#these little quips and whatnot are really cute

[invinciblerodent]

See, one could logically assume that there being a literal safe haven of an inn (complete with wine and comfortable beds) available pretty much immediately after the "I got horny watching you kill stuff" dialogue would trigger maybe an additional bit of flirting, or something of the sort.

One would be woefully wrong of course, but it WOULD be logical.

Shooting a half-dead shadow-cursed goblin to full-on death is a WEIRD thing to get hopelessly turned on by, Gale

Especially right in front of everyone, party and other goblins included, Gale

Not saying that I mind per se, but it is a weird thing to get a boner over, Gale

ALSO "I FIND YOU IRRESISTIBLE" IS QUITE A BIG JUMP FROM "OH LET'S NOT TALK ABOUT HOW I LIKE YOU LEST I S'PLODE", GALE

[roosterr]

I had a cute little idea for the requests where it could be a platonic Simon and Reader where they can tell Simon’s stressed post-mission possibly from flashbacks or just a mission going wrong and whatnot and gets him to go with them for take out just to try and let Simon know they have someone to lean off if need be 🥺

this is so sweet :,) please enjoy anon!

(platonic) simon ghost riley & gn!reader

wc: 1k ao3

ghost is an expert in disguising how he's really feeling. you can only glean so much from just his eyes, the rest of his expression perpetually hidden beneath his mask and leaving most people oblivious to his mood.

you, however, are not most people.

it subtle, but the tells are there if you know what to look for. lately he's been more irritable than usual, snapping at people and losing his patience at things that typically wouldn’t faze him. you don't think anyone else has picked up on the tension in his shoulders, something that’s clear to you after all the time you've spent with him.

it's made especially obvious that something’s going on with him in the way he jolts when you open the door to his office. his head snaps up to look at you, the icy look he sends you only fueling your concern for his out of character reaction.

"haven't you heard of knockin'?" he growls from behind his desk, papers scattered over the surface, and if he wasn’t still wearing the balaclava you’re sure his hair would be in a similarly dishevelled state from how his fingers worry his head.

"...i did." you shut the door behind you, and with dismissive a roll of his eyes ghost looks back down to his work and does his best to ignore you. 

the longer you watch him, the more exhausted he seems; you can see the bags under his eyes now the eyeblack has been washed away, and the slight tremor in his hands as he attempts to write in a legible way. 

people have been talking, you hear them gossiping about how they’ve seen ghost roaming the halls late at night. none of them thought anything of it, but you knew that meant it was getting bad again, so you decide to just bite the bullet and try your luck. "you got a sec?"

he glances up at you, eyes sharp under his furrowed brow, letting your question hang in the air for a moment. you wait in silence for his response, only the rhythmic ticking of the clock for background noise.

"just spit it out." he finally grumbles, dropping his pen and crossing his arms over his chest as he leans back in his chair. you take it as a good sign that he didn’t outright tell you to piss off.

"i'm going for takeout, do you wanna come with me?" you try, a hopeful little smile on you lips as you slowly approach his desk. his eyes follow your movement, unreadable, and there's another pause before he answers.

"ask one of the others."

"i would’ve if i wanted to." you reply, smile deflated slightly by his clipped tone. he doesn’t react, simply observes you with the same deadpan stare, but you won’t give up that easily. "c’mon, mate, i'll pay?"

at that ghost releases a long sigh, letting his eyes fall shut in a slow blink before pushing himself to stand. "...if you insist."

you grin, a sense of triumph coming over you as he rounds his desk and gestures for you to move. both the walk to your car and the drive into town are spent in relative quiet, the space where ghost would usually respond to you with quips of his own filled only by his short hums.

you don't push or pry, you know he's not quite himself at the moment – it was the whole reason you were doing this, after all.

you let ghost choose where to eat, despite this being your idea, and he settles on that greasy pizza place you always seem to end up at on a night out. he still doesn't say much as you're ordering, or while you're leaning on the wall outside waiting for your food, until you speak up and voice what you’ve been thinking for the last week or so.

"look, i know you like keeping it to yourself, but," you start, watching the cars go by to avoid his gaze, "you can always talk to me, ghost."

"cheers." if you were anyone else, you'd be fooled by the ease in which he brushes you off, but there's something else in his voice as he replies. "you gonna give me a motivational speech?"

"i know you don't think anyone notices, but i do." your voice is low as you look over to him, the look on his face decidedly sadder than earlier in the dim evening light. "if i can help you, i want to."

his movement stutters, pausing with his hand halfway through rubbing his eyes like you'd caught him of guard with what you said. you're almost worried he'll shut down completely, but a second later he mumbles, "...you don't have to do that."

you huff. "you heard me, i want to."

"why? you got your own issues, no point boggin' yourself down with mine too."

"you're my friend, ghost. that's how it's supposed to be." you reply, nudging his arm with your elbow. he's stiff under your touch but, unlike earlier, his shoulders sag and his hands have stopped trembling. "you tell me your troubles, and we deal with it together. two heads are better than one an'all that."

"thank you."

you almost miss the whisper. you do your best not to react before he looks away again, trying not to make a big deal out of his vulnerability. instead, the two of you go back to standing side by side in silence, watching the world go by with a lot more peace than before.

your order is eventually called out, and ghost goes inside to collect it while you wait outside. it may not be much, but you're glad he didn't completely shut you out. you're not sure you know anyone who deserves a shoulder to lean on more than ghost.

when he comes back out you reach to take the boxes from him, but he just shoves a twenty pound note into your hand, and before you can react he's already marching back to the car.

"hey, i said i'd pay!" you call, a fond smile tugging at the corner of your lips as you jog after him.

"course i'm not lettin' you pay, you twat." he glares back at you, but the look holds no malice. a beat passes before his face softens almost imperceptibly and he adds in a quiet murmur, "not after all that."

[imrllytootiredforthis]

have been thinking about lino's thighs😵‍💫😵‍💫sometimes primal awakes in me every time i do.. just... the urge to grope to pinch to kiss to lick just anything 😭

okay but imagine if he's riding u and his thighs start shaking from how good he feels. he cums so hard that he just collapses on u, so u have to hold him still,, he gets so embarrassed and mumbles "m sorry m sorry" while whimpering and crying, thinking you'd get mad at him or be disappointed in him 😭😭

pls i know he's more on a bratty side but cute minho takes a special place in my heart 💔💔

-💘

lino's thighs live rent-free in my mind, like seriously-look at them

like jesus, 😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫

anyway so-i feel like it would be when he had a really bad day that he would be so cute and good for once,

like all the energy to be a brat would be drained out of him and he'd try to start backtalking to you with smartass quips and whatnot, but a single look from you has him absolutely spiralling, melting and begging you to take care of him

tease him first ofc, laying between his legs, looking up at his facial expressions. eyes screwed shut and mouth just slightly hung open, letting out breathy pants and whines as you nip and bite at his thighs, leaving pretty marks all over them

tell him he's a good little kitten bc he really needs that right now and the way he'd get all hot and flustered at the name is adorable🫠

then you'd tell him to get on top and ride you.

he'd do it so gently, slowly rocking back in forth, hands resting on your chest/stomach for support. whining out small pleas and whimpers,

gradually getting faster, but it's not enough, whimpering out and pleading for your help

and then you put your hands on his hips and start guiding him faster, poor little lino'll lose his mind. the restrained whimpers and moans from before becoming full on screams of pleasure as you repeatedly bounce him up and down, abusing his prostate, practically making him drool

his thighs will quiver and shake and one hand comes to clutch yours where it rests on his waist, threading his fingers with yours, starting to babble about how he loves you so, so much, about how you make him feel so good

and then you bring your other hand down and squeeze at his shaking thighs, gliding your nails over the marks until you find a big one and press down.

it's all over. he trembles almost violently as he cums, curling into himself, falling against your chest,

panting and whimpering, clutching your hand like it's a lifeline, apologizing over and over again for cumming without your permission😵‍💫

[realityjoey]

MANLY WHATNOTS (1.4)

COLOUR KEY.

RED = lust / hot / tension / desire / dirty / overprotective

ORANGE = family / friends moments

GREEN = anger / jealousy / hatred

BLUE = sad / denial / confusion / isolation

PURPLE = romantic / cute / they’re so in love / caring

PINK = funny / sarcasm

A few days later, Joey was taking a morning shower before work. She was soaking in the comforting hot water, causing the whole bathroom to steam up. She had been in the shower longer than usual as her mind wouldn’t switch off from returning to the memory of being shot— as well as filling with confusion whenever she thought about Lucifer and all of the happenings that have occurred that she has failed to find an explanation to.

Interrupting Joey’s train of overwhelming thoughts, she’s snapped back to reality when she hears a clatter from downstairs. Naturally, Joey instantly switches off the shower, the water coming to a halt. She wraps a towel around her body, picking up her gun which she’d left on top of the toilet seat. She never lets it leave her side (that’s paranoia for you).

Joey then slowly and quietly tip toed out of the bathroom, pointing her gun in front of her as she creeps downstairs. She doesn’t see anything as she walks into the main room, although she notices there happens to be food cooking on the stove.

Joey furrows her eyebrows— she hadn’t made any food. Suddenly, she hears a thump come from the other side of the room. She spins around, flinching when she sees Lucifer. “Lucifer?” She gasps, accidentally dropping her towel to a pool at her feet in the fast movement spinning around.

Lucifer’s breath hitches in his throat at the site of a very naked Joey. “Well, good morning, Detective.” He checks her out, placing his hands in his trouser pockets, taking a step closer to her.

Joey’s mind eventually switches back on, as she hurriedly grabs the towel from the floor, re-covering herself, slightly embarrassed.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Joey asks, pissed off.

“Setting the table.” Lucifer smiles, indicating to the neatly presented table.

“You broke into my house?” Joey states.

“Yes, well, I hope you don’t mind but I made a little brekkie. You were taking forever in the shower.” He explains, walking over to the frying pan, holding the handle. “What do you do in there?” He asks suggestively, looking her up and down.

“You are unbelievable.” Joey tells him.

“Oh, thank you, but it’s you who should take the compliment. Really kept things up since Hot Tub High School, haven’t we?” Lucifer compliments. “Ding dong.” He checks her out again.

Joey sighs. “I want to shoot you.”

“Tease. Do it.” Lucifer quips. “I’m immortal, remember?” He reminds her. “Uh, do you have any truffle oil?” He asks.

“Lucifer, get out of my house now.” Joey instructs.

“We haven’t eaten yet.” Lucifer replies, as he searches the fridge.

“Out.” Joey stands her ground.

“Well, don’t we need to discuss the next case?” Lucifer suggests, finding any reason to be allowed to stay.

“There is no next case.” Joey says, taking the ingredients out of his hands, placing them on the table, grabbing his arm. “Out.”

Suddenly, the front door opens, entering Steve, Arlo, and Dev. “We’re already late, so let’s go.” Steve says, as Dev spots Lucifer.

“Lucifer!” Arlo shouts, running up to him, hugging his waist.

“Yeah..” Lucifer says awkwardly, flinching at the contact.

“What in God’s name is going on?” Steve asks, looking between Joey and Lucifer, an excited glint in his eyes.

“Nothing in his name. Here on my own, actually.” Lucifer replies, incapable of controlling his response when the big guy is mentioned.

“Did you and sissy have a sleepover?” Dev asks Lucifer, eyeing him up. Lucifer grins.

“No. No. Absolutely not, no.” Joey denies, looking at Steve. “What are you guys doing here anyway?” She changes subject.

“Arlo left his bird report here.” Steve answers.

“Want to see?” Arlo asks Lucifer, grabbing his hand, directing him to his room.

“Um, not really. Here, have a snack, child.” Lucifer offers, hovering a piece of bacon over Arlo’s head. Arlo grabs it.

“Are you sleeping with this guy?” Steve asks Joey, grinning.

“She hasn’t had the pleasure, unfortunately, no.” Lucifer answers, poking his head round Arlo’s bedroom door, expecting a bitter answer from whoever this Steve guy was— but he got the opposite.

“Well, it is very nice to meet you..” Steve says, walking up to Lucifer, holding a hand out for him to shake.

“Lucifer Morningstar.” Lucifer introduces, shaking Steve’s hand.

“Steve Mayberry.” Steve replies, smiling.

“It’s a pleasure.” Lucifer says, surprised at the warm welcome. “And you are Joey’s…” he whispers to Steve, confused at their dynamic.

“Let me see.” Steve says, thinking. “Part-time brother, part-time best friend, part-time guardian, part-time therapist. It’s complicated.”

“I see.” Lucifer nods, glad that they’re clearly platonically related.

“You never told me you were so close with such a ravishing gentleman, birdie.” Steve says, turning back to Joey who is glaring at him for multiple reasons.

“Keep your pants on, Mayberry.” Joey mumbles as Steve walks back over to her, Lucifer watching them with interest.

“And get yours off, girl.” Steve tells her, looking Lucifer up and down— who was very entertained at the way things had gone.

Suddenly, Arlo and Dev come running back out. Joey sighs, stressed out. “Okay, everybody out. Arlo and Dev have to get to school. I have to get to work. Come on, out, please.” She looks at Lucifer.

“No, no, no, no, no, you can’t throw me out again.” Lucifer argues.

“Again?” Steve’s eyebrows raise, another grin forming. “So this is a habit?” He questions, excitedly.

“Yes, shocking isn’t it?” Lucifer nods.

“No.” Joey shakes her head.

“Never been thrown out of anywhere before in my life.” Lucifer says, appalled. “Well, except for Heaven, of course.”

“You know what?” Steve says, looking at Lucifer. “To make up for little miss grumpy’s behaviour… take my number.” Steve says, handing him a piece of paper. “We’ll arrange something. A dinner, perhaps?” He suggests. “Hopefully Joey’s rude breakfast manners will have calmed by dinner time. She gets a little cranky in the mornings.” He whispers the last part to Lucifer, knowing Joey can still hear him.

Joey goes to protest against the idea, but Lucifer answers before she can say anything. “Oh, I would love to.” He grins. “I’ll leave you in peace for now, detective. But somebody please flip the omelette if it’s not already ruined.” He adds, leaving.

Once he’s left, Joey practically bursts. “What do you think you’re doing?!”

“What do I think I’m doing? What do you think you’re doing?!” Steve retorts, “Turning down such a hunk like that.”

“Don’t say ‘hunk’.” Joey says, placing a palm to her face. “Steve—“

“No. I don’t want to hear it.” He interrupts. “You have a lot of explaining to do. Maybe at dinner with.. Mr. Morningstar.” He teases, winking. “Cmon, you two.” He shouts to Dev and Arlo, leaving.

After being kicked out, Lucifer had decided to visit Dr. Linda Martin. He storms into her office, seeing her. “Good. Right, you’re here. Um, I need to chat.”

“Lucifer, we don’t have an appointment.” Linda interrupts.

“Something very disturbing has just happened. It’s horrific, really.” He says, dramatically. “Uh, for the second time, I’ve been thrown out of a woman’s house.”

“Okay, sorry—“

“I mean, I’m starting to wonder if the detective has some sort of biological dysfunction.” Lucifer continues.

“Lucifer.” Linda says.

“Cause, I mean, I appeal to the virile urge in all women. Certainly, well, certainly you can attest to that, can’t you?” Lucifer says.

“Lucifer, stop.” Linda says.

“Yes, of course, sorry. Payment first.” He apologises, starting to unbutton his shirt.

“Uh, no. No, no, no, no, no. No! No!” Linda protests, placing a hand on his to stop him from continuing with the unbuttoning.

“Hmm?” Lucifer hums in confusion.

“Lucifer, this is George.” Linda says, looking at the patient on the sofa. Lucifer spins his head around, realising George has witnessed the whole thing. “George, Lucifer. Lucifer, George.” She introduces. George waves at Lucifer.

Lucifer chuckles. “Oops.”

Later on in the morning, Joey had gotten ready for work despite all the hassle, and was about to leave. She opens her front door, only to see Dan, fist in the air, about to knock.

“Dan, if you’re here to have a go at me..” Joey begins, knowing they’re going through a rough patch.

“No. I just got off the phone with the lieutenant. There’s a case.” He tells her. Joey lets Dan in, and he sits her down to explain things. A girl has gone missing. “Her name’s Lindsay Jolson. Just turned 22. She went missing catering a Players’ Club event.”

“Players’ Club?” Joey questions.

“It’s one of those sleazy pickup artist groups.” Dan tells her. “You know, that teach geeks how to be sex gods.”

“Got it.” Joey nods, grimacing.

“Lindsay was last seen talking to the lead scumbag.” Dan says, facing the ipad to Joey with a photo. “The founder, Carver Cruz.”

“So he was interrogated?” Joey asks.

“Yep, but his lawyer did all the talking.” Dan replies. “And with no proof, we’re stuck.” He says. “But, there’s a Players’ seminar and after-party today. And you need to go undercover.”

“Why me? I’m homicide.” Joey asks.

“Because you’re out best way in.” Dan tells her.

“I am?” Joey says.

“Apparently these events are pretty exclusive, and when I saw the guest list, I recognised one of the names.” He says, Joey furrowing her eyebrows. “I guess a lot of high-end club owners are invited.”

“Oh, come on.” Joey scoffs. Dan just looks at her. “No. You’re kidding.”

Dan chuckles. “I wish I was.”

“Lucifer’s on the list?” She asks.

“Yeah.” Dan nods.

“Yeah, of course he is.” Joey mumbles.

Dan sighs. “Look… the last thing I want is the guy who actively wants to sleep with my best friend’s — who trusted me to keep an eye on you— little sister spending more time with her. But…”

“This is the best option.” Joey finishes.

“I wouldn’t ask, but I just keep thinking, what if this was my daughter?” He says. “What if this was Devon?”

Lucifer had to wait for Linda to finish with George, although now, he’s able to voice his problem.

“The detective seems like a very lovely woman.” Linda says.

“Well, I suppose, but still, she’s human. Why is she able to refuse my charms?” Lucifer questions. “I mean, is this thing on?” He points up an down himself.

“Yes, yes. Definitely on.” Linda assures him. She then sighs, “It’s not that you’re afraid that you don’t have power over Joey. It’s that you’re afraid that she has power over you, but neither one is true.”

“No?” Lucifer questions.

“No. People don’t just have power over us. We give it to them. You have to take your power back.” She tells him.

“Right, go on.” Lucifer tells her, uncrossing his legs, leaning forward in curiosity.

“You say she’s nothing special, but I think you’ve put her on a pedestal.” Linda explains. “You need to really get to know her, flaws and all.” She chuckles. “From my brief meeting with her, and what you’ve told me, I’m sure she has some. So, demystify her by brining her back down to your own level.

“You’re right.” Lucifer smiles. “It’s not her, it’s me. I need to take back control. I need to behave like I always have.”

“Good. So you understand?” Linda double-checks, as Lucifer likes to twist her words sometimes.

“Yes. Yes.” Lucifer chuckles. “I mean, it seems obvious now, actually. I need to have sex with her.”

“Uh… no, uh, that’s not what I said.” Linda stutters, shocked— yet also not— that Lucifer has come up with another solution.

“No, no, no, you’re a genius.” Lucifer compliments. “I mean, that’s the best way to lose interest, right?” He says, standing up. “Thanks, love.” He kisses her cheek. “Payment next time, okay?” He tells her, rushing out of the room.

Later, Joey had easily convinced Lucifer to join her on the Lindsay Jolson case. They were walking through the streets of L.A while Joey debriefs the situation.

“Her name’s Lindsay Jolson.” Joey begins.

“Mm-hmm.” Lucifer nods, not paying attention.

“She’s been missing almost three full days.” Joey reads off the file, burying her head in it as they walk.

“Right, so just ask my one more time.” Lucifer requests.

“Lucifer, there’s a girl missing.” Joey scolds.

Lucifer chuckles. “Yes, it’s just not everyday that someone kicks you out of their house, then three hours later asks you on a date.” He shrugs, as they stop walking, having reached Joey’s parked car.

“It’s not a date. It’s a work thing.” Joey corrects.

“Oh?” Lucifer nods, pouting.

“And are you gonna help me or not?” She asks, fed up.

Lucifer checks her out. “Alright.” He agrees. “But only ‘cause it coincides perfectly with my own plan.” He smirks at her, leaning on the bonnet of the car.

“And what plan is that?” Joey asks.

“Well, to have sex with you, of course.” Lucifer replies boldly.

Joey’s jaw almost drops at his openness. She laughs (a little nervously). “Okay. Wait, you and I… well, there is no you and I.” She corrects herself. “There’s a professional situation, and I just need you—“

“See, you need me.” Lucifer interrupts.

