#tori's original ideas

[awkward-imp]

This took me too fucking long. Anyway, like to charge reblog to cast

[benvey0]

don't look

[yume-fanfare]

good old-fashioned lover boy

[macchiatosdumptruck]

.

[astheskycries]

How would we feel about me returning to writing? 🥺

[auranovabloggers]

Tori Lugosi Tepes

Some gift art I made for my friend Tori of her vampire OC! She doesn't have a Tumblr, but she does have a twitter:

I recommend giving her a look as she makes some incredible art and is quite skilled and full of passion for her hurt. 🥰🦇 I made this gift art on a whim as I wanted to not only practice more, but also because I do like Tori's OC. Bewitching beauty, fangs, and vampire? Yes please, I'll have some of that. 🥺🙏 Was overall an enjoyable experience making this and she was extremely hyped to see this. :3

[daycourtofficial]

Blood moon in Autumn

Pairing: Eris x Rhys’s sister!reader | WC: 1.3k | warnings: mentions of nudity, mentions of sex, mentions of violence

Summary: fae cycles are no joke, but your mate is always there to provide you comfort in the best way possible: by being your personal heating pad

Author’s note: this is part of my gingerfucker series, however this can be read as a standalone. @writingcroissant actually gave me the idea for this so everyone say thanks Tori 🥰

Death was imminent, you were sure of it. Every fiber of your being ached, the pain emanating from your lower abdomen through the rest of your body. It felt like someone was stabbing you with a rusted, dull knife, the blade carving out your insides slowly at their leisure.

You heard your bedroom door open and close, footsteps coming towards the bed. You groan in greeting as the steps get closer.

“Just leave me here to die, Er.”

A soft chuckle makes its way to your ears, despite the layers of blankets you are burrowed beneath, the blankets not offering you the comfort you so desperately crave.

“You’ll be remembered for even in death, your flare for the dramatics never faltered.”

You push your face from the blankets, allowing your face to be seen. You scowl towards your mate, his smirk making you want to push him from the window. You take in the sight of him - he had changed into more relaxed clothes since you saw him last. Gone is his formal jacket, a deep red velvet with golden leaf embroidery. The garment would make anyone look like court royalty, but on Eris it made him look positively radiant, as if the fires of Autumn truly originated from him, as if the apple orchards and the crops found their nutrients from him. You loved when he wore it, your fingers tracing the fine embroidery along the lapel as you would straddle his lap, grinding softly-

You groaned, the idea of moving so much making you nauseous and slightly dizzy.

Now he wore a loose, billowy shirt, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, casual brown trousers covering his toned legs. If it were any other day, you’d devour him. Any other day, you’d pull him directly into bed, pushing his clothes off of him, neither of you leaving bed until you slipped his shirt on to grab the two of you some pastries.

Instead, the sight of him made you slightly annoyed - he seemed fine as he set down a tray on the table next to you. He was fine this morning when he rose, having to tend to some things before returning. You were dying, and he was perfectly fine. You groaned, shifting to sit up on your elbows. “What’s this?”

“I believe those of us who leave our beds call it ‘food’.”

His smirk disappears at the pillow that hits his feet. He sends you a withering glare that just makes you scoff. “That could have hit the tray of coffee I made for you.”

You perked up at the sound of coffee - you were sure the warm liquid would at least distract your insides. Or at least provide you some comfort.

You’d take anything at this point.

“Did you make the coffee? Or did you just prepare the tray?”

“What difference does it make? Coffee is coffee.”

“Well, if Jora made it, then I aimed perfectly for your feet.”

“What if it was my coffee?”

“Then I would have aimed for the tray.”

He gives you a withering stare, his fingers halting their movements. “Now that’s no way to treat your mate who lovingly made you coffee.”

You squint your eyes, “if it’s my mate that’s making the coffee, it’s more of an assassination attempt than love.”

“You wound me, my love.” Despite your grievances, he continues preparing your cup exactly as you like it.

“Is the wound fatal?”

“Perhaps.”

“I shall pay my respects at your funeral, then. With my next husband.”

His eyebrow quirks as he rests the cup on your side table before he rounds the bed, peeling back the layers of blankets on top of you. He crawls in behind you, his body heat causing you to melt.

“Next husband?”

“I will get lonely. Besides, the hounds need a male’s touch. They’ll grow soft under me.”

“And who is this next husband? Is he capable of this?”

Before you can ask what ‘this’ is, he slides his arm around your waist, his palm lying flat over your lower abdomen, his fingers spreading across your skin. Your skin began heating under his touch, and you moaned at the relief he provided you.

“If he’s not, he’s not worth it. Perhaps one of your brothers will be capable. Lu, maybe?”

Eris growled at the teasing, your friendship with Lucien a constant sore spot for him amidst his rekindling relationship with his youngest brother. He hated to admit it, but he seethed with jealousy watching you interact with Lucien, the way your conversation would flow easily.

A life of regrets and Lucien takes several of the top five spots.

“Lucien would make a terrible husband. You’d never see him - he spends all day brushing his hair.”

“I like a well-groomed male.”

“The noises his eye makes would keep you up all night.”

“I think you’re getting us confused. The whirring would soothe me to sleep.”

He buries his face into your neck, mumbling, “you are not marrying Lucien.”

“Alastor, perhaps?”

You clutched onto Eris’s arm, the heat providing you some relief. You nuzzle your head into his bicep, and he blows out a hot breath, “if I die, and you are unable to continue alone, marry outside of my family, leave my brothers out of your marriage pool.”

You open your mouth, but he cuts you off.

“Not Azriel.”

You huff, “well if I can’t have a Vanserra or Azriel, I’ll stay alone forever.”

“I prefer that alternative.”

“I will rule Autumn alone. Just as Beron would have liked.”

You spin in his arms, pushing his shoulder down so he’d lay on his back. You crawl on top of him, laying so every inch of you is touching him in some way. Not an inch of space exists between your bodies. You poke his ribs, urging him to start heating up. He ignores you, so you start tugging on the bond between you two.

“Patience is a virtue, don’t they teach that in the war camps they call villages?”

“I’m dying, I think the Mother can forgive my lack of virtues.”

He huffs, but starts warming his skin to better provide comfort. You groan, laying in silence with him for several moments, the heat a comfort to the constant pain.

A few moments later you roll, your back laying across his chest.

“Ah,” you sigh, the pain in your lower back lessening at his touch.

“You’re spinning like game over a campfire.”

He rests his hands on your lower abdomen, the warmth making the stabbing pain into a dull ache.

You sigh at the contact, practically melting at how he soothes your muscles.

“I want to go bathe but that requires movement and leaving this bed.”

Eris laughs into your hair, but you hear the water running in the bathroom. You groan just thinking about how soothing the water would feel on your joints. You breathed out slowly through your nose, preparing yourself for the trek across the room.

You rolled off of Eris, and before you could get off the bed, Eris moved from behind to in front of you, his feet landing softly on the floor.

“Care for a ride?”

You nod, and his arms sweep you up.

“I think this is my preferred method of travel.”

“Perhaps this is how you will tour Autumn, hm? I shall carry you throughout the lands.”

You laugh as he sets you down, helping you remove your clothes. He must be warming the air somehow, because you don’t feel the chill of the air when your clothes are completely off. He helps you into the water, which you melt into immediately. You close your eyes, laying back in the tub, the porcelain a nice surface to lean against.

You’ve completely forgotten about Eris’ presence until you feel him nudge your shoulders forward, his lean body slipping behind you into the tub. His legs stretch besides yours, and you lean your head back to rest on his shoulder.

“There’s no way my next husband will be as helpful as you are.”

He breathes out through his nose, “I fear you can only marry down from here. A pity, truly.”

Permanent taglist: @vanilla-seabass @cyrygher @lees-chaotic-brain @topaz125 @chessebookgirl @fides25 @lady-of-tearshed @ashbatz @fxckmiup @lilah-asteria @justvibbinghere @daughterofthemoons-stuff @mybestfriendmademe @heartless-tate @tsunami-of-tears @idrkwhatthisisimsorry @olive-main @azrielsmate3 @pit-and-the-pen @durgenyx @dee-writes-smut @chairofchaos @thelov3lybookworm @berryzxx @throneofsmut @kennedy-brooke @prythianpages @itsswritten @acotarxreader

Thanks for reading 💕

[spnbabe67]

Knee Deep In The Passenger Seat

Kinktober Day 1: Road Head (D.W)

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Fem Original Character

Warnings: Oral (M. Receiving), slight mentions of blood, face fucking, hair gripping?, perilous situation?

Summary: What does one do when they have a free afternoon? Tori and Dean go driving. What happens when ones love language is acts of (sexual) service.

Word Count: 1510

It was rare to have a day like this. Tori couldn't remember the last time she and Dean had an afternoon that wasn't preoccupied with lore research, various repairs to the Bunker or assisting other hunters on cases ranging from basic salt and burns to exterminating whole nests of vamps. The stars had finally aligned and for the first time in a while, Tori and Dean found their afternoon wide open for leisure. So when Dean showed up at her doorway with Baby’s keys dangling from his fingers, Tori couldn't get up from her desk fast enough.

Tori had lost track of how long she and Dean had been cruising the open backroads. The only break in miles and miles of gold fields was the occasional cars. She'd fallen asleep sprawled across the front seat around the 2 hour mark, head lolled back against the windowsill, lower legs draped across Dean's thighs. 

That was where she woke some amount of time later, the leather of the seat creaking as she stretched awake. Tori felt Dean's warm hand squeeze her calf, running his calloused palms up and down her shins. She shot him a sleepy grin reaching her arms up and out the window in a languid movement.

It was an unusually chilly early fall day, so the crisp wind whipped through the car, teasing goosebumps across Tori's bare arms. Her legs were kept warm enough via her jeans and the residual heat from Dean's legs and hands, but she'd opted to wear a cutoff tank in lieu of Dean's suggestion for a sweater. Sure she was a little on the cold side, but her pride wouldn't let her accept the jacket he'd offered her on multiple occasions. 

Tori blinked sleepily at her lover, admiring the way the golden glow of the midafternoon sun clung to every topographic feature of his face, how it crested over the bridge of his nose, stippling across his 5 o’clock shadow. The wind had swept his brown locks in a way that Tori knew would feel positively divine were she to reach up and run her fingers through it like she so desperately wanted to. 

“Sleep well, my love?” God, even his voice was sexy.

Tori hummed a noncommittal answer, not bothering to hide the way her eyes dragged over Dean’s form, even when he looked over at her.

“What?” Dean laughed, eyes flashing between Tori and the road before him. 

“Nothin’” Tori grinned cheekily, ignoring the loss of warmth as she pulled her legs from Dean’s lap and under herself instead to sit cross-legged next to him. “I can't admire my sexy ass boyfriend?”

Dean laughed sheepishly and Tori watched the telltale rosy hue stain his cheekbones. “I didn’t say that.”

Tori carded her fingers through his hair, letting her nails gently scratch his scalp, the strands extra fluffy from his shower that morning. Dean’s hum of contentedness reached her ears and Tori felt the rush of satisfaction at pleasing her lover. Speaking of which… Tori glanced sidelong out the windshield seeing nothing but open road, a devious idea flooding her brain. With a smirk, Tori leaned forward, pressing an open mouthed kiss to Dean's neck, her hand in his hair continuing its movements.  

Tori felt Dean go stiff and liquid all at once, hearing the creak of the leather as his grip on the steering wheel tightened. “Tor,” Dean began, her name half warning half moan. “Whatcha doin babe.”

Tori didn’t deign to reply, simply smiling against his neck as she kissed the spot beneath his ear, her lips trailing south. Her teeth nipped at his pulsepoint, sucking a dark mark against his tan skin. Somewhere along the way Dean had tipped his head to the side, providing her better access. Tori let her free hand that had been resting on Dean’s chest wander down, feeling the soft skin that laid taut over the muscles of his torso until she arrived at the button of his jeans. That was when Dean’s hand shot to hers, encompassing her wrist and hindering any further movement. 

“Tori.” Dean scolded her half convincingly, his voice breathy, chest rising and falling shallowly. 

“Do you trust me?” Tori whispered into his ear, lips caressing the shell as she shook off his grasp. “‘Cause I trust you.”

Dean didn’t make any further moves to stop her as Tori expertly undid the button of his jeans, sliding her hand between the fabric and his feverish skin. Dean’s gasp as Tori’s hand wrapped around his length shot heat directly to her core. He was already half hard beneath her grasp as she ran her hand up and down his length before pulling him free from his boxers. Tori spared a glance upward as she shimmied herself backwards, bracing one knee on the footwell, the other stretched out under her as she lay on her stomach. His eyes were laser focused on the road, his hands locked in death grips on the wheel. His bottom lip was raw from the abuse of his teeth gnawing on it, likewise his cheeks were flushed pink. 

Tori felt the car swerve sharply as her tongue made contact with the swollen red tip of Dean’s cock. She knew it was mean to torture him, kitten licking at the top of his dick, the tang of precum soaking into her tongue. Dean made a desperate sound at the back of his throat as Tori’s hand lazily pumped up and down his shaft as her tongue worked the head of his cock, dipping into the slit at the apex and tracing every contour. His hand shot to the back of her head, fisting in her hair as without warning Tori let his cock slide along her tongue and into her mouth. 

Expletives spewed from her lover's mouth in the form of a guttural moan as her mouth engulfed his cock, feeling the fat head of it nudge the back of her throat. Dean’s grip in her hair loosened, rubbing the back of her head in small circles, a silent apology for his accidental roughness. Tori languidly bobbed her head up and down on his length, utilizing her hand slick with her spit for whatever her mouth couldn’t quite take in. Tori could feel her own arousal soak into her underwear, her clit throbbing almost in time to the grunts and groans slipping past Dean’s lips. Tori gagged slightly as Dean's hips snapped up slightly, chasing her mouth wrapped around him. She blinked back tears, her free hand digging into his thigh to steady herself. She half wondered if she could cum just like this, with her lover's cock shoved down her throat, his big hand tangled in her hair guiding her head up and down; it wouldn’t be the first time she’d gotten off pleasing Dean.

Dean’s hips thrusted up to meet her as she willed her throat to relax, gradually taking almost all of him past her lips. Tori couldn’t help but moan as Dean gave a particularly harsh tug on her hair, sending vibrations down his shaft that had him uttering a low moan. Every so often the car would snap back to center, shifting Tori ever so slightly. Just as Tori felt her jaw start to become sore, the steady rhythm of Dean’s thrusts into her mouth stuttered, his rhythm becoming sloppy, his hand more forceful on the back of her head. Tori let him fuck her face, feeling tears slip down her cheeks as she resisted the urge to gag against his cock bumping against the back of her throat.

Dean’s hips stuttered violently as he came with a ragged moan down her throat. Tori tried to swallow all his spend but some frothed out the side of her mouth as she pulled off of him. She went to wipe the residual cum off her face but before she could Dean’s hand still tangled in her hair guided her back up, slamming her lips to his own. Tori barely registered Dean driving the Impala off to the side of the road, slamming Baby into park before hauling her into his lap. His tongue assaulted her mouth, tasting himself on her tongue. His hands massaged her hips through her jeans, kissing her harshly like he had wanted to since she started on his neck. 

He pulled back only on the lack of oxygen, both of them breathing heavily. Dean reached up caressing Tori’s cheek as he gazed at her, a soft look etched across his face. Tori’s eyes scanned his face, her own hand coming up to cup his jaw, thumb dragging across his lower lip where he’d dug his teeth in hard enough to draw blood. “What?”

“Nothin’,” Dean smiled at her tipping his head into her hand, his grip on her waist holding her to him. “I can’t admire my sexy ass girlfriend.”

Tori giggled at his words mimicking hers, leaning in to kiss the wound on his lip. “I love you.” She murmured into his mouth. Dean’s answering kiss was all she needed.

[accio-bagel]

Chocolate Frog Card sketches: Hogwarts Legacy MC Collection

Part 1 (more in progress!)

Welp, I originally had the idea to do these as holiday cards but life got in the way, so I’m late as usual 🙃😅

OCs:

Matty @girl-named-matty

Cassie @acslytherpuff

Damien @theladyofshalott1989

Alyn @ps-cactus

Freddie @freddiestheproblemchild

Tori @espressoristretto-patronum

Jo @ravenwind-75

Val @savingsallow

James @leaping-toadstool-caps

This is only the first batch, many more are already in the works and will be making their way into the inboxes of my beloveds soon 💚💕 At this moment I am filled with anxiety about making anyone feel left out, so bear with me and please don’t think I’ve forgotten you, friends!

