#the way they are perfectly in sinc makes me happy

[pboogerswbb]

SO IT GOES - chapter 5

Paige Bueckers x oc Warnings: language, sexual themes and language, drinking, not my best work lol Wordcount: 6.6K A/C: so have we come up with a shipname for zari and paige yet?? anyways ty all for the support and sooo much love on the last part - especially those who remained patient for a new part! i've got a LOT of stuff going on rn so please be understanding if parts take a little longer to come out! i wanna write badly but i gotta prioritise real life unless y'all wanna start paying me lol anyways, this should be a rewarding chapter to some of y'all!! anyways go read!!

-

Before London

“The skirt,” my childhood friend Olivia’s voice filters through the speaker, my phone set up on my bed as I try on different outfits for the evening on facetime. 

I stare into my reflection, the black miniskirt not leaving much to imagination, my legs fully on display. I sigh, unsure whether it would be too much for the night.

“I don’t know Liv, the dress is a little less revealing though,” I complain, turning around and seeing the way the tight skirt hugs my curves.

“Exactly why you should wear the skirt instead.”

I laugh, shaking my head at her face on my phone screen. “I’m not going there to shag someone. It’s going to be mostly the team anyway.”

“Izzie, you are single now. Act like it. Have you even hooked up with anyone since…?”

I scoff. “Do you think I have time for anything like that?”

“Maybe if you schedule it in…” Olivia jokes, making my mouth fall open feeling offended.

“Hey! I’m perfectly happy being single right now. Love is the last thing I should be thinking about.”

“Well, I still think you should wear the skirt,” the girl answers, making me groan.

“Fine, okay gotta go. I’ll text you!” I wave bye, before hanging up, realising my ride must have arrived. One more glance in the mirror and I decide it will do - the black mini skirt and a matching black cowl neck top, the back draped low to reveal the smooth skin of my back along my spine. The outfit was simple yet sexy, the stacked chunky golden jewelry dressing the look up. I’ve pinned my hair up in a bun, curls falling out as if by accident - in reality the hairdo had taken over 45 minutes to accomplish.

“Good enough,” I murmur to myself, putting on my boots and quickly hurrying out the door. Just like we had agreed, Trey is waiting in an Uber, waving me over. He had sent me a message earlier asking if we could ride together. Of course I had said yes out of politeness. Though if I’m honest, I always felt a little uneasy around him.

“Hey!” I smile politely climbing into the backseat with a potted orchid in my hands.

Trey meets my smile with an even wider one, eyeing me up and down as I buckle my seatbelt.

“Housewarming present?” He asks, pointing to the potted flower. I shrug and nod.

“I didn’t really know what to get them,” I admit, crossing my legs and eyeing the purple and white flower.

“Lala’s gonna love that,” Trey nods, his eyes still locked on me and my outfit. “You look…” he goes silent, and from my peripheral vision I see the man shaking his head. “Really good.”

“Oh, thanks,” I mumble, brushing it off lightheartedly as I grab my phone which is frantically buzzing.

Paige  When are u coming? I’m already here and idk anyone Oh nvm Lou and Chris are here So… when u coming???

I feel my stomach doing flips as I read the texts, my mind still swirling with how she’d made me breakfast just earlier this morning. How my couch still smells just like her even hours later. I wasn’t sure what it was, but there was something comforting about her presence. The way she worked to make me laugh, to get me to relax. Like she wanted to take care of me.

Just left so I should be there soon x

Izzie Iz Help We’re drinking wine

Time to be a big girl and learn Paige

But I don’t wanna 🙁 Fine Bc you said so

Good girl

Freaky 😏

Paige

Sorry I pregamed

Of course you did I’ll be there soon x

Giggling at my phone, I place it on my lap, not wanting to be rude towards the man sitting next to me. Trey’s eyes are locked on me, and I can feel myself growing uneasy, especially when I realise I have nothing to talk to him about other than work.

”You excited for tonight?” He asks.

”Yeah, it’s going to be nice to see everyone out of work,” I answer, keeping my composure despite feeling awkward, begging he doesn’t pick up on it. I had become quite good at that (or Trey was more ignorant than I realised).

”Oh yeah, you haven’t really had the chance to do that yet huh?” He asks, his deep voice gravelly.

“Not really no.”

“Well, if you ever get lonely, you can always call me up Zari,” Trey says, reaching over and suddenly placing his hand on mine resting on my lap. I keep still as long as I can before pulling it away, pretending I just needed that specific hand to hold the pot in my lap now.

“Uh, yeah that’s really sweet of you. Thank you,” I chuckle awkwardly. “Paige lives right upstairs actually so I’ve been spending some time with her.”

Trey is taken aback, his brows rising. “Paige?”

“Yeah we’re friends,” I smile. Trey’s dark brown eyes keep watching me, clearly thinking about something till he shrugs and looks away. 

The drive is quiet, full of awkward comments by the man clearly eager to make conversation. Normally I was better than this at the small talk that the Americans seemed to love so much - but not today. I could feel my stomach twisting with nerves and butterflies in anticipation for the evening. I wasn’t entirely sure why. But all I knew I was eager to see Paige - she had a way of grounding me.

We finally get to the building, awkwardly accompanying each other in the elevator much like my first day working for the Wings. I’m the one to ring the doorbell, Trey standing close behind me.

“Hey pretty girl!” Lala opens the door with a warm smile. “Oh hey Trey, come in come in!”

She steps aside, letting both of us in. The hallway is long and the ceilings are high, the space modern but filled with gorgeous furniture bringing warmth into the space. 

“Wow, beautiful,” I gasp looking around.

“Issa work in process,” Lala laughs. I catch a glimpse into the open concept kitchen/living room, filled with people who had arrived on time unlike me and Trey (our Uber had taken a “shortcut”, which ended up taking 15 minutes longer than the normal drive.) I could tell alcohol was already flowing from the loud laughs echoing around the apartment.

“Oh, here you go!” I smile, handing Lala the orchid. “I wasn’t sure what you two wanted so I hope that’s okay.”

Lala gasps, admiring the plant. “No, this is gorg! And so are you, look at that skirt girl.”

I blush a little as she spins me around, admiring my outfit. 

“Is it too short?” I ask but Lala looks at me with raised brows. It’s then I notice her skirt is just as short, if not shorter. “Nevermind!”

The woman laughs, wrapping an arm around my waist and bringing me further into the apartment. My eyes immediately land on Paige next to Arike, both taking up half of the couch as if partaking in the Olympics of manspreading. Their laughs rise above the chatter of the crowd, making them impossible to miss. Even if subconsciously I had been looking for the blonde the second I stepped in.

“Yeah… they’re already drunk, thought you should know,” Lala nods towards the two.

“I heard, Paige was texting me already.”

The woman turns to me grinning a little. “Of course she was.” I’m not exactly sure what it means but don’t get the opportunity to ask before I hear a loud screech interrupting the both of us.

“Izzie!!” Paige gasps, her voice soaring above the noise. She climbs off the couch, rushing to me through the crowd. To my surprise the blonde wraps her arms around me, pulling me into a tight hug. I can’t help the smile that spreads to my face. It comes naturally, when my arms wrap around her neck, pulling her in. Like since our first hug this morning, physical closeness felt easy. She smells like deodorant, sandalwood and a hint of alcohol. Breaking the hug, I eye her fit up and down - the olive cuban collar shirt and shorts in a matching pattern, two silver chains dangling on her neck, hair in a slicked back bun. 

All while I’ve been admiring Paige’s outfit, her gaze has been roaming across my body, taking me in. I notice a hint of red burning on her cheeks when her blue eyes land on my skirt. Suddenly I have the strongest need for a drink. Our stares meet, and for a fleeting moment I think she’s about to say something. But before she can, Arike is pulling me into a friendly hug.

“So glad you came, Zari! Whatchu wanna drink?” 

I feel flustered, barely hearing her. Clearing my throat, I finally answer, feeling the blonde’s eyes boring into me.

“White wine please?”

Lala laughs, shaking her head and grabbing my shoulders. “You’re gonna need something stronger to keep up with us baby.”

I laugh. “Okay, tequila soda then?”

“Attagirl, lime?”

“Yes please,” I nod, watching Lala and Arike head towards the kitchen island covered in bottles of booze and glasses, leaving me alone with Paige. 

For the first time in weeks, there’s a sense of awkwardness between us, neither of us knowing what to say. I wanted to tell her she looks good, that the olive against her skin that had grown more tan in Dallas made her glow in a way I had never seen before. But something in my throat doesn’t allow the words to come out. Thankfully the booze in Paige’s system makes her miss the weird tension completely.

“You look,” she starts, stepping closer to me, arm brushing against mine. She shakes her head, looking me up and down which is enough to make my ears burn. “Never seen you look like this before.”

I tilt my head, meeting her blue eyes challengingly. “Is that supposed to be a compliment?”

To my enjoyment, this makes her flustered, her cheeks bright pink now.

“You know it is ma,” she grins.

“You and that bloody nickname,” I shake my head, rolling my eyes at the blonde, when Lala and Arike return to us with my drink.

“You guys wanna play beer pong?” Arike asks as I grab the glass from Lala.

“What is this, a frat house?” Paige laughs, making Lala groan.

“Trust, it wasn’t my choice.”

-

After a long debate between me, Izzie, Arike and Lala on who should be teaming up, we decided that the only fair combination was me with Lala, while Arike and Izzie played against us - the girls claiming it wouldn’t be right for the two hoopers to play beer pong against non-athletes. Honestly, I barely had listened to the conversation at all. Because the way Izzie looks tonight has me grasping the drink in my hand so tight my knuckles were beginning to turn white. My mind is travelling to the filthiest places at the thought of what is underneath the hemline of her skirt, her glowy legs making me weak in the knees. Even worse was the low, scooped back of her shirt, her spine’s movement visible as she walked around the room. I couldn’t take my eyes off her, I couldn’t even stop the trembling of my hands. I needed to get more drinks in me quickly.

It seemed like the dark haired girl had the same idea, downing her first tequila soda in a matter of minutes as we set up the game. The tension often visible on her face only to me was slowly beginning to melt away.

“We’re about to win aight?” I tell Lala next to me, which makes Izzie let out a loud scoff.

“You really think I’ll let you win Bueckers?” The dark haired girl asks, challenging me.

“Yo, who’s the athlete here,” I respond, an arrogant grin on my face but she won’t back down, catlike eyes staring me down at the opposite end of the table.

“You’re enormously underestimating my desire to win.”

“Oh yeah?”

Izzie nods. “Yes Paige.”

And she’s right. I don’t know if it’s the alcohol already flowing in my system, or the way Izara looks, her green eyes locked on me everytime I bounce the ball off the table but my aim is off. And somehow she keeps aiming perfectly, a sly grin and her sharp eyes glimmering as she makes me drink one cup of beer after another, after another until Lala is the one to call it off, admitting defeat gracefully.

Arike and Izara hug, celebrating their win, but I can’t even be mad - the way Izzie’s mouth is stretched into a wide smile, the way she was letting go off her disciplined, hard exterior as a result of the alcohol was such a joy to watch I could’ve soaked in it forever.

“I told you! I told you!” Iz laughs, coming over to me and getting up in my face. But all I’m doing is smirking, my hand snaking around her waist and pulling her close without thinking about it much. But she doesn’t pull away either, even when our fronts nearly press together, heat radiating between us. The party has turned loud, drunk people bumping into each other, yelling over the music, but all I see is the dark haired girl in front of me, and the blush on her cheeks.

“You were cheating Iz,” I tell her, heavy eyes gazing down at the girl.

“How?” She asks, stunned.

