#still very much a god though so he's really only got to worry about shit if another god comes for him

[beatcroc]

Is your pfp an oc of urs? Any story?

yah that's N.K.

primer: a former god of fear who has since resigned, and now runs what is essentially an intergalactic tourist trap on his cursed planet, simply known as ''nk's domain''

i don't really do "stories" per se i just have my guys in their 'verse and they have their lore and sometimes that's actionable in a plot sort of way, but most of the time they are just doing their things. nk is one of my oldest oc's and as such probably the most, like, centralizing? nk's domain is sort of a meetup hub for most other characters that don't have their own defined Thing going on, as well as what several characters' Things are directly related to, but nk himself isn't all that much of an active player any more and most of the current story type stuff i'm working with has kinda moved beyond him.

aside from that it's just his history tying him to other stuff; there's a lotta old-guard guys who fuckin hate him back from when he was still doing the whole 'reign of terror' fear deity thing [nk used to stand for 'nightmare king' but he just goes by nk now], there's a bunch a new-guard guys he's pissed off for being the main force behind the universal outlawing of capitalism[honestly not that important and some worlds still do it anyway bc gods are bad at caring enough to actually enforce their rules unless it's like a Really egregious violation], and there's also the history of said "cursed planet" itself [he didnt do that he doesnt know why its like that he just saw it wand went ooooh free real estate. but theres a reason its like that and he's starting to pay the price for having taken it over [accidentally unleashed an imprisoned god-parasite plague][uh oh][its that yellow thing in the last image][this is actually what my "main" "story"/alleged webcomic is about] [go here go in the dark]]

[walpu]

I've got those requests almost at the same time jsrfwwxewe also I fucked up big time and accidentally deleted them but thanks god I've made the screenshots

I've been looking forward to writing something nsfw for him lmao

nsfw headcanons w/Aventurine

characters - Aventurine notes - gn!reader, nsfw, subby!Aven. Somehow turned into a character study. Somewhat angsty but with a turn for hurt/comfort. No beta.

Okay, first of all, he's no virgin. But he's NOT a manwhore either. Like for some reason when it comes to the cunning characters it's always either he's a dickrider-pussydestroyer-900 or he's actually a fragile innocent virgin baby. Not the case with Aventurine, not on my watch at least.

I mean it's pretty much canon that the only moment he feels truly alive is when he's gambling so he won't seek sex for the purpose of filling up the hole in his heart. And I don't see him as a lustful person in general.

He has one-night stands from time to time though. Not particularly often but once in a while he feels a certain level of frustration and stress budling up in him so in order to distress without losing his cool he seeks sexual relief. For him it's a safe way to relax a bit without actually taking off the mask of a frivolous and confident man.

Also. He's very touch starved. Not even in a lustful way, he just wants to feel someone's touch. Someone on twitter pointed out that he's practically hugging himself on his e6 and I haven't been the same ever since.

And now look at his body language in almost every cutscene. He has his arms crossed and is generally pretty reversed. I think he doesn't trust people around enough to be in his personal space but when it's a part of the sexual act, it's just natural. He doesn't have to feel exposed. So yeah. This is another reason why he seeks sex.

Now do you remember what Sparkle said to him? About stripping himself naked for Sunday and all that? Yeah I feel like he gets comments like that a lot due to people's prejudice against Avgins. People are usually not this straightforward butttt the idea behind their comments is the same.

He may act unaffected as long as he wants to but I do think it messed him up quite a bit.

Due to his fucked up views on his own value and his sexuality he doesn't have a healthy set of boundaries with his partners, allowing them to be as mean and rough as they want. And I don't mean just kinky stuff, I mean genuinely uncaring partners who really don't give a shit about Aven's comfort. I think subconsciously he seeks people like this. In his eyes, it's better this way, otherwise he may crumble from a gently and caring touch.

So yeah. His sexual encounters usually leave him sore and exhausted. The initial feeling of relief washes away in the morning, leaving him more empty than before.

Okay now to the happier part because we are 466 words in and I still didn't say anything good or sexy.

If the two of you started your relationship as a fling then initially he would be surprised because of how observant and attentive you are.

"My, my, how caring you are. But don't worry about me, you're free to use me as you wish" he says in the same flirty tone as usual. And you just. Stare.

He acts like he's bored while you literally pry the information out of him and, well, he doesn't give you anything specific anyway so you have to ask questions during the whole prosses to make sure he's doing fine. Orrr you just set for something very vanilla just in case.

In reality he's a bit confused. Has mixed feeling about this. Being treated with such care makes it harder for him to hide behind his mask but it feels so nice.

And when he realizes that he has actual feelings for you he just. Stops sleeping with you lmao. If you have questions about this he'll find 2134144 excuses but in reality he just tries to figure out his own feelings.

If you started off as friends then he would not try to sleep with you until you start dating. At first he just doesn't want to mix up this dynamics. And when he catches feelings, he just tries to make sense of it. Plus since sex is not something entirely positive for him, he's just kind of... unsure how it may affect your relationship even if it's obvious that the two of you want each other.

Okay now the real talk. When the two of you are officially lovers be prepared to face his messed up views on his own sexuality. Will probably need a lot of reassurance, attention and aftercare to realize the importance of his own safety and comfort. Learns to value himself through you.

A very good lover, knows how to please you and wants to please you. His previous sex partners weren't important to him so he didn't go out of his way to make them feel good but with you it's a different story. Literally worships your body, pressing kisses everywhere. Especially likes your thighs. Kisses them, bites them, leaves marks all over them. Loooooves teasing them while keeping eye contact with you right before giving you oral.

I feel like he's a switch but leans towards being a sub. May dom if you want him to or, rarely, if he feels like it.

May look like a brat but is not actually a brat. Well, most of the time. He's a tease but still does pretty much everything you want without making you work for it. However, if he's in a playful mood, may get all cheeky with you. Says stuff like: "Oh, that's all? I know you can do better" or "My dearest, don't disappoint me, okay? You know I don't make deals that don't pay off" just to rile you up. He loves being tamed okay. He knows you won't hurt him so him being all cheeky and disobedient is actually a huge sign that he's comfortable with you and trusts you fully.

Worship his body and he'll melt. Like. He'll genuinely crumble.

Goes all worked up and needy and soft and completely submissive in your arms.

Loves loves loves edging you. And fucking hate being edged. And by "hates" I mean he will whine and sulk and beg you to let him cum already. Secretly loves it but won't admit. You know it anyway since he never tries to stop you, obeying your every command, like a good boy he is. If you tell him that you'll stop doing that if he actually wants you to he'll huff and admit that he's not actually against you being a meanie.

Loves marking your body and loves when you mark his. HOWEVER would prefer to leave/have hickeys on the parts of your bodies that are usually covered. Doesn't want to create any rumors and doesn't want to make you uncomfortable. However, if you're into this, he'll gladly cover your entire neck with hickeys.

Is actually very sensitive pretty much everywhere so it's quite easy to overstimulate him. Once again, he'll whine but would never be against it.

Has the pretties moans and is very loud as well.

Doesn't have a lot of stamina so if he tops and you're still not satisfied after he cums, he'll use toys to entertain you up until he is ready for another round. If he bottoms then please give him some time to rest. Andddd kiss all over his body so he would get worked up again as soon as possible.

Has a praise kink. And a bit of a degradation kink too actually. Don't just insult him, mix it up with a praise and boom he's ready to cum.

Loves aftercare. Both giving and receiving it. He feels extremely vulnerable after a sensual lovemaking session so please just hold him and tell him he did great.

[nyoomfruits]

osctober day five

prompt: teacher pairing: charles/oscar word count: 900

“Seriously, Ames?” Oscar says, when he rounds the corner and finds her sitting on a chair just outside the classroom.

“It was for love, dad!” Amelia exclaims, jumping up when she sees him. “I can’t just not do it if it is for love.”

Oscar has conflicting opinions on that. It is, sweet, of course. He’s glad Amelia still believes in the concept of love at all, seeing as her own father is so completely shit at it. But like. He really wishes she would stop hosting flashmobs. Or serenades. Or that time she and that boy from her Spanish class that was really good at programming tried to make a matchmaking app.

“Right, yeah,” Oscar says, ruffling her hair. She’s too old for that now, and he knows he only gets away with it because she knows she’s in trouble. “Just. Maybe find a more quiet avenue next time, yeah? How about a good old fashioned love note?”

Amelia’s eyes light up in a way that the unexperienced eye would find adorable, but that fills the person who has been raising her for the past fifteen years mostly with dread. “Yes,” she breathes out, and then grabs for her bag, probably to retrieve a notepad.

“Okay, well, I guess while you go plan your next ‘disruption of a calm learning environment’ I will go speak with Mr. Leclerc yeah?” He says, hand on the doorknob. She barely glances at him and he sighs as he pushes open the door.

“Ah, Mr. Piastri,” Mr. Leclerc says, looking up from his desk with a wide smile. “You made it.”

Oscar thinks, generally, that he would have a much better time coming to the school to talk about his daughter’s behavior if her teacher wasn’t so goddamn pretty. With bright, sparkling eyes, and a lazy smile, and the kind of artfully tousled hair Oscar couldn’t even achieve if he tried.

The horribly baggy pants and oversized button up combo don’t even ruin the look. Somehow it makes him look cool. Oscar hasn’t looked cool since, well. Possibly ever.

“Yeah, I’m sorry,” Oscar says, sitting down in the chair Mr. Leclerc gestures at. “Again. I don’t know who he has it from.”

“Not you, I presume?” Mr. Leclerc says, eyes twinkling. He doesn’t seem mad, so that’s. Good. Amelia’s previous teacher consistently got their panties in a bunch about the well. Singing. And dancing. And everything.

“No, god no,” he hasn’t tried in a while, but he doesn’t think he could dance. Or sing.

“Her mother, perhaps?” Mr. Leclerc asks, flipping through some folders on his desk.

“Maybe,” Oscar says. “She hasn’t been around for a long time, so. Yeah. I think she mostly gets it from Lando? I mean not the singing and the dancing but this. Need to perform? He’s a DJ, so.”

“Ah, your partner?” Charles asks, looking up at Oscar now, curiously.

“Oh Christ no,” Oscar says, trying not to pull a face, remembers he’s talking to his daughter’s teacher, and schools himself into a more neutral expression. “No, uh. Lando’s just a friend. Of the family. He’s not. He has a boyfriend.”

“Ah,” Charles says. “Alright. Well, I mostly summoned you here because-“

“Because my daughter upheaved your class by performing a perfectly choreographed flashmob to Bruno Mars’s ‘Just The Way You Are’? Yeah, I uh. I heard. And I apologize, again. I’ve been trying to talk to her about it, but it’s-“ he pulls a face. “It’s just me and she’s just uh. Very different and sometimes I just. I don’t really know how to get through to her?”

It’s the most honest he’s been in a while. He doesn’t know why he’s suddenly blurting all of this out to Mr. Leclerc of all people. He’s blaming the big sparkly eyes. Stupid eyelashes, too.

“Hm, I can imagine. All parents kind of feel like that when they reach this age, though, don’t worry. No, I was actually wondering if you were aware of our after school theatre program? I think she would do wonderfully in there. If it’s more the dancing she’s into, or the singing, there’s also a dance team and a choir.”

Oscar blinks. Process. He’s so used to hearing Amelia’s teacher admonish her behavior he wasn’t really expecting anyone to. Well. Encourage her.

“Oh,” he says.

“They’re free, school funded programs, if that’s a concern,” Mr. Leclerc continues. “But I do think it might be a nice outlet for her.”

“Yeah,” he says. He knew, vaguely, that there were clubs. But Amelia had never expressed an interest, and he’d been too busy juggling his demanding job and raising a teenager to ever properly look into them and. Yeah. He takes the folder Mr. Leclerc hands him.

“Thak you, Mr. Leclerc,” he says. Mr. Leclerc stands, and so does he.

“No problem. That was all, really. I do some of the musical accompaniments for the theatre and choir programs so if you have any questions feel free to ask.” By the door, Mr. Leclerc takes his hand. Oscar shakes it a little dazedly. “And please. Call me Charles.”

“Oscar,” Oscar says. Charles hands are soft, and his smile is gentle, and his eyes are still so incredibly stupidly sparkly and fuck. Fuck.

“How did it go?” Amelia asks, when he steps back out the door.

‘I think I might be in love with your teacher’, he thinks. “We’re enrolling you into the school’s theatre program,” he says.

[ashthemadwriter-archived]

Pregnancy Dramas

—Things you faced when you were carrying their child

Fandom: Bungou Stray Dogs

Pairings: Dazai, Chuuya, Akutagawa, Fyodor, Kunikida X Fem!Reader

Genre: Fluff, Mainly Humor

Format: Drabble

Warnings: Pregnancy, Pregnancy problems, Cravings, etc

Word Count: 1.4k

↳Osamu Dazai

If anyone had told Dazai that he would eventually settle down with someone, he would have merely laughed at them; but there he was, standing next to the infirmary bed while looking at you, his beloved wife, who was carrying his baby.

You were now three months pregnant, your belly shaped into a cute bump. You both agreed to not know about the gender of your baby till it finally arrives, therefor, whenever you went to a sonography you only asked the doctor if the baby was ok and refused to gain any more information. You were feeling sick a while ago so Dazai hurried to the hospital to show you to a doctor, and now you were waiting for the result.

The doctor smiled at Dazai's worried face and put the sonography results on the desk. "You're very attentive toward your wife's health condition, but these kind of problems are common during pregnancy. I'll give you some medicine to kill the pain, though I assure you, all four of them are fine"

"Thank you so much, doc—"

You suddenly froze. Looking at your husband and catching a glimpse of his shocked face, you turned your face toward the doctor. "How... How many?"

"Ah, you're carrying triplets, right?"

Shit.

"T-there has to be some kind of mistake, sir" You were now stuttering over your words and Dazai was still silently staring at the doctor with the same expression. "I mean we didn't want to know anything about our baby until it's born but— TRIPLETS? MY FUCKING VAGINA IS GOING TO EXPLODE!"

"I'll... give you a minute..."

As the doctor left the room, you covered your mouth with your hand. "Aren't you going to say something...?"

"I... guess we'll have to ask Kunikida to be the godfather..."

"So that we raise the kids with his money?"

"Yeah"

"Well, sounds like a plan"

↳Chuuya Nakahara

"Sob* this cake is sob* delicious..."

Chuuya had always had a hard time understanding people around him since they were all a bunch of weirdos, and ever since you showed him the result of your pregnancy test, he couldn't really get you either.

"Yeah... I would have believed you if you weren't crying while eating it" He shook his head with disappointment as he reached for the cake tray, but you snatched it away and shot him a threatening look. "DON'T YOU DARE EAT MY CAKES. THEY'RE ALL MINE!"

"Ok ok, geez..."

"WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?"

"Nothing! Eat your cakes!"

"Don't tell me what to do! I eat my cakes whenever I want to!"

"Do whatever you want y/n"

You shoved the rest of the cakes in your mouth, and your sobs got even louder. "I'm sob* gonna get nom nom* fat... Waaaa this is so tasty... sob*"

Chuuya thought of leaving the room, but that could make you even angrier.

"It's all your fault that I'm fat since you're the one who got me pregnant in the first place!"

"I'm not complaining baby doll, you look even prettier like this..."

"SO NOW YOU WANT ME TO BE FAT?"

"My god that's not what I fucking meant!"

During these few months, you had become overly sensitive and moody. He really was the one to blame— Chuuya did knew that; but sometimes he lost control and snapped out, like now. Though the second he saw your teary eyes, he sighed and leaned to plant a kiss on your cheek. "I'm sorry honey... What can I do to make you feel better?"

"...More cakes please?"

↳Fyodor Dostoevsky

You were lying on the couch and Fyodor was sitting on the floor with his head on your belly, wearing a soft smile that made your heart flutter. He had become extra sweet with you since the day you got pregnant, so despite all the pain and trouble you were going through, you didn't want these days to be over.

"Are you sure she's going to kick?" he held your hand gently and lightly kissed your palm.

"Positive. I mean, I kinda have the feeling... You know, motherly instinct and stuff..."

"Then I shall wait a little longer" He closed his eyes and started stroking your hand with his thumb. You couldn't help but to reach out for his cheek with your free hand to caress it, and you almost died when he leaned to your touch.

"Fedya..." "I love you too, my darling"

Then it happened.

A light kick indirectly hitting his head, announcing her presence to her daddy.

Fyodor smiled, a dazzling one that was rare and charming to the eye, and looked at your belly. "My... Our baby is a wild one. That was one aggressive kick"

"I'm sure she's just impatient" Giggling softly, you patted your belly. "She's not aggressive, she only wants to arrive soon. Our baby will be an angel"

"She will be; she takes after her mother, after all"

You closed your eyes at the feeling of his lips pressed against your forehead, thankful for your lovely family. You went through a lot to get to this moment, but you could never regret it even one bit. Not when you have Fyodor, and your soon-to-be-born baby.

↳Ryuunosuke Akutagawa

Safe and sound sleeps had always been a stranger to Akutagawa. Growing up in the slums, he had to sleep with his eyes open so that he would be ready when a threat came along; and even though he was not living in the slums anymore, he still couldn't get much of a sleep.

You wouldn't let him.

"Ryuu" You shook him lightly, watching as his nose scrunched up with annoyance. He seemed put out and he didn't even open his eyes, talking to you with a low, husky voice. "What?"

"I want fried chicken"

You observed him as his eyes shot open and stared at your serious face with disbelief. He looked kind of shocked, and you wondered if he was familiar with the term "Craving".

"Y/n it's 4am" He sounded unsure. "All of the stores have closed by now"

"I'm pregnant with a seven months old baby Ryuunosuke, I don't care if it's 4am"

"Well I'm not going out right now either" He closed his eyes again, trying to go back to sleep; but your sudden remark suddenly sobered him up.

"Fine then, I guess I'll just have to eat you instead of the chicken"

Your tone was not humorous, nor it was threatening. It was more like you were announcing your next steps if you don't get your way.

"I don't think I'm enough to satisfy you. I'm all bones, barely any flesh"

"Then I'll eat your sister. She's not as skinny as you. She's living next door, isn't she?"

Looking at you again, Akutagawa searched for a hint of humor in your eyes to confirm that you were joking; but all he saw was a dangerous gaze, shooting out of a hungry, pregnant woman's vicious eyes.

"...I'll go get my coat"

↳Doppo Kunikida

"Y/n? Where are you?"

Hearing your husbands voice, you get up and exit the bedroom to greet him at the front door of your apartment. You announced your pregnancy to him last night, making him thrilled to bits. After celebrating with you, he had started planning out the ideal schedule for the nine months ahead. He had left you hours ago to go shopping for necessary items, and now he was finally back.

"Welcome home, Anata" You pecked him on the cheek. "So? What did you buy? Lemme see them"

The blonde smiled and took your hand, dragging you inside the living room to sit on the couch. He then started taking his purchases out of the shopping bags, explaining about them with slight excitement.

"This is a medicine to help you stop vomiting, this device is baby sleep that would inform us when the baby wakes up in it's room, and these are some clothes that I bought for the baby. I tried to buy neutral clothes since we still don't know the gender of our baby"

"Oh Doppo, I think it's still too soon to buy some of these" You chuckled and took the small shirt to have a better look of it. Its small size made you feel butterflies in your stomach. You were having a baby that probably looked like your husband. You finally had a family of your own. Nothing could stop you from being happy. Nothing...