[izzythehutt]

Most complaints about the storytelling decisions regarding the teens in Cobra Kai boil down to not understanding that the younger characters are all supporting their adult counterparts, acting as a foil to or echoing some theme from the original films through their relationships with their OG franchise counterparts. Do they have arcs of their own? Of course. But at the end of the day, Miguel, Robby, Sam and Tory's storylines will all be written to give maximum dramatic payoff for Johnny, Daniel and (to a lesser extent) Kreese's character arcs, because they were the original characters the entire show was built around.

This is why "who deserves to win the final tournament fight?" is so pointless. Ask yourself not whether Robby or Miguel is a "better fighter" who "deserves to win", but how their stories will best serve Johnny's, because I guarantee that's why they made the writing choices they did.

Miguel is an obvious 21st century version of Daniel (to Johnny's Miyagi), with a classic coming of age and underdog sports movie arc. Johnny's vocation in life (a fact frequently repeated by the show itself) is to teach martial arts, and Miguel is his principle protege. Miguel's "big win" being a tournament fight makes sense, as karate itself is a totem for his relationship with Johnny. Robby, meanwhile, functions far more as a parallel to Johnny himself, and his arc has been (thematically) about not becoming the worst version of the man his father became. Since the entire show is built around the idea that Johnny's toxic mentor derailed his sense of self-worth/adult life by physically attacking him after he lost a tournament, Robby losing the final fight and realizing that's okay is not mean or proof that the writers hate him, but in fact...an obvious choice for his character.

I can guarantee that Sam's final arc will be tied to her relationship with her father, and the strength and wisdom he's given her. Tory (through her relationship with Kreese) also functions as a kind of girl reboot Johnny, and one of her core functions on the show is to be proof of Kreese's spark of redeemability. I have no doubt she'll be used for that purpose before the end of the show.

[tkwrites]

It Doesn't Matter - Part III - Nico Hischier x ofc

Gif from offside-the-lines

Title: It Doesn’t Matter - Part III

It Doesn't Matter Masterlist | Playlist

Author: Tory / @tkwrites 

Relationship: Nico Hischier x Original female character 

Summary: Though they’ve finally confessed their feelings for one another, a 7 day road trip stands between Nico and Lena finally beginning their relationship. When Lena sends a photo of herself Nico never expected to receive, it springboards them into new territory. Upon arriving home, he and Lena are finally able to be together in ways they’ve only dreamed of. 

Warnings: Lots of fluff, followed by lots of smut (18+ only): oral (f and m receiving), unprotected p in v (wrap it up unless you’re in a consenting relationship!), talks of feeling singled out and a really dick ex-boyfriend.

Word count: 13,400

Comments: Phew! We made it. Just barely.

I gave myself a deadline for this series, liking the idea that I’d publish each installment on the last day of the the month, and I’m really proud that I was able to stick to that goal. 

This piece is LONG, so strap in. It was so much fun to write and string together, though. Writing Nico and Lena finally getting together has been such a joy for me. I really hope you enjoy it, too! If there's anything you'd like to see in their universe, please let me know!

If you do enjoy it, please consider letting me know by commenting, reblogging, or sending in an ask. Your encouragement and comments truly inspire me to keep writing. 

It Doesn’t Matter - Part III

Two days into the road trip, Nico was feeling restless and unsure. He wanted to call Lena and tell her he missed her. He wanted to talk to her about everything and nothing. Hear about her day in class and tell her about practice. Now that they’d crossed that initial physical barrier, he wanted to have phone sex and listen to her getting herself off. He wanted… he wanted so many things, but he wasn’t really sure where they stood. Could he just call her up and initiate a conversation that spanned both their friendship and their newfound sexual connection? Even when they were just friends and roommates, he hardly ever called her to just say hi. That felt too much like something he would do if they were dating, and he couldn't take the disappointment that came with not having that part be true. 

Except maybe now it was true?

Staring at her contact photo, he wondered how people did this. 

For Lena’s part, she was pacing the apartment, wondering if she should go through with it. Earlier in the day, in a fit of missing Nico so much it ached, she put on the lingerie set she bought the first week she’d moved in, set up her phone and took some photos to send to him. There was one in particular she liked, and she even had it queued up in a message. Now that she had someone to wear it for, and it, amazingly, turned out to be the guy she’d always hoped it would be, she couldn’t get the idea of wearing it for him out of her mind. And why wait until he was home when she could send a picture now?

He was off this afternoon, which meant he was likely napping. She could send it during the game, but there was more of a chance someone else might see it if she did that. And this was for his eyes only. 

She thought about prefacing it with a Don’t open this until you’re alone, message, but wouldn’t that ruin the surprise?

Finally deciding it’d be better to send it now, while he was more likely to be alone than after the game, she hit the blue arrow. The whooshing sound let her know it was delivered, and her heart immediately jumped into her throat. 

It was too late to take back now, and trying to explain her reasoning over text seemed impossible. She’d just have to wait for him to respond. 

Walking to her easel, she decided she needed to distract herself until he did. If she didn’t, she knew she would obsess powerfully and end up sending him something written from pure anxiety, and those messages never turned out well. For all she knew, he could be asleep and wouldn’t see it for another few hours. 

The thing was that Lena had never done this before. She'd never sent a picture of herself that hadn't been requested first, and she’d never wanted to. 

Past boyfriends wanted to ‘see her when they were apart,’ but that really translated to ‘I want something to show off to my friends.’ She'd been shocked to find Milo showing one of his buddies a picture she’d sent him while they were at a party. Together. He wasn’t even trying to hide it. The picture showed Lena in nothing but her underwear, one arm wrapped around her chest for some semblance of modesty when she didn’t really want to send the picture in the first place. The fact that he had it pulled up and was showing it off so casually made her feel objectified and cheap. 

That night, she did the sneakiest thing she'd ever done in a relationship and used his sleeping face to unlock his phone so she could delete all the pictures she'd sent him before breaking up with him the next morning. She even told him what she did. He complained that she was an uptight bitch who didn’t understand he was showing her off, and shouldn’t she be flattered. 

Nico would never do something like that. She knew him too well. He would know and had told her that photos like that were for the recipient only and shouldn’t be shared with anyone else. He told her once that one of the guys on the Mooseheads tried to show him a picture of his girlfriend, and the rest of the boys teased him for turning away. 

“She’s not my girlfriend,” he complained to Lena later that day, “I don’t want to see that.” It was one of the first times she knew he was different, and her rule about not dating hockey players was going to be broken.

It was because of that. Because she knew he wouldn’t show anyone else, and because she had the suspicion he would never ask for something like this that she’d sent it. 

The whole time she’d known him, Nico had been the nicest cute boy on the team. Always easy going and quick with a smile, even when he didn't understand what anyone was saying. He never treated her like a piece of meat like some of the guys did, always seeing and celebrating her humanity before anything else. He was genuinely interested in her art, and not just as a means of getting into her pants. 

When she met him, and they began hanging out with mutual friends, she remembered thinking, I'm going to tell people I met the love of my life in my senior year. 

Setting her phone face down on the end table, she picked up her palette and brush and turned her focus to the mountain sunset she’d been working on all week. 

When Nico's phone buzzed with a text from Lena, he opened it right away, anxious to hear from her. He didn't think anything of the preview that told him it was a photo. She often sent memes or funny photos of Cookie around the apartment or progress on her latest painting. 

Had he thought this might be anything close to possibility, he would have opened it in the bathroom. 

An embarrassing noise, overflowing with longing, crawled up his throat. 

Jonas shot him a confused look, and Nico had to act like everything was normal. Like he wasn’t taken completely off guard. Like he didn’t have a hard on in their hotel room. Like Lena hadn’t just sent him a picture of herself in pink lingerie, winking cheekily at the camera.

He wanted to bury his head in a pillow and groan. He wanted to call her and tell her how beautiful she was. He wanted to detail each and every way he was going to make her come when he got home. 

“I’m —” Nico coughed, “I’m gonna go on a walk,” he told Jonas, bolting out of bed and into the hallway. Maybe this was worse. Now, he had a boner in public. He needed a place where he could talk to her alone. 

There was a conference room the coaches were using this morning, wasn’t there? He ran down the hall and found the room empty and blissfully unlocked. 

The whole wall facing the hallway was glass, but it’s not like he was going to do anything indecent. 

The call went to voicemail. 

Frowning, Nico pulled the phone away from his ear. Certainly, in the time it took him to run down the hall, she hadn’t gone away from her phone. And she didn’t send that thinking he wouldn’t respond, right? That would be crazy. No woman would send a picture of herself like that if she didn’t want a response. 

The device buzzed in his hand, and he felt a sigh let go in his chest. “Hey,” he greeted, bringing it back to his ear. 

“I’m sorry,” she said, sounding a little breathless, “I didn’t want to drop my palette all over your living room.” 

“Thanks,” he said, laughter in his tone. He was amazed she could just go back to painting after sending a message like that. He’d be a nervous wreck.

The awkwardness that passed over the phone line between them made Lena’s heart race with indecision. How was she supposed to broach this subject? Did you get the photo I sent? Do you want to talk about it? Are you calling me because it had the desired affect? 

Finally, she decided to go into neutral territory, “so, how are you?” 

How was he supposed to answer that question? 

“I got your message,” he said, wincing at the accusing tone in his voice. He didn’t even answer her question.

“Did you…” she felt suddenly self-conscious, “I mean, did you like it?” 

Did she think he was blind? “Yeah, I wouldn’t have minded some warning, though,” he admitted. The sound that had come out of his mouth when he opened it rang in his head, and he felt himself flush out of embarrassment. 

“Sorry,” she said, voice sheepish. “I was debating about telling you to open it alone, but I just kind of freaked out and sent it.”

Laughter rumbled from his chest, “you don’t need to apologize. I really liked it.”

“Yeah?” 

“Yeah. I don’t know a man alive who wouldn’t like getting a picture like that from the woman he loves.” 

The casual way he said he loved her made her heart pitter-patter. 

“You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, Lena,” he said.

She liked that he used the word seen. Not the most beautiful woman he’d ever met, the most beautiful he’d ever seen. Heat raced into her cheeks, “really?”

“Yes.” It almost came out a groan. Just thinking about it got him worked up, but now that they were on the phone, he didn’t think it was the time to broach phone sex. Maybe that was her intention in sending it, but their conversation was too sweet and awkward to steer in that direction. He didn’t want to ruin it, or for her to think he only wanted her physically. He wanted every part of her.

His simple answer turned her insides to goo. 

She sniffed, and panic spiked in his chest. “Are you crying?” 

“A little.” 

“Why? What’s wrong?” 

“Nothings wrong,” her voice was wobbly, “I just…I can’t really believe this is my life, you know?” 

“What do you mean?” 

“I mean that I spent six years pining after you, thinking you didn’t like me, and now you’re telling me I’m the most beautiful woman you’ve ever seen. It almost doesn’t feel real.” 

“Yeah,” he swung his legs up onto the sofa under the windows and lay back. “The whole time we were kissing, I kept thinking I needed to pinch myself.” 

She giggled, knowing the feeling all too well. 

“I wish I told you sooner,” he said quietly.

“Tell me about it,” she groaned. 

He knew he would beat himself up about this, and his siblings would hold how they were right about Lena over his head for the rest of time. 

“I can’t believe you sent me a picture of yourself in lingerie,” he said, voice full of wonder and longing. “I don’t think I ever even let myself imagine that.” The reality of it was too much. It made their relationship more tangible somehow. 

“I missed you, and I just kept thinking about how I finally had someone to wear it for other than myself, and I don’t know, I just…I wanted you to see it.”

Her admission made his insides feel gooier than a raclette. “I miss you too,” he said, glad he hadn't steered the conversation to sex. That would come, he knew, but he was glad for this reassurance. 

They fell into a comfortable silence, and Nico pulled in a calming breath. 

“How was class on Friday?” 

“Good. Professor Brown really likes my sketches.” 

“Yeah?” 

“Yeah, she said I really turned a corner and understood what she was trying to get us to do.” 

“That’s great.” 

Posing for her would have never been in vain when it brought them together, but he was glad the art wasn’t going unnoticed by her teachers. 

“She wants to put them in the student showcase for this semester.” 

His mouth went dry. “What?” 

“She said they’re such a cohesive story and series, she’d like to put them in the showcase. It’s a huge honor. I told her I had to talk to you before I could say yes, though.”

Mind racing, Nico wondered what on earth he’d gotten himself into. 

“I…” he paused. “How —” his voice squeaked over the word, and he had to clear his throat, “how long would they be up?” 

“Basically through December. I think the show goes up that first weekend.” 

That was only a few weeks away. 

“And they take it down when we come back after the break, so mid-January, I think.”

“I just…” he gulped, “I — what if someone recognizes me?” It was highly unlikely people who attended art shows at the New York Institute of Art would know him on site, but the thought of a fan seeing the sketches and recognizing him posing nude still made his stomach turn. 

“Well, they won’t be up for sale, so no one will be taking them home but me,” she assured. 

That was a relief.

“I could try to take out your tattoo, make you a little less recognizable.” 

He didn’t respond. 

“You don’t have to decide now. You can take time to think about it.”

The hesitation in her voice made his mind up for him. He wouldn’t be the thing holding her back. He’d figure it out. 

“You should show them,” he found himself saying. 

He’d have to tell the teams PR about it in case someone posted them on social media. 

“Only if you’re sure.” 

“I’m sure. I’m…” Why hadn’t he led out with this? “I’m really proud of you.” 

Her insides turned to pudding again, “thank you, Nico.” 

He would figure it out. It would be fine. The most important thing was that she was getting the recognition she deserved. “We can go see it together?” he asked. 

“They have a gallery opening I’ll have to attend. I’ll have to make sure, but I think it’s on the 6th.” 

He pulled up the team calendar. They were, thankfully, in town and didn’t have a game that Friday. “I can come.” 

“I would love that.” 

“I want to be there to support you.” She supported him through so many things, he was glad he could return the favor. “I can invite some of the guys?” 

“Only if you want,” she said, feeling a little taken aback. “If you’re okay with them seeing the drawings.”

“It’s nothing they haven’t seen before,” he said with a laugh, “and I want them to know how talented my girlfriend is.” 

“Oh, am I your girlfriend now?” she asked, teasing.

If it were up to him, she’d be his wife before too long. “Yes. Finally.” 

She giggled, “I never thought I’d actually get to call you my boyfriend.” 

The excitement in her voice pulled a giddy feeling in his stomach. 

Someone knocked on the window above him, and Nico sat up, startled. Jack was on the other side of the glass, exaggeratedly asking him if he wanted to go into the city.

“Hey, I’m sorry, I have to go,” he said, nodding at Jack. 

“Okay, I’ll talk to you soon?” she said it like a question. 

“Yeah. I’ll call you tomorrow?” 

“That sounds great.” 

He could hear the smile in her voice, and it filled his chest with a warm, buoyant feeling. Turning away from the window, he said, “I love you.” 

“I love you too, Nico. Good luck tonight. I’ll be watching.”

Lena hung up the phone, shaking her head. She'd gone into that call expecting phone sex, and instead, she got emotional reassurance. How was he even real?

He hung up the phone, grinning.

“What’s got you all cheery? Who was on the phone?”

“Lena,” he said, slipping the device into his pocket. 

“Dude, you’ve got to make a move.” 

Nico smiled to himself. He’d tell Jack and the guys eventually, but for now, he was just reveling in the fact that he had, and it turned out better than he ever imagined. 

The photo haunted him for the rest of the road trip. It wasn't even the picture itself, which did live in his mind rent free, and he'd jerked off to at least three times. No, the thing that really haunted him was the fact that she sent it in the first place, that she felt comfortable enough to send it, that she wanted him thinking about and desperate for her. And he was desperate, in a way he'd never experienced before. 

He wanted her to feel the same way, but knew from experience that she didn't like dick pics. 

In a fit of indignation after receiving one on a dating app, she'd handed him her phone to unmatch the guy as she told him, “I don’t know why men think everyone wants to see their dick. I can promise you, no one wants to see your dick. Unless a woman tells you, ‘send me a picture of your penis,’ she doesn't want to see it. Even if she sent you a picture to get off to, she doesn’t want to watch you do it unless she asks for it.” 

