#types of pool cleaners

[cheesecakethots]

Maybe your intuition was right about this job.

You were broke, only a few days away from having to live on the streets, streets where dangerous men lurked waiting for an opportunity to snap up young women like you.

You remember shivering at the thought, and so when you saw a job opportunity at some nearby hotel, you thought you were saved. It paid pretty well considering you were only coming in to be a cleaner, but you were quick to realise why.

Gangs and mafia had wormed their way into the very foundations of your city. You were hired to clean and keep your mouth shut if you saw anything. Up until now, you hadn’t seen anything, thank god.

Despite your guilty conscience, you continued working, making a habit of bringing in headphones just so you could block everything out.

You regret every decision you’ve made that has led up to this moment.

You’re practically plastered against the wall, eyes wide and body trembling. The headphones you usually wear are still blasting some pop song, but it’s practically white noise compared to the sounds of crying, screaming and groaning.

It’s a bloodbath. Quite literally too. You can feel pools of it soaking into your cheap shoes, which doesn’t help the sickness in your stomach.

The man, if you can even call him that, still hasn’t noticed you. You won’t be surprised if he turns around and reveals himself to be some bear-man mutant thing. He’s fucking massive, despite the fact that he’s currently sat down, boredly snapping bones. You’re extremely lucky he hadn’t heard your mop drop to the floor after you walked into the carnage.

Fucking move! Move! Move!

You don’t. You stand still like an idiot.

“Are you going to say anything, little lady?”

Now you just might throw up.

He turns his head to the side and watches you with one eye, a grin on his lips. He chuckles a little, before standing.

By fucking god he’s huge. Your knees become wobbly within an instant.

“Hm. I don’t think you should be here, girlie.”

“I-I work here,” you stammer out.

He raises an eyebrow, turning to face you a little more, the grin on his lips widening.

“Is that so?”

He stands to his feet, casually crushing the head of some poor man under his boot. Your eyes divert to the ceiling, struggling to find a spot that isn’t covered in splatters of blood.

“I gotta admit, you don’t look the type to be working here.”

There’s a spot. It’s grimy, and there’s a dull light that looks like it has dead bugs in it.

“I-I need the money, and it’s only- it’s only cleaning.”

Another wry laugh, “Cleaning, huh? Tell me, do you think you can clean all this?”

The light flickers a little. Someone should check that out, but not you, you’d be hopeless with it.

“Maybe for a raise,” you mumble.

He laughs again. That’s good right? He must think you’re funny. Or maybe he thinks the thought of splattering your intestines across the wall is funny.

The spot on the ceiling becomes all the harder to focus on when he’s right in front of you, tall enough to reach your line of sight despite the fact you’re basically looking straight up.

There’s a bit of blood in the toothy smirk he wears, a fact that makes your stomach sink even lower. “You not gonna run?”

You don’t even realise you’re crying until you hear your own pathetic sniffles, “Wha-What would be the p-point?”

He pouts mockingly, the amusement in his eyes clear as day, and you flinch harshly at the sight of his massive hand raising towards you, a sharp breath of air entering your lips and your headphones clattering to the floor.

The hand slowly pats your head, and the heaviness of it reminds you of the fact he could so easily crush your skull. You can feel the blood from him dripping into your hair.

“You’re cute, you know that? In a bit of a pathetic way.”

How lovely of him. You’re not really sure if you should say thanks.

You gulp, and it scratches at your dry throat painfully. “I-I won’t te-tell any-“

“Ya got a boyfriend? Maybe even a girlfriend?”

Only spluttered and clipped words leave you, and so you settle for shaking your head.

The hand on your head crawls down your face, akin to a spider, before eventually settling on cupping your cheek.

“Yeah, I figured. I mean, no offence. If I had a pretty thing like you I wouldn’t let you work in a place like this,” he motions to the hellhole behind him, before glancing back down at you with slightly narrowed eyes. “Hell, I doubt I would even let you out of the house. You’re too cute for your own good.”

God. Why didn’t you just tell your coworker to find someone else to cover? Why, why, why?

A rough thumb wipes under your eyes, creating a thin layer of blood, sweat and tears on your skin.

“Awe, no need to cry,” he coos, and you yelp when his other hand encircles around your waist, tugging you against him.

“I’ll take care of ya.”

[therandomartmaker]

DPxDC, of dead hearts and brothers.

danny is damian’s older brother au; reincarnation type. danyal is the soft-hearted but still exemplary heir, but convinces ra’s that it is better to have him be the right-hand to damian, losing his heirship. ra’s, having danny as his favourite (cough danny and his inability to not be involved with old creeps lmao) allows him this; thinking that it’d allow danyal to be protected and also give him another option for youth (taking over damian’s body, afo-shigaraki style /hj)

this is all fine and dandy until ra’s decides damian has reached an equal skill to danyal’s stagnant training, and sets up a fight to the death. the lazarus pits are always there for the al ghul family, after all. he expects danyal to win. he expects damian to learn that all of his children are disposable. precious, but tools for ra’s’ use (all except precious danyal, the heart that kept giving).

danyal dies, damian’s sword stabbed into his heart, his last advice to “drive it in harder.” and his last words, “congratulations, brother.”

they bring him to lazarus pit, but it takes him. he sinks into the pool of acrid green and they wait; hours. a day. a week. he doesn’t resurface. they continue waiting because what else are they to do? they are al ghuls, not danal. not precious danyal who could mourn.

this proceeds, a sigil at the pit’s edge once a month, waiting for the lost son to return; but eventually damian is brought before the bat (far less dramatic, ra’s was tired of damian’s growing frustration without danyal to soothe him but no assassin’s had the same emotional state as danyal to provide a pseudo-sibling to play the same role; thus the bats’ family was the next option)

the bats only find out abt danyal when damian sets up for a day of fasting, facing the direction of the pit.

it’s dick who asks why he is fasting, and damian explains calmly. They learn of the boy who knew kindness, of the al ghul’s heart, of the prodigal heir turned advisor to damian. they learn of damian’s brother. when they find out why he’s dead, horror drips down their spines, at damian being forced to kill someone who’d only done good for him.

damian has one thing to say; “Danyal’s advice was not ‘how to kill’. i killed far better than he, after all. i was efficient, but danyal worked cleaner. Danyal’s advice… was ‘to kill your heart.’”

time moves on; damian is adjusted to ‘outside life’ far easier, danyal taught him how to interact with others and understand that words are rarely literal. the lazarus pits are quiet, madness unlikely in those brought from it, and jason affected far less in the long term. until one day there is a knock at the manor door.

alfred opens it, to see a dark haired young adult, assassins’ garb, injured. he does not seem conscious. alfred brings him in; calling the rest to reach a decision on how to treat him, and what his intentions are.

Damian wakes up to the sight of his brother in the moment that damian killed him.

[rissararity]

Little excerpt from an Omegaverse Logan fic I'm writing for funzies. Below cut gets NSFW!

Everyone always assumed Logan liked tough, red lipped, leather jacket types and he did…to pump and dump on his ruts.

But on the extremely rare occasion he imagined his perfect mate, she was always delicate and wore calming, peaceful colored dresses and skirts.

Dresses and skirts he could hike up at his convenience.

A lady, and a whore.

Excuse me while I re-read this until my squee's die down.

I just love the thought of gruff, grumpy Alpha Logan x sunshine omega.

- He'd be the very definition of scary dog privilege. No one messes with his little Dove and lives to take another breath.

- Before they mated, he'd hate every guy she went out with and not think anyone was good enough for her

- He looks so angry in public. Crowds make way as he nears. Yet the chatty little omega on his arm is bouncing on her heels and smiling up at him without a hint of fear or discomfort.

-Total opposites, yet so perfect for each other.

-Dove is tougher than she looks and likes it rough.

-She accepts his feral side and can take his ruts like a champ. He loves watching her normally taught little belly inflate with his loads, and plugging her while she rests to keep it inside.

- She belongs to Logan, after all. She'd be full of him constantly if he had his way, and he did his best to achieve that goal.

-Skirts! The skirts! His rough, calloused hands slide up her soft legs, beneath the pastel blue fabric. She immediately spreads her thighs for him.

-If she's super dtf, she doesn't wear panties under her skirt at all. His sharp eyes can see the lack of panty line a mile away.

-Possessive. He hates when Dove has to be the distraction during a mission and as soon as possible fucks her against the wall in the nearest alley or dark corner as if to re-establish his claim.

-She loves how his touch erases the memory of the previous one, and she actually feels CLEANER once his thick cum is slowly pooling into her panties.

- Sometimes he jumps the gun and does this before the mission is actually done. If they can't risk anyone catching a whiff, Alpha Logan is very happy to plug her tight little pussy with a special device until she can safely evacuate it upon their return.

-Pretty free use, though he very much values her comfort and consent. Her little omega hip wiggles to encourage him just before he enters are a personal favorite.

- Grunts, and growls. Purrs that rub her brain AND her clit. She can FEEL the deep, gruff sounds coming from his thick, muscular torso. His breath in her ear shakes and shutters.

- "Mine." He snarls, arms curling tighter around her as if someone were going to try and take her from him.

-Logan would shred anyone who tried to ribbons, of course.

- Dirty talk! Experienced, confident Logan loves to praise his little cum slut. Telling her he's gonna give her so much she'll be leaking for DAYS.

- Speaking of, you know Alpha Logan has just as much stamina as any super soldier and his loads are twice the size.

-During ruts she finds herself feeling sloshy after a while but she couldn't care less. This is exactly what she wanted.

She may be a lady, but for her alpha, she IS a whore.

And he loves her.

(Might make a fully SFW version of this sometime)

[minty-drop]

hello there can you do a platonic ford x demon reader

so reader is a demon of negative energy so others would think they are dangerous but nope the reader just spends most of their time nice and calm but also in pillow bases and forts all over the shak when the reader can and ford is just taking notes while it's happening and gets pulled into one of the forts with them.

Platonic ford x demon reader

Warnings: none

Type: headcanon platonic

✎ᝰ. Ford was always naturally a smart and intelligent person. So why in his right mind did he decide to let you stay here in the shack with them? For the research of course.