“The department needs you, because you’re the one—“

“I’m the one?” Lucifer questions, placing a hand on his heart, smirking.

Joey starts getting irritated. “… on the list for the Player thing.” She eventually finishes off.

“You’re quite adorable when you’re flustered.” Lucifer flirts.

“I… I’m not flustered.” Joey denies. “I’m nauseous.”

“And now you’re blushing; I’d say I’m making headway.” Lucifer grins.

“Okay, look, let me make myself perfectly clear.” Joey begins, stepping closer to him, their faces dangerously close that Lucifer can’t resist but let his eyes wander down to her lips, before staring lustfully into her eyes. “I will never, ever, ever sleep with you. Never.” She states. “Okay? Got it?”

“Playing hard to get, I like it.” Lucifer replies.

“When Hell freezes over, Lucifer.” Joey says, walking away to get in the car.

“I can arrange that, actually.” He calls, remaining on the bonnet.

“Get in the car.” Joey tells him sternly, before she gets in the car.

Shortly afterwards, they arrive at the venue for the Players’ Club. As they walk through the entrance, they are greeted by multiple women wearing little to no clothes. “Well, hello.” Lucifer grins at them.

“Here you are, Mr. Morningstar.” A blonde woman says, placing Lucifer’s name card into his blazer pocket whilst running a hand down his chest.

“Well, thank you, lovely.” Lucifer replies.

Joey shakes her head. “And here’s something else you might need.” She adds, scribbling down her number on a slip of paper, placing it in his other pocket.

“Well, yes, that might come in handy.” Lucifer agrees. “Pardon the pun.” He says, as him and Joey walk away.

Just as they leave the blonde girl’s company, someone else is rushing towards them. “Did you just number close the name tag girl?” A random guy asks Lucifer, a mixture of impression and jealousy.

Lucifer pouts at him. “Use this wisely. You’re welcome.” He says, putting the slip of paper with the girl’s number in the other guys pocket who smiles gratefully.

“I can’t believe you.” Joey says as they walk away.

“Don’t worry, Detective. I’m more of a leg man myself.” He assures her, referring to the blonde girl who had her cleavage on display. “Soon as you say the word, you’ll have your turn.”

“Wow, you’ve never been rejected by a woman, have you?” Joey realises.

“No.” Lucifer replies. Joey shakes her head, laughing, when their attention is caught by somebody else.

“I want to talk to Carver Cruz!” A guy shouts, being denied entrance by the security guard.

“I need you to leave right now, sir.” The security guard tells him.

“Carver!” The guy yells. “Carver, can you hear me?!”

“It’s the missing girl’s brother.” Joey recognises him.

“What’d you do to my sister?!” Lindsay’s brother, Kevin shouts. “Get out here, you coward!” He says. Joey decides to rush over, Lucifer close behind.

“It’s okay. I got this. I know him.” She lies to the security guard.

“No, you don’t.” Kevin tells her.

“Look, I’m sorry. He has to leave the premises.” The security guard says.

“Oh, I don’t think that’ll be necessary, officer.” Lucifer says. “Besides, isn’t this quite boring?” He leans forward. “I mean, there are several lovely ladies milling around out there. Which one do you desire?”

The security guard stares into Lucifer’s eyes. “You. I’m gay.” He answers.

“Oh!” Lucifer says, unexpectedly. “Right. Well, my dance card’s full with this one, I’m afraid.” Lucifer rejects him, looking at Joey. “But the odds are definitely in your favour out there. Probably not batting for the same team, but you never know.” He says, as they look around the room. “So go on, then. Go forth and conquer. I know you want to.”

“Yeah.” The security guard smiles, leaving to mingle.

“Right.” Lucifer nods. “Off you pop.”

“You’re Lindsay’s brother.” Joey says to Kevin.

“How’d you know that?” Kevin asks her.

“Because she’s a cop.” Lucifer answers.

“Great. Say that louder. I don’t think everyone heard you.” Joey says, sarcastically.

“Right. Sorry.” Lucifer starts whispering. “Yes, we’re here undercover to find out what happened to your sister.” He says, still whispering— obnoxiously.

“If you can help me, I’ll tell you what happened.” Kevin says. “Carver killed her.”

“Killed her? You sure about that?” Joey asks.

“No, but… look, I know my sister. She’s a good person. She’s sweet. She wouldn’t just run off. She’s not even from L.A. I’m all she has out here. She’s all I have.” Kevin explains.

“Kevin, I promise you, if anyone here hurt your sister, I’ll find them.” Joey promises.

“And I’ll punish them.” Lucifer adds. “Any method you prefer. Nice solid flogging. Get the ol’ swamp nuts in a vice, you know.”

“Okay. It’s time to go now.” Joey tells Kevin. “Let us handle this, and if we hear anything, we’ll be in touch.”

“Okay. Thank you.” Kevin whispers.

“Yeah.” Joey nods.

“We’ve got this.” Lucifer adds, patting Kevin’s shoulder.

Kevin then leaves, and Joey and Lucifer make their way to the main hall for Carver’s speech. “You have to admit, we’re quite a good team.” Lucifer says. “If you weren’t so pent-up sexually, we’d be firing on all cylinders, I’d say.”

“I am not pent-up. I’m just not interested.” Joey replies, shrugging.

“I beg to differ.” Lucifer mutters.

They enter the main hall. “I’m assuming you learned most of your moves at events like these.” Joey comments, teasingly.

“I’ve never been to something like this is my life.” Lucifer denies. “I certainly don’t need help getting women into bed. Till..” He looks at her. “Were you hit on the head when you were small?” He asks, trying to find reasoning as to why she refuses to sleep with him. Joey simply sighs, as she tries to find their seats. “No?” Lucifer follows after her.

They sit down, and the show was beginning. ‘Eye of the Tiger’ begins playing as all the lights go off, flashing strobe lights onto the stage for Carver to make a dramatic entrance, everyone immediately cheering as the spotlight lands on him.

“We are biological machines.” Carver begins, his voice echoing from his microphone across the dimly lit room. “We… are warriors. We… are players!” He shouts, receiving cheers from the crowd as everyone except for Joey and Lucifer stand up, applauding. “Gentlemen, we are animals. Men are the wolves, and women… are the fluffy bunnies.” He says, laughter erupting from the crowd as Joey shakes her head subtly in disapproval— Lucifer watching her reaction. “So we must prepare ourselves for the hunt. How?” He asks. “Follow the list.” Him and the crowd say in harmony. “Yes! The C.K.C. The conduct of Kick-ass Cavemen. One: Be seen.” Carver says.

“People pay for this?” Lucifer says to Joey, dumbfounded.

“Yeah, $5,000 bucks.” Joey answers.

“Stand out. The peacock, the lion with his mane. Two: Be a protector. Duh. Women are hardwired to hook up with someone who can help them survive. It is simple biology, man. Three: Be brave. Take risks.” Carver continues.

“Oh, maybe you should take notes.” Joey teases, Lucifer sending her an unpleased look.

“Four: Be a leader of men. And the most elusive. Five: Be confident. You.. are… a player! Own it!” He yells, as the crowd once again— like clockwork— erupt into cheering.

“Excuse— excuse me!” Lucifer shouts, standing up from his seat. “Excuse me, question!”

“What are you doing?” Joey asks, looking up at him.

“The Q&A’s after the speech, buddy.” Carver replies. Everyone in the room’s attention is now focused on Lucifer.

“No, but it’s quite pressing.” Lucifer argues. “What if you have all those manly whatnots and a woman still doesn’t respond?”

“You may think you have them, but you don’t.” Carver states.

“Yeah.” Joey nods.

“That’s why you’re here, right?” Carver says. “So, gentlemen, you follow these rules, and you will bed any Betty you desire, guaranteed.” He continues, although Lucifer remains stood.

“No. No. No, no, no. I’m certain I’ve got everything on your little list, and more, actually, yet this woman here won’t have sex with me.” Lucifer interrupts again, looking and pointing at Joey. There’s a few laughs from the audience as Joey gasps, opening her mouth to say something, but deciding not to.

“Just listen to the speech, buddy.” Carver tells him. “The system works.”

“No, but I doubt that.” Lucifer disagrees. “Because… because if I can’t ’bed a Betty’, then how do you possible expect any of these poor miscreants to succeed?” He insults, looking around the room, causing a grumble from the majority of the crowd. “Especially when they’re taking advice from a—a wanker such as you?”

“Alright, just sit down, man.” Carver tells him, fed up.

“Yeah, Lucifer, sit down.” Joey agrees, tugging at his hand as Lucifer was currently ruining their plan of staying on the low.

“I— I just… could we get a spot light over here?” He requests. “Do we have that?” He chuckles, the spotlight then moves, focusing on Lucifer. “Yeah, yeah. But on— on her.” He directs, pointing above Joey’s head. Joey is trying to avoid eye contact with anyone and everyone out of pure embarrassment as the spotlight is now shining on her. “Good. Right. Now, you’re the expert. You tell me what’s wrong with this picture.” Lucifer asks Carver. “I mean, I’m me. Right?” He points proudly to himself. “And she… well, she’s a cop, for starters.” Lucifer exposes, Joey staring daggers at him.

Carver gulps. “She’s a cop?”

“Yes. I mean, talk about the shallow end of the dating pool.” Lucifer replies.

“This is private property.” Carver says, looking at Joey. “Unless you have a warrant, you need to leave here immediately. Security! Security, her, out.” He orders. “Okay, we’re gonna take a ten-minute intermission.” He announces to the audience. “Alright? Thank you.” He makes his way to exit the stage.

“I haven’t finished.” Lucifer calls, but he’s too late, as Carver has already escaped backstage.

Next thing they know, two security guards appear next to Lucifer. “Oh, it’s you again.” Lucifer smirks, recognising the security guard from before. Joey shakes her head in disbelief as they get escorted out of the building.

Once they had been kicked out, Joey had to break the news to her Lieutenant. She was currently on the phone with her, as her and Lucifer walk down the street, back to her car. “I know, I’m— I’m sorry, Lieutenant.” She apologises. “I… No. No. I’ve got it under control. And Mr. Morningstar, too, yes.”

“Let me talk to him.” Lucifer tells Joey.

“It’s a her, and no.” Joey replies, covering the microphone of her phone.

“Really? Your boss is a she?” He smirks. “Even better. Give me the phone, I’ll fix it.”

“No, you can’t fix this! You’ve already said enough.” She says angrily. “Sorry! Not you.” She says to the Lieutenant. “Yes I— I’ll figure out a way into the party. It’s not a problem. And— and again, I..” She goes to apologise, only to realise she’s been hung up on.

“So we’re going to the Players after-party.” Lucifer grins, as they stop walking.

“Not you. I am.” Joey corrects.

“Well, I’m not sure how that’s possible, now that you’ve blown your cover.” Lucifer scoffs.

“Well, that was 100% your fault.” She smiles sarcastically, placing her hands on her hips.

“I beg to differ. None of that would have happened if you’d just complied with my request.” Lucifer shrugs.

“Do you honestly think you can just ask people to have sex with you and they will?” She questions.

“Well, I usually don’t have to ask, actually. But trust me, it’d be a win-win. And probably another win after that. I mean, I have tremendous stamina.” Lucifer brags.

“There’s a girl missing, Lucifer.” Joey reminds him, for what feels like the hundredth time today. “She’s probably in some hellhole somewhere, scared out of her mind, if she’s even still alive. And I found out the party is a cash-only event. That’s a first for Carver. So, our only suspect’s probably about to run off to Mexico, and you’re worried about boning me?”

“You’re right. Sorry. Let’s find the girl. Okay?” Lucifer agrees.

“Yes.” Joey nods.

“Sex later.” He grins, receiving the all so familiar glare from Joey. “Kidding.” He says. “Sort of..” Joey sighs. “So, where’s the party?”

“Cold Bar.” Joey answers.

“Really?” Lucifer asks, Joey nods. “Well, that place is notoriously overpriced to rent. If Carver wants cash, he shouldn’t have it there.”

“No, he shouldn’t.” Joey agrees, eyes widening. “I think I just figured out how you can fix this.” She says, hurrying off.

“Oh?” Lucifer says. “Do tell.” He follows.

Later in the evening, before the party, Joey had arrived at Lux. The elevator door to Lucifer’s penthouse opened, looking almost empty— Lucifer was no where to be seen. “Uh… hello?” Joey calls out, stepping out of the lift. “Uh, Lucifer?”

“Be out in a moment. Just getting ready.” Lucifer calls in a cheerful voice from his bedroom.

“Okay.” Joey calls back. “Uh, did you do what I told you to do and call Carver about the Players’ Club?”

“Make yourself a drink, Detective.” Lucifer tells her, ignoring her question.

“No. No. No more drinks. No more blurred lines. No more breaking into my house or trying to sleep with me.” Joey declines. “Look, this is a professional relationship, I’m a police officer, and you—“ She rambles, pacing the floor until she turns round, only to be met with Lucifer standing before her, completely naked. Joey gasps, unable to stop her eyes from wandering to a certain body part— eyes widening at the sight. She laughs nervously, “…are naked.” She finishes off her sentence, before spinning around, facing her back to him.

“Speaking of my surprise visit yesterday, I decided turnabouts fair play.” Lucifer tells her. “You know, tit for tat sort of thing.” He chuckles.

“This is beyond inappropriate.” Joey says, remaining facing away from him.

“And brave, wouldn’t you say? Number three on the C.K.C list: take risks.” He recalls from Carver’s speech.

Joey coughs, trying to prepare herself to turn back around. She slowly looks over her shoulder whilst grabbing the towel Lucifer had flung over the sofa. “Okay.” She says. “Lucifer, put some freakin’ clothes on.” She tells him, now facing him fully, tossing him the towel.

“Alright.” Lucifer chuckles. “But seriously, darling, are you well? The berries are ripe and ready to be harvested.” He says, wrapping the towel around his waist. “I mean, look at me, huh?” He says proudly, pointing to his figure.

Lucifer then turns around slowly, showing himself off. For a moment, Joey is fixated on his muscles and impressive body, until she notices two unusual (and painful) looking scars.

“Now, you can’t argue with that, can you?” He says, now facing her again.

Joey walks up to him, a concerned look on her face. “What happened to…” She says, pointing over her shoulder indicating her back. “My god.”

“Oh, oh.” Lucifer realises what she’s seen. “Well, yes, I suppose it is his fault.”

“Whose fault?” Joey asks, worriedly.

“My father.” Lucifer answers.

“Your dad did that to you?” Joey replies, eyes widening.

“No, no, no. That’s where I cut my wings off.” Lucifer corrects.

Joey sighs in confusion and shock. “What?”

“Well I didn’t. Maze did. I told her to.” He elaborates.

“N—No. Seriously.” Joey shakes her head, reaching out and placing a gentle hand on his shoulder, turning him to the side slightly to have another look. “What is that?” She asks, going to trace her fingertips on it, before Lucifer whips around, grabbing her wrist tightly and stopping her from doing so.

“Don’t please.” He says, an expression covering his face that she’d never seen on him before, one of vulnerability and a hint of sadness.

Lucifer loosens his grip on her wrist but doesn’t fully let go. “Okay.” Joey whispers softly, realising this is a sensitive moment.

Lucifer lets go of her wrist. “I should get dressed. Otherwise, we’ll miss the party.” Lucifer changes the topic, jogging back into his bedroom.

A moment goes by. “So you did make the call?” She asks, also changing the topic.

“Yes, yes, yes, yes.” Lucifer calls, before popping his head round the corner again. “Party’s at Lux. Turns out the words ‘open bar’ are indeed effective. So, good on you.” He says, before disappearing again.

“Okay.” Joey nods.

He reappears again, this time with a top on, still showing Joey a clear view of his abs as he begins buttoning up. “You can’t go wearing that scruffy little getup.” He tells her, pointing at her outfit. “You’ll stick out like a sore cop.” He says, as Joey looks down at herself, sighing.

Lucifer had lended Joey a red dress, and it was safe to say she looked unreal. The pair of them were walking down the stairs of the club when Joey asks, “Where did you get this dress anyhow?”

“Oh, it was left behind by one of my overnight guests.” Lucifer answers.

Joey shakes her head even though she was expecting that response. “What was she wearing when she left?”

“A smile.” Lucifer grins.

“Mm.” Joey hums. “If I get an STD from this thing, I’m gonna kill you.” She warns, pointing at the dress.

“Oh, there he is.” Lucifer says, having noticed Carver.

“Oh, he doesn’t look suspicious at all.” Joey says looking at him.

“Hmm, so what’s the plan, Detective?” Lucifer asks.

“Avoid him for now. Mingle, find people who were at the party last week. See if anyone saw Carver with our missing girl.” Joey explains.

“Hey.” A random guy approaches her before Lucifer can reply to her plan.

“Hi.” Joey replies.

“Are you from Tennessee?” He asks.

“No.” Joey says.

“Because you’re the only ten I see.” The guy flirts, an awkward attempt at the pick up line.

“Oh, you poor soul.” Lucifer says. “Does that actually work?”

“No.” The guy says, sadly.

“No, I didn’t think so.” Lucifer replies.

Joey laughs to interrupt Lucifer’s further insults. “It’s cute.” She shrugs.

“It—it is?” The guy’s face lights up in shock.

“Yeah.” Joey nods, glancing at Lucifer before turning to the guy, leaning in closely. “You’re cute. You’re really cute.” She compliments him, Lucifer feeling a sense of jealousy as the guy looks at Joey almost mesmerised. “Hey, were you at that party last week?”

“Uh, no, actually, this is my first.” The guy answers.

“Okay.” Joey cuts him off, stepping back, patting his arm.

Only a second later, another guy appears on Joey’s other side. “I love this song!” He practically shouts at her.

“Okay.” Joey giggles, now knowing a way to find information. “Hey, were you at the party last week?” She shouts over the music, but he doesn’t reply, carries on dancing. Then, another gnu approaches, looking Joey up and down.

Lucifer takes her arm, pulling her to the side away from the desperate men. “Uh, I think the dress may have backfired, actually.” He tells her, before catching Carver’s eye. The pair watch as Carver makes eye contact with them, before rushing in the opposite direction. “Clearly a man with nothing to hide.” Lucifer says sarcastically.

Joey then hurries after Carver, having noticed a gun in his pocket. Carver sees Joey close on his tail, and pulls the gun out, pointing it at everyone around him. “Move! Get out of the way!” He threatens, as people begin screaming, ducking to the ground.

“Give me the gun, Carver.” Lucifer says, smiling as he tauntingly walks closer to him, as everybody moves out the way to give them space.

“Just—just let me go, okay? I need to go!” Carver yells, now pointing his gun directly at Lucifer.

“I’m afraid that’s not possible, but I do have another option for you. How about a broken back, hmm?” He suggests, as he watches Joey creep up behind him, hitting him in the back, pushing him on the top of the piano lid, pulling his arm back and away from him to cause a rush of pain to go shooting through him. Carver drops his gun on the floor as he groans in pain.

“You don’t understand. I have to go! They’re gonna kill her now!” He says, panicking. “You just killed Lindsay!”

“They? They who?” Joey asks, tightening her grip on him.

Carver hesitates. “The people who took her.”

Joey and Lucifer glanced at each other, before deciding to evacuate everybody out of Lux, needing to talk to Carver in private. They took him up to the penthouse, where he was now being questioned by Joey. Carver was sat on one of the chairs, opposite the sofa Joey was sat on as Lucifer observes them from a few feet away.

“Where’s Lindsay?” Joey asks him.

“I don’t know, okay?” Carver replies, frustrated. “I swear to you, somebody kidnapped her.”

“If that’s the case then why wouldn’t you go to the cops?” Joey asks, wrapping herself further in Lucifer’s blazer jacket that he’d let her wear.

“Because they said they’d kill her if I did.” Carver replies. “Maybe they already have.”

Lucifer then walks up to Joey, handing her a glass of whiskey, “Excuse me, dear. I don’t know why we bother with all these pithy little police questions.” He says to her, before he takes a seat next to Carver. “Tell me… what game’s the player playing, eh? What are you after?”

“I just want Lindsay back.” Carver answers honestly. “I swear, I would never hurt her. I love her.” He confesses.

“But… she’s a fluffy bunny. You’re a wolf. You— you’ve built an empire on the objectification of women.” Lucifer reminds him.

“Yeah, I know. I’m a complete hypocrite.” Carver bites back. “But I— I would give anything to get her back.”

