#thank you sunny for being an amazing partner!!

[planetaryupscaled]

Dirty Laundry

Male Reader x Anna

Tags: 22k, smut, cheating, oral, roleplay, creampie

The story is not ours, we alternate the original story to match our desired settings.

Another shift was finally over, and now I was filthy and hungry from all the dirty boxes that I had lifted. I used to clock out exhausted from all the strenuous work, but lately I’ve been feeling more—worn out.

I’d been working for a couple years to get me through college, as the early morning hours coordinated well with my classes. Being in the midst of summer break however, my schedule was more flexible, so I headed straight home.

I was greeted by a bright sunny, 'Good morning!' the moment I stepped into the apartment, bouncing my way from down the hall. It was my roommate Anna, who was often just waking up when I came home from work.

Anna was an ex-girlfriend, but after too many fights and a hundred petty differences, I was thrilled to call her ‘just a friend’, and somehow, my roommate.

As the lease ran out on my previous place, I was desperate for a quick renter to help with expenses. Anna happened to be searching as well, and suggested we split a place together seeing as how we both had steady partners. It seemed ridiculous at the time, but the fact that we were otherwise attached was the only reason we had even considered it.

Anna was definitely a great friend though, and we got along better when we weren’t emotionally involved; I had to figure there was a chance we could make it work. We each assured our significant other the arrangement would be totally platonic, despite our history, and that we just needed a good living solution for a while.

My girlfriend Minji, who lived and worked outside of town, was hardly thrilled in the slightest. The girls knew each other from school, and didn’t really see eye to eye. Minji actually warned me if I ever hooked up with Anna while we were living together, she’d have me hunted down. She wasn’t joking.

But with that said, we moved in.

It actually worked out well as we got settled. Anna worked in the afternoon and went out with her friends or boyfriend after work. I would hit the bed early in the evening and was up early in the morning. The only time we even saw each other was on the weekends, or early on summer mornings.

-

“What smells so good?” I called down the hall.

“I’m making breakfast,” Anna shouted back, “I’m glad you came home.”

“Well I’m starving, thanks for cooking!”

I set my things down in the hall and considered a quick shower. I was excessively grungy, and I’d typically hop right in after walking through the door.

“You’re welcome, and it’s almost ready so don’t shower,” she said.

I walked into the living room and sat on the couch, flipping on the small TV and rambling through some channels.

Anna padded out in her bare feet and a long baggy T-shirt, flopping down next to me on the couch. “So how was work?” she asked, looking clean and fresh, especially compared to me. Her long brown hair was damp and smelled like flowers. She pulled her bare legs up underneath her and looked at me for a reply.

“Same as usual,” I sighed. “Jimin asked if I wanted to jam with him this weekend, so I think I’m heading over there tonight.”

“Sounds cool,” she said, “What does he play?”

“I hear he has a pretty impressive drum kit,” I said, getting excited thinking about playing it again.

“You’re kidding, that’s amazing!” she said, placing a hand on my leg with her eyes wide.

I felt a little awkward as her hand stayed on my leg for longer than it seems. I didn’t think much of it really; Anna was just a touchy person. That was how she talked to people, and I was well aware of it.

I glanced down at her hand, which she moved a little to let me know she realized it was there. My eyes also registered the fact she wasn’t wearing much under her shirt, as her bare leg kept going as it crossed underneath her body.

Anna was hardly self-conscious and could be pretty casual around the apartment. She would often take advantage of having a roommate she knew had seen her in all her glory, and would forget certain civilities she’d typically have in place for anyone else. In the mornings she knew it was just us, a couple of good friends who could hang out in whatever they happened to be comfortable in.

“I’ll need to grab some new strings and fix my car if I’m going to play with them this weekend,” I said, trying to keep my eyes to myself.

Working at the warehouse store was like an intense exercise every day, so my blood was warmed and my skin was sensitive to every input. The strange combination of her soft hand on my thigh and the sight of her smooth bare legs started getting to me.

“Where are you going then?” Anna asked, completely unaware of my racing mind, “to play I mean.”

“He lives on campus,” I half gulped, “just down from fraternity row. They soundproofed the walls in the basement so we should be able to get pretty loud.”

She rolled her eyes at that one. Anna wasn’t a fan of rock music, and constantly mocked my tastes. Not that I didn’t give it right back. Our little conversations always gave us gentle reminders of why we were just friends, and never fared well as a couple.

She finally withdrew her hand and crossed her arms next to me and looked at the TV.

“The breakfast should be just about done,” Anna said with a hint of pride to her voice, “I sure hope you’re hungry…”

I looked down at myself and shuddered at how much dirtier I got with all the sweating and lifting we did at work. I was amazed again at the stunning contrast of Anna’s clean shirt and smooth legs right up next to my grunginess. Glancing down, I noticed something else.

Once Anna had folded her arms, the lowest edge of her shirt rode up and I could see more of her hip, like, all of it, and it was completely bare! Now I had to wonder if she was sitting next to me without anything on under there. The thought really got to me because, even for her, that was a little much.

She kept talking but I stopped listening. My jeans were getting tight and I felt my throat drying up. I knew I’d seen it all from her a thousand times, but there was something about the morning sun and my sore muscles that made it that much more sensual.

I was sure she thought nothing of it. I mean, I know she was well aware she was sitting next to me in just a T-shirt, but to her it didn’t mean anything. Anna was just padding around our place like it was home.

I felt bad for noticing and thinking it was sexy of her to sit around with no underwear on. My girlfriend Minji was gorgeous, but definitely not as open about her assets as Anna had always been. I started to smile on the inside, thinking I was pretty lucky to have such a carefree spirit for a roommate, and one who even cooked breakfast.

The timer rang over the oven, to which she placed her hand on my thigh again to boost herself up. I followed her with my eyes, and the shirt fell quickly into place, covering everything I thought I had seen.

I tried desperately to get her near-nakedness out of my head by staring at the television, but I couldn’t do it. I was feeling strange and inappropriate, wanting to hit the shower to get my mind off of her, but it was too late.

“Oh, you’re going to like this,” Anna sang from the kitchen. “Come take a look!”

I hopped up easily, like one does after an extensive workout, and strode into the kitchen. I felt ten feet tall as I stood next to her petite form, she waved her hand over the shallow pan of molten food, wafting enchanting smells in my direction.

There was definitely bacon, eggs, maybe some hash browns and something else I couldn’t quite place buried in that dish of pure succulence. It was a breakfast buffet in a single pan, I was so hungry I could have kissed her for joy.

Anna put a couple cooling stands on the kitchen table and leaned over to set down the steaming pan. As she did, the neck of her shirt dropped silently away and my eyes wandered in without thinking. Sure enough, she wasn’t wearing a stitch of god damn clothing under there, her breasts hung naked off her chest, and a little tuft of curly fur was peeking up just beyond them, barely visible from deep inside that damn teasing shirt.

It was gone in a flash as she straightened and turned toward the oven, but man, my heart was racing.

My fingers shook as I picked up a spatula and started cutting sections from the dish as Anna brought us some clean plates and forks.

“Wow this smells insane,” I honestly groaned in admiration of her cooking prowess, while simultaneously trying to keep my mind off some of her other admirable qualities.

“Thanks!” she beamed as she sat down across from me, watching as I dished us both a plate, “you know how to make a girl feel appreciated.”

She stared at my hands as I pulled the succulent concoction from the pan. The mystery ingredient was definitely cheese, and it stretched from the pan to the plate like a rubbery web.

I pushed a piping plateful across the table to her and began a sizeable portion for myself. Once my plate was towering with food, Anna smiled a satisfied grin and took her first bite. I knew she liked it when I filled my plate; it meant I was really looking forward to her homemade cooking.

I sat down and started immediately digging in.

“Mmmm, this is incrwdbw!” I mumbled across a mouth full of delicious food just before I swallowed. “Where did you learn to make this?” I asked, pulling another heaping forkful into my ravenous maw.

“Mom used to feed everyone before swing choir practice,” she said as she swallowed a more human-sized bite. “We’d all meet around six and eat this same breakfast dish before heading out in the morning.”

“Sounds like a good memory,” I said honestly, wiping some cheese from my chin with a napkin.

“A great memory, actually,” she beamed, half in remembrance and half proud of recreating another one of her mother’s fine dishes.

“She really knew how to cook, didn’t she?” I asked, poised to down another fork full of deliciousness.

“She was the best,” Anna replied with a positive light to her voice, “I’m so happy I get to cook for us every once in a while. Minho doesn’t really appreciate it that much.”

Anna’s boyfriend was an okay guy and he was actually a decent looking guy. He would come to our place only on rare occasions. Since Anna worked near where he works, they would often stay out, and as a result I rarely saw them together. Maybe he didn’t feel comfortable coming over with me around, or maybe they just enjoyed going out all the time.

“You know he can come over any time,” I said, swallowing another mouthful of nourishment, “I’m happy to find other places to keep myself amused if you need some time together here.”

“I know, and you’ve always been great about that,” she said, “he’s just never keen on the idea of coming over. He never says why… or at least he has a good reason every time it comes up.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to bring it up,” I tried to change the subject, “I for one — count myself lucky to be the primary recipient of your fantabulous cheffery!” Anna chuckled at that and we made small talk as we ate, drinking coffee as we did.

After we finished, I rose with my empty plate and contemplated filling it again; I felt like I could eat forever. I left it alone though and grabbed the pan, bringing it to the counter to cool before packing it away.

“Thank you for cleaning up,” she said over her cup of coffee. I turned to look, and from the side her shirt had pulled up casually around her waist again, like a T-shirt normally does. The way it was sitting on her legs made it very apparent she was indeed bottomless, sitting there with her bare butt right on the chair. She wasn’t looking at me, just sipping at her coffee and staring ahead.

I wanted to capture that moment, as it was pretty dirty in my own head. I knew she appreciated my tact about her casual demeanour, so I played it off as if it were the most normal meal we’d ever shared.

-

We definitely shared a lot over the years, and as we got older, our tastes drifted and our goals and dreams became canyons apart. Even though I always had a soft spot in my heart for Anna, I knew it would never work out for us in the long run.

She loved action and change, moving with the pace of the world. Nothing stayed in her mind’s eye for very long before she was off to the next shiny thing. She had always been that way, and it drove me crazy.

Me on the other hand, could rarely find something that even sparked my interest, but once I did, I’d dive into it head first. I loved to read, exploring ideas and subjects thoroughly when I found something fascinating. Anna was one of those fascinating subjects — once, and I knew everything about her. What her favorite musical number was, or who her favorite authors were.

We both realized we would never work together, but I had also been her go-to for sex between relationships as well. I rarely had a steady girl during those times, but I always welcomed her into my bed when a friendly visit turned intimate.

Sex with Anna always seemed to begin as a subtle game during our relationship and afterward. For example, she would stop by to discuss something ‘important’; then eventually she would have to show me the new bra she had purchased, or something just as signaling. She would casually lift her shirt to show off her bulging cups, and I would softly touch along their surface, appreciating the fine ‘quality of fabric’.

“It feels like it’d be very comfortable in there,” I would say, “the material is so smooth.”

“This is definitely the best one I own,” Anna would say, trying to keep on subject, “I mean you can’t even see my nipples through this one.” She would press her finger right there and push in a couple times, rubbing in a small circle where her nipple would be. Then she would drop her hand and wait expectantly for me to see what she meant.

“No, you sure can’t,” I’d say with my finger pressing in, “Are they hard?”

“A little I think,” she’d reply, “I guess I haven’t really tested them that far.”

So then I’d tease her nipple through the soft pad and pinch it a couple times to see if I could put it through the paces. I took my time with it, making sure I was really giving it the old boy scout try, while Anna just sat and watched my fingers press and pinch and squeeze and rub against her encapsulated breast.

“I still don’t see any nipple through there,” I would say after a time, “either this is one sturdy bra, or it’s not even hard.”

“Oh it’s hard,” she would reply, “see?” and with that she would pull her cup down and show me the knotted red nose on the face of her lovely naked breast. I would of course reach up and test it for hardness by tweaking it a little and looking intently while I did.

“Wow, I see what you mean,” I’d say and start to toy with it a little more softly in my fingers. As I concentrated on the bare button, she would pull the other cup down to show me how both her nipples were actually hard. I would pay equal attention to both, tweaking and pinching her stiff buds in appreciation.

When she stopped talking altogether and just breathed under my petting hands, I would slowly lean in and take a sweet nipple into my mouth. I wouldn’t lick it, I wouldn’t suck on it, I’d just leave her tender tip inside my mouth as I caressed the soft sexy skin around it with my hands.

At this point Anna would reach back and undo her bra completely, making some excuse for it like, “it even releases nicely without snapping back.” Not even she cared about that.

“Mmmm,” is all I would say around her wet nipple, sucking as much of her naked tit into my mouth as I could possibly fit.

At that point we were definitely going to be having sex, and very quickly she would just pull me up for a long sensuous kiss while we worked on shedding our clothes.

Sex with Anna was always fantastic, and I think she liked having it as often as any man. Her tastes were a little risqué, but not overly kinky. She liked to play games in the bedroom, and I always found it to be highly stimulating to say the least. She would willingly trade oral favors, and always had an orgasm during our little trysts, sometimes many.

I could continually depend on memories of our encounters to get me erect if I needed something hot to think about on a solitary bout. Having living together with Anna was a constant reminder of these times for sure, but we had also spent so many periods of being strictly friends with zero benefits, it was easy to see her as just a great friend as well.

-

I couldn’t help but wonder this morning whether she was just being extremely casual or if she was seeing what I would do if she let it hang out a little in front of me. Probably the former; it was more than likely I was just worked up.

“Okay, now I really need to take a shower,” I said.

“Yes you do,” she said, “I haven’t seen you looking that dirty in a long time.” She sipped her coffee while looking me in the eye and winked.

Now she was toying with me. I had to get out of there before I did something stupid, like saying what came out of my mouth next…

“Yeah, I keep forgetting how dirty you’ve seen me get,” I said as I walked out of the kitchen and headed down the hall. I knew for a fact I would get a snappy reply, and her predictable nature shone through like a beacon as I heard her call after me.

“I seem to recall you having a thing for getting pretty dirty for a while there.”

“You know me well Anna!” I called back as I closed my bedroom door firmly. I chuckled to myself. I really liked the playful banter we always shared. Too bad it always had to end up in some kind of crazy dramatic bullshit whenever we got together.

I put on some music and started to peel the thin layers of grimy work clothes off my body. It felt so good to be free of them after a long sweaty morning of lifting dirty boxes. I grabbed a clean towel from the dresser and headed out to the bathroom.

I hurried past Anna’s room in my underwear, as I noticed she was back in there again. She was across the room digging through a pile of clothes on her closet floor. She was bent at the waist with her feet apart, and as I walked by, I swear I saw her full naked butt sticking out.

I stopped dead in my tracks past her door and leaned my head back to see around the frame again.

Whoa… that was intense! Her creamy calves and thighs were full length on display as her shirt was covering none of it. I could almost see her lips between her bare ass cheeks, and as I looked harder, I noticed her shirt had actually slipped to her shoulders, her pale naked breasts hanging free and upside down.

She was clearly searching for something and I dared not linger, staring at my platonic roommate in all her exposed glory. I made my way quickly to the bathroom and closed the door behind me.

Holy shit, that was something else, Again I knew I had seen this girl a thousand ways, but that wasn’t one of them. I couldn’t get the image out of my head.

I climbed in and started the water running. The vision of Anna bent at the waist was burned in my mind, and I started getting hard; very, very hard. I wanted badly to take care of it right away, but I just couldn’t do that with her right across the hall.

It quickly occurred to me that since my bedroom door was closed, it also made a distinct noise when I popped it open. It also occurred to me that even though Anna looked to be very concentrated on her task of digging for clothes, she must have been keenly aware she was basically bent over nude as my door popped open, right?

Is she wanted me to see her like that? She might have even set it up to be in that compromising position as I walked by, hoping, no… knowing I would catch her.

It wasn’t looking good for me. I knew how weak willed I got around women, and so did she. What I wasn’t sure of was whether she was just playing or if she was seriously trying to get with me.

I thought about it while I showered and came up with a quick idea to find out.

-

“Hey An, can I borrow you for a second?” I called out from the running shower.

I heard the door open and saw a blurry head through the smoked glass door appear. “What is it? I’m trying to get my laundry together,” she told me.

“Well, you don’t have to do this, but I could use a little help.”

She entered the bathroom and closed the door behind her.

“Okay, well what is it?” Anna said simply.

“It’s kind of weird. I totally wouldn’t ask if I could think of anything else,”

“You can ask me anything, I don’t mind. Do you need help with your hard-on or something,” she teased.

“Ha, you wish!” I teased back, “I just need you to scrub my back really hard with this loofa. After working out so much in the dense heat every day, my back is drying up and it’s driving me crazy. I have no way to get to it. I know it’s weird and all, and you can wait until I’m out of the shower if you want.”

“Don’t be dumb,” she replied, “You need some good soap and probably an exfoliating scrub for that. Hold on.”

I listened intently as she started digging around in one of the overflowing drawers of her beauty supplies.

“What are you doing?” I asked, trying to sound annoyed.

“I told you I need my exfoliating scrub,” she replied.

“I don’t need any of your lady potions, I just need a good chunk of tree bark or something.”

“Ha ha Mr. Funny Guy,” she snorted, “this isn’t a potion, it’s a scrub that’s full of emulsifiers for removing dead skin.”

“What the hell is even emulsifier?”

“Jeez, it’s like liquid soap with sand in it. It’ll really scrape at your back,” she said in a huff.

“Oh, that sounds okay,” I said, “Should I just sit on the edge so you can foliate my back?”

“Ex-foliate.”

“Whatever.”

I turned off the water and cautiously slid the door open. Anna was standing there with a shiny white tube of something in her hand. She waved it at me and gave me a “Well?” look. I opened the door wider and kept my body behind the protective cover of the glass, laying a wash cloth over the sharp door track.

“Good idea,” Anna said, “hand me your loofa.”

I reached my hand out with the spongy ball, and then turned around and sat on the edge of the tub with my back facing out.

“Wow, you really do need this don’t you? Poor guy,” she said as she inspected my exposed back with her light touch. She dragged her fingers up and down my rough and peeling skin, which had honestly been driving me insane.

“You aren’t going to be looking at anything else are you,” I asked with a wry twist.

“Just your back,” she quipped at me, “and anything else you might leave hanging out.”

“That’s what I was afraid of,” I shot back.

I heard the sink turn on behind me and the water splashing around. Then Anna returned with a wet loofa dripping down my back.

“Let me get some of this on you first,” she said, completely business-like.

I felt the first squeeze of cream drip out onto my upper back and then she spread it around, working its way down to my lower back. It was thick and felt like peanut butter.

“There, that should be plenty, now this might hurt a little,” she warned and started dragging the scratchy cream around on my back, starting between my shoulders. It was very abrasive, and the way she moved the loofa I could tell she was adept at using this type of product effectively on dry skin.

At one point I felt a hand resting on my lower back while the loofa in her other hand worked its magic.

“How’s that, does it hurt?” Anna asked.

“Not really, but I can definitely tell it’s working,” I said, trying to keep my balance on the edge of the tub.

“Well, this should really peel that junk off of there for you,” she added putting her back into it.

“Thanks for doing this,” I said.

“Oh please,” she said as she pushed downward using two hands now, “It’s nothing, now lean forward a little.”

I leaned over and felt her hands rubbing the lotion around on my back without the loofa now.

“This should sit for a minute before we scrub it out,” she mentioned, and then she chirped, “Oh shit!”

“What?”

“I got it all over my shirt,” she said.

“Well rinse it out,” I suggested.

“No, I’d have to take my shirt off,” she feigned, “and I would be topless.”

“Why, aren’t you wearing a bra?” I slyly asked.

“Well, if you must know… I’m not.”

“What!? Well, I don’t think you should be in here like that. In fact, maybe you should just leave; I’ll take care of it.”

“Please, like I’m that much of a prude I wouldn’t pull my boobs out in front of you,” she proudly stated, “There’s nothing here you haven’t seen before.”

“True. Go ahead then, I don’t mind.”

“Well, there’s something else,” she muttered.

“There is?”

“Yes...”

“Well?”

“I’m actually only wearing this shirt,” she said matter-of-factly.

“What!? So you’re naked under there?”

“It’s just that I’m out of clean everything and I’m getting ready to do the laundry just now,” she quickly explained.

“Well, I guess that is a little much,” I resolved, “that’s okay An, I’ll take it from here.”

“What if you promised not to look,” she suggested.

“I could do that, I guess,” I said, “This is just between us then? I wouldn’t want your boyfriend getting all pissed that his girlfriend was giving me a naked back scrub.”

“Please,” she retorted, “He gets hugs and shoulder rubs and who knows what else from the groupies that are always climbing all over him. I wouldn’t care if he did find out. What about M-i-n-j-i?” she sang her name out like a child.

“Minji is Minji I guess. I’m not sure what’s going on there,” I revealed honestly, “I mean I’ve been giving it a try, but I’m not really expecting much.” While I was talking, I heard what sounded like a piece of clothing coming off.

“An?”

“What.”

“Are you naked?”

“Yes~,” she replied with a familiar hint of playfulness to her voice, “now don’t get all excited, this is strictly business and just between friends.”

Yeah right. I knew better, and her dander was definitely up at this turn of events. I stayed leaned over looking at my feet in the tub while I heard her rinsing out her shirt in the sink. When she was done, she came back and rubbed her hands into the lotion on my back.

“Oh, that’s definitely working, just a little more,” she said as she placed a hand on my shoulder. “So not expecting much huh? That doesn’t sound promising.”

“I know, and it seemed so good at first,” I said, trying to keep my mind away from the fact that Anna was standing behind me, completely nude.

“I could tell she was no good for you...” she stopped, quickly correcting herself, “I mean — what I meant was, she doesn’t deserve someone like you.”

I could feel her leaning a little closer, with her hand still on my shoulder. Something, a bare hip perhaps was up against my back. She started rubbing my shoulder and stammering on.

“You need someone who will be there for you a hundred percent,” she was absentmindedly stroking my neck now. “If I didn’t know better, I would say you’ve already moved on, in your head at least.”

“That could be,” I agreed, “I’m just never sure in these situations. I just seem to get caught up for too long.”

She let go of my shoulder and moved back to the sink to add some water to the loofa. When she came back, I felt the water dripping down my back and onto the washcloth under.

“I know you do,” Anna said as she started scrubbing my back again with both hands, “You seem to be unable to have an uncomfortable conversation when you need to. You just have to level with Minji about where the relationship is going; seriously.”

Her vertical scrubbing turned into quick swirling circles on my back.

“I know, there’s just never a good time,” I confessed, “we’re always around other people. When we’re finally alone I’m too exhausted from having been up so early that I have just enough energy to, well…”

“Have sex?” she blurted out, “I know what you do, I can hear you two going at it in there.” One of her hands left the loofa and rubbed my bare skin on its own while she continued to drag this out. My back was clearly exfoliated by now.

“You can?” I asked, “Sorry about that.”

“Don’t be sorry,” she said, “We’re roommates, that how it goes sometimes. Just turn up your music a little louder next time.”

My face burned and I chuckled, “Okay, I’ll try to remember.”

Then Anna was done with my back and said, “That should do it. Now stand up while I rinse this out. I need soap in here next to get that scrub off.”

She turned to the sink behind her and I took that opportunity to get my naked body behind the screen. My erection wasn’t full or anything, but I still wanted to keep this game going. It was kind of fun to see how far we could push it.

“Okay, you’re going to have to rinse this,” she said, “The sink isn’t getting the lotion out.”

I turned the water back on and put my hand outside the door for the loofa. She placed it in my hand and I could see the cloudy silhouette of her naked body behind the glass. I ran the loofa under the stream of water and turned the dial head to massage. That was working, but also spraying water out the open sliding door.

“Hey!” she started, “You’re getting me all wet out here.”

“Sorry,” I said over the sound of the water as I finished.

“Now put some body wash on there and hand it back,” she said.

I squirted a good amount of wash onto the loofa and worked it into a frothy lather. I held it in front of the open door, but inside the shower.

“Perfect,” Anna said grabbing the soapy implement from my hand, “Now back over to me so I can reach.”

Tentatively I turned to face away from the door and backed over to it, knowing full well that she could see my naked butt as plain as day now. I decided to stay a bit into the shower so she would need to reach for it.

She quickly began to soap up my back and remove the thick lotion without saying a word.

“Ah,” she said frustrated, “the water’s spraying all over the floor, back up would you?”

I took a step back to the door and then she started really soaping up my entire back. It felt so good and she was so gentle. Her soft hands roamed all over my back and started getting most of my sides and then easing gently down my back. Shivers ran up my arms. The smooth soapy strokes were getting to me and I could feel myself getting harder underneath the spray of the showerhead.

She soaped my back and set both hands on my hips for a moment.

“Are you finished back there,” I asked, seemingly impatient, “I’m standing here naked you know.”

“So am I,” she came back, “in case you’ve forgotten.”

“Oh, I haven’t forgotten” I replied, “I am well aware that we’re both totally naked in here now. Can I rinse off?”

“Yep, all done,” she said handing the loofa around my waist, “that wasn’t so hard was it?”

“I wouldn’t say that,” I said, turning to the side to rinse off my back, showing clearly the erection she had caused with her soapy lathering.

“Whoa!” she announced, “you’ve got a hard-on!”

“No kidding, you were really soaping me up back there,” I said through the water spray with my eyes closed. I knew if I stood in the spray, it would allow her plenty of time to get a good look at my mostly erect cock.

“Oh, uh sorry about that,” she said, still lingering naked in front of the open door to the shower, “I didn’t realize it was having that… effect.”

“That’s okay, I’ll just take care of it myself once you’re gone. Thanks again!”

“Ew, all over the shower?” she acted very offended.

“No, not all over the shower,” I retorted from under the spray, “I just cum in my hands, and then I run it through my hair for extra lotion.”

“Yeah right,” she said, knowing I was teasing her, “I don’t think so.”

I peered quickly over at her and her eyes were glued to my cock, making it swell even more. Her eyes widened slightly. I peeked at her shapely breasts and bushy cleft through my watery squinted eyes. That wasn’t helping.

“So, tell me something An,” I said in a conversational tone.

“What?”

“Why are you checking out my cock?” I asked, looking her right in the eye.

“What?” she caught herself and stammered, “I wasn’t checking it out, I mean I didn’t mean to look, I was just… well you were standing there and I…”

“Haha, it’s okay,” I smiled and let my eyes wander unapologetically over her entire bare body. “I kind of like it. I mean, you’ve seen it all before too.”

“O-of course,” she said diverting her eyes and turning quickly to the face the sink. She caught my gaze again in the mirror however, and I let her see me look down to admire her naked ass in front of me.

“I know we’re playing with fire here,” I continued, “and I didn’t mean for it to get all weird. I just want you to know something.”

She turned back around to face me; I think her nipples were as tight as I’d ever seen them. “What?”

“This remains just between us, right?” I asked.

“Of course,” she replied, “what is it?”

“I want you to know that you can look whenever you want to,” I said seriously, ‘Any time we’re alone and you want to see, just let me know.’ At that I turned to face her, my hard cock standing straight out in front of me. “Is that too much for you?”

“W-what?” she stammered off-guardedly, glancing from my eyes to my cock and back. I definitely got her at her own game, if she had been playing one anyway.

“I mean it,” I continued, “You just say, ‘let me see it’, and it’s out; just like this,” I said looking down. She looked at my wet cock again and there was a faint grinding of gears going on in her head. She looked up quickly.

“Okay, that’s just weird,” she said as she snapped out of it, putting her hands on her hips, “I’m going now, and leaving you with your hard-on, to do… whatever. Jeez!”

With that she grabbed her T-shirt from the sink and opened the bathroom door, stomping out of the steamy room.

I smiled wide to myself as I knew I got her, and also that she would absolutely bring it up again. That was the game, and she wouldn’t be able to let it go. Her mind would busily work on a plan for whatever reason. There was never any logic to her mind games, which is why our relationship never worked. I was too logical, and her little games only worked with me in the bedroom.

I finished washing up and didn’t feel the need to jerk myself off, I was too proud of my work. I dried off and strolled naked out of the bathroom with my towel over my shoulder to my room. Anna was nowhere to be seen, so I just closed the door and got dressed for the day.

