#this may change if i'm able to find another job but while i'm at this one

[hardlyinteresting]

To Have and To Hold

Jake Seresin x Reader

Jake comes home

Warnings: The reader is referred to as she/her, with no physical description, (please let me know if you'd like me to tag anything please), I grew up in an Army household so some of my Navy knowledge may be slightly off base (no pun intended) Word count: 1.8K

The floorboards creak with the weight of his footsteps still. there's a strange comfort in the sounds of this old house settling; the hum of the refrigerator downstairs, the quiet slide of his socks across wood floors. If he listens carefully, he can hear the whistle of the wind blowing past the window he meant to reseal all those months ago. The reminder of another missed task weighs heavy in his heart; a failure to provide a safe, warm home. It's the little things that matter most, his mama's voice reminds him, but it's the little things he so often misses-- always overlooked with the prayer that he won't be made a liar when he says he'll do it later. 

Time plays him for a fool. At 35 he rushes to make sure he meets the milestones he set out for himself, steadfast and resilient in his resolve to do more-- to be more. He breaks records, and sets precedents. But, he struggles to relax. Breathing doesn't come easy to him when it's not through his aviator's mask. In for seven, out for five. He counts the seconds of his inhales and exhales grounding himself in the moment. 

He does his best to hold tight to the moments he has here, But still, it never seems to be enough. like sand through an hourglass it all seems to slip away from him; these new found days of domestic bliss escape through his fingers like the memories of his childhood back in Texas. He wonders if one day he might be afforded the chance to pick up all the pieces and fit them together in some semblance of a “normal” life. He worries about his time away from home, what he's missed, and worse yet what he stands to miss if this life is taken from him too soon. 

Tonight marks the end of a six month separation, and tomorrow morning the count down to his next inevitable departure will begin. Always running out of time. It never used to bother him, it exhilarated him even, time blasting by in a blink of an eye. Back when he was younger, back when he had nothing to lose, and no idea what he stood to gain by sticking around. Now he worries about the quality of the lock on the front door, he thinks about restaining the floor downstairs and fixing up the kitchen. Domestic life snuck up on him. Slowly but surely his house became a home. Sun-baked bricks and weather-worn siding, with a shade of green paint he's been told matches his eyes. Four walls and roof that keep the outside world at bay. 

Down the hall in their bedroom, he Expects to find his wife sleeping, waiting in dreams for him to come home to her. It's the part of his job he struggles with the most now. It's so hard to leave this life they've built now that part of him is forever tethered to the earth. 

“I worry sometimes that I'm holding you back,” she confessed one night, “your job is hard enough as it is…I don't want to make it harder for you”. He hadn't been able to find the words to tell her how wrong she was.How could he describe the ways she had changed him? 

The need to return home to her never leaves him stunted in the sky, it fuels him. Long gone are the days where he fought just to be seen; she sees him. He's quick up there, tens of thousands of feet above the ground, he's calm and he's brilliant. His colleagues can call him cocky all they want, but his confidence is founded on his proven ability, and sometimes it's necessary to show off a little bit even if it's just so he can have another story to tell his sweetheart when he gets home. He imagines himself writing her name in the sky, carving her likeness in the clouds, a blazing trail racing home to her. 

So many of his earlier years had been spent playing the field too afraid to commit, too afraid to be loved. Adaptability, while necessary for his job, had never been his strong suit. A tiny part of him deep in the back of his mind always left the hair at the back of his neck on end when faced with change.

He had struggled in school, not academically, but socially and learned to over compensate to make up for his discomfort. The navy had given him the structure he had craved, a way to make his bed and fold his clothes, instructions that weren't open to interpretation. Living on his own allowed him to follow the same schedule and practices as he did on base.  In a split second, his life on the line, he never hesitates, but sustained change to his daily life left him nauseated. Welcoming another person into his life, and into his home had pushed him past the edges of where he believed his comfort laid, but forced him to confide in a support system outside of routine. 

Over the course of a few weeks her belongings joined his, sprinkled through out the house like a treasures to be found. Without a word she had taken care to intermix her books with the few of his own on the shelf, sorting them by alphabetical order just as he'd been doing for years. His anxiety slowly waned as his darling girl continued to prove she understood him better than anyone else ever had. 

“Do you prefer flying at dusk or dawn?” She had asked a few weeks after she moved in. curled up on their sofa, her head tucked under his chin, college football playing on the tv, she traced invisible shapes across his chest. “I don't have a preference, sweetheart. I just like flying,” his response felt half-baked, but it was the honest-to-good truth. 

“But if you had to pick?” she persisted. He weighed his answer before giving it to her, “if I had to pick, it would be dusk. There’s a moment, if you're up at the right time where you can see the night sky blending into the sunset…the sky is a gray-blue and you can see the sun at the horizon and the little pinpricks of stars”. 

“It sounds beautiful,” her smile was soft and genuine when she cupped his cheek to make sure he was looking at her. A habit of hers, not letting him hide away from the softer parts of himself, she seemed to so easily pull out. “It is”.

That weekend he’d spent 72 hours on base and returned home on Monday evening to the faintest smell of fresh paint. In the low evening light, it took him a moment to figure it out, standing puzzled in the middle of the living room, still dressed in his service khakis trying to identify the source of the smell. “You’re home!” she’d grinned coming down the stairs, her jeans and t-shirt splattered with gray. It’s then he noticed with his darling girl looking so proud of herself, the walls of the living room coated in a soft heather blue-grey, no longer just a coat of contractor-grade white reflecting the shade of twilight through the windows. Flicking on the light he watched her grow nervous as he felt his brow furrow processing the unexpected change. “Do you like it?” she asked. 

“It’s perfect, baby,” he promised pulling her close and kissing her thoroughly, “It’s beautiful”. 

A few months later he came home from work to find his shower gel and shampoo had both been replaced by a new set. Confused and with no other option, he chose to use them, deciding he liked the smell of eucalyptus and mint much more than he'd liked sport: for men anyway. 

“Baby, what happened to my shower gel?” 

“You were complaining about how dry your skin has been”.

“Hmm,” the consideration to change his routine to better himself hadn't occurred to him before she moved in. 

More recently he'd come home from a night out with the squadron, and woken up under a Forest green duvet, a jarring difference to the burgundy plaid cover he'd owned for years. Momentary panic filled his chest. Like a sharp, sudden plunge into cold water he'd gasped his eyes scanning the room to confirm his location. The familiar scent of her perfume, the sound of the ocean breeze, assured him he was in fact in their room. In the dark when he'd come home, colour of the duvet hadn't been noticeable and he found himself mildly embarrassed by how badly it startled him. Her hand reaching out for him, stretching across the sheets to touch him lured him back to a flat position letting her snuggle herself right up against his side. It was then he noticed that the weight of the blanket was the same as before, and it was just as plush as it had always been. Her on going respect for his comfort continued to leave him floored. A memory of her texting him to ask his favourite colour (green) filled his mind and left him drifting back to sleep with a smile on his face. 

Secretly, he'd begun to look forward to the tiny changes she brought into his life and into the house. The littlest reminders of their strengthening bond, their lives stitching together in more tangible and visible ways. The Navy had taught him to think literally, latteral thinking developed and honed to reach conclusions and make decisions quickly and effectively, but the metaphor of their lives blending like the presence of her belongings along side his own, and freshly painted walls is not lost on him. 

Tonight the house is quiet as it often is when he returns so late. He knows if she knew what day he was set to come back home she would've done her best to stay awake for him, dozing off on the sofa with the living room curtains wide open, hoping to catch the sight of his headlights pulling into the driveway. It's thoughts of her safe and waiting for him that have pulled him through this latest deployment, so he does his best not to disturb her sleep as he makes his way to her. Like a silent sirens call an unspeakable force drags him through the house. His boots are left by the door, laces tucked in. His bag is heavy in his hand, more than just its physical weight tugging at him, and he's glad to be able to put it down by the bedroom door. 

“Welcome home,” she whispers stirring from her sleep as he slips beneath the sheets, freshly showered. 

[wintersoldiersoul]

Drowning

A/N: Not sure how I feel about this one but I'm currently going through this situation with my boyfriend and I thought that writing about it might help me feel better. Haven't gotten to the part where I talk to him about it but maybe this will inspire me.

It was late. Too late. You should be sleeping but it was impossible with your mind racing. You and Bucky had been together for almost a year now but you never really felt secure in your relationship with him. Maybe it was the way that your last boyfriend had broken up with you out of nowhere. You wish you knew why, but you always felt like Bucky was going to run. 

As much as you loved him, you also wanted more from him. More reassurance. More romance. More small gestures to show you that he cared. And you couldn’t blame him for not giving them to you when you hadn’t asked but as much as you preached the importance of communication to your friends, you were a hypocrite. You could never apply that to your own relationship.

Everytime you tried to express your feelings, you couldn’t do it. What if I’m right? What if I tell him that I’m afraid he’s gonna leave and he finally takes it as his chance to do so? You would think. Or what if I plant the idea in his head? 

All of this was made harder by the fact that you were younger than him. While he was established with a career, living on his own, you had just graduated college and were back living with your parents. Finding a job felt nearly impossible despite the countless resumes and cover letters that you sent out every single day. Your brain constantly flashed back to a conversation you had in May, where you asked him if you would stay together when you moved back home. Your hometown was less than an hour from where Bucky lived in Brooklyn, so in your mind it was a no brainer. But when your question opened up a conversation that blindsided you.

Bucky explained that he was ready to be settled down. You were shocked when he had said the words, “Sometimes it feels like we have an expiration date.”

The next morning he said he was being ridiculous. That he loved you and of course the two of you would figure it out. But ever since then, you hadn’t been able to relax. Even now, a month into you living back at home you still couldn’t shake the feeling that he was going to change his mind. You saw him just as often as you had when you were still living in the city. You didn’t mind taking the train to go see him 3 or 4 times a week. But the stress and anxiety was weighing on you. Combined with adjusting to post-grad life, you were not doing well. 

You had never felt so lonely in your life. All of your college friends had also moved back to their hometowns while most of your friends from high school were still dispersed around the country. The job search left you feeling defeated every single day. And the lack of things to do and structure made life feel meaningless. It was safe to say that you had hit a low point. 

But you wanted to hide it all from Bucky. Because what if you brought up how hard it was to find a job and he realized that this wasn’t going to work? What if you told him how lonely you were and he was offended that he wasn’t enough? He knew that you struggled with anxiety and he was no stranger to mental health issues of his own but you just found it impossible to open up to him about all of this.

So there you were, in the midst of another sleepless night overthinking everything. Laptop opened, frantically searching on LinkedIn for jobs in the hopes that one thing just might work out. You read back your text messages from the past few days. Does he seem distant, or is my stupid brain playing tricks on me? As your spiral continued, you could feel a panic attack brewing. You tried your best to focus on your breathing but it became impossible. You just wanted to talk to Bucky. You needed to talk to Bucky. 

Fuck it, you thought. Losing him would be horrible, but so is living in this fear. Through your tears and shaking hands, you typed a message.

Y/N: Are you awake?

You shook your legs and bit your nails as you stared at the screen waiting for those three dots to show up.

Bucky: Yeah.

You took a deep breath as you sent the next message, trying to not go crazy over the dry single word he had responded with.

Y/N: Can I call you?

You desperately wished you could be with him right now to have this conversation. To analyze his body language in person. But you weren’t with him and you wouldn’t see him til the end of the week and you needed to get this out. Now.

Bucky: It’s late. I’m trying to get some sleep. 

You knew work had been kicking his ass lately. He was putting in insane hours, usually waking up at 6 and not finishing up til midnight. You knew he needed to rest and you almost responded back saying nevermind, and goodnight. But no. You needed to be a little selfish or you would crumble. Tonight felt like a turning point. Or a breaking point.

Y/N: Please Bucky. I really need to talk to you.

Bucky: Ok

Pressing dial on his name, you felt your heart rate increase even more. You tried to take deep breaths to calm your tears but it didn’t help. You were practically sobbing by the time he answered the call. “Bucky…” you said into the phone. 

At hearing your voice, Bucky was alert. He could tell that something was wrong. You had never cried in front of him. “Y/N? Baby, what's wrong? What's going on?” His desire for sleep was completely gone. All he cared about was you. He knew that he wasn’t the best boyfriend. He knew he could treat you better. But the years of trauma he had experienced made it hard for him to be vulnerable with anyone. He loved you so much that it hurt him and he hated himself that he couldn’t fully give himself to you. 

“Bucky, I’m not okay. I’m really really not okay,” you practically hyperventilated. “I don’t know what to do. I can’t keep living like this. I can’t.”

“Shhh, can you take some deep breaths for me?” He said calmly. “I need you to calm down and tell me what's going on.” He listened quietly as he heard you breathe deeply.

“Bucky, I’m terrified,” you finally spoke after a couple of minutes. “I don’t feel secure in our relationship. I feel like I’m walking on eggshells constantly because I’m petrified that you’re gonna leave. That one day you’re just gonna decide that you’re done with me because I’m too young and I live with my parents and I don’t have a job. And trying to find a job has really been taking a toll on me. I’m trying so fucking hard but it feels impossible. It’s so defeating waking up every single day to an email inbox full of rejections and I feel worthless and stupid. I’m not doing well not being in college anymore. I don’t have any structure to my days and life feels really fucking pointless right now. I’m so lonely. Fuck, I’m so lonely, Buck.” You took a pause, bracing yourself for his response. 

“Baby, why haven’t you brought this up sooner? Why haven’t you told me any of this?” There was genuine shock in his voice. 

“Because!” You cried. “I don’t want to remind you about how hard it is to find a job right now. I don’t want you to think about the fact that I live with my parents now while you have your own independent life. I never want to remind you of it because I don’t want you to change your mind and leave. And I don’t want you to think that you’re not enough for me because I’m lonely. I love you so much but I just… I really fucking miss my friends.” 

“Y/N, I need you to listen to me. Like, really listen to me. I am well aware of your situation. I know it’s hard to find a job right now. I’m not gonna leave you, okay? I’m committed to this. To you.”

You sniffled. “But you said that you wanted to be settled down. That we might have an expiration date.”

He sighed. “I’m sorry for that. I never should have said those things. When we had that conversation I was tired and not thinking clearly. And I spent that whole night wide awake thinking about how stupid I was and how stupid I would be to let you go because you need some time to find your footing after college. I hate that those words affected you so much. I’m so sorry.”

You talked to him for a while longer, pouring out all of your insecurities that you’d been holding back. After a while, the conversation started to shift to more normal things.

“Baby,” Bucky yawned. “I love you so much but I gotta go to bed. And tomorrow after work I’ll come see you, okay?”

“Okay. I love you too.”