✎ᝰ. Negative energy is more cosmic then most think, unbounded by the pull of the universe itself, for negative energy simply isn’t emotion. In fact, emotion doesn’t even have to do with the feeding process of these forces of raw energy itself like most would assume from the name itself. A festering pool of dark energy collected in a plain of existence where space bends and time slows. matter not visible to the eye yet so powerful it sucks in anything, similar to how a vacuum cleaner sucks in surrounding dust from the suction force of the machine itself, trapping those particles inside it. A plain of existence far from man’s comprehension. Invisible to all senses until it is too late. To be hunted by creatures that aren’t physically present.

✎ᝰ. Some call them demons, violent creatures of sin and wrath, grasping everything in their claws like a wild animal caged in a chamber of fire. This depiction was far, far from the truth of these extraordinary beings, these beings powerful enough to break through there own worlds boundaries to exceed beyond there own realms in search for something as a shared goal. It was different from a hive mind, far more complex than any.

✎ᝰ. It seemed though you in particular strayed far from that collective mind, having made yourself home cocooned in the plush blanket fort that not so neatly draped blankets over chairs to form its shelter from the ceiling fans light, pillow cases and couch cushions shoved inside the fort itself to finish off the cozy makeshift tent like bed. How odd.

✎ᝰ. The only evidence of your presence was the invisible force picking up the blankets, and draping them around yourself, enjoying staring at the tvs flashing lights and colours that illuminated the room. It was fascinating how you could see the dimension you were in yet, no one could see you. Perhaps you were a higher being, or perhaps your realm was a dimension between the third and fourth? A path way to both ends where the universe is at its thinned string when meeting ends.

✎ᝰ. Perhaps your presence wasn’t entire here, a face of yourself that is projected to interact with the social life of a different realm? To research just like him. Even so. Why insist on him joining you in the tent. You couldn’t feel warmth from the blankets and yet you clung to them, you couldn’t speak to him but continued to gesture with objects around to communicate. Why go through the trouble of it? What was the purpose of it?

✎ᝰ. Though, this wasn’t entirely bad, for this shall be a new opportunity for him. And perhaps for you as well to learn about your realms and each other.

Do not copy and claim my work as your own

[xaeethebaee]

random nsfw hcs part 3? 👀 (i’m tryna see sum about baji)

Random NSFW Headcanons Part Three

MINORS DNI! 18+ FOLKS ONLY!

You asked, so I am delivering. Just like the first two times, these are random sexual headcanons about the characters of Tokyo Revengers.

Warnings: Implied violence, mentions of vomit, implied food play, VERY awkward dirty talk, and rim jobs

A/n: Please keep in mind that every single character is over 18!

Hanma thought it would be funny to blow cigarette smoke into your pussy. He has a broken nose now. (Off to a great start lol)

Sanzu often thinks about whether or not he has a bigger dick than Mikey

Shion's favorite sex position is reverse cowgirl because of how fast it makes him cum. He also cums so hard that he quickly gets overstimulated

Speaking of Shion's love for overstimulation, he'll stay in that position until he's sobbing and shooting blanks

Izana has a peculiar habit of lifting your skirt and smacking your ass no matter the location

Yuzuha's favorite place to sit is on your face (as the Queen should!)

Rindou has an entire playlist for sex. These are all songs that he has mixed himself

Don't complain about period cramps around Benkei because he will definitely love to fuck the cramps out of you

Kisaki's favorite method of punishing you is by handcuffing your hands to the bed and edging you with toys for hours

Wrap a fruit roll up around Nahoya's dick and suck it until the candy dissolves will cause him to propose on the spot

Mitsuya secretly taught Inupi the trick of getting girls to squirt with just his fingers

The slow and romantic love-making types are SHINICHIRO, KAKUCHO, HAKKAI, MITSUYA, Kokonoi, Souya, Benkei, Peh, Rindou, Chifuyu, Sanzu, South, and Mucho

Baji has volunteered you to model for Mitsuya's newest and sexiest lingerie set

One day, Rindou accidentally walked in on Ran holding a cucumber. He quickly left before he could witness what could happen next.

Kokonoi writes erotica novels using sexual experiences told by members of Toman and Black Dragons

Takemichi made Hinata cum by just sucking on her nipples

Wakasa once sprayed whipped cream all over your pussy and proceeded to lick it completely clean

Who lives for fucking while being recorded? (wannabe pornstars lol) HANMA, SOUTH, RAN, Sanzu, and Shion.

Ran has MANY sex tapes with his ex-girlfriends

Surprisingly, Hanma has a low body count (less than 10 people)

Mitsuya never had a threesome until Baji randomly showed up at his studio with you - his girlfriend

These dudes LOVE to have their faces to be sat on. SHION, HANMA, SOUTH, Kokonoi, Shinichiro, Takeomi, Mikey, and Mucho

Kisaki likes head more than sex because it makes him feel more dominant

South gets so filthy when he is eating your pussy, so prepare for him to also give your ass some attention too. Honestly, he'll worship your entire body with his tongue

Inupi is actually really self-conscious when it comes to sex so please reassure him

Pah-chin and his wife are members of the Mile-High club

Draken's dirty talk NEEDS improvement. "You wanna be fucked, bitch?" he asks in a monotone voice, completely destroying the mood

On the flip side, the king of Dirty Talk is hands down WAKASA IMAUSHI. The things he'll whisper in your ear will have you feeling your heartbeat in your clit

Taiju loves fucking missionary since he gets to watch your face contort with pleasure under him

Speaking of Taiju, he has MAJOR breeding kink energy

Smiley once stuck his fingers so deep down your throat that it caused you to vomit. It turned him on more

The day Kazutora was given a boobjob was the day he shot boatloads of cum all over your chest. It was so much that he could've impregnated an entire village

Chifuyu went through a phase where he would roleplay cheesy porn plots with you (ex: wife fucking the pool cleaner guy)

The rough-fucking types (bye bye your ability to walk for a day): HANMA, BAJI, SMILEY, Kisaki, Mocchi, Ran, Izana, Senju, and Taiju

Hakkai forgets that he has a big dick way too often so he'll try fucking without properly prepping you. Please remind him unless you like the pain

Senju LOVES boobplay - whether it be receiving or giving

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

These are just some more that I can think of. Don't expect a part 4 any time soon lol

Just a quick announcement, my next big project is centered around members of the Tokyo Manji Gang. They will be sharing their wildest sex stories. If you want to be on the taglist for that, let me know. (If you're wandering, the Reader x Draken x Hanma threesome is included in that)

[britany1997]

Sunkissed

Pool Boy! Michael x Fem! Rich! Reader

Hope y’all enjoy this collab @misslavenderlady and I did based off a poll she did about a pool boy fic:) we did equal work on this fic so please interact with both posts equally!!! Writing with Lave is so much fun! She’s kind and encouraging and they deserve the love!!!

Warnings: SMUT minors DNI, brat/brat tamer, soft dom, thigh fucking, praise kink, don/sub dynamics, massage, nipple play, semi public sex, cum marking, aftercare

Working during the summertime wasn't something that bothered Michael. He wasn't really the type of guy to waste the days sleeping in or going to bonfire parties. There was an itch within him to keep moving, get some work done, tackle some chores or pick up an odd job. He simply couldn't keep still for long. 

So in between his beach cleaning gig, he managed to find some clients who would pay him as a pool cleaner. People in Santa Carla who had their own private pools were quite generous with money, and that certainly motivated Michael to take on the jobs. 

Being that he was an incredibly handsome young man with a hardworking, polite personality, he gained quite a bit of popularity amongst the ladies of Santa Carla. He paid them no mind though. He just wanted to get his work done.

Your parents had hired him to take care of the pool while they were in Aruba for the summer. Though he couldn’t deny that the vision of your bikini-clad, sunbathing form was a beautiful sight, he’d figured you’d be no different from any of the other girls that threw themselves at him.

He looked over subtly to see your nimble fingers flipping through the pages of Cosmopolitan while sipping a smoothie. He rolled his eyes to himself. Yeah, you weren’t any different. Michael unclipped his sunglasses from his shirt and slid them on before taking out a net to skim leaves and debris off the surface of the pool.

Little did Michael know that your eyes weren't on the magazine in your hands. Hidden behind your designer sunglasses, your gaze was right on the handsome guy. You used to think that girls crushing on pool boys was a laughable cliche. After all, your family has previously hired the most dimwitted guys who half-assed their work. Such a turn-off. 

But Michael wasn't like that at all. He was actually a hard worker and put some real muscle into the tasks he was given. And he looked DAMN good doing it. 

That perfect, glowing skin, those strong arms, and those eyes that were bluer than the water in the pool. You had a big, fat crush on the guy, and you were going to milk this for all it was worth. 

"Hey Mikey!" you called out to him in between sips of your drink. "You missed a spot by the steps!" 

A nonexistent spot that was chosen in an area where you could get a better view of his back muscles, of course. 

Michael cringed at the nickname, but still headed over to clean the imaginary grime from the spot to humor you. 

Your lips turned up into a satisfied smile as you watched his muscles ripple. You sucked down the last of your smoothie as you imagined what it would be like to suck on something else.

As Michael finished amusing you, the sound of your fingers snapping garnered his attention. He watched as a suit-clad man rushed towards you so that you could set your empty smoothie glass on his silver tray. 

“Strawberry banana this time,” you ordered the man, “and no chunks, you know I hate that.” Your nose crinkled in disgust at the thought of a non-smooth smoothie.

Michael quirked an eyebrow, watching your little display while cleaning the sediment from the pool walls. 

"You know, it's already unfair enough that he has to wait on you like you're a little princess. Do you really have to make him do it in that monkey suit?" Michael quipped. 

Your pretty, red lips pulled up into a smirk. You angled your sunglasses downward to watch him more carefully. 

"I'm not the one who assigned the uniform, honey. But by all means, don't feel pressured to do the same. You can wear whatever you want around here~"

All you could think about was getting him from a bathing suit to a birthday suit. You’d spent many days by the pool imagining that hunk finally showing you all of what he was blessed with. You had to find a good way to thank your parents for hiring him.

Michael pursed his lips, but before he could reply, your butler returned with your smoothie. 

You took the cup from the tray, wrapping your full lips around the pink, swirly straw and sucking a bit to make sure it was to your liking, smiling as the flavors hit your tongue. 