-

I hadn’t seen Anna again that morning, and I assumed she was doing laundry as a way of avoiding me. I created an awkward rift between us and I knew it. I was okay with that, because I also knew she was very good at confronting an awkward situation once she knew how she would handle it. I couldn’t imagine what she’d come up with, but I did know she would escalate things rather than downplay them. What I didn’t know was why I even wanted that.

I headed out with my six-string in hand to the guitar shop and then to Jimin’s house to play some music, drink some beers and see where the weekend took us. I ended up having a great time with the guys, and crashed on their couch overnight on Friday. We played music all day on Saturday and got pretty loaded Saturday night. Having no desire to wake up in the same clothes again on Sunday, I grabbed a cab and made my way home.

I unlocked the apartment door to the sound of music and the smell of lemons. I knew immediately Anna was home and in cleaning mode. This was common on a Saturday night, as Minho would be working until about 1:00am.

I stumbled in feeling fairly inebriated and set my guitar case by the door.

“Hi,” I heard Anna call from the kitchen, “how was Jimin’s?”

“Hey,” I replied, rounding the corner to see her scrubbing the kitchen sink in her typical cleaning overalls and a hot pink T-shirt. “It was cool; those guys really know how to play. Who knew my classical training would actually come in handy one day?”

Anna was looking back at me occasionally over her shoulder while she continued to scrub. She dropped her sponge after a minute and rinsed her hands in the sink as I continued.

“In fact, I think we found a great style, combining Jimin’s technical drumming with my heavy riff… riffing… making, ness…”

“You’re drunk,” she said with a sly smirk as she looked me over, noticing the obvious impairment of my mental and motor skills.

“True,” I said, knowing she was well aware I would often stumble in as such on a Saturday night while she cleaned. It was getting to be a bit of a ritual. “What do we have to eat?”

She wiped her wet hands on a towel and opened the fridge, leaning inside. I liked her work overalls because they had holes in places that allowed me to see bits of skin peeking out. Even though it was mostly leg, there was something about it I found intriguing.

“I suppose you could make a sandwich,” she said, digging around in one of the drawers, “we have everything you need.”

A sandwich sounded perfect in my current state, and I walked up behind her and peered into the fridge over her shoulder.

“That shounds great,” I sort of slurred out, realizing I did as soon as it came out.

“Jeez you’re wasted,” she said as she stood up and turned to face me. Her nose came to about my chin as I looked down at her. I knew she had no sense of personal space, so her close proximity didn’t faze me as she looked up.

“I know,” I said, “I’m so ashamed.” I put my head down in mock despair.

“Yeah right,” she said with a gleam in her eye. I knew she loved having a position of power in a situation; and with me on the cusp of being actually drunk, she knew she could have fun with me. “Make your sandwich,” she said reaching up and tapping a row of dainty fingers against my cheek.

She stepped aside and picked up her cleaning gear again as I reached in and started gathering ingredients. I filled my arms, which in my current state was a struggle, and I thought I had it under control until a squeezable jar of mayo slipped from the bottom and crashed to the clean floor.

“Shit!” I exclaimed as I brought the rest of the foodstuff to the adjacent counter, stepping over the bottle.

“You fool,” Anna said as she came back by me to retrieve the fallen condiment from her freshly cleaned floor. “You’re lucky it didn’t break. Here.” She handed me the bottle and I thanked her sheepishly as I turned in my daze to fabricate of some semblance of a sandwich. I could feel her eyeing my every move, watching to see if I’d even be able to build one in my stupor.

“You better let me do it,” she said as she saw me struggling just to get the twist tie off of the bread bag. “I can’t even imagine what you’d end up with if I let you go wild in my clean kitchen with all this stuff.”

She held out her hand and I placed the bread in it, stepping to one side to watch her easily pull out a couple slices.

“Thanks An,” I said, blushing at my inability to function at simple tasks.

“That’s okay…” she said, “I don’t mind taking a break from cleaning our kitchen to make you a sandwich. Let’s just say you owe me one.”

“Of course, I’ll clean the next time,” I offered as a way to make myself useful sometime in the future. It was all I had.

“I like cleaning,” she replied, spreading the mayo across the face of the crusty white bread, “what else you got?”

I couldn’t really think straight, so I just went with, “I dunno, what do you want?”

She was silent for a moment, and then softly said, “Let me see it.”

“Huh?”

“Let me see it, you know,” she looked up into my eyes and then down to the front of my jeans. “You told me to just say the word, and now I am. Let me see it.”

I couldn’t believe she was using this night to get back at me so quickly. She had me mentally on my heels and I could hardly form a complete sentence. I must have looked like a deer caught in her headlights because she set the knife on the counter and turned right toward me, putting her hands on her hips.

“I mean it,” she said with the mischievous gleam she’d often get in her eyes, “Let me see it and I’ll finish your sandwich. You’re the one who put it out there, and I know you weren’t drunk when you said it. Let me see it.”

I was caught in my own web. I had been trying to get her to flinch in the bathroom the day before, and it worked. I really didn’t expect her to come back at me with my own teasing game and call me out in the kitchen the first chance she got.

She stared at me.

Fortunately, my inhibitions were down from the beers so I shrugged my shoulders and reached for my zipper. Anna’s eyes were on my hands, her raised eyebrows framing an expectant look as if she was waiting for me to get out money I owed her.

My pants were undone and my boxers were all that remained between her keen eyes and my naked cock. I knew I couldn’t get out of showing her, and it was a little different than when I did it in the bathroom. In there she was naked as well, and I had a hard-on which helped me to look more… notable. Now it was just my drunken cock on its own, for whatever end.

“Well?” she said, “I know you don’t need help here, Let’s see it.” She knew she had me, and I knew it too. I pulled the front of my boxers down and there it was. I wasn’t completely flaccid, thankfully, and my cock emerged as Anna’s eyes widened.

“Ah, there it is,” she said as she stood and stared at my stuff for few long seconds. “I have to admit, I thought you were full of shit yesterday, but you did it.” She pulled her eyes away, turned, and just continued with my sandwich. I stood there with my right thumb pulling my boxers down and my cock out for no real reason. I figured I did what I said I would, so I covered back up.

Anna started piling on cold cuts and said, “Minho is working extra late for whatever the thing they’re doing, so I’m hanging here tonight, is that cool?” Her eyes were on the sandwich.

“Sounds good to me,” I managed, zipping up my fly. “I don’t know how much longer I’ll be of much company but we can hang out if you want.”

“Either way, I’m going to finish cleaning before I do anything,” she said as she folded the bread over, finishing the sandwich. “Here you go.”

She turned and handed me the plate with the scrumptious looking sustenance atop it. I took it from her and she kept my gaze.

“Thank you for showing me,” she said politely, “you have a very nice cock.”

“Oh, uh, thanks,” I started, not sure what to say, and off my game completely, “any time.”

Any time? Did I just say that? I took my sandwich and sat down to eat while Anna continued tidying up in the kitchen. I watched her ass stretch against the thin overalls as she bent over to clean the cupboard doors under the counter. I was admiring the bits of thigh peeking out as always and my brain seemed to be fixated on her body as I ate.

She looked back, seeming to catch me staring at her and asked “How is it?”

“How is what?”

“The sandwich dummy,” she chuckled, “what did you think I meant?”

“Fantastic!” I blurted out, steamrolling right over her question, “I’ve never tasted anything so good.”

She smiled knowingly at me and turned around again to finish her work.

Eventually I finished eating and Anna had cleaned her way into the next room. I put my plate in the dishwasher and wandered into the living room where Anna was dusting. I stood there wondering if should sit; I couldn’t very well help, and she seemed to sense this and looked at me.

“Are you going to watch something?” she asked, carefully wiping the top of a lamp with a dirty cloth.

“I’m not sure,” I said, slightly swaying in place. “I feel like I should be helping.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” she said, “You would do more harm than good. Besides, I like cleaning. It’s my Zen time, and you don’t have to feel guilty about letting me do it. Why don’t you go get comfortable and I’ll be done in here in a minute.”

It was a great suggestion and I nodded, turning my heel and making my way down the narrow corridor to my room. As I passed Anna’s room, I noticed that there was a pair of her panties on the floor right inside the door. This was quite typical, as oddly enough her bedroom always seemed to be the messiest room in the house, but it caused my mind to flash back to the image of her bending over and digging through her laundry. I started getting aroused again, and moved quickly into my room to escape the reminder.

Knowing Anna was busy, I didn’t close the door and just unbuttoned my shirt and pants, looking for my sweat shorts. I couldn’t find them so I just grabbed a T-shirt and threw it on. She had already seen my dick tonight; I should be fine in my boxers I figured.

I wandered back out and Anna was just finishing her dusting and putting away her things. She looked up at me, gave me a once over, and said, “Perfect, I’ll be back in a minute.”

With that she hoisted her cleaning products carrier up and made her way to the kitchen closet to tuck it away. I sat on the couch and found the remote on the gleaming coffee table. I was pretty lucky to actually live with someone who enjoyed cooking and cleaning. I would never ask her to do any of these things of course, being perfectly capable myself… well, sober anyway.

She walked past and down the hall to her room, and I flipped through the channel guide to see what was on. I found some documentary, and put it on to be funny, although it turned out to be quite interesting.

When Anna came out, she still wore the same pink shirt with short socks, and I couldn’t tell what else. It was probably either just her underwear or nothing again, as all I could see was leg to the hem of the long shirt which came to about mid-thigh.

“What the hell are you watching?” she said, sitting on the couch near me but comfortably distant. I was happy for the space as my cock started to harden as I pictured her naked again and smelled her sweet perfume settling over me.

“Just a documentary,” I said, trying not to stare at her bare legs. She reached over and flipped off the main lamp, and the TV lit up the darkened room.

“Give me that,” she said, holding out her hand. I handed her the remote with a smile, and her eyes met mine. They had a hint of mischief to them and she glanced down to my boxers. I looked down to see they were starting to tent and leaving little to the imagination.

I looked back up and she was already aiming the remote at the cable box and flipping through the channels. After a minute she finally stopped on an old movie and said, “Oh, here we go. Let me see it.”

“Sure, we can watch this,” I said, and then, “wait, what?”

“You heard me,” she said looking me in the eye as she set down the remote. “You said any time. Let me see it.” The look in her eyes was challenging.

I knew right then that I was paying dearly for my mistaken cockiness in the bathroom. I really didn’t think she would even take me up on my teasing offer, let alone rub my nose in it.

“Fine,” I gave in, having little resolve left anyway. I found the open front of my boxers and reached in, finding my naked cock in a semi-erect state. I pulled it through the opening and lay it out in my lap for her to see. “How’s that?”

“Very nice,” she said, eyeing up my growing cock. I was getting more aroused than I had hoped. “You seem to be kind of excited.”

I looked at my bulging cock, “It would seem so. Have you seen it now?”

“I don’t know,” she said with the sly and teasing tone I knew so well. “You could put him away, but I’ll probably just ask you again, so why don’t you just leave him out for a while to save us the trouble?”

Now she was playing with fire. She wanted to me just sit there and watch TV with her, my bare cock lying out the whole time!

“Are you serious right now?” I asked incredulously.

“Dead serious,” she looked me in the eye with a challenging stare.

“I’ll take my chances,” I muscled up my last remaining nerve and tucked my member back inside my shorts.

“Fine by me,” she said and looked back at the screen. We sat there for a while as the movie played, and honestly, I couldn’t have cared a wit about it. It was some black and white romance thing from the 50’s, and I just never got those. I watched it though, waiting nervously for what I knew was sure to come.

“I’ll let you change the channel if you show me again,” she said out of the blue after about ten minutes. I couldn’t believe she was being so bold, and I was the one who had opened this door, all because I saw her bent over with her ass sticking out.

“Jesus An, what’s with you tonight?” I had to ask.

“Show me, I don’t need to explain myself. If I want to see your cock you have to show me, so let’s see it.”

I was in deep shit now, and I could only respond by lifting my ass up and sliding my boxers down my hips and to my ankles. “There, happy?” I retorted as she openly turned to stare at my nude lower half.

“I guess,” she said simply. “Nice cock. Do you still stand behind what you said in the bathroom?”

Thanks to the sandwich I was able to think about that one. It was a little thrilling to be sitting there with my cock out around her. I knew that neither of us could breathe a word of this to anyone, but we were also adults. “I do.”

“I’m glad,” she said and handed me the remote, glancing down to my cock again. I took the controller and started to surf channels, stopping on a movie I knew we would both enjoy, and it had just started.

“Oh, that’s a good one,” she said, turning back to the screen. We watched for a few minutes, and then I saw her look at my lap again. She saw me notice and smiled sweetly. She was really getting off having my cock next to her to look at. My bulge had subsided, and I was a little happy for that, but not for long.

She must have noticed too, because she leaned back on the couch and pulled up a knee to her chest, allowing her t-shirt hem to drop down her thigh, exposing nothing but bare skin all the way to her naked ass cheek.

Fuck.

She had been sitting there again with a completely bare ass, and I had only just caught up when I dropped my boxers. The thought traveled instantly to my manhood and I felt it begin to inflate at a furious rate.

The little vixen! I saw her smirk and peek to the side to see if her little show had the intended effect, and of course it did. Now she really let me have it.

“Holy shit, are you getting hard right now??”

Damn you Anna. I pretended not to hear, or that I had no comment, and she continued to push me.

“What’s getting into you? I mean this movie isn’t that exciting, is it?”

“Did you just realize that I’m not wearing anything under here again? Is that it?” she added.

She knew it was. “My god, you’re totally hard, look at you! You really like knowing my pants are off don’t you? You’re so bad!”

“Me?” I finally said, “You were the one wearing almost nothing on Friday morning when I came home, and now?” I should have kept my fool mouth shut.

“Is that it? Is that what this was all about? Did I turn you on running around with just a shirt on in my own place? What were you thinking about my tits while you ate my home cooked breakfast?”

I was a little too annihilated to come up with a coherent response.

“You were!” a look of shock and accusation crossed her face as I looked away. “You can’t hide it! Is that why you called me into the bathroom? Did I get you all worked up?”

“You didn’t have to stay, or take your shirt off you know,” I was able to construct an intelligible sentence out of somewhere. My mind was still aware I was in hot shit.

“You liked that though, didn’t you? Did you get a good look?”

I didn’t want to fight with her sitting there with our pants off, so I tried to turn the tables. “Show me.”

“What!?”

“You heard me. Show me.”

“Oh no, you don’t get to say that. Only I do. That was your idea,” she squinted, her challenging eyes on me.

“I never said it was just for me to say, and it’s only fair. I’ve shown you, and now I’m totally out here. Don’t think you can handle the tension? Come on Anna… just show me.”

A slow and silent resolve crossed her face.

“Fine, just a peek,” was all she said, leaning back and dropping her foot to the floor. From there her legs slowly crept apart, the shirt still covering any view between her legs.

“I can’t see anything.”

She spread her legs wider, one of them touching my own as it moved. Her shirt crept higher until I could just see her curly little hairs and the protruding lips of her… pussy.

“Mmm, good girl,” I murmured in a cocky tone, and Anna instantly snapped her legs together.

I definitely recognized the telltale puffiness between her legs in my momentary glimpse, the shine of the television lighting her up. I’d seen Anna in this highly aroused state so many times. I knew how stimulating everything was to her once the heavy weight of arousal set in.

“Oh, you’re wearing panties,” l said, knowing full well she wasn’t, “I thought you weren’t.”

“I’m not, you dummy,” she said, her playful look telling me everything I needed to know. I sat silent for a minute, waiting patiently for her next move.

Slowly Anna parted her legs again, and the empty space between her bare thighs began to grow. This time she reached down and raised the edge of her shirt, clearly showing me her private fur in the process. She gently tilted her hips so her swollen lips puckered out clearly from underneath again.

“See,” she snorted, with as much of an act as she could muster. I knew her heat was rising. She loved the fact that my naked cock was right next to her and pumped full of steam. I was sure she knew she’d have me pull it out again, even while she was in her room changing. Her pussy was probably already soaking wet while she decided to come out in just a shirt.

Oh you horny little minx.

“Oh my god,” I said softly, ‘you’re serious.’ She let me stare between her legs for a minute, looking down there herself. “Look at that beautiful pussy,” I said, knowing compliments would keep it out a bit longer.

“Don’t get any ideas mister,” she said, keeping her eyes fixed on her own distended labia.

“Like what?” I asked with a hint of drawing her out in my voice.

“Like whatever ideas your hard-on is having there,” with that she turned her head and stared right at it. I looked at my cock and it was long and quivering with excitement.

“What, this hard-on?” I asked softly, wrapping my fingers around it and slowly pumping it up and down next to her.

Her mouth stopped working for a second as she watched me blatantly holding and stroking my naked cock in the bright glow of light. Her eyes were hooded and she seemed mesmerized by my movements.

Anna just watched in silence with her legs open, until her words finally appeared, “What are you doing?”

I didn’t answer, I just kept looking between her legs and slowly moving my cock up and down my erect shaft in the dim light.

“I can’t help it,” I finally whispered, “I’m too hard.”

She seemed to snap out of it, and slowly pulled her thighs back together until they touched in front of her. Her shirt was still up however, and the curly hairs between her legs formed a little brown shrub in the middle of her deep crevice.

“Well help it,” she said quietly and somewhat begrudgingly.

“Fine,” I said, and slowly backed my hand away. My bare hardness pulsed with anticipation and excitement, lightly swaying of its own accord in my pants less lap. She could hardly force herself to look away, but did so and crossed her legs, folding her arms under her obviously unencumbered breasts. Her pointy nipples were so hard that a mere t-shirt was hardly a challenge for their aggressive prodding.

I knew better than to make any additional comments or take further action, as just my throbbing cock out next to her was surely driving her deeper into her own perverted fantasies. What we were doing was completely wrong, and against everything we swore to when we agreed to be roommates. We hadn’t crossed any physical lines, except maybe for the naked back scrubbing in the shower… shit.

We were already way over the line. Even my own cock knew how close it was to being submerged in the slippery pocket between Anna’s legs.

I had to focus on the screen and forget about the blatant innuendo pulsing in both of our laps. We were horny, that was certain. I should have gotten up and walked away, but the tension was delicious. I loved that we were sitting together, bottomless, unable to act on what we both had in mind.

We sat in an uncomfortable silence for a while as the movie played, until…

“God I wish we were single,” I admitted truthfully, but the fact remained… we weren’t.

“Why’s that,” she said with a curt but playful edge to her voice, “do you want to fuck me or something?”

I had to groan at her words, as she knew I loved hearing her say it out loud. I grabbed on my cock again and started squeezing it.

“Stop that,” she commanded.

“I can’t,”

“I just wanted to see it, not watch you fondle it,” she said, uncrossing her arms and pulling the hem of her t-shirt lower on her legs. “If I thought you’d be uncontrollable about this I would have gone to bed.”

“Sorry,” I said, stopping my motions and loosening my grip. The next move, I decided, was hers, and it took a while. After about couple of minutes, she finally looked at my cock again and I watched her eyes tracing it up and down.

“God… that looks so nice.” She said.

“It does?”

“Fuck. Of course it does!” she said as if I was crazy, “why else would I have you keep pulling it out? I miss what we had, a lot. No one else can compare, and for whatever reason sex was always great with us. Why do you think I kept coming back?”

“An easy lay?”

“Okay, that’s true, but it was more than that.”

She turned her body to face me, her arm and shoulder against the back of the couch.

“I always felt like I found my perfect fit with you,” she continued, looking me straight in the eye, “and everyone else gets compared, well… to this!” She gestured toward my protruding cock.

“But even though I would love to feel what we had again, I know it would only make things worse,” she admitted. “I was getting better, forgetting about what we had, but having you around all the time in such a personal environment… well, maybe it wasn’t such a great idea.”

“We both knew our torrid history An,” I said, turning to face her as well and letting my appendage lay where it may, “the odds were never in our favor.”

“I know,” she said, placing her hand on my arm, “and I think I liked it that way. I think I liked fantasizing about you more than I wanted to actually do anything about it, although right now I’m not so sure.”

Her eyes burned into mine with a fiery lust that made me want to push her backwards and let our bodies do what they were fully prepared to do.

“I know what you mean,” I said instead, trying to keep my ever-loving cool.

“Are you saying you fantasized about me!?” she asked with a playful twinkle.

“I don’t think I’ve ever stopped,” I admitted. “I know you too well. We’ve been together too many ways.”

Her eyes darted back and forth between mine. “What do you think about?”

I knew this was trouble. I was inebriated and logic was not my friend, and any fantasy I laid out could surely come back to bite me. Unfortunately, I was too turned on to care.

“Sometimes I think about the time we went to the park,” I revealed, “and how you wore those same overalls as tonight, a t-shirt and nothing else.” Her mouth twisted into a wicked grin.

“You had your hands in my pants the entire day,” she laughed, “I thought they were going to kick us out of there! Then, back in the hotel room, I bet his new girlfriend had no idea the kind of sex filled night she was in for when she agreed to come along.”

I laughed at that. “I tried to be sneaky, but you’re just too loud.”

She blushed and looked down, her gaze settling on my cock again. It was suddenly silent in the room as she stared at it.

“Gosh I want you so bad right now,” she said.

“You’d love that, wouldn’t you?” I asked, knowing her twisted mind and the way it worked.

She looked up at me. “Yes.”

“My cock… sliding in… filling that empty space between your legs.”

All of our bedroom games came rushing back. I had forgotten them, forgotten how crazy in lust they made us, but in that instant it all came back.

“You asshole,” she whispered, not even close to being angry. The air was excruciatingly heavy with sexual tension and our breathing started to deepen.

“Take your shirt off,” I said, knowing she would. We both took ours off at the same time and sat together on the couch, the blue glow of the television reflecting across our newly bared skin.

“I love your tits,” I said in honest appreciation of them again, “but you really shouldn’t be showing them to me.”

“You asked for it,” she replied, grabbing a handful of her breast and lifting its weight up to me, her twisted bud aimed right between my eyes. My cock swelled, wishing we would just get it over with already.

“God, I want to taste you so badly right now,” I said, practically drooling down my chin over the sight of her bare breasts.

“You can’t,” she said, staring deep into my soul with her heat filled gaze, “I have a boyfriend.”

“Don’t remind me,” I said, turning directly toward her on the couch. We sat face to face, our bodies naked and exposed to each other in the flickering darkness.

“Tell me An… does he eat your pussy? I mean… the way you really like it?”

The heat in the room was insane as my question caused Anna’s legs to slowly part and her free hand to slide lower on her bare body, down to her unfolding sex. I watched her fingers spread her wet lips apart and find her clit, massaging it with slow deliberate circles. I almost bit off my tongue as I watched her touch herself in front of me.

“This pussy?” she teased as my eyes climbed between her legs and tried to get inside for a closer look.

“He tries, but no one really enjoys the taste of me as much as you did. Do you still remember?”

Fuck. Of course, I did. I was practically smelling it again with the heat she was giving off.

“You know how much I love… used to love, your pussy,” I corrected myself, “and I used to keep loving it until you had to push me off, remember?”

Anna moaned out loud this time, her fingers digging harder into her swollen lips, rubbing larger circles between her spreading legs. I looked into her ravenous stare and recognized a raw need.

“You want me to eat your pussy right now, don’t you?” I asked, “You want me to suck your little clit and push my tongue in there. Should I? Should I actually suck you off right here, An? Suck your wet pussy in my mouth until you explode all over our living room?”

We were back to our old games again, and as she leaned back on the couch; her naked body splayed before me with her legs wide open.

“God damn you,” Anna moaned. Her fingers were frantically masturbating her pussy with one hand and tugging a taut nipple with the other. “You’re really turning me on.”

“I can see that,” I said, staring at her blurring hand making swirly finger paintings across her pussy. “You used to like it when I’d watch you masturbate, didn’t you?”

“Fuck.”

“An, we can’t.”

“I know,” Anna groaned, pushing her body backwards to the other end of the couch and sitting up, her hand not exactly done wading through the rushing river between her legs.

“You’re evil, talking to me like that,” she said breathlessly, “your girlfriend probably wouldn’t like you talking about eating my pussy you know.” A smile crept across her face.

“No, she wouldn’t,” The realization of this fact having zero impact on the lust coursing through my body.

“Does she suck your cock,” Anna asked.

“Not like you did,” I admitted. “Your boyfriend must be a pretty lucky guy.”

“He is,” she said with a smirk, “but he definitely doesn’t react as well as you always did to having his dick in my mouth.”

Fuck. I remember how well Anna could keep me raging for hours while she toyed with my dick.

“You always knew how to keep me harder than I ever thought was possible.”

I leaned back and pushed my erection upward, I ran a finger up and down the side of my cock, watching her eyes follow my lazy touch.

“You should really put that away,” she said without a hint of seriousness in her voice as her eyes devoured in it.

“I might be tempted to put it in my mouth. What would your girlfriend say about that? Can she take you all the way like I can? Can she choke on your cock and still keep it buried while you cum down her throat?”

Definitely not. I was practically crying with the memory and realization.

“You better stop talking about sucking my cock,” I said with exasperation as I started stroking it in front of her leering gaze. “I might ask you to do it again, just for old time’s sake.”

I rose to a knee and pointed my dripping rod in her reclined direction.

“I wouldn’t do it,” she said with her hand mashing her pussy around, “I have a boyfriend.”

“So you keep saying,” I responded, “but you haven’t stopped playing with your pussy since you stripped naked in front of me.”

“True,” Anna said, making sure I saw her slowly ease two long fingers deep into herself. I stared in amazement. “Mmmm, god I’m soaked”

I love the way she tortured me.

“I bet you could get your whole cock in here in one… long… push. Would you like that?”

“More than anything,” I admitted, wondering how we had let ourselves get to this point.

“Well keep it together,” she said, pulling her fingers out and sucking them into her mouth one at a time, “we’re roommates now. No fucking.”

“How about sucking?” I asked hopefully.

“No sucking; and definitely no touching. We’re taken!”

“Damn,” I said, sitting back down on the couch and staring at her gorgeous body again. My mind was conflicted. We could probably get ourselves off with some mutual masturbation or something, but I didn’t think either of us wanted to end the night with an embarrassing mess on the couch, having to slink off to our separate rooms. I had to think.

“Okay, how about we cuddle?”

“Nice try, no touching.” Anna said, she seemed adamant all of the sudden.

“What if I just wanted to look?”

“Look all you want,” she replied, “Why? Do you like my body or something?”

“I love your beautiful body,” I said truthfully. “Your legs are smooth, and your hips are perfect.” I started leaning in her direction on the couch, closely inspecting the pale skin of her leg, careful not to touch.

“Easy there,” she warned, “no touching. My boyfriend doesn’t like me to lay with naked men you know.”

“I bet, but I can see why naked men would want to lay with you though. Your thighs are mouthwatering.” I said as I moved my head closer between her legs, my breath warming her inner thigh. “Anna, You smell like a flower,” I said, inching even closer, “and you look like a goddess with your legs open like this.”

As I pushed in closer, I could feel the heat coming from between her legs, and the permeating scent of her undeniable arousal was spinning my mind.

“Don’t get any ideas,” Anna warned, my mouth inching closer to her enchanting pool of liquid honey, “you shouldn’t have your face so close to my ugh… my…”

“Pussy?”

“Yes.”

“Why not?”

“Because it’s not yours,” she said, unconvincingly.

“Not mine to what?”

“Not yours to…”

“Lick?”

“Yes.”

“Suck?”

“You asshole.”

“Not mine to ravish until your body explodes from the soul splitting orgasm, I rip from your dripping wet cunt?”

Her hands flew up and pulled my head forcefully between her legs.

The next thing I knew my face was buried deep between the wide rubbery lips of my Anna’s wet soaking pussy. She couldn’t help herself. I knew for a fact she had to have it, and that I was the one who could give it to her the way she truly needed it. I plunged in face first with abandon.

Instantly she was gasping and writhing on my tongue, whimpering under the insistent pussy eating her body so desperately craved. I pushed a couple fingers inside and fucked her wet hole while I pulled her rigid clit into my mouth. I had forgotten how rapidly her arousal would build. I felt her orgasm coming already, so I pulled my fingers out and wrapped both arms around her thighs, locking my mouth over her twitching sex. And then…

“Anhh fuck…” She came, harder than I ever remembered.

For a good few minutes, she gasped for breath and clutched my head. She shook in convulsions and bucked her jerking pussy into my mouth. For a good few minutes, she came, unleashing every ounce of orgasmic energy she’d stored inside, squeezing the feeling right out of my head.

