#the nature of our relationship so far. and it had come up because i mentioned smth about the day we made things official

[kath-artic]

he's been looking to buy a house for some time now. well before he met me. and he'll mention it every now and then and then a couple minutes will go by and he'll be like "so if you had your own space how would you decorate it." dude

[del-thetiredwriter]

Mafia Au/Good luck while running away from mafia part 5

İntro, Part 0.5 , Part1 , Part 2 , Part 3 , part 4 , part 6

Warnings: yandere stuff, my not too good English, mentions of death , fighting stuff, too long?..

Tags: @hrhqueenfox , @hasty-desert , @oceanside-pixie , @lianreine , @h3apm3ch4n151m , @cecilebutcher , @ayachansan , @roseapov , @randomlyappearingartist , @serenity-loves-red , @wonderlandcrown , @nightw-izhu , @moonlight-nightwing , @lorkai , @lucid-stories , @morokumi, @lloyura , @juliechi , @noemiaaomi , @eternal-ways @stingywiththeirusername , @00hellohello00 , @bougrell , @akumo-shioki , @beutifulthingsiadore, @kchan3s , @aryuunachigiri , @literallyangy , @sxftiebee

The sound of hard and fast footsteps echoed in the hallway. You suddenly opened the wooden door. The dark-skinned man sitting in the room was startled by your sudden opening of the door. However, he grinned when he saw that it was you who entered.

“Oh my little imp~ what wind brought you here?”

He opened his arms affectionately. However, you did not answer. You closed the circuit breaker of the room. Then you drew the curtains.

“Uh Y/n?”

After looking around for a while, you sat on the chair across from him.

“Please give me your phone.” You said coldly.

“Uh Y/n, you are acting really weird right now-“

You cut him off.

“Please give me your phone and any recording device you have, otherwise I am not responsible for what happens Sam-san.”

He gave you his phone in confusion. After closing up his phone , you threw the file in your hand on the table between the two of you.

“This?”

“I will be frank. We both know you sent this, Sam-san. The seal gives you away, I think you used it. To get me to come to you. Explain. Is what it says here true?”

The dark skinned man grinned. He leaned back in his chair.

“Look, I don’t know what you’re talking about-“

You pulled a check from your pocket and placed it on the table.

“Talk.”

The man’s eyes lit up when he saw the check.

“Oh, they really pay you well, huh? Okay, let’s talk then. Yes, I sent it and you know I do my job well, everything it says there is true.”

You clenched your teeth . You tensed up because you heard something you didn’t want to hear, but you had to stay calm.

“Someone must have asked you to send me these documents, otherwise I don’t think you would send me this just to do me a favor. Tell me, who was the client who asked you to look into these documents and send them to me?”

“Oh, my little devil, please you’re breaking my heart. I’m not that bad of a person, but yes, a client of mine asked me to look into this, but I can’t tell you who it is.”

“How much do you want?”

“Oh sweetie, I can’t answer this question even if you give me your entire bank account, I’m sorry. Another question?”

“Why? Why would they do something like that? The executives… why would they frame me? What have I ever done to them?” You were trying to control your voice.

“Well, I don’t know. No one knows what’s going through those maniacs minds. But it’s not a complete lie, I mean I’m talking about your blood relationship with that man-“

“I eliminated that man, and as my first duty! I didn’t even know about that man… until I got my hands on these documents. But I never betrayed the organization. Why?.. so who knows about the current situation?”

“So as far as I know, the executives naturally. Me, you and my Client.”

“So are you and your client on my side?”

“I don’t know about my client, but I only care about my money and of course it depends on the risk involved.”

You stood up. You adjusted your suit.

“You won’t tell anyone about our conversation today, Sam-san. Also, I have a job for you. I want you to report to me every step the executives take. Understood? if you do anything wrong-“

You took out your voice recorder from your pocket.

“I’ll drag you with me. Understood? Good. If anyone asks, I was here for the tea.”

You walked towards the door. Sam stood up at your words.

“Hey, how am I supposed to follow all of them at the same time? Hey Y/n!”

He tried to protest. You turned around before leaving.

“That’s your problem. And I’ll pay you as much as I can, don’t worry.”

And you left the information dealer alone in the room.

-

As you walked towards your office, you noticed that the door wasn’t locked. When you opened the door, you were met with Deuce. The moment you entered, the navy-haired Heartslabyul boy turned to you.

“Deuce? Why are you here?”

“Oh, hello Y/n. Trey-san made a strawberry cake. He asked me to bring it to you.”

“I see. Thank you…”

Your eyes drifted to the potted plant behind Deuce. He was busy with it until he noticed you had entered.

“By the way, how did you get in?”

“Oh, the door was unlocked.”

The door was unlocked , you thought to yourself.

“I see. If there’s nothing else, I’ll see you off. Don’t make Riddle-san mad with your absence, hmm?”

You tried to send him off.

“Oh, yeah…Right. See you then, Y/n.”

After sending the navy-haired boy away, you slowly walked towards the potted plant. You slowly started to water the plant.

You found the small black device you were looking for among the leaves. I found it, you said to yourself. Apparently there was an extra camera in your office. An unwanted camera…

- Current Timeline

“Look at the state of yourself . You’re a complete mess .” The black-haired beautiful boy criticized you.

“As if I care that much.” You replied indifferently. You were checking the cables of the machines while eating your sandwich.

“By the way, it was almost impossible to get into the city. I would like to point out that they have posted men at all the entrances and exits. How do you plan on getting out?”

The black-haired boy spoke again.

“That’s my problem Neige, just focus on your job.”

“…what exactly did you do that the entire mafia is after you right now? You’re the most talked topic in the underworld right now.”

You didn’t answer. You just focused on your job.

“Hey, I provided you with all that food, water, clothes, weapons and vehicle. Can I at least get a proper answer?”

Neige whined. But you just ignored him.

“By the way, this is an old abandoned place? What are we doing in this amusement park?”

The black-haired assassin asked.

“We’ll hunt.” You replied. You had completed the final checks by now.

“We’ll hunt? Aren’t you the one being hunted? Besides, you’re injured.”

“Just do what I said. I’ve already paid you and your boss owes me. Besides I thought you wanted to see Vil-san.”

The young assassin opened his mouth to say something but chose to remain silent.

“Whatever. Look, the plan is that either Ignihyde or Pomefiore will most likely attack. Diasomnia usually prefers to be the last one to show up . Your job is to help me escape from Vil-san, okay? It’s that simple.”

You explained your plan to him.

“They will catch you anyway. Why are you running away? Nonsense.”

You took a deep breath.

“I wish your mouth was as pretty as your face… Just do what I say, you understand.”

The young assassin shrugged and you two started to wait.

“Here they come.” You said as you watched the footage of the camera you had repaired

“You’re lucky. Vil-san came too.” You said as you cut the cable of the camera you had repaired earlier.

“Uh, why did you only fix one camera and then cut the cable again?”

Neige pointed to the cable you had cut.

“There’s a good chance they’ll split up and someone will come here to check. Anyway, let’s get to work.”

-

“So, they are hiding here?”

The Rookie assassin asked as he got out of the car.

“Mmh. According to the road records we got, yes.” The blonde sniper confirmed.

“Anyway, there’s only one entrance and exit to this place, and that’s here. Rook, you stay here. Epel, you’re coming with me.”

The Pomefiore executive said.

“I can do this job on my own-“

Epel tried to object.

“Are you stupid? Even though they are injured, Y/n was trained by Divus Crewel himself. If you go one-on-one with them, your chances of winning are very low.”

Vil stopped him.

“I don’t think there’ll be any problems. If there’s a problem, we’ll notice it through our communication devices. Let him do what he wants.”

The sniper intervened. The blonde manager sighed.

“Okay. But your communication device will always be on, is that clear?”

-

The young assassin walked forward with confident steps. What a big amusement park, he thought. He headed towards a tent that looked like a large circus tent that caught his eye up ahead. Perhaps the person he was looking for was here.

Y/n L/n is the right-hand man of Boss Crowley, the apple of eye of the executives, and according to some rumors, Crowley's heir. Before Epel met them. he found them annoying. He thought it was ridiculous that all executives were circling around one person, but after meeting them , he understood why. Y/n wasn't perfect, but there was something about them that drew people to them, something he couldn't quite put his finger on...

Y/n was affectionate, they would intervene whenever Vil would scold him or punish him. Sometimes they would bring him gifts from their business trips. They would have regular movie nights with the other rookies…but everything was ruined. Y/n ruined everything. They betrayed them...

When Epel entered the big tent, he was sure that it was an old circus tent. He started looking around… I guess they are not here, he thought to himself. He had just turned around when something fell on him from above. Someone.

The young assassin jumped back reflexively.

He was speechless when he saw the person in front of him.

“Oh, it’s just you. I thought it was Vil-san and got excited. Anyway, let’s finish this quickly.”

Neige LeBlanche. The best assassin in the underworld outside of Vil. The assassin who was always compared to Vil by many people. Just like Vil’s nickname was Poisoned Apple, Neige’s was Snow White. He was also the assassin of the rival mafia.

“So Y/n really did betray us, huh?” Epel said nervously.

The black-haired assassin didn’t answer. He just smiled…

-

Vil walked forward with firm and confident steps. For some reason, he had a feeling that the person he was looking for would be here, in the mirror maze. He stopped and focused. There were faint footsteps…they are here, he thought to himself.

He focused on where the footsteps were coming from…Clank!

“Oh, I broke the wrong mirror.” And again, and again…

The sound of mirrors breaking echoed through the maze.

And again, Clank!

You jumped back.

“Oh, I found you!” He grinned mischievously, like a child who had finally gotten a toy he had wanted for a long time.

He swung his dagger at your injured shoulder, but you managed to dodge.

“Bastard.” You said.

He grinned. You dodged as he attacked.

You could have attacked him if you wanted, but no. Vil’s goal was to distract you. You had to focus on and avoid his attacks . At least until Neige came.

Vil’s nickname wasn’t poisoned apple for nothing. He would kill his victims by poisoning them. He would also poison most of the weapons he used. So that dagger should never touch you.

You jumped back again. But suddenly Vil stopped.

“Look at you, nch nch nch… you are a mess. How much can you resist me, hmm? Besides, you are injured. If you surrender, even though you are a traitor, I can help you with your punishment. ”

“Traitor? Oh no, you are the one who betrayed. You betrayed me! All of you! I am only saving myself.” You said harshly.

Vil’s face tightened when he heard the word betrayal.

“We didn’t betray you. We just took precautions.”

You laughed unwillingly at his words.

“Precautions? Who do you think you are kidding? I heard those conversations with my own ears. Whether you accept it or not. You stabbed me from my back . I was going to be declared a traitor one way or another.”

Vil started to attack aggressively again, and you got defensive.

Where was Neige?..

Vil tried to hit your injured shoulder again, and just as you were about to retreat, a voice came.

“Vil-san!”

Neige LeBlance had finally arrived.

You backed away while Vil was distracted by the voice.

The black-haired assassin quickly attacked the blonde assassin.

“You’re late,” you said.

“Sorry, I ran into a little rookie on the way. Well, the rest is up to me. You can leave.” Neige replied.

“So you’re working with RSA, huh? And you’re saying you didn’t betray us!” Neige’s presence was more than enough to drive Vil crazy. You knew that very well. That was one of the reasons you wanted Neige. He was Vil’s greatest enemy.

You grinned and ran away from the mirror maze.

-

As you expected, you saw the blonde sniper at the entrance. He was waiting cross-legged.

He must have noticed your arrival because he stood up and smiled. There were only a few meters between you.

“It’s been a long time, huh? You have no idea how much I missed you.”

“I suggest you run, Rook. Vil obviously placed you here just in case, but I advise you not to waste time with me. I don’t know how your little rookie Epel is doing right now.”

The blonde man’s eyebrow rose at your words.

“What do you mean by ‘I don’t know’?”

You grinned to break the sniper’s composure.

“It’s true that I can’t ‘harm’ him, but who knows what an enemy assassin might do to him? If I were you, I’d hurry up and find him, otherwise…” you didn’t finish the sentence. Your words were enough to make the sniper nervous.

He looked at you one last time.

“You’ll get caught sooner or later, you know that.”

He said and walked away to find the young rookie as soon as possible.

And as for you, You got into the car you asked Neige to provide for you and drove away.

-

“Agh! You’ve got to be kidding me!” Ashton Vargos, once again frustrated, took the money from his losing bet out of his wallet and reluctantly handed it to Sam.

“It’s going pretty well so far, huh? But some people seem to be in a bad mood.” Crowley sipped his tea.

“Stop messing with Crewel, Crowley.”

Mozus Trein said.

“Trein-sensei, I didn’t do anything.” Crowley said mischievously.

“ You are truly the devil himself .” Trein sighed.

“You’re breaking my heart, Trein-sensei. I’m a real gentleman. Everyone knows that.” Crowley said, his voice wasn’t like the voice of someone who was upset, but rather a mocking tone.

“Of course, whatever you say. It's not like you killed the previous Boss and framed Ramshackle, who was the biggest threat to your seat. Now you're doing the same to them ... are you having fun?" Mozus Trein said. His voice was calm, perhaps because of his age.

"Very much. I'm having so much fun."

[thebenjiblackwoodexpress]

Devil's Snare part.2

Aemond Targaryen x Reader

Description: Having realised that he's fallen in love with his handmaiden, Aemond tries to sway her heart to him despite her shy and introverted disposition. But he quickly finds that her heart is not easily won. Can the Prince succeed in winning his Lady with an unlikely combination of books, Vhagar, and advice from his sister Helaena.

Part 1 Part 3

Writer's note: thank you to everyone who read and enjoyed part 1. Hoping this doesn't stray too far from the direction you want it to go in. I have another part planned but would also welcome suggestions :)

Warnings: female reader, dual-pov narrative, slow-burn, mention of Granny Vhagar (she deserves her own trigger warning), lots of angst and lots of fluff too, pining, potentially ooc Aemond (although our Lord and saviour Ewan Mitchell agrees he's really just a Teddy Bear). Lengthy as always because if there's one thing I can't do it's get to the point.

Y/N huffed in frustration as she tried to replicate the braided hairstyle Helaena's handmaiden had shown her to little success. She tended to wear her hair in the same practical style each day, not having much skill in this regard. But her newfound intimacy with the Princess had led her to a friendship with her maid, who had a particular skill for elaborate hairstyles. Realising she would be late to her morning duties should she restart, she tied off the braid and set off for Prince Aemond's chambers. In truth, she now preferred to arrive at the Prince's chambers early so she could greet him for the day before he headed off to the training yard and she wouldn't see him again until that evening.

They had come to form what Y/N supposed could be considered a friendship, if any such relationship could exist between a servant and a Prince. Though she could not help her natural timidity, which prevented her from ever feeling truly comfortable in his presence and often prone to stuttering over her words. Prince Aemond seemed more than willing to accommodate this facet of her personality. He always listened to her so attentively, never interrupting her when she stumbled over her words as others often did in frustration.

With the gentle encouragement of Prince Aemond and his sister the Princess Helaena, Y/N had slowly begun to come more and more out of her shell. She recalled only a few nights ago how the Prince had made her laugh so carelessly, completely forgetting her introverted tendencies. He had been kind enough to lend her books from his private collection as she became more comfortable with reading under Helaena's guidance, and he had explicitly told her to select any that should interest her. As she was dusting the upper shelves in his chambers one evening she'd reached for an ornate tome of red leather that she could now tell concerned dragons. Y/N had always been fascinated with the creatures, thinking them godlike and otherworldly and was eager to learn more about them now that this was possible. It took a few attempts of her reaching as far as she could on tiptoe for her fingertips to even graze the spine of the book, it being on the top shelf and Y/N eventually resorted to jumping for it to no avail. Giving up with a huff to blow the hair that had escaped from her braid out of her face, she startled to see a hand reach for the book she'd wanted.

It had amused Aemond no small amount to see his handmaiden's ill fated attempts to reach the book she wanted from his shelves but he'd quickly stepped towards her as she'd made a jump for it, not wishing her to do anything which might cause her injury. He felt a satisfying sense of pride at being able to be of assistance to her, extending his own arm for the red book which he easily reached with his tall stature. It gratified him to feel she might have need of him and that he could be someone she looked to. Handing it out to her, he smiled encouragingly as he saw what volume had taken her interest this time. "So it is dragons you wish to read of? Have they long held your interest Y/N?" Taking the book from him, Y/N's eyes lit with a spark of uncontained excitement Aemond had rarely seen in his handmaiden. "I have since I was a young girl, they are such magnificent creatures. So beautiful and yet so powerful."

