about him. Back when it had no reason not to be the loudest, brightest thing in the whole room.

Spirits. God. Yuichi isn’t ever letting this boy go.

The turtle reaches over his shoulder for a sword. The spinning blue portal opens right there in the dining room, and one of Leonardo’s brothers squawks in alarm, and there’s a ruckus of upset dishes and screeching chairs behind them, but Yuichi and Leonardo are faster.

They make their escape hand in hand. The whole thing feels equal parts silly and daring. The whole night feels that way.

They put their phones on airplane mode and eat spicy loaded fries on a fire escape in Queens and sit close enough that their knees and elbows bump every other time they move. They race each other over the rain-slick rooftops and wipe out a couple of times each and almost lose their voices in the cool night air from laughing too much.

As far as first dates go, Yuichi has no notes. He wouldn’t change a thing.

It’s time to head back when Leonardo’s eyes glow white between one blink and the next, and he sighs, like someone who just got a disappointing text.

“Curfew,” he says. “Let me take you home.”

“Are you going to survive your brothers tonight?” Yuichi asks fondly.

“God, I don’t know. Pray for me.”

In the blue light of the portal, when Yuichi is standing in the middle of his bedroom, Leonardo leans through after him to press a quick, shy kiss to his cheek. Then he flails a haphazard wave and disappears.

Ugh. Ugh. Yuichi can’t with this guy.

He collapses into bed, dizzy and breathless. He’s smiling so hard he’s half-afraid it might leave a permanent impression on his face. He feels drunk. He feels perfect.

He’ll have a lot of shit to answer for when his friends inevitably show up at his house tomorrow, furious at the missed chance to embarrass him in front of his brand-new boyfriend (!!). They’ll definitely rat him out to Auntie, and the cousins will eavesdrop like the monsters they are and never give Yuichi or Leonardo a moment’s peace for being gross and in love, but that’s entirely future-Yuichi’s problem.

If he’s very lucky, it’ll be a rest-of-his-life problem.

The last thing Yuichi does before he falls asleep is reach for his phone.

Usagi: Let’s do all of it again tomorrow.

The reply rolls in immediately, every bit as if a certain someone was waiting with their phone in their hands.

Leo💙: it’s a date!!!!!

[hangmanbradshaw]

Having just watched Jason Kelce retire, what age do you think the kids are when Jake retires? How many Super Bowls has he won? Does he go on to coach or help Bradley run the restaurant empire? Does he go into broadcasting?

I have this sooooo thought out. I just kinda answered part of this in another ask but! Here's more on retirement:

Jake retires relatively young for a QB, while he's still in good health and arguably at the top of his career. Around when he hits 39. It shocks everyone, but he knows he wants to quit while he's on top, not when his body is too destroyed to have a good life after. He wants to spend time with his husband and kids and be there for their lives. And one day he just looks at football and realizes he's done what he wanted to do, and he loves it, but he'd rather spend more time with his family. He has around 3 Super Bowl wins under his belt, another 1 or 2 he's lost, and he's content. So the kids are probably around 8 or 9 (the oldest) and the twins are maybe 6 or 7ish. He takes over the whole PTA/Carpool Drop Off/Sports Dad thing so Bradley can go back to work part time, cuz Bradley decides he misses work (he'd kinda semi retired to raise the kids and be a stay at home dad- his choice. Basically he'd let Callie and Reuben take most of the reins and he's just the owner, not full time day to day manager.) So Bradley opens a fancy restaurant in Manhattan as a passion project, right down the street from the apartment Jake lived in when they met on the Upper East Side, and he names it Hangman's Perch, after Jake. Anyways they still have SO much more time together, and Jake LOVES being a stay at home dad. He has way too much fun bringing the kids by to see Bradley at the restaurant or signing up to coach little league, and he loves being home every night with his husband and kids, and how they cook together without fail, and play games in the yard, and have movie nights, and sit together and help with homework.

THEN Bradley and Jake open up a family type sports bar in their little suburb out of the city together. It's Giants and Mets themed and everyone knows a bunch of famous ex Giants players hang out there, but it's normal. There's picnic tables outside and cornhole and they have watch parties for the games. Eventually he maybe does some broadcasting or correspondent work, after the kids are grown and off in college.

[literatureatthebowofnails]

A/N: Finally got around to finishing this one.

Series masterlist

Pairing: Loki x reader

Summary: The Avengers conspire to keep love alive

You stand on the train exhausted, travel mug hanging from one hand, your second cup of coffee gone before its time. Head lulling against your arm, you're jostled against fellow commuters as you mentally review your "To Do" list.

Two weeks left to decide whether or not to renew your lease. You're seeing a couple of places after your shift. One's in the South Bronx, just a few stops down from your current place. It would make these early morning commutes direct and reduce travel time to Avengers Tower, where you spend most nights when Loki's between missions.