He'd asked her what a woman did want. 

“Send her a picture of your hands or your forearm while you’re doing something. Men's forearms are sexy.”

So he'd done just that. A video, actually, strategically cropped to show the flex of his forearm and wrist as he got himself off in their next hotel while her name fell from his lips over and over again. He didn't even need to look at his phone anymore. The photo was burned into his brain and etched onto his eyelids. 

She responded within minutes of him sending it. That's the sexiest thing a man has ever sent me, Nico. I can't believe you remembered. 

The video popped into her mind all the time. She couldn't stop thinking about his big hands and the veins winding up his forearm, standing out under his skin. She couldn’t stop hearing the hushed, breathy way he moaned her name.

It even happened in school if she let her mind wander, which resulted in her creaming her underwear and having to clench her legs together until the feeling eased off.

Touché, Mr. Hishier. Touché.

Four days later, Nico walked into the apartment, surprised to find lights still on. It was Friday night, but still, Lena usually went to bed early. No matter the day, her biological clock kept a rigid schedule. 

Perhaps she left the lights on when she went to sleep, not wanting him to come home to a dark house. As he walked through the living room, however, he found her on the couch, asleep with Cookie tucked against her like a little spoon. 

“Lena?” he asked, squatting in front of her.  

She didn’t even stir. 

“Lena,” he repeated, gently brushing a lock of hair off her forehead.

He loved this simple version of her - the peaceful, soft lines of her face and the gentle curve of her mouth. Her nose ring was slightly off center with her on her side, but it still fit on her face like it was a permanent feature that had always been there. When she showed up in Bern, having had it done just a few weeks previous, it had taken him a full half hour to realize what was different. It fit her and her personality so well, it didn’t stand out as a major change in his mind. 

He hadn’t thought it was possible he could think about kissing her more than he already did. 

“Nico?” she asked in the most adorable sleepy voice he’d ever heard. The visions he had of waking up next to her were suddenly much more real and much sweeter than he originally imagined. 

“What are you doing out here, hase?”

Her eyes finally fluttered open, and her stomach clenched when they met his. His hair had flopped into his eyes, but she could still clearly see the soft care in them. He was in a gray Devils hoodie that looked supremely soft.

Cookie stretched, yawned, and slinked out from under her arm as she reached forward to trace her fingers through his hair, pushing it back. “You’re so handsome, Nico.”

The dimple in his left cheek deepened with his bashful smile. He wasn’t used to her complimenting him so openly. “Danke, hase. What are you doing out here?” 

“Waiting up for you,” she said with a chagrined smile, “or trying to at least.” 

“Lets get you to bed,” he said, standing before he worked an arm under her legs, the other under her shoulders, and lifted her off the couch.

Lena snuggled into him with a contented little noise. She hadn't been carried like this since she was a little kid. 

He lay her on her bed, then pulled the covers out from under her body before settling them over her. 

“Will you stay?” she asked, quietly.

Something behind his sternum fractured a little. “Natürlich,” he murmured, brushing a kiss over her hair. “Let me go get ready, ja?”

She nodded. 

Nico thought for sure she would be asleep when he got back after washing his face and changing into some pajama pants, but though she was still in the same position he left her in, her eyes were open and she gave him an adorably sleepy smile. 

In some sort of dream came true, he walked around the bed to slip in behind her. 

Except Cookie was laying there, pressed against her back, blinking at him slowly as if to ask why Nico was there and what he thought he was about to do. 

“Uh,” he began, not sure what to do. 

“Just move him over here.”

So Nico took the cat around the middle and lifted him over Lena. He squirmed and made a grumbling noise but didn’t swipe. Before he could jump off the bed in a fit of indignation, Lena gathered him against her chest and kissed his head. 

Cookie grumbled again. It was apparently all for show, though, because he settled in her arms almost at once and began purring and nuzzling her chin. 

Now that that was settled, he lifted the covers and slid under them.

Lena felt a contented little sigh escape her as he fitted his body against hers. The oxymoron that was Nico Hischier hit her again. He was big and strong, but he was so gentle and warm as he wrapped his arm around her waist over the blanket. She felt cocooned and protected. 

Cookie turned around and nuzzled his head under Nico’s hand. Chuckling, Nico scratched behind his ears and heard the purring start up again. 

“I’m glad you're home,” Lena said in that slow way people do while they’re falling asleep. 

“Me too,” he responded, tucking his nose into her hair and settling in for the night. 

Though he’d lived the past week, it still felt a little like he didn’t know how he ended up here, or like he should be dreaming. Yes, he dreamed of making love to Lena, but more often than that, he dreamed of these things: of not going to bed alone, of taking care of her, and being taken care of. Not only was he not going to bed alone, she asked him to stay. He felt comfortable holding her, and she felt comfortable enough to lean against him, letting him support her. More than anything else, it felt incredible to be genuine about his feelings and to have them lead to this moment. 

It was the best thing he could have asked for. 

The fatigue that always came with coming home from a road trip caught up with him abruptly, and before he could think about anything else, he was falling asleep. 

Lena woke before Nico did. Which wasn’t unusual. She almost always woke before anyone else in the house. No matter when she’d gone to bed, or what she’d done the day before, she was almost always up before 6:30. It’s why she’d been so shocked to find it was already 9 the morning after their portraiture session. 

Her watch told her it was twenty-two minutes past six. 

Sensing movement, Cookie stretched and put his face in hers, brushing his whiskers over her cheeks. 

She wrinkled her nose at the tickling sensation. “Okay,” she whispered as he put his wet nose to her brow and licked with the tip of his tongue, “okay.” 

Nico’s arm was still heavy around her waist, but he only stirred a little when she lifted it so she could slide out of bed. 

She fed the cat, drank a glass of water, and went back to the bedroom. 

Nico was still asleep, now sprawled on his back, legs and arms spread wide to take up as much room as possible.

The blankets only covered part of his naked torso. Allowing herself a moment, she admired him, the steady rise and fall of his chest, the relaxed set of his fingers, his slightly open mouth. He was a beautiful man. the fact he was in her bed, that he'd held her all night, made her feel as giddy as a school girl.

Sneaking back into bed was always harder than leaving it. 

She’d just managed to tuck herself into his side, resting her head on his chest, when his arm curled around her back. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you,” she said quietly. 

His lips smacked softly. “S’okay,” he mumbled. 

“Do you have practice this morning?” 

She felt him shake his head, chin tracing over the top of her hair at the movement. 

“No practice and no game?” she asked, tracing a finger up the valley between his pecs through the course hair that had been getting thicker through the years. “What are you going to do with yourself?” 

Tightening his arm around her, he nudged Lena on top. She went willingly, draping herself over him. 

“Can think of a few things.” His voice was low and sleepy, and when she looked into his face, she found his eyes were still closed.  

Wonder at how comfortable they were filled her. Of course they were — they’d known each other for more than half a decade. But all these milestones, like waking up in the same bed, were new. She’d never experienced this in a relationship before. There were no nerves eating at her stomach, and no worries about how she looked in the morning plaguing her. He’d seen her in much worse morning states before and never said a thing. It was just Nico, comfortable as always. 

Lying her head on the front of his shoulder, she listened to the steady beat of his heart and the strong rhythm of his breathing. 

That music was lulling her back to sleep when his hand slid up her back, under her sleep shirt. She didn’t know if that part was intentional or not. She supposed it didn’t matter. She still savored the feel of his calloused fingers. 

“Your skin is so soft,” he mumbled as his fingers splayed wide over her spine. 

“So is yours,” she said, adjusting a bit so she could tuck her nose into the base of his neck. He smelled the same as usual, soap and sweat, and that something cedar-y, plus a musky smell she somehow knew only came with sleep.

He chuckled and said something in German. 

“Come again?” she asked, lifting her head. 

One half of his mouth lifted in a smile, dimpling his cheek, but he didn’t offer any other explanation. 

Shaking her head, Lena rested her ear against his shoulder again, sighing when his fingers traced lazily up and down her spine.

Nico couldn’t believe this was his life. Waking up next to Lena was so good. Having her comfortable weight on top of him on a lazy morning? It was such a dream. Even the very fact that he got to touch her like this now felt like a miracle. 

Before he could think it over, his sleepy brain was running his mouth, “I can’t…” 

“You can��t?” she repeated. Her other hand came up to trace the straight line of his collar bone. 

“I can’t believe I get to touch you like this,” he said. 

She smiled and turned her face just enough to press her lips to his skin. It sent an explosion of fizzy, giddy bubbles racing through his stomach. 

“I should have told you sooner.” 

“Me too.” 

Each of them had said some variation of these same sentences each time they’d talked on the phone over the past five days.

“But we’re here now,” she said, fingers trailing over the round musculature of his shoulder and back. She felt a little amazed that she could touch him, too. She’d wanted to for so long, and now, she could. There was nothing holding her back. It felt a little like she’d dropped into a dream.

He took in a deep breath, and she loved feeling his muscles move and shift beneath her. 

“What do you have today?” he asked. 

“Nothing.” 

“Nothing?” he repeated. 

“Nothing but you,” she said, pushing herself up so she could look into his face. 

The smile he gave her was lazy and tired, but it still sent butterflies into flight in her stomach. 

Because she could, because that’s where they were now, she leaned down and kissed him. 

His other hand came up to cradle the back of her head.�� 

She was kissing him. In the morning. After sleeping next to her all night. Feeling his brain come to life while her sweet mouth was on his? There was nothing better. Nico wouldn't mind waking up like this every morning.

They spent a long while in a sweet, lazy exploration of each other. 

Lena worked one of her hands into his hair as she tipped to the left to deepen the kiss. 

When Nico caught her tongue, sucking gently, a soft moan fell from her mouth into his.  She'd never had someone do that before, and now couldn't imagine kissing without it. 

“I love that sound,” he mumbled, lips whispering over hers. 

She hmm’d and silenced him again with her mouth.

Though they still remained soft, their kisses grew more urgent, as did Nico’s growing erection, which pressed insistently against her thigh. 

The deep desire purring in her belly shifted into a higher gear. 

“Can I use my mouth on you?”

She'd been thinking about it for so long, imagining the pleasured noises she could pull out of him. She’d thought about it so many times while he was gone, she couldn’t wait to bring it to fruition.  The memory of the way he groaned her name when she was touching him had been the fuel for many lonely night sessions with her vibrator.

“Was?” he breathed, certain he hadn't heard her correctly. 

“Can I use my mouth on you?” She repeated, trailing kisses along his jaw for good measure.

Fuck. 

FUCK. 

Was this his real life? He pinched his side and flinched from the pain. He wasn't dreaming, then. Not that he’d really thought that. When he dreamed of her going down on him, it usually started with her lips wrapping around him, not with her asking permission. 

His eyes fluttered open to meet hers. “Has anyone ever said no?”

Her cheeks flushed. “I don't know. This is the first time I've asked. Every other guy I’ve been with requested before I could offer.”

“Did you think I would say no?”

“Maybe? Sometimes, I'm just not in the mood for stuff, you know? I don't want to just start in on something you're not ready for. That's not fair to you.”

He'd never had someone ask before, and the sweet thoughtfulness of it broke him open a little more to her. 

“Only if you want to,” he whispered, leaning up to brush his lips over hers, “and only if I can return the favor.”

Her breath hitched, and her wide eyes darted to his. 

“I’ve been thinking about how you taste since last week,” he confessed, voice gone gravely with the memory of cleaning her release off his fingers.

“Nico,” she whispered as heat pooled between her legs.

“When you sent that picture, I couldn’t stop thinking about what I wanted to do to you.”

“Oh yeah?” 

He nodded, hands sliding up her sides. Her shirt bunched atop his wrists. 

She leaned down so her lips were a breath away from his ear, “and what do you want to do to me?”

Though she had him practically panting, his voice somehow still came out a low tambour. “I want to lick you over that lace before I take it off and make you come on my tongue.”

“Oh my god,” she whispered, core throbbing at the mere thought of it. “I…” 

If someone told her, even just five days ago, that Nico Hischier had such a dirty mouth, Lena wouldn’t have believed them. He was usually so polite. She’d never even imagined him saying something like that.  

She liked this filthy-mouthed side of him she’d never seen before. Why had she waited so damn long to tell him?

Rolling them onto their sides, he pressed his lips to her neck, unable to keep his mouth off of her anymore.

“Do you want me —” her voice dropped into a moan as he pushed her onto her back, licking and sucking along the column of her throat. 

“Yes,” he growled into her skin, “so damn much.” 

“Do you want me to put it on?” she finally managed to ask, gasping the words out before he could steal her breath again.

Lifting his head, his brown eyes met hers. He had that same wide open, loving look in them. “Put what on?” 

Why would she put anything on? He was far more interested in shedding her clothes.

“The lingerie.” 

Oh. 

Well. 

That was a bit different. 

Lena watched his eyes go dark with lust. 

“You’d do that?” he whispered, touched and incredibly turned on.

Nodding, she bit her lip before deciding she could just blurt it out, “I want you to do what you wanted to, and I want to see your reaction.” 

Now that he’d brought up the idea of licking her over her underwear which, what the hell, sounded so hot she could hardly stand it, she needed to feel it. She wanted THAT to be her first experience with his mouth. 

Nico was such an excellent kisser, she knew he would be good at oral. Plus, the idea of wrapping her fingers in his hair as he went down on her? That fantasy had been in regular rotation for years. 

He paused, seemingly caught between saying yes and just continuing as they were. 

Maybe he needed a little more incentive. “What if I put it on to suck you off?” she asked, voice seductive and low in his ear. 

With a soft groan, he buried his face in her neck. He had to admit, fulfilling the initial fantasy that had flooded his mind when she sent that picture was incredibly tempting, and if it included her wearing it to go down on him? That was a fantasy in and of itself. He couldn't find his voice, but he nodded all the same. 

“Meet you in your room in five minutes?” she suggested. 

Five minutes felt like an eternity when she was under him now, but he knew they would be worth it. 

“Okay,”

A few minutes later, she knocked on his doorframe, and he spun. She had a soft looking robe on. Green with matching lace trim. 

He looked almost instantly disappointed. 

“I thought you might want to take it off,” she offered quietly, taking a few steps toward him.

He was still just in his pajama pants, the band of his boxers peeking above the waistband. God, why was that always so sexy? 

Though he appreciated the gesture, Nico shook his head. 

Stopping abruptly, Lena confirmed, “no?” 

Shaking his head again, Nico managed to clear his throat and tell her, “want you to.”

Fingers trembling with excitement, she pulled one end of the tie, slipping it from the bow. 

This was an exercise in a kind of vulnerability Lena had never experienced before. Yes, Nico was her best friend, and she trusted him with her life, but she’d never undressed in front of someone like this. This wasn’t just about seduction. This was about bearing herself to a man she loved and who she knew loved her. There was anticipation, but no nervousness, longing, but no worry. There was love and more love and more love under that. She’d never felt like that before.

This wasn’t some kind of strip tease meant to thrill. No, she was bearing a piece of her soul.

Nico found he was holding his breath and made himself pull air into his lungs. 

Lena grasped the two sides of the robe and pulled them apart until they slipped over her shoulders. The fabric puddled to the floor around her feet. 

 A noise he couldn’t control flew out of his mouth. God, if he thought she looked beautiful in the picture, it was nothing compared to this. To the reality of her standing in front of him. She was real — supple skin and hazel eyes and curves he wanted to spend his entire life traversing — right down to her hands, which were splayed over the flesh of her hips as if she didn’t know what else to do with them. 

She was…she was a goddess. He would worship her every day of the week. “You’re so beautiful, Lena,” he croaked.

“Thank you,” she said, a blush pinking her cheeks. 

“Can you —” he had to pause to clear his throat. 

She nodded encouragingly. 

“Can I see the back?” 

She let out a little giggle and turned for him, looking back over her shoulder.

The back of the bra was fairly standard - straps and a band that was secured by a row of hooks. The underwear were anything but. They cut high on her cheeks and perfectly accentuated the curvature of her hips. His jaw went slack. 

This was a better response than she could have asked for. When she’d bought this set, one of the selling points was how good the panties made her ass look. Having Nico appreciate it to the point of open mouthed silence, sent a delighted thrill through her. 

“Now you?” she said, turning back around and nodding at his pants.

Taking a deep breath, he worked his thumbs under the waistband of his pajamas. Pushing the elastic over his hips, the cotton fell down, and he stepped out of it. 