Humming in agreement at her assessment, Aemond's smile only grew as he leaned his head closer to her. "Would you like to meet one? I should be glad to introduce you to mine own, Vhagar." Y/N's face paled slightly at his suggestion. "I think I would be terrified if I were to actually meet a dragon in the flesh, My Prince. But I thank you for your most generous offer." Aemond feigned a pensive look for a moment. "I wouldn't be so sure of that, Y/N the fierce dragon rider has a certain ring to it? Does it not?" Aemond's heart swelled at the sweet sound of her laughter, the laughter he had provoked from his shy girl. And yet, he wished her to know that she would never have been in any danger had she taken him up on his offer, Vhagar would heed his commands and surely sense the importance this girl held for her rider. Looking at her earnestly as her laughter quietened, he spoke in a tone he hoped would convey the truth of his words. "You would always be safe with me, Y/N."

Y/N felt her heart flutter at the memory of Prince Aemond's words and as she passed along the halls of the Red Keep she briefly wondered what the Prince might think of her new hairstyle. She almost scoffed at herself for the ridiculousness of the thought, unsure of where it had even come from. As if the Prince should ever think of her hair, or indeed think of her at all when she was gone from his sight. Y/N looked down to ensure she did not trip in her haste as she neared the Prince's chambers. Just as she rounded the corner to his chambers she collided with a hard figure, letting out a yelp and closing her eyes tightly as she braced for a fall. Arms quickly wrapped around her to stop her momentum, one encircling her waist, the other wrapping around her shoulders. Y/N opened her eyes to find it was the Prince Aemond himself holding her and she smiled sheepishly up at him in embarrassment at the situation they found themselves in.

"I apologise My Prince, I was not looking where I was going." Quirking his lip up at her, Aemond pulled Y/N back up but maintained a gentle hold on her elbows to steady her. "I am only glad I was here to catch you little one." Y/N blushed at that and turned away from him slightly to hide it. A second later the Prince had let go of her entirely, taking a step back.

"I will see you later, Y/N."

Y/N tried to look anywhere but at Prince Aemond's eyes as she nodded.

"Yes, My Prince. I wish you a good day."

The Prince wasted no time in turning on his heels to stalk away from her and she could not help but feel that perhaps she had made him angry.

Aemond had waited in his chambers longer than was usual that morning, hoping to catch even a brief glimpse of his pretty handmaiden before he left to spend the day training with Ser Criston. He'd noticed she had begun to arrive earlier at his chambers and he felt hope surge in him that perhaps she sought him out, that she might enjoy their conversations as he did. When she did not show and he could tarry no longer he let out a growl of frustration and practically stormed from his room. Coming round a corner at such a great speed Aemond's eyes widened in alarm as he smacked straight into the very girl who consumed his thoughts. Quickly wrapping his arms around her so she would not fall, he frantically ran his eyes down her form to reassure himself he had not hurt her.

Aemond was momentarily stunned as Y/N opened her eyes and graced him with a sweet smile that had him tightening his hold on her, relishing the feeling of holding her in his arms. He scoffed inwardly at her apology, he had been only too happy to catch her, and had hoped to amuse her with his playful response. But as her cheeks reddened to a deep scarlet and she turned her face away from him, he relented. He pulled her to stand upright, though he could not help maintaining a light hold on her elbows in case she should stumble. Aemond did so love to see her blush, having convinced himself it must mean he had some power to affect her as she did him. But he did not wish to embarass her and cause her to put any more distance between them. He felt keenly that there was a wide enough chasm already.

The Prince tried to keep his tone even and remove any hint of the frustration he felt. He had begun to fear the worst, that Y/N would never feel truly comfortable with him, and if that were the case how could she ever learn to love him? Was he truly so displeasing to her, so terrifying? Anger coursed through his veins at the blow he had been dealt by the Seven in losing his eye, a disfigurement which he feared would also cost him the love of the woman before him, which he had come to covet above all else. Not wishing to show his already timid handmaiden his anger, he took his leave quickly.

Y/N gnawed on her bottom lip in her anxiety. She'd been stewing the entire day over her brief meeting with Prince Aemond that morning and inwardly cursing herself for her reaction to his simply helping her. It had clearly angered him, though she knew not why. She found herself wishing she were not so timid, that she could meet his gaze more easily, not stutter so much when she spoke to him. But the Seven had made her so and she could not see her natural disposition disappearing anytime soon. Nevertheless, she endeavoured to present a more welcoming figure when he returned to his chambers that evening and mend any infraction she had inadvertently caused.

As Prince Aemond reentered his chambers for the evening, Y/N turned to greet him with a warm smile lighting her face. "Good evening, My Prince. I trust you had a pleasant day." Y/N often greeted him as such, and the Prince would always readily respond with details of his training with the knight Ser Criston. She had hoped that falling into their normal routine would smooth over any irritation he might still feel towards her, but the smile fell from her face as he only continued to stand in the doorway staring at her. They passed a few moments in silence before Aemond spoke, so softly she had to strain to hear him. "You've changed your hair." That had been the last thing she'd expected him to say to her and she felt her heartbeat increase at the fact that he had noticed.

"The Princess Helaena had her maid show me some braiding techniques when I expressed an interest. She is kind to me."

"It is lovely." At Prince Aemond's words Y/N felt her cheeks burn and butterflies erupt in her stomach. But she forced herself not to shy away from his complement, lest she offend him as she had that morning.

"Thank you, My Prince. I am glad you should think so." Aemond's already handsome features lit up in a genuine smile, seemingly content at her accepting his compliment.

"You are always lovely."

Y/N's mouth parted slightly in surprise. Complimenting a change in hairstyle was one thing, calling her lovely another entirely. She could not understand his motivation for such a compliment, and felt immediately suspicious of it, despite the wild beating of her treacherous heart. She was just a servant girl, and could not possibly hope to have any claim to the heart of a Prince, so what did he mean by calling her lovely? Not knowing how to respond for the best,  Y/N bystepped his words altogether and cleared her throat awkwardly. "I had the wine you requested brought up, it is on the console, and the books you requested brought from the library are on your desk. Will there be anything else this evening, My Prince?"

Y/N watched with regret as the Prince visibly stiffened at her cold tone, his eyebrows furrowed slightly in confusion. "That will be all, Y/N."

"My Prince", with a deferential curtsy she strode past Prince Aemond. Y/N quickly grew ashamed of her suspicion in him and her subsequent rudeness as she saw him cast his head down and shift to let her pass.

"I cannot sway her heart to me, Sister. Everytime I believe I have made progress, it is quickly followed by another mistake on my part which only seems to push her farther away from me." Aemond had sought his sister's advice, following his disastrous attempt at complimenting Y/N. He feared he had only made her uncomfortable given her cold reaction. He felt pained at the possibility it was him she found so objectionable, as opposed to an ill advised compliment.

Helaena looked thoughtful as she considered her brother's words. "What have you attempted so far to win her affections, brother?"

Aemond reccounted everything he had tried to do to make Y/N more comfortable around him. He'd hoped to build a friendship with her at first as a conduit for expressing his true romantic affections for her at a time when she would be more amenable to this.

He watched as Helaena pondered for an agonisingly long time on the correct response. But as a woman he expected she would be able to find a solution more ably than he could. "I think you should find a way to spend more time with her. You say it is normally only in the mornings and the evenings that you are together for a very brief time. Perhaps with more time spent in your company she will grow accustomed to your attentions and develop her own affections for you in turn." Aemond thought Helaena's suggestion wise and one he should have considered earlier. All this time he had been so concerned with ensuring he did not overstep any lines with Y/N, so very aware of her shy disposition, that he had not tried to orchestrate any more interactions than those she was already used to. But perhaps he needed to try a more direct approach to win his handmaiden over to him. He quickly developed a plan Helaena would have rejected out of hand had he voiced it.

For the second time that day, Y/N was frantically preparing tea in the kitchens, nestled in the lower levels of the Red Keep. Careless in her haste, she accidentally tipped some of the hot water she'd been pouring onto her hand. Letting out a string of curses, she quickly applied some cold water until she could no longer feel the sting so keenly, then hurried to set the already cooling tea on a tray, aware of the distance between the kitchens and the royal chambers where she needed to be. Prince Aemond had started to ask for tea to be brought to him twice a day about a week ago, having never expressed any inclination for it before. It did create some challenges for Y/N in trying to ensure the Prince's tea was delivered to him hot, all the while having to cross such a great distance in the Keep to do so.

And yet he always asked her to sit with him as he drank his tea, asking her various questions about herself, her childhood, her likes and dislikes. His line of questioning was often quite strange to Y/N, asking her what colours she liked best, whether she preferred the colder or warmer months, what flowers were her favourite. She had not thought any of these things about her should interest a Targaryen Prince. But she could not find it in herself to be irritated with his regular requests for tea, as she had come to look forward to these moments with Aemond. She did not know when she'd begun to think of him so informally, as Aemond rather than the Prince. It seemed to occur naturally over time as their tentative friendship grew and she spent more time in his presence. If Y/N was being completely honest with herself she'd even begun to harbour somewhat romantic feelings for the Prince. Blushing every time he met her gaze or their fingers grazed as she handed him his tea, she was sure he'd find her ridiculous if he should ever find out.

Rushing into his chambers, aware she'd taken much longer to deal with her burn, she began setting the tea before Aemond, stiffening as she heard him speak behind her.

"What is this?" His eyes had fallen on her injured hand and he spoke tensly...dangerously. "Did someone hurt you?"

Y/N quickly moved to dispell this theory as she noted how his hand clenched and jaw tightened. "No, My Prince. It is only a small burn. I was not careful enough when handling the tea this afternoon in my haste to make sure it arrived still warm." At her answer a look of pain seemed to cross the Prince's face as he stood, gently taking her hand in his to assess her injury. She realised she did not like to see him so distressed over her. "It is only a little thing. It will heal."

Gazing down at her, his own good eye boring into her own, a penitent look fell over his features. "I do not much like tea. You do not need to bring it to me any longer. I would not have you hurt yourself again on my account."

Y/N was confused for a mere moment before anger took its place. She had thought it strange when he'd begun to ask for tea so regularly, having never expressed an inclination for it before. And here she'd been running about the Keep several times a day, trying and even burning herself in the attempt to fulfill his request when the kitchens were so far from his chambers on the upper levels of the Keep. Only to find he did not even enjoy the tea. Why would he do such a thing? She roughly ripped her hand from his hold, stepping back from him even as he began to follow her. "Were you laughing at me? Was it a mere jest to watch me run about the Keep all day for no reason?" She did not know where she'd found her courage, or perhaps the audacity to address the Prince in such a manner.

He looked positively alarmed now at the fierceness of her glare, having never inspired it before.

"No, of course not."

"Then why?"

"I only wished to spend more time with you"

The unexpectedness of his answer halted Y/N where she stood, allowing Aemond to close the distance between them until they stood nearly chest to chest.

"With me. But why?"

Aemond moved slowly as if she could bolt at any second, perhaps giving her the chance to pull away from him again if she wished. Recapturing her hand in his, he raised it to his lips and pressed a gentle kiss on the palm of her hand where the burn was. Pulling away, he held her hand against his heart and Y/N couldn't fail to take his meaning even though he didn't say the words directly. He must have an affection for her, perhaps not so strong as that which she held for him, but still there. In this knowledge, she supposed his actions though misguided could be considered sweet. She found herself at a loss for words, her mind swimming with the possibilities of what this could mean, and the inherent dangers of having feelings for a Prince of the Seven Kingdoms as a lowly servant girl.

In the moment she felt unable to decide whether she wanted Aemond to reciprocate her feelings or not, and whether she was comfortable with his advances. He'd seemed to sense her indecision as he gazed down at her face. Releasing her hand and lowering it back to her side, he stepped back from her until he was leaning against a side table. He was always so respectful of her, attentively watching for any signs of her discomfort and responding in kind. She was torn, wanting to reach for him again but knowing within her heart that nothing good could come of their feelings for one another. Better to repress them now rather than let them continue to grow and inevitably lead to dissapointment when he married a courtly Lady or Dornish Princess.

"Good night Y/N."

Y/N's eyes snapped up to meet Aemond's, expecting to find irritation or perhaps disspointment with her confused state. She was startled to find only steely determination in his eyes. "Good Night, My Prince." Willing herself not to turn around and look at him, in case she did something truly reckless, she headed straight for the servant's quarters.

Aemond felt more sure of himself than he ever had that he could win Y/N's love. He felt certain she already harboured an affection for him, she was only indecisive on whether to act on it, perhaps unsure of his intentions. This was understandable and he would seek to remedy it, for he had seen how her eyes had softened as he'd kissed her hand, how she had subconsciously curled her hand around his tunic once he'd placed it against his heart, as if to pull him closer to her. But watching her inner turmoil play out in her expressions and in her silence, he resolved to be patient, stepping back from her to allow her space to think. He loved her and was now convinced she at least held some feelings for him, in the end it did not matter how long it took to convince her of the fact.

@sapphiresandferrari

@pinkykats-place

@superintenseart

@callsigncrushx

@idonotknowenglish

@lportes-22

@misspinkonmars

[moonsaver]

Do you have any thoughts about the opposite of the "Im afraid to confess because our friendship could get ruined"? As in, "I'm afraid to reject you because I don't want to lose this friendship so I accept your confession even though I don't feel that way for you and never will".

Like the protagonist tries to convince themselves that this is just like being friends only that we now kiss (and more). I feel like it would fit with a yandere that is a bit delusional or desperate, eveb insecure so whenever the protagonist doesnt seem as into this relationship as them, they just try to convince themselves otherwise, or love bomb the protagonist.

Idk lately Ive been into reversing the tropes and I found this one particularly interesting to me when it comes to a yandere. In HSR i was thinking of Argenti as he seems like the delusional type. Or even Aventurine who would have had to put down a lot of walls to be friends with you and then even more walls just to confess, so rejecting him doesnt seem like an option to the protag (out of pity and care).

THIS THIS THIS!!!! qnon ur brain is so wrinkly and soggy with brain juice..... this used to be my favorite trope at some point idk why i forgot about it i remember eating up any fanfics out there based on this

Tw: yandere (obv), manipulation, intimacy (mainly romantic, only hints of sexual), emotional blackmailing, whatever yadda yadda

But anyways, under the cut!

Okay, so, I imagine this is possible with literally... almost all of hsr's cast. Mainly because most of them have such tragic backstories, and most of them out of that have a really shrewd and cunning mind, so they'll exploit this to hell and back.

I also imagine this is with a people pleasing reader, so lets go with a bit of implication of that.

Anyways, since Aventurine and Argenti are the ones mentioned specifically, I'll probably dive in on them first.

Aventurine is so hard to not feel pity for. Every stolen glance at the marking on his neck makes you feel worse and worse for "rejecting him", knowing he's been throwing signs of wanting more than a friendship quite possibly everywhere and you're most likely ignoring them in hopes of keeping your friendship. It's not like he hasn't quite caught on, either. He knows people's hearts quite well. And where there's opportunity, he seizes it.

It's a bit frustrating for him – just why can't you see he wants more? Or rather, just why aren't you accepting him? You're the first thing on his mind when he wakes up, when he clutches his chip and bets on his life, the last thing on his mind when he goes to sleep. Hell, he's even tried to dream of you, forcefully. But then he realizes.. how easy you are to just push around. He goes ahead with the confession, and it's almost a sadistic kind of pleasure when he sees you even try and stutter out any kind of a rejection when he's leaning in a perfect angle that shows off his little marking (out of all the times he curses it, it seems like this time it's worked in his favor). He watches carefully as your eyes nervously flit to his neck and you shut up immediately for a second, before accepting. And when you do.. he's over the moon! Coddles you, kisses your cheeks, becomes so much more grabby, as his keen eyes watch your discomfort. Well.. you didn't reject him, so this is what you should expect.

Again, the frustration doesn't wear off easily, but just seeing you writhe and try to create distance while he suffocates you in affection far from platonic nature, is so sadistically pleasuring to him. He loves watching you in that state, bending to his will so easily, as he waits for you to snap. But he'll probably find it easier to squeeze water out of a rock than to squeeze a rejection out of you – which is precisely what he exploits. You're not going anywhere, are you? He puts on his best, pleading little eyes that he used to have to put on, shaking, trembling voice, desperate hands that cling to you; all the things he acts out like his life depends on it when he senses even a waver of your hesitation.

Oh, fine.. he hates seeing you so queasy almost all the time, so he'll give you a reprieve from time to time. Plans and schedules things you used to do "back when you were friends" (he emphasizes this – you don't think you can just ignore everything, right?), and makes sure to at least crack a few smiles and giggles from you. Of course.. his hand is still loosely hanging around your waist, pecks you on the lips from time to time, just as a small reminder of what you guys really are now.

Argenti on the other hand, has no awareness of your discomfort at all.

He's like a huge dog, the way he's so happy about you accepting his confession and doesn't even stop to think afterwards just why you were so hesitant during it.

Constantly praises you, and it's not soon before it gets to a more intimate nature. He wants to do all the romantic things – kissing under the rain, protecting you from something, twirling you in the air and then kissing you again after putting you down, telling everyone proudly that you two are a couple, buying more and more "romantic" gifts that turn more intimate sooner or later. You have no way out of this without completely ruining everything.

