#steak though is precious and awkward and i love him

[xiaoscarasimp]

Cat Boi: H Patch

Minors DNI/SMUT

CW: AFAB! Reader, Cat boi, Scaramouche is his own warning, you call Scara good boy like twice and basically aphrodisiacs

What do we get when someone loves Scara cat boi and has hormones that are out of control because reasons? Good old fashion 2.6k words of smutterino. First time writing smut *hides*

This takes place prob between cat boi 1 and 3 ish (not canon canon but H Patch ^^)

One day, you decided to play a bit of a joke on your cat boy, Scaramouche, by bringing home some catnip. You had read that it has some calming properties for actual cats, so why not try it on your rowdy cat boy? At the pet store, you decided on getting both the dried and the live grass to see which would work better, although you had higher bets on the live. 

You arrive at your house with the cat nip and Scaramouche greets you at the door. Sometimes you swear he's more of a dog boy than cat boy. The cat boy sniffs the bag, and has a puzzled look on his face.

"What is that weird smell?" His nose wrinkles in disgust. "Did you get me some shitty medicine again?" 

"No, no," you laugh. "This is catnip. Apparently, it calms cats down and makes them enter a state similar to when a person gets high, so I was wondering if it'd work on you." 

"Sooo, you're attempting to drug me?" His tail flicked angrily, his eyes had a look of betrayal in them. How dare his precious human attempt to drug him?! 

You shake your head. "I got these in case you wanted to try them. I'm not gonna slip this stuff into the food you know." You ruffle his hair in between the cat ears. 

As you put down the bags from your shopping trip, Scaramouche peaks into the bag with the living catnip in it, and takes another whiff of it, nose still wrinkled in semi disgust, but even though it smells weird, the cat boy almost can't stop sniffing it. It feels like his brain is going to mush; he couldn't stop purring and giggling like a school girl.

"Scara, are you ok in there?" You call from the kitchen as you were prepping tonight's dinner.  "I hear you laughing, and one thing I know about you is when you're laughing, it's never a good sign." 

Scaramouche slinks into the kitchen, face red with blush and eyes glazed over. "Hey, y/n, has anyone ever told you that you hot when you cook?" He slurs out. "Or that you smell really nice? Almost like Citrus. Lemon of course." 

"Well, yeah. I cook fish a lot so I gotta get that smell out somehow. Are you ok?" You start pan frying the steak in seasoned butter and start boiling the water for the rice. Tonight's menu was steak with rice and green beans: simple, easy and effective. 

The cat boy starts giggling again, stumbling through the kitchen to try and hug you while you're cooking. Once he did hug you, you notice that he is radiating body heat like someone who has a fever. 

"Scara, look at me. Are you sure you're ok?" He stares at you, eyes dilated, blush on his face, and tail and ears twitching. His tail starts to make its way to your wrist but you pull away before the cat boy can wrap his tail around your wrist. You make the mistake of looking down and notice a slight bulge in his pants, causing both of you to blush even harder. "So, uh, this is awkward. Did the catnip make you, uh, like…this?" You stammer out, not sure of what to make of the situation. 

"I'm not sure, but all I know right now is that down there hurts and it's tight." Scaramouche shifts his legs, almost trying to help soothe his acting nether regions. 

What would even be the morality of helping your cat boy with the sudden arousal? You got yourself (and him) into this mess, so what's the safest, most ethical way out? The cat boy was easy enough on the eyes, soft dark purple hair which was currently sticking to his forehead, purple eyes that reflected galaxies, and the twitching cat ears which were pressed against his head in embarrassment. 

"Scaramouche Balladeer the Sixth: I want you to be honest with me. Can you willingly consent to possible sexual acts? Will you be ok with me helping you with your problem?" You have a serious look on your face, trying to make sure that you were not taking advantage of him. Using his full name managed to snap him out of his daze for a few moments.

"I don't care what you do, just help me with my damn problem." He snaps back. "You can fuck my brains out for all I care. Just be careful of the tail, it's sensitive."

You chuckle. "Let's eat and clean up first. No, I'm not the meal." You hear a tongue click at that notion.

As you guys eat, you start questioning the cat boy about what he knows, although you can tell his mind is elsewhere, legs rubbing together for any type of relief. Eventually, he says that he wants to try and let his instincts and you guide him through the relief process.

After dinner, while you were cleaning up, you noticed Scaramouche had gone back over to the catnip plant, deeply inhaling its scent; apparently the smell was super addictive. The blush on his face somehow increased further and his tail swished back and forth impatiently. Needless to say, Scaramouche was eager for relief. 

"Scara," you call out. "I'm heading upstairs." As if he was under a spell, he followed you in a daze, sniffing the air. His ears and tail flicked nervously in anticipation. 

Once you two got to the bed room, Scaramouche tackled you onto the bed, rubbing his head on your chest, inhaling your scent. Somehow, it was more addictive than the scent of catnip. The cat boy, lost in his instincts, started rutting against your leg, eager for relief for the warmth in his lower abdomen. 

"Scara, let's get these clothes off, shall we?" You chuckle and Scaramouche looks up at you, eyes demanding why did you stop his release. You start by slipping his black shirt over his head and planting a chaste kiss on his lips. Scaramouche attempts to stick his tongue out at you, but you grab it with your own Tongue, battling for dominance in his mouth. As fate would have it though, you nicked your tongue against his sharp teeth and you pulled back from your assault, both of you panting from the battle. 

“Ha, for someone who has ‘experience’ you sure did fuck up,” the cat boy teased. 

“Hey, it’s not my fault you have sharp teeth,” you scowled. “Now, if you want to try that again be my– mmmfph.” You were cut off by a passionate kiss, this time though, the battle was in your mouth. Tongues swirling around in your mouth had you moaning and heat pooling at your core. Scaramouche was no better, moaning your name in your mouth. 

You cup his face with one hand and roll his nipple between your fingers with the other, causing him to moan even louder. Scaramouche started grinding against your leg again, this time faster, chasing his own pleasure. His tail wrapped itself around the arm that was cupping his face while his hands went to your waist. When you felt like he was getting close to his relief, you push him off. 

“Hey! I was almost there,” The cat boy hisses. 

“I know, but first we have got to get these shorts off you. Maybe you can help me undress as well?” You wink at him. At the mention of undressing you, he immediately starts by lifting your shirt, revealing a black, lacey, pushup bra that makes your chest look even more divine than it usually does. Scaramouche blushes at seeing you nearly topless like this. Sure, he has seen you topless after getting out of the shower or getting dressed in the morning, but this was the first time he’s seen you topless as a woman, and not purely as his master.

“You like what you see?” Your sultry voice made him blush and his dilate even further. The indigo haired cat boy quickly looked away, nose almost bleeding from sheer stimulation. “I’m going to take your shorts off now,” you tell him, and kiss his forehead and Scaramouche nods in agreement, eager to strip everything off to be even closer to you.

As you slide his shorts and underwear over his knees, you can’t help but to notice how hard he actually was, tip flaming red and dripping precum. Even his pants slipping past his cock was enough to make him whimper and almost cum on the spot.  

"Oh, look at you," you croon as you massage the tip between your fingers. You push him back onto the bed, trapping him underneath you. "My fierce, sassy cat boy reduced down to a mewling kit. Tell me: how badly do you want me?" 

It was at this point Scaramouche decided to take his chance and wrap his tail around your hips and pull down your bra to suck on your nipple.

 "Ah-ah-ah," you tut, smacking his hands away from your chest. "Only good cat boys get to play with my breast. Have you been a good boy?" His ear flatten against his head, equal parts shame at becoming noticeably aroused when you called him a good boy and equal parts excitement. 

"I don't care about that shit. Just help me relieve this throbbing pain." He attempts to command you, but it just comes out as a whimper. 

You cock an eyebrow at him and he immediately knew he messed up. Scaramouche, the proud arrogant cat boy with a sword for a tongue, started one thing you never expected him to do: beg 

"I'm sorry y/n. I'll be a good boy. Please relieve this pain. Please-please-please. I need you," He starts babbling, words and prayers spilling over his lips. Poor cat boy was already pussy drunk and he hadn't so much as touched it directly. 

You strip your pants and underwear off and that almost sends Scaramouche over the edge. Unhooking your bra, you allow him to squeeze your breasts gently, causing you to moan a bit louder. As you straddle him again, you lean down and gently nibble his sensitive, furry ears, sending jolts up the cat boy's spine. The wet sounds in his ears were just so exquisite, gasping and moaning even louder. 

"Scaramouche Balladeer the Sixth," you whisper in his ear. "Are you sure you want to have sex with me? We can stop now if you want." The catnip had to be wearing off soon, but Scaramouche was still very much in the mood. He nods, almost unable to get the words out. "Scara, I'm going to need you to use your words, otherwise I will not continue."

"Y-yes master," Scaramouche whines. "Pl-please do something about my leaking cock." 

You lift yourself up slightly and align his weeping cock with your needy hole and lower yourself down gently. Upon entering your folds, the cat boy almost cums on the spot; the stimulation was too much. Scaramouche moans and bites your neck to try and quiet himself, but you lift his face up and crash your lips into his and suck on his bottom lip.

"I'm going to move now," you say into his mouth, to which Scaramouche nods vigorously. As you start grinding on his dick, you feel it throb inside of you, pulsating with anticipation. Your walls tighten and loosen around Scaramouche's cock as you kiss him, throwing both of you into a passionate fury. 

"I-I'm close," you moan. "S-scara it's ok to c-cum inside." You can barely speak through the intense pleasure. As you babble on, you can feel his dick twitch before finally exploding inside you. His tail wraps even tighter around you when the release happens. It wasn't long after you crest the peak of your own orgasm, leaving you both sweaty and panting. Scaramouche's ears were twitching happily, face relaxed like you've never seen it before, and generally at peace with himself. 

"Was that fun?" You ask, still on top of him, dick still inside of you. He sluggishly nods, smiling like he's in a dream. You ruffle his ears and hair and unwrap his tail from around you. As you get off him, the cat boy tries to give you a hug to pull you back down, but Scaramouche's energy was spent, so his hug had no pull. 

You quickly locate the tissues and hand them off to Scaramouche and tell him if he needs help cleaning up to let you know if he wants to take the lazy route, otherwise a shower is the best option.  The cat boy rushes to the shower, cum dripping down his leg. As you clean yourself up, you debate joining him in the shower to wash up before bed. Scaramouche pokes his head out of the bathroom, demanding that you help clean him in the shower.

For some reason, you two can never agree on water temperature. You prefer it to be scolding hot whereas he prefers it to be warm but not hot, which feels cold to your skin. Eventually, you settle on a decent shower temperature, and you start washing his hair.

"Mind the ears," He grumps. Scaramouche is back to his old uptight self again. "Also, don't be so rough; I'm delicate you know."

"Yes, yes, my big strong cat boy and his delicate ears," you muse. "OK, body wash time." You start putting the soap on the wash cloth and as you start scrubbing him down, he yowls.

"Gentle, I said. Gentle!! What part of that don't you understand?!" He was so cute when he scowled, but you weren't going to let him know that. 

"Exfoliation Scara. It's good for the skin. Also, did not think I was that rough." The cat boy glared at you in response. "Good news is, you're clean now." You rinse off the suds and Scaramouche shook his head, almost like a dog, to get the water out of his hair. "H-hey now!" 

The cat boy stuck his tongue out at you and nimbly hopped out of the shower. "Now you can have your hot as hell water to fuck up your skin with." 

Even though Scaramouche was clean, he still hung out in the bathroom, watching you shower with an intense gaze. His ears twitched excitedly. The way the soap slid off your breasts, the way your hands went through your hair when you washed it was all so alluring. He considered himself lucky to have had the experience he did tonight, even if it was fueled by catnip.

After you were done scrubbing yourself, you put on your pajamas. Scaramouche was laying in the bed and had already put on his signature black sleeping shorts and an oversized t-shirt with a cat on it, which you got purely for the irony. 

You head over to the bed and get in under the covers and could just feel Scaramouche's body heat radiating through the blankets. 

"So, amuse me,"you cock your head in wonder. "Does catnip affect every cat boy like an aphrodisiac or only some? Also, I didn't take advantage of you did I?"

"So, it does have aphrodisiac-like properties on certain cat boys or girls but I was still very much in control. I was not expecting to be hit that hard by it, but I've been wanting to experience you for a long, long time. So, it's  win-win. You got to play a small 'joke' on me and I got to experience your body. Now tell me," He smirks.  "When can we do stuff like that again? And next time: I want to be in control." Scaramouche kisses you before turning away. 

"Ok fine, but remember: I'm the master in all other areas in life." You whisper in his ear, causing it to flick from the simple stimulation of your breath. You pull him in close to cuddle him like a stuffed animal and as much as he tries to say he hates being little spoon-he really does enjoy it.  

The two you drift off to sleep, dreams of each other's bodies racing through your mind, wanting to experience the whole act again.

[fieryredcolorsareexciting]

Steak: Red Wine! Get out here right now!

Red Wine: What do you want you oaf?

Steak: I heard you purchased new clothes for our master attendant because they dress poorly!? *fuming*

Red Wine: Yes. Better than a flower.

Steak: *extreme rage* THAT FLOWER WAS MASTER ATTENDANT'S FAVORITE COLOR! *proceeds to fight Red Wine*

Coffee: Relax sweetheart. I made you a cup of coffee. I do hope you enjoy.

[readyforthegarden]

why are you nervous? '' '' because, you're gonna remember this for the rest of your life. '' with Sammy boy that little cocky man

Honey, baby, precious…yes.

When your friend had told you she set you up on a blind date, you’d been furious. You fine with being single. Sure some nights were lonely, and you wished you had someone to share home cooked meals with instead of living off leftovers for three days. But you were comfortable being alone. You weren’t looking, and you weren’t waiting.

But now here you were, standing outside a ritzy restaurant smoothing your silk lilac dress with nervous hands. Why were you even nervous? You were just going to have a few drinks, maybe a nibble of free bread and go home, and continue your binge rewatch of law and order. You know what, that’s it. You were nervous because this guy could be a murderer. Yeah, he could be a complete lunatic, waiting get you alone to chop you up into tiny pieces and scatter you throughout the city.

A couple brushed by you, nudging you out of your terrifying thought, and you took a deep breath, reminding yourself to keep your wits about you, an eye on your drink, and your phone ready to call the emergency number. As you entered the restaurant, you scanned the tables and bar, not seeing anyone who fit the description your friend gave you.

“Y/N?” you turned, locking eyes with a tall, slender young man, giving you a nervous smile.

“Sam?” you asked in turn. He nodded and stuck out his hand. You shook it, exchanging pleasantries.

“I waited until you got here to sit down, I always thought it was awkward to have to scan a crowd and try and find someone.” he explained, walking with you the short distance to the hostess stand.

“No it is.” you agreed. “I think that’s the worst part meeting at restaurants. You feel so on display looking for someone.”

“Exactly. Hi, we have a reservation, Kiszka, for two.” he gave the hostess a charming smile, making her blush as she scanned the list.

“Right this way!” she grabbed two menus, leading the two of you from the stand around the other diners to a cozy table for two, a small candle in the middle of the table flickering in a red votive holder. Sam pulled out your chair for you, and tucked your chair back in once you were situated. He rounded the other side of the table and sat himself, and you both thanked the hostess as she handed you the menus and stepped away.

“Have you ever been here before?” Sam asked, glancing over to you from his menu. You shook your head.

“No, I’ve always wanted to come here though. Do you come here a lot?”

“I try to eat here when I’m home.” he answered. “Their chicken piccata is great, and the Caesar salad is really good.”

“Ooh, a Caesar salad sounds good.” you subconsciously licked your lips thinking about the rich, creamy dressing. “Oh, have you ever had the eggplant Parmesan?”

“I have, it was good, but a little on the soggy side.” Sam shrugged. “My brother really loves their steak, says he’s never had a bad one here.”

“Hmm,” you hummed, eyes still scanning the menu. “So many choices.”

“Well, just think, if we hit it off like Becca thinks we will, we can come back here until you’ve tried every meal on the menu.” you blushed at the idea of another date. You had to admit, Sam was incredibly attractive, you couldn’t deny he had the tall, dark and handsome qualities you usually found yourself falling for. And he was already showing himself to be sweet, gentlemanly and charming.

“That would be nice.” you gave him a sincere smile as the waiter came up to the table. You both gave him your orders and you were relieved when he came back with your glass of wine to take a sip. You felt yourself getting flustered talking with Sam, every time you met his soft brown eyes you felt yourself developing a small crush on him.

You both chatted over the small candle, talking about your jobs, what you do for fun. He showed you a few pictures of his dog, and you told him about your old dog from your childhood, and how you’d always wanted another one but would end up adopting every dog in the shelter if you went to one.

A part of you hated the fact that it seemed Becca was right. As the two of you bonded while eating your dinners, you realized that you and Sam would make a pretty decent couple. He had told you about his job, and his crazy travel schedules, which would mean you’d have your time to yourself still, which was important to you. He seemed to like the fact you were independent, had your own thing goingYou noticed, however, the more comfortable he got, the more cocky he got. It wasn’t too bad, you took it as playful, especially when he paired it with a sincere smile.

“This place has a great dessert menu, but if you don’t mind, I had something else planned.”

“Oh you did?” you quirked an eyebrow as he slid his card from the checkbook, sliding it back in his wallet and back into the back pocket of his linen pants.

“There’s a gelato place around the corner, I thought we could take a small walk there.” you thought about it and nodded. The two of you made small talk as you exited the restaurant and walked together down the street. You were thankful it was a busy night, with people out enjoying the warm night air as summer dwindling down for fall. If Sam did turn out to be a killer, at least you'd have plenty of eye-witnesses. Once you two had ordered and gotten your sweet, frozen treats, you stepped back outside, walking into the small park across the street.

"Thank you for dinner, and dessert." you piped up, swallowing down a spoonful of creamy chocolatey goodness. "I really wish you would've let me pay for the gelato, though."

"It was my idea to go for gelato, I was the one who should've paid." Sam countered. You shot him a small, goodnatured glare and he laughed. "Besides, you can treat me next time."

"Oh, so you think there'll be a next time, huh?" you smirked, teasing the tall man as he was mid-lick on his waffle cone.

"I think so." he rolled his shoulders back coolly. "You've already fallen head over heels for me, I can see it in your eyes."

"Really?" you scoffed. "Are you sure? Because it seems to me you're the one practically begging for a second date. I'd say you're the one that's smitten, kitten."

"I'm not begging!" Sam insisted, playfully insulted. You rolled your eyes and took another bite of your ice cream. "I just know that you're already madly in love with me. It's just my charm."

"You sure are cocky for someone who's going to be left on read for the foreseeable future."

"I'm cocky, but it's a defense mechanism. I get this way when I'm nervous." Sam admitted, giving you a look only he and puppy dog could pull off perfectly.

"Why are you nervous?" you asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Because I really want to kiss you." he murmured, finishing off his ice cream and tossing the cone in the trash, before taking your half-done cup from yours and doing the same. You went to protest, but he put a hand on your waist, and cupped your face with the other, making it so you looked up at him. The smarmy, cocksure look was back in his eyes as he gazed down at you, a small smirk tugging at his lips. "And because, you're gonna remember this for the rest of your life."

He gave you no time to respond, before his lips were on yours. They were still cold from his gelato, sending a tingle through your body, making you move closer to his for warmth. At least, that's what you told yourself. His lips fit your perfectly, every movement, every push and pull of the kiss was heaven. He was completely right, you were going to remember this kiss forever.

When you parted, your eyes fluttered back open, and you saw him waiting for some sort of response from you. You took a moment to regain control of your heartbeat, your pulse fluttering, and you were sure his pinky, that was resting on your pulse point on your neck, could feel it.

"You owe me half a gelato." you whispered. Sam stared at you before laughing and giving your lips another peck.

"Okay, next date night, we'll get more gelato, I promise."

[joheun-saram]

The Back of Your Car (myg)

Summary- How would you deal if you were stuck in the trunk of your best friend’s car with your new crush?

word count- 3.3k

pairing- undergroundrapper!yoongi x recentgraduate!reader

rating- R

genre- fluff, smut(ish?), friends2lovers, collegeau

warnings- nothing too bad, just making out and dry humping to orgasm lol, oh and swearing.

a.n- my first Yoongi fic? Yes sirrrrrrr. I be simping for this man all day everyday. Also, yes the premise is dumb but also who doesn’t wanna be locked in a trunk with Yoongi. Just me? Okay. Coolcoolcool.

This was written for the ‘A Long Hot Summer’ project by @thebtswritersclub​. The member I picked was Yoongi and the sense I chose was touch, because when you can’t see you can only feel. 👀  Hope you like it!

Feedback much appreciated! 💕

gif is not mine! :)

----------

“Really guys? Really?” You sighed as you stared at the small trunk of Jin’s sedan. You were so done with your friends. The audacity of them to ask you to jump into the trunk for the two-hour-long ride. 

“What? We cleared all the junk for you! Plus it’s not like you’ll be alone.” Namjoon stated matter-of-factly, his hands on his hips.

Your friends had been planning this week-long trip to Jin’s cottage for the past month as the last hurrah before everyone really started working in the real world, and somehow everyone had missed the fact that two cars would not be enough for your group of ten and all your belongings.

You had been friends with most of them since at least the start of university, over five years ago, but you’d be lying if you said they still didn’t annoy you at times. Well, you had been friends with everyone except Min Yoongi, the person you were being forced to now share this tiny trunk with.

“Why can’t Jungkook and I share the trunk?” You looked pleadingly at your closest friend. Jungkook and you had been friends since childhood and his bunny smile was present in almost all your pictures. Although you had been introduced when he and your younger brother became friends in fifth grade, it soon became evident that he and you were a better friendship fit as after middle school his appearances at your house soon turned from gaming with your brother to watching movies and arguing over anime in your bedroom. He had seen you madly in love with your first boyfriend and then seen you ugly cry, wasted at 2 am after your first breakup. Whereas, you had been there to buy him a cake and blast Lonely Island in his dorm when he lost his virginity in his freshman year of university. Jungkook was comfortable, Jungkook was easy. Plus, your habit of platonic cuddles made you far more comfortable spooning him for two hours than the mysterious Yoongi, who you met four months ago and may or may not be harboring a massive crush on.

