#they would make a great business partner and get all the benefits anyway

[titfairy]

I CALLED IT

[simplyholl]

The Newlywed Game

Summary: You’re forced to play The Newlywed Game with your ex situationship.

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x F. Reader

Warnings: Angst. Smuttish, but not my usual descriptive smut. 18+ Only. Minors DNI.

See my Masterlist here

“I can’t.” That’s all the explanation you got when Bucky ended your situationship. You were friends with benefits for almost a year. The only rule he had was don’t fall in love. He had too much baggage and he never wanted a family. He didn’t want anyone to depend on him.

You couldn’t blame him, he was traumatized by Hydra. Trapped inside his own body for decades, he was afraid it could happen again. You jumped in head first with him anyways. You were in his bed after every mission, every meeting, every day. You basically lived in his room, not that he would ever admit that. Then one rainy afternoon, you knocked on his door like always. Except this time, he didn’t pull you into his warm embrace.

He moved out of the way so you could come in, and immediately you knew something was wrong. You reached for him, ready to console him, desperate for his touch. He had just finished a mission with Sam and he’d been gone for two weeks. You missed him, and he was usually so excited to see you.

When you placed your hand on his cheek, rubbing the scruff that had grown while he was gone, he wrapped his fingers around your wrist removing it. “I can’t do this anymore.” His voice was so low you could barely understand. Your eyes narrowed at his words. “Have I done something wrong?”

“This has gone on for longer than it should have. I can’t let it anymore.” Your throat tightens, but you refuse to cry in front of him. You walked out and your relationship with him was never the same. You didn’t hang out anymore.

When you were alone, he would leave. He didn’t sit beside you during the Friday night movie. He didn’t choose you for his partner on game night. The other Avengers didn’t know for sure that you were hooking up. You hid it pretty well. They had their suspicions, but neither of you ever confirmed it.

Tony called everyone to the back yard. “What’s all this?” Steve asks, pointing to the stage he had set up. “It’s my anniversary tomorrow and Pepper said she always wanted to play the Newlywed Game. So I had this built so we could play.”

“That’s great, Tony. But who are you all going to play with? There’s four set up’s and only two couples.” Steve gestures to Wanda and Vision. “Thought about that and Cap, you and Natasha are going to play and….” He looks at the whole team, everyone looking in different directions trying not to make eye contact. Except for Sharon, who hung around a lot lately. She was getting closer to Bucky, obviously wanting Tony to choose them. You roll your eyes. “Barnes and Y/N. There now we have all our couples. I’m going to go get Pep, you guys take your spots.”

You look at Bucky,but he’s busy talking to Steve about how ridiculous it is. You hear Sharon agree that he should have chosen someone else. When Pepper comes in, she excitedly claps her hands together. She points to the other teams, “You’re going down!” She laughs, but you can’t help but protest, “This is rigged! You guys and Wanda and Vision are the only real couples!! How is anyone else supposed to win?”

Tony shoots you a death glare but answers, “Cap and Natasha have definitely bumped uglies before. And you and Barnes are close friends. I thought that would make it more fair. But, I do expect to win.” You cross your arms, but accept his answer. Bucky finally looks at you, but it’s not friendly.

Sam comes out, wearing a suit Tony made him wear to host. “I’ll explain the rules. You all have a whiteboard, marker, and eraser. I will ask a question and you will write your answer on your boards. If your answer matches your partner’s you get a point. I’ll eliminate one couple each round until the final tie breaker.”

You take a deep breath. This is hell. But you do know Bucky better than anyone, so as long as he didn’t ask any crazy questions, you would be fine. “First question. Where is the craziest place you and your partner have had sex?” You freeze. Of course Stark had these wild questions. If you both answered the same, everyone would know that you had hooked up.

You think about lying, but decide the ball should be in Bucky’s court. You’ll answer correctly, and if he doesn’t you’ll know he doesn’t want anyone to know. You quickly scribble your answer, waiting on Sam to call on you. Tony’s answer is Steve’s room and Pepper’s matched. Everyone laughed while Steve said Tony has to pay for his room to be deep cleaned.

Wanda and Vision both answer “in the air.” Natasha and Steve said a table in the meeting room. You turn your board to reveal your answer and Bucky shows his. You look and see that he has answered correctly. “The quinjet?! Damn y’all are nasty!” Sam laughs.

You’re taken back to that moment. You, Bucky, and Bruce were on your way back from a mission. Bruce was driving the quinjet, but activated the mode Tony installed for breaks. As soon as he started snoring, Bucky led you to the bathroom. He took you against the wall, metal hand across your mouth to stifle your moans. It was one of the hottest things you’d ever done. Your suit clung to you in the worst ways after that. His cum dripping down your legs, it was nearly impossible to take off.

The others look at each other in surprise. Scott yells “I told you they were hooking up. No one believed me!” Sharon looks at Bucky so harshly that if looks could kill, he’d be dead. He just shrugs his shoulders. Of course, he would be hooking up with her. Why wouldn’t he? She was pretty and it had been three months since he ended things with you.

The next question was “Who hogs the covers more?” Everyone got it right except for Steve and Natasha. She said that wasn’t a fair question because they never actually slept when they were together. The round continued with four more questions. At the end, Steve and Natasha were eliminated because they had the least amount of points. The rest of you were tied.

“What is your partner’s pet name for you?” Sam asks. That’s easy, “doll”, you write. When you reveal your answers, Sharon looks furious. That must be what he calls her too. It stings, thinking of them together. You don’t have time to dwell on it before Sam asks the next question. “What is the highest number of orgasms your partner has given you in one night?” Your eyes widen, you know the answer, but you don’t know if he will remember.

Tony and Pepper answer three, Tony grins like the cocky asshole he is. Vision and Wanda answer two. Bucky raises his board, “Six?!” Sam shouts, “How were you guys fucking this much and nobody knew?” He laughs. The round surprisingly ends with Wanda and Vision getting eliminated.

But you’re busy thinking about that night. Bucky’s head between your thighs for hours. He barely came up for breath. You were sure he would smother, but he insisted. He didn’t stop until the sheets were soaked, your legs were shaking so hard, you’d immediately fall if you tried to stand up.

He had you screaming his name all night. When he finally started fucking you, he took his time, pulling another orgasm out of you before going back down for another taste. He finally came with you on top. He had to lift your limp body on him, using you like a sex doll. You couldn’t move if you needed too. It was the best sex you’d ever had.

“It’s time for the tie breaker question. Answers don’t have to match, the crowd will vote on the most romantic answers.” Sam states. “When did you know you were in love?” Tony and Pepper immediately begin writing. You’re certain you’re going to lose this one. Bucky was never in love with you. You write your answer, deciding to answer truthfully.

Tony and Pepper’s answers make you tear up, they are so in love. You can only hope you’ll find that one day. You and Bucky reveal your boards at the same time. You glance at his, his answer knocks the breath out of your lungs because it matches yours. The Avenger’s Barbecue. You lock eyes, his gaze softens as he reads your answer.

You’ll never forget such a pivotal moment in your life. All of the Avengers and Shield agents’ friends and family were invited to play games, eat, and have a good time. Emily, who helped coordinate your missions brought her husband and three young children. A baby girl, a two year old boy, and a five year old girl. The children were drawn to Bucky. The two older children swung from his metal arm while he held the baby with his other one.

The image made your ovaries explode. You couldn’t help imagining how he would be if you had kids. He laughed as they asked him a thousand questions, playing on him like a jungle gym. You knew without a doubt, you were in love.

Bucky took a deep breath when he read your answer. Why was it the same as his? Did you know? Was it a prank you were playing on him? Emily’s children were entranced with you from the moment they met you. He couldn’t blame them, he felt the same. They had played with him for an hour before the food was ready. When Tony told everyone to make a plate, you offered to watch the kids while she and her husband got their food.

Bucky watched as you comforted the crying infant. The two older children sat beside you while you read from a book the girl got from their bag. Bucky knew he was screwed. He could see a life like this so clearly. Your belly round with his baby, while you tended to your other children. He didn’t want to admit how badly he wanted that. The realization hit him like a ton of bricks. He was in love with you.

That night he made love to you, it was softer, slower than the other times he touched you. He knew you could tell the difference too. He placed one last kiss to your lips, willing himself to let you go. The next morning, he left for his two week mission with Sam. He convinced himself that it was for the best if he ended things. He didn’t want to hurt you. You might be okay with it now, but years later you would regret it.

You’d realize having the Winter Soldier for a husband wasn’t worth everything you would have to go through. Then Sharon started flirting with him after Steve rejected her. He hadn’t so much as hugged her, but she acted like she was entitled to him.

Everyone voted for Tony and Pepper to win. They were the real couple and it was their anniversary tomorrow. Tony was going to treat everyone to dinner for being such good sports. You got out of there as soon as it was over. You needed a nap before going to dinner. It was all too much for you. How the hell did you and Bucky make it so far in the game? Why did he have the same answer for the last question? You convince yourself that he knew how you felt.

That night changed everything. The sex was different. If you didn’t know better, you’d swear he was making love to you. He had to be messing with your head. Somehow you manage to fall asleep even with your thoughts racing.

You wake up two hours later, just enough time to get ready for dinner. You put on the little black dress Bucky loved. If he wants to play games, bring it on. You apply your perfume when a light knock sounds on your door. You would recognize the knock anywhere. “Come in” you call. Bucky walks in, his tight black t-shirt hugging him in the best ways.

“Hey doll, we need to talk.” You put your earrings in, anger surging through you. “Talk about what? How you were trying to humiliate me up there? How you’re banging Sharon now? There’s nothing to talk about. You should just go.”

“Humiliate you? What about me? How did you know the answer to the last question?” He demands, charging toward you. “I answered it truthfully, James. How did you know my answer?” You ask, hands on your hips. “I answered honestly too.” He confesses, his blue eyes sweeping over the swell of your breasts.

“Stop lying! I don’t see what the point is. We have been over for three months. Why are you doing this?” He shakes his head, “I was telling the truth. I realized I was in love with you when all those kids were sitting in your lap. I could see our life together. And I wanted it, the kids, the white picket fence, the big house, you.”

“Bucky, I wanted all that with you too. Seeing you playing with those kids made me realize it too.” You sigh, feeling relieved to finally get it off your chest. His lips crash into yours, hands moving at lightning speed to remove all of your clothing. You’re under him in seconds, panting against his lips as he rubs himself against you.

Bucky moans as he sinks into you. He’s always known deep down you were made for him, now he has no choice but to accept it. “I’m so in love with you.” He tells you between thrusts. You claw at his back, his confession almost sends you over the edge. “I am so in love with you, Buck.” You kiss him gently. “Say it again.” He smiles, as you get lost in each other.

Tags

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[authorhjk1]

Teaching their hoebae the “real” side of the industry. They heard rumors of you making your “rounds” through different idols around your age/generation. And decided they want to see what the fuss was all about. “You’ve fucking all these cute girls trying to act like grown women. So why don’t I show you what a real woman can do with a beautiful cock like this”

You guys send me so many great ideas for SNSD, so I just had to get at least this one off my chest. This got way out of hand, but I hope you enjoy it anyway.

Sunbae

(Choi Sooyoung X Male Reader)

"Oh god, yes!"

Ningning's voice echoes through the changing room as you take her from behind.

You usually don't meet other idols that often, since you are in boy group that is mostly keeping to itself within the industry. Your own practice room, your own schedules, your own recording studio and so on. For the last three years, your group has taken Korea and the rest of the world by storm, so you do deserve this special treatment.

And there are more benefits. For example, being very popular with the female idols. Especially the ones your age. They all have busy schedules themselves, so there is no time for boyfriends. You are happy to help out though. Between schedules, you enjoy the company of Korea's most beautiful idols. You remember Wonyoung from three weeks ago. She is insanely pretty and the sex was great. The only downside is your own busy schedule. Not enough time to actually become proper fuck buddies with one if the girls, your schedules mostly conflicting.

But not on a day like this. The company got a great deal with a clothing brand. A big deal. And that's why a lot of idols are here, at this photoshoot location.

Just like you and Ningning.

"Right there, please!"

She cries out again as you hold her by her waist, her upper body resting atop the makeup table.

"And now turn right, please!"

You do as you are told, barely hearing the director's voice over the shutters of the cameras.

Your group already finished it's photoshoot half an hour ago. Your individual shoot is coming to an end too. Not knowing who it is, you are still waiting for your partner for the next couple of photos.

Since your agency isn't the only one now signed with the brand, you are not completely surprised, when you see that the idol approaching you is from another company.

"Hello, sunbae."

You bow respectfully. Trying not not stare. Choi Sooyoung. From SNSD. You can't believe your luck. Your favorite girl group. And Sooyoung herself. In that dress. You have to stop yourself, before you start drooling.

"Hello. (Y/n) is it, right?"

"Yeah."

You smile back at her, honored that she knows your name. The two of you haven't met before.

"I've heard a lot about you."

Her smile is genuine, but you could swear, her eyes are trying to tell you something. Like a secret. A secret only the two of you know.

"I'm honored."

You bow again, before turning towards the camera again. Wanting to hide your nervousness, you try to be professional.

The two of you just stand next to each other for a couple of shots at the beginning. Sooyoung, in that gorgeous, pink, shoulder less dress and golden heels and you, black suit, black vest, and a burgundy tie, which matches the red watch on your wrist.

Eventually, you find yourself holding onto her waist, while Sooyoung's hand rest on your right shoulder. It's only show of course. Trying to be respectful, you don't actually touch her, your hand just above the pink fabric.

She takes a couple of shots alone with the chair, your leader sat on during your group's shots. Afterwards, you take your place on that chair, while Sooyoung lifts her leg. You are captivated by its length and smoothness for a moment, until you feel her heel, slightly digging into your thigh.

A couple of camera shutters later, Sooyoung places her hand on her knee, bending forward. You are very aware of the fact that, with one look in the right direction, you would be seeing something that would keep you up all night. Instead, you stay focused on the camera.

"Now, (y/n)! Please place your hand on Sooyoung's thigh! Sooyoung, put your hand on his head!"

She does what she is told, immediately. You hesitate for a moment.

"You can touch me."

You look at her face for the first time in a while. Then you nod, wrapping your hand around her warm thigh.

"You are cute when you are being respectful."

You bite your lip, hoping the heat in your cheeks won't show in the photos later on.

"Just like that!"

The two of you look into the camera, until Sooyoung drops her first bomb on you.

"Don't look into the camera. Look straight ahead."

"What?"

In her position, she is almost pushing her chest into your face and now she asking you to look?