“You humans.” Lucifer scoffs. “You never cease to amaze.”

“Okay, Carver, say what you’re saying is true. How long have you and Lindsay been together?” Joey questions.

“Four months.” He answers. “Next Tuesday. I tried to keep it quiet, ‘cause, you know, I’m the man and everything. I guess it got out.”

“So you’re saying you slept with Lindsay on multiple occasions, but you still want to be with her?” Lucifer asks.

“Yes, and for the rest of my life.” Carver replies passionately.

“What, after four months you haven’t got her… you know, out of your system? How’s that possible?” He chuckles, confused.

“Okay.” Joey interrupts, shaking her head at Lucifer. “You have no idea where they’re holding Lindsay?” She asks Carver.

“No. But they did send this to me.” Carver says, suddenly remembering the photo he’d been sent, scrambling for his phone. “After the seminar.” He says, flipping his phone to show Joey and Lucifer the photo of Lindsay. “Said no more cops or she’s dead.”

“So the kidnappers were there yesterday?” Joey adds up.

“I just hope they weren’t at the party.” Carver worries. “If they hurt her… I—“

“It’s okay.” Joey cuts him off before he can get too overwhelmed, neither of them noticing Lucifer grab Carver’s phone, standing up and wandering off to the balcony. “Is there anyone you suspect that might do this to you? Enemies?”

“Uh, I’m kind of a polarising guy.” Carver reminds her. “Okay, the hater list is long.”

“Hello there, this is Lucifer Morningstar.” Joey hears Lucifer say from the balcony. She furrows her eyebrows before walking out to see what he’s doing.

“Who are you talking to?” She asks, suspiciously.

“Shh.” Lucifer shushes, placing a finger to his lips.

“Do not shush me.” Joey tells him, offended. “Who’s on the phone?”

“All one word, that’s right. Yes, I’ll be speaking on Carver’s behalf from now on.” Lucifer continues speaking on the phone, as Joey begins to realise who he’s talking to. Lucifer chuckles, “No, I’m not a cop. I assure you.”

“Is that the..” Joey whispers, tugging on his arm.

Lucifer turns to her, covering the microphone. “Yes, it’s the kidnappers.” He whispers.

“What are you doing..” Joey whispers, shaking her head.

“Of course we have the money. Just give me the time and location.” Lucifer says, turning his back to Joey again.

Joey taps his arm aggressively. “Give me the phon—“

Lucifer starts tutting her to stop her from talking. “No, I promise you, no police. Alright? Okay then. See you shortly, bye-bye.” Lucifer says.

“Wait, wait.” Joey says. “Wait, we need proof of life.”

“Oh.” Lucifer says, bringing the phone back to his ear. “Um, just a minute. How do we know Lindsay’s still alive?” He asks, but gets no response. “No, they’ve hung up.” He says to Joey.

“What are you doing?” Carver asks, walking onto the balcony.

“Not to worry. I’ve handled it.” Lucifer tells him, as Joey begins pacing. “I’ll be making an exchange on your behalf this evening. Cash for your lady love, alright?”

“Really?” Carver says. “Uh, but why would you do that for me?”

Lucifer chuckles. “Well, isn’t it obvious?” He steals a glance at Joey. “Number two on your list: be a protector. Is it working?” He asks Joey, grinning.

“You’re not doing this alone.” Joey states.

“Afraid so. I promised, no police.” Lucifer disagrees. “A deal’s a deal, especially one with the Devil.” He chuckles. “Besides, I’m the only one not risking his life on this. Immortal, remember?” He raises his eyebrows at Joey.

Carver looks between them with confusion, until his phone chimes. He presses a button, and a video begins playing. “Carver, I’m alright. I’m a… I don’t know where I am.” Lindsay cries. “Please come get me. I love you. Please.”

The video finishes, Carver has a horrified look on his face. “I’m coming with you.” He states.

“No, I can’t let you do that.” Joey shakes her head. “I’m not gonna call this in, but you have to stay here. No discussion.” She then turns to Lucifer. “I’m coming with you.”

“Fine. You’ll have to wait in the car.” Lucifer sighs.

Lucifer and Joey had then set off to meet at the location they had been sent. Joey parks outside the abandoned building. She looks at the clock, impatiently.

“Ten more minutes. Patience.” Lucifer says.

“Something doesn’t feel right.” Joey replies, staring ahead looking out for any movement.

“Well, of course it doesn’t. It’s a kidnapping.” Lucifer smirks. “Cool ranch puff?” He offers, holding a bag of crisps to her.

“No thanks.” Joey declines.

“No?” Lucifer replies.

“Mm.” Joey shakes her head.

“It’s funny, isn’t it? You’d think the king of hellfire would be more of a flaming hot guy, but, love these bad boys.” He says, popping one into his mouth.

Joey chuckles slightly. “Okay, let’s say you really are the Devil. All powerful, immortal, blah, blah, blah. Does that mean you don’t feel pain at all?” She asks.

“Mmm. I like this line of questioning.” Lucifer grins. “Does this mean you’re finally coming around?”

“No.” Joey shakes her head. “Just answer the question.”

Lucifer chuckles, watching her as she keeps her focus on the building and their surroundings. “Well, I… I do feel something, but it’s not pain so much, as, uh, a pressure, a nuisance, really.” He describes.

“Okay, so what does it feel like if you get shot?” Joey asks. Lucifer pauses, before reaching over and flicking Joey’s arm. “Ow.” She says.

“Well, you asked.” Lucifer shrugs.

“But that’s it? Like, a bullet just bounces off you?” Joey asks, surprised.

“Well, there’s no wound or blood, if that’s what you mean.” Lucifer answers. “Can verify with something sharp if you’d like.” He says, seductively.

“No, it’s not necessary. Tempting, though.” Joey says.

“So, does this mean that you believe me?” Lucifer asks, smiling. “I’m afraid I can’t offer anything obvious like a tail as proof.”

“And so, no horns.” Joey says.

“No, afraid not.” Lucifer sighs. “That’s the stuff on movies and TV. They always get it wrong.”

“Well, look, I— I have to admit, I’ve seen some things that I can’t explain, but I don’t believe in all that Bible stuff.” Joey chuckles.

“So you’re an atheist. How ironic.” Lucifer smirks.

“No, not exactly. I do believe there’s good and evil and right and wrong. But the whole fiery damnation thing, no.” Joey explains.

“Does it scare you?” Lucifer asks her, intrigued on her perspective of things.

“No, I mean, how could I be scared of something that I don’t believe in?” Joey replies.

“Do I scare you?” Lucifer asks, seriously.

Joey pauses, taking a moment to look into his eyes. “No.” She says softly. Lucifer looks at her with a strange admiration. “Is that Carver?” She then whispers, eyes once again focused in front of her.

“Hmm?” Lucifer hums, looking in the same direction as her, noticing Carver creeping along the side of the building.

“How did he get here?” Joey says, irritated.

Lucifer sighs. “Oh, well he must have followed us. Well done, Detective.”

“No, he didn’t follow us. He must have gotten the address somehow.” Joey replies.

“Or someone told him.” Lucifer suggests.

“Either way, he’s gonna get someone killed, probably himself.” She mutters, as Carver opens one of the side doors to the building and walks in.

“This love thing makes you all quite stupid, doesn’t it?” Lucifer comments, as they both step out of the car, making their way to the same door Carver had entered.

Joey immediately gets her gun out, pointing it in front of her, prepared for anything. “Lucifer!” She whisper-shouts as he speeds ahead of her. “Lucifer!” She repeats, jogging to catch up with him as he opens the door, enters the building and shuts it behind him. Joey then reaches the door, and she can see him though the metal wires of the door. Lucifer looks at her, before locking the door, Joey hearing the lock click.

“Sorry, but I gave my word— no police.” Lucifer tells her.

“Seriously?” Joey whispers, annoyed.

“Don’t worry, Detective. I’m immortal, remember?” Lucifer calls, as he sets off walking into the building.

“I knew it.” Joey mumbles to herself, grabbing her phone from her pocket. The line rings for a second before somebody picks up. “Hey, guys, I’m gonna need you sooner than I thought. Is SWAT ready?” She asks.

Meanwhile, inside the building, Carver had been wandering through it aimlessly as everywhere looked the same, until he felt a tap on his shoulder. He screams out of shock, but tries to play it off by turning it into a laugh when he realises it’s Lucifer.

“Manly as ever.” Lucifer comments. “Why are you here? We had a perfectly good plan in place.”

“Well, after you left, the kidnappers called back. They said they changed their minds, and I come or the deal’s off.” Carver explains.

“Ooh, that sounds sinister.” Lucifer grins.

“Just hand over the cash.” A voice calls, causing Lucifer to turn around, being met with the kidnapper who was dressed in all black, a balaclava covering his face. “And no one gets hurt.”

“Yes, right. Got it here.” Lucifer says, holding up the black duffle bag in his hands, stepping to hand it over.

“Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait! Where’s Lindsay?” Carver reminds Lucifer. “I want to see her!”

“No. My rules.” The kidnapper replies, stepping closer to them. “Money first.” He holds out his hand for the duffle bag.

“Now, Mr. Kidnapper, I believe that’s a fair request, actually, so just pop her around and the money’s yours.” Lucifer says.

The kidnapper pauses, before pouncing forwards, grabbing the duffle bag with both of his hands, attempting to take it— yet, failing miserably due to Lucifer’s strength.

“Greedy little jackal, aren’t you?” Lucifer says, as the kidnapper grunts, still trying to pull it out of his hand.

“Give it to me!” The kidnapper says, using his whole body weight to try and sway the bag his way.

Lucifer chuckles. “Most certainly will not.”

“Hey f— forget it!” Carver calls. “Just— just give it to him!” He tells Lucifer. “I just want her back.”

Lucifer lets go of the duffle bag. “Fine.” He says as the kidnapper stumbles back, clutching the bag. “Now bring us the girl.”

“I’m sorry. That’s not gonna happen.” The kidnapper says.

Lucifer chuckles, as Carver steps forward angrily. “I will kill you!” He threatens, as Lucifer holds out an arm to prevent him from getting any closer to the kidnapper.

“Oh, it’s going to happen.” Lucifer assures him. “A deal’s a deal.”

“I am not leaving here without Lindsay.” Carver shouts, then whips out his gun, pointing it at the kidnapper. “No way.”

Lucifer sighs. “Dearie me.” He says, standing in front of Carver’s aim. “What is it about you and guns, eh?”

Joey had managed to find another way into the building, and was sneaking about, trying to find everybody, when she hears a gun shot.

“Carver?” Lucifer says, as Carver’s face goes pale.

“Oh no.” Carver says, voice croaky as he looks behind him to where the shot came from. He sees Lindsay standing there, gun pointing at him before he falls to the ground. “Lindsay?” He says weakly, looking up at her.

“Wait. Lindsay Lindsay?” Lucifer asks. “Love of your life Lindsay?”

“Yeah, sorry, but I can’t let you shoot my brother.” Lindsay says, holding the gun.

“What’s up, jackass?” The kidnapper says, removing his balaclava, revealing himself as Kevin, Lindsay’s brother.

“I don’t understand.” Carver says.

“Don’t you though? This foul woman and her backward brother played the player.” Lucifer realises. “Lindsay kidnapper herself. Hell truly hath no fury like a woman scorned. You did scorn her, didn’t you?” He looks down at Carver.

“No. No.” Carver wheezes. “For the first time in my life, I didn’t. I loved her.” He then looks to Lindsay. “I love you.”

“Love me?” Lindsay repeats. “Are you kidding? You didn’t even remember my name!” She shouts.

“What are you talking about?” Carver asks.

“I met you two years ago, Carver. We slept together. And then you never called me again. Guess I was research for your stupid book.” She tells him.

“No, no, that’s not possible.” Carver shakes his head. “No, I— I would’ve remembered.”

“Nope.” Lindsay shakes her head. “I met you at the library. It’s a good place to score desperate babes. That’s in Chapter 11, I believe.”

“Oh, that’s bad.” Lucifer comments.

“I was a virgin, Carver.” Lindsay tells him.

“That’s worse.” Lucifer chuckles, looking at Carver.

“It was just another night for you, but it was a big deal for me.” Lindsay says, tears welling.

“Oh, God, I’m… I am so sorry, Lindsay.” Carver apologises. “I— I’m different now.”

“No, I don’t think so. But I am.” Lindsay replies.

“Okay, may I speak now?” Lucifer interrupts. “Because I happen to be an expert on punishment, and I’m not sure it fits the crime here. I mean, Carver made a mistake— well, several really— but… you’re different. He’s changed. Doesn’t that mean anything to you?” He asks Lindsay.

“Shut up.” Kevin tells him. “You shouldn’t even be here. Now you’re dead, too. Shoot them, Linds.”

“Sorry, can’t let you do that, darling.” Lucifer says, slowly making his way over to Lindsay. “I mean, I’m indestructible, but he’s off limits as well, I’m afraid.” He refers to Carver.

“No, she’s right. I— I deserve it.” Carver says sadly.

“No, you don’t.” Lucifer looks at him. “I mean, chlamydia, the clap, raging case of crabs— that’s what you deserve, not death.” He turns back to Lindsay, chuckling softly. “And you… how are you any better? Why do humans think they can rectify one evil with another?” He asks, getting closer. “I mean, it’s clearly the first time this reptile has truly loved a woman, and this is his reward?”

“Get away from her!” Kevin shouts, running up to Lucifer. Lucifer senses his presence, throwing his arm out to his side, hitting Kevin right in the throat, sending him to the floor, choking.

Lucifer switches to his Devil face momentarily, staring at Lindsay, then back to normal. “Oh, god.” She whimpers, stepping back. “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry?” Lucifer says, cornering her.

“Please don’t hurt me.” Lindsay begs, holding her hands up and kneeling to the ground.

“Why does everyone say that before they’re punished?” Lucifer mutters, towering over her.

“Don’t kill me!” She cries.

“Lucifer.” Joey’s voice calls, as she walks into the room, holding her gun out. “Don’t move.” She tells him, Lucifer’s back facing her. Joey then catches a glimpse of something frightening in the mirror— a reflection of Lucifer’s face, yet it wasn’t his face. “Who are you?” She trembles slightly. Lucifer faces her, looking normal now. “What are you? Did you do this?” She asks, looking at Carver wounded on the ground next to an injured Kevin and petrified Lindsay.

“I’ve been trying to tell you, I’m the Devil.” Lucifer replies.

Joey shakes her head. “That’s… that’s not possible.”

“I asure you, Detective, it is.” Lucifer says. “I mean, you’ve said yourself there are things you can’t explain. You need more proof? You’ve got the gun. Come on, shoot me.”

“No, I can’t shoot you.” Joey argues.

“Sure you can. Go on, give her a squeeze, we’ll be good to go.” Lucifer continues.

“No.” Joey resists.

“Just shoot me, Detective!” He raises his voice. “Please! Because maybe you’ll finally realise—“ and before Lucifer can finish his sentence, Joey impulsively pulls the trigger, shooting him in the leg. “Good for you!” Lucifer shouts. “See? Hardly hurts.” He smiles, as Joey’s jaw drops at what she’s done.

“I can’t believe…” Joey whispers, shocked at herself.

“Gah. Actually, no, it’s hurting a little bit.” Lucifer says, placing a hand on his wound. “It’s… gah!” He groans in pain. “It’s hurting a lot. Son of a bitch, that really hurts!” He then lifts his hand off his thigh, only to see it’s covered in blood. “I’m bleeding.” He realises.

“You’re bleeding.” Joey says, emotionally.

“I’m bleeding.” Lucifer repeats.

“Oh, crap, of course you’re bleeding.” Joey says, a tremble in her voice. “God, what have I done?” She says, running a hand over her head as Lucifer kneels to the ground.

“I don’t… I don’t bleed. It’s—“ He grunts, Joey rushing over, kneeling down with him.

“Lucifer, I’m so sorry. Are you okay?” Joey asks, worried.

“What does this mean?” Lucifer replies.

“Well, it means I shot you. And I’m an idiot, and I’m sorry. And I’m in so much trouble.” She says, covering the wound with her hands to prevent too much blood loss.

“Ah! It really hurts!” Lucifer cries out, as suddenly the SWAT team come running in. “What’s happening to me?” He asks, looking into her eyes.

Later on, once the scene had been covered by the team and Lindsay and Kevin arrested, Joey looked over to see Lucifer speaking with her Lieutenant, Olivia, and makes her way over to them.

“Well, speak of the devil.” Olivia says as Joey approaches. “Mr. Morningstar here was just telling me everything you did in there.”

“Right.” Joey nods. “Well, Lieutenant—“

“I was just telling your boss that if you hadn’t acted in the way that you did, then, well, all hell would’ve broken loose.” Lucifer interrupts her, preventing Joey from exposing herself. “Isn’t that right?” He smiles at her.

“Right.” Joey nods, surprised.

“Mm.” Lucifer hums.

“Absolutely. And, um—“ Joey begins, but Lucifer cuts her off again.

“But you caught the bad guys; that’s the main thing.” Lucifer says.

“Again, I’m sorry that you got caught in the crossfire, Mr. Morningstar.” Olivia apologises.

“Oh, it’s just a graze. I hardly felt it.” Lucifer brushes off. “And, call me Lucifer.” He tells her, staring deeply into her eyes.

“Lucifer.” Olivia giggles, blushing— Joey rolls her eyes. “Thank you again for all of your help.”

“You are so welcome.” Lucifer flirts. “Bye, now.” He waves as Olivia wanders off.

Lucifer then looks at Joey, smirking as she steps closer to him. “I thought you didn’t lie.” She tells him, trying to hide a smile.

“I don’t.” Lucifer replies. “But I don’t always tell the whole truth.” He chuckles.

“Thank you.” Joey says, smiling.

“You’re welcome.” Lucifer says, glancing down at her lips momentarily.

“Come on, I’ll drive you home.” She says, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“I should bloody hope so, now you’ve crippled me.” Lucifer replies, standing up off the bonnet of the car as Joey holds his arm, supporting him to walk.

“Wuss.” She insults as he limps, Lucifer chuckling.

Joey had eventually arrived home after her long day, waving Steve goodbye as he drives off now that his babysitting duties had come to an end. “Drive safe!” She calls.

Joey then walks in, hanging up her jacket and walking into the dimly lit house. “Joey!” Dev and Arlo say, running out of their rooms.

“Hey!” Joey chuckles, crouching down so she’s at their level as they both approach her, giving her a side hug. “What are you doing up?” She asks, placing a kiss on Arlo’s head.

“Can’t sleep when you’re not home.” Arlo answers.

“Come on, I’ll tuck you in.” Joey says.

“What’s that on your shirt?” Dev asks, noticing a red stain.

Joey looks down at her ironically white shirt, seeing the blood mark at the bottom. “Oh. Um, that’s, uh… that’s ketchup from lunch.” She lies.

“Nu-uh. That’s blood, Joe.” Dev shakes her head.

“Right. You’re right.” Joey nods. “Well, um… I may have hit someone… with a bullet.”

“You shot someone?” Dev says.

“Again?” Arlo adds.

“Barely.” Joey replies.

“Who?” Dev asks, curiously.

“It was Lucifer.” Joey answers.

“Is he okay?” Arlo asks, concerned.

“He’s fine. It was nothing. It was, like, a little graze.” Joey explains.

“Okay.” Arlo nods, then suddenly, Dev starts smirking.

“What, babe?” Joey asks.

“Remember last week, I told you that boy Noah kept throwing French fries at me at lunchtime?” Dev says.

“Mm-hmm.” Joey nods.

“And you said it actually might mean he likes me?” Dev continues.

“Yes.” Joey nods, realising where she was going with her point.

“Well, since you shot Lucifer, it must mean you really like him.” Dev smirks.

Joey sighs. “Hmm.” She hums, unable to think of a response. “You know, it is bedtime, you little weasels.” Joey says, tickling their sides, as she stands up. They start running away, giggling. “You weasels. I’m gonna get you.” Joey says, chasing them into their rooms.

Meanwhile, Lucifer had limped into Lux, groaning as he makes his way down the stairs to Maze. “I know. Tough day at the office.” He announces, limping over to the bar as Maze rushes to his side.

“What happened to you?” She interrogates, concerned.

“Oh, you’ll never guess.” Lucifer replies, grabbing a bottle. “She shot me. And I bled.”

“What? That’s not possible.” Maze says.

“I know.” Lucifer smiles, pouring a shot.

“What’s causing this? Is there something you’re not telling me?” Maze asks.