When it finally subsided, she lay back exhausted. I lifted my reddened face from between her strong thighs and watched her lovely tits heaving up and down.

“Tell me, does your boyfriend do that for you,” I mustered, trying to get a rise out of her again.

“Not... even... close,” she managed with a smile, struggling to drag her body up on the couch.

“Well, I guess you needed it then,” I said, rubbing my hands up between her thighs and back down. I sat back toward the opposite end of the couch to admire her splayed and panting body.

Suddenly, Anna was sitting up and quickly moving my way. I watched as her lips approached mine and hit with a force of passion I hadn’t experienced in forever. Our tongues burst from our mouths and tried to out-wrestle each other. I knew my face was covered in her essence, but that had never stopped her before. We kissed and made out passionately. I felt her hands running up and down my body, and I did the same to hers.

We were naked on our couch, consuming each other’s mouths. I felt her delicate fingers wrapping around cock, and she broke off our kiss, relishing in the tactile feel of it.

“God, I missed this,” she moaned as she started pulling the skin up and down my erection. The feeling was immediate, and I remembered how well she did even that, it was so natural. Anna knew my cock like no one did, and was reminding me of just how well as our hot tongues snaked together, again.

After a few minutes of manual ministrations, she pulled back.

“I hope your girlfriend doesn’t mind I’m sucking your cock tonight,” she lowly whispered as she kept stroking me. Her tongue reached out and licked my upper lip... my cheek... and my ear, her voice whispering through my veins.

“I’m going to suck your cock. I’m going to lick your balls. I’m going to push you so far down my throat that I’m about to cum again just thinking about it.”

I moaned as her tongue pushed into my ear and drove a sensation through my body, I never knew I missed so badly. I was going to cum myself if she kept lusting into my ear like that and milking my throbbing cock in her hand.

“Does she drag her tits all over you the way you like it,” Anna asked in the most seductive voice I ever remembered coming from her.

“Fuck no,” I swore under my breath, feeling the tender touch of her aroused buds tantalizing my bare skin. Up and down her nipples drew lazy lines of lust onto me, dragging across my bare skin. Her milky tits dragged down my chest, and before I knew it my platonic roommate’s hot breath was cascading over my cock.

“Ohh this is going too far. You have a boyfriend.”

Anna shook her head, staring at my pulsing hardness. “You’re the one who pulled it out,” she whispered, “reminding me how I used to like to kiss it.”

With that she lightly pressed her soft lips to the skin of my cock.

“How much I liked to lick it,” to which she dragged her tongue from the base of my twitching cock to the very tip, pushing shivers up my sides.

“How I much I liked to run my mouth along it, like this...”

I groaned as her lips parted and covered the underside of my cock. Anna’s mouth was so soft and tender, and when she stared sliding it up and down my length, I groaned outward into our living room. She slurped her way to the tip and suckled on the head for a minute, keeping me in her mouth as she nursed on it. She worked her way down to my balls, and took one and then the other in her mouth, and started the whole thing again. She wasn’t even sucking me.

Anna sat up a little and looked me in the eye.

“Does she let you cum in her mouth?”

I slowly shook my head, to which she rolled her eyes in exasperation.

“Would you like to cum in mine?”

I nodded, and slowly brought my hand up to her head and gently pulled it down. She simultaneously lifted my cock upright and wetly engulfed my entire cock into her warm and delicious opening. Her lips slid down my length like a tight ring, and my cock kept sliding in. I remembered how deep her mouth went, how my cock would keep going further than I ever thought possible. In I went, and once I eased past her loosened throat muscles I bottomed out, her lower lip nudging my balls. Oh my fucking god.

It was the most pleasure I’d had in forever, and the building intensity of the night instantly caught up with me. All at once my body flipped a release button and my ejaculating muscles started pumping hard, filling my body with the most intoxicating chemicals nature ever invented. Gush after glorious gush of pent-up seed erupted from the end of my buried cock and into the sweet and bottomless mouth of a naked Anna, right on our couch.

Fuck.

My body shook and shuddered, and she kept her head still, draining every drop of cum that leak from my creamy cock like it was nothing.

After the mind-blowing rush of my orgasm, she slowly pulled off of me, a loud pop and an inhale of breath sounding off like a clap. Her breathing was ragged, but her smile was one of pride. She came back up to me and laid her soft body on top of mine and we kissed again. This was nothing new, and the fresh cum in her mouth was barely noticeable as we shared a passionate embrace.

“What did you just do?” I asked incredulously.

“I sucked your cock,” Anna replied in a hungry whisper, “I swallowed your cum. I got you so horny you shot off in my mouth in like buckets!”

I smiled wide with the most satisfaction I had felt in many months.

“That you did.” I said.

I gently held Anna’s body again as she lay across me, her soft breasts piled on my chest. The round bare cheek beyond the small of her back was a familiar landscape for my fingers to graze.

“What are we doing?” Anna asked quietly, her nose brushing against my cheek.

“Not getting caught?” I ventured, saying what was surely on our minds.

“Yes, but why?” She laid her head next to mine. “Why is it so right between us?”

Her fingers twirled my hair and I felt her breath against my neck. “I am so comfortable here, just like this, with you.”

“We’ve been over it a million times,” I began, “and we just don’t work this well in the real world. We’re polar opposites... who happen to be really awesome in bed.”

“Don’t remind me,” she softly whispered.

We lay with each other in the darkish room, naked across our couch. My mind played movies of all the great times we’d had. Weekends we’d spent locked in a room and fucking our brains out until we were sore. Days we spent apart, resulting in some of the most passionate and aggressive sex I could remember ever having.

We both considered sex a core part of who we were. Finding someone who shared this intense constant desire and who was also compatible for the long run seemed impossible. For a while we were happy to just seek each other out as a distraction from the sometimes-painful real world. Sex was a blanket, and wrapping each other in it was something we both needed, maybe on a deeply emotional level.

My thoughts were bringing back so many memories; vivid, naked, fucking each other memories and I felt my cock start to harden again. She felt the movement and pushed against it.

“You realize we’re probably going to do this, right?” I said.

“I know,” she said, almost inaudibly. “I just want to feel you against me for a while longer.”

Anna wrapped my head in her arm and started softly kissing my neck. Her lips were barely touching my skin, but the connection was immense. I sighed out a long breath of air and squeezed her tightly. The soft, wet tip of her tongue dragged along my neck and traveled slowly upwards to my jawline.

Her every contact point with my body suddenly drove a rush of passion into me, jutting my growing cock between us. She felt my surge and dragged a knee up my stomach and moved the same foot over the edge of the couch. My fingers rounded her smooth cheeks and dove between them, finding the familiar damp pool I was dying to plunge my cock into again.

I rubbed around her pussy as she pushed her thigh against my erection, saying into my neck, “I think I wanted you ever since you asked me to move in.”

I thought about this for a minute, and admitted to myself that my noble intentions were never far from the hidden truth.

“I honestly loved the idea of being able to see you every day,” I said, pushing a long finger into her moist tunnel. “I think having you around was good for my sex life. You reminded me of great sex, and I took that to bed with me.”

“Me too,” Anna said, “and I can’t help loving you like this,” she moaned and started grinding her thigh harder into my cock, her mouth sucking on my neck.

“I still love you An,” I responded, knowing it was the truth, and as painful as it was for all involved, it was the fucking truth.

“I love you too,” she said almost desperately, “I always long for what we had, no matter where we are or who we’re with.”

Her hips started tilting around, grinding on my finger inside of her. I whispered into her ear, “we’re actually going to do it again, aren’t we?”

“Yeah, and I’ve been ready,” she returned into my ear, “I want this. Please, do it before I change my mind. Fuck me,” Her panting was getting intense. “I mean it.” Anna lifted herself up on all fours above me, staring into my longing face. Her beautiful tits were hanging, and I could see my cock sticking up, waiting for the inevitable plunge.

And it was so natural that neither of us looked or aimed or anything. Her hips descended and I felt my cock easing right into Anna’s warm and glorious fit.

It was a mind-blowing instant of sexual interconnectedness and blissful wonder as my cock buried itself as deeply inside Anna’s hollow cunt as it’s ever been. We both exhaled immensely, and in that very instant, we were back.

Her mouth hung open as I bottomed out, and the look on her face was one of pure passion. I’m sure mine was no different as I ran my hands up her thighs and around her back, grabbing that sexy woman as tightly as I could.

We pushed against each other in a frantic connection of sex and lust. It was an idyllic rift in time as our souls became singular again. Neither of us could back away, and we started shifting our lower bodies in subtle circles of intimate connection. My cock was deep, and her pussy captured me so completely that I was content to simply exist inside of her.

Back and forth we ground into the other. I heard her gasp, so I slowly sat us up on the couch. She clung to me like a lost puppy, and her body was shaking from the pleasure.

Then I realized Anna was actually crying, right into my shoulder; tiny little sobs that had me confused and worried.

“Anna? What is it?” I gently asked, pushing back the hair from around her ear and wiping a tear from her cheek.

“You...” she sniffed, “feel so amazing. I just... forgot how intense it really was...”

“I know,” I soothed, “I feel the same way. Let’s just enjoy this as much as we can while we have it again... okay?”

That seemed to cheer her up a little as she nodded her head.

“It’s not over yet,” I breathed, reaching my cock into her and then pulling out a small amount, “far from it.”

Anna smiled and looked right into my eyes, her tear-stained lashes blinking quickly. “I do love you, you know, and I always...” with that she squeezed her inner muscles around my nestled shaft, “always, will!”

“I love you too,” I said and grabbing her butt, “and now we’re going to make this night worth every minute of regret we might face afterwards.”

With that Anna leaned back and onto the couch, pulling me with her and reaching down to grab my ass cheeks and squeeze them.

“So then fuck me already,” she said so matter-of-factly that I had no choice but to pull my cock almost completely free from her warm embrace, and then slam it back home with enough force.

“Oh god… Ahh” she yelled, louder than I ever remember her being, which was saying something.

I put my forehead against hers and locked in my stomach muscles, allowing my hips to start taking long delicious strokes in and out of her body. Every push and pull was luxurious and familiar and daring all at the same time. I knew just how she liked it. I knew what got her body and her mind really excited. She knew the same about me as well, which is why she pulled my face down and pushed her tongue in my ear.

The warm sensation had a direct line to the muscles in control of my blazing erection, and I started to really pump it into her with passion.

Her lusty voice in my wet ear sounded better than I ever remembered, “Oh, yeah, fuck, oh fuck, that’s it, mmmm, that’s it, fuck me, oh shit. Ohhh…” her voice trailed off into grunts of pleasure as she hugged me tighter.

My cock was sliding in and out of her like an oiled piston, and the liquid noises of sex were squelching out into the room. I realized I was quickly building up a new head of orgasmic steam, so I eased back into a more casual pace. Every bit of her scrumptious pussy was sliding across every inch of my solid cock as we connected through long slippery strokes of sex.

Eventually Anna loosened her grip and held me still, stopping our movements but holding my cock deep inside. Her eyes were wild. She was hungry, and right in the middle of a juicy meal.

Anna spoke, softly, “…from behind.”

I smiled as I remembered how she liked it that way. I slipped my wet cock out of her, and backed slightly away. She slid off the couch and put her knees on the floor, bending her naked figure over the cushion.

I admired her bare ass in front of me, again. It was so familiar; so right. A thousand memories came rushing back as I instinctively ran my hands over her naked butt and up her spine as I moved in close.

I bent over her body with my wet cock wedged upright in the crack of her ass cheeks and started whispering in her ear.

“This is how you really like it, isn’t it Anna?”

A slight whimper emerged, and she moved her ass against me in earnest, but I wasn’t about to slip into her just yet.

“Do you remember how far I can reach from back here?”

“You know I do,” she softly replied.

“Tell me something you think about with me around,” I teased, easing back from her ear, and rubbing her shoulders and neck, “something hot.”

“Don’t...” Anna pleaded.

“It’s okay An,” I soothed, “just tell me one thing you fantasized about. It’s only going to turn the heat up.”

A long silence appeared, and I slowly eased the underside of my cock up and down her crevice as I patiently waited for her inevitable reply.

“Fine,” she started, lifting herself up onto her elbows, “Sometimes... I imagine myself cleaning… God this is embarrassing.”

“Just tell me.”

“I-I’m cleaning, and I’m... naked,” she revealed. “And then you come home unexpectedly, maybe you’ve been drinking, and you sit down and just watch me cleaning in the nude. You’re staring at my body and telling me how good of a job I’m doing, how you appreciate how clean I keep our place.”

This was incredible, and now I was logging every word into a fantasy file I could use later as well. I reached around and started toying with one her tight nipples.

“Mmm, that’s nice,” she moaned, humping her bare cheeks against me. “I keep looking over and your eyes are always on me, on my body, staring at me. Then, while I’m cleaning a counter, or bent over in some way, you come close and start touching me, softly, even though I ask you to stop. You don’t. You touch my breast, you cup my ass, you stroke my neck; your hands are all over me.”

I groaned to myself and rubbed my hands over her body to match the story, feeling every sensational inch of her bare form under my fingers.

“Oh god, you really know how to play this,” Anna said, and then she continued. “You start asking me why I’m naked, and if I was just trying to get you excited. I would insist that I just liked to clean in the nude in my own apartment, and that I should be able to if I wanted. But inside I knew it would drive you crazy, and that you wouldn’t be able to resist.”

Anna started sliding her bare ass up and down the length of my nestled cock as she continued.

“You would touch me and tell me to keep cleaning. I wouldn’t notice, but at some point, you’d pull out your cock, and I would feel it against me, hard...”

I took that moment to reenact her tale, pushing the head of my cock down between her cheeks.

“I would act shocked and offended, but you’d push into me...”

Which now I did.

“OH god! Just like... that,” she moaned as my cock ran home, “that’s so much better than I imagined!”

My cock slid into her, and I pulled on her shoulders to help get it in deep. I leaned over again and started talking into her ear as I softly began to fuck her from behind.

“Is this what you wanted? Hmm? Parading around in the nude. Did you think I wouldn’t react?”

I kept sliding my cock in and out of her love tunnel, bringing loud moans and sighs.

“Did you think I would just sit and watch your sexy body bouncing around our apartment in the nude and not want to touch it... to taste it... to have it!? How dare you tease me like that? Now you’re getting what you really wanted, aren’t you?”

I grabbed her hair playfully, “Aren’t you?”

“YES” she moaned, pushing her ass back against my thrusts and hanging her head down low as I released her hair.

“And now your roommate, your ex-boyfriend, is actually fucking you! He’s finally fucking you after all this time, and you were secretly hoping it would come to this, weren’t you?”

“Yes!” she squealed as her torso dropped and her head turned to the side.

I grabbed her wide hips and started bouncing my body off of hers in a forceful fuck to last us a lifetime... or another long time anyway.

“You really need to be fucked like this, don’t you Anna?” I asked with heat and passion in my voice.

“Mmm... mmm... mmm,” is all she could manage. I kept the aggression level high, because I knew she liked it, and I pushed her head softly into the couch.

“Am I deep enough?” I started, “can you feel it all the way, my cock, fucking you? Is it good enough? I could fuck you like this every day you know. You’d love that, wouldn’t you? A live-in fuck partner to really give your hot pussy the hard attention it desperately needs.”

Her heavy gasps of air were answering my questions on her behalf.

I decided in the moment to take it a step further. “From now on I want you to be ready for my cock in the morning. Keep this little tight pussy neat and clean for me, I’ll be checking it first thing. I want your body smooth and smelling nice. I want to know you will be clean and soft when I come home dirty and hard.”

“Oh my god…” Anna moaned in a torrent of sexual frenzy as I pounded her cunt. While I wasn’t serious with my suggestions, and I was sure she knew I was just heating us up, there was an edge of real desire to it for both of us. I released her head and smoothed her hair as I slid in and out of her slick grip.

“Start looking forward to a nice hard cock in the morning. Won’t that be nice, a pussy filling fuck to start your day?”

I continued to thrust and shake her ass cheeks. “I like your new look by the way, one big shirt with nothing underneath. How hot did it make you, knowing you were practically naked next to me in the morning?”

“It felt... mmm... naughtier than I... thought it would,” she managed as I continued my vaginal assault.

“I bet it did,” I continued, “so naughty that you needed to let me see your whole body bent over in your room with your bare ass sticking out.”

“Oh shit,” she moaned as our thighs smacked together, “I don’t know why... I did that.”

“Because you wanted this,” I said, happily fucking her from behind on the floor of our living room. “How did you feel when I called you in to watch me shower?”

“Excited,” she admitted a little too quickly.

“I know you did, and now it’s out, isn’t it? You’ve been secretly lusting for my cock, and now you’re getting it.”

I glided into her a few more times and then slowly withdrew my long slippery cock from her body. She put her head down and started to catch her breath. I sat on the floor and turned over, my head between her quivering thighs. I pulled her dripping bush right into my mouth.

She raised her body up and kneeled over me, holding the couch for support. I could see the undersides of her breasts, and couldn’t help but reach up and squeeze one as I found her stiff clit with my mouth and sucked it right in.

“Oh F-F-FUCK!” she yelled as my tongue immediately began wearing the finish off of her hot button. I sucked her clit and pinched her nipple, sending her body into a shaking fit. I looked up and into her eyes, just in time to see them roll back as she started to shudder.

I knew one or two orgasms would never be enough, and I was almost positive she wasn’t getting this kind of attention from her boyfriend. She needed it on a physical and emotional level, and I was finally giving to it her again.

Her moans became screams as she pushed her pussy into my face, sliding it around, building up another sand castle of cum for me to kick over. Her hips began pushing my head into the couch, and she ground her wet soaking pussy against my face like I was some kind of humping pole. I grabbed the clenched cheeks of her ass and held on for the ride as her body began to shudder.

Then she came... as quickly as the screaming started, it disappeared, and she quietly shook and came all over my juice slathered face.

I finally sensed the full weight of release wash over her, and a trail of her cum dripped down my chin as I held her up. A huge smile grew across her face and she whispered down at me, “You fucker. I haven’t felt one of those in a long time.”

Anna leaned down and actually licked my cheek. Then she pushed her tongue deep in my mouth and we kissed for a minute until she broke off and said, “I’ve taught you well.”

“That you have,” I agreed, and watched as she spun around, her hand going for my cock. I felt her small fingers grabbing me tight, and then she leaned forward, her mouth slurping my meat like a melting popsicle. I felt her mouth softly sliding up and down my length.

We used to love to sixty-nine, so I slid down and pulled her legs over me again, diving my face between her legs. The sounds of sucking and smacking, moaning and devouring were over the top as we frantically ate each other out. Her legs started shaking as another climax was about to rain down on me. I wanted to cum so badly, but I also wanted to fuck her again.

I stopped eating her pussy, and pushed her off.

“Damn it,” Anna whined, “I was so close.”

“What, again!?” I asked in mock surprise.

“Yes, again, and I now I might need to borrow that tongue of yours to lick my poor pussy to sleep every night.”

A ravenous hunger boiled from my brain and I pushed her back onto the floor. I climbed between her legs and licked a long line from her soaking flame and all the way up to the side of her neck. By the time I got there, my cock was already pressing through her open folds and tunneling deep inside her pussy again.

“Oh, fucking fuck,” Anna wailed as I bottomed her out, my lips on her neck driving her insane. Just as quickly though, I backed out again, retracing the same liquid line down her splayed body and started another oral assault. This time I was held in place as her legs crossed behind my head and her cunt pushed up and down my face. She was ready, and I held on tight as I worked her.

This time the ungodly screaming arose, and as she flew over the edge, her ranting was perverse, even insane.

“Ohhh, Gooaahhddd, ahh Fuck!! mmm, fuck, Eat It! yeah, Eat my pussy, You Fuck! It’s, oh, my, fucking... nhhhh,”

I was simply holding on for dear life as she went through some kind of transcendental experience. It would have been almost scary, if it hadn’t been exactly what I was going for.

Anna came so hard I almost felt sorry for her; it was intense. Her body convulsed and she could hardly gasp for air as the orgasm ripped through her soul and all over my face. As she finally settled dow, I felt the grip loosen on my head, and her hands unwrapped themselves from my hair. Her breathing was hard and a little raspy.

“That...” she breathlessly began, “was what I have been missing. How could you do that to me?”

I climbed up next to her on the floor and said, “I just remembered how you always liked it.”

The smile plastered on her face turned to a look of wonder as she shook her head, and then a sly smiled unfolded from her pretty face.

“And now I remember what you always wanted.”

I honestly had no idea what she was talking about, until the very instant she pushed me away and sprang to her feet, running naked down the hall.

A hungry smile immediately found my face, and I jumped to my feet and ran after her, my erection so hard from my dirty thoughts that it barely moved as I did.

I rounded the corner toward the light from her room, greeted by a soft glow from her reading lamp beside her unmade bed. On the floor beside the bed was the most luscious and hungering sight my mind could have imagined.

Anna was on her elbows and knees, climbing under her bed. Her bare ass was up and fully facing me, and she was saying something from underneath.

“Oh good, can you help me find my phone? I think it dropped on the floor somewhere.”

Just her pale ass was sticking out, and her pussy was practically begging me closer. I walked up slowly behind her and got to my knees, reaching out to stroke the soft skin of her naked ass.

“Can you see anyth... hey, what are you doing? Help me look!” she snapped.

I let my fingers roam her glorious backside as I lightly found her dripping hole. I started to rub it around and push my fingers over her clit.

“Hey! Stop it!! Don’t touch me like th...” her muffled voice trailed off as two of my fingers plunged into her wet orifice.

Anna groaned and then said a muffled, “Knock it off, and let me out of here, don’t even think about it!”

It was too good, and she was really playing it up for me. I pulled my fingers out and grabbed my raging cock, eying her gorgeous bottoms-up.

“Thank you, now help me out of... hey! what are you!? no!”

I watched as the head of my cock push her juicy lips aside and ease inside, her tunnel providing quite a resistance. I sank my cock all the way into Anna’s upturned ass, her wet pussy licking the entire length of it along the way.

“You fucking bastard,” she yelled from under the bed, “how could you do this to me?”

I started working my cock in and out of the disembodied ass on legs in front of me, making sure I was listening for our old safe word.

The moans from under the bed were soft but growing. Anna’s luscious rump was milking my cock as I pumped her harder. I had to wonder if she had actually fantasized about this very thing.

After the thrill of taking advantage of her compromising position wore off, I slowed my pace and tentatively pulled out of her. Anna weaseled her butt back and forth, squirming out from under the bed. As soon as her head was free, she sat up on her knees and the look on her face was one of pure lust and playfulness.

I suddenly felt her full naked body weight slamming into me, throwing me to the floor. My head landed in a pile of her dirty clothes, and I looked up to see her face appear in my view, “Don’t you ever! fuck me like that again!” she warned, pushing off of me and jumping to her feet. I watched her naked form quickly disappear out the door.

I smiled wide as I remembered our games, and loved how easily we were picking back up with them.

I jumped up and happily bounded out of the room, wondering where my sexy naked roommate had vanished to. I instantly saw her across the hall in the brightly lit bathroom, and I slowly walked in.

Anna was leaning over the sink with her face in the mirror, applying some kind of lip something as I often saw her do, except this time she was completely naked.

“What are you doing in here?” she asked my reflection in the mirror, “can’t you see I’m busy?”

“Sorry, you left the door open and I really have to go,” I played along.

“Fine, but sit down,” she said looking back at her own pink lips, “I don’t want to hear it while I’m having some girl time.”

I walked to the commode and sat down, knowing I was unable to actually use it in my hardened state. I looked over at Anna next to me; her wonderfully perky breasts were slightly swaying with her subtle movements and her twisted nipples looked thrilled to be part of our game.

“What are you looking at?” she asked without turning her gaze to me, “do I need to wear a robe or something in my own house?”

“No, sorry,” I replied, lifting my eyes to her mouth, “I was just watching what you were doing.”

“Why, do you have a thing for lipstick or something?” she teased, “You can have it when I’m done.”

“Very funny,” I said as I stood, pressing the handle and rushing water into the clean bowl. I walked up behind her and said “I just need to wash my hands.”

“Be my guest,” she said quickly, “but I’m not moving. I was here first.” With that she widened her stance and took up the entire front of the sink.

“Fine,” I resolved and moved in behind her. The first thing to touch as I moved in close was my cock against the top of her ass.

“Hey buddy,” she warned, “watch your cock.”

“Well, it’s not like I’ve got a lot of room here,” I playfully whined, “don’t mind my reach.” I wrapped my arms around either side of her and pushed forward, our bodies in full naked contact as I leaned forward to reach the water.

“Well, this is awkward,” Anna said to her own reflection in the mirror, “hurry up.”

I pushed the handle on the faucet and got my hands a little wet. I leaned over for the soap and dropped a gold puddle into my palm as I pushed the top. I rubbed my hands together in front of Anna’s naked waist, enjoying the feel of her entire body against mine.

As my hands foamed up, I lightly clapped them together, launching clumps of suds into the air, some in her direction.

“Hey!” she cried, “watch it! You’re getting soap on my boobs.” She could hardly keep her grin contained as she feigned offense and stood up straight to show me the mess in the mirror.

“Oops, hold on,” I said, watching my hands in the mirror lightly touching the spots of bubbles on her breasts, leaving many more sudsy dabs in their wake. As I looked at her naked reflection, I could see large clumps of bubbles all over her chest. She just watched as I tried wiping them away, but the more I tried the soapier her bare tits were getting.

I tried to keep up the act, but soon I was soaping them up with purpose, sliding my fingers around the smooth skin, rubbing across her nipples, grabbing her slippery globes tight and squeezing them together. I was getting extremely aroused, and my cock strained against her back.

“About done?” she asked, hands on her hips now as if she was just waiting for me to finish fondling her chest.

“Almost,” I huffed into her ear. I pushed my soapy hands down her body and pulled us back. Bending my knees, I dragged the tip of my cock down the naked backside of my roommate. With almost no effort I pushed forward and submerged my entire cock into her dripping tunnel, and watched her face in the mirror as it slid all the way in.

“Ohh fuck...” she moaned as I pushed in, adding an exasperated, “What are you doing?”

“I’m just washing my hands,” I replied as I moved my hands back up to her slippery tits and held them in the mirror while I humped my bare cock in and out of her pussy.

“Oh GOD!!” she belted out as I pushed in deep, “Are you fucking me? We... mmm, we talked about this. No fucking!” She was looking at me in the mirror and grabbing the side of the sink as I continued pushing and pulling my cock in and out of her.

“Oops,” I said, “are we fucking?” My thighs smacked against hers more loudly.

I watched Anna drop her head down to enjoy our little romp for a time, and then she pushed me back with her hips, quickly stepping forward and escaping my insertion. She spun around and pushed me back against the wall next to us, getting right up in my face. She grabbed my chin and stared right into my eyes.

“Well just watch yourself mister,” she said with a commanding tone, grabbing hold of my wet dick, “don’t let this big cock come between us.” With that she started stroking me hard, her fingers slipping easily up and down my lubricated shaft, pumping me faster than I was expecting... and making her point.

I looked into her eyes and enjoyed her hand masturbating my cock between our bellies. Her soapy breasts were barely touching my chest, and her nipples kissed my flesh. I was in blissful heaven, and was seriously about to erupt when she stepped back, releasing my cock and grabbing the towel hanging on a hook next to me.

She quickly wiped the soap from her chest and handed me the towel, saying simply, “The lipstick’s all yours,” and walked out into the hall, bare-assed and smiling. I quickly turned to rinse the soap from my hands and wiped them with the towel, hanging it back on the hook.

I turned off the bathroom light and the entire place suddenly dropped into darkness. There was no light from the direction of her room, or from the living room. Figuring she must have turned off the TV, I felt my way through the dark and down the hall into the main room.

“The power’s out,” I heard Anna say from near the front window. I looked in that direction and could just make out her silhouette against the dim lights shining in from outside. I slowly approached. Being naked in my own dark apartment was nothing strange, but knowing Anna was in there with me, just as undressed, waiting for me to fuck her again, was the most thrilling sense of erotic anticipation I could remember.

“I can’t find a candle or flashlight,” she continued, “so I’m just standing by the window until it comes back on.”

I walked up quietly behind her and saw that she was looking out the window. I put a hand on her shoulder and ran my fingers down her bare back and over her ass.

“You’re naked,” I said softly, stroking her flesh with a tender touch.