"And these are for when your body gets bigger"

You looked at the pregnancy pants in his hands. "When my body gets bigger?"

"Yes"

NOTHING CAN STOP YOU FROM BEING HAPPY.

"Your ankles are gonna swell, your breast are gonna get bigger, even your face might get a bit out of shape in the last month. Your cheeks might bloat as well too. There will also be stretch marks on your belly, and your vagina might dilate if you choose not to have a caesarean... ARE THOSE TEARS IN YOUR EYES??"

All rights reserved © 2023 AshTheMadWriter. Please do not copy, repost, translate, or modify my works on any platform.

[thewertsearch]

ERIDAN: im just saying wwhere the fuck wwere you guys ERIDAN: i had to deal wwith those awwful angels all by my self ERIDAN: do you havve any idea howw hard those assholes are to kill ERIDAN: like at least a minute of sustained fire from only the most legendary wweapon evver and they wwere FAST and ANGRY as SHIT

That's fucking terrifying, what the fuck?

Even without a maxed weapon, John was able to kill a First Guardian Imp in well under a minute.

Eridan's 'angels' survived significantly longer, while under fire from a significantly more powerful weapon. They're massively more durable than the most dangerous Underlings in the game, despite their session's Kernels containing weaker material.

What the fuck are these things made of?

KARKAT: I REALLY DON'T THINK YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE KILLING THEM DUDE. KARKAT: I KEPT SAYING, I THINK THEY'RE LIKE GAME CONSTRUCTS OR SOMETHING. THERE TO SERVE SOME OTHER GAME PURPOSE, NOT FOR YOU TO HUNT DOWN. KARKAT: THEY DIDN'T EVEN GIVE YOU ANY GRIST, YOU IDIOT. THAT WAS YOUR FIRST CLUE.

Far from being random Underlings, these angels are starting to seem kind of important, actually.

Like Jade's frogs, they represent one of the dual traits of their Land - and Jade's frogs are mission fucking critical. Did these angels also have an endgame purpose to serve?

If so, just how badly has Eridan fucked us over?

I don't know for sure if this quote is related, but Sollux described angels as 'terrible' beings who 'usher in the end'.

If these are the the LOWAA angels, then they almost certainly did have an endgame role that Eridan didn't discover.

Guys, I’ll admit it.

Eridan is kind of funny.

Karkat is really worried, isn’t he? He’s desperate to keep his team safe, even though most of them aren’t really listening to him any more.

Everyone gave this guy so much shit for being an ineffectual leader, but even now, he's taking his responsibility very seriously. Most of the other trolls would have thrown in the towel by now.

Six hundred hours.

This campaign went on for six hundred fucking hours, and Eridan still isn’t leaving Feferi the fuck alone. Did shooting all those angels not let off a little steam? Come on, man.

FEFERI: […] Eridan, you weren't really serious about going to find Jack, were you? ERIDAN: of course i wwas ERIDAN: and wwe should do it together ERIDAN: youvve got nothin to fear noww ivve reached a neww heights of powwer no one else can dream of […] SOLLUX: thii2 ii2 the mo2t hiilariiou2 thiing ii've ever heard, he made one of hii2 2hiitty fake wand2 glow a liittle and now he thiink2 he'2 a faiiry god troll or 2omethiing, lmao! ERIDAN: wwas that slander just i heard i cant evven tell ERIDAN: i tend to block out noise from filth wwhose blood is practically the complementary fuckin color a mine

I hate to admit it, but this behavior is actually fairly realistic. The whole world has collapsed, and Eridan is grasping for anything he can latch onto, to provide some semblance of normalcy.

Unfortunately, and predictably, he has latched onto classism like a limpet.

[dootznbootz]

that WHO in no longer u oh my GOD

YESSSS

Like, yeah, Odysseus is like "Yandere" (joking but also not) because kills all who even go near Penelope and Telemachus and he's very protective of them AND jealous.

But I think this "WHO?!" is also a desperate plea as to who is this dangerous man who is near his wife? A warlord? A conquerer? A man who would not even care about Penelope for who she is and mistreats her?

Because even in the Odyssey, Odysseus asks about Penelope to his mother.

Tell me of the wife I married. What are her thoughts and plans? Is she still there with our son, keeping watch on everything? Or has she been married                            to the finest of Achaeans?

(Book 11, Johnston)

There's not even much resentment in his question. There could be but Narrator does not say. The use of "the finest of Achaeans" almost is a "Did she at least marry the best man? Did she at least marry a GOOD man?"

In "No Longer You", when he hears of this dangerous man NEAR his wife, he is SCARED. It could be jealousy but I feel it's more of concern. As it is in the Odyssey.

"I understand if she would remarry, it pains me but I did tell her that when Telemachus finally grows his beard, she could. I will love her always but is she at least happy? Is she safe?"

And she's not safe. She's not happy. He is terrified.

Psst. The reason why My Odysseus takes a long time to grow his beard is because of that line. He's hoping that his son will take after him and take forever to grow a beard like he did (as he doesn't really have one even when he first leaves for Troy) because he would try forever to get home. Penelope even teases him that he still doesn't have one so that's a silly request and that's the point. "I will never stop trying to come back to you. He and I will likely remain beardless forever." (it's a little funky for him when he finally grows one by the end of Troy. He's thinking "...Shit. Telemachus, stay baby-faced for your dad please.")

ANYWAYS.

I mean we all know that these two are obsessed with each other in the Odyssey and in Epic. They are likeminded and are so integral to who they are. They mean everything to one another. I think Odysseus genuinely does want Penelope happy. As even in the Odyssey with him simply asking for another bed, shows how much he loves and respects her. He could've been like "get in it" even though she had rejected him at first but he LISTENS BECAUSE HE LOVES HER. Only breaking down into a sobbing mess when he believes she destroyed their bed.

"Heaven made you as you are, but for sheer obstinacy you put all the rest of your sex in the shade. No other wife could have steeled herself to keep so long out of the arms of a husband she had just got back after nineteen years of misadventure. Well, nurse, make a bed for me to sleep alone in. For my wife's heart is just about as hard as iron."

(Book 23, Rieu)

Please note that this is his attempt to insult her in a way and yet he still talks about her being from Heaven 👀 SIMP

But even though he's deeply hurt by her rejection (poor guy would've probably sobbed himself to sleep) He still asks for another bed. After sleeping on the floor and in the dirt since he's been on Ithaca, refusing beds unless it's his own marriage bed, he takes her 'no' because he values her happiness and comfort over his own. He takes a lesser bed so she can still sleep in their own luxurious one.

I mean we know how fucking awful the suitors are. Hold Them Down is a disturbing song. (as it should be. As they are not good men) He does not even know how bad these men are yet. If his future self could speak with his past self, he'd probably be like "Yeah, don't worry about the guy who kills a bunch of people, they had it coming. ;) " or something.

That "WHO?!" is a mix of jealousy AND fear.

[gojos-thot-patrol]

Now Loading...

A short drabble in which Sukuna grapples with the fact he's going to be a dad

Sukuna had never wanted to be a dad. Why would he have any desire for that? A ball of snot and shit that rolled around on the floor and insisted on getting into everything? No thank you. He had other far better things to worry about. A child was out of the question.

So, it's really no surprise that you kept your pregnancy secret from him for so long. You may have been his favorite of the concubines, but you didn't think his favoritism extended that far. You'd seen other girls slaughtered for being cursed with a child, and were trying to avoid that fate for as long as possible. You couldn't avoid Sukuna though, not if you wanted to hold your spot as favorite. And that spot was the only chance you had of surviving this whole ordeal.

Sukuna wasn't an idiot, much to your dismay, and was very familiar with your body. The moment you started to show, he knew. And the resulting temper tantrum was nothing short of horrific. 

“And just how long were you planning on keeping this from me?!" He yelled so loud you could feel your soul shake. Tears streamed freely down your face as you tried to make yourself seem small.

"I don't know-" you confessed. 

"You don't know?!" He snapped, "you don't fucking know?! Do you think im stupid Y/n? Is that it? Did you think I wouldn't notice you were fucking pregnant?!" He punctuated his sentence with a punch to the wall, making what felt like the whole structure shake. 

"I'm sorry My Lord." You knew better than to try to defend yourself in this situation. Sometimes it was safe to push back against Sukuna. Sometimes he liked to play brat tamer, and remind you of your place in fun ways. Now was not one of those times. To challenge him now would be to meet whatever God it was you worshiped, or lack thereof. 

"You're sorry," He sneered, "you're so sorry, like that fucking fixes anything! Why wouldn't you tell me the moment you knew?!"

"I didn't want to upset you."

"You fucked that up when you got pregnant, whore." He scoffed, pinching the bridge of his nose and looking away in disgust. "Abhorrent girl, bringing a disgusting creature into my temple. Get out my sight until I can decide what to do with you."

You didn't need to be told twice. You rushed out of his throne room and back into the concubines quarters, just thankful to have your life. All in all, he took the news surprisingly well and it went better than you thought. You held your stomach as you worried about what your Lord would have done with your baby. With his baby. But, for now, you had survived the most dangerous part of all of this. Now you really just felt like you needed a nap.

Sukuna avoided you for weeks after that. It was harder than you thought to be on the other side of the avoidance game. You didn't realize how much you had grown to appreciate Sukuna’s attention until it was gone. You wondered what the hell he was up to, especially considering none of the other girls had been "blessed" with his attention either. 

He was too busy battling with his own internal demons. The part of him that wanted you dead for the creature you were brining into his temple- and the part of him that wondered what a baby from the two of you would look like. Would they have his cursed techniques? Would they have your eyes? This was the part of himself that he hated the fucking most. 

He was a ruthless warlord, he had no time for love or children or a family. And he definitely didn't have it in him to admit he'd grown soft for a fucking concubine of all things. How fucking pathetic of him. The only way he could rationalize any of this was to tell himself it was a for an heir. He wasn't going to live forever after all, might as well take this opportunity. Still, was really going to let a fucking whore mother his heir? There was only really one thing he could do. 

You still remember the ice in your veins as you realized all of the concubines had been gathered in the court yard for an execution. It made sense, he hadn't been with any of you for a month now- and for the other girls quadruple that. You had all just become extra mouths to feed. 

So then why weren't you down there with the rest of them? There was no hiding your swollen stomach now, if any of the concubines stood to be killed- it was you. But you had been tucked away safe from the executions in Ryomens sleeping quarters. Why? 

The answer came pretty quick as he joined you in his room. His face was unreadable, which chilled you more than any blizzard could have hoped for. Ryomen had always worn his emotions on his face, and you had always been able to read him as if he were a well loved book. This was out of your comfort zone. You didn't like this.

"I spoke to your father." He finally said.

"My father's alive?!" You gasped 

"Yeah, I was shocked too." He huffed, taking your hands in his. "You're to be my wife." He said rather bluntly as he looked into your eyes. There was no room for negotiation here, Sukuna made that clear. Despite yourself, you felt a wave of excitement surge through your body.

"I am?!" You asked, smilingly like a fool. He gave a rare, gentle smile back. And that's when you finally saw the softness in his eyes that was only reserved for you. 

"You are." He confirmed, "under the condition that you can birth me a healthy heir, that is." He said, placing an uncharacteristically gentle hand on your stomach. You knew without him having to say it that this was his best attempt at an apology. The future king of curses could never bring himself to say the words 'I'm sorry' or 'I was wrong.'  But, he could lovingly take you in his arms, and hope you got the message.

Ryomen was unnaturally tender in the days leading up to you giving birth. He had all of the best doctors on standby, and refused to leave your side. Anyone that so much as breathed wrong in your vicinity would have hell to pay. He didn't know what the fuck had gotten into him. All he knew was that as your stomach got heavier, his need to protect you and the life growing in you got more intense. Like some animalistic part of his brain knew a part of him was inside you, and to protect you was to protect himself. At least, that was how he rationalized it.

The day you gave birth he was a fucking mess. It killed him to listen to your screams of pain and be unable to do anything to help. All he could do was let you break his hand with your death grip, and reassure you you were doing amazing. Rare moments of his praise lost in the sounds of an agonizing labor. He didn't expect the relief that washed over him when he first heard his son cry, a sound he thought was going to be horrifically annoying some how sounding like music to his ears.

"Y/n, can you hear him?" He asked, mostly to make sure you were still alive. 

"Sadly." You were not as enthused by baby screaming as Ryomen was. You were decently pissed off when, after being cleaned and checked over, the baby was given to Ryomen instead of you. You were the one that carried that bitch for nine months, and had just spent hours to deliver him, you should get to hold him first!!

All of that melted away when you saw the look in your husband's eyes as he stared down at his new child. You had never seen Ryomens eyes twinkle, but they were absolutely sparkling now. It even took him off guard just how deeply he fell in love with the baby the moment they touched. Flesh of his flesh, blood of his blood, he was holding his entire future in his arms. His chest felt like it was going to implode from how tight it was, and- holy shit, was he holding back tears?!

"He's beautiful." Ryomen finally choked out.

"He looks just like you." You hummed. He chuckled and shook his head.

"No, not at all. He's too good to look anything like me. He's all you." You shook your own head at the blatant lie. That kid was carved from the exact same marble Ryomen was, but you had no energy to argue. 

Soft cries started to bubble up from baby boy as he stirred. Instinctively, you reached out for your son. It was almost reluctantly that Ryomen handed him over to you. You smiled as you pressed your newborn to your chest to feed him, finally getting a good look at the life you brought into this world. 

"Thought of any names?" You asked your husband. Ryomen paled a bit. He really hadn't. 

"None worthy of him." Technically it wasn't a lie. You chuckled softly. You expected such an answer. 

"What about Ryuu?" You asked, looking up at Ryomen.

"Ryuu?" He asked, mulling the name over. The name meant Dragon. It was strong, and noble. He could definitely see Ryuu Sukuna leading his armies into battle one day. He smiled and nodded. "I like it. Ryuu it is."

[gothgleek]

Agnus Tully- NSFW Alphabet

I do not own the Holdovers nor the images used in this post. All thoughts are my own. The borders are from @saradika-graphics

TW: sexual acts, kinks, parental issues, mention of mental hospitals, porn.

Comments, likes, and reblogs are appreciated but not required 🌸🌼🌸

A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)

Really cuddly and clingy but quiet. He’ll pepper you with kisses and praise, but he’s the one who needs more attention afterwards.

B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

We all know Agnus is a breast man. You will need to snap your fingers a few times before his eyes can tear away from looking down your shirt. Pervert.

He also LOVES biting them and marking you up.

His favorite part of himself is his legs. He takes a lot of pride of being tall and take any opportunity he can to show them off. Hence the James Bond trunks.

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

He has a paralyzing fear of parenthood but he LOVES cumming inside you unprotected. Especially if he can watch it drip out of you before he eats you out. He wouldn’t mind painting your tits with his cum either. He’ll take a pic of you like that too and ruin it later.

D = Dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

He steals your underwear and uses it to jerk off. He’s also into roleplay but he hasn’t found the right time to bring it up.

E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)

His only previous experience comes from porno mags. Maybe he had a partner or two in college, but I doubt it got anywhere emotionally. Regardless, you’re his first MAJOR relationship either as FWB or serious partners.

F = Favorite position (this goes without saying)

Mating press. Pretzel dip. The butterfly. As long as he can stare into your eyes and have your legs in his hands, he will be a happy man. Also you against the wall, him in his knees so he can give you oral and try to make your legs shake.

G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)

Half his dirty talk is him being sarcastic shit. Other times he has to keep himself from laughing at your cum drunk expressions because he’s proud he did that to you.

H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

This is the 70s so he’s trying to grow chest hair and a bush. However, he’s very particular and he trims himself.

I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)

Once he’s in love, he will make sure you know. However, he’s still Agnus so he might be a little shit about it. He’ll whisper sweet nothings while pounding you or while he teases you. Nonetheless, he’s his most romantic during aftercare.

J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon)

As much as he tries to deny it, he loves jacking off. The dorms make it hard for him to do it as much as he wants but as soon as he’s whipping it out. He’s quick too, to the point he was worried he wouldn’t be able to control himself when he fucks you. Thankfully that’s not an issue.

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)

Taking pics of you as we’ve established. Role-play as well. Due to his many boarding schools, he’s developed an appreciation for uniforms. He’s also warming up to having a minor religious kink. The two of you definitely role played as James Bond and a damsel before though.

L = Location (favorite places to do the do)

He’s got an exhibitionist kink in him so the woods and library are the most fun for him. One time the two of you fucked at an open air concert. But he loves fucking in his room so the two of you can nap and cuddle after.

He hates the beach though. He took you on a family vacation once and sand got everywhere when the two of you fucked.

M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)

Thank god for the sexual revolution and its hatred for bras. Low cut tops and kindness. That’s what attracts him to you. Also when you wear a low cut top and beat him at pinball, that’s when he is all over you.

N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

Restraining him (ropes, handcuffs, etc.) reminds him of his father so that’s a no-go. Maybe he’ll warm up to the idea of restraining you but not for a long time. Nurse roleplay he’s on the fence about because he could jack off to the idea or a pic of a sexy nurse but he could not get turned on irl for similar reasons. Also not fond of daddy kinks but would be open to a mommy kink. He’s not gonna talk to a therapist about it.

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

He loves eating you out. And then you introduce him to rimming and he is excited about tasting more of you. He doesn’t even need to touch himself, he will rut against the bed while eating you out. He loves your blowjobs as well but he keeps his hands to himself, pulling his sheets and clawing the walls.

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

He actually prefers slow and sensual (though no less kinky). Why shouldn’t he take his time with you? Even if it’s a quickie his mouth is everywhere on you, drawing it out as much as possible.

Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)

While he loves taking his time, he has an appreciation for quickies as well given the lack of privacy he’s always had. If you fucked before dating, it would’ve been mostly quickies but now that you’re together, it’s longer. He’s more willing to have a quickie when it’s a stressful time for the both of you (family trouble, finals week, traffic jam, etc.).

R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)

The great part about the 70s is the sexual revolution. He would be down to experiment with almost anything. Repression is known for creating super kinky people after all. Both of you keep notes about each place and position you’ve fucked, well well as a running list of what kinks you would try again.

S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)

When you first get together, he doesn’t last very long but after a quick break, he’s ready to go again.

T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

Thanks to the sexual revolution (and his wallet), the two of you have more than enough toys. Unfortunately Google tells me sex toys were scary looking during this time so the once the excitement of sex toy shopping wears off, you really only stick to the vibrators. Maybe once nipple clamps are more popular, he’ll have you wear them as well. Your favorite toy to share is the famous hitachi massager.

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

He loves teasing you soooo much. He’s such an asshole about it too, teasing you anywhere from a car ride to the library to bed. He enjoys someone he can banter with too so he will take anything you’ve said to him and throw it back in your face later. Absolute menace.

V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)

He’s chatty at first (he LOVES dirty talk) but when he really gets into it, he will just be panting, all words lost. When he finishes, it’ll be a low moan in your ear.

W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character)

He’s a biter and will mark the hell out of you. Especially your thighs and breasts and ass. Also he had, at one point, made a sex playlist but stopped using it when he couldn’t hear you over the music.

X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)

Long but not girthy. Curved. Cut. Grower, not a shower. A nice little happy trail as well.

Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

Pretty high. The poor guy is so touch starved, he can’t keep his hands off you. Even if he’s not horny, he acts like it and is always touching you, just so he can tease you.

Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

He needs to hold onto you before he falls asleep. He’s secretly romantic and likes to match your breathing and circle his thumb in your skin. When it’s a quickie though? He turns into the energizer bunny and won’t burn out until hours later.