“Don’t think about it too much. It’s exciting.” He replies, picking up the shot.

Maze takes it out of his hand. “No, it’s dangerous.” She disagrees. “We’ve had our fun here, Lucifer, but this can’t happen.” She looks down at his wound as Lucifer chuckles. “Tell me we’re going home.”

“On the contrary, Maze. The fun’s just begun.” Lucifer smirks, taking back the shot, pouring it down his throat.

[rainydayotomes]

how would the bustafellows boys express jealousy? 👀 feel free to set up any scenario!

Ho-ho-holy shit, an actual request for something other then the main 3 games?! Damn... *cracks knuckles* Let's get some writing down for our favourite ragtag heroes, hmm? ;D

Limbo

An acquaintance walks up to you with a beautiful bouquet as you're waiting to meet up with Limbo

The man says he's always admired you and you look absolutely stunning today! And he asks if he can take you on a date

Thats when Limbo finally shows up, with an "oi"

You can tell he's.... annoyed

Limbo straight up walks up to the guy and tells him he has no class, hitting in you randomly like this

And the guy should at least wait until you're not with the world's best, most handsome-est lawyer before asking you out

Needless to say, the guy runs off kinda spooked

Limbo's gonna treat you to something special! Maybe a meal or something

He's actually not one to really let jealousy get to him....

Mozu

As it turns out, the guys wanted to prank poor Mozu and see how much it would take to provoke him

Thus begins an intense flirting session

It's mostly Helvetica and Limbo who are the ones to take action- but Crow gets caught up in all the hype and some odd lines fall from his lips... Shu mostly watches, buuuut he may throw in a quip or two if he sees Mozu started to get riled up

Mozu mostly sits in silence, listening to everyone flirt with you

If one of them tries to get him to react by mentioning him, Mozu just calmly agrees with whatever statement they made- agreeing to such things as how gorgeous you are and whatnot

Mozu doesn't seem to react at all.... but he slips a few times, clenching a fist or anxiously shifting about

He knows they're just trying to provoke him, but he can't help himself get tied up by all of it as he sees you furiously blushing and seeing how close they are to you

He ends up leaving the room... saying he sees no point in staying

Later on, he'll ask you to come to his room.... and he just wants to hold you. To keep you with him for the night. He wants to make sure you're still there with him...

Shu

Shu calmly approaches the group of big, burly men who are crowding around you

They were intimidating- and also implying they wanted to have a foursome with you....

Shu seems quite calm at first.... until he punches one of the guys out

The other guys quickly turn on Shu, but if they do try to fight him- it doesn't last long! Not only do they get destroyed, but also Shu is just... radiating a terrifying aura right now

It seems like they really pissed him off....

After they scamper off, Shu lets out a sigh before turning to you and dragging you off somewhere the two of you can be alone

He then makes sure to check you over- did they hurt you? Did they touch you? Where?

He's clearly still mad, but it's somewhat comforting how much he's fussing over you

He makes sure to give you a hug and a gentle kiss, that may or may not evolve into something a little more heated....

You may or may not end up with a bruise on your neck.... 👀

Helvetica

Helvetica is really not one to really get all that jealous!

Like at all

He enjoys watching men fawn over you, actually

He thinks its good for you to be told how beautiful you are by someone other then him sometimes

He really just wants to make sure you have no doubts about yourself

But if things get a bit too intense or carried away, he's not afraid to step in and smoothly pull you away with a kiss

If he does end up feeling jealous- which is extremely rare, he always takes action before it becomes anything big and he always makes a show of sweeping you away as if you were a princess and giving you a loving, deep kiss infront of everyone

Crow

You had been watching a movie with Crow, cuddled up next to him

And everything was going fine until you said one of the actors was hot

And this- ohhh... this statement did not sit well with Crow

"EHHH??"

Then he gets all pouty

It really is kinda cute

Suddenly he's not interested in the movie anymore, he hates the character the actor plays, and he's fidgeting a ton

After this, he's gonna start trying to do "cool things" to impress you

......none of those things work out

He just ends up doing something that looks dumb or silly, and it's absolutely adorable

He may even try some questionable methods to gain your attention- such as going shirtless around the house and pulling you into him in a semi-cuddle when he is (with a huge blush on his face, no doubt)

Really, he just wants your attention! He wants you to say that you love him and he's still the only one you want- that's all ❤

[nad-zeta]

Game Night

Fandom: Ikevamp

Pairings: Arthot x Reader

Genre: Fluffffff plus mentions of Alcohol

Words: 1500+

Comments: Eeeeep and the birthday bash week continues! Hehehe I wonder who this is for hehehe ❤❤ ❤😳🥺Zeta can be sneaky tooo! 🥺😳❤🌈

.*:・’ﾟ:｡.*:ﾟ･’ﾟﾟ:。’ .*:・’ﾟ:｡.*:ﾟ･’ﾟﾟ:。’･ﾟ｡.*:・’ﾟ: ｡.*:・’ﾟ:��.*:ﾟ･’ﾟﾟ:。

“Yahtzee!”

“Nooo! Wait! How! Gaah, next game!” you exclaimed from the leather seat opposite Arthur, sending him a death glare with crossed over arms.

“Not had enough yet, Luv? My, how you must enjoy defeat so,” the cocky words were spoken belonging to the British author who now wore a wide triumphant smile at yet another victory claimed.

Ooh, you wanted nothing more than to wipe that smug smirk right from his face; the only problem was Arthur Conan Doyle was a master at all games and puzzle alike— and you had absolutely no chance at winning. No matter the challenge, he would rise to the occasion and steal victory from right from beneath your nose— even if you were the goddess of luck herself, you doubted you would be able to secure victory.

“I’ll show you defeat,” you sneered, taking a sip of your whiskey mix and watching him set up the next board with hawk eyes. He must be cheating? Right? There was simply no other explanation as to how this man would be able to win at games he had never even heard of before, much less played.

Or perhaps he— “it is not luck. I assure you, my darling bird,” his blue eyes lifted to meet yours, cunning smile on his lips, cutting your thoughts short.

How did he do that? You glared at the man wearing a mix of shock and horror. Infuriating, you thought, especially when he all so amusingly seemed to chuckle at the expressions you made. “Would you believe me if I said it was magic,” he asked with enthusiasm, leaning forward with bright eyes.

Again he seemed to read your mind, answering your inner thoughts out loud. You narrowed your eyes at him apprehensively; you knew vampires existed, yes? But magic? There was no way. “Prove it,’ the words left your mouth as you found that despite the side-eye delt, you inched closer in curiosity.

“Abracadabra,” Arthur spoke the familiar words of an old friend and produced a small box from his sleeve.

“That’s not magic, you big ol cheat! That’s just a trick!” you huffed, rolling your eyes at him— but mostly at yourself for almost believing such a thing to be possible.

“Poppycock! It’s not just a trick! It’s magic! After all, how else would you explain the appearance of this magical box out of thin air,” he hummed, holding the dainty blue velvet box out towards you. With another roll of the eyes, you reached out to take the box from his hands.

“Most definitely not with science, that’s for sure,” you spoke with hints of sarcasm behind your teasing grin, fingers pulling at the ribbon atop the box. You carefully opened the lid, not entirely sure what to expect— after all, it would not be the first time you had opened a gift from the man only for it to be some or other good-natured jest.

You held the box away from you, opening it cautiously while closing one eye, the other eye barely peeking open to a squint to catch a glimpse of the box’s contents carefully.

You half expected a flurry of glitter to shoot out from the inside and puff straight into your face— you know, as a way to prove fairies existed or whatnot.

Arthur sat back in his chair with crossed legs and a fond smirk over his lips, “I do hope you like it Luv, the fairies worked awfully hard to construct it,” he quipped with a snort, only adding to your suspicion.

Finally, you opened the lid to reveal two pairs of dazzling red dice, shimmering gently, as the light from the fireplace reflected off the smooth crystal surface. You had to smile— of course, Arthur would cutely attribute the glitter within to the magical pixie dust of the fairies he loved so much.

“Now that I have passed on some of my wizard powers, highest roll starts,” he spoke, getting back into the game mode as he placed on his polka dot glasses while sending you a flirty wink.

He leaned forward, resting his chin on his folded hands, waiting for you to roll the dice; only instead of rolling your new set of crimson, you mimicked his movements. No way you were going to roll first, for all you knew, these dice might be just as cursed as the previous ones.

“After you,” you spoke, sliding your new dice towards the man.

His blue eyes met yours challengingly as he picked up the dice, giving them a gentle shake in a mock roll before placing them before you once more, “ladies first’ he winked with a smug smile.

Ah, if he thought you were going to back down from the mental challenge so soon, he was sorely mistaken. You fixed him with a determined glare of your own, “Age before beauty, I insist,” you said with a wicked smile, once more pushing the dice towards him.

He rose to the challenge, letting go of an amused snort, not making any effort to move, as blue eyes met yours with a lifted chin, “Beauty before the beast,” he spoke full of confidence. No matter the game, or challenge, Arthur never liked to be bested. Be it by his friends, family or lover, losing was not an option.

“Men before hens,” you spoke again smugly, crossing your arms, leaving the dice right where they were on his side of the table. “I could do this allllll night long, dearie, so you best hurry up and roll,” you added for good measure.

With a chuckle and shake of the head, Arthur relented, swiping the dice of the table and shaking them in his hands, “very well hen, since it’s your birthday, I suppose I shall back down just this once.”

He blew on the dice, a good luck ritual of sorts, before throwing them down on the table.

The game was now afoot!

You could tell by the glimmer in his eyes he was already planning, strategising, plotting, if you will. Was this his plan all along, to go first? You shook the thought from your head, focusing your attention on the snakes and ladders board. You needed to keep your wits about you if you wanted to win this game. 50% luck, 20% skill and 30% pure divine intervention— thus, you started to pray. The stakes were high, and the reward even higher.

“Twelve,” you practically squealed out in excitement at the outcome of the first roll, looks like the prayer worked, now to keep up the momentum. Taking a swig of your drink, it was finally your turn to roll the dice.

Somewhere between the smack talk and fun, you and Arthur had upped the stakes, adding a rule to include a shot taken for each snake you were to descend down. Needless to say, you had lost count of the number of shots that had passed your lips as you were very much past well-toasted at this point.

Dimming and brightening, you struggled to keep your eyes open, determined to finish—determined to win.

“Yes! Take that, Arty, down the snake you go! Ha! Drink up sunshine,” you chanted, filling Arthur’s glass to the rim with gin while getting up to do a little premature victory dance. However, your victory celebration seemed to end all too soon, with the next roll sending your straight down the very same snake.

”For Fudge sake!” you yelled, throwing yourself back into the chair— the image of yourself flipping the table in frustration playing in your mind’s eye— bringing a smile to your lips as you took another sip.

The night continued on.

It wasn’t before long Arthur was officially declared the winner— albeit he had to announce himself the winner as you were now ‘resting your eyes’ busy fighting yet another losing battle.

“Ah, I believe I win, now for my prize,” he sang out, downing the remnants of his glass and towering over your resting form.

“You ought to be more careful, Luv. What if I were to pounce on you, honestly, bird? What am I going to do with you.”

He crouched down, sitting on his heels as he slowly reached out to gently pull his fingers through your silken hair. Suddenly you shifted, falling forward—forehead landing on his shoulder, you murmured a little, snuggling closer to his warmth before breaths softly evened out once more. “You really are quite a troublesome drunk, aren’t you, dove, “he cooed, hand moving from your hair to tenderly stroke your cheek.

In one swift motion, Arthur picked you up, “upsy daisy, there we are, now off to bed with you, my darling.” You shifted again in his arms, nose nuzzling further into the cook of his neck. He smiled down at you, blue eyes filled with nothing but pure love and affection, before carrying you off to bed.

He gently laid you down, tucking you beneath the sheets before dropping one final adoring kiss on your forehead. “Happy birthday, my darling bird,” was all he spoke in a soft whisper before extinguishing the light and tucking you in his arms, drifting off into a blissful sleep of his own.

.*:・’ﾟ:｡.*:ﾟ･’ﾟﾟ:。’ .*:・’ﾟ:｡.*:ﾟ･’ﾟﾟ:。’･ﾟ｡.*:・’ﾟ: ｡.*:・’ﾟ:｡.*:ﾟ･’ﾟﾟ:。

[riddlegecko]

perhabs,, early relationship, Paul wanting affection but being anxious and not knowing how to go about it?

Ceej, you understand me and my Paul hcs on a spiritual level, thank you for my rights and an excuse to write soft nonsense. It's uh... It's a little long.

Being in an honest-to-god romantic relationship was taking a bit of re-getting used to for Paul. He hadn't dated anyone since college, and suddenly wham, he's head over heels for a cute, snarky barista who seems to return his affections. It was odd, but no less wonderful, feeling his heart flutter in his chest whenever Emma so much as smiled at him. He hadn't felt this way about someone in damn near a decade, and then this beautiful 5'0 biology student walked into his life, and god, his brain just didn't know how to handle it.

Paul and Emma had started seeing each other around late October, hooking up in the Beanies break room during a Halloween party her boss Nora had thrown. It was mid-December now, a week and a half before Christmas, and things were still going strong between them. Though there had been... something strange on Paul's mind for a few weeks now, something that had never bothered him before in his past relationships.

Paul was a tactile guy with people he liked, something his friends all knew well. He was never sure exactly how he'd rank the five love languages as applied to himself, but touch was definitely his number one. Casual shoulder squeezes and light nudges were common gestures of his among friends, as Bill could easily attest. With romantic partners, this was cranked up a bit. Lots of light kisses to their temple or resting his hand on their back, stuff like that. It was always the easiest way for him to show that he cared. His partners... were never as tactile as him. It was very all give and no take on Paul's end when it came to physical affection, and he hadn't really minded it. At least, he was pretty sure he hadn't...

But now? With Emma? Her touch was something he actively craved. And it's not as if Emma never touched him outside of sex, far from it, she was probably the most physically affectionate partner Paul had ever had. She held his hand, kissed his cheek, cuddled up against him during movie nights, and gave him playful little jabs in the side when he was being a smartass. But she wasn't quite as casually affectionate as Paul was with her, and he couldn't help but wish she was.

And sweet jesus christ, did Paul find it embarrassing. It made him feel like some dopey lovesick teenager whenever he thought about it. Like, what was he supposed to do? Ask her to touch him more often? He'd sound like a total fucking weirdo if he tried to explain it to her. But still, he couldn't help but think about it a lot.

It had been a lazy Sunday evening, the one day of the week when neither half of the couple had work. And of course, they were... taking advantage of their day off, as it were. On Paul's living room couch, no less. They'd just finished up, and Emma had gone off to use his shower and whatnot. After washing up a bit, Paul had promptly put some comfy sleepwear on (because it was December in Michigan and Paul was not one to lounge around in the nude with temperatures like that outside), and was now absentmindedly channel surfing whilst laying on the couch.

Nearly half an hour later, Emma had emerged from the bathroom, hair tied into a braid and clad in a bright red hoodie that Paul recognized as his own. He couldn't help but smile, it was so big on her, and she looked adorable in it.

"Find anything to watch while I was in there?" she asked.

"Hallmark movies, a bunch of stock Christmas faire, and like three separate Harry Potter marathons," Paul replied. "None of which I'm particularly interested in watching, so we might have to retreat to the DVD shelf again."

Emma shrugged. "Hey, fine by me, TV edits are usually garbage fires anyway," she said. She strode over to the other side of the living room, where Paul kept his DVDs, and eyed the shelf. After a minute or two, she plucked a case off the shelf, snickering. "Monty Python: Life of Brian, that's a Christmas movie, right?"

"Absolutely," Paul quipped. "Anything can be a Christmas movie if you stretch the definition enough."

"Good, because I wanna watch Monty Python."

After popping the disk in, she turned back to the couch, and Paul sat up to give her some room. As she sat back down, Paul took in the sight of her. God, she was lovely. And she looked so cozy in his hoodie, it was hard not to find the sight of her absolutely heart-melting. His heart fluttered a bit, he was getting that feeling again. Unfortunately, Paul found himself staring at her instead of the screen for a bit too long, and she took notice.

"Paul?" she piped up, snapping him out of his trance with a befuddled smile. "You good, babe?"

Paul felt his cheeks flush. Had she ever called him "babe" before? "It's, uh... it's nothing," he stammered unconvincingly. "I just zoned out for a bit."

Emma, being the observant person she was, eyed him with skepticism. "You look like you have something on your mind," she noted. "What's up?"

Well, shit. Feeling his face burn hotter, Paul attempted to weasel himself out of this inevitable awkward conversation.

"N-nothing's up, I'm fine!" he tried to assure her, perhaps too defensively to sound convincing.

"That's the voice of a man who definitely has something up," Emma observed. She grabbed the remote, and paused the film before continuing. "Something's bothering you, Paul, I can tell."

"It-it's just..." Paul tried to begin, feeling momentarily reassured by Emma's soft gaze. But when the right words wouldn't come to him, he groaned and buried his flushing face in his hands. God, why was he like this? "Nevermind, it's really stupid, can we just watch the movie, please?"

"Paul, I know stupid, I work at Beanies," Emma retorted playfully, earning a brief chuckle from Paul. "Whatever's bothering you, it can't be any worse than the shit my co-workers complain about on the daily. I promise you I won't laugh."

Paul removed his hands from his face, meeting her gentle gaze once more. "You mean it?"

She nodded. "I'm all ears."

Exhaling a deep breath, Paul took a moment to think of how to word his self-imposed predicament in the least stupid way possible. Probably best to start small.

"Um, y'know how... when we watch movies or whatever together," he began, trying to force himself to talk above a whisper. "You'll like, lean against my chest, and I'll wrap my arms around you and play with your hair and all that?"

Emma nodded, looking somewhat confused. "Yeah...?"

"Do you think we could... do that the other way around this time?"

There was a brief moment of silence, and Paul was pretty sure his face had turned a shade of red that had only ever been seen by shrimp before. Jesus, that must've sounded so stupid.

"That's all?" Emma asked.

Yep, there it was. Paul looked down at his lap again, embarrassed beyond belief. "Basically, yeah..." he chuckled despite himself. "I know, I know, it's really dumb, and I probably got you all worried for nothing-"

"Whoa, whoa, Paul, slow down!" Emma cut him off, reaching out to put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. She smiled at him softly. "I mean, sure! If that's what you want, we can do it!"

Paul took another deep breath. "Really?"

"Yeah!" Emma replied. She leaned back on the arm of the couch, and opened her arms. "Come on, bring it in."

Still nervous and flustered, Paul slowly eased himself against Emma, resting his head against her chest. He could feel her heartbeat, even through the thick fabric of the hoodie. Emma rested one hand on his back, and began to thread her fingers through his hair, just like he would do with her. Paul felt a chill go down his spine. God, he forgot how much he loved having his hair stroked. He wrapped his arms around her torso, face still flushing like nobody's business.

"How's that?" Emma asked, undoubtedly noticing the ridiculous smile that had forced itself onto his face.

"Wonderful..." he sighed, finally beginning to calm down a bit. "Thanks, Emma."

"No prob," Emma snickered, still stroking his hair. "But before we un-pause the movie, can I ask why it was such an ordeal for you to ask me about this?"

"It's kinda hard to articulate," Paul explained, adjusting himself so that he wasn't muffled by the hoodie. "My, um... my past partners weren't really the, uh... the affectionate kinda types, y'know? So it just kinda felt weird to ask you to... do this... I guess..."

"...Well," Emma began after a moment's pause. "I'm not your past partners, so I'd be more than happy to do this more often."

"You would?" Paul inquired hopefully.

"If it makes you feel as loved as it makes me feel," Emma said, rubbing a calming circle between his shoulder blades with her thumb. "Then I'll do it anytime."

Paul could've melted right then and there. He was loved... In a somewhat indirect way, Emma said she loved him. Perhaps now was the time...

"Thanks again, Em," he said, slightly choked up. He craned his neck a bit to press a kiss to her neck. "I, um... I love you."

Emma briefly paused in her stroking of his hair, only to resume moments later, and press a kiss to his forehead.

"I... I love you too, Paul."

[emerald-amidst-gold]

WIP Wednesday

Thank you for the tag @dreadfutures! I really appreciate it! <3

Still working on the never-ending snippet (they’re chapters, really XD)! To be fair, this is a great exercise because it’s helping me utilize dialogue more! So, without further ado...

...The Anchor being a buzz kill. :3

---

“Fane..”, Solas said, slightly breathless as Fane explored and showed the warmth of a balm.