“Thanks, Jeeves, that’s all for now,” you dismissed him with a flick of your wrist.

The man gave a little bow before heading back into the house, you presumed to go and dust some of your mother’s beloved antiques. 

Michael shook his head. “Is that even his name?” he asked.

“Dunno,” you replied, shrugging your shoulders, “not my job to know it.”

Michael crossed his arms over his chest. You pouted as your view was obscured. 

“You’re a real spoiled brat you know?” 

Your jaw dropped at his boldness, but you quickly regained your composure. “Didn’t know you had that in ya Mikey,” you teased. “Whatcha gonna do about it, spank me?”

The Emerson boy was no dummy. He knew exactly what you were trying to do. You liked playing around with boy toys without any consequences. Well, that would never fly in everyday life. All the struggle and humbleness his family experienced helped him realize that. 

He was going to make certain you learned a lesson about the real world. 

Michael let the net fall from his hand, the cleaning device splashing loudly into the water below. Curiosity rose within you as he stepped closer to your spot. Soon enough Michael was hovering over you, seeing you down while he slipped his glasses down and gazed at you with those piercing baby blues. 

"No. You're gonna apologize for being a little brat."

You nearly choked on that last sip of smoothie you had. Your head was spinning at that statement. 

"Excuse me?? Who the fuck do you think you're talking t-"

"Stop that!" 

Your words were cut down with a mere raise of his voice. To your own surprise, you felt yourself tremble beneath him. Between his height over you and the booming sound of his words, you were suddenly feeling quite small compared to him.

"Bad girls don't get what they want. Only good girls do. So," Michael began. In one swift motion, he grabbed the glass in your hand and effortlessly plucked it out of your grasp. "you're gonna be a good little lady and apologize for your behavior. It's the only way you're getting this back."

You sat up on your lawn chair in shock. Your mouth opened, then closed, then opened, then closed again. It felt like one of those novelty-singing fish your dad had hanging over the fireplace at your winter chalet.

While you didn’t want to give in, you also wanted your smoothie back…and despite yourself, Michael kind of made you want to be a good girl. You cleared your throat before speaking. 

“I’m sorry,” you whispered.

Michael scoffed and leaned forward. “What was that?” he teased.

You huffed at him. “I said, I’m sorry… Michael, I’m very sorry.” 

He smiled and handed you your cup. “Good girl, I knew you could do it,” he leaned forward to kiss your cheek and pat your head softly. 

You gasped as your cheeks turned bright pink at his touch.

If Michael had noticed your embarrassment, he didn’t let on. When he pulled away from your cheek, he picked up his net as if nothing had happened and returned to his work. 

You laid back in shock, that was not how you’d expected the day to go. Your blush deepened as you realized your bikini bottoms had dampened and not from the pool water. You liked being Michael’s good girl.

Lost in your own thoughts, you missed Michael’s smirking face as he shot you subtle glances. He could tell you’d never had anyone tell you what to do your entire life. He’d enjoy being the first. Hmm, maybe you were different.

Although your mind was swimming with confusion and flirtatious thoughts of Michael, you still had enough focus to go about your routine. Every day the sun was out you got some tanning done before doing laps in the pool. By the time Michael was finished, it would be perfect for your swim. 

Until then, you were going to get that gorgeous summer glow that would be the envy of all your other rich friends. 

With a deep breath and a shake of your head, you reached under your chair to grab hold of the trusty bottle of tanning oil you preferred. You gave it a hefty shake before holding out your palm to take some in.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Michael's voice stopped you in your tracks. If the smoothie stealing hadn't shocked you before, this certainly did. 

"What??"

The curly-haired boy tsked while shaking his head in sheer disappointment. He crossed his arms over his strong chest as he eyed you once again. 

"You're going to get skin cancer with the stuff. You better put on sunblock or you're gonna turn into a raisin, little lady."

You pouted and whimpered without even thinking, the pink tinge returning to your cheeks. “But I don’t have any sunblock,” you admitted.

Michael sighed overdramatically, “what am I gonna do with you?” he lightly scolded before running to his bag.

“We can share mine,” he told you. “Lay down for me.”

You scrambled to do as he asked, laying out on your stomach on the lawn chair. Though you couldn’t see him from your position, his lips were curled up at your obedience. You were a quick learner. 

“That’s my good girl,” he purred as his hands skimmed the small of your back teasingly.

You could only bury your face deep against the chair so he wouldn't catch the deeper shade of blush on your face. He was already making you feel so flustered, yet his fingers were only touching a small part of you. 

"Better get rid of this so I don't make a mess."

Before you could even think to ask what he meant, your ears were greeted by the sound of fabric being scrunched before something was tossed to the side of your lounge chair. A tiny squeak fell from your lips as you caught sight of Michael's shirt on the ground.

There was no way this was happening. Your pool boy was going to rub sunblock on you while half-naked. The more you thought about it, the wetter your bikini bottoms got. 

"Gotta get a good, thick layer of this on ya, okay?" Michael spoke, slathering the cream onto his palm. He rubbed his hands together to warm it up some. "Don't worry. I'll be gentle."

“You don’t have to be…” you whispered to yourself more than anyone, but he smirked all the same.

Michael began to knead the sunscreen into your shoulders and back softly. He was almost as good as your massage therapist. You made a mental note to offer him that position when his pool cleaning gig was up. You wanted to keep him around for as long as possible, no matter what. 

When Michael finished with your upper half, he moved to your legs, running his fingers up and down your calves, coating your skin. As his hands began to drag up your thighs, you felt yourself grow warmer and it wasn’t from the sun. It took everything in you not to moan at his gentle caresses.

You knew Michael’s hands were likely calloused from all the hard work he did, but his feather-light touches felt so soft. His fingers skimmed the hem of your bikini bottoms as he continued to rub the sunscreen into your skin. Though you hadn’t thought it was possible, you could feel your face burn even hotter. 

You moved to flip onto your back, but Michael splayed a hand on your back, keeping you pressed into the chair. “Be good and still for me. Okay, honey?”

God, he really was a dream. The way Michael was on top of you and giving orders was driving you wild. You couldn't stop yourself from nibbling just a bit on your bottom lip. 

"O-Okay," you stuttered. When he decided he was ready, he flipped you onto your back, causing a gasp to leave your lips. You didn’t dare to say anything, you still wanted to be his good girl. 

The way the rays of the sun shined down on his sculpted body looked too perfect. Your eyes watched carefully as he spread another coat of sunblock onto his hands. He started with your stomach, massaging the area as he had done with your back. Once again, the lulling comfort of relaxation fell over you thanks to his touch. 

You didn't have a worry or care being like this with Michael. He was so firm, yet so gentle with you. Now that he could see your face, that was far more clear to him. 

The moment of peace was only interrupted when Michael took hold of your thighs.

"Wh-What're yo-"

"Shh shhhh, don't be scared, honey," Michael cooed, his soft words contrasting with how he threw your ankles onto his shoulder. "I gotta get all of those special spots on your skin~"

You followed Michael's orders and kept still and silent. While you were internally freaking out, he was casually rubbing sunblock along the length of your perfect legs. He pushed himself closer to you, his hips grazing the special spot where your bikini bottoms were. 

When he finished with your legs, he leaned over you, his brown curls falling around his face like a halo. 

He moved even closer, the curve of your ass rested on his thighs while your legs were still slung over his shoulder. You opened your mouth to speak but he shushed you. 

Michael glanced down at your right hand, resting by the side of your head, and moved to lace his fingers with yours. Your heart warmed at the feeling of your hands pressed together. There was something so sweet and intimate about how he held your hand. 

His other hand fiddled with your bikini top, pulling gently at the strings. “Now that I’ve done your back…” he traced a finger over your collarbone, “do you want me to do your front?”

You almost couldn't believe this was happening. Not too long ago Michael was rolling his eyes at you while scooping leaves out of your pool. Now he was offering to strip you down and get extra handsy with the sunblock. 

All those times you acted like a spoiled princess seemed so stupid now. Why would you keep misbehaving when you could give in and let Michael treat you like a good girl? Like HIS good girl. 

"Yes, Michael," you whispered. 

With his striking baby blues focused on you, he pulled the string of your top. The fabric slipped off with ease, revealing your breasts to him. Even with just a glance at your body, you could see the hazed look of lust take over on his face. It made your skin burn hotter than ever. 

"Perky little thing, aren't you?" He cooed. His fingers glided down your chest and over the nipples presented before him. The heat of his body contrasted with the coldness of the lotion, toying with your sensitive spots quite a bit. 

If that didn't make you whimper with lust, the feeling of his erection poking your thigh certainly did. 

You shouldn't have been surprised, given he was a hot-blooded man enjoying a shirtless lady underneath him. Then again, you were more than happy to find out he had an impressive size. You couldn’t remember the last time you enjoyed yourself with a guy.

“Hmm,” Michael hummed, faking concern.

“What is it?” you asked with a pout, worried you’d done something wrong.

“The sunscreen, it’s not gonna stay on here,” he said as his fingers skimmed over your nipples once more. “Too wet.”

“What?” your brow furrowed in confusion, “How are they-” 

You couldn’t finish your sentence when Michael’s mouth sealed around your breast. You gasped and arched your back into his mouth, loving the feeling of his tongue swirling around your nipple. The hand that wasn’t clasping his found its place in his perfect brown curls. When he’d finished toying with you he pulled back. 

“See? Way too wet,” he told you with a wink. You could only mutter a flustered ‘mhmm’ in response.

Not wanting to keep you waiting, Michael dove right back in, continuing his work with your other nipple. He let out a soft groan around the flesh, clearly aroused by how you felt in his mouth. Instead of swirling his tongue again, he sucked gently, stimulating you quite a bit. 

"Ooooh god~" you sighed. The grip of your fingers in his hair grew tighter as your arousal got stronger. You were dripping wet for Michael at this point. Your brain was completely clouded while your body took in all of the pleasure. 

"You taste so good, honey. Makes me want you even more than I already do."

Now you were REALLY hot and bothered. Michael's voice sounded so husky and hungry to you. The more he toyed with you, the stronger your need for him got. 

"Michael," you whimpered out. 

"Hmm? What's going on, honey?" he smirked, playing dumb with you. It only made you even whinier. 