[aziraphales-library]

Hi there!!! I was wondering if you happened to have any fics where Crowley calls Aziraphale ‘sweetheart’? Any other pet names are amazing (including angel of course) but I’m just very in love with the idea of Crowley calling Aziraphale sweetheart

Thank you so much for all you hard work!! This blog is a lifesaver <3

Hello! We have a #pet names tag you might enjoy, but here are some fics in which Crowley calls Aziraphale sweetheart...

Four times Crowley called Aziraphale "sweetheart" without noticing (and One time he did) by TheLadyZephyr (NR)

"Sweetheart" (1290) - A person who is very dear to another; one who is loved. From sweet (adj.) + heart (n.) Over the years, Crowley has called Aziraphale "sweetheart" on at least four different occasions. He just hasn't actually noticed himself saying it.

In love, I am, with everything you do by 2ambiace (G)

Following the phone call with Crowley during lockdown, Aziraphale contemplates the letter he wrote and whether he should've taken Crowley up on his offer to 'slither over' and watch him eat cake. Aziraphale finds the courage in his love for Crowley to invite the demon over and cake and love confessions and kisses are shared.

Let Our Epilogue Be Soft And Sweet by Tenoko1 (T)

Crowley hit his palm against the steering wheel. “Of course I’d get upset, angel! Those bastards have tried to kill you twice, Aziraphale! Twice! I spend every damn day worried they might try again! Now-- Now-- your conveniently found and rescued angel is on the loose,” the road forked, and they veered off to a smaller country road, flying past a sign Aziraphale didn’t need to see to recognize, though Crowley gestured wildly to it, “in a god-forsaken national park? Well outside of London where no one can hear you scream? This mystery angel that just so happens to be leaking grace and emoting a distress signal so loud you can still sense it?” Crowley dragged a hand down his face. “Angel, sweetheart. Wake up and smell the trap.”

Waking Up Married by Caedmon (E)

"So you’re telling me that my options are either to convince this man I just met and drunkenly married to stay married to me for six months or lose two thirds of a billion pounds?” “That’s exactly what I’m telling you,” Fergus said. “Fucking shit,” Crowley spat. He hung up the phone and stared at it for a moment before rubbing his eyes with his fists. Now his job would be twice as hard. He needed to talk Aziraphale into staying married for six months. Should he try begging or bribing? This was a huge ask, and Aziraphale would be well within his rights to tell Crowley to fuck off. But Crowley was prepared to offer him pretty much anything, up to half of the trust, if that’s what it took. He didn’t care. But that was only part of his concern. Even if he got insanely lucky and Aziraphale agreed to stay legally married to him for the next six months, how the hell was he going to talk Aziraphale into dating him during that time? And was it foolish to even try? One thing at a time, he decided. First, he needed to convince Aziraphale to stay legally married to him. Then he could set about wooing his husband. He hoped.

flightless by viperinz (T)

Crowley finds Aziraphale injured and without his wings long after he stops the Second Coming all on his own. He just didn't expect their reunion to be so morose, and so final.

Sugar And Spice by ladydragona, SylWritesStuff (E)

Queer technology giant Anthony J. Crowley is just about ready to throw in the towel after relationship after relationship has failed, but there's a new barista at the company coffee shop and he's cute and sweet and Crowley's never been able to resist blond hair and blue eyes. The tabloids will have a field day, they always do, but his assistant is getting married and a temp is needed. A temp who really isn't very good at making complicated coffees, has past experience in reception, and absolutely no idea that the latest complicated coffee order came from the owner himself. Aziraphale only knows that he's handsome, patient, and was the first person who told him he was doing well. How could he refuse the temp position? Or, he soon discovers, more.

- Mod D

[underhousearrestblog]

Lost In Translation | Pedro Pascal

(summary) a drunk confession makes things weird between you and Pedro

(warnings) an age gap (oh the horror)

(pairings) Pedro Pascal x reader

(genre/ tropes) angst, lemon-y fluff, miscommunication, mutual pining, friends to lovers

(word count) 7.7k

(also) Pedro’s point of view (of sorts) is in Italics

(also) minors, scram (I’m kidding. Kinda. I was reading these types of things when I was twelve. I’m not the one to advise anything. Just, please, don’t interact. Better for my conscience and your digital footprint.)

(also) damn – I’m actually doing something here now... a step up from my usual one-post-per-six-months activity...

HAPPY READING!

Things around you blurred, people’s faces were distorted and music was giving you a headache. You lost count how many drinks you had about an hour ago and now you were regretting having any.

Your friends – who were more work acquaintances than friends – had ditched you, you had no car that you wouldn’t be able to operate in this condition anyway and not enough money to call a cab. All you had were a very revealing dress with a deep cut up your right thigh and a phone with around twenty percent charge left.

You stepped outside. Evening air did some but still not enough good for you to feel confident enough to walk those two and a half kilometers to your apartment building. Especially not in these knee-high boots. You would probably end up murdered. Or murdering yourself by accidentally stepping in front of a car. Either way, in a ditch.

You checked over you contacts for anyone who would pick up a phone and pick you up at the club at this ungodly hour. Since you had moved, most of your contacts were pretty much useless for this type of shit.

You pulled out your wallet. There were several business cards that you had gotten since you had started to work as a PR manager for The Last Of Us production team. Your eyes scanned over some of the names. Nico Parker. You weren’t sure she even got her license yet. Bella Ramsey. You knew for a fact she didn’t have a car.

Pedro Pascal.

Shit.

Well, from a purely objective stance, he was the best choice. He could pick you up and he didn’t give creepy vibes so technically you should be fine.

The problem was – he probably didn’t even know who you were. You had been on, like, two lunches with him with purely professional intentions. There had been more people from both the cast and the PR team and, even though you had spoken to him one-on-one multiple times, he had these types of conversations every day.

Worst he could do was say no.

To be fair, he could theoretically also cuss you out.

Or look at an unknown number and not even pick up.

Before you let your mind talk itself out of it, your fingers typed in his number and called.

It was quite chilly, now that you were out in dark alley with only your stripper dress on. It was pretty but god was it doing a shit job at keeping you warm.

The phone was calling and after the very first ring, you started to doubt yourself.

Maybe it would be less embarrassing if you just called your boss? Sure, she would know you indulged in an occasional living of your life but she was a woman and maybe would be more sympathetic than most of the men you worked with...

Two-

- Y/N? – unprepared for Pedro to actually pick up, you startled.

Your brain was foggy from all the alcohol and your body was still trying to decipher the sudden temperature drop so it took you several seconds to even put words together.

- Hey, are you alright? – it was actually him.

He really picked up at a quarter to midnight.

How did he know who was calling?

- Hey, Pedro, - up until this point you had used the formal “Mr. Pascal” just like everybody in your team but now it would feel weird. – So I have a bit of a... situation?

What was the term for getting drunk and placing all your trust in people that you had met two weeks ago?

- Are you alright? – he sounded worried. – Where are you?

Not wanting to appear nervous yourself, you tried to put on a smile, hoping it would make your voice sound lighter and careless.

- I’m at the... – you looked over your shoulder at the sign in front of the club, - Sensual Vibes, - you cringed at the name.

He definitely thinks you’re at a strip club.

- It’s a bar downtown. And I’m kinda drunk and I don’t really have any money, and my asshole friends left, and I’m also kinda col-

- Do you need me to pick you up? – he didn’t sound mad.

If anything – he sounded almost careful. As if he didn’t want to push any boundaries by insisting.

You were silent for a second.

Why was it so hard for you to ask for help when it was clear you desperately needed it?

Fucking pride.

You can cringe in shame tomorrow when you haven’t been murdered trying to walk home drunk...

- Yeah, - you said quietly before adding, - but it’s totally fine if you can’t. I’m sure two kilometers of walking will be fine if I can get off these stripper shoes-

- I’ll be there in twenty, - he said in a voice that left no arguments. – Go back inside. I’ll come in and get you.

- Who was that? – Oscar asked, stuffing the leftover pizza back into the box.

- Y/N, - Pedro put away his phone and went to get his car keys.

- Y/N? Who the fuc-

His hand stopped halfway to close the lid.

- Oh shit, - Oscar laughed, turning towards his friend. – Is that the girl from the PR team? It’s that Y/N?

Pedro didn’t answer and went to get his jacket. Oscar, in true friend fashion, followed him into the hallway, while teasing:

- Is that the same girl who still calls you Mr. Pascal even though you corrected her, like, thousand times?

Pedro just rolled his eyes.

This wasn’t exactly new. Oscar had never really met you – at least, in person – though there was abundance of information regarding you given by his friend every time Pedro had a drop of alcohol in his system.

- You know, if you weren’t so famous, I’d think she actually didn’t even know your first name by how much she uses the surname... – Oscar went back to pick up the leftover pizza, before turning back and looking at his friend suspiciously. – Are you sure she meant to call you? I mean, if she called you by your name, the call might have been meant for another Pedro. All I’m saying is-

Pedro threw him a dark look and turned to leave. Could that be true? You never really called him by his name and he was almost one hundred percent sure you didn’t even have his number...

- Lock up before you leave, - Pedro murmured before opening the door.

You were drunk and alone so, either way, you’ll have to make peace with it.

Once Pedro had ended the call, all you could do was blankly stare at the screen. To be fair, you were very intoxicated so... could you had hallucinated this whole conversation?

Either way – waiting inside was probably the best choice here...

You dropped down on a sofa in the foyer. You felt a headache coming on.

God, this is gonna be embarrassing...

After fifteen minutes of waiting and contemplating about leaving on your own, a hand lightly touched your shoulder, making you startle yet again. You had been way too focused on a painting on the wall to notice anybody approaching.

- Pedro? – your eyebrows shot up as if you were surprised that the person who you had called had actually shown up.

- Were you waiting for someone else? – there was a note in his voice you couldn’t quite decipher and your foggy mind refused to cooperate.

- N-no, - you stammered out. – I just wasn’t sure you would actually show up...

Now was his turn to look surprised. He opened his mouth to say something but, when you lightly swayed on your feet, he quickly put an arm around your shoulders to steady you.

When he lightly pressed his palm on the skin between your shoulder blades, a small shiver ran through your body, making you look up at him. He had probably seen or feel you shiver and had interpreted that as you being cold which was technically true. He pulled off his jacket that looked way too big for you.

You were by no means model-thin but the jacket was oversized on him so it looked like it would end up around your knees.

You shook your head.

- I’m not taking your jacket after you drove all this w-

- Don’t argue, - was all he said before lifting your arm, pulling the sleeve over it and then repeating the same on the other side. – And it’s still longer than that pretty thing you call a dress, - his eyes ran over your half-naked body.

Not in a leering way. But he did gulp when his eyes touched on the slit across your thigh.

Great, there’s no getting this out of memory, he chastised himself for enjoying and savoring you while you were very clearly drunk.

Shit, he’s probably uncomfortable, was all you could think about.

His car was pleasantly warm. You managed to climb in on your own but when it came to the seatbelt, you fingers still lacked focus and were stiff. After two unsuccessful attempts at connecting the two parts, Pedro gently peeled your fingers from the belt, reached over and buckled you in himself.

Before he could step back, you placed your hand on his bicep to stop him. The touch itself was innocent enough but you felt your skin lightly tingling as if you had touched a wire with low charge.

Pedro’s eyes followed you to where your skin had touched his. All he could do was stare at your fingers around his arm.

- Shit, sorry, - you decided he was probably uncomfortable and withdrew your hand, - sorry, I didn’t mean-

- It’s fine-

- I just wanted to say thank you, - your gaze held his. – I don’t know what I would’ve done otherwise.

There was something intoxicating in doing favors for you. He would’ve driven to pick up any of the women he knew if they were drunk and alone but your trust in him made him a bit delirious.

He wanted you to call him if you ever needed to get home drunk but he also wanted to drive you to a meaningless appointment and pick you up after work.

- It’s fine, - he swallowed before stepping back. – You’re welcome.

He could hear Oscar’s teasing voice in his head, telling him how absurdly romantic it was for him to simp after a girl who probably read his number off a business card when hers had been cataloged in his phone since day one. He probably could recall it from memory at this point.

Pedro closed the door on your side and walked around to get into the driver’s seat. He tried to take in some of the chilling evening air before getting in.

- ... and my friend said just go up to him and ask him out, - he heard you say once he got in, - but every time I looked at his pretty face I chicked out... – you hiccuped, - chic... chickened out! And then-

Your words were slurred and half-coherent.

Pedro started the car, pulled out of the parking lot and then threw a glance at you.

- Who were you trying to ask out?

- I wasn’t trying... And he wouldn’t come anyway...

Alcohol had made you braver and in a stupid attempt to rip your own band-aid off, you turned towards Pedro and whispered in an almost broken voice:

- Would you go on a date with me?

You needed his answer. Tomorrow was gonna be shameful but you could, at least, write this off as a drunken mistake. You had finally done it, you had finally gathered all your courage and taken a step-

But it was the way you had said it. With the accent on the word ‘you’. All Pedro heard was your confession about liking another man and how busy he was, and now you looked at him with glossy eyes and it made him wonder if this stupid man you were talking about had said something to make you insecure. You had just confessed about your crush and needed confirmation that other men – smarter men – would still date you.

But knowing that you trusted him enough to take you home drunk, he knew he couldn’t just confess about wanting you for himself. That was a dick move used by every false male friend around the world.

- I... – you watched his throat work, as he was putting words together, then he ripped his gaze away from where you sat in his car, in his jacket, for the first time ever giving him your undivided attention. – I think you’re amazing and any man would be lu-

Your eyes burned with unshed tears. His figure got distorted through the rapidly increasing moisture.

You are amazing.

Any man would be lucky to date you.

Not me though.

Last one wasn’t said out loud but, in your defense, it was usually never spelled out when a person was rejecting someone.

This was a rejection speech.

He was giving you a rejection speech!

You lifted your hand to silence him. He immediately did and you looked out through the window on your side.

- Please, don’t, - your voice broke at the end. – I respect you way too much and don’t want to start saying things I don’t mean while drunk.

It was said and done.

You had asked and he had rejected you. Work’s gonna be a bitch but PR, thankfully, was a team effort so you could probably take meetings with another member of the cast and make one of your colleague meet with Pedro. Eventually, your stupid little feelings would stop hurting and you would move on.

Eventually.

Until then you probably should avoid Pedro every chance you got.

It was said and done.

Even drunk, you had realized his incurable crush on you and in a very “I’m well-versed in public relations” manner had put an end to his confession. What was it that you had said? I respect you way too much...

Respect you way too much to outright say “no”.

You had a crush on a man you worked with. Probably someone your age. Probably someone who’s life wasn’t constantly dissected on every media platform.

You were a real pretty girl so even if you never gathered the courage to take the first step, that man you talked about would probably do it for you. He would be stupid not to.

Which meant that at some point you would be seen on set, laughing and kissing some other man who probably had no idea for how long you had lusted after him. And Pedro knew that if your crush forgot what he’s got, he would be way too tempted to teach him a lesson or two about not throwing away life’s biggest treasures.

Maybe even way too tempted to put the fear of god into that man. To threaten to never dare to break your pretty little heart.

But you had good taste in most things. And the man you were talking about asking out was probably good. More than good. He probably was respectful in public and would make you scream his name in private. Buy you a nice dress and later rip it off your body. Pick you up to take you places and then wait patiently for you to come back to him.

You deserved the best. And you were probably way too good for that boy you liked. Granted, Pedro thought you were way too good for basically everyone, including himself, but he also wasn’t one of those men that would pass on an amazing woman all because “she’s too good for him”.

Nah. He knew he would greedily accept your love and lust if only you offered. He might have thought you were too good for him but he also knew there were many things he could provide for you. He was successful, had money, a stable job, he was mature and wouldn’t play any games. Besides, he was damn near sure he loved you and even with you reciprocating just half of that love and affection, it still would be perfect.

- What’s your add-

Once he looked over to where you were watching him just a minute ago, Pedro found you fast asleep with your head pressed against the window. His jacket, way too big for you, had fallen down your shoulder, revealing that distractingly little napkin you bravely called a dress.

Shit.

This was definitely not good.

If he had to bring you back to his home, he knew he would see ghosts of you every time he stepped inside his own house. And that would be bad. Right now you were already everywhere at work, he couldn’t afford to let you make yourself at home in his private space too. Damage would take months to undo.

He contemplated waking you up but even then there would be no guarantee that you would even remember where you lived in this condition.

Pedro started driving towards his own home slower than necessary, hoping you would wake up at some point and give him your address.

All he could hope for was that Oscar had already left because, otherwise, Pedro would never hear the end of this...

Shitshitshit.

Your head was hurting even before you opened your eyes. That was never a good thing. Once you did, you were met with a semi-dark room that was vaguely lit by a small lamp left on on the nightstand.

Where the fuck where you?

This looked way too homey to be a hotel and way too impersonal to be someone’s bedroom. You lifted the thick blanket that was draped over you to check out if you weren’t missing any clothes. Or some more important things, like body parts.

Your eyebrows shot up in confusion when you were met with the same light blue dress you had worn at the club with just more wrinkles in it now. All you were missing where the boots that you saw placed by the bed.

You checked the small alarm clock on the nightstand.

5:06 AM.

It was early.

On a day off, you probably wouldn’t have woken up this early but your body had most likely dealt with the alcohol in your system and had woken up naturally once you had sobered up.

Then you noticed the small note placed next to the clock.

I’m not sure how much you remember but I picked you up from a club. You didn’t give me an address before passing out, so I brought you home with me. You’re in my guest bedroom. I’m in the one down the hall. I got you some aspirin and water. And some clothes.

Pedro.

There was something else written on the paper but it was scribbled out. You lifted the note and placed it before the small lamp, letting the light shine through.

Cute dress.

You smiled, however that smile lasted for exactly one second before you remembered the conversation in the car. You had asked Pedro on a date. He had given you the “there’s more fish in the sea” speech.

God.

You had excused your bravery with “you can live today and be embarrassed tomorrow” but now, when tomorrow was finally here, you weren’t sure it was actually worth it.

Thank god you didn’t work closely with Pedro because this would be ten times more awkward if you were an actress.

You quickly changed into the clothes Pedro had left for you. It was a white t-shirt with something spelled in a foreign language you didn’t understand. The shirt reached down to your knees and covered more than your dress had. You could technically leave in just the t-shirt but your sudden sobriety would probably result in you freezing to death so you decided to wear sweatpants as well. You rolled up the ends of the pants that were too long, threw a glance in the mirror and decided that you looked presentable enough.

Once you left the guest room with the dress still in your hand, you tried to find out if Pedro had already woken up. It seemed unlikely. It was very early.

And that seemed to be the truth, as none of the lights were on in neither the kitchen nor the living room. Or in the hallway.

Thank god the key was still in the door and you didn’t have to wake him up to unlock the door. You carefully tiptoed through the hallway and sneaked out through the front door, leaving nothing but a vague scent of your perfume and a note on the living room table.

Thank you. Truly. You have no idea how grateful I am. Don’t hesitate to contact me if you ever need anything.

That’s exactly how Pedro found your note three hours later when he woke up. Note had no name. Apparently, you didn’t assume he rescued women every night and didn’t think he would mix you up with someone else.

As if he ever could.

He was quite grateful to have missed you, in case you remembered how he had come onto you in the car. He didn’t want a pitying glance and you saying sorry, as if you had anything to be sorry about.