"Trust me. It's gonna come out great. Plus, you can see it as a reward. For making me look so good next to you in those pictures."

You gulp, debating internally, if you want to put your career on the line or not. But the temptation quickly proves to be too much. You only glance at her cleavage once, her smooth skin tempting you to lean in closer. You eventually do turn your head.

But instead of staying in place, Sooyoung suddenly changes position. Her lower body stands still. She removes her hand from your head and places her elbow on her naked knee, her chin now resting on her bend pointer finger and middle finger, as if she is thinking about something. You could still look at her cleavage if you wanted to, but now, Sooyoung's eyes are on the same level as yours.

And you can't escape her gaze. The camera crew gives you two applause and complements for your amazing chemistry, but you barely hear them. Sooyoung stares into your eyes, into your body, into your soul. You don't even dare to breathe, yet alone bluntly stare at her chest.

"Bad boy. Did you just try to look at your noona's tits?"

Your head starts spinning as if you have been dancing for ten hours straight. What is going on? You do, what you do best in these kind of situations, when you don't know what to do. Try to be funny.

"I didn't know I already have noona privileges."

You do make her chuckle as you point out her slip up. She just indirectly offered you a less formal way of talking with her.

The unwavering, sexy look she had put on, turns into a loving smile.

"From what I hear, you already have your fair share of privileges."

Her teasing and her overall sexy look makes it difficult for you to not become hard in public. A taks that proofs to be very difficult to pull off.

For everyone outside your little bubble, it must look like the two of you changed your concept from seductive strangers, to loving couple.

Unbeknownst to them, Sooyoung keeps talking in that voice of hers, sweet honey seems to be dripping from her lips.

"Do you enjoy your privileges so far?"

You are not slow, when it comes to thinking. And you desperately hope that your guess is correct. That Sooyoung isn't talking about actual privileges anymore.

"I-I do."

You can't help but let a shaky breath escape your lips. This is too good to be true.

"Oh, really?"

Sooyoung seems genuinely surprised.

"You don't care for noona privileges, then?"

She almost sounds hurt.

Like a well oiled machine, Sooyoung changes her position again, without even waiting for directions. A true model to outsiders. A skilful seductress to you.

She spins around and sits down on your right thigh. Instinctively, you reach for her waist, but hesitate, not knowing if you should touch her or not.

"Since you're my hoobae, I expect you to do as I say, from now on."

She suddenly sounds cold. And since you can't see her face anymore, you're afraid that you just blew your one and only chance of getting intimate with Choi Sooyoung.

But your worries of missing out are quickly replaced by new ones as she takes your hand and places it on top of her dress. But not around her waist, where you first intended to put it. Your palm rests on the hem of her pink one piece, your fingertips touching her upper thigh, which is draped over her left one. You are aware that only that piece of fabric and a couple of centimeters separate you from her core.

Eventually, your personal torture ends. The crew thanks the two of you for your hard work, promising you that your pictures will captivate the world, thanks to your chemistry.

You find it a little over the top, but you don't have the energy, or will, to argue.

"Come."

Sooyoung tells you, after saying goodbye to the staff. You walk after her, heading towards your changing room. But you never make it there. In the middle of the small hallway, Sooyoung turns around. Her arms now crossed in front of her body, she looks you up and down.

"Did you have fun with Ningning, earlier?'

You are stunned and visibly embarrassed.

"Well, I did hear her having fun, but I'm wondering about you. How often did she make you cum?"

"S-Sunbae... I-"

"Oh please. Don't play innocent. I heard about you more than I should've."

"Y-You did?"

You thought she was referring to your group's music, when she first said that an hour ago.

"Yes. I can even tell you their names, if you don't believe me. You seem to be leaving behind quite the impression."

"N-No I-I'm good, thanks."

Sooyoung ignores you with ease.

"Huh Yunjin, Shin Yuna,..."

You close your eyes in embarrassment, while she keeps counting with her fingers.

"...Baek Jiheon, Jang Wonyoung, Ningning..."

Sooyoung's eyes move from her fingers to you.

"You are going through these girls, like they go through their shoes, playboy."

"I-It's not like that."

What kind of stupid defense is that?

"Oh really? All these young girls seem to fall so easily for your tricks, is it that?"

"Sunbae, please..."

Sooyoung chuckles.

"Have you even been with a proper woman before?"

You get what she means. Someone older than yourself. You shake your head.

Sooyoung shakes her head in disappointment.

"Those girls are inexperienced themselves. How could they take care of my hoobae properly?"

She takes a step closer, slightly tilting her head as if she is trying to figure out what you could be possibly seeing in those girls.

"You've been fucking all these cute girls acting like grown women. So why don't I show you what a real woman can do with that big cock of yours?"

A wave of pleasure and anticipation rushes down your spine. For a brief moment, you wonder why Sooyoung would call you big, specifically. But you see her glancing down, biting her lip. You do the same, realizing that you have a hard on. You don't know for how long already.

Without waiting for an answer, Sooyoung reaches forward, cupping your cock over your pants

"I like the feeling of that. Maybe it's not only tricks you have going for you."

She gives you a quick peck on the lips, a cheeky smile playing around hers.

"I want a proper taste of you. All these rumors I hear sound way too exaggerated."

"Wait, sunbae. I-"

"Shush."

Sooyoung glares at you. Instead of her lips, her finger is now sealing your lips.

"You thought you were sleeping with all the female idols, right?"

You give her a weak nod.

"You are so naive. I'm gonna show you the real side of this industry."

You expect another kiss, when Sooyoung leans towards you. Instead, your lips only graze hers as she makes you miss, heading straight for your ear.

"Let me give you some senior advice, hoobae."

She nibbles on your earlobe for a second, before she continues to whisper into your ear.

"When someone offers you noona privileges, you take them."

Sooyoung takes your face into her hands, now looking at you again.

"Because real women like me, know what a boy like you wants."

She leans forward once again. Your lips barely touching hers as she keeps talking.

"We have what you need."

A moan almost escapes your lips.

Sooyoung pulls away, giving you a victorious smile.

"Follow me."

You do as she says and soon find yourself inside a spacious kitchen. Way bigger than your dressing room. Probably for the staff, if they have to work here the whole day.

"Isn't this kinda public?"

Sooyoung rolls her eyes. In that moment, you promise yourself not to say anything stupid ever again. She almost looked terrifying.

"Lesson one, playboy."

She placed her hands on the counter, slightly leaning over it. It takes an incredible amount of self control to not glance at her cleavage.

"Learn how to take a blowjob."

"What?"

You are mentally not quite there yet. You are still trying to figure out, how you went from a simple photoshoot to this.

"What do you-"

Sooyoung cuts you off with a gesture, motioning for you to come closer. Following her order, you find yourself trapped between the older woman and the countertop behind you.

"You are asking, what do I mean?"

You swallow your reply.

"I mean, that you have to learn how it feels like to receive proper head. We don't want you to cum too quickly."

Sooyoung leans in. Instead of kissing you, she tilts her head, kissing your neck.

"You see..."

Her words are interrupted by another kiss.

"Your noonas know how to worship cock. We know how important your pleasure is."

Sooyoung now moves towards your lips, leaving a trail of kisses behind.

"Now, try to hold on."

She whispers against your lips, before giving you a quick but deep kiss that leaves you breathless.

You watch in amazement as Sooyoung lets her finger wander from your cheek to your chin, along your throat, past your chest, until she reaches the hem of your shirt. At the same time, she lowers herself further and further, until she is squatting in front of you.

With a lustful look in her eyes, Sooyoung holds your stare as she opens your pants, without having to look at them. They glide down your legs and a moment later, you feel her give your clothed cock a kiss.

"Not half bad for a boy."

Sooyoung licks her lips, before she slowly pulls down your underwear.

"Hmmm."

Her warm breath plays around your cock as she hums in satisfaction.

"Girls your age don't know how to appreciate a dick like this."

Sooyoung closes her eyes, savouring the first taste of your cock as she lets her tongue glide over your tip. She follows that up with a couple of quick kisses along your shaft, before placing her tongue at your base. Your breath hitches as she drags her tongue along the underside of your cock.

"You really are blessed. It tastes amazing."

Sooyoung purrs, before finally opening her mouth wider. You bite your lip, watching how she slowly moves forward, her mouth around your cock without touching it. Once she reaches the second half of your length, Sooyoung finally closes her mouth around your cock, her lips forming an airtight seal.

"Oh, god."

You groan out, your head rolling back.

She starts to let her lips glide along your shaft as she pulls back, her tongue pressing against it from underneath. Once she reaches your tip, her tongue swirls around it, before she starts to take you into her mouth again.

Sooyoung doesn't stop doing these motions. Back and forth. Her head moves back and forth. Her lips glide along your shaft, back and forth. Her tongue drags along the underside of your shaft, back and forth.

Your knuckles quickly turn white as you hold onto the countertop behind you. Sooyoung is doing this at a way slower pace than all of the girls you've been with so far. She visibly enjoys sucking you off. You can tell by how her eyes are closed. How a slight smile plays around her lips. How she slightly hums around your cock, whenever she is about to take you in again.

It becomes harder and harder for you to keep your composure. There is no way in hell you're gonna last much longer. You try to tell her that, but your words are suddenly stuck in your throat, when Sooyoung decides to up her game even more.

You are now forced to take heavy breaths as the woman in front of you takes more of your cock. She glides further down you length than before. And soon, you realize that you've hit the back of her throat.

"Oh, shit."

You can't help but groan as the muscles of her throat flex around you. The act makes her throat squeeze you even more than before. Sooyoung slowly retreats, this time only halfway, before she pushes forward again.

"S-Sunbae."

You groan again, wanting to tell her to stop. If this is only the appetizer and you actually have a chance of feeling her pussy around you, you don't want to blow this. No pun intended.

Sooyoung does eventually listen to your warnings, feeling your cock throbbing in her throat. She leans back, until your tip only rests on her parted lips. She lets it fall off. Now, only a string of saliva connects her lips with your cock.

"That was..."

You can't find the right words.

"Good?"

Sooyoung shoots you a mocking grin.

"Good."

You repeat after her as you try to hold onto the feeling you just experienced.

"Judging from your reaction, these girls don't know how to take a cock down their throats. "

You weakly shake your head, confirming her assumption.

"A shame."

She mumbles to herself, before wrapping her hand around your cock.

"Time for lesson two, then."

Sooyoung stands back up again, her face inches away from yours.

"Learn to be patient. Older women don't like quick and meaningless wild sex. They like to take their time."

She pushes you towards your left, signaling you to sit down on the chair that is standing in the corner. After having done so, you watch Sooyoung stepping in front of you, before leaning down, her hands rest on your knees.

"This is also the perfect time for you to recover. Don't rush into this. Let me take the lead and enjoy the show."

Sooyoung puts her heel onto your thigh again, just like during the photoshoot. Except this time, she puts her finger on the top if her foot and slowly starts to drag it upwards. You watch it move along her smooth skin. Once it reaches her knee, Sooyoung speaks again.

"Learn to appreciate a woman's body. How it looks, how it feels and how it responds to your touch."

She reaches down again to take your hand. Slowly your fingers move up her leg and past her knee. Her thigh feels incredible as you explore more of her body. You eventually reach the hem of her dress. Before you can even try to push further, Sooyoung swats your hand away. In a swift motion, as if she is dancing to an inaudible tune, she lifts her foot off your thigh and spins around.

Her back is now facing you. Sooyoung raises her hands and then, slowly, lets them travel down the sides of her body. At the same time, she sways her hips seductively, until her hands reach her waist. She slightly bends forward as they run over her ass.

You almost reach out to grab a handful of her cheeks. But Sooyoung now lowers herself and sits on your lap. Her ass slightly grinds against you. She reaches behind herself, finding the back of your head, before forcing you to lean it forward. Your lips land on her naked shoulder and you start to kiss her skin. Thanks to the angle, you finally have a clear view of her cleavage for the first time. No bra, you notice. The dress seems to be tight enough to keep her breasts in place by itself.

Sooyoung must've caught you staring somehow, because she now place another finger on her collarbone. Her pink nail glides over skin, eventually reaching the upper hem of her dress. She hooks her finger into it, slowly pulling it down.

Just enough to make you drool, without revealing everything.

Sooyoung seems to have enough of your kisses. She gets off your lap and turns around again. While maintaining eye contact, she hooks both her thumbs into her dress on either of her sides. Sooyoung starts to strip in front of you. When she is about to free her tits entirely, she leans forward and lets them fall out of her dress. You watch with a dry mouth, unable to say a word.

She wiggles her hips as she gets the rest of the dress off, until she is standing completely naked in front of you. Her pink dress a pile of cloth around her ankles. She steps out of it and towards you.

"Good boy."

She straddles your lap again. Your cock is now resting on her stomach at the hight of her belly button.

"Lesson three."

Sooyoung reaches down to slowly stroke your cock. Her other hand grazes your cheek, before she lets it rest on your shoulder.

"Be a good fuck toy for your noona. Trust me, I know how to ride you so well, that you pass out from the pleasure."

She gives you another kiss on the lips, before she lifts herself off your lap.

"And feel free to explore a real woman's body."

With that, Sooyoung aligns her pussy with your cock. She slowly sinks back down.

"Oh, god!"

You immediately groan.

"Fuck!"

Even Sooyoung lets out a loud moan.

"You feel way bigger than before."

She now places the other hand on your shoulder as well, only your tip resting inside of her right now. That changes, when Sooyoung slowly lowers herself further. Looking down, you watch more and more of your cock disappear inside of her.

"Were you even able to fit all of this into your cute little girls?"

Despite her mocking tone, you can tell that Sooyoung is struggling. She stops for a couple of seconds halfway down, before she eventually keeps going.

When she does reach your base, her eyes roll to the back of her head.

"Damn, I can feel your cock push my organs out of the way."

Before you are able to reply, Sooyoung starts to lift herself off of you again. When only your tip remains inside her core, she lowers herself back onto you.

You grit your teeth at the pleasure and you remember what Sooyoung told you earlier. Your hands start from her hips. They move across her midriff and sides, until they reach her tits. You begin to grope them, while Sooyoung keeps her slow pace. Maybe you are a little too much to handle. Even for her.

Her soft skin underneath your palms and her tight pussy around your cock send spikes of pleasure through your system. When Sooyoung finally does get used to your size, she starts to ride you, just like she promised.

Her pace increases with every other thrust. A minute or so later, she is bouncing on your cock, a satisfied smile on her face. You lean forward to catch one of her nipples with your mouth, which makes her moan.