Your worries wouldn’t fade overnight. You wouldn’t suddenly be able to get a job. Your friends wouldn’t all come back to you. College was over and life was drastically different. But at least now Bucky knew. And he wasn’t going to leave.

[yandere-daydreams]

Feel free to ignore this! I'm just v sleep deprived and having brain rot inspired by some things I saw in ur writing and thought it may be up ur alley. Also this brainrot thingy is mainly aimed at readers who have the ability to get pregnant so if that don't sit right with you feel free to ignore it or change aspects of it!

Hear me out right. A mix of the sex doll au and hybrid au (either fox or husky) for childe. But like in the doll au how he replaces components as a form of trying to live out the dad fantasy? Yeah that but in the hybrid au. Like reader is trying to rehabilitate this poor little baby fox kit/husky puppy that's really sickly and was abandoned. Childe basically looks at the reader playing nurse/mommy for this poor thing almost 24/7 (his attention is being deprived lol) and goes "oh yeah that little one is ours duh". He starts exhibiting protective dad behavior while simultaneously being like "look at how good of a job I can do".

Follow up to that the pup/kit either gets better and can be handed off to another conservationist who has other young hybrids and would do a better job at caring for them in a group environment with other hybrid kiddos so there's less of a risk of em becoming too domesticated. And reader is supper bummed out about it for a while bc all their attention was zoned in on this one really precious little one and now they've moved onto bigger pastures 🥲. Meanwhile childe sees this and is like "oh now I can both console my mate in their grief, I've proven I'm a capable partner, I can totally help them make new little ones!"

Take all of that inspo/brainstorming as u will. Also if you consider people submitting ideas as commissions I apologize for misunderstanding! Did not intend to overstep 🙇‍♀️

tw - implied violence, child neglect/abandonment, and obsessive behavior.

fjdkljdfksdj i think this would probably be more plausible with husky!childe, but something about this scenario with fox!childe is just,,,

it'd just be so sweet to watch him dote over the tiny, terrified kit one of your friends found shivering in a snowbank. you really aren't qualified to take care of such a young hybrid, but while you scramble to get a hold of a more experienced volunteer, childe picks up the slack. despite being old enough to walk, the poor thing barely leaves his arms. he handles their near-hourly feedings, modifies the ill-fitting clothes you pull out of storage to accommodate their tail and hind legs, even lets them crawl between you and him at night and violate his cardinal rule (no one else gets to so much as touch your bed except for him - an unspoken law that's resulted in more than a few bitten hands and bleeding guests). he does his best to put a dent in their never-ending energy, and when it's time for you to take over, he's never more than a few feet away, wagging his tail as you take the kit's temperature and try to convince them to swallow a few drops of medicine. and, when you finally contact a volunteer with a small shelter and a pack of orphaned kits, childe seems as happy as you are, rubbing his cheek against theirs as he tells them that they'll be home soon enough. it's sweet, even if fox-hybrid dynamics are, admittedly, a little lost on you. honestly, you're just relieved you'll be able to sleep through the night again.

at least, you're relieved until you get back from work the next day, until you find your door unlocked and your apartment wrecked, furniture overturned and rust-colored stains soaked into your carpeting. you find childe on the foot of your bed, bouncing a crying kit in his lap and gushing them quietly, but he doesn't look concerned. if anything, his posture is slack, the smile written across his face nothing short of ecstatic. he looks calm. he looks happy.

he looks like someone who only just found his way home.

[chrisbitchtree]

But I Realized That I Need You

It may be my birthday today, but per my now annual tradition, I'm gifting you guys with Harringrove fic!

2.2k - T

***

Steve knew that he should just feel lucky that he’d had the amazing summer that he’d had. It was a million years away from what he’d imagined as he waited to be called to accept his diploma at graduation, which was scooping ice cream for bratty kids at the mall by day and sitting alone in his room counting down the weeks, days, hours until his dad forced him to grow up and join his company, put on a suit, tie around his neck like a noose, and get a real job.

Finally, his name was called, and the principal gave him a firm handshake and a rolled-up piece of paper, which he’d managed to earn only by the skin of his teeth, and with a lot of late nights spent studying with the reluctant help of Billy Hargrove, who’d turned out to be just as good an English tutor as Steve’s teacher had promised he would be.

He’d helped Steve understand the book he had to read for his exam, and in exchange Steve had handed him a hefty cheque from his father, which Billy had pocketed with a sneer, and Steve thought that would be the last time they’d have to interact, if he was lucky. It’s not like they’d be running in the same circles once Steve fled Hawkins High for good.

But of course, Steve hadn’t accounted for the possibility that his new coworker, Robin, would have secretly landed one of the hottest girls in school, Heather Holloway, or that when Steve got back from the fancy steakhouse graduation dinner that his parents had insisted on dragging him to, Robin would call him and ask him to hang out with her and Heather, or that when he’d get to Robin’s house, Billy, Heather’s new coworker at the pool, would be there too, changing the course of his entire summer.

Things hadn’t gone well that first night, both Steve and Billy trying to leave before Heather had told them to stop acting like children, sit their asses down, and watch the movie. They’d bickered through the first half of it, at which point Heather paused the movie and tried to force them to both leave, but Steve was stubborn and so was Billy, so they’d shut their mouths and sat in silence until it ended.

Neither had stayed very long after, but the ice started to thaw between them the more they all hung out, as Steve realized that if he wanted to hang out with Robin, which he did, he’d have to deal with Billy being there too, so he might as well try to make the best of it.

He’d say that it was Billy’s turn to pick the movie when it wasn’t or let him pick the third topping on their shared pizza, and he’d compliment Billy’s rings or his hair. Slowly, Billy started to reciprocate. He’d grab Steve a beer when he was getting another for himself, or he’d offer him the last hit off the joint, and when he’d come into Scoops with Heather, he’d not only pay for his ice cream, but he’d also leave Steve a tip.

Then, one night, while they were hanging out at Steve’s house, Robin and Heather went off to find a room for some alone time, leaving Billy and Steve out at the pool. One minute, they were engaging in their ongoing debate about whether Steve should be able to play Madonna on his own stereo system while he had guests over, and the next, Billy was kissing him.

It wasn’t a particularly nice kiss, given that Steve was blindsided by it and didn’t even have time to react before Billy was pushing away and running for the gate from the backyard to the front. Steve sat stunned for a minute before he realized that if Billy was headed for the driveway, he was most likely going to drive drunk, so he hopped up and followed him.

He finally caught up to him just as Billy was opening the door to his car. “Billy, wait,” Steve said, placing a hand on the other boy’s shoulder. “You don’t need to go, it’s ok. I won’t tell anyone.”

“Won’t tell anyone what?,” Billy replied. “That you tried to kiss me?”

Steve sighed. Oh great, so that’s how this was going to go. Whatever, he’d agree to almost anything if it meant that Billy wasn’t going to drive right after having six beers. “Sure, yeah, if you just come back with me and sober up, I won’t tell anyone that I tried to kiss you.”

Billy nodded. “Ok then, yeah.” He closed the car door and followed Steve back into the backyard. Steve went into the house and grabbed a tall glass of water and a bag of chips, and they sat in silence while Billy drank and ate.

Neither of them mentioned what had happened, but just three days later, they kissed again, this time in Heather’s basement while Heather was out picking up Robin from work. Neither of them had really initiated it that time, both just meeting in the middle. They didn’t even notice that they had company, as wrapped up in each other as they were, making out like their lives depended on it on the loveseat until Robin flashed the lights, telling them to get a room, and Heather congratulated them on finally getting their shit together.

Their faces flushed, hair a mess, and their lips kiss swollen, they reluctantly pulled apart, and Steve willed his dick to go down, thinking of his elderly math teacher, Ms. Cotes, and the smelly garbage he had to take out when he got home. Finally decent, they sat up, a pizza was ordered, and a movie put on the tv, and the night went on like usual. The only difference was how close Billy sat to Steve, practically in his lap.

It wasn’t something that was really discussed amongst the four of them, but now that Robin and Heather could trust that Billy and Steve could be left alone together for over an hour without trying to kill each other, the nights they all hung out were clearly divided into two parts.

Either they’d swim or watch a movie and have dinner or snacks, and then separate into pairs to find empty rooms, or they’d do the opposite, none of them willing to wait to be alone with their significant other.

Over the next couple months, Steve got to know Billy in ways that he never thought he would. He mapped every inch of his body with his hands and lips and tongue and got to experience the incredible pleasure of being inside Billy and having Billy inside him.

He also told Billy about his broken relationship with his parents, and about his fear for his directionless future, how he was scared that he’d die never having amounted to anything, and he listened as Billy told him about the pain of losing his mother, and the horrific abuse from his father, and how it felt like no one in this world truly loved him. Steve wasn’t brave enough to say it, but he knew that couldn’t be true because he loved Billy so much it hurt.

Late one night, in the heat of the moment, they’d made the decision to become an official couple. Steve had a boyfriend, and his boyfriend was Billy Hargrove. He still couldn’t believe it, and he couldn’t be happier.

Which was why it was so painful to think that he’d now have to break things off with Billy, but Steve knew it was the right thing to do. Billy was about to start his senior year of high school, he was almost certainly going to be the captain of the basketball team, and he was going to be applying to colleges, and he’d need to keep his grades up so that he could get scholarships to help pay for school. Plus, he’d probably want to spend his weekends at parties and was picking up a part time job at a garage now that the pool would be closing for the year. He didn’t need a hopeless loser like Steve hanging around and fucking things up for him, dragging him down.

Steve had tried to delay the inevitable as long as possible, but the evenings were getting chillier, the sun setting earlier, so Steve knew it was time. Not wanting to cause a scene in front of Robin and Heather, Steve had asked Billy to come over to his house so they could hang out just the two of them. Hearing the doorbell ring, Steve took a deep breath and stood to rip off the band aid.

“Hey, pretty boy,” Billy greeted Steve, a smile as bright as the sun on his face. Fuck, of course he had to look so happy. That was only going to make things harder.

“Hey,” Steve replied, closing the door behind Billy as he stepped inside. “Can we talk?”

“Sure,” Billy said, a frown replacing his smile as he took in Steve’s tone.

They sat down in the living room and Steve decided to just spit it out. “I’m sorry Billy, but I think we need to break up.” He continued on with his list of reasons for ending things and finished by saying he’d always be happy for the summer that they shared. He couldn’t keep the tears from his eyes by the end.

He braced himself for Billy to yell or storm out, but to Steve’s surprise, the other boy started laughing. He squinted through his tears, failing to understand what could possibly be funny about this. “Did you hear me, Billy?” he asked. Billy just laughed harder. Yeah, maybe that was it. Maybe Billy had misunderstood what Steve was telling him. Oh god, he was going to have to go through it all again.

“Billy, I’m breaking up with you.” He said it slower this time, hoping Billy would catch on.

“I know, princess, I heard you the first time,” Billy smiled, taking Steve’s shaking hands in his own. “I’m not accepting the breakup though. You say that this is what’s best for us, but did you ever ask me what I wanted? If I thought this was the best thing for me?”

Steve shook his head, more tears falling.

“Exactly,” Billy continued. “You never once asked me, and if you had, I would have told you that that’s definitely not what’s best. I hate that you’re making me get all emotional, but did you know that since dating you, it’s the first time I’ve felt a real sense of hope about things since my mom died? I can’t help smiling every time I think about you. It’s disgusting.

I can’t imagine a future without you, Steve. I was going to ask you to move to California with me next year. Well, I’m still going to ask, actually. Since you know, you’re still my boyfriend. And if you’re my boyfriend, I think it stands to reason that I’m still yours. You’re gonna look pretty fucking stupid when you’re out at the bar trying to pick up chicks with your boyfriend hanging off your arm, don’t you think? And imagine moving in with some girl, getting married, starting a family, and there’s your boyfriend in the room down the hall. Are you gonna tell her goodnight, then come cuddle with me? I don’t think that’s going to fly with anyone, so I think it might just be best to stick with me, ok?”

Steve shook his head. “No, I’m sorry, I know what you’re saying, but trust me, it’s better this way. Just go.”

Billy stood, walked to the door, and slipped on his shoes. “Alright then, if you’re really sure, I’ll go.”

“I’m sure,” Steve said. “Just go.”

Without another word, Billy left.

Steve stood in the silence, his weeping echoing in the cavernous room. For a minute, he was able to tell himself that he’d done the right thing. He’d done Billy a favour. Then he realized what a fucking idiot he was and went sprinting for the door, hoping he could catch Billy before he was gone. He ran out to the driveway only to find Billy sitting in his car, watching the door, a small smile on his face.

He stepped back out when he saw Steve and walked back up to the house.

“Thought I told you to go,” Steve grumbled, even though he couldn’t be happier to see Billy right now.

“I know, but I figured I should wait around for a bit. I had a funny feeling you might make your way out here eventually, and I wanted to be here when you did. Like I said before, whether you like it or not, you’re stuck with me. I’m not breaking up with you.”

Steve nodded, too shocked to say anything as he let Billy wrap him in a hug.

After a minute, he steered Steve back into the house, where he got him a tissue then they sat on the couch as he rubbed soothing circles on Steve’s back. “Next time you decide to make a decision for both of us, consult me, ok, pretty boy?”

“Yeah,” Steve choked out, laughing through what were now tears of joy as he held Billy closer, tighter, vowing to never try to let him go again. “Yeah, ok, I’ll ask my boyfriend next time. I promise.”

[666writingcafe]

A Lesson in Demon Anatomy (NSFW)

Asmo has made a huge mistake.

Okay, maybe "huge mistake" is a bit dramatic, but there's no doubt that he messed up in his calculations. He thought that everyone was out of the house and wouldn't be returning for quite a while, so he felt okay walking around in his birthday suit.

It's something that he used to do nearly every day, but when the exchange program was in the works, he agreed to put a stop to it in order to create a good impression on whomever was going to stay with him and his brothers. However, when he got the opportunity to be alone, he couldn't help but resort back to old habits.

So, one could imagine his surprise when he strolls into the sitting room to find MC stretched out on the couch. They were reading a book, but of course they looked up when they heard footsteps heading their direction, and now...

"I'm so sorry, MC!" Asmo exclaims. "I had no idea that you were even in here! I thought you were studying at the library, but if I'd had known you were coming home, I would have put something on so that I would be presentable and---"

"It's pretty," MC murmurs, interrupting Asmo's train of thought. In that moment, he realizes that his beloved human has their eyes directly trained on his nether regions.

That's odd, he thinks. I didn't think I had that effect on MC.

"Oh, this ol' thing?" Asmo asks, gesturing downwards. MC nods their head, failing to look up at his face.

"Would you like a closer look?"

Why am I so nervous? Millions of individuals have seen me naked before. I should be used to people's reactions.

"If you're okay with it," MC responds. Gingerly, Asmo walks over to them. MC sits up as he approaches, and when he's standing in front of them, they finally look into Asmo's eyes.