“I know. I was about to jump in the shower when it went dark. Don’t.” She pushed my hand away, and brushed against my erection in the process. She stopped.

“Are you...?” she turned toward me and ran her hand up my body, “Oh my god. So we’re...”

“Both naked here in the dark,” I finished, “We’re in for a big surprise if the lights come back on.”

She backed away from me in tentative hesitation and paused for a moment before saying, “Why, you’ve seen me naked before.”

“I know, but it’s different now,” I said, “we’re not supposed to see each other... you know, like this.”

“Well... I can’t see anything,” she breathed in a husky whisper, her body mere inches from mine, “can you?”

“Definitely not,” my voice shook a little. We stood face to face, drinking in the thick anticipation and allure of the moment.

We inched closer, and I felt the softest touch folding slowly around my excited manhood. I exhaled heavily.

“What’s wrong,” her voice asked tenderly.

“Something’s touching me,” I said. Loving this a little too much.

“Really? What does it feel like?”

“Like a soft hand, on my... ohhh yeah,” I whispered, feeling the grip tightening and moving up and down.

“That’s so strange,” she said with a smile in her voice, “do you think we have ghosts?”

“If we do, they really... hhhhh, like me,” I said, as another touch moved in to softly cradle my balls. I closed my eyes, not that it made much difference in the dark, and suddenly a warm wetness wrapped around the head of my cock, moving quickly downward along it like a wet mouth sucking my cock. “Hoooly shit!”

The unexpected pitch-black sensation took me by surprise, and I nearly lost it. I felt her throat open and my cock slipped inside for a second, and then she pulled completely off, leaving my cock to balance wet and alone in the dark. I opened my eyes and saw Anna’s dark figure outlined in front of me again.

“Something... really likes me,” I said, unsteady on my own legs.

“Well keep it to yourself,” she said, “your moaning is making me uncomfortable.”

I stepped to the side and softly put my hand out, feeling for some bare skin and finding it. Knowing her body well I traced my way down her side and around the front of her thigh, feeling it open for me.

My fingers brushed past her small pubic hair and I didn’t need any light to know how turned on she was. My fingers pushed across her excited clit, and I felt her body reacting to my touch.

“You okay?” I asked with a grin.

“I-I see what you mean,” she breathed heavily; “I’m feeling a little... felt.”

I reached around in the dark and grabbed a handful of her bare tit flesh, squeezing it gently in my fingers.

“Just let it happen,” I whispered in her ear, “we don’t want to upset any spirits.” I worked a couple fingers in between her legs and started slipping them into her.

“Oh…” she moaned, leaning on the window sill, “something’s... pushing into me!”

“Seriously?” I asked as I plunged between her lips, “What does it feel like?”

“Hhhh... ohhh… a hand,” she moaned, “fingers, reaching!”

“Does it hurt?”

“No, it’s...” she paused, “strangely thrilling.”

I felt her hips grinding around on my hand, pulling me deeper.

“It sounds really good,” I admitted hearing her heavy breathing and sultry moans, “I’m getting pretty turned on here. You sure you’re, okay?”

“Hey~”

“Yes?”

“I’m afraid.”

“Of what?”

“That something in here is going to actually fuck me, and I won’t be able to stop it,” she breathed as I twisted my fingers around inside her burning bush.

“What should we do?” I asked, keeping the game alive.

“I hate to... hhhh, ask,” she breathed.

“You want me to put it in?” I offered, now brushing my cock along her bare back.

“Would you? Just to be safe?”

I slid my fingers out of her wet pool, and bending my legs I let my cock find her juicy hole. I eased it all the way in, and she groaned as I entered and stood breathless against the window... impaled.

“Like this?” I asked, holding my cock still inside of her. “Do you think anything else could fit in here?”

“Definitely... not,” she said softly, tilting her hips and edging my cock around inside her. I ran my hands up her naked sides and weighed her bare breasts in my palms. The feeling of her soft thighs against mine as I cupped her bosom caused me to involuntarily push in a little deeper.

“…no fucking,” she whispered, obviously using every ounce of her fiber to keep from encouraging me.

“I’m not sure I can help it,” I pleaded, “you feel so amazing.”

“But I have a boyfriend,” Anna said, pushing her hips back to keep my cock fully seated.

“My body doesn’t know that,” I said, pinching her bare nipples and pushing in so deep I could feel myself bottom out. I was awash in the soft feelings of her insides thoroughly soaking my dick, and I could tell our little game was about to break.

“I’m just going to, adjust myself,” I whispered, slowly easing my length out about an inch, and then pushing it back in, “like... this.”

“Oh god,” she breathed, “you can’t do that...”

“Why not?”

“It feels like sex.”

“It’s not sex,” I assured her, pulling slowly out until just the head of my cock hovered inside the entrance to her tunnel “This is sex.”

With that I pushed my hips forward and thrust a series of deep plunges into her, sliding easily in and out. Slap, slap, slap, slap...

“Oh oh st t t top!” she managed as her thighs loudly smacked against mine. I pushed in all the way in and held it there, hugging her body tightly below me and finding her ear in the dark.

“Feel the difference?” I whispered.

“You asshole,” she whimpered, “you have to stop.”

“Didn’t you like that?” I asked.

“I...” she started and then stopped.

I finished her words, “You loved it.”

“Fuck you.”

“My pleasure,” I said as I proceeded to intentionally slide my cock in and out of Anna’s pussy in the dark like I owed it a favor. My long and sensual strokes were slow but rhythmic. I knew our game had ended as I heard her groan out a familiar sound, one of pure ecstasy, and she began to match my deep plunges thrust for thrust with her hips. It was fantastic. This was no simple fuck; this was hot, deep, lubricated intercourse between two experienced sexual beings.

After a few sublime minutes of pitch-black communion with Anna, I eased my twitching cock out of her for the... fourth?... time that night. I turned her around and felt for her face, sucking the inside of her soft mouth into mine. Our bodies came together as we smashed my sloppy cock between us like a sandwich. The heat in the room was unbearable as we both were practically out of our minds with lust.

“My room...” is all I said after painfully pulling us apart.

“Now.” she agreed, pulling me quickly in that direction. I followed her lead in the dark, and we bumped our naked bodies along the wall in a hurry to get there. Once inside, I found the plug to a small string of lights, which washed the room in enough dim light to see the naked girl sprawling across my bed like a seductress.

We squinted at the light, but her eyes were on my body, crawling up and down, a look of hot lust burned onto her face.

“Come here,” she said curling a finger at me.

I crawled over her body, staring into her eyes with the awareness we were lovers once again. For a brief window in time, we let ourselves go to enjoy the familiar fruits of our bodies and minds.

Our lips met again and this time it was gentle, inviting, almost intoxicating as the soft wetness of our mouths settled into a playful erotic dance. Her legs were wide and drew me in with a tractor beam of passion and warmth, of excitement and playfulness; of lust... and love.

I stopped kissing her for a moment and looked deeply into her eyes, she read my thoughts immediately.

“I know that look,” Anna said, running her fingers through my hair. “We just can’t.”

I didn’t answer because I knew she was right. I knew the logic involved. I knew the pain we’d repeatedly felt. I knew the way our personalities worked against us at every turn when we were together.

I - Didn’t - Fucking - Care.

“I know...” I conceded as always, saying the words but feeling the twinge of remorse behind them.

“We’re so good at this,” she said, reaching between her legs and guiding my throbbing ache into her warm intensive care. She hugged me tightly to her chest as I sank it in once again, breathing heavy air into my ear. “Ohhh, Yes, that’s it, you feel so good... mmm.”

I felt her nipples pushing into me as my hips worked the action between us. I wanted to hold back and make it all last forever, but her body was too sensual, too lustful... too perfect.

I started moving faster, making her squeal with delight at my increased vigor. The bed started shifting beneath us as the sounds and smells of sex were broadcast throughout the cozy room.

I was up on my hands again, watching her body take me, her soft tits wobbling on her chest. Her mouth was open and her eyes bore into mine, urging me on. Our frantic sex was gaining steam as her legs hugged me tightly and tried to help me fuck her, like really fuck her with everything I had.

I started to get wild, and words just poured out of my mouth, like we should have known they would.

“Do you like my cock in there, An?” I was in a mental trance and everything felt familiar again, like knowing how much of a turn on her name was. “Do you like a good fuck?” Her head nodded and her eyes were eating mine alive. “Does it make your pussy wet to feel my cock fucking you so hard?”

“Yes,” she softly moaned, “keep fucking me... oh god daddy, fuck me!”

And there it was.

I had all but forgotten, but it came out of her just like that, mere moments before a shocked look spread across her face. Adorable. I slowed for just a second and grinned wickedly into her eyes as they darted with fear.

“You like daddy’s cock, don’t you baby?” I growled at her, just the way she liked it. “You’re so good for your daddy, a good girl with a wet pussy, aren’t you?”

The conflict on her face was apparent, but short lived. Quickly she reached up and pulled me down to her, our bodies frantically fucking again. Her tongue went in my ear and out the end of my juiced-up cock as it pumped into her.

“Oh god daddy, give it to me,” she moaned into my soul, “make love to me, please. I need you. Can you feel how wet you’re making me?”

I was struggling to hang on, it was all too intense. I felt my passion reaching a peak with our most personal and private game playing out after all this time. I had no choice but to settle the hell down...

“Hold on baby,” I said as I slowly pulled out of her against the strain of her legs trying to keep me in place.

“No,” she said, “don’t go!” Still, I pulled away and rolled over, lying next to her. I was breathing heavy and sweating.

“I’m exhausted,” I sigh, “let me get some rest?” I closed my eyes with my arm over my face, knowing my aim to get her on top was immediately received.

Anna climbed over and straddled me, quickly descending her hot pussy over my soaking cock and picking up right where we left off.

“Mmmm, what are you doing hon?” I moaned as she swallowed my cock with her body in the most desperate way possible.

“I need you daddy,” she said as her butt started to bounce her soft pussy up and down the length of me as she lay on top of me, “I have to feel you... inside me... fucking me... daddy,” she whispered in my ear.

With a surge of passion, she sat herself upright, my cock fully seated inside of her. Watching her sitting above me I admired her perky breasts as she stared into my eyes. I reached up and took a handful of each. She looked down at me with a mischievous smirk, and then something else settled onto her face. . .

“Daddy...” she started to say, slowly grinding her pelvis into my pubic bone and swirling my cock around inside of her. No more words came however as she placed her palms flat on my chest and pushed against me, shifting her hips and stirring her insides with my deeply reaching cock. Her rocking became pushing, and her pushing became sliding. Soon she was lying against me again, quickly and frantically fucking my brains out.

Our bodies slapped together as our moans devolved into grunts. I felt Anna’s hot breath in my ear again, and her words this time were some of the most wonderful utterances my soul could ever have dreamed.

“Daddy, oh... this is so good, and... god, you’re so incredible. I love your big cock inside of me, Mmmm. You’re everything to me, and anything you’re not... mmmm... tough shit. Ohhhhhh gggod, keep fucking me daddy… yessss. This has to be, the last time... uh huh, keep going... the last time we, fuck around on other people, okay?”

I barely started to reply.

“Shhhh,” she continued as her pussy slid up and down my deep erection, “…mmmm, let me finish... This is the last time, because from now on, there are no other people Daddy, ahh... that’s right... because, I want to be yours again. I want us to be together, forever this time... ohhhh... you like that, Daddy? It’s okay. Tell me.”

“I fucking love it,” my voice burst out as my cock thrust into her bouncing body. I had hold of her hips and was pulling her back down to me each time she pulled away.

Finally, I slowed our bodies down to an easy pace and looked hard into her eyes. “And I love you, Anna. I really do” I lifted my hands and held her face in them as our bodies slowed. “What the hell have we been doing all this time?” I had to know.

She didn’t answer at first, and just looked into my eyes as we stopped, our souls keeping the sultry flames connecting us alive. Then she told me, and it made perfect sense.

“Making sure.”

Oh, I was sure. I was absolutely sure there wasn’t another person on the planet that could come close to the connection I felt with this human being. I wanted nothing more in that very moment than to follow her to the ends of the world and throw everything I called my own into oblivion.

I was hers. Anna’s... and I had never been happier.

“And you’re sure?” I asked tentatively.

“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life,” she said, her words falling out between panting breaths. “I love you more right now than I thought was possible.”

I pushed deeply into her body, this time to form a concrete joining of our souls. She pushed back and I instantly felt every other time we had merged together wash over me as if they had all just happened in an instant. We locked together in a quiet, emotional embrace.

Anna’s soft body was an extension of mine in that moment in time. We started to hug tightly in our coupled position, twitching slightly from the emotional and physical reception.

Our bodies started to ignite again, but without any physical movement. It was a strange feeling, like we were fucking, frozen in time.

She looked at me and I felt her pussy start to tremble around my cock. Then it twitched again, and I felt a rumble in my body. Her arms began to shake, and her mouth opened in an expression of deep pleasure. It was so beautiful and enchanting that I felt a wave of passion extend my cock into her further.

Her eyes widened in disbelief, as her legs began to join the chorus. I held on to her tightly and just throbbed inside of her, feeling every pulse of pleasure that was building around it. Her chest began to twitch, and she sucked in a deep breath, clinging to my body and digging her nails into my skin.

“OOOOOOHHHH...” she shuddered with a shaky moan, and I looked up at her face, which she had pushed forward in a grimace of intense concentration, and I knew Anna was about to burst.

The wall of energy that slammed into her body caused every muscle of hers to clench, gripping me tightly beneath her and jerking us both with her sudden heaves. I held on tightly and just let her come around me with everything she had, feeling her pussy convulsing and twitching on my cock, drinking in the waves of pressure and release washing over us.

Without warning the feel of her throbbing contractions and her intense climax caused my cock to swell and vibrate. The feel of her liquid release washing over me and the erotic spectacle of her orgasm was enough to start my own.

“Breed me, daddy…” Anna said.

That was enough to set me off, a wave of thrilling exhilaration rushed through my nervous system, throbbing out a wave of cum deep into her body as my muscles grabbed her tightly. My creamy jets lurched into Anna’s delicious cunt as her inner walls milked my erupting cock of each electric burst. They kept pumping out of me, pulse after pulse, for what seemed like an eternity...

It was immediately the most intense sexual feeling I had ever experienced, and there hadn’t been any movement; only our tight naked connection and our newly ignited passion and love for the other. We lay there panting, both of us with looks of disbelief and sheer wonder on our faces.

“What the hell... was that?” she asked finally, her body sweating and still snugly wrapped around my own.

“The best sex we’ve ever had?” I offered slowly, feeling my cock finally letting go of the firm pressure it had been holding all night.

Her heavy breathing was coming down and she lifted her body up onto her arms to look into my eyes, a satisfied grin and something else across her face.

“By far the best sex we’ve ever had,” she agreed and paused, her gaze drinking in my soul for a moment.

“I think we should give it another go.”

“Really?” I exasperated, unable to actually move my body another inch, “I think I might need the night to recover.”

Anna smiled and rolled her eyes, “Not that dummy... Us.”

There was no question, no hesitation in my mind. Our subconscious minds kept bringing us together over the years for what we finally came to realize. We couldn’t stay apart, for worse or for better...

[sunnie-writes]

love story (taylor's version)

pairing: wally darling x reader

tags: fluff, extremely romantic, established relationship and a secret tag!!

reader's pronouns: they/them

plot: Wally had the perfect date planned for you, with the help of everyone in the neighborhood, he could only hope for the best outcome of a special surprise made just for you.

sunnie, talk that talk: okay, so, MY MIND WOULDN'T LET ME SLEEP IF I DIDN'T WRITE THIS BEFORE LIKE OH MY STARRRSSSS, I NEEDED TO GET IT OUT OF MY SYSTEM SO BADLY. anyways, hope u guys enjoy as always, have a great reading sunshines <33

You checked your outfit five times in the last minute, trying to find a way to make it look even nicer.

Wally had, suddenly, decided to take you out on a date for the night. He only spoke about having a picnic to watch the sunset, claiming that he just really needed to have you by his side that day.

That was no problem, you would be by his side until the world ended and you were nothing but another skeleton under the dirt.

Still, you wanted to look nice! The best you could. Even after being his partner for such a long time, you couldn't help but still feel the butterflies whenever he talked to you, hugged you or kissed you. Having a crush on your boyfriend surely was one of the things that would never end.

Julie couldn't help you tonight, apparently, she had to work on some stuff that was really important. That was okay, you thought before noticing how hard it was to fix yourself without the help of your personal stylist.

You heard a knock on the door, he was here already?! In a hurry, you finished putting on your shoes/heels and left the house, completely forgetting to even bring a coat.

The first sight you had after leaving was Wally, holding a bouquet of your favorite flowers.

"For you, my dearest." He spoke, eyes staring right back at yours.

"Oh my!" You grabbed the bouquet, smiling and blushing like a teenager in love. "Thank you, they are lovely."

"Just as lovely as you." Wally kissed your cheek and held your hand.

You chuckled while hiding your red face in the bouquet. What a charmer. He pulled your hand, walking both of you to a specific area, and that was Poppy's garden. Fairy lights illuminated the place, a table rested with two chairs on the center of the yard. Candles sat on top of the table, giving it a romantic atmosphere.

"Oh my stars... Wally..." You had your hand covering your mouth.

"Did you liked it?"

"Don't be silly, I loved it."

He smiled softly, feeling proud of his work. Then, he went over to the table, pulling a chair and looking at you. Understanding the message, you chuckled before walking over there and sitting down.

"What a gentleman." You waved your hand like a fan while the other one settled the bouquet down by your side.

"Ha ha, only the best for my love!" He sat down by the other end of the table.

You decided to take a look on the table, surprising yourself. A bottle of champagne sat by the middle, two flute glasses being next to it. In front of you, a plate with your favorite dinner with a fork/spoon/chopsticks by the side of the dish.

"You somehow keep surprising me..." You looked at him. "Oh my stars, everything is... I'm way too amazed to find the words right now."

He chuckled at your reaction, leaving a smile finding is place on your face.

"Like I said, just the best for my beloved." He held his face with his hand, cupping it as he watched your expression turn into pure gratitude.

"Thank you so much for this, I'll love you even after the end of the world." You held your tears back, it was not the time to get so emotional.

"And I love you like Van Gogh loved the color yellow." Okay, he was gonna make you cry at some point.

He popped open the champagne, pouring ir into your glass and his. After that, you both started to talk about each other's day, you kept finding yourself mouth agape each time he came into intricate details about how he planned that afternoon for you. It looked like it was a long day for him, you laughed, were concerned, surprised and excited about each part of his story.

"So, you borrowed the fairy lights from Sally?" You looked over to the mentioned piece. "No wonder they looked so familiar."

"Yep, and it wasn't that easy to convince her, I had to tell her the surprise I was planning which made her immediately say yes." He chuckled.

"What surprise?" You questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Uh- oh! Look, the Sun is starting to set." He pointed to the horizon.

You immediately turned, seeing the sky mix into beautiful colors as the Sun slowly set it's way down. You didn't even hear the chair that Wally was sitting on moving from it's place, while he got up and moved to your side.

"Dear, could you look here, please?" You did as told, feeling the air evaporate from your lungs.

There, in one knee, was Wally. In his hands, a box with a beautiful diamong ring was opened to you. Tears started rolling down your cheeks.

"Y/N L/N, ever since I first met you, I knew I was a gone man. You held my heart at first sight, like a puppeteer holds the strings of their puppet. I was never able to hide how I feel, being a sincere man at soul and heart. So when I confessed my feelings, and you accepted them with such an angelic smile, I felt like I had won the whole world. Ever since then, I knew I was made for loving you until the world ended, I dreamed about this moment from the very first week that I was able to call you mine. But now, I feel like that's not enough, I need you to be with me in more than just a boyfriend and partner, I need to see you when I set myself to sleep and wake up by your side, I need to come Home after painting and have you receive me with a hug, or the opposite, I don't mind staying at Home all day if it meant you would come back at some point to let me love you for the rest of the day, repeating in a loop." Wally stared at you with love, care and adoration, which made you fail even more with holding back more tears as they freely fell from your face. "So, I now propose to you, will you make me the happiest puppet on the Universe for the hundredth time, and marry me?"

Your answer was a sobbed "I do". After that, he took the ring and put it on your finger. You admired each details of what symbolized his eternal love for you, and began crying even more.

Not being able to hold yourself back anymore, you jumped at him, making both of you fall to the ground. You captured his lips with a kiss and made sure to trail more of them all over his face.

By the window, your friends watched with tears in their eyes, Poppy being the loudest sobber of them all while Eddie and Frank hugged each other, Howdy and Barnaby looked absolutely relieved that everything went well and Sally smiled while shining her brightest. Julie, crying in pure joy, held up a polaroid camera and took a photo of you and Wally, kissing with the sunset sky being the source of light to your figures. With a permanent marker, she wrote on the white frame of the picture.

"They said yes!"

sunnie, talk that talk: OKAY WOW THAT WAS VERY RUSHED. i didn't beta read, so sorry for any grammar mistakes TT, but i hope you guys enjoyed it nonetheless!!

[butterfly-writer]

hi!! i have a request if that’s cool :) i don’t want to make you uncomfortable at all so feel free to ignore me! my whole idea is honestly just a bunny girl x iida, like we’re talking fuzzy ankles and sort of calves that look like the cutest leg warmers ever!! ears n a little cottontail!! she’s strong and fast and just <333 and she’d be a bit timid but very friendly!! like she’s not naive, she’s rightfully anxious of the world but perhaps a sweetheart regardless because i think he could use some cautious optimism :) and i just want them to dote on each other and be happy and in love idk </3 maybe her shyly pining after him a bit and him making the first move?? (i’m projecting i fear) ((im not brave enough to even send this out of anon))

i hope you have an absolutely lovely day even if this prompt isn’t your thing and i adore your writing!!

Bunny Girl

Tenya Iida x Rabbit!Female!Reader Summary: Tenya Kids got the hots for a strong bunny girl!

★☽A/N: NO ONE HAS EVER SAID THEY ADORE MY WRITING. AWHHABHDJAVHS THANK YOU SO MUCH!! I haven't seen a good prompt in a while. I love, love, love your prompt! I hope this piece is to your liking <33

Contents: TOTAL FLUFF <33

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During class 1A’s second year, a new student was transferred from Shiketsu. She was so similar to Mirko! She had calves for feet and fluff like leg warmers! She also had expressive long bunny ears which you could just stay forever! And a cute fluff ball for a tail! Despite her cute appearance, she is fierce and strong in battle! She was a much cuter version of Mirko but had the same personality as the hero.

When she first joined, she was immediately bombarded with questions! Like, “Are those leg warmers or are they real?” , “Can I touch your ears?” , “Do your ears move according to your emotions?” And all kinds of questions, even disturbing ones from a certain purple haired boy.. But she was still well-respected by her peers!

Especially a certain boy~ Tenya Iida always respected Y/N, maybe even admired her for her strength. He was amazed by her impressive agility and battle knowledge. She soon became close with the rich boy. She told him how she interned with Mirko during her first year, back in Shiketsu. He was impressed she was able to do an internship with a well-known pro hero.

Despite her strong personality in battle, she was often shy and quite introverted. She didn’t talk much to other students and mainly spoke to her classmates in Class A. She didn’t like to talk with others because of the amount of anxiety, thinking about how they would think of her. Whenever she needed changes in her costume, she would always get flustered and shy whenever Hatsume started talking a lot to her.

She would actually go behind Iida whenever a student went up to her to talk. Iida found this cute but still encouraged her to open up to others. (In other words, he lectured her about confidence). The girl never really paid too much attention towards his lectures and his hand chops. She actually found it funny and endearing.

Despite Y/N’s shy personality, she was still a friendly sweetheart! If her classmates had to pick who to do a project with, she was the first pick. Actually, during her first project with Class A, everyone quickly turned to her. She was crowded with everyone, begging for her to be partners with her. Of course, she ended up being partners with Iida who was the only one who didn’t beg her to be his project partner.

Of course, Y/N liked him a lot! He was the only boy she felt comfortable with. He just felt… safe to be around. She was always scared to make the first move. But she always tried her best to be close with him, to get to know him more. And each day, she managed to fall in love with him more, more, and more.

Turns out, a certain boy felt the same as her. And he had planned to make the first move.

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It was a sunny, yet windy day. Tenya managed to muster up the courage to ask her to meet him at a garden he knew she liked. She, of course, said yes to him and did what he asked. She dressed up in a cute outfit, her rabbit features complementing her outfit.

She wondered why he wanted her to wear something cute. Perhaps she was going to get asked out?! She was a good deductor, after all. She'll admit, she actually likes the boy. She was comfortable with him, more than anyone she knows in her school.  She had these thoughts as she walked to the garden.

She admired the flowers she saw along the way to the exact spot Iida told her to meet him. She eventually made it and saw the flowers in his hands. It was her favorite flowers, they looked lovely in ribbons and paper it was wrapped with. She couldn’t help but blush with excitement.

“Tenya! How lovely!” She chuckled, walking up to him and receiving the flowers. “You didn’t have to.” The boy shook his head, “No, I knew it was the appropriate thing to do for a beautiful girl like you.” Y/N chuckled at his last words, giggling after seeing his blushed face when he realized those words.

With a cough to compose himself, he straightened his posture. “Anyways, I would like to ask for your hand in love. I would like to give us a chance, if you will allow,” he confessed, helding a hand out to her with his opposite hand on his back. Y/N chuckled again at the cheesiness at the sight. But she found it cute, she found him cute as well.

“Of course.” She smiled a soft smile that made Tenya know he was right for trusting his guts.

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Now, have they kissed? Not yet! During the first months of their relationship, their PDA was mostly holding hands, hugging, and kissing (Not on the lips yet!). But they’re just such an adorable couple! “Couple goals!” is what Mina Ashido would always yell out whenever she sees them doing PDA

Y/N still hides behind Iida whenever she can’t handle talking to strangers. But it’s way more affectionate! Despite Tenya telling her that she should work on her confidence by talking to others, he still loves whenever she hides behind him, hugging his waist in a bear hug and covering her face on his back.

Now, if Y/N was a short girl then she can easily be covered by Tenya, easily hidden. But if Y/N is as tall as Tenya, her blushed face would be covered by Tenya’s shoulder. BUT if she’s way taller than Tenya then her face would be covered by his hair! Despite his hair being quite flat, she still gonna try to hide herself.

And when they first kissed, it was so adorable! She was the one who kissed him first. Tenya was so surprised when she first kissed him, before smiling brightly with blush on his face.

Tenya Iida, the Turbo Hero and Y/N L/N, the Bunny Hero are the best couple ever!

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[owlight]

Omg I just saw you saying your requests are open and I am just💕😭

Could I please have some headcanons about how Lucci would react if his girlfriend/crush had hair more beautiful than his?

Thanks for your patience and have a nice day <3

Thank you for requesting 🫶🥰I did a little one shot too beside the hc,,man have great hair,,,also ur so sweet,,this ask made my day 🥹

Tags: hair envy, Rob lucci a warning himself,bad humour, Character can be read as gn

Headcanons of Rob lucci Begin jealous of his s/o pretty hair

Rob Lucci had always prided himself on his impeccable appearance. His jet-black hair was always perfectly styled, emphasizing his sharp features and icy blue eyes. He exuded an air of confidence wherever he went, and his aura demanded attention. However, a peculiar incident occurred one sunny afternoon when Rob Lucci found himself strolling hand in hand with his lover, (Y/N). They were taking a leisurely walk through a picturesque park, enjoying each other's company and the warmth of the sun on their skin. As a gust of wind ruffled through the trees,Your hair strands shimmered in the sunlight, creating an ethereal glow around you in his eyes, Rob Lucci's eyes widened in amazement as he observed the sight before him ,He never noticed before how ..pretty is your hair is, so radiant,and so strikingly beautiful. The realization suddenly made him feel self-conscious. In that moment, a pang of envy crept into his heart ,he couldn't help but compare his own hair to your own hair. He began to question his once unshakable confidence. Was his hair truly as impressive as he had always believed? Doubts started to consume him, and he fell into an unusual silence, his thoughts turning inward ,he decided he shall try to outshine you,he needed his hair to be as perfect as he is,his perfection should never lack in any aspect,as he always thought himself to have a perfect physics,yet now he realized,he perhaps should have noticed he needed to care for his hair more- "Is something bothering you, Lucci?" You asked, your voice filled with genuine care and affection for him, obvious to the fact that lucci now have a sudden envy of your hair,Rob Lucci hesitated for a moment, then took a deep breath , deciding to just compliment you ,to hide the fact he grew a sudden envy of your hair"Your hair is... breathtaking today my dear" (Y/n) eyes widened with surprise,your cheeks darken with bit of Embarrassment,not used to have lucci praise her outside in public" thank you, I appreciate it, I had a lovely morning with trying something new" Lucci eyebrow raise up" a hair product? What kind?" He asks and you chuckle " Coconut oil !" You chirp and you continue walking, lucci follow you,He take a mental note to try that later that night...