I shrug. “I dunno.” I did know. It was that damn outfit. It took every ounce of self-discipline I had not to drag her to the bathroom and pull that skirt up. How was I expected to aim while my thoughts were running out of control.

“Here you areeeee!” Satou’s voice interrupts the moment, making me stumble backwards and letting go of the girl in my arms realising how close I’d been to losing control and leaning down to kiss her.

Satou hugs both me and Iz, looking around for the couple of the hour who have suddenly disappeared. “Where the lovebirds at?” She asks, holding a wrapped present in her hands. I chuckle shrugging but Zari lets out a giggle.

“Last I saw them they were getting pretty cosy,” she laughs, leaning into my side whether on purpose or on accident I’m not sure. But it leaves my skin tingling.

“No one’s surprised,” Satou laughs, waving her friend over. “Savannah, this is Paige and… Izara, right?” 

“She prefers Zari,” I correct before Iz can even say a word. From my peripheral vision I see her head snap to me, eyes growing softer as they land on me. I could tell she was happy with me, which made me want to get on my knees and beg for her to let me serve her forever. Okay, no, let me get a grip.

“Whassup,” I nod at Savannah, who smiles at both me and Izzie. Suddenly, the girl beside me stumbles as someone bumps into her, crashing straight into me.

“Woah,” I grab a hold of her, my hand naturally landing on the small of her back. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” she giggles, watching me and her nose scrunching as her face twists into a laugh. The sparkling eyeshadow covering her eyelids makes her shine even more, curled strands falling onto her face out of the updo her long, dark hair is in. She looks so beautiful I feel breathless, even more so up close.

“You want a drink ma? I could use one,” I ask, staring into the green of her eyes, feeling the alcohol too much to realise that our faces are only inches away at this point.

She rolls her eyes. “Paige, I hate that nickname.”

“Do you want a drink or not woman?” I ask annoyed, teasing her. But her face hardens, and her eyes sharpen.

“Excuse me?”

Her tone is hard and serious, making my lower abdomen flip. As inappropriate as it feels, I’m exceptionally turned on.

I swallow, biting my lower lip. “Uh…”

“Woman?” She interrupts me, furrowing her brows. I can feel heat pooling between my legs, making my mind spin.

“I’m sorry,” I mumble, my voice coming out shaky from how flustered my thoughts had turned me.

“What’s that?” She asks, brows rising as she watches my mouth expectantly.

“I’m sorry Izzie,” I say louder, my chest heaving now. To my surprise, I notice her breathing is growing heavy too.

“Mhm, that’s better,” she nods, eyes still on my mouth as I bite down on my lower lip. And for just a second, as my eyes flicker from her eyes to her glossed lips, I consider leaning in and pressing a kiss on them, mind jumping to how she might taste. Like heaven I bet.

“So a drink then?” Iz asks, interrupting my spinning thoughts. 

“Oh right, yeah,” I compose myself, “we’ll be right back.”

We leave Satou and Savannah alone, my hand on the small of Izara’s back guiding her through the people to the kitchen island.

“What do we want to drink?” The girl asks, looking at the row of bottles lining the counter. I lean in even closer to her side, letting my hand drag from her back to around her waist. The girl’s breath hitches audibly, yet she doesn’t pull back.

“Shots! Now!” Arike suddenly interrupts us, Lala following close behind her.

“Bro where you been?” I ask, watching as she begins to pour shots of vodka for all four of us. Her and Lala exchange a look that tells me I don’t want to know the answer to my question.

“Nevermind,” I mumble, making Izzie giggle, the alcohol finally loosening her up.

“No, I really shouldn’t,” the dark haired girl shakes her head, pushing the shot away.

“Oh c’mooonnn!!” I groan, pushing it back.

“Yeah Zari, c’mon,” Rike complains.

I pick up my own shot glass, and Izara’s as well, bringing it to her lips. She’s considering, meeting my gaze, until her pretty lips open and I tip the glass, pouring the shot into her mouth as I throw my head back, swallowing mine. 

“Holy shit,” I cough, making everyone around me laugh, looking at the dark haired girl whose face doesn’t even twitch from the alcohol. Damn.

“And another oneeee,” Arike laughs, now pouring tequila into the glasses, clearly trying to get us two drunk. I glare at her, picking up on what she was up to. But Rike merely winks at me, handing us salt and lemon slices.

“Oh boy,” Izara chuckles, eyeing the alcohol. I follow closely as her tongue darts out to lick her wrist, my mind spinning with dirty thoughts involving that tongue between my le-

“Lemon!” The girl yelps, squeezing her eyes shut having taken the shot. I quickly grab the slice from the counter, holding Izzie’s face still by her chin as I place the wedge between her lips. Her teeth bite into it, sucking on the bitter fruit to get rid of the taste in her mouth.

Her dark lashes flutter open, and she pulls away with a grin. “Your turn.”

I scratch the back of my neck, feeling my tongue already growing numb from the alcohol, my speech certainly beginning to slur soon.

“Yo Zari, you should let Paige lick the salt from your wrist,” Arike yells from the opposite side of the counter, earning a slap on the shoulder from Lala.

“Huh?” Izara laughs, turning to the pair.

“Ignore her, God knows I do,” Lala rolls her eyes.

Flustered, I fumble with the salt shaker, licking it off my hand and downing the shot of tequila, feeling the burn in my throat making me want to cough. To my surprise, Iz brings the slice of lemon to my lips, the bitter taste putting an end to the burn.

I can feel the alcohol hitting, making my cheeks burn - or maybe it’s the way the dark haired girl is looking at me, her eyes even more catlike than normal, sparkling in the dimmed lighting. Either way I can feel my brain and mouth beginning to slow down, yet my words and actions seem simultaneously sped up, like I couldn’t think them through before doing.

“I’mma admit, I’m drunk as fuck,” I laugh, making Izara throw her head back and let out a bright chuckle, grabbing onto my shoulder as she does. Fuck she looks hotter than usual, the hard, poised exterior breaking, letting me catch little glimpses into her internal life, reminiscent of the softness on her face when she fell asleep on me.

“Let’s run away before Arike makes us take more shots,” she whispers and simultaneously somehow screams, grabbing my arm and dragging me down behind the island, as if Arike and Lala weren’t standing right on the other side, watching the two of us. Still I let her, crouching behind it and letting her drag me wherever she wants to. 

-

I love Dallas! Or maybe I should reconsider when I’m sober, but now that the shots and drinks had been flowing, I had decided I loved Dallas for certain. Paige and I have been hiding behind a corner, by the entrance to Arike’s and Lala’s bedroom, for the past hour, giggling and talking. I’ve realised Paige might be one of my favourite people I’ve ever met, the strain in my abs a reminder of how easily she made me laugh. How effortless it was to spend time with her, like I didn’t have to put up any exterior or front. I felt comfortable being myself with her. So naturally, in my drunken state, the words slip from my lips easily.

“You’re like, my favourite person right now,” I giggle, leaning my back against the cool wall and watching upwards at her. Paige’s eyes are heavy and red as a result of the alcohol, hair somehow still neatly slicked back, however a button on her chest left unbuttoned, displaying that she definitely wasn’t wearing a bra under the shirt.

“Yeah?” Paige asks, a proud smirk on her face. She’s standing in front of me, arms crossed.

“Don’t let it get into your head darling,” I scoff, pushing her off by her abdomen, feeling the muscles there tighten when my fingertips graze her through the shirt. For whatever reason I’d been wanting her to touch me all night, enjoying the times she wrapped her arm around my waist, or guided me through a crowd. It felt good to be touched, so I didn’t worry about what it meant further. I just wanted her hands on me. Like you’d want to hug a friend after remembering how much you love them.

“Why do you get to have all these nicknames but I don’t get to call you ma?” She asks, stumbling back but returning to her prior position, if not a little closer. I place my hands on her waist, having to tilt my head to look at her - that’s how close she is.

“Why do you want to call me ma?”

“Because,” she groans, looking for something to say. “Ion know it suits you.”

“Why?” I laugh.

“Because you’re sexy.”

I’m drunk. And I know it’s because I’m drunk. It has to be. But I can feel myself begin to throb between my legs when Paige says those words, when her teeth bite onto her bottom lip, when she looks me up and down. Suddenly I’m painfully aware of the swirling in my lower abdomen, the heat spreading straight to my core.

The blonde rubs the bridge of her nose. “Ahh shit Iz, I didn’t mean it like that. My bad. You just look really damn good. In like a friend wa-”

“You think I look sexy?”

It’s like my mouth and brain aren’t working together, the words just forming and leaving my lips without a single thought or action to stop them. For some reason it comes out almost whiny. Like I want her opinion, her reassurance.

Paige looks surprised, clenching her jaw before kissing her teeth and licking her lips, hands twitching as if for something to touch.

“I meannn… you really gotta ask that?” She says hoarsely, stepping closer and placing her hands on my hips. It feels good, but I want more, pushing my body off the wall and pressing my front against her. The sparks are immediate, and I nearly groan at the contact. 

“You didn’t answer,” I demand, staring into the blues of her eyes. Only then I realise how blue they really are, like a turquoise ocean against a sandy beach, inviting, beautiful. My heart begins to pound, even more so when I feel Paige’s hands move from my waist, downwards to my hips, to the small of my back, and finally to my ass. 

“Perfect,” she coos.

The breath she lets out is heavy, loud, but I barely register, my mouth parting a little. To say the chills travelling through my body are overwhelming would be an understatement, my mind suddenly spinning with realisation of something I’d been feeling for a while, yet only recognised now.

“Is this okay?” Paige asks, making me nod my head. When I do so I feel the blonde’s hands squeeze just a little, forcing a breathy whimper to spill from my lips. Overcome with the urge to be even closer to her, I wrap my arms around the girl’s broad shoulders and lean my head into the crook of her neck, my body slotting against hers just right. It feels euphoric.

 “Baby I would leave too if I was Paige, that poor girl got to deal with you on a daily basis alr-”

Suddenly Lala’s voice grows louder as she turns the corner, Arike on her tail. 

“Oh, sorry y’all,” the woman gasps seeing us embracing, Paige’s hands resting on my ass. Embarrassed, I pull away, nearly pushing the blonde off of me.

“Uh, I need a drink,” I murmur, my thoughts moving so quickly they make no sense, not even entirely sure what just happened in a drunken hue.

“Yoooo,” I hear Arike snickering, and Lala shutting her up.

Paige follows close behind me all the way back to the kitchen island, people around the apartment now notably drunker, louder, stumbling into each other. “You aight?” 

“Yeah, yes. I am,” I murmur, pouring whatever booze there was in reach into a glass and downing it, attempting to calm the running thoughts trying to make sense of all of this.

“You sure ma?”

Fuck. The nickname. Suddenly it’s making my core burn, and I feel arousal pooling between my legs almost uncomfortably. Maybe that nickname wasn’t so bad. Maybe it got me so hot and bothered I could barely think. Maybe I wanted her to call me that and only that for the rest of my life.

“Mm, I’m sure,” I mumble, turning to look at the tall blonde beside me, the way some of the buttons on her shirt have come undone, the way she’s eyeing me back, her veiny hands wrapping around a bottle as she pours herself another drink, the chains on her neck, dangling into her shirt. It’s then when I realise - I want to fuck Paige Bueckers.

“Here you are, Paige! Have you seen Satou?” Savannah interrupts us, but my eyes are still stuck on the blonde next to me.

“No, I got no idea where she is sorry.”

“What about your girlfriend, she seen her?”

Suddenly my eyes snap from Paige to the stranger leaning over the island, blinking stupidly.

“I’m not her girlfriend,” I say sternly, my tone harder than it needs to be. I could feel myself getting overwhelmed.