“Hm,”, Fane hummed as he finally found Solas’ pulse, fluttering and skipping. He pulled away a bit, eyes hooded as he watched the beating patch. “You’re getting excited already. Dangerous, my sky. Very, very dangerous.”

Solas let out an airy laugh, turning in his embrace a bit to rest his side against Fane’s front. He had to adjust his hold a bit and take his hand holding the mage’s jaw away, but he kept his eyes on the butterfly before him. It was tempting to...well, snatch it from the air, but Fane kept himself in control, even as he felt the sky begin to lay kisses along his neck. They were as light as air and near reverent, but no less hot with their underlying heat. It was making his mind haze with a different kind of smoke this time.  

“Ma’isenatha,” Solas murmured against where he was kissing, tender and sweet, but there was a note of...concern in its cadence? “...May I see your hand?”

What?

Fane blinked, the smoke clearing a bit. “Huh?”, he uttered in question, shifting his gaze away from the steadying butterfly to glistening orbs--lavender branching out from where the pupil was. Oh, he loved that hue. That hue, that very few saw…

Solas offered him a tiny smile. “Your hand.”, he repeated, a tentative touch appearing against an...oddly warm, blazingly warm, palm. Why was his hand so damn hot? It almost burned.

Fane drew his brows together, confused. “...My hand? Why do you--?”

Suddenly and before he could get the words out, the Anchor cracked within his palm--ancient magic still very much volatile from his earlier outburst. Fane hissed sharply. Damn it all! He forgot all about the Void-taken thing! Fuck! Just when he had been sure everything was as it should be again! Foolish! Foolish!

“Easy, vhenan,”, Solas soothed, one hand appearing upon his cheek and the other within his spasming hand. Within an instant, their fingers wound together, interlocking like a masterwork latch. “Breathe, and let us move from the floor. I can examine your hand better that way.” Blue orbs connected with his own, questioning and full of tender concern, even if they were a bit hard to make out from the suddenness of sharp daggers under his skin. “...Can you do that for me?”

Fane gritted his teeth at another pulse, growling deep in his chest, but he managed to jerkily nod. He could move, but by anything that was holy, he didn’t want to. The damned Anchor tended to skyrocket in its anger every time he jolted it, but...he could endure it. He could endure it if it meant it would just stop.

Solas gave him another reassuring smile, gingerly lifting himself off of where he was leaning against Fane’s front to stand. Fane nearly dragged the elf back down when another deep pulse of magic shot up his arm, but thankfully, not his head. It fucking burned like acid, however. The magic was less than it had been earlier, but it was still managing to seep from the slit and snake up his arm like ethereal vines.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,”, Fane cursed over and over, growling and snarling in the interim. “Fuuuck!”

He sucked in a deep breath and let it out shakily, trying to fight through the pain and nausea as he, none too gracefully, pushed himself off the floor with his free hand. To Fane’s surprise, the Anchor didn’t protest too awfully, only snapping against his wrist like a hand slapped another in reprimand. Still, it ached, burned, and screamed.

Solas’ hands appeared on him the moment he stood at full height, using both to lift the acid spewing hand up to his line of vision. Fane swallowed hard around pooling saliva and took in deep breaths through his nose as he let the mage work his magic. 

He watched as a slender finger glided along the brightly glowing opening, testing, teasing the familiar magic out with a gentle blue glow. The tendrils came outwards, but then abated minimally, cowing at calming blue, but they still carried fury underneath--pulsing and crawling. Fane grimaced at the sensation, stifling a pained growl. It would never end unless he chopped his arm off, would it? Or, well, if Solas took it away. Sadly, his sky didn’t have the capability or power to do that yet. Fane would be both relieved and not relieved the day that he did. For various reasons. Reasons they also needed to discuss sometime, but not right now. Not when his fucking arm was feeling like it was getting pulled through a rift!

Solas gave him a tiny smile, glancing up from his work. “You are doing well, my dragon.”, he praised before concentration hardened features that held the shadows and dual glow of magic, eyes going back down to focus. “What do you feel right now? Describe the sensations for me.”

Fane took in another deep breath. “Uh, c-crawling. F-Feels like there’s worms under my skin. Worms that are--are on fire.”, he tried to explain as best he could, but those blazing worms were wriggling, writhing as Solas gingerly ushered more of his magic into the mark. “I-It keeps knocking against that f-fucking ward, too.”

Solas glanced up again, but didn’t halt his ministrations. “It has not pierced through, correct?”

Fane shook his head with a shaky sigh. “No, but that’s because I’m…” He gasped a bit, a hard pound slamming into the walls of his mind like a drum. “...fighting it.”

That seemed to be all Solas needed him to say, going back to his task with a furrowed brow and a determined look in his sky-line eyes.

Slowly but surely, the Anchor began to die down as the more Solas guided his magic to make the more volatile counterpart heel. The tendrils of sickly, but sparkling green abated, the ever present glow dimmed, and best of all, the pain ebbed away like a lazy wave. Fane sucked in a deep, deep breath as that reprieved was granted to him. He still felt nauseous as all got out, but the worms were dying down, the knock upon a locked door floating away as chaotic magic slithered back down his arm. He could honestly sob from relief. Truly, he could. 

Solas let out a quiet sigh of his own, tired and relieved all in one, as his eyes met Fane’s own again and for good this time. They were speaking to him, asking a typical question and it filled Fane’s heart with tender affection.

Fane smiled tiredly. “Better. Thank you.”, he said. He was utterly exhausted, stomach tender and head aching duly, but the pain had stopped, the magic driven back to the hole it crawled out of.

Solas let out another relieved sigh at his words, a tired smile of his own appearing, cracking the mask of concentration, and giving his marked hand a gentle squeeze with the two still holding it.

“It’s nothing.”, the mage downplayed, shifting tender eyes down to gaze upon the Anchor forlornly. “I simply wish I could rid you of this burden, to wipe away this pain. If I had known it would be you who would somehow pick the orb up, I would have been--”

Fane sighed softly as he tapped the underneath of Solas’ chin with a few fingers of the hand he was holding. The elf blinked, steely orbs snapping up to him instantly and that only made Fane smirk more. How the sky heeded a dragon’s call. It should be the reverse, but this world continued to show how much it defied itself.

“Stop. Observe and accept. Observe what happened, and accept that it was beyond your control to predict. You will fix things, Solas. We will fix things.”, Fane assured as he leaned in to lay a light kiss against the mage’s lips. It was reciprocated with ease, a tiny hum escaping from his sky and it made him reluctant to pull back, but he did to murmur, “All of it will come in time, ma tarasyl. You know that. I know that. Be patient.”

Solas let out a chuckle. “Using my own words against me? Wisdom is a concept in you, I see.”, he teased.

Fane sneered a bit. “Cute.”, he replied dryly before shrugging. “I only used them because you used my own earlier, and I figured you’d be more amenable listening to yourself when in concern to what happened at the Conclave and whatnot. You do like to hear yourself talk, after all.”, he teased with a growing smirk. They were coming full circle now, and hopefully, his jokes would land more gently this time.

“Insufferable.”, Solas quipped with an exasperated sigh, but it was fond underneath, he knew. “Why do I--?”

Fane blinked as Solas suddenly froze up, face going blank and glittering eyes staring at him, but not registering. He furrowed his brow at that, pulling his head back a bit to get a better look at blue and grey. Now, that wasn’t normal. The hues were still bright, aware, blue with lavender branching from the middle, but Solas’ face and posture screamed, ‘disconnected’. Fane felt himself grow more worried at that. Had he fucked up again?

“Solas? Are you--?”

He went to ask after the man, thinking his joke had hit a nerve yet again, but a slender finger suddenly darted up to his lips, stilling them. It was telling him to wait, to be silent. Fane blinked. Well, at least the mage was responsive? Yes...a corner of a mouth was moving a bit, eyes were blinking slowly, and a…

...nose was twitching?

Before any more questions could be voiced or even thought up, Fane saw Solas’ face pinch a bit, nose screwing up before sucking in a slow, deep breath, and then…

“Achoo!”

We have it all in this story! Pain, sadness, Solas tears, Fane rage, fluff, cockblocking magic, and sniffles~ >:3 Watch this turn into a sick fic now. XD

Tagging forth (with love and potions to ward against sniffles!)

@oxygenforthewicked @noire-pandora @the-dreadful-canine @little-lightning-lavellan @aymayzing @dungeons-and-dragon-age @hoochieblues @whataboutbugs @1000generations @blueheaded @cartadwarfwithaheartofgold and anyone else who’d like to share! It’s Wednesday~! X3 (no pressure, of course! <3)

[psalloacappella]

SSM21 Day 2. Festival

Pairing:  SasuSaku  Prompt: Festival  Title:  sparks will fly, they ignite our bones Tags:  AU - Modern Setting; First Dates; Wooing Lips burning against his, mouthing soft words in the detonation din.

(In which Sakura has the better aim.)

Ao3 | twt | full series link | @ssskmonth

“It’sa real date this time.” Each word’s punctuated by Naruto’s fist punching his opposite palm, driving home the importance of this. This being:  Street stall smells rich and piquant, a smoky-savory blend; lights flickering in kaleidoscopic, neurotic brilliance; children wild as free foals escaping their parents, weaving in and out of adults’ legs clutching cheap prizes and sparklers —

and him, Sasuke, on an actual fucking date with a woman with cotton-candy-colored locks who has been besting him every game and measure of skill imaginable, and his dumb plus-one buffer, the best friend, now droning on about how he needs to win her something.

“Anything!” Naruto throws his arms up, dramatic and exasperated, the only gearsetting he seems to have. “Teddy bear, ugly fish, keychain — literally any shitty prize to show her yer not a complete waste of time.”

“Sasuke!” Both men snap to, pretending to have been watching the whole time as Sakura jumps up and down, pumping a fist in the air. “I won again!”

With shiny, wide eyes, she places both her palms out in giddy anticipation to receive a stuffed bear donning a baseball cap of the local (terrible) team from a surly booth operator with a permanent frown.

“She’s comin’ this way!”

“I can see that,” Sasuke hisses. “You useless idiot.”

“Did I hear ‘charming wingman?’ ‘Kay, I’m gonna find some food. Give you two some time—”

“Don’t say it—”

“Alone.” Some strange tone aiming for sensual manifests as choking pigeon, and Naruto skips away as Sakura bounds up to Sasuke, smiling so wide he can see every perfect tooth.

“Did you see?” So proud of herself, arms laden with prizes. Some she’s already given away to cute children passing by, perhaps the sole supplier of noisemakers and soft bears. For a doctor in pediatrics, the urge to make smiles comes second nature. “Where’s he going?”

“Food, or something,” Sasuke murmurs, trying not to look as constipated and irritated as he had ten minutes prior — another gem from Naruto’s unasked-for criticism. “He’s left us alone.”

“Finally.” Definitely slipped out by accident, and Sakura grumbles over her mistake, red prickling her cheeks and chest. “Not that I dislike him, of course—”

“I do,” Sasuke says, absolutely deadpan. It takes her a moment.

“Uchiha Sasuke, did you just make your first joke?”

Ears burning in the cool night air, it’s his turn to smother his embarrassment. In lieu of further slip ups, he awkwardly gathers the items in her arms, a mishmash of unidentified thingamajigs and whatnots that you only find in curio shops or carnivals, and gallantly takes on their burden.

“Walk with me?”

So sure his voicebox just sustained a hairline crack; he hates himself for being nervous.

Eyes, hers, brighter than all the psychedelic frenzy swirling around them both, caught up in the haze; she has the uncanny ability to fade the rest to black, toss the entirety of the world’s existence aside.

Seeking to link her arm with his amid the mess of wares won, she succeeds and presses closer.

“I thought I’d die waiting,” she whispers into his sleeve. “I’ve been wanting you to notice me properly all night.”

Meandering, conjoined, down the main road; carved out for the celebration, buffeted by snack scents and other couples, groups of friends, and plenty of pairs pretending they’re still just and only that. Along the way she unloads her many winnings, surreptitious, in part kindly trying to relieve his burden but also calculating the space in her single occupancy apartment.

She watches people and lights, and he watches her.

Sakura’s gaze snags on a particular booth, more specifically a particular prize. Of the stuffed variety.

“Did . . .  something catch your eye?” he asks. Immediately thinks he sounds like an idiot. You know how to woo ‘em, and why does his inner voice sound like Naruto’s on this date, goddamn it —

Burying her cheek into his shoulder, she giggles and it threads beautiful, stringed tension in his throat and spine, symphonic, testing its own flex to see if she can orchestrate the rest of him. He wishes he could spin her around, lift her high in some filmesque climax, kiss her in the closing credits.

“Don’t laugh,” she says, “but I love slugs. Adore them, really. Gross, I know!” She raises her free hand and points directly at a giant stuffed slug on a high shelf behind the booth’s counter. “And honestly, I’d likely keep it in my office; the kids would love it.”

Sasuke knows, from what she’s disclosed, that these are sick kids, too. This ancient, gendered mating ritual is unavoidable and he’ll have to rise to the challenge. He must provide. Stupid, because she outstrips his earnings and likely will the rest of their life.

Says it like a throwaway, like no big deal:  “I’ll have to win it for you, then.”

The game? Aim. Darts. Doable if he’s sober and with equally (un)talented friends; ranging from Shino the sharpshooter to drunk and stumbling Suigetsu, he’s decidedly somewhere in the middle, but it should be enough raw talent to beat a festival game.

Sakura’s eyes are on him, excited. She dances a little from foot to foot, ready to cheer him on.

Dropping the rest of the prizes on the ground and shoving a fistful of coins at the booth operator, he smirks. Born ready, all those forced childhood sports camps and instrument lessons finessing his hand-eye coordination finally stepping up to the plate.

Imagine failing miserably three rounds in a row, the last one bouncing off the dartboard so violently it narrowly misses the sleepy booth operator. Sasuke grinds his teeth, jaw tight, wishing it’d met its mark.

To Sakura’s credit, she’s completely unperturbed. Almost makes it worse.

She pecks him on the cheek, scoring him through hot and fevered where her lips touch.

“Performance anxiety,” she quips, but her smile isn’t unkind. “Let me give it a try.”

Each dart that lands in the board does so with gusto, embeds itself deep into the sisal cork. As each one hits, Sasuke reflects they might as well be piercing him. The most painful blow is watching her indicate the bluebacked slug, winning it outright without his help, and squeezing it half to death in her arms.

They’re walking again, sans the rest of her prizes — left them for the booth operator, and whatever kids wander his way wanting toys with which to annoy their parents.

“You’ve been so quiet,” she says, shifting her slug under one arm and linking up with him again.  Sasuke shrugs against her. “I’m not sure what’s next with us.”

 He stops, figures it’s better to rip that bandaid off now, give her an out so he can save some face. Of course they’ve stopped on some coquettishly romantic bridge, arched over the still summer pond, a popular viewing spot for the night’s end fireworks.

She watches him expectantly, searching him with her sharp green eyes.

“What do you mean?” Her question is slow, puzzled.

What he means to say is something gentile. Instead he says, “You’re great at darts.”

She seems to sway, a physical manifestation of being caught off guard. Laughs. “Surprised me too! But you gave my arms a rest, so they were ready to win.” Curls her arm to indicate muscle, grinning.

Steps closer, melting through an unseen veil of personal space. Cherry scent; smoke.

“Could be all the shots you administer.”

“I guess we can call jabbing kids with needles a calling.” Mirroring him, she steps in too, and there’s not so much space between them anymore. “Good practice. You could come around sometime, see my work.”

Another tiny shuffle.

It’s time to break this. Sasuke inhales deeply, letting it out in measured beats. “Sakura—”

“If you’re mad you couldn’t win this for me,” she interrupts, “you’re being silly. I don’t care about that, you know.”

He tilts his head, and in spite of himself his hand wanders, brushing a stray strand of pink out of her face. “Hm?”

“I don’t,” she repeats, and sets her slug down on the wooden bridge. Breathes deeply before saying in a low, threaded voice, “What I care about is all the waiting.”

Sasuke feels it all fall into place. Oh. Oh.

“So come on, Sasuke.”

And before she’s even finished saying his name he’s kissing her, the last vibrations of his name caught on their lips, locked, and though the timing is perfect and picturesque, film archetype material as the fireworks charge the air around them, each one set off drawing ripple designs in the water beneath them, this thrill is unmatched, the way she wraps her arm around his neck to taste him deeper, the way he lifts her up to rest him on his hips and there’s nothing, has never been anything, quite like this.

Real fireworks pale in comparison.

Lips burning against his, mouthing soft words in the detonation din.

“The perfect end,” she whispers, “to a festival.”

[coconut-cluster]

Hey Lexi you amazing intelligent wonderful human being... Can we,, hear about those NPCs?

of course you can. i will try and make this quick lol

(okay so you remember Bea and Petra? i’m using their universe and bending Petra’s character a little, just an fyi because i love them and wanted to go into that world more. also im using DnD stats because theyre fun and fairly universal)

Petra: 

merchant - if this story were a video game (or a campaign although i’ve never done a campaign so im not an expert), you’d encounter her pretty regularly, especially around forest/plant-heavy areas (she dresses in green a lot so i thought it’d be cute lol). 

she sells hard-to-get items for hefty prices (because “you’re desperate, aren’t you?”) 

sarcastic, sly, clever; self-serving but loyal to the people who help her out

implied to be or have been a thief but she doesn’t elaborate and you’d know better than to push it

near-maxed charisma

has a really cool cloak that has those slits for your arms to go through

her main two favors (to get her on your team later on) are 1. trading a golden locket you can find somewhere earlier on for something precious she has (ooo lore) and 2. defending her when another buyer attacks her about halfway through the “game”

YES you (when playing as Bea) can romance her because i love them 

her little quip when she swoops in is “Consider it a favor~”

Alistair: 

warlock - he trades/sells magical items occasionally, but mostly he functions as a guide to how magic works in the universe for the player(s)

shows up occasionally in the “game,” usually at checkpoints where magic users in the group can learn new spells and such (and usually in gloomy areas)

used to be sorta friends with Petra - they traded items a lot, networking and whatnot - but he started experimenting with black magic and they grew apart. He stopped after a while, because it was draining his life force, the usual, but he and Petra never reconciled. 

wears a lot of black because he’s an oh-so-tortured soul 

quiet, contemplative, impatient, determined to make up for his past so he tends to be a little sacrificial but he’s a better person than he gives himself credit for 

near-maxed constitution (endurance) 

his main favors are 1. getting him a rare spellbook from a palace library and 2. checking up on Petra for him (he still thinks of her as a little sister figure, even if he thinks she hates him (she doesn’t)) 

his line is “You’ll have to trust me.”

Blythe: 

a knight-in-training - he helps you get through a palace early on in the “game,” mostly because he has no idea you’re not supposed to be there

generally acts as a guide to help the players understand some basic aspects of the game universe; royalty, magic-users’ importance, the kinds of weapons and armor players might need, etc

head empty, heart full 

enthusiastic, helpful, positive, not the brightest crayon in the box but he’s brave and always willing to help out

near-maxed strength

his main favors are 1. helping him perform a great act of heroism so he can be knighted and 2. getting him a cool sword

his line is “Need a hand? :D” yes the smile is important

Old Woman Hildred: 

a mentor - she guides the player during difficult choices, like having to leave someone or something behind or choosing between evil/lesser evil options

it’s kind of unclear if she’s human or not because she shows up at odd times but you don’t question it

she’s blunt in the way old people who have seen too much to bother being passive are, but there are moments, when the player is distraught or torn, where she shows a softer side and offers comfort with her advice

has beef with the antagonists. she does not explain this.  

one of those characters that seems a little suspicious at first but ends up being like the best character in the game

blunt, experienced, assertive, respected, can be a little harsh sometimes but she means well 

maxed wisdom 

YES she has a cool branch cane 

she doesn’t have favors, per se, but if you 1. listen to her/follow her advice on one of like three big decisions and 2. defend yourself when she suggests something immoral (as a test uhuhu - but it’s late in the game so you as a player will have had time to learn what’s “right” and “wrong” in universe) then she’ll join your team when you need her most 

her line is “Stand back!” (and puts an arm out to shield you right before she wacks the villain with her cane (or reveals powers or smth but i like the cane thing))

alright ramble over lol 

[hyucksong]

to all the boys i’ve loved before; nct dream

preview;

   You yawned as you sat down hastily in your chair, spinning around for a few seconds before letting yourself come to a slow stop, facing your desk. It was barren and empty, all your belongings packed away either in suitcases or khaki brown cardboard boxes.