At first, Lucc find it difficult to believe that someone could possess hair more beautiful than his own, as He prides himself on his appearance and considers himself almost unmatched in terms of physical perfection. He might initially brush off the idea, thinking it impossible because he is perfect in every way possible (prideful much)

But you are literally so pretty already,you never had a bad hair day and He know because he had Hattori watch you once a whole week,your hair stay as pretty and perfect as it always is,he find himself in a trance of admiration and envy

At some point,Lucci comes to terms with the reality of his girlfriend having more beautiful hair, he would likely observe it in quiet admiration. He might not openly express his thoughts or emotions, but he would secretly marvel at the sheer beauty and elegance of you hair and while trying to figure out your secret (your secret is not murdering people)

Lucci's competitive nature would likely kick in soon enough, and he would view his partner's hair as a challenge to his own perfection. He might start researching hair care techniques, seeking ways to improve his own locks to match or surpass hers. Lucci would not settle for anything less than being the best, even when it comes to hair.

Despite his efforts, Lucci might find it difficult to match the natural beauty of his your hair,at this point his envy of your pretty hair is at it's highest

Lucci will not vocalize his thoughts even if he was held at gunpoint ,he would occasionally drop subtle compliments about your hair,He would choose his words carefully, making sure to maintain his stoic demeanor while conveying his appreciation for your beauty. These compliments would be rare but sincere, serving as rare glimpses into his softer side

Lucci might start experimenting with different hair care products and techniques, driven by a desire to match or surpass your beauty

He went so far to have a secret hair care night with khalifa and made her swear on her life to not tell a soul about it ,they spent basically gossiping while trying to do a hair care routine that khalifa though would help him

At some Lucci would come to accept that his partner's hair is naturally more beautiful than his own just because perhaps you have amazing genes and the lack of murder can give your hair good karma unlike his owm

This probably slightly bruise his ego, but he recognize and appreciate your unique beauty. He would understand that there are aspects of you that surpass his own perfection, and he would learn to embrace and celebrate that rather than feel threatened by it because after all ,you HIS girlfriend so you're basically adding to his perfection (this is how he is coping with this)

Overall, Lucci's reaction would be a mixture of competitiveness, silent admiration, and grudging acceptance because he loves you but he is envious that he can't be perfect in this aspect

He might ask you to spare with him so he can kick your ass and feel superior again,DO not accept it ,let him learn how to be a loser for once (maybe twice if it's after water 7 LMAO)

And perhaps that's how he had his glow up as a Cipher Pol 0 Agent

[your-littlesecret]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers! Spread the self-love 💞

anon i love you i’m so so sorry it took me forever and a half to answer this!!!!!! thank you so much for remembering me 💕💕💕

choosing only 5 fics was an absolute nightmare not because I love my own work oh-so-much but because if a fic makes it to ao3 it means I loved it enough at the time to post it.

so I will try to choose only 5 (the amount of self-control it took not to add at least 5 more, istg............)

also this is like. in no order of preference bc I wouldn't be able to choose between them

jump then fall into me - animal shelter au is sososo dear to me because my sister used to have an ONG back home and the animal cause is something very important to me

all of you, all of me (intertwined) - world's worst handyman Charles my beloved!!!! I wrote this fic as a gift and even though it was not a prompt that spoke to me too much before, I loved writing it so much

you come around and the arbor falls (and I'll never be the same) - the proposal is like. my favourite movie everrrrrrr so of course this one had to be here!!! (also. there's just something about sweet baby Charles being mean.... I can't explain, I just love it!)

we're made of starlights - the whole vibes of this fic does if for me. it is nothing special and it's not even a particularly long fic but it makes me feel ~warm~ and like a sunny day could cure my soul (I don't even know if that makes any sense.......)

we ain't angry at you, love - MCD fic that I wrote crying the whole time on a random nice summer day that I had a single memory and it serves to remind me that grief is a bitch and it will never leave you even if it's 5 years later and you just remember the way you used to walk together every week to the same place, and when you realise you're starting to forget the sound of their voice but somehow you'll never forget the way they used to call you or how they would say the same phrase to you every day and the feeling of their hand in yours and it makes me cry so much every time I decide to reread it.

every broken piece of me (belongs to you) - fae pierre you will always alwayssssssss have a special place in my heart! this is like. my very own universe and world building and I love it to pieces

honourable mention to put your lips on mine (and shut me up), the 'enemies' to lovers that I wrote with my beautiful intelligent amazing wife @chaesonghwas and by the grace of magic and flames, yet another!!! fantasy fic that I wrote with my partner in (dragon) crime and the biggest brain I've ever known @espithewarlock (the 'honourable mention' part is bc I reallyyyyyyyyyyyy wanted to add those too but the list was already over the amount I was supposed to choose 🤭🤭)

[south-of-heaven]

Hi! Can I please request a Bayley/Reader/Becky Lynch where the reader is out with an injury and feeling really down about it but her partners are there to cheer her up and they take really good care of her?

Thank you very much!

Fun and distraction || Becky Lynch x Reader x Bayley

Summary: You're benched with a broken elbow and it's hell on earth for you. Becky and Bayley make the best of the situation.

Being sidelined with a broken elbow had been an absolute nightmare for you. You were used to the constant rush of adrenaline, the feeling of the ring beneath your feet, and the roar of the crowd. Now, all you had were doctor's orders to rest and heal, and it was driving you crazy.

But you had two amazing partners, Becky and Bayley, who were determined to make the best of this unfortunate situation. They couldn't stand seeing you so down, and they were determined to put a smile back on your face.

One sunny afternoon, Becky and Bayley decided to surprise you. They showed up at your door with bags of your favorite snacks, a stack of classic wrestling DVDs, and a determined glint in their eyes.

"Alright, champ," Becky declared with a wink, "we've got a day of fun and distraction planned for you."

You couldn't help but grin at their enthusiasm. They were like a whirlwind of positivity, and it was infectious.

The three of you settled on the couch, surrounded by snacks, as Becky popped in a DVD of some of the greatest wrestling matches of all time. You watched in awe as legends like Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, and Shawn Michaels took to the ring.

As the matches played out on the screen, Bayley grabbed a controller for the video game console. "Who's up for some wrestling action?"

You hesitated at first, thinking about your injured elbow, but Bayley assured you it was just for fun. So you joined in, and soon you were all laughing and competing in your own mini WWE tournament.

Between matches and games, you chatted about wrestling, shared stories, and talked about your favorite moments in the ring. It was like having your own personal commentary team right in your living room.

Becky and Bayley's infectious enthusiasm began to work its magic. Your worries and frustrations about your injury started to fade as you realized how lucky you were to have such incredible partners by your side. They were there to remind you that while injuries were tough, they were also an opportunity to rest and come back stronger.

Hours flew by, and before you knew it, the sun had set. You looked at Becky and Bayley with a heartfelt smile. "Thank you, both of you. I needed this more than I realized."

Becky hugged you tightly. "Anytime, love. We're a team, in and out of the ring."

Bayley added, "And we'll be right there with you when you're ready to make your comeback."

With your partners by your side, you realized that even in the face of setbacks, you were never truly alone. Together, you'd get through anything, and your wrestling journey would continue, stronger than ever.

[bougainvillea-and-saltwater]

2,4, and 7 for the oc asks! For the lovely Jia of course

Ah, thank you so much for these, Eve! 💖 I have a long time to ramble about her...

☀️ask game☀️

2) Who's your OCs best friend? How did they become best friends?

Jia's best friend is Lydia. Lydia grew up in Whiterun (I headcanon that she's Jarl Balgruuf's niece, daughter of his brother, Hrongar!), so I think she and Jia have known each other for a long time, since Jia grew up in Whiterun as well. But they became best friends when Lydia was officially appointed to be her housecarl by the Jarl. Lydia is a very happy and 'open' person, vibrant and full of life—I think she helped Jia lower her walls and be more carefree... she's the best influence Jia could ever have (she's also a fantastic warrior, so there's also that!). And Jia never treated her like a housecarl, she was too shy and awkward to ask her to do anything for her. So, they began having a mutual respect and fondness for one another, which grew into a very powerful friendship. I think, aside from Miraak and the Companions, she's the only person she could ever trust completely. No wonder they built Heljarchen Hall and now live there together! They truly are home mates...🤲

4) What song describes your OC and their partner/love interest?

OUGH I HAVE SEVERAL FOR JIA AND HER MIRAAK. I think the most prominent ones are two, though:

Inkpot Gods by The Amazing Devil

(I made a vow out to the dark "Please, let her live just one more day Cause she is so much more than all her scars And if she doesn't have the will But it seems the whole world does, I'll stay, because I will be the man my father never was, literally Miraak to Jia)

(And to those gods, I will speak bluntly "We've an accord, if you ever touch or harm him Please, rest assured that you might not fear a man But to a woman, by the end, you'll kneel and plea 'Cause I'm more than what my mum told me to be, literally Jia to Miraak)

2. Wolven Storm, Priscilla's Song from The Witcher 3

(I know not if fate would have us live as one Or if by love's blind chance we've been bound The wish I whispered, when it all began Did it forge a love you might never have found? Just the fact that either by something bigger and uncontrollable such as destiny or fate or by sheer luck, these two found and loved each other and still wouldn't change anything about how they felt... CLAWING ON MY KEYBOARD.)

7) Vice-Versa! If your OC is in the modern day, what fantasy class would they be? Would they be a different race?

Okay, since Jia is already in a fantasy setting, I will answer what she potentially would be in a modern one!

I really see her doing a job that involves getting around people a lot. I can see her working as a nurse or a midwife (I'm inclining towards the second), being by a doctor's side (but not fully a doctor as she's not a healer in her universe too, only an alchemist), and helping people in need. She'd be a very home-lover, so she'd like spending her free time tending her garden, watching movies, or reading her books (SHE'D LIVE IN A VERY SMALL HOUSE IN THE WOODS, AWAY FROM THE CITY'S NOISES, ALONGSIDE HER MIRAAK). She would go for a walk when it'd be sunny outside while drinking her hot coffee and relaxing in nature. She would also move around only with her bike; she'd hate driving a car because she wouldn't stand it when she made a mistake and the other drivers yelled at her...🥲

[xxsycamore]

New Year, New Napo

╰┈➤ 🌟 Napoleon's New Year's morning begins with him working on his bad habits.

Napoleon Bonaparte/Main Character • rating: G • tags: Fluff; Morning Kisses • wordcount: 720 • masterlist

a/n: And this is the last fic of the year! Thank you for your support in 2023, it was a great year and I got to write so many things I loved🥺❤ This fic is inspired by this amazing drawing that @bicayaya made for me! I'm still screaming...

It's the shifting of the body next to her that pulls MC out of the depths of her slumber first. Dancing around the surface between reality and dream, she chases after the gradually drifting away words of someone in her sleep, nose scrunching as she tries to remain asleep. A chuckle that comes from somewhere far away from the dreamworld suddenly floats to her ears more clearly, closer by - and then comes the ultimate reveille. A pair of plush lips casting a butterfly caress against her own, covering them fully for a mere second before disappearing with only the faint warmth remaining behind.

"Nnng…mm.." MC groans as if to announce to her kisser that she's now awake and he needn't repeat his ministrations. Though she'd be lying if she said she didn't consider playing asleep for a second longer, even with that confused, still-sleeping brain of hers.

Heavy eyelids open to take in the new day - that's right, a new day of a brand new year, she now remembers, the last remains of pleasant tiredness linked with the lavish partying of last night still sparkling in her muscles as she lazily stretches out in bed.

"Good morning, Napoleon."

"Good morning, mon amour."

MC giggles at the haplessly inlove look in Napoleon's cyan eyes. Is he going to enter the new year being like that, once again? She can't blame him, the same way she can't blame sleep for giving her an equally dreamy look in her own eyes right now.

"How come you woke up earlier than me, hmm?" She pokes his cheek, using the proximity of him leaning over her, glad that he's blocking the blinding sunshine that found them in their bed. It's great that they're having a sunny New Year's morning. She can jump right out of bed and embrace the energy of this new beginning. After a good cuddle session, that's it.

"What can I say. New year, new me."

"Pfff!"

Napoleon frowns in reaction to her dismissive laughter, propping himself up on an elbow with pettiness in his demeanor. "So much for my partner supporting me in my New Year's resolutions, I see."

"I do, I do!" MC hastily assures, patting his arm. "I was just wondering, if you truly woke up on your own, how come you still sleep-kissed me…?"

"That wasn’t a sleep kiss, Nunuche."

Huh? Eyeing him with suspicion, MC tilts her head, ready to hear his explanation.

"We had to kiss because we were under the mistletoe."

"?!"

His other hand that was rested above MC's head ever since earlier when he was leaning above her suddenly comes into view, holding up a mistletoe for her to see.

"What the-"

"Whoops, I guess we're under it once again. Here I go, close your eyes."

"Napoleon-"

Not able to keep up with his sudden burst of nonsense, the best MC can do is close her eyes as told, accepting the inevitable kiss of the man above her. This one is slower and somehow more mischievous, with him nibbling on her lower lip and withdrawing before she can take her revenge.

As soon as their gazes meet, Napoleon holds up the mistletoe again, and dives down for another kiss.

"Napoleon!!" Her protests leave him searching for new targets for his kisses, smooching her cheeks, the tip of her nose, her eyelids squeezed shut in a laughing fit, her forehead.

"What's up with you?"

"I told you, Nunuche. New year, new me. I'm not going to sleep in anymore, and that means no more sleepy kiss attacks."

MC looks at him in disbelief. This is still too much to take in first thing in the morning. Still, she somehow connects the dots.

"So you used the mistletoe as an excuse to keep on with your bad habits…"

"I don't know what you're talking about. It was hanging right there above us when I woke up in your embrace."

"Hahahah…hahaha! Yeah, you totally are as silly as you were last year."

"Hey…" Napoleon's brow furrows once again, announcing that he's had enough of not being taken seriously. He captures MC's wrists on both sides above her head, playfully wrestling with her as she keeps laughing at him and squirming in his grip.

"Happy New Year, Napoleon. Please never change."

"You'll regret wishing for that."

Taglist: @arsnovacadenza @ale-teodora @kimi00twin @otomelady @privilegedpancake @g-kleran    @pumpumnnnp @thesirenwashere @ravenarld @kimmy-banana @devonares @galaxyprison @sadshaxk @starshards26 @thewitchofbooks @acethephoenix256 @ikevamp-shrine-2 @nad-zeta @crystal13unny @lordsister @ikemen-banshou   @themysticalbeing @otome-scribbles @rhodolitesrose @coornn @kpop-and-otome @queen-dahlia @kisara-16 @chaosangel767 @ikemenlibrary @queengiuliettafirstlady @aurora-morning @aquagirl1978 ​ @ikemenlover24 @mcofthemansion @joy-the-reader @katriniac @ikemen-writer @tele86 @lovely-bubb1es @aria-chikage @babyblue0t7 @rhodoliteschaos @shrimpy-kitsune @nightghoul381 @xbalayage @lucyw260 @kittygrimm88 @lokis-laugh @judejazza Let me know if you want to be tagged/untagged!

[hlficlibrary]

Hi darling,

Hope your doing great!

Please please can you suggest fics that have detective / FBI harry ( as a top too). I know I read a few, but I would so appreciate a comprehensive list ❤️🫡. Thank you and have a great day ! Xx

Hi, anon! I was away in Mexico seeing Louis so I've been amazing lol, but now I'm back and can start on the asks that have piled up a bit. So here are some fics that fit what you're looking for...I'm assuming you don't mind the British version of this kind of fic...

 I’ll Throw Away My Faith (Just To Keep You Safe) by @theboyfriendstagram

AU. Harry Styles is an MI6 agent on a mission to find out who’s planning on killing the Prime Minister. Louis Tomlinson is a wanted professional assassin, hired by the MI6 to kill whoever wants to kill the Prime Minister. Louis doesn’t do relationships but he does Harry. Featuring Niall as their handler, Liam as Harry’s boss and Zayn as his sidekick.

It’s Only Sunny Cause the Planet’s Dying by LetTheMusicMoveYou / @letthemusicmoveyou28

The man leans back in his chair and looks down at the tarot cards in front of him. “Wow, that was really impressive. How long did it take you to memorize all this bullshit?” He raises a brow and that challenging look is back on his face, but he’s not even bothering to mask it this time.

It makes Louis’ blood run cold. “I beg your pardon?”

The man chuckles, but there’s no humor in it. “If you take a peek in my wallet that you just stole, you’ll see there’s a detective’s badge in there. Why don’t you come on down to the police station with me and you can explain your methods to me there?”

(Or the one where Louis is a thief and a con-artist who’s used to getting what he wants, using any means necessary. And Harry is is the straight-laced detective who might just be tired of always doing the right thing).

How Many Secrets Can You Keep? by thecheshirepussycat / @the-cheshire-pussy-cat

Being a spy meant always keeping your emotions in check. It looked and sounded good in theory, but in practice things like soulmates and trusted bonds of friendship got in the way. The real key to being a spy was keeping your emotions a secret.

Or: Harry and Louis are partners and agents for MI6, but their worlds are torn apart when Harry goes rogue.

Into This Mess by crimsontheory / @ireallysawanangel

The first day of Louis’ promotion is going well, far better than he expected. That is until his new partner shows up, who just so happens to be the guy who stumbled half-dressed out of his flat that same morning.

Or the enemies to lovers detective AU.

Angel of Small Death and the Murder Scene by lousmoonshine

Ever since Louis read about the new up and coming Detective in town, he had immediately disliked the man, despite never having met him. So, naturally, it can only be the worst thing that could have happened to Louis when he gets stuck with Detective Styles trying to solve a murder during his supposed to be relaxing vacation over the seas.

MISSING by aace1234

Louis brothers report Louis missing after they can’t get hold of him for 24hours

Harry Styles and Charlie Stone, detectives of the teenage homicide and missing persons division, are long time friends of the Tomlinson's and take the case.

Angst, Fluff and Drama ensued

[gloomy-prince]

Honestly I've been in this huge Reddie depression, I try to say as casually as possible.

Like my heart aches for these two to be happy and it's the first time ever a ship has truly effected me. With past ships there's always been some sort of happiness to their ending; their together, or it's implied, or their still friends, or they get to say goodbye, or their both still alive and their ending can still happen later. There is just such a finalness to their sad ending.

It doesn't help that I love both of these characters so much. Also, adding the pain of seeing my spouse (they/them) and me (she/they) in Eddie and Rickie respectfully, I can't help but project ourselves in their situations.

I've always had a little fondness for this ship, nothing too big, for years. Then a month or so ago I casually clicked on a Reddie animatic by Noodle and now here I am! In a pit filled with tears and I swim'n laps! (Really weird phrasing but anything else I tried to come up with kept accidentally being morbid) And you and Sunny are a huge part of that. With your amazing drawings, comics, and fanfictions, I couldn't stand a chance.

My feelings for these cute dummies has even caused me to make a playlist, mixed with songs that remind me of them and with the indescribable queer/yerning feelings one might have.

All this to say, and sorry it's a lot, I saw your post about wanting some more Reddie songs and thought you might like a lot of the songs in my playlist. Also, I've been really needing to type out my feelings about these two, sorry again.

(Oh! And you'll see this but the thumbnail is from Out of the Blue with color editing. Hope that's okay. It really fits and I credited you if that helps.)

https://spotify.link/xZxZHpdH0Cb

Thank you!! I feel you a lot, esp on being able to relate them to you and your partner, I'm sure that's part of the reason I got into them so much (and I know that's why Sunny did!) and it makes them more relatable and lovable... idk. Trans Eddie is basically me taking a character I relate to and making them Even More Me. The projection is off the charts. There are going to be direct things that happen that are just things that happened to me nearly 1 to 1

And thank you for sharing your playlist too!! I definitely don't mind people using my art for personal things like that, it's totally cool :3 ❤️

[cowboybarzy]

howdy! first of all, love your works sm❤️ i’d love a little sunny vacay blurb please! i’d kill to see a venice trip with k’andre miller. i’d love to see them explore venice, being all cute, and k’andre being full on pda. maybe the reader is a little insecure too! i’d love to see him be a fashion icon and help dress his partner, who’s maybe a little insecure and he showers her with love and says how beautiful they are. do as much as you want with this. thank you so much!!!🥰🥰🥰

thank you so much for the request!! this is super cute and I def now have a newfound love for k’andre <3 (but go isles!!)

come along the world trip

📍venice, italy with k’andre miller

"Let's go in here," K'Andre pulled on your hand and pulled you into the Prada store.

"Babe, this is way too fancy," you whispered as you passed the security holding open the door for you.

"Shh, act cool. We'll find you something." He grinned and wiggled his eyebrows, before being greeted by a sales person. She showed you around the store, explaining the latest collection and trying to sell you on everything you had your eye on. K'Andre was in his element. He loved looking at everything, showing you what he liked, and of course sending everything back to the fitting rooms.

You on the other hand, while you liked a lot of things you saw, weren't as confident in picking things out as he was.

"This dress would look amazing on you," he said holding it up to you. When he saw you hesitate, he leaned down to kiss you. "Please? For me?"

You gave in with an eye roll, blushing when the sales woman gave you a small smile. He was able to convince you to get a few more clothing pieces before you made it back to the most private and luxurious dressing room. You had your own little fashion show while being served coffee and tiny Italian pastries.

"No, I like the red one better." K'Andre did another little spin for you showing off the suit, trying to convince you on the deep green color, but you he was unsuccessful. While it did look good on him, as anything did, the deep maroon suit he tried on before was your favorite.

"Fine, I'll get that one then." He changed back into his clothes. "Your turn."

He had picked a few basic pieces out for you, like a blouse and shirts, even a pair of shoes that after trying them on you absolutely loved. Then it was time for the dress. "Mmhm. My girl."

He stood up from the little sofa in the waiting room and immediately took you into his arms. His hands wandered down your body, so did his eyes as he sported a devilish grin. You blushed and tried to look away, but his fingers got ahold of you chin and forced your gaze back up. "Gorgeous." He kissed you softly and you melted in his arms. You felt safe and loved.

"We're taking it and you're wearing it to dinner tonight."

"Yes, sir." With a little growl, he smacked your ass and pushed you back into the dressing room before your sales person would see.

K'Andre got you to pick out a purse as well while he shopped for some ties for his hockey games. You checked out and left the store with a happy grin.

Your little shopping trip was far from over though, K'Andre wasn't done using you as his little dress up doll. But you loved it. As always, he was very touchy-feely, always tell you how beautiful you looked in anything you tried on. He knew what you liked and what you felt confident in, so he knew what to pick out.

"Thank you." You pressed a kiss to his cheek and wrapped your arms around his torso. He pulled you even closer with his free arm to kiss you. You were in the middle of a busy street, so you pulled away from him, but he wouldn't have it.

"What are you–?" Before you could finish, he had already pulled you across the sidewalk towards the buildings against one of which he pinned you. He smirked before claiming your lips again, this time a deeper kiss. "There's people," you tried to mumble.

"I can't get enough of you," he said between kisses, which he then started pressing against your neck.

"So, this morning when you had me for breakfast and the time in the shower wasn't enough for you?"

"Never enough with you, baby." He went back to kiss you, but you were interrupted by a strong male voice with a thick Italian accent.

"Hey! None of that here!" You broke apart only to realize that it was a Venice police officer yelling at you. He looked pissed and nodded his head for you to keep moving.

"Sorry, sir." K'Andre tried his best to contain his laughter while you were mortified. He pulled you away from the officer, laughing when he wasn't in earshot anymore.

"That's so embarrassing," you whined, but his laughter was so contagious, you sooner joined.

"Well, safe to say we will remember Venice and Venice will remember us."

You stopped at your hotel afterwards to rest for a bit and change before dinner. You did as promised and wore your new dress to dinner. You walked around the canals a bit and took a boat's tour through them. At night, the city felt even more alive than by day, especially all cozy in your boyfriends arms.

[whiskersz]

Hi I saw you were doing matchups so I wanted to you try it out lol!

So some basic stuff I go by Aj I’m a trans guy who uses he/they pronouns, while I do have a small preference to girls or well just anyone falling under a feminine label I am open to about anyone! I want the matchup to be romantic and would prefer Husk and Angel to be excluded (I picture Husk as a father and I ship him and angel so be kinda weird lol)

For personality and what not I’m similar to Niffty in the whole absolutely chaotic kinda way but only with the people I know and trust, I’m very kind and while I’ll jokingly make fun of people I make sure they’re okay with it and aren’t actually uncomfortable. At first I’m very quiet and reserved (at most one or two comments) but after opening up it’s hard to get me to stop talking lol I’m also very sarcastic and make a lot of dirty jokes. Likes and dislikes is kinda hard, I like collecting plushies like a lot I could be compared to the “weird kid” (I love fnaf, batim, Beetlejuice, tadc, a lot more) I will say I absolutely love like physical touch and what not though I hate asking for things or starting something. My hobbies mainly include making art and what not I focus on visual art though I do like writing and acting a lot as well, I also love picking something up like a book or movie and just never finishing it lol! Tbh I don’t really have a type besides “sad but bad boy” and even then that’s not really a type lol. But yeah I uh think that’s it have an amazing day/night!

Hey Aj! Thank you for requesting a matchup! We have something in common, I also have the tendency to pick up things and never finishing them ahah; anyway!

A hug is coming your way, as I match you with...

Charlie!

Charlie is sunny, optimistic, and just the right person who would allow you to come out of your initial shell. She loves both your kindness and how chaotic you are, and I’m sure she would be very proud of herself for being able to let you open up quickly and witness your true personality; she loves a talkative and affectionate friend, even more so if they end up becoming her partner.

I’m sure she wouldn’t mind your sarcasm at all either, as long as you don’t get too rude with her; she chuckles at your jokes a lot and sometimes tries to be sarcastic back, resulting in her stammering on her words slightly as she admittedly isn’t the best at this kind of thing. It’s endearing to you though, really, and you reassure her that she doesn’t need to match your personality all the time, you find her lovely as she is – her eyes sparkle at that, finding you very romantic -.

She absolutely loves the fact that you like collecting plushies, in fact she’s a big fan of them herself! She insists on giving a name to each one of them, and if they already have one she wants to know the story behind them at all costs. She also surprises you with one of them from time to time, I feel like she would be at least a bit into gift-giving, and when you inevitably end up sleeping in the same bed she doesn’t want to exclude any of your plushies, resulting in you two sleeping completely surrounded by them!

Charlie is quite the creative person herself, in her own way: she likes musicals and singing, so if the things you’re into have some sort of fan songs or anything like that, she would enjoy learning them and getting into your own interests in general. She also loves anything that you make and showers you in compliments each time you show her one of your creations, which makes you blush a little. She also insists on showing the other residents of the Hotel, but it’s up to you if you want to do that or not, she totally understands if you’d rather keep your art private and in that case she’d feel honoured to be one of the lucky ones who gets to see it.

She encourages you to finish the things you start watching or reading, too! Mostly because she loves doing these activities with you, and she really wants to know what happens at the end...but she also feels guilty finishing them on her own, so if you’re looking for somebody who keeps you excited and entertained when you get into anything, she’s the right demon!

She’s also quite affectionate, hugging you, holding your hand and kissing your cheek whenever she gets the chance, so she doesn’t really mind that you’re not into initiating these kind of things as she will do it herself, as long as you let her know you enjoy it!

All in all you and Charlie definitely have a best friends to lovers kind of relationship, and if you’re wondering how this affects Vaggie (in case you’d be comfortable being in a poly relationship) I can actually see you two being on good terms, she agrees with you and Charlie dating wholeheartedly as I see you two getting along quite well, too!

[ghouletteanon]

HI! I have an idea for youuuu. Soft ghoulettes. I know we do soft ghoulettes a lot, but that's because it's great. I just want to see them being all sweet with each other. Could be NSFW, doesn't have to be.