"I need more! Please….please don't tease me…."

Michael laughed softly to himself. He dragged a finger down your abdomen, making your stomach muscles clench. “You wanna feel me in here?” he stroked his finger over your clothed pussy lightly.

You had never had to beg for anything in your life, and Michael could tell. Tears started to well in your eyes and your lip popped out as you nodded.

He pretended to consider your request, “I don’t know honey, do you think you’ve earned it?”

Now the tears had started to roll down your cheeks as you knew the answer to that question, maybe you could convince him otherwise?

“Yes…yes Michael I’ve earned it,” you swore.

Michael sighed. “You were mean to your butler, you teased me…doesn’t sound like good girl behavior to me.”

“But- but I apologized! And I was so good just now! I- please Michael,” you begged for the second time in your life.

“Don’t talk back baby,” Michael scolded and your lips immediately clamped shut. “Still,” he considered, “you have a point, I guess you have tried to be good for me today…maybe I can give you something.”

You would have done anything for him. “Thank you, Michael! I’ll be so good, I promise!”

“Yeah? You gonna be good and take what you’re given,” he smirked.

“Yes! Yes, Michael! Whatever you want.”

He loved the sound of that. Even if Michael was acting stern with you, he was still a very giving and kind lover. He wouldn't let your pleading fall on deaf ears. 

His hands moved gracefully, taking hold of each side of your bikini. You softly mewled from the sensation of a nearby breeze on your exposed bottom half once the last piece of clothing was discarded. Michael was left positively ravenous at the sight of such a wet, glistening pussy. 

"Holy shit," he sighed, running his tongue over his lips. "God, I gotta show you what you're doing to me, baby." 

It didn't take long for you to figure out what that meant. Far less gentle with himself than with you, Michael practically tore off his swim trunks. In mere seconds, his cock sprang out, thick and twitching with arousal. 

Your mouth fell open and your eyes shimmered at such a sight. He was so impressive. 

"Oooh my~" you said. "How'd you hide a big thing like that all this time?" 

"I dunno. But I guess I can't help how it shows when I got you under me, honey~"

Michael took hold of your thighs again, gently touching them as he pushed his body close to you. Your perfect breasts pushed up against his toned chest while he pressed his forehead against yours. You could smell the gum on his breath and it made you feel positively desperate to kiss him. 

"Listen closely," Michael whispered to you. "If you want to stop at any time, please don't be afraid to say so. I'll take care of you, but I need to keep you safe. Do you understand?"

Your heart raced from his words. Even when he was teasing, he was still so sweet with you. Michael sure beat all the arrogant trust fund assholes you’d messed around with in the past. He was a special guy.

“I understand, and I’ll tell you if I need to stop,” you promised.

Michael smiled down at you, “That’s my good girl,” he cupped your cheek before his hands gripped your thighs once more.

You bit your lip, “Michael?”

“Mhmm,” he stopped what he was doing and met your gaze. His lips pulled up into a smile at your blushing face. 

“Can I have a kiss before you start? Please?” you asked.

Michael’s smile grew even wider at such a cute request. He was proud of himself for seemingly taming you into his perfect, good girl in less than a day. “Since you asked so nicely…”

He pressed a kiss to the tip of your nose before beginning to grind against your thighs softly. You gasped at the friction, he was barely touching you and you already felt like you could come apart on your lawn chair.

Before you could whine for a proper kiss, Michael ceased any teasing and went right in. His lips were perfect in every way. Warm, soft, and fit so well with your own. Never before had a boy made you positively melt from just a first kiss. 

But Michael wasn't going to stop the passion there. He was a romantic at heart and wanted to keep you happy. With one hand caressing your cheek and the other grazing over one of your legs, he moved his body with yours some more. 

"My good girl~" he groaned. The tip of his cock was pushed past your thighs, so achingly close to your cunt. He let each inch of his length through as well. The two of you each let out a moan as his cock brushed over your pussy lips, getting soaked with just a small touch. 

"Keep your legs nice and tight for me, okay? I'm gonna fuck your pretty thighs like this~"

You nodded furiously and whimpered at his words. He smiled down at you. “You’re so cute like this, such a pretty girl for me.”

You beamed at his praise as you clenched your thighs tightly around him. His head fell to the crook of your neck and he moaned as you squeezed him. Your arms immediately gripped the lawn chair as your body felt overcome by the feeling of his cock brushing up against you.

“Do you hear how good you’re making me feel, baby?” he asked. “You’re being such an angel right now, holding me so tight. That’s my girl.” 

You sighed blissfully, ‘his girl.’ He had you wrapped around his finger and you didn’t even care.

Michael rolled his hips into your thighs at a slow and steady rhythm, occasionally brushing against your pussy and making you see stars.

"Mmmh! M-Michael~" you sighed out for him. You hadn't expected this to feel so amazing. He didn't even need to penetrate you to get your body going. The way his cock pushed against your thighs and clit was just so perfect. Even if you couldn't have more, you still loved what it was now. 

"Pretty little princess, arentcha~?" he cooed in your ear. Michael grabbed your hips tighter and thrust his hips at a faster pace. He tugged you upward a bit, letting your lower half lift from the chair. 

He brought his mouth to yours again, kissing you deeply while he fucked you. The precum dripping from the tip of his cock made your thighs and pussy so very slippery. He just made you so warm all over, and you didn't want it to stop for even a moment.

You wanted to touch him so badly, to wrap your fingers in his brown curls and pull, or to grip his toned shoulders as he fucked you, not so gently. But you knew better than to do anything without permission.

You managed to let out a breathy, “Michael…” between whimpers and moans. “Mhmm?” his tone has an almost condescending tinge to it, but you didn’t care. Maybe you didn’t mind being put in your place a little.

“Let me touch you? Please?” you begged.

Michael’s lips parted in shock. He had to hold back a snide remark about how the brat had already been fucked out of you, and he wasn’t even in you. Oh, but you were so vulnerable like this with your eyes glassed over and your supple lips pressed into the prettiest pout. Michael was a lot of things, but he wasn’t cruel.

He smirked down at you, not letting up from his pace, but moving closer to your clit with each thrust, a little reward for asking for what you wanted. “Where do you wanna touch me honey?”

He shifted his weight to support himself with one hand, while he grasped your hand sweetly with the other. 

"I won't lie, I've been wanting to touch this body of yours all summer," you admitted. 

Michael seemed to enjoy that statement quite a bit. He was a humble guy, but it was still nice to get his ego fluffed up a bit with compliments. 

"Then, by all means, enjoy yourself~"

He kept up the motions of his rocking while he allowed you to do as you wished with his body. Your manicured fingers traced over the dips and curves of his muscles. You couldn't help but squeeze his pecs and abs. It turned you on seeing someone so perfectly sculpted and toned above your writhing body. 

There was no hiding the fact that he felt the same way about you. Even when you were acting like a spoiled brat, you were a very SEXY spoiled brat. One with a gorgeous figure to caress and cherish as he pleased

His heart swelled with pride as you touched him softly, your eyes always searching his face to ensure you weren’t taking too much or being too greedy. 

He leaned down to whisper in your ear, “You’re being so good for me, sweetheart. Think you deserve a reward~”

You gasped as his thumb brushed across your clit. You could have cum right then and there. He began to move his thumb in soft circles, pulling gasps and moans from your perfect lips. It was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard.

“Love how you touch me, baby,” Michael purred into your ear, “Needed to return the favor.”

You whimpered beneath him, totally intoxicated by the pleasure he was giving you. “I’m close,” you admitted, blushing.

He sighed happily, your words music to his ears. “Then be a good girl and cum for me ok?” Michael patronized, feeling how much you enjoyed his tone.

God, there was no holding back when he talked to you like that. The jolts of pleasure were rushing through your body, charging you up like electricity. With your hand gripping him tightly and your legs locking more firmly, you felt yourself get closer and closer with every second. 

Michael wasn't far behind you. It was quite easy to catch up with how much you had stimulated him. He grunted and moaned as he fucked your thighs and toyed with your clit at a faster pace. He was dying to see that beautiful face make an expression of truly amazing pleasure.

"FUCK!! Fuck, Michael!!! Yes!! Aaah~" you cried out. Your voice echoed out into the California air as the orgasm hit your body with full force. If Michael's cock and fingers weren't soaked already, they certainly were now. 

The sound of your pleasured screams triggered his own release mere moments later. Thick, white shots of cum splashed onto your soft thighs and stomach, properly marking you as Michael's girl. 

He stared down at you and smiled to himself, God you were a pretty sight. He bent down from his arms to his elbows and laid on your chest, arms wrapping around you in a sweet embrace. Now you were covered with him in more ways than one.

Instinctively, your arms snaked around him and your fingers began to draw circles on his back. Michael smiled softly, enjoying the lovely sensation as he pressed wet kisses on your cheeks, your jawline, and your neck. 

“You with me baby?” he asked as he tucked sweaty strands of hair behind your ear. 

You sighed happily, “Yeah.” Your cheeks were a pretty shade of pink as you smiled at him. “I like when you call me baby.”

He laughed softly. “Can I tell you a secret?”

You nodded enthusiastically.

“I like when you call me Mikey.”

You could have melted right there.

Michael grinned as he began to push up from the chair, but your sudden, tight grip on his waist stopped him. He looked down at your pitiful pout. 

“Gotta clean you up sweet girl,” he said as he stroked your cheek.

“Later, I promise,” you bargained. “For now can you just…hold me?”

His lips pulled up into a bright smile before he settled on top of you, laying his head on your chest. “For as long as you want, baby.” Your mom and dad may have been in Aruba, but you were in heaven.

Taglist❤️:

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[mysterious-moonstruck-musings]

Destiny & Deliverance: Chapter 26

Destiny & Deliverance Masterlist ||| Main Masterlist Dieter Bravo X OFC New as of 11/13/2023

Series Summary: Natalia Cohen is experiencing major life changes, beginning with leaving an emotionally abusive husband. She is learning how to navigate life on her own while dealing with high functioning anxiety, depression, and mild PTSD. Everything is looking up for her. She is a highly respected consultant for a major LA firm, has her best friend, Lauren, by her side, and is on her path to healing. Everything changes when she meets a handsome and broken stranger on a work trip. He turns out to be a well-known actor, with a heart-breaking past. They quickly develop a connection that will forever alter their lives. 