Lena let out a thick sigh, eyes roaming over him, from the bob of his Adam’s apple and flex of his stomach to the dark hair trailing from his belly button into the elastic band of his briefs and the lighter hair that crept up his thighs. She'd seen all these things before as an artist, but now, she was seeing them as a woman. She didn't have to stuff down her desire or try to channel it through her pencil. She got to admire him as a woman who wanted him. 

When their eyes met again, his were nervous, as if waiting for a verdict. Instead of saying anything, she took the few steps forward, slid her hand to the back of his neck, and nudged him down as she raised herself on tiptoe. 

Their lips met, and that feeling of rightness filled Lena again. As her tongue swept into his waiting mouth, she pressed herself against him. 

Taking the time to savor the feel of the lace beneath his palms, Nico caressed her hips slowly before sliding them around to cradle her rump. 

She broke the kiss, and his hands were suddenly sliding up her body as she lowered onto her knees in front of him. “Shit, Lena,” he breathed. 

A coy, sexy smile took over her face, and Lena leaned in to press her lips to his right thigh. The muscle jumped beneath his skin.

“Wait.” 

Pulling back to sit on her haunches, Lena looked up at him, surprised. No man had ever told her to stop when she was setting up to suck him off. 

Half of Nico’s brain was in his dick, but he needed to get this right. “I went first last time,” he said.

“It’s not like we have to take turns.” 

“I know, but I want to give first.” When she didn’t move, he added on a slightly desperate, “please.” 

She nodded, and he took her hands to pull her to her feet. They turned so her back was facing the bed, and he smiled indulgently at the way she had to do a little hop to sit on the mattress. 

“Lay back,” he said. 

She scooted up to the pillows and did as he instructed.

She was a fantasy in his dark sheets. 

Biting his lip, he paused to admire her for a moment before climbing onto the bed and covering her body with his. As their mouths met in a passionate, desperate kiss, he settled between her legs. He rutted his hips into her, and she moaned. The sound made him heady, and he did it again just to hear it. If they kept that up, he would be begging her to let him fuck her right then. But he knew from fingering her the week before that she would need to be relaxed and stretched a bit before she could take him comfortably. Plus, now that she was in his bed in this lingerie, he had to bring his desires to life. And he really fucking wanted his mouth on her. 

He broke from the kiss and trailed his lips over her chin and down her neck and chest. Too impatient to wait, his mouth found her pebbled nipple, teasing it through the fabric of her bra. 

Lena had never felt anything so hot in her life. Her hands wove into his hair, and she moaned. “Nico. Oh my god.”

He moved on too quickly, but before she could complain, his lips were skimming over her stomach, down to the band of her panties. The memory of his confession crashed into her mind. 

I want to lick you over that lace before I take it off and make you come on my tongue.

She writhed beneath him.

He nosed her mound gently, playfully, and glanced up to her face. “This is still okay?” 

“Yes!” she hissed, voice pulled tight. “Please, Nico.”

Who was he to deny what she wanted? 

Spreading her thighs with his hands, he leaned in and trailed his nose up the gusset of her underwear. His mouth started to water. Shit, she smelled so good. 

He couldn’t hold back any longer. His tongue met the lace, licking a slow stripe up the center. He could almost taste her through the fabric. The sweet, tangy flavor he'd been craving for a week was so close. 

Lena could almost feel him. There was pressure, and the heat from his breath was there, but the full stimulation of his tongue wasn't. Experiencing him like this was so hot, the anticipation of feeling him built and built until it felt like she may just explode. She let out a wanton moan of his name.

He teased her until her hips were grinding up, and her breathing was coming out in hot puffs. He teased her until he couldn’t take it anymore. 

She whined when he pulled back but cut the noise off when his fingers slipped into the band of her underwear and started pulling it down. Desperate to please, she lifted her hips, allowing him to peel them from her body more easily.

He took his time, running his hands down her legs, and when the fabric was free, he brought it to his nose just to work himself up a little more. His dick twitched.

“Fuck,” she whispered. Who knew her polite, cheerful Nico had this side to him? 

He almost wished he was still wearing pants so he could slip her panties into his pocket. Instead, he tossed them over the side of the bed. He’d pick them up later. 

Settling between her legs again, he looked up to meet her gaze over the expanse of her body. Propped up on her elbows, her chest rose and fell, testing the limits of her bra with every inhale. He could hardly stand it.

“You’re so fucking beautiful.”

She blushed. How did he know exactly what to say? Could he read her thoughts or something? 

“You’ll tell me if you don’t like something,” he verified, “or if you want something else?” 

Only after she nodded did he get to work, plunging his face between her thighs like he’d been dreaming of for years. 

A sense of deep satisfaction rumbled in his chest when she cried out.

She tasted the same, like he remembered, and better: sweet and tangy and fresh. He couldn't get enough. He licked and kissed and teased and tasted.

Falling back against his pillows, Lena moaned his name. 

Her left hand found its way into his hair again, weaving the long, soft strands through her fingers. The reality of this fantasy coming true made her shake as much as his clever tongue did. 

He moved to lap at her entrance, which was not where she wanted him at all.

“Nico, I –” her voice cut off with a moan as his nose nudged her clit. 

Fuck it. Tightening her fingers into a fist, she tugged on his hair, guiding his mouth where she needed it.

He grunted into her as his lips surrounded her throbbing pearl, so eager for his attention.

“There,” her voice was a breathy pant that made his heart race, “right there, Nico.” 

Hands tightening on her thighs, he feasted. 

Her hips shifted, and even though it made it near impossible for him to breathe, he kept on, intent on his mission. 

“Suck.” 

It took half a second for his brain to understand her word as a command. He obeyed, and the groan she let out made him light headed. Or maybe that was the lack of oxygen. It didn’t matter. There was no way he was stopping until she was falling apart beneath him. 

He thought briefly about using his fingers, but no. He wanted to make her come like this first. 

His lips and tongue continued working their magic on her. Pressure built and tingled in her pelvis until it spread, shooting down her legs and making her toes curl. 

“Nico,” she gasped. 

When he glanced up, he found her right hand cupping her breast, thumb and forefinger teasing the peak of her nipple through the lace of her bra. The sight of it — of her adding to her own pleasure — made his eyes roll back. 

The vibration of his groan lit her on fire. It was the final push she needed to tip over the edge. 

She crashed in an explosion of color and sound as his eager mouth kept working, sending wave after wave of ecstasy rushing through her body.

The pleasured noises she chanted were the most beautiful music he’d ever heard. She pulsed under his mouth, and he lapped at her release. He wanted to drink from her fountain for the rest of his life. 

Coming back to herself, Lena pushed him away from her core before the overstimulation could turn into pain. 

The sight of him — eyes hooded with desire, mouth and chin wet with her orgasm — made her moan again as he pushed himself up. 

Nico felt drunk. Drunk on her pleasure and the fact that he’d been the one to pull it out of her. 

He licked his lips, pulling more of her release into his mouth before wiping his face with the back of his hand.

He lay next to her and slid his hand over her stomach, letting it come to rest comfortably cupping her breast.

Lena was flat on her back, trying to get her breathing back to a normal rhythm. 

“Oh my god,” she finally managed to gasp. 

“It was good?” he asked. 

“Yes!” she smacked his chest when she said it. “I don’t… I mean…” 

He smiled as she tried to find the words. 

Turning her head, she met his gaze. “I never knew you were so nasty.” 

“I wasn’t mean,” he defended, hurt that she was accusing him. 

“No, like kinky.” 

He hated this part of speaking English. Why did so many words have so many different meanings that they already had words for?

“It’s kinky that I like the way you smell and taste?” 

“I’ve never — I mean no one has ever…”

“It was my first time with you,” he said, nuzzling his nose into her neck. “I wanted to savor it.”

“Speaking of, I think it’s your turn,” she said coyly, pressing a hand to his shoulder. She shoved, and he flopped onto his back without protest. 

She climbed over him, straddling his torso. 

Finally feeling the weight of her on top of him was heaven. She was tethering him down to earth. 

Her hot wetness against his skin made him twitch. He couldn't wait to bury himself inside her. Just imagining how tight and wet she'd feel around him made him moan.  

“I haven't even touched you yet,” she smirked. 

“I want you so bad.” The words slipped out in German. He started to translate, but she cut him off. 

“I got the idea,” she said seductively as she leaned down to kiss him. She could taste herself on his lips and tongue as she did her best to work him up with her mouth alone.  

The way he moaned sent a bolt of desire through her. Unable to stop herself, she rutted her hips against the hard wall of his stomach. 

He choked out a curse, head tipping back into the pillows. 

Taking advantage, she connected her mouth to his throat, feeling his Adams apple move under her lips as he swallowed hard. 

“Lena.” 

She moved to the other side of his neck. 

His hands slipped to her hips, desperate to touch her. 

As she slid down his body, her core passed over his, causing gentle pressure on his cock through the confining material of his boxers. His hips thrust up, desperate for more. 

Bracing on his chest, Lena pushed herself up and ground her hips down on his. 

Lashes fluttering, his eyes rolled back, and he gripped her hips with more ferocity. 

She’d never had this kind of power over a man before. It made her heady with the want to tease him until he begged.

“Lena,” he groaned, almost as if in pain. 

“Hmm?”

“I’m —” he gasped as she reached around, unclasped her bra, and took it off. She threw it across the room.

“I’m gonna come if you keep doing that,” he warned as she rocked against him.

“Is that so bad?” she asked, her voice thrown into mock innocence. 

“I — fuck.” She was riling him up and he loved it. “Want to feel your mouth,” he finally managed to say. 

“What if I want to hear you beg?”

His eyes shot open, pupils blown wide. Her tone was playful, as were her eyes, and mirth dripped from her smile. He knew if he said he didn’t like it, she’d stop right away. Except, with her on top of him, he found he was ready to do whatever she wanted. 

“Lena.” 

“Hmm?” 

“Fuck, Lena. Please.” If she wanted him to beg, he’d beg. 

“Please what?” she asked innocently, lowering her mouth over his nipple. He twitched against her as her tongue circled the small peak before flicking over the top of it. 

His breath practically huffed out of his lungs. 

“I want your mouth,” he groaned. “Please.”

“You do have very good manners,” she complimented, pushing herself up again. 

They were going to go out the window if she didn't do something soon. “Please.”

If he didn’t know her sliding further down his body likely meant he would feel her mouth soon, he would have whined at the loss of stimulation. 

Once she found herself over his legs, Lena leaned down to kiss that trail of dark hair that wound its way down the center of his abs and dipped into the waistband of his boxer briefs. 

“Can I take these off?” she asked as her fingers tucked under the elastic. 

“Please,” bracing on his heels, he thrust his hips up so she could remove them, breathing a sigh of relief when his cock sprung free of the confining material. 

“How do you like it?” she asked, hands caressing up his thighs. 

He gulped. “I —” 

“Or do you just want me to start, and you can tell me if you don’t like something?” 

He nodded vigorously. The thing he wanted most was for her to just put her mouth on him. He’d dreamed of it so many times, and now, here she was, leaning over him. 

The guttural groan that tore from his chest as Lena wrapped her lips around the head of his cock surprised them both. Her eyes shot up to look at his face, making sure he wasn’t in pain. His eyes were glued to her, wide with adoration and lust. The sight of her with her lips around him — he could die a happy man. 

“You feel so good,” he groaned. 

She loved that when he got worked up, his accent thickened.

 One of her hands was braced on his thigh, while the other swept up to cradle his balls, stroking the sensitive skin with her thumb.

The only thing Nico could do was chant her name. Every time he tried to say something else, she did something new, hollowing her cheeks, or sensuously licking the tip, or moving her mouth to the underside of his cock so her open lips traced the vein there, the tip of her tongue whispering between them. 

When her lips wrapped around him again, he was gone. “Gonna –-”  he only managed to get that one word out before he was exploding into her hot, heavenly mouth.

She squeaked in surprise but relished sucking his release off and feeling it slide down her throat. 

She lay beside him, watching Nico gasping in breaths, contented to have brought out this side of him. 

“Holy shit,” he said. 

“It was good?” she asked, repeating his earlier question and trying not to giggle. 

Turning his head, he glanced at her, one eyebrow raised. 

Before either of them could respond, her stomach grumbled loudly. 

Her eyes widened, and her hand flew to cover it, “Sorry, I’ve usually eaten by this time.”

“You don't need to apologize,” he said, laughing. 

“Why aren’t you all grumbly?” she asked. 

“I…ate a protein bar while you were getting changed,” he admitted. 

“You – what? And you didn't even think to share?” she demanded, playfully shoving away from him. “Some boyfriend you are.”

He smiled at being called her boyfriend,  even through the insult. 

“Sharing your food is like boyfriend 101.”

“I did order breakfast,” he offered. 

“When?”  

“Last night. It should be here in,” he glanced at the clock on his nightstand, “fifteen minutes. I kind of forgot how early you wake up.”

“Nico Hischier,” she said, voice full of teasing admonition as she crawled over him, “did you plan to seduce me this morning?”

He grinned, and she laughed as he pulled her down. She bounced on his chest. “Maybe I did. Aren't you glad I at least planned ahead?”

Pulling back to look into his face, her smile was soft and full of love. “Yes,” she said, leaning down to kiss him. “Yes, I am.” 

While waiting for breakfast to arrive, they made out, slowly and passionately, hands tracing each others bodies with a reverent tenderness Lena had always dreamed of. 

He was starting to stiffen up against her thigh again. It seemed impossible he could be nearly ready to go so soon after coming. He really did have the body of a God. 

His phone buzzed on the nightstand, and he pulled away reluctantly. 

“That’s breakfast,” he said. 

“Guess we should go get it,” she said, though she didn’t make any moves to get off of him. 

“I’ll go,” he said, pressing a quick kiss to her pouty, over-kissed mouth, “you stay here.” 

She watched as he threw on a new pair of boxers, some joggers, and a t-shirt before strolling out of the apartment. 

“Have you seen my underwear?” she asked when he came back through the door, a bag from her favorite bagel shop in one hand, and two coffees in a carrier in the other. 

“Hu?” he asked, slipping the coffees onto the table. 

“My underwear,” she said. “I couldn’t find them in your room.” 

“Weird,” he said, hoping she wouldn’t pick up on the hot flush of his cheeks. 

“Do you have them?” she asked. When all he responded with was a non-committal grunt, she surmised, “they’re in your pocket, aren’t they?”

He couldn’t keep the little smile off of his face. 

She rolled her eyes and took the iced coffee. “It’s a good thing I love you.” 

His smile grew brighter, and he handed her her sandwich. 

“No one’s ever made me feel like you do, Nico.”

 He’d just been telling her he felt like he won the lottery, and she wanted to assure him she felt the same. 

“Like no ones made you come?” he asked, licking ketchup off his thumb.

“No. Well, I mean, yes. You’re better because you listen —”

A smug smile took over his face. 

“I mean that you accept me. Like all of me. That hadn’t really happened in my life before you.” 

His brows shot up.

“I don’t think my family really knew what to do with me,” she said, picking up the other half of her ham and egg sandwich. 

“What do you mean?” 

“They’re all sporty, you know, and I’m…not. I’ve always been this creative free spirit, and I think my parents were at a bit of a loss when I was so bad at skating and said I wanted to take drawing lessons instead.”

“They love your art, though.” Nico had met her parents, and both of them seemed extremely proud of her. 

“They’re better now, but when I was in primary school, and even up to the point that you came in, it always felt a bit like they resented that I had these talents.” 

“Resented?” he asked. 

“Yeah, like they wished I was more like the rest of the family.”

His brows drew together. 

“And don’t get me started on the boys on the team.” 

“Everyone really liked you. I think every guy on the team had a crush on you.” All the more reason to feel contented he had her now.

“Listen, you don’t get it.”

“Don’t I?” 

“No. You were always good at sport and popular, right?” 

He made a non-commital noise. Popularity in North America was very different from how he grew up. There was much more comparison than he ever experienced. 

“I was always the artsy girl in a place that worships sports.”

“But you came to sports?”

“Yeah,” one of her shoulders shrugged up, “I came to support my friends, but they hardly ever came to things to support me. I remember Robbie told me once, ‘I don’t have enough culture for that,’ when I invited him to an art show I had some pieces in.” 

Robbie had been their goalie, who had brought Lena into the friend group. He and Jessica were now married and had several children. 