My first request, yey! You wanted soft, so you get soft cuddles featuring three tired post-ritual ghoulettes getting ready for bed. Not nsfw, but has casual nudity.

“Come to bed already,” Cirrus pleaded softly, pulling at the collar of Cumulus' robe so she could give her nape a kiss. Cirrus' tail sneaked around her waist to press the shorter ghoulette closer.

The ghoulettes were back in their hotel room after a ritual and all Cirrus wanted was to cuddle with both of her girls after the very limited bunks in their tour bus. Her clingy side only ever came out at times like this when she was tired and let her walls down.

Cumulus looked at her mate through the bathroom mirror, reaching her hand back to give Cirrus an awkward pat on the cheek. “I’ll be right there. Go bother Sunny.”

Cirrus put her chin on her mate's shoulder and pouted in a way she would never do in front of the other band ghouls who would probably mock her for it. “Sunny kicked me out of bed because she needed room to fix the blankets and the pillows just so.”

“Fine, just let me finish up." Cumulus knew better than to argue and just let Cirrus hold her from behind as she finished her night routine. Cirrus acted more like a sleepy koala than a fearsome ghoulette when she got in this mood but Cumulus it only made Cumulus love her more.

When they left the bathroom, the bed was apparently just so.

Sunshine was already curled up in her usual spot in the middle of the twin beds that they had pushed together before the ritual. Even on tour, they made sure to make the hotel room feel personal. That included Cumulus’ fairy lights, Sunshine’s favorite fuzzy blanket and Cirrus’ special memory foam pillow. The pillow was essential to everyone’s wellbeing on tour. Cirrus got headaches from normal pillows and a cranky Cirrus was everyone’s problem.

Cirrus let go of Cumulus as she climbed back in bed, on her usual side of the bed where Sunny had already put her pillow. She pulled the cover over both herself Sunshine, pulling her nude form close as she pressed a kiss on her partner’s temple mindful of their horns. “Thank you for fixing the bed.”

“Sorry for kicking you out," Sunny mumbled in reply and turned around to give Cirrus a soft kiss on the lips. Sunshine and Cirrus were similar in that they both crashed once the adrenaline from the ritual dropped. Cumulus sometimes joined Dew and Swiss after rituals to go out and party, but she always came back to her girls to wish them good night. Sunshine could go on if she kept the drinks coming, but she did like having one-on-one time with Cirrus as well.

Cumulus turned off the lights and made sure the phones were charged and ready for the morning before she finally disrobed and joined her mates. The other two were too caught up kissing and whispering sweet nothings to even notice Cumulus before she made them notice and pulled Sunshine flush against her, their bare legs intertwining. “Hi baby. You were amazing tonight. I could sense it even on the other side of the stage.”

Cirrus watched her two beautiful lionesses together, smiling happily as her tail caressed Sunshine’s side under the blanket. She had her two favorite people right where she wanted them.

All was right in the world.

[horizonspurple]

Hayyy! 😖☹️🫂 You sound brave and strong. Things sound difficultie, but you are still managing. I hope your stresses will disappear one before one. 💋 You deserve the peace of mind.

I also hope those personal struggles and situations will get resolved before the lovely summer weather returns. And that you can soon enjoy lovely days outside with your loved oness. (Do you like the sun? And the summer?)

Know that if you need to vent you can always shout into the deep (your blog) and that we (your followers) love and see your kind soul in your blog and enjoy your writings. 🫶 (I love your writings. 😻 Your stories are amazing and sexy. Your reblogs relatable. Your music choices great! And the interactions with your partner make us all fangirl and happy to see. There’s a lot of affection and care there. It’s precious and hard to find for most, so we are rooting for you!😽)

I’m doing okay! Life is a rollercoaster and sometimes study and mental health kick my butt.😿 But sometimes it’s the little things and the right people that make it worthwile.

Thank you for having your blog and posting. Looking at it has become my daily routine. 🫶 It helps others. I hope you know!

What’s your favourite activity to do with free time??

Hi! Thank you for the kind words, that is very sweet :)

I do like the sun and summer, although I don't do too well when it gets super hot But I'm definitely hoping for some more sunny days as the weather here has been very gloomy

I'm really happy to hear you enjoy my blog 😊 I try to post and write somewhat regularly but I've been struggling a bit more recently so I'm sorry if it's a bit of a mess

I'm glad to hear you are doing okay! Life can be a bit much sometimes but just like you said, there is always little things and lovely people to make it better

I'm really glad it does, that's really nice to hear :)

In my free time I like to draw, color in coloring books, go on walks, watch shows and work out :) I in general like being creative and being active How about you?

[aubreysheadspace]

Omg hi i cant remember which blogs i requested this from so if u already got this then just ignore this pls!! But, if its okay, could i request sunny with a reader who composed him a song for like his birthday or something? I was thinking something like glue song by Beabadoobee. Oh and gn pronouns pls! Thank you!

Im like 90% sure i didnt send this here bc i remember checking ur blog out nd being like omg their works r so good and i think i saw ur rq were closed?? But i cant remeber?? So um yeah if u already got that one then feel free to ignore this one lol, and thank youuuu <3 have a great day

SUNNY WITH A READER WHO COMPOSED A SONG FOR HIM

don’t worry, i haven’t had this request yet!! your request is SOOO adorable hfjdjfbf <3 i just listened to the song and it’s definitely becoming my fave, hope u enjoy!

SUNNY has already fallen head over heels for you, so how in the world did you make him fall in love with you again?

he never really expects gifts at all and even feels like he doesn’t deserve them, so when you surprise him with a gift, he’ll be, well.. surprised!

but once it turns out to be a whole song you composed just for him, he’ll be more shocked!

when listening to it, SUNNY would keep his stoic expression, so it makes it hard to see if he really does like the song

but trust me, he definitely does. the red in his ears and the light in his black eyes prove it.

he doesn’t care if it’s a really happy and bright song, he is so thankful for the gift but isn’t sure how to express it.

maybe a hug? yeah, he thinks a simple hug will show how much he loves the song and you

SUNNY’s gonna listen to the song every single day. when you’re not around, SUNNY would just lay on his bed and have the song playing in his room.

he closes his eyes and feels at peace whenever this happens, always thinking of you whenever he hears the song.

if the song is for his birthday, he’s gonna be more grateful than ever with your gift, and even considers it the best present ever given to him.

the day was finally over, it was now the nighttime as SUNNY was laying on his bed, staring at the ceiling on top of him. a few hours ago, you and his friends celebrated his birthday through a party.

the memories still linger around his head. of course they will be, the party happened just hours ago. he turns his head to the side to look at the best present ever in his bed next to him… his phone! well, specifically something in his phone.

turning on his phone, he started to play what he thinks is perfection to his ears. a song: written, composed, and possibly sang by you. he then puts his phone of top of his chest as he looks up the ceiling again, closing his eyes but not going to sleep just yet.

the music was.. amazing. he couldn’t help but feel his ears and cheeks turning red just listening to it. he wishes that he could’ve expressed on how much he absolutely loved this song, and how his romantic partner composed it just for him.

covering his face in pure embarrassment, SUNNY rolls over to his sides. he felt like kicking his feet and legs but decides not to. after a while of slightly internally fangirling over the song, SUNNY eventually gets tired. before he gets his rest, he whispers something, something that he wants to tell you more often. "[READER…]"

"thank you.. i love you.."

[late-to-the-magnus-archives]

Day One - a Malevolent fic

Time to process grief and shock? There is no time.

Everyone has plans, worries, schemes. Parker, Sunny, Larson. John, Arthur, Faroe.

Hastur doesn't care. He has six years to protect his family. It doesn't matter if they hate him at the end. What matters is they survive.

Part of the Surrogate Series. Written with @sepiabandensis

AO3

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

Sun warmed the room, golden and sweet. Outside, birds—with no idea what day it was, or why it mattered—chirped happily, singing in the morning.

Hastur lay and looked at his family.

Arthur was pale as all hell. He slept with one arm around Faroe, his mouth open, deeply out.

Faroe looked… flushed. Hastur checked; she was slightly feverish, but it didn’t seem to be an illness. She was stressed. Nibbles had settled down in the shadows, watching—her ears flicked forward with every soft breath.

Patience, he told himself. He would fix this. 

What are you going to do now? said John, the first thing he’d said in hours.

What, indeed. Hastur had a plan—one he’d added to all night, like a quilt—but it would not work unless he restored their faith in him. 

He had to be perfect from now on; he had to be competent, and worthy of trust. There would be no more chances. “Triage, first,” murmured Hastur. “I must deal with our guests.”

Without knowing what the fuck you’re walking into?

“Do you wish to tell me?” said Hastur.

John hesitated. It’s really Arthur’s to tell.

“He worried me last night,” Hastur said. “I’m not sure he should be the one to speak right now.”

John’s left hand rose and stroked Arthur’s hair. I can at least give you parts. Larson is some asshole cultist leader. This was when we were separated. I don’t know a lot more than that because Arthur was too upset to tell me. 

That tracked. Arthur probably would still be too upset. Whatever Larson had done in the day and a half they’d known each other had left a scar. The villain, indeed. “And the other?”

Parker… that’s his partner. That’s the man I killed.

“The one who lived with him.”

Worked with him.

“Bought him a piano.”

Yeah.

John and Arthur would have to work that out between them; but if there was one thing he was certain of, those two idiots would work it out. With a lot of yelling. Foul language. Oaths. “And Yellow?”

A piece of you Arthur screwed over. Yellow and Larson were just after the pits. After you snapped his fucking legs and threw him to Earth. He was a mess. 

Hastur noted that John skipped over and he cut his own throat. An interesting omission. “Go on.”

Kayne promised him he’d give me back.

Hastur grunted. “What? Kayne did? Why?”

I don’t know. It was never a really… clear retelling. Somehow, he got Arthur to flip this coin, and say he wanted me back, with the deal that I kept his eyes.

Fuck. They really were never going to lose the attention of that being… and Arthur really would be staying blind. All right. The plan already compensated for that part. “That doesn’t sound like much of a deal.”

Take it up with fucking Kayne. But instead of me, he gave Arthur that guy. John hesitated. Arthur didn’t… treat him well. Yellow didn’t get to learn like I did. He didn’t have a good example, but the worst possible version of Arthur.  John’s voice dropped. When I found Arthur… when I got back to him… Hastur, he was insane. He was crazy. He murdered a guy and got eye goo under his thumbnails. I almost lost him.

Hastur was beginning to see the silhouette of what had happened. Regret; shame; guilt; betrayal—every negative emotion a human could have was wrapped up in this mess, which had lasted all of a couple of days, but managed to hit all of Arthur’s weak points. 

It was masterfully done. Some tiny part of him was grudgingly amazed. “I see Kayne has found a way to continue his little drama.”

Well, you got boring, so he had to do something.

He had six years to fix this. He couldn’t kill them. He couldn’t send them away. Fuck. “Yes, thank you. Is there anything else?”

John huffed. Damn you, fucking fight back. Um. I don’t know. Like I said, he never really talked about it beyond these details. I… I stitched him, though. When Larson’s monster in the mine gutted him.

“So that’s when that happened.”

It just… from behind, it just… The memory was unbalancing.

“You saved his life,” said Hastur, pulling his focus back.

I did . John calmed. I did.

By stitching Arthur’s stomach… when he’d been pierced from behind .

The scar on Arthur’s back was large and strange, like a starburst. How had he not died? It pierced his intestines; at the least , infection should have killed him.

More questions to answer. Hastur added it to the what the fuck is he part of the plan. “I will go and hear their side now.”

Why?

“Because I need to know what they think is happening so I can predict their actions. John… I have a request.”

Join’s golden form twisted, coiling like smoke in spiral. What?

“Will you watch them for me?”

John paused. Huh? 

“Watch these two. I choose you to care for my precious family.” So casually said, as if it were a given.

John sputtered. What? Wh… what are you… your FAMILY? You fucking son of a bitch… after what just happened to your fucking son —

“Yes. Please watch them until I return.” Hastur rose from the bed, aching. Bleeding where it could not be seen.

More sputtering. Get back here!

Nibbles moved into the space Hastur left, lying next to Faroe, cradling the girl against her great body. She watched Hastur with a half-dozen eyes, tired and concerned, but made no noise of complaint.

“John. I trust you.”

John went dead silent. 

Hastur could feel him staring holes in his yellow-clad back the whole way out the door.

#

Larson slept better than he had in months.

The Dreamlands had its perks, but the rooms the mighty King in Yellow had placed him in were luxurious, more than anywhere he had ever been. 

For this to have been granted him so quickly could only mean that either even the basest of Carcosa’s citizenry lived in the lap of luxury, or that he had made one hell of a splash.

He was so close to his goal now. So close to ascension. There were problems, of course: issues he needed to iron out. He needed to speak with the King soon, if he was going to get ahead of whatever horseshit Yellow was likely to spew. And the thief… that thought alone made him furious, but surely the King would know to disregard someone so lowly.

And then there was the conundrum of Arthur Lester. What the hell had happened there? The man wasn’t sane , that at least was clear; but he looked pretty good, in spite of that, and the way the god had held him…

That was weird. That required study. Was that what the King in Yellow did to vessels who’d held pieces of him?

Would He do that to the thief?

Would He do that to Larson?

Oh, that thought made him sick. He had to get in front of it, somehow, and that meant discrediting Yellow as soon as poss—

The door opened and a creature stepped through, carrying fabric. He’d seen her (it?) last night as well, tall and willowy and golden, utterly inhuman. She was made of wisps of yellow silk and sharpness and fluid movement. She moved like a dancer.

“Hello,” Larson said softly, watching her with rapt attention. “You must be one’a his attendants, then. I am honored.”

She said nothing, pivoting on one needle-sharp foot and fluttering through the door. 

Did all guests get attended to by one of the King’s own? This could only be a good sign. He fondled the clothes he’d been given. Fine, fine material; the embroidery was unreal, intricate, far superior to anything humans could do. The suit almost seemed to be catching the light in dimensions Larson couldn’t quite see.

He had set it aside and was washing his face when he felt it: the change in pressure.

Like when a ritual had gone right.

Like the incredible moment before Yellow had started bellowing in his head, on the night Arthur Lester dashed his peaceful life to the ground.

He dried his face as quickly as possible, straightening his pajamas (finer than any French silk). He wasn’t dressed yet. What to say? How to play this?

The King in Yellow knocked on his door.  

Well, that was unexpected.

It was an honor. Respect offered, and Larson would take it for all it was worth. He flung open the door and damn near blinded himself with His Radiance. [“My Lord, you honor me with your presence!”] he said, backing away, genuflecting, and knelt. 

He hadn’t backed up far enough. Hastur flowed into the room like light itself, pushing him further back, filling more space than he filled. Power distorted the air around him. 

Arrogance was impossible in this presence. The god looked down at Larson, unreadable, tentacles slowly undulating as though he swam in a secret ocean. “You are Wallace Larson,” he said in English, and the floor beneath Larson rumbled.

To hear his name in the voice of a true god was…

Larson had spoken to their shades, their projections; he’d met with the shadows of gods, or their representative voices. He had never truly been in one’s presence. 

This was everything he’d hoped it would be and nothing like he’d expected. All he’d sacrificed was worth it. It all led to this moment, and he would not blow this chance. Larson looked up, eyes wide and reverent. “Yes, my Lord, oh Prince of the Great Old Ones, the Lurker Who Slept Beneath. I am Wallace Larson.”

The voice was massive, echoing somehow before and after itself. Every breath was a universe of meaning, power, as if the very air currents belonged to this being. “My time, Wallace Larson, is not to be wasted on small matters. I give you this chance, here and now, to tell me who you are and why you are here.” 

Well, that was a problem, as he had no earthly clue how he’d gotten here or why. The King himself hadn’t done it? Then Larson didn’t know.

Like hell was he going to admit that. “My Lord, Feaster From Afar,” said Larson. “I have been brought here… to serve you.”

“Oh, have you, now?”

Larson couldn’t read the tone. “I know many things; I come with connections, with earned powers. With the will to do anything you ask of me, even shedding my own blood.”

“Indeed?”

The god sounded unimpressed. Larson pushed harder. “I believe I was chosen because I proved myself worthy. For nearly ten years, I have carried a fragment of your power within myself—a part of your holy magnificence, damaged by his first host and in need of aid. I have protected him, sought to elevate him, to grow his power and my own, with the plan of returning him here to you in Carcosa someday.” Might as well hit two birds with one stone.

“A noble goal.” Still unreadable. “How did you happen to capture a fragment of my power?” 

Capture. That word was a test, or he was an idiot. “He came to me by makin’ his escape from a wicked man—a man you now hold as prisoner.” His own test-word.

Hastur gave him nothing. “Go on.”

Damn it. He couldn’t tell if he were succeeding or not. He had to make this work. “Ten years ago, nearly, Arthur Lester came to my precious town of Addison, which I founded with my own blood, sweat, and tears, and named after my own daughter. He tore through my home, harassing my people, causing one hell of a ruckus. When I at last captured him, I could tell he was a sick man: talkin’ to himself, twitchy, half-insane. Threatened to kill me. It looked like the reason he went mad was he couldn’t handle the presence of that piece of you.”

“Oh?”

“He was bonkers. I tried to contain him until I could figure out what to do, and imprisoned him with one of my servants in the mines beneath my house.” He took a breath. “In that moment of imprisonment, this fragment of you appeared in my head, Lord, having made his harrowed escape. Yellow is his name. He’d been trapped in Arthur; he told me of the crimes Arthur Lester had committed, and was pleased as punch to be outta him.”

“No doubt,” said the King in Yellow.

No, no, it wasn’t enough; Larson had to do better. “Yellow amazed me, my lord. Such wisdom; such grace! I’d never known anything, or anyone, so worthy of worship. Together we decided somethin’ must be done about Arthur Lester, but by the time we’d made up our minds, that man murdered my son, my Lord. My Jack.” Larson let his voice break; he summoned some tears. “He murdered my son and fled my home. I’ve been lookin’ for him since, even while endeavorin’ to get your fragment back to you.”

The King in Yellow shifted, tentacles gracefully sliding through the air; oh, the power . Larson could taste it, like pennies, like gold. “He was quite insane, yes,” said Hastur. “He came to you broken. By me.” 

Oh, boy. Oh, boy. “Yellow told me you’d punished him, but not enough.”

“Arthur Lester did indeed commit crimes; and as is my wont, I drove him mad for them.” 

Yes, yes, yes… Larson licked his lips, tasting that statement. “I had no idea how filthy he was, or I never would’ve let him leave my sight alive,” he said carefully. “Yellow did tell me Arthur Lester was the one who ripped him away from you, and was the cause of all of this. I operated under the knowledge your fragment told me.” Time for some damage control: “Yellow admitted to me many times that his knowledge was… incomplete. That his memory can’t be trusted. He said it was like his memory was leaking, spilling out of him. Even now, he doesn’t remember things correctly, which is why he’s with that man . He doesn’t recall what happened; don’t blame him, your Lordship, for choosing such a lesser being as his host right now. He can’t help it.”

“A tragedy.” The god sounded so unmoved for that piece of himself, as if it were beneath notice. “A matter of note: Arthur Lester is mine now. He belongs to me; I have claimed him. Any justice done to him is mine to pursue, and mine alone. Do you understand, Wallace Larson?”

Larson licked his lips. This was a relationship he didn’t understand; and until he did, he couldn’t manipulate it. “Of course, my Lord,” he said with the utmost reverence. “I trust you shall ensure his penitence for his transgressions against myself and your fragment. Though if there is anything I may do to assist you in such matters, I beg you to inform me. I live to serve.” 

“A lover of justice, I see.” Flat. “I assure you—his desire for death has been denied.”

Well, that sounded pretty damn good.

Larson decided to push it. “That other man is a thief, my lord. He took your fragment from me right as we were on the crux of giving Yellow the power he needed to return home to you.”

“If so, I will deal with him.”

If so. Nope, no good. Larson had to nail this. “My lord. I live to serve you. I will give you anything, absolutely anything you wish.” He prostrated himself, forehead to the floor.

The King in Yellow… sighed. “I confess I do not welcome this intrusion, Wallace Larson. Many of my works are at a delicate stage; I do not have time to… babysit.” 

That had to be another trigger word, a test.

What was he being tested for? A position of power? Authority? He had to up his game. “I will never cause you trouble!” Larson surged to his feet, glowing with eagerness. “On the contrary, my Lord! If you but bid me to do so, I could be of great use to you. All my wealth, my people, lives—I have that in spades, oh Great One. Do you wish to bring more people into your fold, to marvel at your city, to die for your cause? I can provide!”

“You wish to serve me? With such a position comes responsibility. With a position comes my gaze. I am not forgiving of error. Are you sure that’s what you want?”

Arthur, still being tortured after years . Clearly driven mad. Clinging to the god who denied him death . A terrifying fate.

But what if Larson got to be the one doing the torture? What if he got to do it to the thief? Oh! “I will do as you ask, my Lord,” Larson vowed. “Anything you wish, I will do for you.” He went back to his knees, arms raised. “Iä!”

And with just the tip of one tentacle, Hastur touched under Larson’s chin to raise his face higher. “And in return, what do you expect from me?” 

The god was touching him!

Larson couldn’t stop shaking. The thrill, through his entire body, illicit, terrifying, marvelous—“I wish for power, my Lord,” he said, voice thick with need. “On Earth, I… I brokered a deal with another great power for prosperity for my little town, and youth for myself to ensure it was taken care of for all of its days. The rituals I conducted were to grow my strength so I may better protect my people and guide them into prosperity. If I was granted even a fraction of the power you wield… I could do great things in your name, my Lord.”

“Power is something I am capable of granting. Let us see, then, if you truly deserve it. Remain for now. I shall return soon.”

“As you will, my Lord. Thank you, my Lord. Iä!” And Larson bowed, his face to the ground as the god swept away.

And, face down, he smiled. He had absolutely nailed this audition.

#

Yow , that guy. Yikes.

Hastur had seen this kind before. Desperate. Slimy. Intelligent. Obsequious. He’d used this kind before, too. This was the kind who could be bought.

The kind his son had purged from his court. The kind Gokar’luh had targeted, back when…

Hastur stopped moving, briefly hunched as though speared through with obsidian. Quickly, he turned to the window, as though merely seized with a desire to enjoy the view.

His tears fell. He caught them, magically evaporated them, before they could be seen.

There had been a time when Hastur would have used the hell out of that man—taking advantage of his purported loyalty, his determined yet expendable mind. Now, he… would not do that. What he would do, he wasn’t sure, but he would not give Larson an ounce of power.

Hastur shuddered, holding himself together by will alone, keeping it in; no one could see him vulnerable. No one could see him in grief . He could not risk weakness now. He wove a few more spells to hide his sorrow, to prevent tears from being seen.

It was not even a question that he’d take Arthur’s word over that man’s, whatever Arthur was able to share. Now, however, it was time for visit number two. 

He knocked on Parker’s door.

#

Parker could fall asleep anywhere—even in the palace of a potential enemy that had fucked up his former partner and sure as hell hurt his new one.

Good morning, Sunny said. His voice was still soft, but he didn’t sound wobbly, which was a good sign. A Dancer brought in clothes for you about twenty minutes ago: they hung it right inside the door. You seemed peaceful, so I didn’t want to wake you.  

Parker grunted. “So I didn’t dream all of this.” He sat up. Sheets silkier than he’d ever known slid off his body like oil. “Damn,” he said, staring at them.

A pause. I don’t… quite remember what they’ll do for breakfast, but I hope there’s fruit. Parker, I think I would like to eat a fruit.

“Okay. A fruit.” He hopped out of bed and began stretching. “I think we can swing a fruit.” The view out the balcony was just as lovely during the day, and he was amazed at the life he could see in the city.

There were no engine noises, nothing like that, but he caught motion; this city clearly thrived. It gleamed, polished in the sun. From here, he couldn’t spot where the slums were.

All cities had slums. “Hey, where’s the—”

There came a knock at the door. 

It’s him, Sunny gasped, already starting to breathe too fast. Parker, I… I don’t know what to do. To say. What should I say?

Shit. They’d had no time to process, no time to anchor themselves. Parker was naked. He grabbed the pajamas left him last night (fine, fine silk, very weird, he couldn’t process wearing them to bed) and pulled on the pants, hopping toward the door. “I’m more interested in what he’s got to say. I’ll do the talking, buddy. Okay?”

Okay… okay. I’ll follow your lead, partner.

Parker steeled himself and opened up.

He was nearly blinded.

The King bled into the room, power warping the air, so brilliant he made the sunlight seem dim, and then, he loomed. Stood there, looking down at them, limbs gently curling; it was impossible to read his masked face.

Gods were hard to think around, it turned out. Parker would manage. Step one was learning to read this thing.

He’s seen this being at least annoyed last night, if not angry. This wasn’t that. This seemed… neutral, somehow.

For now, Parker mirrored as best he could, trying not to provoke. “Good morning.”

“Greetings. Did you sleep well?” 

That voice would take time getting used to; it sounded somehow in more dimensions than Parker knew existed, rattling in his skull. “Better than the ground or a prison cell,” Parker said. “It’s like the Ritz in here.”

��The Ritz? Ah… a human inn. I certainly hope it surpasses that. I am here, Parker Yang, to ask you some questions. To ascertain some truths. To determine your worthiness to carry what you carry… and to remain in my presence at all.”

Well. That could be a whole ass-load of threat. Or it could be genuine curiosity. Or it could be something else entirely—Parker had never learned to read squid . “Fair enough. Ask away.”

“Why are you here, Parker Yang?”

“Not a damn clue,” he said without hesitation. “Not concretely, anyway. The thing that dropped us here sounded like it wanted to hurt Arthur, though.” He paused. “Is he okay?”

The squid-god’s uncountable tentacles undulated, ends flipping; Parker wondered if he’d surprised him. “No. But he will be. He is mine now, and I will see to his recovery.”

Marked. Claimed. What the actual fuck. “All right. So. I don’t suppose you know why all of this is happening.” Parker set his jaw, crossing his arms over his bare chest, and chanced looking up at the King. Direct contact made his eyes hurt, but he would adjust, damn it. “Neither of us can figure it out. Don’t even really have a theory.”

“You are bold.” The King said that almost to himself. “Or at least, choosing your moment to be. Are you not afraid, Parker Yang?”

“I already died once,” Parker quipped. “Figure if you’re gonna kill me, you’d have done it by now.”

Parker, be careful, Sunny whispered.

“I got this, Sunny. We’re okay.”

“So John was correct: he did kill you.” Neutral, like it meant nothing. “You have been to the Dark World.”

What was this guy after? “Yeah. Don’t remember much about it.” Parker shrugged. “Sunny said it was the same for him.”

“Sunny. You have given that name to a piece of the God in Yellow?” Absolutely unreadable tone.

Parker suspected he knew this technique. It was a good one; by not revealing emotion, the interviewer guaranteed the interviewee would try to fill the vacuum themselves, giving shit away. It was comfortingly familiar. “I’ll have you know Sunny named himself.”

The King tilted his head. “Good.”

Parker thought he meant it. “Why’s that matter to you?”

“Because he should have the choice. Know this, Parker Yang: I do not have time for intrusions right now. All of this is inconvenient, as much as it is unavoidable. There are forces at work creating this situation.”

“That Outer God.”

“Yes. Because of him, you may not leave. Because of him, you may not change your circumstances. Because of him, I must mitigate the damage you do to my own with your presence. Do you understand?”

Holy shit, that was a lot. “Your own? Damage? To what, Arthur?“ Parker said. “You want mitigation? You might need a plan for if that slimy fuck Larson tries something. He had us imprisoned before that Outer God tossed us in your lap, and he ain’t the type to forgive and forget.”

“Imprisoned,” the King said slowly. “Hear me: from here on out, you will likely not have my ear alone. From here on out, you will be faced with others, and their opinions on events. This is your chance to tell me the truth without interruption—or fear of reprisal. Tell me what you believe happened.”

No pressure. 

“Wow,” Parker said. “All right. I guess it’s storytime. Whatcha think, Sunny?”

There was a weighty pause. Great One, I… Parker is a good man. Do you truly mean no… no repercussions, for us sharing this story?

“None.”

I think… Sunny said, voice so soft it was as though he spoke from a distance. You can tell him, Parker.

“You’re sure?”

I’ll be fine. This is important.