“Noona, I can barely fit in there alone! You and hyung are the smallest of the group. It just makes sense!” Jungkook looked proud of his logic, patting your head smugly as you glared at him. You hated that he was now the muscle-bound version of the scrawny kid you used to know but more so you hated that he was entirely justified in his logic.

“But what if we get rear-ended? I will die! Do you want me to die?!” You were exasperated as you stared at the group with wide eyes. This was not how you imagined the end of your summer before the real world to be - with Hosoek’s car filled with all your supplies, taking up most of the backseat, leading to your dilemma. Who had thought it was a good idea to bring an icebox that won’t fit in the trunk? Well, none other than the host, Jin, who insists his steaks needed ample room to breathe in the ice for the ride up to the woods.

“You can get in first, so if we get rear-ended my death will cushion you,” Yoongi spoke softly, looking at you as you blinked dumbfoundedly at him. Although you were sure this was part of his dark humor, you felt a flush creep up your neck at his attempt to dissuade your worries.

Yoongi was introduced to your friends through Namjoon. Your tightly knit group of friends barely talked to anyone else but Namjoon was the social butterfly, always at parties or networking for his Soundcloud growth. He was an amazing rapper, selling out most small clubs he performed at. That’s where he had met Yoongi, befriending him when they performed together, and slowly integrating him into your clan. At first, it didn’t seem like his quiet, introspective persona would fit in your group’s dynamic, what with Jimin and Taehyung’s constant platonic PDA, Hoseok and Namjoon’s rap battles, and Jin, Jungkook and your bickering, but he seemed to have found a groove, seamlessly integrating himself. His deadpan comments whenever Jimin and Taehyung got too much, his addition to the rap battles, and his role as a mediator over your arguments had slowly made Yoongi a solid part of your dynamic in a short amount of time. Even Namjoon and Jin’s girlfriends who had been a part of the crew for over one and two years, respectively, hadn’t gelled in this fast, still feeling like they were eight-wheeling a giant polyamorous group.

“Umm… thanks? But that’s not the point. We shouldn’t have to ride in the trunk because Jin’s precious icebox stole the seat!” You tried to play it cool, ignoring the amused smirk that Jungkook threw your way as he spied your face heating up. He was all too aware of your crush and would take every opportunity to make you feel awkward around Yoongi.

“Okay tell you what. If you guys ride in the back, we’ll give you guys the best room in the house. First pick and everything,” Jin negotiated, clearly annoyed at the situation and wanting to get on the road.

“Alright. One more condition though. You all are buying mine and Yoongi’s drinks for the whole trip.” You acquiesce, because to be honest the master bedroom at Jin’s cottage was the most coveted spot, usually not even up for discussion. It boasted a king bed with the softest mattress imaginable, not to mention the ensuite bathroom consisting of a jacuzzi. You were beyond excited to snag that baby to yourself for the week. Plus, with your alcohol tolerance being among the highest of the group, you were excited not to drop any money on alcohol.

With hums and cheers of agreement, the party started moving along. You climbed in Jin’s trunk first, opting to face Yoongi rather than spoon him awkwardly. He climbed in with much less resistance than you, curling up as far as he could. Space, however, was smaller than you had anticipated and in this position, even though you both crossed your arms, your knees and arm were touching. You were happy when Namjoon abruptly shut the top, engulfing you both in darkness since it hid how red your face had become at the proximity. Your skin felt like it was on fire where it touched his, your heart speeding. You wondered if he could hear it and if it was healthy if it kept this pace for the next two hours.

Surprisingly you could barely hear what was happening in the car, voices coming through in muffled and music barely audible, drowned by the hum of the engine that roared through as the car started moving, slowly jostling you.

“You okay?” Yoongi asked tentatively after a few minutes. “You seemed a bit nervous about getting in.”

“Yeah, it’s just a little claustrophobic.” You weren’t lying, although it felt more so because of your feelings for Yoongi. Although you routinely hang out with him and your friends, practically every day this summer, if you were really counting, you had never once hung out with him alone. Even when he requested to record your vocals for one of his songs, Namjoon had been there. Now just sitting with him alone you felt extremely awkward, unable to deal with your feelings.

“Here, let me turn my flashlight on,” he said as he dug around for his phone in his pocket, one of his calves now between yours. “I heard that light can help with that.”

You were suddenly blinded as he turned on his flashlight. As your eyes adjusted to the onslaught of photons, you saw Yoongi’s face, much closer than you had thought it’d be. Although you had found him attractive since the first time you met him, you had never seen him this close. His cheeks were squished by his shoulder, his long black bangs swept haphazardly across his forehead as his lips pursed in a little pout. You didn’t think you could find him more attractive but he took your breath away. You don’t know how long you just stared at him but your trance was broken as you saw his lips move, registering what he was saying far more slowly than usual.

“I’m sorry you’re in here with me. I’m not the best company, I know.” He averted his gaze opting to look above him.

“What? Why would you say that?”

“I don't know. You wanted to be in here with Jungkook. I understand though, he’s much nicer than I am.” Your heart fell at that. You didn’t think he would be bothered by your insistence to be with Jungkook and you were starting to feel guilty.

“I only said that because I didn’t want you to feel uncomfortable.”

“You don’t have to say that. It’s fine I get it. You don’t really like me.” He looked into your eyes, trying to search for any dishonesty.

“Of course I like you. What?”

“Oh? It’s just that you never talk to me.” Oh if only he knew the reason why you never talked to him was that you were scared you were going to stumble over your words and make a fool out of yourself.

“I… You never talk to me either!” You tried to move further away from him so he couldn’t make out the flush that was creeping up with your neck, finding you had nowhere else to move to. 

“I always try to talk to you. You either answer in one word or just walk away.” Yoongi didn’t know why he was being so insistent but he needed to know. He had found you interesting the moment he met you. Every joke you made had made him laugh and he would be lying if he didn’t listen to the vocals you recorded for him almost daily. “It’s okay… I’m sorry. You just make me nervous.”

“Me? I make you nervous?” You tried to control the giggle that arose at his comment but were unsuccessful. Why would you make Yoongi of all people nervous? 

“You’re intimidating!” He laughed, smiling at you.

“Sure… Whatever you say Yoongi.”

Soon your conversation moved to a comfortable one, sharing anecdotes about your friends and laughing over their antics. You hadn’t realized how easy it would be to talk to him once you were over your nerves. You hadn’t even thought about the constant voice in your head that made you spaz every time you saw him. However, that was short-lived as suddenly, you were thrown into the darkness, the light from Yoongi’s phone cutting off.

“Ah. Sorry. I think my phone’s dead.” He reaches between you to tap his phone to no avail, his fingertips lightly brushing your skin, making your skin tingle and reminding you again why you were nervous.

“It’s okay.” You don’t know why you whispered, but somehow the dark changed the entire atmosphere - your nerves kicking into high gear again. You could feel the hum of the car, each little bump on the road overtly noticeable. If you didn’t know any better you’d say you could feel his breath on your face. Yoongi felt it too -  the comfort dissipating into tension, making his heart beat faster.

“Careful!” He hisses as the car hits an exceptionally big bump, his hand instinctively reaching out to hold your head to ensure you don’t hit it at the back, while his other goes to your waist to pull you closer. In the cramped space, there was nowhere to go and you could feel your skin heating up where he touched you, sending sparks down your spine.

The air seemed to have thickened between you - the jokes of earlier fading away to make room for whatever this tension was as your heart pounded in your chest, his breath now definitely on your face. Suddenly there’s another bump, and Yoongi takes the opportunity to pull you closer, his jean-clad leg moving further between your bare ones. You suddenly realize how close this leg is to your core, and a slight whimper escapes your lips. His eyes go wide. There’s no way that sound was for him, was it? Regardless of all the times he had dreamt of having you in his arms, surely his mind was playing tricks on him. There was no way you were actually into him like he was into you.

“Y/N…” he says softly as he tries to unsuccessfully make out your eyes in the dark. You feel your face flush as you realize that you didn’t imagine the whimper, you actually made that noise, out loud. Panicking you rack your brain for an excuse, but all you can do is say his name, speaking it breathlessly into the small space.

He feels his heart accelerate when he hears his name from your lips. If he didn’t know any better he would think it almost sounded like a plea. It’s taking all his willpower not to crash his lips against yours, to hear more of your whimpers. Before he can get too lost in his thoughts another bump on the road sends you forward, your hands fisting in his shirt, faces only a hair length apart.

You don’t know who leaned in first but soon your lips are against each other. He feels your soft lips on him and it’s like he’s in a trance. The dark seems to have heightened his senses and it's like he can feel every single movement tenfold. You move your hands from his shirt to the nape of his neck, wanting him closer and it seems that he wants the same as his hand moves from your waist to your hips, pulling you closer.

You feel his tongue on your lips and you oblige, feeling sparks of electricity flow through you as you taste him. He tastes like mint and coffee, a combination that you would have found abhorrent except right now it felt like the sweetest nectar. The kiss is desperate like if you stopped the other would disappear, and it leaves you panting. 

In between kisses, Yoongi grabs your ass, groping it and making you moan in his mouth. A smile makes its way across his face as he relishes your sounds. He can’t believe this is happening. He kisses down your jaw to your neck, wanting to taste every bit of you.

“I’ve been wanting to do this since I first saw you.” You pant in between moans as he sucks on the sensitive juncture where your neck meets your shoulders, the dark igniting a boldness in you. Hearing you say that makes him stop. He wishes he could see your face to see if you were joking, but before he can get too much in his head, he hears you whine his name.

“Me too. Fuck.” He says as he continues kissing your neck as he starts moving your hips, making you grind against him. Even through layers of clothing the friction from his thigh on your clit is palpable, making your breath hitch, your hand holding on to his sleeve at the shoulder. “Is this okay?” 

You can only moan in response as he abandons your hips now that you found a rhythm and moves his hand up towards your chest, moving it under the hem of your shirt. Your skin is deliciously soft as he strokes your stomach gently before he moves to your back in search of a clasp, only to find none. You weren’t wearing a bra and that only made him harder as he cupped your chest, feeling your nipples under his thumb as he grazed over them. The sensation was unbelievable, making you soak your panties, it was like his hands were barely there, making you arch your back, chasing his touch. You could feel your orgasm building as you felt the tension in your stomach build. He had barely even touched you and you felt like you were going to lose your mind. Each sensation felt new. You finally understood what Madonna was talking about in that song.

You pulled his face close to you mewling a “please” against his lips as you crashed your lips against them. You melt into him, the passionate kiss igniting more pleasure in both of you.

“Are you going to cum baby?” He asks, his breath mingling with your pants, the nickname warming your heart, as he pulls your head back gently by your hair, giving him more access to your neck, sucking and kissing, driving you closer to the edge. “Go ahead. Cum on my leg baby.”

The pressure inside you grows as you grind faster, the friction against your clit simultaneously too much and too little. He finally increases the pressure on your nipples, rolling them between his fingers as he ravishes your mouth with a deep kiss, making you come undone. Your legs shake, your hands grabbing at his shirt and hair, walls clenching around nothing as you cum. 

“Fuck. Yoongi” you whine as you come down from your high, his lips still on your neck, your panties sticking to you.

“God. You’re so hot.” Your moans are still ricocheting through his mind as he takes your hand in his, intertwining your fingers and kissing the top of it. Even though he didn’t get any relief and his boner still painfully lies against his tight jeans, he doesn’t mind, enjoying your scent as he nuzzles your neck.

“Yoongi, I have to tell you something.” He wishes he could see you. The way you began your sentence makes his heart ache in anticipation as you pause longer. “I like you.”

“I’m glad you don’t kiss people you hate like this.” Yoongi is elated, pulling you in for another kiss, different this time. It’s gentle and he wants to put all the emotions he’s been feeling in it. He wants to show you he likes you just the same, if not more. You pull him closer as you return the kiss, mirroring his tenderness.

“No, I mean I don’t want this to be a one-time thing.” It makes his heart race. He can’t believe how lucky he is.

“I’ve been dreaming about you since I met you, do you think I’m going to let you go now?” He chuckles as he kisses your forehead and here cramped in the back of Jin’s car you think you’ve found heaven. “We should really thank Jin and his obsession with steaks, eh?”

You laugh as you feel the car come to a stop, giddy with endorphins, your four-month crush finally coming to fruition. The sunlight is bright when the guys open the trunk, blinding you momentarily before your eyes focus to see Yoongi smile at you, wide with his gums on display. It makes you giggle like a lovestruck teenager when he tucks your hair behind your ear. To Yoongi at that moment, you’re the most beautiful person he’s met. He climbs out of the car, helping you out as well.

“What the fuck? Did you guys make out in the back of my car?” Jin yells as he looks at the two of you and both of you go red at being caught.

“Umm… no. Why would you say that?” You avert your gaze from the broad-shouldered man bashfully as he looks at the two of you wide-eyed.

“Noona, hyung has your lipstick all over his face.” Jungkook supplies, a cocky smirk on his face, and that’s when you register Yoongi’s lips and jaw painted your signature red, making you laugh uncontrollably.

“Whatever. It looks good on me.” Yoongi says with a drawl and an eye roll as he holds your hand in his. “Let’s just go to the cottage, okay?”

He leads the group, your fingers intertwined. That week you make sure to take advantage of the room you both won. The jacuzzi does wonders to heal your soreness from your adventures in the king-sized bed, much to the chagrin of Hoseok who had the unfortunate luck of sleeping in the room next door.

[johannstutt413]

(requested by coldgoldlazarus)

“Hey, Rope, question.” Vanilla approached the Cautus while they were both working the northern trading post. “Did you grab a bottle of pills from my pocket earlier?”

“Maybe? Hang on...No, I’ve just got mine in my pocket.” She gave the Vouivre a thumbs-up after patting herself down.

The Vanguard reached into her bag and pulled out a prescription bottle. “You might want to check the label, because these aren’t Biggie’s stomach meds.”

“They aren’t?” She read the label on her bottle. “Oh, okay, so those are my- Oh! Oh, no...”

“It’s fine - I’m just glad we checked before you had to get your stomach pumped, and Biggie melted through his home again. Honestly, it’s really impressive you took them in the first place and remembered to give them back. I remember the last time you accidentally took my wallet and I had to ask Liz to cover lunch for me.”

Rope sighed. “Yeah, that’s good, it’s just...I didn’t want anyone to know, you know? Being infected is one thing, but if people knew, they might look at me differently.”

“...If they knew what?” The Vouivre cocked her head. “I think I’m missing something.”

“Wait, so you didn’t read the bottle?”

Vanilla was steadily getting more confused. “No, I read it, but I don’t know what it is. What do you take Aldactone for? It’s not a migraine medication, is it?”

“No, it definitely isn’t that.” She couldn’t help but chuckle a little at that; she’d forgotten who she was talking to. Telling her couldn’t hurt at this point. “It’s part of my hormone therapy so I can, uh...be the me on the outside I am on the inside, if that makes sense?”

“Not really?” The Vouivre was quick to admit.

To be fair, the Cautus never knew how to answer questions like this. “I’m a woman, but my body doesn’t match - or at least, it didn’t until I met Aak.”

“Oh!” A few puzzle pieces clicked together in her mind. “Now I get it.”

“Good, cuz I don’t know if I could find another way to explain it,” she sighed, relieved.

That didn’t mean that was her last question, though. “Do you not like talking about it?”

“No, I don’t.” For exactly this reason, honestly. “People start asking me all kinds of questions about it, and I just wanna be me, you know? That’s the whole reason I have to worry about the pills and stuff.”

“Right, sorry. I, uh, won’t ask anything else.”

Rope looked at her for a moment before sighing again. “You have a lot of questions, don’t you?”

“Yeah.” Vanilla visibly relaxed. “I don’t want to bother you, though.”

“...Tell you what: buy me dinner, and I’ll answer a couple questions, whatever you’ve got. Sound good?”

That did perk the Vouivre’s interest, and, somewhat unexpectedly, a bit of a blush, too. “I’d like that, yeah. Tonight or...”

“Sure, if you don’t have plans.” That was a very enthusiastic no, apparently. “Cool. Well, I’m gonna take a break, so talk to you later!”

“Uh-huh!” Once she’d left, Vanilla let herself start breathing rapidly before pulling out her phone to text Franka. She had a favor she needed to ask.

--------------------

About an hour after dinner service opened in the cafeteria, Rope got a message from Vanilla saying she was on her way; that’d given the Cautus enough time to pick out something to wear - something without pockets, to keep herself from stealing as much stuff as she might with places to put it - and psyche herself up for a kind of awkward conversation with someone she worked with and hung out with at a couple of parties but didn’t talk to all that much otherwise. Still, that put her in the Top Ten on her “friends and associates” list, since Rope didn’t really talk a lot, period, and she was so innocent and soft...Would’ve been a good mark back in the day, honestly. Course, if she tried anything serious these days, Dobermann would chew her head off, and who knows what Blacksteel would do to her…

Ding-dong! That was her cue. The Cautus gave herself one last once-over and opened the door. “Evening, Va...Vanilla.” Holy shit, she cleaned up well.

“Good evening.” The Vouivre looked more than a little out of her element, admittedly, but that just added to the charm. “I, uh, already got us a table at a place, if that’s alright?”

“Hey, I came in from off the streets; anything’s good enough for me.” True, she did have a couple preferences, but since her...since Vanilla was paying, it wasn’t going to be an issue. What was this, exactly? And wait, didn’t this imply she’d make reservations somewhere? Like people did on dates in movies or whatever?

Doing her best not to jump to conclusions, Rope walked with Vanilla to a nice-looking Siracusan place not too far from her apartment. “This place looks nice, but you didn’t have to spoil me.”

“I know, but uh...I wanted to.” Since there was no way in hell she could be nonchalant about this, she was just going to be as genuine as possible. “We’re at a corner booth, and they aren’t too busy tonight, so we won’t have people listening in on us.”

“Well, well, I didn’t expect you to think of that. Sorry, that sounded meaner than I meant it to be.”

The Vouivre shrugged. “It’s fine - I know people don’t expect it from me. Um, are we drinking tonight, do you think?”

“It’s your money, not mine,” the Cautus replied, “but it’ll probably help if I have a lil’ wine.”

“That works. Excuse me, reservation for 2 for Vanilla?” And with that, their dinner date began.

Once they’d been seated, given a bottle of wine to start with, and ordered their meals, Rope took the lead. “So, you’ve got at least a couple questions for me, right? Wanna make this worth the cash you’re spending on me, after all.”

“How did you know?” That was the most interesting question to her. “Your body says one thing, your heart says another, how do you know which one’s right?”

“I mean, you don’t eat the wrapper, you eat the candy, right? Took some time to figure out why I felt so uncomfortable just, well, being, but as soon as I did, I knew what I wanted to do. Problem is, it’s kinda expensive to get the medications and the surgery and stuff, so for someone stealing just to eat every day, there wasn’t a lot I could do. Then I met Aak, and he helped me out a lot before I got locked up - he’s actually the one who gets me my prescriptions here, too - but I lost some progress since they wouldn’t let me take my meds in prison. The Doctor got me out of there, though, and now I have all the support I need. Sorry, that was more than you asked for.”

Vanilla smiled. “That’s alright; I wanted to ask about all of it. You know, I really had no idea. I mean, even up close, you’re so pretty, I’d never have guessed...”

“Thanks, I think.” Something about that smile raised a question in the Cautus’ mind, so she decided to try and confirm her suspicions. “Where’d you buy that dress, by the way? It looks really good on you.”

“Oh, thank you! Croissant’s resale shop, they might not have another one, but she sells a lot of good stuff for reasonable prices.” It helped that she had a concrete answer, but there was no hiding how happy the Vouivre was to receive that compliment.

Which gave Rope the confidence she needed to say, “It looks like it’s pretty easy to take off, too.”

“Yeah, it’s only got the one strap that...” Vanilla realized what’d happened when the Cautus started giggling. “I was going to ask for help with that later, but I guess you beat me to the punch.”

“If I ever had doubts I was a woman, I definitely don’t right now.”

Now the Vouivre was bright red. “Am I really that obvious?”

“You don’t wear a sign or anything,” Rope replied, still smiling genuinely, “but the way you’ve been looking at me tonight was enough.”

“Yeah, I guess I, um, have been staring...Does this count as a date?”

Rope nodded, having thought she’d regained her composure but finding more giggles to release. “It does now. Oh, man. This was the idea from the beginning, right?”

“I was going to ask you out when I went to give you your meds back,” Vanilla admitted, “so when you asked me to take you out, it was kind of perfect.”

“Wow. I played right into your hands, huh?” The Cautus hadn’t done something like that since she’d tried to pick Miss Swire’s pocket all those months ago - the thing that’d gotten her locked up, actually.

She shrugged. “You kind of did, yeah. We should probably eat our food before it gets too much colder.”

“Shit, how long have we been talking? I lost track.” The ex-thief cut into her steak, watching it bleed with a satisfied smile. “Nice and rare. Oh, sorry, you’re an animal-person, right?”

“W-well, as long as they’re raised humanely, being used for protein isn’t the worst thing that could happen to them. I mean, slugs eat meat, too, although Biggie’s actually doing really well on the low-meat high-protein diet I have him on.” At the mention of her beloved pet, her eyes lit up.

Rope leaned forward. “I’ve seen you driving him around base in a stroller before. You really love him, don’t you?”

“He’s so precious, how could you not!” And as planned, she was off. “Oh, you should have seen him the other day...”

What’d started off with an awkward moment in the trading post was quickly shaping up to be the best night either of them had had in awhile; as the Vouivre began regaling her with stories of her precious pet slugs, the Cautus ate her meal, paying close attention. Vanilla would’ve made an easy mark, it was true, but looking at her now, that was the last thing on Rope’s mind, even though she had plenty of thoughts on what she could do with her...