Nico’s heart broke a little. 

“And then you came in and not only did you not treat me like the only thing I was good for was being looked at, you knew some things about art, and you actually talked to me about it.”

In fact, She still vividly remembered her first encounter with Nico. 

She’d been sitting on the refreshments counter at the rink, drawing in her ever-present sketchbook while Jessica puttered around the tiny kitchen. He’d walked up to her, asked if he could see, and said, “that’s very good,” when she showed him.

She’d blushed and thanked him, and he asked where she learned to draw. 

Jessica had interjected then, bragging about Lena’s painting skills, and telling him he should come see them at the school the next time he was there.

He’d then given Lena his trademark dimpled smile and said he would. 

She was used to this. Boys said this all the time, but then would never actually show. 

Lo and behold, three days later, she was shocked to find Nico outside the art classroom after school, studying one of her paintings Mr. Jacobsen had hung in the hallway. 

“Hey Nico.”

He startled a little, “hi, Lena. You did this, right?” 

She nodded. 

“It’s very good. I like the shape,” he said, then frowned, shaking his head slightly, “not the shape. The,” he gestured with his hands as if dividing the three sections of the painting, the sky, forrest and field. “What’s the word for this?” he asked, repeating the gesture. 

“The composition?” she guessed. 

“Yes, the composition,” he said, relieved that she understood what he was trying to say. “I like that the sky is bigger. It feels like that here.” 

“Thank you.” It was exactly what she’d been aiming for. 

“You’re very talented,” he said, turning to look at her. He met her eyes and smiled. 

“Thank you,” she said again, wishing she had some other way to respond to his compliments. She didn’t have much experience with the nice, cute boy in school talking to her about art and pulling out words like composition and knowing how to use them properly in a sentence. 

It had started their friendship. It was amazing how that simple interaction of him following through made her feel. Not only seen in so many ways, but also that it kicked the budding crush she had on him into hyperdrive. She’d never met another man like him. 

Pink splotches rose high on his cheeks, and he gave her a chagrined smile. 

“What?” she asked, laughing. 

“I didn’t know much about art,” he said. “I went home and looked it up so I could talk to you about it.”

His confession made her heart burst, “really?” 

He nodded, “you were passionate about it, and I wanted to know you, so I had to learn so we could talk.”

“Nico, I can’t believe you did that for me.” 

He blushed and smiled some more. 

“How are you even real?” she asked, reaching out to run her fingers through his hair. 

It called up memories of not that long ago when she had her fingers tangled in his hair for a different reason. “Real?” he asked. 

“You’re like a dream,” she said, hand slipping to cup his jaw. “Kind and thoughtful and dedicated, and handsome to boot. It’s like you’re too perfect to be real.” 

He laughed, loud and open. He couldn’t think of anyone further from perfect than himself. 

After their meal and brushing their teeth, Nico spent some more time between her legs, eating a second and third breakfast, using his beautiful hands to aid in bringing her to a crest twice more. 

“Fuck,” she breathed as he lay next to her, “how did you get so good at that?” 

He laughed, wiping his face with his hand. “I don’t know. I listen.” 

“You listen?” she repeated. 

“Yeah, you make this little ‘uh,’” he imitated a high pitched grunt, “noise when you feel good, so I do whatever I just did again when you make it.” 

Rolling onto her side, she looked at him, “I do?” 

He nodded. 

“When did you notice that?” 

“Last week. You told me what to do and then made that noise when I did it. So I tired it again,” he said with a shrug and a secret little smile.

She knew Nico was used to noticing things other people didn’t. It’s what made him a good hockey player. He noticed and noted things about players and teams and used them to put together his best game possible. He even noticed things about her - like the fact that she liked pistachio flavored things, and liked to paint on the right side of the living room and that she liked a margarita. She couldn't remember ever telling him these things, but he had pistachio creamer in his fridge, moved the living room furniture around, and brought her a margarita whenever they went out together. 

“You’re something else, Nico Hischier,” Lena said, bringing her hand up to the side of his face. 

He smiled, nuzzling his cheek into her palm. 

“What do you want?” he asked. He wanted her, but if she wanted more foreplay, he would give it to her. He just wanted her to be happy. 

Scooting closer, she slung a leg over his hip. She held eye contact as she said, “I want you to make love to me, Nico.” 

His hand slid onto her thigh, up to her hip, and over the curve of her waist in a reverent exploration. “How do you want it? Like, what position?” he asked. 

“Missionary,” she said, her fingers tracing over his collar bone and onto his chest. “I want to see you.” 

It struck him as a tender thing for her to request, and he was glad for it. He wanted to see her, too. They could try more intense positions later. For now, that was how it needed to be. 

“Where are you going?” she asked when he rolled away from her. 

He glanced back at her with a cheeky smile. “Eager,” he teased with a lingering scan of her body as he reached into the drawer of his bedside table. 

She snorted. 

“I’m getting a condom,” he said, holding up the foil wrapped package once he’d dug one out. 

“Oh,” she said. “I have an IUD if you don’t want to.” 

His next breath came shallow. 

“I mean, unless you’re not clean. I haven’t had unprotected sex since I was last tested.”

He didn’t like to think of her having any sex at all unless it was with him. “We get tested at the start of every season,” he said. “All clear. I haven’t had sex since then.” 

“Then,” she reached forward to pluck the condom from his fingers, relieved she hadn’t been the only celibate one for the last three months, “I don’t think we need to use one.” She tossed it behind him. It landed on the nightstand, skidded across the surface, and fell somewhere they could find later. “I don’t want anything between us.”

Her eyes were dark with desire, and he felt it through his whole body. 

“You’re incredible,” he said reverently, bringing his body next to hers again. 

She reached between them to stroke his erection and his eyes fluttered closed. Feeling her hand reminded him how quickly he’d come in her mouth. “I’m scared I won’t last,” he admitted. 

He’d dreamed of being inside her for so long, gotten himself off to the thought of it so many times, he might just explode the second it became real. Reality shortening his fuze to next to nothing.

“Nico.” 

He met her gaze. 

“I don’t care how long you last.” Lena was struck once again with how handsome he was. Those big, brown doe eyes and pouty mouth. How was this her life? 

He scoffed. 

“I’m serious,” she said, giving him a look that told the truth. “I just want to feel you.” 

He looked almost as if he might cry. 

“And I know if you do come too fast, you’ll make it up to me. You’ve already given me four orgasms and it’s not even ten in the morning.” 

He chuckled, glad for her reassurance and humor. 

“Is this helping?” she asked, continuing at the same, gentle pace, “or no?” 

He nodded. It probably was helping - getting him used to the feel of her.

“Do you want me to keep going?” 

He shook his head, finally getting up the strength to pull her hand away. They’d waited long enough. 

Lena rolled onto her back, and he followed, bracing himself on his forearms above her. 

As he reached down go guide himself, Nico pulled in a deep breath. Slow. They were going to take this slow, and everything was going to be fine.

Even nestling his tip against her entrance sent sparks pinging through his system. 

He tore his eyes from where their bodies would soon be joined and looked into her face, “this is okay?”

She nodded.

“You’ll tell me if —” 

She leaned up to cut him off with a kiss. “Make love to me, Nico,” she whispered as she settled back against the pillows. 

And so, he eased forward. 

Her hips tipped to his, a pleasured sigh escaping her lips. There was a stretch, but he’d prepped her so well, there was no pain. 

She met his gaze as his hips settled against hers. He was looking at her with all this love and adoration. No one had ever looked at her like that but him. Reaching up, she swept some of his hair out of his eyes, only to have it fall right back. 

A laugh chuffed out of him as if to agree that was a losing battle.  

“You can move,” she said after a few more moments of his trembling stillness. 

He swallowed and shifted his hips back. 

She took in a sharp breath. “Oh.”

“Feels good?” his voice was tight with restraint. 

The fullness of him was good, but feeling him move inside her was better. “Yes,” she moaned. 

A thousand little dreams came true.  

The sight of her beneath him was a replay of so many fantasies, his resolve was unraveling too fast. He knew she meant what she said about him coming too soon, but he wanted to be good for her, and, dammit, he wanted to feel her fall apart around him. He slammed his eyes closed. 

“How does it,” she gasped as he withdrew to the tip, “feel?” 

“You feel so good, Lena,” he panted. “You’re so tight.”

“Or you’re so thick,” she countered, back arching as he thrust back onto her, a little harder.

That’s when she heard it, that little grunt. It was something her body seemed to do naturally. She would never have noticed it if Nico hadn’t pointed it out. And he’d picked up on it almost immediately, filing the information in his beautiful brain to help bring her pleasure. What had she ever done to deserve this man?

Nico risked looking at her. She was beautiful every time he saw her, but this took the cake.

“What do you need? What will make you come?” 

Of course Nico was mature enough to communicate and know he needed her help to get her there.

“Keep going,” she panted as her hand slipped between them in search of her clit. Nico felt so good. So incredible inside her, but she'd never been able to get off by penetration alone. 

His jaw dropped as her walls fluttered around him. “Fuck can't do that,” he groaned. 

“Need it,” she whispered, pressing purposeful circles over the sensitive bundle. 

He moaned her name and buried his face in her neck. She felt so much better than he'd even fantasized. 

She made a noise that made his hair stand on end. God, how was he going to get through this without embarrassing himself when she sounded like that? Like more than all of his dreams combined?

“Nico,” she moaned his name the same way, and he felt his resolve crumble a little bit more. 

Pulling from every self discipline lesson he'd learned in hockey and beyond, he stilled, reminding his body his mind was more powerful. 

Once he had some semblance of control back, his competitive determination snapped into place, and his desire to please her took the drivers seat. He needed to see her come beneath him.

“Can you…” she trailed off before demanding, “Nico, harder.”

He braced lifted himself higher and drove his cock into her with more ferocity, grunting with each show of strength. 

“Oh my god. Nico, yes!” Feeling his strong hips drive into her over and over again made her back bow.

Sweat broke out along his hairline just as much from exertion as the restraint he was clinging to. 

“I’m almost there.”

“Let go,” he growled. 

Her mouth dropped open. She never expected to hear Nico order her around at all, but hearing the gruff command in SwissGerman sent her body into a frenzy. She had no idea what he said, but it was the hottest fucking thing she'd ever heard. 

Her hips rose to meet his, and he could still feel her fingers between them, working for her own high. 

He watched pleasure roll across her face and continued on.  “Lena,” his resolve was slipping, and he heard desperation creep into his voice. “Come.”  

That one word order — she knew it had to be — tipped her over the precipice, and her body seized.

Feeling her walls clench around him pulled a shout from his gut. Fuck, she felt so good. As he continued, the rapid pulsating began. 

“Lena,” it came out a desperate moan.

This was…she was… “Lena.”

Careening over the edge with a shouted, “Fuck!” he flooded her in a haze of bliss. 

Afterglow turned his limbs to jelly, and he collapsed atop her. 

Walking to his locker the next morning, Nico tried his best to be as inconspicuous as possible. If he didn’t draw attention to the hickeys on his neck and chest, no one would notice. He’d just change with his chest facing the stall. 

“Ooh!” Dawson called out as soon as he’d stripped off his shirt, “Cap finally got laid!”

He went rigid. The memory of Lena’s nails raking over his back as she unraveled beneath him for the fourth - or maybe it was the fifth - time flew into his mind. 

He'd nearly howled like a wolf when she'd done it. The pain, together with the pleasure of her walls constricting around him – not to mention the very reality that he was the one making her come so hard – made him see stars. 

“Whose the lucky lady?” Jack asked, sauntering over, “was it that blonde from the bar? I bet it was the blonde.” 

He felt himself snort. “No,” he said, voice louder than he expected. Of course it wasn’t the blonde from the bar. Some girl he’d just met could never compare.

“Who was it then? We all know it wasn’t Lena.” 

Nico couldn’t help the smug little smile that spread over his lips. 

Jonas picked up on it right away. “it was Lena wasn’t it?” he asked, eyes going wide. 

Feeling himself blush, Nico tried and failed to keep the grin off his face.

“It was!” Jack exclaimed. “You finally got the balls!” he clapped a hand on Nicos shoulder and spun him around, taking in the marks on his chest and neck. “Looks like she enjoyed herself at least!” he said with a laugh.

“Aw man,” Dawson moaned, sinking onto the bench at his stall. “Why are all the hot girls taken?” 

“You didn’t seriously think you had a chance with Lena, did you?” Curtis chirped, one sarcastic eyebrow raised. 

Dawson shrugged, feeling his face and neck get hot. 

“Didn’t you see the way she and Nico have been eye fucking each other the past four months? Neeks was practically on his knees at Halloween.” 

“I was not,” Nico defended. 

“No,” Jack broke in, “you were. You were practically drooling, to be honest.” 

Coming home after practice, the apartment smelled heavenly. Like spicy sausage and something creamy. Lena was cooking. 

He followed his nose to the kitchen and found her at the stove in a pair of running shorts and a gray Devils t-shirt, stirring whatever she had in the sauce pot. 

As he watched, she brought the spoon to her mouth, tipped her head to the side as she tasted, then reached for the salt. She shook some in before stirring and repeating the process.

She must have deemed it done because she set the spoon down and flipped off the burner. She grabbed some hot pads and lifted the pot off the stove. 

A yelp escaped her mouth when Lena turned to find Nico in the doorway, looking at her. She nearly dropped the whole pot of sauce. 

 “Oh my God! Why do you do that?” she demanded, managing to set the pot back on the stove. 

An amused smile lifted his mouth, dimpling one cheek more than the other. “Do what?” 

“You keep just showing up in the kitchen without any warning!” she said, flapping a hot pad in his direction, “and it scares the hell out of me when I turn around.” 

“I just get too distracted to say hello,” he admitted. 

“Distracted?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. 

“Yeah, you’re…” he paused, gesturing to her as he tried to find the right words. “You’re so pretty it steals my thoughts sometimes.”

She blushed. 

“That time I came in when you had that pink underwear on, I thought I might faint.”

She rolled her eyes. 

“I’m serious, Lena,” he said, finally stepping in so he could put his hands on her waist. The fact that he could touch her like this now was still banging pots and pans around his brain each time he did it.

“You thought you might faint?” she repeated. “that seems a little dramatic, Nico.” 

He shrugged, “it was like this stolen moment.”

“What?” 

He paused, working his thumbs under the shirt hanging loose on her petite frame. He loved that she’d started wearing his shirts.

“I loved you for so long, and it was like this little, secret gift.” His thumbs drew circles on her skin as he thought through the words, “it was like I was seeing you like I might if we were together, and I just couldn’t…I couldn’t bear to say anything because it would break it.”

“I thought you were shocked at my thighs,” she blurted, effectively running the moment. What he was saying was so incredibly sweet, but him bringing up that moment brought her straight back. 

He laughed quietly. “I was shocked at your thighs. I don’t think I’d ever seen you in your underwear.” 

“I mean…I thought you didn’t like them,” she said quietly, hoping he didn’t think she was fishing for compliments. The way he’d tenderly kissed her there the night before told her she’d been wrong. 

His gaze grew soft, “you’re so beautiful, Lena. How could you think that?” 

One of her shoulders shrugged up. “I’ve never really liked them.”

His hand slid down over her hip to tenderly grip the flesh, “I love them,” he said, leaning in closer to nuzzle his nose against hers. “I especially like what’s between them.” 

“You’re insatiable,” she teased, even as her heart fluttered. It was a strange thing to have her insecurities turned inside out so easily. 

“Can you blame me?” he asked, lips whispering over hers, “when I’ve wanted you for so long, and now,” he slid his other hand to her other thigh, and tightened his fingers, nudging her to jump. She did, and he moved to cup her rear to hold her up as her ankles hooked around his waist. “Now I have you?” The truth in his statement, along with the feel of her body pressed against his, made him a little breathless.

The steps they’d taken to get here were clear, and she followed them again and again in her mind, but in moments like this, it still felt like a dream. Instead of answering, she kissed him.

They’d kissed a lot now, but it still felt so new that each time she initiated, each time she caught his mouth, and especially each time her tongue brushed against his, his knees went a little weak. 

Stumbling just slightly, he backed up and ran into the fridge. The bottles in the door clinked and rattled in protest. 

The sauce and baked potatoes were long forgotten as he carried her to the bedroom.