It's.. almost painful the way he doesn't realise. At some point your discomfort probably gets so.. obvious, but he just shrugs it off; perhaps he hasn't been paying you enough attention? Or you're just too shy to ask something of him? Oh, how sweet! How adorable! He thinks. He simply falls deeper and deeper into this delusion, stringing you along and stretching your patience thin. Unfortunately, unlike Aventurine, you can't find most, if any bits of the things you both used to do as platonic companions in the relationship you have with Argenti. He's just a full-blown romantic who wants to do only that. It makes you even more queasy when people look at you in pity, if they realize just what happened between you two.

You can't back out, even if you tried. If you somehow manage to find a way to squeeze out a rejection, or have any kind of a reservation about things getting more intimate/romantic stuff, he's so devastated. Did he do something wrong? Perhaps he's not as experienced as you wanted him to be? Or you're not satisfied with some of the things he's said? Don't fret, he's right on it! Constantly holding you so close you're afraid your bones will break, whispering incessant praises into your ear that slowly spiral into affirmations that you belong to him, spoiled rotten with everything you want; yet, even then.. you can't shake off the intention they were given in. Not when you're suffocated by it.

[sensei-venus]

@gemini-sensei, suddenly had this idea.

What if Reader ends up dating Miguel after he dated Sam. Their relationship is going good but in the back of Reader’s mind she can't help but think about Sam. Sam is still good friends with the both of them, but every time Reader looks her way her mind starts going. She wonders how much Miguel actually enjoyed dating her.

Did he enjoy dating her?

What did he like the most about her?

Did she stack up the their past relationship together?

It's just a mess of random ideas that start going through her head. She tries her best to ignore all of those thoughts, holding Miguel’s hand a little tighter and kissing him gently. Looking at him with so much love.

But things change when they are in bed together.

She's riding him after a long day. She had picked him up from training earlier that day and they were now back at her place. Both of them were tired and stressed from just a hard day of working. Reader just wants to take out all of her stress including the anxiety that has been building up for weeks now. She’s so tired of it all, thinking about Sam and Miguel for so long. It's bubbling up as the minutes go by. Her hips are sputtering as she bounces on his dick. Sweat dripped down her body with even the slightest movement.

Miguel is digging his fingers into the fat of her sides. He gripped at her belly trying to get some kind of purchase to hold onto. He's grunting and moaning as he watches her through half-lidded eyes. Watching her work herself on top of him.

“Gonna cum on this dick. Cream all over it because it's mine, no body else. It's all mine.” she grunts out as she wiggles her hips. The sloppy sound of her pussy meeting the air.

“I bet she never made you feel like this, made you feel the way I make you feel. I bet she never got this dick as hard as it is now.” the words are crude.

Miguel's eyes open faster as the words keep spewing out of his girlfriend's lips. He has no idea where this is all coming from. He doesn't even really know who she's talking about. Whatever she is talking about is news to him.

Before he can try and say something his eyes are rolling back into his skull as he jerks. His balls twitch as he orgasms. Reader moans with one last bounce before she's cumming too. Collapsing on top of him in a big Huff. They both shake as they ride out their afterglow together.

Miguel rubs her back gently as they both pant. Relaxing into each other.

“Who were you talking about? That wasn't apart of your normal dirty talk I know it.”

Reader chews at her lips. She really didn't want to say anything out loud. She knew her feelings of slight insecurity where stupid. She didn't hate Sam and she definitely didn't hate Miguel. She wasn't mad at him for having sex with his previous girlfriend. Sex was a natural thing, especially at their age. But she couldn't lie to him about it. Keeping the burden of those feelings was bad for her.

“I….I was talking about Sam, you and Sam…”

Miguel was shocked for a split second before almost laughing. This made Reader look up at him, more sadness weighing on her. Maybe her feelings were right somewhat. Maybe Sam was better than she was. Maybe Miguel had more fun in bed with Sam than her.

“Babe, I never even had sex with Sam.”

“What?”

“Yep, we never had sex. We where so busy all the time with school and training, even with hanging out with our friends. We just never had the time not to mention our parents, especially her dad. If you want me to be honest all we did was make out… and I touched her ass a few times, maybe felt her tit up but that's as far as we got, I promise.”

Now she felt stupid for even letting those thoughts get to her in the first place. He just admitted to her that he never even slept with Sam while they where dating.

Then she was even more shocked.

“Wait so I was-”

“Yep, you where my first, well everything really.”

Reader blinked back tears while her lip trembled a little in a smile. She stuffed her face into his chest. Mumbling out “Oh Miggy!” Miguel chucked as he hugged her naked body to his. He kissed at the top of her head as they lay together.

Maybe it was a good thing she had said something, even if it was at an unexpected time.

(I'm making a part two of this I promise😈)

[lovelyyandereaddictionpoint]

Yandere Witch /// Part 2

Part 1

The great part about Rhiana the Witch’s cozy cottage outside that small town was the privacy. Not just when her most wriggly meals ran; but because it was purposefully hidden. The faerie circles just outside the town messed with maps and satellites making her little place a safe haven from the enemies and ex-lovers experiments she’d made over her many centuries of being alive. But now that she was leaving to get closer to you, she was uncomfortably exposed. 

“Hey Rhi-Rhi you okay? You’ve looked so nervous since I picked you up.”

“Oh I’m fine it’s just all these people make me so nervous.”

“I guess it is kind of overwhelming.”

“Maybe you can take me somewhere private. Like your place maybe?”

She thinks it’s worth the risk as she��s allowed to use the same excuse to cling to your side. Pretend to be distraught when she gets hit on to have you pretend to be dating to drive off desperate and confident weirdos. She eats that up. Unfortunately though, her open fawning over you leaves her unguarded from soul searches. An old technique lovers of olde used to unite over long periods. Naturally, trouble just happens to be in the 500-meter radius and is well off enough to get in close to foil her plans.

“Hello there. I’m your new neighbor. I wanted to introduce myself to everyone since I’m completely new to the area.”

“Oh hi, nice to meet you! I’m (Y/n) and this is Rhi–”

“(Y/n) you don’t have to introduce me I’m only visiting.”

“That’s such a shame Rhiana. I would’ve hoped we could…get to know each other better.”

Trouble is one of her craziest exes–Narciness. He was a nymph and she was a witch. Back then, it made sense that they were perfect for one another. Both were a gorgeous couple, immortal and with plenty of magic. Not to mention he didn’t even mind that she ate humans for her youthful appearance. But it just wasn’t right for Rhea. Just as his name would suggest there was a deep-seated and well-masked narcissism that showed its ugly head at the worst times. She ultimately took the very mature option that she’s learned over the centuries when it comes to major obstacles. She ran. 

“Nice to see you again Rhiana. It’s always nice to know my girlfriend decided to disappear from me the last few centuries!”

“Quit whining. I left you a note didn’t I?”

“A note cursed to explode with a memory-wipe spell the second I finished it. If I didn’t know any better I’d say you were trying to leave me.”

“Oh genius, you’re finally getting it!”

“That can’t be right! You and I��we’re perfect together! And you instead cheat on me with the most imperfect human!”

“Do not ever talk about my (Y/n) like that!”

She’s almost glad he’s crazy enough not to hide his intentions. Had he been cut from the same cloth as she-she would have kept silent until after she devoured her prey. But Narciness is an idiot who so clearly had it out for you that she wouldn’t let him live another day without singing your praises. Unfortunately, the thing about killing a nymph is that it wasn’t easy, a child of the old powers of nature. He’s survived a lot of things and can withstand some of Rhea’s most fatal potions. And especially when she’s far from home spending time with you, she’s a little shorthanded. So she’ll come up with another remedy. 

“Hey Narc, I didn’t know you went shopping here.”

“I think instead of solely getting the organic stuff I figured I’d swing by here every once in a while. The gallery is truly immaculate.”

“Good for you. C’mon (Y/n) we’re going to miss our movie.”

“Oh right! Well, it was nice seeing you, Narc!”

“Oh (Y/n) before you go, there's something I wanted to tell you.”

“What?”

“I just love your smile.”

“Oh, thanks !”

“Let’s go, (Y/n).”

The thing she found that sparked her attraction to him was his smile. It lit up the room like yours and in the end, it’ll be what protects you from his violent protections of ‘their relationship’. Unfortunately, now that she’s used a spell to shift his affection she’ll have to figure out some way to end his life before he turns violent against her. Too bad it’ll be hard to figure out in the span of two days. Now she can miss her plane and extend her stay a little while but it’s just not enough time. Not enough time for her to make sure ‘Narc’ doesn’t try anything, she’ll have to do something drastic. 

“Narciness I was hoping we could find some common ground.”

“With you? Babe, didn’t I tell you I was done? Your old news.”

“For you, I might be but I’m the hottest thing in (Y/n)’s world.”

“...I see. So we’re officially competing then. Would you like to fight this out now?”

“I’d like to try something new. A gesture of peace, if you will.”

“...oven mitts? You plan to make me bake? Why would I concern myself with such a lowly task?”

“Did I tell you (Y/n) has a sweet tooth?”

“...”

Rhea the Witch considers herself lucky her ex considered cooking for himself as a job for ‘someone uglier than him.’ She’s also glad she gets to stay another day due to food poisoning. Who knew nymphs gave witches so much nausea?

“Oh Rhea were you eating that bloody meat again? I keep telling you that rare steak is great but you got to make sure it’s at least cooked a little bit.”

“I know hon. I should really think about maintaining my diet better.”

“Yeah, I’m just glad this is happening now. Instead of on a plane or bus where I wouldn’t be there for you.”

“Yes…(Y/n) what do you think about me staying another week or so. So many things keep happening, it feels as though fate is telling me.”

She may have some serious indigestion but you were hers and the threat was…toast. For Rhea, her reward was being pampered by you. Finally able to rest with her love by her side. Nothing was better and nothing could bother her. Not even the distant thought of the new owner to the place next door. 

“I noticed your plants. I’m not a huge fan of nature but maybe you can show me the ropes. What do you say, neighbor?”

[fallenprophets]

midnight, lose my mind

rust cohle x reader

» can be read as a prequel or sequel to televangelism but doesn't have to be

» summary: although you and rust have been "together" for a while now, you've never kissed- and you're perfectly fine with this fact. only now, he seems to want to try.

» warnings: mentions of sex but that's it

» a/n: soooo self indulgent. literally don't know what came over me when i wrote this. listened to lorde and sydney ross mitchell on LOOP. yk. like a normal person

»»»»

I’m not sure how or when our relationship evolved into what it is now. It feels like only yesterday that the most intimate contact with him that I had was the moment our eyes met for a split second across the room; I was lucky if he held my gaze long enough to blink that slow blink of his. And yet here he is, all pretty and domestic, almost, sitting on my bed, shirt buttons undone, hair messy. He’s watching me where I sit on the windowsill, occasionally taking those deep drags of his from a cigarette before passing it to me. I can’t really remember when he first came over; first stayed the night. It just happened, so natural. I just know that now he’s almost always here; and when he’s not, I’m usually at his, borrowing his shirts, smoking his cigarettes. 

He hasn’t kissed me yet, though. That’s something that I think I would remember; I’ve looked at his mouth so much, ached for it. I don’t push it, though. Like him- maybe love him- too much to lose him over something so trivial. He’s done other things for me- after a few weeks, I noticed that I never ran out of cigarettes. When he came over, the dishes crowding my sink would miraculously disappear; dust stopped settling on the piles of books scattered around the living room. I found the other day that the empty first-aid kit I still keep in my bathroom had been filled. He’s even stopped smoking his usual brand of cigarettes, replaced them with the ones I said I liked. 

I don’t say anything; I don’t know if he wants me to notice, if he wants me to point it out, to thank him. For now, I enjoy it. If I’m honest with myself, I still worry that it could end at any minute; that he’ll leave before I wake up, and I’ll only see him at work, when we exchange files. 

It’s hard to believe that, though; because when I come into work, at exactly the same time every day, I find my favourite mug on my desk, filled with coffee- coffee the way I like it, with no sugar but just a little cocoa powder that I buy myself (although that has also magically stopped emptying). It’s real nice, actually. To have someone care for me in that way- to know that when I say something, like how I like my coffee or what my favourite brand of cigarettes is, he’ll file it away into a corner of his brain. 

He told me about his wife, too, the other day. I hadn’t asked; we’d been sitting in his truck, his hand on my thigh, and he’d just mentioned it, told me about his baby girl. 

I’ve never been a particularly optimistic person, but something in me knows that he won’t leave.

I shift, readjust the collar of my top. He’s still watching me in that strange way of his; like he’s trying to read my mind, to learn everything about me through the way I breathe. Not for the first time, I find myself wishing that I could reach through those murky eyes and into his mind, take out his thoughts and wrap myself in them. 

He extends an arm, and I pluck the cigarette- the packet, my favourite brand, sits next to him on the bed- from between his fingers, taking a long drag. My stomach feels strange at the feeling; it’s the closest I’ve come so far to kissing him. 

“What’re you thinkin’ about?” I ask, handing his cigarette back. A routine question, at this point in our relationship. He usually answers with something vague, sometimes that would make Marty flip, and I listen, silent, fascinated. Sometimes, I don’t even register what he’s saying; too busy watching the way his mouth moves, his throat, the slope of his shoulders; dissecting him in my mind. 

“You,” he answers after a brief pause. His gaze has fastened itself to my collarbone. 

My heart hops and skitters like a rabbit. As a teenager, I was convinced the whole butterflies-in-your-belly thing was bullshit, but I think I understand it now. 

I swallow and tilt my head at him, try to read the lines of his face in the soft light. I don’t ask him to elaborate; I like the idea of him thinking about me, of what he’s thinking exactly being his secret. Like a little piece of me, always with him. 

It’s early spring; everything is greener outside, the sun a softer shade of gold. A light breeze blows in through the open windows, stirring the curtains, his hair. I tuck my knee up, rest my chin on him as I keep staring. I’m not hiding it anymore; not the way I used to. Back when we hardly knew each other, when all we had was brief flashes of charged eye contact across the precinct and a whole lotta wantin’, Now, he’s sitting on my bed, and he’s staring at me, so I may as well return the favour. 

I don’t know how long we sit there, just looking. We’ve done it before; often, in fact, we sit in silence, taking each other in. It makes me feel the way I used to feel when I kissed someone, only much heavier, bone-deep. I joked, once, as he drove me home- windows open, cigarette between his teeth, one hand resting on my thigh- that it was our way of having sex. He’d exhaled, almost a laugh. 

Now, he puts the cigarette out in the ashtray sitting on my bed and stands. I move to do the same, swinging my legs down from the windowsill, reaching for the handle to shut the windows. Already, I assume he’s going to leave, go back to his place to beat himself up, maybe. But instead, he motions for me to stop. I do; pull my knees back up to my chest again, push the window open further. 

He sits, and automatically I stretch my legs out, rest one across his lap, the other around his waist. Automatically, he puts a hand on my thigh, rubs it with his thumb. He shifts, and his eyes meet mine, dark and murky yet so, so clear; windows into his soul, I think. 

I open my mouth to say his name, but he shakes his head. He reaches out, his hand cupping my face. His fingers find my pulse, like a reflex. He does it when we’re alone; when we’re sitting in his truck, sometimes, he’ll reach out to press his hand to my neck, feel my pulse. 

His other hand leaves my leg and goes to my throat, resting at the nape of my neck. His skin is warm, and he smells like cigarettes and my sheets. I have a lingering suspicion that the shirt he’s wearing is mine. My downstairs neighbour turns on the radio; a song starts playing, too quiet to hear the words. His mouth is pressed into a thin line, his jaw tight. 

I stay completely silent, try to control my breathing as he manoeuvres us closer to each other, until our foreheads touch. I’m painfully aware of every inch of my body that’s in contact with his; of the fact that he can feel how fast my heart is beating under his calloused fingers, that his breathing is really just as shallow as mine. His presence is warm, comforting. I give in to him immediately, even nudge closer so that our noses bump. I want to close my eyes, so I do; I wonder if he feels my eyelashes against his cheekbone, if it makes him feel a certain way. I think he closes his eyes too, at some point. 

After a few moments of this, I lift my hands from where they are in my lap. Half-open my eyes to find the collar of his shirt. I reach up, trace his chest through the few open buttons. Then I begin to undo them, tug the shirt (my shirt, I’m sure of it now- there’s a pale stain on the cuff from when I broke my nose a few years ago, where a bit of blood dripped) off his shoulders. He lets go of my face just for a moment to take it off fully, never really opening his eyes. I let my fingers trace his shoulders, the dip of his collarbone. Feel the way they rise and fall almost imperceptibly as he breathes, the way his heart beats as I press my hand flat against his chest. 

We’ve never slept together. I don’t mind it, and neither does he, I think- we have other ways of being intimate. It’s the first time he’s ever done something like this, though. Initiated this kind of physical contact.