Warnings: Themes dealing with mental health, emotional trauma, alcohol use, and discussions about suicide. There will be fluff, tears, spicy language, and smut. This will be a slow burn type of story. Read at your own risk.

Chapter Quote: "I don't want to do this."

I lost track of how much time passed as I watched Dieter sleep. My mind was racing through so many thoughts that it overwhelmed me, making it impossible to process anything at all. It was hard to pull myself away from him, but I felt like I needed a few minutes to myself to just…feel. I was relieved when the nurse walked in to check on him, feeling like that was my out. I let her know that we would be in the waiting room if he asked for us. When she turned her attention back to her checklist, I excused myself from the room.

As I walked down the hallway, I took a moment to observe my surroundings. Seeing patients through open doors in various states of critical care was making me feel anxious. The sounds of beeping machines dredging up old memories that I thought I had packed away for good. The pungent smells of antiseptic and fragrances of chemical based cleaners caused my stomach to churn. I hated hospitals and I hated that Dieter was having to go through this experience. I truly hoped that it would at least have a positive outcome so that he could finally get the proper help he needed.

I ducked into a single-user bathroom to have a minute to myself, knowing it would be my only opportunity. After locking the door behind me, I walked over to the sink and gave myself a once over in the mirror. I looked like hell. My air-dried curly hair was now a frizzy mess from my fingers incessantly pulling at it. My eyes were circled in darkness from the lack of sleep, red and swollen from crying. The t-shirt I had quickly thrown on before leaving the house was wrinkled and had a stain on it. No wonder the ER doctor didn’t take my word for it when I said I was fine. I wouldn’t have believed me either. 

I tried to smooth my hair down but didn’t get anywhere with it. Luckily, I had a hair tie on my wrist so I could pull it back into a messy bun. I took a minute to splash some warm water over my face. My skin felt sensitive and raw from the salty tears that had fallen, no matter how much I willed them not to. I switched over to cold water for a little shock to my system to try and wake up some. After splashing a few handfuls of the cold water, I stood watching it pool in my cupped hands, allowing it to spill over the sides. I could feel myself disassociating, until the flashes of memories started to break through.

Images of Dieter lying on the floor, his eyes opening briefly as I tried to wake him before they rolled back and closed again. The way he looked lifeless in my lap on the drive to the hospital, with a weakened pulse. The sight of him being pulled from my embrace and loaded onto a gurney surrounded by nurses and doctors as they worked to stabilize him. It was too much, and it was all crashing down on me at once. I had almost lost him because I was too fucking selfish to take the risk and reach out to him when I knew in my gut that something was wrong. I completely ignored it all and focused on being angry at him, just to make myself feel better about the whole situation. Now, I only felt anger toward myself.

I snapped back to the present, letting the water spill from my hands before reaching to turn off the faucet. I placed my wet hands on the back of my neck for a moment, allowing the coldness to soothe the heat radiating through my body. I closed my eyes and took a few measured breaths. Then, I reached for paper towels to dry my hands and face before throwing them in the trash. I placed both palms on the sink, leaning against it with my head down. I closed my eyes again, still taking deep breaths to try and center myself.

When I raised my head and opened my eyes, meeting my reflection in the mirror, I hated the person that I saw. My biggest fear had been losing myself again. I had allowed it to happen without even realizing how the darkness was slowly consuming what little was left of me. The harder I worked to keep it away from me the easier it was for the darkness to stealthily pull me into its numbing embrace. The sad part is, I welcomed it with open arms under the guise that I was doing what I needed to do to move forward and be happy.

For the first time since Dieter ended things, I realized I was slowly turning back into the person I was before him. The person I was when I was with Justin. The scared girl who pretended everything was fine and hid her feelings away out of fear that someone would see how bad things were. I had been conditioned to behave this way to protect Justin and all his wrong doings. I had been conditioned to hide my feelings away so that I wouldn’t realize how unhappy I really was. I could feel the walls starting to crumble down again and I found myself craving a drink but knew I couldn’t go down that road. I knew I needed to get back on track and handle things the correct way, for the sake of myself. I wasn’t going to be able to be there for Dieter unless I finally got my shit together. For real this time. I needed to find better ways to cope and actually process my feelings, rather than lock them away. If I didn’t do this, I knew I would be lost to the darkness forever.    

I was drawn away from my thoughts by a knock on the door. I took one last deep breath and moved to leave the bathroom. As I continued my trudge down the hallway, I somehow managed to focus my mind back on the current situation that needed attention, trying to think through the next steps. I wasn’t even sure what those needed to be since I had never dealt with anything like this. This was definitely going to be a team effort.

When I entered the waiting room, I was met with more activity than I expected. Everyone was working to check out various inpatient treatment centers for Dieter. Alex was reaching out to his contacts for feedback while Lauren and Gabby did research on their phones. I immediately joined in. We were determined to find something away from LA that wasn’t one of the upscale places celebrities usually went to that catered to them. He needed to be somewhere that would not treat him any differently than other patients and really focus on helping him get better.

We finally settled on a facility in Tucson, Arizona called Sanctuary Hills that appeared to be promising. It was away from paparazzi central, making it less likely that anything would leak about Dieter being there. It also came highly recommended by Dr. Wilson and several other individuals that Alex spoke with. It would be a long drive, but more than worth it if the place was as good as everyone made it out to be. Once the decision was made, Gabby called to get more information and to get the admission process started. 

We did not want to give Dieter the opportunity to change his mind, so Gabby and I planned to drive him directly to the facility once he was discharged from the hospital. Sanctuary Hills was kind enough to send us a list of things that Dieter could and could not bring with him, so I offered to go pack a bag for him on my way home to nap and freshen up. Gabby planned to do the same while Lauren and Alex stayed behind to spend some time with Dieter once he woke up.

When the Uber driver pulled into the driveway of Dieter’s house, I could feel my chest tighten as anxiety set in. Being there after what had happened the previous evening felt odd, almost sort of eerie. It seemed like there was bad energy emitting from the once happy place that I had considered my second home.

As I used Gabby’s key to unlock the front door, I suddenly felt a wave of emotion sweep over me. I could already feel a lump forming in my throat. When I stepped inside and really took in the space for the first time, I realized how much of a mess it was. I had noticed it the night before but didn’t register the severity because I had been focused on helping him. Dieter’s comforter and a pillow, my pillow, were haphazardly laying on the couch. There were old takeout containers randomly sitting around the living room and kitchen, some still containing food that looked like it had hardly been touched. I assumed that was the cause of the questionable smell permeating throughout the house. The TV was laying on its back on the floor with a busted screen. There were empty and broken liquor bottles of all shapes and sizes laying everywhere. Most of the broken bottles were concentrated on the floor under the painting I had left for him, like they had been thrown at the wall. The painting appeared to be untouched, which was oddly comforting to see.

It was difficult to see the physical evidence of how bad he had been hurting. There was no way that I could look at the sight before me and not feel anything. I simply could not pack this away somewhere in my mind and not deal with it. It was too much, but I needed the raw emotional confrontation. This is what finally caused my walls to crumble down, forcing me to feel everything at once. The sadness, betrayal, hurt, pain, anger…all of it. I couldn’t hold back the flood of tears any longer. My vision blurred momentarily before the tears started to fall incessantly. I didn’t even bother to wipe them away as I made my way toward Dieter’s bedroom to start packing a bag for him.

If I thought the living room and kitchen were bad, his bedroom was even worse. The bed was completely torn apart, and the frame broken. The nightstands were turned on their sides and the lamps that once set atop them laid in pieces on the floor. The mirror on the dresser was shattered and the drawers and clothes were thrown across the room. There was a hole in the drywall where the headboard used to be and another beside the bathroom door. It felt like I was having an out of body experience, the scene around me looking like it had been pulled straight from a movie.

I stood there for a time; both of my hands placed over my mouth in shock as I looked around the room. I had a hard time reconciling the thoughts of Dieter causing such destruction. This wasn’t him. He wasn’t a violent person. This was the culmination of his pain finally breaking him. My legs suddenly felt weak at that realization. I sank to the floor, continuing to take it all in as the tears fell freely down my cheeks. It was hard to see a space that held so many wonderful memories of us reduced to a pile of rubble. Maybe it had been even harder for him to be reminded of those memories while it was still intact, a caricature of how things used to be.

I don’t know how much time passed before I finally pulled myself up off the floor. I needed to take a breather. I walked back to the living room, where I noticed Dieter's phone still laying on the floor from where he had dropped it. My car keys were on the floor nearby, where I had apparently dropped them in the midst of my rush to get to him. I leaned down to pick up the keys and phone. I figured Gabby may need some of the contact information from his phone to deal with his work stuff, so I didn’t want to forget it. I walked over and plopped down on the couch before setting the two items down on the coffee table next to one another.

The lock screen of the phone lit up, catching my attention. I picked it up for a closer look, realizing the wallpaper was the infamous picture of us that he had posted on Instagram. Except this was the unedited original. It was in color, uncropped, and not blurred with filters. I had never seen this version of it. It almost broke me to see how happy and content we both looked. Even though Dieter’s head was turned slightly, I could still see the rare spark of happiness in his eyes. The crease that he often had between his brows was smooth. It was hard to remember that for a short time we had been blissfully happy. It seemed so long ago now. I realized that I would give anything to go back to that. We both needed the good times, to experience those rare moments of joy, when things didn’t feel like an uphill battle.

I grabbed the comforter that was halfway hanging onto the floor and wrapped it around me as I laid down onto the couch, phone still clutched in my hand. The scent of Dieter’s cologne surrounded me in a comforting embrace as I continued to examine the picture. A low battery alert appeared on screen. I chuckled to myself, thinking how my battery felt low too. I eventually set his phone back down on the table and drifted off to sleep.

I was jolted awake by my cell phone ringing in my back pocket. When I sat up, I realized it was now dark outside. I had been asleep for longer than I had planned to be. It took me a few seconds to work out where I was as I wiped the sleep from my eyes. I quickly stood and fished the phone out of my pocket to see that it was Gabby calling me. She wanted to check in and see how I was doing and if I needed help with any of Dieter’s things. I didn’t, of course. That was something I wanted to deal with on my own, but I appreciated her offer, nevertheless. It felt good to know that I was not alone in all of this, that this time around there were other people close to Dieter and me who understood what was going on.