Sucking on her tits, you enjoy the ride Sooyoung is giving you. Once in a while, she changes it up a little. Instead of constantly impaling herself on your cock, she occasionally stays glued to your hips. She would then move hers in a circle motion, making your dick rub against all kind of places inside of her.

Sooyoung alternates between both styles of riding, making sure you are on a steady way towards your orgasm. But you manage to catch her off guard with how well you suck on her tits. Sooyoung moans more and more, never having expected you to be this good. She doesn't lose her rhythm, but it's obvious she is beginning to struggle to keep it together.

"Yes, keep sucking on them! Good boy!"

She praises you, while her hips smash down onto yours. You can't tell how long it as been, but Sooyoung's prediction might actually become true. Her pussy keeps draining your composure out of you. Whenever she circles her hips, your legs quiver. Your hands have found their way back to her waist by now. You are squeezing her sides, trying to not lose grip on reality.

Sooyoung is in no better condition. Your cock keeps hitting just the right spots. Whenever she impales herself on your cock, she can feel it push upwards against her guts, forcing the air out of her lungs. Eventually, she can't take it anymore. Only able to grind herself on top of you, back and forth, she becomes a mess in your lap, while you keep sucking on her breasts.

"Ah, fuck! (Y/n)!"

She didn't call you by a nickname for the first time in quite a while. Her pussy pulsates around you, trying to make you orgasm too. Her nails dig into your shoulders, probably leaving stinging marks behind. Sooyoung shivers and shakes on top of you.

Once she finally does come down, she gives you a lustful stare.

"Not bad, playboy."

She captures your lips with hers. You instinctively wait for her to announce another lesson.

"Last lesson."

There it is.

"Learning how to cream pie your sunbaes."

"Cream pie?"

"You heard me the first time."

Sooyoung bites her lip and resumes her riding.

You've never done this before, for obvious reasons. Your career, the other idol's career and so on and so on. But now, she isn't really giving you much of a choice. And it's not like you're complaining. Every fan would dream of having a chance to cream pie Choi Sooyoung.

That dream becomes reality a couple of minutes later.

"Oh, god! Sunbae!"

Now it's your turn to shout out her name. Well, at least the formal version of it. Your heels dig into the floor, you thrust upwards into her waiting pussy. And then, you start to fill her up.

A deep moan rolls off Sooyoung's tongue as she feels herself getting cream pied by someone way younger than herself. Your warmth enters her stomach and she makes sure that nothing of your precious cum escapes, by not moving at all.

"You did a great job, playboy. You are a fast learner."

After her praise, Sooyoung gives you a curious look.

"How many more rounds do you have in you? I won't be leaving this place, until I've made sure that you are taken care of properly."

She leans down to kiss you again, her tongue dancing with yours for a while.

"And there is one more thing older women do, that younger girls don't."

After breaking the kiss, Sooyoung whispers into your ear again.

"Swallow."

[brucewaynehater101]

Ok so in reverse Robin aus I hate when Tim becomes redhood bc it’s really ooc for him, BUT Steph becoming the black mask after the incident but struggling with the business part (she is smart business is hard) and Tim becoming her right hand is in fact in character for him

seeing as he would not be obsessed with a dick Grayson who despite his murderous tendencies was light, and kind, and Jason who was all Robin gives me magic 😀

but instead Damian who is just as gritty as his father and a bitter Steph?

yep timmers would have a looooot less morals and a lot of money, and the second Robin needs HIS help? He is there!!!

(I don’t see him helping Bruce at all bc in canon Bruce’s grief for Steph lasted like two pages)

Oop. Your ending note is fantastic.

Let's add on, shall we?

Here's some tropes I don't prefer in Reverse Robin AUs:

Tim becoming Red Hood (Tim stealing Jason's shtick again is hilarious in the regular timeline). I will read a good fic with Tim as RH, but I prefer Tim to be Joker Junior, a completely new identity, or an Oracle-like identity.

Batman's partner being named "Robin" (that was Dick's identity he got from his parents. They should have another name)

I personally like Duke being the first one Batman adopts. Maybe Duke's parents get gassed in an alley in front of Batman, and Bruce decides to adopt Duke. The kid can still have his whole gang, and that's how Bruce decides to train Duke instead. Not sure.

Anyways, this could play into the AU you mentioned.

Damian moves on from his mantle, but Duke is still there. Steph, who Duke and Batman meet when she's Spoiler, agrees to fill in Damian's vacancy.

Tim meets Steph on the streets. He would be older than her in this. Your choice on how fanon it is (does he stalk Bats from a young age to take pictures of them), but I like the idea that he sent in cases he solved or tips he heard about.

When she dies, Damian comes home, and Duke is still there. Damian doesn't return to his previous mantle, but he's around. He's actually talking to Bruce again. Bruce thus doesn't grieve her much.

Tim doesn't see a need to step in.

Tim grieves his friend (or gf if that's your preference). Perhaps he goes abroad for a bit to distance himself from the city. There's bound to be some international programs his parents would like for him to take part in. Perhaps he still gets that Lady Shiva training. Dealer's choice.

After a year or two abroad (and if he got training, he learned from more teachers), Tim hears news about someone trying to rival Black Mask.

Since Black Mask took Steph from him, he sees this as a possible chance for revenge. He returns to Gotham.

I don't know if Steph would take up the mantle "Black Mask," but I could see her taking up a moniker that would mock the man (like White Veil, Lilac Cover, or something).

During her time "dead," she ends up getting training. Not sure who'd train her, but she learns more than Bruce ever taught her. Perhaps Helena and her end up chatting?

She's clever, and her father helped her knowledge on the criminal workings of Gotham. She utilizes her skills to gather people on her side and make them loyal to her (by providing great worker benefits, ig).

Tim offers his services to her gang without knowing it's Steph as the head (he plans to ruthlessly use them to get his revenge). Dealer's choice on whether Steph immediately lets him in or doesn't trust him (due to trauma with her death and shit).

Tim does some of the business and intel gathering. He occasionally goes in the field as well. Steph is the main brawns, gang director, and manager. She knows how gangs work, what her people really need/want, and how to manipulate the playing field. Tim can learn these things and suggest moves to Steph, but leaves decision-making to her.

Bruce, due to not knowing Tim, hasn't had the chance to instill tension between Steph and Tim. They have issues like all relationships, but they work it out. There's nowhere near the amount of shit there is in canon.

Maybe Tim's parents are dead by the time Steph gets back. Either way, I hope Crystal learns that her daughter is alive again

[gaytruckerthoughts]

things that some trucking companies list as 'perks' to potential new drivers that are really just a given, or at least should be:

-a driver's lounge. what?? you mean at the company yard there is a place to.. sit down? whaaaaaat

-laundry. you mean your company yard provides 1-2 washer and dryer machines to the drivers that basically live in their trucks that belong to your company?? whhaaaat

addendum: im not joking, these mega-carriers that will have upwards of 40 tractors parked in a company yard overnight at once will usually not have more than 2 sets of laundry machines. it's ridiculous. in case you're wondering, the other place to do laundry on the road is at commercial truck stops, where they charge high prices and the machines don't work and it's a great time)

-weekly or bi-weekly pay. yeah that's how jobs usually work my guy. we're not going on the honor system here

-24/7 dispatch. whaat?? you mean if someone is making a delivery at 2am and they run into a problem or need an extra fuel stop, there will be someone available to call?? ridiculous. that sort of thing would never happen literally all the time. nobody has ever gotten into an accident and had to talk to the safety dept after business hours. unheard of

-electronic logs. any company that's not basically just one owner/operator who is using paper logs anymore is highly suspect, and is probably trying to coerce employees into driving unsafe/illegal hours

-fuel card. yeah obviously. if you are a company driver, or an owner/operator and paying your own fuel costs, it is extremely common for the company to provide a fuel card for at least one truck stop chain. they are going to do it to get discounts for their company drivers anyway, they should also let the owner/ops benefit

-flexible home time. you mean i can go home specifically in time for my niece's bat mitzvah or my grandmother's funeral?? how kind of you

-higher pay for specialized driving such as triples or heavy haul. obviously more difficult. requires more training and endorsements. and worse routing if there are roads you can't access. for example, an oversized load might not be able to fit under certain bridges, and some national parks don't allow hazmat tankers in case of spillage

-sufficient weekly or monthly miles rolling. people aren't signing up to drive in order to.. Not

ACTUAL perks to look for:

-rider/passenger policy (your partner or kid can be in the truck with you)

-pet policy (you can have a little friendo living in the truck)

-general pet policy, instead of like 'one pet allowed, and it has to be a dog under 40lbs and there's breed restrictions' bullshit (we have met some massive trucker puppies. depending on the individual dog, a large size dog can do fine in a truck)

-no pet deposit. like at an apartment where you have to pay a fee for the pet to stay there

-no slip seating, meaning you have the same truck for like a year at a time. generally you can also ask to have the tractor detailed/cleaned when you swap to another tractor that's not brand new. slip seating doesn't allow you to settle, in or decorate, and you often have to put up with smoke smell or a huge mess or whatever

-extra pay for things like extra stops on the same truckload, tarping [for flatbeds], passed dot inspections, detention hours, etc

-exclusively no touch freight or exclusively drop and hook freight. this is specifically for over-the-road, dedicated, or regional drivers though

-for lighter-than-truckload drivers, having a person to unload the truck, instead of having to drive and also ruin your spine and knees all in the same eventful day

-extra pay for driving in some urban areas, driving internationally, and having your hazmat endorsement

[heartintact]

plots inspired by taylor swift’s music, enjoy! (& hmu if u want to write any of them!):

hits different: ‘you were the one that I loved, don't need another metaphor, it's simple enough’. muse a and muse b were everything, their first real love and now that they’ve broken up neither of them are dealing with it like they should. i just want to see messy exes who truly adored each other, getting drunk on the weekends and showing up at doorsteps, not dealing with jealousy, always ending up tangled together even when it just makes everything worse. just angst and pining and desperation.

glitch: muse a and muse b are insanely different, so people are constantly shocked when they find out they’ve been friends for a long time. no one who imagine that’s not all they are, because they’ve been friends with benefits for a long time now, self-sabotaging their own relationships at times and swearing it’s just some fun until they find someone permanent. but of course feelings start to get involved and neither of them is willing to admit it because that would just fuck up what they have, right?

the last great american dynasty: this is the entire vibe. basically muse a is a wild girl, she’s always down to any last minute plans and her life is a constant party. muse b on the other hand carries with all their families expectations, they’re expected to behave, don’t get their name on the magazines and eventually take over their parents role (bonus points for royalty but honestly any old money kinda business works perfectly). of course, muse a turns muse b’s world upside down. i wanna see them sneaking around trying to avoid rumors and muse a taking muse b to every party they shouldn’t be at, and muse b just throwing around their money and being happy and just letting go for the first time in their life.

illicit affairs: ‘look at this godforsaken mess that you made me, you showed me colors you know I can't see with anyone else’ if you ask me, there’s nothing like a good infidelity plot. the plot could begin when the affair is brand new or when it’s been going on for some time but every time muse a tries to break it, muse b just gets them right back on the palm of their hand. i want to see the heartbreak of desperately wishing for someone who can never be yours and having to settle with anything they can offer. bonus points if muse a is somehow related or has a relationship with muse b's partner, it can be siblings, best friends, anything, it's just way more sad that way and i love angst.

i'm too lazy to write these ones but i've also thought abt ideas for 'tis the damn season, ...question?, miss americana & the heartbreak prince, august and cowboy like me because they're so good?? so anyway if u want to hear abt either of those just lmk lol.

[femmefatalevibe]

Hi! I’ve just found your blog and I absolutely love it. I am entering my 20s and have never had positive female friendships in the past (always delegated to the DUFF, never had friends who were particularly interested in my personal life and would only turn to me for advice or if they knew I could give them something). I am deeply introverted. My only friend is my boyfriend and I don’t want to fall into the trap of depending on him for all my friendship. I have a bit of a tough time making friends at my university because it’s a very prestigious classist institution, and many of the girls I’d initially made friends with alienated me once they found out the neighbourhood I live in and where I’m from. Do you think you have any tips on how I can make sustainable, and meaningful female friendships; ways in which I could foster sisterhoods? Thank you in advance❤️

Hi love! Thank you so much. Finding meaningful, reciprocal friendship is not for the faint of heart, so validating your experience here.

It's great that you recognize the need for platonic relationships/connections aside from your partner (too many people fall into this trap!). Remember that if anyone judges you for something as superficial as where you live, those people don't deserve to be your friends anyways.

If I were in your shoes, here are the ways I would go about finding friends:

Find social activities involving your interests: Join or attend a club meeting about a skill, field, or cause you care about (think a painting class, social justice club, women in business/tech, etc.) to surround yourself with like-minded people. Having a common interest increases your chances of clicking with these people.

Strike up a conversation in class: Nothing bonds people together like the monotony of a lecture, meeting, or going through a deck. Consider making a comment about the class or offer a genuine compliment to get the conversation started.

Immerse yourself in online spaces: While it's great to have friends to socialize with IRL, social connection is social connection at the end of the – whether it's virtual or in-person. Join some relevant Facebook groups, Discords, Reddit communities, etc., and follow like-minded individuals on TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, and Tumblr, to get started. You never know who you will connect with once you put yourself out there!

Here are more socializing tips for making friends, too:

TIPS FOR SOCIALIZING & MAKING FRIENDS: 

Get Curious To Connect: Follow-up questions are your best friend if you get nervous and anticipate a wave of social anxiety. These questions have a dual benefit: You’re allowing others to indulge in subjects or experiences that resonate with them and helping to guide the conversation. Listen to ways that you can branch off into related topics, mutual interests, and shared emotions or experiences. Ask relevant questions to keep the conversation flowing and demonstrates your interest and desire to connect with the other person. There’s no quality more charming than making others feel special and understood. This interpersonal skill allows you to connect with others without feeling like you need to fill up air time or be more vulnerable than you’re comfortable. It can be especially helpful to remember this advice when conversing with a stranger, authority figure, or someone else you want to impress without looking inferior (teacher, boss, industry leader, partner’s parents, etc.).  

Read & Develop Interests/Opinions:  Expanding your knowledge base provides an entry point to more people, engaging conversations, and opportunities. It’s easier to speak to people when you have some understanding of relevant topics others are discussing around the table or are of interest to the person in front of you. Take time to read about and study topics you’re interested in. Stay on top of cultural topics (movies, music, books, TV shows, etc.) and news within your chosen industry (or one you’re hoping to break into), different destinations you’ve been to or want to go to, favorite products, etc. Develop some robust opinions (don’t share those on hot-button topics like politics and religion) on these subjects and current events. Having the ability to listen to others' perspectives on a topic with an understanding of the subject matter and dive further into the topic with a distinct POV makes for an engaging conversation (and a potential new connection). 