Don’t hesitate to contact me if you ever need anything.

Pedro let out a bitter laugh. That’s what you sign at the bottom of a work email, in hopes the recipient never truly reaches out for anything. You just felt like you owed him.

three weeks later

Pedro felt somebody brush a makeup brush over his temple to add some last touches before the filming started. People were running around, adding and taking down some props. Camera crew were doing some last check-ups. And in what Pedro thought was a torturosly ironic touch to an already important scene that caused some nerves to resurface, you were there.

In fairness, you weren’t here on your own and by your own wish. Some people of the PR and social media management teams were here, hoping to take some photos of behind the scenes for marketing.

And they were all pretty irrelevant because his eyes didn’t leave you for one second.

Pedro, Bella and some of the others were placed good ten meters from where you were standing by the door of the room that seemed to shrink every second. You were either unaware of his intense gaze or simply ignored it.

Pedro didn’t know which one would piss him off more.

There weren’t many things that didn’t irritate him these days. Oscar had started to call it Y/N withdrawal. As if he was an addict. A junkie who’s been cut off from his favorite drug of choice.

At first, Pedro was understanding. You probably felt weird you had clocked him liking you and wanted space. Fine. He would be an asshole not to give you space. Then he called you but the call always went to voicemail. On week two he had the first PR dinner since ‘the incident’ and when you didn’t show and had sent one of your assistants in your place, it only soured Pedro’s mood. The assistant had lied about you not feeling well but when you were still nowhere to be seen on the next meeting – and the next – he knew it was an excuse.

You were making excuses.

Week three took the crown when at one of the advertisement meetings that was mandatory for all cast and production team members, you had apparently ‘had a doctor’s appointment’.

Now he was pissed at the whole world and especially himself for fucking this up. You were a smart girl and he should’ve expected you to put two and two together that night. And, in addition, he was just a tiny bit pissed at you for not giving him a chance to apologize.

When you excused yourself and went into the kitchen, Pedro quickly stood up.

- Sorry, - he murmured to the makeup artist. – I’ll be right back.

Filming was set to start in ten minutes.

That was all he needed to say the things that needed to be said.

You were facing the open fridge when Pedro walked in. You read something that was written on the side of what looked like a protein shake.

You looked good. There were no signs of tiredness in your eyes. No sluggish movements. No yawning.

That was good, Pedro tried to tell himself.

Would it hurt for you to be a little affected that he was absent from your life for three whole weeks?

Then his eyes caught a thin bracelet around your wrist. It was shiny and had a minimalistic heart charm on it.

Pedro recalled Oscar once mentioning getting something similar to his wife because “the only time women wear heart jewelry is if it’s gifted by a man who’s interested”.

It was quite a big assumption that the bracelet was, one, a gift, two, from a man, and three, that it was the same moron you wanted to date. And yet it only fueled Pedro’s irrational jealousy and anger.

He let go of the door and it fell shut with a loud bang.

You jumped.

- It’s really unprofessional, you know, - Pedro accused. – This behavior of yours lately.

It only took a second for you to go from a startled look to a glare. You put the drink back in the fridge and shut the door. Loudly.

How matching.

- Excuse you? – you pushed back.

- I get that you’re avoiding me and that’s fine but you also have a job to do, - he regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth. – You’ve missed several PR meetings and allowed your underage intern to replace you.

You chuckled under your breath and looked away.

So that’s what this was about...

- So you feel a bit neglected because an intern – highly skilled, might I add, - was attending a few of the meetings? Is he not good enough for you?

Pedro looked at you as if you’d grown a second head.

- I don’t care if he’s as useless as a toddler – don’t change the subject!

You blew away a strand of your hair that had fallen in front of your face.

God you looked hot angry.

When you tried to side-step him and leave, Pedro followed your movements until his back hit the door, leaving you without an escape. He leaned against it, wrapped his right palm around his left wrist and looked down at you.

- You’re avoiding me, - he was glaring at you.

You glared back.

- No shit.

Pedro had expected more resistance. Or more excuses. He definitely expected you to look at him with a confused stare and say ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about’. Now that you had done none of that, it felt a bit weird to “confront” you because you had had every right to avoid him.

- I’m just making sure you don’t get a write-up for skipping work, - even though the words were genuine, the tone was rude and you recoiled.

You looked up at him as if he’d slapped you.

- Are you threatening to snitch on me for skipping few meetings?

His eyes widened.

Shit.

- That’s not wh-

- Fuck you.

Now he looked like you had slapped him.

This was going downhill and fast. He had never accused anybody of bad work ethics and you had never cursed at someone for essentially doing nothing wrong, really.

You had spent three weeks, trying to soothe your ego. But rejection still stung. And, for the first time in your life, your personal feelings had affected your professional life. There was no excuse for that.

So you exhaled, counted to ten, got to five and decided to push your emotions down. You didn’t actually believe that Pedro would ever attempt anything to harm your career but he was still a big star and, would somebody come across this very unprofessional conversation, your future job opportunities might be in jeopardy.

- Listen, I’m sorry, okay? – you said, then quickly added. – For missing those meetings.

You didn’t want to voice that you were also apologizing for taking rejection badly.

Even though, you were.

- Won’t happen again.

His eyes softened.

- I’m sorry too, okay? – he lifted his hand to place it on your shoulder or upper arm but decided against it in the last second and let it fall back against his side.

You laughed. Genuinely.

- What are you sorry for?

- For what I said in the car, - he explained.

Your eyes returned to the startled expression that they were in when he first came in. You had wanted to avoid that night but he had brought it up voluntarily. He could see your prey-like expression and shook his head:

- I didn’t mean... – he got quiet for a second. – That would be a lie. I did mean it. But I think I could’ve worded it better. Maybe. Or explained it to you when you were sober...

I didn’t mean... That would be a lie. I did mean it.

His words, even though soft and placating, still grazed your heart like a knife.

You could respect him for not leading you on.

Leading someone on was still worse than letting somebody down gently.

Be a big girl and accept defeat like a champ, you motivated yourself.

- That’s fine. It didn’t mean anything.

It didn’t mean anything.

You had realized he liked you, damn near loved you, and it didn’t mean anything.

His love meant nothing.

Pedro swallowed and nodded. When you gestured towards the door that he was still blocking, he stepped aside, letting you leave.

- Did you feel harassed by me? – he asked before you left.

You laughed. But when you realized he was dead-ass serious, your smile fell.

- What?

- In my car. That night. Did you feel harassed by me?

You couldn’t believe what you were hearing. Even though it was absurd for him to ask this, you felt warmth engulf your heart.

He’s making sure you didn’t feel unsafe with him...

God.

He’s gonna make a great partner to someone someday...

- God no, - you grinned, trying to put him at ease.

- You sure? – he asked.

- Of course, - you gave him a bittersweet smile. – How could I have felt harassed? Nothing happened.

Nothing happened, as in, I asked you out and you turned me down, simple as that.

Nothing happened, as in, you figured I liked you and that realization meant nothing, I still mean nothing to you.

When week four rolled in, things had went back to normal. The weird kind of normal. The professional kind of normal. You were present in all PR meetings you needed to attend, Pedro went out of his way to treat you like a friend.

He had started bringing these weird mini cupcakes from around where he was living. Every meeting, he would show up and give them out to all, usually five or six, attending persons. He would never skip you, giving you exactly the same amount of pleasantries, sweets and eye contact as to every other person from the cast and PR teams. It was as if he had timed your interactions to make sure you felt identical to everybody else here.

You translated his actions as he’s making sure to drive home the point of “I treat everybody like this, don’t make this weird, you’re not special in that sense”.

He translated his actions as making sure you saw that even after you rejected him, he still wouldn’t be passive-aggressive towards you and wouldn’t exclude you from anything.

“Don’t make things weird” had become a motto for both of you, at this point. This was exactly why Pedro had advised Oscar to also invite you to the party he was throwing in honor of ending the shooting of one of Oscar’s movies. Even though Pedro knew you would show up all dolled up and, most likely, with a plus one, as suggested the invitation.

And “don’t make things weird” was exactly why you had accepted, even though the last time you had attended a formal function, it had ended with you at a club and with no ride or money.

You had showed up in a black sleeveless dress that reached your knees. Pedro had had exactly one drink and he was using the hell out of it as an excuse why he couldn’t – and wouldn’t – take his eyes off you. The dress was simple and maybe exactly because of that your own beauty shone through more than usual when there was nothing to distract people from it.

Then you turned towards the small home bar and his eyes slid over your frame, landing on the dress’ very deep slit. This time it was on the behind of your dress’ skirt.

You and the fucking slits. Making every piece of clothing look like it was designed specifically for you...

- Thank god moods are not contagious because this would be the saddest happy event ever, - Oscar’s hand landed on his friend’s shoulder, as he followed Pedro’s gaze down to where you were standing.

Pedro unintentionally moved to block you from his friend’s eyes which came as a surprise to both. It was very clear that Oscar had no negative or positive intentions regarding you so it was even more weird when Pedro felt small pang of jealousy when he saw the bottle of wine you had gifted Oscar for hosting the party.

Oscar raised his eyebrows, amused.

As if asking, really?

You, on the other hand, were doing everything to avoid Pedro that evening. He looked good. He looked so handsome even though he was one of the very few men here who had chosen to wear a sweater instead of a suit or a dress shirt. You definitely needed a distraction and given how it had ended with drinking last time you got drunk, you avoided alcohol like it was the plague, only drinking virgin cocktails.

The biggest problem with avoiding someone is that that person is living in your head rent free, in order for you to be where they are not. Which meant that before you avoid them in a room, you have to check specifically for them. The biggest support for you in this was the fact that Pedro seemed to avoid you as well, so it was quite easy to keep your distance.

- Is there a guest I’m not aware of? – Oscar humored lightly. – Or are you stalked by someone?

Only the ghost of your best friend.

You smiled, shook your head and asked a few questions about the movie to whose ending this function was dedicated to. After some time he excused himself and said to go look for his wife but before he left, Oscar casually threw out:

- I’m sorry things are weird between you and Pedro right now, - he seemed apologetic.

You wanted the ground to open up and swallow you whole.

Pedro had clearly told him about what had happened.

It was already embarrassing enough for you to realize that Pedro had been sober that night and remembered every word your drunk self had confessed. And, to add insult to injury, the rejection still kinda stung. But he had clearly told everything to another man. And that one made you even more upset because you knew Oscar by reputation only but that reputation was quite good. So he probably felt sympathy for your little groupie act by asking out someone clearly out of your league.

You averted your eyes. How many other people knew?

- Look, he’s a grown ass man, he’ll be fine, - Oscar put his hand on your shoulder in a pacifying manner. – It’s just that this was his longest crush ever so it will take more time than usual...

Because you actively tried to block out his voice, the words didn’t register at first. And, once they did, they still didn’t make much sense.

- But it will-

- What did you just say?

Your tone was harsh and it made Oscar do a double-take.

- I... I’m not trying to pressure you into anything by what I said about being his longest crush, if that’s what you meant. I promise.

Your eyes searched his face for any signs of amusement or humor... or confusion. When you didn’t find any, you put down your drink and turned your full attention towards him.

- What did he tell you happened that night?

Oscar looked at you like you were a child asking to explain the alphabet.

- I’m not sure I should-

- He clearly told you something! – you raised your voice – not loud enough to be heard by everyone but enough to make some of the closest people turn heads.

Oscar nodded:

- All he told me was you figured out he liked you. And you don’t like him back, - Oscar used the tone he probably used with his kids. – And that’s fine. You have every r-

- What kind of fairy tale did he fed you? – your first thought was that Pedro had lied to his friend.

But why would he ever do that? What could he possibly get out of telling people you were the one who rejected him? Letting someone down wasn’t a crime and it didn’t make you a bad person.

- He rejected me! I straight up asked him out and he gave me the whole speech about there being men who would be oh so lucky to date me. And then he kept on friend-zoning me for a month just for funsies. Making sure I knew my place was with all the other people who worked for him!

When you turned to leave – and maybe give that free alcohol a shot or two – Oscar unceremoniously grabbed your upper arm and turned you back.

- That can’t be true, Y/N! You were the one drunk! Are you sure you remember everything okay?

You rolled your eyes, trying to pull your arm away.

- I was drunk, not stupid! I know rejection when I receive one!

Oscar’s grasp wasn’t hurting you or anything but it probably looked like you were fighting from afar, at this point.

- Look, Y/N, calm down, - he lowered his voice so other people wouldn’t hear a thing. – All he told me was that you had confessed liking someone you worked with, and-

- And who do you think that someone from work is, genius?

You could almost hear gears turning in Oscar’s head.

- So... When he said that you had asked if... When you were wondering if he would date you, it wasn’t because...

You waited.

- ... it wasn’t because you were insecure about nobody being interested in you?

- Why would I give a shit if other people were interested in me?

It was a good thing you were sober because it was taking a good amount of time to understand this even sober. Your eyes widened when you finally put the pieces together.

The way Pedro looked almost crushed when you had interrupted him to silence him in the car.

Please don’t. I respect you way too much and don’t want to start saying things I don’t mean while drunk.

Could he had mistaken it for rejection?

You silencing him out of respect so you didn’t have to tell him you didn’t want to date him? Did he thought that you were thinking his ego couldn’t handle being rejected by someone who was not rich or famous?

Shit.

You tried to find his pink sweater somewhere in the crowd. He couldn’t have gone home already, could he? You had relatively little knowledge of the layout of Oscar’s house so your best shot was to run into Pedro somewhere.

Your wish manifested a bit too literally, when you roughly rounded a corner and ran straight into someone.

Pedro’s fingers wrapped around your upper arm in the same manner Oscar’s hand had just mere seconds ago. Just to drive home the point of your attraction to him, a small shot of electricity shot through your arm whereas nothing even similar had happened when his friend had touched your arm.

- Careful, - he steadied you and then removed his hand.

When you looked up, you noticed that he wouldn’t meet your eyes.

You thought you had gotten over this awkwardness...

Guess not.

With music still sounding throughout the house, you looked around, grabbed the front of his sweater and pushed him into one of the many guest bedrooms here. Once you closed and locked the door, you turned towards Pedro who was looking a bit thrown out of the boat.

For one moment, nobody said anything. Then you pushed down the dress that had ridden up your thighs while you were frantically looking for him throughout the house, and stepped closer to him.

The height difference was always a turn on for you but right now it did nothing but annoy.

- Sit down, - you commanded.

He took a step back and sat down on the bed.

When he looked up at you, you realized that you probably shouldn’t have asked him to do that. Your foggy brain finally decided to give you back few of the memories missing from that night month ago.

When he had gently lowered you onto the bed and you had finally woken up just in time to see him drop down on his knees to take off your boots. Out of concern, he had looked up at you with a very similar expression as he was having right now. With his lids lowered, eyes dark and pupils dilated.

When his brows furrowed in confusion, unaware of your flashbacks, you snapped out of it.

- Why does Oscar think I rejected you in your car that night? – you demanded before you lost your courage.

Pedro looked away.

You had had a long day at work today and still most of your energy had went into dodging Pedro at every corner, trying to not even look at him, while simultaneously keeping an eye on him at all times to not accidentally get close. Your patience had worn out long before you got here.

You unceremoniously grabbed his chin and turned his head back towards you.

- Look, I’m sorry I told him, - Pedro raised his eyes to meet yours. – I needed to tell someone and you were avoiding me and refused to even look at me!

You shook your head and tried to step back before he grabbed your hand in both of his.

- I’m sorry.

- What are you even sorry for? – you ripped your hand from his. – For lying?

When all he did was stare up at your in confusion, you took a step back to keep some distance.

- Do you get pity points or something for act-

Pedro stood up and you lost any advantage you had due to height. When he advanced towards you and you still stepped back, he caught your wrist, refusing to let you leave.

- Stop running from me! – he demanded. – Talk to me!

Fine.

- Fine, - you still tugged on your arm and he still didn’t let go so at some point you had to give up on it and leave your hand in his grasp.

- Tell me why you were avoiding me for a month, - he used a painfully soft tone as if afraid you would run at the very first sign of confrontation.

You were silent for a moment, trying to find the right words to sound like a mature adult.

- I guess... – you sighed and decided to just get over it. – I was hurt that you weren’t interested in me when I asked you out that night after you picked me up. I was butt hurt and it wasn’t fair to you because you have ever-

You didn’t get to finish when he closed the small distance between you and pressed his lips against yours. You would’ve pulled back by surprise if not for Pedro’s hand cupping the back of you neck.

Your heart seemed to simultaneously skip a beat and stop altogether. After the initial shock, you slid your hand into Pedro’s hair and lightly pulled him back by it.

Amusement danced in his eyes with a light shake of his head.

- To think we could’ve done this weeks ago, - he laughed.

You felt a bit giddy inside, still not really comprehending every piece of this misunderstanding but, in your defense, it probably had been quite hard to catch any love signals that night when you were wasted.

- You want me to ask you out again? – you proposed.

- Nah, - he shook his head. -  I’ll do the honors, - he cleared his throat. – You’re going on a date with me.

You cocked your head.

- Are you asking or telling?

- I assumed you were a sure thing, drunk words being sober thoughts and all that...

This felt a bit too good to be true but you weren’t going to question it. Once you both left the guest room, with Pedro’s hand still wrapped around yours, and turned the corner to return to the party, you found Oscar leaning against the wall in the hallway with a drink in his hand and an amused look in his eyes.

- No freaky business under my roof, - he gave his friend with a stern look. – That’s like the only rule I have.

Only when his eyes found your intervened hands, he chuckled under his breath.

- Love must be hard when you’re both idiots, huh?

[dunmeshichilchuck]

For That One Guy on Tumblr part 5

Chilchuck x !fem !halffoot reader

Your first thought on waking up was to wonder what the hell you'd drunk last night to give you such a nasty hangover. 

Your second thought was "is something...breathing on me?"

You opened your eyes and stared straight into the worried gaze of an uncomfortably close and extremely blond elf.  

She sighed with apparent relief. "Oh thank goodness! You've been sleeping for hours! I thought maybe something had gone wrong with the resurrection spell and you might not wake up, it's just such an unknown area of resurrection magic as to how long someone can be dead before they're resurrected!"

You squinted, brain churning a long for a few minutes before you caught up with the fact that you had, in fact, died and been turned into a Popsicle. "Hrghhh....yeah...yeah 'm fine. Got one hell of a headache though. Why didn't you just wake me up if it's so late?"

Marcille fidgeted with her staff. "I wanted to but -" she shot a glare at the other party members. "They wouldn't let me!"

"It's not like it would make much sense to wake someone up just to make sure they still can wake up." Chilchuck grumbled. "do you want them fully recovered or not? They'll need to rest without you poking them awake every 10 minutes." 

Laois nodded. "Yeah and if something WAS going wrong you'd be able to see it right? Falin told me if resurrection magic went wrong you'd just kinda melt!" 

"You wouldn't- it's not melting! Why would you say it like that?"

You interjected before they could get going again. "Who's Falin?" 

Chilchuck glanced over at you. "Falin's his sister." He gestured at Laois. "She's the main reason we're here. We were trying to rescue and ressurect her but something...." He glanced at Marcille briefly, an odd, almost warning look on his face. "went wrong. And now the mad mage has transformed her into something else and is controlling her." He shrugged. "If we want to get Falin back we're going to need to defeat the mad mage."

Huh, that was. Interesting. 

"What...what exactly went wrong?" You asked, unsure if you actually wanted to know the answer. 