“Wh- oh shit, I’m sorry. You two just seem like a coup-”

“We’re not together,” Paige interrupts her, clearly picking up on my stress levels rising. I feel the room spinning, my breathing growing shallow, my cheeks burning up.

Lala, who had been watching me and the blonde all night, swiftly walks over and grabs me by the waist. “Come with me baby,” she coos, her voice caring and affectionate as she walks me into the couple’s bedroom, closing the door behind us, separating me from everything causing the engulfing emotions.

“Sit down Zari, I’ll get you some water.”

I do as the older woman says, feeling embarrassed, just praying to any God that I didn’t cause a scene. I could feel my head spinning still, the effect from the alcohol still flowing in my bloodstream.

Lala returns and hands me a glass. I chug it down, handing it back to the woman and staring at the floor.

“Are you alright?” Lala asks, sitting next to me and following me closely. I rub my forehead, shrugging.

“I’m sorry, I think I’m more drunk than I realised,” I murmur but the woman shakes your head.

“I think it’s more than that, Zari.”

I look at her, a knowing expression on the woman’s face.

“What do you mean?”

“It’s Paige isn’t it, you like her?”

I sigh, not even sure how to answer that question. Not sure at all what the feelings swirling inside me meant. 

“I… I just think I’m drunk-”

“She likes you,” Lala interrupts me. I take her words in, blinking slowly as I do. Paige likes me?

“How do you know?” I ask in a moment of vulnerability. Something about the older woman made me feel safe.

Lala chuckles, shaking her head. “I think everybody knows baby.”

Oh.

I’m speechless for once, staring at the wall, recounting every interaction I had ever had with the blonde girl. My friend. Could she really like me? Worse of all, have I led her on?

“Look, just be careful alright. Don’t give her the wrong idea if… you know, you don’t feel the same,” Lala rubs my shoulders, like reading my thoughts. It all confused me, my feelings most of all - and deep deep down I wasn’t sure about what I felt, my mind an entangled, confusing pile of perplexity.

-

“Hey you alright?” Paige murmurs to me, pressing into my back as I’m pouring myself more water in the kitchen after my little breather. My body is covered in chills once more by her proximity - which must be a sign I like her at least a little bit. Or maybe I’m just needy for someone to touch me. I was drunk after all, and it had been a while. But then again, these chills always occurred when the blonde’s hands were on me, sometimes even when they were not. Just a simple look was enough.

“Yeah, I felt a little dizzy. Feel better now though,” I murmur, finishing another glass of water.

Paige hesitates, chewing on her cheek, clearly in her head as I turn around and notice her expression. “I didn’t do too much ri-”

“Here you are!! I love this song, come dance!” A drunk Satou interrupts the moment, dragging both me and the blonde into the living room, not giving us much choice in the matter. 

“Song’s almost over,” Paige chuckles, glancing at me as I shrug but follow the two hoopers.

“Who cares, I love it!” Satou laughs. We’re surrounded by a few others, dancing to the Drake song echoing around the apartment. As the beat fades out, I hear the soft melody of What You Heard by Sonder take over.

“Nooo, boo, I’mma go ask for more Drake,” Satou murmurs, walking off, leaving me and Paige alone.

Our gazes meet and we chuckle at the same time at the girl who just left, clearly even drunker than me and Paige.

“Fuck your mind up, waste time, I'm prone to that, do it all the time, Keep your guard up or wait in line”

“This song is actually fire,” Paige grins and I nod.

“It is.”

I take a dip in her blue eyes, finding comfort in them as the song plays, not at all shocked when Paige steps closer and grabs a hold of my waist, swaying with me. The alcohol is still pumping through my veins, making it easy to wrap my arms around her neck without thinking what it might mean. It felt good to be close to her, so what?

“What's the word? Tell me what you've heard, Don't tell me what to do, just tell me when it hurts.”

Paige sings along to the lyrics, the tiniest bit off-key yet something about it makes me grow flustered quickly, mind flashing with images of her doing exactly what the lyrics describe.

“What's the word? Tell me what you've heard, Don't tell me what to do, just tell me when it hurts, When I get you to myself, it's murder,” I sing back to Paige, our eyes meeting. Her eyelids are heavy from the drinks, and there’s a hint of a smirk on her face. Her silver chains sparkle in the dim lighting, but all I’m looking at is the way she’s staring me down.

Something about the alcohol makes me bold, pressing my body closer to hers, my fingernails scratching into the back of her neck gently, watching as her eyes nearly flutter shut at the contact.

“You be wildin', I be wildin', too, But not like you, shit, maybe a little like you, Maybe we ain't so different, maybe I be trippin', too,” we sing to each other, the blonde’s thumbs rubbing circles on my hips as we dance together. I feel the burn from earlier spread to my core once more, making it hard to think clearly. 

Our faces are inching closer, to the point where I can feel her hot breath on my skin. My heart begins to pound and it becomes difficult to keep my eyes open. Paige licks her lips, leaning downwards. For a moment I think she’s about to kiss me, the distance between us growing smaller and smaller - until she ghosts my lips, turning her face, mouth hovering right over my ear, warm breath tickling against my skin.

“If he was a winner, Girl, you wouldn't have to worry 'bout a damn thing, If I was up in it, shit, I bet a pound that I'd put it down, Make you forget that you was ever with him,” she murmurs into my ear with the lyrics of the song, left hand staying on my hip, right hand coming up to the back of my head to hold it still as we keep swaying to the melody.

I feel flustered, my cheeks growing hotter and my core aching for something. No, not for something - for Paige.

“And I hate talking 'bout my stroke game, But girl, I'm giving you the whole thing,” she murmurs with a deep, hoarse voice, my body tingling and on fire at the same time. 

Turning my face, my nose brushes into the blonde’s, but I’m too scared to open my eyes, too scared that if I do I’ll start thinking again, realising how senseless this entire situation is.

Paige’s nose nuzzles mine, and I can hear the shallowness of her breathing, her hand at the back of my head maneuvering me in a way so our lips are hovering over each other. I feel like I might pass out, my heart trying to race out of my chest at this point.

“Paige, Zari, I finally found herrrr!” Satou shouts over the crowd, making both of us pull away. My eyes shoot open and I see the girl holding her friend Savannah.

“Oh! Good!” I smile awkwardly, Paige’s hands still on me. 

“Jesus…” The blonde murmurs to herself, looking around clearly frustrated by the unwelcome interruption. “You wanna go to the balcony for, uh, some fresh air?”

“Yeah,” I nod, without thinking. I let the tall girl walk me onto the balcony, closing the door behind us.

Fresh air it is not, the weather a hot and humid warning for the approaching scorching Dallas summer. But it still feels right to be alone with Paige, under the dark Texas sky. I glance upwards, looking at the stars to avoid meeting the blonde’s stare.

“So damn hot,” Paige groans, unbuttoning her shirt even more to get more airflow, though I couldn’t care less. I’m only gazing at the way the chains on her neck rest against her skin.

“Yeah, it certainly is,” I mumble, leaning my back against the glass railing.

Paige looks at me with something I can’t recognise, her expression softening as she’s taking steps towards me. “Fuck, that accent,” she murmurs, her hands easily finding their way to my waist again.

“What do you mean?” I laugh.

She shrugs. “I dunno, I just love hearing you talk.”

I chuckle, bringing my hand to her chest and playing with the chain there, number 5 dangling off it. Paige grins too, continuing.

“And the things you say too.”

I scoff, displeased. “Like what?”

“I dunno! British things!”

“British things??” I ask, laughing so hard my stomach begins to hurt, my fingers still fiddling the number 5.

“Like… Taking the piss!” She laughs, leaning closer. I bend forward too, my face scrunching as pearls of giggles spill from my mouth.

“Oh my God, you’re so stupid,” I murmur in a blur of joy, my hand snaking behind her head. In the haze of the alcohol and the giggles and the newfound feelings, before I can think it through, I’m pulling her down by the chain and her head, leaning closer and kissing her.

It’s heaven. Every nerve in my body is on fire. The blonde’s lips open for me, slowly but sensually sliding against mine. My legs feel weak, and my nails dig into the skin of her neck, a whimper leaving my mouth but she swallows it, groaning in response. Her hands squeeze my waist before moving to my face, landing on my jaw to keep me as close as possible - like she might die if I pull away.

I’m pressed closer to the glass behind my back as the kiss grows hungrier. Paige’s mouth opens further, her tongue darting out to slide against my lower lip, begging for entry with a small whine slipping from the blonde’s mouth. It’s like everything pent up was finally releasing, something I didn’t even know was there, bubbling right underneath the surface. My tongue meets Paige’s, both of us melting into the kiss. I feel like putty in her hands, like she could mold me whichever way possible. This is the best kiss I’ve ever experienced, I know that for sure. Jasper always kissed in such a stiff, forceful way. Right. Jasper.

It takes me back to the moment, as if for a sliver of a second I can think clearly. What the fuck am I doing. This isn’t me. I haven’t thought this through at all. I’m leading Paige on.

Abruptly I pull back for air, the taller girl already dragging me back into another kiss needily. But I push Paige back by her chest, stopping her. We’re both breathing heavily, staring at each other. What the fuck am I doing.

“I have to go, I’m sorry,” I mumble, shoving her off me as gently as I can, saying quick goodbyes to Lala and Arike before practically running down the stairs and throwing myself into a cab, leaving Paige upstairs as if nothing happened. The only proof of the night’s events merely the way my lips still burn and tingle, and my racing heart and swirling mind trying to make sense of everything.

-

taglist:@wbbgetsmewetter @thaatdigitaldiary @pb524830 @bueckersfive @lupinqs @sierrale8ne @d3arapril @lovegalor333 @avvwritesstufff @rosemariiaa @bueckers22 @taylynbueckers44 @unadulteratedcyclepaper @rizzlerbuckets @wosolipa @bridgetloveswomen @paiges-1vur @slut4uconnwbb @xxloveralways14 @bueckersbitch @janaelalfysblunt @omg-imtumbling @angryflowerwitch @ohbueckers

[mejaemin]

timeless - lee donghyuck

wc: 1.6k

summary: visiting a photobooth, yours and hyuck’s love is evident, and with your pair of photo strips it’s now timeless <3

warnings: not proofread, sexual jokes, so much fluff, don’t read this if you’re single !!! it’s so cute and so romantic it will make you feel lonely !!! (i say while being single)

an: umm i may or may not have written this in one hour… i was completely stuck and decided to write a sentence, see what happens, and then all of a sudden i finished it 😨 i hope you all enjoy !!! i actually love this sm (˶◜ᵕ◝˶) tysm to my love @cigsaftersuh for requesting !!! enjoy ♡

(caramel masterlist here!! ʕ ᵔⰙᵔ⠕ʔ)

───── ⋆⋅ ⊹ ⁺ 𐔌 ᩧ ຼ ͡ ৯ ♡໒⁀ ᩧຼ ꒱ིྀ ⁺ ⊹ ⋅⋆ ─────

you’re making your way to the end of the amusement park, everyone in your group feeling very out of it. since at least two rides ago, your child, technically your boyfriend, had been dragging his feet. all of hyuck’s friends were getting tired too, you could see it in the way their eyes drooped and they lazily chewed at the cotton candy and other snacks in their hands.

it truly was a fun day, heading out at around noon to go to an amusement park all day with hyuck and his friends. it was something that you were truthfully dreading, being that you never really liked them that much, but the way his face lit up at the idea of attending was something you could never say no to. and truthfully, after a while they weren’t so bad. maybe their frontal lobes have all developed and are finally becoming men with humor that isn’t backed by jokes about farts and genitalia.

anyway, you’re getting closer to the entrance when donghyuck finally stops using you as a human crutch, grabbing your attention before pointing toward something in the distance. following the direction of his finger, you spot a photobooth in the distance and you’re immediately making your way towards it. he takes a large sip of whatever heavily sugared drink he bought earlier in the day, using it to wake up before telling the group where you’re running off to.