Learn The Art of The Follow-Up: If you hit it off with someone, exchange contact information (social media, phone number, email – depending on the context of the situation and level of initial connection). Send them a relevant message at some point over the next few days to stay connected. Try something related to the conversation – like an article on a topic you discussed, or a recommendation for a coffee shop in the area. Or, get more personal if you’re comfortable, and ask how a meeting went, if they ended up liking a certain show, movie, or book, or whether they want to grab lunch at that place they mentioned they love. Remain thoughtful and interested without looking desperate. People want to what know others are thinking about them as long you’re not obsessive.

One More Friendly Reminder:

Different Friends Can Serve Different Purposes: Have your class friends, going to lunch or weekday meals friends, going out friends, and then your genuinely close friends (if you find 1-2 of these types of friends, that's plenty and very lucky!). Don't be afraid to spend most of your time alone. As long as you have some social interactions and put effort into this area of your life, remember that we all have solo seasons or days. Think of this time as an opportunity to reflect, work towards your goals, and spend time with yourself to discover what you really enjoy and want in life.

Hope this helps xx

[honeesblog]

The difficulty of proper academic comportment, dress, and relationships

As a female academic I am held to a very different standard to male academics in regards to physical appearance and this has only become more true as I've gone from undergrad to graduate student. At this point, I have to essentially dress for a job interview all the time, which luckily is quite natural for me as I've always preferred business casual clothes but moreover makeup and a splash of perfume and jewelry have also become staples. This is further complicated by the fact I don't have a full length mirror in my room, so dressing has become more difficult. Furthermore, as my goal is to become a professor, I need to think of my appearance and comportment in a very pragmatic way so as to further my chances. 

    I recently read an Economist article titled ' The Economics of Thinness' and it very poignantly made the case that being thinner, especially for women, raises employment outcomes and pay. I have always been on the larger side, never obese or even seeming as big as I really am. I swam competitively and I still lift weights and play several sports and at 5ft 8, my weight is quite well distributed. Most people would guess I weight 160-170lbs just on the edge of a healthy BMI but I in fact am 200lbs, well within the overweight BMI category. Since starting my PhD I've lost some weight and gained quite a bit of muscle from thrice weekly lifting sessions to deal with the stress alongside skipping breakfasts and sometimes lunches due to being busy but either way I'm larger than is economically ideal. Since I've lost weight I've noticed a social shift as well. Another great article is by Alana Massey titled 'You're Right, I Didn't Eat That' where she discusses the social benefits of thinness and her own need to maintain her thinness. She examines her own behaviour as half pragmatism and half pathology, making clear that it is not effortless, as I think so many of us assume when we see other women with prominent clavicles and flat stomachs. I feel I'm also in the same semi-pathological state occasionally, I need to go to the gym or get 10 000 steps but I don't need breakfast other than a coffee and splash of milk. Again, I'm not that thin yet but I'm working my way towards it, not because I hate my body or have self esteem issues (although I'd be lying if I said that those don't also factor in) but because I love what I do and I want to do it for a living. If I need to never eat breakfast again for my field I'd do it in a heartbeat. It doesn't help that I'm quite a competitive person and have been trying to get back into swimming again as I have free access to my university pool... Another issue is clothes, makeup, and jewelry. I've been updating all of these things as I want to seem sophisticated and intelligent as well as attractive. This Christmas I'm treating myself to some very nice jewelry and lipsticks, which are extremely expensive, and I keep a collection of perfume samples. Eventually I should buy a full size perfume of my choosing as I actually wear perfume most days now but it is all so very expensive!!! Same thing with clothes, I either need to take clothes in or buy new clothes as I've lost weight but its quite expensive for a student!

Dating is another aspect of my life which is important but frustrating. I would like to be married and have a child before my mid 30s. I have a long time sure but due to my commitment to my career and studies I've never been in a committed relationship. Even now that I'm actively looking to date, I get overwhelmed by my nerves and emotions and basically decide that dating is not worth the hassle due to fear. Academia also complicates the idea of having a partner as I will go all over the world for my job and whoever I'm with should support that and be willing to help and while a lot of women will do that for their men, the same can't be said for most men. 

Anyways, in all of these things I think I'm headed down the right roads I just need to keep to the course and commit myself to them. I'm planning on starting swimming 4-5 times a week once I get off break so hopefully that will work out. 

Thanks for reading x. 

Hon.E

[randomoranges]

I started this fic 10000 years ago and somehow or other, what was supposed to be a short little haha fic turned into an 11 page mini-monster. This is from teacher au land because that’s the way I roll at times.

I kept wondering how it would be that Ed and Ét would come to know about the other being a queer and the original meet up scene came to me one day and I thought it was great. Of course, then it meant having to come up with the rest and how both of them would feel about the other knowing.

I’m also quite aware that not all schools and school environments are Super Conservative but everyone deals with their shit differently.

Finally, you may think Étienne is a little bit too considerate of Edward and not his usual selfish self, but I can assure you, he does act for his own benefit before Edward’s. He’s always been a friends first, everyone else after.

Safe

Started writing: June 5th 2024 3h14pm

Once the school year ends, Étienne feels as if he can finally be himself again. He no longer needs to be M Étienne and he can do whatever he pleases without having to worry about how it will seem to the children or how he could potentially be perceived by parents, staff or administrators.

Don’t get him wrong, he likes his job enough not to quit just yet, but there are aspects of it that feel archaic at best.

His first year at this new school teaching art hasn’t been so bad to the point where he’s accepted to return for a second. But now that it’s summer break, finally, he can put all of that behind and enjoy his free time whichever way he wants.

It so happens that tonight, he’s decided to go out. He’s often too tired during the school year or too busy or too something, but now, he can stay out late, hook up with whomever if he so pleases and he won’t have to worry about the bigger repercussions.

Normally, he likes to go out with his friends, but everyone seemed to have been busy or had previous plans. Étienne doesn’t mind, for it makes his night out different. He can dance with whomever he wants, he doesn’t have to check in with his friends, and if he wants to disappear with someone who’d caught his attention, he doesn’t have to let anyone know.

Tonight, that’s what he wants. He wants to get lost in the throngs of strangers, pressed close to warm bodies and roaming hands and finish his night in someone’s bed. (Or a bathroom stall, or a back alley. Whatever works. He’s not picky.)

Anyways.

There’s a decent crowd at the club and the music is just right; a perfect blend of retro dance hits mixed in with some modern tunes that don’t make his ears bleed just yet. He’s already on this side of tipsy and he’s highly considering getting another drink soon if no other pretty thing out here offers him one.

For now, however, he’s content grooving to the beat of the music, letting the notes envelop him in a warm cocoon. He’s giving himself until the end of the song before getting his drink, when someone puts their hands on his waist and presses in close.

Étienne grins to himself.

His night has just gotten better.

He leans back into the contact to see how comfortable his mysterious dance partner is and he is more than pleased when the person steps in closer and grinds against him.

The music picks up and it gets his blood circulating just a little bit faster. He loves the friction and loves the anonymous proximity of an unknown body pressed close to his. He moves to the rhythm of the music with his dance partner and lets the other’s hands do as they please, offering up his body to them as a gift.

Étienne’s always liked this side of going out alone. The chase. The temptation of the buffet of strangers ripe for his picking. The endless possibilities. The unknown of how his night will end and whom he’ll end it with. The freedom. The music pulsing in his veins. The game of cat and mouse.

They move together to the rhythm of the song, his dance partner’s breath tickling his ear, and their hands daring to dip under his tank top. Étienne closes his eyes to enjoy every bit of the moment while grinding back on his partner’s evident arousal. He’s giving them both until the end of the song to see if his new friend wants to find the nearest bathroom stall to mutually get off. He wouldn’t mind getting fucked by a stranger or sucking them off. He has condoms in his back pocket anyways for such occasions. It’s been a long while since a debauched night and Étienne feels it would be a proper inauguration to summer break.

He's also willing to follow whomever back home to their place if they’d rather do that instead. Or his own. Or, really, anywhere at this point, so long as the delicious friction currently going on can lead to sweet release. He’s not picky.

Finally, he turns in his dance partner’s embrace with the full intention of wrapping his arms around the other’s shoulders and maybe sharing a kiss or two. He starts doing just that, insanely curious to see what his catch of the night looks like.

The lights seem to find them in that moment and illuminate both their faces, while the last few notes of the current song fade and bleed into the start of the next one in a seamless transition.

Étienne’s mind stills for a moment as it tries to sort through the information it’s receiving.

This is a handsome face, yet it looks familiar – but it shouldn’t be here.

This is a familiar face, yet he cannot for the life of him recall from where he knows this man.

And then it clicks, same as for the other man.

Étienne is – well, surprised more so than shocked. Or frightened.

Edward, on the other hand, looks completely horrified as his eyes go comically wide and he takes multiple steps back, trying to get as much distance between the two of them, when mere moments before it had been nothing but the contrary.

“Edward, wait,” He tries to shout over the noise of the music, but Edward has already bolted off the dance floor, miraculously only bulldozing a few dancers on his way out and Étienne tries his best to run after him.

He gets it – no, really, he does, and he can only imagine how Edward must feel at the moment. There could be a myriad of different reasons as to why Edward was out at a gay club, but the fact remains that Edward had never told him anything and neither had he.

That and Étienne had never necessarily told him whether he was an ally. But before Edward can come to his own conclusions, Étienne wants to tell and reassure him lest this gets any more out of hand.

He fears for a moment that he’s lost track of Edward, when he finally makes it out of the club and doesn’t see his friend anywhere. There’s no way Edward is that fast, but then again, maybe he’d had an escape vehicle ready.

Étienne curses, turning on himself trying to see if he can see a retreating figure in any direction, but he comes up empty. He feels like a fool and a small voice at the back of his head reminds him that this is why he tries stay clear from these places now, even though that’s its own kind of messed up. He should be allowed to do and go wherever he wants to without fearing for his job.

He’s about ready to call it quits, go back home and forget all about his night out, when from the corner of his eyes he spots a figure some ways ahead, walking away.

With a renewed sense of urgency, Étienne runs after his friend.

“Edward!”

Edward looks back and instead of slowing down, he picks up his speed.

“Tabarnak, wait!”

Somehow, miraculously, he finally manages to catch up to him and makes to grab at Edward’s shirt before his friend can dash away again.

“Jesus; you’re a speedy little fucker.” He gasps and wheezes, completely out of breath. He should start biking more frequently again. Or something. Clearly, he’s out of shape.

“Yeah well, comes from years of playing soccer.” Edward’s voice is cool and cagey, as if guarding himself, not that Étienne blames him really.

“And I played hockey through university and yet here I am.”

He takes a moment to try and calm his erratic beating heart before it jumps out of his ribcage and gives its own pursuit of Edward and only lets go of his shirt once he’s sure Edward isn’t going to start running again. He should quit smoking too. He knows that. He’s – working on that. But, anyways.

Edward watches him closely, any trace of his usual warmth gone from his face. He has his arms crossed over his chest and everything about his posture is closed off and defensive. Étienne needs to choose his words carefully but there are a dozen or so different ways he can approach this and he doesn’t know which will be best.

Even he has something to lose by telling Edward anything at all and isn’t that something. It frustrates him, really, because he’s never been one for closets and such. Yet, he knows that with the work he does it’s still sometimes taboo and he can’t know who’s safe and who isn’t.

He swallows, takes a deep breath and hopes he won’t be shooting himself in the foot. He likes Edward as a friend and would hate to lose him over such a silly little – misunderstanding, but he tries to console himself in the notion that if Edward had been at this particular club for whatever reason, then clearly, it must at the very least mean that he’s not a homophobe.

Or, he really hopes he’s not.

(He has a slew of other questions running through his head though, such as wasn’t Edward spending his summer in not Montréal with his partner? And if Edward had a long-term partner then what was he doing getting handsy with strangers at a club? But then again, maybe Edward had some type of open relationship with his partner. And really, Edward had never mentioned his partner’s name in the few times said partner had come up in conversation so what did that mean? When really, who the fuck was he to judge?)

He's still too sober for this and slightly too tipsy at the same time, even if the run after his friend has certainly made him more alert.

“Look – just, hear me out. People come to clubs for all sorts of reason, yeah?” He passes a hand through his hair and still itches for a cigarette. He’d offer one to Edward as well, since he sure looks like he could use one even if he’s been meaning to cut back and quit for good, current physical extortion proof enough.

“And maybe you’re here with friends – or a curiosity – or whatever, but I’m – I’m safe.” He tries to put emphasis on the word hoping Edward will get it without having to spell it out.

“I won’t say anything about you being here and I hope you won’t either.” His hands are flying all over the place, unsteady in his nervousness as if they’ve lost all tethers. He has no clue where he’s going with any of this or what he hopes to achieve with his words other than hoping Edward won’t freak out more.

“I mean, it would be really hypocritical of me to judge, or say something, since I came here since I’m – queer.” There is only the smallest of hesitations to his words and he holds his breath as he quietly observes his friend for a reaction, but Edward remains perfectly still, illuminated by golden streetlights that makes him look otherworldly – a creature from heaven sent down to pass judgement on his sins.

But then he blinks and Edward looks – relieved? Relieved and defeated? Surprised? It is hard to tell.

“You’re – queer?” Edward asks as if he needs confirmation and Étienne tries real hard not to be annoyed but nods nonetheless. “And you won’t – this – we can just?”

“Pretend it was a silly little misunderstanding or such and laugh it off privately? Absolutely.”

At this point, Étienne wants to move past this as quickly as he can and start breathing normally again. He can’t remember the last time he’s felt any sort of fear for his own safety and he remembers acutely why it is he hated it so much.

“Oh thank God.” Edward crumbles like a house of cards on the nearby bench and brings his hands to his face. He lets out a long-exhausted sounding groan. ��Had I known it was you, I wouldn’t have – well, I would have kept my hands off you.”

Étienne tries not to think his friend means it that he found him repulsive and shrugs, fishing out that long needed cigarette from his back pocket before sitting beside Edward. “Don’t worry about it. It’s not like you knew.”

“Still… I’m sorry and I’m glad.”