Asmo nearly falls backwards from the sheer amount of lust that suddenly surges through his body. Avatars of Sin are like lightning rods in that way; they are attracted to the energy of their sin, and the energy is attracted to them.

Usually, Asmo is able to mitigate the effects of someone's lust with his own, but he hasn't felt this much of it from another individual in a long time. And the fact that it's coming from MC of all people, one of the only beings he's ever known that has been able to resist his demonic charm...

"Can I touch it?" MC asks, forcing Asmo to focus on the present moment.

"Of course you can!" he answers, trying to hide the fact that he's starting to hear the sound of his heartbeat in his ears. MC gently wraps their hand around the underside and runs their thumb over the skin.

"Is there a reason why it's bumpy?" A part of Asmo is relieved by the question, because it means that he can put aside his feelings for a bit and focus on the answer.

"It's part of a defense mechanism. As you might have learned, a demon has different levels to their form. You've seen the first and second, but I'm not sure if you've witnessed anyone shift above that. Anyway, our appearance significantly changes in the third level, and things begin sprouting in all sorts of places."

"Including dicks?"

"Especially dicks. Mine sprouts stringers. They become poisonous in the fourth level."

"Like a scorpion."

"Exactly."

"Have you killed anyone with it?"

"There was a period of time where that was my weapon of choice, yes."

Why is MC staring at me like that?

"Is it safe in this state?"

"It better be, or a whole lot of people would be coming for my ass." MC's hand moves to the small of Asmo's back, and the Avatar of Lust allows them to guide him closer to them.

"May I?" they ask. Asmo can only manage a nod. He shouldn't be this nervous; he's received plenty of blow jobs before. Why is this one any different?

Perhaps it's because it's been a while since someone's been this...enthusiastic.

What Asmo is unaware of in the moment---and what he doesn't learn until after the fact---is that MC's discovered that they derive intense pleasure from sucking dick. However, once he knows that this side of MC exists...

Let's just say that he sits back and watches as his brothers fall prey to MC's wild side.

[bridgeportbritt]

Willington Palace | Sage, SimDonia

Friendly chatter

Diana: Hello everyone. Thanks for joining me here today. I'm sure you're all wondering why you're here...

Spencer: I hope it's not because we're all in trouble!

The group laughs

Diana laughs dryly: Well, not exactly. But there is a serious matter that I need to speak with you all about.

Silence

Diana: As you know, there have been quite a few changes taking place within the monarchy. New rules, new procedures and such. One of those changes included regular visits with a monarch physician. While we were ensuring that all family members were healthy and receiving the best care, there was another reason why everyone was required to do this.

Diana: You see, we've known for quite some time that there is something affecting this family - an illness. Previously, we've only focused on monarchs and heirs and how they were affected. But this approach proved ineffective. So, we began testing other members of the family to get better results. You're all here because the testing we've done shows that you or your children or spouses are affected.

Surprised and concerned murmer

Lydia clears throat: Let Her Majesty continue!

Diana: I know that this is concerning, but there is good news. The testing has not only helped us discover who is affected and why. But we've also discovered a short-term treatment. The goal, of course, is to find a cure, but this is a step in the right direction.

Ian: May we speak, Your Majesty?

Diana: Of course.

Ian: What exactly is the illness and what is the cause you discovered?

Diana: The illness is actually a genetic defect passed down from King William ll likely due to his time as a locksmith before the war. What happens is certain cells in your body are attacked especially when under chronic stress. That is why so many monarchs were tested and treated most as the stress of the job often triggered the illness causing other issues. My father included.

Sarah: Is this the illness that killed King Parker?

Diana: ...Yes. It has caused a lot of harm to this mainly to monarchs and heirs. My father, brother and I included.

Spencer: This has caused a great deal of harm to our family. It is the reason Elizabeth and I were never able to produce an heir. My brother the late King William lll was also affected. Abdicating early was likely the only thing that prolonged his life even for the short time it did.

Emmitt: My grandfather... What about my father?

Spencer: As far as I know, he was not affected, but there is no way to know for sure as he was never tested since he wasn't a monarch or heir.

Bria annoyed: Okay, let me get this straight. There is some secret family illness that has been literally killing people, you guys have known about it, started testing on us and our kids without our knowledge, and know you have some major treatment that we know nothing about, and we're just supposed to trust this?

Diana: I understand how this sounds, but this is something that could not have been widely known. Especially when we didn't have all the information.

Lydia: And Your Royal Highness, it's 'Your Majesty' when you address the Queen!

Diana: Lydia, it's alright. Bria, please understand that the last thing I've wanted to do is keep this from all of you. But if this got out, it would reflect negatively on the royal family.

Bria: No, Diana. I don't think you understand. You're telling me that you have withheld medical information from me about my children. As a mother, I'm sure you can understand how that crosses a line!

Diana: Bria, your children are a part of this family, this monarchy. That information was only withheld due to the damage it could cause the entire family including them.

Bria angry: I don't care about this monarchy! This institution is clearly why my kids and husband could be sick!

Spencer: Okay, I think we all just need to take a breather. Everyone in this room is affected here. Bria, you have to know that it was not up to Diana to keep this secret. Even she didn't know until recently. Previously only monarchs held this information and that's only if they were affected.

Bria: Ugh, this whole place is insane! Don't you see how crazy that is? You people care more about the monarchy than the people in it!

Diana: That's not true, Bria. I care...

Bria: No, it is true, Diana. I know very well. You care only when it serves you. That's how this whole monarchy game serves works. And I've played it long enough! I will not let me kids be victim to this machine.

Diana: Bria, what are you saying?

Bria: I expect all my family's medical records to be sealed and sent to us personally. We will be finding our own outside medical care. And as far as I'm concerned, my kids are done with whatever this is. Emmitt, Ella, let's go.

[yanderes-galore]

Yandere glamrock freddy(maybe even his ruin self) with a darling who is Gregory’s older sister? And maybe with the yandere prompt 14?

Sure, decided to not do a prompt for this as another request asked for Prompt 14. May have plot holes, I know, but this is just meant to discuss the idea

Yandere! Glamrock Freddy with Gregory's Older Sister! Darling

Pairing: Platonic/Romantic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Female Darling, Obsession, Overprotective behavior, Manipulation, Parental yandere, Clingy behavior, Dubious/Forced companionship.

Honestly this is a bit tricky to think of but this is what I have.

You are the older sister of Gregory, I was thinking adopted but it's up to you.

(Only because idk if he's a robot himself or not?)

I'm personally a sucker for you being the "morally correct" one out of the pair.

You have always looked out for your more chaotic and rambunctious brother.

Regardless on his origins.

This already would put you on good terms with Freddy.

The bot already has trouble watching the kid.

The thing that is concerning me is how you two would meet.

For the sake of plot maybe you're also good with robotics.

(Would make sense if your brother was a robot.)

Perhaps even working day or night shift at the Pizzaplex.

If you worked at the Pizzaplex you'd have a better time at helping the two, which is a good way to start this.

So let's start there.

You have no idea Gregory somehow snuck in during night shift.

That is until you heard warnings of a kid running around with Freddy.

Going to check it out you end up finding Gregory and Freddy.

Freddy already knows you due to your job.

However, he did not know you and Gregory were connected in any way.

When Freddy sees Gregory run up to you he panics slightly due to encounters with Vanessa.

Except now you both share a hug... confusion and relief evident on your faces.

It's enough to make Freddy feel... odd.

He can't keep his optics off the sight.

He goes to question you... only to hear something he wasn't expecting.

"Freddy, he's my brother... I'm not sure why he's here though."

You're... siblings?

Freddy almost finds himself tilting his head at the question.

"You never told me?"

"It never came up."

It's then Freddy realizes taking care of Gregory will be easier than he thought.

Surely you can take him home?

Turns out you're not allowed to leave your shift... you may not even be able to due to being unable to open the shutters.

As a result you promise to look after your brother.

You try to get Freddy to go and charge but now he refuses to part.

"You could need help! Kids can be a handful, right?"

Reluctantly you allow Freddy to help care for Gregory while keeping him out of sight from Vanessa.

Said night guard isn't as understanding as you are....

This is the main way you could meet Freddy, the other is if there was an AU of one of the endings.

Maybe one where Gregory takes Freddy home and you have to look after both of them because what else is there to do?

The police may just arrest you for theft.

As a result, due to being good at electronics, you are able to charge and care for Freddy until you're able to figure out what to do.

Those are some potential backgrounds that can help fit in a darling who is a sister to Gregory.

Now I'll speak about how you two could interact.

Freddy would get along with you if you act similar to a parent with Gregory.

You may be his sister but you are certainly capable of "moming" him.

Something Freddy finds amusing.

Freddy is still a very docile yandere despite being overprotective.

Especially if you're close to Gregory.

If he escaped the Pizzaplex with Gregory and hid with you, he's grateful for you keeping him in working order.

If you are roaming the Pizzaplex with the two, Freddy knows something is wrong with his friends, so instinctively he tries to protect you with Gregory.

For the most part nothing changes compared to the usual yandere Glamrock Freddy.

He's protective, clingy, and emotionally manipulative.

For the most part he just wants to protect you.

He wants to help you take care of Gregory and maybe even grow a connection to you.

He claims it's just because he wants to help.

In reality he probably just wishes to be close to you and Gregory.

In his eyes you're family.

Maybe he sees you both as children to protect, even though you're an adult.

Something akin to seeing you as his cubs.

Or maybe he sees you as something different and out of his programming?

Honestly, it's up to you, as he acts nearly the same in both ways.

Freddy hates leaving you and often asks you to call him.

If you had to leave him with Gregory he doesn't mind.

He'll watch him for you!

But you will be back, right?

Freddy isn't really shy about showing his appreciation for you.

He hugs you and voices his appreciation for what you do for him and Gregory.

As a result, Freddy promises he'll do anything for you.

He'll stay at home if you ask or watch Gregory as you check something in the Pizzaplex...

He trusts you for the most part, he sees you as family!

You won't leave family, will you?

[bambikisss]

Law and order :: KIM MINGYU

' With Mingyu being named the new CEO of the top company, his father hires you to be his lawyer to keep him in line and out of trouble. '

Warnings: Unprotected sex, slight exhibition, biting, choking, use of candle wax, handcuffing, oral (both)

lawyer! reader x CEO! Mingyu

A/N: And after a long wait, here is this beauty. S/N= Secretary's name, btw. Also as per usual, the ending lowkey sucks (I'm horrible at writing endings, lol)

~Bambi

You were the best at your job and refused to be treated lower than such.

"Y/N L/N!" You halted your steps down the courthouse hallway, turning to face your angry opponent who you had just beaten. He gripped his briefcase angrily as he approached you, his anger becoming worse at your calm appearance. "What the hell was that back there? Who do you think you are?!"

"Your client already lost when he picked you." You offered him a small smile before continuing to walk out of the courthouse, leaving your angry opponent in your wake.

When you arrived back at your office, your secretary quickly fell into step with you. "You have a meeting with the CEO later after your lunch break, then another meeting with the sales team as they want to run some stuff by you."

You are the legal expert for a top tech company. You were the person everyone ran their plans by to make sure it was legal, along with any contracts or anything else that needed legal advice.

"Alright, anything else?" you asked as you entered your office, removing your coat as you opened up your large window blinds that shows an amazing view of the city. Your secretary clicked on her tablet for a moment before saying "you have a one-on-one meeting with the CEO's son around 4."

You paused at her words, looking at her with slight shock. "Mingyu is actually here? I thought he moved abroad." Your secretary nodded, handing you a glass of water. "He did, but for some reason the CEO brought him back." You nodded, not choosing to gossip about whatever your boss wanted to do. After you finished doing a report, you followed your secretary to your CEO's office. "Ah, Y/N, come in. Shut the door and come sit." You did as you were told, moving to sit down in the chair in front of his desk.

You handed the folder you put together while working on the case, the older man flipping through the papers. "I was able to win the case that was going against our sales department. We should be fine from now on but, if that other company wants to come against us once more, I'm always open to winning once more." Your boss nodded, chuckling as he tossed the file onto his desk. "You're the best, Y/N. One of the best assets I have in this company."

"Thank you, Mr. Kim." You smiled at his praise, watching as he stood up and approach his wine bar. "You are coming to the meeting later, right? It's important." You nodded, watching as he poured himself a glass before returning to his seat. The CEO always held meetings every two weeks and always had you there as you were deemed important to the company. He would always praise you, thanking you constantly for keeping the company afloat. If the company did an employee of the month, you were sure you'd get it every time.

"There are going to be some changes that you may not be happy with, but it must be done." You asked him what he meant, the old man waving away your question before your secretary popped her head in, letting you know that it was time for the meeting, much to your CEO's happiness. "Ah, great. I'll meet you there." You nodded before walking to join S/N, walking with her to the large meeting room on the top floor. Once you both entered the elevator, she turned to you, a smile on her face. "Have you seen the CEO's son? He's so hot." You furrowed your eyebrows before turning to her, watching as her smile quickly fell and she put back on her professional exterior, which made you laugh. "You can find him hot, but don't let it interfere with work." You patted her back as she nodded, walking with her to the room.

The room felt different as you took your usual seat, your secretary standing behind you with the other assistants of the others on the board. It felt like how it was when you joined the board the first time: you were the youngest on the board as everyone else was in their 30s and 40s, along with the fact that you were the only female. They fought the CEO long and hard to get rid of you, but when their sectors got into legal trouble, they immediately turned to you for help.

The CEO soon walked in, his son in tow. He wore a nicely pressed suit, his hair long enough to reach the bottom of his neck and his eyebrows. You had to agree with your secretary; he was pretty hot.

Once everyone sat down, the CEO cleared his throat, signaling the beginning of the meeting. You all went through the usual meeting things; giving updates on each sector, going over the international sales, etc. When it was your turn to give your report on the sales team court case, you noticed Mingyu staring at you. He did it every time you spoke or moved; his eyes would scan you before returning to focus on the others. It made you feel a certain way, but you decided to ignore it as you wanted to look professional.

Near the end, the CEO finally stood up, motioning for Mingyu to do the same. "As you know, I am an old man and I've been taking care of this business since my father handed it to me. I would like to enjoy the same golf fields my father has, so I am retiring." Your eyes widened as everyone expressed their worry, wondering who the new CEO would be since he was stepping down. The old man only raised his hand to silence everyone, placing it then onto Mingyu's shoulder. "My son will take over the company. He had managed the international sector for years and had done a great job. I think it's time my son takes his rightful place as CEO." You knew you couldn't complain about the decision, glad that you still had your job. The others, however, were full of complaints; he's too young, he hasn't managed the whole company before, etc. The old man's hand raised once more, silencing the room. "The international sector is one of our biggest sectors and he did it all alone. He has earned this. And, if you want to discuss age, just look at Ms. L/N. She's one of our youngest board members and has done an amazing job." You thanked him quietly, noticing how everyone now looked at you with the same annoyance they had when you first joined, but now also giving it to Mingyu, who also looked at you.