It’s better than any kiss I’ve ever had; from anyone. It’s personal, it’s intimate, it’s for us only. 

Finally, after what feels like hours of just breathing each other in (at some point, his thumb has started to trace circles on my cheekbone; I shudder when it does, and his breath catches almost unnoticeably for a moment) he shifts, his forehead leaving mine. I’m taken aback by the way it makes me feel; the ache deep in my chest, the way my throat tightens. 

His gaze drops, for the first time ever, to my mouth. 

Somehow, I know that he’s going to kiss me, now. 

I open my mouth, to tell him that he doesn’t have to, that I don’t need him to; but the words die on my tongue as he breaks the small gap between us, pressing his mouth to mine. 

I’m not sure exactly why, but I’d always thought he would kiss harshly, hungrily, maybe a little desperate. I’d pictured him bruising my lips, tugging at my clothes. But no- the way he kisses me is unlike anything I’d pictured. It’s soft, slow, and yes, maybe a little hungry- but not the way I had predicted. He kisses the same way he talks- slow, soft- and it makes me a little breathless. 

I press my hands to the flat of his back, pulling him closer. He pulls away for a moment, just long enough to say my name almost reverently, his thumb dragging across my cheekbone before pulling his away to trace the lines of my mouth. I smile, take his hand in mine to kiss his fingertips. He cups my face again, and I lean into the palm of his hand, suddenly hungry for his warmth, for his touch. He kisses the corner of my mouth, then moves down; slow, methodical, featherlight touches of his lips across my jaw, down my throat. He stops at the center of my collarbone, kisses it. I press my nose into his hair, breathe him in, smile despite myself. 

He comes back up, kisses me on the mouth again. Then he pulls away for good, untangles himself from my legs, stands, takes a few steps away. I stay where I am, wrapping my arms around myself. The absence of his touch, so sudden, is almost painful in a pathetic way. I watch him; I can tell he’s sifting through a thousand different thoughts. My mouth, my neck, my collarbone; all still tingle from the warm, almost feverish touch of his lips. 

He sits down on the bed again, runs a hand through his hair. Finally, I stand too, walk over, sit next to him. I shift to rest my head on his shoulder; his arm finds its place around my waist. I feel him rest his cheek on my head, take a deep breath. 

“What’re you thinkin’ about?” I ask again, still breathless. 

“You.” The answer comes quickly; he doesn’t hesitate this time. And he shifts, his eyes meeting mine. He holds my gaze. 

“You stayin’ the night?” I don't feel stupid saying it, like I did the first time I asked to stay over at his. I feel comfortable, because I already know what his answer is.

“Yes.” Again, he says it quickly, like he was hoping I’d ask. I reach over to thread my fingers through his. His skin is warm. I wonder if he can feel my pulse where our hands touch. 

[jtl07]

an acting au i suppose?

"Ava?" Beatrice's call is coupled with a knock on Ava's trailer door - she knows she has permission to "just come in" but it makes her nervous not knowing what exactly will greet her on the other side (not just whether or not her presence will be welcome but, with her co-star's penchant for immediately and near explosively undressing when she returns to her trailer, whether or not Ava will be clothed enough to be deemed decent. Not that Beatrice is judging, mind, she just -) 

The door swings open to reveal Ava, wrapped in a soft robe, a grin wide and fond on her face. "You're too polite, you know that?" 

Beatrice blinks as Ava steps back to let her in. "Manners are a bad thing?" 

"Nah. It's cute. I bet you're the type to ask for permission like a dozen times before fucking a girl." 

The rush of blood to Beatrice's cheeks nearly makes her lightheaded. "I - well - consent is -" 

"Very important," Ava agrees easily as she jumps backward onto the small sofa. It dislodges her robe and Beatrice has to look up at the ceiling. "Sexy even, sure. But sometimes you just gotta take what you want." 

"I will take that into consideration," Beatrice says, voice coming out a touch strangled. 

"Anyway, what'd you want to talk about? You had your serious face on." 

Beatrice rolls her eyes, glances quickly down to check if it's safe to look - finds the robe having been adjusted to cover all of Ava's, ahem, assets - before letting her gaze fall fully on Ava. (Ignores the fact that she has found an already open bag of chips and is eating them loudly.) 

"Well it's somewhat along the lines of what you've just mentioned actually." 

A sharp choked cough has Beatrice rushing over to Ava, patting her back as she opens and hands her a water bottle. It takes a few moments for Ava to settle, wide-eyed and stunned and, to Beatrice's surprise, nervous. "What exactly do you mean, Beatrice?" 

"I mean, well, the scene that we have next week. It requires us to be … intimate." 

Ava quirks an eyebrow. "It's a kiss on the cheek." 

"Right. But it's important to my character and well," Beatrice chews briefly on her bottom lip, ducks her head, "It's important to me too." She watches as Ava's hand slowly enters her line of sight, then settle atop her own fiddling fingers. Beatrice sighs. "I just want to do it right," she whispers. 

She knows it's nothing, that in the grand scheme of the movie it's barely one second in what's likely to be over two hours of action that will far overshadow the hints of their characters' relationship. But she wanted to be in this movie because of that - because her character was neither defined nor confined by her sexuality. She simply was. And Beatrice simply wanted to be her: brave, unburdened; free.  

Warmth at her cheek makes her look up, and the look in Ava's eyes makes her feel awe-struck, like she should be on her knees, like she's not worthy. "You don't have to be so perfect, Bea," Ava says, and it's as if she's in Beatrice's mind, carefully turning those dark thoughts away. "You're going to be just fine." 

Beatrice nods, still caught in Ava's eyes. It's so easy to believe her. 

But then the look on Ava's face turns mischievous, coy even. "But if it'd make you feel better, we can totally practice." 

"Practice?" Beatrice parrots unhelpfully - her brain is spinning unhelpfully as well. "You mean practice k-" the question dies in her throat. 

"Kissing, yes," Ava says, wholly amused and much, much closer. "I mean, we have an actual kiss later in the movie. That needs to look natural too. We should get our reps in, isn't that what you always say?"

Beatrice sputters, wonders if this is what a moth feels like caught in a flame. "For practicing fight choreography -" 

"Intimacy has choreography too," Ava cuts in gently and Beatrice doesn't know if she wants to hate or praise Ava for her ability to talk her way into anything. "It requires just as much practice, just as much trust." 

Ava pauses, studying her closely. "But only if you want to." 

Beatrice can't look away, is acutely aware of Ava's hands, one cupping her cheek, fingertips curling around her jaw; the other holding onto Beatrice's hand. 

"I do want you - want to practice," Beatrice stammers. 

A slow smile curves at the edges of Ava's mouth. "Should we start practicing now?" 

Breathing is suddenly a bodily function Beatrice has forgotten how to perform. "Now? Are you sure?" she asks at Ava's nod. 

"What did I say, Bea?" Ava's words are warm against her lips. "Sometimes you have to take what you want." 

Beatrice stares into Ava's eyes, then does just that.

still open to shenanigans prompts btw!

[scoonsalicious]

Unwanted: Chapter 4, Unwelcome - Pt. 2

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Avenger!Fem!Reader

Summary: When your FWB relationship with your best friend Bucky Barnes turns into something more, you couldn’t be happier. That is, however, until a new Avenger sets her sights on your super soldier and he inadvertently breaks your heart. You take on a mission you might not be prepared for to put some distance between the two of you and open yourself up to past traumas. Too bad the only one who can help you heal is the one person you can no longer trust.

Warnings: (For this part only; see Story Masterlist for general Warnings) Language, mentions of sex, hints of jealousy, some slight self-deprecation.

Word Count: 1.7k

Previously On...: Now that you and Bucky are officially FWB, you couldn't keep your hands off one another, which obviously meant having fantastic sex in your office.

A/N: And it's time to finally introduce our antagonist! Sort of! Although, I guess you could say the real antagonism is the angst and anxiety we meet along the way. Chapter 11 is coming along very nicely, hence a posting today. I hope you enjoy!

Banner By: The absolutely amazing @mrsbuckybarnes1917

Taglist: (Please let me know if you’d like to be added!) @jmeelee @cazellen @blackhawkfanatic @les-sel @marcswife21 @buckybarnessimpp @mrsbuckybarnes1917 @erelierraceala

"You're both so codependent," Nat said to the two of you one evening a few months later as you all sat gathered around in the common room after dinner. It was a rare occurrence where no one was away on a mission and everyone was Earth-side. The space was crowded, so naturally Bucky had offered you his lap, theoretically in order to open up some seating for everyone else. Aside from the two of you and Nat, there was Wanda and Vision, Steve and Sam, Clint, Thor, Tony and Pepper, Bruce, and Rhodey. Your perfectly imperfect found family. The only one who was missing was young Peter Parker, but it was a school night and Tony tried to make sure the kid had his priorities in order.

"No we're not," you and Bucky said in unison, which made everyone else either laugh or groan. You glanced up at him with a smile and then back to the others. "What can we say? We just really enjoy the benefits of our friendship."

Bucky let out a cough into his hand that sounded a lot like "Be cool, damn."

"How come you never volunteer to sit in my lap?" Steve asked with an exaggerated pout.

"Do you want me to get up, Star-Spangled Man?" you ribbed as you feigned moving out of Bucky's lap. "You can have him all to yourself." Bucky squeezed your waist in warning, holding you down against him. You knew that if you got up now, you'd be exposing everyone to the erection that had been rubbing against your backside all evening. Fortunately, Steve wasn't one to take such a joke very far.

"No, it's fine. I can tell when I've been replaced," he teased, though his smile didn't necessarily reach his eyes. You and Bucky weren't necessarily hiding the fact that you'd started having sex from everyone, but you sure as shit weren't shouting it from the rooftops. There would be far too many 'I told you so's or 'about damn time's for your liking, not to mention everyone asking 'what's the next step?,' so it was something you kept to yourselves. Besides, you both decided that the secret aspect of sneaking around made it so much fucking hotter.

"Good, you're all here," said Tony, breaking through the levity with a serious tone, "since we're all together for once, there's something we need to discuss."

All eyes turned to him. Usually, a serious Tony meant a global-threatening event, but things on the world-saving front had been fairly quiet recently, so you were all curious to see what he had to say.

"As you're no doubt well aware, because most of you aren't complete morons, there are more and more enhanced individuals coming out of the woodwork, and not all of them are identifying as friendlies. I know we've already got a great team here, but Fury thinks we could be better."

"Pretty strong opinion for a man who just sits around watching and talking," Clint offered from his position on the couch next to Nat where he was re-stringing one of his bows.

"Don't disagree, Barton," Tony continued, "but Fury's good graces and government approval are the reason we keep getting to do what we do. He wants us to expand."

"What, open up a West Coast Avengers second location?" Bruce asked with a laugh.

"He wants us to consider taking on some more members," Tony said. "Expand our capabilities. I was able to negotiate it down to one."

"Do we have a say in the matter, or has he already made the choice for us?" Natasha asked warily. Like you, the Avengers were the only real family she'd ever known, and like you, she was highly uncomfortable with the idea of allowing just anyone to join it.

"He's made some... suggestions," Tony said, holding up a stack of thick folders, "but the final decision is ours to make."

"Well, I say we stick with known quantities," Sam offered. "Like Tic-Tac. He proved himself in Berlin."

"Nah, Scott Lang's not a viable option," you interjected thoughtfully. "Maybe as a reserve or something, but not a full-blown member." At Sam's questioning look, you elaborated. "His daughter's young, and he doesn't have custody. He's not going to move across the country and leave her in San Francisco. Not for us, especially after being apart from her while he was in prison."

"Same's going to go for T'Challa," Nat agreed. "His priority is always going to be Wakanda, he won't give that up, nor should we expect him to."

"We could always invite my brother Loki to join us," said Thor with a grin. "He's quite skilled," he paused for a moment to think his statement through. "Though he is completely untrustworthy and could very well try to murder us all, so perhaps not. But what a humorous situation that would have made!" The eye rolls from around the room proved that, no, it would not have made a humorous situation at all.

"I wish Pietro were still here; he would be magnificent. A perfect addition," Wanda said wistfully, and you reached over to squeeze her hand. She'd done so much healing since her brother had died in the crossfire of the battle with Ultron, but you couldn't imagine the lingering pain losing a twin must keep her in. She gave you a grateful look as she returned your squeeze.

"Well, who else do we know that we'd actually trust enough to ask?" Rhodey posited. The ensuing silence spoke volumes.

"Natty, what about your sister?" you suggested. "You think Yelena would be interested? It wouldn't suck to have another trained Widow on the team. Plus, she makes me laugh, which, you know, absolutely crucial Avenger requirement."

Nat looked thoughtful. "I don't know if it would be her thing, but I could reach out; wouldn't hurt to ask. But I wouldn't get our hopes up; she's pretty dedicated to helping all the former Widows right now."

"Swell," said Tony with an eye roll, making a note on a piece of paper inside his folder. "That's one, maybe. But probably not."

"Well, what options did Fury send over?" Rhodey asked him.

Tony began handing out folders to everyone. Each page contained a brief bio of an enhanced individual Fury had vetted and thought might make a good addition to the team. He handed you a folder, then made to hand another to Bucky.

"I'll share with Pocket," he said.

"Of course you will," Tony said with a shake of his head. "You sharing your balls with her, too, Barnes?" You stuck your tongue out at him. "Nice, Pocket. The pinnacle of maturity," Tony muttered as he moved on toward Bruce.

"Not just your balls," you whispered into Bucky's ear, giving his cock a discreet squeeze. He did his best not to moan out loud at your touch.

"You are going to pay for that," he whispered, causing you to laugh.

"Why don't we take a look at these profiles?" Steve interjected with a cough, waving a folder in the air. Everyone began leafing through their packets. The room was silent, save for the shuffling of paper.

"Wait, here's someone we should definitely consider," Bucky said after a long moment, freezing everyone's attention. He held up a sheet of paper with a picture stapled to it.

You leaned over to get a better look and immediately felt an odd sensation deep inside as your eyes focused on the woman in question: Jade Carthage, code-named 'Vixen'. She had long black hair cascading down her back and vibrant emerald green eyes that, in your opinion, looked cold and calculating. She was absolutely stunning.

"Let's see..." you began reading out loud, "she's the only survivor of a secret Hydra super soldier facility. Looks like they gave her a relatively successful version of the serum, but she single-handedly destroyed their base before it could be replicated and defected to S.H.I.E.L.D. Damn; that's really impressive. Enhanced strength, regenerative capabilities, trained in various forms of martial arts..." While reading about her powers and skills, you couldn't help but feel a slight twinge of jealousy over your own lack of superhero abilities. It was a gentle though bitter reminder that, though you may be able to play in the Avengers' world, you'd never really be one of them. 

"She seems..." Bucky said, almost reverently, letting the rest of his thought hang in the air. "We should definitely meet her." You weren't sure why, but the tone of his voice left your stomach feeling sour.

"Well, she certainly seems interesting," Tony said, perusing the profile, "but I'm not sure she'd be a good fit for the team; I'm not seeing anything unique she can bring us that we don't already have on tap, and I'd want to know why she was the base's sole survivor. What happened to the rest of the subjects? We'll have to look into her more closely before we consider inviting her."

"I think it would be a mistake not to at least meet her," Bucky said, his gaze still locked on Jade's picture. "You can't just walk out of a Hydra base, especially when they value you as an asset. She's got to be good at what she does."

The others seemed to agree with Bucky's assessment after reviewing Jade's sheet. The general consensus seemed to be in favor of inviting Jade in for a more in-depth interview and meet and greet before making further decisions. You weren't sure how you felt about it, but you kept your discomfort to yourself. After all, she could definitely be an asset to the team if they chose to make her an offer, and if she chose to accept, of course. Those were two big ifs that might amount to nothing.And really, when it came down to it, your opinion didn't matter. You weren't actually an Avenger. You were just... Avenger-adjacent. Shaking your head, you attempted to disperse the negative thought. It was a term you'd used to refer to yourself when you were feeling less than your friends, when you were being hard on yourself. You hadn't used it in a while, and you weren't about to let yourself spiral down the familiar path of self-loathing... at least, not just yet.

<- Previous Part / Next Part ->

[nabi-unveiled]

Fadel: The Why Edition

We've come a long way with our characters in The Heart Killers. The secrets are all out (as far as we know). Our characters are well understood now.

Keen - He may have won the fashion wars this week (the bar was low in episode 10), but he's a textbook example of feelings of inadequacy, jealousy of his brothers, and mommy issues.

Style - He's a man who loves with his whole heart because he knows people shouldn't be taken for granted. His experiences and loving relationship with his dad mean he's gained insight into trauma, grief, and the power of love. He's even served in this kind of grief counseling role to his dad before so his responses to Fadel's grief completely line up. It's been a consistent thread that he loves with his whole heart, and he's 100% in.

Kant - He used to travel the world with his parents and still longs for that freedom even though he took on responsibility early in life. Sorry Babe, once you're 18, he says your on your own.