[peaceisadirtyword]

Neon Lights I (Modern!Ivar/Reader)

A/N: Hello!💕 I hope you’re all okay and safe. I’m sorry I didn’t post anything these days, I'm just a bit nervous and maybe worried about the situation and it’s hard to concentrate on writing... Besides, I'm now working from home and it’s even more exhausting than going out to go to the office😅 But it’s okay, we’ll be fine💜 meanwhile, I hope you enjoy this. It’s maybe a bit boring, it’s like an introduction chapter, but I hope it entertains you a bit😘 Thank you for reading and take care!

Btw, before reading this, I recommend you read the author’s note on the prologue (if you haven’t yet), the link is below!💞

Warnings: mentions of sex, sexism, alcohol and nakedness.

Words: 3002

Prologue

gif belongs to @lol-haha-joke​

Ivar was uncomfortable. 

Maybe he shouldn't have drank that much that night and he would have ended up there. If he had kept his mouth shut and stopped bragging about his status... 

At first, he thought that the men that bargained into his hotel room were Björn's men. He was nearly ready to die, what was left for him anyway? He was all alone, his brothers and his own wife betrayed him. But then he realized Björn hadn't sent anyone to look for him so far from home, he probably thought he was dead already. 

Always underestimating him. 

They killed the few men Ivar had left, but spared his life. Apparently someone had heard about him and wanted to meet him. Ivar expected to find someone trying to impress him, maybe a young boy anxious to prove how powerful he was. 

He didn't expect to find Oleg. An actually powerful man that knew who he was. Ivar thought he'd kill him when he found out he had no power now, that his brothers took everything from him and now he was only running away. But he didn't. 

Instead he offered his help, to help him take his home back, to get revenge from his family. 

Of course, Ivar said yes. 

The club looked like a normal nightclub. It was clean, the security guards were professional and serious. If he hadn't seen the platform with the poles and the girls dancing, he would have thought it was a bar. 

He didn't pay attention to the girls dancing. He had no interest on looking at girls dancing half naked on a pole, and he found it awkward and uncomfortable. He couldn't look at any woman since... 

Oleg laughed and drank next to him. He didn't pay attention to the girls either, he was used to it. He chatted with some of the men sitting around him, and sometimes with Ivar.  

Ivar felt a bit out of place. He was completely alone, forced to trust Oleg when he felt like he couldn't even trust his own family. He stayed quiet, watching everyone carefully while sipping on his beer. 

Until he saw you. 

He blinked a couple of times, mesmerized by your movements and your beauty. You were already watching him, your eyes widened and your lovely lips slightly parted. He wondered why you looked at him like that. It wasn't the look he had seen other girls giving to the clients, trying to seduce them so they would increase their tips, this look was innocent, you seemed to be stunned to see him there. Why would you look at him like that if he hadn't shown any interest on any of the girls?

He leaned into Oleg then, touching his arm softly to catch his attention. 

"Who is she?"

Oleg's eyes fixed on you, and he smirked, shaking his head. 

"She is Y/N" he muttered "She's one of my favorite girls, isn't she amazing?" he chuckled. 

"Y/N?" Ivar muttered your name. It sounded different with Oleg's accent. 

"Do you like her?" his host seemed amused. 

Ivar frowned. 

"No, I was just... Intrigued" 

"Y/N is definitely intriguing" Oleg nodded "You can have some private time with her... No touching, though, but you wouldn't regret it, she is very requested by our most important clients"

Ivar shook his head. Even if your dancing was hypnotizing and he would love to see it in private, he didn't want to meet you in that way. 

It scared him, because he hadn't felt that since Freydis. 

__________________________________

Oleg gave you the day off. It allowed you to relax at the small apartment you had upstairs the club. Read some books, have a relaxing shower and sleep, resting after four nights in a row. Until Olivia came to your room at eleven, with a beautiful red dress and a pair of black heels, interrupting your plans of drifting off to sleep while watching a very bad movie on  TV. 

"Oleg asked for you" she smiled softly at you as you pouted "He gave me this dress, and I added the heels. I know you hate those black heels you have, these are more comfortable" she put everything on your bed, and you stared at it.

"I thought I had the night free" you sighed "He told me"

"Yes" Olivia sighed. She was Russian, like Oleg, with blonde hair, blue eyes and pale skin, and she was his most trusted girl. She was the one who taught you to survive in that place, helping you to learn how to dance, how to behave and how to be quiet to avoid getting in trouble. She had a soft spot for you, which made Oleg develop another soft spot for you. You were alive thanks to Olivia "But he only wants you downstairs, next to him. He probably wants to make business with someone, and he needs one of us to distract him... Men don't think straight when they have a beautiful woman in front of them" she chuckled. 

"Unless they don't like women" you shrugged "Anyway, I'm going to do my makeup, can you please help me with my hair?" 

She nodded and you got out of bed. The small apartment Oleg gave to you had only a room with your bed, a TV and a table and a small kitchen and the end of the room. The bathroom was even smaller; a shower, a toilet and a sink with a dirty mirror, and you and Olivia could barely stand in front of it as she combed your hair softly and you put on some concealer and foundation. 

"He has a new guest" she said casually "A Danish man, I can't remember his name, but he's hot"

You nearly dropped the concealer. 

"I... Have you seen him?" 

"Yes, he was with Oleg last night, I sat down with him and his guests after you went to the private rooms with that man, he's handsome, Y/N, you should have seen his eyes, God" she bit her lip "He's injured, I think, he had to walk with a crutch... He didn't speak much, he seemed a bit bored" she shrugged. 

You hummed, even if your hands trembled a bit. You couldn't stop thinking about that man you saw the night before, his eyes, his face... How he had looked at you. 

He had to be Oleg's new guest. 

The dress fit perfectly. It was expensive, probably from a famous brand you couldn't even think about. Oleg had that habit of buying his girls -and some of his boys- expensive clothes and makeup, making you feel like a princess so he could show you off, as if you were a painting ready to be sold off by a famous artist. He gave you a place to live and food to eat, you only had to let him show you off and seduce some of his clients. 

"You look beautiful as always" Olivia smiled as she looked at you "Oleg will be happy, now go downstairs before he gets inpatient... I'll go too, later" she promised before kissing your cheek lovingly. You nodded and left the room behind her, closing the door. 

The hallway was full of doors, that lead into apartments like yours. Oleg preferred to have all of his workers in there, safe and under his own roof. There was a guard next to the stairs, who smiled at you when you walked next to him. At the end of the stairs, there was a door, guarded by other two men. And then there was the club. 

Some of the girls danced as a group of men howled with eyes full of lust. You pressed your lips in disgust, but ignored them as you approached the guard in front of the entrance to Oleg's VIP room. The one he used when he had important people over, that had a private bar and access to all the dancing rooms. 

He lifted the rope. You thanked him with a polite smile, trying to hide how nervous you were. And Oleg came immediately, with a big smile on his lips. 

"Y/N" he cupped your cheeks "You look absolutely beautiful" his eyes fixed on yours and you tried to smile back "I knew this was your color" 

"Thank you, Oleg" you nodded respectfully.

"Come, I want you to meet someone" his hand grabbed your waist, and you walked next to him to the couches at the end of the room. 

There was a huge group of people there, everyone was already drunk, smoking and laughing loudly. You knew some of them, and they eyed you up and down when you walked past them. It was disgusting, like a steak placed in front of a hungry dog. But Oleg was there, and they wouldn't dare to try and touch you. 

Not in front of him, at least. 

You were so distracted by everyone in the room that you didn't realize he was in there too. Oleg made you stop next to a beautiful velvet couch, and when he raised his head and looked at you, you froze. 

He was even more beautiful than you remembered. His eyes were the most beautiful thing you had ever seen, and you bit your lip nervously. 

"Ivar" Oleg smirked "Let me introduce you to Y/N, one of my most precious girls" he chuckled "Y/N, my dear, this is Ivar, he comes from Denmark, I remember you told me you'd love to visit Scandinavia"

You cleared your throat, nodding with a polite smile. You had to treat him like you treated all of Oleg's guests. 

"It's really nice to meet you, Ivar" you liked how his name sounded on your lips.

Ivar was looking at you with widened eyes and parted lips, and blinked a couple of times before nodding, smiling in a way that made your knees weak. 

"It's nice to meet you too, Y/N" oh, but your name sounded even better on his lips "Forgive me for not standing to greet you properly" he patted his leg, and you saw the crutch leaned into the arm of the couch next to him.

Oleg pushed you softly to the couch, making you sit down next to Ivar. 

"Do you want a drink, my dear?" he caressed your cheek with a smirk on his lips.

Your mouth was dry, but you didn't want to drink any alcohol, so you just shook your head. He nodded. 

"I have to go now, I have business to attend" he smiled again, that smile that gave you chills "I hope Y/N can entertain you while I'm busy, Ivar" 

You didn't reply, but Ivar shot him a smile with his lips closed as he walked away. The smirk never left his lips. 

You were nervous. Fiddling with the hem of your dress, you looked everywhere but to Ivar. He seemed to be uncomfortable too, with his jaw clenched and his eyes fixed on his lap. 

"You can leave if you want to" he said softly, startling you. You frowned a bit and finally looked at him, tilting your head "I don't want you to feel like you're obliged to sit next to me and... How did he call it? Entertain me"

"It's fine" you smiled "I prefer to entertain you than to entertain his other guests" you raised an eyebrow.

He hummed, smiling back at you. 

"And why is that?" He asked. His voice was addicting, your new favorite sound. 

"They often want another form of entertainment" you giggled "One I'm afraid I don't offer"

"Oh" he raised an eyebrow "I see"

Oleg's guest usually looked disappointed when you made clear you wouldn't fuck them. He didn't even look surprised. 

"What brought you to Kiev, Ivar?" 

He sighed, taking a sip of his drink. He was drinking vodka, but he didn't even flinch. 

"I was running away" he muttered "Oleg heard about me and thought I'd be useful"

"Oleg finds everyone useful" you smiled "In one way or another"

"I find him useful too" his blue eyes fixed on yours and you held his gaze "What brought you to Kiev?"

"Long story" you chuckled "Similar to yours"

He nodded, taking another sip.

"Oleg said you'd love to visit Scandinavia"

"Yes" you sighed "Is it as beautiful as everyone says?" 

"I suppose so" he frowned a bit "I grew up there, for me it's just... Home" 

It must be nice to have a home, you thought. 

"I always wanted to see the fjords" you muttered "And the northern lights"

"I think Norway would be the best place for you" he hummed softly "In Denmark you can see some northern lights, maybe from the Faroe Islands, but our fjords aren't as impressive as the ones in Norway, I'm afraid" 

"But Denmark has beautiful places too" you smiled softly "I don't know, I wish I could travel to all of them" 

"Then why don't you?" He frowned a bit "Oleg seems to adore you, I'm sure he'd let you go for a couple of days"

You smiled at him, shaking your head.

"I'm afraid I'm stuck here, Ivar" you sighed "For a long time" 

He couldn't possibly understand that, and you didn't expect him to. Men often thought you were there because you liked to dance half naked to get them horny. Some of them even believed that was your dream job. They thought they were doing you a favor, flattering you, when they said how beautiful you were, all the things they wanted to do to you. 

When, honestly, you just wanted to be in your bed. 

Ivar opened his mouth, but then closed it again, shaking his head and blushing. You giggled, he was cute. 

"Are you nervous, Ivar?" you tilted your head with a smile on your lips. Your eyes looked right into his and Ivar smiled softly. 

"Any man would be nervous around a woman like you" 

"I don't think you are like any man" 

"I never said I was" 

You bit your lip and your smile widened. 

"You definitely aren't" 

_______________________________________

You still had that stupid smile on your lips when you entered your small bathroom to take your makeup off. You stared at yourself in the mirror, you didn't remember when was the last time you smiled like that.

Oleg had interrupted the two of you, just when Ivar was telling you about the colorful buildings in Copenhagen. He needed you, to show you off in front of his more powerful guests. The way he spoke to Ivar sounded like he thought he was being too generous with him for letting him talk to you. 

You spent the rest of the night being Oleg's little pet, like always. He caressed your cheek and your waist as he laughed at the bad jokes his guests made, and smirked every time he caught them staring at your legs or your chest. Ivar sat down with all of you, but his eyes never left your face. 

He was the only one that wished you good night, with a soft smile on his lips as you excused yourself. Olivia didn't come down, and you had knocked on her door before going to your bedroom, but she was already asleep. You just hoped Oleg wasn't bothered by her absence. 

When you were already changed into your pajamas, after hanging the dress on the wardrobe and cleaning a bit the heels to gave them back the next day, someone knocked on your door. 

Sighing you opened the door, knowing who you'd find at the other side. 

"My beautiful Y/N" Oleg smiled softly at the sight of you "Did I wake you up?" 

"No, sir, I was still awake" you muttered, curving your lips in a shy smile. 

"Oh, nice" he entered your room, looking around briefly before sitting on your unmade bed "I needed to talk to you, but I couldn't do it earlier with so many people around" 

You nodded, closing the door before sitting on the bed next to him. 

"Yes?"

"What do you think about Ivar?" He seemed genuinely interested, which surprised you. Usually, he couldn't care less about what you thought of his guests, and that could only mean that Ivar was special.

"I like him" you tried your best to avoid blushing when talking about him "He's... Different" 

"Yes he is" Oleg raised an eyebrow "He seemed captivated by you too, and that's a good thing, Y/N, because he's a very important man" 

You frowned. You didn't like his tone.

"But what does that have to do with me?" 

"Ivar is the heir of a really important business in Scandinavia, Y/N, I would say he's the most important man in Northern Europe, even if he has nothing now, he's everything" 

"I still don't understand..."

"I want you to keep him happy, Y/N" he interrupted you, pushing your hair behind your ear "We need him to trust us, so be nice to him, be the good little girl I know you are and make Ivar the happiest man in the world... Of course, you don't have to do anything you don't want to, I'm sure he'd understand..." He chuckled, but it wasn't funny to you. 

"Okay" you cleared your throat "I... I understand"

"I knew I could count on you" Oleg kissed your forehead "That's why you're one of my favorites, Y/N" 

You forced a smile, nodding. 

"By the way, my brother Askold will come in a couple of days" he sighed as he stood up "Igor will come with him"

This time, your smile was genuine. You loved Igor with all your heart, but couldn't see him as often as you'd like. 

"I knew you'd be happy to hear that" he smirked "Now, go to sleep little one, you must rest for tomorrow" 

"Okay" you nodded as he opened the door "Good night, Oleg"

"Good night beautiful" he winked at you "See you tomorrow" 

_____________________________________________________

Tags: @mblaqgi​ @alicedopey​ @lol-haha-joke​ @hallowed-heathen​ @naaladareia​ @tephi101​ @captstefanbrandt​ @love-hate-love​ @titty-teetee​ @readsalot73​ @moondustmemories​ @thevikingsheaux​ @therealcalicali​ @chimera4plums​ @blushingskywalker​ @awkwardfangirl02​ @gruffle1​ @justacripple​ @love-dria​ @heartbeats-wildly​ @letsrunawaytotomorrow​ @inforapound​ @sallydelys​ @hellogabysblog​ @trashcanx @winchesterwife27​ @hecohansen31​ @youbloodymadgenius​ @xinyourdreamsx​ @funmadnessandbadassvikings​ @eteramfools​ @tgrrose​ @flokidottirsstuff​ @lovessce​ @tootie-fruity​ @heavenly1927​ @wonderlandofsu​ @didiintheblog​ @alexhandersenx​

I hope I didn’t forget anyone💜 Thank you for reading!😘

[pastelwitchling]

hey if you're still taking prompts, how about alex being nervous about introducting forrest to his brothers, and greg at first being surprised because he thought he and michael were a thing but after alex tells him more of their history and how much michael and maria hurt him, he’s fully supportive of alex dating forrest and is glad that alex has someone who makes him happy? love your writing btw.

***

               “Don’t be nervous.”

               “I’m not nervous.”

               “You’ve fixed that collar three times already,” Alex said, trying very hard not to laugh as Forrest blushed in the passenger’s seat. “You’re nervous.”

               Forrest dropped his hands, fidgeting nervously with his rings instead. “Maybe we should go back. I need to change. I just realized I’m wearing way too much black. How could you not tell me I’m wearing this much black?”

               “I think you look sexy in black,” Alex said.

               “I’m meeting your family, Alex,” Forrest said. “Sexy is not the way to go when you meet your boyfriend’s family.”

               “You’ll have to forgive my lack of boyfriend etiquette then – I’ve never given a crap to what I look like around Wyatt Long.”

               “And that’s why I love you,” Forrest said. “But your family’s different.”

               “How come?”

               “Because I’ve met your friends, and they always give me a look like they can’t believe I’m still around,” he said dryly, and Alex’s smile dimmed. “I really don’t want to get that look from the other Manes men.”

               “And you won’t, okay?” Alex promised him. “I’ve already told my brothers all about you. I’m pretty sure the only thing that’ll startle them is if I show up with someone else. Now,” he covered Forrest’s hand with his own. “Are you ready?”

               Forrest was looking out the window, scanning Gregory’s home and the closed door, but his hand turned under Alex’s and gripped his fingers. “Uh…”

               “You know I’ll date you either way, right?” Alex teased. “If you don’t want to do this –”

               “What, so Alien Guy can say he’s met your brothers and I haven’t?” Forrest scoffed. “No. Nice try, Manes. I’m meetin’ ‘em.”

               This time Alex did laugh. “Well, you’ll see. They’ll love you as much as I do.”

               “And how much do you love me?” Forrest asked, brow raised.

               “Enough not to kiss you in front of my brother’s house,” Alex said as he leaned in to hover his lips above Forrest’s. And despite what he said, he did peck Forrest’s lips before moving back.

               “Okay,” Alex said. “Come on, let’s get through this together.”

               Alex saw Forrest visibly swallow and follow him out of the car. It was heartwarming, to see the guy who never feared anyone, who never seemed concerned about anything, actually look nervous to meet his boyfriend’s brothers. Alex tried not to read too much into it, but his heart couldn’t help but do a flip as he thought about being so precious to someone.

               Alex knocked on the front door, and instead of Gregory, Flint was the one who answered. He pressed his lips together in an awkward sort of smile at the sight of Alex, but when his eyes turned to Forrest, his lips pursed.

               “This him?” he asked, gesturing at Forrest with his chin.

               Alex’s shoulders fell. “I told you his name, Flint.”

               “I thought you were joking,” Flint confessed and turned his back on them as he went back inside. Alex and Forrest followed, and Alex closed the door behind them.

               “Greg!” Flint called. “Alex and his boyfriend are here!”

               “Was – uh – was that a good start?” Forrest said quietly when they were out of earshot.

               “From Flint?” Alex scoffed. “That was basically the red carpet.”

               “Alex? You here?” Clay emerged, his dark hair tousled as if he’d spent hours running his hand through it. A habit both he and Alex had picked up from their mom. “Hey, bro,” he said, engulfing Alex in a one-armed hug with a beer bottle in his other hand.

               “Clay,” Alex said and stood beside his boyfriend. “This is Forrest Long.”

               “Clay Manes,” Clay shook Forrest’s hand, brows furrowed as he took in the historian’s entire appearance. “You’re not what I expected a Long to look like.”

               “Yeah, well,” Forrest chuckled, and Alex was glad to hear a genuine relief in his voice when he spoke, “none of you are really what I expected Manes men to look like.”

               “Manes men,” Clay sighed. “There’s a phrase.” He patted Alex’s arm and gestured to the large open window at the back of the room. “Greg’s out back with the grill. Come on.”

               As they followed Clay, Alex nudged Forrest’s arm, raising a brow at him, silently asking how he was holding up. Forrest nodded as if he wasn’t at all worried, though Alex couldn’t miss the way he pressed their shoulders together as they stepped out into the backyard.

               “Oh hey,” Gregory said, smiling over his shoulder at Alex and Forrest, then doing a doubletake. “Oh… hey.”

               “You heard that, right?” Forrest muttered low enough for only Alex to hear as Gregory assigned the grill to Flint, and wiped his hands with a rag as he came up to them. “You heard that?”

               “Hey,” Gregory said and wrapped his arms around Alex for a tight hug before Alex could reassure his boyfriend of anything. When Gregory looked to Forrest, Alex was relieved to see his expression nothing short of kind and welcoming. “Hi, I’m Gregory, nice to meet you.”

               “Nice to meet you, too,” Forrest said, glancing at Alex. “Uh – if you need help with the grill, I’m pretty handy.”

               “Yeah?” Gregory clapped his shoulder. “Cool. Then can you – uh – take over from Flint? I love the guy, but he burns whatever he touches.”

               “I heard that!” Flint called.

               “Kind of the point!” Gregory called back and began to lead Alex back into the house. “We’ll be right back with some drinks.”

               The others waved them off, but Alex caught Forrest’s eyes before he was pulled inside. There was concern there, a jealous kind of concern that Forrest usually wore whenever the topic of conversation was about to turn into someone else. Alex wished he could promise him that he was going to come right back to him, but the door had already shut and Gregory was already talking.

               “He seems nice,” he said as he opened the fridge.

               Alex placed a hand on his hip and tilted his head. “Go ahead,” he said. “Whatever you want to say, better get it out now.”

               Gregory shrugged. “I wasn’t going to say anything.”

               Alex considered this. “Good.”

               “Except –”

               “There it is,” Alex chuckled, and Gregory huffed a smile.

               “It’s just that… I thought you and that cowboy guy – what’s his name? – Michael were a thing,” Gregory said. Alex couldn’t detect any judgement or critique in his voice; only concern for his brother’s happiness. “Is that over already?”

               Alex sighed and crossed his arms. “It was never really a thing to begin with. Not after he started dating Maria.”

               “Maria,” Gregory’s brows furrowed. “Like… Maria DeLuca? Your best friend Maria – that Maria? Wait, I…” he shook his head. “Your friends didn’t know you liked him?”