They sit in silence for a moment and Étienne finally lights his cigarette. He takes a gluttonous puff and lets the familiar taste of nicotine still his frayed nerves. He’s glad Edward hasn’t thrown slurs at him, but there’s still an edge of something crawling under his skin and he has no idea if it’s left over adrenaline from his run, the near fight-or-flight anxiety from the reveal or his previous thoughts of having a little fun with a stranger.

“For the record, I’m also queer. Well, gay.” Edward admits quietly, a private confession, his gaze fixed on his hands, what feels like ages later.

Étienne’s not sure he’s heard correctly at first, but he doesn’t ask for clarification. By the looks of it, saying it once has taken its toll on his friend.

“So your partner…” He starts instead, unable to shut up his incessant curiosity.

“Was a man.”

He’s about to nod until his brain registers on the verb tense Edward’s just used.

“Was? Shit – did something happen? Fuck, I’m sorry.” He’s not sure if he’s meant to offer a sympathetic gesture or what exactly happened, but things are starting to piece themselves together in this eclectic mosaic of a night.

“He – well, he broke up with me. After five years. It’s why I came here.”

Edward says it so very calmly and seems so very detached from all of it that at first Étienne thinks he’s mostly fine with it, until he notices that Edward’s hands have formed fists on his thighs and that they’re shaking slightly.

He has so many other questions buzzing in his mind now, but he tries his best to remain supportive without infringing on his friend’s privacy.

However, in his honest opinion, it’s clearly What’s-It’s loss. It’s – well, Edward is a handsome fellow and even though Étienne hasn’t said or done anything about it, because Edward was with someone, and since he didn’t know if his friend would be interested, he can still admit it to himself that he likes Edward. As a friend. As a human being. As someone he wouldn’t have minded bringing back home. But – it’s not here nor there for now.

Étienne stubs out his cigarette for now and puts a cautious hand on Edward’s shoulder. He’s relieved when Edward doesn’t flinch or shrug him off.

“That sounds like a really shit thing to happen.” He finally says. It makes Edward laugh even if it’s mostly pained and a little manic.

“That’s putting it lightly. We were supposed to go on vacation together. Then, a week before we were going to leave, he told me he couldn’t do this anymore. I was completely blindsided. He left. Like that. And I – I went back home. To Edmonton. I couldn’t go on a vacation that was meant for the both of us and the idea of staying in the place we lived together was too much. It’s still too much. It’s why I came out tonight. I just wanted – to feel something.”

Edward sounds a little lost and still very sad. It’s understandable, he supposes, and he wishes there was something concrete he could do to make him feel better.

“If you need anyone to help you burn something down, call me.” He offers. It’s not his strongest, but it does make Edward grin and he takes his win where he can.

Another silence falls on them and Étienne lights himself another cigarette for a lack of something to do. He can start seriously thinking of quitting tomorrow.

He takes another one out and offers it to Edward who accepts after a moment. They smoke quietly, the actions and confessions of the night permeating the air around them. It’s not necessarily heavy, but it does have a certain weight of change to the atmosphere. Now they know each other’s bigger secrets and that – transforms a relationship.

“I’m sorry I ruined your evening,” Edward says once their cigarettes have been smoked and discarded. He gives him an apologetic smile that’s shy around the edges and a little embarrassed. “I’m sure you hadn’t planned on hearing the sad state of affairs of a friend’s love life.”

“No, but I’m glad you ran into me and that you trusted me enough to tell me what happened.” He means it really. He wouldn’t have minded getting laid, obviously, but he can do that on any old evening. Being there for his friend is different.

Edward shrugs as if wanting to dismiss what he’s just said, but Étienne needs to reassure him that he won’t hold this against him.

“And honestly, no harm done for earlier, okay? If anything, I think it’s funny. It’ll be our own little private inside joke. I’m your friend, I don’t plan on making your life a living hell and I really hope that’s not your intention either…”

Edward shakes his head vigorously, “No – same here – and thanks, really, for being so cool about, well, everything.”

Étienne smiles and claps him on the shoulder. They’re part of the same community; it would be really daft of him to turn his back on a friend and on one of his own. Plus, if it means that he’s that much less alone at work, then so be it. At least, he now knows he has someone he can go to and be just this more authentic around.

They talk some more – about this that and everything in between. It’s quiet at this time in the park and the night, if nothing else, is perfect; the sky is clear, it’s still pleasantly warm and it’s not too humid yet. When Edward starts yawning, Étienne suggests he walk him home and Edward agrees with little fuss. They take their time though and Étienne lets his friend talk, glad to listen.

“What other exciting plans do you have for the end of the summer?” Étienne asks once they reach Edward’s doorstep. He wonders, briefly, if one of the reasons Edward never invited him inside before was because he was afraid of him finding out about his boyfriend. Maybe this time – or in the upcoming future, he’ll be able to come in and Edward won’t have to hide anything from him anymore.

“I don’t know – can you believe this is the first time that I’m actually in town for some part of the summer?” Edward admits sheepishly and Étienne nearly stumbles on the stairs. It would certainly leave quite the impression if he fell face first in Edward’s stairs, but the shock of the news is enough to nearly make it worthwhile.

“You’re joking.” He says to be sure he hasn’t hallucinated anything. He’s quite sure he’s more sober than not and he has it on good authority that he hasn’t taken anything else since leaving the club – but, clearly, he’s heard wrong.

Edward gives him a sheepish shrug as a reward and scratches at the back of his neck. “No? I was – well always away, somewhere…”

“Oh my God, Édouard.” He grabs his friend by the shoulders and tries not to shake him too much and looks him straight in the eyes. “I must show you all the things.”

There may be a smidge of fear in Edward’s face but Étienne thinks it’s a good thing. No one should live in the city this long and have never enjoyed its summer. It’s a tragedy, really.

“I’ll make a list of places and a schedule. We can start tomorrow.” He takes out his phone and starts typing away at full speed, jotting things down that come to his mind, not trusting himself to do it later.

“Please, you don’t have to go through all that trouble – forget I said anything!”

Edward looks – well, surprised and a little shocked, but Étienne is quick to dismiss him with one hand as he makes another note on his phone. “Nonsense. This is a high offence and I will make sure to rectify it before it goes on any longer.”

“Well, if you insist…”

He does, really, and so he jots down a few more things before sending it off to Edward. “You can start by looking at what I’ve sent you and see if there’s anything that you’d like to do first. We’ll work our way through it and whatever we don’t hit we can do in the fall.”

Edward takes a moment and opens the document, most likely to make sure he can read it and then pockets his phone. “I’m both frightened and amazed by the speed at which you made this already quite thorough list.”

He grins, self satisfied and pleased, “It’s a gift.”

“Alright, well, I’ll let you rest your magic then. Thank you again, really, for – everything tonight and for walking me home.”

“Any time.”

Edward steps up to him and opens his arms for a hug that Étienne is more than happy to give.

He realises then and there that Edward’s hugs are soft and that if he’s not careful, he’ll want more. He knows he should step back before he lingers too much, but he indulges for now. He likes the feel of Edward’s arms around his back and the warmth of his body against his own.

Logically, Étienne is aware that maybe it all comes down to his silly crush he has on his friend or the fact that he hasn’t been with someone in a while. It also might not help that it’s quite late and that he’s had a bit too much to drink, but he’s also always enjoyed living a little bit dangerously, and ever the glutton for punishment, he dares to inch his face this much closer to the fold of Edward’s shirt so that he can let his scent wrap around him for just a second longer.

Edward’s ex is the biggest loser for letting him go, really.

Somehow, he manages to pull away before it gets too awkward. He makes the mistake of sparing Edward a look and his breath stills for just a second. Edward’s even prettier up close and the urge to hold him again or caress his face is quite strong. He tries to think of some platitude he can say, but his words completely fail him and instead he’s pulled in by Edward’s lovely eyes.

Maybe, he thinks, it’s leftover pent up whatever from before that’s making it hard to look away. Maybe, he tells himself, it’s the fact that he’d gone out with a specific goal in mind and it’s ruminating in his body. Or – maybe, he rationalises, he’s been harbouring this thing for Edward for months now and it would be so very easy, so very convenient to just – lean in and – kiss him.

And maybe – just maybe – Edward feels partially the same – or it’s the atmosphere that’s charged – or something, because Edward maybe – just maybe – meets him halfway before they both hover, milometers apart, suspended for a singular breath, before – and it’s hard to say who finally goes for it first – they connect.

It’s soft and delicate at first, as if they’re both this side of tentative and unsure. Étienne dares to cup a hand on Edward’s cheek and it’s only when Edward reciprocates by grabbing him by the front of his shirt that Étienne throws caution to the wind and completely goes for it, matching Edward’s sense of need and potential desperation.

It gets messy and heady and he yields under Edward’s kisses, feeling warm and hot all over. He grabs at Edward’s body with eager hands and presses forward for more and more, greedy bastard that he’s always been, pleased and thrilled that Edward wants just as much.

It’s the club all over again, but this time he backs Edward against his door and the gasp Edward lets out is better than any music he’s heard all night.

They make out, pure and simple. Étienne’s thrilled by the throaty little moans Edward keeps producing and the friction happening between their bodies is delicious.

“We should continue this inside,” Edward whispers in his ear, sending a wave of pleasure through his body.

He nods and quietly laughs while Edward fumbles with his door, until finally, they’re on the other side of it where it’s nice and cool.

They make it a few paces in when the blast of cool air seems to sober him up and make him realise exactly what it is he’s doing. Or, more importantly, who it is he’s doing it with.

“My bedroom’s this way.”

Étienne should have been ecstatic. He should have followed Edward without second thought. Or, at the very least, maybe gotten on his knees to offer Edward a blowjob, but instead, his stupid conscious decides to rear its ugly head at the worst of times.

Way to be grown up and mature about all of this…

(And really, he’s surprised he still has one after all these years, but that’s a retrospection for some other time.)

He pauses long enough for Edward to notice and suddenly look worried.

“Actually,” He starts a little sheepish as he runs a hand through his hair and tugs at a curl out of nervous habit, “And I’m so going to regret this later,” He lets out a great big sigh followed by a nervous laugh.

He’s about to fuck this up, isn’t he?

Leave it to him to ruin things one way or another…

“I think – maybe we shouldn’t.”

Étienne knows how bad that sounds and he knows it’s the absolute last thing anyone wants to hear given this set of specific circumstances, and yet, he goes on even though he’s already mentally kicking himself.

If the first silence had been bad, this one is even heavier and if possible, worse.

“Oh God,” Edward starts saying, nearly leaping away from him as if wanting to put as much physical distance between the both of them. “I’m so sorry – I got carried away.” Edward’s already turned embarrassed, if he’s to judge by the flush on his cheeks that has gone from turned on to mortified.

“No – it’s look – I know this sounds completely deranged, but,” He takes a deep breath. He needs to attempt to save this, somehow or other. He needs Edward to realise that it’s really not him and that he’s lovely and great and under a different set of circumstances, this conversation would have never happened and they’d already be in Edward’s room with less clothes on and even less distance between them.

But, even in his head it sounds bizarre and he’s not quite sure why he’s chosen this ground to run on.

“I like you.” Étienne figures he may as well come out and say it now. Hell, it’s been a night of confessions so what’s one more? Maybe it’ll reassure Edward. “But I don’t want to ruin our friendship.” He adds quickly before Edward can get any false hope. “I don’t want you to wake up tomorrow morning and have regrets and then avoid me at work. I like what we have and I don’t want it to get weird.”

There’s a part of his brain that tells him that this is weird, especially considering he’s never been one to turn down a very eager hot guy. Then again, he’s seldom gone and developed overlapping friendship and potential feelings for someone either. It had to happen now, obviously, because clearly the universe was out to get him personally and make his life that much more complicated.

“You’ve just broken up from a long relationship. I don’t want to be a rebound and then maybe lose you as a friend in the end…”

He tries to give Edward an apologetic look, but it’s hard to do when Edward hides his face in his hands.

“No – you’re right. I shouldn’t have – and I’m so sorry. I mean, we’re colleagues as well. There’s – logistics to it and – HR to think about.” Edward laughs nervously and tries to put even more distance between them as he can, it seems, “I totally – I’m just going to – actually, if you could see yourself out and then I’ll just – dig a hole to burry myself in and I’m sorry – please forget any of this ever happened. You never have to see me again.”

Étienne thinks it’s endearing how red Edward’s gotten and how he’s taken refuge in the safety of his hands. He never thought he’d find such a thing sweet, but he blames it on the booze and the overall night. Never in his life would he have thought this could have been possible. And yet, here he is, trying to console his friend who had been quite willing to bring him to bed.

He laughs softly and tries to reach out for Edward’s elbow to get his attention and stop him babbling nonsense.

“No; I promised to show you around town.”

Edward does what Étienne calls distressed baby whale noises and it only makes him fonder. Sure, there would be HR to think about and other logistics, but they’re so far away from that and it is, currently, the last think on his mind.

“You’re just saying that to make me feel better.” Edward bemoans, but he does look away from his hiding spot in his hands and Étienne takes it as a small win.

“I’m serious. In fact, how about brunch tomorrow – well later?”

“You really don’t have to.”

There’s an edge of polite rebuttal to Edward’s words, but Étienne ignores him and takes out his phone to look up a place he has in mind. “I can pick you up at 11.” He puts the phone back in his pocket and leans back against the wall, trying to look defiant to see if Edward will challenge him again.

“You’re not letting this go, are you?” Edward finally asks. He lets out a great big sigh of someone who’s come to the terrible realisation that they’ve lost at an argument.

Étienne’s grin is wide. He’s been known to get his way here and there and he has it on good authority that he can be quite persuasive when he wants to, “Nope.”

Edward rolls his eyes, but Étienne knows it means that his friend is only mildly annoyed at him and not that he’s completely cross. If anything, it also means Edward is momentarily less distressed and that’s a step in the proper direction.

“Alright, fine, you can take me to brunch tomorrow. Happy?” He sounds a smidge resigned, but also a tad – hopeful. Or so Étienne thinks. He’ll take the interpretation, anyways.

“Absolutely.” Étienne is far too pleased with himself and if it shows on his face Edward doesn’t comment on it, instead choosing to walk him back to the front door where they dither there for a moment or two.

“You better not bail on me tomorrow, Murphy. I know where you live now.”

“Don’t worry – I won’t skip town.”

Étienne reaches for the door, ready to step out and leave with one last joke, but then he hesitates for a moment, his mind playing catch up with everything that’s just happened. He looks back at Edward and reads the same hesitancy on his friend’s face. Edward looks as unsure as he suddenly feels and maybe it’s this shared common feeling that pushes Étienne to change his closing remark for something a little more sincere.