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[awkward-imp]

my favorite ao3 tag is religious guilt

[szariahwroteit]

Doll House: A Jude Bellingham + Original Character Erotic Series

18+ Minors DNI

Chapter 9

When Tori playfully tossed out an invitation for Jude to join her for dinner, she casually mentioned that another dancer from her company would be there as well. With a light-hearted tone and a mischievous smile, she imagined how taken aback and confused he would be by the idea. However, the very last thing she anticipated was for him to accept her offer.

Tori sat at a small, rounded table, three neatly set upturned wine glasses reflecting the warm glow of the restaurant's ambient lighting. Across from her, Natalia, a fellow dancer she had grown close to since arriving in Madrid the previous spring, leaned in with a radiant smile. The scent of the kitchen wafted through the upscale eatery.

“So you have someone coming, but you can’t say who until he gets here?” she asked Tori, a curious smirk on her face, and her Parisian accent thick.

“It's not that I can't say, it's just that I don't know how to,” Tori explained her cheeks warming as she looked towards the entrance.

“Try,” Natalia shrugged.

“You have to promise not to tell anyone,” Tori whispered, her eyes glancing nervously around the bustling restaurant. The laughter and chatter enveloped them, but the confidentiality of her secret felt heavy in the air.

"Have you heard the name Jude Bellingham before?” Tori asked, her voice dropping to an almost conspiratorial hush.

Natalia’s eyes widened in surprise, and a knowing grin spread across her face. "The Jude that was at our gala? The footballer? He’s to dinner with us?" She leaned back in her chair, disbelief etched across her features, though her excitement was unmistakable.

“Yes,” Tori replied, her pulse quickening at the realization of what she had done. “But please let this stay between us, it's super new.”

“New? As in, you two are...” Natalia leaned in closer, her voice dropping to a whisper, laced with excitement. “Oh my God, Tori! This is huge! You’re going out with him?”

Tori bit her lip, trying to suppress a nervous laugh. “Not exactly. I mean, it was just a casual invitation. I honestly didn’t think he would say yes.”

“But you can just casually invite him to dinner?” Natalia teased, wiggling her eyebrows.

“It was supposed to be a joke. He asked me what I was doing tonight and I told him I was going to dinner with a friend, I wasn't being serious when I invited him and I certainly didn't expect him to say yes,” Tori replied, her cheeks flushing deeper as she forged a smile, trying to downplay the situation.

Natalia's eyes widened, her gaze darting towards the entrance of the restaurant. "This is so exciting! I can't believe he’s on his way here.”

As if he could sense the charged energy in the air, Jude stepped into the restaurant. He was dressed casually yet impeccably, exuding that effortless swagger that turned heads wherever he went. His eyes scanned the room until they locked onto Tori's, and she felt her heart skip a beat.

“There he is!” Natalia whispered, barely containing her exuberance as she nudged Tori lightly.

Tori swallowed hard, trying to steady her breath, standing to her feet to greet him as Jude approached their table. The moment felt surreal, a blend of anticipation and nerves flooding her veins.

“Hey!” he called out, that warm smile spreading across his face, instantly putting her at ease. Jude's eyes drank in Tori’s figure, her outfit casual yet tauntingly arousing him. Her grey cardigan showed off a sliver of her flat stomach, and the black leggings she wore looked as though they had been painted on, hugging her slender waist and the curve of her hips, showcasing her round, plump backside he often took pleasure in gripping, caressing and smacking. The Chanel loafers on her feet adding a splash of understated luxury to her look.

She was absolutely stunning, her curly hair pushed back by a thick grey headband that matched her cardigan and her makeup soft and natural. She'd compliment any man she stood beside, and Jude's ego soared at the fact that it was him.

“Thank you for coming,” Tori said warmly, her eyes sparkling as she looked up at him. She wrapped her arms around his waist, feeling the solid warmth of him against her. His hands slipped down to the small of her back, a gentle but reassuring touch. As he leaned down to kiss her, a flutter of excitement rushed through her, causing her breath to catch in her throat. She became acutely aware of the single pair of eyes observing them from the table, a silent witness to their moment, which added a subtle thrill to the intimacy they were sharing.

Natalia sat in quiet awe, her gaze fixed on her friend, who seemed to glow under the soft lighting of the room. Despite the shyness that enveloped Tori as she previously spoke about Jude—her voice barely rising above a whisper and her eyes darting nervously—there was an unmistakable spark between them. The air around them crackled with an electric tension, a fiery intimacy that belied Tori's coy demeanor, leaving Natalia captivated by the connection that seemed to bind them together.

Tori's eyes met with Natalia’s for a brief moment before she looked away, her cheeks warm under the intimate restaurant lighting.

She watched as Jude leaned over the table, flashing her a warm smile as he held out his hand to Natalia introducing himself.

Jude's hand enveloped Natalia's in a firm handshake, his smile warm and inviting. There was an ease about him, a natural charm that seemed to put everyone at ease. As he took his seat beside Tori, his arm coming to leisurely rest over the back of her chair.

It was evident there were emotions attached; there was something about their behavior towards one another, the lingering smitten gazes and drawn-out subtle touches that suggested the passion between them burned bright in their most intimate moments.

Natalia knew better than to outright put either of them on the spot or even highlight her suspicions, but she made a mental note to pick Victoria’s mind the next time they were alone.

As the evening progressed, the trio settled into a comfortable rhythm, laughter and lively conversation flowing as easily as the wine being poured. Tori felt a delightful warmth radiating from Jude, his charisma lighting up the table. Every so often, their hands would brush against one another, sending little jolts of electricity up her arm that made her heart race.

By the time the waiter came to take their orders Tori's body had completely melted into Jude's, her shoulder pressed against his chest as they leaned in closer to share a joke. She could feel the heat radiating off him, and with each passing moment, her confidence grew, strengthened by the fact that Jude seemed genuinely interested in their conversation.

He was polite to Natalia, laughing and engaging with her, but it was the way he looked at Tori that made her heart flutter. His gaze was warm and intense as if he was completely absorbed in her every word. When she spoke, Jude listened intently, nodding and leaning in closer, making her feel like the only person in the room.

"So, do you ever get nervous before games?" Natalia asked curiously, turning the table's attention to Jude as the conversation shifted from the nerves and emotions the girls experienced before performances to how Jude handled his own before a match.

Jude chuckled softly, his smile widening as he took a moment to think. “You know,” he began, glancing between the two women, “it’s funny because during training when I’m with the team, I feel completely in my element. But the night before a big match? That’s when the nerves kick in.” His gaze flickered back to Tori, a hint of playful mischief dancing in his eyes. “I guess it’s the fear of letting everyone down, the fans, the team… but mostly, I think, it’s that anticipation that gets me all worked up.”

She nodded, clearly intrigued. “Are there any rituals you have to help with that? Like a lucky charm or a certain playlist?”

Jude laughed, visibly relaxed amidst the light-hearted conversation. “I do have a little routine. I like to listen to music before a game—something to pump me up. And I always cut holes in the back of my socks to help with circulation, which sounds a bit ridiculous, but to me, it’s just as mentally testing as it is physically.” He leaned in closer toward Tori, enjoying the warmth of her body against his.

Dinner passed by in a blur of good food and even better conversation. The three of them shared stories, jokes, and laughter, creating a warm atmosphere that felt like a wonderful blend of friendship and budding romance. Tori felt a sense of ease, the initial nerves she had about Jude joining them dissipating as the evening unfolded.

With each passing course, the connection between Tori and Jude deepened. He was attentive and engaging, seamlessly balancing the conversation with both her and Natalia while still managing to keep his focus on Tori.

By the time dinner came to an end, Tori felt a pleasant warmth lingering in her chest. The stimulating conversation and heartfelt laughter had forged a bond that she didn’t want to end. Jude had effortlessly navigated between engaging with Natalia and pouring his charm over Tori, making her feel special without neglecting her friend.

As the dessert plates were cleared and coats were pulled on to brave the Madrid winter chill, Jude gallantly paid the bill, flashing a smile at the waitress that only added to his allure. Tori caught Natalia's eye, and they shared a knowing glance, both girls reveling in the charm of the evening.

“Shall we step outside?” Jude suggested, holding the door open for both Tori and Natalia. The evening air was brisk, but it felt invigorating against Tori's skin, contrasting nicely with the warmth that lingered as a result of the wine she drank and the magic of the evening.

Wrapping his arm around Tori’s waist as she stepped past him, following Natalia out of the restaurant his face found the soft curve of her neck as he leaned into her, brushing the warmth of his breath against her skin. It sent shivers down her spine, igniting a thrill that made her heart race.

“As Natalia, if she needs a ride home,” he murmured into her ear, pressing a kiss beneath it that sent another wave of exhilaration coursing through her as he handed his ticket over to the valet. The intimacy of the gesture left Tori breathless, her skin tingling where his lips had just brushed against it.

“Do you need a ride to your apartment, Nat?” Tori asked, shifting slightly as Jude kept his grip firm around her waist.

Natalia, still recovering from the moment she'd just witnessed, shook her head with a smile, her cheeks flushed with excitement and a hint of jealousy. “No, I’m all right! I can take the Metro; it’s not far,” she reassured them.

“But you can’t go alone! It’s late,” Tori insisted gently, her protective instincts kicking in.

Jude tightened his hold around Tori’s waist, leaning in slightly and adding, “I can drop you off if you need, Natalia. No trouble at all.” His tone was sincere, and Tori couldn't help but smile at how comfortably he navigated between them.

Natalia held up her hands playfully. “Really, I’m fine! Besides, I want you two to have your time together. I’ve got some things to do, but thank you for offering.”

“Are you sure?” Tori asked, her brow furrowing in concern. She didn't want her friend to feel uneasy, nor did she want to impose on her evening.

“Yes, go ahead and enjoy! I’ll text you when I’m home, okay?” Natalia insisted, a twinkle of excitement dancing in her eyes. “Have fun, you two!”

With that, they watched as Natalia turned and walked down the street, a grin plastered on her face, undoubtedly pleased with the evening's events and eager to spill the details to anyone who would listen.

Once Natalia was out of sight, Tori turned her attention back to Jude, who was watching her with that warm intensity that made her heart race even faster. “Well, it’s just us now,” he said softly, his voice low and inviting as he gazed into her eyes.

“Yeah,” Tori replied, her stomach fluttering with nerves and excitement.

Just then, the valet returned with Jude’s car, the engine humming softly as it pulled up to the curb. He turned to Tori, his eyes sparkling with mischief. “Shall we?”

Tori nodded, a thrill rushing through her. Jude opened the door for her, his hand lingering on her back as she slid into the luxurious interior. The soft leather enveloped her, and she felt a rush of warmth at the gesture. She watched as he swiftly moved around the car to the driver's seat, the sight of him adding to the excitement thumping in her chest.

As he settled in and turned on the ignition, the car came to life, and he quickly glanced over at her, a playful smile dancing on his lips.

Tori felt her cheeks warm as she met his gaze, captivated by the way the dim light in the car highlighted his sharp features. His confidence radiated as he effortlessly gripped the steering wheel, the muscles in his arms subtly flexing under the fabric of his shirt. She couldn't help but admire how he managed to look so relaxed yet completely in control—all those traits that turned her on were on full display at that moment.

As Jude pulled away from the curb and onto the city streets, Tori leaned back in her seat, allowing herself to steal glances at him. There was a rugged charm about him, an ease that made her feel safe and exhilarated all at once. The way he concentrated on the road, his brow furrowing slightly when he turned a corner, made her stomach flutter. Each time he shifted gears, Tori's eyes were drawn to the play of his muscles beneath the fabric, and she had to swallow hard to contain the rush of warmth spreading through her.

“May I?” Tori asked softly as she reached over, her delicately manicured fingers grazing over Jude’s crotch as he drove.

“May you what?” Jude asked, his eyes flicking to Tori who fully shifted in her seat, her body facing his as she bit down on her bottom lip.

“Suck your dick while you're driving?” she asked, her voice a seductive drawl.

Tori's heart raced as she awaited Jude's response, her fingers dancing along the growing bulge in his crotch. The idea of pleasuring him like this, in the midst of traffic, sent a thrill through her body. She could feel the heat of his arousal beneath her touch, the hard length of him straining against the confines of his pants.

Without warning or instruction, Tori reached for the buttons holding her cardigan together, undoing them one by one to reveal her round, perky breasts as she slipped the grey cashmere from her body.

Jude's eyes darkened with lust as Tori boldly bared her breasts to him, his cock throbbing almost painfully against the confines of his pants. "Fuck, Tori..." he rasped, his voice thick with arousal.

He reached out to cup one of her perfect tits, thumbing her hardened nipple as Tori whimpered needily. Her fingers made quick work of his fly, freeing his aching erection from its prison.

"Oh my god, Jude." Tori breathed, wrapping her delicate hand around his impressive girth. "You're so big..."

She stroked him slowly, teasingly, her dark eyes locked with his. "I want to taste you," she purred, leaning in close, her breasts pressing against his thigh as she positioned herself over his lap. "I want to feel your cock in my throat..."

Jude groaned, his hips bucking involuntarily into her touch. "Then take it," he urged, his voice a low, rough growl. "Make a mess on my cock..."

Tori's pulse quickened at Jude's command, her mouth watering with anticipation. With a coy smile, she leaned down, her dark hair falling around them like a curtain as she took him into her warm, wet mouth.

"Fuck, your mouth feels incredible," Jude groaned, his fingers tangling in her hair as she began to bob up and down his thick length. Tori hummed around him, the vibrations sending shivers of pleasure coursing through his body.

She loved the taste of him on her tongue, salty and perfectly musky, the weight of him heavy in her mouth. Tori took him deep, relaxing her throat as she pushed forward, her nose pressed against the short coarse hairs at the base of his cock.

Jude's eyes fluttered closed, his head falling back against the headrest as Tori worked him with her talented mouth. His hips rocked up to meet her, his cock hitting the back of her throat with every thrust.

"Shit, Tori," he grunted, his grip on her hair tightening. "Look into my eyes while you swallow me..."

Jude's attention was torn between keeping his focus on the road and the vixen with her head in his lap, her hands and face covered in saliva as she fulfilled his request for a mess to be made.

He could feel the saturated material of his pants clinging to his skin as a result of her wet mouth as Tori got lost in her ministrations, possessed with lust.

Tori's eyes fluttered up to meet Jude's, her dark gaze smoldering with desire as she continued to work his thick length. She loved the feeling of him pulsing against her tongue, the way his fingers gripped her hair, guiding her movements.

She could feel his pleasure building, the way his abdomen tensed beneath her free hand as she stroked what she couldn't fit in her mouth. Tori doubled her efforts, taking him impossibly deeper, her throat constricting around him.

"Fuck!" Jude groaned, his hips following her mouth as she pulled away from his length with a gasp, a thick bead of saliva slipping from her chin and meandering down her chest.

Jude's eyes followed the path of the saliva, his cock jumping at the sight of it trailing between Tori's pert breasts.

Tori's breath came in short pants as she came up for air, her eyes dark and hazy with lust as she gazed up at Jude through her lashes. "Tell me what you want," she purred, her voice low and seductive. "I want to make you feel good..."

She trailed her tongue along the underside of his cock, tracing the thick vein that pulsed with need. Tori could feel Jude's eyes on her, his gaze heavy and intense as it roamed over her body. She arched her back subtly, offering him a better view of her breasts, the hardened peaks of her nipples begging for attention.

Tori took him into her mouth once more, her cheeks hollowing as she sucked hard, her tongue swirling around the sensitive head of his cock. She could taste the salt of his precum on her tongue, the musky flavor of his arousal.

Her hand worked in tandem with her mouth, stroking what she couldn't fit, twisting her wrist on the upstroke just the way she knew he liked. Tori could feel Jude's pleasure building, his hips rocking up to meet her mouth, his cock hitting the back of her throat with every thrust.

Jude's fingers tightened in Tori's hair as she worked him closer to his release, his hips snapping up to meet her eager mouth. "Fuck, I'm gonna come," he grunted, his voice strained with pleasure. "Swallow every drop..."

Tori hummed around him, the vibrations sending shivers through his body. She loved the taste of him, the feel of his cock pulsing against her tongue as he neared his peak.

With a final thrust, Jude came with a low groan, his cock twitching as he spilled down Tori's waiting throat. She swallowed greedily, her eyes fluttering closed as she savored the taste of him on her tongue.

"Fuck, Tori," Jude panted, his head falling back against the headrest as she gentled her movements, lapping at his spent cock. "That was incredible..."