               “They knew,” Alex nodded slowly, considering how to best approach this conversation. He remembered a time when it used to kill him to talk about Michael and the way he’d chosen someone else because it was easier; the way he and everyone else had turned their backs on him because… well, he still didn’t really understand why. He guessed it was better not knowing than to just assume that he didn’t matter to these people that were meant to love him.

               But now, things were different. Now, Alex could tell Gregory how Michael had told him to come back only to go to Maria instead, and how Maria had promised him it had meant nothing (a blatant lie), then of Michael’s rejection of him because he was associated with too many painful memories – and the most it did was leave a sting in his chest.

               “What about the song?” Gregory asked at the end of it all. “The one you sang at Open Mic Night, I mean… that was about Guerin, wasn’t it? What’d he say to that?”

               “Nothing,” Alex shrugged, and oddly enough, he felt like he wanted to laugh. “He never stuck around to hear the rest of it.”

               Gregory shook his head. “Alex –”

               “It’s okay.”

               “He’s an asshole,” Gregory said. “I can’t believe I…” He pointed his beer bottle at the open window where Forrest was showing Clay and Flint how he grills the steaks, and asked, “What about him?”

               Alex laughed. “What about him?”

               “Is he good to you?” Gregory asked, and Alex smiled despite his red cheeks. “Because if he’s saying some of the crap Guerin’s said to you, then –”

               “Greg, look at me,” Alex said gently. “What do you think?”

               Gregory inhaled slowly as he took Alex in, and – slowly – the tension in his shoulders and the hard lines of his frown softened. “I think… I’m just relieved to know you’re done with macho cowboys.”

Alex scoffed. “As long as he doesn’t date any of my friends, he’s perfect.”

“Bar’s pretty low then.”

               “He’s also a poet.”

Gregory whistled appreciatively. “Nice touch.” He tilted his head at Forrest outside his window. “Well, hey, I like him.”

               Alex turned to look at Forrest as Gregory handed him two bottles, and as he watched his boyfriend laugh with his brothers, his heart expanded in his chest.

               “Yeah,” he said, his voice softer than he could help it being. “Me, too.”

***

A bit out of character, I know, but still fun.

[snowpeawritings]

14. Everyday’s Great...

Philemon seems to enjoy seeing his Wild Cards live on with their lives…

insp.

Persona 4 Golden X FeMC!Reader

05/03/TUE-Daytime | Junes Foodcourt

“If the killer was trying to silence her, there might’ve been something at the scene only she would have understood. Which would mean that the culprit may be someone close to Ms. Konishi.”

The words of Adachi still rang fresh in your mind. Yesterday, you and Yosuke offered to treat Chie and Yukiko Junes’s steak meal as compensation for your Personas practically eating all of the instant noodles. When your group had given them the steaks, Adachi had came by and began rambling his mouth over precious information. The evidence that’s been compiled from the police has been keeping you awake at night. Even Izanami had caught on with your overthinking, her trying to shake you out of it last night and before you were meeting with the others plus Nanako.

Speaking of Nanako, she was having the time of her life being at the food court despite it being, well, just a food court. You wish you could share her happiness but with how those words ring in your mind, you just couldn’t share her sentiment.

“So you’re the family cook, huh? Pretty impressive ‘Big Sis’!”

You blinked out from your thoughts, looking at Chie for a moment before shrugging. “You have to do what you have to do.”

You tried to ignore the sharp, side-eye glance from your Persona as you fiddled with the hem of your coat.

“As expected from our Leader! You’re pretty good with your hands when you made me that pork cutlet the other day!” Yosuke said, giving you a thumbs up.

Jiraiya, who was being held by the scarf by Tomoe, piped up. “’Good with your hands’...? Really, man?”

Yosuke choked, cheeks flushing red. “D-Don’t take words out of my mouth!”

You were thankful for the distraction as Izanami shook her head at the Wind-attuned Persona. “I blame the both of you for that.”

Beside her, the shivering pink Persona looked at Jiraiya and Tomoe. The muscled Persona still had Jiraiya in a strong, leash-like grip. “They’re quite close, aren’t they?”

From that comment, Tomoe sneered but held no ill will against Konohana. “As if I would be close to scum like this idiot.”

“Hey, that’s like two insults already!” Jiraiya yelled at her. “Besides, it’s not like I bug you all the time and the rest of the ladies don’t realize I exist!”

“In case you haven’t noticed, we have a new ally on our cause that I’d rather not corrupt so soon.”

Beside Yukiko, Konohana Sakuya was busy trying to catch a butterfly between her hands. It would’ve been adorable if the butterfly phased through her hands like they were nothing before she sadly sighed. She may not have realized that she was able to physically grasp things at her will but you’ll put your faith in Izanami that she’ll teach her... Even though you don’t know how they do it themselves.

Jiraiya clicked his tongue in disdain before moving his head towards Yukiko. “Hey, Amagi, was it?”

The girl in red jumped up in surprise, not expecting to be under fire. “Um, yes?”

He cocked his head (as much as he could) to your direction. “You sure you don’t have any closeted feelings for ____ here? Because I’m pretty sure Sakuya here says otherwise.”

“Dude!”

“Anyway!” Chie exclaimed before patting her hand behind Nanako’s chair loudly: A sign that there was a child in the group and, most importantly, she can’t see or hear your Personas. “I can consider myself a pretty good cook too!”

Yosuke scoffed. “You? Cook? Hard pass.”

“What, you wanna cook-off?!”

From her battle cry, Tomoe let go of Jiraiya’s scarf and raised her fist at Yosuke. “Bring it on! Chie will not be defeated by the likes of you!”

Jiraiya flexed his shoulders even though you knew that he was joking about this. “Don’t cry when you lose, woman.”

“Children, behave.” Izanami said, but not making a move to stop them at all.

Now that it sunk in, you looked back at her on why she wasn't stopping them. In fact, she was leaning on her left leg and her arms crossed like she's watching actual children fight. All you could think about was since when was Izanami so laid-back? She wasn't like this before and you didn't even know Izanami could take a joke.

As if wanting to further spiral your mind into disarray, she joined in on the festivities. "If we're speaking about culinary talents, it is my own master who will reign supreme."

Good god, since when can she gloat?

Soon, everyone has the same aghast expression on their face. With everyone looking at Izanami like she told them that your hand would be fine if you dunk it in scalding hot water, it was a wonder how Izanami wasn't buckling down from the attention. Even Yosuke, Chie, and Yukiko are looking at her like she was the goddess that she's supposed to be.

Nanako, who finished her snack with a smile, looked up to see all of you staring at something with a funny expression on your faces. She looked to where you all were staring at only to find nothing but a cat with its paws outstretched towards a fish decoration. It was clearly fake and sloppily done-the white of the paper peeking through the mismatched crayons-but the cat deemed it was tasty enough for it to try and eat it.

But the girl thinks that it was funny enough, so she copied your expressions with glee.

Eventually, Izanami noticed their staring and shrugged. "Jiraiya must be rubbing off on me."

Like a gust of wind, the frog immediately slid next to her like in those cartoons before wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "Oh, Izanami! You sly woman, how adorable that you're taking my mannerisms!"

As if to add more to the fire, his voice dipped lower, a tone that you never heard him or even Yosuke since they sound remotely the same, made you shiver. "You trying to turn me on?"

Before Izanami could say anything, a sharp spear was hooked under his scarf and yanked him away. It wasn't long before a smack was heard.

“Um… Anyway…” Yosuke steered back the conversation to them. “So Nanako-chan! With all these contenders in our group, I bet we can make something that could top your mom’s cooking!”

You and Izanami winced.

Nanako answered without flinching. “I don’t have a mom. She died in an accident.”

Everyone besides you and Izanami eyes widened at the statement. Tomoe stood even more rigid than usual, Jiraiya actually paused in his floating for once, and Konohana stopped fiddling with her petals.

It took a while but Chie nudged Yosuke with her hand. “Hey, Yosuke…”

He fumbled with his words, trying to come up with something to try and clear the awkward air, but all he could muster was the usual ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t know’ phrase.

Luckily, Nanako took it in stride. “It’s okay. Even if I don’t have a mom, I have Dad with me.”

And to put the final nail in the coffin for being how cute she was, she turned to you, a happy blush on her cheeks. “And now I have a big sister, too!”

And now to bury the coffin, she turned to everyone. “And I’m having a lot of fun today! I love Junes!”

"... I will die for this child." Jiraiya said seriously. "I will."

"For once, I agree with you frog." Tomoe said.

Even Konohana, the most emotional Persona, started bawling. "Sh-She's the sweetest!"

Izanami tried to comfort Konohana but that even croaked another cry from the pink Persona as her petals fluttered from her shaking.

Looking at your friends, you see that they also share the same sentiment, albeit not as extreme as their Personas. You were pretty sure Yosuke was about to straight up cry though.

Chie smiled at her. "We'll play with you all that you want, Nanako! Just say the word!"

Yukiko piped in. "Yeah, we should hang out more often."

"Nanako-chan!" Yosuke said to her with an easy-going smile. "How about I buy you a drink?"

She nodded gleefully at Yosuke before following him to the drinks stand. It wasn't long before Jiraiya followed them, wanting to watch over Nanako like his life depended on it. The rest of you watched them go away.

"She's a strong girl." Yukiko said after they were out of hearing range.

"Yeah," Chie replied to her, "she makes me feel like I'm the little kid."

"She'll grow up to be a strong woman. I just know it." Tomoe said softly and you couldn't help but linger for a second that Tomoe let her guard down.

Konohana looked at Tomoe then to the direction where Yosuke, Nanako and Jiraiya went. "Do you think Jiraiya may be talking Yosuke's ear off?"

A momentary silence ensued before Tomoe sighed sharply and went to the drinks stand. Konohana soon followed, at least wanting to try and calm down Tomoe. It wasn't long before Yukiko and Chie followed them, not to stop them but to buy something for Nanako.

You have a feeling your friends won't stop spoiling Nanako anytime soon.

"Nanako has them wrapped around her fingers." Izanami said.

You were sure it was a joke. It has to, with how laid-back she is right now.

"You're not going with them?" You asked her.

She paused before she turned to you with her golden eyes. "Not after you tell me what's been bothering you."

You flinched under her gaze, looking away from her piercing stare as you fiddled with your hands. "What do you mean?"

"Do not try and dissuade me. You've been silent ever since you came here with Nanako. Even you aren't immune to her charms."

You struggled to formulate a response. You weren't as eloquent like the books you've read so you can't weasel your way out of her interrogation.

With a sigh, you resigned yourself to your fate as you looked at your Persona. "I'm just… thinking about the case."

She tilted her head. "We think about it all the time."

"No, like-" You said, the temporary flare of frustration creeping up but you held it down. "I just… want to solve this case as soon as possible."

"Hasty decisions lead to dire consequences." She quoted. "We have time to figure out the truth."

"I get that, but like…" You trailed off. You suck in a breath before continuing. "I don't want this team to worry even more. We're supposed to be worrying about midterms, for god's sake. Not finding some serial killer on the loose!"

Izanami sharply said your name, reminding you that you were technically by your lonesome in the eyes of others. "I understand how you feel. You are still a child, wrapped up in responsibilities that shouldn't even be on your shoulders."

She then looked down, looking like she was mulling over on what else to say before staring at you straight in the eyes. "But you have friends that care for you, even a family to care for you. And you still have me."

For what felt like hours, you stared back into those golden eyes. They seemed to shine even brighter than before and you don't know if that was the watery sensation you're getting in your eyes.

"You still have us," She continued, "you're not alone in this."

You blinked away, trying to fight back the tears before nodding at her. "... Thanks."

She let out an amused huff before turning her head to hear footsteps coming towards your table. Nanako came back with a carefree smile on her face.

"Do you want something too?"

Thou art I… And I am thou…

Thou hast established a new bond…

It brings thee closer to the truth…

Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Justice Arcana… 

Persona Time

After bidding goodbye to your friends, you, Izanami, and Nanako went back home. The little girl now has a little baggie full of snacks provided by all of your friends. You wondered briefly if her teeth would be alright with all of the sweets they bought for her but she comforted your fears by saying she won’t eat them all the time.

That being said, that didn’t stop her from eating a choco cornet. The chocolatey filling made her squeal in happiness as she savored the pastry. You two went around the shopping district, not quite ready to go home yet when the sun is still high. You thought about attempting the Mega Beef Bowl Challenge again but it wouldn’t be worth it when it wasn’t raining.

Right now, you looked at the shops, eyes lingering on an old textile shop. Recalling the news last time, there was a brawl that happened in front of the store because some punks were causing a ruckus. It was at that moment when…

“Hey,” Nanako said softly, “there’s a funny-looking guy at that shop.”

The lady’s son stood in front of the textile shop like he was protecting it from anything harmful. His bleached hair made him stand-out from the passersby as his daunting stature made him look like he was a part of a syndicate. If the news didn’t slip that he was a year under you, you would’ve kept your guard up.

You tugged on Nanako’s hand. “Let’s steer clear from that guy, okay?”

She muttered an ‘okay’ before following you. Izanami stepped ahead of you two, cleaver in her hands in case of anything that could happen. You and Nanako hurried to the nearest bus stop, trying to avoid any eye contact from him as Izanami stood guard.

For a moment, you were about to be away from the first-year before somebody stopped you. An arm darted out in front of you, belonging to an older man that you’ve no doubt want to punch his teeth in if not for a child in the vicinity.

“What’s the rush?” He slurred and you recoiled back from his breath. You quickly placed Nanako behind you as Izanami raised her cleaver.

“Leave us alone.” You spat, not bothering to give him the time of day. You tried to dodge him but that led to him sidestepping back in front of your vision. You felt Nanako shiver from behind you as you glared at the man. Izanami swung her cleaver back, ready to maim.

"No need to be afraid! I'm gonna take real good care of you two--"

Before he could even finish his sentence, a fist came and clocked him clean in the jaw. Nanako gasped, you pulled her closer as you followed the fist to see the bleach-haired first year staring down at the pervert like he was scum.

"How many times do I gotta tell ya?!" The first-year spat, kicking his foot towards the man's chest as he doubled-over in pain. "If I see ya here one more time, it won't be just your face that's gonna get a beat-down!"

The man couldn't even respond, seeing from the odd angle of his jaw. He hurried to his feet and ran away from you, not even looking back.

Beside you, Izanami lowered her cleaver. "That was… an event."

You nodded at her before looking down at Nanako. She was still shaking but not as much as before. She didn't even realize her choco cornet had been squeezed too much, the chocolate filling already staining her clothes.

But it looked like she didn't mind. Instead, she looked at the first-year with a wide-eyed smile. "Thanks mister for beating him up!"

Like a lightswitch, he immediately turned into a blushing mess. He stumbled with his words, looking away from Nanako as he stuffed his hands into his pants pockets.

"Sh-Shut up! I didn't do it for you!"

Ah, so he's that type.

"Thanks still, for chasing him away." You said to him, smiling softly. "We owe you one."

He choked. "You ain't owin' me nothin'!"

Your lips quirked upwards at his real demeanor, wanting to tease him even more but he was still a punk that socked someone without hesitation. You still had Nanako behind you and a pile of books that you need to study for midterms.

“Thanks anyway. Stay safe.” You said to him earnestly before walking to the bus stop. Nanako lagged behind a bit, looking back at the bleached boy with a smile.

“Goodbye, strong man!”

Izanami was the only fortunate soul to witness a boy combust to the ground.

[b000mbayah]

Without

Warnings: I wrote this last year when I was dumb so ignore how putrid it is :)

Word count: 2k

Snow gliding through the sky as it piles up on the concrete streets. The sky is cloudy as a mist fogs up our surroundings. Streets of Seoul full of people looking for gifts for relatives. The festive holiday is coming up and people are able to spend the day with loved ones. I used to be one of those people.

I lost my true love a month ago. It was a stupid argument over the most irrelevant thing imaginable, I was just so fuming at the time that I had no idea what I had gotten myself into. It was a trap, either way I was screwed. If I had continued the argument it would have worsened and if I had stopped earlier she still would have left me.

I could see in her eyes that she was broken due to the amount of times I've done this to her. I broke her again... I've broken her for the last time, and now she's gone.

If I had said sorry she would have left, if I begged she would have left, if I had just stopped myself from shouting in the first place. She's scared of me now, her eyes so full of fear as she trembled on the spot. I'll never forget the way she looked at me every time.

The following mornings were full of me proving to her that I loved her whether she wanted it or not. I would have done anything to make her forgive my foolish actions, couldn't do that last month though. It all seems pointless, love. I mean there are positive and negative outlooks on love.

Love can fill you with pure joy and excitement to the point that you forget the numbness that you'll feel after it's over with.

It leaves you broken as if you're a ship with treasure that crashes onto land, losing all its precious moments and times as everything inside spills out, never to be found again.

There are more negatives to love than positives and I swear that I'll never forget her, she was the one I loved most and I let go of her hand, I let her slip and now she's gone.

watching her on stage made me cry every time, hearing the news JYP sent out made me depressed... hearing that she had to have a break from her schedules made me feel guilty.

I look around my room as I retreat away from the window, empty takeaway boxes and cans all around my room. My eyes droop down to my phone on the floor.

Cautiously, I crouch down and pick the electronic up off of the ground. I bite my lip as all my notifications pop up. Multiple miss calls and text messages from all my contacts.

I tap on my messages to see hundreds upon hundreds of messages from my contacts, all of my contacts had text me, all but one. The one that had deleted my number, I refuse to delete hers though, it contains too many memories for me to simply release into a void.

I gulp as I click onto Jihyo's contacts as our last conversation over the phone comes up. All of this was just before the final argument. I was questioning where she was and when she'd get home. She was only practicing with her other members in their dance studio, I let my jealousy get the best of me, again..

I throw the phone at the wall as I got dressed and headed out, I can't say in my apartment forever. I forced myself out the door for the building and into the chilly winter breeze. I inhaled and exhaled the fresh air before taking steps towards the supermarket.

Layers of trampled snow surround the street. As I pass shops I take a simple look inside.

"Y/N!" I turn on my heel to be greeted with my best friend running up to me, a member of twice. I let out a broken smile as sana springs up to me with a massive grin and arms open.

Within seconds she gives me a bone crushing hug. ''y/n, please tell me you're okay?" sana rushes in a speed faster than chaeyoungs rapping skills.

"yeah, I'm just.... Upset about the situation" I frown as she gives me a look of sadness. She nods her head and opens her mouth, "I'm upset as well, I really liked you two together" sana smiles at her words as I gulp, she really liked us together?

"I've been trying to contact you for weeks and weeks but nothing, please may I take you to dinner? You look like you haven't been eating the correct amount of food, I need to stuff you up I time for Christmas" sana says with a worried tone

"s-sure" I stutter out as she grabs my hand and takes me through crowds of people that surround the streets and up to a fancy restaurant where richer people would dine. "w-we cat eat here, it's to expensive, I don't want to cost you that much money"

"no y/n, it's okay, it's nothing really only a few hundred. My clothes are worth more than this'' sana giggles out as she gets us a table with a view of a frozen pond. It took us what? Twenty minutes to get here for a view I'd a pond with what's most likely to be frozen fish inside. I'm not complaining but like those poor fish...

"Take your time, when you're ready to order please ring this bell" a waiter explains as she hands us the menus. We thank her before she walks away.

"what do you fancy getting?" sama asks as I scan the menu's dishes. "urm, the... Mmmm"

"steak?" sana asks me as u nod and go along with the choice. Sana hums as she also decides on what she's getting. I ring the bell as the waiter from before comes back with a pen and notepad.

"what can I get for you ladies?" they ask as sana gives him the order. He bows and leaves us. I turn my head to sana who's wearing a permanent smile right now.

"please come round to our dorm, the girls miss you" I tilt my head before nodding.

"sure but I may have to avoid jihyo" sana frowns at my words but nods her head.

Soon after the meal I ended up at the dorm. Still have no idea how I'm going to deal with this but I'm just going to have to hope for the best I guess. Sana pushes the door open silently, we take our shoes off before continuing on. As we creeped up on tzuyu, even though there was no point, I managed to make eye contact with momo who was eating the packet of cookies I had sent her months ago. She must be really far behind in her food gifts if she's only eating them now.

I place a finger to my own lips as she nods and watches with curiosity filling her eyes.

As we were practically behind Tzuyu we both leap at the same time, causing tzuyu to let out a yelp as we all tumble to the floor. I let out a giggle as tzuyu groans due to the impact. "Get off of me you pathe- y/n?" tzuyu changes the subject half way through as notices me. I smile and give her a small wave. "what are you doing here?" she questions looking at me like she's trying to read me.

oh so I'm a book now????

"I invited her-" I cut sana off, "she dragged me here, oh it was awful, she demanded it and she explained how she would burn down my house and throw me in a ditch if I didn't come" I dramatically say as sana huffs out a gush of air.

"alright then... If you say so but please get off of me, you're both killing me" tzuyu states as we stand back up, dusting ourselfs off.

We enter the living room to see everyone here, including Jihyo...

"Y/N!" everyone in the room exclaims but Sana, Tzuyu and Jihyo. I somehow become covered with six different females as they squeeze me like a teddy bear. Once they all release me, I give them a wide smile and bow as they copy my action.

"y/n, how have you been? We've been busy with-" and I couldn't hear anything dahyun was saying, I am way more focused on Jihyo. Her expression is unreadable as she gulps from time to time. her eyes dart around to find an excuse to leave but nothing comes to her mind.

As soon as she looks up we lock eye contact. I forgot how much I loved those eyes, her eyes show dedication, passion, strength, love... All the things I wish I had. I probably sound whipped for her and the truth is, I am. I would do anything for us to get back together but that wont happen.

"right y/n?" I break eye contact as I respond with a simple nod since my throat is sore from all the crying and screaming I've been doing. I really have been beating myself up over this break up.

"I said that her hair looked like a donkey on steroi-" and blank out again as I make eye contact once again with Jihyo. Only this time we break it for a few seconds before reuniting our eyes.