“You know – if ever you’re still interested – after you’ve given yourself some time to heal, hit me up, yeah? I wouldn’t mind seeing where this could go.”

“The fuck is that supposed to mean, Maisonneuve?”

Étienne laughs at Edward, before he opens the door. “Whatever you want it to. Don’t forget – brunch tomorrow. Sleep well!”

He’s gone with a wink before Edward can call him back and before he starts overthinking that he’s just said too much. Instead, he nearly skips down the stairs and then heads back towards his own place. He meant what he’s said; he likes Edward and he really wouldn’t mind, given better circumstances. He takes out another cigarette for good measure, lights it up, and focuses instead of what else they can do tomorrow after their brunch.

He has a good feeling that things will work out in their own way.

FIN

August 17th 2024 4h08pm

[penig]

Today’s A Christmas Carol scene has lived rent-free in my head for 51 years at this point.

The throngs of ghosts, chained by their own decisions in life, crowding the streets and traveling all over the world bewailing all the misery they have lost all power to assuage! All that accumulated wealth revealed for what it is: a dead weight upon the soul!

The poor woman on the doorstep, as shut out from Christmas cheer as Scrooge, but not at all voluntarily!

“I cannot rest, I cannot stay, I cannot linger anywhere!” "Mankind was my business. The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence were, all, my business. The dealings of my trade were but a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my business!" I’ve echoed and quoted those lines without even realizing I was doing it, so many times!

Scrooge keeps trying to puncture the effect - “You might have got over a great quantity of ground in seven years” - but Marley will have none of it, and he makes his point.

Not till many years later did it occur to me to wonder why Marley took what was probably considerable trouble, badgering the Powers That Be, in order to set up this night of intensive therapy. Was he really that fond of Scrooge? Or was it just that, returning to his old haunts regularly and seeing the last personal connection of his life doubling down on following him from misery into misery, he conceived of one last desperate way in which he could, finally, help one person out of all the multitudes he couldn’t help? What hoops did he have to jump through in order to set this up? We never see  him again - he is singularly absent from all the visions brought by the Ghost of Christmas Past, presumably because he was disconnected from all the “softening influences” it was that Ghost’s purpose to invoke - but he is bound to be an invisible presence periodically through the rest of Scrooge’s life, and it is easy to imagine him observing the rest of the night’s work, cheering from the sidelines and possibly eating popcorn.

I remember, back in the 80s, reading a short story, I think by Marvin Kaye (it might have been in The Possession of Immanuel Wolf and Other Improbable Tales) which was primarily the night of Christmas Eve from the POV of the boy who fetches the turkey Christmas morning, who is frantically running around trying to get enough money to buy medicine for his mother. In the end he benefits from Scrooge’s change of life, but hesitates to accept his Christmas greetings and informs Scrooge (terrified lest the proffered benevolence be withdrawn) that he is Jewish. “So was my partner,” answers Scrooge, smiling. I think, in light of Marley’s reference to “Christian spirits” in his speechifying, that this is not an interpretation justified by the text; but I like it anyway. However, I am not Jewish, so what do I know? (I think Kaye was Jewish, but his Wikipedia article doesn’t say. It does inform me that he wrote a novel called The Last Christmas of Ebenezer Scrooge, and presided over its stage adaptation, which I did not know, and would like to see a copy of.)

[electricbluebutterflies]

pulse

Or, Layla is still figuring out what she gets out of a longer-term deal with a god than she planned on, Taweret just wants to be helpful, and Marc is trying to be calm about it all. Post-series Marc/Layla, PG-ish, also on ao3.

Prompt: a kiss out of habit (thank you as always @apple-grass-and-smiles)

They’re alive.

That feels like more of a miracle now than it used to, in those years when functional invulnerability was a more existent part of Layla’s domestic arrangement. There are questions she’s chosen not to ask in the past few months even though she wants to know what exactly happened, because it is better for her sanity if she does not. It is more than time for her to start prioritizing herself more than she used to, and-

They’re alive, and her husband can actually bleed now and it’s weird as all hell, and they’ll figure out how to do this again.

It was her fault this time, her attempted business deal gone slightly sideways because a friend of a friend of an acquaintance wasn’t actually that reliable and really she should know that kind of connection chain doesn’t usually work out in her favor. Everyone ends up knowing everyone in her line of work, and she’s probably ruined a reputation or two out of this and that is well deserved, and-

Technically no one got shot. That feels like a good night for them. No bodies are going to turn up or have to be disposed of by anyone involved. A few broken limbs and a good number of cuts and bruises, yes, and her side was not exempt from this, her wrist is definitely a little messed up and-

Laylaaaaaa

And there’s that voice in her head on top of all of this, the logistics of which Layla is figuring out by avoiding it. She knows she has a good deal there; as divine allies go, for what she has to compare her situation to, Taweret has been both hands-off and outgoing. The requests have been minimal and all things that Layla would be inclined towards doing anyways, and the suggestions that maybe she should activate her powers or whatever they even are for her own benefit have been…

“I’m fine,” she hisses, needing to hear her own voice now. Spraining her less dominant wrist is not ideal, but she’ll heal fine on her own, she’s done worse to herself in the past and-

“Her again?”

“Yeah. Just worrying. Not trying anything.”

They’re working on this, Layla reminds herself. She of all people can understand why Marc’s initial reaction to this new development in her life, once he processed that it wasn’t just a one-off act of desperation, was… not great. But he trusts her enough to keep the commentary minimal, and in turn she tries to keep the two currently dominant relationships in her life as separate as they can be considering one of them is worried about the other one at all times and ugh this must be what living with her is like and-

“You could’ve…”

“You think me having wings would’ve gotten us out of that any faster?” Layla asks, almost laughing. She’s not sure the wings would’ve even fit in that space, the damage would’ve been worse without any intent, and-

“If you’re going to do this, you should get something out of it.”

She turns her head and takes a kiss, and the familiarity of it all reminds her why she’s trying to make this work, why she is weaving the different elements of her life together into something functional if not yet beautiful. This part, the affection she feels after some kind of incident, is steady like her own pulse. What will happen later, when she is reminded that her partner can bruise now and ugh that still looks so weird a couple months in, is-

“I’m not you,” she murmurs just a little too close. They’re still moving, but there’s no rush, no worries anything might be close behind them. For now it’s alright to take time.

“I’m just saying…”

He wraps his hands around her wounded wrist, and it hurts and she allows it anyways. Their dynamic is changing now, and it hadn’t really changed in a long time and she’s not sure how to deal with that, and-

“What, do you want me to ask if there’s any way she can make me heal any faster?”

“Worth a shot?”

You should’ve asked earlier, the voice in Layla’s head says with a clear affection. I didn’t want to meddle, but…

“Making me a little harder to hurt would not count as meddling,” Layla counters. “But since you’re clearly invested in this… please?”

Instead of getting an answer, Layla feels a certain otherworldly warmth in her wrist. She will happily add this to the list of things she is not asking questions about, but-

There! And we can work on some kind of midpoint, you really should have some protection when you-

“I did fine without you.” Layla turns to look at her husband, who is… definitely missing something here, but at least keeping his mouth shut about the possible depth of confusion. “We did fine.”

“Can she hear me too?” Marc asks.

Yes!

“Yeah,” Layla interprets. “She can. And I don’t feel like moderating-“

“Hey, look, I wasn’t saying anything mean about you, if you want to protect my wife that’s great, just…”

“We’ve been through it. A lot. And we’re not exactly-“

Of course! I’ll leave you be.

Layla doubts that will actually happen, and adjusting to life knowing that she’s not consistently alone in her head and there may be cosmic commentary if not direct intervention has been a time, but…

“Is it okay?” Marc asks, letting go of his wife’s wrist.

“I think it’ll bruise,” Layla replies, taking another kiss. “Bruises are good.”

“They are.”

“No permanent damage but so many weird scars in my future. That feels okay.”

Compromise, always. They’ll make it work.

[syrips]

well..

the dude's whole theme is centered around the fist...

who said that, anyways. i think gort is more 'devilish' than raphael in terms of seduction because gort uses all of himself to get what he wants, more than raphael has. he learned, whether or not he means it, that intimacy/physical seduction is just another additional tool in his growth in power. but what makes him additionally charming (to players and npcs alike) is when he puts his honesty/vulnerability open for others to see (hence the 'whoretash' thing). we see a little bit of this when orin gets angry and kills/sabotages gort's allies. why would he dislike her if she was just wiping evidence of his networks clean, if they were just mere 'allies'? he should be relieved, right?

but no, orin likes to target and strip away gortash's beneficial connections. and what better power are from those that genuinely like him. or even worse, those that he genuinely likes back? why would he tell you, the player, about orin's murdering if he did not benefit in you stopping her? he wants to make people genuinely like him. to genuinely submit or work with him. he likes when people like him. and he would do any shameless act without hesitation, regardless of the ethics, to be portrayed as likeable.

gortash is seen as a genius, and the fact he's so young (yes i said it im sorry but he is) for how quickly he's grown in power is honestly only evidence of how dude has great use of his charm. the fact he's able to smooth talk every single type of powerful individual and faction, even contradicting ones, show it too. he has literally put himself in every situation as every faction's potential new partner (business and/or otherwise). he's not a shapeshifter, not a devil, not an immortal. he's just a guy barely a few decades old. yet, look how far he's gone, even before he became a chosen? he doesn't need a vampire, incubus, or devil's charm. he uses his wit and knowledge to know how to seduce anyone.

it's not that he's going after 'easy targets', but rather that using this intimate/sexual charm on these individuals is the easiest method. gort doesnt go for what is cold-blooded and efficient like devils in avernus do though. no, not unless as a last resort. gort is a human, with emotional intelligence and experience - he first goes for warm, human-appealing actions (even if it is coercion/blackmail). 'ill spare them if you do this.' 'we dont need blood shed.' 'we can work together.' because he, to a degree, is not aiming for violence, fear, or death. instead, he tugs at people's hearts, bodies, and heads - for dominion. power. control.

he wants to dominate, he wants to 'hold the leash' - he expects it. so why wouldnt he be good at physically dominating others, to sway them into obeying him? he knows how creatures' bodies work. he knows how far to push creatures' limits, with and without the tadpole. he knows how science, psychology, and physiology work. when he traded away karlach, he wasnt being cocky about 'karlach's body can handle it.' he was right. it was no accident that his parents were able to be conscious about their tortured situation. it was no accident that he slept with a wealthy woman born in a family lineage known to have a shady financial and political history. he knows how to make people suffer, or be happy, or sway their bodies and emotions into actions that benefit him. even more of a win if it benefits both parties.

he knows that making people feel good is the best way to dominate them.

I know we like calling him Whoretash and accusing him of having unimaginable manipulative rizz, but when you think about it, is it really true, based on canon Gortash lays?

Lady Jannath is a desperate milf with a bloodline notorious for accidentally supporting the most villainous people imaginable, we don't know if Franc Peartree was actually charmed by Gortash or simply putting up with his fruity ass love letters, and the Dark Urge is the fantasy equivalent of a repressed Catholic schoolboy who's never held someone's hand before, or at least, never a hand that's been attached to a body.

That's not really so much skill as going after easy targets.

[wambsgender]

How do you think Tom and Shiv spent their time together before the show?

Like I really can't imagine them going on dates and talking and having actual fun? i always get the vibe that they are like exclusively sex, complain about dad, and make fun of others kinda couple.

i am VERY glad you asked this, because my friends and i had a big long chat about this a few weeks ago.

in a good handful of interviews mattmac and co. have posited that they met when shiv was in a particularly fragile place, most likely after a terrible relationship (that in itself is very interesting to me, as it tells us she recognises the kind of dynamics she is uncomfortable in when it comes to romantic relationships but not familial ones) and tom was dependable and entirely adoring and all of that. i suspect that this previous awful partner was one from within the billionaire circles with all the associated awful traits of being young, rich, and untouchable.

so i think what drew her to tom was the fact that he was something entirely out of the roy sphere. it was a relationship with no business benefits, no advisor telling her the visuals were good, etc. it was something she could choose for herself and trust that not a word of her complaining about dad would make it back to him. but she could also trust that whatever they did together would be FUN. and that's what i think really particularly drew her to tom: he was fun! the silly goofy persona that we really don't get to see much of anymore must have been so refreshing in comparison to all these cold fuckers whose only highs are in the same kind of drugs and the same kind of parties over and over.

i think you're absolutely right that these days, and definitely in the period leading up to the events of the show, they've mellowed to sex and bitching. but i do also think that in the start his very earnest attempts to treat her well, to dote on her and do things by hand would have spoken to a woman raised without a cloth mother. i think he sort of took on that role for her, the cloth mother — i can see him cooking for her in the early days, and her sort of snidely remarking they could have just got this at a restaurant, but secretly watching every step in the process of washing and chopping ingredients, sweating onions, gently turning things over, adding spices and smells (though it amazes her how quickly the smells can go from beautiful and appetising to a stink lingering in her clothes...) peeling fruit for her as dessert — i can see her watching all of this with a rush of glee at the simple idea of someone having only her on their mind throughout all of these steps. and tom gets really really good at telling when she's enjoying it, and doesn't ask her to say "thank you" or "this is great", because he knows she's not trained to use those words, and he can see it on her face or in the way that she curls up against him later when they stay in to watch a show tom enjoys and shiv insists is silly, and she watches it anyway.

i also think they definitely went on tons of dates that she didn't enjoy, but she almost didn't mind retrospectively, because she had concrete proof that this man was racking his brains to figure out who she was and what she liked. she ended up quite liking the floristry workshop, especially when their bouquet is empirically, astronomically better than any of the uncoordinated disasters by the other couples, who are doomed to bin their flowers on the way out and argue the whole way home. they laugh about this. they laugh about the couple who are clearly doing this as part of a counselling exercise, the couple who are clinging to each other the whole time as though the class was a clumsy porn intro.

the worst date he ever takes her on is ice skating. but the way he pretends not to mind that she hates it is more romantic than any of the fancy candlelit dinners or rose petals in the bath or on the bed. the trouble comes when the novelty of all this wears off, and the cloth mother stops being comforting and becomes suffocating, because it's unfamiliar and scary when you've been raised on wires. and i think that's where we meet them in the pilot, where shiv is beginning to find him a little much, now that she's had her fill of a man who genuinely loves her. he knows her too well, and he's moving up the waystar ladder because he actually might be quite good at his job, and he's suddenly a real person in the roy world as well as her own personal one. and there's just no time for it anymore.

either this or . OR they were gay besties and did gay bestie friend dates until she realised he was not in fact not calling her 'girlfriend' or 'babe' or 'darling' in a homosexual way. (this is the better answer)

[ella-cooper]

Ella did her best to keep up her smile under Dakota's praise but the more she heard it the more she realized that she had no fucking idea what she was doing. She had spent her entire adolescence dreaming of being part of a literal gang thinking that was some kind of career choice. And reality had hit hard but nothing had hit harder than realizing she had no fucking idea who she was. she had stopped caring after losing her parents, sure that she wasn't meant to live life without them. and though she grieved them, she also used it as an excuse. never surpassing her pain, only allowing it to dig deeper and deeper. opening the bar was just her way of using her natural skills of vibe curating and knowing how to throw a great fucking party. plus it helped that she actually knew how to do math and keep a budget. that she had learned from her older sister. "What do you mean? I'm sure you say plenty right? Who's not having faith in themselves now, huh?"