Sunny was not okay. Parker did what he could to draw attention back to himself. “Might want to grab a chair, sir. It’s a long story, but a damn good one.”

“Continue,” said the King.

Parker adopted his best convince-the-jury tone. “Well, it all started when I woke up in the middle of some fucked-up ritual that I think was supposed to do something to Sunny. I was in some basement, surrounded by chanting guys and dead animals, in the suit I got buried in—not that I knew I’d been dead yet.”

“This sounds like quite a surprise,” said the god.

“You ain’t kidding! Larson had the cult guys saying, ‘c' ymg' uln, c' llll ah'mglw'nafh ymg'.’ They said it like a thousand times, so I remember.”

The King went absolutely stock-still, like a photograph. “Did he?”

To Parker’s surprise, Sunny spoke up. Your pronunciation is getting so much better! I’m proud of you. Before long I’ll have you singing Carcosan poetry.

“Hey, I got a good teacher,” Parker said, encouragingly.

Heh. Sunny’s voice was strained, but clear. Great One, Larson was going to broker a deal for more power. What I’d provided wasn’t enough, anymore. We’d done it before, once or twice, but this time he attracted the attention of something else. The Outer God.

“I see.” So flat. “And I presume this Outer God was the one who rehomed you, Slice.”

“Sunny,” said Parker.

“My apologies. Sunny.” 

Had that been a test? Maybe. “We think so. He was in my head, boom . Larson wasn’t too happy about it.”

He threw Parker in a cell. Attempted to get information out of him, but neither of us knew what was going on. So he had some thugs beat him, and I… I…

“You’re okay, bud.”

Yes. Yes, I discovered I had partial control over Parker’s mouth when one of the thugs socked us in the jaw.

“You were beaten.”

“Not too bad,” said Parker in his patented tough-guy-detective delivery. “They were pros, and didn’t want me hemorrhaging, or nothin’. Didn’t even tie me all that good. Well. I guess the knots were fine, but the table thing they had me on was half-rotted.”

He didn’t account for Parker being impressively strong, Sunny said, caught up in their story. Or for the lockpicks in his suit jacket.

That rumble… was it… a purr? “So this challenge was not outside your experience , ” said the King in Yellow.

Parker shrugged. “I get bad guys put in jail. Yeah, I get in some situations . But that ain’t the point here. We got out, mostly ‘cause Sunny knew where to go and what to do. Knew right where that prick Larson kept his cars. So you know what we did?”

“What did you do?” rumbled the King.

“First, we fuckin’ climbed a hidden stairway behind one of those tapestry things. Then we crawled down a garbage chute—went straight outside into a dumpstah.”

“I see.”

“Then we crept through the woods, bein’ all sneaky-like.”

Parker used a branch to confuse our footprints, Sunny volunteered.

“Fuck, yeah. Then we hotwired a car and got the hell outta Dodge.” He grinned. “Pretty sure we heard Larson shrieking like a baby.”

You did steal his car, specifically.

“Hell yeah, I stole his car. It was the nicest one. Should’a pissed on the thing and set it on fire.”

“So you wished to leave Larson,” said the King mildly. “Sunny.”

Sunny went very, very quiet upon being addressed.

“It’s okay,” Parker said softly. “You can tell the truth. He said no repercussions.”

Larson had… promised to return me to Carcosa, Sunny said, very carefully. 

“Did he? Curious that he told me the same thing, but his version did not include the chant your Parker just quoted.” 

Shit. He’d already talked to Larson. “Yeah? Well, they were doing it,” Parker said firmly, because it was the truth.

He… He’d sworn it to me, but it had been over nine years, Great One. I couldn’t wait any longer. When I was put in Parker, I… I took a chance, and helped him escape.

No reaction. “Continue. After your escape, what did you do?”

We made it to New York City, but I… I was foolish, said Sunny. I hadn’t realized Parker was Chinese, and on Earth there is a war with some of the Eastern powers. Men who look like Parker are being put into camps, and on top of that… Larson had much influence there. His voice wavered, a bit. Dropped. It was… It was incalculably foolish of me. 

“Naw,” said Parker. “It was still our best bet—and we wouldn’t’ve made it here if you hadn’t. You did good, Sunny.”

Sunny leaned into the reassurance. His men were waiting along our route into the city, and they found us almost immediately. But Parker was brilliant, and navigated like an expert.

“Wasn’t my first time playing rat-catcher,” Parker said. “Only usually, I ain’t the rat.”

He got us to the sewers, and negotiated with a ghoul to use one of their tunnels to come here, to the Dreamlands.

“Hey, you forgot our rooftop adventure.”

I did! He jumped across rooftops, running from the police, with Larson’s men shooting at us from the ground! We howled!

“We sure as fuck did howl!”

“An experienced escapist, I see.” Hastur’s tone was warm.

He was shot, but he persevered, even through the sewers. Sunny had gained momentum, voice soft and wobbly but clear. Parker had only just met me, but he kept his promise, Great One. He was offered the choice, to leave New York or go to the Dreamlands, and he chose to honor his promise to me.

“Did he?” said the King.

He did! The ghoul-tunnel led us to the Underworld, but there were stairs to the surface. Parker… Parker almost died, again, but I took a risk and was able to heal him. From there, we got lucky and met a Trader, and… Sunny paused, hesitating. And… And then we started…

“You got this,” Parker said, his voice gentle.

We… We began… Working.

Parker nodded.

The King’s tentacles undulated in a different way, and Parker thought it might be questioning. “Working?”

“Sunny wasn’t sure where we were, but before we could find Carcosa, we needed a bed and some food. So we got to work. Solved a few mysteries as we started trying to track you down. Healed some folks. Your city moves? That’s real weird. Does the lake go with it?”

“It does.” The King was silent for a long moment. “How long have you been in the Dreamlands?” 

“About eight months?” Parker said. “Apparently, we got here way at the other ass-end of the place. We’ve been busy. Working, making our way here. Trying to help folks. Heh, eating, too.”

It was almost like a gasp. I—I can taste! I can taste food, Great One. I had forgotten what food was like. Parker and I would work for food, sometimes, but it also let us be close to people who talked, which is how we found work and could travel. And I taught Parker some magic—healing magic, though I also granted him a few minor spells for convenience. He’s proven to be capable and responsible.

“Flatterer,” said Parker. 

The King sounded thoughtful. “You have made good use of your time.” And he touched one tentacle to the underside of Parker’s chin to lift his face.

Parker stepped back, away from that touch. “Hands off the merchandise.”

Sunny gasped. Parker!

The King didn’t seem upset by this. Had that been a test, too? “There are some rules for you here,” he rumbled.

If Parker is kept safe, I will do my best, Sunny said gravely.

“Rule one, you already know—my daughter is to be respected. Do you understand?”

“Neither of us have any interest in hurtin’ kids,” Parker said. “But yeah. Understood.”

“Good. Rule two: do not attempt revenge. If there is to be justice, I will deliver it.”

I don’t want revenge, Sunny said, very quietly. I want Larson to stay the fuck away from us. He might try to hurt Parker.

“Same, but for Sunny,” said Parker. “If Larson tries something, I can’t promise I won’t fight back.”

Parker once punched a wizard in the face to stop a spell.

“He punched…” 

“I sure as fuck did,” said Parker. “That guy deserved it. Look, do we have to stay in this room?�� he gestured. “It’s nice digs, but we’re not used to staying in one place for too long.”

The King seemed to settle a little, his tentacles lower as they waved, and Parker thought maybe some tension had left him. “As long as you do not leave my palace grounds, nor attempt escape, I give you permission to wander. Of course, I expect common sense. Do not steal weapons. Do not pick fights. Do not antagonize unnecessarily; I may protect you from revenge, but there can be consequences you bring upon yourself.” After a moment, lower, he said, “Larson is dangerous. I would advise you not to push him. And if he pushes… tell me. I will make it stop , no matter the confines I have been given . ”

So a vow from a god was a thing Parker could feel. It penetrated; he suspected it actually did something to him that he couldn’t see, and he shuddered. This wasn’t a lie. “Thanks. We will.”

“Now,” said the King. “You will join me for breakfast.”

Breakfast? Sunny’s voice was soft with fear. Will… Will Arthur be there? I don’t… I don’t know that I can… Parker?

“Hang in there, Sunny.”

“Arthur will be there. Arthur is mine. He is my own. Marked.” And the King suddenly came at him .

Parker startled, stepping back. 

The King stopped right in front of him, creepy chipped white mask (wait… was it a mask?) right in front of Parker’s face. “I know you are aware of other relationships here. I saw the look you gave them.”

Definitely not a mask! Oh, boy! Parker swallowed hard. “We’re shooting straight? Okay. Yeah. Your kid? That’s his kid.”

“Yessss.” The tentacles undulated all around, eclipsing Parker’s vision, making the room otherworldly, frightening.

But… how? Sunny was fumbling, now, on the back foot. I know she looks—but I don’t… Parker, this is a lot.

“I know, buddy. Hold on a little longer.”

I… This is important. Yes. I’ll try—no, I will.

The King was silent for a long moment. This close, his every word rumbled through Parker like a train. “Did Arthur Lester trust you?” 

Power gripped Parker like a fist. This question had to be answered true. “With his life.”

Sunny made one, very small noise, but was otherwise silent.

Finally, the King withdrew, looming again, but at a distance. “She was his daughter. She died. I brought her back.” There was absolutely no tone to this; no indication of how he expected them to feel. “She is my daughter now. And his. Yes. I brought her back to hurt him, in the beginning. Now, she heals him.” 

Parker gawked at him. “What the actual fuck? ” he said.

“Is that your only question?” said the King, mildly amused. 

“If you were just some guy, I’d sock you,” said Parker, low.

Parker! whispered Sunny, afraid.

“Refreshingly honest. Perhaps you wish to know why I chose to hurt him so?”

Was this happening? Was this really happening? “I think only a fucking monster would use a little kid like a weapon,” Parker said through clenched teeth.

“True, and accurate—I make no excuse.” 

That was unexpected. Parker frowned, peering at him.

The King’s many limbs undulated. “He took something from me, Parker Yang. And he would not give it back. He took the one called John. You know something about this, don’t you, little one?”

Sunny did not sound good. He did not sound okay. John. The one Arthur… wanted me to be. Outside of Addison, when I was torn away from you. He made a deal to get John back, but he got me instead. His voice was very soft. He hated you, and he hated me because I am you. But you’ve marked him! Why?

“Because over the last six years, he’s proven me wrong. He’s worthy of keeping John, and worthy of keeping. I will no longer try to separate them—nor will I see him broken again. As you’ll be here for some time, you are going to witness the rebuilding of Arthur Lester. Perhaps… you might choose to be part of that. If you do not, I will not hold it against you. But I intend to repair all damage I have done to that man.” 

This was not in any playbook Parker knew.

Why was Hastur telling them this? Admitting this? Confessing? Letting them in on some crazy plan? What the hell was the purpose of this? “Uh,” said Parker. 

The… the damage. Like his legs. And… Sunny’s voice was very, very small. Distant. Strangely… blank. Parker?

Sunny had never sounded like that before. “Sunny? You okay?”

The King spoke low, but like when he’d gripped Parker with that power to tell only truth, he caressed Sunny with it now. “Sunny. Do you trust this man?”

With my life, Sunny said, his voice going even softer, a whisper.

What? What was happening? “Sunny?”

Parker, I… I think I… I have to… I can’t. It was like he was sinking, somehow, worse than Parker had ever heard. I really tried. I’m sorry.

Parker inhaled. He could feel it. Sunny had shut off . Sunny was gone, sunk. Parker began breathing low and sharp. Sometimes a guy got angry, even if there was nowhere for it to go.

“I see,” said the King quietly. 

Parker stared at him, stared hard, telling himself that trying to hit the damned squid wouldn’t fix anything. “What the fuck was that? What did you do?”

“Tested the water.” The King seemed to be staring back, as if watching some kind of result. “Was he like this when you were given him?”

“What kind of… you listen here, you fuck! He’s doing… he’s been doing great! He’s learned. He’s grown. You just… came in here like a godsdamned brick to the head!”

“Taking advantage of the lack of consequences, I see.”

“Yeah. Fuck off! Leave him alone!”

“As you wish. Though for today, you will join us for breakfast.”

“What the hell? Like I wanna be part of any plan you got going now?”

“You don’t have the choice. Had the Outer God not pressed you into service, I would simply let you go—but my daughter’s life is threatened. I will not permit threats to her… and so you must stay.”

“ His daughter!”

“Mine. She is mine, now.”

“Like Arthur?”

“Both of them, Parker Yang, are unusual. I think you know how unusual; Arthur Lester did something to you, too, in the years you were together. Didn’t he?”

Parker clammed up. That wasn’t this god’s business. That was nobody’s business.

The King knew, anyway, and continued. “Arthur Lester won my respect. Faroe won my love. They are my family now. I am not kind, Parker Yang. I am not generous, like your earthly saints, your fairy tales, so hear me well as I say this: they are my priority. I do not know you .”

What the hell was Parker supposed to do with that? 

The devil was vowing familial love. What the fuck. Parker swallowed down the growing urge to grapple with this thing. “The hell was all this for?” he said. “What, you wanted to see what happened if you pushed real hard?”

“To see if you are a threat to my people.”

Parker’s voice dropped. “I’m not. We’re not.”

“I believe you. Thus, you now have information no one else in this palace has.”

Parker went still. “What?”

“Faroe’s parentage. My admission of guilt regarding Arthur. You alone hold this.”

Why the fuck had he shared all that? This guy wasn’t fitting into any of the boxes Parker had prepared. “Okay,” he said carefully.

“You may keep Sunny. Had you been like Larson, I would have taken him from you.”

Parker inhaled, fists clenched. So it had been a test. All of it. “Okay.”

“I am not attempting to befriend you.” The King’s tone was even. “Should we gain intimacy over time, then that will be the reward of choices and proof of character. You have been dropped into this situation, Parker Yang, at the highest point of a storm which you cannot control, and cannot steer through. I have already crashed the ship; from this point, my goal is to protect the survivors.”

Parker stared at him. They were back to confusing confessions, vulnerability in the middle of threats. This felt…

Rushed. That was the word. Rushed. Like they had no time to do this with grace.

But he was a god. That couldn’t be right. “Okay,” Parker said again.

“I have no time to rest. I have no time to babysit . It is clear to me that Sunny is… damaged, and that is not his fault. I believe he will heal with you—but he cannot be my focus. My people are.”

Shit. “Arthur and his kid.”

“And my city of Carcosa. Yes. I have six years to please that Outer God, or I lose them. Do you understand the situation?”

Parker exhaled slowly and swallowed around the lump in his throat. He couldn’t be sure if the metal taste in his mouth was his anxiety or Sunny’s panic. “So. Ship’s wrecked. Pirate’s coming in six years. You’re trying to save your own Swiss Family Robinson, and suddenly you got random guys dropped in that you don’t got any connection with, were told to care for, but you won’t do it at the cost of your people. That’s what you’re saying.”

“Something like that.”

Parker’s brow knit. “You’re in emergency mode. That’s what you’re saying.” 

Again, that pleased rumble. “That is what I’m saying.”

What was with this guy? “I don’t get you.”

“I hardly expect you to.”

“I don’t know if you’re the good guy or the bad guy.”

And the King laughed. It was a shocking sound—bigger than Sunny’s, but the same, wicked and dark and terrible. “Neither do I.”

What the hell? “You… you’re really giving me the chance to help with Arthur.”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because his guilt and grief regarding you are in the way of his recovery.”

If the King meant what he said about fixing Arthur, then that made sense. “Practical reasons. Okay. Sure.” Parker rolled his shoulders. “And Sunny? He wants to rejoin you, though I gotta admit, I ain’t too keen on that idea anymore.”

“Understandable. Then perhaps this will please you: he will not rejoin me. Neither will John.”

Parker’s jaw dropped. Oh, that was… that was big. The shadow of something he couldn’t make the shape of, and didn’t have enough experience to identify. “Why the hell not?”

“I do not have the time required to do it, not with the constraints placed upon me. Perhaps after the six years are up, assuming Kayne—the Outer God—has moved on.”

Shit. That sort of made sense? But Parker’s gut was never, ever wrong; something in there was a lie. He just wasn’t sure what. “Sunny’s good. You’d benefit.”

“Oh, I would, without doubt—but there is no time to make it so. You will come to breakfast in an hour; dancers will guide you there. I expect it to be awkward.”

“Wait, that’s it? You’re just going?”

“You have questions?”

“I… fucking will . I need to take care of Sunny. Uh. You guys got… baked goods?”

The King’s tentacles moved in a way Parker realized was puzzled . “Would you like some?”

“Good-smelling. Chocolate, if possible. Oh—and some kind of fruit, too.”

“As you wish. It will be sent. Don’t ruin your appetite.” But that sounded humorous, not threatening.

“Nobody knows what you just told me?” said Parker to his back.

“Nobody knows. You are coming into the middle of a chapter, Parker; you are… what is the human phrase? ‘Hitting the ground at a run.’”

All because, his gut said, Arthur had trusted him with his life. 

Parker chose his last words carefully. “Don’t fucking poke Sunny again. Don’t you fucking dare. He’s been through enough.”

“I won’t. No further testing will come from me—I’ve decided.” The King paused right at the door. “That chant was not what he thought it was, but it was what you thought.”

Parker’s stomach sank. “Yeah?”

The King’s back was still to him. “That chant was sacrificial. He’d planned to offer Sunny to something in exchange for power.” And with that horrifying statement, he just floated out the door.

Parker knew it. He knew it . That fuck, Larson… oh, it was a damn good thing he wasn’t in the room right now. Hit the ground running, nothing; this really was like being dropped into a storm, with forty-foot waves and just a little stick for buoyancy. 

And real important: the squid had body language he could read. Parker knew he could figure him out, and wanted to analyze the hell out of this conversation, but right now, it was time to be a good partner. He began pacing and rubbing his jaw, gently stroking his lips, like trying to restore circulation to a body part that fell asleep. “Hey, buddy. Come on back to me. He’s gone. It’s okay. We got good food coming. You’re gonna be all right.”

Sunny was silent.

Dissociate. He’d seen it; that kid from that case had done it, and they’d had to learn about it for the trial. Sunny…

Sunny was there. He was . He would come back. Parker kept talking to him, rubbing his mouth, walking. He continued until the Dancer came, pushing a cart that wafted such an aroma of chocolate and hot sugar that even Parker salivated. 

“Thanks,” he said to the Dancer, whatever the hell it was, and picked a sort of chocolate cup-cake looking thing. He took a hot, steaming bite, and discovered it had melted chocolate in the middle.

It was much better than an arm pinch, for damn sure.

Parker? Sunny’s voice was foggy, like he was waking from a deep sleep, and still soft. Oh, Parker. What… What is that? It’s good.

“Fuck yeah, it is. I don’t know what it’s called, but I asked for it. That King guy delivered. Man.” He was mouth breathing. “There’s more. Check it out. Drinking chocolate, too.”

There were plates of things. So many things.

Parker considered this. Don’t ruin your appetite. And then this… bounty. Was it another test? Had they somehow won points?

The god talked about repairing damage done to Arthur. If he tied that with this, it almost looked like… guilt. Because this was overdoing it. Hm. “Whatcha wanna try next? Ha, we’re salivating.”

Oh. Is this… For us? Really? Sunny was waking slowly, dragging himself up from wherever it was he’d gone. I would… I would like some drinking chocolate next, please. What… did something happen, when I was… gone?

“Yeah. He was pretty honest.” And he made an instinctual leap: one he might not do normally without more information, but it felt like throwing out a life preserver for Sunny to latch onto. “He wasn’t a real nice guy, I got the impression. But… that guy… he’s trying to make up for something. I think we’re safe from him. I really think he won’t hurt us. I got pretty sharp with him. He didn’t take it wrong. He didn’t lash out. I really think we’re gonna be okay.” He took in the scent of the drinking chocolate. “Hot damn, that’s thick.”

Don’t choke on it—maybe there’s a spoon. Or if there’s something that is more substantial than those pastries, you could dip them. Sunny very nearly sounded like himself, and the relief tasted even better than the chocolate. It is good to know he won’t hurt us, Parker. I was… I was afraid that he might, especially after… learning what happened to…

“Yeah. I understand what you mean. I’m glad too.” Another bite, building that flavor-anchor. “But we’re here at the right time: he’s not going to hurt us, I’d bank on it. I think he’s trying to fix shit. More shit than we know about. Sounds like that Outer God’s been fucking with all of them for years.”

The Outer God certainly seemed to think using you to interfere with Larson’s ritual was funny, Sunny murmured, but it was a content sound, a hum of pleasure with the bites. I… I don’t know what to think quite yet. There’s still… There’s so much yet to learn. Did he tell you any more?

“Yeah. A lot of things. Do you wanna hear ‘em now? It’s not an emergency. There’s no rush.” Another bite, getting liquid chocolate on his chin. He laughed. “Gonna need another shower.”

Hey, I need all that! Don’t go wasting it now, Sunny said. His voice was still weak, but his tone… Tentatively, Parker put him in the clear. I… I want to hear it, but maybe in an hour or two. It… It takes me a bit to… Really come back. I should have discussed this with you before, but I didn’t think…

Dissociate. “Hey, it’s okay. Water under the bridge, now. I’m just glad you’re back. I’ll always be here when you do.” Parker picked up a weird fruit he’d never seen, like some kind of shiny, golden peach. 

Oh, a fruit! Parker… you remembered. 

“Of course I did.” He bit.

The fruit was juicier than the lava cake, and made a mess, getting all over his chin and chest. They both laughed, utterly sticky, mouth alight; he’d never tasted anything so sweet.

Sunny was better. Parker hated to risk it, but… he had to warn his partner. “One thing you need to know. He wants us at breakfast in an hour with everybody. He knows it’ll be rough. He believes us about Larson. He believes us. But we do have to show up.”

…Fuck. Sunny was quiet for another long, horrible moment. I’m going to try not to… I’ll do my best. I’ll follow your lead. But I’m not… I don’t think I’m ready to talk to Arthur yet. I haven’t… there’s just so much, Parker.

“You don’t got to. We’re partners. That means we got each other’s backs. You don’t got to talk. Try to listen, but I understand if you can’t.” He meant that. “I got this.”

I’ll do my best, Parker. I promise. And… If… I’ll tell you, if it’s too much and I have to go again. I’ll try not to. But… I can prepare, at least. He was quiet, again. Is it strange to you, that he sent all of this when we are expected at breakfast? It feels strange to me.

“I asked for something chocolate. That asshole said he wasn’t good or kind, but I think… I think he felt bad he upset you.”

But we still have to go to breakfast. Sunny rumbled softly. I don’t know what’s going on, Parker. I feel like we just walked into a new town and people are asking us who the killer is, when we thought we were investigating someone stealing a pie off a windowsill.  

“Good example.”

Sunny sighed. That chocolate is really, really good. Thank you for… for asking.

“You’re welcome, buddy.” He could get into the rest of it when Sunny was better. “I say we ruin our breakfast.”

There was a pause.

Well, if you insist, Sunny said, and Parker smiled.

#

Hastur took a moment in the hall, casting another spell over himself so no one would see him trembling.

He liked Parker Yang. He was concerned about Sunny.

What were those two to each other? Their ease of communication was… it was like they’d known each other for years. Was it happening again? It couldn’t be. It wasn’t the same vibe as Arthur and John, for certain, and besides, surely it couldn’t just happen again. 

Surely. Hastur couldn’t be so pathetic that every part of him just fell stupid in love with…

He was distracting himself. 

This day was far from over, and he had so much more to do. He paused to study himself in the many mirrors he’d installed for Arthur’s sake, and was shocked to realize he was damaged.

There was a visible chip in the corner of his face.

He stared. He tried to heal it; it did nothing.

The choice not to panic, right now, took everything he had. Whatever that was, it was an injury —a wound from an Outer God. Nothing would heal it.

Larson had possibly seen it. Parker, he was certain, had. No one else could. Hastur wove more spells, rooting them, ensuring that chip would stay invisible from now on, no matter what happened. 

This was so hard. 

It didn’t matter. He had to do this. The plan was on track. Now, he would go back to his family. Now, he would wake them, and reassure them, and gently place them upon their new path.

His heart lifted as he opened the door and saw them on the bed, and he could not even take the time to consider why.

#

rthur slept like the dead. There was such an exhaustion to it, like he just hadn’t gotten enough on their trip.

Faroe did not have that problem. She was young; she was awake, sitting up and leaning against Nibbles, watching her human father sleep.

She knew John could see her.

John peered at her from one eye, cracked just enough to see, a flash of gold beneath fluttering lashes. He didn’t know what to say. Everything had changed between them. He should fix this. He… wanted to fix this. Could he fix this?

Faroe was looking at him. There was something edging into royalty in her look, sort of imperious, the gaze of a true queen. But she was also a child. She sniffled once. “John? Are you there?”

Yes, he said, very softly, opening his eye fully. Good morning, Faroe.  

“Why are you still in Arthur?”

John made a strangled noise. I—what?

“No one can hear us right now,” Faroe said, her voice hard. Furious tears welled at the corner of her eyes—she’d thought that she would feel better in the morning, after everything, but she very much did not . “You lied to me too—as much as everyone else did. Dad is hurt , and you’re—you’re still in Arthur. Why?”

John focused on her from underneath Arthur’s brow, his gaze hard—and then it flicked away as he thought. I… I understand you’re angry, he said slowly, cautiously. I’m angry too, Faroe, but—

“You said, in the Woods, that this was your fault,” she snapped. “So if you understand that, why are you still in Arthur?”

Because I don’t fucking want to leave him, John snarled. Alright?

Like that was an answer. Like that wasn’t what had gotten Kayne’s attention, six years ago, and nearly doomed the lot of them. “So you’re selfish,” Faroe said softly. “Arthur is marked by both of you. You have him. You’ll never leave. And you’ll just let dad be torn. ”

Do you have any idea what you’re asking of me? John’s voice was a growl. You’re just a fucking kid. Do you get that you’re asking me to fucking die in the hope that it’ll make things better?

She startled. “Die?”

I wouldn’t be me anymore. I’d be gone. I’d be him.

“Why is that so bad?” She knew she was being defiant, knew she was being awful, but she couldn’t help it. She wiped her eyes with the back of her sleeve, leaning into the feeling of Nibbles’ nose pressing against her side in a halfway-hug. “Dad wants to take care of Arthur. You want to take care of Arthur, too, and you could—and dad wouldn’t be in pieces anymore!”

John sighed. I wouldn’t be me, Faroe, and Arthur still needs me. He still needs my help, and last night was proof of that. Fucking Kayne gutted him three times, if you weren’t paying attention.

“But Dad was the one who calmed him,” Faroe said, her voice carefully neutral. “So if you—”

Your Dad, John growled, tortured him. He threw us in the prison pits for three months and nearly starved Arthur to death. He—six years ago, he used you to try and get Arthur to kill himself.

Faroe really needed to learn what had happened six years ago. 

Faroe was terrified of learning what happened six years ago.

Suddenly, an insane thing happened: John began to cry. Tears welled at the corner of Arthur’s eyes. You don’t get it, John said with a sob. He… He’d given up. He asked me permission to die. 

Her face twisted. “What? Permission to…” 

And you were just there , skipping around like you didn’t have a care in the fucking world, because Hastur had done it. He’d fucking won, and if Kayne hadn’t shown up—

What? She’d what? Faroe’s breath hitched, but she kept her mouth shut. What was he talking about?

He was ready to fucking kill you because Hastur had fucked up his show, and we’re all really fucking lucky that Arthur somehow begged for him to spare you. Do you fucking get it, now? Those golden eyes shut against the tears, which welled and trickled down Arthur’s nose—John’s hand came up, brushing them away quickly.

No, she did not get it. How could she get it? Who had been ready to kill her? Kayne? Why? What?

John kept going. I almost fucking lost him, and even at the end, when he had the gall to ask me permission, I decided I’d rather go with him to the Dark World than go back to your fucking Dad! I’m not him, anymore, and I don’t fucking want to be ever again!

Faroe swallowed thickly. “I don’t understand.”

I… I know.

Silence for a moment. 

She could not figure out that night. The pieces everyone kept giving her didn’t fit together; they were like the outside puzzle pieces, but the center of the image was still missing. 

She knew one thing, though, and knew it with all her heart: “You love him.”

Yeah.

“I love him, too.”

I know.