Once the old man answered more questions, the meeting was adjourned. As you packed up once everyone else filed out, the old CEO asked you to stay behind. You signed for your secretary to leave for the day as it was quitting time for her anyways, sitting back down to talk to the man. "I need you to keep a close eye on Mingyu and this company. Out of everyone else that was in this room, I only trust you to ensure that no one tries to take his spot." You nodded, your now former CEO giving you a gentle smile. "I hope you take great care of him and this company. The last thing I need is for him to get into some kind of legal scandal and end the company my father worked hard for."

"I understand." You offered him a smile before excusing yourself and making your way back to your office. You wondered why he trusted you so much when he had some of his closest friends on the board.

The sun had begun setting when you reached your office, filling it with a beautiful orange. As you entered, you jumped when you noticed Mingyu sitting in one of your chairs, waiting for you. When you asked him if he needed anything, he nodded. "Just wanted to get to know you. I know we'll be working closely from now on, so I wanted to introduce myself without my father."

"It's alright, Mingyu." You started to clean up your desk, Mingyu watching you before standing up, moving to your bookshelf, and looking at your many books and pictures. You glanced up at him as he picked up a photo of you, noticing how well the sunset hit his face, showing off his chiseled jaw. "So, we're near in age? You don't seem as old as the other men on that board."

"Yes, we are. Also, don't worry about them. They'll come around when they need you." You came over to take the photo from him, placing it back onto the shelf before going back to gather your things. You wanted to go home and relax before having to deal with work all over again tomorrow. However, Mingyu had different plans. "Are you clocking out?" You paused at Mingyu's question, nodding before noticing a smile coming onto his face. "Great. Let's go out for some drinks and dinner. I'm hungry." Before you could respond, he walked out, heading towards his office to most likely gather his items. You sighed, leaning against your doorway as he returned with his coat. As you both walked, he asked you a few questions about yourself, obviously trying to get to know you. You asked your own questions about him, Mingyu answering them as you entered the parking garage. It was mostly empty as everyone had already gone home for the day except for some janitors. "Alright, where are we going for dinner?" You took out your keys, unlocking your car as he followed you. "The high estate restaurant. You know where that is, right?" You nodded, placing the restaurant on your map. As you did, you ended up bumping into Mingyu's hard chest, Mingyu chuckling softly as you gently stumbled backward. "You better watch where you're walking, Ms. Y/N." You only rolled your eyes, entering your car as he did the same.

You couldn't help but feel butterflies as you drove, your hands gripping the wheel tighter than usual. You didn't know why you were so nervous; it was just dinner and drinks with your boss. That's it.

When you arrived, you noticed Mingyu wasn't there yet. You shrugged, walking in to get a table for you both. The host gave you a once-over as you approached his stand, giving you an annoyed look when you asked for a table for two. "What do you think this place is? A reservation only, ma'am." You hid how shocked you were at his voice, preparing to walk out to tell Mingyu when he came inside, holding a bouquet of flowers.

He smiled at you, leading you to back to the stand as the host once again looked up from whatever he was doing on the computer. "Reservation for Kim Mingyu." The host quickly typed it out, offering him a smile as he told him he had to the same table as always. Mingyu nodded, accepting the two menus before holding his arm out for you to hold, which you hesitantly accepted. As you both made your way through the expensive-looking restaurant, you asked him if he came here often. "It's one of my favorites. Whenever I come back here, I always come here for dinner at some point." He led you up the stairs to the second floor, leading you to a table next to the large floor-to-ceiling windows. He handed you one of the menus, then handed you the flowers. "I saw a flower stand on the way here and thought you may like some." You thanked him, hoping he couldn't see the heat that rose to your cheeks as you placed them into a chair next to you.

He went through the menu with you, recommending some of his favorites. You both settled on an appetizer, placing the order as Mingyu poured you some wine. The atmosphere felt like a mixture of romantic and friendly, making you feel comfortable with you. He offered you a smile as he placed the glass down in front of you, waiter coming back with your appetizer. "Ah, is she another one of your dates? You always come here with random women, Mr. Player."

You felt any romantic feeling you had in that moment evaporate, taking a small sip of the wine. Mingyu chuckled, shaking his head before rubbing his forehead. "No, she's not. She's a coworker of mine, I just wanted to take her out."

You sat quietly as they finished their conversation, leaving you and Mingyu alone. "Sorry about that. My father will often put me on blind dates and set them up here,'' he smiled. "He's hell bent on getting some grandchildren."

"I've heard," you couldn't help but smile, glad that you weren't just one of the many girls he brought out like a player, but slightly disappointed that it wasn't. "Your father talks about wanting grandchildren all the time."

"He knows what he wants." You and Mingyu continued to talk, even when your main courses came out. After dinner, he led you outside, offering to walk you to the car, which you accepted. "I had a great evening, Ms. L/N. Maybe we should do this again, sometime." You couldn't help but bite your lip at his suggestion, his eyes going to your lips staying on it as he said "you shouldn't bite your lips, Y/N. You could hurt them." You immediately stopped, clearing your throat as you gripped the door handle. He's your boss. This wasn't a date; this a was friendly dinner between coworkers.

So why did this feel different.

For the next few weeks, Mingyu would have meetings with you every Friday separately from everyone else to discuss the legal standings of the company. It was more lighthearted than the regular board meeting, making you feel more relaxed. You also couldn't deny the light tension that built between you and Mingyu; it started in the parking lot of the restaurant and was building at every interaction you both had.

"Ms. L/N, Mr. Wang would like to talk to you." You looked up from your papers, your eyebrows furrowed. "Of the communications sector? What does he want?" Your secretary only shrugged, making you sigh. You don't interact really with the board members outside of the meetings; you usually meet with their assistants to discuss things that pertain to them. You followed her to his office, noticing that Mingyu was marked as out on a business trip, which is why today's meeting was to be held tomorrow. When you entered Mr. Wang's office, you were surprised to see him just sitting on his desk, one window open as he was smoking. He took a few more puffs before tossing it out the window, reaching down onto his desk to hand you a piece of paper. "Sign it."

"Excuse me?" You weren't fond of his rude tone, taking the paper from him to look it over. It was a petition to change the CEO to him. Mr. Wang was close to the CEO as they always went golfing together. "If we get everyone's signature, I can overtake the child." he lit up another cigarette, pointing to the paper. "Make sure you sign it and then bring it to the meeting tomorrow." You didn't even bother to argue with him, taking the paper with you as you walked back to your office. It felt so under handing to do such a thing, yet you could see it coming; the sectors weren't getting away with the same things that they used to and wanted to be able to spend their days leaning back in their chairs and doing absolutely nothing while their subordinates do everything.

You kept it in your office, flipping between doing your work and looking at the paper. You didn't know why, but you felt worried for Mingyu and wanted to talk to him as soon as possible, but knew he was out for business and was unavailable.

You had just parked your car in your driveway when you received a call from your secretary. She had some things to file for you, so she was working late. "Just wanted to let you know that Mr. Mingyu is back and in his office." You felt your heart leap as you thanked her, backing out of the driveway and driving back to the office. When you arrived, the sun was mostly set. You gripped the paper as your quickly walked back into the office, getting into the elevator as your secretary and the other assistants watched, all confused on why you came back.

You quickly rushed to his office, roughly swinging open the door, surprising Mingyu. He had just returned as he had to work late on some things, and he knew you had already clocked out. He watched as you slammed a paper onto his desk, offering you some water and a seat, which you accepted. "Some of the other board members are trying to replace you under your nose. If I signed that petition, it would be enough to go into a vote and if it was half vs half, you wouldn't get to keep your position. The voting would keep going until we all agreed on someone and-"

"Y/N, calm down. Breathe." Mingyu gently gripped your shoulders, standing over you. He led you in some breathing exercises, helping you calm down. You weren't ever like this when it came to work, but with this being a threat on Mingyu, it drove you crazy. It sounded so stupid to you, making you laugh softly, Mingyu doing the same. He leaned back to sit on the desk, picking up the petition to read it. Now that you were calmed down, you could admire him; his tight polo shirt that showed off his toned body and biceps, his hair that was a bit messy, showing that he had ran his hands through it one too many times. He wore tight dress pants and dress shoes, accompanied by a black belt that looked like it had been loosened. You wanted nothing more than to flip it open and-

"Thank you, Y/N for bringing this to me. I had heard from some of their assistants about Mr. Wang planning this. I'll take it from here." He offered you a smile, placing the paper back down. "I would like for you to do something for me, if you can before tomorrow's meeting." You nodded, trying to distract yourself from your thoughts. "Can you draft some stuff for their positions to be stripped? I want to scare them a bit."

"I can, but that seems mean, Mingyu." You didn't know where your playful tone was coming from, Mingyu laughing softly. "Doesn't it? I just want to scare them into compliance."

"Did you do that back in your old sector?" Minyu shook his head at your question, leaning back more on his desk so his back was against the computer monitor. "They all knew I was the boss, so they didn't try to. But now that I'm here and they don't particularly want me to be their boss, I guess I got to show them I mean business." You smiled at him, liking the side of him. It took you a moment to realize that the sun had now set, his office only lit by the candles he had going and the light from his monitor. It felt oddly romantic, in a way. "Well, it's getting late. I should-"

"Before you go," you paused gathering your purse at Mingyu's rushed words, asking him if he needed anything. "Did you come all the way back to the office from your house to bring me that?" You nodded, Mingyu scanning your face for a second before offering you a hand, helping you to stand now in between his legs. "You deserve something for that, don't you think?" your breath hitched at how his voice had slightly dropped, nodding. His hand still held yours as he pulled you a bit closer, the front of your thighs now pressed against the desk as his thumb rubbed your knuckles. "What do you want, Y/N?"

Your brain became fuzzy at his voice and the feeling of sexual tension that rose in the room, your hand, with a mind of its own, slipped from his hand to move slowly up his arm to rest on his shoulder. Mingyu scanned your face as you squeezed his bicep, his hand moving to cup your face. "I always found you so beautiful, Ms. Y/N. It was so hard to not ask you out when I first saw you."

"Mingyu," you breathed out softly, his thumb moving over your bottom lip, a small tsk coming from him. "You've been biting your bottom lip, haven't you? You bite them all the time when you're stressed or when you're typing things out," he continued to graze your bottom lip, his lip twitching when your tongue came out to gently swipe his. Mingyu took a moment before gently pushing his thumb into your mouth, which you accepted. He tilted his head to the side, his thumb moving to hook in your cheek to roughly pull you in for a kiss. You wrapped your arms around his neck as his hands gripped your waist, kissing you passionately from the built-up tension. He moaned your name against your lips, his tongue moving with yours as he picked you up, switching places with you. When your back hit the monitor, you both pulled back from the kiss. Both of your breaths mixed together as you untucked his shirt from his tight pants, Mingyu glancing down as you pulled it up. He helped you pull it over his head, tossing it to the floor.

You let your hands move down his abs, Mingyu putting his hands in your hair, making a makeshift ponytail. "What are you up to, Mingyu?'' you asked him playfully as you hand reached his belt buckle, Mingyu offering you a smile. "I'm just trying to make sure you can see what you're doing, Ms. Y/N. I've been wanting this for a while, and I want to see all of your beautiful reactions."

He tugged on your hair, Mingyu leaning down to kiss you as his free hand began to work on his belt. He removed his belt, tossing it to meet with his shirt as your hands moved to work on his pants. When you successfully unbuttoned them, he helped you push them down his legs. "These pants are so tight, Mingyu. It's like they were painted onto you." You noted as it was hard to get them down his legs, Mingyu laughing softly. "Yeah, they've been in my closet for a while, and I haven't worn them, so I just put them on and left. Harder pulling off then putting on, I guess."

You hummed as your hand moved to caress him over his underwear, his grip in your hair tightening as he moved his hips to meet your hand movements. His free hand moved down to your top, unbuttoning the first few buttons to show the tops of your breasts, the sight making him groan and his cock twitch. "Fuck, they do look perfect." He leaned down to kiss them, moaning when your hands went into his hair while he began to suck a hickey onto one.

After a while, you gently pushed him back so you could get down on your knees, Mingyu pushing down his underwear in the process. His cock was on the thicker side, the top already leaking precum, making you moan. You gently licked it, Mingyu hissing as your tongue moved over his tip, collecting all of his precum before you began to take him into your mouth. He tossed his head back, his eyes closing as you began to bob your head, taking more of him each time. "That's it, Y/N, good girl," He moaned, his hands coming to hold your head as his hips began to move, fucking himself in your mouth. His thumbs rubbed your cheeks as he fucked your mouth, offering praises as he moaned. He licked his lips as he pulled out, noticing a mixture of spit and his precum now collecting on your breasts. "Oh, my fucking god, you're so hot."

He helped you up, kissing you messily as you moaned his name, removing the rest of your top. Mingyu picked you up so your legs wrapped around his waist, carrying you to his desk, helping you on it. He pulled off your panties, tossing it over by his pants as he slowed down his kisses. You ran your hands up his back as you both kissed, moaning against his lips as his hands confidently unclipped your bra, his hand coming to cover your breasts with his hands, massaging them as he pulled back from the kiss, his lips shiny from it.

He gently pushed you back, so you were resting on your hands, his lips wrapping around one of your nipples, making you toss your head back. He moaned around it, his tongue playing with it as his hand slipped down to play with your clit, making you moan louder. "Shh, baby. Those assistants may still be here. Don't want them to hear how good I'm making you feel, yeah?"

You nodded, closing your eyes as he pushed a finger into you. "So wet, baby. Did you want this as much as I did?" You nodded, frantically, Mingyu responding by pushing another finger into you, moving both at a rough pace. He licked his lips as he watched you, leaning back to spit onto your clit before mixing it into your slick, inserting another finger before he pulled away, using the slick on his fingers as lube as he stroked himself.

"I've been wanting this for so long, Y/N." He gripped your hips as he slowly pushed in, your head leaning back to rest on the monitor as he began to move his hips slowly. You dug your nails into his shoulders, moaning his name as he sped up slightly. He picked up one of your legs to rest on his shoulder, helping him move deeper into you as he began to fuck you.

You gripped the desk as he watched your breasts bounce, Mingyu leaning down to take one into his mouth as your hands met his hair once more. "Mingyu, please."

"Please what, hmm? Cause if I go any faster, I'm going to fuck you so hard, and I won't be able to stop until you're shaking."