  Your eyes settled on the seven letters that were tucked away in a little slot on your desk. They were left to be burned, but after reading a book about accidentally sent letters to past love interest, you were feeling a little cheeky. Maybe you could do that, but instead of accidentally screwing yourself over, you’d do it willingly. It was perfect, in your opinion. You’d be leaving the next morning, and all you’d have to do was shove them in the ’outgoing mail’ on your way out of the neighborhood. It was a scuff free plan, but even so you were a little nervous. After all, it is the digital age, they could really track you down any time of day. You’d just have to count on the impeccable laziness of the human race, and hope that god would strike you mercilessly before they found you.

   Besides, you were sure that even if you sent out all seven of the letters, only one person would do anything about them, somehow. And while that thought alone was nerve-wracking, it was something college-you could overcome, they were supposed to be an adult after all. 

   So, with a satisfied tight-lipped smile, you turned off your desk lamp, and crawled into bed, ready to put stamps on the damned letters and send them out in the early wee-hours of the next day.

///

   So, each member will have a one-part thingy. the first part will be the letter and random happenings between you and the member that made you fall for them and whatnot. then after all of the letters are done, i will write a little extra somethin’ somethin’ of you two somehow meeting and getting to know each other again :). like, the one post will have all seven members and you started anew, it’ll be small. 

   not my only work i’m working on, but they will be pretty simple...and i’m excited. so :)

   links will be added as i finish these babies!

there’s zhong chenle;

   one of my two childhood best friends. i fell for him the second he smiled at me, when i was six. it was love at first sight, but as a six year old, the workings of love were nonexistent to me. but as soon as i turned thirteen, and he left a wet kiss on my cheek to commemorate the ‘special day’, i realized what i was feeling. so i wrote about it. it was the start of the letters, and the start of a long, drawn out heart break -- because zhong chenle didn’t like me back. it would take years to get over him and his overly-friendly gestures, and i found that i still loved him even during the rest of my crushes. it sucked.

there’s lee donhyuck;

   or as i called him (and all his close friends), haechan. i ran into him in my first detention on my first day of high school. he quipped back to a particularly stubborn teacher, and it had landed him in detention. all i did was be late to my first class. we ended up seeing each other many other times, because he always talked back, and i always overslept. we got real close over the first half of freshmen year, and i fell for his (unexpected) maturity. he knew what he wanted in life, and i...found it attractive. but i stopped talking to him once i saw him flirting with two girls in the same hour. i figured i was no different. but sometimes i wonder what would have happened if i kept snoozing my alarm.

there’s na jaemin;

   or should i say the school’s most misunderstood person? people see him as a nonstop flirt machine, but since i had to tutor him in geometry in the second half of freshmen year (he was failing second semester), i only saw him as a space-case that couldn’t understand the pythagorean theorem. i would be lying if i said his kind words and lingering gaze didn’t affect me. and while i didn’t buy into all the rumors surrounding him, i was still hurt from haechan. so, i ignored him if i didn’t need to talk to him. i think it hurt him. he was so much more than the rumors, he was empathetic and charitable. i think i fell for that look he got on his face whenever he saw a picture of something cute. it was...gentle.

there’s lee jeno;

   he was my chemistry partner in sophomore year. a lot of girls liked him, but i really couldn’t see why. yeah, he was cute, but he managed to spill three beakers of acidic acid during the same day. not very charming, if you ask me. i avoided him at all costs outside of school. but i always ran into him at the animal shelter i volunteered at. and...i think that’s when i fell for him. the way he treated other living things with such care and love...no wonder he and jaemin were best friends. i found that he was really affected by other people’s thoughts on him, it was his biggest flaw. i was by his side as he went through the motions of people hating him for no reason. i think we would have dated, but the timing wasn’t right. he was going through personal things, and...so was i. maybe i should’ve stayed by his side.

there’s park jisung;

   the other childhood best friend. chenle, jisung, and i were inseparable. jisung was the only one that knew about my major crush on chenle, and he was always there to comfort me. it wasn’t until sophomore year, that i realized how much i was hurting him. because he was so much more in love with me than i was with him. i found myself confused on my feelings for him and jeno, and that’s why i didn’t date either of them. we...don’t talk much anymore. it’s too awkward. but even so, i wonder if i can ever find someone so giving and selfless as jisung. he gave himself up for others, and when i figured out how much he sacrificed for me...i think that’s when i fell for him. he...just really would give me the whole world. it hurts me to think that i...hurt him. sometimes i wish i -- nevermind. it doesn’t matter anymore.

there’s mark lee;

   my first boyfriend. for all of junior year i (somehow) didn’t like anyone, not even chenle. he found his first love, and after that i fully moved on. jisung hung out exclusively with chenle and never with me. i was alone. but once mark lee walked through the doors in december during senior year as the transfer student from canada, and sat next to me; that would change. he made me forget every pain i’d ever had with any other crush, he made me smile, and made me feel like i was the only one that mattered. but, later i found out that i was...nothing special to him. he was using me as a rebound for his longtime girlfriend from back in canada that broke up with him. that hurt. when i found out, he was so sorry, but i couldn't really blame him. maybe he was my rebound for chenle. maybe it would’ve worked out if we both tried again, or even in a parallel universe. too bad i wasted a whole year on empty love.

and there’s huang renjun;

   in the summer before me leaving for college, i met a simple boy in a music store. he was arguing about the best vocal legends, or something like that. i wasn’t really paying attention. instead, i zeroed in on the book he was holding, it was about famous paintings throughout the centuries. all i did was tap him on the shoulder and tell him i liked paintings too, and walked away deeper into the store. but after that i bumped into him everywhere, from the coffee shop, the library, and yes, the music store. we bonded over our strong opinions and love for the arts. this love was...different. it was slow and steady, i could talk to him about anything. i could lay with him across from me on the couch for hours, and never get bored. it felt like the long-lasting type of love. we were never ‘together’, but it felt like it. he had to leave for china for family reasons. we never really worked things out. maybe he’ll come back. 

somehow, you see him again...

[themissinghippogriff]

|Shh| {Harry P. x Draco M.}

Description: Harry and Draco have been dating for a while but have kept it a secret, and their friends get fed up with it and confront the two about it. 

Word Count: 1.2k+

Warnings: A lil steamy steam

" Damnit Harry, can you not stomp like a bloody Hippogriff?! Someone could hear us," Draco whisper shouted to his boyfriend.

Harry rolled his eyes but attempted to be quieter, " Draco, I still don't understand why we don't just tell our friends, I'm sure they wouldn't care." he whispered back, following the blonde out of the library and into the empty hallways.

It had to be midnight by now and Harry wasn't looking forward to the questions Hermione and Ron were going to ask him when he got back to the Common Room. The two had planned to go back to their Common Rooms two hours prior but as the saying goes ' time flies when you're having fun'.

" Harry, you know why we can't let that happen, just please be patient, love," Draco said, his grip on his boyfriend's hand tightening slightly.

Harry only nodded, " Of course,"

-

" You were out pretty late last night," said Hermione before taking a sip of her Pumpkin Juice, " Where were you?" she asked, her brown eyes boring into Harry's green ones.

Hermione already knew where he was and what he had been doing, she just wanted him to admit it. Her eyes drifted to the table beside theirs only to see one Draco Malfoy staring intently at the back of her friend's head.

" Just wondering the grounds, thinking," he said.

Hermione sat up straighter and glared lightly at Harry, " Sure,"

Ron continued to shove food into his mouth, " So, Harry, do tell us what you were thinking about," he said before biting into a scone.

Harry's eyes widened, " Y' know, how sad it is to be me and mourning the death of my parents and whatnot," he said with a shrug.

" And whatnot," Hermione and Ron repeated in unison.

Harry tried to frown but a grin was fighting it's way to his face, " Harry!" snapped a cold voice in passing.

The trio looked up to see Draco Malfoy with his hands on his hips, " Looking appallingly stupid as ever I see,"

' You look really cute today, and I'll be ripping that sweater vest off tonight,'

Harry's eyes narrowed, " Draco, why don't you just bugger off,"

' I'll see you tonight, and don't bother wearing your briefs, cutie,"

The Slytherin strolled off, a small smile on his face. Harry turned back to the group, the smallest of grins on his own face.

Ron and Hermione just shared a look.

-

" What the Hell are they even trying to do? I mean even Weasley knows!" snapped Pansy to Blaise who nodded.

" Should we tell them we know?" he asked before taking a gulp of water.

Pansy shrugged as she watched Draco walk off with a giddy smile, " Maybe we should talk to Potter's friends, I mean look,"

Blaise glanced over to the Gryffindor table where he saw Granger and Weasley give each other incredulous looks and then look back to Harry like he was the dumbest person on the face of the Earth, " Yeah I think we should,"

Just as breakfast was ending Pansy slipped past her housemates and walked to Hermione with Blaise following.

" Granger we need to talk about Draco and Potter," she said.

Hermione looked to Blaise then back to Pansy, " You mean about... y' know, them being-"

" You mean them dating and not telling us," said Ron coming up from behind.

Hermione reached behind herself to whack Ron on his arm, but Pansy nodded, " Yeah that, it's driving us up the bloody wall, I mean it's so obvious!"

" Yeah it really is," said a Ravenclaw in passing.

The group looked at each other before a groan from Blaise turned their attention to him.

" So what do we do?" asked Blaise.

Hermione and Pansy looked thoughtful for a second before glancing to each other.

" We follow them."

-

Draco pressed a kiss to Harry's forehead, " I love you," he whispered.

He felt Harry's warm breath tickle his neck before his lips replaced it, " I love you more, " he said before pulling Draco tighter to him, " I love you so bloody much,"

Draco felt a blush blossom on his cheeks before a breathy chuckle exited him, " We'll tell them this weekend okay?"

Harry pulled away and cupped Draco's cheek, " A-are you sure? Because I don't want you to do anything you're not ready to do,"

Draco smiled and placed his own hand on top of Harry's," I'm sure, Potter,"

Harry's emerald eyes lit up, " Okay then, but it's almost midnight, we need to go soon-"

Draco practically jumped on Harry and caught his lips in a searing kiss. The Gryffindor's surprise quickly left him as he pushed the blond against a bookshelf and ran his rough hands up Draco's torso, " Or we can stay here for a little while longer," he muttered before ripping the pale boy's silver and green tie from around his neck.

-

Ron followed Pansy, Blaise, and Hermione through the vacant hallways. Hermione ha the map and said that Draco and Harry where someone in the library and they hadn't moved from that spot for over two hours.

And Ron rather not imagine his best friend in any situation such as that with Draco, " Why do behind a bloody bookshelf!" he hissed to no one in particular, " That's where I go to take my bloody naps,"

" Ron, shut up, Draco and Harry are moving toward the exit," spat Hermione, speeding up.

The group rounded the corner to the hallway that led to the library and saw two figures with their backs turned to them, " Oi!" said Ron.

Draco and Harry spun around, both of them reach for their wands, " What the hell are you lot doing here?!" Draco demanded upon realizing Pansy and Blaise accompanied Hermione and Ron.

" C' mon Draco," Pansy said gesturing to Harry, " We were following the both of you,"

Draco blushed and opened his mouth but then closed it, " Yeah what about it!" he said challenging her to say something bad about Harry or their relationship.

" Nothing you twit," she snapped, " We've been waiting for you to tell us and we were going crazy, so we said fuck it and decided to come down here,"

Hermione rolled her eyes and took a step forward, " Way to be subtle Parkinson," she muttered before approaching Harry, " Harry why didn't you tell us, you know we wouldn't have cared," she said gesturing to Ron and herself.

Harry rubbed the back of his neck, " Well, we just weren't ready," he said softly before taking Draco's hand.

Blaise only nodded and Ron groaned, " I mean yeah, it was kinda weird at first- unnatural even, because y' know the fact it was Malfoy-"

" What Ron is trying to say," interrupted Hermione, " Is we don't care that you like the opposite gender and your own gender-"

" Yeah we don't care you're gay," added Pansy.

"- We don't care, Harry, we just want you happy," finished Hermione with an amused glance towards Pansy.

" Alright, so you all know," Draco said to himself, " Alright then, this is good, now I'm tired so let's all just go back to our dorms and discuss this tomorrow,"

" For once I agree with Malfoy," quipped Ron.

The group began tracking back to their respective Common Rooms until Draco stopped them all.

" Now, let's make something very clear," he said meeting them all with his silver eyes, " My father will not hear about this."

                                                             ***

Requested :)

[under-the-blue-sun]

(more than just a) summer fling

summary:  dan howell absolutely despises the beach. but maybe a model named phil can help him out with that.

word count: 3489

rating: teen & up for swearing, but it’s mostly just fluff

warnings: profanity

note: abwug7te6fighi i wrote this ages ago for the @phandomficfests‘s bingo with the prompt summer fling but i forgot to post it so uh...here it is i guess? enjoy! <3

read on ao3

If there was one thing Dan knew for certain, it was that he hated the beach.

Sure, it may seem kind of ironic because his family literally lived in a beach house, but he despised everything about the beach. He hated the sand, the saltwater, the traffic that would pile up for kilometres outside his home, everything.

He was not alone in this. His family also hated the beach. In fact, when his mother woke them all up one morning and announced that they were heading the beach, Dan almost burst out into laughter. The idea of his family going to the beach in summer was ridiculous and unfathomable Dan thought it was a joke at first, until he looked at his mum's expression. He was even more shocked when he saw his father nodding along. His father for one was extremely cynical against the commercialism and the crowded nature of their local beach in the hot weather and his mother would constantly complain about the overrated nature of the beach which would cause traffic, little to no parking and the loud parties which meant no one could sleep through the night. He doubted his little brother Adrian had even gone to the beach with his family in his life. The last time Dan remembered going was when he was six, when he threw up in the sea because he swallowed too much seawater, something his family will never let him live down. Dan shook his head to get rid of the embarrassing flashback and he snapped back to the present.

"We're doing what?" Adrian asked incredulously.

"Don't pretend you didn't hear me, Adrian. We're going to the beach." their mother replied.

"But why?" Dan questioned.

"And...and what?" Adrian added.

Their father slammed his newspaper down. "Your mother is right. You two boys have hardly been outside for the entirety of this summer, playing video games and scrolling through social media and whatnot. You need a bit of fresh air."

Dan and Adrian both groaned. Dan desperately did not want to go to the beach. The beach really did have everything he hated. The texture of the sand made him uncomfortable, the sea brought back bad memories and the people were abnormally too loud and happy. Plus, he would be forced to dress in skimpy clothes which made him feel way too exposed when his normal fashion choice was a black hoodie and a pair of black jeans. Call him emo, but he did not want to go to the beach.

Unfortunately, both brothers had no choice in the matter. After eating breakfast, their mother and father forced them to get ready and by afternoon they were both awkwardly standing in the beach, mats and sunscreen in hand.

“I bags the blue mat.” Adrian demanded. Dan shrugged and gave it to him.

“I don’t really care.” Dan replied, whipping out his sunglasses with plans to catch up on some missed sleep that afternoon. That plan was immediately foiled by his father.

“Get off the mat, Daniel, and give it to your mother.” his father yelled from the parking lot. 

And that was how Dan ended up sitting down on some rocks near the end of the beach, contemplating life and existence.

He could see Adrian in the distance, playing ball with his friends, having a particular sort of happiness about him that made Dan almost envious. His parents were merely tiny dots in the horizon, lost among the other spots and speckles amongst the beach. Dan sighed, lost in his melodramatic and existential thoughts.

“Sorry sir, I’m afraid that you have to move slightly. You are just in our picture.”

Dan looked to see the voice and saw that it was a man with headphones and a shirt that said “CREW”. He realised that there was a whole photoshoot happening to his right which he didn’t even notice. Oops.

“Uh, of course. Move to my left?” Dan asked awkwardly.

The man nodded. “Yes, thank you sir. My deepest apologies.”

Dan opened his mouth to reply, but the man already went off to attend the photoshoot. He could see him gesturing the model to climb on the rocks. Interested in this endeavour now, Dan turned to watch.

The model truly was stunning, there was no doubt about that. His pale, snow-white skin pleasantly contrasted with his jet black hair styled up in a quiff. Blue eyes almost blended in with the horizon and the sky, pupils seemingly perceiving something in the far distance.

Yes, there was no doubt this model was beautiful. If Dan saw this photo in the shops, he would definitely be looking at the man more than he would be admiring the brown trench coat he was advertising for. 

Dan was definitely staring now, but he almost didn’t notice. He was now lost in the sea of blue, his wonderful ocean eyes, his time and place had been forgotten. That was until the model turned his face to inspect Dan, confused and intrigued.

Fuck, wank, fuck. What do I do now?

Panicking internally, Dan turned and winked at the guy. Oh god, what have I done now? The model turned a pleasant shade of pink and faced away from Dan.

To avoid any more awkward encounters, Dan took out his book and began to read. His eyes could not stay on the book, and he had that unstoppable urge to look at the model. He quickly glanced up from his novel, seeing that the model was staring at him. It was now Dan’s turn to blush, fully turning away from the photoshoot now.

Minutes, hours and some sort of time might have passed, but Dan was unsure, too lost in his own thoughts to have a perception of time. The next thing he knew, he felt a tap on his shoulder. Dan turned around, thinking it was his mum or dad, but suddenly made eye contact with the model from earlier. 

He was out of his trench coat now, dressed in more casual clothes. However, he was just as good-looking, his denim shorts bringing out the blue in his eyes.

Dan could see up close that his eyes were a mixture of blue, green and yellow, somehow making the person more attractive. The guy grinned at him, making Dan swoon.

“I saw you staring at me earlier.” he said. Dan raised his eyebrows.

“You too.” Dan pointed out. The model laughed.

“Touché. Hey, how’s about we go out for lunch?” he asked.

“Moving quickly, are we...” Dan’s voice trailed off as he realised he didn’t know his name. The model chuckled.

“Lester. Phil Lester. And you are?” 

“Dan Howell. Look, Lester, not going to lie, you are hot and all -“

“You think I’m hot?” Phil interrupted. Dan rolled his eyes.

“Look, the thing is, I do don’t normally go off with random boys I meet on the beach.” Dan said.

“There’s always a first.” Phil pointed out. 

Dan sighed. “No.”

“Please? I might even give you a free kiss.” Phil said.

"A free kiss? That is an unmissable deal." Dan said, shaking his head while fighting back a smile.

"Isn't it?" Phil said, winking.

“Well, I guess I’m going to have to take you to court for abduction.” Dan replied, taking Phil’s hand to so he could get up on the pavement.

Phil grinned. "At least I have experience in looking good for the mugshot," he quipped back. Dan smirked.

"So, model boy, any plans for where you want to go?" Dan asked. Phil shrugged.

"How does fish and chips sound?" Phil replied.

"Sounds great."

On the way to the fish and chips restaurant, Dan learnt three things. Firstly, Phil was only seventeen despite looking a lot older and more mature which Phil immediately took offense at. The second thing he learnt is that he was from Britain and that he came all the way to America just to get a photoshoot done.

"I'm from Britain too. I moved here when I was ten, but the accent still stayed." Dan said.

"It's good to meet a fellow Brit from all the way across the seas."

"Well, it is the land of the free."

The third thing he learnt was that Phil wanted to keep his model career for as long as he can, and then use that status to get into his dream job as a weatherman.

"A weatherman? Why?" Dan asked, bewildered with Phil's dream.

"Weathermans are cool!" Phil said defensively. Dan rolled his eyes.

"Sure they are, Lester." Dan replied. Phil continued to protest until they reached the fish and chips store, where they managed to secure the last seat at the very back.

"Well, I've talked all about me, Howell. What's to learn about you?" Phil asked. Dan shrugged.

"Nothing much really. I'm pretty uninteresting." Dan said. Phil leaned closer to Dan. Dan's heartbeat quickened. He could see every detail of Phil's face now, from his light freckles to the shape of his lips.

"You're pretty cute for an uninteresting person." Phil said, gazing into Dan's eyes. Dan immediately went red and looked away, ignoring Phil's smug face.

To Dan's relief, the waiter quickly came by to take their order. Being an intelligent man, Dan tactfully used this opportunity to change the uncomfortable way the conversation was going.

"So...Mr Lester...what made you want to become a model anyway?" Dan asked, running a hand through his hair. Phil squirmed in his seat.

"Don't call me...that. That's my dad's name." Phil said after a long pause.

Dan smirked. "I thought you wanted to be a weatherman."

"They're not addressed like that!" Phil protested.