Laois opened his mouth to say something, but Chilchuck shot him a glare and jumped in. "We don't know, she'd been dead for a long time and we had to reassemble her body." He shrugged again. "Who knows with resurrection magic? Shit just goes south sometimes." 

Well that was even more interesting. With that and what you'd heard before they realized you were conscious....there was definitely some shady magical shit going down. 

You looked at Marcille dubiously. Normally you'd think some kind of black magic, but was this prim and proper cream puff of a barely adult child really capable of crimes against god? For heavens sakes she'd been so embarrassed about the bra thing even. You couldn't picture her in combat, let alone casting some kind of banned black magic. She'd probably get too anxious and not be able to go through with it, and why would she even study that? It seemed like her field was relatively narrow if she didn't know the leaving spell.

Definitely very interesting, and potentially very dangerous. If they knew what you'd heard and what you suspected this could get very dicey for you. The best course of action would be to play dumb as a rock. 

You nodded. "Oh yeah no I know, I don't know much about magic but I know ressurrection magic is one of those things that we don't know much about, right? Cause it's so new and everything. I've heard of some weeeiiiirrrddd stuff happening in other groups. People not fully resurrecting or even getting body swapped. And who knows how the mad mage is involved in that? Hell maybe he could control ANYONE resurrected in his dungeon, but he just went after your sister for some reason." 

Lies. Blatant lies too. You weren't dumb and you'd asked as many questions as you could of the mage in your old group. You could even cast some basic healing magic if it came down to it. You'd only had one mage in the party, and you were the only one not directly involved in combat every time, so it made sense for him to teach you some quick and dirty spells in case he was incapacitated. Not that you'd ever reveal that, you knew what happened to halffoots who learned magic. Resurrection magic wasn't complicated at all. No way they weren't doing shady shit. 

Laois and Marcille chimed in with agreements that sounded just a bit too relieved, but Chilchuck just shot you an indecipherable look and then turned back and said. "alright now that that's settled we need to get packed up and head out. We've wasted too much time waiting for y/n to wake up as it is." 

You clenched your jaw and firmly reminded yourself that you were already in a precarious position, and that seemed to just be the way Chilchuck talked. 

You could put up with it. You could put up with anything if it meant getting to take down the bastard that had built this dungeon. 

Tag list, ask to tag:

@night-shadowblood-writes2

@thoughtfulbelieverstrawberry

@dunmeshimeshi

@leguink 

@gh0st-spider

@reh-llik

@sy1v30n

@qardasngan

[witchinatree]

i have posted a LOT about the issues i had with season 4 of TUA but i'm going to say everything i've been thinking right here right now. i cannot get this shit out of my head.

i think a lot of it ties back to the flaws i noticed in season 3, they tried to take on too much and abandoned the previous storylines that were waiting for them (viktor's traumatic relationship with leonard, five's trauma in general, lila's parents dying because of five, DAVE, etc etc) and we were all expecting them to tie it all together in season 4

instead they just.. added more..???? jennifer and abigail were thrown in late season 3 and were just suddenly supposed to be super important to us (they were not.) the subway that takes you to other timelines (objectively cool as fuck, why is this only introduced in the last season of The Timeline Show)

and i'm still really upset that reginald is an alien because it makes no fucking sense. i always assumed he created the mystery 43 babies (why else would he seek them out and already have a plan for them) but the alien route was.. ill-fitting. i think it would've worked better if he fell in love with abigail, who was an alien and created marigold, and then his hubris and curiosity was what unleashed it into the world and doomed the timeline. "sure this mystery chemical destroyed the planet my wife is from but i'm reginald hargreeves so that won't happen to me!" [happens to him] also i wish abigail was not just used as "see! abuser not so bad! abuser have wife! he love wife :]" because. what. and then her weird complaints about reginald in episode 6 that came out of nowhere confused me. they just should've written her entirely different if they were gonna have her at all

AAALSO i hated that they regressed all of the characters back to how they were in season 1 (or worse??). luther was living in the old umbrella academy building because apparently he will never leave it?? after everything?? diego's life was different but he was still doing this weird job shit (discount batman and mail carrier are the same thing) and he was miserable with his loving wife and kids (who ARE you.). allison's husband left her again (what the hell raymond) and she was still the neglectful single mother of claire?? after EVERYTHING I KNOW I ALREADY SAID THAT BUT GOD. klaus actually had something going for him, if only his recovery wasn't made into a joke, and then he relapsed and got kidnapped and was just very.. season 1 klaus.. but with no ghost ben anymore. five.. eugh. he was not season 1 five he was just NotFive. crazy how they had a magnus archives crossover and just brought in NotThem to take five am i right guys. ben's also different because it's not the same ben from season 1 but they just made him really fucking mean. like worse than season 3 because there wasn't that underlying "please i just want to be loved" thing. crypto bro ben was funny as fuck though. and VIKTOR just fucked off by himself after working so hard to be part of the family again. glad he got to transition and become canada's #1 manslut but jesus, just abandoned everything you did to be part of the family huh.

my vision for the ending of TUA would go something like this

ending of season 3, pretty much the same but they all have their powers and reginald's head getting sliced in half did not reveal him to be some alien freak. also at some point abigail would have been introduced. i don't feel like rewriting season 3 too okay i'm cutting corners.

luther finds sloane when he goes back to where the umbrella academy building used to be, but it's now a very lovely apartment that the two of them live in together. they host all of the family gatherings for sentimental and space reasons. i think luther would explore the stripper idea but decide not to follow it because of sloane. sloane would be fine with it but luther would still get worried.

diego and lila live in the same house somewhat nearby. lila's family (they do get to be alive but lila does have to overcome the trauma of losing them while simultaneously getting them back) are their neighbors, it was the compromise they came to because diego wanted their house to be their space but lila wanted her family close. they have three kids who are each loved and names get to be in the fucking show. (looking at you mystery twin. grace and coco (?) didn't really get much attention either). they have a big backyard that the kids all play in together when they're visiting

allison and ray are still together and they have claire (maybe another kid...) they also live somewhat nearby the rest of the umbrella family because i refuse to let them separate. i don't have much to say about them other than RAY DID NOT WALK OUT ON HER.

klaus and dave live in allison and ray's neighborhood. maybe they adopted a kid? maybe they didn't? i think their family would be really cute either way. klaus is still overcoming his addiction and dave supports him through it. it's not made into a joke and actually gives klaus a lot of depth and emotional moments. also just in general dave meeting the rest of the family would be really really sweet

five gets to retire. he lives with viktor in my mind. full circle on viktor being the person who always waited for him and offered him a place to stay after he got home in season 1. five would not actually be getting a retirement pay because he has never had a real job so he's just vik's roommate now. he could have a romance plotline with a woman working at the department store down the street named delores. she looks familiar.

ben lives alone and works at a tech company? honestly i don't know what i would do with him in the pre-plot but it would not be put him in jail?? me personally. i think he would probably move further away than everyone else but stay close enough so he could visit sloane sometimes. he still feels like an outsider but doesn't know how to tell the umbrellas he wants to be their brother now

and viktor lives with sissy harlan and five (previously mentioned). his transition gets to actually be explored (PLEASE.), harlan is in therapy, and sissy is a strong working woman!! again i don't really know what to do with him pre-plot. just know he's the happiest he's ever been!!!

and just in general, a lot of this happiness from all of them comes from their powers and that they can finally be one big happy family together (whether ben likes it or not). setting up the inherent tragedy that comes with perfection

episode 1 opens by showing everything i just explained, the tragedy of getting everything you want or whatever the title was. their powers are still integral to their lives. they're either tied to their careers (luther would probably be like a wrestler or something again, diego could try police work again because i want that to be explored) or other aspects of their existence (allison still finds herself doubting how much of her life is real, klaus' relapses are always caused by his trauma surrounding ghosts, five sometimes space jumps when he wants to be alone [also i think he could feel some sort of shame/guilt because he lives with viktor and can't really contribute much without the commission. not really his fault though because of his insanely fucked timeline], ben uses the squid to carry things or grab things that are far away, and viktor plays the violin to help him remind himself that he is in control of his power now, and he won't end the world again)

the main conflict starts when ben meets a new woman named jennifer and shakes her hand when introducing himself (starting the marigold/durango reaction that builds very slowly throughout the season.) it could be romantic but i think it's just devestating. they're slowly realizing they're losing everything they worked so hard for because of something they can't control

yadda yadda yadda figuring shit out while also having conflicts in their life from the earlier seasons and it culminates in the old umbrella academy building, viktor is the only person who can remove the durango and marigold from ben and jennifer and save the world. he finally gets to be the hero, be the one to stop the end of the world instead of cause it, but he needs to take the marigold from each of the siblings in order to balance the amount of durango jennifer had (no idk why he would let the other like 30 something marigold kids keep theirs i really don't know how to fix that. why would they do this to me)

each of the siblings have to give up part of their lives, part of their identities, and it's hard for them!!! they struggle a lot to agree to do it!!! and it's also harder for them because they don't know if viktor will survive doing this. but he's the only one who can? is his life more important than the existence of everything and everyone? ultimately, they all give up their marigold, and viktor takes all of it and the durango to save everyone. it cancels itself out and stops the cleanse reaction, and i think it would kill viktor (but it doesn't have to). we see that same clip of the 'perfect world' but they get to be in it. they were never the problem. lila and diego play in the park with their kids. allison ray and claire are walking together. klaus and dave are talking on a bench. luther and sloane are carrying a large basket of food. ben and five are helping them set up the picnic. harlan is sitting in the grass with sissy next to him. each of the adults have a small violin tattoo on their wrists. their lives will never be as perfect as they were before, but they can finally just rest and move on. because it was never their fault.

also reginald dies. fuck that guy

[alongtidesoflight]

so here's my honest thoughts on dragon age: the veilguard, after ~40 hours of playing. i finished the main quest after having finished all companion quests and major faction quests. just to clear up what content i saw, i played as an elven transmasc rook who is a member of the lords of fortune. he romanced lucanis (although after finishing the game i'm now leaning towards taash). i don't know what's happening in playthroughs that have a different race, gender identity, romance or faction going on.

full spoilers ahead, i mean it. don't read further if you want to avoid them. i don't want complaining about it in my asks.

oh and also, if you're worried because of a few negative reviews online i can comfort you by saying don't give a fuck about a certain big name youtuber who is very much tied to bethesda franchises giving this a negative review. i'll explain why.

i'm starting off with the things i liked

the game looks really pretty. i was worried it wouldn't feel like thedas anymore (with them trying to "focus on northern thedas only" i thought they'd make a clear cut in environmental design. they do and they don't. it's complicated. i'll elaborate on it when talking about the negative stuff). anyway it does. minrathous feels like kirkwall. treviso enchanted me like the winter palace did. the hossberg wetlands reminded me of the hinterlands and a couple other inquisition maps. arlathan looked like... arlathan. the crossroads were different, but familiar. overall i like the way it looks and feels. it's thedas, with a twist. it's a good one, and gives everything a solid but unique feel.

combat is top tier. if you're a hardcore dragon age player you WILL miss the tactical aspect of it for a bit, but i promise you, once you're used to the way the combat works, you will be lapping that shit up. and once you get to ability combos you'll mourn the control you used to have over your companions in battle a bit less

the MAIN quest and its story. i expected worse, way worse. and for a while the game even had me tricked (harr harr you'll get it in a second) it is Really That Much Worse. but holy shit was it good. i walked away satisfied ngl.

your choices have SOLID weight. there's consequences, good AND bad. i got minrathous blighted, ruled over by venatori, and the leader of the shadow dragons ultimately died because of my decisions. i made those at the beginning and throughout the game. he died at the end. DAVRIN died because i didn't expect what i was saying to have that much weight. i thought i was in the clear. he had hero status. well turns out, your choices can still get your companions killed even if you do everything right. i fucking love him. he shouldn't have made that sacrifice just because i told him to do everything it takes once.

the inquisitor, morrigan and dorian being there, surprisingly. there's also negatives to this though, see below.

speaking of companions dying and the inquisitor playing a bigger role: the final quest feels like me2's suicide mission. i was blown away by it and the fact that i got to see the results of all my efforts playing out in front of me.

bioware are NOT trying to redeem solas. they love him as a character yes, but i wasn't forced to see any good in him. he betrays you. he fucked my rook over twice. he fucked him over right back, for good this time (the veil wasn't torn down, i anchored it by binding him to it, he's doomed to uphold it). but solas really lives up to his name as the trickster elven god. rip to all the people who grew really attached to him over the years.

varric died. if you like him that's probably as hard reading it as it was watching it. varric died and the game lies about it until the very end. when the realisation hits, it hurts. but in the very best way.

the amount of care they put into gender expression and trans identities this time around. (i'll add onto this with negative points as well too).

rook feels very much ingrained in the world of thedas. he doesn't ask questions that expose the player to lore through dialogue as if he's stepped foot into thedas for the first time. those conversations feel very solid and good. i hope other faction players got as much joy out of this as i did.

and the things i didn't like and boy there's a lot unfortunately

the music. let's just get that out of the way holy shit. it doesn't feel like it belongs in this universe. it gets so incredibly sci-fi-y at times you'd think it's taken straight from mass effect andromeda. there's not a single song unique to veilguard that i really enjoyed. it broke my immersion, real bad. hearing a busker play the tavern songs from inquisition on a lute right after i killed some venatori with wobbly bass songs playing in the background is just odd. weird tonal shift. don't like it. it's made for people who like flashy light-weight cinema.

tevinter nights is required reading. the podcasts are required listening exercises. the game is so fast paced, especially at the start, that there's no time to introduce you to characters and how much weight their names carry in-game. i would not have known who half these people are if i hadn't skimmed over tevinter nights. i'd care even less about them than i already did. there is no time to get properly attached to them. people will act as if you're talking to a legend personified and you'll be thinking man goddamn which chapter of tevinter night were they in again and what did they do???

there's a weird mismatch with the animations. you'll have beautifully fluid ones, like emmrich casting spells. and then you'll have rook's face animating in the most unnatural manner that's sorta reminiscent of mass effect andromeda's "my face is tired" addison, when their emotions SHOULD be landing with the player rn instead.

i'm not vibing with the art style. sometimes it works. most of the time it doesn't. at points i felt like i was watching tangled.

that also brings me to some of the dialogue. same issue. i am watching frozen. i am watching tangled. someone on the writer's team really likes the adorkable trope. bellara is its victim.

for all the talk about identity, bioware sure doesn't like theirs. the grey warden armor got a redesign again and it just makes them look like a generic army. i hate it lol

in general, i don't like the armor design. the wardrobe/appearances system is fine, but it's just not helping if all the armors are just... kinda bland or downight bad looking? and don't get me started on the lords of fortune armor. that is orientalism personified.

the world states should have been carried over, full stop. i know they said they didn't because they want to separate what happens in the north from what happens in the south, which... i could have lived with that. but the inquisitor sends you letters that keep you up to date on... the south of thedas. you learn that there's a blight again, that people are standing strong but it's difficult, denerim's fallen, the rulers are taking care of it, orlais is fighting and they're successful for a while, etc etc. what's good bioware. i thought we don't care about the south this time around. why are you feeding me so much boring generic information. if you're not gonna show any of it and just write letters, then carrying the world state over should not have been an issue. i have a game dev background. those few lines of code would not have broken your budget or pushed your engine's limits. fuck right off.

this gripe of mine carries over to all the cameos. as a lord of fortune you have to deal with isabela a lot. it's fun. i missed her. you get to go drinking with her and taash and bellara! also my hawke romanced her. she's not mentioned once. they had the opportunity to put a sentence or two about her in there with not a lot of effort, trust me.

when varric dies, all she has is a single line about it. for gold, for fortune, for varric. she only says it if you interact with her on your way to the final push. that's not mandatory.

morrigan is there. kieran isn't. the old god soul that mythal and then solas absorbed? who cares at this point, the gods are dead now and solas is locked away for eternity. i suppose? why is morrigan there. she feels unneeded. i wish they'd just left her down south, at least that way i wouldn't have had to witness her god awful redesign.

dorian at least feels as if he belongs in this story. the shadow dragons are a crucial part to protecting minrathous. he's also weirdly underutilised. isabela and morrigan had more lines than him in my playthrough.

on the topic of romance: bro that was underwhelming. no, genuinely. you know when romance picked up a bit? after the point of no return. i heard maybe two lines of companion banter about it before that. maybe i missed something which i honestly doubt, but romance did not play much of a role in lucanis's storyline. i saved his grandmother as he wished me to (and if you read tevinter nights you know she was rather abusive and their relationship not the healthiest) and told him to focus on his family. a reunified family my rook wasn't even introduced to as a partner at the end of all that.

really, do not buy this game if you're only in it for the romances. others might be better, lucanis's basically gave me nothing. except for an outing (the second coffee date i had with him, it was getting repetitive) all of it played out once i committed to the final quest. the sex scene was a fade to black. annoyingly right after davrin died. if you're looking for well paced and good spice, pick up something else. the sweet talk and the final goodbye were nice though.

for all the good the ever-presence of gender identity does, it is brought up in such a disruptive manner too. it doesn't even play out naturally if you CHOOSE the lines that are meant to be said. hearing the words trans and non-binary in this setting doesn't feel right, and i'm saying this as a trans guy. i think it could have been handled more gracefully. the amount of times my rook went "i'm a MAN" as if he's about to start drumming on his chest and roaring any second now got super nerve-grating. "i'm so glad you're into me... the me who is trans. remember?" just. tell me one trans person who'd talk like that to a person they've grown close with and are trying to romance. this game doesn't handle sexuality well, so all this hey my body might not look like the way you're expecting it to look talk amounts to nothing anyway. i feel about this the way i feel about krem: this is partial exposition to trans experiences... packaged up for cis consumption. the ONLY exception to that is interacting with taash. holy shit was all of that heartwarming and bro did it feel good and natural to talk to them about theirs and rook's gender.

rivain and nevarra are new locations added by veilguard. they're also incredibly underwhelming, small and constricted maps. rivain is a coastline with a few ruins. the hall of valor is a partial ruin nestled into a cave on a beach, with a fighting pit. isabela is there in her skimpy outfit commentating your pit fights. that's it. i'm sorry if you were looking for a bustling pirate cove or whatever. you're not gonna get it. the nevarran crypts btw are a long ass dungeon crawl. that's it.

speaking of maps. i thought people were being dramatic when they said you're gonna be fighting the same enemies on them again and again. i thought they were figure of speeching it. they're not. you WILL fight the same amount of enemies. in the same spot. every time you reload the map. best to stay on a map and clear out the enemies and do as much questing on that map as you can before leaving, because you WILL have to do it all over again once you return.

the three choices i made for my inquisitor didn't matter lol she didn't have to face solas and therefore couldn't stop him at any cost as she had sworn (maybe because my rook tricked solas into binding himself to the veil, there was also an option to fight him. would she have stepped in? who knows). blackwall wasn't mentioned. and either her using a small amount of her forces in the final fight was the reason the civilians of minrathous fared so well..... or it just didn't matter. ultimately i think she had very little impact on anything

[wooahaeruby]

Chapter 37: A Very SVT Christmas

Chapter Word Count: 10,612

TW

None! This is the peace we needed c:

Author's note: HI, I'VE HAD THE WORST LUCK RECENTLY, 2 BROKEN PHONES, 1 KNEW PHONE, A BROKEN WASHING MACHINE, AND I WAS DYING. Anyways, I'm working hard on this, please be patient with me :D <3

Master List | Prev | Next

“So…” You took a long sips from the milkshake you ordered from the diner, raising a brow at Seokmin who sat close to you on the couch. “Christmas makes everyone…nice?” 