“we’re going to the photobooth, so don’t leave us while we’re in there.” he says, stretching and shaking away his fatigue.

immediately, jaemin’s looking at the metal box and its red curtain, smirking. “yeah, we’ll be waiting. don’t do anything other than take photos though..”

hyuck was fully ready to start fighting back, already forming an explanation as to why exhibitionism is perfectly fine but jaemin’s obnoxious cackles overpowered any and all of his rebuttals. accepting the slap on his shoulder, he huffs, making his way over to you.

you’re waiting patiently outside the booth, some other group already in there. he stands beside you, snaking an arm around your waist as you lean against the wall of it. truthfully, hyuck didn’t even have any sort of affinity towards them, but knowing you do he was more than happy to help you take any opportunity to visit them. he’s even bought you one of those cute binders for all your photo strips, pairing the gift with deco stickers for you to cover it in. of course, he got two to keep him and your friends separate as well.

“did you have fun?” you ask, pulling him out of his still sleepy daze.

he turns to you, smiling softly. “of course. best day ever.” he leans in, giving you a kiss to your cheek. “you didn’t have to say yes though, ‘cause i could tell you were hesitating when i asked.”

you flush, despite knowing he always sees through you. “yeah.. but now that we actually did it, i’m really enjoying myself. your friends aren’t that annoying anymore, too.”

he chuckles, sucking air in through his teeth. “of course. you showed me the way, so i enlightened them too.”

you hum, taking his arm in yours, resting your head on his shoulder. the sun is a perfect orange-purple, and the lights adorning all the attractions have flickered on a while ago. it’s truly picture worthy, but you’re more tired than you’d like to admit and choose to stay in the moment. you can see the group sitting at a picnic table, jisung’s flash accidentally turning on as he and the others try snapping photos of you two, and they giggle softly. you turn to point it out to hyuck but the other group is leaving.

he’s already dragging you in, sliding into the cramped booth before pulling you into his lap. before you can even make an attempt at paying for the photo strips he’s pulling his wallet from your bag (yes yours, why get something to carry his stuff when he buys you enough for the both of you?) and making the payment.

“how many?” he asks, gesturing to the screen in front of you. his arms slide around your waist, his hands resting over your stomach. the way his thumbs glide against your stomach make you feel a little dazed as you try reading the options, but eventually you pick the option with two strips.

“two copies. one for me, one for you.” you say simply, reaching out to click your option.

the countdown immediately starts, and you’re both full of giggles as you hurriedly try to decide your first pose. he’s throwing plenty out like spitfire, and through your fit of laughter you’re denying every one. ‘no, i’m not doing a nerd pose!’ or ‘nooo, something cuter!’ coming from you as he tickles you in attempt to stop your protests. eventually, the ten second countdown comes to an end, and the first photo snaps to capture a photo of you both giggling.

“aw, hyuckie, come on! i wasn’t even ready!” you complain, playfully swatting at his shoulder.

“oops. sorry mama, but come on. you’ll look hot regardless of how ready you were.” he dramatically looks you up and down, and you roll your eyes at his over the top flirting.

glancing at the screen, there’s eight seconds left, and you take his face in your palms. “let’s do an actually good one now.” there’s a speaker beeping signalling the last three seconds, and that’s when you lean in, giving hyuck a sweet, slow kiss.

even after the shutter sounds, he’s bringing you closer, pulling away to give you two, three more before he finally pulls away.

you sigh, recollecting yourself. “last one.. let’s be tame this time, okay?”

he nods obediently, ready to listen to you now that his need for your kisses has been fulfilled. you lean in, smushing your cheek against his with the cutest pout, and he mimics it immediately. with your hand brought up to his, you make a heart together, of course not without bending your pointer finger to make it a cat. the camera flashes one last time, and once the large pink bubble letters say you’re done, you excitedly get out of the booth to receive the printed strips.

waiting for them to fall out of the opening, you’re nearly bouncing on your feet. hyuck’s got your bag and he pulls his phone out, sneakily taking a few photos of you in your excitement before pocketing it for later. you’re just too beautiful for him to not capture it forever, your eyes glimmering with the multicolored lights all around you. once the photo strips are printed you pull them out, and you squeal, your smile growing impossibly bigger.

the first photo, of you giggling, is so perfect. you were apprehensive at first, afraid it was gonna catch your worst angle being that it was unexpected but it couldn’t have been better. your eyes are shut, smile big with pure joy. hyuck is looking up at you, his eyes glimmering with so much love. you didn’t notice it in there, but now that you’re looking at the photo your entire body heats at the way he’s looking at you like you’re the entire world.

the second one, you kissing, is adorable. you can’t wait to post it, knowing all your friends will be swooning over your relationship and you’ll be getting so many compliments about it. your hair is covering your face, the majority of it capturing the back of your head, but donghyuck is in almost full view. his eyes are shut, and his hand is making its way to the back of your head. the picture is radiating with love, and there’s no doubt in your mind that you’ll be showing it to your kids one day, and maybe even theirs.

the final one of you in your heart pose is the cherry on top, not outwardly romantic, balancing the other two out perfectly. you two look adorable in your little world together. your hand is on his cheek, pulling him into you, and both your lips are puffing up into a pout with how your faces smush together. it’s so you, and you know everyone will be able to tell you picked the pose out with the kitty heart.

there’s a pink, heart patterned frame around the photos, and at the bottom there’s the name of the park and a date. it blends the three photos together perfectly, and you’re thankful there’s no face warping photo. there’s a little bit of an orangey, hazy coloring over them, but it makes it all the better, giving it an old-timey romance vibe. hyuck’s skin is the right shade in all of them too, his tan being safe from any whitewashing technology.

“damn, can i see them yet?” he complains, coming forward and taking one of the two from you.

you look up at him expectantly, watching his reaction as his eyes trail down the strip. his cheeks flush, and he’s smiling lovingly at them. saying nothing, he looks to you and pulls you in for the sweetest hug, leaving a kiss at the top of your forehead.

as you make your way back to the group, he wraps his arm around your shoulder, “i actually really love this. like, i’m gonna get it tattooed right here.” he turns to you, already laughing at himself as his free hand makes a line across his forehead.

you giggle, leaning into him. “you’re so stupid! don’t do it, the photo is permanent enough.”

“true, true,” he says, laughing as you make your way to his friends, showing the photo strip. they’re all groaning, complimenting you two and your cuteness, all while complaining about their loneliness.

looking back down at his copy, his smile is soft. he’s the luckiest man in the world, having you, and he’ll be sure to never lose the strip as a way to remember and keep you forever.

───── ⋆⋅ ⊹ ⁺ 𐔌 ᩧ ຼ ͡ ৯ ♡໒⁀ ᩧຼ ꒱ིྀ ⁺ ⊹ ⋅⋆ ─────

[badaziraphaletakes]

these people do not understand abuse. y’all abuse is NOT making mistakes. either they have never been in an abusive relationship or have awful media comprehension skills. I watched the entire show with my mom (who is a licensed psychologist and has worked with abusive relationships since the start of her career) and we analysed the show (because she was also an English teacher) and that never came up. what are these people on

Oh, my goodness, thank you so much for sharing, @z1ish ! I am so happy to hear that a psychologist is saying the same thing we've been saying! :))))

So, then, let's get into it...

I sure as hell hope that somewhere deep down OP realizes Aziraphale isn't actually ab*sive and that they are just grasping at straws, because otherwise they should know perfectly well that there WOULD be no way for the writers to make it all come out right in the end with Aziracrow together. If you think Aziraphale is ab*sive (or whatever TF "borders on ab*sive" is supposed to mean, which, by the way, that's a whole thing in itself - ab*se is ab*se, period, and the suffering of victims is degraded by that kind of language, so if you're trying to say it's ab*sive, then you need to either piss or get off the pot) you shouldn't ship Aziracrow, and - I'm just gonna come right out and say this - you shouldn't be supporting this show in the first place, because this show ships Aziracrow.

If I thought for one SECOND that this show was glorifying an ab*sive relationship, underscoring it with beautiful music and pretty lighting and yada yada, then no power in heaven or hell could make me support it or give it one cent of my time or money. This is doubly so since we know that the couple is going to end up together and it's going to be portrayed as a good thing.

And frankly, I profoundly resent people misinterpreting my perspective on Good Omens as that. Not to mention it's the rankest hypocrisy for that to be coming (as I can only assume it is) from the subset of the fandom that is hell-bent (heh) on minimizing, if not outright denying, Heaven's ab*se of Aziraphale.

Also, the phrase "it's what victims tell themselves so they 'can' rationalize away the bad behavior" is highly, highly problematic. It veers veeery close to implying that the problem is with the victims who think that way - that victims are somehow enabling themselves to remain victims (when I hope we all know the problem is with OTHER PEOPLE - the ab*sers, the enablers in their circle, the broader society - who tell them things like that to try to keep them imprisoned. If we're going to make judgmental statements like "they're rationalizing away the bad behavior", we should make them about the ab*sers, not the victims).

Finally: I got slight vibes of "I stopped thinking about my ab*ser this way, so you should too!" from OP. That bothers me a LOT.

Many victims can't leave. For such people, thinking that way about their ab*ser is often a survival mechanism. A way to keep going. After all, if you allowed yourself to think about how horrible things really were, it would destroy you. It's not always about "rationalizing away bad behavior". Again I say, WE CANNOT CRITICIZE VICTIMS FOR HOW THEY THINK ABOUT THEIR AB*SERS. IT'S NOT OKAY!

To any victims out there who aren't able to leave: I hope and pray that someday you get to be free and safe. Until then, think whatever you need to to get by. I'll never judge you for it.

Whew. Sorry this got dark. But OP is playing with fire here. This one really, really pissed me off.

(EDITED TO ADD: This one is from before the NG thing broke. Yes, we really are that behind on our backlog, lol.)

[thetadispatcher]

The bear was perfectly content with just receiving physical affection, and she'd learned only to get excited at the word treat if G said it. So the others never had to worry about her barreling them over if they used the word well she was nearby.

"That's one way to put it, yes." Dan nodded, there was more that went into installing a stomach into an android so they could actually make use of the food they ate, but he wasn't about to bore them with the technical side of things.

"It was the dinner we had made for Christmas. The visiting family was a little confused why I had a place at the table, but they didn't say anything, as I believe they thought it was all Peter's doing. And questioning Peter on his reasoning rarely gets any results, usually the response is 'I don't know', or 'I just wanted to.'" He felt anyone who witnessed the unusually kind treatment Dan received just chalked it up to Peter's doing. So it made it a lot easier for his parents to get away with doing it as well, since everyone would think they were doing it as to not upset their son.

"Although the first food I was ever offered was a chocolate chip cookie. Peter had bought it from a vendor with the money left over from purchasing me, he thought I needed food to survive too." Dan chuckled quietly, although Peter's choice in what to feed what he thought was a starving android wasn't the best, it was still a kind gesture.

Dan glanced at Bishop, his LED started flashing yellow as he reviewed the information he'd accidentally gotten from touching Strasky. "I suppose that's a good place to start..." He felt he might as well use what he learned of the other Johan Ross and his AI, and see what applied to the Johan he knew and his android. The android was a prototype his parents got from working at Cyberlife, so his model might be called the WAU as it would have no official label yet.

The PL600 glanced at the human in his arm who gave him a lopsided smile in response. "It is. After hearing so many other androids speak of being mistreated by those they thought were family, I'm glad I can say that never happened." He was thankful he didn't have to experience the pain and suffering other androids had at the hands of their owners, he felt sorry for them still, but at least he could tell them that not all humans were terrible. He could give them proof that there was hope for them, they just had to find the right humans who'd accept them as part of the family like he had been.