Tori smiled around him, her dark eyes shining with satisfaction as she released him from her mouth. She sat up slowly, her breasts bouncing with the movement.

Putting his foot down a little harder on the gas as Tori settled back into her seat, Jude's eyes trailed over her body as she propped her arm against the door, a satisfied smile lingering on her lips. The heat of the moment hung thick in the air, the exhilaration of their shared encounter igniting a spark that neither of them could ignore.

Jude’s breath was still heavy, his gaze sweeping over Tori’s body with a mixture of admiration and desire. “You know,” he said, his voice still slightly breathless, “If that's what I get for being a gentleman and offering to give your friend a ride home I'll gladly start a carpool,” he smiled teasingly.

“That wasn't because you offered to take Natalia home, it's because you're you and I wanted to,” Tori explained as she pulled her cardigan back on, her lips still pulsing. “But honestly, thank you for coming tonight. You really didn't have to.” she continued.

“You’ve been around my friends, I’ve welcomed you into my world and I just want to know yours.” Tori felt a warmth spread through her at Jude's words, a mixture of flattery and genuine appreciation bubbling within her.

“I think it's safe to say my world just got a lot more interesting,” she replied, her cheeks flushing slightly as she wrapped her arms around herself, the fabric of her cardigan offering a comforting embrace.

As Jude said, she'd been around his friends and met some of his teammates, he'd shown her his life up close. But for Tori, up until now, it had only been her and Jude wrapped up in their bubble of intimacy. She had finally allowed him into her world, and it left her feeling both thrilled and terrified.

Jude's smile grew wider, and he risked another glance at her, his eyes flicking momentarily back to the road. “I like the sound of that.“

As Jude made his way through the streets of Madrid towards his upscale neighborhood just outside of the city, he and Tori continued to bask in the afterglow of their heated encounter. The playful banter resumed, easing the tension and adding a lightness to the atmosphere.

“I enjoyed myself at dinner tonight,” Jude said casually, turning his head to look at Tori and offer her a warm smile. “You are intriguing, I enjoy sitting and watching you talk.”

He spent most of the dinner observing Tori, the things she spoke about, the way she laughed and engaged with Natalia about any and everything.

There was a certain spark in her that captivated him, and he couldn’t help but feel drawn to her vibrant energy. “You have a way of lighting up a room,” he added, his tone sincere.

Tori rolled her eyes playfully, letting out a scoff, but she couldn’t hide her smile as her cheeks warmed and she felt herself blushing uncontrollably.

“You’re laughing and I'm being serious, it's a pleasure being around you.” Tori felt her heart flutter at his words, the sincerity in his voice making her feel special.

"Thank you, Jude," she replied softly, her smile growing wider. "That means a lot coming from you."

Jude's gaze lingered on her, his free hand reaching across the middle consoles of his car to caress her thigh in acknowledgment before he put his attention back on the road keeping his hand in place.

Tori felt a rush of warmth at his touch, the way his fingers grazed her thigh sending a thrill through her. She relaxed into his small embrace, savoring the connection between them. “I really appreciate you taking the time to get to know me,” she said, her voice softening.

Jude glanced at her, a knowing smile on his lips. “That was the plan the second I saw you.”

“So you spilled your drink on me on purpose?” Tori laughed softly.

“That was genuinely an accident, but everything else has been part of the plan,” he winked, a mischievous smile spreading across his lips.

As they turned onto Jude’s street, it was as if the air between them began to thicken with desire. The closer they got to his house, the more the invisible strings between them drew them together.

His hand slipped higher up Tori's thigh, nestling itself between her legs as the car came to a stop in front of his luxurious home. The headlights illuminated the elegant facade, casting a warm glow that mirrored the tension simmering between them.

Jude's fingers lingered on her thigh for a moment longer, searching her eyes for any hesitation before he pushed open his door, shutting it before he walked around the sleek black car to Tori on the passenger side.

As Jude came around to open Tori's door, she took a deep breath, the anticipation of what was to come sending a thrill through her body. She stepped out of the car, her eyes meeting Jude's, dark with desire.

"Come on," he murmured, his hand finding hers, intertwining their fingers as he led her towards the house.

Tori followed, her heart pounding in her chest, the heat of Jude's touch seeping into her skin. As they stepped inside, the opulent interior of his home enveloped them, but Tori barely registered it. Her focus was solely on the man beside her, the electric tension that crackled between them.

Jude led her up the staircase, their steps echoing in the quiet of the house. At the top of the stairs, he turned to face her, his free hand coming up to cup her face, his thumb brushing over her bottom lip.

"I want you," he said, his voice low and rough with desire. "But before we go further I need to ask you a question…,”

“What is it?” Tori asked in awe of the man who stood towering over her.

“Do you trust me with your body?”

Tori's breath hitched at his question, her heart racing as she searched his gaze for sincerity. She could feel the weight of the moment, the gravity of his words hanging thick in the air between them. It wasn’t just a casual question; it felt like a pivotal point in their relationship.

“Do I trust you?” she echoed softly, letting the question linger as she considered it. They had shared an intense connection, one that had ignited a fire within her, but there was still a part of her that felt vulnerable standing in front of him, exposed and wanting.

Jude’s expression softened, and he brushed a few stray curls away from her face, his touch gentle yet firm. “I know we’ve only just begun to explore this connection, but I promise you, I won’t do anything to hurt you. I want to take my time, to make this special for both of us.”

Tori’s heart fluttered at his words, his sincerity washing over her like a warm tide. She nodded slowly, a smile breaking across her face. “I do trust you, Jude. I want this—I want you.”

His eyes darkened with desire, a flicker of relief and excitement flashing across his features. “Good,” he murmured, the tension between them crackling like electricity.

Before she could say anything else, Jude leaned in, capturing her lips with his in a passionate kiss. It was as if a dam had burst, releasing all the pent-up desire that had been building between them since their first encounter. Tori melted against him, her hands finding their way to his hair as she deepened the kiss, feeling the intoxicating warmth radiating from his body.

As their lips moved together, Jude's hands roamed down her sides, pulling her closer. Tori was the sweetest addiction he'd ever known. Physically, he wanted to own her, to have her as his pleasure and pet. Mentally, he wanted to know the inner workings of her beautiful mind.

Jude held Tori close against him, the heat of her body seeping into his skin as they finally broke apart for air. "Bedroom," he rasped, his voice rough and low. "Now."

Tori nodded breathlessly, her pulse racing at the intensity of his gaze. She let Jude guide her to his room, her eyes drinking in the opulent surroundings. The kingsized bed dominated the space, covered in crisp white linens that she’d taken between her teeth as Jude pleasured her.

His hands roamed over her body, mapping every curve as he pressed her against the wall just inside the room. Tori gasped, arching into his touch, her breath coming in short pants.

"All I thought about tonight at dinner is worshiping every fucking inch of you," Jude growled, his lips trailing down the column of her neck, as his hands worked on unbuttoning her cardigan so he could get to her perfect little body underneath.

Tori's breath hitched as Jude's hands skimmed over her skin, leaving goosebumps in their wake. She could feel the heat of his lips as they trailed down her neck, his teeth grazing the sensitive flesh and making her shiver.

"Jude," she whimpered, her fingers tangling in his hair as he worked his way lower, pushing the soft fabric of her cardigan from her shoulders.

The cool air of the room hit her skin, hardening her nipples into stiff peaks. Jude's gaze was dark as it raked over her body, drinking in the sight of her. "You're so perfect," he rasped, his hands coming up to cup her breasts, his thumbs grazing over the sensitive buds.

Tori arched into his touch, a moan falling from her lips as Jude lowered his head, taking one nipple into his mouth. His tongue swirled around the firmed bud, sending jolts of pleasure straight to her core.

Her hands fisted in his hair, holding him against her as he worked her breast, his free hand kneading the other. Tori could feel the heat building between her thighs, her core clenching in vain.

Lifting his gaze from her chest, Jude's eyes locked onto Tori's, a deep connection sparking between them. He wrapped his strong arms around her slender waist, effortlessly hoisting her into the air as if she were a delicate feather, weightless in his embrace.

Walking Tori into his bedroom, Jude used his foot to close the door before pinning her against it as he reached for the waistband of her leggings so he could roughly pull them from her legs and toss them over his shoulder.

Tori gasped as the cool air hit her bare skin, the thrill of vulnerability washing over her. Jude's gaze was intense, filled with desire and a hint of possessiveness that sent shivers down her spine. He stepped back momentarily, taking a moment to admire her in her entirety—her caramel skin, the soft curve of her hips, and the way her breasts rose and fell with each breath.

“God, you’re incredible,” he breathed, his voice thick with lust as he ran his fingers down the curve of her waist, exploring every inch of her figure as if she were a fine art piece.

She felt like she was on fire, and Jude's teasing caresses only stoked the flames. “Jude,” she whispered, her need evident in her voice.

“You’re such a natural submissive,” Jude murmured, his voice low and sultry, sending a thrill coursing through Tori. There was something about the way he said it, so assured and confident, that made her heart race even faster.

Tori nodded slightly, the weight of his words settling over her like a warm blanket. She liked the idea of surrendering just a little to him, of letting him take the lead.

“Tell me what you want,” he said, his eyes darkening with primal intenseness. He stepped closer, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her body flush against his. She could feel the hard outline of his desire pressing into her, and it made her breath hitch in her throat.

“Take control and tell me what you want,” Jude whispered, his voice a sultry promise that sent shivers racing down her spine. “Tonight I want to submit to you.”

Tori's breath hitched at his words, a shiver of excitement coursing through her. The utterance of "submit" wrapped around her brain like silk, and she felt the boundaries of her inhibitions beginning to blur. There was an intoxicating thrill in the action of surrendering to Jude, of letting him take charge entirely.

But having him submit to her was a different kind of rush. Tori felt a surge of empowerment at the thought. She wanted to explore this new dynamic, to test the boundaries of their connection.

“Are you sure?” she asked, her voice steady but laced with eagerness. Deep within her, she was both excited and terrified, the weight of the moment reverberating in her chest. “You want me to take control?”

“Absolutely,” Jude replied, a hint of vulnerability in his gaze. “I trust you completely, Tori.”

Tori's heart raced at his admission, the weight of his words filling her with a mixture of thrill and responsibility. She relished the idea of taking charge, of directing their passion in a way that would heighten their connection.

“Okay,” she said, a determined smile spreading across her lips. “Let’s see just how much you can handle.”

With that, she stepped back, gently pushing Jude away from her, surprising him with her assertiveness. His eyes widened with a mix of intrigue and impatience, the hunger for her evident in the way he clenched his jaw and leaned forward slightly.

“Stay right where you are,” Tori commanded, taking a moment to appreciate the way he followed her instructions with barely contained enthusiasm. She watched him, taking in his tall frame, the way his muscles tensed beneath his shirt, as anticipation filled the air.

Tori bit her lip, feeling emboldened as she moved to the edge of the bed, her fingers grazing over the crisp white linens. “I want you to sit back and watch,” she suggested, her voice sultry.

“God, you’re beautiful,” Jude murmured, his gaze locked on her as he settled onto the edge of the bed, bracing himself on his hands.

“Thank you,” Tori replied, her cheeks flushing under the warm attention, her naked body on full display. “Can you lay back for me?” she asked softly, her core tightening as she envisioned herself sitting on his face.

Jude bit his lip, unable to contain the rush of desire that surged through him at her command. He nodded, laying back on the bed, his eyes never leaving Tori's as she took in the sight of him. The contrast of her naked form against the crisp white linens created an exquisite visual that heightened the tension between them, making the air thick with anticipation.

Tori felt empowered as she straddled the line between command and desire. The way Jude looked at her ignited a fire within her, sparking a thrill that coursed through her veins. She wanted to explore this newfound dynamic, to take control in a way that both excited her and deepened their connection.

“Just watch me,” she instructed, her voice low and sultry. A playful smirk danced on her lips as she slowly moved, her hands gliding over her curves. With deliberate grace, she shifted closer, teasing him with her proximity, leaning down just inches from his face.

“Are you ready for this?” Tori asked, her voice a whisper laced with a hint of mischief, making Jude's pulse quicken.

“Always,” he replied, his voice thick with longing.

With her heart racing, Tori slid her body down Jude’s, her skin brushing against his in a tantalizing caress. She reveled in the sensation of his body beneath her—a strong, solid presence that grounded her even as her desires soared to new heights.

She paused just above him, biting her lip as she surveyed his expression. Jude's eyes were dark, filled with a mix of admiration and hunger, and she couldn’t help but feel a surge of confidence. His submissive posture only amplified her thrill, and she wanted to push the boundaries of their exploration.

“You've done so well tonight,” Tori purred, trailing her fingers over his chest, her touch feather-light. “Now, I want to reward you.”

Jude’s breath hitched at her words, and she could see the way his body tensed with anticipation. “What did you have in mind?” he asked, a hint of challenge in his tone.

With a playful grin, Tori slowly sat up, teasingly dragging her nails down his abdomen. Each touch made him shiver with need, and she relished the power she felt over him. “I want to sit on your face,” she said, her voice sultry as she leaned back on her hands, arching her back and pushing her breasts toward him.

Jude’s gaze darkened, though he remained still, every muscle in his body tense. She could see how he fought against the impulse to reach for her, the desire palpable in the air.

“Can I, Jude?” Tori whispered, leaning forward slightly. Her breath fanned across his face, teasing him with every syllable.

Jude swallowed hard, the raw desire in her voice sending shivers of anticipation down his spine. "Please," he managed to say, his voice thick with longing. "I want you to."

With his permission ringing in her ears, Tori’s heart raced as she positioned herself over him. The thrill of dominance coursed through her veins, and she felt alive with the power of the moment.

“Keep your hands on the bed,” she instructed softly, a teasing edge to her voice. Jude obeyed, bracing his arms behind him, his muscles flexing as he settled back and watched her, his eyes filled with both admiration and hunger.

Tori could feel the heat radiating from him, the way his chest rose and fell with anticipation making her want to tease him even further. She took her time, running her hands down her sides, letting her fingers glide over the soft curves of her body.

“Look at me, Jude,” she said, her voice a sultry whisper as she leaned closer. His eyes locked onto hers, fiery and intense, and she shifted back slightly, feeling the warmth of his breath on her skin as she hovered just above him.

Slowly, Tori lowered herself, her heart pounding as she prepared to claim him. She could feel the heat of his breath on her thighs, and the way he instinctively lifted his head slightly only fueled her eagerness.

As she settled down, she could see the flicker of her reflection in his eyes, the thrill of surrender making her pulse race. “This is what you wanted, right? To feel me?” she teased, hovering just above his face.

“More than anything,” Jude replied softly, his voice a muted growl that ignited an even deeper yearning within her.

With a muffled “good,” Tori finally descended fully, settling onto his awaiting mouth. The sensation sent waves of pleasure coursing through her body, and she gasped, her fingers curling beautifully into his hair as she reveled in the taste of his lips against her core.

The mixture of their heated desire and her intoxicating scent enveloped him, urging Jude to playfully surrender to her command. He felt her warmth radiating through him, filling the room with an electric whirl of intimacy as he explored her as if she were his dessert, savoring every moment.

Tori ground against him, pushing her hips forward with intention, her breath coming in soft gasps as the pleasure began to build. She loved the way he reacted, the way his body responded to her every movement, urging her to ride the wave.

“More,” she breathed, her voice slightly frantic as the pleasure heightened. “Don’t hold back.”

With unwavering determination, Jude took her words to heart. The sensation of her skin against his mouth only intensified the throbbing desire within him. He flicked his tongue against her, tasting her sweetness, and she cried out, feeling him amplify the passion between them.

Tension built as she lost herself in the moment, the world fading away until it was just the two of them, wrapped together in a cocoon of desire. Tori's movements became more frantic, and she dug her nails into Jude’s scalp, urging him to explore every inch, every sensitive spot, leaving no part untouched.

She felt alive, free, and completely consumed by pleasure, the rhythm of his tongue fueling the fire within her. Jude’s hands roamed her thighs, gripping them tightly, holding her steady as she surrendered to the sensation.

“Jude!” she gasped, feeling the tidal wave of her climax wash over her as she rode the edge of ecstasy. The sensation was overwhelming, and she clung to him as she felt the world spin out of control.