“Okay, well, I wouldn’t say nice.” Seokmin munched on some of his fries, kicking his sock covered feet up on the coffee table. “More like…everyone kinda agreed years ago that the holidays are off limits for any turf wars, gang on gang violence, and mob shit. So no drug pushing, cartel product moving, nothing until January second. After that, it’s all fair game again.” 

“You know, Min, the more and more you feed me mafia information, the more I believe I’m in some sorta coma and my mind is making shit up.” You used a chicken tender to point at him. “You mafia people are weird as fuck.” 

“ Us mafia people, Mouse. Stop acting like you aren’t in on all this. You are friends with the 99 line for fuck sake.”

“I feel if I am to accept the fact I am part of the mafia then I might turn crazy and start killing people.” 

Seokmin threw his head back in laughter, shoulders shaking and a wide smile spread on his face. “Honestly, you are so right and I can’t deny that. Though, we wouldn’t let you go on a killing spree. Promise.” 

“Um, excuse me,” Clicking your tongue, you took a bite of chicken. “You completely underestimate my affinity for crazy, Seokmin.” 

“I definitely do, but I’d like to give you the benefit of the doubt. I don’t see you as some big shot street crawler, but you are currently dating and sleeping with two of the bosses here.”

Nodding, you could agree on that. “Yeah, you're right. I’m too much of a homebody to be a vigilante. Only in my dreams I guess.” 

“Oh!” Seokmin wiggled in his spot beside you, shifting to better face you. “Are you ready for a SVT Christmas?” 

“Dear god, no.” You slouched down, hugging yourself. “I got all the presents but Chan said you guys go all out.” 

“It isn’t that bad.” He reassured, “The guys just get all excited. Plus…nice gifts are fun. We really try to keep it a secret from each other about what we get unless people team up.” 

“Excited,” You snorted, frowning. “Joshua said the presents get open at six in the morning, big breakfast, and everyone spends the whole day together.” 

“Eh. Cheol said no more six in the morning presents, but Mingyu likes cooking and making desserts. It’s a big family affair. He really wants to cook with you.” 

You smiled, sighing quietly. “You know, this will be the first Christmas since I started college that I’ll be spending with people.” 

Seokmin leaned forward and wrapped his arms around you, pulling you into his chest for a tight hug. “Don’t worry, honey, we will make it a Christmas you won’t forget.” 

“This better be, I’m nervous you guys won’t like the gifts I got.” You let him hug you, even returning it just as tightly. 

“It’s always the thought that counts, no matter what.”

Earlier in the morning, earlier than Jeonghan really wanted to be awake, Mouse crawled out of bed much to his disdain. Joshua ended up being his own heat source but he was too much of a light sleeper to curl back up and go back to sleep. She quietly and quickly scurried back into the room and went directly into the closet. He raised his head when the closet door was shut then opened a few minutes later, seeing her in multiple layers before rushing back out, boots in hand. He, rightfully confused, got up and stepped down the hall towards the living room, seeing the thick blanket of snow that started late the previous night. 

Mouse was out by herself, shuffling through the snow in a mix of his, Joshua’s, and her clothes. She looked so happy standing under the still falling snow, stunning really – even if the layers looked a little ridiculous. He grabbed a blanket off the back of the couch and dragged a chair by the glass door. Jeonghan gladly sat and watched her play in the snow, smiling to himself at how ecstatic she looked. 

Mingyu emerged from his room, half dressed and half asleep, perking up when he noticed Jeonghan, a sound of question leaving him. He simply nodded his head towards the backyard where his girlfriend started to make a snowman to the best of her abilities. The taller man nearly skipped back to his room and Jeonghan could hear Mingyu bothering Chan to get dressed to go out in the snow with her. 

The pitter-patter of socked feet had him looking away from Mouse, finding Mingyu and Chan dressed for the freezing weather. 

“That was fast.” Jeonghan clicked his tongue, wrapping the blanket snugly around himself. 

Chan slid on the boots in his hands, grinning from ear to ear. “This is the most snow we’ve had in ages! Plus, I wanna play in the snow with Mouse.” 

“And everyone is still knocked out.” Mingyu rushed out the door, calling out to the woman. 

Jeonghan simply sat, returning to his observation, sighing with a smile. Mingyu started a snowball fight the moment Mouse was in range. There was an unspoken conversation between Chan and his girlfriend, something evil behind their bright eyes when their gazes met. When whatever communication ended, they both turned on Mingyu. Snowball after snowball, the two youngest pelted the taller man despite his attempts to fight back against them. 

By the time Jeonghan got up to make himself a cup of coffee and settled back down in his seat, Mingyu had given up, hands raised in surrender as he retreated towards the backdoor though the snowball assault didn’t end. The attack stopped the moment the sliding door cracked open and Mouse sent a beaming smile Jeonghan’s way. 

“Those two are brutal.” Mingyu huffed out a breath he was trying to catch. “They teamed up and everything.” 

Jeonghan let out a silent, breathy laugh through his nose, raising his mug to take a sip of his drink. “They are living their childhood dreams and you were the perfect, easy target. I would’ve been surprised if they didn’t team up against you.” 

Mingyu stripped out of his shoes and heavy jacket, shivering violently. He quickly made himself a cup of coffee, turning to the sound of a yawn coming from the hallway. Seokmin trudged into the living room, clothes wrinkled and hair sticking up in a thousand different directions. He barely muttered a good morning as he joined Mingyu for a cup of coffee. 

“Pancakes?” Jeonghan questioned, peering over and watching Mingyu start to pull out bowls and pans, along with his favorite countertop griddle to make the usually large morning meal. 

“With bacon, eggs, and those little breakfast sausages that Cheol likes since he bought them.” 

“Mornin’.” Joshua grumbled, leaning himself over the kitchen island tiredly. He stretched out his arms and legs before moving to silently help the other two in the prep and cooking. 

Looking back out the doors, Chan was tackled into the snow by Mouse, almost entirely covered by the white fluff on the ground. Jeonghan let out an oof, cringing at the wrestling that started between the two of them, seeing her press snow into his face before he managed to shove snow down the back of her jacket. Mouse screamed out a curse as Chan chuckled in victory. 

“They are going to catch a cold.” Seokmin giggled, placing the eggs in a pan to cook, looking out the window over the sink. 

“Ah, they’ll be fine.” Standing from his seat, Jeonghan started to grab dishes needed to set the table, knowing it wouldn’t be too long before everything was finished. 

When everything was placed to his satisfaction, Jeonghan slid back into the kitchen, keeping to the corner where the warm drink mixes were usually kept; tea, coffee, etcetera. He got two mugs out to make Mouse’s hot chocolate for her and Chan. Humming to himself, he tried his best to make it exactly like she did but it never came out the same. Mouse always said his attempts were perfect but he also knew her versions were top tier, the absolute best. 

Carefully he walked the mugs over to Chan and Mouse’s usual seats to cool just enough to not burn their tongues. He huffed as he opened the sliding glass door, the chill sending a shiver down his spine. 

“Chan, Mouse, breakfast soon!” 

Both their heads whipped over, snow in hand to throw but it was quickly dropped and they stumbled through the snow towards the door. He stepped aside to let them in, helping with their coats and handing them up while they removed their shows. Chan cheered out a thanks, skipping off to warm up his bones. Mouse wrapped herself around Jeonghan’s waist, sapping his warmth. 

“Good morning.” Her teeth chattered together quietly as she warmed up. 

Jeonghan wrapped his arms around her snugly, running his hands up and down her back. “Good morning, my love.” 

“ ‘m sorry if I woke you and Shua.”

“Me, yes, always. Him? I don’t know how he can sleep so deeply at times.” He chuckled, kissing her head. “I tried to make your hot chocolate for you and Chan.” 

She lit up, bright eyes looking up at him before pulling away. “Thank you, babe!” 

Jeonghan shrugged it off, just content seeing her happy any chance he could. He had been hoping the holidays would help lift her spirits even if it was a smidge. 

“Mouse, do you wanna do something later for me?” Joshua asked, placing one of the many plates down on the table. 

Mingyu gasped and Joshua snickered, seeing him nod. She frowned at the two of them, sipping the drink Jeonghan made for her. She raised a brow at him curiously but Jeonghan shrugged. Of course he knew what Joshua was going to ask but wasn’t going to ruin anything for the other man. 

Jeonghan watched as his counterpart rounded the table and wrapped his arms loosely around Mouse’s waist. 

“So we usually have Chan do it, but…” Joshua smiled sweetly down at her. “Chan gave up his job willingly so you could place the star on the top of the Christmas tree.” 

Leaning over the back of Seungcheol’s chair, Jeonghan watched as their girlfriend peeked over to the large Christmas tree placed in the living room near the front windows, beside the TV. It was missing the usual large star that sat on top. The last few years, Chan would climb up the ladder and place it, but he suggested that Mouse do it as her first Christmas with them. Joshua and Mingyu thought it was a great idea knowing she hadn’t done much for the holidays. 

“The star…?” She stared over at the tree but looked back at Joshua with a nod. “I’d love to do that.” 

There was this…gooey, warm and fuzzy feeling in Jeonghan’s chest, a smile spreading on his lips. She gave a kiss to Joshua’s lips before he was breaking off to finish helping with breakfast. Seokmin asked Chan to start getting everyone up to eat, leaving Mouse to slide her way under Jeonghan’s arm once more. 

“Why are you smiling like that?” She whispered, peering up curiously. 

Jeonghan pulled her close, tightly wrapping his long arms around her so she couldn’t easily escape. “I dunno, baby, maybe I’m just in love with you.” 

Her cheeks flushed a dark pink and he swore he could see stars in her eyes. 

“Get a room~” Seokmin said in a sing-song voice and both Jeonghan and Mouse rolled their eyes. 

“Oh trust me, we can and will get a room.” He smirked as Mouse hit him on the chest. 

“Jeonghan!”

“No, Mingyu- Do not pick me up-” Mingyu’s hands were already on you, easily lifting you as you struggled in his hold. 

You were just about to climb up the ladder when he grabbed you as a joke and lifted you up. He had been a little annoying all day, following you around as he wished the evening would come sooner so the star could be placed on top and the tree could be lit. 

“Put me down!” You hollered out, wiggling in his grasp. “I will kick you!” 

Chan laughed along with the giant, even a few others in the group joining in. 

“No you won-” 

You accidentally kicked back and hit him right in the groin and Mingyu crumbled. The loud uproar of laughter nearly overshadowed his pained groan. Once your feet hit the ground, you turned to Mingyu, seeing him on the floor, hands covering his crotch. 

“Note to self,” He wheezed out a breath, trying to collect himself. “Don’t pick up Mouse.” 

 “That should have been obvious, dude.” Vernon chuckled, wiping tears from the corner of his eyes. “I don’t know what you expected to happen.” 

“I am so sorry.” You kneeled down, panic in your eyes since you never intended to kick him there. 

“Don’t feel sorry, he deserved it.” Seungcheol shuffled in, grabbing two decently wrapped presents on the couch to place under the tree. 

“I just wanted to help you get the star up.” Mingyu pouted, sitting back on his feet. 

You sighed, pinching the bridge of your nose. “That is what the ladder is for!” 

“Don’t yell at me! You kicked me in the balls!” 

“Keep talking and I’ll kick you in the face!” 

“You are a menace to society!” 

“Good!” You crossed your arms, star still in hand and you stood tall. “Don’t forget it.” 

“Come on, up the ladder.” Joshua defused the situation quickly, guiding you towards the four-step ladder. 

You childishly stuck your tongue out as Mingyu now that he mostly recovered from your kick, letting your boyfriend usher you. Joshua held the ladder steady as you climbed, getting to the top and balanced yourself as you stood at the top. Reaching up, you ever so gently placed the star atop the artificial tree. When you were satisfied with how it was placed, making sure it was straight, you descended, looking up at your handy work. With a curt nod, you turned to look at all the guys. 

“Ta-da!” You Will Smith memed the tree, noticing Seungkwan’s phone raised and aimed at you. 

You gave him a little shimmy of your shoulders to make him and Vernon laugh as Chan bounded over towards the light switches and Jun was up and ready to plug in the tree. When the lights were flicked off and in the dark of the living room, the Christmas tree came to life when Joshua pushed a button on the small remote. 

From bottom to top, the lights ingrained in the tree went on in a straight white pattern before Joshua pushed another button and they transitioned to a rainbow spiritual starting at the base. You watched with wide eyes at the different effects it had, never having a tree as nice to see such a fancy display. 

Joshua placed his arm over your shoulder and pulled you into his side, kissing the top of your head. You took a deep breath, smiling pleasantly as the lights went solid white once more and the lights flickered back on. 

“Hmm, maybe I am feeling some holiday spirit.” You admitted, leaning your head against your boyfriend’s chest, staring at the tree. 

“Good, I want you to have a good Christmas, sweetheart.” He tilted your chin up and kissed you sweetly, feeling him smile against your lips. 

“Right in front of my salad?” Seungkwan asked and you raised your hand to flip him the middle finger. 

“Do your mushy couple shit somewhere else.”

There was a devious glint in Joshua’s eyes that you didn’t like. It was only a second before you were dipped back, hand on your ass, and he was kissing you again, this time rougher. If you could, you would have been laughing but up until this point, a majority of Joshua’s affection was slow, sensual even when things got heated. 

You noted the sounds of complaint and retching from your friends, but a laugh came from Jeonghan. Joshua pulled your back up, moving away some to throw a smirk as some boos were also thrown out. Your cheeks were flushed and you turned your head away, not wanting them to see how flustered you were. 

“You guys are nasty.” Jihoon griped and one peek at Joshua showed his eyes lighting up once more. 

“Nope, no, do not-” You escaped his arms and ran straight into Soonyoung’s waiting ones. 

“Who are you and what have you done with my Shua?” You gasped as Soonyoung bundled you up close to his chest. “Demon.” 

Mingyu jumped into your other side, holding you along with the other. “We’ll protect you, Mouse!” 

You stuck your tongue out at your boyfriend and Seungcheol cleared his throat, breaking the moment. 

“Make sure presents are under the tree before Christmas day, by the way.” He sent a glare to Vernon then Jun, both avoiding his gaze. “Last year some people nearly lost some of their gifts because they weren’t placed in the living room to not lose them.” 

“Oh come on.” Vernon crossed his arms and Jun only grinned and snickered. 

“Don’t ‘come on’ me. Soonyoung at least can follow the simple instructions and his room is a minefield of shit.” 

“Okay, he isn’t wrong…” Soonyoung muttered and you covered your mouth to hold in a laugh. “I’ll admit that I’m messy.”

“I’m hiding the mistletoe!” Mingyu parked up, grinning wide. “Been thinking of hiding spots all year.” 

“Oh god.” You cringed, shaking your head with a smile. “Why mistletoe?” 

“Because everyone deserves a kiss!” Seokmin chuckled, biting on the tip of his tongue.

Mingyu placed a sloppy, wet kiss to your cheek and you pushed him away with a squeak. Wiping his spit off with his sleeve, you whined at how gross he was. 

“There will be a lot more of that where those came from. Whoever has got the most mistletoe kisses by the end of the night gets another gift and this year Cheol gets to provide it.” 

“First year we did this, Minghao had to provide it, then last year it was Wonwoo.” Soonyoung filled you in thankfully, still keeping you wrapped up in his arms. 

“And I’m keeping it a secret until then.” Seungcheol spoke smugly, a smirk on his lips.

“You rang?” Sona stepped into your apartment, stopping as she noticed the mess you were working on cleaning before Chan would pick you up. “Did a baking tornado rip through here?” 

“No, uh, sorry.” You placed some mixing bowls in the dishwasher, along with some measuring cups and spatulas. “I was baking seven batches of brownies, some for 99 line Christmas to take home with them for everyone else. Lost track of time but they are all in my ovens.” 

Quickly rinsing off your hands and dusting your apron of any flour, you moved towards her with a small hop in your step. Sona raised a brow and tilted her head to the side in curiosity. 

“Okay, so I know you said I shouldn’t have to, but I got you a gift for Christmas.” You smiled at her, hearing a scoff and shaking her head.

“You are ridiculous, but I…did do the same.” Her features broke into a smile, dropping her head with a huff. “Let me go grab it.” 

You cheered as she hurried out and you sprinted down the hall to get the recently wrapped gift box. It was placed atop the pile of presents you needed to take up to the house, along with your small suitcase since Seokmin and you would be heading here from the house to work through the week between Christmas and New Years. 

It was, in fact, the day before Christmas either way. In a little while you’d pack everything into Chan’s car, head to the 99 line party, then head up to the house. You were so lucky that the 99 line settled on a Secret Santa rather than getting everyone present for the gift exchange. You’d have enough time to place everything under the tree at the house with the rest of the gifts then crash before the festivities started.

Over a week ago, a sealed envelope was given to you by one of SVT’s men who stated it had been delivered by one of ATZ’s people. It was a note that told you who your gift was for, which ended up being Yeosang, and that there was a five hundred dollar spending limit. Wooyoung had texted the groupchat to start gift hunting and they could figure out a day to chill another time and exchange. 

You sat at the kitchen island as your pans of brownies baked, drumming your fingers over the box until your door opened once more. Sona walked in with a simple gift bag, tissue paper sticking out along with an envelope. 

“I want to admit that one part of this gift here is for both of us on my dime.” She commented and you chuckled, motioning her over. 

“Not a problem.” You slid the box over to her once she sat down and she placed the bag in front of you. “You first, Sona.”

Sona huffed, smiling gently as she tore off the purple wrapping paper and opened the box, letting out a laugh at the contents. One after another, she pulled out five large makeup pallets you had ordered. They were new releases, you stayed up a few nights on their drop dates and spent a good bit on them. Thankfully, for once, you weren’t overly worried about the cost you spent. 

“Damn, how did you know?” She opened each of them, loving over the wide variety of colors and shimmers she could use. 

You grinned, resting your elbow on the table and your head in your hand. “When you did my makeup for the gala and the ball, you always had the newest pallets in your case from these brands so…ta-da!” 

Sona closed the pallets, stacking them nearly and nodding her head towards the gift bag. You took the envelope out first and placed it down, digging to pull out the bottle of wine. Your eyes ran over it, seeing the date, an older, definitely expensive bottle from France from what you could tell. Once you were content with the wine, eyes having looked over every inch, you reached for the envelope, practically vibrating in your spot. 

“No way!” You read over the papers, beaming from ear to ear. “You did not.”

“Oh I did.” Sona giggled, watching you continue to read. “I think after all this shit, we both need it.” 

“Three days, two nights, all inclusive spa resort for four- Wait. Four?” 

“So, it was mainly for you and I, but there was a deal for four people and I thought you could bring Gahyeon or one of the other girls and I could bring Lex, all on me.” 

“That sounds…” You paused, narrowing your eyes as a mischievous grin spreading on your face. “Lex, Huh?” 

“Not this again, Mouse, we are just friends.” Sona groaned, dropping her head. “Nothing is going on between us.” 

“Mhmm, nothing. Keep telling yourself that, babes. Nothing yet.” You winked but opened your arms for a hug. 

Sona pulled you into a hug, resting her head on your shoulder, holding you tightly. “Thanks, Mouse, and Merry Christmas.”

You sighed happily, rubbing her back. “Merry Christmas, Sona. I’ll see you after New Years.” 

