#this thing is half done! and i don't know key events in the middle!

[comfortlesshurt]

okay, I promised I was gonna do the outline for my fic today. so that's it. i'm gonna do it, and i'm not gonna draft a word of actual fic until i do

[lovelytsunoda]

common people // mercedes amg (v)

summary: baby merc has a magical brush with love at a college event....too bad she doesn't get his name, contact information or any way to ever see him again

pairing: platonic!mercedes amg x intern!female!reader

author's note: i'm back, bitches! y'all should know i use this series as a coping mechanism for some of the things going on in my life....just putting that out there. that's why it sometimes seems like baby merc is just floundering, but today, it's her world and we're just living in it.

"nobody is going to be at this thing anyways since its so close to exams, so don't even worry that you can't make it." baby merc laughs, turning down her radio as she tries to reverse into a parking spot at her college. "the parking lot is packed though, must be lots of late classes today."

on the other end of the phone line, doriane pin laughs. "i'm sorry still! we've only got a few more days to hang out before i have to go to zandvoort for more academy testing."

"listen, if a mercedes sponsored driver can win anything at this point, i will be happy about it because or car is shit with a capital 's'." she paused for a moment. "please don't let toto know i said that."

doriane laughed gleefully. since the addition of the f1 academy driver to mercedes’ army of teenagers and young adults, each one mentored by toto and Susie themselves, y/n and doriane had become close friends. closer than friends, almost. it was nice to go to work and be around another girl her own age for once.

she stepped out of the aging, secondhand mercedes she drove, locking the car door and tucking her keys into her pocket as she crossed the lot to the student centre. there were dozens of college students milling about, despite all the on-site food options having closed half an hour ago.

the student center smelled like fresh paint when she opened the door, a serene expression in her face as she wandered into the common room, delighted to see the electric fireplace going, the room filed with round tables full of canvases and acrylic.

the college paint nights had always been her happy place. no expectations, a relaxed environment. an instructor who didn’t care if you followed her instructions to the ‘t’ (or at all). it was a welcome break from all of the other crap going on in her life.

she took her usual spot near the front, donning the dollar store apron hung over the back of the chair and settling in front of the canvas, a chill britpop playlist humming from the in-ceiling speaker set.

the group had been painting happily for ages when he wandered in. with the blended background almost done, she looked up from her conversation with the blonde girl next to her to catch him tentatively standing in the doorway.

his hair was messy, flopping around his face. he had airpods in, and she could faintly hear the riff of a rolling stones song. his sweater read ‘elevating devices.’ he was a trades boy.

“do you have room for one more?” he asked, looking over at olive, the program leader.

“of course!” olive grinned, caught in the middle of doing a blending demonstration on her forearm. “come on in, I can get you caught up.”

she felt her heart skip a beat when she realized that the only empty spot in the room was behind her. the boy smiled at her as he sat down, clumsily slipping into the gingham apron. it looked out of place with his hoodie and sweatpants, and the visual made her smile.

could this be it? the day something in her love life finally went right?

all throughout the paint night, since she was two steps ahead of everyone else (you go to every one of these things, you begin to pick up the tips and tricks of the trade), she found that she kept looking back at the newcomer, and admiring the look of concentration etched onto his face.

whatever happens, happens.

whatever happens, happens.

you did not come here to meet boys, you came here for you.

but goddamn it, he was so cute! and he painted! he was perfect! hell, he listened to the goddamn rolling stones!

it was the end of the night, 'pulp' playing on the speakers as the last few painters began to pack up.

"excuse me?" she felt a hand tap her shoulder, and she turned around from where she was repacking her primark purse to face the boy in the lifting devices sweater.

she hoped he couldn't hear her heart beating out of her chest.

"what are we supposed to do with these?" he asked, holding up one of olive's easels.

"they fold up." she said quietly, almost shyly as she took the metal stand from his hands. "like this. i come here all the time, helping olive pack up is the least i can do."

"nice." he said sheepishly, reaching for his own painting. "this was my first time."

"that's pretty good for your first try." she complimented, picking up her own canvas, as well as her car keys.

"can i walk you out?' the boy asked, gesturing towards the door.

"sure." she smiled, blush rising on her cheeks. she turned, flagging olive down and hoping the boy wouldn't notice. due to her frequent attendance at the paint parties, olive an dher had become fast friends, and she didn't miss the way the painter flashed her a thumbs up and suggestive wink as the pair left the student center.

"so, you a fan of the stones? i could hear them playing from your headphones when you walked in." she asked, trying to start a conversation, and hoping that he somehow found her interesting.

"a fairly recent one." he laughed, free hand in the pocket of his sweatpants.

sweatpants. we can work on that. three months dating me, she thought, and i can get you into a snazzy pair of jeans.

"i took a history course on the british invasion as an elective. it's all about the stones, the beatles, the who. any british band with 'the' in the name, really. the kinks are my favourite."

"awesome. my dad is a big jagger fan. i grew up singing 'you can't always get what you want' when other kids my age were singing 'apple bottom jeans'."

god, she loved the guy already.

"what are you studying?"

"law. i have my last final exam tomorrow, and i'm actually doing some part-time, minimum wage office work for a formula one team. legally, i can't tell you what exactly i'm doing." she grinned. "well. i could. but then i'd have to kill you."

she'd been waiting her whole life to say that.

"that's awesome." worlds were burned for a smile like the one this guy had. it was dangerous just how strongly she felt after barely talking to him. "i doubt my chosen career path will land me anywhere near as exciting as an f1 team. but who knows, i might be paid the big bucks to fix a service elevator in their building."

"well, this is me." she frowned, pointing in the direction of her parking lot. why did she feel so strongly about leaving a guy she didn't even know? "it was nice painting with you. you should come to another one in september."

"yeah, maybe i will. are you going to the one at the other campus tomorrow? i might try and make it, since my classes are over at that campus anyways."

"i can't, it's right in the middle of my exam." but god did she wish she could. if she wasn't so scared of failing, she'd skip the exam just for him.

"right, right." he nodded, gesturing towards the residency building behind him. "this is me. it was nice talking to you."

"you too." she smiled sheepishly, turning around and beginning the walk to her car.

she resisted the urge to look back, worried that it would be followed by something potentially foolish, like an 'aren't you going to kiss me', or an invitation to get coffee (that he could then very well turn down).

it wasn't until she was back in her car, heat turned on and classic rock playing, that she realized that he might have very well been into her, and she didn't even get his name.

"shit!"

__________________

"i'm telling you, doriane, this was my rom-com moment waiting to happen and i blew it!" she groaned, face in hands as she sat around the round table in the break room, recounting her woes to not just her closest colleagues, but those she considered to be her friends as well.

she had always loved the break room. it was light and airy, painted in white with bamboo furniture and a wall of windows. sometimes, she brought her work laptop in there and worked at one of the green couches in the corner.

"you were so close!" doriane commiserated with her, placing one hand over hers. "babes, you got this. you'll be ready for the next stud who comes along."

across the table, frederik vesti hid his grin behind his cup of coffee. "hey, maybe you dodged a bullet. he could have been a serial killer. or worse, a premier league fan."

doriane snorted, and ungraceful sound, yet one that was full of love. "yeah right."

she had been over the situation millions of times since the she'd gotten back in her car, and she just could not figure out why it had never occurred to her to get the boy's name, or to offer up her own.

"eh, you'll get the next one." george shrugged, placing a hand on her shoulder as he moved to stand behind the young intern. "just look at me and carmen. it took me a very long time to find someone like her. she'd one of a kind, that woman. i'm gonna marry her someday."

"better get cracking on that one, george old boy." frederik laughed. "i want your seat, if the kid doesn't beat me there."

"they're not putting kimi in an f1 seat." doriane argued. "its way too soon."

"i dunno, bearman did a really good job with that ferrari. if he's the blueprint, toto will just follow what his mates are doing so it looks like he's keeping with the times."

the seat conversation was beginning to make her nervous, and she could feel the hives rising on her arms as she tried to remind herself that lewis leaving mercedes had nothing to do with her.

it was the timing of his decision, announcing he was leaving so soon after she felt like she had truly made a home at brackley. but it made sense. a man like lewis needed to go somewhere that could give him the car he needed to take home that eighth championship, and currently, it wasn't looking like that was going to happen here.

that didn't change the fact that it stung. that in a way, it felt like lewis was leaving her.

"y/n, do you know who toto's been talking to about the second seat?" geroge asked, raising an eyebrow as he blew on his tea, steam rising onto his pale face. pair that with the cardigan he was wearing, and he was starting to look like someone's geriatric grandfather (and she said that with all the love in her heart that she had to give)

y/n did know. legal had been very busy organizing and prepping meetings, as well as drawing up draft contracts and disclosure agreements.

but a non-disclosure agreement worked both ways. and, since she liked fucking with george, he wasn't getting a proper answer.

she grinned, sipping the last of her hot chocolate "no can do. signed an nda. expressly forbids me from selling the gossip to the press, or from telling nosy british boys."

"that's not fair! you're british as well!" george whined. "come on, it affects me as well."

y/n laughed, appreciating the light air that george brought to the conversation, instead of making it a somber affair about lewis' departure. "oh, would you look at the time. my break is over, and i now need to go track down some engineers and get them to swear affidavits."

fred looked at her with a confused glace, his head cocked to the side like a golden retriever puppy. "why? who's taking us to court?"

"nobody is suing us. it's time to make our cost cap submissions to the fia, and the engineers need to swear that they're telling the truth."

"so you can tell us about that, but not about contract talks?" george tried one last time to get an answer from her as she packed up her tote, bag, pulling the sleeves of her sweater over her knuckles.

"nice try. good luck on the sim this afternoon, vesti over here says its not pretty."

TAGS:

@magnummagnussen @libraryofloveletters @httpiastri @clemswrld @thatsdemko @userlando @diorleclerc @sidcrosbyspuck @arshiyuh

[magicaljarofbeans]

ATLA Live-Action Series

So.

I just finished the season, and there are some good things, and... some bad things :|

I have purposefully not engaged with what the rest of the internet think about it since it came out so keep that in mind. All I know is that it's not been well received and people hate the acting (all from other people telling me in person rather than me looking it up).

Let's start with what I consider the good bits:

Sokka is funny

Iroh is amazing as always

Zuko is pretty good, but specifically amazing with Iroh

Admiral Zhao is even more detestable

The bending looks pretty good (minus the ice sledding)

Iroh's backstory made me cry like the animated series (it's the goddamn music ok!)

The cabbage man makes an appearance

Firelord Ozai is cast and acted well

Suki is great

Ok, I think that's probably the extent of the actually good. Now for the absolute wreck that is the issues:

The removed Sokka's misogyny, a key aspect of his character development

Aang isn't running away from his duties as the Avatar (and doesn't at the start either), despite it being a key character trait he works through. However, everyone is gaslighting him into thinking he has been?

Katara and Aang are simply not acted well. They are the youngest cast members, but it's incredibly forced and not really written well to begin with.

Katara has become Gandhi. Well, is trying to be. She just keeps blurting out inspirational messages and not saying much else.

THEY CHANGED THE ORDER OF EVENTS. This doesn't have to be an issue, but it is when it's done in a way where story-lines no longer make sense. i.e. Sokka meets Suki before they go to the northern water tribe and meet Yue. Basically Sokka kinda cheated on Suki and just doesn't care. (There are several more examples of this)

Aang literally doesn't bend a single drop of water himself. As in, NOTHING (giant water monster doesn't count)

Katara and Aang don't end up getting trained at the Northern Water Tribe. Like. At all.

Katara is labelled a "Master Waterbender" and now has to train Aang???? Ummm, what?

Aang can just fly now. Glider don't glide, it fly. It woosh over continent in a single day!

That brings me to, WHAT EVEN IS TIME. Apparently going from a small village in the middle of nowhere to Roku's temple in the middle of the Fire Nation takes a day by glider (Katara and Sokka were just sleeping and weren't for long enough to worry about food or water)

Ozai is happy to sacrifice half his navy to "distract them while we take Omashu". Which is so far away from the Northern Water Tribe that the distraction wasn't needed.

It's Book 2 with Book 1's ending?????

The old people are clearly young guys with old age makeup. Apparently they can't get older guys anymore? (Except Iroh :)

Aang keeps talking to the previous Avatars but not actually getting anything out of it.

Apparently he has to be at a temple to talk to the past Avatars now.

Azula is introduced prior to the Northern Water Tribe fight

We see Ozai's face. It removes the mystery and power behind his presence

What is up with Jet? He's now a bomb placing terrorist. Not too far from accurate but still

Oh and his base sucks. Literally only like 2 meters off the ground at most.

I'm sure I have forgotten some atrocities, and there are several things that are ok that I haven't mentioned (Momo and Appa look fine) but overall, it's fine, I've watched worse shows, but it's not that great. Just watch it for Iroh.

[elliewritessncries]

Invisible string 2 | Pre-outbreak!Joel x reader

Part 1

Warnings: swearing. English is not my first language.

It was a Saturday morning, not even 6 am, and you were already on your way to work. It seemed like all you did these days was work, but it was necessary. The family business, a small restaurant, wasn't booming, but it was slowly picking up.

Since your dad had skipped town with his mistress, Tony, your older brother had taken the business into his busy hands and decided to implement some changes to get more customers which included free coffee all morning with meals and occasional catering events, which meant starting to work very early and ending in the middle of the night. Hence, you were up since 5:34 am and on your way to work.

As you walked past the Millers' house, you saw the old red pickup truck in the driveway and sighed. Evelyn Miller returned three days after leaving despite swearing she never would. That was a twist you never expected, but it was still a pleasant surprise.

Then, a week after returning, she left again, this time in the middle of the night, without any screaming or fights. Joel only noticed her absence when their daughter cried and cried after her mom had supposedly gone to check her.

"She left the signed divorce papers on the kitchen table. My poor boy was so heartbroken. I don't think he’s signed his part yet," said Diana Miller to your mom on the phone that night.

Without noticing it, you had stopped walking, too engrossed in your thoughts to keep going. And you stayed looking directly at the blue suburban house in a trance, broken suddenly by a disheveled Joel Miller walking out of his front door with a baby carrier in one hand, a monstrous diaper bag along his lunch bag in the other, and keys in his mouth threatening to fall at the wrong move.

One part of you wanted to keep walking like you should've done the day Evelyn and Joel fought in front of half the town. Things are easier like that. Not getting involved is always the most comfortable path, but you have never been the person to take easy roads. Not by choice, of course.

While Joel struggled with deciding whether it was more correct to put his lunch and diaper bag on the back of the truck or his baby daughter, you took a few hesitant steps his way. Your heartbeat in your throat threatened to choke you, but you kept walking for whatever reason.

As you reached Joel, you cleared your throat, not knowing how else to start the interaction, but it was clearly a mistake as he made a small jump, scared by your sudden presence, and dropped the keys from his mouth. The noise straddled his daughter, who was previously sleeping, and she began to cry.

"Shit," Joel mumbled and finally put the bags in his dirty cargo bed.

"Oh, I'm so, so sorry, Joel. I didn't mean to," you apologized profusely as he took his daughter out of the carrier and cradled her to his chest, shushing and bouncing her to calm her down.

"No, no. It's fine. She always cries like this; it’s her nature." He said nonchalantly, giving a tight-lipped smile that convinced you he was lying for your sake. It was a very Joel thing to do, according to his mother, but it was so obvious it wasn't fine. His eyes were red from the lack of sleep, and his underbags had underbags. As the baby calmed down, he sighed and adjusted her in his arms. "See? No problem. She calms down pretty easily, she just likes to be held." He smiled, a genuine smile, as he looked down at his daughter.

"I'm still sorry for scaring her." You smiled apologetically, looked to the floor, and saw his keys. He would definitely be unable to pick them up with the baby girl in his arms, so you decided to bend down and pick them up for him. "Here," you handed him his keys. He took them carefully so as to not bother the kid. "I- I actually came because you looked like you were struggling a little... do you need any help getting your things in the truck?"

"Umm- oh! I- yes, please," he said, surprised by the offer, but handed you the keys anyway. "Could you open the truck for me? Please, I just- I think I carried more than I can. I just didn't want to leave her inside alone or in the truck alone," he explained to you while you went around to the driver's side to unlock the car and returned to open the door on his side. "Thank you."

"No problem," you smiled at him. "I get it. Both seem like bad options," you chuckled and changed the topic while he buckled the baby again to the carrier. "Are you bringing her to your mom's house?" You asked both for the gossip and to keep the conversation pleasant.

"No, I- well, I'm actually takin’ her with me to work." He scratched his neck, cringing at his words. He knew that wasn't the best idea, but it is what it is.

"Oh-" It was your time to be surprised, "...you're taking your baby to the construction site?" You asked very slowly with a half-open mouth due to the surprise, to make sure he heard all the words and corrected you, but he didn't.

"Something like that," Joel looked down at his daughter in the carrier, "she's goin’ to be there, but outside the house where it's safe and with many, many blankets, and the guys and I are gonna check on her constantly." Now, he smiled awkwardly, clearly seeing that his plan was not ideal... or good.

"That's definitely... a plan," you say, unsure what else to say. Joel nods and hums.

There is silence for a moment; neither Joel nor you say anything because what else is there to say?

He knows his plan sucks. It's the middle of autumn, and while it's not that cold in Texas, the chilly air is not appropriate for such a tiny baby. And the fact that he wants to take a baby that cries to the sound of keys falling to the floor to a construction site... Well, that's a bad idea.

While Joel's mind digs possible ways to make his idea work, you also think about his situation. "Why is his mom not taking care of the baby?" You think. Diana Miller is a doting mother, even more doting grandmother. She loves baby Sarah wholeheartedly and even encourages Joel to let the girl at home with her. But while that question runs through your head, an idea pops up, pushing and screaming to be noticed:

"I can take care of her," you blurt out before the idea completely solidifies in your brain. Joel quickly turns his head to you, his expression hopeful yet unsure. "I mean… I could do it if you want and don't have anyone else to care for her. I've babysat before," you say in a more sure tone to him, as you feel it's too late and too rude to take the idea off the table.