Bison - He's a feral cat who was daddy's spoiled princess and has the temper to show for it.

Bison enjoyed his childhood on that island with his lackeys and his parents. They played Frisbee. They watched movies together. We've been explicitly told that he had a fun, spoiled life prior to the hitman gig. He doesn't like being a hitman. He'd rather have someone else do his dirty work. Because we all know he's going to get enraged and need someone to clean up his mess. "Young Master" indeed.

But I'm still left wondering about Fadel. His natural personality explains a lot about his need to plan and tendency to control, and we understand where he's at now emotionally. The impact of his ex's "disappearance" is depicted beautifully in the last part of episode 10. Even if I really don't understand how a man like Fadel didn't search for him. But I digress. Let's go back to before the ex even existed. Unlike our other three mains, there's a lot about Fadel I still don't fully understand.

So Fadel...

Why were/are you able to kill without hesitation?

You have a strong moral compass. You only kill the "bad guys". But unlike Bison, this job didn't seem to phase you until it got in the way of the life you wanted. If love hadn't come around, you'd have been fine continuing the job. You asked Style in an earlier episode why he became a mechanic.

But what about you? Bison told us you don't hesitate when it comes to killing. And that was true long before the ex ever existed in your life. We know you were good at it. It's why Lilly wanted to keep you on her side.

Does it actually bother you but you hide it? You do mask a lot.

Was it simply because it was the family business and you wanted to please your mother? We know you value family.

Was it because you are always going to do your best in anything you try? I hear your burgers are good.

Did you actually want to do the job? Because taking out the bad guys - that feels like the right thing to do. You scolded Style for texting while driving and intervened in a domestic violence situation. You have a bit of a justice streak.

Or was there more to it? Something from before you were even adopted? Because out of our main four characters, we know the least about your biological parents. Other than they were murdered, you've never really mentioned them.

Why did you take Bison under your wing?

The bond with Lilly is understandable, but you didn't have to bond with Bison. You obviously didn't bother AT ALL with Keen. So why Bison? When did it start? Was it when you did hits together? Or did your brotherhood start before that? Because really, even if you are a protector by nature, it begs the question - why not protect Keen too? I mean there's at least a few years between your adoption and the shooting training scene. I get animosity later, but to have not built up a bond at all in those early years? That actually shows pretty high walls long before the job started or the ex was ever in the picture. You only let the chosen ones into your "family" even then. Keen didn't make the cut. But why?

Why do you have the scar?

It's obviously not because of the ex. Were you really just telling the truth all along? Just an occupational hazard? No big meta mystery here?

I mean it's happened before. The urn necklace you wore turned out to be a professional tool not a sign of grief or loss.

Regardless, I'm going to be honest with you. I still have questions.

[moddymoon]

Introduction Update...

This is going to take a while to write I think:

Look at current introduction.

Add some stuff that currently gets frequently asked:

Sissy

Slave

Submissive

Switch

Add some stuff about parts that get missed:

Programming

Hypnosis

Trans

Plural

Tech

Security

Autism

Non-binary

Incontinence

ABDL

Add some stuff about contact:

I won't pay you.

I love talking if it's a conversation

Feel free to send me asks

Things not to tell a stranger on the internet.

That's most of what I want here.

Previous Introduction

I have an old introduction post from April 5th (that's not that old just over a month old, but it was probably a bit of a brief introduction. I'm just not very good at doing that, and at that time I had nothing that I could find in my backlog as to what would be considered to be an introduction, so I wrote something up quickly.

The first thing that we talk about there is plurality. I'm not really going to go much into it right here, because I plan on talking more about it further down, but yes, we're a plural system.

And oddly the next thing is our age, (which we keep getting asked about, so it means these people have not read the pinned post). I'm not going to repeat that (but I'm not removing the old post either).

In that it talks a bit about disability. Including neurodivergence, specifically autism.

The next thing I talk about is incontinence. Which sort of extends to ABDL stuff.

Then basically we say that people are free to contact us (there will be more at the bottom of this about that). So, that's just going over what I have already said.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Here's some questions I get asked and while some of these get asked in a combined form I'm going to break them down to the component parts...

Are you a sissy? (why is ### unsuported?)

I'm trans. I was assigned male at birth. I am non-binary. The "Are you a sissy?" type quiz things often will say that yes I am a sissy.

My problem? Well I'm not quite sure if that's an identity I fully would embrace, or if it's a "play" thing.

Are you a slave?

Briefly, if the answer to that is, "yes" then either you are someone closely associated with me and my role in that position, or you shouldn't be answering that.

I am interested in the submissive thing. I've explored lightly the idea of "slave" and would like to explore it further with the right person/people.

Chances are, if you're asking that, you're not going to be the right person.

I guess maybe if you've shown that you've read what I've had to say, and you'd like to confirm what my current status is, and make it clear, then I get it. But... I've not had anything close to that.

And as to whether I would... I'm already in a long distance relationship of some similar nature, and I'm OK with exploring with others, or more with that person in that direction.

Are you a submissive?

Yes, though... I tend to be more than just a submissive, and if you're asking that, then your sense probably isn't what I mean by that.

Here's the thing that I want to say, most people who have asked, don't seem to have a sense of this being a relationship that is built, and that is built on mutual respect and understanding.

If you're one of those people, then probably we're not going to get very far. And while it's not asked, it comes out of these above questions.

Are you a switch?

YES ABSOLUTELY... Part of that is not really being able to define things in black and white, but for example, the "Caregiver/little" role (the relationship mentioned above), overall I feel I'm more of a little, but I end up taking a Caregiver role more often when it comes to a relationship. And I'm fine with that.

Parts that have been missed

I want to write a bit about some stuff I think is missing overall here.

What about programming?

I ended up checking out the tag, "programming" in relationship to hypnosis type stuff, and ran into stuff like "Python" which I was, "dang I can get people talking about that too?" So yes I do programming, I'm not that great, some people have told me that I shouldn't (they might be right, but that's not a useful thing to say).

So yes, I do computer programming.

Hypnosis?

OK, as I just mentioned, I also am into hypnosis, and I guess a lot of other "mental health," or "psychology" type topics. I don't really want to go into detail, but it's relevant to just say yep...

Gender identity stuff...

I've mentioned it above, and probably will more so below. We're non-binary. We tend to present more feminine, than masculine.

What about the incontinence?

Yeah, I have some incontinence, I would say it's mostly urge related, but trying to figure it out, we've not really got a clear answer. Most of the time, if we're on top of things, it's more a matter of "barely making it to the bathroom in time" but there have been some seriously notable accidents... I might talk about them in private once I get to know you (or on some other platform).

But aren't you ABDL?

Yes, as I say often, "Why not both?" There's two things here... Many people who do have incontinence, actually discover that diapers can make their lives incredibly better, and they fall in love with being able to wear, and use diapers...

That literally makes them diaper lovers, and part of the community. Even if it's just really that they love what it does for them on a personal level.

ABDL does not have to be (and often is not sexual), and that's part of the reason that people don't want to associate with it.

And also, people think that ABs and DLs "must go together". Which also not true. Yes, I'm both, but you can be one, without the other (you can even be an AB, who has none of the DL stuff).

Communicating with me

OK, this is where I run into some stuff that I'm often not sure about... Not that I'm not sure about what people are doing, more about my response.

Will you pay me to be your ... whatever?

No, I won't. Especially not if you contacted me first. My following you is not contacting you. My messaging you, because you asked... Is not contacting you.

If you really are just looking to get paid, then save your time, go find someone else to contact.

Will you talk to me?

Absolutely, I love a good conversation. If it's a good give and take (and yes it can take a bit to get there) I'm all up for it.

I'm up for it also if it does take a while to get there, and even if you want to talk about stuff that I'm not really interested in.

If I say something along the lines of, "I won't answer that," or "I won't do that with you where we're at in our relationship." It's not that I'm saying no to the conversation. It's that I'm stating that that particular thing is not OK at least right now.

If you still want to talk, I'm still up to it. Just not in that direction.

Can I send an ask?

I've had some great asks, and I love them. If you want to do that, go for it. I don't know what sending an anonymous ask does on, well either end, but I hope that it will show up in your activity when I answer. So feel free to send me an ask. So far, I've answered every one I've got, on any platform. The answer might be "no I'm not interested," but I haven't had one that I'm feeling even the asking is not OK.

Do you have things you won't answer?

This is the "Things that you should not tell a stranger on the internet," section.

Yes, there's things that I won't answer, at least while you're a stranger:

Where are you located?

What's your age?

What's your sex? (these are what were called ASL questions, and while often asked, have never really been considered appropriate)

What's your real name?

Are you ??? when the thing being asked is a really complicated thing with no yes/no answer?

What is your phone number?

Can you contact me on x other platform (maybe, but most of the time I literally can't I've tried, and people have gotten mad at me for saying no)?

That's not the whole list, but it's enough for now.

Take care everyone... I wasn't sure I was going to get this in a form I was happy with, but here we are.

***THANK YOU TUMBLR FOR MESSING ALL OPPORTUNITIES TO PROPERLY FORMAT POSTS***

[bucksboobs]

Hi, I'm the spoiler anon. Sorry, I didn't think about our different timezones and only been able to send an ask now.

Firstly, I loved the way that Nichols and Wolfe dealt with their (small) conflict this episode. They've been consistent in showing great open communication between the two, and I like how it still felt like they were meeting more in the middle rather than it having to be one opinion vs the other, it just felt very respectful.

The way the show dealt with Alison in this episode was also great. I had felt apprehensive about them possibly going down a more 'fatal attraction' type road, but I should have given the show more credit considering previous episodes. Though I did find it odd that Wolfe and his interns were the ones treating her initially. Would she not have gone to the ER, and would those who work in neuro typically be working in the ER?

What might be an unpopular opinion, and the main thing I'd love to hear your thoughts on, is that after this episode I think Ericka is best alone or with another doctor outside that hospital. I still like Jacob and Van as individual characters, but this episode showed me that neither of them are good for Ericka, at least right now, and they both have issues with jealousy and possessiveness, just in different ways. Van is more overt, whereas Jacob is more subtle. Then when Van was a dick, he responds in kind by revealing he has a kid.

Seen people try and make the argument that Jacob was just being a good guy and he didn't know that she didn't know Van had a kid, but he absolutely knew and decided to use it to cause issues between them. More importantly, Ericka knew that was why he did it, out of jealousy and possessiveness, which is why she called him out on his behaviour. Would love to know your take on it.

It does feel a bit of a shame that for a show that had so far built up great supportive relationships, to have them crumble due to a love triangle. Though the next couple episodes might build back the support.

So for the Van/Ericka/Jacob triangle I do think the fact Jacob told Ericka directly after Van gloated and that Ericka knew immediately that it was a play makes it pretty obvious that it wasn’t an accident.

I think up until Van did his gloating, he was kind of completely in the right just vibing, and following Ericka’s lead. Jacob’s sudden push into making it into a competition seems like it made him pretty mad and territorial which is something we hadn’t seen from him before (an new depth to his character that might explain why his son apparently lives with his baby mama) I think partially this is set up to explain how Van’s previous relationship fell apart.

On whether either should with Ericka I think that’s meant to be up to Ericka and I think it’s pretty obvious she wants nothing to do with either of them right now, but I could see her forgiving Van a lot quicker than she could forgive Jacob simply because Van being hesitant to mention his kid in a potentially romantic relationship when it’s clear not even Dana (who seems to be Van’s best friend among the interns) knew —when Ericka had made clear that she doesn’t want kids in the previous episode— kind of comes off as understandable whereas Jacob giving away a major secret to score points in some game where Ericka is the prize… not so much. If she ends up back with Van I won’t be surprised. I think for the time being, Jacob’s out of the running until he apologizes.

Allison’s thing was handled well, and to answer your question, she was being treated by neuro because of the nature of her overdose, I think they just initially had Dana and Ericka there because for whatever reason, Neuro seems to be close to the ER entrance at Bronx general. Watching this story though, I really focussed in on how well the story was treating Carol. She never makes excuses for herself but she also admits she had selfish reasons to continue treating Allison. Her being so gentle with Morris asking for the divorce was a perfect showing of who she is: a woman who will always prioritize the emotions of everyone around her but who won’t let that be at the cost of herself. She asked for the Divorce not because she hates Morris but because she doesn’t want to live angry anymore, and still she takes the time to tell Morris she still loves him. It was really beautiful even if it was sad. Morris doesn’t quite get that of course, he’s still under the impression that as long as he keeps apologizing everything is okay but that’s a very human flaw, to think that apologies are all that’s required to mend a relationship.

As for Josh and Oliver: they were so cute at the very end and I’m glad they addressed how Josh and Oliver butting heads isn’t going away nor is it antithetical to them continuing to be in a loving relationship. I hope they keep that squabbling dynamic for the rest of the series just to add light drama and humor as they continue to grow to understand the other’s perspective. They’ll never have an exact understanding of course because Oliver comes at everything from a palliative perspective— treating symptoms and improving quality of life— whereas Nichols, as a neurosurgeon, approaches everything from a curative perspective— eliminating the disease process entirely. From the first episode we see this play out: Josh thinks he’s done his part because he cured the epilepsy, but Oliver is focused on the side effects and quality of life for the patient. Ultimately one approach cannot exist without the other, so to vocalize it using the two of them having their little squabbles is a strongpoint of the series.

[the-fat-raccoon]

🌌 astro-gnomey Follow

Some of you don't want to hear it but at some point we're going to HAVE to acknowledge the effects of storm sorcerers (and keiromancy as a whole) on the environment. The wizard council has been pushing for regulations on these practices for years due to its large ecological effect on the realm, and yet it still stays unregulated because of misinformed petitioners who insist on preserve this harmful practice.

x x x

🌬 420haz3it Follow

hey ops ex here. they literally went through my family's tome of spells and destroyed every page that contained keiromancy. spells that were in my family since the Wizardry Renaissance, that saved towns from floods and droughts alike, are now lost to time and space

also as people in the notes pointed out all of those links are blatant misinformation that ignores what storm sorcerers have done to protect not only their local communities but the environment as a whole for centuries, and the people who spread this information are the exact same people who advocated to repeal the wishing star protection act.

hating keiromancy has always been a distraction so astrological mages can push for more unsafe practices in their own field. don't let them lie about their intent, and don't let the wizard council rush the process to earn an astromage liscense.

🪄 tradmage12 Follow

Being from a family of storm sorcerers puts a direct line from you to the Great Calamity that wiped out our magic for a millenia. You deserve to lose that tome and every last spark of magic in you.

🌬 420haz3it Follow

what

🌬 420haz3it Follow

theres no way youre serious. you dont actually believe that.

🪄 tradmage12 Follow

We all know it, the Great Calamity would have never happened if the sorcerer faction had listened to the wizard councils orders and steered clear of dragon hunting. But they didn't listen, and everyone suffered because of it. Don't act like there's no reason to not trust your kind with their own practices. You just can't help yourselves.

🌌 astro-gnomey Follow

I leave for the Berry Harvest and come back to this mess, really funny how you'll mention me taking action against your family's evil dark spells but don't mention that you only dated me for your weird gnomeplay fantasies. Also pay attention to the language used, very Anti Mage rhetoric being spread. What else would you expect of a storm sorcerer, of course they want to keep their powers, I'm going to shut off reblogs if people in the notes cant see how they're being manipulated by keiromancers. Quit trying to be 'progressive' when you just want to keep ruining the course of nature and keep down the mage class.

🌬 420haz3it Follow

get me off this fucking lichsite. there is no 'anti mage rhetoric', that's not a fucking thing. mages aren't some repressed class no matter how much you want to pretend that, they haven't had to deal with magical restrictions since before the great calamity even happened, meanwhile sorcerers to this day are still fighting to be seen as magical equals.

and while im at it 'keiromancers' is a made up term to put all weather magic users under one umbrella, as if forms of keiromancy arent so diverse amongst the realms that you cant even begin to compare them. it is not the same as saying necromancers. dont even start that bs.

also, gnomeplay is perfectly normal and acceptable between consenting partners, which we were, so idek why you bring that up. if i as a half elf want to have gnome partners theres literally no issue with that, youre mad because gneillielle has a more bountiful gourd harvest and far more whimsical tunes than you ever brought to our relationship.

storm sorcerers have done nothing wrong, you're the problem.

perhaps some shadow work could unlodge the staff youve got stuck up your cap and you could see the filthy fuckign system youre supporting as an astromage, im sick and tired of this.

🎱 claire-vances-fourth-eye Follow

op starts posting untagged wizard council x reader failed abjuration content in a year btw

5,482 notes

[unplugfromthesource]

Strangers By Nature

🌀About: inspired by the song ‘Strangers By Nature’ by Adele, you and Danny were childhood high school sweethearts…until you weren’t, but when you land a tour with the infamous Greta Van Fleet as their opening act- you can’t turn down the opportunity.