She moved back, holding onto your forearms gently, looking at you almost with a hint of melancholy in her eyes. “First vacation in a while. I dunno, I might miss hanging out with you.” 

“You’ll make me blush.” You swooned dramatically. “Enjoy your vacation and your new makeup pallets…Tell Lex I said Hi.”

She rolled her eyes. “We’ll schedule the weekend for the spa trip after the holidays.” 

“Oh for sure.”

Sona gathered the bow into her arms and bid you a goodbye before leaving. One glance at the timer for the brownies told you that there was plenty of time to change and throw on a little makeup. You were pulling the brownies out of the oven when Chan came in. With haste, you placed them aside to cool and hurried over to greet him gleefully. He explained that he borrowed Minghao’s SUV since he was already home to take whatever you had to the party to the house. When he ended up seeing just how many assorted boxes needed to be brought, Chan asked a few of their men downstairs to help. You were so glad you baked more than just brownies recently, offering them a whole batch of cookies when they took the last of the boxes. The men took the container at your insistence and you could see their barely there smiles as you wished them a happy holidays. 

The moment the brownies seemed cool enough to transfer, you divided them into the extra containers you bought and set off towards the small restaurant Changbin chose for the evening, or well – he booked the entire place. Main reason you brought the brownies was for them to take home to their groups since you couldn’t do anything else for them. 

You grabbed the present for Yeosang out of the back, grinning to yourself at the item inside. It took a few minutes to simply find the item, surprisingly, but two weeks to arrive at your doorstep. You received it in the mail the previous night and scrambled to get a box and wrapping paper together to wrap it. 

“You good?” Chan pulled his own simple box from the car, an unknown gift for an unknown Secret Santa. 

Giving a nod, you stood beside him with the brownies in a bag and the present. “You’ll be okay to drive later?” 

“Mhmm. I’m not drinking tonight.” He bumped his hip against yours, locking the car as you both strided into the restaurant. 

“Merry Christmas!” Wooyoung nearly barreled into the two of you, placing a sweet kiss to your cheek and a gross wet one to Chan’s. 

“Ew! Fuck off.” Chan wiped his cheek off, cringing and frowning. “You kissed her all nice and kissed my cheek like you are a dog.” 

“Because I treat women well.” 

“That is a lie.” Gahyeon strided over, dressed down in a sweater half tucked into light jeans. “You treat Mouse like a lady sometimes and me like you are an annoying little brother.”

“And I still treat you better than I do the rest of these idiots.” Wooyoung hummed, nodding his head back towards the others. “Come on, let's sit since food is gonna be ready soon.” 

You happily greeted the rest of the 99 line, giving hugs and big squeezes. You placed your present on the wall behind you, taking a seat between Yeosang and Yeonjun, teasing the former for his bright dyed orange hair. He explained that he lost a bet but even then it did look good, which Yeonjun appreciated. 

The food was amazing, the minimal staff was amazing and attentive, and you were glad to have a simple night. Chan had informed you in the car that they had security watching the perimeter of the building, the ground understanding the anxiety you had being in public, even if all of them were more than able to protect you. Some were drinking, you agreed on a glass of wine as you ate and Chan kept his word that he wasn’t drinking, along with San, Mingi, and Wooyoung.

San and Yunho were on a tangent about some event in League of Legends, specifically the TFT side, and it was getting loud. Wooyoung joined the conversation and Yeosang sighed, shaking his head at their over the top behavior. You chose to stay quiet since you hadn’t used your computer to play any games in a while, leaning into Yeosang’s space when Yeonjun got involved, wanting to preserve your hearing. They went on for a while as dinner was eating. Wooyoung almost threw a piece of bread, which Changbin stopped, and you were glad they were mostly sober, minus a drink or two. 

“Okay, you guys are getting overly rambunctious.” Chan spoke up, grinning despite their lively, weird banter. “Presents before dessert?” 

With the questions posed, the main course was quickly finished and plates were taken away. Everyone grabbed their presents, eyeing each other to make guesses at who was whose Secret Santa. 

“Whose first?” Mingi gazed about, leg bouncing with pent up energy. 

“Youngest or oldest?” 

“So Gahyeon or Wooyoung?” 

“Oh, I wanna go!” Gahyeon placed the small, square Swarovski box on the table, smiling wide. She handed the bow closed box across the table to you. “I was lucky enough to get Mouse for this.” 

You laughed through your nose, taking the present and undid the bow, gingerly opening it. Inside, you laid your eyes on a cuff bracelet, silver in an infinite style band design. You lifted it from the box, letting out a small hum of amazement, examining the crystals in their settings. You undid the hinge clasp and slid it around your wrist. 

“ ‘Hyeon.” You pouted, lifting your eyes to meet her wide, bright gaze. “It’s so pretty, thank you.” 

The woman continued to smile across the table, eyes shining in the lights. She lifted her arm and pushed her sleeve up, revealing the same bracelet in gold around her wrist. You whined, bringing your hand up to your heart and pouted even more. 

“Now you can never escape me.” She winked. “Your turn to give your gift.”

“Oh, yeah.” You lifted the rectangular box from your lap and handed it over to Yeosang beside you. “This is for you.” 

His eyebrows raised in surprise but a shy smile made its way onto his lips. He tore the paper and balled it up before lifting the lid on the box. You watched as his eyes widened at the limited edition skateboard with black and red designs all over it with matching grip tape. Yeosang took it into his hands and you moved the box to let him examine it thoroughly, flipping it over in his hands. 

“How did-” 

“At karaoke you said that you like to collect them and ride skateboards so…” You shrugged. “I had Channie help with the colors.” 

He thanked you, a breathy chuckle leaving him and a wide, timid smile continued to spread on his lips. “I’ll make sure it gets good use.”

Yeosang’s gift ended up being for Wooyoung, who had a few people eyeing the latter as he snickered but was thankful for the large designer duffle bag within the packaging. Yeosang said that his old one was getting messed up since he needed to travel a lot. Changbin was next to receive a gift. Wooyoung’s present to him was a thin but large box and Changbin was confused as he unwrapped it. Once the top was off, he scoffed but smiled broadly, pulling a nicely framed, signed horror movie posted. Wooyoung went on to say that he knew it wasn’t a part of the already existing collection so…

Changbin’s Secret Santa was Yeonjun, who was gifted a pair of simple diamond earrings since the latter lost his first pair when traveling and was bummed since they were a gift from Soobin. San was given his gift from Yeonjun, a three piece suit, designer of course, in a lovely dark purple color since he looked good in said style and color. 

San was given Mingi to give a gift to, which came in the form of a matching ring and chain necklace set due to his love for jewelry. Mingi didn’t hesitate to slide them on happily as he thanked San, grinning wide. The aforementioned man passed his present over to Chan who tore into it with childlike fervor to reveal a pair of shoes, ones you knew he was looking to pre order but decided against it. 

Chan was Yunho’s Secret Santa, handing the present over to the grabby hand man. He pulled off the ribbon around it, along with the top, and Yunho took hold of the jacket inside, humming excitedly as the long silhouette came into view. Chan snickers that Yunho’s last long jacket got ruined in a shoot out so it was necessary to get another. 

Since Gahyeon was first, she was last to obtain a gift, having waited patiently. Yunho handed the box over and she opened it with hand, gently moving the tissue paper aside to pull out the designer handbag. She thanked him and ran her gaze over it as Yunho spoke up, stating that her old favorite bag fell to pieces from how much she used it, the hand strap even frayed to bits, and he wanted her to have another she liked. 

With gift exchanging done and more gratitude passed around (along with many hugs), the staff on duty brought out dessert; chocolate lava cakes with vanilla ice cream. Yeosang asked you where you found the skateboard which you gladly explained, even pulling you your phone to show him. You hadn’t stopped smiling, laughing at jokes that were said, a light, warm feeling in your soul. 

Goodbyes weren’t far behind dessert, all wanting to get home since it was getting late, with a big exchange of hugs, cheek kisses, and a promise for a meet up once the New Year started. You gave Gahyeon a tight hug, hearing her giggle as she squeezed you close to her body. She asked one of the others to take a picture of the two of you, to which Yunho took her phone and snapped a few happily. Chanbin asked a member of the restaurant staff to take a group shot, all of you scrunching together to fit into the frame well. All vibrant smiles spread on your faces.

Before you left, you handed out the containers of brownies, warning them that you were going to text other members of their group so the treats were shared, which made a few groan in disappointment. 

Between you and Chan, it was loud the entire ride home, which wasn’t a big surprise. Despite how late it was, Chan continued to keep you smiling, through stories and horribly tuned karaoke. You did end up giving him a brownie when he started to beg, laughing as he almost dropped it, twice, while driving. He pulled into the garage to Minghao’s spot, peeking inside to find it quiet and most of the lights off. 

He helped you as quietly as possible to take all the presents from the car, almost tripping over other gifts in the living room. You gave Chan a hug, whispering to sleep well and that you’d see him in the morning. He trailed you to Jeonghan’s room before wandering off towards his room. 

Slipping into the room, you could hear the soft breathing from Joshua but saw the dimmed light of Jeonghan’s phone. His head shot up at the click of the door and you padded over to the closet with a wave at him. You changed quickly then disappeared into the bathroom to clean off your face and brush your hair. There was a quiet grumble of your name, you rolled your eyes as you flicked the light off and made your way over to where your boyfriends laid. 

“Welcome home.” Jeonghan muttered, pulling you into his hold, letting you climb over him to the spot in between. 

“Why aren’t you sleeping?” You slipped under the covers, feeling him snuggle into your side. 

“Was worried about you. You didn’t answer my texts.” 

Placing a kiss to his forehead, you sighed and ran your fingers through his hair. “Sorry… Chan and I were having fun bullshitting. You can go to sleep now.” 

He huffed, planting a kiss on your jawline. “Can I be the big spoon?” 

“You wanna-?” You snickered and nodded, feeling his arms loosen so you could turn over. 

He tugged you to his chest and you reached out to pull Joshua into the pile. The second man made an unknown sound but his body easily shifted to curl up with the two of you. 

“Merry Christmas.” You muttered into Joshua’s hair and knocked out not long after.

“Wake up! It’s Christmas!” 

You, Joshua, and Jeonghan were violently startled awake by Jun yelling into the room. When your groans of disapproval started, he jumped into bed across all of you. Jeonghan hit his back weakly while Jun laughed with childlike enjoyment but whined. Joshua pushed him away and you struggled under his (light) weight crushing you. 

“Everyone got to sleep-in this year, wake up!” He rolled over and off the bed, checking his phone. “Almost nine in the morning, get up!” 

Through the door, you could make out Soonyoung cheerfully yelling into someone’s room. Jun grinned once more before he scurried out, leaving the door wide open. 

“I’m gonna kill ‘em.” Jeonghan pressed his face into the pillow. “Violently. Murder.” 

“He’ll enjoy it too much.” Joshua replied, an arm over his eyes as he continued to wake up.

“I hate that you’re right.” 

Reluctantly you sat up, brushing some hair out of your face and flattening the rest down. You contemplated whether you’d change but looked down at your (Jeonghan’s) flannel pajama pants and t-shirt (Joshua’s) and only decided on throwing a sweatshirt over it. Both of your boyfriends followed out with Joshua dragging blankets off the bed and trudging out to the living room, stealing the loveseat for the three of you. Seungkwan, Vernon, and Chan were huddled together on the couch, bleary eyed but awake enough to be coherent. You sat half on each of your significant other’s laps, both cuddling into your sides. 

“Mouse,” Chan pouted. “Can you make hot chocolate?” 

Giving a pat to both Joshua’s and Jeonghan’s heads, you gleefully stood despite their whines and set off to the kitchen on a mission. You set up quickly to make everyone a cup of something, keeping in mind who liked theirs extra sweet or didn’t want it at all. Chan did end up helping you pass out the wide assortment of mugs, even helping toss some mini-marshmallows into them. Members were still emerging from their rooms but accepted the sweet drinks to warm their bones before the massive stack of gifts were open. 

“Merry Christmas!” Mingyu skipped over, a devious smile on his face, throwing an arm over your shoulder.

He pulled you close to his side, opening a different cabinet beside the mugs. “Would you look at that! Mistletoe!” 

Not giving you a moment to react, Mingyu pressed a big, wet smooch to your cheek. You squealed when he didn’t let up, laughing when Seokmin appeared at your other side, doing the same. 

“Ridiculous!” Swatting both away, they simply grinned. 

“Two Mistletoe kisses for Mouse!” 

“Take your drinks and stop being nasty.”

You forced mugs (carefully) into their hands, but you didn’t stop smiling at their antics. Chan took the two for Jeonghan and Joshua while you walked over to the half awake, pouty leader, handing him a mug. He thanked you with a lazy side hug and a grumble, plopping down on the couch. You joined your boyfriends with your drink, humming at their warmth and the mug in hand. 

“Alright, teach me a very SVT Christmas.” You motioned aimlessly at the tree and gifts. 

“Typically…” Minghao yawned, taking a sip of the tea you made him instead of hot chocolate. “It’s a free-for-all thing but since it's your first major holiday with us, I think we are going easy.”

“Mouse should open all her gifts first!” Seungkwan smiled wide, resting his head on Vernon’s shoulder. 

“Mmm, if we do that, you all need to open your presents from me then you can have your wild free for all.”

“Deal!” Sooyoung beamed. 

“He is the worst of all,” Joshua complained, groaning. “Last year he fucking bit me.” 

“Huh?” You looked at Soonyoung in disbelief but he didn’t deny it. “No biting for fuck sake!”

Soonyoung almost looked…disappointed. Weirdo. 

“Okay!” Jun interrupted, clapping his hands together. “Mouse’s presents.” 

He grabbed each of your gifts with called-out help from the others saying which were for you, an almost scary sized cluster of boxes. Jihoon laughed at your shocked expression, pointing like a child. 

“The fuck, guys…” You said, slipping onto the floor in front of the pile, taking in the plethora of boxes. 

“Open them~” Jeonghan encouraged and with smiles all facing you, you reached for a gift. 

You tore off the (slightly) janky wrapped paper after finding the name, the first from Wonwoo. It wasn’t heavy as you opened the inconspicuous brown cardboard box, snorting as you pulled out the fancy digital camera and the accessory box.

“Once everything…settles down, maybe we could go out and take pictures together.” The low, tired rumble of his voice had you nodding in agreement, having seen his camera before. 

You set your eyes on the smallest of the stack, a smile square box with a bow holding it together. There wasn’t a giver name, but you were able to see the Cartie etched across the top. 

“Holy shit.” You whispered, seeing the gold, diamond bracelet staring back at you. It was thin, dainty, but the metaphorical weight was a lot. You’ve seen them before, expensive, and a dream if you were a millionaire. 

You gazed around the room and the moment your eyes met with Seungcheol’s, you knew. There was a subtle shake to his head, almost asking not to point it out as you slid it around your wrist. 

“Damn, okay, I’m glad I didn’t go with that.” Mingyu snickered as you moved along to a medium sized, rectangular box. 

“I’m terrified of this big square box.” You gave it a light kick and Jun’s shoulder shook with silent laughter. 

Minghao panicked when you were a little harsh in peeling off the wrapping paper. “It’s fragile-” 

You instantly were gentler, hearing a deep breath leave him. Pulling off the top, you squeaked. It was a gorgeous tea set in a very pale blue-green, mint colored glaze and a seemingly hand painted cherry blossom pattern. Another squeak left you when you found the matching designed cups. Mingaho let out a giggle and you found pouches of hand labeled tea bags of ones he had made for you previously. 

“I’m gonna drink the fuck out of these, Hao.”

“Good, I know where to get more.” 

The boxes were getting bigger, minus a singular smaller one. You saw a neatly wrapped present with the youngest three’s initials scrapped across it. You dragged it over, noticing the three perk up as you tore off the ribbon and popped off the top. 

You bulked at the three, crisply packaged designer bags in three different styles. You really tell who picked out which one based on the varying colors and style. Seungkwan definitely got you the lavender purse with a regular hand strap and a detachable shoulder strap. Vernon’s was a simple black shoulder bag with silver accents. Chan’s was a chrome silver with matching metal chain hand strap to hold it. 

“Between this and the clothes in my closet, I’m getting the feeling you don’t like my style.” You snarked, looking over each bag lovingly. 

“It could use some help.” Seungkwan teased back and you scoffed, flipping him off. 

“Jackass.” You placed the box aside and picked up a sparkly wrapped small gift. “I hope you all know that I know some of you can’t wrap gifts.” 

“Team effort.” 

“I feel like a kid on Christmas morning with all the aunties and uncles here to spoil their only niece.” You got the paper off, hating the glitter that now stuck to your hands and clothes, but coming face to face with a pair of noise canceling headphones. “I need these with how loud you guys can get.” 

“See, I told you!” Seokmin hit Mingyu’s arm, cackling. “Twenty bucks, please.” 

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll get it later…” 

You moved onto the next gift, turning it about to see Santa Jun scrawled across the side. It was the second largest box in the pile left and you were laughing when you saw the contents. The squished, vacuum sealed face of Gengar staring back at you. 

“A giant plushie!?” 

“Bean bag chair!” Jun vibrated in his seat, hands shaking happily. “It’s huge, like five feet by five feet.” 

You stared at him blankly, slow blinking. “I will never leave it. It’s my new home.” 

He grinned, nose scrunching up in a snicker. “Good, that was the plan.” 

“Okay, biggest one.” You stood to open it and Mingyu was bustling with excitement.

It was a large entertainment speaker system similar to the ones at the house with a note saying ‘ Movie Night?’. 

“Yeah, I think that can be arranged. Another big movie night.” 

There was a cheer from some as you reached for a bulky square-ish box. It was heavy and you heard something shift inside. There was a messily drawn tiger and cat face that made you chuckle. There was a lovely record player inside with a very thick stack of vinyls of multiple artists you knew or some you haven’t heard of. The one that stuck out to you at the very bottom of the stack, however, had you on the floor laughing. 

“DJ-” You wheezed, “DJ Leaf Blower’s Greatest Hits-” 

“Read the number one song.” Jihoon called out. 

Flipping the vinyl over, you screamed and laughed harder. “ Ram Ranch Remix?! ” Gasping for air, you held your sides. “I’m gonna pee.” 

“ Barbie Girl 4.0?” Minghao raised a brow, reading it once you handed it over. 

“Don’t worry about it.” Vernon snorted, a wide grin on his face. 

“Come on, one more before ours.” Mingyu hummed, shimmying in place. 

Collecting yourself enough to catch your breath and wiping your face, you pulled the last gift close, a black and gold rectangular box. J&J was written on the card and you quickly opened it. 

There was an assortment of items inside that you sorted through. Perfumes, clothes, shoes, and so much more. You smelled each new perfume, happy that were similar to your much cheaper ones. The clothes and shoes were matching and you found a note insinuating they were for a night out with them. There was even a new clutch and jewelry to go with said outfits. 

“You know, I can’t hug all of you at once-” 

“Wrong!” Mingyu yelled while Seokmin cheered, diving at you and talking you to the floor. 

A few more joined, mainly Seungkwan, Chan, Jun, and Soonyoung, leaving you squished against the tallest and your best friend. You struggled, clawing at the carpet to try and flee, but you gave up as they started to get up and off of you. 

An exasperated huff left you, tired and unable to fight back. “I can’t believe you heathens.” 

You stood, ignoring their beaming smiles and chuckles in order to retrieve and hand out each of their gifts. Some were large while others were small, handing them out to some grabby handed adults. Jun helped you move all your things aside as they started one by one opening their gifts starting with Chan. 