"Prove it." As soon as the words left your mouth, Mingyu pulled away from you and your body, picking you up to place you against the window, the cold feeling making your arch into him as he pushed back into you. He held your hips tightly as he moved his hips roughly, causing you to moan loudly, stuffing your face into his shoulder to hopefully silence yourself. Mingyu had other plans, though, gripping your head so you tossed it back, his lips kissing around your neck as his hips met yours roughly. You felt yourself tighten around him, feeling yourself become close, Mingyu noticing as his thrusts picked up. "That's it, Y/N, be a good fucking girl for me and cum. Cum all over my fucking cock like I fucking deserve."

You came roughly around him, Mingyu immediately peeling your body from the window to move you to the desk once more, having you bent over it as he began to fuck you once more, his hands coming down to slap your ass. "That's a good fucking girl, my good girl. You're still so fucking tight even though you just came all over my dick." You whined at his words, Mingyu's hips fucking into you harshly as you came once more due to your sensitivity. He paused to look at one of the candles, an idea coming to his head. He leaned over, dripping the some of the candle wax onto your back, making you moan. "Look at that, baby. You look so good for me, now." He placed the candle back down, removing all the dried wax from your back before he began to move his hips quickly once more, feeling his cock twitch as you clenched around him, begging for him to cum.

Mingyu pulled out to cum on your ass, moaning your name as he leaned forward to bite your shoulder, moaning your name loudly as he shook. He took a moment to calm down before pulling back grabbing a tissue to wipe off his cum off of you before himself. He carefully helped you get dressed, having you sit on the desk as he tucked in his shirt, then moving to button yours. As he did, he smiled at you leaning down to kiss you softly, making you smile as well.

"It's late, I should go." You softly pushed back from Mingyu, carefully standing (with his help) gathering your purse. Mingyu watched you, biting his bottom lip before he stopped you, leaning over to kiss you softly once more, wrapping an arm around your waist. All of the sexual tension was out of the room, the only thing left was the feeling of romance. You couldn't help but realize that you had gained feelings for him, pulling back from his lips as the realization hit you. Mingyu noticed your change in demeanor, removing his arm from your waist as he cleared his throat. "Goodnight, Mingyu." You offered him a smile before leaving quickly making your way back to your car, passing by the assistants and your secretary. When you entered your car, you rested your forehead against the wheel. You looked so stupid; how could you sleep with your boss? Mingyu probably thought the worse about you.

When you returned home, you stripped and got into the shower, wanting to just clear your head and sleep, but you couldn't help but think about what happened between you and Mingyu; the way his hands felt, him calling you his good girl, the way he kissed you and held you.

"Get it together, Y/N." You sighed, running your hands through your hair before resting your head against the shower wall, trying to clear your thoughts once more, but all you could think about was him.

All you could think about was Kim Mingyu.

~ * ~

"It's time for the board meeting, Ms. L/N." You looked up from the paperwork you had to fill out for a court case, thanking your secretary before walking with her to the meeting hall. You had been so busy that you had to come in early to get started. You had forgotten what was supposed to happen this meeting, hoping it would be a quick one. When you entered, you realized you were the last person to join, everyone turning to you as you and your secretary sat down.

"Now we can begin." Mr. Wang stared at you with an annoyed look, your secretary offering one back as you opened your tablet to take notes. Mingyu cleared his throat before taking out a sheet of paper, the other board members stiffening at it. Mingyu held up the unfinished petition the board members made to replace him, his face showing how annoyed he was. He held up his hand to silence Mr. Wang, who started to try to explain. "I will not accept any sort of petitions to replace me. If you think you can, come say it to my face. Don't go behind my back and make some stupid ass petition like we're in middle school voting for class president." He ripped the paper in half, tossing it onto the table, much to the board members upset. You couldn't lie, you did find this side of Mingyu attractive; noting his locked jaw, his stern voice, how serious he seemed. It all made you wet.

Mingyu soon met your eyes, making you look back at your tablet, as if he was about to yell at you, feeling your cheeks heat up as you had been caught staring. "I've had Ms. Y/N start on some contracts for each of you. If you guys think I should be replaced, then you guys should have that option too." He then ended the meeting, leaving while the men threw questions at him. "We should leave now before they turn to us." You agreed with your secretary, packing up before walking out, making your way back to your office and the large amount of work you had to do. "That was the most interesting meeting I've ever had, Ms. L/N. Did you see all of their faces?" You agreed with her, noting how funny it was.

After you had finished your work, you began to pack up, stopping when there was a knock at the door. You met Mingyu's eyes as he walked in, asking if he needed anything. He walked in wordlessly, closing the door behind him before leaning his hip against your desk. He still hadn't answered your question, which you repeated. "Would you like to go out for dinner?" Mingyu smiled, making you raise an eyebrow. At your confusion, Mingyu turned to check that no one was watching you both, reaching into his pocket before pulling your panties from last night. You hadn't realized that you didn't put them on when you were getting dressed. As you reached forward for it, he put it back into his pocket, his hand moving to gently grip your waist. You paused, looking up at him as he stepped closer. "You can say no, but I would like to have dinner with you once more."

You didn't think about saying no, agreeing immediately. He told you to wait for him as he grabbed his things, walking away to get his items. Once he gathered his things, he followed you to the parking lot. "I'll text you the address." You nodded, heading to your car before getting in. You took a moment to check your appearance and reapply some lip balm and perfume, agreeing that you look nice before checking your phone, placing the address into your GPS, beginning your journey.

When you arrived at the address, however, you realized it was his house. You bit your lip as you exited your car, Mingyu pulling in next to you and did the same. "I thought we could have dinner here." You nodded, following him inside.

~ ** ~

"I received so many emails from that Wang guy about me betraying him. He was going to pop a blood vessel about it." You laughed, Mingyu chuckling as he placed his wine glass down. You both had long finished eaten dinner and were now chilling in his living room, drinking wine and just talking. It felt nice. All of your nervousness about getting close to him left you as the wine gave you courage. Mingyu moved so his arm was laying on the back of the couch, his hand coming down to rest on your thigh, his thumb rubbing your skin as he listened to you talk. He nodded, his tongue coming out to wipe his lips, your eyes moving to watch.

"Y/N..." He whispered, moving closer to your body as if you were a magnet. You wrapped your arms around him as you both met in a kiss, Mingyu's hands moving to cup your cheek. He tilted his head as the kiss grew more intense, giving you the chance to kiss down to his neck, leaving hickies in your wake, his hands moving to your waist. He moaned your name as you sucked on his sweet spot, Mingyu pulling back to meet your lips once more as he stood up with you, both of you stumbling down the hallway as the kiss grew messily.

He pinned you against the bedroom door, his hands moving to remove your bottoms as you worked on removing his clothes, leaving his glasses on. When you had stripped him down to his underwear, he led you to the bed, having you lay down. You watched as he got settled on his stomach in between your legs, his hands massaging your thighs as he kissed around your legs. "Mingyu, fuck, eat me out please."

"As you wish," he quickly leaned in to suck gently on your folds, his tongue moving out to play taste you, making you moan. "Oh, you taste too good," he moved back in moaning loudly as he began to lick and suck hungrily, pulling back to quickly toss away his glasses before moving back in. You gripped his hair, trying to pull him back as it felt so good all at once. Mingyu pulled away from you with a pop, making his way to his closet, leaving you to catch your breath.

"You're being bad, Y/N." You turned to see Mingyu walking out from the closet, holding handcuffs. He licked his lips, moaning at the taste of you, making you clench around nothing. He gently gripped your wrists, handcuffing your wrists to the bedpost before he returned to standing in front of you, sinking back down to his knees. "Now, let me enjoy tasting this pussy."

"Mingyu fuck, oh fuuuck" You gripped the handcuffs as he dove right back in, his tongue moving to play with your clit as your thighs clenched around his head, his free hand moving to cup your throat, choking you occasionally. He didn't stop once you came the first time, Mingyu saying how he wouldn't stop until you covered his face in your juices.

As your thighs shook from having your 4th orgasm, he sucked on your pussy once more before pulling away, patting it, making you shiver from how sensitive you were. To Mingyu, you looked so hot; handcuffed to the bed, your chest rising and falling, covered in sweat; it was like you were straight from his wet dream.

He wiped his face, crawling up the bed as he kissed up your body. "Mingyu, please" he paused at your plea, asking what you wanted. You couldn't put the words together, wrapping your legs around his waist. He smirked, pressing his cock against your pussy, allowing you to grind against it. "Can you handle it, Y/N?" You nodded, moving your hips faster, trying to relieve yourself more. Even though you had cum so much, you couldn't help but want more. Mingyu nodded, halting your hips before pushing down his underwear, slowly pushing into you, leaning forward to kiss you softly.

"I'll take care of you, Y/N." He smiled against your lips as he began to move his hips slowly, his hands coming up to remove the handcuffs from your wrists. "Lemme hold you while I fuck you, ok?" He laid down on the bed with you, wrapping your arms around his shoulder as you wrapped your legs around him, meeting him in a loving kiss.

It felt connecting.

It felt like you both were becoming one as he moved, holding you close and whispering how much he cared about you as he moved. He intertwined your hands together as he moved, his eyes showing how much he loved you as he moved, kissing you softly.

"I'll show you how much I love you, Y/N, even if it takes all night long."

~ *** ~

"Another great win, Ms. L/N!" You thanked your secretary as you entered the office tossing a file onto Mr. Wang's desk as you passed by. You had just won another case for the commutations department after they had offended someone, pissed as it was their 4th case that month.

"Your meeting with CEO Mingyu was moved up as he has a business dinner later. He wishes to see you as soon as possible." You thanked her, letting her know that she could go on lunch. As you made your way into his office, you noticed Mingyu shutting the blinds. Once you were inside, he locked the door behind you and shut the remaining blinds, turning to you with a smile. "So, how long are we going to have to meet like this until you tell everyone we're together?" Mingyu smiled at your question, wrapping his arms around your waist as he kissed your forehead. "I'm telling my father tonight. Then, I'll tell everyone else. I know my father likes you, so I have no worries about his reaction. Everyone else is a different story."

"Well don't worry, I can sue them for defamation" you joked, meeting him in a sweet kiss as he moved you to his desk, having you sit on it. He slowly sunk to his knees, placing your legs onto his shoulders as he worked on removing your underwear. "Did you win your case?"

"Of course I did." You leaned back as he placed your panties into his suit pocket, Mingyu looking up at you with a smile before giving your pussy one lick.

"Good girl."

[poeticpains]

Poe's Giffing Tutorial (From One Beginner to Another)

Hey, everyone! So, I've been thinking about this for a while, and decided to finally make it happen. This post aims to be a giffing tutorial that isn't a bunch of technical jargon that nobody except experienced giffers understands. This is for the person that I was when I first started out: someone who wants to make gifs, for free, without having to learn the entirety of a new program. As such, if you're already familiar with the basics, this probably won't be super helpful to you.

In this, I'll cover the basics of actually capturing a gif, the how-to of color correction (though without getting into the nitty-gritty detail of it), some basic text effects, and some more decorative effects like overlays and ~fancy coloring. I'll also show you the program I use to resize gifs.

I don't have a fun quip to lead us into the next part, so, uh, let's just dive in.

Tools*:

A PC capable of handling heavy processor loads (I use a mid-range gaming laptop; it's a little slow sometimes, but it works)

Whatever you're giffing (obviously...)

ScreenToGif (a free, basic screencapture program)

Photopea (a free, in-browser Photoshop dupe)

RedKetchup (a free file resizer/converter)

*Note: These are not the end-all, be-all of gifmaking. They may not even be the best tools for the job! But they're free, they work well, and they're relatively intuitive.

Step 1: Capture your gif.

I'm going to use ScreenToGif for this. The first thing I do is open the program and click Recorder, which opens the recording interface.

I click and drag (or manually input dimensions in the boxes next to the recording button in the lower right corner) to set my dimensions, and then I press record. The red "Record" button will change to a blue square that says "Stop," and a timer will appear in the upper right corner, showing how many seconds your gif is.

Generally, I'll pause the video 5-10 seconds before my desired start time, to give myself a buffer (you'll be able to delete those frames later), start the recording, and then start the video. You'll probably find a system that works for you once you do it a few times.

Once the scene that I want to capture is done, I'll click the blue "Stop" button, and the overlay will close itself. A few seconds later, depending on how long/complex/large your gif is, the program will pop up with a new window where you can edit. Here's what it looks like:

You can do a lot with ScreenToGif, but we'll be using the dead simple stuff today. Click the "Edit" tab, fourth from the left, and this will show up.

"Delete All Previous" and "Delete All Next" are our friends here. Go to the FIRST frame that you want in your gif, using either your arrow keys or just dragging the slider, and select it. Then hit "Delete All Previous." This will make that frame the first frame of your gif. Then, go to the LAST frame of your gif, and hit "Delete All Next." This makes the last frame of the scene that you want the last frame of the gif. You can also use the "Delete" option to delete frames by selecting them with your cursor if you want a more manual option.

Now you have your raw gif! Go to the "File" tab, the first one on the left, and select "Save As" from the menu. You want to make sure that it's saving as a .gif file, not an .mp4 or .apng --- you can check this up at the top. Don't worry, though, as .gif is the default, so unless you change it, you should be golden. Select whatever folder you want to put it in, name it, and save it.

You could absolutely stop here. It is by no means required to color your gifs or slow them down or any other number of things associated with giffing. But if you want to, here's how I do it.

Step 2: Edit your gif.

Head on over to Photopea. You'll see this:

What we want is the "Open From Computer" option. Click it, and your File Explorer will show up. Navigate to whatever folder you saved your gif in and select it by double clicking or clicking once and hitting "Open."

It'll open in a new workspace that looks like this.

You may be saying, "Gee, Poe, that sure looks a lot like Photoshop!" Yes, it absolutely does. If you're familiar with Photoshop, you will most likely be able to find your way around Photopea just fine, and can probably go from here. But if you're not familiar with Photoshop, here's the basics.

First thing's first: gifs are frequently pretty fuzzy/blurry. Luckily, sharpening them is easy.

Select all your frames (the list on the right with all the numbered layers) by clicking one end, scrolling up/down, holding Shift, and clicking the other end. Then go up to the tabs and do Filter > Sharpen > Smart Sharpen. This will automatically sharpen each frame using a percentage; the default is, I believe, 150%, and this is usually what I use because I am fundamentally lazy.

If you don't select all your frames, only the one that you're currently on (the one highlighted in a lighter color) will get the effect applied to it. This goes for basically anything you do, so it's good to get in the habit of selecting all.

Now that it's sharpened, we can color it. Go up to the tabs again, and go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > [whatever you want to adjust]. Most commonly in Escape the Night, you'll have to adjust brightness, because there's a lot of dark, moody scenes; Season 3 is also especially yellow/orange tinted, so you'll probably want to color correct it, too, using the Color Balance adjustment layer. This is a total guessing game based on the exact scene you're doing and my method is just selecting random things and adjusting sliders until it looks good (remember: fundamentally lazy). Honestly, I'm not an expert in coloring gifs, so I won't pretend to be — especially since people can and do write entire posts just dedicated to it. For this gif, I'm just lightening it a little.