Without me or Jihyo noticing, Tzuyu manages to take the other members away to give us alone time. Once we realise they're gone an awkward situation is placed between us...

"how have you been?" she begins as she examines the pictures hung on the walls. "pretty bad, you?" I respond as she gulps down on air. "same, what's your reason?"

I freeze, thinking on if should I tell her the truth or not? There's nothing wrong with the truth. "if I'm honest... I've been beating myself up about the breakup, I'm deeply sorry for how I treated you Jihyo. That month I had spent alone had given me time to reflect on my behaviour and what I have done" Jihyo looks at me with an interested look but there's also something else there. "continue..."

"the way I treated you during that relationship was completely irresponsible, I had spent that entire month locked up in my apartment crying about what I had done, I was so frustrated with myself that I couldn't bring myself to forget about it and I'm sorry if I'm invading your personal space by being here but I really hope that one day you can forgive me" my voice goes shaky towards the end as tears form in the corner of my eyes. Jihyo looks me up and down, about to say something when the door opens up.

I watch as a male walks up to Jihyo, I could only see the back of his head as he's asking her questions before turning around to face me. RM? "she doesn't want to see you, please leave her alone she has me now."

My eyes widen in shock but I bow and apologise once again before rushing out crying again. I rush past the other members who share a look of concern before chase after me calling my name. I ignore them though and continue to rush my way out of that place, not wanting to be there anymore due to the once sweet but  now awful memories I have there.

[primedirection]

Hopelessly Devoted

Y/n reaches a breaking point

Another several days pass without really speaking to him and it becomes somewhat routine.

Although, thanks to his insane schedule it was definitely difficult to notice. There was no time to talk or argue for that matter when Harry was in Italy, Harry was in Tokyo, Harry was in Paris, Harry was in Los Angeles—Harry was basically everywhere and with everyone but you.

On one or two occasions you did observe that he'd been in places where she was also present. But he never mentioned it of course, he never had to. The tabloid's and social media sunk their teeth into it like a juicy steak. In which he whimsically dismissed as work coincidence's.

So once again you let it slide. As they say: Pick your battles wisely!

But today you were kind of happy you did. Today was his first day back for a week long break and Anne and Gemma were in town visiting. They promised to come along for a scheduled cake testing for the wedding some time ago. And since neither of you had made arrangments to reschedule it, you would be forced to play nice, even if only for a few hours.

Picking them all up from the airport was fairly cordial but awkward nonetheless given your current limbo status. You didn't skip a beat in putting your engagement ring back on and Harry didn't either, greeting you enthusiastically with a hug and kiss. Though whether or not it was all for show you'd never know. Not to mention the enormous elephant between you two just for the simple fact you weren't sure if the wedding was still actually on. You assumed that the opportunity to discuss that would eventually come along when you were properly alone.

As the day went on and you were on your fourth cake, you realized that this was the perfect activity for bonding and not just with his family.

Despite being wedding reception centric you talked more than you had in weeks, laughed ridiculously hard at each other in what felt like ages, and shared simple trivial affection that you hadn't realized that you'd been craving. You almost cried when he thoughtlessly reached for your hand while waiting on a highly recommended red velvet cake.

It made you take notice of just how much you actually missed him. So you swallowed your pride and relayed it aloud. Genuinely professing, "I missed you."

At that Harry seems to smile with his eyes more than his lips. Interlacing your fingers and kissing the back of your hand. "Missed yeh more pet." There's a nervous flutter in your gut from the gesture and anticipation to be alone. Part of you can't help wondering if this was just an act too good to be true.

"So is anyone allowed to make a speech or toast? Or like are you keeping it limited..?" Gemma curiously asks.

Harry nervous looks to you for the answer. In which you shrug, "Everyone can say and do as they please so long as I don't have to,"

"Oh, lovie you have got to stop being so hard on yourself. Your speech was beautiful! It even made Gem cry,"

"No one was supposed to know that, but she's right. I'm still upset I missed it, if I didn't have that ridiculous conference I swear I would've been there,"

"I know," You smile sadly removing your hand from Harry's underneath the table. "It's okay,"

In the corner of your eye you spot his discomfort on the topic at hand, and it only gets worse when Anne asks, "What did you think? Didn't you love it?"

At the sudden attention Harry flushes a deep crimson from the neck up and nervously proceeds to scratch the area, "Haven't.. Em.. Heard it yet. I honestly didn't know she had one,"

Both women proceed to eye him incredulously, "Are you fucking joking?"

"Gemma!" Anne scolds at her foul and loud choice of words in the small posh cake shop.

"Sorry mum, but come on! You are joking right?" She deadpans, "I mean she poured her heart out for you just for her world to see and now the entire world has seen it!"

Embarrassed he clears his throat and shamefully admits, "I um... No,"

Gemma eyes widen twice their size completely taken aback, "Dickhead, it's a five minute video— hell less than that! All over my feed and it's still all over my feed because people wont stop tagging the three of us in it. How in the holy hell did you not see it?!"

In a matter of seconds tension has shifted, all of it negative and all of it aimed specifically at Harry. Words couldn't begin to explain the utter relief and justification you felt watching on as Harry is forced to listen to everything you felt and couldn't say, and everything you tried to say but couldn't get across clearly. Not only empathetically come from someone else, but the only two people on the planet that meant the most to him.

As much as the vengeful part in you enjoyed watching him squirm. It didn't feel right to have him bludgeoned over the head with it in order for him to get it. Most likely he still wouldn't understand the problem.

So you miraculously find yourself taking up for him with a forced smile. "It's not his fault. He's been busy, especially with this new album," Causing everyone to stare at you perplexed, including Harry.

Also making the dynamic of frustration shift towards you as well. Gemma is flabbergasted, "Please tell me you're joking now? There's no excuse on earth that is ok-"

Instantly this bothers Harry and he makes no secret of it. Irritably interrupting, "We're working on it Gem, alright? Chill out."

There aren't words to define the weird and borderline chaotic atmosphere going on and just when you think things can't get worse. For some God forsaken reason, when the red velvet cake finally arrives to your table, Harry's phone simultaneously starts to ring from his back pocket. Everyone at the table pretty much stops what they're doing just to watch him retrieve it and check the screen. Your stomach uncomfortably drops at the sight of the name 'Kenny'.

He answers it chirpier than ever, even allowing her to akwardly greet his mom and sister. All the while you remain dead silent, willing for him to just end it as soon as possible and yet things just so happen to continue on a downward spiral. As Harry mentions your location at first it spirals into him inviting her to come which is bad enough. But then it spirals further out of control when he volunteers to just meet up with her today instead.

It takes everything in you not to let the raw emotions show on your face. Though not just because both Anne and Gemma were skeptically watching you. In that moment you swear you could've kicked him between the legs.

Eventually he stands from your table before even hanging up the phone. Having already decided, "Today's her only day in town, figured we could hang out for a bit. I don't think we'll pick in one day anyway. Might have a better time picking out a dress," he not so subtly suggests.

"Well you actually have to try the cakes in order to pick one..." You happily hear Gemma retort.

It goes completely over his head anyway, "Dinner later tonight?" He asks at least being polite enough to kiss Anne goodbye. Yet he doesn't exactly wait for a reply either coming around to place a rushed kiss on your cheek. At which you stoically accept.

"You lot have fun. Well.... Not too much fun." In no time he's out the door and on the move. Forcing you into taking on his suggestion because it felt really pointless to stay.

About an hour later and a rib crushing corset deep with six more dresses lined up just like it to try on, reality starts to set in.

First off it takes awhile to even get started because you and Harry haven't even agreed to what theme or color scheme you wanted. So you had to get ahold of him to ask for some ideas and of course as luck would have it. Since he's out and about with his precious Kenny there's no way to get ahold of him. Ultimately leaving you to make something up all on your own.

Aside from the discomfort, the sight of yourself in the beautiful gown didn't feel right in the least. You're supposed to be overjoyed and excited with your bestie trying to get you somewhat drunk and your mom should've been there too. Speaking of moms, you don't register Anne announcing herself before coming inside the dressing room.

One of her hands clamps over her mouth in awe while the other holds an off white dress shirt you presume is for Harry, "Y/n lovie you are down right gorgeous!"

You have to force yourself to smile back at her and utter a strained, "Thank you," not because of how depressed you feel but for some reason you literally felt like you couldn't breathe.

"I don't know what we're going to do with that boy.. Do you know what color shirt is going under his suit? I reckon this colo-" The curiosity on her sweet face easily morphs into concern at the sight of you panicking, "S'wrong lovie?"

Instantly your hand shoots up to stop her from approaching any further because the the room felt small enough as it is. Hoping that with a little time that the feeling would blow over. Though the more time that passed the more over heated you felt. The tip of your ears on fire and the rest of your skin flushing just the same with it. At some point the nude colored stall even begins to shift around you to the extent that you stumble around to grab onto it in order to steady yourself.

Anne's voice floats in and out of distortion and so do the other's in the distance. Somehow you catch her soothing, "Y/N lovie just stay calm. Let's go to the main room for a bit yeah?"

You shake your head, unable to move, suddenly overwhelmed with intense grief. But you force yourself to answer her initial question anyway because it bothered you the most, "I don't- I don't know... anything these days. It's like- it's like... I could have a gun to my head... and he still wouldn't care." You gasp and cry.

"Don't cry hun, it's alright shh," Anne finally eases close enough to hold your trembling hand steady and attempts to comfort you but you only feel worse.

"It's really... not, I- I-... I put him off somehow and it's not how it should be. He's always running off.... with k-" You stop yourself realizing that she didn't need to know that, "It's like... he can't be far enough."

While you talk Anne uses that as a distraction to usher you out of the fitting rooms and into the main area, "That's not true, lovie. It's okay, you're okay breathe!" She reassures slowly but surely getting you to a chair just in time, just before you feel the need to collapse. Gemma and the sales woman are hovering around worried too but you physically can't even begin to focus on them. 'Is she okay' and 'panic attack' seems to be the topic of conversation.

"God I don't know what else I can do to keep up. I- I can't- I can't go through with this." You shamelessly cry out to Anne.

Who's retrieved something from the sales woman that you come to find out is a hand held fan. Anne wastes no time waving it back and forth quickly to blow bigger and stronger wafts of air. Cooling and calming you down all at once. You start to assume that she keeps you talking to keep you distracted, "With what? The wedding? Lovie I'd be worried if you didn't have cold feet."

Your head shakes in denial, unable to find humor in what honestly has been stressing you out the most. "No... be with him..." You gasp out, hating to admit it aloud. Nonetheless in front of his mother, and at the sight of her very own shock. Immediately you wished that you'd never said anything at all.

After awhile something about that confession finally made the deep inhalation part of you your lungs start working again, and slow to follow was everything else. The room stopped spinning and you were able to take in the terrified expressions of Gemma and the sales woman. Going back and forth on whether or not to call an ambulance and eventually they decided not to.

But even worse than the tabloid articles that were bound to come out about this, was none other than Harry Styles making a reappearance. Apparently Gemma had called him and unlike you, actually got through.

He dropped to his knees right between yours, "Came as fast as I could, thank God we were only down the street,"

"It's fine— I'm fine," You immediately lie, loathing the spectacle that this was becoming. You just wanted to go home, "I think I just... overheated."

Wait... We?!?! You pause to look over his shoulder and low and behold there she is. Kendall fucking Jenner standing next to Gemma and she has the audacity to look concerned.

Harry grabs your cheeks to redirect your focus on him obviously worried, "Alright? S'wrong? What happened?"

He's a little breathless as he probably ran inside. But you manage catch the smell of his breath through the gusts of air as he speaks and the close proximity. It reeks of beer and once you realize that the more glossy his gaze is.

"Are you- are you really drunk right now?" You feel like you're gonna cry yet you somehow manage to ask it angrily.

"What?" He's unsurprisingly confused. Possibly a symptom of his haze.

But you're too angry to care, roughly tearing his hands away from your face and standing on numb legs, "You left... You fucking left me to go drinking?!"

Harry frowns still thrown by your reaction, "Will you calm do-"

"No! What the fuck are we doing Harry?!" You cry overwhelmed and over emotional. "Today was supposed to be about our wedding! Does that not mean anything to you?"

"Y/N, lower your voice," he pleads grabbing onto your wrist and uncomfortably glancing at the audience around you.

"No no, don't!" You yank away and stumble a bit from the force. Completely forgetting the restrictive gown you're in, "I am so sick of this shit... I'm done— I am so fucking done!" Frustrated, you gather up the skirt of the gown and rush towards the dressing room to get out of it.

Even then Harry follows close behind until Anne and Gemma protectively intervene, "Just give her a minute to cool down H."

"Jesus Christ," he groans irritated, dragging his hands over his face. Unable to properly formulate what the hell he just walked in to.

He needed to talk to you before you did something irrational. Because right now he got the feeling that the clock was ticking.

(An: I hope y'all like this one let me know)

Final Part

[the-real-tc]

Review: Heartland Ep. 1206 “Diamond in the Rough”

Can a horse be trained to attack its owner? That's the question of the day in Diamond in the Rough, and the newly minted traditional-and-holistic-healing team of Amy and Ty are tasked with answering it. Laura, the newest manager at Fairfield, suspects ex-con Tony is behind her horse's sudden violent mood swings. She’s afraid to go near the horse after he threw her and hurt her arm. Laura believes Tony is jealous of her new elevated position and has "trained" Diamond to attack her as a form of revenge-by-proxy. Ty recommends bringing Diamond to Heartland, so he and Amy can look at him. They initially don't know what to make of the accusation, seeing as it would be difficult to prove Tony had anything to do with Diamond throwing Laura. To rule out anything medical, Ty takes a blood sample. Amy thinks if he was habitually abused, he might eventually lash out, demonstrating the odd behaviors he’s exhibiting.

As they delve deeper into the mystery, Ty and Amy have some uncomfortable moments of confrontation when Laura actually calls the cops on Tony, intent on seeing him arrested for abusing Diamond. Amy feels Ty has contradicted her in front of a client; he feels he was justified in not wanting to jump to conclusions... In other corners, Coach Kim dangles a huge opportunity in front of Georgie’s eyes: she wants to submit Georgie’s name for an elite training program in Switzerland. It would take her away for four months and would also cost a pretty penny. For an aspiring Olympian, it sounds like the next big step the kid really should take. But Georgie has some reservations she’s not quite yet ready to voice… I’m going to voice once again my own apprehension about this whole situation. I’ve no problem with Coach Kim. I do have a concern with how far Georgie could potentially push herself. If she does not take a measured approach, things could spiral out of control. She’s already changed up her workout routine and diet. Taken too far, this could get really unhealthy, and could compromise any plans to go overseas. We’ll see how this plays out… In other business partnerships, last season saw Jack and Tim bring on Mitch as an equal partner in the cattle business. They sealed a deal with Garland Foods, which now supplies its produce section with Heartland beef. But Garland now wants to meet with the partners. Uh-oh, is there trouble in paradise? Mitch has an idea: prepare the best steaks Heartland has to offer and serve them up to Garland and impress him; remind him of why they got into business together, just in case the original deal is in jeopardy. Jack likes the idea… until Mitch shows up with a newfangled BBQ system that includes a sous vide water bath. The patriarch balks at the new gadgetry and wants to stick with the old, tried-and-true charcoal method. It eventually turns into a battle of the steaks. Each man will prepare a steak according to his own ways, and let Garland be the judge. On the lighter side of things, the laughs come from Peter deciding to buy a second-hand Porsche convertible… and Wyatt is the awkward middle-man in the transaction. During a test-drive (with Wyatt in tow) Peter makes an analogy about caring for a precious car that the teen very clearly understands. (Hurt Georgie and die, essentially.) He also earns himself a speeding ticket on the test drive; a feat he repeats on two more occasions… Side note: It was very pleasant to see Lou and Peter, just chilling together as they discuss Georgie's possible future. Too bad their marriage couldn't have had more moments like that. As is usually the case with Heartland, all's well that ends well. Ty and Amy talk through their struggles, and get to the bottom of Diamond's woes. (The ex-showjumper was jumping the Fairfield fences and getting into a nasty plant in a neighbour's yard called locoweed, which is toxic to horses and causes neurological damage.) Laura grudgingly issues Tony an apology, and Ty expects no long-lasting problems for Diamond. Garland comes to the meeting/BBQ and chows down on both steaks prepared the two ways. He loves them both! But if he had to choose, he would choose Mitch's for the tender juiciness. (Sous vide does wonders!) Anyway, the reason he's there is because he wants to double his order of Heartland beef for his stores. His customers can't get enough of it. Mitch wants to agree. Seems things are getting serious with Maya, and a new lucrative deal with Garland would mean more financial security for him and his future. Jack is more reserved. Heartland isn't a big enough outfit to double Garland's order and still keep their other clients supplied. Mitch thinks he has a way they can make it work, but they will wait to see what the absent Tim has to say about it... (I sense trouble in paradise.) Is Georgie Switzerland-bound? Maybe. In the end it's her budding relationship with Wyatt she was afraid of losing. He flat out declares he'll be right there waiting for her to come back, so not to worry. (Are we going to see a repeat of that horrid Amy-goes-to-Europe plot, only this time with Georgie? Hope not. My sole advice to Georgie would be this: Stay away from royalty.) Oh, and Peter returns the Porsche so he can better afford to pay for the potential Swiss trip. (Though with the speeding tickets he racked up, he might not be able to afford it anymore.) Final thoughts: No Katie sighting this episode, but that's because she's with her paternal grandparents! Since they're portrayed by Gabe Hogan's real-life parents, I sure wish we could see them again sometime. It was a minor plot point, but I'd like to think that Lisa's "act of charity" towards ex-con Tony was the direct result of having Ty in her world. Her step-grandson-in-law is a fine example of how second chances can be successful; maybe she sees a little of Ty in Tony. I was totally expecting Peter to get ticketed a third time on his "farewell impulse purchase Porsche" drive and was rolling my eyes in anticipation; then I honestly laughed out loud when he got nailed right there on the street by Maggie's and not the back country road as before. Amy and Ty are now officially in business: Their new business cards prove it! And to answer the question from the beginning: We don't actually know if a horse can be trained to attack its owner. Maybe, if the conditions were right, but Amy and Ty found that not to be the case with Diamond.

[mainexiii]

Let’s Take It Slow This Time Day6 Young K x OC

Everything will be okay.

I'll be okay.

She keep on saying it to herself over again as she pulled over the parking lot of the restaurant.

I'm meeting Brian for the first time in 3 years. First time! Focus Chae..focus. The last thing you do is not to embarras yourself infront of him.

Brian, her ex boyfriend invited her to dinner in their used-to-be favorite restaurant . She don't know reason why, but she accept his invitation .

Or simply because you still love him after all these years. Great Park Chae yeon. You're amazing.!

She cursed herself when she saw Brian inside on his casual clothes, sitting handsomely while sipping wine. The last time she saw him his hair was blonde, now it's black, still gorgeous as ever. Battling long enough whether to back-out or not ,Brian turns his gaze towards her. She gave him her widest smile, and walked towards him.

It's now or never.

Chapter 2 : Business Partner

Awkward

She fixed her eyes at the menu, not understanding a thing,

There's nothing new here though

Their silence makes it more awkward. She looked up at Brian ,still chosing what to eat.

I missed you Brian...

She caughed Brian now looking at her averting his eyes to her menu.

"What do you want to eat?" He asked while putting down the menu.

"As usual." She replied. She gasped at what she said and coughed awkwardly. She looked at Brian smirking .

You Crazy girl!! What do you mean, as usual?! It's not like he remember every piece of you!

Brian called the waiter and ordered two steaks, medium rare. She looked at him amused, he still remember it. Her heart skipped a beat at the thought.

"So, how are you?" Brian asked smiling. Ohh I loved that smile

"I think I'm fine, I have a bakery now, I think you've heard it...it's pretty famous though." She replied smiling back. He replied a nod.

Chae yeon built her own bakery, starting from scratch. It's her childhood dream, building a bakery full of good breads and desserts. All those hardwork from college payed off when she met Mark a half korean half american patissere. They invest so much time and hard work ,and now..It's one of the best Dessert Shop in the country.

"That's nice" Brian said averting his eyes to the food.

"Let's eat Chaeri" He said already digging at his food.

"Uh yeah sure"

She stared at him, he made her that nick name.

He remembered it Chae yeon! Omg

She smiled at the familiar feeling that's creeping in her heart.

They eat their food silently, when she can not stand the awkwardness anymore. She asked Brian why did he invite her for dinner.

"I want to franchise your shop," he declared

" What? I mean..why?" The both of them stopped eating and stared at each other.

"Why not? Did you forget that I studied Business Administration ?" He asked crossing arms to his chest.

She frowned at the thought. Why not? Right? He can also do business too aside from his band.

"Uhmm. Okay?" She said still figuring out what to do.

"I'll asked Mark about it, he's my partner" she said looking at Brian, he raised his eyebrow at the word 'partner'.

"By 'partner' you mean?"

"Business partner! I mean! Yeah" She laughed awkwardly.

"Okay , I'll see you soon I still have practice with the band" He smiled at her and asked for the check.

He walked her into her car when he holds her wrist and hugged her tightly, she felt her heart racing against his chest. Brian pulled away and smiled warmly.

"I missed you Chae" he declared. Still smiling he ruffles her hair and paced back to his car.

She was speechless at the sudden confession.

BRIAN MISSED ME?!

She stayed frozen when Brian's car stopped in front of her.

"Park Chae yeon! Get in your car already it's cold! " he said

"Uh yeah! I miss you too!"

She replied rushing to get in her car. Her heart is going to burst! She calmed herself down when Brian drived away. She felt embarrased. Her cheeks still flushed when she got home. Staring at her phone the whole time, contemplating the text to send it to Brian or not.

*Hey bri, nice to see you again, I'll talk to Mark tomorrow about it, goodnight! :)*

As she's about to send it, her phone beeps.

A text from Brian appeared.. She immediately opened it.