And, surely, you're not a bad choice to take care of a baby, especially his baby. You are not a complete stranger to him, far from it. While not close friends, Joel and you have gravitated around each other your whole lives. The fact that you went to the same schools forever or live four houses apart is an example of this, but, more importantly, he knows very well you've always been an excellent babysitter.

While Joel didn't get the firsthand experience, being only a year younger than you, he witnessed your babysitting skills from when Diana trusted you to care for her younger son, Tommy, more than she trusted Joel.

Joel thought about it for a moment. Was he ready to leave his baby alone with a stranger (for her)? Would Sarah approve? Was he seriously passing on the fantastic opportunity that magically presented itself to him to have his daughter in a safe place instead of the middle of a construction site?

"No." Shit, he said it out loud.

"Oh, it's fine. Didn't mean to intrude," you say, blushing from the rejection.

"No!" He exclaims loudly, extending his hand for you as if asking you to wait and not leave. Sarah made a noise from the carrier, bothered by the noise, so he lowered his voice. "I mean, no, yes! That's a fantastic idea, please," he said with a slight tone of desperation.

“Seriously? If you’re not sure it’s fine, I can take her to your mom’s if you’re more comfortable…”

“No.” He says quickly. “We aren’t on speakin’ terms right now,” he said scratching the back of his neck awkwardly and, even though you were dying of curiosity to ask why, you decided that was a far too personal topic to treat with someone who wasn’t even your friend, so you just smiled and nodded.

“Well, I’m actually going to the restaurant today, but if you don’t mind I can take her there, I’m only on counter duty today so I can pay all my attention to her,” you shrugged.

Now, the idea was not bad, you’re an experienced babysitter who’s done entire projects while babysitting up to 5 kids, you’ve worked while you watch kids too, but he’s a new parent and the idea of you taking your eyes off his baby for more than a second can be scary to say the least, so you have to flash out all the information.

He doubts it for a moment, perhaps a little long, but ultimately nods. A restaurant is far safer than a construction site. Way less hammers and all. He doesn’t know how much Sarah would like it, but it’s only for today.

“Yes, it’s no problem, I’ve seen you do volcanoes while cooking mac and cheese and talking to Tommy, I think you can handle it,” he chuckles and makes you laugh a little too. “Thank you, seriously,” he says with infinite gratitude. “How much would it be?”

You’re struggling for money, but so is he. At least you live with your parents mom, at least you don’t pay rent, at least you don’t have a daughter. You know a job is a job and you have to charge for it despite what your weak heart says, but something about his big brown puppy eyes made you cave to your emotions and shake your head.

“It’s nothing, Joel, I never charge the session when I meet the kids,” that’s true, to a certain degree. At least that’s how you worked with the rich families back in Pennsylvania, when you only met the kids and went home instead of babysitting them that day.

“Please no, it’s only fair to pay you, you’ll be taking time from your work,” he insists out of politeness and his natural kindness, but free childcare, even if it's for one day only, is a blessing with the bills he’s to pay.

You shook your head. “No, I insist. Besides, it was my idea.”

He says your name disapprovingly. Your big weak heart is your best and most destructive trait. But ultimately he agrees.

“I’ll pay you eventually, count on it.” You chuckle and nod dismissing his comment, he takes the diaper bag and gives it to you, “here’s everything you need for her. Diapers, a clothing change, another clothing change, formula, bottles, wipes. I think I packed medicine too if she gets sick, and I packed her a toy, and blankets.” He shows you everything in the bag.

“It’s fine, I get it,” you grab the bag and wait for him to give you Sarah’s carrier. “I promise to take the best care of her.”

He nods looking at her with so much love in his eyes that makes him sigh, “please.”

He passes you the baby and grabs his brown paper bag with his lunch from the bed of the truck, then an idea pops into his head.

“Hop in, I’ll give you a ride to the restaurant, it’s on my way anyway.”

You nod and get in the truck. He gets Sarah’s seat secured and you’re on your way to work, a little too late and with a baby. What a turn.

[skyward-heir]

after everything is said and done, after Spot is defeated and Miles gets to save Jeff, and canon events are revealed to not work Like That™. everyone is caught up in the euphoria and the relief, celebrating—as they should—that they've saved the multiverse once again.

that is, everyone but one man.

"Jess," Miguel says, soft but serious, as most of the group spiritedly focuses their attention on Miles. on congratulating each other for their exceptional teamwork. on checking for scrapes, and wounds, and torn suits. on making sure there are no structural weaknesses that may endanger civilians. "can I talk to you for a second?"

"sure," she says, tentatively, upon seeing his somber expression. "what is it?"

no, not somber. exhausted. as they break away from the rest, she observes his demeanor. Miguel's always overdoing it, working day and night, but he seldom lets others see the full extent of his burden. now, as he rubs at his face and eyes, his shoulders slumped, it's more evident than ever.

he exhales, then resignedly looks her in the eye. "...you need to take charge. you know the procedure. scan for anomalies, have everyone return to HQ... uh, the usual. then i'll have Lyla transfer you the facility's security codes, or better yet, give you her recognition keys, and provide an extensive incident report on—"

she blinks. "excuse me? ...codes? report? the hell you're talking about?"

"i'm making you leader," he says matter-of-factly. "no, wait, acting leader. i'm sure everyone will want a say on who'll be the next to take the position after..." he drifts off.

she's always prided herself on being sharp as a tack, but right now the whole of whatever-this-is has somehow blindsided her. "what...?"

"you heard me," he says, more resolutely. "i'm stepping down."

"you can't be serious."

"don't worry. you'll be fine. you have what it takes to lead them, Jess. always did."

"while i'm flattered," she says, tilting her head to the side and searching for a sign that this is some sort of joke, "i don't want your job."

"as i said, it's a temporary—"

"...look, Miguel, i respect your need for holidays, but you're making it sound like it's permanent."

"it is."

"see? i don't get it. no one's out for your scalp. we've all made mistakes here."

"and they don't need to. my departure— i'm simply making things easier. i won't ruin, more than I already did, what we managed to build. the task force is a good thing. because of you, because of Peter. Lyla, Ben, Margo... it was you who made this half-assed idea work. and i..." his lip trembles. "i'm out. no... no puedo."

"what do you mean," a voice intervenes from behind Miguel's back, "you're out?"

"shock," Miguel curses to himself, then turns to face the newcomer, trying to keep his voice level. it's not the best of attempts. "it's exactly what it looks like, Peter. or do you need me to spell it out for you?"

Peter, his eyebrows drawn together in concern, is not accompanied by Mayday. a cursory glance reveals she's being held by Hobie, both right in the middle of the celebrations and enjoying themselves. "maybe i do. you're what, just leaving? if you're scared everyone will—"

"scared, he says," Miguel sneers, showing a glimpse of larger-than-normal canines. his posture is tense, and his claws—often hidden unless absolutely necessary—are out. not a good sign. "of what? of hearing the truth? that i took all of your kindness and your good intentions and your grief, and made you think losses were acceptable... that canon couldn't be defied... all because i couldn't be miserable on my own—"

"—we all wanted to—" Peter starts, rather weakly.

"—that i was this close to forcing a kid to lose a loving father because i don't know what that's like?" Peter opens his mouth to speak, but Miguel continues, undeterred. "save your platitudes. there are mistakes. and then there's me." he sighs. "look, i finally get it. your hearts are in the right place, and i—"

"and what?" Peter snaps. "yours isn't?"

"it – doesn't – matter – if it is," Miguel punctuates. "i could never live up to the expectations set by you, by all of you. only wear the mask, and run from the truth for as long as i could: it's the only thing i’ve done worth a damn, but i don't have what it takes to be Spider-Man. i thought i belonged, i wanted to, but i don't. i'm a selfish bastard, and always have been." then he adds, his breath ragged, and—she’d swear—on the verge of tears, "...my mother was right. i'm my father's son."

god, she wishes she was any good at pep talks—find the words to tell Miguel none of this is true—, yet the words don’t come. thankfully, Peter does seem to find in himself the ability to reach out, hold onto that strange friendship of theirs. "you're nothing like him. like them. you're a good man, Miguel."

Miguel huffs, smiles to himself as if amused by the idea. "you always try to see the best in people, Peter, but... don't lie to yourself. who the shock steals a happy life at the expense of an entire universe? villains do that. the blood of trillions is on my hands." he stares at his own hands, claws out. "it's almost funny, actually. looking back... i kept telling myself the accident had turned me into something i wasn't, something i could fix, but it simply revealed what i've always been. a monster."

"they're spider powers", she manages to say, at last. "nothing more."

"look at me. claws? red eyes? fangs? venom? i can't stand light. people think i'm a shockin' vampire. or worse." he takes a deep breath to compose himself. "so, please, Jess, Peter... i know i'm a coward, but if we ever were… whatever… do me this one favor. i don't need to hear how i failed everyone. just…" he sits on a piece of rubble, then leans forward, elbows on his knees. "i'll be fine on my own. let me go."

they do.

[brighteststar707]

Lollipop 🍭 for Saeyoung (⁠◍⁠•⁠ᴗ⁠•⁠◍⁠)⁠❤

She/her pronouns. Maybe like mc falls for him not expecting much back but then with time realizes that he might have feelings for her too? I think this would be fun to see in the post SE timeline when Saeyoung can take time falling in love. And MC wasn't pushy or invasive in his route, she was understanding! She helped Saeyoung bring Saeran back and kept supporting him any way she could during Saeran's recovery. As she spends more time with Saeyoung she realizes that she has genuine feelings for him and she notices that he might be feeling the same way. This might be a bit too much backstory for a drabble 😅 do feel free to add or change anything you like! I'm excited to read it ♥️♥️ congrats again for 300 followers!🥳💕💕

Lucy! Thank you for your patience!

This request was a lot of fun to write, though it did take me some time to figure out how best to frame it. Don't apologise for the extra backstory, I love hearing about the ideas you have in mind!

The concept of Saeyoung and his MC falling for each other slowly after the events of his route is one I really enjoy. It's probably a lot healthier than what happens in the route. He needs his time to come to terms with everything else before ever considering love.

I took most of your prompt and changed the perspective a bit, so it's Saeyoung realizing his feelings after everything is said and done. I hope you enjoy <3

✧ Lollipop ~ Having a crush

Today’s outing takes a detour to a little coffee shop. After a few hours of walking around the park and exploring different shops, they’d both like a break. It’s an unremarkable building, the kind of place that’s easy to miss if you’re not paying attention but surprisingly, the inside is warm and welcoming, like a little hideaway from the streets outside. Saeyoung likes it from the moment they enter. How she ever found this place, he doesn’t know.

They pick a good variety of pastries from the case to go with their drinks – they’ve never been the type to do half-measures – and then settle into a booth by the window. He sits opposite her, and the table is small enough that his legs risk bumping into hers. He tucks them under his chair instead.

Since the twins' lives had settled into a new sort of normal in the bunker, Saeyoung had found himself with a lot more free time on his hands. Saeran did not need him in the ways he once did (in fact, his independence is key to his recovery). The agency had imploded and his father had finally been served justice. He wasn’t sure what was left for him to do except stare at the walls of his office. He had never had any ambitions beyond the life he had been previously living. They were never allowed.  

She had caught him in the middle of a crisis where he had spent weeks closed up indoors panicking about the openness of his future. She encouraged him to come outside with her, it had been so long since they had last seen each other, after all. They went for a walk around the empty land surrounding where he lived, talked about life, the little things, and then later the big scary things. 

This gesture of hers had awoken in him a feverish desire to catch up on everything at once, the life he had been missing all this time. They immediately started making plans for when to meet up next, where to go and what to do.

No two outings so far have been the same. Sometimes, they just pick random exits off the highway to go exploring. Other times, they went to the cinema or a museum. The RFA joined them sometimes, like the time they managed to convince Jumin to hold a game night at his penthouse (those shiny new consoles were just begging to be used) and the time they all went together to watch Zen perform in his latest show. Saeran even agreed to join once or twice, like when they got ice cream at the park or when they went to go visit an art gallery. A lot of the time, though, it was just the two of them.

They didn't mind it that way. It was no secret that they had always been closer than the others. Even from the beginning, when they were just strangers in a chatroom, they managed to still joke around in ways the others didn’t understand. There was an understanding between them, a product of their personalities and the things they had been through, that would be difficult to replicate with anyone else.

Even now, as they sit in the café sipping their drinks, the silence is comfortable. He can read the expression on her face as she watches the people walk by from the quirk in her eyebrows and the slight smile that curves the corners of her mouth.

She catches him watching her, though, and quickly locks her eyes on his.

She flashes him a cheeky smile and says, “Something catch your eye?” and his stomach does somersaults. Did she always look like that?

Despite all the time they had spent together, both before Mint Eye and after, sometimes it felt like he was still just noticing things about her he probably should have noticed before this. The smell of her shampoo when she got into his car earlier today. Her arm brushing against his when reaching for a book on a shelf next to him. The proximity of their knees under the table.

If he looks visibly flustered, she doesn't let on. She instead replaces her question with another one. She asks him about how life is going in the bunker. How he is coping, how Saeran is coping.

He tells her that he is looking at houses, that he's trying to find the best way to broach the idea of moving to Saeran. How to involve him in the process, so he has a say in where they end up living. He tells her that it's getting easier on most days to talk to each other.

He doesn't give her the half-answers he's used to giving. How could he? She has seen him in his entirety, at his worst as well as his best. It's no use lying to her even if he wanted to; she has been involved with their reuniting and recovery since day one.

She is the reason he survived the whole ordeal at all. When he was falling to pieces at the apartment, she was the one who brought him food, who didn't try to pry. She stubbornly refused to let him punish himself for things that weren't his fault. Then, when it was time for him to go and rescue Saeran, she agreed to go with him without question.

He remembers waking up at the hospital and finding her curled up asleep on a very uncomfortable looking chair. She hadn’t left, even after they got rescued. No, she remained until he was discharged, bringing with her well-wishes from the others and news on Saeran’s recovery. She is the one who broke the news to him about V and who let him air out his frustrations as well as his grief.

When he was finally discharged, she promised him that she was just a call away. He thanked her (he will likely never stop thanking her) but promised himself that he would not burden her with any more of his troubles.

He went on to focus on Saeran’s care. It was worse than he could have imagined, to see his brother in that state. The anger, he could take. He deserved it. But the emptiness, the apathy he saw from the person he once knew to be so joyful scared him like nothing else. He could rescue Saeran from Rika and the drugs she put him under. He could not force him to keep living if he didn't wan to, however.

That’s how he ended up calling her again. From then on, she often accompanied him to hospital visits. She’d wait for him in the waiting room every time he went in, and on days when he couldn’t, she would go in instead. Afterwards, she’d encourage him to talk about the things on his mind. She was the first person to hear about his plan to break Saeran out of the hospital.

He allowed himself to accept help from her and offered her the same support in return. On more than one occasion he stayed on the phone with her till she fell asleep because memories of the basement cell and gunshots and screams were keeping her up. He understood that some things she’d never be able to explain to anyone else.

As he rebuilt his life, she was an essential part of it. He survived because of her friendship and promise that he would never be alone if he didn't want to be.

The time passes quickly as they share pastries and discuss the pros and cons of the different types of houses he is considering. He isn’t sure when their adventures became more about seeing her than doing whatever activity they had planned. When he started calling her just to ask her what she was doing and to hear the sound of her voice on the other side. He is already dreading dropping her off at home later and returning to the bunker by himself. Without her, things feel off-kilter.

There is a small voice telling him that he knows what he's feeling. That he had felt it once before, in a time when she was just a grainy figure on CCTV footage and a voice over the phone. The spark of something that had been stifled by everything that came after.

He leans forward to show her a listing on his phone, and their legs bump under the table. It doesn't look like she notices but he can feel his heart racing. He must say something funny, because she tips her head back to laugh and the sunlight catches on her hair.

And then all the pieces slot together like the world's most obvious puzzle and he is left dumbfounded by his own obliviousness.

Before he can process his realization, before he can try and figure out what it means, the words tumble out of his mouth.

"I love you."

There it was, out on the table with whatever was left of the pastries.

She immediately straightens up and looks at him with wide eyes.

"What did you say?"

Is he imagining things, or does she sound flustered?

"I... love you." He says it slower this time and it sounds almost inadequate.

"Oh."

He's not imagining things. She fiddles with her sleeves and looks down at the table as if it'd be able to hide the smile that's slowly growing on her (definitely blushing) cheeks. Before he can think of something (anything) else to say, she takes a breath and looks at him. She's smiling shyly, it's a look he has never seen on her before.

"That makes me so happy, Saeyoung."

"Does that mean..."

Her smile widens and she nods. "Me too."

"What- why didn't you say anything?"

"I didn't want to dump my feelings on you after everything. I thought it would ruin things."

"As if you could ruin anything."

They hold eye contact for a second before they both burst into a fit of giggles out of relief and the absurdity of it all.

He reaches for her hand across the table. Their legs bump and cross under the table, and he doesn't mind how much the contact makes his heart race. In fact, he relishes it. He wonders what it would feel like if she were closer, whether it would simply stop beating all together. He can't remember the last time someone was this close to him.

They have spent the last few months catching up on life he has missed. As he squeezes her hand between both of his and digests the certainty of their confessions, he realises that this is only the beginning.

[justonemorewallflower]

Fic Tag Game!

I was tagged by @iamfandomcrazy

Thank you! I was hoping I'd get the chance to answer these!!

How many works do you have on AO3?

24

What's your AO3 word count?

92,829

What fandoms do you write for?

On AO3, Wednesday. I only have Wednesday fics posted on AO3 but elsewhere like Wattpad I have some Harry Potter and Stranger Things. I do want to start posting some Ronance on AO3

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

1. Condolence (Wyler, 339)

2. Jealousy (Wyler, 274)

3. Freckles (Wyler, 251)

4. Bitter Coffee (Wyler, 227)

5. The Beach & Realization (Wyler, both tied at 219 kudos)

Do you respond to comments?