The second place is higher rent, but it's waking distance to the cafe and about half the ride time to the Tower. If you manage to get either, it would be an improvement, though moving is always a headache in and of itself.

Your keys jingle as you unlock the shop and turn on the lights. You make yourself a third cup of coffee before beginning the morning routine. Ovens preheating, kolaczkis waiting on their baking sheets, register filled, counters and tables wiped down. You're just sliding the first sheet of pastries into the oven as the owner, Bramborslav, arrives.

The warm, stocky man greets you in his jovial manner. His Slavic accent is thick, and you have yet to witness him in a bad mood. On the whole, he exudes the comforting nature of well-seasoned potatoes.

"I have someone coming in for a meeting about an hour after we open. I trust you can handle the end of the rush on your own?" he asks.

"Of course," you slide a second sheet of kolaczkis in the oven with the first. "What's the meeting about?"

"Some sort of proposal. He hasn't said much beyond that." He unlocks the front door and sets out the sign before disappearing into the back to continue food prep.

As things slow down, the last person you expect saunters into the cafe. "Tony?" your greeting is rife with confusion. "Is there something I can get you?"

"Ah, hey princess. Thought I'd find you here."

"You know I work here, right?"

"Exactly. I'll take a double expresso, and you can tell Mr. Kaschak I'm here."

Your eyebrows draw together. 'Bram's meeting with Tony? What on earth could they have to talk about?'

"Uh, sure, I'll go get him." You poke your head into the back. "Um, Bram? Tony Stark is here for your meeting?"

☕

A couple hours of hushed muttering pass before the men stand and shake hands.

"I'll extend the proposal to our third partner today," Tony gives Bram his signature charming smile. "Assuming everything goes as planned, the notaries should have the paperwork signed and sealed by the end of next week."

Bram seems pleased and Tony takes his leave with a wave in your direction. "Later, princess!"

"What was that about?" you ask Bram.

"He's investing in the business."

☕

After work you walk to the Yorkville apartment. The manager, a curvy woman in her early 30s, keeps a running monologue as she shows you through the building and into the unit.

A tiny studio that hasn't been updated since the 70s, the industrial space features original hardwood floors and slanted ceilings. A slim loft for storage, efficiency kitchen, and a bathroom in dire need of scrubbing.

The barred windows look into an alley, providing an impressive amount of natural light. You'd be able to keep a few plants on the sill; might even squeeze in half your living room setup.

When you get up to the South Bronx, you find the unit there is almost twice the size of the first. The owner is brusque, walking you through the unit, asking about your credit, listing the rent and amenities as though he's late for a much more important meeting.

The space is recently updated by comparison, sporting late-90s granite countertops and a subway tile backsplash in varying shades of brown. Commute aside, it would be significantly more comfortable than the Manhattan suite.

You're still pondering your options with a yawn as you unlock the door to your apartment. A text beeps from your phone.

Loki: Mission concluded early. See you tonight?

You grin despite your exhaustion and tap in your response. Just need to grab clean clothes and a few necessities.

☕

Upon your arrival at the tower, you find a construction crew working on the ground floor. You wave a hello and make your way to the elevators, wondering what Tony's latest addition entails.

FRIDAY lets you out on the Avengers' common floor to find the whole team standing around a transparent projector screen.

"Hi?" you look around at the group, "Am I interrupting something?"

"Not at all, darling," your lover strides out from around the display.

"We have a proposal for you," Tony announces, pulling up a model of the tower. Two points glow orange against the otherwise blue display.

"It's come to my attention," he continues, "that the tower is lacking. Missing something coffee pods cannot compensate for."

Pepper cuts in, swiping all but the ground floor from the screen. "I've had some designs worked up, which I think you'll be pleased with.

"We would like you to open a Domácí Kuchyně location here." She expands the view of the lobby.

"A cafe?" your eyes widen and you turn to Tony, "Is this what your meeting was about?"

"That's right, princess. And you're going to manage it."

"Now, if you accept the proposal," explains Pepper, "we'll of course have to work out all the details. We spoke with Mr. Kaschak, and he's agreed to make you a partial owner."

"This is," you gape. "An owner? I can't believe you did all this for me."

You walk around the model to get a better look. After you've had a moment to get a sense of the design, Loki comes up behind you. He holds one arm around your waist, the other reaching out to pull the upper floors of the tower back into view.

"Darling, I do realize the business Stark has proposed would significantly lengthen your commute. I've been thinking about this for a while," he expands the other orange area, "and I'd like you to move in."

You turn to face him. "Loki, I..."