Gabby went on to share that Alex had called to say the hospital would be releasing Dieter the following morning. She was planning for us to make the seven-and-a-half-hour drive immediately after picking him up. Then she and I would take a flight back to Los Angeles. It was going to be a long day, but it was worth it if it meant he was going to get the help he needed. We made plans for her to pick me up in a rental car and be ready to go first thing in the morning.

Once Gabby and I hung up, I realized I had a text from Aubrey. I had only just realized that I never called into work that today, so I was surprised I had not heard from her sooner.

Aubrey: Lauren called me last night to let me know what was going on. I hope everything is ok. Please take all the time you need, for the both of you. Keep me updated and let me know if you need anything.

I sighed heavily. I seriously did not deserve her or Lauren. They gave me more grace than I deserved sometimes. I fired off a quick update to Aubrey to let her know that both Dieter and I were doing ok and that I would need a couple of days off. She responded immediately to let me know that would be fine.

Since that was off the “to do” list, I decided to pack Dieter’s bag. I pulled up the list that Gabby had sent to me. He was basically limited to three days’ worth of comfortable clothes and nothing else until they considered him to be fully stable. He couldn’t even have his glasses or contacts, something he was definitely not going to be happy about.

I sent a quick text to Gabby reminding her that Dieter would need a phone list since he couldn’t have his phone. I figured she might have a better idea of who needed to be listed on that and that she would probably have most of their numbers. Then, I made my way to his closet, ignoring the mess in the bedroom as best I could. I found that his closet was completely untouched and still somewhat organized. I noticed that half of it was now empty, which reminded me of the conversation we had about making space to keep some of my things there. He had clearly held up to his word on that and never bothered to change it back. I could feel the lump forming in my throat with that thought. I shook my head, dismissing the memory so I could focus on the task at hand.

I quickly grabbed a pair of his gray workout shorts and two pairs of striped pajama pants (that did not have drawstrings) and three plain t-shirts from the shelves. I found his bright green robe and removed the waist belt before adding it to my stack. I had to dig around to find slip on closed toe shoes that didn’t have any metal or laces on them. At the bottom of his shoe pile, I found a pair of black croc clogs that I had never seen him wear, but it’s what he was getting because it was the only pair I could find that met the requirements. After grabbing some of his boxers and socks, I started looking around for a bag. I eventually came across an extra-large tote bag that could barely hold everything. He wasn’t allowed to bring his own toiletries, so I didn’t have to worry about any of that. I quickly ran through the list again making sure I didn’t miss anything. I made a mental note to double check on the phone list with Gabby and get his medications back from the hospital. Other than that, he couldn’t have anything else.         

Before I left Dieter’s house, I collected all the food containers and took out the trash. That was something that needed immediate attention due to the smell alone. The rest would have to wait until I had more time. I wanted to make sure to get everything cleaned up before he came home, whenever that would be. The mess was the last thing he needed to deal with, and he most definitely did not need any reminders of what happened to him.

I collected the tote bag, my phone and Dieter’s, and my car keys before walking out to my car and heading back to my house. After I got home, I gathered a few things I would need for our quick trip, set my alarm, then immediately went to bed. Surprisingly, it didn’t take long for sleep to take me. I was physically and mentally exhausted and I could feel every bit of it.

The morning alarm came quickly. I felt like I had only just dozed off as I sat up in bed, stretching. My head was throbbing, and I could feel that my eyes were still swollen and stinging from all the crying I had done the past two days. I hoped a hot shower would help alleviate the tightness I could feel from the inflammation and ease my aching body. I drug myself up out of bed and took a very long shower. I mostly stood under the hot spray, unmoving, as I stared at the floor. I felt like I needed to mentally prepare myself for whatever the day would bring. I didn’t know what to expect, which left me anticipating all possible outcomes, including the worst-case scenarios. My only hope was that Dieter stayed calm throughout the trip and didn’t change his mind about accepting help before we got him there.  

I spent longer than I should have in the shower, causing me to rush around to get ready. Not that I had planned to put a lot of effort into it anyway because it was definitely a messy bun and sunglasses kind of day. I was glad that I had gotten things ready the night before or else I know that I would have ended up forgetting something. Before I knew it, Gabby was pulling into my driveway. When I got into the car, she handed Dieter’s phone list over to me so she would not forget about it. I added it to his bag before I handed over his cell phone to her.

I could tell she was just as anxious as I was from her tight grip on the steering wheel and tense posture. We hardly said a word to each other during the drive to the hospital. Both of us were clearly deep in thought. The way I felt was almost indescribable. I was anxious and my chest felt tight, but in a different way than before. My head was buzzing as the thoughts raced uncontrollably. I felt hopeful, sad, and angry all at the same time. I was having a hard time wrapping my head around how it had actually come to this. It almost didn’t seem real. I was starting to feel disconnected, like I was watching everything from the outside. I knew that probably wasn’t a good thing, but also felt like it might be the only way I could get through today. I would just have to deal with the consequences of it later.  

When we arrived at the hospital, we found that Alex was already pushing the discharge process along as best he could. He had spent the night with Dieter so he wouldn’t have to be alone. Alex had to be exhausted since he had been at the hospital the entire time. He had the least amount of sleep out of all of us in the past forty-eight hours, so I knew he was ready to crash. Lauren arrived soon after Gabby and me so that she could take Alex home. She had stopped to get us all coffee and breakfast too, which was very much appreciated by all.

Dr. Wilson briefly met with Gabby and I to give us Dieter’s bag full of medication and to go over paperwork. He gave us copies of everything that Sanctuary Hills would need but indicated they had sent electronic copies as well. He let us know that they gave Dieter a sedative thirty-minutes prior because he was still being uncooperative with staff and exhibiting high levels of anxiety. He noted that it should last about eight hours but included another dose with Dieter’s medication in case it was needed. That was not the news that Gabby and I wanted to hear, but we were appreciative that Dieter was given something to calm him down during the trip. We were hopeful that being with us would help him relax some too.

When we were finally able to make our way to Dieter’s room, we found him sitting on the bed picking at the food Lauren had brought for him. It didn’t look like he had eaten much of it. He seemed a little dazed as he sat in silence staring around the room at nothing. Lauren and Alex gave Gabby and I an apprehensive look as our eyes darted between them and Dieter. I wasn’t sure what I was expecting but I don’t think this was it. I assumed his behavior was like this because the sedative was kicking in, making him feel out of it while dulling the anxiety.

I walked over to stand next to the bed, reaching out to push Dieter’s hair back out of his eyes, which caused him to focus his attention on me for the first time. He knitted his brows together as he stared at me in silence for a moment. Then he reached up to lightly tug on my shirt, pulling me to sit down beside him. I wrapped my right arm around him as I moved to sit closer to him, then reached up to rub the curls at the nap of his neck. He immediately melted into my side and laid his head on my shoulder, his arms tightening around me. I took a stuttered breath as I fought back the tears that were threatening to fall. He was so fucking pitiful, and it was breaking my heart to see him like that.

After several minutes passed and when I eventually felt like I had my emotions under control, I asked Dieter if he wanted to change clothes and get ready to leave. He nodded slowly against my shoulder. Gabby handed him a set of clothes and the crocs I had gotten from his house as he got up to go toward the bathroom. While we waited for him, a nurse came in with the last bit of paperwork for Gabby to sign off on. By the time he came back out, we were ready to go. Gabby went out ahead of us to get the rental SUV and pull it up to the door. The rest of us made our way downstairs, accompanied by two patient care assistants. They kept a close eye on Dieter the whole way, which made me question what he had been doing to the staff that was so “uncooperative”. I felt like they were expecting him to run off or something.

Once Gabby pulled up, we gave Alex and Dieter some space to say their goodbyes. Alex had placed one of his hands around the back of Dieter’s neck, pulling their foreheads close together as he talked quietly to his older brother. Something about the sight caused Gabby, Lauren, and I to immediately tear up. The intense emotional look that passed between the two of them said so much. Dieter tightly nodded along to whatever his brother was saying before they pulled each other into a warm embrace. After a quick hug from Lauren, Dieter crawled into the back seat of the SUV. He stared at me wide-eyed and unblinking with his sad puppy dog eyes, seeming to be asking a question without words. I gave him what I hoped was a reassuring smile before climbing in to sit next to him as he scooted to the other side.

Dieter sat wringing his hands and staring down at the floor as we waited for Gabby to finish filling Alex in on our plans for the day. I reached over to grab his left hand and he visibly relaxed some. He glanced over at me with a tight smile before turning to stare out the window. He still looked paler than normal. Seeing him in his own clothes made it more apparent that he had lost some weight, which added to his frail appearance. I knew the current sight of him would haunt my dreams for weeks to come.

Soon after we got on the road, I noticed Dieter was having a hard time keeping his eyes open as he leaned his head against the window.

I gave his hand a small squeeze as I eyed him, “You ok?”

“Those fucking drugs they gave me are making it hard to stay awake,” he said flatly without looking my way.

I started rubbing small circles on his hand with my thumb, “Do you wanna lay down?”

His eyes locked with mine in an intense stare, like he was surprised at my words. I moved to grab a small blanket and pillow from behind the seat that Gabby had brought for him. I handed him the blanket and placed the pillow in my lap as he watched me intently. I don’t know why, but I suddenly felt like I was dealing with a scared feral animal from the look he was giving me. I didn’t want to spook him, but I also wanted to make sure I was there for him in the ways he needed. I reached toward him and motioned with my hand for him to lay down. He moved to get comfortable the best he could in the small space, folding his body to fit and putting his head in my lap. He sighed deeply, eyes closing as he tried to make himself comfortable. Once he was situated, I started running my fingers through his hair and lightly scratching at his scalp. It wasn’t long before his breathing changed to deep steady breaths as he fell asleep.

The drive was long and quiet. I could occasionally feel Gabby’s eyes on me in the rearview mirror as I watched Dieter sleep. My thoughts were still quickly cycling through every second of our time together, trying to figure out when things started to get so bad. I had a feeling Gabby could see everything I was feeling written on my face during that drive. She never questioned it though. There were times that I glanced her way and she seemed to be just as deep in thought as I was.