Yes! I try to respond to all of them albeit sometimes I forget or procrastinate to do so

What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Probably In The Middle Of The Night or Death's Goodbye. I haven't finished A Pain Worse Than Death yet, but that will have a pretty angsty ending too

What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

A Night To Remember, Realization, or Welcome to the Family

Do you get hate on fics?

Nope, not that I know of! Most of the comments I get, if not all, are positive

Do you write smut? What kind?

Yes, I do. I got into it too rather recently (back in summer) as I did a kink bingo writing event. A lot of it is kinky, obviously lol. Beyond that I'm not sure how to explain it cause they each vary/are pretty different from each other. Some are really out there/dirty and others are more tame, just depends on the fic

Do you write cross-overs?

No. I wrote a bit of one in the past for Narnia x Harry Potter, but I never did anything with it and I haven't written any since then. Unless you count Omegaverse, no

Have you ever had a fic translated?

I think so. I remember someone asking me at one point if they could translate one of my fics but I never checked to see if they actually did so I'm not 100% sure

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Not really. I've helped other writers with ideas for their fics and they have helped me with ideas for my own but that's the extent of collaboration I've done for writing fics

What WIP would you like to finish but doubt you ever will?

Oh God, where do I start? I'd love to finish A Pain Worse Than Death but low-key don't know if I will. I also would love to finish some other AUs I have in my drafts like my Wyler Circus AU and my Wyler Goody Two shoes/Rebel AU, as well as some Ronance fics I have in my drafts

What's your all-time favorite ship?

Honestly, probably Wyler. But beyond them I also adore Ronance (Robin Buckley and Nancy Wheeler) and Shirbert (Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe)

What are your writing strengths?

Grammar and I like to think I'm decent at descriptions and characterization

What are your writing weaknesses?

Tense! I always subconsciously switch between past and present tense and it drives me insane!! It's something I always have to go back and fix/check for. And maybe dialogue, sometimes I struggle with that. As well as just finishing projects before starting a new one lol, I always have like 500 million drafts all at once that I'm working on

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I think it's fun to do sometimes but I don't do it much and if I do I try to do a language I am partly fluent in (like Spanish) or do a lot of research beforehand to ensure it's as accurate as I can get it

First fandom you wrote for?

Harry Potter I'm pretty sure

Favorite fic you've ever written?

Maybe Coffee Memories (I really like the characterization in this one) or A Pain Worse Than Death (the angst is just so delicious) or Scars Never Leave (I like the sort of hurt/comfort of this fic) or Safe Haven (it's the only Madwheeler fic I have and I like the angst and tone of it but I wrote it several years ago so it needs updated a lot) and then a lot of ideas that are just in my drafts

What fic would you want to rewrite one day?

Condolence because the first half of chapters are very short and lack content and I'd like to fix that, to try and make chapters more similar in length (like at least not like a 400 word chapter then a 3000 word chapter right after each other, yk) and Safe Haven (it's alright but could use some work to be more consistent in its plot and so it would work better, I'd just like to update it with my more recent writing style and knowledge since it's a few years old)

I tag @cosmic-lullaby @katwitchwriting (sorry if either of you have been tagged already!!)

[zablionsea]

Regularly-scheduled NOISZ SL Propaganda/j

Happy Pride Month.

As such, I'd like to make a recommendation of a game I feel has great LGBTQ representation, that's written by LGBTQ people: NOISZ STΔRLIVHT, available on iOS and Android.

You play as the Producer for the idol group STΔRLIVHT. As musicians around the world are suddenly disappearing, STΔRLIVHT nearly finds themselves meeting the same fate, until a mysterious woman named Beyond grants them the power of the NOISZ.

The group members strength their bonds, fight musical monsters from another world, and learn more about the complexities of each other's lives.

It's a bullet-hell rhythm game, consisting of 4-key (aka 4k) sections cut between (and on higher difficulties, overlapped with) moving your character around the screen to dodge bullets.

The game has a variety of queer characters (although those whose existence/queerness are spoilers will not be mentioned).

Sera and Grace are two members of the main idol group and are playable characters in battle. They're also dating and have been since the end of middle school. They have a kind, supportive relationship where Sera's extreme ambitiousness (leading to getting overwhelmed) is supported by Grace's kindness. Grace's extreme selflessness is supported by Sera's powerful affection. They complement each other well.

They have two love songs: Done in Love by Iris, and First Star by Synthion, the latter of which is the tutorial song. Both are available as charts, but they do cost money for the Clover Club Pass and Dia Club Pass respectively.

The beginning of Sera and Grace's relationship is the central focus on the prequel visual novel game 2ECONDS TO STΔRLIVHT: Forever My Diamond, which is available on Steam, and on mobile as part of the free prequel VN 2ECONDS TO STΔRLIVHT+.

There are recurring event alts in which Sera and Grace wear each other's casual clothes, and honestly, I love that so much. Good for them.

Hakuno is canonically a trans woman, this fact being the central plot point of her and Sumire's prequel visual novel 2ECONDS TO STΔRLIVHT: My Heart's Reflection. A heads-up about MHR, the game does depict transphobia, misgendering, and family confrontation and does give warnings for it on boot-up. There is an option to obscure misgendering language; however, this only censors out incorrect pronouns/gendered terms with asterisks.

Grace's, Sera's, and Hakuno's queerness are directly mentioned very early in the main game's story, too, during Chapter 0.IV.

The game doesn't shy away from these aspects when it's relevant to the plot, but that also isn't the entire point (unfortunately, I can't name said most central focus, as I'd consider it a spoiler). The story juggles a few main threads throughout, and some of those happen to focus on queerness.

There is representation outside of STΔRLIVHT, too: Rhyme (who is sapphic), Han (who is non-binary but doesn't show up in-person after MHR), and even the Producer herself can be sapphic if you select the option in which she comes out to STΔRLIVHT.

The representation is well-written, but that's a natural side effect of the story overall being very good. There are a lot of details that lend well to analysis, and some lines with very clear double-meaning that I fangirl over every time I see them. The characters all feel nuanced, even the antagonists. I don't know how to encapsulate what I like about the story, but I think the writing style and content work well for what it's trying to do, I'll say.

The way it builds on the lore established in the original NOISZ and the re:||VERSE DLC is very interesting, too. It very much messes with your expectations if you've played the original NOISZ, but then your knowledge comes in handy for understanding the plot later on. The connections are fascinating, in both how clear some are and how unclear others are. I'm excited for how the second half of the story will wrap things up.

The game is also very fun outside overall, and that's another reason I recommend it. The bullet hell and rhythm game work together very well, and there's a lot of fun, creative charting. Stellar song selection too, especially for an indie game, with a great pool of originals (although access to many of those is paywalled). Got some absolutely great musicians on for that like Camellia, Synthion, Iris, Soleily, Nhato, and Reku Mochizuki.

Anyway, that's what I wanted to say.

[p-antomime]

I'll wait for you.

— minors don’t interact.

— wc: 2.1K.

content + warnings: 18+, including: filming w/o consent, sole male, masturbation, voyeurism, obsession, overstimulation, mention of unprotected sex, mention of breeding kink & creampie, crying, begging, stalking, dark content.

pairings: stalker!izana kurokawa x fem!reader.

request.

part I.

author note: i highly recommend that eventual readers of this work have read the first part of the work before reading this one or that they will read it before starting to read this second part, practically the entire plot of this work is directly dependent on the first one, so please read the first part so you don't get lost in the middle of the events here! also, thank you for read this!

— Bye, bye, Izana! — A coworker of his waved while Izana was busy searching through his work bag for his cell phone and almost didn't notice that he was waving goodbye to him.

— Oh, bye! See you tomorrow. — Izana spoke after reaching for his cell phone and giving him a friendly smile before continuing to walk to the basement of the building where he worked to get his own car and go home.

He wonderedif she was already home. Had she showered yet? If so, what pajamas was she wearing? Had she already eaten dinner? What moisturizer did she use today after her shower?

Izana thought distractedly as he took the car keys from one of the inner pockets of his work suitcase and began to twist them between fingers before reaching the car, opening the door next to the driver's seat and getting into it. He looked around to make sure that no one was monitoring his actions, and only then did he let one hand place the cell phone on the support above the dashboard, unlock it and click on the application installed both on the cell phone and on one of the computers in his house that had been used to monitor the cameras he had installed in your house a short time before.

His favorite hobby at the moment was watching you, working was torture when the only thing Izana wanted to do was watch you closely, his favorite part of the day was when he had the opportunity to see your totally naked body come out of your bathroom stall to dry off. It was impossible to keep his hands off your crotch, thighs and cock at those moments, he felt like he was doing you a favor by masturbating to your carefree naked image oblivious to the small cameras capturing your every move.

And besides, Kurokawa had done this for your own good, what if someone malicious broke into your home to take advantage of you and the only person who could help you was him because his watchful eyes were always busy on your mirrored image on his computer and cell phone screens?

— Oh. — Izana said disappointed to see that you were not yet home as soon as the application opened and he could scan the rooms of the house in which he had installed internal cameras. — All right, I'll wait for you. — He said to himself, putting the key in the ignition of the car, turning it and starting to drive calmly through the cold streets of Tokyo.

He would always wait for you.

He would follow you like a little dog, but who was in his leashes and hands was you. Even if you didn't know it.

The nice thing about watching your house while he drove with the windows almost completely closed was that anyone passing by the vicinity of the car, be it on a motorcycle, be it in other cars, be it walking on the street, would think it was just a GPS or something like that or even that the cell phone was just with the screen blocked, since the brightness was low. Nobody but Izana had the right to snoop around your residence free of ethical responsibilities.

It was a long half hour, the way home seemed tortuous because there was no noise coming from the cameras monitored by Kurokawa since you were still at work and his son, whom you eventually adopted some time ago, was still in a school for children. When he got home, the first thing Izana did was to take a shower and then put on more comfortable clothes consisting of a casual kimono with nothing underneath and gray sweatpants before sitting in the middle of the spacious bed in his room and in front of the illuminated screen of the computer. He still spent a long almost 10 minutes waiting for you to get home, and as soon as the main hallway camera caught you walking down the hall leisurely, a wide, passionate, vibrant smile appeared on the young man's lips and his pupils dilated slightly.

— There you are! — Izana ran his tongue over his lips, switching the focus of the cameras to the one in the kitchen as you stepped out of the field of view of the one installed in the hallway. — You look beautiful today, for God's sake. I so wanted to kiss you. — He whispered, bringing one of his fingers to the computer screen and following your movements with that digit and his eyes. — But you look tired. And where is... — Before Kurokawa had finished speaking, his biological and your adopted son appeared running through the area covered by the kitchen’s camera and he watched him hug you adorably. — Oh, cute! — Izana spoke with a small smile upon seeing the little interaction of the two of you, if it weren't for Kurokawa's dominant features on that child's face, maybe anyone would really think that the two of you are biological relatives.

Deep down, he felt proud of himself for having a small living part of him living with you every day. It was as if you wanted to have someone or something that reminded you of Izana on a daily basis.

"Go take a shower and mommy will organize everything for us for dinner", Y/N spoke stroking the light hair of Kurokawa's son before he ran out of the area covered by the camera moving his head in agreement.

Soon after, his eyes watched you go to your bedroom through the camera screen and an excited grunt escaped his lips. Just watching you slowly shed your clothes on the way in before entering the bathroom was enough to make Izana's mouth salivate and pupils almost transfigure into the shape of hearts. His attention completely fixed on the way yours fingers were hurrying to remove the tight clothes that slowly left your body exposed for anyone to see. First, blouse and jacket, it was a cold day. Then, jeans and socks. As soon as hands went to loosen your bra, one of Kurokawa's pointers slid across the computer keyboard and repeatedly pressed the print screen key, he always took screen captures as soon as you were undressing and being filmed by the cameras just to have something besides his own memory when he was getting off at other times in which he was home and you, for whatever reason, were not at yours

His dick began to harden against the underwear and sweatpants he had worn minutes before, and inevitably Izana turned the attention away from the computer screen for a brief second only to undo the knot that held the waistband of his pants and let them fall down to his ankles. When you entered the bathroom, he shifted the camera focus to this very spot, leaning closer to the screen as if somehow this would make him able to touch your body while one hand began to massage his cock still in the middle of becoming fully hardened.

Izana's anxious countenance eventually changed to a surprised one, his mouth forming a small "o" and eyebrows rising slightly. You had never used the bathtub in your bathroom on any of the days he had watched you on camera, and he thought that it was only there for decorative whimsy. But today? You were filling it patiently, and his fingers were impatiently squeezing his shaft, still covered by the underwear and with a small wet mark appearing on the fabric of it. While waiting until the tub was reasonably full, you went to get the soaps and loofah to put in the holder there and your personal stalker's eyes were completely fixed on the way your breasts moved up and down when they were away from bras.

— Fuck, I wanted to lick them. — Izana whispered to himself with his breathing beginning to become unregulated, not stopping groping over his own panties before getting rid of them as well. His back sank against the pillows of the bed, his head resting against the headboard and his thumb going to rub the smooth tip of his cock completely smeared with pre-cum. His eyes watched you put your feet first into the tub before your whole body was covered by the water and your lips let out a slight sigh of relief as you felt the muscles in your body relax submerged, Kurokawa couldn't help but moan in unison with you in front of the computer screen as he wrapped his palm and fingers around his own cock to start moving up and down. — Fuck, I want to... — Kurokawa swallowed hard and moaned softly, watching you lather your shoulders and then slide down to your breasts. — I want to fuck you raw, I want you to cry for me, I want you to moan for me... fuck-argh! — Izana moaned hoarsely and gave a light squeeze against his shaft before slowing the pace of his hand going up and down on his dick just to get it to last a little longer. — You're so, so beautiful, I want you all to myself... — Now a few strands of his neatly cut light hair were sticking to his forehead from sweat, and his other hand was deliberately playing with the computer's built-in button that zoomed in and out, focusing the screen more on where your body was in the tub and less on a panoramic view of the scene. — If I was with you right now... damn, I could fuck you till I breeded you, you'd love that, wouldn't you? You'd love to feel filled with my dick inside you, you'd love to have me make you a definite mommy.

Kurokawa groaned loudly as you stood reflected in the computer screen to the side to get the soap off your body and he got a long, good view of your wet breasts. You looked so beautiful, completely relaxed, not even imagining that someone was sneaking up on you. He spent a few seconds massaging his own balls and by the way his hips were now practically forcing his cock to fuck his hand and his shaft was twitching with the slightly swollen tip, it was obvious that he would cum within a few minutes, maybe a few seconds. His breathing quickened, chest rising and falling painfully, mouth ajar with some saliva dripping from it onto Izana's chin, eyes fixed on the illuminated computer screen.

As he watched you relax your body completely against the tub, enjoying your own bath, his cock ended up spurting thick streams of white cum, wetting his hand and abdomen with a few drops splashing onto his open kimono. He came so hard that it took him a while to realize how loud he was moaning and how arched his back and twisted his toes were. But even during his rapturous climax, Izana never stopped moving the hand down his dick, he wanted to drain every last bit of cum inside his balls because it was the least you deserved. His mind fantasized that the fingers around his shaft were yours, moving up and down, a mess of sweaty and fuck fluids pooling in that part of his body. The previous overstimulation was enough to make Kurokawa's brain unscrew a little more and hips start fucking his hand harder and faster, his cheeks completely reddening and small transparent tears filling the corner of his lilac eyes.

— Ple-please... Y/N, just... — Izana gasped trying to focus his eyes on the computer screen, by now you were getting ready to finish your shower. — J-Just one more time... Fuck! — His thumb pressed against his tip and a loud moan in the form of your name escaped through his lips. — Let... let me see your body m-more, just a bit more. — He didn't even remember anymore that you couldn't hear his voice or the lewd sounds of the hand stimulating his cock, but, for the sake of his sanity, you eventually rose from the tub and he could see your body completely clean and wet without the obstruction of bathwater or a bath towel. — Fuck, f-fuck, yes, yes, yes, this, like this... — He didn't even know what he was talking about anymore as he came for the second time in succession, another load of cum soaking his hand and licking his abdomen. — You are so... — Kurokawa tried to control his breathing as he blinked, wanting to regain the spatial awareness around him that was diluted as soon as his dick ejaculated again and ran his tongue over his lips trying to cut the stream of saliva that escaped the corner of his lips. — So mine, all mine.

When Izana saw you start to dry your body, he cracked a wide smile with his eyes staring at the computer screen and sliding over to the date that stood isolated in one of her corners. He was in no hurry, it was still Thursday.

[devendrasbeard]

The Witcher fandom got me back to writing and as I’ve now produced a decent amount of fic, my dearest friends ( @firefly-party and @hallistarling ) told me it’s time I made one of these myself, so here you go! (The beautiful header is also their work <3 <3 <3 )

GERASKIER FICS

The (White) Wolf's Appetite (rated E) - my first fic I wrote after 5 years of writing NOTHING! After another tiring and annoying day of hunting down monsters, Geralt only wants to do one thing. Jaskier, of course. His friend isn't so eager to please, though. Obligatory bathtub sex ensues eventually, though.

Heavy In Your Arms (rated M) - first installment of the Blind Is The Beast seriesGeralt's last contract before retreating to Kaer Morhen for winter goes horribly wrong. Now Mr. "I don't need anybody" has to rely on other people's help and has a hard time adjusting.

Bedroom Hymns (rated E) - second part of the Blind Is The Beast series Geralt brings Jaskier with him to Kaer Morhen for winter - more out of necessity than his own will. But inviting the bard over turns out to be the best decision Geralt has made in a long time.

I Promise You I'm Not Broken (rated E) - my first chaptered fic! A modern college AU! Jaskier is an art student, who moves across the Continent to run away from his troubled past (and also his parents) and start a new life. Geralt is a librarian at the university (at least during the day) and he immediately draws Jaskier's attention, as soon as he steps through the library's door.