"You do sound like somebody's grandma but you're right. I know and I'm trying, believe me. But nah, I'm not leaving. Not yet at least. Not unless I can convince my sisters to come with me. I have too much shit to move anyway," they teased and shrugged it off. Ella wished they could take back the expression of feeling they had shared, panicking a bit despite Dakota's earnest care. "God no they're the least of my problems unfortunately. Though I have been training but let me be real, I have no business with that shit. You think someone is really gonna be intimidated by me? I need way more muscle. I'll just look like some punk rocker who got stuck out there,"they joked and shook their head, feeling ridiculous.

"I've just," she took a breath to try to think of a lie and shook her head. "I've just been struggling. Stressed out with the business, you know? I have some business partners who are just super demanding so I'm always worried about this place not making enough money." It was as much of the truth as she could share without giving herself away totally. It wasn't a lie really so it did feel like a weight lifted off their shoulders. She gave Dakota's hand a squeeze and shook their head. "It's fine though, I'm fine, really. I mean I'm just trying to live up to all the expectations, you know? I mean opening up a business in a expensive part of town where most people around are licensed to carry guns and love a little violence? It's a lot I didn't have to worry about before. And it's not like I really have a lot of people having my back." The way they saw it, Ella's main benefit was having enough money in their bank account to live a life. Otherwise there was no real reason for them to believe that the Enterprise actually cared for their life and would protect them at all cost. They'd probably sooner get rid of them than save their life. So it wasn't as if they felt particularly safe at all times.

"I'm okay," they repeated and gave Dakota's hand a squeeze. "Especially with you here. Promise." They took a breath before letting out a laugh. "God, can we talk about something less depressing now, please?"

"I never understood why do you have so little faith in yourself, Ells. You could do wonders.. I mean," turning around to point to everything the other had managed to create to strengthen her words even more, "you're doing them. This is amazing. You brought a bit of the world to Tonopah and to me, the former New Yorker, it truly means a lot." To say she didn't miss New York would be a lie. It was the city of her dreams, after all, but it was a city that harbored many memories she not just wanted to forget, but erase them completely from the eyes of the world. It was supposed to be different - New York was suppose to become her playground. With the Columbia medical degree, the inheritance she had.. her future should have been smoother. But one wrong move, one wrong look, one drink she should have never accepted.. it was the first step to hell. "Am I? God, I never know how to say anything remotely right, but it's either alcohol talking or you're just trying to be way too nice to me," Dakota laughed as she slightly shook her head. In a way it was good to be home - perhaps she belonged to Tonopah. It wasn't as if it didn't welcome her back with open arms.

Taking in Ella's words, Dakota knew that leaving Tonopah was a part of the plan of half of its citizens. The others loved it - loved being caught in between the gangs, and after all, even Dakota.. as protected as was during her childhood, belonged to one through her father. It was not a choice, it was legacy. "That's an eternal question, isn't it? What if? I often ask myself the very same question," it was the only question she was asking herself - and about so many things, "but you can't know. At the end of the day you realize you have to accept your choices, your past & just live in the present while bravely facing the future." It took her quite long to truly stand behind those words of hers, and even today she was trying to fight them, but it was the truth. "God, I sound like I'm hundred years old. But look, Ella, I think it's never too late. It's not late to leave, to change your life, to start from a scratch.. though I would personally be offended if you'd leave with me being back," wrapping her words in a playful manner to smooth the seriousness the conversation changed to, Dakota lightly smiled upon feeling Ella squeezing her hand. The thing was, Dakota felt all alone.. ever since her parents passed away. People had siblings, someone very much alive who reminded them of their parents - who still had a part of them within them - or they had kids, yet Dakota had none. It was only her.. & she could have gone to any other place, but she chose to come back to Tonopah. It hurt to be caught in the perpetual web of memories, but it was comforting - and there were people who were like a family to her.. waiting for her to come back. "What? What do you mean you're not okay? Ella." Putting her glass aside, Dakota put her hands on the other's shoulders while trying to catch Ella's eyes. Whatever was troubling them, had to be horrible. "What is it?" Searching for their eyes, Dakota tried to find some answers in them. "Is it Los Bandoleros?" The long time dream her friend had.. it had to be a thing of the past, no?

[superhero--imagines]

Etsy Store Here l Ko-Fi l Commission Info

Part 1 Here! / Part 2 Here!/ Playlist Here!

* Alright so here are the facts as you know them

* Gojo’s a goddamn player and a homewrecker

* The boy probably has half of Tokyo after him

* Not that you can blame them, that pretty face had you fooled at first too

* The second fact, it that for whatever reason, Gojo Satoru has chosen to play house with a future hopeful sorcerer named Megumi Fushiguro

* Which, through forces outside your control, you have become involved with as well

* And the last fact, was that as soon as this no longer interested him or benefited him in any way, Gojo Satoru would abandon the situation entirely and act like it never happened

* So-

* “(Y/N/N), you look nice today, did you do something new with your hair?” Gojo sings

* - pray tell, why is the school prince is currently sitting on top of your desk, looking at you with those heart eyes

* “Oi what do you think you’re doing?” You ask, a vein threatening to pop on your forehead

* “I’m flirting with you~” he sings, only leaning closer with that all-too-pleased smile

* “I’m pretty sure this is bullying” you reply

* Ever since you’ve started pseudo-parenting Megumi and Tsumiki, Gojo’s been doing crap like this,

* Sometimes he tries to feed you at lunch,

* “Open wide (Y/N/N)~” He’ll sing as he holds out a piece of sushi towards you on some chopsticks

* Only for Megumi to eat it instead

* “Why do you look so sad papa, I thought you said I was your pride and joy”

* other times he’s holding doors open for you

* “Ah here let me-“

* You watch as he walks across from you and opens the door to a random void shrine

* You look at him before sighing and opening your own door to the library

* The other day you mentioned how you didn’t get to try the limited edition Sakura Pepsi and came back to your dorm with a bottle on your desk

* Which would be cute- if the bottle wasn’t half-empty with a note that he’d that said

* “Sorry, I got thirsty on the way back”

* Seriously he’s the worst- and yet,

* You turned away from Megumi and Gojo bickering, hoping he didn’t notice how flustered you were,

* you hid your laugh behind your hand as Gojo jogs to catch up with you, saying he was just trying to predict your needs-

* And you held the half-full bottle of Sakura Pepsi to your chest, keeping it on your window sill

* Because you love him-

* Even though you know he’s just doing all these things to entertain himself instead of out of genuine affection

* Even though these feeling will do nothing but hurt you

* You still love him

* He makes your life feel exciting and fun

* And more than that, underneath that moronic playboy exterior, is a gentle, lonely heart

* A heart that will run away as soon as it knows how you feel about it

* So you mask your budding feelings as best as you can

* Because the only thing you imagine is more painful than knowing your feelings won’t be returned-

* Is not having Gojo Satoru in your life at all

* So you do your best to pretend like nothing has changed

* You act just as indifferent as you always have-

* “Here-“ you push your dessert in Gojo’s direction. “You like sweets right?”

* His smile is so radiant you almost have to shield your eyes

* Well, mostly indifferent anyway

* Not that the self-absorbed moronic prince has seemed to notice anyway

* Too busy focusing on the scrumptious piece of cake in front of him

* Still Gojo isn’t one to be underestimated, he looks to you with a twinkle in his eyes

* “Let’s share it!”

* So far he’s tried twice to have an indirect kiss with you, and he’s missed twice

* He even threw away those chopsticks when Megumi ate that piece of sushi in frustration

* But you know what they say, third times the charm

* You look at Gojo with a raised eyebrow, gaze flicking between the cake and his face

* What, did he imbue some cursed energy so it would explode when you tried to take a bite

* “No thanks”

* Cue Gojo crying as he eats his cake

* He’s really been doing his best lately to earnestly pursue you

* But for some reason, you just don’t get it

* “I like you,” Gojo says as you’re walking side by side on your way back to the dorm after visiting Megumi

* You look back at him, and Gojo feels a blush start to fan across his face

* He finally did it! He finally confessed to you

* And his heart is drumming away in his chest

* You don’t seem to understand the monumental significance of what just occurred because what your mind heard was

* “I {really} like {teasing} you”

* You sigh, your heart skipped a beat, for a second you almost got your hopes up

* There’s no way lady killer Gojo Satoru would ever pick you to be one of his lovers, and if he did it would just be so you could be apart of his personal harem

* “Ok”

* And then you turn around and walk away

* Gojo can’t help but feel like this is retribution for all the times one of his romantic partners has said ‘I love you’

* And he responded with:

* “Why would you do that to yourself?”

* Or

* “Cool”

* At first he thinks it’s a straight-up rejection, but he figures out pretty fast that you just didn’t get it when you keep acting the same as you always have around him

* But don’t get it wrong babe, none of this deters Gojo in the slightest

* “Why are you looking at me like that?” You ask

* You’re both in the library, but only one of you is actually studying

* Gojo’s been staring at you with an oddly fixated gaze

* Honestly it’s got you feeling an uncomfortable heat spreading from your face to your neck

* “I’m not giving up you know”

* Giving up on what?!?

* What’s going on right now!!?

* But Gojo doesn’t offer any more insight choosing instead to finally bother reading the book in his hands

* What a weird guy

* You look down to your own book

* You feel the heat linger on your face and neck

* It’s because he’s always saying crap like that, that you’ve caught feelings for him

* Well whatever, everything fades right? Eventually, Gojo will probably lose interest in you-

* He’s part of a clan do you imagine they’ll find a nice girl from a respectable family for him to marry

* They’ll probably have a few kids who’ll be next in line to succeed him

* And by then he’ll be in such a prominent position that you’ll never see him again

* He’ll just be a memory

* Some boy you had a youthful unrequited love with

* The thought makes your heart clench but-

* “It’s for the best,” you tell yourself

* You’re going in completely opposite directions in life, you couldn’t possibly home for anything more than what you have

* After all your luck probably ran out the second you saw his face

* The most beautiful man you’ll ever see

* “I bet he would be one of those handsome grandpas when he gets older” you snort

* The kind that charms and flirts with young men and women just because he knows the effect he has on them.

* You still can’t believe you fell in love with someone like that

* “What a pain” you mumble to yourself, falling back on your bed

* You feel uncertain, afraid of the future even.

* Maybe a snack will help

* It’s the middle of the night, way past the time you were supposed to go to bed when you see him in the kitchen

* Great the last person you wanted to run into

* He’s just standing there in front of the fridge with the door open

* He hasn’t even turned around to say hi or anything

* “Oi Baka prince if you leave the door open like that every-“

* You stop mid-word, you only need one look at his face to know something is wrong

* It’s not all that uncommon for him to do something like this-

* See the thing is, Gojo knows he’s strong enough that he will get to choose when he dies- he’s not bound by the same pain the other sorcerers are, but-

* Well, he’s still going to die

* No matter how much he thinks he’s like god, no matter how powerful he is,

* He’s still going to die

* And growing up with the power he’s had and the mindset that he’s the strongest

* The realization can be pretty crippling

* He so afraid of the uncertainty that brings that most times he can’t move

* The worst part is it’s never when he’s actively thinking about death, or even when he’s on the job

* It’s always at times like this when he’s just woken up and is oddly hungry and he’ll remember

* “Oh, I’m going to die aren’t I?”

* And then it’s like he’s frozen solid

* What is it he usually tells the victims that enter his domain?

* “Funny how when you can do everything, you find you can’t do anything”

* Usually he manages to unfreeze after some unspecified amount of time, getting through it on his own

* But this time, when he finally escapes from the domain of his inner mind he’s covered in a layer of sweat just like always-

* But he’s not sure why he sprawled across the floor

* Not until his head shifts a little, only to see your face looming over him

* Omgomgomgomgomgomgomgomg

* He’s resting his head in your lap!!!

* Honestly this has been a fantasy of his for a while, to have his head in your lap while looking at the cherry blossoms, and you feed him chocolates and a gentle wind caresses your face

* BUT NOT LIKE THIS

* “Feeling better?” You ask

* Gojo thinks he might combust, he moves to sit up but winces

* He’s got the worst headache, these little episodes of his do typically end with a migraine

* Your hand feels nice and cold as it rests against his forehead

* “Rest a little longer, we’re not in any hurry”

* Aaaaand now he’s screaming on the inside again

* “Sorry about this” he mumbles, and you can’t help but smile

* It’s oddly endearing to see a shy Gojo Satoru

* “I bet your lovers would kill me if they saw knew you were showing me such a cute side” you’re half-joking when you say it, but you’re also half-serious

* It gives your Ego a little boost to know you’ve seen a side of him that most of his lovers probably haven’t

* You doubt the mighty Gojo Satoru ever allows himself to be this vulnerable, not even while he’s in the throes of passion

* So that same earnest look on his face startles you

* “I don’t have any other lovers”

* You snort

* “Sure, and I definitely didn’t steal Geto’s pudding that he was saving”

* “I’m being serious”

* Gojo sighs, here he is feeling awfully vulnerable and you still seem denser than a rock

* Do you think he would let anyone other than you see him like this

* “When are you going to realize that if it’s not you then it’s just no good?”

* Your heart is drumming in your ears, and you wonder if he can hear it

* Your mind is telling you to pull back, that this is way too good to be true, that this will only hurt you,

* You should get away while you still have a chance

* But instead something in you persists and you say:

* “Why do you think that is”

* Gojo’s hand reaches up, twirling a strand of your hair around his finger, those clear blue eyes looking straight into yours

* Your breath stutters in your chest

* You always have been weak for those eyes

* His pink lips curl up into a smile

* “Because I love you”

* And before you know what you’re doing your bending down, pressing your lips against his

* “I love you too”

Bonus:

* “You can see through it right?” You ask

* Gojo fidgets with the blindfold, honestly he was hoping for a much kinkier reason than replacing his scuffed sunglasses when you gave him the blindfold

* “It’s a little darker, but that’s not a bad thing.”