"Now I just need this one to stop almost dying on me." He gently flicked the human's forehead, getting a glare in return that held no weight as it was clear Peter was trying hard not to smile at the android. "Hearing him call my name in that crowd of androids had to be the happiest I ever felt, then to see he'd lost an eye after the happiness stopped clouding my mind... I can say it felt like my heart sank. Realizing that I could've actually lost him without even getting to say goodbye, that's not something I want to feel again." He fluffed up the man's wild hair, looking at him with a fondness that made it clear how much of an impact the human had made on him.

"Someone's hogging the treats. Heck." Rook said, still petting BeeBee, "And I didn't even bring any snacks along."

It normally wouldn't be an issue to go retrieve some, but she had to mind her own energy levels while they were out there.

"So you can just go out and buy a stomach. That's sick!" And weird at the same time. But Dan's story showed there was at least some kind of reasonable use for the upgrade.

"What was your first meal?" Willow asked, while keeping an eye on Peter.

"I bet it was chips." Rook said.

"You should start with giving him a proper name. Perhaps you could call him WAU." Bishop said with a not so subtle grin that won him a skeptic look, including from his double, "What?"

The android didn't need to ask to know when Bishop was being a dick on purpose. He flexed his arm, as a reminder that he was now ready for another go if he didn't behave.

"Yes, sometimes love comes at the expense of our wardrobe." Willow agreed.

"Hey, I never bled all over you." Rook protested.

"But it's still worth it, isn't it?"

[b4bybunz]

Just Friends

Satoru Gojo x Reader

2.5k words

Content: public, choking, etc, etc

A/n: hey sistas :3 if u didn’t know im in love with Gojo

“I need you.” were the only words that Gojo needed to hear before he was the assigned designated driver for you and your friends. He cancelled all plans he had and dropped everything to be right where he was at the moment which was in the driver seat of your small girly car.

“I’m surprised you didn’t have any plans tonight out of all nights.” You said as he adjusted the driver's seat to his liking.

“I know, crazy right.” He laughed nervously. He did in fact have plans, plans to host his own New Year’s Eve party, that he quickly cancelled in order to make you, his pretty lady friend, happy.

“Thank you for this Satoru.” You put a hand on his arm, that sent a rush of heat through his body. You noticed the way his veiny arm tensed when you touched him, ‘weird’ you thought.

“It’s not a big deal,” He finishes adjusting the seat then looks at you as your hand still rested on his arm your perfectly manicured nails grazing the vein on his pale skin “You know I’d do anything to make you happy” his voice deepened as his slender blue eyes looked into your big brown ones. The way he looked at you made your breath hitch in your throat, your mind completely blanked.

“Because that's what friends do.” He smiled as his voice returned back to normal.

“...yeah…friends.” You gave him a slight side eye and then you turned to look out the window waiting for your girlfriends.

Satoru always did things like that, things to get you flustered. It wasn’t that he liked you or anything, that's just how he was. A charmer that used his looks and charisma to get what he wanted. What you didn’t know was that he wasn’t like that with everyone, just you.

Your hair was in its natural state. Curls defined perfectly and smelled of coconut and mango. Your skin shined beneath the streetlight that shined through your tinted windshield and your body sat nicely in the black lacy top with matching bottoms. Satoru could not stop staring at you, and you could feel his eyes looking at you as his tongue licked his bottom lip slightly.

“What is it?” You finally give him attention.

“You look really pretty.” He grinned “and you smell good, that's all” His hand rested on his chin as he continued to stare at you.

You tried not to smile at the compliment, instead you rolled your eyes trying to brush off the feeling that was in your stomach. He was just a friend, you couldn’t be feeling whatever you felt in the pit of your stomach for him. You’re just friends you kept repeating in your mind. Finally, your slow ass friends made their way to your car so you could finally get to this NYE party.

During the drive you and your friends talked loudly about random shit, and sang along to the songs on your playlist. All three of you were hyped for this frat party, the only thing Satoru was hyped about was having you on his arm. Even though it wasn’t anything official, he wanted to let everyone know he wanted you. He’s wanted you since he met you, but you made it clear that he was just your friend. Friends don’t feel the way Satoru felt about you and he was convinced you felt the same way he just had to test his theory a little. He was already touchy, but that wasn’t enough. You still called him your friend, so he planned to just be straight up and ask when the time was right.

“Why’re you so quiet, you’re literally never quiet?” You look at him.

“I’m not quiet, am I quiet?” he asks your friends for a second opinion.

“Yes.” they both say.

“It’s scarily quiet,” Your friend Liz says.

“Literally.” Your other friend Stella says

“Fuck you guys, I’ve been talking this whole time. You guys are just loud and don’t listen to what I have to say.” He lies.

“Whatever.” You look him up and down analyzing him.

“Unlike you, staring doesn't bother me.” He teases. “You’re going to get a lot of stares tonight looking as good as you do right now.” He says boldly.

“Oh, shut up.” You push his arm, he tenses up again as he slightly bites his lip.

Your friends watched the whole interaction, they swear they could see hearts in your eyes as you watched the way he bit his lip.

“Get a room you two.” Your friend Stella teases.

“Maybe we will.” Satoru says.

It didn’t sound like a joke.

“Oh look, we’re here.” Satoru fills the silence and parks on a spot in the grass in front of the huge Fraternity.

The music was booming out of the house, as well as the sounds of people having fun, playing games, and celebrating. All of you got out of the car immediately and practically ran to the action. You and your friends saw your other mutual friends screaming in excitement and gushing over each other's outfits.Gojo stayed close behind you, almost guarding you.

“Who’s that?” Your mutual friend raised an eyebrow.

“Her boyfriend.” Liz blurted out.

“No-” you start.

“Yes.” Gojo smirks and immediately wrapped his arms around your waist from behind. There goes that feeling again, the butterflies. Heat rises to your face as you feel his farms tighten and his body press up against you.

“Okay, I see you y/n, popping out for the New year.” your friend teased.

“New Year, New Man!” Stella egged it on.

You just sighed in response. “I need a drink.” you unlatched his arms from around you and walked to the kitchen with him following behind.

You weren’t one to drink, but with the way the night was already starting you needed something. You grabbed a jello shot off of the counter and threw it back like nothing.You felt someone press up behind you that you thought was Gojo, but when the guy spoke you knew it wasn’t. You turned around and the guy trapped you against the counter with his hands pressed on each side of you.

“You look good, Ma.” The random guy said. He was drunk, all you could smell was beer on his hot breath and it made you scrunch your nose.

“Excuse me.” You push him back and he presses up against you more. The house was so crowded Gojo must've got caught in the crowd.

“You’re not going to say thank you?” The guy leaned in more. His hot breath hits your nose directly.

“I will when you back up-” you start before Satoru snatched him off of you.

“Get the fuck off of her, dude.” he pushes the guy onto the ground and the guy looks up at Gojo which towered over almost everyone in the kitchen. You look up at Satoru before he pulls you against him with one hand.

“You okay?” He said in your ear, his voice going deep again. The way he spoke made your legs nearly give out.

“Mhm.” you nod subtly, biting your lip.

That’s when he knew, he got you.

“Come on.” He took your hand and took you to the backyard that was quiet. You didn’t say anything, you just followed him.

He led you all the way to the far side of the backyard, next to a big tree.

“What are we doing out here?” you ask him.

“Talking.” He licks his lips.You feel the butterflies again.

“About?” You notice he’s still holding your hand. He begins playing with your rings as he speaks.

“Us.” Satoru continues looking at your hand. Your breath hitches and he watches how you react.

“You like me, don't you?” He has a big grin on his face.

“N-no, we’re just friends.” You say, he gives you a look that calls out your bullshit.

“I don’t like you like that, Satoru.” You give him a serious look.

“Oh yeah?” he says and you nod “Well why are you still holding my hand?”

“Fuck you.” you snatch your hand away and begin to walk away

“Fuck me.” he says which stops you in your tracks. “I want you.” he adds.

You turn and look at him, those eyes piercing into you. Satoru looks you up and down, his chest heaving. It’s almost like you’re being pulled toward him the way your body gets closer and closer to his.

“Fuck you?” you raise an eyebrow.

“Please.” his eyes plead.

“Hm, no.” You pull him by his wrists and put his hands on your ass. “How about you fuck me.” You bite your lip a little before his lips crash onto yours.

Your hands on his strong biceps as he kisses you deeply making you stumble backwards slightly. The taste of your lips making him moan as he kisses you hungrily, needing to taste all of you. His tongue in your mouth lapping against yours creating a sloppy mess as his hands grip and rub your ass, in one maneuver he turns you around and presses you up against the tree. His knee in between your thighs making your lips pull away from his to release a sweet moan before pulling his lips back onto yours. The way his lips tasted was almost addictive, You needed more, and he gave it to you. Lifting you up by your thighs he wrapped your legs around him as his bulge grinded directly into your heat everytime your lips met each other. The warmth of your pussy made his cock twitch in his pants, he had to stop.

“Wait.” He pulled back breathing hard.

“Don’t stop.” you pulled him back in.

“We’re in public.” he said between kisses.

“No one can see.” You stopped kissing him and looked around.

The backyard was dark, especially nin the corner you both were in.

“Well I know that, but they’ll hear.” He said in your ear.

“I’ll be quiet.” you grin and plant a long kiss on his neck. “Take it out.” you say in his ear and just like an obedient dog that’s what he did.

You looked down and saw the outline of his thick and long dick. The thought of it being inside of you made you salivate. Satoru pulled your lace mesh pants and panties down, only exposing your pussy. His big strong arms held you underneath your legs.

“Ready?” he asked and you nodded.

He gently pushed the throbbing tip of his cock inside your plush gummy walls. Your mouth is agape from the full feeling of just the tip. Satoru himself already felt like he’d cum if he moved even slightly. You felt better than he’d ever imagine you feeling. Both of you just stuck until Satoru pushed his way deeper and deeper through your tight walls until his dick is inside of you fully. You had to widen your legs to let him in deeper, that’s just how thick it was.

“We should hurry before your friends come looking for you.” He tells you, almost giving you a warning on how he’s about to rail your guts. You nod in response feeling like you’d be too loud if you spoke.

The sound your pussy made around him was enough noise for the both of you as he began thrusting slowly. One of your hands held onto a tree branch for support and the other held Satoru close to you. Being quiet wasn’t too bad of a problem until Satoru couldn’t bear being slow and gentle. His dick began pounding into you rapidly making your voice squeak out ever so often. Your big brown eyes looking in his as you bite your lip trying to muffle the whimpers. The impact of his hips making your boobs bounce in and nearly out of the low cut shirt.

“Shhh..shit! You gotta be quiet, baby.” Satoru warned.

“It feels so good” you quietly cry out in his ear.

“Oh fuck, I know.” He chuckles quietly in your ear then puts his lips on yours to try and quiet you before he thrusts harder.

“Mm!” you moaned into his mouth at each thrust. He was deep in your guts to the point you couldn’t think straight. You could feel each vein of his throbbing dick inside you, it was like he was making your body accustomed to him and only him.

“Shhh.” he hushed you, putting a hand on your throat. His hips pounded into you needily, needing to make you cum as quickly as possibly wanting to make you feel good. His whole body felt hot with arousal for you.

“Right there toru~” You hum.

“There?” He slows his thrusts down, hitting that spot directly watching your eyes roll back. He hits that spot with such precision it almost sends you into over shock. At least you were somewhat quiet, the overwhelming pleasure only mustering shuddering breaths as hes grunting in your ear.