And if this is all you want to do — no text, no effects — you're done! Go to File > Export As > GIF. It will take a few moments to load, so don't panic when your page freezes. A new window will pop up that allows you to do things like set looping, time, etc. but you can also just "Save" and you're done!

But let's say you want something fun. Maybe you'd like to overlay a quote or make it a cool color. If that's the case, continue on...

Step 3: Make your gif shine.

Three parts in this: text, fun colors, and overlays. You can combine these three to do some awesome things, and they're all very simple to do, once you know what you're doing. Think of them less like steps and more like a mix-and-match deal. You can use one, two, or all three!

So, here we go.

Option 3a: Add some text.

The easiest option of the three, this one works exactly like you think it does. The uppercase T symbol on the sidebar will create a new text layer where you can type something and set a font, size, and color.

I'll spare you the lecture on typography that I could give you — you can find better ones than I could make. Generally, though, you have a decorative/display font for headings and emphasis, and then a different, more generalized font for subheadings and other things. In this, the display font is Heavy Heap, which was used on the Season 3 tarot cards, and the general font is a relatively generic serif font.

(Sidenote: you can load fonts into Photopea! Just go to a font website like Dafont, download the font you want, and then open it as you would any other file by going to File > Open and selecting it from your files. You should get a message that says "Font [Your Font Name Here] Loaded," and then you'll be able to use it in your design. That's how I got Heavy Heap in there.)

You can change size and color with these, which will show up at the top when you select the text tool. Keep in mind that if you're making changes after you type something out, you will need to select (highlight) the text you want to change — it won't do it automatically.

I will admit that Photopea's text editor is not the cleanest, simplest, or nicest to use, especially at first. I came from Canva where it was much faster and easier. The downside, of course, is that Canva is highly limited with what you can do.

There are also ways to warp the text, change the blending, and do outlines, but I'll leave that for another time as to avoid making this any longer than it already is.

Option 3b: Make it a cool color.

You have a couple different ways to do this. Probably the most intuitive is to go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Photo Filter. Select the color box, pick the color you want using the picker or a hex code, select your desired density, and click OK. Boom, color over your gif.

It defaults to this vintage-y orange, but you can pick whatever color your heart desires.

However, I usually use a different method using Gradient Maps. This is also pretty easy; Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Gradient Map. If you leave it black and white, by the way, you get a B&W gif (you can also just select the Black and White option in the Adjustment Layer menu). Click on the gradient, select the white square on the right side of the gradient line, and then select the square down at the bottom of the window and change it to whatever color you want.

For this gif, I'm leaving it B&W.

(You can have a lot of fun with gradient maps. Play around with them!)

Option 3c: Overlay another gif on top.

Ooookay, so, this is the most advanced and tedious of effects to do (at least of the ones documented in this post), but it's worth it, I promise. For this, you'll need at least one other gif. I usually use a base gif that's relatively neutrally colored, oftentimes B&W but sometimes just faded or pastel, plus one (or more than one) colored, brighter gif. These are, of course, just guidelines — combine whatever gifs you want. The only real requirement, per se, is that they have the same amount of frames. If they don't, it'll look weird. (But if you do end up with two gifs that have different amounts of frames, you can delete the difference right in Photopea, so I don't stress about it too much.)

You also generally want to add text after this step, so if you're planning on doing this, save the text for last.

First things first: color your gifs the way you want and then save both of them. Then re-open them both in Photopea. Yes, this is annoying. I did say it was tedious.

So now I have both of them in my navbar, labeled as "tutorial base" and "tutorial overlay."

Go to your overlay gif and right-click on the gif folder. This is the top layer with a little arrow and folder icon next to the name of the gif.

Select "Duplicate Into" and then pick your base gif in the popup. In my case, it's named "tutorial base."

Now you'll click over to your base gif, and you'll see that your accent has been put on top of your base. Now you get to have fun with blending!

Right click on the overlay gif's folder again. Then, select Blending Options, which is the first menu item. It'll bring up a popup with all sorts of options for styling your layer.

The default setting is Pass Through, which is what we see here. If you want, you could just change the opacity to get your desired effect.

You could also play around with blending options such as Overlay, Color Burn, Lighten, and Screen. Every gif is different, and every gif will look different with different options, so experiment and see what looks best! You may have to go back and recolor it a few times, so I recommend just keeping the project open in your navbar for easy access.

For this gif, I think I'll go with Darker Color at 67%.

One last step, and then you're done with blending!

Go to Layer > Animation > Merge. This will merge each frame of your animation (the gifs) with each other, meaning that they'll play at the same time. If you forget this step, as I do frequently, you'll go to save your gif and find that it plays as a sequence.

Once you've merged your gifs, you can add texts, more effects, PNG overlays, whatever you want! Congrats! You did it!

Step 4: Resize your gif (if necessary).

Maybe you've made a gif, and it's beautiful, and it's amazing, and you wanna show everyone...but it's five million megabytes and you can't send or post it anywhere. Tumblr's max file size is 10 MB, while Discord's (standard) max file size is..7 MB, I think? Either way, if you try to upload something bigger than that, you'll get an error message and the familiar taste of disappointment.

Never fear, Redketchup is here!

This is Redketchup, and it's super simple.

Go to "GIF Resizer" under Animation Tools. Upload your gif, then scroll until you see the Resize GIF section. Input the percentage you'd like to reduce it by (presets are 25%, 50%, and 75% smaller, but you can set it manually, as well).

This is also the step where you can slow it down if you desire if you didn't do it in Photopea — it's in the next section down. Set the speed, if you'd like, and then go down to the bottom and hit Download.

It'll take you to a preview tab where you can check if your gif is small enough. If it is, hit Download again up in the top left, and that's that! Go share your gif with the world!

Conclusion:

Thank you for reading! I am by no means an expert gifmaker, but I want to spread the love and give other people the option to do it. I wouldn't know any of this stuff without the people who taught me, and I'll put a list of tutorials down at the bottom that I referenced when I was first learning to make gifs.

At any rate, if you use this post to make a gif, feel free tag me or send it to me so I can see! And for those of you who are on the fence about learning or starting to gif...

Do it. I double-dog dare you.

:)

References:

Blending Gifs by @the-mother-of-lions

Photopea Coloring Tutorial by @heroeddiemunson

Merging in Photopea by @bellamyblakru

And, though not a specific reference, I frequently browse @usergif for inspiration (they have tutorials there, as well, but I haven't checked them out yet).

[v3nusxsky]

Have you heard the audio of Gwendoline saying “I like when you talk like that. It makes me want to destroy you.” ?

If possible could we get a Larissa x reader featuring this delicious quote? (I’m so gay for her)

If not feel no pressure to write it :) i <3 ur work sm

Talk dirty to me 18+

*Authors note ~ don't we all love this quote? And I'm so in love with this idea so I'm glad I had the opportunity to write it*

Trigger warnings~ mommy kink, dirty talk, dom l sub r toys oral fingering binding humiliation if you squint

Prompt~see ask^^^

+

tumblr anon~ Hello :) i love your work!! I have a larissa x reader request, it's nothing specific, just that reader can cum just by eating larissa out or the other way around, whatever is more comfortable with you Have a great day!

❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀

You'd been teasing Larissa all morning, you love your wife and with her looking so beautiful all the damn time made it hard to focus on your job. Luckily, you were just Nevermore's librarian which meant you were able to be on your phone more often than your wife. Most of the time you could be found curled up with a book, your ability of being a seer was particularly useful but incredibly stressful, you always found comfort in the stories the books provide.

Your phone vibrated next to you and you couldn't help the smirk that took hold of your lips. "I like when you talk like that. Makes me want to destroy you. Mommy is gonna make sure her dirty girl won't be able to do anything but plead with me to stop" holy fuck she was going to kill you. You quickly sent off another flirty message goading her into what was looking to be an enjoyable evening for you both.

You were getting to your favourite part of your book when you saw Larissa seemingly swapping and changing her course of action, seemingly that she wanted to keep you guessing, a small sigh left you, you're wife knew just how to get around your ability but you knew whatever's happened next you were safe.

"Hey you" Larissa murmured gaining your attention and a beautiful blush spreading across your cheeks. "Hi baby" you murmured marking your page and closing the book. A sweet kiss was shared as Larissa brought her hands to your hips to tug you closer to her body. "God I've missed you all day and those texts, you know you can't leave me all needy for the rest of the day right?" She murmured kissing your neck, sucking the pulse point into her ruby red lips. "Mmm Ris, room?" You murmured happily leaning into the older woman. "We may, but only if you say my name" she teased her hands now moving to palm your breasts through the clothing there. "Ris?" A nip to your collarbone indicated the wrong answer was given. "Mommy" you whined causing the shapeshifter to scoop you up bridal style and carry you to the bedroom.

It was rare you and your wife snuck off during work hours but when you did there was always a good reason and you were never found out. And even if you were, your wife is the boss so what would anyone be able to do? Nothing was the simple answer. You were immediately placed on the centre of the bed as your clothing began to be torn off your body. Your hands began pawing at your wife's clothing in a blind need to feel her soft silky skin.

You lay bare in front of your wife while she remained in her underwear happily laying kisses all over you. "Mommy" you whined squirming underneath her as teased you, spewing dirty words and thoughts of all the things she could be doing to destroy her princess. "Mommy has a good mind to go find her box of toys and pull out mommy's favourite one and then devour you till you're begging me to stop. Bet your whorish cunt would squirt all over the sheets just for mommy" she purred before doing exactly that.

After securing what she truly wanted she headed back to the bed and immediately began to bind your arms and legs to the bed frame. "Colour?" She murmured as you tested the bonds. "Green" you whimpered watching your wife now inserting her favourite dildo that would vibrate to stimulate her clit while letting her feel full. "Oh god so hot" you whimpered watching her set the pattern she wanted before throwing the phone else where. At least you wouldn't have to worry about finding a remote later.

The moment her mouth latched onto your clit you swore you were in heaven. Larissa knew just how much you enjoyed her mouth's attention, so any time she could she would put her mouth to work for your own pleasure. She knew that you could cum with just this simple act and that your orgasms were more intense this way. You always tasted delicious and she would happily lap up your slick and live between your beautiful thighs. Hell, Larissa never wanted to leave from her position.

You lost count how many times she threw you over the edge with her skilled tongue, all you could do is whine and mewl for her. A string of "fuck" "god" and "mommy" was looped around in between moans. You could feel the older woman's grin against your sensitive folds. "Mommy no more" you panted struggling against the restraints, "oh god mommy I'm gonna pee" you whined. Only then were you given your wife's long slender fingers into your tight fluttering walls. "Pretty baby you won't pee I promise, trust me baby, let go for mommy" she murmured not even bothering to wipe her chin free of your arousal.

You did just that, the sensations overwhelming you as white hot pleasure cursed through your veins. You squirted for the blonde, drenching the sheets before passing out. A first for you but Larissa helped your body back from the unimaginable high, then she undid the restraints to come and hold your sweat soaked body to hers. "You did so so good for me, so proud princess" she murmured stroking your cheek watching as you began to rouse again, "so good for me princess, mommys so proud of you." "What happened " you mumbled seemingly out of it. "You squirted baby then knocked out for a little, it's okay you're safe and I'm gonna look after you princess" she murmured kissing your head, "mommy you didn't?" "Oh you poor princess, mommy came dont you worry, how about a bath?" To which you nodded and allowed Larissa to run it and carry you into the warm water.

Word count~ 1131

[thebisexualdogdad]

Hmm, hi, I would like to make a request and what if the black cat/Felicia Hardy had a boyfriend who was like, El Diablo from Suicide Squad. (Of course, if you want)

Felicia Hardy x Male!reader

*Tati Gabrielle used as fancast*

● you met Felicia when you attempted to steal her Lamborghini

● “nice try handsome but no one steals my ride” she says strutting up to you in her black cat suit after robbing a jewelry store nearby

● “you're the black cat” you say instantly recognizing her

● “and judging by your tattoos you're the one they call El Diablo and I could actually use your help on a job”

● that job included stealing a dozen imported cars from their shipping containers at the port which you then set on fire with your powers and she promised you a third of what she would be paid from her buyer

● and even better than the money you ended up hooking up after a successful heist

● a couple days later she gets a call from you

● “can't get enough of me huh?”

● “I know you stole my watch Felicia”

● “Guess you'll just have to come get it back from me hot stuff, that is if you can catch me”

● “if you wanted to see me again all you had to do was ask”

● “What would be the fun in that?”

● Felicia's nickname for you is lover boy

● she will tease you by calling you that in front of your crew who have become very accustomed to her being around

● they make fun of you for being so whipped for her

● “you don't even know what that woman can do with a whip, they may call me the devil in the streets but Felicia Hardy is a devil in the sheets”

● she loves tracing your tattoos with her fingers while you lay in bed together

● and telling each other stories of the best crimes you've committed

● you work a lot of jobs together

● and Felicia enjoys making you watch her get hit on by guys at bars you're about to rob blind

● and sometimes the plan includes you making a scene and trying to fight the guy “hitting on your girl” while Felicia gets whatever it is you guys were there for

● she finds it so hot knowing the jealousy is low key real and results in you fooling around in an alley behind the bar/club/wherever the heist is taking place

● there was one incident where a guy got way too handsy with her and you actually beat the shit out of him and set his car on fire

● another time spiderman was able to actually have you arrested

● but Felicia sauntered into the police station with a bag full of money for your bail

● “Y/N such a bad boy you know I'm the only one allowed to put you in handcuffs”

● you smirk at the cops on your way out knowing the charges they have on you won't stick “better luck next time boys and give spiderman my regards”

● you know about Felicia and Spidermans dating history

● you still can't believe she dated a superhero

● sometimes you set fires around the city just to put him to work

● “Felicia can you please tell your pyromaniac boyfriend to stop setting fires for no reason?”

● “sorry spidey but no can do, you're lucky I talked him down from setting you on fire”

● you and Felicia go on plenty of lavish vacations

● and of course committing crimes while abroad

● in your apartment you guys proudly display some of your favorite scores including a priceless painting you stole while in France

● for a little change of pace Felicia was somehow able to convince you to go on a snowy weekend getaway in the mountains

● you're not a fan of the cold

● but you were definitely able to keep each other warm that weekend

[imtotallyokandnormal]

i saw your doe x metalhead reader and thought it was adorable!! I kinda want to request something of the same regards but instead of metalhead something like more of a soft dressed, sensitive person? 😵‍💫

Oh yes this one will be really cute i can ALREADY tell!! By the way I may make this reader more sensitive than you meant but hopefully I get the amount of sensitivity right!