About four hours into the trip, Gabby asked if we should stop for food. Since Dieter was still sleeping, we decided to push through the drive without stopping. I got the feeling that she wanted to get this whole process over with as soon as possible, leaving little room for interruptions or complications. I couldn’t blame her since I was feeling the same way, along with the nagging feeling that the worst part was still to come.          

It turns out, I was right. By the time we reached Sanctuary Hills, the sedative was wearing off. Dieter had woken up about twenty minutes before we got to the facility, and I could tell his anxiety was ramping up. It started with his fingers twitching, and the restless moving of his legs, until he eventually sat up in his seat. His eyes began to drift across everything he could see in the car. Eventually the outside caught his attention as he started to fidget more and wring his hands together again. He refused to take the other pill that Dr. Wilson had sent with us because he was tired of sleeping and how the drug was making him feel.

As we pulled into the parking lot, Dieter’s eyes fixated on the building while he roughly scratched at his chin. I grabbed his hand to make him stop in hopes it would calm him down some. Gabby and I exchanged worried glances in the rearview mirror as she unbuckled her seatbelt. Gabby and I got out of the car and walked around to the passenger side. Gabby pulled Dieter’s door open. He sat staring at me, wide-eyed. He looked terrified. I gave him a tight smile as I reached out my hand for his. He finally relented and took it as he got out. He shuffled slowly behind me as we walked toward the entrance. Gabby grabbed his bag out of the back and quickly caught up to us.

Once we entered the facility, Dieter stood closely at my side with a tight grip on my left hand as he chewed on the thumbnail of his free hand. His head was down, but his eyes were scanning over everything in sight. I tried my best to sooth him and keep him calm while Gabby worked to complete the check in process, occasionally asking him questions for the paperwork she was filling out. He answered quietly, in a barely audible voice, never removing his thumb from his mouth to speak.  

One of the ladies helping with the check in process started to go through Dieter’s bag to check for “contraband” and ensure all of the items were in compliance with the regulations. As she was checking everything, she asked him if he had any jewelry or a cell phone that he needed to turn over to us before Gabby and I left. I felt Dieter tense beside me as his energy changed, from anxious to almost hostile. When I turned to look at him, I could see the panic and anger flashing in his eyes. The inevitable meltdown was finally happening. 

“My phone? You mean I don’t get to keep my fucking phone? No. I didn’t agree to that.”

He started shaking his head frantically from side to side as he backed away from me. I calmly walked over to him and placed both of my hands on his face, softly stroking his patchy beard, in an attempt to calm him as he continued to ramble on.

“How am I supposed to call you without my phone? What if I need you? This place is like a fucking prison. I don’t want to do this.”  

“Dieter, listen to me.”

He finally paused his movements as he stared directly into my eyes. What I saw there made me feel like someone was carving my heart out of my chest with a rusted spoon. I have no idea how I managed to hold it together, but I did.

“You can’t have your phone, but you can use theirs. You have a set phone time to call us. They want you to focus on getting better, so you can’t keep it with you.” 

“A set phone time? I only have your number memorized. Not the others.”

I was momentarily taken off guard by his admission, feeling more emotional than I already had been if that were possible. He obviously wasn’t thinking rationally right now. This wouldn’t be an issue for most people, but Dieter was used to always having his phone to stay connected with those he cared about. It was understandable the absence of that connection would upset him.

“Gabby made you a list of phone numbers so you can call us. It’s in your bag.”

This answer didn’t seem to dampen his anxiety in the slightest, “But I can only call during certain times? What if you don’t answer and I can’t call back?”

“I’ll answer. I promise… and if you need anything between calls, your case worker can call for you if it isn’t something that can wait.”

I could see the tears brimming in his eyes as he continued to stare at me, a pleading expression on his face - either about the phone, his stay, or something else entirely. I was not sure. I tried to keep my face neutral for his sake, but I knew I was failing. My brows drew down together without my permission as my vision blurred slightly from my own tears. He lowered his head and turned away from me, his shoulders shaking slightly from his shallow breathing. He started to clench and unclench his hands at his sides as he moved further away. I quickly wiped at my eyes and glanced over at Gabby and the ladies behind the front desk. They were all staring at the two of us with worry and concern in their eyes. I took a deep breath before walking over to Dieter, pulling him away from the onlookers and enveloping him into a tight hug. I could feel his fingers knotting in the back of my shirt as he spoke through his tears into my neck. “I’m so fucking terrified to do this and I don’t want you to leave me.” I could feel his grip tighten further as he quietly added, “We didn’t get any time to fix things.”

I gently ran my fingers through the back of his hair, “Don’t worry about that, I’ll be right here when you’re done. We can talk about it later. I want you to focus on yourself right now. When you’re better, you’re coming home to me, ok? I’m not going anywhere.”

He slowly pulled back to meet my eyes. He seemed determined now as he searched my face.

“I don’t want to spend another night away from you after this.”

I gave him a genuine smile before leaning my forehead against his and closing my eyes to savor the feeling of him, trying to memorize every little bit of him that I could. I felt a tentative hand cupping my cheek as I opened my eyes to look up at him again. I leaned into his gentle touch, for the first time in months. I had missed it so much more than I realized. I couldn’t help myself. I reached up and entwined my fingers with his hand on my cheek before pulling them to rest between us. I used my other hand to pull him toward me and gently placed a kiss on his lips.

The way his face lit up as a few more tears slid down his cheeks made my heart clench. He didn’t hesitate to reach up with both hands and pull me in for a second and third kiss before briefly resting his forehead against mine, the physical intimacy that we had to do without for months seeming to ground him a little. He took a deep steady breath as he backed away.  “Alright, let’s get this shit over with.”

Dieter’s mood shift was surprising and also a relief. He seemed to be having a moment of clarity, which I took full advantage of as I pulled him over toward Gabby so that he could help her finish with his paperwork. Things went much faster after that than I expected. Before we knew it, we were saying our goodbyes. He didn’t let go of my hand until he absolutely had to. He still looked sad, but seemed in better spirits than he was when he arrived. I was thankful for that since it made it more bearable for everyone involved.

Gabby and I had to hurry to catch our flight. We had just enough time to turn in the rental and grab a small snack as we rushed through the airport. We didn’t talk much on our way home. The topic of her brother seemed to be off limits for the both of us, as an unspoken agreement. We were both so drained from the events of the last few days that we needed a break from it. I could tell she was appreciative of having me there though. It was obvious in the small smiles and gentle hand squeeze she would randomly give me during our journey.

By the time I finally made it back to my house, I was running on empty. It was late and all I wanted to do was crawl into bed, but I somehow mustered up the energy to take a quick shower to wash the day of travel away. After that, it didn’t take long before I was out.

In the days that followed, I spent my time cleaning up the disaster that was Dieter’s house. I ended up having his bedroom furniture hauled off since several pieces were broken. It wasn’t worth the effort to try and fix them. Once that project was done, I didn’t have much else to do besides work and I did that from home. I did make an effort to spend time with Gabby and Lauren when I felt up to it. I felt it was important to work on my relationship with them since I had been so absent recently, and I didn’t want to risk isolating myself again as I was trying to cope with things. 

After a week had passed, nothing could take my mind off the fact that Dieter hadn’t called me. I was worried that he was starting to realize how badly I had handled this whole situation on my end. He was the one that ended things, but I had made zero effort to fight for us. I had let him go like it was nothing. I would expect him to be hurt by that. Gabby assured me that he hadn’t called because he was having a hard time coming off of his medication and wasn’t feeling up to much phone time. What little he had called to speak with her was to get things sorted out for work and those conversations only lasted a few minutes. She said it was obvious by the way he sounded that he wasn’t feeling well. The case worker told Gabby that he was having some withdrawal symptoms after the first few days of decreasing his medication dosages and he was having a hard time with it. I knew that was most likely the case, but that still didn’t keep the doubts from creeping in, imagining worst case scenarios.

It was nearly two weeks after we had dropped Dieter off at Sanctuary Hills when I got a surprise visit from Alex. He awkwardly greeted me as he walked through the doorway carrying a very large parcel wrapped in brown paper. I eyed it quizzically as he maneuvered it into the living room.

“What is this?”

“Dieter asked me to bring this to you that night I stayed with him at the hospital. I’m sorry, I’m just now getting around to it. He sent a not so polite reminder through Gabby about it yesterday.” 

“I take it you haven’t talked to him either then?”

Alex sighed as he shook his head, “No, not yet. Gab said he’s still kind of a mess right now because of the medication changes. She mostly talks to his case worker, I think.”

I nodded in understanding. Knowing that he hadn’t reached out to Alex either did offer some reassurances that it wasn’t just me. It hurt me beyond words to know that he was having such a hard time with the medication changes. I hoped, for his sake, that it did not last much longer. 

Alex moved to hand me the large parcel he was holding. I took it as I gave him a questioning look. I noticed his eyes lit up slightly before he gave me a smirk.

“It’s the painting from the art fundraiser.”

I knitted my brows together as I took it from him, ripping the front of the paper to reveal the painting that had turned me into an emotional mess that night. Once I had it completely unwrapped, I set it against the wall and stepped back to look at it. I realized there was something very familiar about the two figures.

More after the image

I turned to Alex, who still had the same smirk on his face, “I don’t understand. How did he know about the painting?”

His smirk slowly turned into a wide smile, “He painted it. He wanted to surprise you with it that night, but obviously that didn’t work out…”

I put my hand to my mouth, gasping audibly. Now I understood the reason I felt drawn to it that night. The two figures were us. I could feel the tears prickling at the corners of my eyes, threatening to make their escape.

“I don’t understand, when did he have time to do this? We were together constantly before he left for Canada.”

Alex moved to stand next to me, “He started it right after he got back from New York. He took a break when he went to film that movie in Mallorca but picked it up again when he got back…before he found you again.”

I chuckled in disbelief, “Well this certainly adds a whole other layer of feelings that I wasn’t expecting.”