“Fuck baby, this pussy is so good.” Satoru’s hand squeezes your throat a little tighter as his hips thrust faster. You moan in response to his praise, your nails digging into his shoulder as you try and hold yourself up. A ring of cream forming around his thick cock as he fucked you good and deep. The only noises coming out of you were strained whimpers from the way his hand squeezed around your throat. You didn’t mind the way he chokes you, as long as his dick kept pounding your guts in.

“Y/n!” Gojo could hear your friends calling for you in the far distance. You looked at Gojo with wide pleading eyes pleading for him to make you cum before you were caught.

“Hold on, okay.” he stopped choking you and pressed your legs against your chest. He began sloppily pounding your poor cervix making you gush around him. Tears formed in your eyes as you tried to hold your moans back but failed. Your pussy dripping from the way he fucked you.

“I’m gonna- fuck.” Your chest heaved as your toes curl.

“Cum on my dick, make a mess on it. Do whatever you need to.” Saturo’s lips kissed your neck as he continued to pound deep bruising your cervix.

“I’m cumming~” You gripped his shirt as your legs shook uncontrollably. A knot forming in your stomach and your back arching up off of the tree.

“Fuck!” Satoru grunted as he pulled out before cumming.

Your pussy was a dripping creamy mess as your legs continued to shake around Satoru’s waist. It clenched around the air , needing Gojo to put it back in. You wanted more, just one more round is all you wanted. You could barely even speak, still in shock from how hard you came.

“Later.” He kisses your forehead and pulls your pants and panties back up. He sets you down before pulling up his own pants and making sure you both don’t look suspicious.

[oliversrarebooks]

The Rare Bookseller Part 80: Oliver's Impossible Dilemma

Previous > Masterlist

tw: mind control, mental invasion, forced drugging, hallucination, murder

October 1925

The two returned to the house, and Oliver was more than happy to accept the chores Vivian assigned to him, glad to have anything to do to take his mind off of the situation and his conflicting feelings. But as the sun sank lower in the sky, his anxiety grew. Night would soon fall, and his master might be calling out to him once again, and the thought of that soothing, enticing voice made his heart clench. In the light of day, among ordinary people, it was easier to tell himself that Vivian killing Alexander was the morally correct thing to do and that he had no desire to return. Easy to say, perhaps, when Vivian would be the one carrying out the awful deed and there might not be anything Oliver could do or say to dissuade her.

But the more he thought, the more the gentle face and voice and hands came into his mind. Surely there must be another way. Surely Alexander could be reasoned with, even if Vivian wouldn't consider it. If he took Oliver back, then Alexander wouldn't be a danger to any other humans. It would cost him his freedom, but spare him the guilt. He had to try.

After dinner, Vivian approached Oliver with a small vial of a clear liquid. "Sleeping draught," she said. "So you can rest without vampires having their way with your mind."

Oliver took it and stared at it. He understood why it was probably a good idea for him to be knocked out, and yet, the thought of being incapacitated again filled him with fear. "Are you going to… hunt him? Alexander. Are you going to do that tonight?"

"I'm not sure I have much of a choice," she said. "If I don't hunt him, he'll be hunting me. I'm not going to be leaving right away, though, because I have some preparations to do." Vivian cocked an eyebrow. "Are you worried about me or about him?"

"To be perfectly honest, both." He swallowed the lump in his throat, knowing that he had to do something. "Do you really, truly need to kill him? I'm sure he can be reasoned with."

Vivian sighed. "You can't reason with a vampire with a hypnotic voice, Oliver. Every moment I listen to him is a moment he'll be trying to put me under his spell, and I will not let that happen."

"But there has to be some other way!"

"There isn't. It's not like I can simply leave him be, either. Since I took you from him, he'll be hunting me no matter what. It's him or me, and I'm sorry, but you know which one I'm going to pick."

"Then what if you returned me to him?" said Oliver desperately. "He wouldn't take any other humans if he had me back. He'd be harmless."

"Absolutely out of the question. I'm not turning over a human to placate a vampire." She crossed her arms sternly. "Besides, what would become of you when Alexander's sire comes around again?"

"Alexander needs a hunter to help kill his sire. He told me that himself. I know last night you said you couldn't trust him, but if you returned me first, he might be willing to work with you…"

"I still couldn't trust him," said Vivian. "You have to understand that there's nothing I could give him or do for him that would make me safe. I'm a hunter. Even if I agreed to spare Alexander, I'm not going to stop killing other vampires. He would never just let me go free -- not to mention what a high price I'd likely fetch on the auction block, with my witch's blood."

"Maybe I could convince him to leave you alone."

"Maybe he could hypnotize you out of your opinions in five seconds flat."

It was true. As much as he didn't want it to be, it was true. Alexander had proven himself than happy to erase any disagreement from Oliver's head. And of course he couldn't let Vivian go free, not when she was also after Lily. Turning her over to Lily to be mesmerized would be the easiest way to deal with her -- he thought of Lily's parlor, of the poor man on his hands and knees being dragged off to receive obedience training. Alexander thought nothing of it. He would think nothing of sending Vivian to the same fate, either.

It was a truly impossible choice. Either Alexander would die, or Vivian would be ensorcelled forever, a slave to the vampires she'd fought. He couldn't accept it.

"Look, I understand," she said, drawing nearer and holding up the vial. "Your master's grip on you was incredibly tight. You're not in your right mind yet. You'll feel much better once my work is finished. I think you should drink the sleeping draught and have a good night's --"

"No," he said stubbornly. "I won't." He wasn't sure what was causing him to fight more vigorously for Alexander's life than for his own freedom. Whether it was his true feelings or residuals from Alexander's powers, he knew that he couldn't live with himself if he just allowed him to die. "At least let me come with you and talk to him."

"Unfortunately, I don't have time for this. I have to prepare." In a flash, Vivian had him pinned against the wall. She was much stronger than Oliver, and as he flailed and tried to get free, she splashed some of the potion on his face, making him woozy from the fumes. Weakened, he couldn't stop her from forcing his mouth open and pouring the noxious potion inside. His tongue turned numb as he tried to keep from swallowing it, and it trickled down his throat as he struggled.

"I'm sorry I have to do this, I really am, but it's for your own good," she said, as Oliver's limbs went limp and his eyelids fluttered. His vision tunneled, everything going dark as she picked him up and carried him into the small room at the top of the stairs, laying him on the cot.

"Please," Oliver pleaded. "Please don't."

"It's for the best. I hope you understand that someday," said Vivian. She left Oliver there and locked the door behind her.

He was trapped once again, just as he was trapped in the auction house, just as he was trapped in Alexander's manor. The remnants of the sleeping draught in his mouth were sickly-sweet with an aftertaste like gasoline. He fought his heavy eyelids, trying to stay awake just a little bit longer. Maybe there was something he could do. Maybe he could warn Alexander somehow. But he probably didn't need it -- he must already expect that Vivian would be coming for him. He might be looking for Oliver right now.

If only all of this had been a dream. If only he could wake up from this enchanted sleep to find himself back in his bookshop, with a wholly fictional volume about vampires resting on his lap. If only Alexander were just an ordinary man with pale skin and a taste for rare books. If only his captivity and sale were something he'd dreamed up after reading a few too many outlandish tales of strange rituals.

Just as his last bit of consciousness faded away, he thought he heard Alexander's voice. It was still sad, but there was something else, now. Fear. Panic. And a warning, an urgent one. He briefly struggled against the potion pulling him under to try to understand what Alexander was trying to convey, but it was impossible to resist the magic flowing through his veins. Alexander's warning slipped away from him, turning into a sense of deep unease as he began to drowse.

It didn't take long for his distress to turn into vivid nightmares. He could see Alexander on his knees at Vivian's feet, begging for his life, turning to Oliver for help. Oliver could do nothing as the vampire's body turned to dust around the silvered stake, his voice fading into the night to never be heard again. He saw the library in flames, countless priceless books burning, and Oliver was trapped under the ceiling as it fell, destined to perish here as a cosmic punishment for having betrayed Alexander.

He woke up hyperventilating, not in the library, but in the cot at Vivian's safe house. It was utterly quiet and so dark, even though the moon out of the window was unnaturally enormous. The stillness was only broken by the distant, rhythmic ticking of a clock, muffled and far away, but somehow getting closer by the minute. Some part of him understood that something terrible had happened here, that it was his fault, and that he needed to go see for himself what had happened.

The door to his room swung open slowly, revealing only more pitch blackness. As if under a compulsion, Oliver stood and felt his way to the door, tripping over something cold and heavy.

Gas lamps all around him blazed to life, and Oliver saw that the thing he had tripped over was Emily's bloodied corpse.

He screamed, and practically launched himself down the stairs in a blind panic, shouting for Vivian and receiving no response. He felt as though the walls were warping and bending, as though the safe house was a million miles long one minute and suffocatingly small the next. And the dreadful ticking of the clock echoed throughout.

The gas lamps flickered and sputtered and went out all at once, plunging Oliver into true darkness, and he was paralyzed by fear. Then, just as abruptly as they had extinguished, they all roared to life with unnaturally large flames, illuminating the figure standing before Oliver. Vivian, with the same cold, hard look in her eyes that she had when confronting Alexander. She was advancing on Oliver with silver knife raised.

"What are you doing?" he yelled as he backed into the wall.

"I have to do this," she said in a dull voice. "It's for your own good. You'll be free."

"No! No, don't!" He raised his hands to catch her arm, but she easily shoved him away and pushed him to the floor. Just as the knife plunged into his gut…

He awoke once again in the cot.

It was a nightmare, only a nightmare. But it felt so terrifyingly real, and his thoughts were so muddled and hazy from the sleeping draught. Adrenaline surged through him even as the enchantment fought to pull him back down into sleep, the world around him a confused and bleary haze.

And worst of all, he could still hear the dreadful tick, tick, tick of the clock -- no, it was more like a metronome, echoing through him. Was it real, or was he still in a nightmare? It was impossible to tell.

She will kill you.

"No!" he said out loud. That voice… it wasn't Alexander's. No, it was a voice he would recognize anywhere, its musical tone at odds with its cruelty. It was Alexander's sire. He was in Oliver's mind.

She will kill you. You must kill her first.

"No, I won't!" He curled up onto the cot, shaking. Alexander's sire knew that he'd been captured, perhaps even knew where he was. He wasn't safe. None of them were safe, as long as Oliver was here. He had to go. He stood up on shaky, weak legs, still very much under the influence of the sedative, barely able to stand upright and drag himself to the door. Clumsy hands tried to work the doorknob, failing to turn it several times, and when he finally was able to get a solid grasp on it, the door didn't open. He dimly remembered that it had been locked.

She will kill you.

The lock clicked. "Oliver, are you all right? I heard shouting," said Vivian on the other side of the door.

"No, go away! Don't come near me!"

The door opened anyway, and Vivian was advancing on him, just like in the nightmare. "Oliver, what's going on? How are you even awake? Is that vampire in your mind again?" She didn't have a knife in her hand, but it was attached to her belt in a scabbard, ready to use. She was coming closer, just like before.

"Get away!" said Oliver, pushing her and running out the door on uncoordinated legs. "I have to -- I have to go now!"

"Oliver, stop! You don't know what you're doing!"

She grabbed his wrist, and he yelped and twisted it away. Nightmare and reality were mixed and blurred in his mind, and all he knew was that he had to escape. He wrenched his wrist away from her, took a few fumbling steps, and then his foot hit air instead of the floor.

"Oliver!" Vivian screamed. It sounded like it was coming from far away. He was falling, looking up at the ceiling one moment and at the stairs the next. His head hit something hard and sharp and his vision went black for a second as he heard a sickening noise.