Reader: gn reader

Warnings: none!

Image link: badabing!

》☆John Doe x Sensitive You!☆《

- When I say John would be head over heels in love with a sensitive person I mean that he will be watching your face constantly just to see every range of emotion you experience every day. Like I'm not joking seeing your expression shift even in the slightest way is so FASCINATING to them like the way your eyes light up in the slightest way makes them giddy.

- He loves the way you seem so emotionally in-tune with yourself, he loves being able to tell what you're feeling. They go out of their way to please you and make sure you're smiling as much as possible.

- Something make you upset? It's dealt with before you even get home (this is possible thanks to His Stalking Tendencies). Whether someone was rude to you or you have a lot of things to do, it will be dealt with by however he deems necessary (maybe involving a bit of messy killing in the process but shhhh don't worry about it).

- OK OK IF YOU CRY EASY- John doesn't find it to be a burden at all so do not worry, they only worry because they hate seeing you upset. The moment they notice you starting to get emotional, while watching a movie or in a social setting or whatever it is, they are immediately hugging you and taking you away from whatever is upsetting you.

- If you don't like physical touch for reassurance he'd be absolutely more than happy to replace it with gift giving (giving you a torn up stuffie he found in a random alleyway to hug) or just getting you away from the situation! He is willing to change his style of affection-giving to suit you (even if he WANTS to tackle you and smother you in love until you can't take it).

- Also not to mention they LOVE your clothing style, he would love you no matter what you wore but he appreciates a softer pallette on you because it matches your gentleness!

- They may or may not steal your clothes either to wear or to gather into a big clothing pile to snuggle in while you're gone. They just like your scent and anything that reminds them of you.

- Also this doesn't just apply if you wear soft feminine clothes, if you wear more masculine or androgynous clothes that could be considered soft he'd love them just as much! (Although I'm just saying, if you own a skirt John will absolutely wear it no question so if you enjoy that thought as much as I do there you go.)

- OH OH ANOTHER IMPORTANT THING! If you need regular reassurance that you are loved and needed? You could not have picked a better person for the job like John THRIVES on telling you how much you are loved and cherished. If for whatever reason you feel they aren't loving you in the way you need they have no problem adjusting (to extreme lengths if needed) to fit your needs.

- What extreme lengths you ask? I mean they have no qualms about changing into an entirely different person for you, appearance and personality-wise. To them, every part of their being is adjustable to serve you.

- Which makes him all the more happy if you tell him you like him just as he is, no change required! After than he's practically smothering you in hugs and kisses and every form of praise under the sun.

- Basically, John Doe is a sweetheart (in their own special weird way) and if you're a sweetheart he absolutely adores you!

[fuxuannie]

First time requesting so sorry if this doesn’t make sense, if you’re willing could you write about Yanqing comforting a reader who’s been feeling down because their feeling burnt out? So so sorry if this doesn’t make any sense but thanks anyway for possibly considering it!

-🌝 anon

↳ pairing : yanqing x g-neutral reader

↳ synopsis : request ♡

↳ authors note : CLEARING OUT DRAFTS 🧸‼‼ i i really wananana get back into writing n i dont wanna leave what i started here!!!

YANQING noticed how much more you tended to zone out within the day. Sure, you'd stop paying attention 5 minutes into his ramble about swords - but at the very least you'd make it to the discussion of how they're made. Nowadays, you're forgetting hes talking to you before he could even start.

Not only that, but you seemed to work and work but seemingly not out of the passion you had before, but almost as if you were doing it in hopes to find a purpose. He couldn't explain it properly, but it was like you were no longer working cause it made you happy, more over because was expected and wanted of you.

Sure, it was your job to serve, but you were allowed to ask for breaks and such if it was needed and you DEFINITELY needed one.

So he had approached Jing Yuan and asked for permission to pull you out of work for a few hours. "Oh, Yanqing.. You kind soul, you're more than free to be able to help them." He does his usual precious smile, bows to his superior and hurries off to find you.

He asked around with the locals if they had seen you, his expression of worry worsening by the second as people would answer more no's and no's. And when all hope seemed lost, a certain fluffy tailed woman had known exactly where you were, and told the concerned blonde once she noticed his usual smile curl downwards into a frown.

"Thank you, Miss Tingyun!" Yanqing bows before running off towards one of the trees in the training grounds, it was a private & closed off area for the Cloud Knights with various different training equipment but a giant tree in the center of it all.

His worry faded away when he saw you asleep against the trunk, snoring softly as your hair was a slight mess due to the wind that was blowing.

The young swordsman sits next to you, his head faced your sleeping form as he hesitantly puts a hand on your shoulder and shakes you. Waking you up from your peaceful nap.

"..Mm.." Was the first sign that you were waking up, watching your head shift slightly before settling in his general direction. Your eyes slowly flutter open, and are greeted to the sight of Yanqing smiling at you fondly and gigglig at your rather sleepy state. "Good Morning." You could hear him saying.

He can see how your expression immediately changes, first confusion and then panic. "W-wait.. Did I doze off?! Oh no, oh dear, I'm sorry for troubling you! I'll return to work-" But Yanqing grabs your hand before you could even stand, theres a small silence for a moment, wind blowing through your hair as you stared into his eyes.

"Don't leave."

You want to protest, but Yanqing shakes his head before you can get another word out. "Worry not. The General allowed you to rest for a little while longer." He reassures you with a closed eye smile, the hold on your hand had no sign of letting go or allowing you to leave.

Grinning at your sigh of defeat, the boy moves a little so you may sit down next to him.

There's a few moments of silence, not exactly awkward but.. comforting. The feeling of gentle wind brushing against your skin, sounds of birds or leaves rustling, and the slow clouds passing by in the distance. You finally take a moment to appreciate everything going on around you, and maybe one of those things was the warmth that wrapped around your hand. How Yanqing's fingers intertwine with yours as he admires the very same things that you are, humming a gentle tune to hopefully soothe your stress away.

"You know.. I don't think I'm built for this line of work sometimes."

His head is quick to turn to you, though your gaze doesn't drift away from the sky up above.

"I dunno, sometimes I can take it and other times.."

You lay against the tree trunk, closing your eyes and take a deep breath.

"It feels like I'm drowning in a pool of my problems and getting dragged further down to the bottom."

He's not sure whether to comfort you with words or with actions, so he simply guides your head to lean down comfortably on his shoulder.

In time, if you'll ask for it, he'll tell you the words of comfort that he's sure you'll need to hear.

For now, he'll be quiet and listen to your problems that you've kept bottled up for far too long.

[roxygen22]

Still Here (Chapter 4)

Summary: Timothée invites you and Madison out to the lake.

A/N: This Timothée variant is so dad-coded that I'm falling in love with him myself.

Catch up on previous chapters here.

You spent the next few days helping your mother clean out and rearrange your old room to be livable once again instead of a dedicated craft space. You checked your phone constantly the first couple of days after your lunch with Timothée, but slowly resigned yourself to the fact that he may not reach out after all. You wouldn't blame him if he had changed his mind. The two of you hurt each other pretty badly all of those years ago and were practically strangers again thanks to time and distance.

On the fifth day, as you were perusing job ads in the local newspaper, you heard your phone ding. You stared at the device for a moment in disbelief. Was it going to be a message from him, or just another spam text that gets your hopes up? You flipped it over and spotted:

"Want to go out to the lake on Saturday?"

You bit your lip and grinned, hugging your phone to your chest. Finally.

"Sounds fun! Let me see if my parents are available to hang out with Maddy." "She's welcome, too."

Wow. You weren't used to that. Your "friends" in California weren't much on kids tagging along on your outings. It got to a point where you didn't go out much at all because getting a sitter was too expensive.

"Really? Thanks! I think she'd enjoy getting out of the house." "Of course. Let's meet at my place early around 7am so we can have some fun before it gets hot. Do you remember how to get here?" "As long as you are still on Hawk Road, I can manage ;)" "Yep. See you in a couple of days."

<><><><><>

Saturday morning finally arrived. It was hard to convince Madison to get out of bed, but with some persuasion (i.e. favorite breakfast) she was up and dressed relatively quickly. You went through your verbal checklist to ensure you had everything you both needed for day of fun in the sun:

"Phone charger, check, snacks, check, cooler of drinks, check, sunscreen, check, spare clothes, check. Alright, I think we have everything. Let's load up!" As expected, you were able to find Timothée's place with ease. He had a small house on the same land as his parents. You had spent enough time there as a teenager that you still knew the route like the back of your hand.

Timothée was already outside packing stuff into the bed of the truck when you arrived. He turned and waved as he heard your car make its way down the gravel driveway. Once you stopped, he walked up and opened the door for you. Another gesture you weren't used to anymore.

"Good morning!" You looked up at him from your car's seat and smiled. He hugged you once you stood.

"Morning, [Y/N]." He pulled back to look at your face, smiled again, then looked to the side as he spotted movement behind the car. "Hey, Madison!"

"Hey," she replied flatly as she walked up to the two of you. You pulled the girl into your side.

"Mornings aren't her favorite. She'll warm up eventually." You looked down to give her that "mind your manners" look.

"That's alright. I'm not a morning person either, unless I'm up for something fun. Like today!" Timothée said cheerily. That's when you noticed something connected to his truck.

You leaned around him and exclaimed, "You have a boat now?!"

He chuckled. "I did grow up a little bit while you were away, [Y/N]."

You laughed awkwardly, but then quickly froze when you realized, "Oh no, we don't have life jackets. I didn't know, so I didn't plan for..."

"Don't worry, I already thought through that. I had an extra adult one on hand and borrowed a kids' life jacket from the neighbors. By the way, they have some kids around Madison's age. I think their youngest may even be in the same grade in the fall. They want to meet you both."

"Oh, it would be so great if Madison could at least know one other kid when school starts up. Are they new in the area?"

"Relatively. They moved in about five years ago," he replied.

"Ah, I see. I have a lot of catching up to do," you noted. You looked down at your daughter and squeezed her shoulder, "And we have new friends to make."

"I may not even still be here when the new school year starts, remember?" Madison grumbled.

"Well, it doesn't hurt to have some friends around when you come visit your grandparents, though, right?" Timothée chimed in.

She shrugged. "I guess not."

"Right, well, back to the fun at hand. Before I saw the boat, I was going to offer that we all pile in my car since there is more space. We can just follow you over there instead," you stated.

"Nonsense. We can all fit in my truck. Here, let me put your things in the back." You opened the trunk and allowed him to transfer your bags and cooler.

As he walked away, you bent down to talk to Madison quietly. "His truck only has one row of seats. Are you okay with sitting in the middle between us?" Just because you had known Timothée most of your life didn't mean she would (or should) be automatically comfortable around him.

"Sure, I've never ridden in a truck like this before, or in a boat!" You could tell she was starting to perk up. She ran over when Timothée opened the heavy passenger door of the old blue truck and climbed inside eagerly. "Whoa, we're so high up compared to your car, Mom!"

Once you followed suit, Timothée shut the door and ran around the front to the driver seat to join you. "Alright, everyone buckled up?" he asked. You and Madison nodded. "Then let's go!"

As he drove, you pointed out some of the places from your childhood. This triggered some reminiscing on Timothée's part about some of the shenanigans the two of you got into, which made Madison giggle. She seemed to enjoy hearing about some of your irresponsible moments. Hearing her laugh again was like music to your ears. You looked over at the two of them as they laughed together. Even though it was at your expense, you couldn't help but smile. Maybe this is what it could have been like had you stayed, the two of you together with a child in between.

Your arrival at the lake interrupted your reverie. Soon the three of you were out on the water and heading for a cove Timothée liked to frequent. Madison sat at the front of the boat with you close behind. She was nervous at first, gripping the edge of the boat, but quickly loosened up. Her long blonde hair flowed behind her as she faced into the wind. She looked back at you with a grin and yelled, "It feels like I am flying!" You laughed and waved, then looked back at Timothée, who was watching the two of you with a soft smile...

...which quickly turned into a mischievous grin. "Watch this!" he shouted. Now out on open water, he opened the throttle on the motor. The nose of the boat raised out of the water with increased speed. This time, you were the one gripping the edge of your seat while your daughter screamed, "Woohoo!" with both hands in the air. You could hear Timothée laughing behind you.

Much to Madison's disappointment, Timothée had to slow down as you neared the cove. When you approached the shore, he turned the motor off and jumped out to drag the boat to the bank. The girl jumped from the boat to the sand. "That was awesome!" she exclaimed as she shucked her lifejacket.

Timothée offered his hand to help you down then grabbed the bags and cooler. "Glad you're enjoying yourself, kiddo. Now, can you help me find a spot to set up our stuff?" he asked.

Madison ran up a small hill and quickly spied a dry grassy space to lay out the blankets. "Over here!"

"That's perfect, Maddy." You laid out a blanket. "Why don't you sit here, take your shoes off, and put sunscreen on, then you can go wade around while I get everything else set up. But no swimming until one of us can join you."

Madison rolled her eyes. "Okayyyy..."

You raised an eyebrow. "Or I could make you sit here all by your lonesome while Timothée and I swim, if you're going to be like that."

"No, no, I'm good. Shallow water only." She gestured to cross her heart then ran back down the hill.

Timothée set the cooler down beside you. "I know it wasn't part of your plan years ago, but you're really good at that."

"What's that?" You gave him a questioning look.

"The whole mom thing. You seem to have a knack for when to give her space and freedom, and when to rein it in. Oof, and that eyebrow raise. Even I stopped in my tracks."

You laughed. "Oh just wait until I have to break out her middle name. That's when it's really serious, Timothée Hal Chalamet." He playfully shuddered. "But, uh, thanks. I feel like I fail at it all the time. Especially these last few months. Parenting is supposed to be a two person job, you know. Or more. Like they say, it takes a village." You dropped your head to prevent him from seeing the tears welling up in your eyes.

Timothée reached out to lift your chin. "I think you'll find a village here to help you, if you give them a chance." He brushed a stray tear from your cheek with his thumb.

Before you could respond, Madison interrupted with a squeal. He dropped his hand and cleared his throat as you quickly turned to investigate. "A fish touched my leg!"

You both chuckled. "I guess we better get down there," you said. You both undressed down to your swimwear and joined her. The three of you played and swam for hours. Once Timothée caught you by surprise by grabbing your waist, hoisting you out of the water, and throwing you back in. Madison giggled when you came back up spluttering, then asked to be thrown next.

This continued for several rotations until he was worn out. Both you and he needed a break. Madison was still going strong but was willing to come back into the shallows if it meant staying in the water.

Timothée sat beside you on the blanket as you dried yourself off. You could tell an idea dawned on him by the look on his face.

"Is it alright if I let her drive the boat around a little when we're back in open water? With help, of course?"