"Hey, can I meet you at your store next week? I would like to talk to your BUSINESS PARTNER personally."

He highleted the business partner. She laughed thinking about his cute antics when he's jealous.

She replied okay and prepares to sleep.

*I think I'll sleep peacefully now, someones jealous * She giggled at the thought and went to sleep.

Chapter 3 : Want you Back

Chae yeon arrived late at the shop, finding Brian and Mark sitting, Brian saw her ,his lips formed a small smile . She walks toward them, feeling the awkward atmosphere with the two man infront of her.

"Hey Brian, you're early.." She sat beside Mark.

Brian looked at them frowning. Now that's jealousy we got here.

"So, I guess the two of you talked about it, right?" She asked breaking the silence.

They talked about Brian franchising the shop, they went into further details regarding the marketing strategy and various types of desserts to be made. Fortunately, it ended smoothly as Brian asked her for lunch. She glanced at Mark and the latter gave an assuring smile.

They went for lunch and Brian wants to catch up with her.

"How did you met Mark?" Brian asked munching his food. He really loves to eat, that's one of the best thing you like about him, he eats really good.

"I met him after we broke up" she looked at Brian. He stop eating and took a sip of water before looking at you.

3 years ago Chae yeon's POV

"Let's break up" Brian said.

We've been friends for 2 years, dating for 3 years. 5 years knowing each other, I didn't expect it to end this fast. I love Brian since day 1. He came up with lame reasons just to break up with me.

1. We've known each other for too long, i think it's time to let go. JERK

2 . There's no one involved, but ... I want to focus on my music.

3. I dont love you anymore, maybe we can be just friends? Back to normal?

"Asshole" the only word that came out of my mouth before I walked out of his life.

She stared at Brian, he look so apologetic.

"Don't give me that look Bri, you should've done it before. To be honest,.. You messed up my life so bad Bri, you never came to see me even once, and I just thought to myself that you really don't love me. I think you we're just carried away to me liking you too much. But, 3 years! Wow, I'm an idiot!. Pathetic."

She gulped down her water and heaved a sigh. Relieved that she finally let it all out. All the sleepless night's she went through, buckets of tears and alcohol.

"Wow,! That was refreshing! I finally let all my hatred go! " She exclaimed and gave Brian a smile.

"I want you back" Brian said without breaking eye contact with her. Her smile slowly disappeared.

3 years ago Brian's POV

"Are you really breaking up with her?" Sungjin asked with a worried look.

"Yeah, I have too hyung, Her world revolves around me, I want her to be independent. Make friends and ...start a dream." Brian replied

"But, the consequences of your actions Bri. I hope you're aware of that, you'll hurt her, and you'll hurt yourself too." Jae reckon

"Chae yeon is too precious hyung.. I love her you all know that but, she have to established her own career too. I dont want her to regret everything.. She's still young and capable and she's smart too . I won't let it go to waste."

"Let me talk Chae yeon please" Brian pleaded, the sincere look on his face made her heart all soft for him. She took a big sigh and let him talk.

" All those reason I've said when we broke up.. Are lies, I love you Chae even now. After all these years, it's still you. I tried dating other girls but my heart yearns for you. I know Im a jerk for hurting you and im very really sorry for that, but I have to let go of you for you to grow! You're world is me. And I dont want you to waste your life by sticking with me, you have to build your own future too. " He explained tears started falling from his eyes, she never saw Brian crying.

" Bri, you hurt me. It was painfull! You telling me that you dont love me anymore when all I do is love you with all my heart!" Her voice started to crack tears welling from her eyes.

"That's the point! All you do is love me! But I want you to love yourself too.. " Brian moves infront of her kneeling, caring less whoever likes to see their drama. He holds her hand kissing the back of it. And wiping her tears, he pulls her out of the restaurant and into his car.

They're both silent in the car, letting Chae yeon calmed down from all the crying, eyes swollen and a runny nose.

" Can you drive me home? I want to take a rest." She said wiping her nose.

Brian nods as a reply and drive her into her apartment silently.

They arrived and walked her into her doorstep. He hugged her silently kissing her head. He felt her arms snakes into his waist and pulls him closer . They stayed like that for awhile lighting up old fires.

" I'll see you tomorrow okay? Think about it, please" Brian said as he pulled away from the tight embrace.

She nod giving him a smile.

He smiled back and let her went inside.

chapter 4:

sooon

[ryik-the-writer]

[A03]

The Golds invite the Charmings over to dinner and, of course, things do not go as planned.

Sequel to Game Night Gamble , and part of the Never Unwanted series. Not quite a Thanksgiving fic but I try :p

Age of the kids: Gideon (22), Neal (23-ish), Dante (around 8)

Gideon released a nervous whistle as he added the final touches on his outfit. After two hours of tossing garments around he’d finally decided on a decent look. He frowned however at his hair. He need a cut, and the boyish locks made him look like he was going to a church service rather than a dinner with his possibly-soon-to-be-boyfriend and his parents.

He added a bit of gel, glaring at his shaking hands in the mirror. It was just Neal for gosh sakes! Nothing had changed between them really. They were still best friends…just friends who found each other attractive and had a knack for kissing that one time.

Son of a bitch he was screwed.

Just as he pulled his fingers from his hair, his cellphone buzzed. He glanced down and saw that it was from the three-way message he, Robyn, and Neal had started long ago.

He swiped and read the message from Robyn.

Ready for tonight boys 😉

Gideon rolled his eyes and carefully texted a response. He wanted to be careful in case Neal read it.

Yep…nervous. Just a bit 0-o

Admitting his fears helped unravel the knot in his stomach. Barely a second later came a response. Gideon expected to see Robyn’s name on the tag but was surprised to see Neal’s.

Everything’s going to be fine. No matter what happens, I still want to be with you.

Gideon grinned, feeling silly with his warm face. His cellphone went off again with an additional message from Neal.

Is it too early to start calling you babe? Do dudes even call each other babe?

Before Gideon could respond Robyn broke in.

DON’T KNOW DON’T CARE YA’LL BABES TONIGHT!!! XDDDDD

Gideon flinched at the overuse of caps. For the first time he was glad Robyn had turned down his invitation to “chaperone” tonight’s dinner (mainly because it would mean bringing her mother and the last thing he needed was for her and his father to start a battle).

A quiet knock on the door pulled him from his musings. He found his sister standing there, looking smaller and very unlike her usually peppy self.

“Geez Dee, why so…glum?” Gideon shrugged.

“Shove your lack of rhymes.” Dante muttered, flopping down at the end of bed, her hands flinching similarly the way their father’s did when he was nervous.

“Grumpy grumpy,” Gideon cornered, looking away to select a tie. “Not that I don’t always enjoy the invasion of privacy, but is there something you needed?”

Dante fidgeted a bit before she squared her shoulders.

“Gid, I don’t think we should have this dinner.”

Gideon paused at his sister’s declaration. Just that morning she had been teasing him over waffles, asking questions about his and Neal’s first kiss and what they were planning for a first date. Knowing that there were two additional pairs of ears listening, he answered his little sister with a wink and had given her a ride to school.

“Why?” Gideon asked simply. Dante had never been clingy with his attention, why would she start now?

“It’s just…” Dante paused to think. “You can do so much better with possible in-laws. You were laugh-crying in the shower this morning. Do you really want to do that for the rest of your life?”

Gideon snorted and turned back to decide on the tie. “We’re not even dating yet. Besides, you like Neal.”

“As much as I like you.” Dante snorted, though her fidgeting did not cease.

“Did something happen?” Gideon pushed. Usually, he’d be the best big brother in the world and converse all night with his sister, but tonight he had to decide on a tie and act like perfect boyfriend material for the Nolan’s.

Dante paused, watching her brother as he tried to decide between a blue or red tie. She couldn’t tell him, not when he was trying so hard to be better than what most people thought he was.

What they both were.

She stood quietly and prepared to leave him in peace. She had already promised her mother she’d set the table, “with the good china” as she had requested.

The youngest Gold spared a glance over her shoulder at her nervous brother. Tonight was his night, and she was utterly terrified for him.

“The red one.” She muttered, crossing her arms tightly around her center before heading downstairs.

-,-,-,-,-,-

Belle chewed her lip as she put the final touches on her potato salad. She had closed the library early so that she could come home and prepare for dinner with the Charming’s and the rest of her family was doing their parts. Rumple was on the patio getting the grill heated up while Gideon was changing his clothes yet again.

“Anything you choose will look great sweetie,” Belle laughed earlier as she watched her son tried to choose between three different plaid shirts.

“It’s not Neal I’m trying to look good for,” Gideon said absently as he looked back and forth between belt buckles.

“You’re not dating his parents,” Belle had said. “Everything’s…” Belle stopped. Saying everything would be fine would only make things more stressful. It was better to let her son stress now so that he’d be more relaxed at dinner.

She was taking her own advice now and all but pulling her hair out. She hosted dinner parties before, so why was this one particularly nerve-wracking?

“Because the Charming’s aren’t just acquaintances any longer, their possible in-laws.” Rumple responded when Belle asked him the exact question. He was marinating the steaks and wearing a pink apron that was too ridiculous to be worn during such a serious conversation.

Belle glanced upstairs before she moved closer to her husband. “It’s a bit…early to talk like that isn’t it?”

Rumple gave her a small smile and a shrug. “They’ve been friends since infancy. Anything’s possible.”

Belle sighed and took another sip of the wine Rumple had poured for her. It was pleasant to hear her husband think so positively about the future. For so long they had just lived day by day, waiting for catastrophes to arise. Thinking any farther than next week was dangerous.

She glanced at the clock on the oven and felt her stomach turn. The Nolan’s were due at their home in 15 minutes.

She glanced out into the dining room where her usually quiet daughter was slowly setting the table. She’d been there for ten minutes and only had two plates down.

Belle wanted to be irritated, but her maternal instincts would often outweigh her aggressive ones. There were some perks to being married to an infuriating man like the Dark One after all. She laid down her knife and walked over to the table, leaning against the glossy wood.

“You’re rather distracted tonight, Dante Colette.” Her mother said with a teasing air.

The youngest Gold looked at her mother, her eyes faltering as she fidgeted with a knife.

“Mom,” Dante began, too quietly and too unlike herself. “If you knew something bad was going to happen, and that there was nothing you could do to prevent it, would you still let it happen?”

Belle mused on the odd question, searching for a way to answer it.

“There was a time when I sensed your father was going bad.” Belle stated. “Right after your older brother passed away, your father went through a dark phase. He was obsessed with gaining more power so that he would never be powerless again.”

Dante sat down, intrigued. “What did you do?”

Her mother was quiet for a moment, her eyes downcast.

“I turned him away.” Belle admitted. “I set him into the world completely powerless because I was so angry at him, and I’ve regretted it since.”

Dante gulped, a coldness setting into her bones.

“I felt like something was wrong with your father but I chose to ignore it. I wanted him to be the man he was before Baelfire’s death. I thought after enough time he would be again. Ignoring the problem cost your father the help he needed., and both of us precious time.”

They both looked up when they heard the door in the kitchen open, indicating that Rumplestiltskin was coming back in from lighting the grill.

“My point, honey, is that it’s important to follow your heart. Is there something you’d like to tell me?”

Dante gulped and glanced up the stairs where she could hear the muffled sounds of Gideon’s anxious footsteps.

“I…well…”

Before Dante could answer, the doorbell resounded through the house and a cry from Gideon followed.

“Oh my gods their here!” Gideon screamed from upstairs. A moment later he came bounding down, his hands pulling at the soft tie around his neck. “Get this thing off me it was a stupid idea!”

“Son for goodness sake stop before you choke yourself.” Rumplestiltskin sighed, pulling his nervous son to the living room to help him calm down.

Belle made a sharp glance at the door and then back to her daughter. She didn’t want to force her daughter into a decision, but time was of the essence.

“Sweetie?” Belle nudged with a gentle smile.

Dante closed her eyes for a long moment before taking her mother’s hand, letting her pull her up.

“That’s my brave girl.” Belle smiled.

“It follows, right.” Dante shrugged, shoving her hands in her pockets as her mother went to answer the door.

-,-,-,-

“We were…a bit surprised when you invited us over.” David admitted to Rumplestiltskin as he turned a steak over on the grill.

Rumplestiltskin took a sip of the wine the Charming’s had brought, thankful the majority of the guests were of drinking age. A drink on all their parts could help tonight run a bit more smoothly, though he doubted things would get heated. The Charmings were open-minded people and had one of the grandest love stories to ever be written. Love came in all forms, surely, they’d understand that when it came to Neal and Gideon.

“It was Belle’s idea.” Rumple said, realizing how rude he must have sounded the moment the words left his mouth.

David however chuckled good-naturedly, his over-expansive sense of humor saving them both from an awkward conversation.

“Neal seemed a bit nervous about coming over.” David added, keeping his eyes on the grill.

Rumplestiltskin blinked and studied the Charming clan patriarch.  

“Is that so?”

Charming nodded, a secret smile spreading from the corner of his mouth.

“I figured he’d be…nervous…eventually. I’m not too surprised, I just thought it would happen sooner…the nervousness I mean.”

Rumple tried not to roll his eyes at the allusion David was trying to set.

“And did your wife notice the “nervousness”?”

David’s smile dimmed, but just slightly.

“Um, no, I don’t think so. She’s been a bit preoccupied over Emma lately.”

Rumplestiltskin nodded sympathetically. Emma had been traveling the realms with Killian since just after Neal’s second birthday. Over the years her visits home had become sparse, and in the last year the only form of communication she had with her family was a few salt-crusted letters detailing her adventures and how happy she was.

Rumple tried not to judge her decision, but it seemed a bit odd to him that a young woman who wanted a family for so long would uproot herself from them for a man, especially if that man was Killian Jones.

He knew he was hardly one to judge, but he also knew that there was still some vileness in the pirate’s soul, even if he had made a few altercations. It left a sour taste in his mouth to have to acknowledge him as extended family. However, Killian was the Charming’s pill to swallow, not his.

“I wish she could be here right now.” David said, revealing his grief. “For her brother.”

The Dark One nodded. “I’m sorry. I’m sure you can catch her up when she comes home.”

David paused for a moment before nodding. “Yeah…right. You’re right. She’ll be home soon.”

Rumplestiltskin’s heart clenched for the man. David sounded so unconvinced at his own words.

He hoped Belle was having a better time with Snow White.

-,-,-,-,-

“And this is them in the Caribbean!” Snow shrilled, scrolling to yet another photo of her daughter and Killian.

Belle smiled out of politeness, but there was something about Snow White’s overly happy personality that made her skin prickle. She looked over at her daughter who was holding her head as if it was about to explode. Though Snow White had yet to notice, Belle still motioned for her daughter to sit up.

Dante did sit up, but then she stood and walked into the living room where her brother and possibly-soon-to-be boyfriend were. Maybe now she could tell them both what she knew, save this night before it even started.

However, when her eyes landed on her brother and Neal, she did not reveal her tragic secret, but instead watched in awe at the spectacle before her.

Gideon and Neal were sitting a respectable distance from each other on the couch—the kind of distance two young men who had known each other all their lives would sit on any other night. But there was a static-like magic between them. It spread through Gideon’s arm as he wrapped it around the back of the couch, a breath away from Neal’s shoulders. It was in Neal’s fingertips as he unintentionally grazed Gideon’s thigh as they turned up the television to block out Mrs. Nolan’s animated talking.

“Man.” Dante cursed. Darn her brother and unofficial brother for having such natural chemistry! How could she take such a thing away from them?

-,-,-,-,-

“The steaks are cooked great, dear.” Belle commented, winking at her husband. “New marinade?”

“Yes,” Rumple smiled, “David’s cooking skills should be given the credit. For the life of me I can never remember the difference between a well and a well-done.”

The adults at the table chuckled good-naturedly while the one minor at the table struggled to keep her fork steady.

“Everything’s fine.” She said to herself. “Everyone’s in a good mood. Just keep it up, it won’t happen. They’ll be fine. Everything will be fine.”

“You know, we were surprised you invited us over.” Snow spoke up as she dabbed her mouth with a napkin. “It’s been so long since we’ve really set foot in your home.”

It was on the tip of Rumple’s tongue to remind her former majesty that the only times she had set foot in his home at all was to demand help from him or to pick up and drop off her son. However, this was Gideon and Neal’s night, and he would rather bite his own tongue off than ruin it for them.

Belle glanced at Neal and Gideon. She noticed that one of each of their hands were under the table, holding and comforting each other. Gideon met her eyes and gave a small nod.

From the end of the table, Dante whimpered. It was happening.

“Actually, mom,” Neal spoke, sitting up straighter in his chair. “Dinner was our idea. We have something we want to tell you.”

David hid his grin behind his clutched hands, sending a knowing look Gold’s way.

“Oh, is it another play?” Snow inquired. Gideon had started writing plays during college and often recruited Neal and Robyn to help him with them.

“Not exactly.” Gideon relayed, his fingers tapping nervously against his wine glass. Under the table, Neal caressed his thigh to help him relax.

Belle glanced at her husband who winked at her, his smile fading a bit when he turned to Dante. She was tense in her chair as she stared at her brother and Neal.

“Mom, Dad,” Neal breathed, Gideon’s firm grip in his hand giving him a dose of courage he needed. “Gideon and I are…together. Romantically. Emotionally. Sometimes spiritually.”

“Oh my God, Neal.” Gideon groaned as he struggled not to laugh. And he thought he had been nervous when he told his parents.

“Well how about that!” David smiled, trying to act like he hadn’t had a hunch all along. “This is great! Isn’t this great, Snow?”

Belle looked over at the Charming clan matriarch and paled. She was tense in her chair, staring at her son and—now officially—his boyfriend.

“I…what…” Snow blinked, standing from her chair, her eyebrows drawn down in confusion. “No…no absolutely not!”

Belle and Rumplestiltskin exchanged concern looks with their son, and David’s gleeful smile faded at his wife’s outburst.

“No no no…” Dante cried under her breath.

“Snow…” David said after he cleared his throat nervously. “This…” he motioned to their petrified son and Gideon. “Is not a problem. This is our son. Him and Gideon, it doesn’t change anything.”

Snow stepped away from the table, pressing her temples as he dodged her husband’s comforting hands.

“He likes boys, Snow. He likes Gideon.” David tried to sooth calmly. “There’s nothing—"

“I don’t care if he’s gay, David!” Snow exclaimed. “I don’t care what he is!”

“Then why are you—”

“Because I don’t understand why…” Snow looked around the room until her eyes landed on Rumplestiltskin, who met her piercing gaze with one of his own. “Why him?” she wailed, gesturing to the Dark One. “Why did it have to be his son?”

A tense followed Snow White’s outburst, the parties in the room unsure just how to react. It wasn’t until Dante jumped out of her chair and fled from the room with a muffled sob that everyone’s minds began reeling once more.

“Mom!” Neal exclaimed, jumping from his chair. “That is not fair!”

“It doesn’t matter if it’s fair!” Snow yelled, pulling from her husband’s grip. “It matters that it’s true! I have spent too long fighting the darkness for my only son to fall into its trap!”

“Fighting the darkness?” Rumplestiltskin growled, standing from his chair. “You call forcing your daughter’s darkness into another child so that you wouldn’t have to deal with it fighting?”

“I did what was necessary to protect my daughter!” Snow fought.

“And you did so well. How long was Emma the Dark One again?”

“Both of you stop!” Belle exclaimed, creating a very temporary and much needed silence. She and David exchanged looks, two parents who had no hard feelings against each other but had to keep their respective, much more hot-blooded spouses at bay.

“Rumple, go check on our daughter.” Belle ordered softly. She could see the dark magic radiating off him. No one, not even his son’s boyfriend’s mother, was safe from his wrath when his child was threatened.

“Actually Belle, you should go check on her.” Rumplestiltskin said, his eyes locked on the former princess. “After all, Snow White’s issue is with the Dark One.”

“No, father,” Gideon spoke up, standing from his chair and yet seeming much smaller. “Her issue is me.”

Snow White shifted awkwardly before giving the younger man an appraising look.

“Mrs. Nolan,” Gideon proclaimed as steadily as he could. “I…care about Neal very much.” He looked to the young man, who returned his weak smile despite the anger in his eyes. “I always have.”

Snow’s eyes lowered, either in guilt or acceptance Gideon couldn’t tell.

“I promise you that as long as he’ll have me, I’ll be the best person I can be with him.”

Neal watched Gideon, who only a few months ago had been his best friend, his brother and confidant. There had never been a moment when Neal had doubted him, or when Gideon felt like anything but kinship and acceptance from him.

“I’m sorry, Gideon.” Snow White spoke, her spine straight and her voice as apologetic as it had been sincere. “That’s not enough for me.”

“This isn’t about you, Snow, or any of us for that matter.” Belle spoke up. “This is about them, and their lives and decisions. We have to support them no matter what.”

Snow White turned to Belle, her eyes hard and unforgiving. Belle wondered what happened to the woman who had comforted her moments after Hook had shot her, who held her as she grieved for Baelfire and consoled her during Gideon’s ultrasound. Those days seemed so long ago, and the woman before her seemed so foreign, so gone. Her once brave smile didn’t quite reach her eyes and her hands shook and fidgeted on her hips as she damned the relationship before her.

“You might not mind enabling your child’s darkness, but I refuse to let mine go down that path.”

“You should have thought about that before you pushed your daughter into the arms of that pirate.” Rumplestiltskin snarked, satisfied when Snow shot around to him instead of his wife.

“Excuse you!”

“You let her marry a man who made her put him above her family. Her son. You’re grandson.”

“She had a dark curse in her! You’re curse!”

“As did Hook, but it wasn’t until it was made known to him that he acted on his dark impulses. It’s almost as if he used the curse as an excuse for the horrible things he did to all of you.”

“Rumple…” Belle growled in warning.

“And what of now?” Rumple continued. “Where is your daughter on such an important night? Why isn’t she and your “son-in-law” here celebrating this occasion?”

“Dad…” Gideon gasped weakly.

“There’s nothing to celebrate!” Snow yelled, her face red.