🥁Daniel Wagner x reader

🎤Word Count: 7k

💫Warnings: mentions of sex, angst, crying, yelling, cursing, mentions of drinking, mentions of hospitals (i think that’s all :p)

🎸AN: I hope everyone enjoys this a lot I’m not a danny girl so writing for him was hard but I gave it my best!! As always - sorry if format or spelling is a bit wonky….enjoy 🩷

-ˋˏ ༻𖤓༺ ˎˊ-

Daniel Wagner. He proved to be the bane of your existence, or that was what you convinced yourself. Not just convinced, it was something you pounded into your head, something he had pounded into your head. Danny was your best friend, your other half, your ‘platonic soulmate,’ everything and anything you could ever want in someone. Well, he became your someone after you had grown up attached at the hip and entered high school together. Senior prom, the 12th of April back in 2017 - that was the day he asked you out but simply as his date because he couldn’t find anyone else, at least that's what he said. You had spent the entire night dancing, singing, laughing, something almost out of a movie. It was even more of a movie scene when he kissed you during the slow dance song. That moment, that single kiss, started a 2-year long, exclusive, loving relationship between you and the infamous Daniel Wagner.

All good things must come to an end, though, and it came to a hard, hard end one night after a gig at some small bar in your small Michigan town of Frankenmuth. The show had just ended, and the crowd was slowly dispersing, some moving back to the bar, some outside, but it had cleared up and now you, as the ‘perfect girlfriend’ Danny had claimed you to be, moved through the thick, sweat-filled air towards the small backstage area the bar had offered to its acts. Pushing through people till you finally reached the small band of Greta Van Fleet, it all ended up happening so fast. One moment, you were running up to him, ready to hold him, praise him on the show, tell him you loved him, and the next, he was yelling, shouting at you as if he couldn’t stand to even be in the same room as you.  

     -ˋˏ ༻☾༺ ˎˊ-

“I- I dont understand” Your words had jumbled up as his voice rang in your ears. 

“What do you not understand? What is not clear to you, y/n? I am done with you. You follow me around like a sick fucking puppy we have something going here, ok? Jake thinks we're going to go far, and I see it, but I can’t do that with some random from my hometown acting like I owe her a life” he shouted in the tiny changing room of the bar. 

“Some random?” 

He sighed as he ran a hand through his untamed curly hair, something you always loved “I am done with you. Please. Please just be done with me.” 

Tears pricked in my eyes as his words hit me like a ton of bricks. Im done with you. Those four words made it clear. Crystal. 

“Ok” I said, staring at him as I bit back tears, my mouth running dry, and all the voices around me got quiet. It was almost as if a knife had been stabbed into my heart repeatedly by him with a smile on his face. I dragged my eyes to the others in the room, no one bothering to look our way as I slowly turned, walking out of the thick aired bar and out onto the cold streets of Michigan. 

     -ˋˏ ༻☾༺ ˎˊ-

That night was always relevant to you. No matter how hard you tried, you couldn’t put Danny from your mind. You had spent months, years, trying to get away from that town, that place that just felt like a prison to you. Eventually, it worked, and well. College wasn't ever in your books, but being forced to pick up an instrument for a hobby supposedly was after your parents started picking up on the way the breakup made you. Food was no longer a priority, hygiene, cleanliness, everything you had cared about was thrown away with that relationship. So once you started learning guitar and putting your voice to better use, it was as if the hole in your heart was ever so slowly being stitched back together. Sure there were nights you caught yourself drunk texting him and congratulating him and the other guys on their success, but they were never seen by him, which was for the better. 

Before you knew it, you had landed yourself a small little band - Honey - made up of all the girls you would take to the grave with you. Of course, you had taken the lead in singing as well as some guitar while you matched the beat with your drummer Sara, bassist and keys Layla, and Mikey, also a guitarist. The singing in your shower and all the blistered fingers had paid off because now you were opening for none other than Greta Van Fleet on their opening night of the Starcatcher World Tour! Fun. 

Now as you sat in your small dressing room, your hands shook as you picked up your eyeshadow brushes, meticulously rimming your eyes with dark shadow as the other girls moved along next to you in their respective chairs, following suit. It would be a lie to say you were on the fence about tonight. You and Danny hadn’t seen each other yet, shit, you had barely moved about the arena since sound check in fear you would see him or any of the Kiszka brothers, and the pit of anxiety only grew as it came closer to time to go on stage. 

“Does this look ok?” I said softly as I turned to Sara, who had sat closest to me. 

“Bitch you look hot,” she said barely dragging her eyes from the mirror she was focused on as she applied her makeup “You always do.” 

I rolled my eyes as I turned back to focus on finishing up my look. Setting the small eyeshadow brush down, I picked up my lip liner as I leaned in close to the mirror, almost completely missing the door opening to our small dressing room. 

“On in 5 ladies,” our manager said quickly as she popped her head into our room, Mikey turning to give her a small thumbs up as she stood from her chair, followed by Layla and then Sara. They stood staring at me as I finished up, standing now and looking at them with a small smile. 

“Alright.”

 I said, walking towards the door, pushing it open wide as I walked out into the white hallways, leading us towards the stage where the sounds of voices could be heard, flowing in louder as we grew closer. I grabbed my guitar from my tech, watching as the other girls did the same as we gathered in a small group, telling each other that we loved each other and to have a good show as the lights dimmed slowly in the big arena and we made our way out onto the stage. 

Screams filled the air as we took our places, my eyes dragging along the barricade and through the pit, working their way around as I could hear the opening bass line of one of our songs coming through, and that switch flipped in me, letting me know I needed to focus, perform, and just have fun, forget that Danny was here, forget what happened, and be y/n the lead singer of Honey. So that's what I did. For 45 minutes straight, I just focused on me, on my band, on where I was. For those 45 minutes, I felt in my element, the adrenaline mixed with exhaustion pulsing through my body as we came to an end on our second to last song. My eyes shut as I tried to gain back control of my breathing as I stepped back up towards the microphone, my voice echoing back to me. 

“Thank you,” I said, smiling as cheers filled the air and the smiles were endless down in the pit. “You all are a lovely crowd, and we thank you for your time, but we know who you're all really here to see…” I said as the crowd began to grow even louder at the mere mention of Greta.

 I dragged my eyes back down closer towards the front of the pit, and through the corner of my eyes, I could see them. Sam and Danny had found themselves a spot to stand and watch by under one of the catwalks on the far left side of the stage. They had been watching… this entire time as sweat dripped down my body, and I gave everything I possibly could tonight, they had seen it all. He had seen it all. My smile faltered as I tried to push the thought from my mind as I froze, turning to look back at my bandmates. The confusion matched everyone's faces as I played a small riff on my guitar while shouting back, “We’re changing the last song”. I could see the refusal growing on their faces before yelling out, 

“Strangers by Nature, play it,” I said, moving towards the side of the stage as I handed off my guitar to my tech, walking back as I peeled off my jacket, setting it on an amp as I walked back up to the microphone. My sweaty palms wrapped around the warm metal as I leaned forward, my voice ever so slightly shaking.

“For our final song, we want to give you something new,” I said forcing a wide smile as whistles and cheers came back in response “It's called Strangers by Nature, and it's very important to me because,” I said, lifting the mic from the stand, buying layla time to switch back to her keyboard, starting up the beginning notes as I continued. 

“Sometimes men can be assholes right?!” earning me a response of agreement from the crowd. 

“And sometimes we get fucked over and left and forgotten..” I rambled on, “So I wrote this a while back in a bad time, and I just blamed myself for every little thing, but I want you all to have it to know you are not alone, and I promise,” I tried to continue as the mix of screams slowly built up again, “I promise you, nothing is ever entirely your fault when things go south in a relationship…so I hope you can find the relief in this song as I do..” I finished as a bitter smile filled my face, and the rest of the band began to join in slowly as I officially started the song off. 

I was prepared for the hurt I would feel singing it, but I wasn’t prepared for the response we got once I finished on the last note and the once-dead silent crowd roared with love as I opened my eyes, taking it all in, feeling it now radiating through my body. With many waves and blowing out a few kisses, we left the stage, sweat dripping down all of our bodies, hair sticking to our faces as we walked back to the dressing room in silence as they began to prepare the stage for Greta. We slid into the tight room in almost pure silence, the only thing heard was our labored breathing, as I looked at the girls. 

“Thank you,” I said softly from the small couch I found comfort on. 

“Why Strangers by Nature?” Layla's voice rang out tense as she paced slightly around the room. 

“Im sorry I- I wasn't planning on making us change the last song I-” 

“Ok, but you did y/n. We get it that this is your dream and you're the lead here but you can't just go and make these decisions whilst were mid-sho-” 

Before she could finish, a knock came on the door as she turned to open it, being met by the youngest Kiszka brother, Sam, who I had grown up closest with next to Danny. Layla froze as she moved to the side letting Sam into the small dressing room as I stood once he came into view. 

“Hey,” he said simply with a small smile spread across his face as I walked towards him my face barely matching his expression. “I was just wondering if you wanted to catch up before we go on..” he stood wearing his performance suit, silver as long dreads of fabric hung down from the arms and legs, tiny diamonds adorning the satin material. I stood staring for a moment, given that it had been around 7 years since I had seen him last. 

“Yeah.. yeah, wherever you wanna go for sure” my voice came out soft as the girls behind me just sat and stared at the interaction unraveling before them. His smile widened as he let out a small “alright” before walking out of the room as I followed close behind. We walked through the plastered white walls before coming upon a room a few doors down from ours labeled “Greta Van Fleet/Dressing”. As he moved to push the large door, it was like instinct as my hand shot out stopping his. 

“I thought we were going to catch up..?” I said looking at him with an uncomfortable shift in demeanor. 

“Everyone else went down to a bar somewhere in the arena.” his hand touched mine as he moved it away from the door, opening it and now waiting for me to step in. The room was much larger than ours, seeing as it was for the main act, having small love seats scattered around, a minibar, and even a small restroom. I made quick work of seating myself on one of the small couches, Sam doing the same as he sat in the chair opposing mine. As he sat, I looked at my hands in my lap, worn out and calloused before forcing myself to speak and break the terrible silence hanging in the room. 

“So how have you been..” 

“Good,” he said with a small sigh, “really good I mean, a lot happens in... how long has it been like fou-” 

“Seven years.” I cut in. 

“Right” 

“You couldn’t maybe have managed to send like I dont know how are you y/n? Or happy birthday, y/n!” I wasn't being rude, despite the look on Sam's face. After that night, it had been close to radio silence from all of Greta - shows you how much people care right?

“I’m sorry, y/n you know we’ve just been so busy with the tour and the new album it's just been so chaotic..” 

“Or you guys just all cut me off the second I wasn’t of value anymore to Daniel,” I said coldly, my eyes now meeting his. 

He moved his mouth a few times to speak, but nothing came out. So that was it. They all up and left me because of his choice to throw me to the side because he couldn’t be seen with some random. Fucking. Pathetic. 

“Your band…y’all are good”

“I know.” 

“Please don’t be like this… none of us have seen you in 7 years and suddenly you're on tour with us. It won’t be pleasant if you are going to hold this grudge towards us when we didn’t even do anything-” 

“But you did. I wouldn’t have been here if we hadn’t broken up. My parents forced me to learn guitar, Sam. They forced me to do something because it was either that or a hospital. So if all you invited me in here to do was tell me to move on, fuck off” I barked out standing as I moved towards the door. 

“No, no, it's not-” he now matched me, standing as if to stop me from leaving “Please just sit back down I don’t want to cause issues.” 

I stood for a minute more before I walked back to my seat, sitting as I leaned my arms onto my thighs and my face dropped to my hands. 

“Im sorry that that happened to you. I didn’t know things went down how they did when you guys broke up, nor did I know it was… that bad, but im sorry, and im sorry for not reaching out that was shitty of me… of all of us.”

I nodded softly, pulling my hands back as I sat up, forcing a smile. 

“It worked out well enough for me, though.”

The laughter that filled the air was like a hug, laughter that I hadn’t heard from him in forever.  

“True true… you guys are good, you're good I didn’t know you had a set of pipes like that” 

“You hang around a certain Kiszka long enough it kind of becomes a second nature” which earned another laugh from the tall man. 

A lot of laughter came from Sam, well, considering we spent 30 minutes straight simply sitting and ‘catching up’ on our lives, which just consisted of me complaining about my life after high school and Sam talking quickly about his new life in Nashville. But I know too well by now all good things come to an end. Sam was dragged out of the room by his manager, telling him he needed to get to the stage in time for the curtain drop. As he left, so did I, returning to my dressing room where the other girls all sat and waited anxiously for my arrival, asking me a hundred questions at a time as I walked back into the room. Almost identical to the conversation I had in the room a few doors down, we spent the better part of the next 2 hours just sitting and talking about the band that left the crowd screaming so loud we could hear it from where we sat. Not that I’ve been secretive about my past it just…didn’t seem important to mention. I had moved on. I think. 

     -ˋˏ ༻𖤓༺ ˎˊ-

Eventually, the screams died down, and the show was over. Our manager came in once more, letting us know we were moving to a hotel for the night. Soon, we all moved out to the busses, grabbing what we needed for the night before cramming the four of us into a small Uber to take us to the hotel not more than 15 minutes from the arena. Given it was past midnight, the lobby was dead as we walked in, following behind our manager, looking like four girls on a school trip waiting for their teacher to assign them rooms. Luckily, all of us were in the same hallway, sharing rooms: me/Mikey and Sara/Layla. The hallways were cold once we got off the elevator, giving out ‘goodnight’s and ‘I love you’s to the other two as we got into our rooms. 

We were being hosted by Greta, given the room we had walked into was insanely spacious, and not only that it was rich…really rich. If someone walked in right now, they would see Mikey and I running through our room like we were in heaven, raving about how comfortable the bed was or maybe the fact that the shower had an unnecessary amount of jets that we’d be using without a doubt. The best thing, though? The view. I slid open the big curtains, my jaw almost hitting the floor as I noticed it. 

“Holy shit,” I said quietly, hearing Mikey's laughter die down as she walked up next to me. 

“What-” she started before she too came to see it. 

Our room had a view of a pool, but the pool took up half the property. It stretched from end to end, with a few small hot tubs placed around it, outdoor bars, and tens upon hundreds of empty pool chairs. 

“Let's go” I said, turning quickly from the window as I turned and walked into the lush bathroom, peeling off the outfit I changed into after the show before throwing on a robe over my undergarments. Mikey didn’t have a chance to decline as I threw a robe towards her and soon, the four of us were in bath robes giggling as we ran down the hall towards the elevator, all of us racing to try and press the button before the other. 

The mood was killed quickly though as the elevator doors opened and standing before us was not just Sam but now all four men, bags in hand, looking at us with quizzical expressions. 

“We’re going swimming” Layla blurted, eyeing Sam. 

I just stood there. I just stood there as the once love of my life stood before me, his face cold as ever, his eyes unblinking. Just like that night, all the talking around me froze as my eyes locked on his as he stepped out of the small elevator, the girls now looking at me as they held it open waiting for me to step in. 

“Hello, earth to y/n this thing is fucking beeping get in” Sara’s voice woke me out of the almost trance-like state as I moved my eyes from his, walking into the small elevator as the door slid closed, my eyes on his clean white shoes as it did so. 

“Dude, are you good…” Sara said placing a hand on my shoulder as I turned to look at her, forcing a smile once more. 

“Yeah” shaking my head as I let out a small laugh “Yeah sorry let's go” I said leaning forward and pressing the button to go down.  

I wasn’t going to be the one to bring the mood down, but something about him in front of me…after seven years, it does something to you. My head ran at a hundred miles a minute as the descent down the many flights of the hotel floors came to a close, opening the doors to the lobby once more. As if nothing had happened, we all began up again in the same fit of laughter as we ran down to the pool, dropping our robes on random chairs as we got within arms reach, all of us jumping in without hesitation. Once my body broke through the water, it was like a fresh shower, washing off all the worry and anxiety in my body as I swam up, breaking the surface as I sighed loudly. 

The pool was heated - as I said, this place is rich. 

The only sound that echoed through the area was from the four of us as we splashed around, enjoying the warm liquid on our skins, a small reward for a ‘job well done’ on the opening night of Greta's tour. We stayed in the warm water till our skin got pruney before we decided to switch over to one of the various hot tubs, really getting the most out of our short night stay before we had to be back on the road early the next morning. I leaned my head back against the raised concrete surrounding the hot tub as I closed my eyes, enjoying the steaming water consuming my body, enjoying the peace of the moment. 

That ‘moment’ ended quickly. Too quickly. 

During the time I was stuck in a staring contest with Danny, Layla had taken it upon herself to cordially invite not just Sam but all of the Kiszkas and Danny down to the pool to join us. My eyes opened softly as I heard the familiar voice of Jake greeting everyone as he slipped down into the lowered tub with us, followed by Sam and Josh. No Danny. I couldn’t help the small smile on my face as I realized he hadn’t come too, well that was until he did come. He walked up a few seconds after the others, complaining about the fact that the hotel didn’t offer towels to ‘skinny dippers’. I could hear the laughs coming from the rest of my bandmates but the smile that was once present had faded. Similar to us, they hadn’t brought bathing suits to the hotel tonight and had come down in their boxers. 