Very Late At Night When Cities Turn Into Forests Again (rated E) - my almost done current WIP, modern with magic AU! A modern-day witcher in a world where people stopped believing in magic and monsters is trying to do his laundry in peace. He won't have that wish granted, though. It seems, unfortunately, that an annoying laundry companion will be the least of Geralt's problems.

JASKEL FICS

Help Me Unwind (rated E) - another gift for my lovely Kei!! Jaskier works as the head of accounting in a major corporation. With a fusion coming up, he has way more work than usual, so every weekend he ventures out to the city to unwind. A kind, handsome stranger he meets at the bar is more than willing to help with releasing the tension.

Would You Tell Me If You Wanted My Love? (rated E) - my LONGEST fic so far!! Already completed (and full of pining and misunderstandings)! A modern AU meet-cute, about two kind souls looking for love and intimacy in a harsh world. Everything would be nice and easy, if only they could talk about their needs and feelings, instead of jumping to conclusions and making themselves miserable. Good thing, there are smart people (and a smart-ass six years old!) around to finally help them find the things they both crave.

There Is Peace Even In The Storm (rated E) - Jaskier is afraid of thunderstorms. He doesn't know Eskel that good, but he's the only familiar face on the whole campus, so he turns to him for comfort and safety.

Don't Wake The Sleeping Dragon (rated E) - my Secret Santa gift for Kei for the Merry Witchermas Rarepair Event! Contrary to his husband, Eskel is a massive fan of body modifications, having almost half of his body covered with tattoos and piercings. Jaskier holds his hand during yet another piercing appointment, not knowing the severe consequences of Eskel's decision for them both.

Welcome To My Table, Bring Your Hunger (rated E) - NOW FINISHED! Modern AU! Jaskier is a top notch, exclusive sex worker, mostly serving CEOs and middle-aged businessmen. He quickly makes a name for himself and earns good money, but is bored out of his mind with his clients' mediocre requests. One night he serves a man unlike any of the clients he's had before - the encounter awakens a long lost spark in him.

Only If For A Night (rated E) - written for the Rarepair Bingo, prompt "they've had a few drinks" Modern AU! Eskel is a private driver for a very famous and very successful fashion designer. Having seen the more private side of his boss, he eventually develops feelings for him. One night of drunken confessions can bring a massive change to their professional relationship.

Marry Me Once, Marry Me Twice, Marry Me Six Times (rated M) - also written for the Rarepair Bingo, prompt "getting engaged" A modern AU, 5+1 fic! Five times Jaskier has proposed to Eskel (more or less as a joke) and the one time Eskel has proposed to Jaskier (for real).

WITCHERSEXUAL JASKIER FICS

Promises In Silk And Lace (rated E) - Jaskier/Lambert/Eskel for the Rarepair Bingo, prompt was "lingerie" It's Yule, so Jaskier has prepared a very special present for his Witcher boyfriends. That special present being him, of course!

Too Much Is Never Enough (rated E) - Jaskier/Geralt/Eskel in my third part of Blind Is the Beast series Jaskier enjoys his first winter in Kaer Morhen, especially the nights when he and Geralt are tangled together in Geralt's sheets. But then another Witcher joins them for the winter and things get interesting very quickly.

There Is No Sweeter Innocence Than Our Gentle Sin (rated E) - a Secret Santa gift for CousinCecily for the Witcher Writers event on twt! Jaskier wakes up naked in bed with two cuties but, to his surprise, neither of them are Geralt. What happened last night exactly?

DISASTER HUSBANDS (aka LAMBDEN) FICS

A Lick Of The Lips And A Grab On Your Hips (rated E) - A modern AU one-shot, set in the Bring Your Hunger - verse. A sort-of meet cute, involving awkward flirting, car sex and Aiden being a smug little shit.

My Bark Is Your Bite (rated E) - next installment also set in the Bring Your Hunger - verse, but still can be read as a one shot Lambert is one jealous bastard, so he decides to teach Aiden a lesson. Too bad Aiden is one kinky bastard, so the lesson ends up being something completely different than planned.

RAREPAIR FICS

Great Escape (rated G) - Ciri/Cahir for the Rarepair Bingo, prompt was "surprises" Ciri hates birthdays. Cahir is determined to change that.

The Goat Is Part Of The Family (rated T) - Ciri/Cahir for the Rarepair Bingo, prompt was "meet the family" Ciri and Cahir are newly engaged, so it's time for the guy to meet her family. He quickly learns Ciri's family is unlike any other. And there's also a goat.

So Good At Being In Trouble (rated M) - Geralt/Regis for the Rarepair Bingo, prompt "touching under the table in public" Long-term husbands Geralt and Regis are so in love, they can't keep their hands off of each other, even at an important meeting.

Don't Threaten Me With A Good Time (rated E) - Eskel/Yennefer for the Rarepair Bingo, prompt "Gwent" Just two workmates playing Gwent after closing the bar for the night. Things get heated and escalate quickly once it turns out Yennefer is a way better player than Eskel, who loves this game more than anything.

I'll Take The Smooth With The Rough (rated E) - Eskel/Yennefer for the Rarepair Bingo, prompt was "forced orgasm" Eskel joins Yennefer at the annual charity gala. He also agrees to her cunning plan to make the evening more entertaining for them both.

My Body Is My Weapon, So I Keep It Loaded (rated E) - Eskel/Geralt for the Rarepair Bingo, prompt was "belly bulge" On his way to Kaer Morhen for winter, Eskel gets cursed by some faes, making his cock too big for any partner to handle. He turns to Geralt for aid, and Geralt is more than willing to lend him a helping hand (and more!)

In Your Heart Is My Home (rated M) - Eskel/Geralt, a fix-it fic, written after that episode in S2 that we do not talk about. Geralt feels at home in Kaer Morhen. But there's one more place he feels the most at home, the place being his brother's arms.

[illyaana]

Cursive Ink - Yamaguchi Tadashi

Collab: Pain Tolerance by @haikyutiehoe

Thanks for making this collab, hun! the idea of pierced and/or tatted anime characters got me squealing~! Do check out the other works involved in the collab in the link up there~

Tags: Yamaguchi's POV, Angst, Fluff, Yamaguchi x Tattoo Artist! Reader, Binaural

Synopsis: Love never really goes the way we plan it to be - and Yamaguchi was no exception. His failed confession to his former best friend left him heartbroken. However, his decision to go to a tattoo parlour may have been the best (and craziest) choice he's ever made in his life. (I also believe Yamaguchi is pansexual, so don't get so confused XD)

Word Count: 2552

A bit of context: In Japanese, 'Yama' means mountain, 'Tsuki' means the Moon

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Want to get a personalized drabble about your love life with an anime character you like? Check out my 50 followers event's post here! You can choose any character from BNHA, Haikyu!!, AOT, JJK and Kuroko no Basketball <3

“Yamaguchi, no,” Tsukishima said, pulling his hand away from my hand.

“Why are you lying to yourself? I know you feel the same way, Tsuki - don’t lie to yourself.”

“I don’t, Yamaguchi,” Tsukishima said, eyes turning cold, “I am not gay - I am a straight, heterosexual male. I love women and women only.”

Lies.

You are lying to me.

You are in love with me.

You are already mine, Tsuki - just wake up and see it.

I know you can.

what was that kiss under the tree when we were kids?” I whispered, not wanting my voice to break, “If you never loved me, why kiss me, Tsuki?”

“We both agreed that it was a mistake, didn’t we?” The blonde male said, anger rising, “We both agreed - not just me.”

I said yes - I know I did.

That doesn’t mean I meant it.

You know me, Tsuki - I’ll agree to everything you’ll say.

Why aren’t you realising it?

I’ve waited for so many years for you to ask me out, but you never did.

I’m here, right in front of you, asking you to be mine - just say yes.

I don’t want to wait anymore - it’s too painful.

“I lied, okay?!” I scream, “I loved you ever since we were kids, Tsuki. I want to be the one you come back to when you leave, the only one you kiss, the only one you hug, the only one you dream about - I want to be that to you. Is that so hard to believe?!”

I hugged myself, not wanting to break down anymore.

That small hug was the only thing stopping me from letting all hell break loose.

I had kept this in ever since I knew Tsuki - ever since he saw him in that park.

I knew everything about the tall male. The way he smiles, the way he hides his anger when he wants to be respectful, his secret love for dinosaurs, his soft side, his small quirks - I knew it all like the back of his hand.

I knew what he needed to be the middle blocker’s lover, and I was willing to sacrifice myself to be the best thing for Tsuki.

One thing was clear in my head; Tsuki felt the exact same way.

“Yamaguchi, I’m sorry. I don’t love you the way you want me to,” Tsukishima said, kneeling beside the green-haired male.

“I don’t believe that.”

I forced his lips on Tsukishima’s.

I closed my eyes, trying to memorise how the lines of his soft and pale lips felt on his - how it softly caressed my lips without even responding to the intimate kiss I was trying to initiate.

I felt Tsukishima trying to push me away, but I didn’t let go of the male’s collar.

He already took my first kiss - what is the difference if I took another?

The second our lips left each other’s, Tsukishima punched my nose.

Blood dripped from my nose, but I couldn’t care less.

“Don’t you fucking call me Tsuki ever again, dumbass. Better yet, don’t call me.”

My last day of high school ended with blood and tears, but the pain in my heart from losing my best friend hurt more.

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I stared at the stars, lying down in the little treehouse we made as kids in my backyard.

I tried to cry it all out, but I couldn’t.

I feel cheated by you, Tsukishima Kei.

You made me make you my everything.

My voice was tuned to calm you down.

My hands we moulded to keep you warm.

My life was made to keep you safe, but you don’t need me to be you.

But I do - I need you to be me.

One-sided crushes are the worst form of love, aren’t they?

You give it all for that one person - to please and cherish them.

They just think it’s just a form of showing how strong your friendship is, but you want more.

You are the only one who wants more.

You are the one crying at night about how you wished they were by your side.

You are the one craving for their touch.

You want them, but they don’t want you.

I don’t care about you bruising my face, Tsukishima-san.

I care about you fucking me up like this.

I will no longer wait for your messages.

I will no longer look at your tweets and be the only one giving reactions.

I will erase you from my narrative, Tsukishima-san.

You can wonder about how much you’ve hurt me when I have reached somewhere you can’t even touch me.

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“You are absolutely sure about this, right?” Hinata said, worry laced in his words.

I open the doors to the tattoo parlour and I was instantly mesmerized. The walls were filled with such intricate designs - sizes ranging from as small as a finger to as big as my whole body. The smell of fresh ink slowly hit me, reminding me of my schooling years.

“I am sure, Hinata. I was planning to do this ever since I was small, either way. I just wished it was under better circumstances,” I reply, eyes locked on all the flower motifs.

I always wanted a tattoo - it didn’t matter how big or small it was. I always thought of how beautiful the idea was - to have something permanently inked on your skin to remind you of who you were. Flowers drew with such hidden meaning, curved lines speaking words of poetry, ideas brought into life - tattoos are an artist’s masterpiece meant to paint on my skin as a canvas.

“Do you want me to stay? I don’t mind waiting here with you - “

“Weren’t you supposed to meet up with Kageyama later today?” I remind him, chuckling.

“That man is late for everything. I think he can handle me coming late for once.”

“I’m seriously okay, Hinata! Go get ready, I’ll send a picture when it’s done,” I say as I push him out of the shop.

“Okay, okay - make sure to send me that picture!” He said as he ran out of the shop.

Why follow me if you’re itching to leave?

“That friend of yours has really bright orange hair - is it dyed or natural?” I hear someone say.

Holy shit, you’re hot.

“Oh - uh- um- It’s natural,” I say, forming some space between us.

Holy shit, you’re hot.

You tied half of your hair in a small bun, showing me the small, intricate designs on your neck. Flowers decorated your soft skin, moving down under your shirt’s sleeve. Small golden piercings decorated your ears. They were encrusted with gems of various colours that shifted under the soft lighting gracing your skin.

You looked so beautiful I couldn’t stop staring.

“So, do you have an appointment?” You asked, breaking my train of thought.

“N- no.”

Stop stuttering, Yamaguchi Tadashi.

“First time, huh?” you smiled, “Don’t worry, you’ll be fine. The pain is different for everyone, but I think you can handle it.”

“T-Thanks.”

God, stop stuttering.

“God, you’re cute,” you laughed while looking at my frazzled face, “Don’t worry, my dearest client - you’re in capable hands. Come - let’s discuss your design, shall we?”

You grabbed my wrist and brought me to your corner, leaving me blushed mess.

Cute.

They called me cute.

I’m breathing, right?

Okay, I’m breathing.

As we were walking, I got to see the back of your neck - more specifically, a part of your tattoo.

It was a blossoming rose - a huge one. It had vines that grew from it, encircling your whole neck, moving down your shirt and reaching the tips of your fingers. Smaller roses grew from it, branching even smaller vines surrounded by leaves.

I wanted to know the story behind that tattoo. It looked so beautiful yet so dark. The thorns that came from certain vines alarmed me, but I kept my thoughts to myself. My attention was brought to your piercings - more specifically, the design of the encrusted jewels. They were flowers, as well. In the middle of each jewel held a line of gold that branched out, just like the vines of your tattoo.

“Oh, you’re looking at my tattoo and piercings, aren’t you?” You ask, eyebrow raised.

“Is it okay if I am?” I ask, worried.

You laughed.

“Of course it’s fine. Who would get a tattoo and not prepare for all the staring? Not going to lie, here - these piercings and that tattoo help me fuel my ego. After all, everyone’s staring at them,” you joke, playing with your hair.

You sit on your chair, pointing at the one opposite you.

“What are you waiting for? Sit.”

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“So, you want some small vines surrounding a moon, right?” You ask as you brought out your tablet.

“Yeah, on my middle finger.”

I had enough of his little orders - I’ll twist his words into something much more meaningful. If the Moon isn’t willing to dance with the mountains, let the vines make the Moon feel the mountain’s pain from its rejection.

“That sounds really pretty,” you say, smiling at me, “Give me a minute - I’ll do a rough sketch and you can tell me if it’s to your liking.”

You took out the tablet’s pen tool and began to sketch. I eyed your eyes as you continued to sketch what would be my tattoo.

Thanks to the light from the tablet, I could see a part of another tattoo hidden under your shirt.

It was multiple birds flying across your collarbones, but there was one bird that moved to your neck. It was a smaller bird - much, much smaller. However, its wings were bigger - bigger than the other birds’.

“My family isn’t very appreciative of my more artistic side,” you began, knowing I wanted to know the story behind it.

“I love art - all types of art. Writing, drawing, painting - I loved how you could make a whole new world just with a few lines. My family…” you paused, “As much as they loved me, they couldn’t see a world where I could make a living from it. They tried to throw away this side of me, but the more they pushed it away, the more I needed it.”

You raised your tablet, showing me your sketch.

I loved it.

It was a crescent moon, wrapped in vines. Vines grew both upwards and below, accompanied by stars. Small buds were growing from the ends of the vines, leaves surrounding them.

I don’t know how you did it, but you captured all I felt about him in a few minutes - it astounded me.

“I took a few creative liberties, but-”

“It’s amazing - don’t change it.”

You’re amazing.

You smiled, getting off your chair.

“Head to that room,” you pointed to the smaller room right beside us, “I’ll get all the tools ready.”

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“You ready?” you said, placing the pen right above my middle finger.

Why did I choose my middle finger for my first tattoo? It’s literally right on a bone, it’s going to hurt like hell.

“I guess…” I whisper.

“It won’t be that painful - trust me. People overexaggerate,” you say, trying to calm me down.

People weren’t overexaggerating - it hurt.

It hurt a lot.

I bit my lip, holding back the scream on the end of my lips.

“Hold on,” you said, removing the pen.

You soon came back with candy and began to unwrap it.

“Open your mouth, my liege.”

After chuckling, I opened my mouth and you plopped the sweet in my mouth.

Ooh, mango.

“Focus on the sweet, okay?” You said, patting my back.

It felt less painful, surprisingly. Focusing on the sweet rolling in my mouth helped reduce the pain significantly.

I raised my head slightly so that I could see your intense focus on my finger. You were biting on your lower lip as you slowly moved the pen on my finger, following the temporary tattoo you made earlier as a guide. You were annoyed by a strand of your hair that refused to stay behind on your ear - your anger-filled expression said it all.

Using my other hand, I pushed it behind your ear to help you focus.

A soft thank you came from you as you continued.

Blood rushed to my cheeks the minute those words left your lips.

So cute.

“You didn’t finish your story…” I asked, trying to end the awkward silence.

“It was that interesting to you?” you smiled.

You’re interesting, Y/N.

I nod.

“I asked them if I could draw again. I didn’t want to lose that skill I finetuned all my life - it felt so wrong. They thought I’d never succeed in life if I focused on ‘these useless hobbies’ and shouted at me. I remember crying for hours, but they didn’t care,” you say as you turn off the pen, wiping the tip.

“I began to spend more hours in school just so that I could scribble and draw. They’d never know what I did there - all the drawings I did, all the stories I wrote, all the songs I sang. I am not like my parents. I strayed from the thought of ‘art is useless’- I am the bird moving away from the flock,” you said, turning your chair towards me.

“Why did they hate art? It’s something that makes you happy - If it’s something you like, you should do it,” I said, slightly pissed.

Thank God they didn’t listen to them.

“Best part - they have paintings all over the house,” you snickered.

You sighed, stretching your arms in the process.

“I don’t really care about their opinion about it, anyway. I’m no longer under their wing - I’m my own person. I get money by doing the thing I love, and that’s so fulfilling. The only thing they’re paying for right now is my college education - that’s it,” you said as you pressed a wet cloth to my new tattoo.

“Wait - we’re the same age?”

“Yeah, we are,” you smiled.

“I expected you to be way older,” I say, embarrassed.

“I am utterly offended, sir,” you say, feigning sadness.

“Come on!” I say, laughing.

“I am expecting a tip,” you say, walking towards the door.