"We've set aside space on the 43rd floor for you," Pepper notes, drawing your attention back to the screen. "The two of you can design it to fit your needs, and when you're ready, we'll send a team to help you move."

"A team?" you laugh as heat seeps up your neck. "I don't know what to say. This is...thank you! Thank you so much." Tony pops behind the bar and you throw your arms around Pepper.

A/N: Thanks as always for reading. Feedback and reblogs are the greatest blessings.

@peaches1958, @javagirl328, @loopsisloops, @goblingirlsarah, @buttercupcookies-blog, @lovelysizzlingbluebird , @cakesandtom, @ladymischief11, @km-ffluv, @coldnique, @glitterylokislut, @eleniblue, @lokiprompts, @lokisgoodgirl, @muddyorbsblr

Please let me know if you'd like to be added to the taglist

Next part

Main Masterlist

[ofduskanddreams]

Tell me about "u up?" 👀

Oh boy so this one is complicated because it’s the idea I have for the Modern AU Azris longfic I’d love to write one day.

Basically the idea is that Rhys and Eris are neighbors growing up in Westchester NY and Azriel moves in with Rhys in middle school (Cassian is already living there) and he starts going to school with them. So Azriel and Eris know each other but they do NOT like each other through middle school and high school.

So, college. Az goes to NYU. Cassian goes out of state on a (insert sport here) scholarship. Rhys and Eris are at Columbia. Azriel and Rhys live together. Sophomore year Azriel starts exploring hi sexuality and hits up a gay bar. Who does he run into—Eris. They end up having their first real conversation ever and are surprised to find that neither is as the other expected them to be. They run into each other there again… then again. Things heat up. A one time thing turns into two into four into every Friday night, turns into Saturday mornings and then Saturday morning showers and then breakfast gets tacked on. It slowly spirals until they both realize they mean more than a hookup to each other.

Which obviously terrifies them both and they inject distance. So much distance that, by the time they graduate, they’re not even really speaking anymore.

Fast forward 8 years. Eris Vanserra, now the majority shareholder and CEO of Vanserra Technologies (headquarters: Manhattan) after his late father’s passing the previous spring. Azriel Cantor, one of the founders of an incredibly successful tech start-up in Silicon Valley. He and Eris are reintroduced when Vanserra Tech makes an offer to acquire Azriel’s company.

Though Azriel ultimately decides to remain independent, he and Eris start talking again. First emails but then texts which turn into the occasional phone call which turns to frequent phone calls which turn into coffee when they’re on the same coast turns into drinks at hotel bars turns into hotel rooms after the bars… you get the idea.

But now that they’re adults with fully matured brains maybe they’ll actually end up giving themselves a real shot together <3

[tigerdrop-official]

tigerdrop, i wrote you something

he got his ass beat today. 

it was nothing much, just a bar fight he had no part in. a brawl he couldnt keep his paws out of once he overheard a big guys noble fight for bubblegum pink. or hubba bubba bubblegum. 

actually, he still isnt sure. but he fought a losing battle.

and now he walks home. alone on the streets of manhattan, bruised. eyes downcast, one blackened, and one sporting a shallow cut. hands tucked into the pockets of his oversized hoodie; puff of hair peeking out from under a beanie.

he comes to the last crosswalk of his journey. out by the edge of the city, ethereal in the light of 2am.

he looks up to the glowing streetlights. the colors of midnight traffic.

its silent out. he doesnt bother waiting for the friendly figure of the walking indicator.

“AAAAA-”

tigerdrop - at least, the man he is during the day - suddenly lays on his ass, stranded like a flipped turtle.

“OH MY GOD!”

who is yelling at him?

springing to his feet in one motion is easy muscle memory by now. he ought to roll to his feet like nothing. but he only feels the phantom of the movement.

his body isnt listening. his brain reels, grasping for why hes still down here.

his… assailant, for lack of a better term, leans over him. her face, even under shadow and mask, is written with worry. frantic worry.

“ARE YOU OKAY? YOURE NOT OKAY I GAVE YOU A BLACK EYE.”

“you can stop yelling.”

“I PARALYZED YOU TOO DIDNT I.”

“my ass is not moving.”

“I’M SO SORRY." 

honeybee squats down. she wraps her arms around his middle - "HUP!” - and lifts him like a sack of flour, over her shoulder.

its kind of hot, but he can question his sexuality later.

“citizen,” she begins. if it weren’t for the paralysis, he wouldnt be able to take her seriously. hed write her off as a stoned cosplayer. “let me escort you home.”

he goes to lift his arm, only to be met with a buzzing numbness. “across the street,” he forfeits without a fight. should honeybee have his home address? sure. why the fuck not, right?

“with my love and kindness, i will nurse you back to peak health!” she declares, and begins sprinting across the street.

it is going to be a long night.