Normally, I wouldn’t care, not in the slightest. I had grown up around all of the guys before me, and the girls were the girls, so being in just a bra and underwear wasn’t that big of a deal. However, I was in a bra and underwear, my wet hair pushed back down my back, and sitting directly across from the man I used to call baby. Maybe in this situation, someone else would've kept it cool and collected - but seven years? Seven years changes people, and not just mentally. 

I stared at the water ahead of me, the small bubbles popping as they rose to the top and silence filled the air once more. 

“Good show tonight?” I said coldly as everyone sat around looking at me as my voice broke through the air. 

A mix of yes’s came back in response from mostly all of the guys but Danny…he just sat there, staring down into the space in front of himself, identical to me. It was almost as if he knew how badly he fucked me over, like over these seven years, he's put it beside him but now, now that I sit here in front of him it's a different story. 

“Danny good show?” 

His eyes met mine as mine blazed into his. I wanted him to feel all the pain that I had over these past years. I wanted him to know that getting rid of the ‘random’ that was dragging him down was the worst decision he could've made. 

“Yeah,” he mumbled out. 

“Sorry, what? You know I can’t understand you when you mumble Daniel” a bitter smile forming across my face, my eyes remaining cold. 

“Yes. The show was great.” 

“Great.” 

And there was silence once more, except the air was filled with tension now as everyone else with us in the small pool looked between Danny and me as the quick conversation played out before it died down again quickly. No one moved, no one said anything, and everyone just sat in that pure, thick awkward silence. But me? I couldn’t take it anymore. I’d spent all of my life worrying about what he was doing with his life, where I went wrong with mine, I thought about it all so if this is how tour needed to be - it would be. I stood, sloshing through the warm water as my skin pricked up with goosebumps at the cool night's air. 

“Wait, wait where are you going?”   

I didnt bother turning around as I heard Layla ask the question as I walked up the stairs and onto the cold concrete. 

“Bed. We have to be up early.” My voice now rising as I walked further from the hot tub, not bothering to look back.

I grabbed my robe and slipped it on around my wet body, padding back through the quiet, cold lobby and up to the elevator. I wrapped the robe tighter around myself as I got off the elevator, my feet grateful to be walking on carpeting through the halls as I stuck my room key to the door, immediately going in to start the shower. I slipped off the robe and replaced it with a towel after I took off the damp undergarments sticking to my body, trying to run a brush through my hair before I entered the steaming glass room. Just as soon as I set my brush down a knock came at the door I rolled my eyes shouting out, 

“Im about to shower use your room key,” but the knocking came through once more as I walked towards the door, swinging it open, being met by not Mikey but by the exact reason I came up to my room. 

“Yes?” 

“Can we talk?” 

“I’m about to shower so no” 

“I can wait” 

“I’m showering rather than going to bed, Danny, so no you can go back down there,” I said callously as I moved to shut the door before it hit something, looking down to see Danny's foot in the door. I moved my eyes from his foot to his face as my eyes blazed into his. 

“Move.” 

“Can we please talk?” 

“Im giving you five fucking minutes” I barked as I turned to walk into the bathroom and turn off my shower, slipping back into a bathrobe before walking out, seeing him sitting on one of the beds. 

“I’d rather you not sit on my bed in your soaked boxers” 

“Sorry” he said gently, making quick work to stand, not knowing what to do with his arms as they hung down to the side, looking at me like he was waiting for me to speak. 

“You wanted to talk so talk” 

“I- it's just really good to see you….. You- you look good” 

“Im glad im up to your standards” 

“I never said that-” 

“Am I better than before? More acceptable to be seen with you now that ive matured?” 

“What are you even saying right now y/n.” 

“You dumped me. You looked me in the face and told me I was just some random chick from Frankenmuth. You dumped me and no one, not a single one of you four reached out to me. For seven years straight? And now when you guys need an opening act the ball just so happens to be in my court. Why. Why are you here right now?” 

“I just wanted to talk with you-” 

“And what? Tell me how fucking sorry you are? How much you've missed me? Fucking save it,” I snapped as I walked towards the door once more and held it open “You can go now.”

“No.” 

“Im sorry?”

“No we're not doing this petty bullshit were going to sit and have a conversation about this like adults” 

“Oh, now you want to have a conversation?” I questioned as I slammed the door shut, walking up to him like I was preying on him. 

“y/n-” 

“You fucking low-life piece of shit-” 

“Come on, I mean really?” he questioned, looking at me with pleading eyes. 

“Yes, really Daniel!” My voice now rising, my tone shifting from anger to just pure hatred. 

“I spent the better half of 4 years trying to get my fucking shit together because of YOU. All the fancy riffs or the notes I sing in our songs because of you. I spent so long in such a dark place that my parents forced me to do this shit. They would sit and watch me play or sing for hours because it was that or medications and hospitals. You broke me Danny, and now, you're sitting in my hotel room, wanting to do what try and fix things?” 

He stood silent as I paused for a moment, his eyes now staring down at his own two feet. 

“Exactly. You're too much of a pussy to admit why im even entertaining this, but when it comes to breaking some poor girl's heart, who loved you with everything she possibly could, it was a fucking cakewalk.” I chastised with a bitter laugh as I bit back tears through my words. 

“Sam told me Danny. He literally fucking told me that he wouldn’t talk to me and that none of you would talk to me because of the breakup.” I paused taking a breath to prevent the tears from falling, “Do you know how much I would text the guys? Just for something, any type of conversation and they would never respond because of you.” I cursed out as I walked towards him now standing directly in front of him.  

“You fucking ruined my life,” my hands now turning to fists as I pushed against his chest “You made me hate myself so much,” another hit to his chest, harder now, “and I wrote that fucking song about you,” I screamed as the tears began to stream down my cheeks and onto the floor, “because I missed you and I hated myself for the breakup,” between my fists connecting with his chest to the tears streaming from my eyes, the world started to spin as he grabbed my hands, my movements stopping as I looked up at him, “but in reality…you never actually gave a shit about me did you..?” 

His eyes met mine, the pain running through his hazel irises as he loosened his grip on my wrists, wrapping his arms around my waist as he pulled me into his embrace, the water from the pool hitting my cheek as I wrapped my arms around his body and rested my head on his chest. 

“I always loved you y/n.” 

“I fucking hate you.” I choked out as sobs racked through my body as he held me. All the pain, all the hate I had in me was finally flowing out, and I could feel the weight being lifted off my body. 

Everything was right though. The part of me that was still holding onto the past finally felt at peace, I felt at peace, I was emotional and felt so out of control but…my body knew that I could relax, for this once. 

“Im so sorry” left his lips like a mantra as he held me, placing his head on mine until the crying slowed, and I pulled back, looking up at his with red puffy eyes and cheeks. 

“Do you mean it?” I beckoned softly 

“Mean what?” 

“You love me?” 

“Yes” a small nod following his short, one-worded response. 

“Ok,” I said, my eyes searching his, his face, the way his damp curls fell around his face “ok.” 

“Ok?” 

I nodded softly in response, never taking my eyes from his face as they flickered down to his lips before back up to his eyes, the tension between us running thicker than ever. 

“Do you feel the same?” he whispered, the proximity between the two of us growing closer and closer. 

I picked my shoulders up, sighing as I dropped them, “should I?” 

Now he mocked my movements, nodding slightly as his forehead now rested on mine, our noses centimeters away from touching. 

“Ok..” 

With that, he closed the small distance between our bodies entirely as he planted a soft kiss against my lips. It was slow, gentle, an apology, an apology from the danny I used to love. But soon, his mouth grew hungry against mine as his tongue ran along my bottom lip, seeking entrance. Allowing him in, I moved back slightly, dragging him with me as I shifted my arms to hook around his neck before the back of my thighs hit the edge of my bed. 

Without hesitation, I sat back on the bed as he leaned down to kiss me as I broke away, scooting up further on the bed before lying down fully as he moved on top of me, holding himself up with his arms close to the sides of my head as he drew his center of attention down to my neck. He nipped and licked at my neck as I pushed my head back into the mattress, giving him more access as I felt his cold hand along the top of my thigh. 

His hand traveled along my leg, pushing under the fabric to run along my stomach up to my chest, stopping himself right below my sternum, sliding his hand back down my body once more as I pulled his hair to one side, moving it out of his face. His hand made it back down to my leg, and soon it was not focused on the inside of my thighs, tracing small circles along the inside of them. I used my free hand now to assist him, untying the knot holding the robe together at my waist as I moved the fabric to the side as he moved his kisses slowly down my neck to my chest. 

My head pushed back further as my eyes shut in pleasure as he lowered his mouth onto my chest, bringing a hand up to massage the other as he lowered his mouth onto my breast, while his hand slowly dragged closer and closer into my core, the pleasure building up. 

“O-oh shit” I moaned out as he lifted his mouth from my chest, wasting no time as he lowered it back down onto my left breast as his fingers finally lightly traced up my core, a loud moan erupting from my chest at the light touch. At the sound, he did it once more, now using two fingers and taking his time as he stopped directly on my clit. Carelessly, he pulled them away quickly, a whine leaving my lips at the loss of touch as he brought his hand up to my mouth, pushing down on my lower lip. As I parted my lips slightly, he pushed his fingers deeper and deeper back into my throat as I held back a gag, swirling my tongue around his two fingers before he slowly pulled them back out, bringing them back between my legs. 

The room was filled with the sounds of my moans as I bit down on my lip, trying to quiet myself as he shifted the focus off his lips back up to my neck, my chin, and once again reconnected with my lips as he slid his fingers and down and inside of me, my back arching up at the new feeling as I moaned loudly into the kiss. 

“D-Danny” I mumbled against his lips as his fingers slowly began to start to pump in and out of me. 

I could feel the smirk growing along his lips as he pressed his hips into me slightly, feeling the pressure in his boxers hard along me as I slid a hand from the back of his neck down to his body, tracing slowly down to where they rested along his hips as I slipped a finger into them, tugging them ever so slightly. He wasted no time as he moved his fingers out of me, earning another moan out of me as he shimmed off his underwear, coming back to me as I leaned up into the kiss, pushing back on his shoulders as he fell back on the bed. I shifted gently onto him, straddling him as I picked my hips up, now taking my time to press soft kisses down his jaw to his neck to his chest, leaving small hickeys littered everywhere down his body before leaning back up, placing my hands on his chest as I looked down at him. 

I reached down, grabbing his cock as I aligned him before slowly sinking onto him, both of us moaning out loudly at the familiar yet new sensations. Gradually, I picked up my pace as I started to move on him, his hands sliding up my body and to my chest, grabbing and squeezing at my breasts as my head fell back in pleasure. 

“Fuck I missed you” he moaned out quietly, bringing my head back forward as I watched his head push back like mine had, his eyes shut into tight lines, his mouth open every so slightly, curls sprawled along the mattress. 

Mocking his movements earlier, I took advantage of his state, grabbing one of his hands from my chest as I lifted two of his fingers into his mouth once more before pulling them out and lowering them to my clit, before he took control, setting his own pace now. 

My moaning grew borderline pornographic as I was sure almost everyone on this floor was being awoken by us at the late hour but it didn’t matter. I picked up my pace every so slightly, his cock reaching in deeper than I thought was possible as I leaned back placing my hands on his legs behind me to try and adjust to the new stretch. Deliberately he drew his other hand now away from my chest pressing into my stomach. 

“Want you to feel me here” 

My eyes rolled back at his words, and my mouth opened, pants and small whimpers leaving me because I really could feel him there. I dragged his hand back up to my chest, to which he automatically began to work once more, and between all the places we were connected, I could feel that pit in my stomach starting to grow larger and larger, in need of release. My hips started to falter as I grew closer, just wanting the focus to be his fingers but before I could even blink he had me flipped, my back down on the bed as he made quick work of pushing back into me, as my hand flew to the sheets, gripping at them so hard I could’ve snapped a nail or two. The new pace he had set was quicker than I thought was possible…harder too. 

“I-fuck close” I moaned out against his neck as he lowered himself onto me more before his voice filled my ears. 

“Me too..” he whispered, his hot breath shooting down onto my skin as the moans filled my ears. 

I could now feel him pushing into me for longer, not going as fast as he pushed into me once more, letting out a loud string of moans as his movement faltered and he quicked his pace on my clit, my moans almost matching his as I reached my climax. Tears streamed from my eyes in pleasure as I moaned out his name loudly. Eventually, he slowed completely to a stop, pulling out of me slowly before falling back onto the bed next to me, his chest rising and falling at a rapid pace. 

“You're fucking amazing” 

“Yea I hope I am given the last time I fucked you was when we were teenagers” I sighed turning to look at him, a soft smile growing on my face as he turned to look back at me. 

“I do love you y/n. I haven’t been able to... fully forgive myself or move on. I knew it was wrong and my heart feels so still every time I try to get with someone else I always just think of…. you.” 

I nodded softly, bringing a hand to the side of his face as I pushed the hair out of his eyes muttering softly “I love you too Danny… but you do need to leave; im sharing a room with Mikey” 

“Fuck.” 

-ˋˏ ༻𖤓༺ ˎˊ-

[lucystark12]

how will, mike, and vecna's arcs chase eachother around the show

to begin

byler: the early ages (predating the show and season 1)

our very first real interaction between mike and will speaks directly to my theory of the genius of the friends to lovers trope. the very first time we see them talk it's will confessing something to mike that neither of their other two friends wanted to. it's different. there is immediately something different about will's relationship with mike compared to the other kids. call this will's honesty, but the one thing us bylers have going for us is that will is very much canonically in love with mike. this is them showing us clearly that SOMETHING. IS. DIFFERENT. i would not go so far as to say that will is in love with mike or vice versa this far back because they're literally twelve, however, that 'something different' that's seemingly been there for a very long time is important and needs to be noted. we don't know what's different, they don't know what's different, but they don't feel the same way towards each other as they do towards their other friends. this much is obvious

(flickergate mentioned!! 🔥🗣🗣🔥🔥)

now we've got our search for will. mike is totally champoining it. of course dustin and lucas are incredibly invested, but mike is our leader here. once again, this could just speak to his personality, but i think not! mike's level of investment in finding will safely causes him to act against the caring and nurturing nature of his personality which we see in the way he lashes out at el when the body is found.

to be totally real with you, i don't remember nearly as much about the first season as i do the other three and also believe that since will is missing for most of it there isn't quite as much to go off of. so now i'm going to move on to season two.

byler: season 2

once again in season two we see mike being the one who's most protective and most conscious of will and his wellbeing. i will reiterate- for both of them at this point i think this still feels like they are just two people with a deep connection. as they are literally thirteen, i don't think either of them understand the depths of what love really means.

but uh oh... here comes the paradigm shift for will...

we ALL know what i'm talking about here.

in this scene, mike is able to break will out of the weird trance thing with his monolouge, which for anybody who has forgotten, reads as such:

"Do you remember the first day that we met? It was…It was the first day of kindergarten. I knew nobody. I had no friends and… I just felt so alone and so scared, but… I saw you on the swings and you were alone, too. You were just swinging by yourself. And I just walked up to you and… I asked. I asked if you wanted to be my friend. And you said yes. You said yes. It was the best thing I’ve ever done."

initially, i thought this monologue was just super sweet, but the implications actually run a lot deeper than this scene just being some kind of masked love confession. what are those implications?

vecna has will in a trance during this scene. vecna is the same monster who you only have a chance of surviving if something is tying you to the real world.

we see this with max and music, with el and the mike monologue.

the difference is, neither of those work because neither thing is strong enough.

what is strong enough to break will out of a vecna trance though is mike's honest, hearfelt words.

vecna is a monster who feeds on people who fundamentally don't have enough love in their life. this is why he chooses will in the first place. henry creel was a deeply troubled child who didn't have any kind of love in his life, leaving him susceptible to become vecna when taken to the upside down. will on the other hand comes from an abusive home and is bullied in school. this seems like the perfect target for somebody feeding off people lacking that kind of support in their lives. only vecna gets it wrong, because will does have that unwavering, devoted, love in his life. that is mike.

mike who refuses to give up on him even after his body is found. mike who waits with him in the hospital for days. mike who was always the first to make sure he's okay.

the hospital scene opens will's eyes to this, which is why i'm calling this the unitalized "oh" in your "oh... oh" moment. this is will realizing there's something deeper. this is his first inclination.

byler: season 3

throughout the course of early season 3 or during the gap between seasons is when i like to believe will was starting to realize what that "something deeper" for mike was. although i think objectively season four is the most important byler season to date, i think season three is when it really solidifies itself into the brains of our characters that they are in fact in love with each other.

the first scene i want to focus on when discussing season three is the infamous rain fight, in which i believe will has already realized his feelings for mike.