"The question at hand?" Dan said, raising his eyebrow. Phil shrugged.

"I had been modelling since I was young, I guess. My mother would always make me and my brother Martyn go for these photoshoots just for a bit of fun. Then a clothing brand, Burberry I think, contacted us and invited me to do a collection with them. And the rest is history I guess," Phil replied.

"So from then on you just became a part time model?" Dan asked, intrigued.

Phil sighed heavily. "Sometimes it feels more like a full time job, to be honest." he answered. Dan tilted his head.

"What do you mean?" Dan inquired.

"Modelling takes up a hell lot of my time. I always seem to be at photoshoots, 24/7. Often I find I have to do homework on set in between shoots. I mean, I love modelling but I definitely prioritize school, you know? I don't know." Phil said in a wistful tone. Dan nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, I agree. Like - well - obviously it's not, like, a full time job, but I am involved in the local theatre company and half the time -"

"Theatre company. Of course you're a theatre kid." Phil interrupted.

"What?" Dan replied. Phil laughed and shook his head.

"Never mind. Sorry, go on." Phil answered.

"And half the time I'm rehearsing or practicing and the other half of the time I have to do work and assignments and study for tests. It's like I have no free time for myself. And I honestly really enjoy theatre, but it takes up a lot of my time." Dan replied.

"What musical are you doing?" Phil asked.

"Bring it On. There's a lot of dancing, but I'm Randall the DJ so I kind of just stand there and watch everyone do exercise." Dan said. Phil gasped.

"Wait, wait, I know that musical! It's composed by Lin-Manuel Miranda, isn't it?" Phil replied.

Dan nodded in response. Phil gasped again.

"I wanna see you do it!" Phil whined. Dan laughed.

"You wouldn't be able to, Lester. It's all the way in March." Dan replied.

"I will fly over here on March and I'll see it myself. Just you wait, Howell."

Dan laughed in the moment, but he felt something inside his stomach swirl. He was having a lot of fun right now - probably more fun that he ever will this entire summer - but in the end he knew this thing he had with Phil would just be a summer fling. Phil would fly back to England, continue modelling, and then find another person to keep him company. He would be happy there, but Dan felt selfish and wanted him for himself. What was Dan going to do after this? Study more? Rehearse more? Stay sadly single as he watches everyone around him find a significant other? He knew in his heart that Phil would mean more to him then he would ever be to Phil. To Dan, Phil would be his first fling, his first "boyfriend", his first...someone. To Phil, Dan was nothing more than another person to keep him interested.

He would probably forget about Dan by the time they even did the dress rehearsal.

---

After ravenously eating their fish and chips, the pair decided to go on a walk on the beach. They made a bit of small talk on the way until Dan decided to drop his darkest secret.

"Phil. I have a confession to make." Dan said.

"What is it?" Phil replied in a hushed tone.

"I don't like the beach." Dan admitted, articulating each consonant to bring more emphasis to his confession. Phil stopped in his tracks and gasped dramatically.

"No." Phil said in disbelief.

"It's true. I don't like the beach, and I never will." Dan replied.

"But - why?" Phil said, lost for words.

"Probably because I still have PTSD from when we did Surf Education by the beach and everyone watched me swim even though I never did any formal training in swimming and I was doing okay until I swallowed saltwater and I choked in it, meaning I had stopped swimming and I kind of drowned and my maths teacher had to save me and then I threw it all up while everyone else was learning how to surf and I stayed home sick for two weeks because I was too mortified to face any of them again and I never made eye contact with my maths teacher ever again." Dan replied. Phil made a face.

"Yikes." Phil replied, "I don't really know what to say."

"Anyway, so I hate the beach."

There was a brief and slightly awkward silence in the air.

"Okay, so you had a traumatic experience. But come on, the beach isn't that bad! The sand is...squishy. And nice. And warm."

"They get in your clothes and you find them in your hair weeks after you went to the beach."

"The view is...pretty."

"Come on man, I live in a beach house. I see the view every day."

"Well, the - wait. You said you live in a beach house and...you hate the beach?"

"Yeah?"

Phil then started laughing. Not just normal laughing - the type of laughing where you can't breathe, where your stomach hurts, where tears start streaming out of years. Phil started doing all the above at once, in the middle of the pavement to the beach. Strangers started giving him and Dan strange looks, but Phil didn't seem to notice. Phil finally started taking deep breaths and stopped his laughter.

"Sorry, I don't know what came over me. It isn't even that funny. It's just...the irony of that. On point." Phil said.

"Yeah, I get that a lot." Dan said.

"How about we make sandcastles?" Phil asked.

"What are we, 5?" Dan snorted.

"Hey! Sandcastles aren't just for children. Let me show you." Phil said, hopping down on the sand. Dan stared at him from the pavement, only watching as Phil encouraged him down. Nothing happened.

Frustrated, Phil took Dan's hand and dragged him down, almost landing headfirst in the sand. Somehow, Dan had only just managed to not fall on the sand and he was now resting in Phil's arms. They briefly made eye contact in the awkward position before Phil hoisted Dan up.

"I did not consent." Dan said as Phil dragged him closer to the ocean.

"Don't worry, you'll appreciate it." Phil said, letting go of Dan's hand to bend down and mold the sand.

Dan sighed and bent down at Phil's eye level. He began to mold some sand. He created a short mound and drew a sad face on it with his finger.

"There's my sandcastle." Dan said, lying down on the beach. Phil lightly slapped his shoulder.

"Make a flag for it at least." Phil said. Sighing, Dan sat up and looked around for the nearest stick. He groaned.

"But the sticks and leaves are all the way over there." Dan whinged. It was now Phil's turn to sigh.

"I'll come with you." Phil said, standing up to follow Dan.

"Wow, not going to lie, those flowers are pretty pretty." Dan said. Phil glanced at them.

"Oh, they're the camissonia cheiranthifolia cheiranthifolia." Phil said. Dan gave him a funny look.

"What?" Dan said, amazed and confused.

"Or the Beach Evening Primrose, as it is more commonly known." Phil clarified.

"How the hell do you know that?" Dan asked. Phil shrugged.

"I have an appreciation for botany." Phil said. "I grow a lot of plants at home."

"What is that one, then?" Dan questioned, pointing at the reddish purple flowers on the left. Phil squinted.

"I believe that is abronia maritima, or the sand verbana." Phil said. Dan looked at him in wonder.

"You know what? I'm not gonna even." Dan said.

After deciding on what flowers, leaves and sticks they wanted for the sandcastles, and after Phil flexed more of his knowledge of flora, they walked to where the sandcastles once were.

"No, they were destroyed by the sea!" Phil exclaimed.

"It's fine, we can make new ones." Dan said. Phil looked back at Dan with a wide smile.

"What?" Dan asked. Phil shook his head.

"Never mind." Phil laughed. "Anyway, I have an idea. We'll do a competition for the best sandcastle. Loser owes winner a something?"

Dan thought about it. "So a Dan vs Phil?"

"Pretty much," Phil responded, shrugging. Dan smirked.

"You're going down, Lester," Dan said.

"Am not!" Phil protested. "Just you wait."

And so the made sandcastles till sundown, both concentrating on their creation, adding shells, flowers, sticks, leaves and all kinds of things. It was a wholesome moment, filled with a childlike playful innocence. At one point Dan decided to throw a sandball at Phil and they ended up having a sandball fight for a solid five minutes before they were both choking on sand and decided to stop.

"I think I'm done." Phil said decidedly.

"Me too." Dan admitted. "Woah!"

Phil's sandcastle consisted of many different castles within a circular gate. It was large and impressive, a huge fortress that towered over Dan’s minimalists mansion. Shells and plants were all over it, used for decoration, and even the water from the sea was utilised to create a moat. Dan whistled impressively.

"Alright, I concede. You win. I owe you a something." Dan sighed, pouting. Phil laughed at the look on Dan's face.

"It's fine, I'll get you a coke. Then you owe me something." Phil said with a wink. Dan felt his entire face flush red.

"Yeah, yeah." Dan muttered, attempting to hide his warm face from the attractive model. Phil grabbed Dan's hand and pulled it across the beach.

"Come on, beach house boy. Brighten up, we can't all be winners." Phil teased. Dan rolled his eyes fondly.

"Stop flexing and get me a coke." Dan whined.

After a long wait in the queue, the two tall teenagers sat on the empty side of the beach, watching the stars and listening to the party from afar. The dark sky blanketed the beach, the lonely moonlight illuminating Phil's fair face. He watched Phil grin and turn to him, his heart beating faster and faster with every second.

"You know, you still owe me something." Phil mused distractedly, gazing off into the dark sea.

"I guess." Dan replied quietly, the right words trapped in his dry mouth. He quickly glanced at Phil, only to find him looking right back at him. 

“What do you want to owe me?” Phil whispered. Dan shrugged.

“Whatever you want, I guess.”

A split second passed in time, and suddenly they were kissing under the night sky, cold ocean water brushing their feet. As milliseconds passed, Dan slowly felt his heart begin to calm and their heartbeats were soon in sync, comforted by the other's presence.

“Today’s been a good day. I want this again. I want all of this again.” Phil said.

“Me too,” Dan replied. “I think I just want you.”

Phil blushed and smiled quietly at Dan’s compliment. Not breaking eye contact, Dan took Phil’s hand in his.

"I really like you." Dan murmured quietly.

Phil smiled softly. "I really like you too.”

Maybe they would be more than just a summer fling.

[youarewurthit]

Waiting For Her // chapter 9

Au: ceo au + ballerina au

Pairing: Jungkook x Reader

Genre: Fluff, angst (?), lil smut

word count : 866

Warning: happy ending nearing 

a/n: ok this wasn't as cringe-y when I wrote it and I guess I was just out of practice lmao that’s y it be cringe as heck in the previous one. It’s almost the end guys, keep tuning in (or more like keep on writing for me lol). Oh, enjoY this chapter ehe 💘

(Y/n) was on break but not really (ballerinas don’t really have long breaks ehe), she was in for another production in Christmas which is, The Nutcracker. Her schedule not being as crazy hectic as she was before, she decided to spend time with her family and friends, and Jungkook to finally get a hold of her social life for once.

Dressed up in a nice lavender summer dress with brown ballerina flats which totally made (Y/n) stand out in the corporate world which is in Jungkook’s company, due to the lack of formal clothing of course. (Y/n) had bought Jungkook’s favorite dessert, a light-baked Japanese cheesecake. 

(Y/n) was gazing around the tall glass building and it’s modern design, her eye caught Jungkook discussing with his workers about something business-y which made him look ten times hotter than he already is. (Y/n) doesn’t know if she should wait or tell the admin to notify Jungkook of her presence but he already spotted her from where he is. 

He was confused seeing you here, looking so cute but very out of place with everyone else in their suit and ties and formal clothing. You held up the box of dessert you were holding for him with an unsure smile. He signaled to his team to hold on for a minute as he approached you with a shining smile. 

Jungkook’s heart warmed up seeing you. 

“I wasn’t expecting you to be here, thought it was my imagination playing tricks,” he told you taking a bite of the cheesecake you bought him. You two were in his huge expensive office enjoying each other’s company.

You laughed and explained how you were on a little break now and you plan on grabbing hold of your social life before things get busy again. Jungkook munched down happily hearing your plans and just by being with you. 

Dabbing a napkin to his mouth he asked you where you were heading to with a pretty dress. “Such a pretty dress, I hope you’re not meeting anyone new…” he teased.

Your cheeks warmed up at his compliment but you quickly shot his assumption by explaining that you were just gonna have a picnic with your girl friends. He laughed and held your hands looking you in the eye,” I’m just kidding, I know you love me and I love you.”

You relaxed and took a bite from your New York cheesecake. Playfully glaring at him. 

//

“How are you my darling?” (Y/n)’s mom welcomed (y/n) into their cozy home, embracing (y/n) into a motherly hug. (Y/n) sighed happily into her mother’s arms. “Just peachy mom.”

(Y/n) had dinner with her parents and she filled them both in the details of her life they had missed out on, the ups and downs and whatnots.

“So how is that golden boy eh?” (Y/n)’s dad quipped. (Y/n) was surprised when her father had immediately taken a liking towards Jungkook when they first met. 

“Perfect as always,” (Y/n) smiled grabbing a bite of the chocolate muffin her mother baked.

“He loves you dearie, don’t you let go of him again alright, “ (Y/n)’s mom advised, seeing how her daughter has a special spark in her eye whenever she’s with Jungkook. (Y/n) nodded with her cheeks stuffed with the heavenly chocolate muffins.

//

“Ugh, stop singing love sick songs bro,” Jungkook’s sister groaned on the living room couch. Jungkook ruffled her hair and continued humming instead. Plopping himself down next to her.

Jungkook pulled out his phone texting someone, and being the curious little girl his little sister was, she decided to peek at his phone screen. 

“You didn’t tell me you got back together with (Y/n)!” She gasped. She rambled on about how she missed (Y/n) and how she wants (y/n) to give her some ballet tips. Jungkook had to calm his sister down, as (y/n) agreed to give his little sis a private class sometime this week after replying his text.

Jungkook’s mother had observed a light bounce to his steps as well. “Jeon Jungkook, come here,” She called out from the kitchen counter. 

Jungkook jogged to where his mother was, laughing,”Yeah mom?” He ruffled his hair looking at his reflection from the polished sliding glass door. 

“Why don’t you bring over (Y/n) to our family brunch we’re having this weekend?” She offered. Jungkook widened his eyes, not expecting that at all coming from his mother.

Jungkook then explained that they were both taking it slow for now, as they just got back together. His mother nodded and apologized for coming in between the two of them hence, being part of the cause of their break up. After bickering back and forth with her husband on who Jungkook should and should not date, she’s come to realized that as long as her baby boy is happy and being true to himself, she would be more accepting now.

Jungkook hugged his mother and assured her everything was fine and that all’s good now.

[downn-in-flames]

9.9 Out of 10, Highly Recommend (chapter 1)

2 bets. 10 days. Endless shenanigans.

{A Brooklyn 99 meets How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days Jily fic}

Read it on: HPFT | AO3 | FFnet

THE BET

At 10 pm on a Tuesday night, James Potter and Lily Evans are both rather impressively drunk.

They don’t know this particular fact about one another though, because they’re at bars across town from one another, with totally different groups of coworkers.

Although if you asked Lily, she really wouldn’t be surprised to learn that James was drinking on a Tuesday - that’s not too far out of character for him, anyways. James, on the other hand, would be absolutely gobsmacked to learn that cookie-cutter rule-follower Lily Evans was getting smashed on a weekday, when they’ve got work tomorrow.

She has good reason for it though - she’s celebrating. She’s only found out earlier today that she’s getting promoted to sergeant in a new department, which is just one step closer to her dream of becoming captain of a whole precinct and then commissioner of the entire NYPD.

In other words, her entire 25-year plan is right on track.

“The precinct is going to be weird without you,” Mary says, taking a sip of her beer.

From anyone else, that would be a mild compliment at best, but from Mary, that’s practically the equivalent of an overly emotional hug, sobbing and all.

Mary may be one of Lily’s closest friends, but she’s always been an impressively impassive and private person, even with people she’s known for years.

“She’s right,” Marlene adds. “Who’s going to get onto Black every time he decides to do something ridiculous like fill the vending machines with rotting vegetables?”

“And then stop Lupin from punching him, because we all know how he feels about the office vending machine,” Mary quips.

It’s an odd thing to be passionate about, but Remus has an impressive level of dedication to the office vending machine, which is in all honestly probably older than all of them and can only be filled with candy bars because anything larger gets stuck.

Lily laughs - it’s louder than her normal laugh, a sure sign that she’s surpassed Three-Drink Lily. “You’ve got Kingsley and Dumbledore for that.”

Marlene rolls her eyes. “Please. Don’t get me wrong, they’re great at their jobs, but when have they ever been able to rein in Lupin and Black?”

“When have I ever been able to rein in Lupin and Black?” Lily replies, before frowning at her now-empty fourth drink.

“You’re able to rein in Potter, and Potter is able to rein in Lupin and Black.”

Lily scoffs at that, because, in her opinion, she doesn’t have much control over Potter either. And if she were more sober, she’d elegantly manoeuver right around that particular topic of conversation, because it’s a viewpoint she’s always differed with her co-workers on.

But she’s just crossed the threshold into Four-Drink Lily, and Four-Drink Lily has conversational grace equivalent to Peter doing ballet. That is to say, none whatsoever.

“I’ve got no more power over Potter than either of you.”

Marlene giggles at that. “You can tell yourself that all you like, but you know he has a thing for you.”

“Trust me,” Mary adds. “I have to watch him make heart eyes at you all day long. He definitely likes you.”

Mary’s desk does face James, so that claim is actually pretty plausible.

Lily still doesn’t buy it though. “Oh please, Potter doesn’t like me. He likes the idea of me.”

“Meaning?” Marlene prods.

“He’s created some idealised version of me in his head,” she says. “I’m the hot coworker who sits at the desk next to him - it’s practically a fantasy situation. And as such, he’s built me up in his head as this dream girl of his - and that’s the girl he has a crush on. Not me.”

Mary rolls her eyes. “Fuck, I’m going to need another drink if you’re going to psychoanalyze people this hard tonight.”

“Can you get all of us another round while you’re at it?” Marlene asks. “It’s your turn to buy anyways.”

“One beer, one whiskey Diet Coke, and one cosmo, coming right up.”

“You’re a doll, Mary,” Marlene replies, knowing full well that the term of endearment will annoy her coworker.

“Fuck off, McKinnon,” Mary retorts, before getting up and heading over to the bar.

Marlene almost immediately turns back to Lily. “Why are you so convinced he doesn’t actually like you? What proof do you have of that?”

“Potter’s the idealistic type, we all know that,” Lily replies reasonably. “He decided I’m his dream girl when I got assigned the desk next to him, and hasn’t paid attention to any evidence to the contrary ever since.”

The other girl eyes her skeptically. “And that evidence is?”

“We’re so different.” Lily has no idea how that’s not abundantly obvious to everyone.

Lily’s the type of person who has a 25-year life plan. James is the type of person who can’t think more than three days in advance - it’s why most of the precinct has taken to sending him calendar invites for every little thing. Lily color codes her sock drawer, and James has had the same empty Coke can sitting on his desk for the past four months and eight days.

She’s kept count of it. It’s been on her nerves for four months and seven days.

“They say opposites attract, you know,” Marlene replies, smirking. “But really, I don’t think you and Potter are actually that different. Yeah, you’ve got different habits and whatnot, but at the same time, you’re both fuelled by the same things. I know you say he’s blinded by a version of you that he’s created in his head, but you’re blinded by an imaginary version of him too, babe.”

“Am not,” Lily answers stubbornly.

“Honestly, if you just gave him a chance, I think you’d find that you two are good for each other.”

Mary returns with their drinks at that moment, which gives Lily a little bit of time to think through Marlene’s comments.

Lily would be lying to herself if she said she didn’t find James good-looking. It’s kind of hard not to find the boy attractive, what with the dark, messy hair, the sharp jawline regularly dotted with stubble, and the cute little dimple on his right cheek that pops out when he smiles. Not to mention that he’s over 6 foot and decently built - a bit on the skinnier side, but Lily’s always kind of preferred that to the gym bro archetype - all of which puts him firmly in the realm of exactly her type.

He’s also actually pretty funny, and some of his overly dramatic antics serve to lighten the mood on particularly stressful days at the precinct. And he was the first person to congratulate her today when the news broke that she was getting promoted.

So yeah, she’s definitely attracted to him, at least a little bit. But she’ll never admit to that - it’d practically be social suicide amongst her co-workers - and they’d inevitably blow it way out of proportion. Thinking a guy is cute and funny doesn’t equate wanting to spend the rest of your life with them, no matter what Marlene may believe to the contrary.

“I’m telling you, I doubt he’s actually into me like that,” Lily finally says, taking the first sip of her fifth drink. “He wants one part of me, and that’s it. The rest is something he’s created in his own mind. He’d take me for a ride, realise he doesn’t actually like the real version of me, and drop me.”

“And I say you’re wrong,” Marlene replies, taking her cosmo off of Mary’s hands.

“I’m actually with Marlene on this one,” Mary says. “He’s into you, full stop.”

Lily hates being outnumbered. And she also hates being told that she’s wrong, which is probably what fuels what she says next.

“I guarantee you that, if Potter knew what I’m like in a relationship - what he’d be signing himself up for in going out with me - he’d realise he’s not actually into me,” she tells them both. “Fuck, I’d even put money on it.”