You’re amazing, Y/N. I just wish I met you earlier…

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“Well, it was nice meeting you, Yamaguchi Tadashi,” you say, closing the cash register in front of you.

“And I you, my friend.”

I walk to the door, gripping on the door handle.

I want you in my life, Y/N. Even if we spent just a few hours together, you’ve made me so happy. If you are open to the idea, I want to be friends with you - and who knows? We might become something…

I walk back to the cashier.

“Oh, did I forget something?” You ask, worried.

“No, no…”

Come on, say it.

“Hey, wanna exchange numbers? I wanna hang out with you - of course, only if you want to,” you say smiling.

Holy shit.

“Yes, please.”

You held back your laugh the minute you saw my face.

How many times have I made you laugh just by you looking at my face?

“Here’s my number,” you passed me your card, “Message me so that I get your number, too!”

“Okay!” I smile.

Holy shit. I did it.

“See you again, ‘guchi.”

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[imakemywings]

Did you already do Fëanor, Nerdanel, and/or Maglor for the character meme? 👀

I have now!

Feanor

We all know it's impossible to get out of this fandom without having an opinion on Feanor. I've gradually settled into the camp of being a fan of his; I think he's a super interesting character, both from a personal perspective, and a narrative perspective, as his actions continue to ripple out across Arda LONG after Feanor is gone.

He gets half the "fucked over by fans" square because while I don't think he's universally screwed--a lot of fans have some really great and nuanced interpretations of him--there is a significant subset who seemed determined to view him as someone who was always a terrible person and a shitty father whose influence by Melkor basically just freed him up to do things he already wanted to do, and I'm not here for that. I think Tolkien really tries to drive home that Feanor is a good person, if a very flawed person who is not easy to get along with, who was unknowingly influenced by Melkor and thereby driven to things he never would have done otherwise. And the entire story of Feanor and his family, and the rebellion and the Doom of the Noldor is portrayed as a tragedy--there's no tragedy in a dude who was always a dickhead being freed up to be more of a dickhead. But there IS in a guy who was overall good, if possessed of a few character flaws (and aren't we all?) being warped and twisted into someone who bears only vague resemblance to who he was before, and yet it's that shadow image that becomes his legacy.

I always come back to the fact that Feanor's story is a tragedy, and I agree. He had already done so much good for the Noldor--his inventions are still in use in Middle-earth in the Third Age!--and he could have done so much more, but for the intervention of Melkor.

Also while I chose "didn't get enough screentime" that's not a criticism of Feanor's death--that was a striking narrative choice that I definitely wouldn't change, in part because his still being around to lead this shitshow would totally change the dynamic of the Noldor in Middle-earth. I just want to know what his favorite color is and if he's an early riser.

Nerdanel

Minor female character my beloved <3 You know how I feel about Nerdanel. Of all the Tolkien characters I want to know more about, she might take the cake. Anyone who happily marries Feanor and has seven children with him is someone whose psyche profile must be fascinating. Because we know so little about her--although I think we can extrapolate some key things from the text--a lot of my interpretation of her is not based in canon because there's not enough there to build a full character out of, but I still think even with only the canon information she's interesting.

I maintain that Nerdanel was not only tolerant of much of Feanor's shenanigans, she was into it. She looked at those red flags and went "yeah that's hot."

She also, like Anaire, gets massively screwed by the rebellion of the Noldor. My interested in Maglor/Nerdanel reunion fics is honestly more about Nerdanel getting to see one of her babies again than Maglor getting to go home sorry Maglor. I think the events of the rebellion, flight, and exile changed her life forever and I really really want to know what she did in Aman for the several thousand years between Feanor's departure and Galadriel's return--and after! Her family is barred from rebirth until the breaking of the world, and I don't think it's inconceivable that she gets tarred with the same brush as Feanor by the rest of the Noldor. What life did she have in Tirion after that? What purpose, what meaning? You could h/c she eventually fades in grief, but I don't really see that as her style, so I'm very curious about what keeps her going all those years.

Maglor

I'll be real most of my interest in Maglor has been sparked by you XD I was tempted by "deeper than they seem" but actually I think he gets (comparatively to the surface-style narrative of Silm) a fair amount of depth. His argument with Maedhros in favor of abandoning the Silmarils and his care for Elrond and Elros in particular stand out as showing how he (one of the Feanorians to burn the ships at Losgar and partake in all 3 kinslayings) has changed over the course of his time in Middle-earth.

I really enjoy exploring his dynamic with other characters, particularly any of his brothers and especially Maedhros. We get basically nothing about Maglor in terms of personality from the actual narrative, which means virtually any interpretation of him in fandom is pure headcanon, so there are a number of ways I could reasonably see it going, but I think they're all interesting.

You had some very good points about how it's doubtful Maglor was ever trained to direct troops or manage warfare, or even be a warrior himself, and then suddenly he's on the front lines of this war with Melkor and all the Elves under his command are kind of nervously hoping he's a quick learner. The dynamics of someone who was an artist now forced to be a general, who doesn't want to be a solider but proves to be reasonably competent at it, and who has a LOT to lose if he fails, is just such an interesting thing to explore.

In this way I think all the sons of Feanor are fascinating because they were all basically spoiled princelings of the Blessed Realm who recklessly followed their father in rebelling against the Valar and charging off to Middle-earth, only to be immediately faced with the deadly serious consequences of those choices, and then be repeatedly confronted with them in very quick succession (Alqualonde, the exile, the Doom, Losgar, Feanor's death, Maedhros' capture). Basically, shit gets real for them very fast and they have to adapt or die (and get a bunch of other people killed along with them, most likely).

Also Maglor living until the Third Age (although it's not my h/c sorry Lark :c) opens up some fascinating questions of crime, forgiveness, punishment, repentance, etc. and what the responsibility of the Elves of the Third Age is when it comes to the last remaining son of Feanor.

[tyunniverse]

TXT x DISNEY Halloween Shorts 🎃 (1/5)

pairing: ot5 x reader

genre: fluff, college au

warnings: light swearing

synopsis: there's a halloween event at your uni and a few students are in the mood for misfit.

yeonjun | soobin | beomgyu | taehyun | hueningkai

YEONJUN | Tangled (1.8k)

A cloud of dust flurries around the room the moment you set one of the boxes down the floor, making you sneeze. You half expected the theatre storage room to be cleaner this time of the year due to the frequent visits and rummaging of the other students, but that sadly wasn't the case.

Your class was one of the few that had a small reenactment planned for tonight's event and you were doing Tangled. Your class president's request to gather the props and costumes needed for tonight was no match for the excitement you felt when you'd been granted to play the role of your favorite character, Rapunzel. You just didn't expect the place to look like it hadn't been cared for in years, and the props and costumes to be as heavy as they are. A little help would be nice right now.

The door creaks and you quickly turn around, sighing in relief when you saw the the chair still pressed against the old door . Your class president had warned you about the door's broken knob. The thing can only be opened from the outside, and once you get shut in, you can only hope for someone to notice and get you out. Unless, of course, you're willing to face the consequences for breaking school property.

You exercised a little caution upon entering earlier, blocking the door from accidentally closing. You check the time on the clock. The play was going to start in an hour or so and luckily you were already in costume, so that's one less problem. All you needed to do now was gather the last box of costumes and you were out. The box was placed at the far end of the room so you make your way there, carefully maneuvering around the dusty cabinets and compartments as to not soil your costume.

Another creak echoes in the room and you paid it no mind, crouching down to check the contents of each box. The chair you placed there was pretty heavy, and it'd take more than the wind to push it away. You continue to check the boxes until you hear another creak and the sound of the door slamming shut.

You frantically stood up and felt the life of you being drained out as you see the door closely shut and a familiar pink hair sticking out from the other side of the cabinets.

"Oof, the winds sure are strong this time of year." You hear the person chuckle to himself and you knew all too well who it was.

You scramble your way towards the front, fuming. "Yeonjun, what the fuck?!"

"Holy—" Yeonjun jumps, clutching his chest. "Y/N?! What the hell was that for?! You scared me." He huffs, trying to calm himself down.

You glare up at him. "Do you even know what you just did?!"

Yeonjun sighs, holding his arms up. "Yes, I know, I know. I shouldn't have entered the storage room, but listen—"

"No, you listen. Do you seriously not know what you just did?" You snap.

Yeonjun gives you a confused look. "Huh? You're not talking abour me coming inside the storage room?" He cocks his head to the side when you don't answer. Poor guy felt like he was in the middle of an interrogation. He was starting to feel uncomfortable with how pissed you looked so he turns toward the door. "Look, if you're not gonna answer me then I'll just come back when you're done and—"

"Oh." Yeonjun tries twisting the doorknob again. "Haha, is this thing broken?" He laughs it off, now facing you. "You have a key right?"

Silence.

"If the key works then I wouldn't be mad right now, Yeonjun." You tell him and the gears in his mind finally click. He just locked you both in.

An idea lights up in his head and he starts searching through his pockets. "Wait, I think I have my phone with— wait, wait— yeah, no." He chuckles nervously, eyes slowly meeting yours. "You don't happen to have your phone, do you?"

"Yeah, well that's exactly why I'm here." Yeonjun sits down on top one of the boxes. "I have to dress up as the Beast and hand out flyers later but it's at the same time as Kai's performance and you know I wouldn't miss it for the world. Plus, he threatened me if I don't show up, so I got someone to switch with me."

You raise a brow, crossing your arms. "That doesn't explain why you're here though."

"Rapunzel didn't exactly have any pockets in her outfit, Yeonjun." You give your costume a quick patting. "What are you doing here anyway? I thought your department was doing this whole Beauty and the Beast themed buffet."

"I'm getting there." Yeonjun winks or at least tries to. "We have a lot of time anyway."

"Speak for yourself." You throw a dusty old rag at him and he coughs after it hits his face. "Our play starts in an hour and I have to get these costumes to them in 10 minutes. And now we're both stuck here because of you."

"Alright, I'll cut to the chase! Let's make a deal."

You throw another rag at him and he catches it, throwing it to the ground. You huff, "You're not exactly in the position to make deals, Yeonjun. You got us into this mess."

"Well, you're not in the position to decline either since we're both stuck here." Yeonjun smirks, standing up. "Look, one of my seniors is in charge of handing us our costumes and he won't be arriving for another hour. I have to get the costume myself so I can hand it to my substitute but I can't do that when my senior's keeping an eye on me. So here's the thing," He walks over to the Beast's costume that was hung up along with a few others. "You let me take this costume and swear you won't tell anyone about it. If someone from the theatre approaches you later asking about the costume, you say you don't know anything. In return, I'll get us out of here ASAP."

You stare back at him in annoyance. As much as you'd like to rat on him as usual, you were one of Kai's closest friends and unfortunately, Yeonjun was also a friend of his, hence why you knew each other. Kai at least needed one of his friends to be there for his performance and it certainly wouldn't be you. He had told you after you'd been chosen as Rapunzel and you both understood that you had your own things going on at the same time so it's fine. You still planned on making it until his last song though.

"Fine. I'm only doing this for Kai and the fact that I'm desperate to get out of here." You agree to the compromise and Yeonjun grins. "But the moment I'll get in trouble for being caught lying, you don't even wanna imagine what I'll do to you."

"Works for me." Yeonjun reaches out his hand and you two shake on it. "Now, I'm gonna need your wig."

"What? No." Your hands instinctively rope in Rapunzel's long ass wig. "It took me nearly 30 minutes to prepare this."

"Fine, then you'll have to do it yourself." Yeonjun walks over to the small window placed up high on the wall. "There's a lot of people down there but I doubt they'll hear us screaming from the third floor. Instead," He grins, pointing at your wig. "You're gonna stick your arm out with the wig and twirl it around to get their attention."

His idea was the dumbest thing you'd heard that day but it actually might be dumb enough to work. You were pretty desperate already. What's a little wig sacrifice? "Fine." You sigh, approaching him. "Hand me the chair."

"Can't." Yeonjun shakes his head. "I moved it outside."

You frown. "How am I supposed to get up there, then? None of these boxes can hold my weight."

Yeonjun chuckles as he opens his arms. "Don't worry, I'll hold you up."

Your feel your face heat up at his suggestion. The room suddenly felt a bit stuffier than it had been a moment ago and you wish you didn't have to be in this situation. "Be careful with the dress."

"Sure, sure." Yeonjun coos, moving in closer to scoop you up.

The two of you struggle for a while to balance yourselves. Yeonjun had his arms wrapped around your legs as he hoisted you up, and you quickly gather the rest of your wig and toss the length through the window.

"Start twirling it around!"

You do as he says and starts twirling the wig around like a madman.

"Start screaming! HEE— ah wait, HEEELP!!"

You giggle when his voice cracked in the middle. "HELP!!"

A crowd gathers on the ground, marvelling at the sight of a spinning wig from the third floor. A few students heard your screams and sent someone up there to rescue you. Luckily, it wasn't the senior that Yeonjun had told you about so she left the two of you to sort things out on your own after opening the door. It still baffles you how his plan even worked to begin.

The clock catches your attention, reminding you of your tight deadline. You quickly gather the boxes of props and costumes you'd prepared earlier and made a quick stop at where Yeonjun was. "I have to go." You tell him.

"Yeah, me too." Yeonjun flashes you a smile but the duffle bag he was holding doesn't go unnoticed. He follows your line of sight and chuckles when he sees you were staring at the bag. "A deal's a deal. Don't worry too much about it, we won't get caught." He attempts another wink, and this time it actually works.

"Bye then." You nod, not wanting to waste anymore time.

"Wait!" Yeonjun holds on to your wrist and you turn around, meeting his gaze. "Good luck."

"Yeah, we both know that's not what you want to say." You grin.

"You're gonna try to show up later right?" Yeonjun smirks. "I'll save you a seat next to me."

[itsadamcole]

graduation day pt. 3

fem!reader x finn balor

It’s Christmas now, and Finn and reader have been able to keep their relationship on the down low for four months. That is until the faculty have a Christmas party, where no one’s secrets are safe ... “i really wanna kiss you right now”

word count: 5.3k+

warnings: a former teacher/former student relationship, drinking / being drunk, jealousy, angst, smut, a little bit of public teasing, fluff

— someone wanted a part 3 and this popped up into my head so this is for whoever wanted the part 3. y’all will finally find out where finn teaches in this part .... but part 4? —

masterlist || part 1 | part 2 | part 4 | part 5 || request an imagine here

~ 18+ content below - read at your own risk ~

“Baby,” Finn whines. “Come on. It’ll be so fun. Everyone is gonna be there. Plus, you’re part of the faculty now because ya are Ver’s assistant.”

He stands in front of you in a suit with red and green Christmas themed tie and sneakers. You love Finn, but the tie he’s wearing is ugly.

You look up at Finn and say, “I don’t think I even have anything to wear, Finn. It’s so last minute. You’re literally on your way to the party.”

Your boyfriend pouts and gives you puppy dog eyes. “Please, Y/N. Pretty please. I’ll never ask ya for something again.”

You giggle and say, “We can’t even be together at the party so why should I go? It wouldn’t be much fun for me because I have maybe two teacher friends, one of which you hate because you think he flirts with me.”

Finn says, “I don’t hate him. He just better learn how to stop flirting with my girl.”

You laugh and say, “I need like forty five minutes to get ready because you caught me off guard.” You’re in your Christmas pajamas. A red cami tank top with Santa’s face on it with red and black plaid pants. Those are your pajamas.

Finn gets happy and excited that you said you were going. You walk back into your bedroom and let Finn into your apartment. You walk to your closet to find something to wear.

You call from your room, “So, is this like a formal event or can I wear a short dress?”

Finn says, “A short dress should be fine. It’s not really formal, I just didn’t know what else to wear so I put on a suit.”

You laugh as you raid your closet.

It takes a good ten minutes before you find a dress that would be acceptable for a last-minute Christmas party.

The dress is a dark red, two piece number. The top of the dress is sparkly with a halter top. The fabric on the back is completely sheer except for the line of the zipper, which runs from the collar down to the bottom of the top. The skirt is a little poofy and ends about halfway down your thighs. The waistband of the skirt is sparkly like the top. A bit of your stomach peeks out between the top and the skirt. You wear a pair of dark red heels to match the dress.

You curl your Y/H/C colored hair and do a red and silver smokey eye look for makeup. You add a little foundation, highlight, and dark red lipstick to complete the makeup look. You put in silver earrings and a silver bracelet that Finn got you for your birthday last month.

You leave your room, walking down the hallway. Finn hears you enter the living room and he smiles when he sees you. “Wow,” he says.

Your face turns a little red and you ask, “Like it?” You do a little spin and the skirt flares out a little bit.

Finn walks over to you and says, “I love it. Ya look stunning, my love.”

You look up at Finn and ask, “So what’s the plan? We can’t walk into the party together.”

He says, “I’ve thought about that. I’m going to park in my usual parking spot. Ya will get out first and I’ll be about five minutes behind ya.”

You giggle and say, “Hm. Smart. Except everyone knows your car.”

“Exactly,” he says. “So we’re taking yours. I’ll drive.”

You blink and say, “That’s also smart.”

Finn laughs and says, “I didn’t become a professor overnight. I went though college and training in Ireland and in the United States.”

You say, “You’ve never explained to me how you became a teacher. Is it different in Ireland than it is here in the States?”

He says, “Not really. I needed my Bachelor’s degree, which I got after four years. Then I had to get a basic teaching credential, which I got after 120 hours of training. I taught in Ireland for three years, until I was 25 before I decided to come over to the States to get my Master’s degree in education, then I was offered a job here once I completed my Florida teaching certificate so I stayed and have been teaching in the States for ten years this year.”

You look up at Finn as he talks. He seems so excited when he talks about going to school in Ireland before coming to the United States to teach. It makes you so happy that he gets excited to talk about his journey from Ireland to the United States.

You wait until he’s done talking before saying, “That’s amazing. It’s crazy how long you’ve been teaching for.”

Finn smiles and says, “Yeah, it is. So, shall we head to the party?”