in my eyes, mike wasn't actively trying to be like "it's not my fault that you're gay"- i do think that he meant to say "it's not my fault you don't like girls yet" but that with the erasure of that word, the initial meaning and what mike meant to say left with it. they both know how his words sound and the implication of what they must mean.

i mean, look at will's face. this isn't even the best screenshot of it, and you can still tell how the words struck a deeper meaning in him.

his initial reaction after the fight to go and tear down castle byers also helps us a lot with the narrative and even relates back to vecna.

jonothan and will build castle byers as a save haven to escape from lonnie and his abuse. lonnie's abuse is what directly relates will to henry and his cause. by tearing down castle byers, will is actively destroying his safe haven as a way to cope with the person who showed him the vecna-defeating love not loving him the same way anymore. even though mike apologizes, they don't have a real concrete conclusion that solidifies for will that mike cares about him in the same way that he once did. they do have something though-

the moving scene. mike's paradigm shift.

when mike and el talk in this scene their conversation begins with el confronting mike with the thing that scares him- the falsehood of his love for her. mike spends the beginning of this scene playing coy, trying his hardest not to play into what she's saying until she has to be upfront about it. when they kiss, mike thinks- something is off. i can't reciprocate her feelings.

you can see it when his eyes are open, you can hear it when he pretends not to know what shes talking about. mike is uncomfortable with the notion of being in a relationship with el because he knows it's not something he will ever realistically be able to have. not really.

then in his conversation with will, we get more resolution to their fight from earlier, a real and honest conversation. i can't remember which happens first, but both make sense.

if the el conversation happens first:

mike talking to will shows his comfort level with will over el and how inevitably he will always be able to be himself with him.

if the conversation with el happens first, this goofy little face is his "oh...oh" moment in a "this feels different in a good way sense.

if the will conversation with el happens first:

mike's hostility towards el shows how negatively he sees her after being with somebody that he truly does love

if the conversation with will happens first, this is the "oh... oh" moment.

either way, this is when mike realizes that he has feelings for will that are entirely different than the platonic ones he feels for el. this is him realizing that there's a difference between strong platonic adoration and real romantic love.

to further back myself up on this being the moment™️ for him, this is him immediately after.

this is the face of a boy who has just had his entire world rattled, the face of somebody who has just realized that he is in fact gay and in love with his best friend, and that he will never feel the same way for el (or any other girl) that he does for will.

boom, mike drop (haha)

byler: between season 3 and 4

since vecna is watching at all times, he's starting to pick up on this and realize that the all encompassing love that will needs to break free from vecna's grasps is becoming more imminent by the second. so naturally he starts to fuck with things.

first and foremost, mike not being able to call, therefore severing ties between him and will, was orchestrated by vecna. vecna can manipulate time, making it entirely feasible that will never got mike's calls to begin with.

now i bring u... lettergate!!

even though churchgate is my favorite gate, i fully believe that lettergate is real. it is absolutely canon to me. it makes perfect sense. the only other way for the two of them to communicate is via letters, and since will has been waiting for mike to reach out to him, the power is in mike's hands. however, like the writer he is, mike is really shitty at writing letters, so one never gets sent, leading to further miscommunication and cause for vecna to make will believe that he isn't loved.

byler: season 4

the first byler scene we talk about from season four is almost an extension of the in between season stuff. this scene is the airport scene, where mike's fully fledged feelings for will prevent him from hugging him back out of fear of it making things awkward, leading will to believe, once again, that mike doesn't care about him.

similarly to how mike and will make up and then get interfered with by vecna at the end of season four and the gap before season four, the two fight and then make up the next morning, making for relatively smooth sailing between the two for the rest of the roadtrip. until mike decides to confide in will, that is.

mike's intention in that scene was to get out that he thinks his charade is failing without actually outright stating that he thinks his beard isn't convincing enough. he remarks about how he doesn't think el will need him anymore just like how he needs el to cover up who he truly is.

so then will shows him the painting. confesses his love for him behind a mask, leading mike to believe that there is still a way his relationship with el could work out. he doesn't want it to, he needs it to. we know this already.

but here vecna comes, this time inadvertently. in order to thwart vecna's plans, mike is forced to give this false love confession to el (which, by the way, doesn't work). making vecna at fault for will's newfound feelings of less love from mike. will is convinced that mike is far gone, which is why vecna is able to slip into will's head once again.

vecna is back and is ready to use will for his grander purpose of making him into a mini vecna after orchestrating the greatest use of the miscommunication trope of all time. he has successfully convinced will that mike doesn't love him, which will make him an easy pawn.

so where does this leave us?

with the end all be all answer to what will happen come season five. will will need to be broken out of vecna's possession to save the world from power too strong for el to dream of taking on- double vecnas. we've seen it with will before, and we will see it again, mike's love for him will be the only thing capable of breaking him free from vecna. mike's character arc of self loathing and insecurity will culminate with him realizing how he feels about will, will's character arc of exploited insecurity will end with him getting the one thing he wants, and vecna, in his last moments, will be made to believe in the central theme of the show, that love triumphs hate.

[stanleypinesgf]

Falling for Mystery - Chapter Nineteen

Falling for Mystery Masterlist Warnings: mostly fluff, mentions of: gambling, drinking and the trauma with the ex but it's not in depth, enjoy! Please note: this is a slow burn fic with eventual smut and mature themes, 18+ only and please check warnings at the start of chapters! i swear the second i post an apology for not writing, i get inspired to finish a chapter smh, oh well! TYSM for all the support so far!! w/c: 2,487 The last few nights had been a hazy blend of neon lights, full-bodied laughter, and the wild thrill of rolling dice. Vegas left us no better off, but not much worse either. It had been exactly what we’d wanted—a blur of spontaneity and freedom. But our relationship… well, somewhere between the casinos and the sunrises, we’d slipped into a rhythm as natural as breathing, like we’d been moving to this beat all along without realizing it. I was relishing this newfound feeling of security and warmth with Stan, and from what I could tell, he was too.

Now, as the glow of the city faded into the distance, Stan took us back out onto the open road. His grip on the steering wheel was firm and steady, a mix of confidence and pride that made me smile. In the El Diablo, he looked so at ease, like he was exactly where he was meant to be. I must’ve been watching him a beat too long, lost in thought, because he turned and shot me a curious look, one of his large hands giving my thigh a gentle squeeze.

“You okay in there?” he chuckled, a spark of concern flickering across his face, softening his usual bravado.

I grinned, feeling a warm glow in my chest. “Just admiring the view. It’s not half bad.”

A blush crept up from his neck, all the way to the tips of his ears, though he tried to shake it off, rolling his eyes with a bemused smile. “Yeah, yeah,” he muttered, but the faint pink lingered, making him look a bit softer in a way I had come to love.

The engine hummed in time with the miles ticking by, and for those first few hours, the drive was effortless. Stan’s stories flowed as easily as the road ahead, each one more exaggerated than the last. He gestured wildly with one hand as he talked, painting scenes so vivid they felt like memories we were living right then and there.

“Did I ever tell you about the time I almost got kicked out of a bar for winnin’ too many games of darts?” he asked, laughter dancing in his voice.

I shook my head, leaning in closer. “No, but I’m sure it’s a classic.”

“Oh, it was! I was on fire that night. Took down this guy who looked like he could crush a car with his bare hands. I swear, he was ready to throw me out, but I just smiled and said, ‘Hey, it’s not my fault you can’t handle the heat!’” He laughed, and I joined in, the sound filling the car like music.

We traded laughs, filling in gaps in each other’s retelling of the Vegas escapades, our best attempts at piecing together the blurry, half-remembered nights.

Noon slipped by in a flash, and we pulled over at a gas station in the middle of nowhere to grab a quick bite. Even under the harsh glow of the fluorescent lights, that dusty pit stop felt like an adventure. I picked out a bag of chips while Stan eyed the selection of sodas with the seriousness of a connoisseur.

“Caffeine or sugar?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Why not both?” I grinned, tossing two cans of Pitt Cola into the basket.

Every small thing, from picking out snacks to catching each other’s eye over Styrofoam cups of coffee, had a quiet magic. We had this feeling that there was nowhere else in the world we’d rather be. It was new for us both, this effortless sense of belonging together, and I found myself cherishing it, wanting to hold onto every simple, beautiful moment.

As afternoon faded to late day, the sky stretched wide and open above us, painted with long strokes of orange and gold. The glow spilled into the car, catching in Stan’s hair and casting soft shadows across his face. He was quieter now, his stories trailing off as the caffeine from his coffee wore thin. I watched him try to stifle a yawn, his hand moving to cover it as though I wouldn’t notice.

“Getting tired, huh?” I teased, brushing a hand across his arm.

He gave me a sheepish smile. “Nah, I’m golden, sweetheart,” he said, but another yawn betrayed him as his eyelids drooped at the corners, making me laugh.

“Uh-huh.” I crossed my arms, watching him struggle to focus. “Why don’t you let me take over for a while? You’re gonna pass out if you keep this up.”

His eyes flicked over to me, his expression somewhere between amused and dubious. “This is the Stanmobile we’re talkin’ about here. I don’t just hand her over to anyone.” He chuckled, but it was half-hearted; even he couldn’t muster up his usual teasing grin.

“Stan,” I said softly, giving him an encouraging look, “I spent months practically living out of my car and navigating roads all over the country. I know how to handle a lot of things… including your baby here.”

He gave me a long look, the stubborn glint in his eye flickering as he weighed my words. “You sure about this? She’s got a few quirks,” he warned, clearly struggling between his protectiveness and his exhaustion.

I nodded, reaching over to give his arm a gentle squeeze. “Trust me. Just close your eyes for a while and get some rest. I’ll keep her steady.”

After a few more moments of hesitation, he finally sighed, giving in with a reluctant but affectionate smile. “Fine, but anythin’ crazy happens and I’m takin’ back those keys.”

“Deal,” I replied, grinning as he finally pulled over to the side of the road. With a tired sigh and a stretch, he climbed out and made his way around to my side. Though he looked a bit worn out, he still offered a hand to help me out, that familiar spark in his eyes softened by the weight of a long day.

Once I’d slid over into the driver’s seat, he leaned in, adjusting the seatbelt and giving me an approving nod, his eyelids heavy but still holding that mischievous glint. After he closed my door, he walked slowly back to the passenger side, sinking into the seat with a contented sigh. He gave me a lazy smile, crossing his arms as he settled in. “Alright, let’s see what you got,” he teased, his voice warm and easy as he closed his eyes, leaning back to relax.

As I settled in behind the wheel, a quiet thrill bloomed at the thought of being trusted with something this important to him. Adjusting the seat, I eased the car down the highway, feeling the low rumble of the engine beneath my hands. Beside me, Stan leaned his head back, arms crossed, stubbornly trying to stay alert, though his face already showed signs of fatigue. Not five minutes later, he succumbed, slipping into a deep, even sleep. The gentle rise and fall of his chest was interrupted by soft, unbothered snores, each one a little louder than the last.

For a long while, it was just me, the steady drone of the road, and the rumbling sounds of his snores as we cut across the vast, open stretch of highway. The warmth of this moment washed over me, surprising me with its ease and simplicity. Memories of the past flickered through my mind, moments I’d long since buried, but somehow the softness and the trust we shared brought them to the surface. It was almost startling to realize how far I’d come from those days when love had felt like something sharp-edged, guarded, conditional. I used to think that was how it was supposed to be; tight control, anxiety like a shadow I could never shake. I’d spent years keeping my guard up, never giving too much, always careful to stay a step back. Back then, I’d told myself it was easier to keep people at a distance, safer that way.

But here I was, not even a year into knowing Stan, and he was trusting me, not just with his prized car but with himself. Every mile we travelled, the gap between what I’d known and what I’d found grew wider. I glanced over at him, his face softened in sleep, a faint smile still lingering on his lips even in slumber. He wasn’t trying to be anything but himself, and somehow, for the first time, I felt like I could do the same.

After a while, Stan stirred beside me, blinking awake with a lopsided, groggy smile. He glanced over, his voice thick with sleep as he asked, “How’s my girl holdin’ up?”

I shot him a quick grin. “The car’s running like a dream. Smooth as ever.”

Stan blinked, then let out a low chuckle, shaking his head. “Meant you, Sunshine. But glad to hear she’s doin’ alright too,” he said, laughing quietly. He rubbed his eyes and looked me over, the concern in his gaze unmistakable. “You okay to keep goin’ a little longer?”

I nodded, warmth spreading through me at the casual way he asked, as if watching out for me was second nature by now. “Didn’t think you’d be so protective while I’m behind the wheel,” I teased, a playful smile dancing on my lips.

“Protective’s just part of the package, sweetheart,” he replied, giving my hand a gentle squeeze. “But wake me if you need a break, alright?” His eyes softened as he settled back into the seat, a hint of mischief still lingering even in his drowsiness.

“Well, if we keep driving straight through, we can skip the motel and get back to the Shack quicker.” The thought of returning to our cozy little space felt like a warm hug, and I cherished how naturally I could think of our shared life as home.

Stan’s expression brightened a bit at my words. “That sounds like a plan. I’d rather be back in our own bed than stuck in some dusty motel any day.” He shifted slightly, nestling into the seat with a contented sigh. “If you need me, just wake me, okay?”

“Will do,” I whispered, a smile tugging at my lips as I watched him drift off. Butterflies fluttered and warmth spread through me as he casually referred to his bed as “ours,” reinforcing the sense of belonging blossoming between us. The quiet trust we shared was quickly becoming my safe space, and I savoured each moment of this deepening bond.

It struck me, almost painfully, how wrong I’d been about what I thought I deserved. I’d spent years bracing myself for the worst, anticipating moments that would make me flinch or retreat. But here, there was only quiet warmth and an unwavering sense of trust. Stan had slipped past all the walls I’d built, and with him, it felt like my journey was coming full circle.

In a way, I’d set out on the road months ago thinking I was searching for a place to belong, somewhere I might finally call home. But as I glanced over at Stan, his relaxed face softly illuminated by the fading afternoon light, I realised I’d finally found it. We weren’t just heading back to a small town; I was on my way to the kind of home I’d never known was possible, one I wanted to hold onto forever.

As the sun dipped lower in the sky, casting a golden glow through the windshield, I found myself humming softly to the radio. The familiar tunes wrapped around us like a warm blanket, and I felt a sense of peace settle in my chest. I stole another glance at Stan, his lips curled in a contented smile even in sleep.

“Hey, Stan,” I whispered, nudging him gently. “Wake up and watch the sunset with me.”

He stirred, blinking slowly as he adjusted to the light. “What’d I miss?” he mumbled, a lazy grin spreading across his face.

“The best view in the world,” I replied, tilting my head toward the horizon. 

His eyes sparkled with recognition, and he leaned closer to the window, taking in the vibrant colours painting the sky. “Now that’s a sight worth wakin’ up for,” he said, turning to me, the soft light catching the warmth in his gaze.

“Yeah,” I said, feeling a swell of happiness. “It really is.” Stan's expression shifted as he took in the scene, and he suddenly sat up straighter. “Wanna pull over and watch it properly?”

“Good idea,” I replied, my heart racing with excitement.

Without thinking twice, I pulled over to the side of the road, the engine humming softly as I shifted into park. The sun hung low, casting golden rays that danced across the landscape. As I opened the door, he was already out and walking around to my side, a playful glint in his eye. “C’mere gorgeous,” he said, a hint of sleep lingering in his voice. With a gentle lift, he scooped me up effortlessly, placing me on the hood of the car, crossing to the other side and climbing up next to me. He settled down, our shoulders brushing as we leaned back to take in the view. The sky shifted from orange to deep purple, streaked with hints of pink that seemed to mirror the fluttering in my chest.

“It’s perfect,” I breathed, glancing sideways at him. He was gazing at the horizon, a contented smile on his face. I couldn’t help but smile back, my heart swelling with the moment.

“Not half as perfect as you,” he said, turning to me with a teasing grin. The sincerity in his voice sent a warm shiver down my spine.

Before I could respond, he leaned closer, his hand brushing against mine, fingers intertwining. The world around us faded, and suddenly it felt like it was just the two of us, suspended in time. My breath caught as he tilted his head, closing the distance between us in a heartbeat.

His lips met mine softly, a gentle exploration that deepened as I leaned into him, melting against the warmth of his embrace. It was a kiss filled with the promise of everything we were building together, a testament to the journey we’d embarked on. The sunset bathed us in a golden glow, wrapping us in a cocoon of warmth and intimacy.

When we finally pulled apart, breathless and smiling, I rested my head on his shoulder, feeling the steady rhythm of his heartbeat beneath me. “I could get used to this,” I murmured, watching the last rays of sunlight dip below the horizon.

“Yeah, me too,” he replied, his voice low and sincere. “As long as it’s with you.”

We sat there for a while, the cool evening air settling around us as stars began to twinkle in the deepening sky. It felt like home, like we were exactly where we were meant to be—together, facing whatever lay ahead.

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