Her body trembled, waves of bliss washing over her as she let go, and Jude savored every moment, guiding her gently through her release. Each touch, each caress sent her spiraling deeper into a blissful state of ecstasy until she finally collapsed against him, breathless and spent.

As Tori caught her breath, she finally looked into Jude’s eyes, a smile of pure satisfaction gracing her lips, despite the storm of emotions inside her.

The more time Tori spent with Jude, the deeper she sank into the whirlwind of feelings that enveloped her. Each laugh they shared and every tender moment seemed to build a beautiful, fragile castle around her heart. Yet, beneath the surface of this seemingly perfect bliss, a nagging worry gnawed at her. She could sense that if their delicate world were to come crashing down, it might leave her shattered, incapable of picking up the pieces. The mere thought of such a heart-wrenching possibility sent a tremor through her being, yet despite the fear that gripped her, she found herself unable to take a step back. Instead, she clung even tighter to the intoxicating connection they shared.

[boundless11]

Anonymous this is for you- your Ask-I had drafted a post but I have no idea what happened to it.

The imbalance in Cobra Kai’s portrayal of characters is one of the most significant flaws in its storytelling. The trauma experienced by the LaRussos, particularly Daniel and Sam, is often overlooked or downplayed, while other characters are given far more narrative sympathy. For instance, Daniel is still clearly haunted by his experiences with Terry Silver, which is why he’s so strongly opposed to Cobra Kai and what it represents. However, the show often frames him as overly rigid or out of touch, failing to fully explore the lasting impact Silver had on his life. Instead, Daniel is depicted as someone who just doesn’t “understand” Johnny’s intentions, further fueling the tension between them. This dynamic is especially frustrating because much of the conflict in the earlier seasons stems from miscommunication—whether it’s between Sam and Miguel, Robbie and Johnny, or Johnny and Daniel themselves.

Similarly, the show has a tendency to diminish Sam’s trauma while elevating Tory’s struggles. Her hardships—such as her unstable home life, her mother’s illness and her predatory landlord—are rightfully explored in a way that makes her a sympathetic character. However, Sam’s equally harrowing experiences are rarely given the same attention. She was physically attacked by her, witnessed Miguel being kicked off a balcony and struggled with anxiety and PTSD. Yet, when Sam lashes out or stands up for herself, she is quickly labeled as “problematic” or “lacking understanding.” For example, when Sam organised a car wash to raise money for Miguel’s surgery, Cobra Kai members hijacked the funds—a cruel act that was brushed off as just another “cool” move by Cobra Kai. Later, when Sam fights back against Cobra Kai and tensions escalate, she is unfairly blamed for Dimitri’s broken arm, even though it was Hawk who broke it, egged on by Tory.

Season 3 particularly highlights the show’s mishandling of trauma. While Tory is given depth and understanding for her actions, Sam is often vilified or dismissed. The same can be said for the show’s framing of Cobra Kai overall: their morally questionable actions are excused as part of their “edgy” nature, while Miyagi-Do and the LaRussos are held to impossibly high standards. This imbalance is frustrating for viewers who grew up with the clear moral lines of The Karate Kid. While morally gray characters can add complexity, Cobra Kai takes it too far, often undermining the heroes and giving too much leeway to the villains.

At its core, the original Karate Kid story was about good versus bad, with clear lessons about standing up to bullies. By muddying these waters, the show risks alienating fans who appreciated those distinctions. The LaRussos, particularly Sam and Daniel, deserve a more balanced portrayal—one that acknowledges their struggles and humanity rather than constantly casting them in a negative light for reacting to the challenges they face.

[papirussian]

I'm working on the script for the direction the comic will take (I apologize in advance, it's not grammatically correct cuz it's quick notes:

Story: the classic bros host a Halloween party at their house

Sans and pap talk to each other, sans asks "ya think this is a good idea? The Christmas party didn't seem to spark too much "joy" for everyone.." paps replies "nonsense, brother! This party will surely "lift everyone's spirits!" NYEH HEH HEH!" Sans replies "heh, if ya say so bro"

Dialogue about Xmas party and now the Halloween party, people saying "how ya doing?" And happy to see each other again

Some characters meet themselves for the first time and may or may not have a conflict (fells and horrors)

Fells see the horrors and have a bad feeling about them, but the horrors reassure them they wouldn't think of harming anyone there. Well, horror pap won't harm anyone, axe might?? Horror sans makes edge and fell very nervous and suspicious

Spooky Food, Halloween music, games (pin the knife*horns on the human-skeleton-*as..gore..?), truth or drink (bloody apple juice- it's totally not spiked), spooky movies

Reaper brought Geno with him, Geno has a special charm from Reaper's Tori so he doesn't die, classic asks Geno "I don't mean "Tibia" negative, but uh.. how are you not dead, Geno??" Geno replies "well, uhh" Insert flashback of Reaper telling Geno about the invite, Geno objecting cuz he'll die if he leaves the save screen/ void, reaper gets a charm from Tori and gives it to Geno, Geno is scared but trusts Reaper, they both hold hands by holding a short rope without touching each other so reaper can teleport them to the party, Geno is in shock and Reaper laughs, cut back to present, Geno says it's a long story

Reaper's costume: he made his hood have cat ears and a tail, cat slippers, whiskers drawn on his face?

Geno's costume: dialogue between Geno and fell pap, Geno was scared he would die if he left the save screen so he didn't dress up, fell brought a spare costume that he was originally gonna give to edge, but he refused to wear it (yet he voluntarily wore that wearwolf costume??) so now he's giving it to Geno (it's a leather jacket and pants similar to fells outfit), fell says it's okay if he doesn't want flames, he already looks super cool just like that, Geno starts tearing up and hugs fell pap, fell is confused but awkwardly pats Geno's back to comfort him

Swap sans is seen at the food table humming the TMNT theme, classic walks in and is surprised and says "hey swap, you're not gonna spike anything again are ya?.." swap replies "whatever do you mean classic me? I'm simply seeing which of these beautiful treats I'm gonna eat!" Classic replies "mmmm, ok... *I'm gonna keep an eye on you though* swap "what was that?" Classic "what was what? Must've been the wind" and he walks out. Swap waits for him to leave, then smirks like the Grinch and pulls out a bottle of whiskey from his shell and pours it in the bloody apple juice

Swap pap is drinking some bloody apple cider on the couch and is watching a spooky movie, sitting next to him is classic gaster who is still wearing Xmas clothes, swap pap says to him "...uh.. you DO know this is a Halloween party.. yes?" Gaster replies "oh! I was wondering why everything looked all spooky, sometimes I get my holidays mixed up. Being in the void for so long can really... Make a person go crazy..." He snaps his fingers and his Xmas clothes change to an inflatable among us costume, swap paps eyes go wide and he just stares in silence at him, then looks back to the TV and keeps drinking his juice... Zoom out to both of them, gaster says a random line from "Elf" and the panel is cut off after swap pap stares at gaster then at his drink

Classic pap asks classic sans if he's seen the bat decorations, sans wanders up to his bedroom to look for them, he opens the door and turns to his bed to see sci and fell sitting next to each other sweating as if they're guilty of something. Sans stares at them with a concerned expression and says "are you two-" they reply "NO" and classic blinks twice and slowly leaves the room. Sci and edge pause, then sci puts his hands over his face and starts rambling "I CAN'T BELIEVE HE ALMOST SAW- WHAT AM I DOING, HE TOLD ME NOT TO DO THIS- AND HERE I AM DOING IT!!??" edge tells him to calm down and puts his hand on his shoulder "hey hey, sh sh, it's okay, you don't need to worry about him. He's just jealous cuz he wasn't invited to play." Sci "*sigh* yeah.. I guess .. but what if he thought we were doin.. something else?? And in his room??" Edge "psh what would he know? It's our room too, technically, he knows we wouldn't do anything weird to it (a panel where they both turn towards the camera and smirk). Now let's keep playing uno, I've almost beat you" they both turn around and continue their card game, cuz that's what they were doing

Classic sans wanders to the kitchen where horror sans, Geno, reaper, classic pap, and fell pap are "you look like you've seen a 'ghost'" classic responds "I don't wanna talk about it..", Geno asks horror sans "so anyway, how did.. uh.. how'd ya get a chunk of ya skull taken out, axe..? It's okay if ya don't wanna answer." Axe is silent for a moment and replies "that's.. kinda personal.." Geno "that's totally fine, I understand-" fell interjects "Preposterous! Your injury intrigues many of us here, why would you not wanna share the story?" Geno "paps! You can't just say that!" Axe is silent and glares at fell, horror pap walks in lured in by the shouting, he overhears and taps fell pap on the shoulder, startling the shorter skeleton "Can I speak to You for a Moment fellow me?" Fell replies "um.. yes..", they walk out

Geno apologizes to axe, axe just shrugs, classic pap speaks to him "well, I would just like to say that you still look awesome, tall spooky brother" axe chuckles and says "thanks Pap", reaper wanders over to classic sans at the drinks section "whatcha up to sans?" Sans replies "oh, uh, just tryna figure out which of the drinks swap might've tried to spike.." reaper smirks "you're not gonna drink yourself to "death" like Geno did at the Christmas party, are you?" Classic "mmm, thinkin about it.." reaper "now why would you wanna do that?" Classic "I've... Seen some things today..." Reaper "oh? It couldn't have been a misunderstanding, could it?" Classic "I- I don't know, I'm not even sure if I wanna find out? I'm not even sure what I saw.." reaper disappeared and sans is confused "reaper? Death?? *Sigh* that guy.."

Horror pap takes fell pap outside to talk to him about horror sans, fell "was going outside really necessary..?" Horror pap "I just didn't want anyone or my brother to hear. You see, he's gone through a lot in our timeline. He's had to sacrifice nearly everything just to keep everyone as sane as they can be. He got his injuries from queen Undyne-"

Fell "UNDYNE'S THE FUCKING QUEEN IN YOUR WORLD?!" Horror pap "Lower your voice please edgy me, yes, she is. She and Alphys devised a plan to power up the core again by using my brother's eye as a power source. It's an incredibly strong power of his. She took it from him, she tried to kill him to save the underground. Everyone was desperate for food and with the core powered down, we were all starving. Monsters were going insane. It changed my brother. I don't know if the old him will be back, I don't know if ANY of our old selves will be back. But we've made do with what we have." Fell "... I'm... Ssorry about what happened to your world... And for how rude it was for me to ask such a question.. I didn't realize.." Horror pap "it's alright, now you have a better understanding of what happened. I understand if you're still uneasy about us." Fell "well, Ill always feel uneasy about whoever I meet, but I won't let that stop me from trying to.. be.. f r I e n d s with you two." Horror pap "Excellent news! I'm glad to have made friends with you, fell! I'm sure my brother will be excited as well!" Fell chuckles and they both head back inside

Swap opens classic sans's bedroom door to find edge and sci playing uno, WITHOUT HIM! "AH HA! THERE YOU TWO ARE! I'VE BWEN SEARCHING FOR YOU FOR AN HOUR!" fell and sci look surprised "oh hey blue! We were playing uno" swap "BY YOURSELVES? IN A BEDROOM?? HMMM THAT'S TOTALLY PLAUSIBLE!" Edge "tch ya made me lose!" Swap rushes towards them and grabs their hands and pulls them downstairs to get in a circle with the others. Everyone's playing truth or drink.

At some point, Error, ink, and fresh will pop into the comic, I haven't planned that out yet

[asnowperson]

Tanbi to Heroine - Literary classics adapted into shoujo manga

I want to talk about the book of my dreams: Mangaka! Sekai Bungaku - Tanbi to Heroine (マンガ化! 世界文学 耽美とヒロイン). It's a compilation of shoujo manga from the 1970s and 1980s which are adaptations of classics from world literature. Each manga has a little introduction about its artist, and the work it was adapted from. Thank you, our Tosho no Ie overlords.

It came out in 2022, and I'm so happy to own this book. After watching Aoi Bungaku and falling in love with what they did with Kokoro there, I've always wanted to see more anime/manga adaptations of literature. Seeing how authors/directors give the works their own interpretations while still staying faithful to the original work, and not trying to do a 1:1 adaptation can be great, as long as they don't jump the shark. Speaking of which, I even liked Gankutsuou despite the bizarre 3D space mecha fights because Edmond Dantès was still there. I can't get mad at it when the director gets the core of the work right.

Anyway, I want to present this awesome book and the manga collected in this volume!

Hagio Moto – Shiroi Tori ni Natta Shoujo (白い鳥になった少女)

Adapted from Andersen's The Girl Who Trod on A Loaf, and first published in Bessatsu Shoujo Comic 1972/12.

Hagio tells the story from the point of view of the girl who becomes a bird at the end of the tale, which is a very nice touch.

2. Mizuno Hideko – Cendrillon (サンドリヨン)

Adapted from Grimm Brothers' Cinderella, and first published in LaLa 1977/9 & 11.

With Mizuno's exquisite art, this Cinderella adaptation is the perfect fairy tale. On the first and last pages Hideko-tan breaks the fourth wall to give us information about the original work, and going "bruh, these are supposed to be tales for kids but some brutal stuff goes on in them. What's with all the mutilations and eye-gouging?!" It's adorable!

3. Maki Miyako – Hanakagerou (花陽炎)

Adapted from Murasaki Shikibu's The Tale of Genji, and first published in Big Comic for Lady 1987/2.

This excerpt is taken from vol. 2 of Maki's Genji Monogatari adaptation, and depicts a scene that doesn't exist in the original work: Hikaru meeting Lady Fujitsubo for the first time. I must say that all that Genji Monogatari Japanese went over my head ;_;

4. Miuchi Suzue – Takekurabe (たけくらべ)

Adapted From Higuchi Ichiyou's Takekurabe, and first published in Hana to Yume 1977/1 & 2. This story is actually part of Miuchi's Glass Mask. In the manga, it was acted in the third act, “Kaze no Naka wo Iku.” Compiled in vol.s 3-4 Hana to Yume comics version, vol.s 2-3 of Hakusensha Bunko, and vol.s 3-4 of the digital ebook.

Conveying the subtleties of the character through the way Ayumi and Maya acts is quite ingenious. We get adaptation-ception with this one, and I loved it. It really made me want to read the book to get to know Midori better.

5. Sakata Keiko – Okisaki to Nemuri Hime (お妃と眠り姫)

Adapted from Charles Perrault's Sleeping Beauty, and first published in Comic Tom 1989/1.

I haven't read Sakata's works, but she always strikes me as being the odd one in the shoujo scene. And this manga just strengthened my conviction. Her adaptation of Sleeping Beauty focuses on the ogre mother of the Prince, and her loneliness. Which is another ingenious way of going about adapting a fairy tale from a completely point of view. Her funny-looking art and humor adds to it.

6. Fumizuki Kyouko – Shiroki Mori no Chi ni (白き森の地に)

You get this color image I found online, because scanning this gorgeous double spread was impossible. And it's in grayscale in the book.

Adapted from Louis Hémon's Maria Chapdelaine, and first published in Bessatsu Shoujo Friend 1977/3.

I had no idea about this story, but wow, Hémon sure lived a life... This story that takes place in Canada feels really comforting. I'm surprised this didn't get an anime adaptation. Sure, it's not long enough for one, but it'd make a perfect comfort shoujo. "Comfort shoujo" as in people dying and the protagonist growing up after being hit by misery and having to make life-altering choices. I can see why this was popular in Japan.

7. Yamagishi Ryouko – Rapunzel Rapunzel (ラプンツェル・ラプンツェル)

Feast your eyes on this color Rapunzel illustration from the Yamagishi artbook I have.

Adapted from Grimm Brothers's Rapunzel, and first published in Bessatsu Shoujo Friend 1974/6.

Queen Yamagishi does not disappoint: We go full psychological and read about how parents ruin childrens' lives by projecting their shortcomings in life onto them, and their twisted sense of "love" can be worse than a sorceress's curse. Prince charming therapy time, baby!

8. Sato Shio – Bijo to Yajuu (美女と野獣)

Adapted from Madame de Beumont's Beauty and the Beast, and first published in Papermoon Shoujo Manga Fantasy Shoujo Manga – 1001 Nights (5.11.1980).

This short yet poignant adaptation really brings out the love in the story. She distilled the tale, and left what touches your heart the most in these 8 pages.

This work was also originally published in full color, and it's so gorgeous that I bought the book it was first published in. I hope to have it within the month.

So yeah, if you need to gift something to your old-shoujo loving friend, you now know what to get :)