You had found a humongous otter plushie on sale, knowing he looked like the animal, and a new leather jacket. He laughed loudly as he unpacked the stuffed animal, keeping it tuck under his arm as he took the jacket out. Chan thanked you as Vernon started to open his two packages of similar size tied together with a ribbon, one thin and the other relatively thick box. You had many text conversations with Seungkwan to find something, deciding on a new DJ turntable and a rare, signed David Bowie poster that you got help from Changbin to find. He let out a surprised sound, eyes wide and a grin in disbelief. 

Seungkwan opened his gift next, a nice, reliable shoulder bag he didn’t have. Totally didn’t snoop in his room to find out, and a new pair of running shoes since his current ones were falling apart. Mingyu tore into his gift the moment a thank you left the younger man’s mouth, meeting the cheesy Kiss The Chef apron, resting on top of a custom tailored dark green suit. Siyeon had given you a list of all the colors the giant looked good in and you picked the color you hadn’t seen him in a lot. He was ready to strip, standing up to throw the jacket over his black sleep t-shirt, rambling at how much he liked it. 

Seokmin opened the box in his lap, gasping dramatically as he lifted the papers in the air.

“Divorce papers?! How could you?” He waved them around before tossing the faked papers on the floor. “I thought you and I were soulmates!” 

“I’m sorry,” You placed a hand to your chest, sighing. “But I have found another- two others.” 

He fake cried as he rifled through the box more, pulling out the bottles of cologne you found similar to his common ones. He thanked you with a playful kiss to the cheek. 

Minghao was next, giggling at the gift you got him. Just as he had given you, a custom tea set rested in the box with little cute, painted frogs on it. Each of the four cups had cartoon frogs with different expressions on them, and it came with a handcrafted frog tea pet. You went on to explain that Jun told you about his love for animated frogs and had a great idea. He thanked you and curled in on himself to take the pottery in. 

Jihoon’s gift was harder to find, but the moment you did, you bought it without looking at the price tag (you did later and you died a little inside). It was a limited edition, dark red Ibenez guitar. His eyes lit up as he lifted it from the case, an excited, random sound leaving him as he gazed upon it. He mumbled a thank you a moment before Soonyoung unwrapped his present, laughing loudly at the three piece tiger print pants, shirt, and suit jacket set you bought. He, without a single care, kicked off his pajama bottoms and tugged the new pants on. You made a sound of complaint at his stripping but glad that he enjoyed it. 

Wonwoo’s presents were bundled in one, three (four technically) items to add to his computer setup. You were originally going to get him a new graphics card but you walked in on him a few weeks ago taking his tower apart to install…a new graphics card. In the end, you settled on a large, wireless charging mouse pad, a new mouse with a lot of side buttons, and a clicky-clacky keyboard. You matched the brands to ones you knew he had in his current set up, but got a second keycap set if he wanted to change the style out. 

Jun’s present was kind of similar to what he got you, funny enough. He got you a huge ass Gengar bean bag…you got him a four foot long Mareep Pokemon plushie. He wheezed in excitement, ripping the plastic off to hold it comfortably to his chest, making a comment that he would cuddle it forever. 

Joshua’s and Jeonghan’s presents were quite large, however you added a small gift to match something you had made. Based on their taste, you got Jeonghan a chain bracelet while Joshua got a necklace of similar design. You got yourself a necklace with a mix between both styles to match, but you’d tell them later. 

Along with the jewelry, you got Jeonghan a huge lego set to work on during the holiday. He expressed wanting to build one again and not knowing what to do with his time when you went to work during the week with Seokmin. For Joshua…you got a life sized model of Ichigo’s first sword from Bleach, one of his favorite anime. Both looked thankful but overjoyed admiring their gift. 

Last but certainly not least, Seungcheol held the box in hand, larger than his palm but still small. You, with the encouragement from Jeonghan, snuck into his room to find a decent gift idea for the leader. He had a large collection of watches of varying brands, styles, and types, you took as much time as you could to find something online before rushing out. 

Seungcheol’s gummy smile could be seen as he popped the lid open, removing the rose gold Rolex watch. He looked it over with quiet enjoyment, hastily sliding it around his wrist, surprised it fit well since links usually needed to be table off. You…won’t tell him you took one of his and returned it to its original place with the help from Chan. 

You asked everyone if they liked their gifts and the chorus of affirmation and thank yous followed. Soonyoung got up, still sporting the tiger pants, and quickly started to pass out presents. You moved out of the way, dodging a box tossed Jeonghan’s way. Sitting with your back to the foot of the love seat, you watched as chaos ensued. 

Wrapping paper, bags, and box tops littered the living room. Excited screams and loud conversation filled the space as more presents were thrown. You wanted to help in some way, taking on the duty of collecting the trash, making a neat pile for easy clean up once everything was done. 

It was outrageous but also so heartwarming to see the happiness shared. While Jihoon wasn’t physically affectionate, he let Mingyu give him a tight hug and Jun to ruffle his hair. Seokmin practically jumped into Seungcheol’s lap when he opened the present from the leader. Jeonghan and Joshua nudged shoulders at their own exchange. You hugged your knees, continued to watch them, your… family, living in the simple pleasures of a normal life moment. 

When gifts were finished, Mingyu and Minghao took charge in fully cleaning up, which became a group effort. You snuck into the kitchen to start on the even larger breakfast, finding Joshua at your hip not long after. Between breakfast and dinner later, you didn’t mind the thought of spending the whole day in the kitchen. You even had something…special up your sleeve for dinner. 

“Why is there mistletoe down here?!” Joshua asked, opening a bottom cabinet. You sprinted around the kitchen, sliding on your socks to plant a kiss to his cheek. 

“Joshua one!” You sprung up, calling out to Mingyu who whooped loudly. 

Joshua rolled his eyes but stole a kiss from you when he stood before letting you get back to cooking. With help from Seokmin and Chan, breakfast was a mix of food from pancakes to hashbrowns. Despite the time, everything ended up being more brunch items, but everyone looked satisfied with the spread of sweet and savory. 

Some gifts were moved from the living room to make space for the full bellied bodies and movie watching. Jihoon sat with the guitar you got him, tuning it with practiced precision. Seungkwan was sitting on the couch with Jeonghan, snickering over the gifts they got each other; a nice set of jackets for the younger man and two sets of imported wine for your boyfriend. Everything was calm and domestic. 

You could hear an annoyed shout from Minghao as Soonyoung and Jun pecked him on the cheek when mistletoe was found in the linen closet. They both shouted the count then ran from the assassin. You, on the other hand, started prepping items for dinner, chopping many vegetables, positioning out so much chicken, and making some (a lot ) of dough. Their background noise was comforting, hearing them laugh and chatter. After being on your own for a while, this was a change you knew you needed. 

“Mouse, come join us.” Jeonghan called, peering over the back of the couch, pouting. 

“I’m almost done here.” You hummed over your shoulder, placing the prepped items in different containers. 

“Mouse-” He whined and you shot him a playful glare, moving to wash your hands. 

He was grinning at you with a gaze full of love and infatuation as he watched you move about. You shook your head and moved over to him once you were finished. Seungkwan ran off somewhere else, leaving a space next to Jeonghan that you were going to fill, but he pulled you into his lap, kissing your cheek a few times. 

“Are you having a good Christmas?” He whispered, watching as you looked around the room. 

You took in a deep breath, smiling with a nod as your eyes settled back on him, taking in his features. “I am.”

Once more, you looked around, seeing the holiday joy, bright vibes, and the love between everyone. 

“I’m glad that I ended up tangled with you guys, Hannie.”

Dinner was a much bigger affair than you had previously thought. You were kinda warned that you needed to dress up a little, but you laughed, seeing some of them in some of their best outfits, recognizing some from the gala. You did throw on a dress Joshua got when you moved into your new home, long and classy but not long enough you needed shoes. Soonyoung had the tiger suit jacket that you got him and Mingyu wore the lovely dark green suit with lots of ostentatious jewelry. The entire scene was comical the more you looked them over head to toe. 

The only explanation you were given as to why this dinner needed nice outfits was that someone had made a joke once that everyone should dress up extra nice just to have a home cooked meal and hang out. Some took it to the extreme with Seokmin and Chan walking out in brightly colored outfits and horribly clashing patterns, making everyone die laughing. They looked like eyesores. Joshua decided to go similar to Mingyu, hands and neck littered with lots of over the top jewelry.

You were happy the dress you brought wasn’t bothersome to keep cooking, quickly tossing on an apron to assemble the individual chicken pot pies and getting them in the oven. Minghao, Jun, and Seokmin were finishing up their own dishes that wouldn’t clash too much with what you were making. 

Pulling open the cabinet with the serving dishes you opened earlier in the day, you gasped, cursing under your breath. You tried to close the cabinet quickly but Minghao’s hand stopped you. He giggled but placed a gentle kiss on your cheek, only for Seokmin to dive in and kiss your other one. 

“Mouse two!” 

You grumbled and turned to find Mingyu’s playful gaze. “How did you manage to change the spot?!” 

“Dumb question, I changed more and hid more so everyone be prepared.” He grinned. “So far, Mouse has four, Hao has two, and Joshua has one.” 

“How the fuck…” You whispered, huffing as you went back to cooking, exasperated, “Someone set the table!” 

Jihoon, Vernon, and Wonwoo worked on setting the table, happy to help since they were…pretty useless when cooking. Working with Jun, you got everyone’s ramekin out of the oven and to the table. You gave a warning that it was scolding hot so on one should touch them right away. Hao and Seokmin got the rest of the dishes plated and to the table and soon you were sitting down to eat with everyone. 

Seungcheol took a peek at the dish before him then to you, raising a brow since he knew exactly what it was. You only gave him a wink as everyone started to grab more food and dug into the meal. Seeing the satisfaction on everyone’s face was enough to get you all giddy and a fuzzy feeling settled in your chest. Your grandmother would be over the moon to see more people enjoying her recipes. You knew you were happy for her. 

“Can we do a big family picture after?” Seungkwan looked down the table, addressing everyone. “I think we all look amazing enough.” 

“Ostentatious, you mean?” 

“Oh yeah. I want this framed for my memories. Plus we had stupid matching pajamas last year thanks to Jeonghan. And we have Mouse with us.” 

“I want a picture of all of us.” You hummed, chiming in as you smiled to yourself. “My first Christmas with all of you.” 

“We can take it by the Christmas tree!” Soonyoung was excited, hummed with joy. 

“That would be great.” 

Those who didn’t cook, cleaned, leaving Minghao, Jun, Seokmin, and you to relax. Seungcheol opened the fridge, yelling out at Minghao as Chan kissed his cheek dramatically. You shouted out his couch, laughing as the leader wiped his face. With time, you moved any presents laying around away from the tree to make room for everyone. Seokmin scurried off to get his camera and tripod to take the picture. 

Everyone piled in, tallest of course in the back and you secured a place standing in front of Joshua with Jeonghan and Seungcheol on either side of him. Seokmin called out that he was setting a timer, wanting everyone to post while he ran to his spot. It took three tries and two poses later for the group of you to be satisfied with the effort. You snickered, asking to have them printed and framed to keep with you at home. 

“I’m getting out of my suit and getting back into my pajamas.” Jeonghan complained, already almost out of the living room. “Are we watching bad Christmas movies still?” 

“Oh yeah.” Vernon followed, heading towards his own room. 

“Bring your pillows and blankets I guess.” Wonwoo hummed out a chuckle. 

You stayed behind to finish and clean up, watching everyone go to their rooms. Joshua joined you despite his gaudy jewelry and a look that he definitely wanted to change. 

“Shua, you can go change, I’ll be there soon.” 

“No, no, I want to help.” He stepped close, taking the rings off his hands and pocketed them. “Plus, I get to have a moment alone, in peace, with you.”

You grinned, wrapping your arms around his neck to pull him flush against your body. His hands were on your waist, gently swaying with you to an unheard tune as he lovely smiled down at you. 

“I’m happy you got to spend the holiday with us, and that you are going to spend new years with us, Mouse. Having you here with all of us…God, the guys love you, I love you-” He stopped with his mouth agape, sputtering. “Wait fuck, I didn’t mean to-” 

Gently you pulled him down for a kiss, sweet and slow, hoping it began to express the feelings bubbling in your chest. Butterflies fluttered in your stomach when he returned with fervor, feeling him smile against your lips. One of his hands came up to gingerly hold your face, his thumb ghosting over your cheek. He pulled away first, only to chase back to give you a singular small peck to your lips before he bashfully grinned down at you. 

“I love you, sweetheart.” Joshua whispered, as if the statement was a secret between the two of you, but you cleared your throat, taking his face into both hands. 

“Joshua Hong, I love you too.”

Tag List is Open! Comment on the BSH Master List to get added!

Tag List:

@unlikelysublimekryptonite @iiaweirdo @aurorajoye @gaslysainz @sarcasticsagittarius1998 @vanteel @clownprincehoeshi @kpopandbookschild @honeybunchcrunch @black-swan-blog27 @peachie-wonu @kpopsimpsblog

[its-mekjt]

watching exu prime, and oh my god, I'm trying not to cackle or else I'll wake up my siblings.

● orym and opal, dorian and dariax. every dms worst nightmare.

● ash hole

● opal shouting into thin air

● new hairdos (orym gets frosted tips)

● DARIAX PRETENDING TO BE HIS EX

● nancy.

● "but as my friend said, we have other offers to field and other people to see. very important people that we've been discussing going to see for quite a while do maybe we SHOULD GO SEE THEM." dorian was STRESSING.

● 'orym shoots dorian a look that a spouse gives to a spouse'. this is where the dorym shippers were born.

● i love when people (opal) are correct but phrases it weirdly

● "for you i could take off another 150 gold" // "okay, 900 gold got it is."

● butt stab

● orym really is the only one with a braincell. mainly by process of elimination.

● 'that's all good though. 3.'

● glitter diaper

● dorian fucking with dariax saying that he's from a long of trapeze artists and jugglers is still one of the funniest things ever

● 'what's your last goddamn name opal.'

● THE CONTEST

● dariax cosplaying as dorian

● "if you were a GEM what would you be and why?" // "i'd be a peach jam."

● dorian and dariax using the cloak and wearing each others clothes as an outfit is one of my favourite bits

● ashley johnson's laugh is addictive. i love it so much.

● opal kissing dariax cause he messed with her opponent.

● "what's your favourite flower?" // "probably oleander because it has multiple purposes. they're beautiful, they smell great and you can also kill someone if you need to."

● orym being DRAGGED on stage

● "WILL THE HALFLING LOVE, OR WILL THE HALFLING DIE?" (he did die, just a few months later)

● BEST NATURAL 20 EVER

● "DARIAX- oh the jam boy."

● people hitting on dariax gives me LIFE

● "in fairness you seem to be a little confused much of the time."

● whiskey and milk

● 10 GOLD WORTH OF PIES.

● "what's a unifying quality?" // "well, we're all pretty attractive."

● "you're not where you fell asleep." // "oh! that's... a problem."

● "i heard the voice of the spider queen giving me power but you know, nothing to worry about."

● fyra rai is contemplating EVERYTHING

● combat ended because they flipped it over

● 'i rolled a natural 1.' launches dice

● night time lullabye of hot cross buns

● dorian is mothering everyone

● titty racks

● "what is a tal'dorei."

● ALCHOHOL applause

● dariax has a good ass

● mister has performance anxiety

● "don't touch me, stranger! ew!"

● ashley's impression of dariax doing a double take at real-opal while disguised as opal

● "what head, Nancy?" HORROR MOVIE SHIT.

● orym's face as he carries the head. HILARIOUS.

[bigskydreaming]

The Vampire Daniel Molloy, when Louis asks what he's looking forward to most about the next stage of his newly immortal life:

Hmm. With how much my maker already complains about me ruining his life and how every day I give him a new reason to regret ever siring me, if I had to pick just one thing, I'd say the thing I'm most looking forward to is when I hit vampire puberty.

Louis: ....

Daniel: Vampire puberty's when the really wild superpowers kick in, right?

Louis: I suppose technically that's not....inaccurate.

Daniel: Hey, what are the chances of me getting the 'set shit on fire with my brain' thing you've got? Can you even imagine how much that would piss him off? His disappointment of a fledgling having the same gifts as the ex who dumped his ass....oh, man. C'mon now. I bet I could do some real damage with that.

Louis: Actually, while we're near the subject: would you please stop introducing yourself as 'the reason your vampire parents got divorced?'

Daniel: No, Louis, Louis! You're not getting it, see....the thing that makes it funny is its true.

Louis: You've really decided to lean into the whole 'second childhood' angle, huh.

Daniel: Mmmm. And just think. If you'd turned me fifty years ago when I first asked, I'd be well past this stage by now. And also still twenty. And hot.

Louis: Ahh. Its like that, then, is it.

Daniel: Oh, only a little bit. Really though, its like, every day I discover a new way to make Armand rue my very existence all over again, and maybe I'm just a simple man with simple needs, because that's just....very fun for me. I mean, there's just something extra validating in knowing the guy you're all "fuck that guy, I hate him, he sucks" about hates you waaaay more than you can be bothered to hate him. Because then its like you win the feud, right? You still get to hate that guy, which is great, because fuck that guy, he sucks, but you also get to know your very existence drives him way crazier than his ever makes you, and I mean, let's be real. Who doesn't like winning things?

Louis: Well I'm so glad you've found something that gives you a sense of purpose at least. Its very -

Daniel: Yeah, yeah, immortal blood drinkers need hobbies other than mass murder, it keeps the body count low and is good for the environment. Relax. I know. I literally wrote the book on it. You were there.

Louis: That's what you got out of it?

Daniel: Why, did you want me to fixate on your sex scenes instead? That seems weird. A little narcissistic even. And at the risk of self-awareness, when I'm the one -

Louis: Right. Well. I just wanted to make sure you had something to focus your energies on. It can all be a bit overwhelming at first and with your level of public attention at the moment, its very crit -

Daniel: Nope, all good here. Got myself a steady supply of Deadbeat Dad jokes that make my maker's eye twitch - apparently base word play is "gauche" or some shit - ugh, my god, its like nothing I do is ever good enough for him, and I only ate one of the editors on my shitlist to test drive my shiny new murder skills. He had this thing about Oxford commas, used to bug the crap out of me. Its like we get it, you hate them. They're literally dots on a page, they can't hurt you, can we please move on....

Louis: ....

Daniel: Louis, I'm kidding. Look, you don't have to worry about me. I already decided I find emotional evisceration way more satisfying than the physical version. Less clean up and it lasts longer anyway. I'm not going to get myself into trouble by cosplaying as Jack the Ripper where paparazzi can catch me red-fanged, and even if I do, I hereby absolve you of all responsibility. You can stop mother-henning me, you didn't turn me, you literally said no when I begged you to, its the whole reason I have eternal wrinkles instead of youthful tautness.

Louis: Not gonna let that one go, are you.

Daniel: Gimme a few centuries and ask me again. I'll let you know then.

Louis: Mmhmm. So this was....memorable and we definitely won't be doing it again. But you do seem to have things figured out so I'll leave you to it, then.

Daniel: Wait, Louis, don't go! Don't you want to hear my five-century life plan for annoying Armand into an early retirement mausoleum? I made visual aids!

Louis: Goodbye, Daniel.

Daniel: Fine, leave then! I don't care! You're not my real dad anyway! Et cetera, et cetera!