“Snow please…” David begged as he held her back from charging at the Dark One, his own eyes filled with grief, for once unable to settle the peace among his friends and family.

“I know what’s best for him! I’m his mother!” Snow continued to shout.

Neal covered his mouth as rage and frustration threatened to boil over inside him.

Rumplestiltskin tilted his head, purposely avoiding Belle’s desperate gaze.

“Belle has been more of a mother to Neal than you ever have.”

In a second Snow was out of David’s grip, her body taunt for a fight, to cause the Dark One something equivalent to the pain raging in her chest.

But she barely made it three steps from her husband’s protective hold (not since Emma had taken on the dark curse had he held her so tightly). A golden cocoon of magic had enclosed around her form, freezing every part of her body but her wide eyes.

“Gideon!” Belle exclaimed when she saw the magic bouncing off his outstretched fingers.

Gideon hadn’t been able to stop himself. He had seen Snow White’s hand ready to strike his father’s face and he let his instincts take over. He hadn’t wanted to hurt her—he would never try to hurt someone purposely.

He just wanted her to stop.

Now he was staring into the fearful eyes the woman who could potentially be his mother-in-law (sure he and Neal hadn’t talked long-term, but more than likely they would end up related some sort of way).

“Gideon…” Neal’s soft voice interjected.

Gideon looked up to see Neal staring at him, having up a few painful inches between them. For the first time in the entire duration of their relationship, there was uncertainty in his eyes.  The twist it caused in his heart caused Gideon’s harmless spell to seize, releasing Snow White into her husband’s protective hold.

“You see!” Snow gasped. “He’s a monster, Neal! Just like his father!”

“Enough, mom!” Neal growled, torn and losing his ability to keep his temper.

In a blur of golden magic, Gideon disappeared, leaving his shocked parents and boyfriend behind.

The room became wanly quiet, so quiet that the adults in the room could just pick up the sound of the refrigerator humming in the kitchen.

So very quiet that Rumplestiltskin—with his enhanced, magical senses—could just hear the muffled sound of his daughter’s sobs upstairs.

If Belle hadn’t grabbed his hand, he might have done something horrible to the former princess, and traumatized her husband and son in the process.

“Go check on our daughter. Now.” Belle ordered. Her voice was as soft as spiderweb, and just as deadly as the creature that spun it. “I’ll handle this.”

Rumplestiltskin had heard her words, and his heart could have overflown with the anxiety he felt for both his children, but he couldn’t take his eyes off of Snow White.

He’d never liked her, in the Enchanted Forest or in Storybrooke. She was a captious hypocrite, and had her nose so stuck up in the air that birds could misinterpret it as a perch. He had understood her anger and disgust towards him; everyone felt that way. It was the way she treated Belle and his son that had made his skin crawl. He treated them like being in her presence was a privilege. For the sake of Gideon and Neal’s friendship he’d kept his tongue, same as he had with Zelena for Robyn’s sake.

He wouldn’t care what she said to him. Yell at him, spit on him. Fine. But not his family. Never them.

But she had. And he wanted to rip her apart, years of repressed darkness filling his veins and threatening to drown him in one swoop.

Suddenly, Snow White’s face vanished and was replaced with Belle’s. The coolness of her blue eyes soothed the fire in his heart just enough for him to function again

“Go upstairs, check on our daughter.” She repeated. She smiled comfortingly at him, but her lip was trembling. “She needs you.”

Rumple nodded and kept his eyes forward as he made his way upstairs.

As soon as she could no longer hear him, she turned back to her guests. Neal was leaning against the table, his hands gripping the polished wood like his life depended on it. David had put just a bit of space between himself and his wife, his eyes cast on the floor.

Belle stepped up the couple, meeting Snow White’s green eyes as her chin lifted with regal smugness.

“Get out, and don’t ever talk to me or my family again.” Belle commanded softly, her hands curled against her sides.

“Fine with me.” Snow affirmed, stalking to the door. “Come on Neal.”

Neal Nolan slowly lifted his head, revealing to his parents his bloodshot eyes and stiff frown.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Neal spoke, his voice garbled.

Snow paused, starting at her son in puzzled astonishment.

“What did you say?” she inquired, not necessary in a condescending tone, but more in a tone that a mother gave their child when they had done something wrong and were given the chance to make amends before consequences were given out.

He was nearly a quarter of a century old and his mother still saw him as a child who needed a firm hand.

“I said,” Neal croaked, his voice rising, “what he hell is wrong with you, mother?”

The look is Snow White’s eyes was more than surprise; it was shocked fury.

Behind her David tried to meet Neal’s eyes, to beg him not to add any more fuel to the fire.

Snow crossed her arms tightly over her chest, as if to shield herself from Neal’s spiteful words. “I did not raise my son to speak to me that way.”

“Actually, you did.” Neal scoffed wetly. “After all I’m the son of the great Snow White!” he exclaimed her title with a great embellish, a trait he no doubt had learned from his unofficial godfather. “The bandit! The runaway Princess! The mother who put her daughter in a tree and forced her to grow up alone in an unforgiving world! The same one who let her marry a man she was tearing herself a part for!”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about! She loves Killian!”

Belle and David exchanged a look of uncertainty.

“She might love him, mom, but she was never in love with him!” Neal revolted. “She never had the chance to, because she was damn terrified of losing him! He made her terrified! And you did nothing to help her!”

“That’s not true.”

“You were so obsessed with making up for the time you lost that you abandoned her in the worst way!”

“Enough—”

“You ignored her trauma to amend your own!”

The sound of Snow White’s hand colliding with Neal’s face echoed throughout the house. It wasn’t until the former princess’s hand fell to her side and Neal’s bright cheek came into view that the full weight of what she’d done hit the people in the room.

“Mary Margaret!” David exclaimed, running between his wife and son.

To Neal’s benefit, he had barely flinched at her assault, and his eye were dry from emotion.

“Oh Gods,” Belle gasped.

“Neal…” Snow White cried. “Oh sweetheart, I’m sorry.”

Neal stepped away, not meeting her eyes. “I’m going to look for Gideon.”

“Neal, no,” David begged. “Please wait.”

“I’ll talk to you in the morning, dad.” Neal called out, jogging out the door before his parents could stop him.

Belle stepped around the inconsolable Snow White, knowing if she so much as brushed up against her she wouldn’t be able to restrain herself.

“Let him go, let him think.” Belle whispered to David. “We all need to calm down.”

David nodded, and Belle averted her eyes from the tears going down his face.

“David, I didn’t mean to do that.” Snow White defended.

“I know,” David sighed wetly, keeping his back to her as he stepped down the steps. “You don’t mean to do a lot of things.”

“David, wait, David!” Snow yelled after him as he stalked to the truck, closing himself in and gripping the wheel. To his benefit, he didn’t start the car, didn’t leave his wife behind. Perhaps he did it because he loved her enough not to let her walk home. Or perhaps it was to protect her from the Gold’s.

“This is all your fault.” Snow growled to Belle.

Belle turned to the Charming matriarch, her jaw locked to withhold any grating comments that could further add to the hostility in the air.

“You and your family are always ruining my life!”

“Get out.” Belle hissed, her resolve melting away. “Before I throw you out.”

“I’d love to see you try.” Snow challenged.

Belle stepped up to the former princess, keeping her fists frozen to her side.

“You listen to me, and you listen to me well.” Belle said stiffly. “I have done my best for over twenty years to remain civil with you. To forgive the blackmail and disregard of my family’s safety and feelings. But I see now that sometimes, kindness isn’t enough, because you don’t deserve my kindness, and you haven’t for a long time.”

Belle stepped back to the door, keeping her glare level with Snow White’s. “I recognize that Rumple has done things to your family in the past, and I understand if you may still hold some ill-will, I don’t blame you. But after the countless speeches of second chances and forgiveness, you think you might at least try to follow your own advice, especially considering all the other grudges you’ve let go.”

“I don’t expect someone like you to understand—”

“Someone like me?” Belle exclaimed. “Someone who’s been imprisoned, and beaten and used as blackmail by ‘heroes’ like you!”

Snow’s mouth remained ajar but Belle did not give her the chance to speak.

“I have done nothing but help and sacrifice for you, and all I’ve ever gotten in return is lies and scorn! But I’ve finally learned my lesson. Neal will always be a part of my family, and maybe even David because he’s always tried. As for you, I don’t care to ever speak to you again.”

“You’re being—”

“And as for what Rumple said earlier, he’s right. I have been a mother to Neal. He comes to me when he feels like he can’t go to you, because I don’t expect him to be some grand hero. Because unlike you, I’ve learned from my mistakes.”

Belle held the door open, daring a response from Snow White. “Now get the hell out of my house.”

Snow didn’t move at first, her body taunt with the sting of Belle’s words. Yet, she didn’t try to charge at her like she had the Dark One. Maybe she had taken all her strength out on her son. Maybe she had lost her nerve. Or Maybe she had taken into consideration that she just might not be able to take on the wife on the Dark One.

With her spine straight and her head high, she exited the Gold mansion, the angry breeze from her departure cooling Belle’s cheeks.

The Gold matriarch leaned against the smooth wood, letting the events of the night play back in her head.

Gideon’s rejected face.

Neal’s hate-filled eyes.

Her daughter running to her room in tears.

Belle allowed her self a moment to grieve. Her children needed her tonight and she hadn’t been able to protect them. Now Gideon was gods knows where and her husband and daughter were trying to sort out their own pain upstairs.

Belle wiped her eyes and quickly converged a game plan. She needed to find her son and Neal, help them understand that everything was going to be alright.

The sound of her husband’s distinctive footsteps and Belle met her husband’s eyes over the banister.

“Hey,” he greeted softly. “How’d it go, I heard yelling.”

“I held my own,” Belle sighed. “I’ll relay the details later. Right now, I need to find Gideon.”

“Later,” Rumplestiltskin waved off. “Our daughter needs to tell us something.”

Belle paused. Dante had been acting strange all day and she had not had the chance to reveal why. Belle had failed her first tonight, and not more so.

“Gideon…”

“Is an adult and will be fine while we help our daughter.”

“Just because he’s an adult doesn’t mean he still doesn’t need his parents, Rumple!”

The Dark One paused, taking the blunt of his wife’s outburst. He made his way down, ready to comfort her. When he reached the final step, he saw her chin wobbling and the unshed tears burning her eyes.

“Come here.” He said just as Belle collapsed into his arms.

“Oh Gods Rumple I failed him.” She wailed into his shoulder.”

“No, no sweetheart.” Rumplestiltskin cooed. “You didn’t fail anyone. You did everything you could to make this a good night for Gideon and Neal, it just…didn’t happen. But it’s not your fault.” He pulled back and tilted her chin to meet his eyes. “It is not your fault.”

Belle nodded, sniffling and wiping her eyes.

“I’m sorry for earlier.” Rumplestiltskin apologized as he massaged gentle circles into her shoulders. “I made the situation worse by losing my temper.”

Belle shrugged. “You were defending our son. And I’m glad you did most of the yelling.”

Rumplestiltskin snorted in amusement before intertwining their fingers. “Let’s go talk to Dante, then, if we don’t hear from him, we’ll go find Gideon.”

Belle nodded and let her husband lead her upstairs, sparing a glance at the front door just in case their son decided to make a sudden an appearance.

Dante was curled onto her side, her hoody covering her red face.

Belle’s heart constricted at the sight. Dante never cried. She’d always been the happiest baby, never fussy, never cranky or tantrum-prone. Today had been the most unhinged she’d ever been during the entire eight years of her life.

Belle didn’t like either of children being sad, it was unheard of for her daughter. Something had happened before Snow White’s outburst, and Belle was determined to find out just what it was.

“Sweetie,” Rumplestiltskin cooed, rubbing her arm gently. “Tell your mum what you told me, okay.”

Dante sat up slowly, using her sleeve to wipe her eyes (a habit her parents would normally try to discourage but now was not the time for a lesson in etiquette). She stared at her knees for a moment, trying to find the constant courage that swelled through her.

“I knew it was going to happen,” Dante relayed quietly.

Belle turned to her husband, confused, and he indicated for her to continue listening.

“I saw that Ms. Nolan was going go off on Gideon and Neal…that she was going to hurt them and Papa but…”

Belle tensed when he saw her eyes watering once more.

“I didn’t do anything,” she cried. “I didn’t know what to do.”

Rumple leaned in and pulled his daughter into his arms, caressing her back as he turned to Belle.

“Sweetheart how…” Belle paused, the realization hitting her.

“You saw it…with magic?” Belle gasped, looking over her beautiful little girl who subtlety nodded at her question.

Gideon’s magic had started developing when he was just over three months old, harmless to begin with, more chaotic until he was able to control it a bit more.

Dante’s however never formed. She’d been a completely magicless baby, leaving her parents to believe Gideon’s had lingered from his time as an adult.

It would seem now however that their daughter was a late bloomer with an extraordinary gift.

“When did it…how does it…” Belle tried the find the words to inquire her daughter’s newfound abilities. It had taken a few tries during therapy, but Belle had managed to accept the place magic had in her life. It was a part of her husband, and now part of both of her children.

“Last summer.” Dante sniffled. “During the trip to the beach. I saw turtles crawling on the beach and I knew to bring a camera.”

Belle nodded, having thought the randomness of her daughter’s sudden “need” for a camera amusing at the time.

“Then I saw other things. Pop quizzes in school, when it was going to rain…things like that.”

“Did you foresee Gideon telling us about Neal during family night last week?” Rumplestiltskin questioned with a tilt of his chin.

Dante shrank down. “Maybe.”

Her father chuckled good-naturedly, showing her that there was no ill-will for her little cheat.

“Why didn’t you tell us that you could see into the future?” Belle inquired gently.

Dante shrugged. “I didn’t really think I needed to. Everything was going fine until today.”

Belle looked into her daughter’s downcast eyes, so full of remorse and hurt. She wanted to lay all those feelings on Snow White, but there was something in her form that made Belle know that some of the responsibility for her secret-keeping were on her.

“Is it because of me?” Belle asked calmly, wanting her tone to be open enough for Dante.

The young girl fidgeted. “You…don’t like magic very much.”

Belle closed her eyes, shame seeping into her blood. True, she didn’t like magic most of the time. She’d always tried to make her home a place where it could be practiced safely, especially during Gideon’s phase when Rumple would teach him spells. Yet she had drummed in her family’s head that magic was for emergencies only, and even then, that there was always a better solution.

“Oh sweetheart,” Belle sighed, pulling her daughter close. “I’m so sorry if I ever made you feel like you had to hide parts of yourself from me.” She pulled her back and wiped away a drying tear, taking a moment to admire the mix of her and Rumpelstiltskin’s features on her face.

“You are so special, Dante Colette. I am so proud of who you’re becoming.”

Dante smiled easily and laid her head against her mother's chest.

“Thanks mom.”

Belle held her youngest close to her, feeling her husband’s embrace wrap around them both after a moment.

It would seem that miscommunication was still a problem in the Gold family, and Belle could only blame tonight’s events on her own lack of it with her children. She should have paused this whole night until she figured out what was bothering her daughter. Gideon would have agreed entirely.

She looked at her husband as his grip around them seemed to tighten. His expression was filled with that old guilt. He felt the same as she.

She only hoped her son was faring better.

-,-,-,-,-,-,-

Neal found Gideon in the clocktower, just as he knew he would be. The dusty space above the library had been their sanctuary for so long. It was one of the very few places that they felt truly safe.

He leaned against the doorframe and watched Gideon curl into himself on the ragged sofa they had hoisted up here when they were twelve (without magic at that).

The young man wasn’t sure just what to say to him to help him feel better. There hadn’t been any harm done, and it was in defense at that.

Honestly though, Neal wasn’t in the mood to give a long-winded speech about hope and redemption. That was his mother’s spiel, and Snow White was the last person he wanted to think about right now. He didn’t want to think at all, really. He rather just…take action.

He sighed loudly, earning Gideon’s attention with a start.

“Hey.” He greeted wetly, wiping his eyes of buried tears. “How’d it…”

Neal shrugged. “The details kind of slipped while I was yelling at my mom. I think your mom sicked her when I left.”

Gideon’s lip twitched in amusement, but he was too upset to joke.

“This was a disaster.”

“It was better than it could have gone,” Neal smirked as he took a seat beside him. “Thanksgivings going to be far more interesting.”

Gideon managed a smile. “Your mom will probably put me and my dad at the kid’s table.”

Neal nudged him. “He’ll flick peas at her the whole night.”

Gideon laughed, breaking the tension in his chest. Neal, even when he didn’t mean to, always said the right things. That was the highlight of why Gideon had fallen for him.

“In all seriousness,” Gideon said, leaning closer to Neal’s side. “I am sorry. I wanted this to be a great night for you…for us.”

“It was.” Neal agreed. “Your family’s fine with us, and so is my dad. My mom can either deal or back out.”

Gideon hesitated before slipping his fingers between Neal’s. “So we’re…okay?”

Neal arched a brow, lifting their fingers to his lips. “As okay as we’ve ever been.”

Gideon smiled thankfully, his eyes glowing with appreciation for Neal. He wondered if it would be too forward to lean in and kiss him after all that had happened tonight.

As he pondered the thought, he noticed that Neal’s cheek looked much redder than the other.

“What happened?” he gasped.

Neal’s expression changed at the inquiry, and he leaned in and kissed Gideon hard, much harder than the younger man would have considering after all they’d been through that night.

Gideon’s heartrate began to increase as Neal’s hand ran down his chest, his fingers running down the red, silky material of his tie.

“I like this color.” Neal husked against Gideon’s ear.

Before Gideon could comment (and thank Dante for her good taste), Neal began loosening the tie and dragging it away from his neck.

The pleasure slowly flowing through Gideon’s veins suddenly froze. While this place held a lot of fun memories for them, it was the last place Gideon wanted their first time to be.

“Neal…hang on just—” he yelped when Neal suddenly pit into his pulse point. When and how he had learned that he would never know.

Neal did pull back at the sound, staring down at Gideon with glaze eyes.

“Is this okay?”

Gideon gulped, trying to muster the words that would convince Neal to either continue or wait. He’d wanted to share his feelings with him for so long but the more physical aspects had been buried in the back of his mind. He’d never been interested in sex, and the idea of it with Neal had just barely grazed his mind.

But feeling his fingers pressing into his shoulders, his eyes cloudy with excitement and another emotion couldn’t quite place, Gideon couldn’t find the will to say no. They would have time to discuss the handprint on his cheek and anything else they needed to in the morning. There would time for everything.

Until then, Gideon nodded his consent and breathed deeply as Neal continued his advancements once more.

[spyderbones]

All the OCs for the OC ask meme! 8D (Well, if you want, that is. xD I just love your charries. ♥)

I finally got around to this!! Whew, it’s been hard work, and I honestly kept forgetting I had to do this, lol… but, thank you!! I love your OCs, too! 8D ♥♥♥

Dawson O'Brian

01. Full name: Dawson Markus O'Brian02. Best friend: His girlfriend, Cora Anderson03. Sexuality: Demisexual04. Favorite color: Green05. Relationship status: Taken ♥06. Ideal mate: His ideal mate would be someone that balances him out perfectly. That can show him how to have fun sometimes, while still being serious when the situation calls for it. That’s supportive of him and encourages him to open up, and to be the best person he can be. Someone that accepts his flaws but inspires him to be a better man… so, in a nutshell, Cora ♥07. Turn-ons: Everything about his girlfriend, lol… but seriously, he’s got a weakness for red hair. And BDSM.08. Favorite food: He’s by no means picky, but if he had to choose a favorite, he’d probably pick some sort of Irish pub food… something hardy but simple, like a shepard’s pie or a lasagna (OH MY GOD HE’S LITERALLY GARFIELD)09. Crushes: Cora Anderson is his one and only ♥10. Favorite music: He doesn’t listen to a lot of music, but when he does, it’s mostly alternative rock, with maybe a bit of country thrown in. An odd combination, but he likes what he likes and he’s unapologetic about it.11. Biggest fear: Losing Cora or becoming anything like his father.12. Biggest fantasy: Literally anything to do with Cora. Seriously, that girl makes for one hell of a sex life~13. Bad habits: He used to be a smoker and sometimes, rarely, he’ll bum a cigarette here and there still. And he still turns to drinking when he’s in a bad mood, a remnant of his teenage years when he was a hardcore alcoholic.14. Biggest regret: Besides some decisions he made in his teenage years- his alcoholism and nearly flunking out of school and getting into fights, that sort of thing- his biggest regret would be a mistake he made early into his friendship with Cora, when he slept with another girl to try to make her jealous. It really hurt Cora, and to this day he wishes he could go back and undo that mistake.15. Best kept secrets: He tends to keep his past a secret, but very rarely does he keep secrets from Cora. In fact, the only secret he’s keeping from her right now is his plan to pop the question, which he’s had worked out for a little while now~16. Last thought: Probably something dirty related to Cora. xD17. Worst romantic experience: He doesn’t have a lot of romantic experience. Cora is his first real relationship, though he’s had a few hook-ups here and there before her. His worst romantic experience would probably be the aforementioned hook-up to make Cora jealous… either that, or the circumstances around which he lost his virginity. It was incredibly awkward, and not at all romantic.18. Biggest insecurity: He’s incredibly afraid of becoming like his father, so any traits he shares with the man- as well as his past in general- are a huge insecurity for him. He can also be a little insecure in his relationship with Cora, because she’s been in a serious relationship before and he sometimes worries that there might be some lingering feelings there, since the relationship didn’t exactly end on her terms.19. Weapon of choice: His fists, though if he had to pick a proper weapon, a greatsword would be the way to go.20. Role Model: Probably some famous architect… I don’t know enough about architecture to pick one by name. xD