You nod and collect your things, and by ‘things’ you really mean your clutch, your keys, and your phone.

You and Finn leave your apartment building and the cool breeze hits you.

It’s a warm night tonight in Orlando, Florida. You and Finn will make the short drive to Full Sail University, where Finn teaches and you assist.

Finn drives your car and you play on your phone as he drives. You scroll through Twitter and Instagram.

Your phone begins to ring and you see it’s your mom. Your eyes widen and say, “Crap, I never told my mom I was coming home this Christmas.” You had a flight today but didn’t make it in time, which is why Finn showed up and asked you to come to the party.

Finn glances over at your phone to see your mom calling and he says, “What’re ya gonna say to her?”

“Well I can’t tell her the truth,” you say, answering the phone. “Hey, Mom.”

Your mom says, “Hi, honey. Where are you? You should be home by now.”

You say, “Um, yeah. I missed my flight this morning so I won’t be making it home for Christmas this year.”

“I can book you another flight if you’d like,” your mother says. “It wouldn’t be an issues.”

You internally start to panic and say, “No, it’s okay. I’ll FaceTime you, dad, and Y/S/N on Christmas morning to see everyone open presents and everything.”

Your mom says, “I’ll send yours down to you so you’ll have them before Christmas. They’ll probably be in a big box so be prepared.”

You laugh and say, “Alright, Mom. I’ll talk to you later. I’m on my way to a little get together at the school.”

“Have fun,” your mom says. “Stay safe. I love you.”

You say, “I love you too, Mom.”

She hangs up and you sigh. “Not a complete lie,” Finn says, pulling into his parking spot. You laugh.

He parks the car and he looks over at you. “You’ll be coming in a few minutes?” you ask, looking over at Finn.

Finn nods and says, “I’ll be there in about five minutes.”

You nod and say, “I’ll see you in a few minutes.” He smiles and nods before you get out of the car. You walk through the parking lot to the gym area.

In your four years as a student, you’ve heard all about the faculty Christmas parties. You’ve heard all the stories of drama that have happened at these parties. You’re hoping that nothing happens this year but you’re not holding your breath.

In the past four months, you and Finn have begun a ‘friendship’ by having lunch in the cafeteria or his office. You’ve tried to stay away from him as much as you can but it’s hard when he’s one classroom over from you.

Veronica, the teacher you’ve been assisting, has kept a close eye on you since day one. She’s very suspicious of something more than just a friendship between you and Finn because of what happened day one in Finn’s office.

You walk into the gym. Faculty members are all scattered throughout and the gym is decorated with Christmas decor. There are tables are covered with red and green covered with a Christmas themed figure in the middle. Lights and garland hang throughout the rafters. Christmas music is blaring in the large room. There’s a small dance floor section. You see a minibar in the corner. So there is alcohol, which makes you happy. You’re 23 so you can drink legally.

You ask for a Coke and vodka at the minibar before you walk around, trying to find anyone you know.

That’s when one of your professor friends comes up to you. Mr. Seth Rollins. History professor.

“Hey, Y/N,” he says, drunkenly wrapping an arm around your shoulders. “I thought you were going home for the break.”

You laugh at how drunk he already is before you say, “I was, but then I missed my flight this morning. Someone convinced me to come tonight so here I am.”

Seth smiles and says, “Well, I’m glad you’re here. Come dance with me, Y/N. Have some fun."

You look up at Seth and say, "Alright. One dance."

The two of you walk to the little dance floor area. You sway to the beat of the music with your drink in your hand. Seth makes small talk with you as the two of you dance to Santa Claus Is Coming To Town by the Jackson 5.

A few minutes pass by and you decide to start looking around for Finn. Seth notices that you're distracted and he asks, "You looking for someone? Maybe a boyfriend you invited?" Your eyes shoot to Seth when he says the word 'boyfriend'. "So it is a boyfriend. Do I know him?"

You immediately jump into defense mode and say, "No, it's not a boyfriend. I'm just looking around. I haven't met half these people."

Seth says, "Don't think I haven't seen how close you and Finn Balor are. Always in the cafeteria having lunch. It's a little weird considering that you're his former student."

You stop moving and you look at Seth. You say, "I graduated in May. It's been over seven months. I had you as my history professor in my first year. That's a little weird too."

He opens his mouth to talk and he says, "I won't deny that but you're so much closer to Finn than you are to me. Plus, Finn looks at me weird when I'm around you."

Finn does think that Seth has a thing for you. You look the same way at Veronica when she's around Finn. You two get so jealous sometimes, you won't deny that fact.

"Finn looks at everyone weird," you say. "I don't know if you've noticed that."

As your eyes scan the room, you find Finn. He's standing with Veronica and one of the other English professors, Mr. Kevin Owens. You sigh. Seth looks back to see Finn talking with Veronica and Kevin before looking back at you.

Seth says, "You're either jealous or upset that he's talking to Veronica. I heard what happened when she walked into his office on the first day. You told her off and she's been upset over that for the past four months."

You say, "I'm not surprised. She's been harassing him for a while from what I understand. He's been rejecting her."

He laughs and says, "She's been after him since she got hired. The English Department head loves her. Finn's been saying no to her for years but she won't lay off him. Everyone was shocked when you of all people said something to her."

"How many people know that I said something?" you ask, looking up at Seth. 

Seth says, "A lot of people do. I think some people from all departments know what happened. It's not exactly a secret, Y/N."

You facepalm and say, "Great."

After a second, Seth says, "Oh, shit."

You look up at Seth. "What?" you ask. "What's happening?"

"Veronica is all over Finn," he says. "Kevin left and it's just the two of them. He's pushing her away from him."

You turn and look at Finn. Veronica is all over him. Kevin is walking away from them. Anger rises inside of you.

Seth says, "For someone who isn't your boyfriend, you're sure acting like he is. You look so mad, Y/N."

You look at Seth and say, "Excuse me for a second, Seth." You walk toward Finn. Your boyfriend looks over at you and says something to Veronica. She looks over at you and rolls her eyes.

Finn looks at you and says, "Y/N, nice to see ya."

"You too, Finn," you say, looking at him. "You looked like you could use some help." You look over at Veronica, glaring at her. "No offense."

She forces a smile and says, "Full offense taken."

Seth walks up beside you and asks, "Everything okay over here?"

You look at Seth then look at Finn. Veronica says, "Everything's fine. Just making polite conversation. Nothing to be worried about."

Finn is staring at Seth. In Finn's defense, Seth is standing a little too close to you for comfort.

Seth snaps his fingers and says, "Oh, Veronica, I wanted to talk to you about something so can I borrow you for a second?"

She nods and walks off with Seth. When they're out of sight, Finn takes your wrist and walks with you outside the gym. "Finn," you gasp as you walk after him. "I'm in heels. Slow down."

The two of you walk around the building and Finn looks down at you. "Why is Seth hanging around you?" he asks.

"He walked up to me," you say. "I was getting my drink and he asked me to dance. I could ask you the same question. Why is Veronica hanging around you?"

Finn says, "She walked up to me as soon as I walked into the room. It's like she was staring down the door and waiting for me to walk in. Why? Is someone jealous?" He raises his eyebrows at you.

You say, "Every chance she gets, she's all over you. I'll tell her off again, I swear to God, Finn. I will. I'll throw her across the damn room if I have to."

He laughs and says, "Stay around me tonight. I want to make sure ya don't throw her across the room."

You pout and say, "I'm not complaining about being around you but I still want to throw her across the room."

Finn leans down and pecks your lips before he says, "Relax, Y/N. Ya won't want to throw her across the room in a few minutes."

Confused, you tilt your head at Finn and ask, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"That's for me to know and for ya to find out," Finn says. "Come on. Let's head back inside before it looks suspicious that I dragged ya out here."

You nod and head back into the gym with Finn. You walk with Finn to one of the tables. He pulls out a seat for you and you sit down, scooting closer to the table with Finn's help. He sits beside you and says, "Feeling better?"

You nod again and say, "Much."

Right at that moment, Seth and Veronica walk over. Seth sits on the other side of you and Veronica sits on the other side of Finn. You sigh softly and take a large gulp of your drink.

"Everything okay?" Seth asks, seeing you take the large sip of your drink.

You say, "Everything's just peachy."

After you say that, you feel Finn's hand on your knee under the table. The red table cover hides his hand on your knee.

Finn asks, "So what did the two of you need to talk about?"

Seth replies by saying, "I was going to come by and talk about the history behind the book she's going to be assigning her class to read in a few weeks."

"What book would that be?" you ask, looking at Veronica.

She says, "The Diary of Anne Frank. We analyze that book like no tomorrow. Usually, I have one of the history professors come in and talk about the historical context behind the Holocaust and everything. Seth knew this so he asked if he could be this year's speaker."

You look at Seth and say, "Oh, really? Well, I look forward to seeing you come to class in the future."

Finn's hand slide up your thigh under it's right under your skirt. You take another sip of your drink to wash away the nerves. Finn's never touched you when you're at the school, except for the three times you've had sex in his office since graduation day last May.

Seth says, "I do as well."

You finish your drink and look at the ice in the cup. You say, "I'm going to go get another drink. I'll be right back."

You start to get up and Finn's hand slides off your thigh.

"I'll come with ya," Finn suddenly says. "I've been needing a drink myself." He stands up and walks with you to the minibar.

You ask, "What do you think you're doing, Finn? You can just put your hand on my knee like that."

Finn stands beside you at the minibar as you order another Coke and vodka. He leans down and says in your ear, "I did and I will again."

You're handed your refilled drink and look over at Finn. "You're being very touchy-feely tonight and it better stop unless you want the relationship coming out into the open."

He says, "I'm a little drunk and a little jealous that Seth can just openly flirt with ya."

"Now you know how I feel," you say, sipping your drink. "We both get a little jealous, don't we?"

Finn secretly leaves a few soft kisses to your jawline as he says, "I'll lead to some really hot, jealous sex tonight."

You giggle and say, "If you're that lucky. You won't be lucky if you keep kissing my jaw when our co-workers are around."

He smirks and says, "Touche, my love."

After the little conversation that left your core aching for Finn, you head back to the table. Clearing your throat, you sit back down.

You cross your legs under the table in case Finn gets any ideas. His hand goes back to its spot on your thigh when he's settled next to you.

You, Finn, Seth, and Veronica make small conversation.

Veronica asks, "So, Seth, have you been seeing anyone recently? Or have your eye on someone?"

Seth looks directly at you and says, "I have my eye on someone. I don't think she feels the same though."

Finn grips your thigh a bit after he slides it up a bit. You gasp and cough to cover it up. You take a sip of your drink.

"What about you, Y/N? Dating anyone or talking to anyone?" Veronica asks, eyes staring into your soul.

You say, "I'm dating someone but it's none of your business who it is."

Seth nudges me with his elbow and says, "Tell us about him. What's he like? Does he go to school here?"

You look over at Seth and say, "He's not from around here. He's from Europe. France, actually. He's home visiting his family for the holidays."

Veronica says, “Oh, wow. What’s his name?”

Quickly, a name pops into your head. “Francis Blanchet,” you say. Finn’s initials. F.B.

Finn snickers under his breath. Seth asks, “What’s so funny, Finn?”

“Nothing,” he says, pulling his phone out quickly. “Just got a funny text. That’s all.”

Veronica says, “Well, I have my eyes on someone.”

You shoot a glare as Veronica and say, “We’re all aware that you stalk Finn because you’re in love with him.”

Finn and Seth both stare at me as Veronica says, “You’re acting like you’re in love with him or something.”

I am, you think to yourself but you say out loud, “I have a boyfriend in France and Finn never told us if he was dating anyone.”

All three of you look at Finn. He looks at you and says, “I am.”

“There we go,” you say, glaring at Veronica. “Stop chasing a man who’s taken.”

Finn gets up and says, “Alright. I’m diffusing the situation before it gets too out of hand so, Y/N.” You look up at him. “Come dance with me.”

You get up and take Finn’s offered hand that he held out to you after he asked you to dance. Veronica’s jaw drops and asks, “What about me?”

“You sound like a five-year-old and you’re, what, 35?” you ask. “Grow up”

Finn walks away with you, hand in hand.

Snow in California by Ariana Grande is playing. There are a lot of pairs on the dance floor so you walk to the other side, out of sight of Seth and Veronica.

Finn takes you in his arms and you wrap your arms around his waist, both of you swaying to the music.

He’s looking down at you and you look up at him. Finn’s face is close to yours and he says, “Ya are jealous.”

You smile and say, “Maybe a little. She’s claiming you like you’re hers.”

“I’m yours, my love,” Finn says to you. “All yours. I may not show it a lot when we’re here at school but I do love ya. A lot.”

You stare up into Finn’s eyes and you say, “I really wanna kiss you right now.”

Finn’s tongue swipes over his bottom lip and he says, “I really wanna do more than just kiss ya right now. Our little conversation earlier made me a little too excited.”

You bite your lip lightly and say, “Let’s head out soon and we can go to whoever’s place is closer and you can do more than just kiss me all night long.”

He nods and says, “Ya leave in a half hour and I’ll follow behind ya after about ten minutes.”

You nod and pull yourself closer to Finn, staring up at him.

Someone clears their throat and taps you on the shoulder. You turn and see Seth Rollins. “Can I get a dance?” he asks innocently.

You look up at Finn and he has a jealous look in his eyes but he says: “Sure. Find me after, Y/N.”

He hands you over to Seth and walks off. You look up at Seth and he says, “I’m surprised that he said yes. I thought he was gonna kill me right then and there.”

You say, “He’s a little possessive of me. I mean, look around the room. I’m the youngest person in here. He just wants to make sure I’m safe.”

Seth says, “I do too, but if you were my girlfriend then I wouldn’t leave your side.”

You stare up at Seth and say, “For the last time, Finn and I aren’t-”

“Cut the bull,” he says, cutting you off. You close your mouth. “When Ver said that you were acting like you were in love with him, you muttered ‘I am’. I heard you. The way you look at him, I wish you’d look at me that way.”

Seth looks behind you and you glance behind you. Veronica is trying to kiss Finn and you look at Seth. You say, “I can’t do anything without it looking suspicious.”

Seth says, “I’ll handle it.”

He turns to walk away before you take his wrist, saying, “No. I’ll handle it. I don’t care anymore.”

You walk over to Veronica and Finn. You look at Finn and say to Veronica, “What would Finn’s girlfriend think if she found you were moving in on Finn. She's not here but imagine if she walked through that door and saw you trying to kiss her man."

Veronica looks at you before she asks, "What would your boyfriend think if you were defending Finn like you were the one dating him?"

Finn looks over at you and says, "Because she is the one dating me."

You, Seth, and Veronica all look at Finn. Finn smiles and says, "She's Finn's girlfriend." You smile when he refers to himself in the third person. "And I am head over heels for her."

He walks over to you and you stare up at him. Seth smiles behind you as Veronica says, "This is highly inappropriate. She's your former student."

"Keyword," Finn says, not looking away from me. "Former. She graduated in May, she's not my student anymore. She's just my co-worker and my girlfriend."

You giggle and say, "I am."

Finn rests his hands on my cheeks and says, "Ya said how much ya wanted to kiss me earlier. What's stopping ya now?"

You smile and say, "Nothing." Your hands fly to the back of Finn's neck and you pull him down to you. His lips crash to yours and start to move against yours. Seth claps behind you and Finn smiles against your lips.

Veronica says, "Whatever." She walks off.

Seth says, "Okay, okay. Let's not suck off each other's faces in front of everyone."

Finn pulls back and smiles down at you. You look at Seth and say, "Thanks for like not freaking out."

Seth smiles and says, “You guys are cute. I kind of suspected something day one and was waiting for the day that you guys made it public. It was also why I never made a move on Y/N even though I liked her.”

You laugh a bit and Finn says, “I think I’m starting to like ya a little more.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Seth says. “Go home and take care of that.” He motions to Finn’s hand on my butt. “I know how you two are just dying to leave so go ahead.”

Finn doesn’t waste any time in grabbing my clutch and my hand before running out the door. You laugh as you try to keep up with Finn.

***

Finn’s place is the closest to the school. He lives in a three floor Victorian house. You guess with a professors salary he can afford this on his own. You’ve been here a few times before but he likes to come to your apartment.

He parks your car in his driveway and gets out. You get out and walk into his house. Once the front door is closed, Finn’s lips connect to yours and your hands fly to his hair. You smile into the kiss and kick off your heels by the door. Finn sheds his jacket.

The two of you stumble toward the stairs. Finn’s tie comes off and you start to unbutton his shirt as you walk up the stairs.

Once up the stairs, Finn shrugs his shirt off and unzips the top of your dress. You throw the piece of clothing onto the hallway floor and Finn picks you up by your thighs.

The kiss has gotten more intense when you and Finn slip your tongues into each other’s mouths. He pins you against the hallway wall.

“Finn,” you giggle against his lips. “Your room is right upstairs.”

He says, “I can’t wait that long.”

Finn pulls off your skirt and you reach down to unbutton his jeans. He walks upstairs to the third floor and into his bedroom.

You’re dropped on the bed and he pulls off his dress pants. He kicks off his shoes before leaning down and hovering over you.

His lips are on your breasts, kissing and sucking one while his hand groping the other. You moan softly and run your fingers through Finn’s hair as he pays attention to your breasts.

You lift your hips up so your clothed core rubs against Finn’s bulge. He lets out a soft groan so you do it again. And again. Until he pins your hips to the bed.

“Relax, my love,” he says, pulling down your soaked red lace panties. “We’re gonna get there.”

You bite your lip and look up at Finn, saying, “I need you inside of me right now, Finn. Please.” Desperation is laced in your voice.

The room is dark but you know that Finn’s looking at your now fully naked body as he throws your panties to the floor. He gets himself out of his boxers and hovers back over you.

Finn pulls you close to him and kisses you. Your lips move feverishly against his as his top runs through your wet folds. You moan into the kiss.

He pushes himself into you, making you moan louder.