Faroe scrubbed at the corner of her eye with the bathrobe. Trying to imagine herself skipping around while Arthur was suicidal… “So this is why you hate me?”

The golden eyes snapped back open. What?

“You’re not… you’re not subtle,” she said, her own voice strained. “You always got snippy when I came to visit Arthur. I just wanted to spend time with him. I tried to tell myself you were just grouchy, but… I’m older now. I know you hate me.”

I don’t hate you, John said, voice quiet.

Faroe just looked at him.

He looked away, dropping Arthur’s gaze. I don’t, he said. I was afraid of you. Hastur had already used you once to nearly destroy Arthur. I was afraid that Arthur would get… For a long time, when I looked at you, all I could see was a weapon. A wedge that Hastur tried to use to separate Arthur and me, that he used to crack Arthur into pieces. And… and sometimes… Do you remember the nightmares you used to have? About drowning?

Oh, no. “Yes.” Oh, no.

The first time it happened, he was so depressed he didn’t get out of bed for three days, and there wasn’t anything I could do to help him, John said.

She felt herself go pale. “What?”

He fucking—he blamed himself. For what happened to you, and we both know it wasn’t his fault, right? In the tub.

Faroe shook. “Yes. I know it wasn’t. He didn’t put a toddler in running water and walk away.”

Yeah. But he blames himself, still. And gods, yes, I was fucking angry about it, but that wasn’t even anything someone had done on purpose. It was just you being around hurt him. He let out another sob. But then… then you showed up, and for you , he got out of bed, and for you , he played the piano, and it was… you could do that, but I couldn’t. It was so fucking unfair. I held all his pieces, I did everything for him… but you were healing him.

So she had hurt him by going to him for comfort?

Her heart… hurt . Such a strange feeling, physical; sharp and heavy and sour. She pressed her fist into her chest. “I… I didn’t…”

Something about her expression tipped John off. Don’t you fucking do that.

“What?”

That’s the same damn look he gets when he blames himself for you drowning. Don’t you fucking dare. Did you hear me? You’re healing him . And in the end, it doesn’t matter to me if it’s fair or not. You’re healing him. Don’t you dare pull away just because you’re finally learning what your dad did to that man.

She took a shuddering breath. “I didn’t know I was hurting him!”

How could you? You were just a fucking kid, John said. You’re still—you’re still just a kid. What the fuck am I doing? He inhaled sharply. Faroe, I’m sorry.

John did not do that without being forced. John did not apologize unless someone made him . Faroe was certain she had never heard those words, spoken freely and genuinely, from John in her entire life.

She swallowed, wiped her nose on her sleeve, wiped her eyes. “Why?” She was asking so much more than just this.

He did his best to answer. Because… He took a breath. Because Arthur needs you, too. And I’ve been a selfish asshole, and I’ve kept you away. I’m sorry I made you think I hated you, and I’m… I’m sorry. I’m sorry all this happened. I’m sorry I made you run away. You’re a good kid.

Faroe swallowed back the tears she wanted to shed, refusing to cry. She watched John’s hand brush Arthur’s cheek, gently running over the scars with the pads of his fingers.

She didn’t understand them. She didn't really understand all of this. 

She remembered, again, Arthur rescuing Nibbles, getting them out, then turning back, blind, to fight gods.

She remembered, again, her father letting himself be torn into so he could reach her and heal her throat in time.

She remembered… John being the one to cut Nibbles free.

Her dad and Arthur loved her. Whatever else was happening, she knew that .

And John…

She couldn’t just let all this go. But then, he couldn’t, either. 

Arthur loved John. Dad needed John, which maybe was the same thing. She didn’t know.

They all loved each other, and they were all a mess. 

So this was being a grownup. It sucked. She swallowed. “John,” she said, and wasn’t sure what to follow it with.

And then with incredible timing, Hastur entered the room.

He hesitated in the doorway, surveying the scene, then swept toward them, silent.

Faroe wanted to run to him, to hide in his many arms, to cry where no one could see her. It was all too much, and she hesitated. “Good morning, Daddy,” she managed, trying to sound fine, trying to sound adult .

He knew anyway and grabbed her up at once, holding her close, hiding her against the world. “My daughter. Good morning.”

She made one tiny sound and hid her face.

Fuck, she heard quietly behind her.

“Thank you for watching, John,” said Hastur, and he sounded… gentle. So that was weird.

Yeah, sure, I did great, John said, weirdly subdued. Should put me in charge of this all the time. I can fuck everybody up on a regular basis.

“John,” said Hastur. “We have all been through terrible things in the past week. Thank you for watching them. I don’t hold you responsible for damage done by circumstances.”

Silence. Nobody knew how to respond, except for Nibbles, who stood and shook herself vigorously and then dipped into a magnificent stretch.

Hastur gently picked up Arthur next. Arthur was completely limp, boneless; the robe fell off one shoulder, revealing scars on his chest. Hastur held him close, adding another tentacle, tugging his robe back up. “Time to wake, my own.”

“Mm,” said Arthur.

“Daddy,” Faroe said quietly. “Can we go away for breakfast today?”

He stroked her curls, evening them out a little. “I’m afraid not this morning. Kayne’s guests must be faced, at least for this meal.”

“Mm?” said Arthur, who seemed to be rising from such a deep sleep that he didn’t fully recall himself. He settled against Hastur, making small, contented noises.

“Fool,” said Hastur warmly. “You could be like this all the time, you know.”

“You’re the fool,” Arthur said out of habit. “Wait. Could what?” And Arthur went stiff. He sat up. “Faroe?”

“Good morning, Arthur,” said Faroe from beneath the tangle of her father’s arms.

Hastur, maybe this isn’t such a good idea, John said, voice low and worried. We’re all fucked up. We need time. We need to talk about this beforehand. Prepare ourselves.

Hastur’s sigh was heavy. “We have a choice. Before us lies a forked path.”

“What, in a yellow wood?” blurted Arthur.

“Essentially, yes. Both roads last for six years. Both involve unpleasantries—things that must be done. Errors that must be addressed. Repairs that must be made. So: we can drag those horrible things out, make them last, linger … or we can get them fucking over with so we can move on with our lives.”

Arthur rubbed his eyes. “Um. What are we talking about?”

“I have decided we’re getting this over with. To that end, John, we have to face them. You’ve already told me what you can of the situation. Arthur… are you ready to talk about Larson and Yellow and Parker?”

Arthur went stiff as a board. “No!”

“Then we won’t wait. I know enough: these people were brought here to hurt you.”

Faroe went stiff, too, but said nothing.

John growled.

Arthur swallowed. “Me?” he said, tiny.

“Yes—and allowing that isn’t one of Kayne’s fucking rules, which means I don’t have to. So: today, we are drawing boundaries. Our guests will respect those boundaries, or they will know deep regret. Done. Then we move on with the next steps.”

Next steps? said John suspiciously. 

“Wh—you can’t hurt Parker!” Arthur made a desperate noise. “And you can’t fucking trust Larson, no matter what he says. He’s a liar, and a killer, and—”

“And we are stuck ,” Hastur said with a growl. “Do you recall Kayne’s rules? Because. I. Do. And I am not going to risk any of you by flaunting those again!”

Arthur’s left hand rose with a mind of its own to touch the scars Pers had left behind.

“I will not trust Larson,” said Hastur. “I will not hurt Parker, unless provoked. But we must establish boundaries now . Then it is done, and we can move on. ” Hastur’s tentacles lashed.

Fucking hell. John made a noise of distinct unhappiness. Hastur… this is a lot.

“It can’t wait until tomorrow?” Faroe said, very tiny, hidden.

Hastur sighed heavily. Clearly, he’d have to get them on board with some honesty. “I have made mistakes.”

Arthur’s mouth hung open.

“I intend to correct those mistakes. And I intend to do it… quickly,” said Hastur.

Quickly? John said.

He cradled Faroe close. “My errors have cost us all far too much. I move now to correct them. I know it’s happening fast.” They didn’t understand yet, but they would. “Arthur, you were right: the state of Ishara is unacceptable. John, Arthur is now being paid.”

“I’m what?” said Arthur.

“Faroe, I will work with Dis to ensure you can fight even more effectively.”

“Oh,” she sighed, sounding relieved.

“Arthur, I intend to repair what I have done to your reputation.”

You what? said John.

Arthur’s brow was knit. “Okay. Sure. Wait. What?”

Hastur was moving, carrying them all out into the hall. He placed Faroe in front of her door. “I’m sorry, my daughter. This breakfast will be unpleasant. I wish for you to dress as the future queen you plan to be. We are drawing battle lines. Do you understand?”

“Yes, dad,” she said, shuffling inside, her robe dragging on the marble floor.

Hastur carried Arthur to his room.

Servants peered, doing doubletakes at the King in Yellow and the Composer in a bathrobe. Arthur just sort of hung there, face red. There wasn’t much else he could do.

Hastur, for fuck’s sake! People are seeing this!

“Good.”

“Good?”

Hastur explained again. “We are playing Kayne’s new game, must make many changes.” They were in Arthur’s room at last. Hastur put him in the bathroom and began picking through Arthur’s clothes. “The playing field has been made more difficult, but we will succeed. For Faroe’s sake.”

Arthur took care of business, frowning, washing up. “Yeah. Yeah, but—”

“Your Parker is an interesting character. I am surprised you never took him up on his offer.”

“What offer?” Arthur said, wandering over. “What the fuck, Hastur?”

“You will wear this.”

“I don’t want to wear that!”

“Arthur, you don’t even know what I’m holding.”

It… it’s fine. It’s mostly black. Just yellow piping. It’s the one you wore on that one jubilee when all those representatives came from Koranth.

“Why?” cried Arthur.

And he explained again. “Because today, we turn over a new leaf.” Hastur pressed the outfit into Arthur’s hands.

New leaf? You’re being the usual pushy ass.

“That’s because I have much to make up for. Arthur, after breakfast, you are coming to court with me.”

Arthur stared at nothing, clutching the outfit like a security blanket. “To… go on trial?”

And again . “No. To be seen. Acknowledged. Presented.”

“Presented?”

“As I should have in the beginning.” Hastur touched his face. “Do I need to dress you?”

Arthur’s expression was a journey . “John,” he said evenly. “How long was I asleep?”

Not long enough for all of this. What the fuck, Hastur?

“I am moving too fast for you,” said Hastur softly. “I apologize.” And then he just took the bathrobe away.

“For the love of—” Arthur startled, covered himself, then started pulling on the outfit. 

“Today,” said Hastur, “we will first have a terrible, awkward meal. We have no choice about the inclusion of these three people. Larson is untrustworthy.”

No shit, John muttered.

“Parker is interesting. A shame I have no time to pursue him. Sunny—”

Parker is what? You what? Who the fuck is—

“Sunny—whom you knew as Yellow, but who has renamed himself—is damaged badly, thanks to Larson. You will be gentle with him.”

Gentle with him?

“After breakfast, you will come to court. John… it is time.”

Time for what? John growled.

And again. “To be seen. It’s time to correct my mistakes.” He picked them up.

Seen? John said, his voice almost small. For what in fuck? 

“We’ll talk more after breakfast,” said Hastur. “We go now to meet our foes, our forced family—and get it over with.” He picked Arthur up again.

“Wait!” Arthur cried.

“There isn’t time,” said Hastur, and carried him out of the room.

#

Dancers went to Larson’s room, where they found him dressed as fancily as Carcosa allowed—which was golden and caped, embroidered and jeweled, and Larson felt more glorious than he ever had. He smiled, following them out the door.

Dancers went to Parker’s room, where they found him dressed as an ordinary citizen—not peasant rags, but just clothes, a tunic and trousers, cinched at the waist, showcasing his shoulders and shape in simple, neutral colors. He followed, too, looking grim. 

They met Larson and his group halfway there. Dancers fluttered between them, a sharp, inhuman army to keep them apart.

Parker and Larson still shot glares at each other through the golden gauze. The march to the breakfast table was done in thick and terrible silence.

#

Faroe had not gone the direction Hastur expected. This was no gown; no loveliness of sparkles and pastels. She did not wear yellow. Instead, she wore what Dis had called her battle dress .

It was a sheath, fitted to her; thin leather lined it, protecting her organs, her wrists, her throat. She wore her wooden knife at her side; her bow had been destroyed, but she’d fetched another one, just some soldier’s bow, and carried it with its quiver to the table. Over her shoulder stood Nibbles, a silent sentinel of raw eldritch power that peered down the table with dozens of disinterested eyes.

Faroe had tied her hair up, and she wore her crown. She sat on Hastur’s right. back straight, smile absent. Ready for war.

“My precious one.” Hastur sounded proud, amused, warm. “It will be over soon.”

“I know. We’re drawing battle lines,” she said.

“Oh, boy,” said Arthur.

And in swept the dancers with their uninvited guests.

Hastur put Arthur in the usual spot to his left. That meant seats on both sides of him were taken, and Larson was not pleased. Lips tight, he sat next to Faroe, looking back and forth as though sizing up a game of poker.

Parker stared wildly at them all, then sat beside Arthur. He could still feel that god. He swore he could feel the god in his fucking teeth. 

The Dancers flitted away with a rustle of fabric. 

Awkward silence thickened, like clay.

“So this is weird,” Parker finally said. “Awkward as a shotgun wedding.”

Arthur snorted.

“You dare,” whispered Larson.

“We are here,” said Hastur, “to come to an understanding. Living beings have conducted business, made peace, and entered agreements over food as long as memory itself exists, and so we shall honor that tradition today. This will be a calm meal. We will speak, discover our roles, and lay out our boundaries. Decide on your questions. There will be time to ask them.”

The new guests stared at him.

And in came the dancers, loading the table down with incredible smelling food, savory and delicious. It was a full spread, a proper kahvalti —black and green olives, cucumbers, cured meats, spiced eggs, fresh sheep and goat cheeses, fresh tomatoes, fresh-baked bread, apricot, cherry, and apricot jams, honey, pastries, and sweet butter.

Parker’s jaw hung open. Larson gawked.

Faroe’s cold exterior melted, and she looked at Hastur. “Oh! You remembered?”

“Of course I remembered. Happy birthday, my precious one.”

Faroe beamed at him, tears shining in her eyes, and dug in.

Arthur sniffed. “It’s that favorite of hers.”

Turkish-inspired, said John.

“Uh, I don’t… I don’t know where to start,” said Parker, staring. Salivating. (Or maybe Sunny was.)

Arthur turned toward him to speak, but Sunny spoke first. There isn’t really a wrong way. I’d start with the eggs; they smell fantastic.

“Yes, he’s right,” Arthur said. There was something pleading in his expression. “However you like. I’d start with the bread, unless you’d prefer something else?”

Sunny said nothing.

Arthur sighed, his attempt abandoned, and turned away. “Sorry.”

Parker was not a fan of the new and crunchy Arthur. “Don’t be,” he said slowly. “After all…” He met Larson’s gaze. “We all gotta find a way to get along, don’t we?”

“Do we?” said Larson conversationally, wrinkling his nose at the feast before him.

“Yes,” said Hastur with a low rumble of warning, tentacles lashing briefly. “You do.”

Parker shuddered. Fuck, gods were distracting.

“My lord, oh great one, I will—” Laron began.

“Stop,” said Hastur. “ Eat. And while you’re at it, listen and learn.” He touched Faroe’s cheek, focusing on her because—as they would all understand—she was the priority. “What are your plans this day, my darling?”

“I want to talk to Dis,” said Faroe. “I want to advance my training.”

“An excellent idea. I need to speak with her, as well. We should consider several new aspects of your education, if you are willing.” One of his tentacles had picked up a bowl and was delicately filling it with several tomatoes, a spread of cheeses, olives, and topped it off with a generous drizzle of honey.

Then, inexplicably to his guests, he put it in front of the goat, who began to eat quite happily.

Faroe smiled up at Hastur, one hand straying from her silverware to pet the soft, bare spot by Nibbles’ ear. “I am willing, father.”

“I am proud of you, my daughter.”

She leaned into his touch.

Arthur was making good progress with his plate. He muttered, “What’s Parker doing?”

He’s eating. I don’t know what to tell you.

Parker snorted. “How about I tell you when I stop eating?”

“How about you remain silent as we were asked?” said Larson sweetly.

Parker looked at him. “Says the guy who didn’t eat as he was told. You’re just grouchy nobody wants to talk to you , aren’t you?”

“Parker,” said Hastur, but there was no accompanying growl. “Behave.”

Parker sighed dramatically. “Boss said behave. Sorry, everybody,” he said, stood, did an awkward bow, and sat again.

Faroe giggled, staring at him like she’d never seen a human before, cheeks flushed.

“Here is the situation,” said Hastur. “Wallace Larson, Parker Yang, Sunny Ot H'aaztre : you are here as part of an experiment of sorts, run by an Outer God. To wit, I cannot get rid of you; I cannot release you. I cannot lock you away. I cannot kill you. However…” The room rumbled threateningly, and the plates rattled. “Those are my only limitations. I can hurt you. I can set you on fire—or make you believe that you burn. I can skin you, erase your mind, force you to live in wordless agony. There are many things I can do. But I would rather not have to do them. They take time; they take energy. I do not care to spend them on you. Am I clear?”

“Crystal,” said Parker.

Yes, said Sunny, very quietly. 

Larson was an eager beaver. “I understand, oh great and glorious lord! Iä!”

Faroe gave him a magnificent side-eye.

“Therefore,” said Hastur like that hadn’t happened, “what I would like to do is offer you… a chance. I’m sure you have things you want to do. Things to pursue. You probably left a life behind; I will allow, through my agents, for a graceful end to that life. You will never return there. This is now your home.”

“The Dreamlands for good?” said Parker, brightening.

“Yes,” said Hastur, “though initially, only my palace; after that, Carcosa. Then, we will see.”

“I’m so sorry,” whispered Arthur.

“You kidding? This is great!” said Parker. “Fuck, yeah.”

Faroe grinned and hid it behind her hand.

Larson was dead pale. “How long do I have to… to close out my life there?”

“How long do you believe you will need?” said Hastur in a gracious tone.

“I got lots of investments, things that ain’t made to pay out for years to come. I got people. Land. I can’t just…” He stopped, licked his lips. “I need at least a few months to contact everybody.”

“Granted.”

Larson stared. “Really?”

“Yes. I can be reasonable—though of course, all of your decisions will be made through my agents. You are not to return.”

“My lord, there are some things that need to be done in person,” said Larson.

“I will send copies of you,” said Hastur to Larson, his tentacles undulating all around like dark flame. “You will not leave here. I’m being generous to prisoners forced upon me, Wallace Larson. I wouldn’t suggest you try my patience.”

Larson swallowed. “Thank you, gracious lord,” he said, tone bitter.

“Don’t remember much about religion,” Parker muttered to Arthur. “But something about rich guys, a camel, and the eye of a needle seems to be coming to mind.”

Arthur had a choking fit.

“Geez, sorry,” Parker laughed, and smacked Arthur on the back.

Breathe! Shit!

Hastur waved one tentacle, and Arthur’s throat cleared. He was red.

Parker laughed.

Faroe’s eyes were bright as she giggled, too.

Larson went very carefully neutral. He poked at his plate as if he thought the feta might be alive.

“And you, Parker?” said Hastur.

“Been dead for ten years,” said Parker, and shrugged.”If I had anything left, it’s long been sold off, or stolen. Didn’t have anything worth keeping, anyway.”

“I’m sorry,” whispered Arthur again.

“Quit that. I would’ve chosen to stay here on my own, anyway,” said Parker.

“I will find employment for you in time,” said Hastur, “but for now, I expect to be adults and entertain yourselves. You may study in the libraries. Should you wish, you may train in the grounds below. If you wish a hobby—plantlife, or something—you are welcome to pursue it, but there will be no rituals. No gathering of followers. Nothing that in any way threatens a single being in my palace or my city, and certainly nothing that puts anyone at this table at risk.”

Larson’s eyes narrowed. “In spite of the sins these two thieves and murderers have committed?”

And Arthur… bent his fork. It was a spark of magic, flashing through, it bent, just creaked to a useless vee. 

Parker jumped. “Shit!”

“Arthur?” Faroe gasped.

What did you just… said John, feeling the fork.

“You dare talk about sins?” Arthur growled.

“I do,” said Larson. “Unlike you, any deaths I have overseen were done as worship . They were for the gods who are so much greater than we are, greater than any death that could be given. You think your sacrifices really mattered? Do you? They were nothing. I know the true cost of devotion. The gods eat it up like a single grain of rice and demand more… and I will always give them more. ”

Faroe stared at him, eyes wide.

Nibbles’ great head swiveled to watch him, very carefully.

Arthur started to stand.

“No,” said Hastur.

Arthur froze. “Hastur…”

“No. Larson understands that I do not permit such sacrifices here. Don’t you, Wallace Larson?”

Larson stared for the briefest moment. “What do you wish for, my lord? I will provide it.”

“Obedience.”

Arthur was breathing through his nose like a bull, but he sat back down, obeying.

“There,” said Hastur, straightening his fork. “Was that so hard?”

What the hell did we just do? John muttered, feeling the fork.

“I don’t know,” said Arthur.

“Now,” said Hastur. “Questions.”

“Do we get to eat whenever we want? Whatever we want?” said Parker.

“Yes,” said Hastur. “You are responsible for your own health, of course.”

“Cool.”

Larson’s look clearly said waste of a question. “What opportunities are here to advance ourselves? To gain independent wealth.”

“For you?” rumbled Hastur, sounding amused. “None at the moment. You see, gentlemen, I don’t trust you yet.”

Larson stiffened.

Parker eyed the King. “You trust us enough to run around your home.”

“That, Parker Yang, is trusting me . I know my power. I know the extent of my network here. You cannot betray me.”

Larson looked aghast. “Never! I would never.”

“Let us hope you are never foolish enough to try,” said Hastur mildly. “Any more questions?”

“Yeah,” said Parker. “How long we gotta stay cooped up?”

“The palace is vast. The grounds are large. You will not feel cooped up. But… it may be a couple of years before you are given true freedom to roam.”

Parker looked sick. “Years?”

“I am unfortunately tasked with keeping you alive for now. That becomes harder the further you roam.”

Larson licked his lips. “If I find a way to serve you, may I pursue it?”

“You may ask me about it.”

And Sunny blurted, Do we have to eat together every day?

“I would prefer it,” said Hastur. “We must grow accustomed to one another. But if you choose to eat at another time, I will permit it.”

Sunny’s relief was palpable. Thank you, lord. 

“You’re doing great,” said Parker softly, and bit into some flatbread spread with apricot jam.

Sunny let out a soft sigh. That’s really good. You should add a few crumbles of the goat cheese as well.

“You sure?” Parker raised an eyebrow.

Trust me.

Arthur turned his head toward them, looking puzzled.

“I will sit when you do, lord,” said Larson. “And join you. In court. In anything you do.”

“If that is what you wish to do with your time,” said Hastur.

Faroe made such a face.

Hastur stroked her hair. “We have responsibilities, dear one, whether we enjoy them or not.”

“This is our time,” she said.

“Mmm. Perhaps lunch will be ours.”

“That means you have to always be there for lunch,” Faroe said loftily.

Hastur chuckled. It was such a wicked sound, and so incredibly pleased. “Expertly negotiated, my child. Very well. I will always be there for lunch, and it will be together, alone, with our family.”

“What about… what about me?” said Arthur.

Hastur touched his face with the tip of one tentacle. “You are family.”

Arthur exhaled in relief.

Hastur turned to the others. “Gentlemen, for lunches, you three are on your own.”

Faroe smirked.

Parker chuckled softly. “Nice one, kid.”

She glanced at him sideways, cheeks red. “Thank you, Mister Yang.”

“Parker’s fine.”

“Pah…kah?”

“It’s his accent,” Arthur said quietly, and tried to elucidate. “Parrrrkerrrrr.”

John started snickering. Then he guffawed. 

Arthur went red.

No, do that again! Do it with all our names! Farrrrroooooe!

“Don’t howl it!” Faroe cried, and then she, too, started giggling.

Parker laughed. Sunny made a tiny sound that might have been a laugh. Hastur laughed.

Larson stared.

“Ah,” said Hastur. “Have we covered it all?”

“Sir,” said Parker. “There are gonna be more questions. And we… we all got a lotta baggage to work through.”

“I understand this. Do no harm to one another, and work as you will.”

“What if we can’t?” whispered Arthur.

“If you ask for my help, my own, I will give it.”

Arthur turned his face toward Hastur, brow knit. “You really did change yesterday, didn’t you?”

Hastur did not answer that. He took Faroe’s hand in his human one. “Is there anything else right now?”

“Sunny?” Parker said softly.

N-no.

“Oh, great Lord,” said Larson, bowing from the waist. “It is an honor to be yours.”

“Then let’s hope someday you will be,” said Hastur, because right now, Larson was not.

Larson got it. He inhaled, held it; after a moment, he spoke again. “I shall please you,” he growled, doubling down.

Parker snorted. “Good luck with that,” he muttered.

Faroe giggled again.

“Arthur,” said Hastur. “John. It is time.”

Oh, no. Court. “I usually compose now,” said Arthur.

“You will after. Come.” Hastur stood. “Unless you would prefer to be carried.”

“I can fucking walk ,” Arthur snapped, and stood. He kept his face turned away from Parker.

Faroe stood. “Thank you, dad.”

“I haven’t forgotten. You will, of course, be given a party—but it’s all delayed. I apologize, my daughter.”

“It’s my fault our schedule is off,” said Faroe. “You don’t have to celebrate my birthday.”

“Yes, I do,” said Hastur. “Every single one is precious.” His tone was thick.

“For once, I’m with him,” said Arthur.

They loved her. She knew they did. Faroe smiled. “All right. But maybe just… something small this year.”

“Of course. When you find Dis, send her to me,” said Hastur. “We must speak at once.” And he swept away.

He’s headed to the throne room.

Arthur followed.

Parker eyed Larson. “You’re gonna be here all the meals, huh?”

“Yes,” Larson said through clenched teeth.

“Then I won’t. Solved.” Parker stood. “Nice to meet you, Faroe.”

Faroe looked disappointed in that decision. “A pleasure, Mister… Parker.”

He nodded to her and left, but not before grabbing one more piece of fruit.

Larson looked at the little girl.

She looked back; standing, she was barely taller than he, but her chin was raised so she could look down her nose.

And over her shoulder that creature , tree bark and shadow and power.

“A remarkable princess, to be sure,” said Larson, standing, and bowed to her slowly. “Truly a treasure.”

Faroe made a face. She wasn’t even sure why; something about him was just… slimy. She simply nodded, then left, Nibbles trotting at her heels.

#

Larson abandoned the horrible food and hurried after the King.

So. This wasn’t what he’d thought it would be.

You really did change yesterday, didn’t you?

Just his luck that he finally got in tight with a real, live god, and it was after something went horrifically wrong.

He’d suspected for some time that the gods might be… petty. Pathetic, even, with base desires. What they wanted was always so simple ; pain and suffering, blood and death, blah, blah, blah. Well, here was a Great Old One, a million years old, and he wasn’t even particularly esoteric. 

Arthur was part of his ‘family?’ Please! The King probably just liked how the disgusting man sounded when in pain. It wouldn’t be difficult to supplant him. Between Arthur and that nonsense with a human daughter…

And Parker .

The thief wasn’t worth considering right now. He’d pay for every stupid quip. Every pinch of attitude. But not yet.

It was going to be harder than he’d thought to gain the favor of this god, but it was possible. It was clear this god could be controlled. Some Outer God, who for reasons unknown had arranged this whole thing, clearly had the King in Yellow by the shorthairs.

Larson hadn’t been able to figure out who the hell the Outer God was, and so hadn’t known how to appease it. Could this be the same Outer God who’d interrupted before? Why? Why had it chosen him? 

Because it had chosen him. He was a shark, swimming among irritating goldfish.

To be given an opportunity like this was incredible.There could only be one reason: somehow, he must have pleased this god. An Outer God’s true favor. What a thing to have!

His end goal was still on track: godhood. Deification. Unlike Yellow, Hastur genuinely had power. Larson could taste it. Magnificent. Perfect. Wasted.

This Great Old One might be messed up (and Yellow’s brokenness suddenly made so much sense ), but that only made him vulnerable . Yes: vulnerable. 

With so many doors to try, one of them would damn well open wide. For now, he followed, determined to learn everything he could about this true god and whatever happened yesterday, to find whatever he needed to become a god himself.

It was only a matter of time.