“And I’d put money on it that he’s half in love with you, and ‘knowing what you’re like in a relationship’ wouldn’t change that one fucking bit,” Mary replies.

“You’re wrong,” Lily replies, looking Mary dead in the eye.

It’s a dangerous decision, getting into a staring contest with Mary, who could probably kill a man with a glare alone, but Five-Drink Lily isn’t afraid of anything. Even if she is pretty sure Mary keeps at least one knife in her combat boots at all times.

“What’s the wager?” Marlene says, breaking Lily’s concentration.

“What do you mean, ‘what’s the wager’?” Lily asks.

“Well, you two both just made a bet, and I’m just curious what’s actually on the table here.”

“That wasn’t an actual bet!” Lily defends immediately.

Mary scoffs. “Yeah, because you know you’ll lose.”

Lily whips around to look at Mary again. “I do not! But a real bet has to have a comprehensive set of rules associated with it, not just vague statements.”

“Let’s make that ‘comprehensive set of rules’ then,” Mary replies, and the use of air quotes has Lily feeling like her friend is most definitely mocking her. “You leave the office in ten days - that’s a built-in timeline right there. Starting tomorrow, you go after him. You take him out on a couple dates or two - no sex required, unless you just really want to, in which case, go for it I guess. You ‘show him your real self’ - but you’re not allowed to dramatically sabotage anything either. If he’s done with you by the time you leave the precinct, you win. If he’s still half in love with you at that point like I know he will be, I win.”

The speed with which Mary just came up with a fully-thought-out proposal almost shocks Lily, but then again, Mary’s only been drinking beer the entire night and has an alcohol tolerance equivalent to her and Marlene combined. So she shouldn’t be surprised, really.

“I can’t date a coworker,” Lily replies.

“Black and Lupin are fucking engaged,” Mary retorts. “You absolutely can date a coworker.”

Mary’s not wrong, per say. There isn’t anything in their HR manual about dating coworkers; it’s a rule Lily’s instituted for herself moreso than anything formalised by the NYPD. Future commissioners don’t get themselves involved in office romances.

“You can suspend your own rules for this,” Marlene adds, all but reading Lily’s mind. “You’re leaving in ten days - there’s no consequences to this like there would be if you still had to share a workspace afterwards.”

She… does have a point.

“Lily’s just making up excuses because she knows I’m right, and she knows she’s going to lose,” Mary says casually, taking another sip of her beer.

Sober Lily is already competitive as hell, and drunk Lily is that intensified tenfold.

“You’re on, McDonald,” Lily says, slamming her drink down on the table so aggressively that a little bit sloshes over the side. “Loser has to sit through one of Peter’s homemade cheese tasting demonstrations - and eat all of them.”

Betting money might’ve been the original proposal, but the comedic value of forcing Mary to sit through Peter’s impassioned explanations of all the possible cheese varieties is worth far more, from Lily’s perspective.

“And has to organise Black’s Drawer of Horrors,” Mary adds, grinning wickedly.

One of the drawers in Sirius’ desk has been filled with a whole host of terrifying objects over his tenure at the precinct - ranging from prank toys to food that’s probably sat there for years. Even Lily, who gets a thrill out of organising pretty much anything else, doesn’t want to get near that thing with a ten-foot pole.

But Lily won’t have to. Because she’s going to win. “You have yourself a deal,” she says, holding out a hand for Mary to shake.

Mary reaches out and shakes it, gripping just a tiny bit harder than necessary. Lily resists the urge to cringe at the force of it - that’s exactly the display of weakness Mary wants to see.

Marlene looks up from the message she’s been typing on her phone and claps her hands delightedly. “Oh, this is absolutely the kind of office excitement we’ve been needing!”

Lily arches an eyebrow at her. “We work at a police precinct. You really think that’s not exciting?”

Marlene shrugs. “Taking down crime rings and whatnot is cool and all, but the juicy gossip is what I’m really here for.”

Lily shouldn’t even be surprised by that, really. Honestly, Marlene could probably have a pretty decent career in reality TV if she ever decided to leave the precinct.

“There’s not going to be any juicy gossip,” Lily says. “James is going to go out with me twice, realise I’m not what he signed up for, and that’ll be the end of that. No juicy gossip involved.”

“Whatever you say, Lil,” Marlene laughs.

That’s really all there is to it, Lily tells herself. She’s going to win this bet, start her new job, and forget all about James Potter and his stupidly perfect jawline.

On the other side of town, James is on his fourth beer and absolutely thriving.

The four of them - Remus, Sirius, Peter, and him - are on a mission to taste-test every brewery in New York City. They’re nowhere close to accomplishing that goal yet, but they’ve made pretty decent headway and enjoyed acting like overblown beer snobs in the process.

“Ah yes,” Sirius comments, holding his drink out in front of him. “The hops in this brew are particularly pronounced.”

“There’s an earthy aftertaste to this one,” Remus adds, swirling his stout as if it’s a fancy glass of wine.

“And this one tastes like piss,” James replies, completely ruining the fake-classy theme Sirius and Remus had going with their commentary.

“Come on, guys!” Peter says earnestly. “Beer tastings are meant to be a serious affair!”

Sirius isn’t swayed at all. “They’re meant to get us drunk, Wormtail.”

James always wonders what other people must think of them when they hear the group of men calling each other by weird nicknames like Wormtail and Padfoot. In all honesty, James himself isn’t quite sure why the names have stuck as long as they have - they were originally inspired by the first major crimes each detective took down when they were all assigned to the newly-formed 73rd precinct, and they’ve lingered ever since.

Peter took down an organized crime ring from the inside - he was the rat, as the ringleader so eloquently called him in court. Hence, Wormtail.

“You sound like Fenwick,” James adds, before draining his glass.

“Nah,” Remus replies. “None of us are drinking pilsners. Ergo, couldn’t possible be Fenwick.”

They all laugh at that - Benjy Fenwick’s obsession with pilsners has definitely become a running joke throughout the office, despite the fact that the guy doesn’t even work there.

“You’re also nowhere near as much of a dick as Fenwick was,” James tacks on.

Sirius looks up from his phone. “Fenwick wasn’t actually that much of a dick. You just didn’t like him because he was fucking the love of your life.”

James crinkles his brows in disgust. “Fenwick is definitely not the love of my life.”

Admittedly, yeah, Fenwick isn’t ugly - he actually kind of resembles a guy James had gone on a couple dates with in college - but he has the all the personality of a loaf of white bread.

Ergo, very much not James’ type.

“You massively misinterpreted the usage of the word ‘fucking’ in that sentence,” Sirius corrects. “The love of your life is the person he was fucking.”

“Evans isn’t the love of my life either,” James replies defensively.

Well, not yet, at least. James could definitely see her becoming the love of his life though. He almost spilt his coffee all over himself the very first day she showed up at the precinct (he managed to contain the spill to one sleeve, in the end) because fuck, the detective he was supposed to be sharing a desk with shouldn’t have been that beautiful.

And then she opened her mouth and James started falling for her even more.

So yeah, at this point, he’s pretty hopelessly smitten.

And because he’s utter shit at hiding his feelings, all of his friends know it, most of the precinct knows it, and hell, Lily probably knows it too. Trying to argue to the contrary is a bit of a hopeless endeavour.

Remus looks at him skeptically. “Maybe not love of your life, but pretty damn close.”

James shrugs, picking up another one of the IPAs they’ve got on the table. “Doesn’t matter much though - she’s leaving the precinct in 10 days and I won’t have much reason to see her after that.”

When he first heard the news of her promotion, he’d secretly been kind of sad that he wouldn’t have an excuse to see Lily everyday anymore. But he also knows how important getting a promotion and moving up in the police department is to Lily, so he’d given her a bright smile and congratulated her anyways.

“Or, you could actually make a move sometime in those 10 days so that she actually wants to hang around with your dumb ass even after she leaves.”

James glares at Sirius.

“But you don’t have the guts for that, do you?” his best friend challenges.

“Pads...” Remus warns.

Padfoot, like the dog. Inspired by the major drug operation Sirius had sniffed out.

Sirius waves off his fiancé. “Prongs, you’re my brother, so I mean this in the nicest possible way, but you’re absolutely shit with people you’ve got a crush on, and Evans is no exception. You just make doe eyes at her from afar and that’s not going to get you anywhere.”

He’s obviously trying to get a rise out of James - giving him shit for all sorts of things that he knows James can’t stand being called out on - and maybe a more sober James would recognise that, and let Sirius have his fun without rising to the bait.

But that’s not the state that James is in right now.

“I am not shit with people I’ve got a crush on,” he argues. “I just happen to respect Evans’s boundaries because I don’t think it’s very professional to openly flirt with a coworker in the workplace.”

It’s not like the NYPD is known for its sexual harassment policies, so honestly, James probably wouldn’t get in any sort of trouble if he did decide to repeatedly ask her out on dates until she relented, but he’d never want to make her uncomfortable like that.

Hence, his (slightly pathetic) pining from afar.

“I’m not asking you to get a harassment complaint filed against yourself,” Sirius replies immediately. “In fact, I rather like Evans, so if you do manage to do something that warrants a harassment complaint or makes her uncomfortable, I’m formally obligated to kick your ass. But I’m just saying, this is your chance to shoot your shot before she’s no longer one desk away from you.”

Peter laughs. “Please. Prongs could never get Evans to fall for him in that period of time.”

Prongs could refer to the antlers on a stag - and James does love rocking a good pair of reindeer antlers from time to time - but the true derivation of that name was from James escaping and diffusing a hostage situation using nothing but an unloaded gun and a fork.

But damn. Hearing that insult from Peter stings - after all, the guy has had an even longer dry spell than James has. Really, he’s got no right to go around critiquing James’ wooing skills.

“Could too,” James replies childishly, only barely resisting the urge to stick his tongue out at his friend.

“Care to make an official bet on that?” Sirius asks, smirking. “I’ll take you up on that one - loser has to sit through one of Wormy’s cheese demonstrations.”

“Oh yes!” Peter claps his hands together delightedly, completely missing the point that this is a form of punishment for losing. “I’ve been needing more people to practice on!”

“I’m not making a bet on Evans,” James replies obstinately. “She’s a person, not a prize to be won.”

“Technically, you’re not betting on Evans,” Remus replies, serving as the voice of logic at the table. “You’re betting on your own abilities. If you win, you’ve managed to actually nail the partner of your dreams; if you lose, no one is any worse off than when you started. This is an entirely non-objectifying situation on all accounts.”

When Remus puts it like that, James has to admit that he’s got a pretty good point. And there’s no possible outcome to this that hurts anyone. Well, other than James himself if he fails, but honestly no more hurt than if he’d never even taken a chance with Lily to begin with.

He just has to… actually manage to charm the woman that’s shown absolutely no romantic interest in him up until this point.

Should be easy enough, he thinks to himself, and almost laughs aloud at his own internal sarcasm.

But he’ll also never turn down a bet - especially not when all his friends have been giving him so much shit all night. James Potter is a lot of things, but a coward is most definitely not one of them.

So he turns to Sirius, grinning wickedly. “You’re on. But two rules: you three can’t interfere at all, and no one tells Evans about it until it’s over.”

Sirius looks vaguely surprised. “You’re actually taking me up on this?”

“Come on, Pads, you know full well that I don’t back down from a challenge.”

James isn’t lying on that one. It’s gotten him into a fair share of sticky situations - most frequently with a particularly problematic cop in the Major Crimes Unit, who has basically made it his life’s goal to antagonise their whole precinct (but mostly James) on a regular basis.

“Plus,” James muses. “You’re right. I’ve got ten days until I’ll never see her again - if there’s ever a time to take a risk, it’s now.”

“You do realise she’s still going to be friends with all of us, and she’s only moving - ”

“Moony, hush,” Sirius waves a hand in front of Remus’ face, stopping him from finishing that sentence.

The way Remus earned that nickname - and the way he stopped a major car chase in progress - is still a story that none of the boys can get through without laughing.

“So we’ve got ourselves a bet, Prongs?” he continues, extending a hand out to James. “If Lily falls in love with you by the time she leaves the precinct, you win; if she wants nothing to do with you, I win.”

It feels like there’s a significant gap between ‘falling in love with him’ and ‘wanting nothing to do with him,’ but James doesn’t give that technicality too much thought. This is his dignity (and a cheese tasting with Peter) on the line.

So he takes Sirius’ hand, giving it a firm shake. “Let’s do this.”

Ten days from now, he’ll have made Lily fall for him, proving his romantic competence once and for all. His friends will inevitable find something else to give him shit for, but James will thoroughly enjoy his bragging rights.

Or alternatively, he’ll be sampling Peter’s homemade gouda, but James isn’t letting himself entertain that outcome right now.

[snekthing]

Another quickie thing, two gals in coilssss. Enjoy! :3 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------   It was nearing the Olympics and Sonic and friends have been excited to compete for the athletic competitions. Just days before the big event, Blaze and Amy have been practicing at the beach nearby, away from everyone so they could concentrate and focus. The girls have went through all of the events and skills they would do later, being a lovely sight for anyone who happened to pass by and spot them. A python, Kaa, certainly enjoyed the sight of these two cute girls alone and performing, showing their petite bodies that were in need for tight, binding coils. The snake slithered off to them, keeping his gaze on the cat and hedgehog. When the two were taking a break, they heard Kaa speak out, complementing them on such stunning work as they have amused him for a bit.    Blaze wasn’t one to be really open and to see a snake suddenly appear approaching them didn’t help, so she didn’t respond to Kaa as lightly as Amy, who gave a cute smile as she thanked the python for enjoying their practicing. The snake looked around and figured they were practicing for the big event in the city nearby, wishing them the best of luck to enchant the audience like they’ve done for him. The girls took the gesture kindly and noticed that the sun was going to set soon and they had to meet up with their friends. Kaa, however, insisted on them staying a bit longer at the beach as he wanted to get to know such gorgeous girls, giving a little stroke on Amy’s chin with his tail and looping his coils over Blaze’s shoulders. Amy giggled while Blaze blushed lightly, feeling the smooth coils tenderize her tired shoulders and ease her.    Though Blaze was a little resilient on staying, Amy didn’t want to be rude and hung around the beach more with Kaa, making the fire cat stay to make sure no harm happens to her pink friend. Kaa and Amy have been open to one another and engaging into some talking, with the cat princess only listening as she remains in suspicion on the python. However, her mind tends to be shifting around the more she felt Kaa’s coils playfully lay on her and give some slow, subtle squeezes and movements. Blaze was starting to enjoy such soothing feelings, almost giving a purr the more she is pampered by the silky coils. Though she was in suspicion, she found the snake to be odd but also interesting, feeling a little jealous that Amy had his attention, probably being to the snake’s liking more.

  Amy on the other hand, found the snake rather charming and cunning, returning such flirty compliments and quips as she liked being accompanied by Kaa. The snake was indeed very enthusiastic towards the pink hedgehog, more so than a certain blue friend of hers. She did feel like Blaze was being left out, gesturing that her friend can chat along with them, but Blaze said she was fine where she was, though of course she isn’t. While the two were accompanying one another, Kaa also played with his coils on Amy, letting them lay on her lap and circle around her head, playing with her bangs and giving the same pleasant squeezes to the cutie. His efforts proved successful as he sees Amy sigh and hug the coils gently, like one would with a plush toy. He asked the girls if they were enjoying his coils, Amy quickly responding positively and Blaze stuttering as she tries to hide her little blush. Kaa began to slowly wrap his coils around them, starting with Blaze as his tail happened to be closer as he and Amy were talking.    The princess gasped as she felt the coils gently circle around her, pinning her arms and legs as her waist and lower body were hugged by the snake flesh, the tail stroking her head like a cute pet. Amy saw this and waited for her turn, dying to feel the coils wrap around her as well. Kaa chuckled at Amy’s amusement, soon wrapping her like he did with Blaze, but while moving his head around the hedgehog. Amy moaned happily feeling the coils squeeze and tighten on her, her once tired body being soothing by his grip. She complimented the snake’s gentle grip, pleasing the snake that she was captivated by him deeply. Blaze hesitated to say so as well, the python knowing how hard she’s trying to hide her flustered face as it showed how much she truly enjoyed it. He lifted the girls to be closer to one another, making it easier to have both of them in his sight. As he smiles at such beauties, he told them that he wouldn’t want them to leave his presence so soon, knowing a way to keep them there with him. Before they could ask, Kaa’s eyes pulsated with colors that were so captivating and mesmerizing. Amy gasped as she stares into such a beautiful sight, but Blaze hissed as she knew something was odd about the python and struggled to break from his grip, attempting to start fire, but was interrupted by the coils squeezing her. Kaa figured she would have known he wasn’t up to anything good, his plan being to capture such cute girls under his hypnotic trance now that he gained their trust, especially with Amy.    While Blaze looked away, Amy kept on staring deeply into Kaa’s eyes, her eyes reflecting from his as she started to give a small, cute smile already. Her mind was quickly being dominated by the snake’s power, thanks to how loving and open she was to Kaa that she was willing to be under his spell already. That was when she was still, smiling dumbfound as she now belonged to the python. Kaa gave his pink pet a nuzzle on the cheeks, leaving her flustered as he goes to the quiet princess, trying to make her look at his eyes and be his. Blaze turned and nudged with all of her might, but was unable to withstand such tightening and powerful coils. Kaa didn’t want to hurt such a lovely feline, but had to do what he must to entrance her. He kept on squeezing Blaze, telling her that he’ll loosen his grip if she gave in, but she wasn’t going to submit that easily. Kaa playfully pouted, asking if doing so with her friend instead would change her mind. Blaze gasped as Kaa planned to tightly bind Amy until Blaze gave in, giving such a tight squeeze to the hedgehog as she loved the severe grip, smiling widely while breathing heavily. Blaze didn't want Amy to get hurt, having no choice by to submit and ask for Kaa to hypnotize her, the snake smiling devilishly.    Kaa approached the lovely princess and looks at her with his spiraling eyes, the cat’s eyes being flooded with colors as her once resilient mind was being broken by such soothing spells. Kaa stroked her head as he asked if it wasn’t so bad giving in to him, Blaze stuttering before giving the answer he wanted, her finding her own submission very pleasant as she could be as pampered as her friend. She admitted being a bit jealous of all the attention given to Amy, wanting to enjoy his coils and charms more when she enjoyed only bits of it. Kaa smiled at how much the cat needed more of his coils and company, nuzzling onto her as he promises to love her as much as Amy. Giving a weak smile, Blaze happily thanks the snake as she was falling into the trance. In seconds, Blaze was now in the same state as Amy, all for the snake to play with and pamper with his coils.    The python now had to happily entranced and loyal pets under his spell, giving them both soothing squeezes as they moan and sigh by the pleasant notions. Chuckling, Kaa nuzzles with them both, loosening the coils around their arms as he commands them to express how much they admire their new hypnotic caretaker. Amy started first, giving Kaa a hug as she pecks the snake with kisses, clearly having huge liking to the snake as she giggles and snuggles with him. She didn’t want to let go, still kissing her master until the snake kindly asks to let Blaze have a turn. Blaze, with a deeper blush, embraced Kaa as she gave a longer, more passionate kiss to express her undying need for his presence. She purrs and moans during their little moment, twitching as the two girls were being rewarded by tightening binds. The princess gave a playful, but also seductive lick on his coils as she whimpers and purrs delightfully. Kaa asks for his pet to cease, pleased by how much Amy and Blaze loved their serpent controller. Slithering off, he takes his pretty companions away from the beach and off to a place more isolated from everyone, where he can enjoy pampering them with his coils and hypnosis as they return the affectionate gestures without anyone to disturb their time together. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I always wanted to make a doodle with Amy and Blaze in their Olympics outfits, particularly with their rhythmic/aquatics outfits, I find them very lovely in them. I also wanted to have some variety between how the two would be hypnotized. Amy would be happily subdued by the hypnosis already, indicated by more hearts around her. Blaze would be more resistful looking, but still being convinced by the spell as she slowly gives in, with only a couple of hearts around her. The background used here was from the Sonic X anime, the Emerald Coast episode where everyone goes to the beach and whatnot. There were some background humans in the way, but it wasn't too hard covering them up to look like Kaa, Amy, and Blaze were alone there. As for the little kissing bit in the doodle story, it's a little nod to this rp I remember reading from I believe KainaKaa before the site was taken down. While lurking around, it was a Kaa/Amy/Blaze rp, so why not reference it? Kaa the Python-Rudyard Kipling/Disney Blaze the Cat/Amy Rose-Sega/Sonic Team