"Sure. That should be incentive enough to get her out of the water." You paused. "Thank you for today. I haven't seen her smile and laugh this much in months. It's all been so hard on her."

"Oh, think nothing of it. I come out here all the time to get away from life for a bit. Based on what you told me at lunch the other day, you hadn't had a chance to just stop and have some fun. I'm glad I could offer that."

"You...you're being so sweet to me."

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, we never talked about the way we ended things. I'm sorry if I made you feel like you weren't important to me."

"No, I'm sorry. I should have been happy for you. Instead I selfishly focused on what I was losing versus what you were gaining. After some time, when I was able to see past my own hurt and look at things more objectively, I realized how incredibly brave you were to pack up and chase your dreams," he replied.

"I didn't reach them, though," you said sadly.

"Yet. You still have time," he said matter of factly.

You scoffed. "I appreciate the vote of confidence, but life is too crazy right now to even think about finishing school."

"Well, just don't lose sight of it. K?" You nodded. "So shall we pack up and head back?" He stood and offered you his hand.

"All good things must come to an end, sadly," you replied, allowing him to help you stand. The two of you folded up the blankets and hauled the stuff back to the boat.

As you predicted, Madison whined when she saw what was going on. "I don't want to go yet!"

You smirked and looked over at Timothée. "I got this," he muttered to you under his breath. "Hey, kiddo, would you want to go if I let you drive the boat?"

"Really?!"

Timothée nodded. "Only when we get out in open water, but yes, I'll show you how to steer."

Madison looked at you with big puppy dog eyes. "Can I really drive it, Mom?"

"Hmm," you put your finger and thumb on your chin to look deep in thought. "I suppose so."

"Yes!" She jumped up and down and pumped her fist in the air.

"Now go get your shoes and lifejacket back on," you instructed. You all loaded up in the boat and set on your way. Madison was visibly vibrating with excitement as she sat beside Timothée next to the motor.

"Ready?" he asked once out of the cove. She nodded emphatically. "Alright, we're not going to go as fast as we did on our way out here, ok? Now, you have to face forward, but put your hand here on the handle behind you. Good. You will need to push or pull the handle in the direction you want to go. If you want to head right, push right. Left, pull left."

"Got it. Right is right, left is left."

"Ok. I am going to twist the handle to get us going again. You focus on where we're heading." She looked at him very seriously and nodded. Timothée slowly increased the speed. Madison looked nervous for a brief moment as she experimented with how far to push or pull to get the boat to move.

"You're already a pro!" Timothée shouted.

"Look Mom, I'm doing it!" She beamed. It was a beautiful sight. You pulled out your phone and took their picture. You made a mental note to send it to Timothée later.

Madison steered the boat almost the entire way back to the boat ramp, and then Timothée took over. After he expertly brought the boat to rest at the dock, you and Madison unloaded your belongings while he got the truck. After loading up and heading out, Madison fell asleep against your shoulder before you even got to the highway. You rested your cheek on her head, reveling in the closeness. She didn't come to you for cuddles like she used to.

The girl stayed asleep even once you arrived back at Timothée's house. He gently picked her up and carried her to your car.

"Thank you for your help," you said softly as you stood by the car door. "And thank you again for today."

"I enjoyed it. Hopefully we can do it again sometime this summer."

"I'd like that, and I think it's safe to say she would, too." You grabbed the door handle and turned. "Hey, uh, want to grab dinner sometime this week?"

Timothée smiled. "Yes."

<><><><><>

Chapter 5

Masterlist

Tag List:

@croatianprincess

@bluizh

[euphorix-moon]

Love Again

Ellie x Fem!Reader

Synopsis: The story of how Ellie was able to fall in love again after her painful first love

Wc: 1.4k

A/n: I'm back with another sappy love story that's all, enjoy ! Feedback is appreciated

Romance wasn't an easy thing for Ellie. Since her first love, Riley, died, she's found it hard to get too attached to people in a more than friendly way in fear that she'd go through that pain all over again. When she first arrived in Jackson, she had quite a few people make advances towards her,and even though she may have even found some girls cute, she never reciprocated the advances.

That was until she met you.

You and Ellie first met when she was paired with you on patrol. It had been pretty quiet between you two at first; little to no conversations flowed between you two, and the only times you two would speak was when it was absolutely necessary during patrols. 

Time passed, and the shy air slowly dissipated before you guys were able to share witty and friendly moments during the times when you two had to patrol. Pretty soon, the moments between you two would expand beyond the job. You guys had made it a habit to meet up a little earlier in order to have more time to yourselves before patrols, and later, after patrol duty was over, you guys would spend time lounging around the town talking and doing random things together. Before you knew it, you guys had become super close friends. You knew you would never come close to her best friend, Jesse, but sometimes she'd jokingly tell you that you were secretly her favorite.

 

**** 

Ellie was in trouble; she knew she was in trouble the day you started to take up spaces in her brain. Whether it was Ellie replaying the moments she shared with you, remembering how much your laughter would fill her with warmth, or even loving your compassion for her and for others,

She found herself thinking about you whenever she could. She knew what she was feeling, and she was scared. She didn't know if you were even into girls, and even then, she was scared of what this meant for the two of your relationships. So many "what if" questions ran through her mind at the thought of you two being together, but she ignored all of them so she wouldn't have acknowledged the pain that might come if anything ever happened to you. Ellie wasn't going to act on this crush; she was going to sit back and let it pass.

That was easier said than done, though.

Although Ellie knew she was scared of the feelings she had for you, she didn't want them to get in the way of the relationship she already had with you. The last thing she wanted was to run and hide from you with no explanation, so she made sure to keep everything normal for the both of you guys. At least she thought everything looked normal. You'd be stupid if you didn't recognize the change in Ellie's behavior.

You would notice the way that she'd never look at you directly or make eye contact with you, always breaking the connection as quick as she made it. The way she would fumble and stutter with her words every time you'd make contact Lastly, and most obvious, you'd notice the huge blush that would appear on her face every time you got too close to her; the blush would cover her cheeks and spread all the way to the tips of her ears.

You, in honesty, found this new side of her cute. Being so close, you thought you saw pretty much every side of her, but now seeing how shy and flustered she is makes you dotingly watch her behavior. You have had a little crush on Ellie for some time now, but you never took it anywhere because the last time you asked Ellie about her love life, she told you that she hadn't had her mind on anyone for a while and that she wasn't planning on finding anyone else. Even though hearing her say that saddened you, you respected your friend's feelings and decisions. Now, though, after seeing Ellie's behavior change towards you suddenly, it gave you the confidence to see where you guys relationship could go.

At first, you had waited for Ellie to make the moves, but seeing how much of a mess she got when in proximity to you, you decided to take it into your own hands. You wanted to make sure that your surprise was simple but also grand in a way. One day after patrol with Ellie, you hastily ran off, explaining to her that you had some business to attend to. You had gone to the greenhouse in town and gotten a custom bouquet made just for her, but before going to her, you wanted to make yourself look your best.

You had waited until the evening before going over to her house, knowing that at this time she'd definitely be home. The entire walk to her house, your mind and heart were running at superhuman speeds, and you were nervous and second-guessing yourself the entire time. Your friends had joked around that with the way you were acting, they would think you were trying to propose to her, but to you, asking her out almost felt like you were proposing, so you took it just as seriously. Before you knew it, while you were zoned out, your legs had gotten you to her front door, so it was now or never.

You had knocked on her door, waiting for her, with the bouquet hiding behind your back. She had opened the door, and now more than ever, you realize how breathtakingly beautiful she is. She asked what's up, and now it was time for you to get shy, stumbling and stuttering over your words, and before you can complete a sentence, you give her the bouquet that you had picked out. She had laughed and asked you what this was all about. You took a deep breath and, with all your confidence, said what you had been practicing for days.

"I really like you, and I really want to take you on a date sometime!"

You had thought of many different ways of asking her out, ranging from long to short, from direct to indirect, and everything in between. At the end of the day, you decide to make it short and on the nose. You mentally thanked yourself for that decision, considering what a bumbling mess you were.

You had gotten out of your own thoughts and looked at Ellie, waiting for a response. Ellie was frozen like a statue, and equally, her mind was blank, not really knowing how to respond to this. Unlike all the other times she would say no easily, she can't bring herself to reject you. Although she was scared of what it would mean to say yes to a relationship, if it was with you, she was willing to take the risk.

Els?" You had snapped her out of her thoughts. Ellie looked at you, and when she saw your face, she could see the two of you together and in love for a long time. She beamed a smile at you, saying, "Of course,when's the date?. You had let out a deep breath that you didn't know you were holding in, laughing now that you had been relieved of all the worry of her saying no. 

Your feet finally unstuck from the ground, moving closer to Ellie. You had leaned in, moving your head closer to hers, your lips ghosting over hers. "Can I?" you whispered, looking her in the eyes. "I've been dreaming of this". You both laughed before leaning into one another. The kiss started off sweet and slow, but within no time, it became more passionate and got messier with time. You pulled away reluctantly, already missing the feeling of her lips against yours. "I want to take you on a real date before we continue any further," you huffed between words. Ellie understood, and you two left it at that.

Ellie had offered for you to stay the night, and you had happily accepted the offer. Ellie had given you some of her clothes to change into; she apologized as they were already worn, but you didn't mind. You wore her clothes, smiling and loving the thought of it becoming a more common occurrence. You two got into bed, cuddling up immediately; Ellie had spooned you, and you two fell asleep immediately, being in one another's embrace.

You guys had woken up together, looking forward to the next stage in your relationship.

A/n: Another Idea that just popped in my head, i'm pretty proud of this one. Any type of feedback is appreciated as well <3

[chronosh0t]

𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐒: canon-divergence ; Lee's pov ; sfw ; slightly angst. ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ 〔 NO BETA 〕

𝐒𝐘𝐍𝐎𝐏𝐒𝐈𝐒: what if Lee got stuck in a loop? it's based on this tweet I posted weeks ago.

〔 if you like what I write or my edits, consider tip me on ko-fi. you'd help me a lot by donating me. thank you lots 〕

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It has been so long, too long to count. Nonstop fighting for an end that is far from near, for a thin lay of hope that may or may not come out of the cruelty of reality. The light it's too dim, the air is too heavy, toxic and corrupted, no matter how deep every breath is, it never makes him feel better, less relaxed. Less lonely.

His hands are tired, his legs are having a hard time trying to keep up and his M.I.N.D is completely numb over time. Losing sense, and every single moment that peace seems to greet him, it flies past him as fast as one of his bullets. Breaking him in the silence of rejection, in the middle of the tower where escaping is not an option. For how long will this keep going? He does not know. And, to be fair, he doesn't want to know either. The crushing weight of having a clock ticking, counting what's left and what's yet to come, is not pleasant.

So he opted to ignore it. He made the decision, that day, to do the job only he was able to do. Because that was his sole purpose, at least for now, as much as he wished to change this twisted fate, it wouldn't be fair for those outside. If he was the only one capable, then so be it. Sacrifices must always be done. Be it time, or his own life. Just for the illusion that outside everyone is safe. He will stand over and over, shoot his gun, kill whoever or whatever gets in his way, for a slim chance.

There are short moments when everything is quiet, when not a single cry from despair could be heard, except for his erratic breathing, his feet dragging him to the stairs to finally take a seat after hours of battles and the loud noise of his weapon against the floor. He closes his eyes for a few seconds before taking a small device to call them. He just wants to have a few minutes to talk. Hoping. Wishing.

The call makes it through, and two faces greet him, smiling happily. The girl in red breaks the silence first.

ㅤㅤㅤ“It's been a while, Lee.” she stops, as if pondering if it's plausible to ask about his condition when it's obvious. “How are things on your side?”

ㅤㅤㅤ“Nothing new. The fights are endlessly annoying but, it's fine. I'm fine.” His voice cracks at the end, how terrible he has been at lying lately, or maybe he is too tired to pretend. Lee knows his teammates are aware of his state.

ㅤㅤㅤ“Lee…” the soft voice from Liv seemed to echo inside the tower, he nods and smile, “I know it's useless to say but, do please take care of yourself. I also know you're capable but.. We are worried about you. Especially Commandant.”She finished, her pink eyes showing great concern.

ㅤㅤㅤ“Commandant is a bit busy now. We would've called him but I know you have your ways.” Lucia explained, a chuckle escaped from her mouth.

Lee laughs at that. Indeed, he has his ways to contact his Commandant. “Thank you, I really mean it.” He finally spoke, the bitterness can be tasted, smelled and felt. Too heavy. “My time is running out. When I get another break, I will try to contact you guys again. Please take care.” He smiles again, and ends the call.

There's never a “goodbye”. Because he doesn't want to think about an end. As much as he is tired and his frame is at its limit on par with his M.I.N.D slowly losing complete focus from time to time, more often than not, Lee would reject the idea of a last call with his friends. That won't happen. He refuses to let that be part of his reality.

More often than not, he finds himself considering giving up and leaving, letting the wheel of destiny decide his punishment but there's something, someone, that keeps him from doing so. Or more like a “possible future”. Where there's no one, when the person he has come to cherish a little bit too much is no longer by his side, where his teammates are no longer walking with him but just a name in a marble stone. That was scary enough for him. The weight it's too much again.

His break is about to end. Taking a deep breath, he takes his device and taps a message and presses the send button, with the same address. For the same person. With the same words. He can feel an insufferable pain packing up inside his chest, filling the space between his ribs, crushing his artificial heart. He is shaking. His eyes are burning and tears are building up, but it's not the time.

It has never been. It probably never will.

He stands up, weapon in his hands. Time is running and it will never stop, no matter how many times he goes back, no matter how much he wishes and hopes, because time has never cared for that. So, for now, he just needs to keep going, and maybe one day, time will stop for him and he will be able to go back home. Go back to his friends. To his Commandant and be part of Gray Raven again.

…………

The digital screen beeps at the new message. He knows who sent it, and it's the reason he is also a bit reluctant to open it. He is always afraid it will be the last. His fingers trace the screen before lightly pressing over the email icon. A small text shows up, saying:

ㅤㅤㅤ“It's been a while. I know Liv and Lucia are there to take care of you, but I've got to know you enough to understand you're a magnet for troubles. So, don't do anything stupid.

ㅤㅤㅤ I don't have much time, there's nothing new. I am doing as fine as I can, you don't need to worry (I know you will, but don't let my situation distract you from your job, Commandant).

ㅤㅤㅤ ………… I miss you. I miss you a lot. It even hurts a bit sometimes. But I'm always hoping. Hoping that one day I will be by your side again, seeing you smile, holding your hand. I miss your warmth. The idea of going back to you, to Gray Raven keeps me going.

ㅤㅤㅤ I have to go. See you next time.”

And without knowing, despite the distance between them, tears were shed at the same time. Because time was the only thing connecting them.