TUMBLR USER TIGERDROP FAN MAY I OFFER YOU MY HAND IN MARRIAGE

[seydaseven]

❝ HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO DREAM WITH ALL THIS STATIC IN MY HEAD ❞

STATS:

Name: Şeyda Seven

Age: 30

Face Claim: Hande Erçel

Occupation: Owner of Nirvana

Neighborhood: Carriage Falls

Gender & Preferred Pronouns: Cis female & she/her

BIOGRAPHY:

trigger warnings: none

Growing up a first generation American in Manhattan, New York had been incredibly challenging for Şeyda Seven. She was the youngest and only daughter to ambitious entrepreneur immigrants who took the opportunities their move from Ankara, Turkey presented them. Arriving with money in their pockets helped, and so did the experience of their success back home. With a clear vision, Şeyda's father wanted to expand upon the small hotel chain he owned throughout Turkey. He had big dollar signs in his eyes and even bigger dreams and plans in his head wanting to put a Magnolia Hotel in the major cities of America, with the first being in the city that Şeyda was born.

The wealth and the status meant that Şeyda was put into the best private schools, sitting amongst New York’s elite and most prominent. Academically, Şeyda was capable of holding her own. She not only had the intellect, she also possessed the discipline. In the Seven home, the dynamic was very strict and structured. For her and her older brothers, only the best was expected and if things weren’t perfect then they were forced to keep trying until they came as close to the ideal as possible. While her father built a four to five star hotel in the illustrious Manhattan, Şeyda's day was planned out by the minute. From school to extracurriculars and sports, she was a dancer, she had no real time to be a kid.

When she reached her teens and began to rebel against the structure a little the threat of boarding school loomed. For Şeyda it was a punishment that worked because she loved what New York had to offer. She was desperate to explore outside of the boundaries her parents had put on her and see what life was really like there. The heavy rule in her house created a very crafty and calculated teenager in Şeyda. She knew how to build a lie and get around the rules that had been set, all in order to go deeper into the city and parts her parents forbade to get up to things with her friends. They went to clubs, parties, ventured beyond the city to catch shows and mingle with artists — something that on the surface just looked like teens having fun but really it went deeper than that. They were looking for life.

It wasn’t until Şeyda was in university and out of her parents home that she actually did things like dating. Albeit she was attending the university of their choice, Columbia, there was a sense of freedom that she hadn’t felt before. Şeyda studied business and language as she was expected to be a part of the family business once she graduated, but her real dream was to open up her own club one day. While she was sure the business side of it wasn’t all fun and games, Şeyda wanted to offer others the escape from life that night clubs had given her. Even if it were just for a few hours a night, getting lost in the music and dancing.

From age 18 towards the tail end of her university degree, Şeyda had found herself in a serious, committed relationship with someone that was an opposite of her. He was rough around the edges, came from a different class, but none of it mattered to her. She had fallen in love and with a guy that her father would never approve of and Şeyda went along with the wild ride for as long as she could. It wasn’t until a prison sentence that sent her boyfriend away that Şeyda saw the future she had in her heart go up in flames. With her head and heart a mess, Şeyda did the worst thing she could do and that was to run away. He went off to carry out a sentence behind bars and it spooked her, leaving her to break up and then run off to California and fall back in line with her father.

At the time, a Magnolia hotel was being built in Los Angeles, and her father and brothers were looking at locations east and in the south, such as North Carolina. Even though Şeyda had reluctantly come back into the family fold, she was still punished for wanting to do her own thing and be her own person. She was given a position and title within the company but it was really only for appearances sake. For she was a part of none of the decision making or even seated at most of the meetings. It went on that way for two years before she came across something that changed the dynamics between her father and herself forever. Şeyda had caught onto his money laundering scheme and confronted him about it, and as long as she promised not to tell the rest of the family how dirty the patriarch’s hands were then she could have what she wanted.

Which was to open her own night club, Nirvana, in Wilmington. Close enough but a bit of distance from Charlotte, where the next Magnolia was being built. In the end her father agreed and she was sure it was likely to keep her out of the way and out of his business, thinking she’d be too busy diving head first into running a prominent nightclub. For the most part, he was correct. The first year of ownership Şeyda was in over her head. Learning business in university and playing a part in her father’s company was one thing, actually immersed in a business and it all resting on her shoulders was quite another. Eventually her feet found solid ground and she was able to fully take the reins and handle the nightclub as she’d always dreamed. Now, after five years, Şeyda is at ease at the helm and also has returned a watchful eye to her father’s affairs. Though, she’s not the only one watching. Her father and brothers have their eyes on Şeyda, as well as their very dark and powerful associates. What she’ll come to know is that she’s only scratched the surface of her father’s criminality.