* His hair is out of his face too which is nice

* But-

* “What’s with the sudden gift?”

* It’s not exactly out of character for you to get the people you care about something, but this seems a little outside of your usual MO

* “I just felt like it” You mumble

* Now that his eyes are covered up you think he might attract a little less attention, and all his former flings probably won’t be able to recognize him

* Your eyes drift to his uniform, even in the gross pantsuit you can still tell he’s got a pretty nice body,

* But you’ll have to adjust

* Gojo sees right through your nonchalant answer, smiling that wolfish grin

* “Aw was my sweetie scared I was going to leave them?” He coos, moving ever so close

* You only turn away your face

* Gojo only grins wider

* “Honey~ you should know by now if it’s not you then I’m not interested” he sings in your ear

[amazingphanisnotonfire-imagines]

Maeve//i don't belong, and my beloved, neither do you

Request: Could you please do something else with Maeve? Perhaps something where reader works with Maeve on an English project and she's surprised that they have so much in common. She realizes she has feelings for her somehow after that? Sorry that's sort of rubbish, have a swell day/night.

hey! what’s up everybody! i hope everyone is well, and i hope you like this!! title is from ‘the lakes’ by taylor swift! 

- English projects are never fun 

- I mean, who finds constant stress and a deadline that’s always far too close fun?

- Nobody

- That’s who

- Well apart from Mrs Jones

- Your year 9 English teacher who made every minute of her classes a living hell

- And who mysteriously went missing half way through the year after having a screaming match with a fellow English teacher

- When she was supposed to be teaching you Romeo & Juliet. 

- One day she was accusing Miss Newman of being a terrible teacher and purposefully bumping up students grades so she looked better 

- And the next day both her and Miss Newman were gone 

- And you only got a replacement teacher when you moved into year 10

- Right now though 

- Its seems Miss Sands is going through some stuff 

- Because not only did she give you an assignment on Friday with a deadline of Monday 

- She also chose your partners instead of letting you choose your own

- Which is why you’re stood outside of Maeve’s in the pouring rain

- On a frankly miserable Saturday morning 

- It seems the weather knew exactly what sort of weekend you were facing 

- And decided to make it even worse. 

- By the third knock 

- You’re about to give up 

- The curtains are still drawn 

- And you’ve seen more movement in a graveyard 

- Plus

- You kind of already assumed you would be doing the project alone 

- Maeve Wiley was known for being very...

- ...independant 

- And group projects are no different 

- You actually think she may be more independent during group projects

- So as soon as Miss Sands paired you together 

- You knew 

- You were 99% sure that 

- You’d do your thing

- She’d do hers 

- And then five minutes before the presentation 

- You would figure out a way to connect the two.

- Anywayyyy

- While daydreaming about a time when you won’t have any assignments 

- And making awkward, accidental eye contact with Maeve’s neighbours 

- The door in front of you opens 

- Simultaneously giving you a fright and almost knocking you out

- She yawns and scratches the top of her head 

- ‘what are you doing here?’ 

- She sounds both tired and annoyed and you blink at her a few times before answering 

- ‘er - i - the project. for english.’ 

- It takes her a few seconds to process what you’ve said 

- But when she does 

- She looks even more miserable than she did five seconds ago

- And you brace yourself for a long weekend 

- She sighs and rolls her eyes 

- Before slowly opening the door properly and letting you in

- You feel slightly nervous as you walk in 

- But you really have no idea why

- It’s not like she’s a complete stranger 

- But then again 

- She’s not exactly a friend 

- ‘don’t worry, i’ve hidden the drugs. i don’t really like to share anyway.’ 

- ‘what?’ you ask confused and she rolls her eyes again 

- She huffs and crosses her arms before nodding to the slightly messy living room

- ‘i get it. we’re a bunch of benefit fraud chavs that do nothing but drink and smoke all day.’ 

- ‘that’s not what i was thinkin-’ 

- ‘sure it wasn’t.’ she rolls her eyes and you stare down at the floor. ‘i need to get changed so make yourself at home I suppose.’ 

- She walks into what you assume is her bedroom and slams the door behind her 

- Leaving you to stand awkwardly in the middle of the living room

- It’s small and slightly cramped 

- And most people would say that all the stuff makes it look busy 

- But to you 

- It’s wonderful 

- It’s filled with stories and memories 

- Some self explanatory 

- Some slightly more bizarre 

- Like the wonky blue and yellow clay swan living on the coffee table 

- You really want to know the story behind it 

- But decide it might be a little early in your partnership to start asking about her attachment to a half swan, half moth looking ornament

- So instead you pick up a pile of books on the dining table and move them onto the floor 

- You can hear Maeve opening and closing drawers while humming a familiar tune 

- And you feel yourself relax slightly as you place your laptop and books where the books were previously sat 

- Even if it does feel like you’re using all of your braincells to try and figure out where you’ve heard it before 

- ‘wow, do you actually trust me around that?’ 

- ‘what?’ you stop humming and look up at her 

- She looks between you and the laptop, staring at you expectantly 

- ‘oh no. i mean of course i do.’ you blush and she shakes her head before sitting opposite you 

- ‘so what do we know about women in fiction?’ 

- ‘historically they are written as either a femme fatalle type or some sort of innocent angelic being.’ 

- ‘they still are’ 

- ‘true’ you agree and flick through your textbook

- ‘why don’t we write about that then?’ 

- ‘what? how we’re still depressingly far back in the equality movement, despite being told otherwise?’ 

- She stares at you for a few seconds 

- A mixture of shock and surprise 

- Before nodding 

- And smiling 

- An actual genuine smile 

- You didn’t even know she could do that 

- Well you did 

- Of course you did 

- But you just haven’t seen it a lot 

- Usually when you see Maeve 

- She’s either mad, grumpy or very, very, very angry

- But her smiling 

- Puts a smile on your face 

- And this was definitely not where you thought this was going 

- ‘yeah...that’ 

- ‘okay.’ you shrug. ‘you can do classic literature because i know you prefer them and i’ll cover modern works.’

- ‘how do you know i prefer classics?’ 

- ‘the pile of books’ you nod towards the floor and she follows your gaze, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. ‘they’re all ripped and folded. you either love them or really, really hate them’ 

- ‘okay’ she eyes you suspiciously as you focus on your laptop 

- And you can feel your cheeks heat up under her gaze 

- However as quickly as they were there 

- They disappear 

- And the two of you fall into a surprisingly comfortable silence. 

- After about half an hour 

- Maeve stops what she’s doing to stretch 

- ‘is it okay if i play some music?’ 

- ‘sure, it’s your place. do what you want...as long as its not awful’ 

- ‘and what constitutes as awful?’ she asks, a smirk playing on her lips

- ‘well’ 

- And with that one question 

- Your entire day disappears in front of you 

- Laptops and books are closed and long forgotten 

- And instead you talk about music and movies 

- Books and plays 

- Characters that you love and hate 

- And the fact that her favourite character is the one you hate the most 

- She makes you lunch while you debate between movies and books and which adaptations are good

- And which ones should never have been made

- And you clean up and apologise profusely after a stray cushion (possibly thrown by you) ends up knocking the pan over 

- Surprisingly 

- She finds it quite funny 

- And you let out a relieved sigh

- Soon the sun goes down on another day 

- And you’ve barely written two paragraphs done between you

- ‘do you want to stay?’ she asks while your putting your jacket on

- If she’d asked you that this morning 

- You would have thought she had lost it 

- But now it feels almost inevitable 

- And you feel genuinely lucky to be asked 

- Not many people get to know Maeve 

- The real her 

- And that last person she told all of this to broke her heart 

- Very publicly 

- And she told herself she would never let herself be that vulnerable with someone ever again

- But this just feels right 

- For some reason you feel right 

- She feels safe with you 

- And part of her hates herself for it 

- But then again 

- She hates herself for not getting to know you sooner

- She feels far too attached to you 

- And it’s barely been twelve hours 

- You of course agree to stay 

- Shocking yourself and her 

- And while she sorts to sofa out 

- You excuse yourself to the bathroom 

- Under the pretences of telling your parents where you are 

- It takes two seconds to text them 

- And the other 28 to ask yourself 

- What the fuck are you doing? 

- Why are you agreeing to this? 

- Why do you feel like this? 

- What are you feeling?

- Who knows?

- Not you 

- Great 

- Now you’ve been in the bathroom for a suspicious amount of time 

- Just get it together, Y/n

- It’s just a study sleepover 

- Maeve gives you a questioning look as you leave 

- ‘you know how mums are. always worrying about where you are and what you’re doing’ 

- ‘i wouldn’t actually’ she shrugs and your eyes widen 

- ‘oh shit, sorry. i’m so sorry. god, i’m an idiot.’

- ‘it’s fine’ she forces a laugh and you wince. ‘i got you an extra duvet and little women is ready to watch so i can show you that the book is better’ 

- ‘that’s not what i said and you know it’ 

- ‘i’m sorry. i can’t hear you over the sound of me being 100% right and you being 100% wrong.’ 

- ‘you may be good at english, but you suck at maths’ 

- The next day you wake up to the sun shining through the curtains 

- And a clump of Maeve’s hair in your mouth 

- You splutter and cough and wake her up quickly 

- And she jumps away from you and smacks her head of the table 

- The two of you ended up moving the blankets to the floor while watching Pride and Prejudice 

- And neither of you bothered to move back 

- Maeve yawns and scratches her head

- Exposing a small part of her stomach and you feel yourself become a little breathless 

- ‘are you okay?’ 

- ‘ye-yeah’ you nod and she eyes you suspiciously 

- ‘whatever’ she shrugs and starts making breakfast 

- You watch as she pours to bowls of cereal

- Giving you the last of the milk 

- And for a second you’re a little worried as to how she knew you liked it 

- But then you remember that she also likes it and you had a whole discussion about the best and worst types of cereal at 2am 

- And half way through breakfast 

- You remember the original reason you’re here 

- And both of you curse loudly 

- Before rushing to finish eating 

-You get half way through your project 

- When Maeve asks if you want to go out for a bit 

- And well 

- She doesn’t need to ask you twice 

- And by the time you come back 

- The feeling you had last night returns 

- And has settled in your stomach 

- For the foreseeable future it seems 

- It makes you feel both light and heavy at the same time 

- And when you look at her 

- You feel dizzy 

- So you rush to finish the project 

- So you can go home and pretend nothing has changed 

- And yeah 

- With the need to leave 

- You get the rest of the assignment done fairly quickly 

- But you end up leaving feeling more confused about Maeve as you did when you started this 

- Maybe Miss Sands was right about a weekend project 

- Any longer and you would have gone insane trying to figure out whatever the hell this is 

- You just have to get through tomorrow and then you’ll be okay 

- Everything will go back to normal 

- You and Maeve can go back to being neutral to each other

- And you won’t have to deal with all of these confusing feelings that have decided to make an appearance for some reason 

- Wellll

- Turns out Miss Sands was wrong 

- A weekend is not enough time 

- And the first few presentations are awful 

- To put it nicely 

- So you spend the next week in a permanent confused state 

- Confused as to why you start looking for Maeve whenever you enter a room

- Confused as to why your heart skips a beat whenever you hear her laugh 

- Confused as to why you never want her stop talking in class 

- Even if the bell has rung and it’s lunch 

- Confused to why you keep looking for excuses to go over to see her 

- Despite your assignment being long done 

- And even more confused as to why you feel anxious when you’re waiting for her to answer the door

- The next Monday rolls around both painfully slowly and far too quickly 

- And while you wait for Ola and Danny to finish their presentation 

- Your hands shake with anxiety while your grip your papers 

- Maeve reaches over the table and gives them a reassuring squeeze 

- But it just makes them shake more and she slowly pulls back 

- Your turn can’t come quick enough 

- But then it’s over far too quickly 

- And you slump back down in your seat disappointed 

- Despite Miss Sands’ praise 

- Because it’s over 

- You no longer have an excuse to hang out with her 

- You never talked before 

- So why do you care about after 

- But there’s so much about her that you want to know

- Like the weird swan/moth hybrid 

- And the ugly plate that sits on top of the bookshelf 

- You want to be part of these stories 

- You want to be able to point to these things and say

- ‘yeah, i know exactly why that is special to you’ 

- You want to be the reason to add to this random collection of stuff 

- You want her to smile when she looks at them because they’ll remind her of you 

- You want her to smile when she looks at you 

- ‘y/n? are you okay?’ she asks making you jump 

- The classroom is now empty and you didn’t even notice the bell go 

- ‘ye-yeah’ you nod and grab your bag

- ‘are you sure?’ she grabs your arm forcing you turn around 

- ‘whats the weird swan thing on your coffee table?’ you ask and she furrows her eyebrows at you. ‘it’s just i saw it when i first came over and i really want to know the story behind it’ 

- ‘oh. aimee went through a pottery phase last year and that was the only thing she made that didn’t have a hole in it.’

- ‘and the plate?’ 

- ‘birthday present from my neighbours’ 

- ‘they got you a plate?’ 

- ‘yeah, they don’t have any kids’ 

- ‘clearly’ 

- Silence fills the room and you stare at the peeling posters behind her head 

- You can feel Maeve move closer to you and your breath hitches when she stops a few centimetres in front of you 

- She grabs your hand and squeezes it again 

- And your heartbeat increases 

- ‘y/n?’ 

- ‘yeah?’ 

- ‘i’m really, really confused right now. like more confused that i have ever been in my life. but what i do know, is that if i watch you walk out of that door without saying anything first, then i’d regret it for the rest of my life. i’ve only ever felt like this about boys before, but now i feel this and more about you and i have no idea where it’s come from or what i need to do, but i do know i need to tell you. because otherwise, it wouldn’t be fair for either of us’ she whispers and you stare at her wide eyed 

- ‘can i kiss you?’ she asks and you nod your head quickly 

- Slowly she leans in

- Her eye flutter closed and you follow 

- Your lips brush over hers 

- Her hands wrap around you waist to pull you close

- And then your lips connect 

- And you feel everything change 

- She kisses you slowly 

- And when you pull away you both feel breathless 

- Her cheeks are bright red 

- And there’s a shy smile playing on her lips as she looks at you bashfully

- And all of a sudden you feel really grateful for Miss Sands and her personal issues 

- Although you really hope they are resolved now 

- For your sake as well as hers

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