When he opened his eyes, he was laying face down on the floor. The wood floor was cold against his cheek. He couldn't move. There was something wrong with his leg, something terribly wrong. It felt as though it were bent in a way it shouldn't be. Someone was yelling his name. The clock was ticking. He just wanted to close his eyes and go back to sleep.

It must just be a nightmare.

Previous > Masterlist

Oliver is not fine.

Next week, Lex and Fitz and the Maestro's punishments.

Thanks for reading!

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[azaharinflames]

Since you mentioned Buck being the eternal bachelor, I kind of feel like that's maybe the way they are heading with things. Maybe with a late stage realization that his found family (and Maddie) are all that he ever needed.

Which, given how much we've seen that Buck does want that type of romantic love, I think it would be a disservice to the character not to give him that.

I'm trying real hard not to be biased, but I don't think any other LI is going to stick the way Tommy did. After all the big talk Tim did about how perfect Tommy fit in, and after all they did to show us...

Even the GA, who doesn't know about anything Tim had said prior, has got to be tired watching Buck cycle through relationships just to have them end. No one is going to get invested in any other LI he has from now on. The shippers just want their ship (by definition) and the GA doesn't want to waste time on someone who's not going to stick around, most likely.

Hi, Nonnie!

Liiiiisten, when I saw they were making Buck and Tommy break up that was my first thought. That they will eventually pull some bs like that and say the big lesson to be learned is that Buck doesn't need a relationship to be happy, just his family and friends.

But like?? that would be so bad?

And, don't get me wrong, I'm all for platonic love. I love it. But I love it when it makes sense for the character, and in this instance, it just wouldn't. Because it's exactly like you say: with how much we've seen Buck wanting that type of romantic love, not giving it to him and perhaps even trying to convey the message that he was wrong all along and he just needed the love from his family and friends... would feel like a disservice indeed. Not only that, but it would also make Buck's trajectory feel useless, and it would potentially ruin his character.

Also, be as biased as you want, because I fully agree with you. No other LI is gonna hit as hard and as good as Tommy did, and I honestly believe the writers and whoever is in charge or whatever are starting to realise this as well. And it's not just the fact that he just fits in perfectly, but also the way they sold it to us as if Tommy was the perfect partner for Buck. We believed it, and then they did what they did. So, following that logic... why would we ever invest in a new LI, even if we're told this time is for real? Why would we trust them again?

Also, 100% on the GA. Nothing to add there.

Here is my bet for how it will be for Buck when the series ends and if Tommy doesn’t come back in Season 8 (perhaps 9, but I'm sticking with 8 for this): they will try to get Tommy back for the last few eps. If Lou isn't available at the time, they either will try to create a meet-cute in the last second with an entirely new LI (which I doubt), or, most likely, they will pull what you and I fear.

And we will all scream in disappointment (yes, buddies. That goes for you as well)

Anyway... my inbox is open for ranting, venting, giving your opinion (unpopular or popular, I'm happy to receive and discuss both), and even confessions!

Take care <3

[moorishflower]

West African Chicken and Peanut Soup (Mali)

We're kicking off Soupquest 2025 in a big way by going straight for the unfamiliar: a delightful, creamy, sweet/savory tomato and peanut butter-based soup that originated in Mali but which is common in many countries in Africa, though this one is probably closer to the Ghana-tradition, as it's much soupier.

For those worried about the spice level, this soup uses 1 whole scotch bonnet, cut in half and then cooked in the soup for a time before removing the pepper itself. I was unable to find scotch bonnet peppers, so used habanero instead, and I opted to leave the pepper in for the entirety to give it a bit more kick, since a single habanero does not a spicy dish make. I'm happy to report that this does not at all register as spicy to me, only pleasantly warm, the peanut butter occupying the same niche as cream or cheese would.

This soup is delicious. The way it's often intended to be eaten is with fufu, a side dish made with pounded cassava root and plantains; I wasn't able to find cassava, but rice is perfectly acceptable to serve this over, turning it into something like a curry. It's sweet but not sugary, nutty, creamy, savory, warming but not spicy, and I can see how the fufu would be helpful because I was scraping my bowl for every last bit.

I used this recipe from Delish (presented here via wayback machine). Substitutions I made were as follows:

Subbed 1 habanero for 1 scotch bonnet pepper

Subbed 6 tbsp tomato sauce (reduced) for 2 tbsp tomato paste (I forgot to get the paste okay it's fine)

Added some baby spinach for color

You can make this with canned tomatoes if you'd like. Everything kind of breaks down into a delightful sauce in the end. I recommend using a natural or no-added-sugar-organic peanut butter to keep the soup from being too sweet; I used Jif's natural peanut butter and it was probably still on the sweeter side, but still delicious.

The last thing that you can do differently is use bone-in chicken thighs. Sear them as normal, trim as much meat off the bone as you can, and then put the bones back into the soup while it's cooking down. You can fish the bones out when it's done and easily shred whatever meat is remaining off the bone, and you get a bit of added chicken-y oomph to your soup.

For those who want to preview the soups I have collected (both from the wonderful suggestions here on tumblr, as well as through much googling), you can check out my Soup Map here.

[amalythea]

hiii !! omg i’m so excited to send a request in … happy belated birthday btw 🥹💖

can i have #2 “may i have this dance?” “well, if you insist.” + lyney? i hope you have fun writing this if and when you get to it !!! take ur time & make sure to have lots of breaks in between ‹𝟹

[“may i have this dance?” “well, if you insist.”]

⤷ info: lyney x gn!reader || fluff || wc: 638

⤷ warnings: lyney calls reader pet names

⤷ extra: it's been a month since you sent in this req. i have no words i'm so sorry it took me this long 😭

The grand ballroom was alive with the gentle hum of conversation and the soft strains of a waltz, echoing through the gilded hall. Chandeliers cast their light upon a crowd dressed in their finest attire, but none shone quite like Lyney, who stood near the refreshment table, a glass of sparkling juice in hand. His violet eyes were scanning the room, though it was clear his focus was on one person alone—you.

You stood on the other side of the ballroom, looking resplendent in your outfit, though your expression carried a hint of discomfort, as if you weren't entirely sure what to do with yourself amidst the glittering spectacle. Lyney smirked, setting down his glass, and made his way toward you with the confidence of a man with a plan.

“May I have this dance?” he asked, his voice smooth as silk and just loud enough to catch your attention over the music.

You turned to face him, your brows lifting in mock surprise. “You’re asking me for a dance? Are you sure you’re not planning some kind of trick, Monsieur Magician?”

Lyney placed a hand dramatically over his heart, feigning offense. “You wound me, mon cœur. No tricks this time—just an honest invitation to share a moment with the most dazzling person in the room.” He extended his hand toward you, palm up, his gaze steady and inviting.

“Well, if you insist.” You placed your hand in his, allowing him to lead you to the center of the room. Lyney’s touch was warm and steady, and his smile grew brighter as you stepped closer.

The music swelled, and with a graceful sweep, Lyney led you into the dance. His movements were fluid and practiced, each step perfectly timed to the rhythm of the waltz. You, on the other hand, stumbled slightly at first, but his hand on your waist was a steadying anchor. He chuckled softly, his voice low so only you could hear.

“Don’t worry, I won’t let you fall. Just follow my lead.”

You glared at him playfully. “I wasn’t worried about falling. I was worried about you showing off.”

“Oh, but how can I not?” Lyney spun you gently, guiding you through a turn before pulling you back into his arms. “When I have the most incredible partner, it would be a crime not to.”

Despite yourself, you laughed, the sound blending with the music and the soft murmur of the crowd. As the dance continued, you grew more confident, matching his steps with increasing ease. Lyney’s eyes never left yours, his gaze filled with an affection so intense it made your heart skip a beat.

As the final notes of the waltz played, Lyney slowed your movements until you came to a gentle stop. Applause erupted from the crowd, and it was only then you realized you’d drawn their attention. Heat rose to your cheeks, but Lyney didn’t seem to mind in the slightest. In fact, he bowed theatrically, still holding your hand.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” he declared, his voice carrying effortlessly, “I must thank you all for allowing me the honor of sharing this moment with my beloved. But alas, I fear the spotlight belongs to them now.”

The crowd laughed and clapped, and you shot him a look that promised a scolding later. But for now, you curtsied in return, playing along with his antics.

As the attention of the room returned to other dancers, Lyney leaned closer, his voice dropping to a whisper. “Was that so bad?”

You sighed, shaking your head with a small smile. “You’re insufferable.”

“And yet, you keep coming back to me,” he teased, his grin playful but his eyes soft with sincerity.

You couldn’t argue with that. After all, how could you resist someone who made even the simplest moments feel like magic?

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

@amalythea 2025. | do not re-upload, copy, translate, etc. my works on any form of media.

[hrtwayne]

Remember Me [Part Two] || Jenna Ortega

Jenna Ortega x Wife!Reader (First-Person POV!)

Summary: Where you lose your memories, and Jenna promises she'll win you back!

Note: English is not my first language!!

Warning: Mentions of Memory Loss, Past Memories, and Kissing!

Previous Chapter | MASTERLIST

Normally, l'd be the kind of person to complain if someone I didn't know was sleeping so close to me, their body heat making me feel sticky and triggering intrusivesensations ! didn't want to feel. The gir's lips were slightly parted, an d her soft breaths brushed against my neck.

Jenna had become a constant presence in my daily life. She was always looking for ways to make me happy-whether with gifts she knew l loved or breakfast spreads flled with my favorite foods. As a gesture of trust, l'd let her sleep in my bed the night before.

Of course, those same intrusive sensations arose again, the feeling of Jenna's hands resting on me, her head nestled into the curve of my neck. She seemed far more comfortable now than during the nights she spent in the guest room.

Over time, l began noticing every little detail about her, from the freckles dusted across her cheeks to the tiny moles scattered over her shoulders. I was always observing her in some way, and l couldn't deny she was almost too beautiful to be real. Maybe l was already completely under her spell.

The ticking of the clock echoed softly through the room as my hands rested on her waist. Jenna had a charming smile on her lips, her eyes locked on mine. The difference now was that l felt completely captivated by her intense gaze. The moment felt so intimate that l grew a bit shy.

My eyes stayed fixed on her medium stature. Jenna smiled before leaning in and kissing me passionately. I tangled my hands in her wavy hair as her hands gripped my waist, as if trying to pull our bodies even closer together. A shiver ran through me at the contact.

Jenna kissed me gently before pulling back with an awkward smile. She seemed shy about the situation

"I missed you so much, my love," Jenna murmured, leaning into my hand asl stroked her cheek.

"I missed you too, darling," I replied, kissing her forehead.

My eyes snapped open suddenly, and I felt Jenna's warm hand on my cheek. Her worried gaze met mine, making my heart race faster.

"Are you okay?" Jenna asked, helping me sit up against the headboard.

"I think l had a memory" I said, rubbing my left temple. "We were in the living room, in areally intimate moment. l think you'd been away for a while because I could feel thetension."

Jenna blinked a few times, as if recalling the moment. She smiled shyly, and l stared ather curiously

"Oh, that was when l was filming the second season of Wednesday. I was away for a few months, and you were really frustrated with me," Jenna explained. "That night, promised you ľ'd always find a way to see you, even if it was just for a few hours.

My eyes searched hers, and I pulled her into a hug. Jenna seemed surprised by the sudden gesture,

"I think I'm falling in love with you again," 1 admited, feeling her shiver at my words. "Let's take it slow, okay?"

Jenna nodded before l leaned in to kiss her. A heavy sigh escaped her lips, as if she'd been waiting for this moment forever.

"Thank you for giving me a second chance," Jenna whispered against my neck

"I'd give you as many as you needed, my love," I said, pressing a kiss to her cheek.