Emily Lawry

01. Full name: Emily Julianna Lawry02. Best friend: The girl’s got a lot of friends03. Sexuality: Bisexual04. Favorite color: Red05. Relationship status: Single06. Ideal mate: Someone down to earth to balance out her wild side, and who accepts her for who she is, flaws and weaknesses and all.07. Turn-ons: Confidence, dark hair, crooked grins08. Favorite food: Is wine a food?09. Crushes: None10. Favorite music: Alternative rock11. Biggest fear: Being alone12. Biggest fantasy: She’s not much of a fantasizer… she goes out and gets what she wants13. Bad habits: If you could consider sleeping around a bad habit? She also doesn’t always practice safe sex, oops. She also bites her nails when she’s stressed14. Biggest regret: Losing contact with the only true friend she’s ever had15. Best kept secrets: She got pregnant at fifteen and had an abortion16. Last thought: N/A17. Worst romantic experience: She tends to guard her heart pretty well, but the one time she opened up to someone, he left her after she got pregnant. That wasn’t exactly a great experience for her18. Biggest insecurity: She’s got a bunch of little insecurities, but generally she’s a pretty confident person19. Weapon of choice: A gun20. Role Model: Clarisse from Silence of the Lambs

Steph Harris

01. Full name: Stephen Andrew Harris02. Best friend: He tends to keep to himself03. Sexuality: Gay04. Favorite color: Blue05. Relationship status: Single06. Ideal mate: Someone that understands him and helps to coax him out of his shell, while still being patient with him, since he doesn’t talk07. Turn-ons: Being dominated08. Favorite food: Grilled cheese09. Crushes: None10. Favorite music: Pop music, anything instrumental11. Biggest fear: Something bad happening to the people he cares about12. Biggest fantasy: Settling down with someone that he loves, having a family, the whole white-picket-fence life13. Bad habits: Bites his nails occasionally14. Biggest regret: Not ever getting to know his birth mother15. Best kept secrets: He doesn’t really have any secrets16. Last thought: N/A17. Worst romantic experience: None- he’s totally inexperienced18. Biggest insecurity: His artistic skills; he’s always worried his art isn’t good enough19. Weapon of choice: A pencil20. Role Model: Van Gogh

Kieran Jenkins

01. Full name: Kieran Jenkins02. Best friend: Kit Connolly03. Sexuality: Bisexual04. Favorite color: Dark blue05. Relationship status: Taken06. Ideal mate: Someone who’s patient with him and his flaws, but doesn’t coddle him or treat him like a child. Ideally someone who understands the hardships he’s been through and supports him through them.07. Turn-ons: Being dominated, confidence08. Favorite food: A nice steak09. Crushes: Kit Connolly10. Favorite music: Instrumental music11. Biggest fear: Bad things happening to the people he loves12. Biggest fantasy: He’s pretty tame, honestly13. Bad habits: Drinking when he’s stressed, can sometimes lash out at people who are just trying to help14. Biggest regret: The death of his squad when he was in the army; if he’d gone through the door first, they would have survived15. Best kept secrets: Generally he tries to keep his PTSD/migraines a secret16. Last thought: N/A17. Worst romantic experience: After being discharged, he started seeing a nice girl- nothing too serious, but he liked her well enough. One night, he had a nightmare and, in the haze of it all, attacked her while she was sleeping next to him. Needless to say, that relationship ended quite quickly.18. Biggest insecurity: All his PTSD-related quirks and triggers19. Weapon of choice: A gun20. Role Model: His commander in the military

Maverick Brennan

01. Full name: Maverick Brennan02. Best friend: Lindsay O’Shaughnessey (If I spelled that wrong please correct me, it’s been so long since I had to spell her full name omg)03. Sexuality: Heterosexual04. Favorite color: Brown05. Relationship status: Taken06. Ideal mate: Someone sweet, with a good heart, that balances out the instability he’s known all his life.07. Turn-ons: He’s also pretty vanilla08. Favorite food: Sushi09. Crushes: Lindsay O’Shaughnessey10. Favorite music: Pop/rock11. Biggest fear: Never being good enough12. Biggest fantasy: He’s a tame boi13. Bad habits: He’s a bit reckless, just in general14. Biggest regret: He doesn’t really have any regrets15. Best kept secrets: He doesn’t really have any secrets, either16. Last thought: N/A17. Worst romantic experience: He’s been cheated on before, but he was never  serious enough about her to be heartbroken by it18. Biggest insecurity: His poverty… he’s struggling to get by, and he doesn’t like people knowing it19. Weapon of choice: His tongue- he prefers to talk things out20. Role Model: He doesn’t really have one

Dominic Markovic

01. Full name: Dominic Markovic02. Best friend: Katherine Devereux03. Sexuality: Pansexual04. Favorite color: Black05. Relationship status: Taken06. Ideal mate: Someone with some fire in them, who’s got a passion for what they do- and a passion for him- but that he doesn’t feel the need to keep up with, either. Someone who he’s just as important to as they are to him.07. Turn-ons: Dominating and doing the dominating~08. Favorite food: Again- does wine count as a food? If not, probably blood09. Crushes: Katherine Devereux10. Favorite music: Instrumental piano or violin11. Biggest fear: Losing the people he cares about12. Biggest fantasy: Probably some sort of BDSM fantasy- he’s into that13. Bad habits: He’s got a stick up his ass- does that count?14. Biggest regret: None, really15. Best kept secrets: He doesn’t really do anything that warrants being kept a secret16. Last thought: N/A17. Worst romantic experience: He doesn’t tend to give his heart to just anyone, so he hasn’t had very many “bad” romantic experiences18. Biggest insecurity: He’s not a very insecure person19. Weapon of choice: His fangs/claws- he’s a vampire20. Role Model: No one in particular; he’s his own man

Omg, months later I have finally completed this!! Sorry for the wait- but here, everyone, have this infodump of all my precious OCs. xD

NOTE: Cora, Kit, Lindsay, and Kat are all the creations of @essentiallyzem​ and are also wonderful characters whom I love so very much. 8D

[alexiela73]

Can I have Reader and S76 constantly roasting each other but really being buddie buds, but then suddenly S76 catches a case of feels. Awkwardness, all that jazz and then he confesses in the most awkward way possible? Ending is for you to decide, I'd prefer if Reader isn't any better at this romantic stuff and shy af, but what makes you most comfortable! Thanks for your attention, I love your writing!

Yes you can! So sorry about the wait. 

Jack was staring at you from across the dinner table, his eyebrows drawn in a frown as he looked at you in thought. Ana sat beside him scolding her ‘adopted son’, as Jesse McCree was referred to by many, for having his elbows on the table. And beside you sat Gabriel Reyes, laughing at McCree, who just pouted in annoyance.

You were talking to another trainee, chattering about battle tactics that had really worked out for you in training earlier. Something the trainee said was clearly funny, because you threw your head back and laughed heartily as you worked on cutting your steak.

Shit, Jack muttered, as he realized he thought even your laugh was cute. The two of you had bonded instantly a year ago when you’d met. For some reason there was comfort in each others presence. 

The two of you were often joking or hanging out, or trying to one up each other. Jack never thought it rude to say something impolite about you, but only because you never hesitated to throw it back at him. The two of you were constantly roasting each other, and it had been almost nice. Refreshing-not that anyone else ever got away with it.

What Jack hadn’t expected was that recently, he‘d be thinking about you when you weren‘t near. Or when he saw you, his heart would do this strange little leap and sometimes he couldn’t form words properly.

You’d tease him that his book of witty comebacks was finally empty. But that wasn’t it. Jack didn‘t want this to be true, mostly because the two of you were so comfortable the way you were. Except finally he couldn’t deny it….his feelings were growing for you and he along the way had grown a crush.

The only problem was, he really didn't know how to tell you. That and even if he did, how would you react? There was a pretty good chance you didn’t feel the same. But Ana had already convinced him that he should see anyway, because something really good could come of this.

Orrrrr you could hand his ass to him.

When dinner was done, it was your day to do dishes. Wincing, Jack noticed Ana raise an eyebrow in his direction and gestured at him to follow you. It didn’t help to know she was pressuring him to let out his feelings, but he gathered the dirty dishes and followed after you.

When you saw him come in, you grinned. “Why, hello Commander,” you mocked, starting to fill the sink full of water. “I didn’t realize you were capable of dirtying your ever precious hands.”

Letting out a low chuckle, Jack come to lean on the counter by you. “It does happen sometimes where even the king must do dish duty,” he said, grinning at you and you felt your heart leap slightly in your chest.

Turning away to hide the slight flush to your cheeks, you snorted. “Some king you are. Dry the dishes, would you? I don’t think you could clean a plate worth crap,” you say, waiting for him to make some kind of comeback as you started washing dishes.

Handing him a plate to dry, you noticed the commander was unusually silent as he absentmindedly drying off the plate and started to make a stack. What could he be thinking of, you wondered?

“Maybe...Maybe I could clean your plate,” he said after a moment, and you paused to stare at him. The two of you stared right at each other for a full minute before he groaned and turned away.

“Um...excuse me?” you asked after a moment, unsure of what he just asked you. 

Jack looked embarrassed. Ana had insisted flirting and pick up lines usually worked on someone, especially if you were as smooth as Gabe usually was- but Jack had no idea how to charm a anybody. 

Rubbing the back of his neck, Jack said, “I-I mean, we could clean a plate together. Um...over dinner? Together?” This really wasn’t going the way he had planned it to. Then again, he wasn’t sure what it was he had planned in the first place.

For a moment you narrowed your eyes. “Are...are you asking me on a date?” you asked, thought you really couldn’t tell. What on earth did he mean, clean a plate together?

Groaning, Jack rubbed his eyes. “Yes! Shit. I’m so bad at this. Um..I want to know if you want to...I don't know, go for dinner with me? Maybe a movie?” he asked, wincing. He’d totally botched this.

Face starting to flush, you looked away, hands still in the water and you weren’t sure how to react. You’d started crushing on him awhile back, but you often thought the way you two were together implied no chance for romance. It had been more sibling like, and you thought it had ruined your chances with him. 

“Um...I guess. Movie. Yes...um...movies are okay,” you said, flustered and you didn’t know how to accept without sounding over eager. God, you probably sounded desperate. But you wanted to accept! Jack was your first crush and though his method of asking was weird, you wanted this so badly.

Jack wasn’t sure, because you sounded a bit disinterested in your haste not to sound desperate. “W-we don’t have to...” Jack said, running a hand through his hair and feeling like a fool.

Realizing that you might have overdone it, you tried to calm your racing heart. “I want to, Jack. I do...I’m sorry. We’re not doing this well, are we?” you said with a smile, stopping to take his hand, then realizing it was wet and soapy. “oh, I'm sorry!” you groaned.

Jack clutched your wet hand though, giving you an almost shy smile himself. “As long as you say yes, I don't care how big a fool I look,” he said, squeezing your hand gently.

Eyes softening, you nodded and gave him a kiss on the cheek. The two of you joked for the rest of the evening, though later Ana cornered him and asked what kind of line ‘I can clean your plate’ is.

Jack would never live it down as long as she lived.

[thedoctorishereguys]

Rules: I was supposed to tag 25 people. I’m not doing that. I hate tagging people. Do it if you want to. It passes time.

I grabbed the open tag from someone or another. IDK. It’s on my dash quite a bit today. Hello, whoever I grabbed it from!

LAST: LAST THING I BOUGHT: Coffee. LAST STORE I VISITED: CVS, but I work there. Uh. Fuck, I haven’t gone to any store in like months other than my work. Uh. Gas station, I guess, for my smokes? LAST TEXT MESSAGE: “I can come in for work now if you can pick me up. TY.” LAST SONG YOU LISTENED TO: Everyone says don’t, sung by Raul Esparza. LAST THING I ATE: Shit, when did I even eat last? Fuck. Um. Yeah, this would be easier to answer if I ate more than like once a day. I think steak? Maybe? Idk, really. HAVE YOU EVER: DATED SOMEONE TWICE: Nope BEEN CHEATED ON: I don’t think so? But I wouldn’t put it past the bastard I was with, really. KISSED SOMEONE AND REGRETTED IT: … Honestly, y’know, that’s complicated. I regret the relationship I was in, but I don’t regret having been sexual in general with that person? So… yes and no? Idk. LOST SOMEONE SPECIAL: Yes. My great-grandmas have been gone 12-13 years now and I still have trouble talking about their deaths. BEEN DEPRESSED: I have bipolar disorder, depressed is one of my main emotions. BEEN DRUNK AND THROWN UP: Way too many times to count. IN THE PAST YEAR HAVE YOU: MADE A NEW FRIEND: Yes FALLEN OUT OF LOVE: No. But I haven’t fallen in love either. LAUGHED UNTIL YOU CRIED: Yes MET SOMEONE WHO CHANGED YOU: Yes. FOUND OUT WHO YOUR TRUE FRIENDS WERE: Yes. In all the good ways, found that people I didn’t realize were close really were. I ended up in a psych ward due to a complete mental breakdown, and I realized I had an entire support network that I never thought to ask for help from before. Just everyone in my life really rallied around me. One of my friends, who generally hates driving distances, drove almost an hour to the hospital to see me, sometimes more than once a week (I was there for almost a month). That same friend also hugged me when he left, even though he is the least touchy-feely guy in existence. One of my work friends got really worried about me when I stopped coming to work, but he still didn’t pressure me to talk about it, just asked me what he can do to help, but told me that he doesn’t need to know what happened, only what I’m willing to share. I did tell him everything, because he is a good friend, but he was so good to me. People I hadn’t talked to in ages, because I was isolating severely beforehand, came and visited, or called, and it was just so touching. Even now, a couple months later, people will ask me how I’m doing, and my best friend (the one who drove couple times a week to visit) makes sure to call me several times a week just to check in, just so I don’t end up in that situation again. After the first psych ward visit (I had two this summer), I attempted suicide, and I called that best friend in a panic that I needed to get to the hospital, but I didn’t want my parents to know what I had done, so I didn’t want to call 911, and he came and got me right away, and he stayed at the hospital for almost 2 hours, until they took me back into the psych ward. FOUND OUT SOMEONE WAS TALKING ABOUT YOU: Yes, a coworker, but she does that to everyone, although I think I’m her special project. I don’t much care. GENERAL: HOW MANY PEOPLE ON TUMBLR DO YOU KNOW IN REAL LIFE?: Uh… no one, I guess, but I still defend I know enough about one to count it, so there. DO YOU HAVE ANY PETS?: No and thank god. I’m not an animal person. I used to have lizards, but they died on me. I like lizards. I wanted snakes, but my mom (with whom I still live) said absolutely fucking not. DO YOU WANT TO CHANGE YOUR NAME?: Nah, I like mine. Wish people would pronounce it right, but that’s a different matter. WHAT TIME DID YOU WAKE UP THIS MORNING?: 6 fucking a.m. Which was only because I was due in at work at 7, otherwise, I am not conscious before 1pm, and often sleep until 3. WHAT WERE YOU DOING LAST NIGHT?: Hm. Work until 8pm, which was hell, and then fucking around on the computer until like 1a.m. Which may explain why I feel like death today. NAME SOMETHING YOU CAN’T WAIT FOR: Getting to drive again? Coffee with a girl next week? Seeing my best friend again? HAVE YOU EVER MET SOMEONE NAMED TOM?: … Honestly, I’m sure I have, but none come to mind. Must not have made a huge impression on me. WHAT’S GETTING ON YOUR NERVES RN?: Not much. I’m too tired to give any fucks about anything. Uh. The existence of 7 a.m. I’m pretty sure the devil invented mornings as a punishment for our sins. BLOOD TYPE: A positive. I used to be a blood donor, so I’ve known my blood type for years (I am no longer a blood donor, because the last time I donated, I got so sick my doctor was tempted to transfuse my blood back in.) NICKNAME: I don’t have one. And that’s fine with me. There are no ways to shorten my name, it’s only two syllables, and I don’t particularly care for pet names. Dear and sweetheart and honey are just… ugh. The only one I like is ‘babe’, and obviously, that’s not one I’ll let many people call me (I do have a coworker who calls me that, but she’s awesome, so she can) RELATIONSHIP STATUS: Single. ZODIAC SIGN: Which one’s the zodiac? Is that the one with the animals, like the rat and the horse and ram, or is that the one with the astrology crap, like Cancer and Aries and Taurus? Either way, I’m a horse and a Sagittarius. And it makes no fucking difference. The year you were born in has zero effect on your personality, and the gravitational pull of the planets even less so. Actually, people have done the math, and the gynecologist present exerts as much gravitational pull on you (because all objects exert gravitational pull, not just planets and stars) as some of the planets on the horoscope, so if you really want to blame someone for your failings, why not the doctor who birthed you? The whole thing is an utter load of nonsense, really, bullshit fucking pseudo-science idiots keep falling for because they need something to believe in, because the stark reality that there is nothing guiding their lives and everything is random is too bleak. (This bleeds into my problems with religion, too, by the way, but I have a measure more respect for that, because at least it instills some level of ethics, which astrology utterly fails to do. But only a measure more.) PRONOUNS: She/Her FAVORITE TV SHOW: Doctor Who, Doctor Who, Doctor Who. All the goddamn way, do not take away my Doctor Who. Every other show can go off the air before you take away my precious Doctor Who. COLLEGE: I went to a state school. HAIR COLOR: Black with purple. LONG OR SHORT: My hair? Or other random body parts? I don’t have a penis, otherwise I’d totally make a dick joke here. My hair is as short as I can get it. DO YOU HAVE A CRUSH ON SOMEBODY: Totally! And she said yes to a date, so score! And then there are fictional characters and celebs, and I really need to be better at tagging my posts so @hawkland doesn’t slap me one of these days. FIRSTS: FIRST SURGERY: Breast reduction, 2009. FIRST PIERCING: Ears, 2014. FIRST BEST FRIEND: … First? You honestly expect me to remember that far back? Fucking hell. FIRST SPORT YOU JOINED: Basketball? Soccer? Idk, it was one of those two. FIRST VACATION: That I can remember or that I went on? Because the first that I know of was Slovakia. The first I can remember was… Huh. Hungary, I guess? FIRST PAIR OF SNEAKERS: Who the fuck remembers their sneakers? I couldn’t tell you what sneakers I own right fucking now.   EATING: What are you asking me? First time I ate? First thing I ate? I’m guessing so, since this is under firsts… Well, is breastmilk a food or a liquid? Let’s go with food. So first food was around 10 minutes old and it was breastmilk. WTF is wrong with you? Who else would say anything substantially different? Sure, maybe they had formula instead, but no one is going to say, “Oh, I first ate at 25, and it was a fine steak dinner.” If they do, they’re an alien. DRINKING: Listen, seriously, what the hell? I’M ABOUT TO: Idk. Take a nap, maybe? LISTENING TO: Nothing, I feel no compulsion to surround myself with noise at all hours of the day and night. WANT KIDS: Fuck no. Not ever. GET MARRIED: Sure, if I find someone I like and who can, at least, tolerate me. CAREER: Ideally. WHICH IS BETTER: LIPS OR EYES: For what? Lips are good for kissing and sucking and integral in speaking, which help with things like “I love you,” eyes are good for looking and part of communication. Really. How do you pick? HUGS OR KISSES: Hm. Toughie. Idk. SHORTER OR TALLER: I like my men taller and my women my height. As I’m mainly interested in women… OLDER OR YOUNGER: My age. ROMANTIC OR SPONTANEOUS?: Uh. I’m not a fan of spontaneous, really, I don’t like shit sprung on me. But I’m too awkward to pull romantic off, I usually stick my foot in my mouth about a minute in. Planned out, at least. SENSITIVE OR LOUD: Yeah, these two really aren’t mutually exclusive. Sensitive doesn’t mean you’re not a screamer 😉

HOOK UP OR RELATIONSHIP: Depends what you’re looking for? I mean, I know sometimes I just want sex, and that’s fine, that’s totally OK. And sometimes I want a relationship. It depends what you want. TROUBLEMAKER OR HESITANT: Yeah, hesitant isn’t usually in my wheelhouse. Depends on the situation really. But I’m not a troublemaker, per se. HAVE YOU EVER: KISSED A STRANGER: No. Not really? DRANK HARD LIQUOR: Yeah. A lot of it. I’m a recovering alcoholic, and vodka was my drink of choice. LOST GLASSES/CONTACTS: Nope. If they’re not on my face, they’re on my nightstand. SEX ON THE FIRST DATE: I’m open to it. I don’t see anything wrong with being sexual, as long as both parties are clear on what they want. BROKEN SOMEONE’S HEART: I’m honestly not sure. BEEN ARRESTED: No TURNED SOMEONE DOWN: Yes FALLEN FOR A FRIEND: Yes DO YOU BELIEVE: IN YOURSELF: Some of the time. LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT: Yeah, no. You can feel lust, attraction, whatever, at first sight. But love? The most you can love at first sight is the idea you have built up in your head of that person. You don’t know that person at all when you first meet them, how can you love them? HEAVEN: Yeah, see my rant above about religion. I’m an atheist. No heaven. SANTA CLAUS: … I did not just get asked this. Yes. Of course I believe in Santa Claus. And the Easter Bunny. And the fucking Tooth Fairy, which was always the most imbecilic of the lot, and really just there to see how much we can stretch childhood innocence. Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny at least have some kind of sense for a child, but now we’re trying to convince them there’s a goddamn fairy who’d rather have a tooth than money? Who the fuck came up with this? Are we just outright saying children are fucking dumb little shits who’ll believe any fool thing we tell them? Because, yeah, of course most of them do, their parents, who they trust unconditionally, are telling them these things, and telling them about the Tooth Fairy – and Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny, by the way – is an exploitation of that trust, and of childhood innocence. We do it because it’s cute that little kids fervently believe in a magical man who brings presents, instead of the truth, which is that their parents love them, and that because they love them, this one day, they are given gifts, out of that love, and on a holiday that had become about familial love. How is that not a better story? Why does some magical shit need to get involved? And the contortions people put themselves through to keep Santa alive for their children, it’s absurd! (Also, don’t tell me Christmas is not about familial love, because it absolutely is – yes, it’s a religious holiday too, but I think Jesus would approve of it being about love, given his beliefs).

Ugh. Santa Claus. Fucking hell.