You love when you have sex at Finn’s house instead of your apartment because you can be as loud as you want. Your neighbors can hear you when you’re with Finn in your apartment. There’s no one around in Finn’s house.

Finn moves slowly, letting you adjust to him inside of you. You gasp and moan as he pulls back from the kiss. His lips attach to your neck and he starts thrusting harder and faster into you.

“God, Finn,” you moan, throwing your head back. “Fuck, right here.” He moves deeper into you and he grazes your g-spot with his top.

You moan loudly and your back arches off the bed. Your hands are on Finn’s back, digging your nails into his flesh.

Finn’s now kissing your jaw, panting a bit by your ear.

He mumbles, “I love you, Y/N. I love you so much.”

Finn thrusts faster and you moan, “I love you too, Finn. So much.”

The room is filled with your moans and the sound of skin slapping as Finn thrusts into you.

It takes a little bit before both of you reach your highs at the same time. You release around Finn and he releases into you. You scream Finn’s name as you climax.

Finn helps you ride out your high and kisses you messily. Both of you are breathing heavily as you come down from your highs.

He gets off of you and he says, “Come with me.” He puts on his boxers. You grab one of his shirts and put your panties on. Your legs are a little weak but you follow Finn. His hand is in yours. He pulled the blankets off the bed and he walks downstairs with you and the blankets.

“Where are we going?” you ask, walking into the living room.

Finn gets the fireplace started and you smile. He lays out the blankets in front of it and he lays down. “Come cuddle,” he says.

You giggle and lay down beside him. He wraps his arms around you and you throw your arm lazily across his waist. Your head rests on his chest and you intertwine your legs with his.

The two of you lay in front of the warm fireplace for an hour before a clock goes off.

It’s midnight. It’s Christmas Day.

Finn smiles and looks down at you. “I know we promised not to get each other anything,” he says. “But I have something for you.”

You watch as Finn gets up and grabs a little present from under his tree. The present is big enough to fit in your hand. He sits next to you and holds it out to you.

“Finn,” you say, sitting up and crossing your legs. “You didn’t have to get me anything.” You take the gift from him.

He smiles and says, “I know. Just open it.”

You smile and start to open the gift. Inside the gift wrap is a dark red velvet box. You look up at Finn and he’s smiling. Slowly, you open the box.

Inside the box is a ring with an oval diamond. You look up at Finn again and ask, “What’s this?”

Finn smiles and says, “A ring.”

“Why?” you ask as he takes the ring out of the box.

He holds it out to you and moves so he’s on one knee. Your eyes widen. “The past few months have been some of the best of my life. I love you, Y/N. More than you think. I didn’t know that when ya walked into my classroom a year ago that we’d be here. When ya came to me on graduation day and told me how ya felt, I knew that I wanted ya in my life forever. So, I’m asking ya for forever.”

You stare at the ring in Finn’s hand as he talks.

“Marry me, Y/N.”

[irishseeeker]

rules don’t apply - chapter four

Having a crush on your boss is embarrassing. Inappropriate. Wrong. Especially when your boss is Anthony Bridgerton, the most insufferable man on the planet whom you actively despise.

What does Kate have to say on the matter?

…No comment.

–

read chapter 1 here or here

read chapter 2 here or  here

read chapter 3: here or here

-----

chapter 4: guess who’s coming to brunch

-----

“Edwina!”

Edwina was completely soaked after falling straight into the pond. She was treading water, shrieking slightly as she gasped for air. The pond was deep enough that she couldn’t stand. Anthony reached her before Kate could.

“I’ll help her-”

“I’ve got her.” Anthony interrupted, extending his hand towards Edwina who gratefully let herself be pulled up.

Newton was happily paddling away in the pond, managing to keep himself above the water.

Kate nearly took out her phone to take a picture because he looked so cute but she didn’t think Edwina or Anthony would appreciate that.

“Newton, come here!” Kate kneeled down and gestured towards her corgi, who, of course, completely ignored her.

“I’m so sorry, Ed. I didn’t think he’d launch himself at you like that.” Kate wrapped her puffy black coat around Edwina’s shivering arms, running her hands up and down her to warm her up. Water was dripping down her face, her mascara now a black smudge around her eyes.

“Thank you, Anthony,” Edwina said, her voice shaking slightly as she shivered in Kate’s arms. She led her to the nearby bench, sitting her down. Anthony followed them but didn’t sit, lingering beside them.

“Are you alright?” Anthony asked, his face full of concern as he looked Edwina up and down. “You’re shivering. Here, take this.”

Edwina’s denim jacket was clinging to her skin and her hair was wet with a few leaves stuck in it. She pulled on Anthony’s hoodie, nodding thanks as she covered herself with Kate’s coat again. “What the bloody hell was that, Kate?”

“I’m sorry! I thought you’d move out of the way-he was running right at you!” Kate frowned as she could see Edwina’s teeth were chattering from the ice cold pond. “Why didn’t you move?”

Edwina tried her best to glare at her sister, but being one of the happiest people Kate knew, her glare more resembled a pout. “I thought Newton was just saying hello! I didn’t think he’d launch himself at me and attack me for a bagel in my hand.”

“He didn’t mean to! He recognized you and probably thought you were playing,” Kate said, biting her lip. “He’s just a dog.”

“He’s certainly something alright,” Anthony said, scoffing rather loudly as crossed his arms across his chest. He looked like a teacher from school just before they scolded you. His brows were furrowed, his mouth was in a flat line and he was looking at her intensely.

It would have been unsettling if it didn’t make Kate absolutely furious.

She just glared at him. “No one asked you.”

Kate didn’t wait for Anthony to reply, turning to Edwina who was looking between the two of them with a mixture of confusion and amusement. “I’ll go get Newton. I’ll be right back.”

Kate walked to the edge of the pond, getting rid of her hoodie and runners before dipping her foot into the baltic pond water to test the temperature. There was only one way Newton was leaving that pond. He wouldn’t come out willingly.

“You can’t be serious.” Of course he had followed her. She turned around to see Anthony staring at her incredulously, his upper lip curled up in disdain. It was a look she was familiar with, it was always plastered on his face during meetings in work. “You’re not going in after that thing.”

Kate rolled her eyes. “Of course I’m going in after him, he won’t come out otherwise!”

Anthony mumbled something under his breath that Kate didn’t hear, reaching down to take off his black runners. “I’ll get him.”

“No you will not,” Kate insisted, bending down to try and get Newton’s attention. He was still paddling away, completely ignoring them. “I’m going in.”

“No,” Anthony rebutted, taking off his t-shirt which made Kate audibly gasp and turn away from him. She had not been expecting that, especially so close. “I’m not letting you.

“First of all, you don’t let me do anything. Secondly, use your ego inflating chivalry somewhere else. It is not wanted here.” Kate shook her head. “Put your t-shirt back on for god’s sake.”

“I’ve trained for and swam a part of the English Channel before. Clothes will just drag you down and make you colder when you get out. I know what I’m doing.” His arrogance usually made Kate’s blood boil, but at this point it was about she was ready to comitt murder.

“You’ll freeze. I’m going in, Kate. That’s the end of the discussion,” Anthony said in an auhtoriatize tone, one that she had heard so many times in work and it was not one outside of work she responded well to.

“No, this is the end of the discussion” Kate took the plunge and slid quickly into the pond, beginning to flap her limps around as the bitter shock hit her body. Kate let out a string of expletive curses that Mary would slap her for.

It was absolutely baltic.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Anthony shouted at her, but the idiot had jumped in right after her and was treading water beside her.

Newton heard the splashes and looked positively delighted to see Kate and Anthony swimming, splashing as he made his way towards them.

“You shouldn’t have followed me in-”

“I was trying to help you! You shouldn’t have gotten in in the first place. If you had held your dog properly, none of this would have happened.”

“Do you think I did this on purpose?” Do you really think this is how I wanted to spend my Sunday morning?”

“You shouldn’t have a pet if you can’t control it,” Anthony said, his voice seething as they swam towards Newton. “Which, after today’s events, you have certainly proven.”

“I can control him!” Kate weakly responded, having absolutely no comeback. So, she splashed him.

His jaw dropped, droplets of water dripping down his face. “Did you just splash me?”

“Yes.”

His glare intensified. “How old are you again?”

Kate smirked at him. “29. I’m sorry, this must be so hard for you. Talking to a woman over the age of twenty five.”

He splashed her back.

“Ha, ha, ha,” He said, mocking her voice as he grabbed Newton who had swam close enough to them. They both eagerly retreated towards the shore. “Did you think of that one all by yourself?”

They both got out of the pond, choosing to ignore the few people passing by who were staring at them. Kate was too cold to be mortified. Anthony pulled his t-shirt back on and Kate hated herself for feeling slightly disappointed.

They were absolutely soaking and the cool breeze made them shiver more. Anthony gripped Newton’s lead tightly and lay the dog gently onto the path.

Kate smiled sweetly at him, squeezing the excess water out of her soaking t-shirt that was clinging to her skin and stepping towards Edwina. “Newton, shake.”

Newton, who actually decided to do something he was told for once, shook his chubby body and his fur stood up on its coat, water spraying all over Anthony and the path.

“Thanks for that,” He spat, glaring at her as he smirked at her. “Now I smell like a pond and wet dog.”

“You’re so welcome.”

They were looking right at each other, both refusing to break eye contact. She watched as a drop of water fell from his hair, trailing down his nose, making its way all the way to his lips.

She couldn’t stop herself from staring at his lips.

She swore, for a second, she saw his eyes drop to hers.

“Sorry to interrupt whatever is going on here.” Edwina smiled uneasily, glancing between her sister and Anthony who were glaring intensely at each other. She had stood up from the bench and was now standing in front of them. “We should probably go home and take a shower before we freeze to death. There’s a lot of people staring.”

“Capital idea,” Kate said, nodding her head at her sister and taking her hand. “Let’s go right now.”

“Please come to my house for a shower,” Anthony suggested, wrapping his arms around himself.

“No thank you,” Kate said swiftly, gesturing for her sister to follow her. “We’re going home.”

Anthony let out a deep breath through his nostrils. “How far do you live from here?”

It was a twenty minute tube ride and Edwina was at least half an hour. “Near enough.”

“Well, my house is across the road from the park, about two minutes from here.”

“Thank you so much Anthony. We would really appreciate it, wouldn’t we Kate?” Edwina elbowed her with a look and Kate knew she had lost the argument.

The last place she wanted to go was Anthony Bridgerton’s house.

Kate nudged her lead softly, but Newton wouldn’t budge. Edwina and Anthony had already started walking ahead, Anthony placing the lead in Kate’s hand.

Kate begrudgingly went to follow, but Newton refused to move.

“Oh, so now you want to stay put?” Kate said, looking down at Newton who kept himself firmly planted on the ground. He actually had the nerve to roll onto his back, baring his teeth to her.

Her dog was laughing at her.

To be fair, her life was a joke.

“Excellent timing, truly,” She picked him up, carrying him like a newborn baby. Newton was very pleased with himself, wagging his tail happily with his tongue sticking out. “You couldn’t have done this earlier?”

Anthony had been telling the truth, his house was across the road from the park. In one of the most expensive parts of London. The house was huge, a brown brick London townhouse painted ivory. He typed in a code into the gate keypad, the gate beginning to open a few moments later. The three drenched individuals walked up to the stone steps, Anthony stepping forward to unlock the green front door with his key.

The house was beautiful. The high ceilings and cream carpets made the foyer glow, a shimmering chandelier right in the middle of it. There was a glass table in the middle of the foyer, covered in family photographs.

This was the type of house Mary would tell her not to touch anything in.

“Does your mother mind dogs?” Kate asked, holding a half asleep Newton against her chest. He had tired himself out after his eventful morning.

“No. However, I’m not sure what that is,” Anthony replied, glaring at the corgi in her arms.

“Newton should have drowned you when he had the chance,” Kate muttered, and Edwina gasped from beside her.

“Kate!”

“Anthony?” Violet Bridgerton appeared at the top of the stairs, smiling at the three damp individuals at her doorway. “Oh my-what happened to you three?”

“Hello, Mum. We had an incident in Hyde Park. I believe you have met Edwina and Kate Sheffield?”

“It is so lovely to see you again,” Violet kissed both their cheeks, ushering them inside and closing the door behind her. “Oh, you’re all soaked. Anthony can show you upstairs for a shower. I’ll grab you both some clothes and we’ll wash those for you.”

“Oh my gosh,” A tall teenager appeared in the hallway, gasping as she spotted the dog in Kate’s arms and sprinted towards them. Kate hadn’t met this Bridgerton before. She had blue eyes and chestnut hair, strikingly similar to Anthony. “Did we get a dog?”

Violet and Anthony both sighed, “No.”

“How disappointing,” The girl replied, crossing her arms across her chest. “Why are you all wet?”

“Hyacinth, manners,” Her mother scolded her, widening her eyes at her daughter. “This is Kate and Edwina Sheffield. This is my daughter, Hyacinth.”

“Hello, nice to meet you,” Hyacinth said, smiling at the sisters but her attention was solely on Newton. She scratched his ears and he whined happily.

Kate smiled awkwardly. “I’m sorry, I hope you don’t mind dogs in your house. He’s completely harmless, he’s rather tired actually.”

Anthony snorted loudly beside them.

Kate wouldn’t hit her boss in front of his mother.

“Oh, not at all. We love dogs,” Violet said, smiling reassuringly at Kate.

It was Hyacinth’s turn to snort. It was obvious looks were not all she shared with her older brother. “What breed is he?”

Kate smiled at the younger girl. “He’s mostly corgi, but there’s a mix of something else in him. The shelter wasn’t sure what breed though. I adopted him when he was a puppy.”

“Demon, perhaps?” Anthony suggested, turning to smile serenely at Kate.

“Let's get you upstairs,” Violet said, casting a glare at her eldest son as she ushered Edwina and Kate towards the stairs.

“I can take him while you’re gone.” Hyacinth insisted, gleefully taking Newton out of Kate’s arms and wandering back down the hallway out of sight.

They were led up a black staircase with a golden railing to the third floor, to a long hallway full of doors. There at least two more floors above them. Her flat’s building wasn’t even this big.

“Now, Edwina dear, if you go in there. Here’s some clothes and all the towels and linens are in the bathroom,” Violet said, gesturing towards a doorway before turning to Kate. “If you just go into the room next door, Kate dear. Please just shout if there’s anything I can get you.”

“Thank you so much, we seriously appreciate it.” Kate smiled at Anthony’s mother, who turned around to head back downstairs.

“I have a lot of questions, but if I don’t shower first, I might die of hypothermia,” Edwina said, shivering slightly as she opened the door to her bedroom. “To be continued, Kate!”

Kate’s shower was euphoric. The warm water soothed her freezing skin and she washed her hair with the fanciest shampoo and conditioner she had ever used. She had no idea where it was from, but the label was in french and it looked expensive.

She quickly dressed in the cream jumper and joggers left out for her, which fit perfectly.

Kate wanted to delay going downstairs as much as possible, in case Edwina still wasn’t finished and she was left alone with the Bridgertons.

They seemed like perfectly nice people, but they were related to Anthony, and Kate really needed to work on putting as much distance between them as possible.

She had spent the entire weekend distraught over an article about them and she had spent her morning with him, and had ended up in his family home.

Which she was currently snooping around. She had a look through some of the drawers, through the vanity but it appeared to be a guest room. Kate got bored quite quickly, wondering if Edwina was finished. There was a door that appeared to be adjoining between the bedrooms.

“Edwina?” Kate said softly, knocking slowly on the door. Edwina must be done by now. Kate slowly opened the door, expecting to see her sister.

Instead, it led to a half naked Anthony Bridgerton, with a towel wrapped around his waist, freshly showered. His abdominal muscles were defined, easily traceable through the six pac on his chest. She could see the colourful veins protruding out of his muscular arms.

“What the-”

All Kate could do was gape at him. “I’m so sorry!” She squeaked, hastily shutting the door behind her and groaning.

Kate ran for her life.

She grabbed her bag, sprinting down the twirling staircase as fast as she could. She had to find Newton and Edwina immediately.

Kate followed the hallway off the foyer Hyacinth had disappeared down with Newton. At the end of the hallway, there were two large white double doors. Kate could hear voices, so she pushed through.

The room was full of people. She recognized Benedict and Colin, who were chatting animatedly with a girl Kate presumed was their younger sister on the sofa.

Edwina, freshly showered and radiant as ever despite her previous dip in the pond, was sitting on the couch with Gregory and Hyacinth, who was fawning over Newton in her lap.

“Thank you so much for everything,” Kate said, nodding her head at Edwina as she turned to Violet. “We won’t burden you any longer, we’ll get out of your hair.”

Violet Bridgerton smiled warmly at Kate. “Not at all. Please, you must stay for brunch! The whole family is here! The more the merrier.”

Kate glanced at Edwina, who shrugged with a mimosa in her hand. Her sister didn’t look like she was going anywhere.

The door opened behind her, revealing Anthony now dressed in a pair of trousers and a t-shirt. His hair was still wet, droplets dampening his shirt.

“We wouldn’t want to intrude on a family gathering,” Kate said, desperately trying to think of an excuse to get out of this situation. She had seen her boss topless twice today, she wouldn’t look him in the eye again.

“You’re not intruding.” It wasn’t Violet who spoke but Anthony, his deep voice sending tingles down her spine.

“Excellent!” Violet clapped her hands, smiling at Kate before something behind Kate caught her attention. “Hyacinth! Stop feeding that dog our breakfast!”

Anthony walked past her, reaching for a glass of orange juice on the kitchen table before walking towards his brothers. Kate followed him with her eyes until she saw the brunch spread. Their table was set out as if it was Christmas. There were candles, napkins and plates full of food. She had never seen so much food in her life. There were pancakes, bacon, toast and every type of egg prepared every way.

“You look like you need a drink,” A voice to Kate’s right said, which belonged to a petite woman. “I’m Eloise. Mimosa?”