The comforting hum of the air conditioner filled the room while calm breathing brushed against my neck. The brunette seemed perfectly at ease with her arms wrapped around my waist. A faint smile adorned her lips, making me sigh softly. It had been exactly four months since I decided to give our marriage a second chance.

Jenna seemed determined to surprise me every single day. She was always looking for ways to make me happy, in every way possible. But everything became even more intense after the arrival of a little girl with brown eyes and wavy hair. Eve had entered our lives with warmth and joy.

A muffled giggle woke me as the girl with brown eyes appeared in the doorway holding a teddy bear. I shook my head and let a gentle smile escape my lips. Gently, I pushed Jenna's arms off my waist, stretched, and walked toward the bathroom.

"Have you brushed your teeth, my love?" I asked, watching her nod. "Wait for me in the kitchen, okay? I'll be there in a few minutes."

Eve nodded again before heading downstairs. A low groan made me turn toward the bedroom, where Jenna looked at me with a confused expression before pouting.

"Hey, sweetheart," I said, kissing her cheek. "I'll be waiting for you downstairs, okay?"

She nodded silently, pressing a mischievous kiss to my cheek. A few faint marks decorated my neck, and there were a few more on her back.

"Don't say a word, Ortega," I warned, watching her hide a smile.

My eyes were focused on Jenna as she read a book, while Eve poked my cheek, making me chuckle softly. I shifted my attention from my wife to the big brown eyes of the little girl staring at me.

"Mama, I'm sleepy," she murmured, rubbing her eyes.

"You can sleep on my lap, sweetheart," I replied, starting to gently run my fingers through her soft brown hair.

She gave a slight nod before her breathing grew calm. Jenna glanced away from her book to find Eve peacefully asleep in my arms.

"I never imagined I’d love the sight of you holding a child so much," Jenna whispered, leaning over to press a soft kiss to my lips.

"I think you've changed my perspective on marriage, cariño," I admitted, watching her break into a radiant smile.

[stackslip]

like i'm all about critiquing the execution of 03's ending and how sloppy cos is as an actual conclusion bc there's stuff that can be excused (the rushed production and cancelled final season and how little time/money they had and how much stress they were under) and stuff that can't (i love terminarcher objectively but it is deeply silly; winry's arc should have been concluded; imo it could have been executed better as much as i love the themes and ever since i learned of the original plan to finish the show in liore again i have been dying about it; cos is frankly a disaster on the amestrian side and nothing about the way it treats roy and riza makes sense except that the military are fan favourites who HAD to be in the big budget shounen movie)

but you cannot, for the love of everything holy, tell me with a straight face that manga/brotherhood's ending is better, nevermind perfect. like is it all tied up neatly. yes it is and herein lies the issue, again, bc it's so desperate to be a good happy ever after for everyone that it chooses to ignores the most vile implications of many characters' fates and plot threads' endings just so the Designated Good Guys can get domestic married and roy can be a benevolent military dictator. i've even seen people say that bh's ending inherently values winry more because she gets married to ed and settles and has babies with him. and yknow for how fucking messy the ending of 03 is, and how much of a weird mixed bag of a follow-up cos is too, for how out of context it SOUNDS weird but really if you've actually been following the plot and themes it fits perfectly, the ending to 03 is actually thematically coherent with its themes from the very beginning and drives home all its most salient points as hard as it can.

like sure the ending to brotherhood is much simpler and effective but you think about it for more than like five minutes and want to throw up. roy uses the souls of ishbalans to heal his eyes and becomes the fucking führer. ed and al have done nothing wrong ever. all the evil of the amestrian military comes from this Big Alien Bad Guy who Just Felt Powerless and when he's gone amestris is now a benevolent society that just happens to use ishbal as a frontier colony. scar wails and sobs about how evil he was for killing the people who actively participated in the genocide of his people while being scowled by an amestrian soldier. winry gets a domestic het ending. ling is gonna be cool emperor now and i guess mei can just deal with it. did any of the women ever really matter bc i keep being told brotherhood is a feminist masterpiece but what do any of them do besides return to the status quo with their boyfriend/husband/master or get domesticated and then olivier keeps being a fascist girlboss i guess. yay happy ending and don't you dare think about it deep it's not THAT deep, says the same crowd that calls og fma an anti imperialist masterpiece and a perfect series

meanwhile no matter how much 03 stumbles it legitimately feels like it's taking a look at all of these contradictions within the manga and slowly strangles them to death while looking you dead in the eye. THERE IS NO WAR THAT DOES NOT CONCERN US, ALCHEMY AND YOUR VISION OF PROGRESS ARE BASED ON MASS DEATH AND ATROCITIES, YOU CANT SAVE THE WORLD SINGLE HANDEDLY BUT THAT IS NO EXCUSE FOR NOT FACING THAT WORLD FOR WHAT IT IS AND STILL CHOOSING TO TRY TO MAKE IT A LITTLE BETTER. and then i have to hear all about how grimdark and supposedly lacking in hope it is when it literally ends on the realization that you cannot separate yourself from the world or ignore its issues you have a duty to it and it is bigger than your dreams or selfishness. anyhow

[the-100-days-of-junkan]

Day 95 (Warning: This Fic has a whole load of sensitive subject matter throughout it, so check the tags and go in at your own discretion)

Burning Lungs by Oxidize

Alrighty I’mma be perfectly honest, I have no idea how to approach this one. This might be the . . . darkest? No. I think the best (but still not best?) way I could describe this fic as would be, the most openly graphic story. Not in a super brutal descriptions of gore kind of graphic, just in the sense that when talking about the darker aspects of these characters backstories it’s the most in your face. I’d even argue it’s kind of overboard at points.

This is Burning Lungs! Another multi-chapter story, and unfortunately, another Unfinished one. 

You know those posts talking about when you binge read a fic and get super invested only to hit the most recent chapter and realize that it hasn’t been updated in a super long time?? For me, this is THE fic I think of when that kind of posts comes up. That and a Tokomaru fic I read years ago as a young teen but that’s not Junkan so it’s irrelevant here. 

A short summation of the fic for those who chose not to read it given the warnings. Junko catches Pneumonia and has to stay in the Nurse’s Office at Hope’s Peak, where her caretaker is, unsurprisingly Mikan! Initially she hates Mikan, partially because of her sickness. However through the combination of Mikan’s kind nature, and constant nightmares of her childhood, she eventually comes to start loving Mikan.

Now of course, because the fic is unfinished, we don’t get to see these feelings fully come together, just snippets as Junko slowly finds herself more and more fond of Mikan.

I love this fic, like, a lot. While I could do without the at times kind of excessive flashbacks going over how bad Junko (and Mukuro’s) childhood was, everything outside of that is so good that I’m willing to overlook my minor gripe. And even then the last flashback actually is what makes me wish this fic had continued. Since (And yes we’re getting into spoilers from here on out) it reveals that Junko and Mikan had unknowingly met as young children, and like, god i fucking love that trope. Especially in the context of this fic. 

Something I find myself fond of which is only possible with these dream sequences is the way the author lets both characters slowly bond because of their trauma. We only ever get to see Junko’s side of things of course, but I still really like the vibe. My favorite moment from this story is in the last chapter, when Mikan talks to Junkan about some of her own personal history, for a lot of reasons! For one I just like seeing Junko having grown a bit further since for a decent portion of the fic she’s had a very negative opinion of Mikan due to being stuck in bed and sick, with that outlook being chipped away by Mikan’s kindness (along with recognizing her struggles).

It also involves Mikan’s bandages! I’ve said previously that I’m just like, obsessed with those and the ways they can be used when portraying Mikan. Here it is, definitely uncomfortable but I’m pretty sure that’s the point. And it’s the hardest indicator for Junko that Mikan and her are the same, deeply damaged girls who deserved better. 

The line in the inner monologue that strikes my mind the hardest is “Not Tsumiki” because that feels like the hardest shift in Junko’s brain where she begins to not just wish for Mikan’s happiness, but also when she starts falling for her (Even if she tries to fight back that notion in her mind as just a need for affection.) Like everything after that between these two specifically I love. 

Mikan doing Junko’s hair (both times) is lovely and gives me a similar energy to why I love the idea of Mikan’s love language coming out through medical care. Oh! Nother thing I like (Sorry I’m focusing so much on Chapter 3, it’s really good), Junko doesn’t just like, instantly switch to only being nice with Mikan. She’s significantly kinder to her, but she’s just like, reflexively a bitch sometimes. She’s gotta work through it, and I like to imagine she would have if the series continued (and I do have thoughts on that, but that’s for the future) 

This is a small thing but I also like the background of Mukuro and Sayaka getting together in the background, just something cute that does my heart good. I’ve always wanted to try out the cold spoon trick since this is where I learned it from. Alas, my relationship is long distance, so I’ve yet to get a nice hickey- Oops that got off topic.

I believe that’s all the notable stuff I wanted to mention here? I hope those who choose to read have a good time with it! Because I certainly did.

To the author (who I tried to find outside of AO3 ((also checking its profile reveals it uses it/its pronouns. Hopefully that remains accurate should you be finding this post, apologies if not and I’m willing to edit this if necessary!)), but it doesn’t seem to have any other accounts under the same username), I sincerely hope that wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, you’re doing well. I always wish the best to these authors when I come across a long unfinished storyline that may never continue (And in this case it noted on its profile that the fics it made during this release year won’t be finished). I made art based on this fic both out of love for it, and in hopes that you’d find this! Not out of a desire to see the story finish (Even if I do), but to let ya know that what work you did put into this already is wonderful! Thankyou! Oh right. Should talk about the art.

Hey guess what, it’s more Chapter 3 stuff, another adaptation of course. I tried hard to get Mikan’s outfit correct based on the descriptions from earlier chapters. It was very weird getting to draw Mikan in an outfit that’s well, realistic? I’ve drawn her in sweaters and the like before, but I struggle to describe the sense of realism described in this fit. It’s now that I realize with a reread that her outfit in this chapter might have been different, as it showed off her bandages more (unless I missed a line), meaning she might have been wearing something closer to her Nurse Uniform? I’m still happy with this despite that!

Oh! Slight extra note, I like Mikan wearing more bandaids (the tiny kind) across her face and fingers rather than just her arm, leg, and knee like normal. Adds a sense of uniqueness!~ 

Anyway, I felt very confident in the choice to adapt the scene when Junko wakes up from her first nightmare of the chapter. Held in Mikan’s arm as she’s being calmed down. You know me, I like the role reversal with this ship, and Mikan comforting Junko ALWAYS gives me life.

Coloring and shading this was super hard, but super fun! I wanted this to be a much more desaturated and dull looking pic in terms of the presentation, since this fic always gave me a vibe of being a lot more realistic in its interpretation of Danganronpa Characters. It wasn’t easy, but I think it was worth it!

As always, Reblogs, Comments, and Little Notes in the Tags are appreciated!~ They always make my day!~

[monaco-the-monster]

Friendship (relationship) I didn't know I needed but I cannot live without now

[moeblob]

OC !

[rileys-battlecats]

was trying to figure out why I feel so Wrong rn and I think it's because I didn't follow my usual daily routine like At All and now my brain is freaking out. woke up at a vastly different time, had entirely different tasks throughout the day, took a nap at a weird time (to make up for the fact I had about 3 hours of sleep last night), zero human contact for the past 15 hours, and ate different food from usual (various leftovers from social events/thanksgiving, instead of cooking for myself like normal). and before I really realized that these were all things that were Bad For My Brain I was just wandering around my house like "why do I feel like garbage?? I've literally been outside so much today my brain should be happy"

ANYWAY here's to me not remembering I have issues with unstructured living because my days have been so similar for the past 4ish years that I straight up Forgot that things being too different too fast makes me crazy ✌️

[sysig]

You’re gonna die if you keep that up (Patreon)