“Please,” Kate said, smiling at her as she gladly took the orange champagne flute. “I’m Kate. It's nice to meet you.”

“Oh I know who you are,” Eloise said, rather smugly as she grinned at Kate. “My dear brother talks about you quite a lot, Kate Sheffield.”

“Pardon?” Kate choked on her drink, coughing to clear her throat as she stared at Eloise. Why would Anthony talk about her? Benedict and Colin had said the same thing in his office a few days ago.

Whatever he said about her, she imagined it wasn’t anything good.

Eloise just smirked, clinking her glass against Kate’s as Violet announced it was time to eat. “Shall we?”

Brunch was going better than expected.

The Bridgertons were fun. It was strange to be in a room with so many people, to watch a large family interact. There was never any silence, everyone was talking and laughing.

It was rather lovely.

Kate and Edwina had grown up with just their parents and since the loss of their father, it had just been them and Mary. They didn’t have any immediate family, their fathers parents were dead and Mary was estranged from her family.

Violet had insisted Kate sit with Anthony on her left and Edwina on her right. Colin was sitting on her right. Colin had muttered something about his mother’s matchmaking attempts, which made Edinwa blush and Kate down her mimosa.

Kate had been introduced to the rest of the Bridgertons she hadn’t met yet. There was Eloise, who was funny but made Kate slightly uneasy. She kept smirking at her. She was 21 and studying History and English at Oxford. She was very opinionated, happily calling her brothers or sisters out on anything she didn’t agree with. Kate could only dream of having her confidence. She was rather brilliant.

Her elder sister was Daphne, who was 25 and made her living off instagram and Youtube. Kate didn’t really use social media, when she did it was mainly to post pictures of Newton. Daphne showed Kate her page, which was the perfect aesthetic. Every picture had the perfect pose and ideal background. Daphne was beautiful and she knew how to attract a following. She had a following of a few million combined on both of her platforms, where she regularly collaborated with brands for sponsorships and advertisements.

Hyacinth was the youngest Bridgerton, with a sharp tongue and a funny sense of humour. Kate already loved her. She was obsessed with Newton, insisting he sit on her lap during the meal and feeding him bits when her mother wasn’t looking, winking at Kate in the process.

It made Anthony laugh.

Kate realized she had never heard him genuinely laugh before.

It was rather lovely.

She had never seen him like this before. He was so eaze around his family. He was happy. He was relaxed, his shoulders were dropped and he didn't look rigid or stressed.

The only Bridgerton missing was Francesca, who was visiting a friend in Scotland.

The table erupted into laughter as Edwina told everyone of the events of that morning, despite Kate’s mortification and Anthony’s fury.

They sounded insane.

“You two make quite the pair,” Benedict said, smirking at Kate and Anthony from across the table. He looked quite delighted with himself.

“How’s your love life, Ben?” Anthony asked, smirking at his brother as he took a sip of his coffee and lay back in his chair. He glanced around the table, daring any of his siblings to tease further.

“So, Kate,” Eloise said, looking at her from across the table. “Tell us about yourself.”

“Oh.” Kate felt her cheeks darken as everyone’s eyes on the table turned towards her. She really didn’t like being the centre of attention. She used to vomit before any public speaking competitions when she was younger. She still got anxious before meetings at work. “I’ve been working at Bridgerton & Family for five years. I have an unstable corgi. There’s not much to tell.”

“Kate has always been the smart one and incredibly modest,” Edwina interrupted, nudging her sister. “She went to Oxford on a scholarship to study business. My parents and I are incredibly proud.”

“That’s incredible, Kate. They must be so proud of the both of you! What do your parents do?” Violet asked Kate, glaring at Gregory who flicked some scrambled eggs at Hyacinth. Hyacinth was too busy feeding Newton bacon under the table to notice.

Kate felt that usual uneasiness spread through her stomach. “My mother is a primary school teacher. My father was an accountant. He died when we were eighteen.”

Silence washed over the table and Kate felt Edwina’s hand squeeze hers under the table. If anyone would understand about losing a father, it was the Bridgertons. They quickly erupted into conversation again.

Anthony turned towards her, his expression unreadable. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

Kate shrugged. “It’s okay. Why would you?”

There was an uneasy silence between Kate and Anthony as they just stared at each other. Kate broke their eye contact, glancing down at her plate.

Eventually, Kate and Edwina stood up to leave as brunch came to an end. Benedict had already left to go to a party and Eloise was nagging Daphne for a lift to the train station to go back to Oxford.

Violet, Anthony and Daphne walked them to the door after they said their goodbyes. Kate had given Hyacinth her number, promising she could walk Newton whenever she wanted if her mum allowed her to. “Girls, I would love it if you and your mother could join us for the long weekend in two weeks. We’re having friends and family over for a party in our house in the country, in Kent.”

“Oh, that sounds lovely!” Edwina said, smiling widely at Kate, Daphne and Violet. The girls had been attached at the hip for most of the afternoon, talking about their careers and the fashion world. Kate had overheard them making plans for drinks sometime this week. Daphne looked delighted at her mother’s invitation.

Anthony? Not so much. He was glaring intensely at his mother, his lips in their usual disgruntled flat line.

“That’s very kind of you,” Kate said slowly, panic flooding her body. She did love the country, but not Anthony Bridgerton’s country house. “I-I’ll have to check my work calendar. We’re very busy this time of year.”

“Excellent! Anthony will make sure you get the time off.” It didn’t sound like a request, Kate was figuring out pretty quickly Violet Bridgerton didn’t ask questions she didn’t already know the answer to.

Anthony walked them to the bottom of the steps, Edwina saying goodbye as she stepped into their uber, leaving them alone.

“I-”

“Kate-”

They spoke at the same time and laughed uncomfortably, insisting the other go first until Anthony spoke.

“The reason I wanted to speak to you this morning was because of the article. I really did want to make sure you were okay. I know that type of attention, when unwanted, is extremely uncomfortable. I’m sorry I indirectly caused it. I didn’t think anyone would see us that night. Not that there was anything to see.”

Kate was momentarily speechless as his words sunk in. “Thank you. I-I know none of it was your fault. I shouldn’t have said that. I wanted to apologize for how I acted earlier and how rude I was. There's no excuse, I've just had a weird few days. Thank you for jumping into the pond for Edwina and Newton.”

Anthony stared at her, a small smile playing on his lips. “I didn’t jump into that pond for Edwina or Newton, Kate.”

Her heart stopped beating in her chest. What?

With that, Anthony turned around and walked away from her, jogging up his steps before he went into his house and closed the door behind him. Kate was left speechless and stunned on the path.

Kate eventually turned around and climbed into the Uber, still processing his words as they drove off and the Bridgerton’s home faded into the background.

Edwina turned towards her sister, leaning towards her. “Kate. What the hell is going on between you and Anthony Bridgerton?”

Kate felt her head fall back against the seat. “I have absolutely no idea.”

[palimpsessed]

So @captain-aralias​ did one of these and invited other writers to do the same. And I wasn't really going to because it feels a bit late now and also I've done quite a few other year in review posts for 2020. But then I got to thinking that it would be really nice to have one of these for each year to look back on and compare, which convinced me. So, here we go!

If you’re a writer, I’d also encourage you to steal this. Tag me on your post so I can see your thoughts! 🥰

List of Complete Fics for 2020 1. At the Top of a Tower, With You- General, 900 words 2. Use Your Words- Teen, 16k 3. A Man of Letters, or Five Times Baz Retreats and the One Time He Doesn’t- Teen, 54k 4. To the Manor Borne- Teen, 43k

Total: 4 fics, 113k words

Every one of these fics was written for an event, which, realistically, is the only reason they got finished. I have so many ideas I'm working on all at once, and I came into fandom with a focus on making art, so to actually find the motivation to sit down and write/finish/post a fic was entirely deadline based. And it's a technique I'm sure I will also employ in 2021.

Best/Worst Title?

Well, I've mentioned a few times before that I usually have a title before I have much in the way of a fic concept. I don't really dislike any of the my titles, because they all did exactly what I needed them to do, which was help me focus on what I wanted to accomplish in the fic. Comparatively speaking, though, I can answer this.

Best: Use Your Words - succinct, idiomatic, a book quote/motif that also has the potential to be a spell, does what it says on the tin, is probably what all of us are constantly yelling at Baz and Simon to do throughout the books and the fic itself

(Honorable mention to A Man of Letters because that title forms a perfect heart shape when viewed on mobile on AO3. ❤️)

Worst: At the Top of a Tower, With You - this is also a quote and it fits the fic perfectly, but it is a bit of a mouthful and it has a comma in the middle of it, which, while I love commas, feels a bit off-putting in terms of a title - also, it's always kind of bothered me that it's a Baz WS quote used for a CO-era Lucy POV

Best/worst summary?

Again, I don't really dislike any of my summaries.

Best:

To the Manor Borne: The gang decides to spend Christmas together at Pitch Manor. Romance, hijinks, and holiday cheer ensue.

Anything that lets me use the word hijinks is always good! - it's short and sweet - it does a fair job of setting up the premise for the fic and giving highlights, without giving anything away

Worst: A Man of Letters

I'm not going to include this one because it's so long, I had to cut down the version I posted on tumblr to fit in the AO3 field, which is really why I rank it below my others - it effectively sets up the world of Simon and Baz in Regency England prior to where the story starts, but it is prohibitively long - and it's set up, not summary, so it also loses points for not doing what it purports to do - I could have said exactly what this fic was in one sentence: "Simon and Baz meet at several Regency-appropriate venues over the course of a London season and reflect on their acquaintance in letters", but instead I did the full book jacket version because it was more interesting to me.

Best/Worst First Line?

Oh, this is interesting. I can honestly say that I have no idea where this will go. Going to pull up my docs and find out! Okay, since I only have four fics to consider, and I'm feeling split, I'm going to do two for each. I feel good about my words, but I will say that half of my first lines actually provide information, and the other half are incomplete thoughts. Those were stylistic decisions I made, but when taken alone, it does somewhat limit the effectivness of a sentence when it can't stand without the rest of the paragraph. Perhaps that decision will lure readers in for more?

Best:

In the end, we wind up at Pitch Manor. (To the Manor Borne)

I know that you won't be surprised when I tell you that I do not like writing letters. (A Man of Letters)

Kind of interesting that these both contain key words from the titles 🤔

Worst:

I'm not sure how I'm supposed to do this. (Use Your Words)

I love how the title seems to be answering Baz's question when the two are put together like this 😂

Strange that it should end here, where it all started. (At the Top of a Tower, With You)

The title also seems to complete the first line in this one, too. I'm learning about my writing as this goes on, so that's cool!

Best/Worst Last Line?

Hmm. Okay, again, no idea. Also, a little leery of including last lines for anyone who hasn't read the fics they're from yet. (Tho I guess it's unlikely those people would be reading this😆) But let's see what we've got.

Use Your Words and A Man of Letters have very similar final lines, and both are somewhat spoilery.

Best: The ending of A Man of Letters felt risky to me, in the way that it is formatted and changes tone from the rest of the story. It was something that happened as I wrote it and I loved it. I had no idea if readers would like it, if they would feel like it worked as an ending, but I felt strongly enough about it to let the entire fic hinge on that and I think it really paid off. So, without giving you the actual last line, which is only one word, I'm going to say that one is my best ending.

Worst:

To the Manor Borne: "Carry on, Simon."

It's not bad, it's just not mine.

Looking back, did you write more fics than you thought you would this year, fewer than you thought, or about what you predicted?

I did not set out to write any fics in 2020. I was supposed to be taking a break from writing. I've been an aspiring novelist for half my life now, and have been going through major ups and downs with my writing. I decided I needed to re-evaluate and figure out if writing was something that was even going to be able to make me happy anymore. The answer is: YES! Just…not original fiction. At the moment. I'm happiest when I can write for the sake of writing and not have to DO something with that writing. Which is why discovering fan fiction was AMAZING!!!! 🥰🥰🥰

To actually answer the question, yes, I wrote more than I thought I would. I also wrote exactly as much as I thought I would, simply because these were all things I signed up for (with the exception of my Countdown fic, but I committed to it as if it were something that required a sign up).

I have a lot more ideas for 2021, but I don't know how many of them will come to fruition. I'm not putting pressure on myself to have to do anything beyond what I sign up for again, because it did work out so well for me starting off.

What pairing/genre/fandom did you write that you would never have predicted last year?

I mean, the pairing and the fandom were in no way a surprise. 😆 They're my only ones, so those were both a given. The genre is also not surprising.

What's your favorite story this year? Not the most popular, but the one that makes you the happiest?

A Man of Letters, without any hesitation. I adore it so much. It's the kind of fic I know I will unabashedly sit down to read over and over, even if I'm the one who wrote it. I had one reader to please and it was ME. By far, my most self-indulgent fic.

Okay, NOW your most popular story?

That depends on the metric.

To the Manor Borne leads in Comments (107), Kudos (153), and Hits (1992), and Use Your Words leads in Bookmarks (26).

But since To the Manor Borne is top in 3 out of 4 metrics, I'll say that one.

Story most upderappreciated by the universe?

I mean, the least popular by a wide margin is At the Top of a Tower, With You, but I don't know if I'd call it underappreciated. It's short, it's angsty, it's got a very unusual style, it's Lucy POV, it's the first fic I wrote and posted. I didn't really go into it with high performance expectations. I'm proud of it, I just didn't expect it to be popular. It would be nice if more people read it, but I'm not broken up over it.

Story that could have been better?

I'm not even going to touch this one. Everything can always be improved upon, but if I go down that route, nothing will ever be done. This is one of the things I have come to appreciate about traditional art versus digital. With traditional, there is only so much you can do before something is permanent and you have to live with it. It's an exercise in letting go and acceptance. Digital is flashier and more flexible, but I could (and have) spend months on a single piece and never feel satisfied, never stop tweaking. I think that's also the reason I started to hate my novels.

Sexiest story?

Based purely on overall vibes, I find the understated tension of the Regency the most appealing, so I'm going to say A Man of Letters. I didn't actually stray into sex territory in any of my fics (though Simon and Baz have had sex by the time To the Manor Borne starts, and refer to it, and probably do it "offscreen"), but A Man of Letters is the one that feels sexiest to me. Lots of thirsting!Baz and feral!Simon and sensual hand touching (how risqué!) - and YEARNING. That, to me, is the sexiest vibe of all. So. Much. Yearning.

Saddest story?

At the Top of a Tower, With You - for this one, I tagged "angst without plot" and I stand by that. It's Lucy losing her connection to Simon at the end of CO and trying to find a way to reconcile herself to leaving him alone again. I gave it as much of a hopeful bent as I could, with the refrain of Baz's spoken "love" to cling to, but it's very sad.

Most fun?

To the Manor Borne - All of my fics have their fair share of angst, but this one also has some good, silly, holiday fluff thrown in. Since I wrote it for the Countdown, each chapter was based on a different prompt, which led to this one going in all sorts of directions no single fic probably ever should. Plus, it has the most Shepard, and Shepard always makes things more fun.

Story with the single sweetest moment?

Oh my god. I don't know. No, never mind. I do. It's To the Manor Borne, but it's split between the two gift giving scenes, the Constellations and Secret Santa/Gift Giving prompts. These were private moments between Simon and Baz, sharing themselves with each other, being vulnerable, and communicating. It's the gifts they give each other, yes, but it's more so the reasons they chose those gifts, and how they show part of themselves and share their love for each other, through those gifts, that had me in tears writing those two scenes. I'm super proud of them.

Hardest story to write?

Use Your Words - it was written for an exchange and that made it really hard to write it knowing there was this pressure of making my gift-ee happy with the fic. I'm proud of it, and they really liked it, but the anxiety was too much for me.

Easiest/most fun story to write?

A Man of Letters - if there is a fic better suited to me as a writer, I haven't met it. I started writing after reading Pride and Prejudice in high school, so I started out writing Regency and I spent years and years and years of my life obsessed. When I transferred into college, an administrator I had never met before heard my name during orientation and said, "Oh, you're the Austen scholar." (It is a small, private college, and I was a transfer, so the pool of students was even smaller. But still. Many years later, I'm clearly not over it.) I also did my senior thesis on an epistolary novel (Frances Burney’s Evelina), and my English Lit emphasis was for that time period. So, I felt like I had been preparing for this fic my entire adult life. 😂

Did any stories shift your perceptions of the characters?

I don't think so. I tend to let my writing be dictated by the characters, so I'm always following their lead. Sometimes they'll do or say something that surprises me and takes me down a route I didn't necessarily foresee, but I don't think there was ever a point where one of them did something that made me rethink who they are as a character.

Most overdue story?

I will say A Man of Letters, since that one felt like a culmination of my seventeen-year-old self's wildest writing dreams. But I should probably say the Scooby Doo AU I still haven't managed to finish, because that one has been a WIP since I joined the fandom. Oops. (I'm hoping when I look over this in a year, I can feel smug that it's finally done.)

Did you take any writing risks this year? What did you learn from them?

Writing at all was a risk for me! And writing fan fic for the very first time! Writing an entire fic told only through letters. And then ending it in a completely different style from the rest of the fic. Doing a multi-chaptered fic for the Countdown, using a different prompt for each chapter, and publishing a chapter every single day for thirty days (with the exception of two days that had art). Signing up for fandom events in the first place!

What I learned from taking risks in my writing is the same thing I learned when I took risks in my art this year. I have a much better appreciation for what I've done when I push myself, I feel better about the end product, and I like it longer. I think it's really good for me to challenge myself creatively.

This year's theme and the story that demonstrates it most?

Oh boy. Um. Therapy! Both Use Your Words and To the Manor Borne had their big HEA moments built around sending Simon and Baz to therapy. I don't think that's likely to change for future fics, either. I feel like therapy as the theme for 2020 seems very fitting. (Also, I think I keep sending the boys to therapy because I'm trying to get myself there…)

What are your fic writing goals for next year?

Just to write what I want to write, have fun, not put any pressure on myself, and to take risks in my writing and my art because it will help me to grow.