“I know he did a lot of it at night, when he couldn’t sleep. He told me he couldn’t get you out of his head. I’m pretty sure he fell in love with you that first night you spilled your drink all over him. He wouldn’t stop talking about you, so I encouraged him to look you up. I don’t think I’ve ever in my life seen him so nervous to do something,” Alex let out a small laugh at the memory.

I didn’t even try to hold the tears back after that. How could I? It said so much about Dieter’s feelings. Alex glanced over at me, realizing my emotional state. He put his arm around my shoulder and pulled me in for a gentle side hug.

“This is the first painting he’s done in years…just so you know. You definitely woke up something inside of him. We could all see it. I really hope you two can make it work once he gets out of that place. I think you’re good for each other.”

I was taken aback by Alex’s candor regarding his brother. His words were so unexpected given how quiet and shy he always was around me. I appreciated the fact that he felt comfortable enough to open up to me some.

“I’m not sure how much I’m supposed to tell you, but fuck it, you should know. The nickname he gave you, and that phrase… la estrella del norte, la luz en la oscuridad…that’s something our mother used to say to our father. So, to me and Gabby, it’s a big deal that he used that. We’ve never heard him say it to anyone before.”

I couldn’t help the way my face scrunched up at his words. I was one hundred percent about to ugly cry. I put my hand over my eyes to hide it as Alex pulled me in for a tight hug.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you,” he said into the top of my hair.

“No, I’m not upset. This is a happy cry. It’s just…touching, I guess. I didn’t know that. This is a lot of information to take in and process. Thank you for telling me. I really needed this right now.”

Alex backed away and gave both of my shoulders a gentle squeeze and offered a small smile.

“Well, I won’t keep you any longer. Let Lauren know when you're free and feeling up to it and we can grab some dinner, yeah?”

I nodded and gave him a small smile as I walked him to the door.

After Alex left, I sat down on the floor in front of the painting, taking in every paint stroke. To the casual observer, it was probably just a nice painting of a couple in an embrace under the night sky. I, however, understood the subtle symbolism of the fog and darkness that surrounded the man, but not the woman and the bright star placed just above the woman in the background. The fact that something so simple could say so much was amazing to me. It had me feeling every emotion all at once.

I could not believe the origin of the nickname he had given me, or that he had started working on the painting well before he found me again. I always felt like there was more to the name, but I was not expecting that. He obviously had strong feelings toward me from the start. Looking back, I could no longer justify my reasoning for not being with him from the beginning. I hated that we had missed out on all of that time together.

I had a lot of thoughts swirling through my head that evening. I spent more time than I probably should have staring at that painting, but it was forcing me to process things that I had been avoiding. By the time I finally pulled myself up from the floor, I was mentally and physically exhausted. I went to bed after that and suffered through a night of restless sleep.

Sixty days after Dieter entered Sanctuary Hills, Gabby received a call from him, after mostly only communicating with his case worker over the past two months. He asked her to attend an in-person family counseling session there at the facility. She immediately agreed and got it scheduled. The day it happened; I was an anxious mess while I awaited news about the visit. He still hadn’t called me, or anyone else for that matter. We didn’t really understand why, but his case worker assured us that he was making progress and doing well. He was trying hard to focus on getting better and working through things a little at a time. He was very focused on his healing journey and doing everything that was asked of him. It was hard for me to understand it, being so far away and consumed by worries, but I was proud of him just the same. I was excited to know he was finally requesting to see his family and was hopeful that was a positive sign. 

As it got later into the evening, I was beginning to get concerned since I hadn’t heard from Gabby yet. She had promised to call when she left Sanctuary Hills. I sent her a few texts but did not get a response. I was about to try giving her a call when I heard a knock at the door. I was surprised to see that it was Gabby. The look on her face made my stomach drop. The fact that she hadn’t called and was now showing up with this look on her face couldn’t be a good sign. There was no greeting. She jumped right to the point, “Talia, I’m sorry to just show up, but can we talk? I don’t know who else to talk about this with and I need to talk about it.”

“Yeah, come in.”

We both walked over and sat on the couch. My hands were already fidgeting as the nerves and anticipation quickly built up. Every scenario running through my mind was scary and I wasn’t sure I could handle whatever it was she was about to say. Gabby immediately burst out into sobs. I pulled her into a hug as I tried to suppress my own panic.

“Gabby, I need for you to tell me what’s going on before I have a fucking stroke over here,” I said into her hair. She sighed heavily before pulling away to look at me.

“Dieter told me what happened that night, with mom. I wasn’t prepared for it. I can’t believe he kept that to himself all these years and it fucking kills me that I didn’t do more to support him in dealing with it. I didn’t know he was the one who found her. I always thought it was one of the workers.”

Her sobs continued as I digested her words. I felt instant relief that it wasn’t something worse, something I didn’t know of yet, but at the same time my heart broke for her. I know it had to be hard for her to hear. Hell, it was hard for me to hear.

“I’m sorry, no one else knows about it. I didn’t know who else I could talk to about it. He told me that you knew… I just needed a minute to fall apart and process it before I go home.”

“Hey, take all the time you need. I know it’s a lot to digest,” I said as I rubbed gentle circles on her back. 

“I just wished he would have opened up sooner and shared that burden with me. Maybe he wouldn’t have gotten so bad if he had. I should have tried harder to make him talk to me about it.”

“Gabby, I don’t think it would have mattered what you said to him. He wasn’t gonna talk until he was ready.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right. I just feel terrible that I didn’t know. I don’t think anyone did. I bet dad didn’t even know.”

After a few minutes of silence, she seemed to pull herself together. She reached over to grab my free hand and gave it a gentle squeeze as she smiled up at me.

“He looks so good though…healthy and alert. I really think the treatment is helping. He’s expressing his feelings so well…I - I’m honestly not sure I’ve ever heard him talk that much about how he feels.”

I couldn’t help the smile that spread across my face as happy tears slid down my cheeks.

“He said he’s gonna call you soon. He’s nervous to talk to you for some reason and embarrassed about this whole thing. I told him he didn’t need to be, but you know how he is. He misses you though, I could tell. I lost track of how many times he asked about you.”

I reached up with both hands to wipe the tears from my face. It was comforting to know that he was thinking about me. I knew it was selfish of me to think that way because he should be focusing on himself, but I would be lying if I said it didn’t make me feel better about things.

Gabby didn’t share much more of what they had talked about. Some of it was things he wanted to talk to me about himself, so I didn’t want to push for more details. Once she finally felt composed, she left for home. She had had a long day of travel and was exhausted.

She and I had gotten so close in the last two months. We had been spending a lot of our free time together, along with Lauren and Alex. It truly felt like I was part of a family with them. I loved that she was now comfortable enough with me to share her feelings openly. It was something we had all been doing since Dieter had been away. Even Alex had opened up more. Even though what had happened to Dieter was devastating, there was a silver lining in it. It had brought us all closer together. We were stronger for it and ready to welcome him home to all the support he could possibly need.

The next morning, I had just finished making a quick breakfast when my cell phone started ringing. When I glanced over at the illuminated screen, I saw it was a Tucson, Arizona number. I had waited two months to see this number appear on the screen. My breath immediately caught in my throat as my eyes teared up. I briefly hesitated to answer as the nerves took hold. After a deep breath I hit the answer button and raised the phone to my ear.

“Hello?”

“Talia?”

A/N: Y'all still with me? How are you feeling after that one? Progress? Maybe? As I have said before, digital art is not one of my strengths, but hopefully what I attempted to do gives you an idea of what I see in my head for Dieter's painting. Again, this one looks better in my head too. LOL! Wasn't that a sweet moment between Talia and Alex though? Also, that moment between Dieter and Alex hit me in the feels too. Then of course, the whole of the Dieter and Talia interactions in this chapter. Poor Gabby... now she knows everything. So many feels in this one! Aaaahhh!😭 Next chapter our dear Dieter and Talia will be reunited in a controlled setting to work through their issues together. It will probably be another rough one. We will get Dieter's official diagnosis and with that you will get a Deconstructing Dieter Bravo post. We will get some details on Talia's past which will also include a Today's Musings post for supplemental reading. So, you will get all sorts of goodies with the next chapter. 😉 In case you missed it, I have included the mood board for this chapter below. Last but not least, a huge thank you to my wonderful beta, @for-a-longlongtime. Seriously, it wouldn't be as good without her feedback. As always, please share your thoughts and theories. You know I'm a sucker for them. 💜

Next Chapter

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[misslavenderlady]

Sunkissed ☀️

Michael/Female!Reader

Summary: Michael gets a summer job as a pool boy, and you have the pleasure of watching him work up close and personal. He's not a fan of your spoiled behavior, but he's got his ways to sweeten you up~

This is a collab I did with @britany1997 based on a poll I did about a pool boy fic idea. We put equal work into this so show some love by liking and reblogging both of our posts! Seriously, she's the sweetest. She deserves the love 😍

WARNINGS: N.s.f.w./Smut/18+ Readers Only, spoiledrichbrat!reader, teasing, flirting, brat taming, soft dom, praise kink, d/s, sunblock massage, undressing, nippleplay, semipublic sex, thigh fucking/intercrural sex, cum marking, aftercare

credit to @bloodsoakedtooth and @tvneon for the gifs!

Working during the summertime wasn't something that bothered Michael. He wasn't really the type of guy to waste the days sleeping in or going to bonfire parties. There was an itch within him to keep moving, get some work done, tackle some chores or pick up an odd job. He simply couldn't keep still for long. 

So in between his beach cleaning gig, he managed to find some clients who would pay him as a pool cleaner. People in Santa Carla who had their own private pools were quite generous with money, and that certainly motivated Michael to take on the jobs. 

Being that he was an incredibly handsome young man with a hardworking, polite personality, he gained quite a bit of popularity amongst the ladies of Santa Carla. He paid them no mind though. He just wanted to get his work done.

Your parents had hired him to take care of the pool while they were in Aruba for the summer. Though he couldn’t deny that the vision of your bikini-clad, sunbathing form was a beautiful sight, he’d figured you’d be no different from any of the other girls that threw themselves at him.

He looked over subtly to see your nimble fingers flipping through the pages of Cosmopolitan while sipping a smoothie. He rolled his eyes to himself. Yeah, you weren’t any different. Michael unclipped his sunglasses from his shirt and slid them on before taking out a net to skim leaves and debris off the surface of the pool.

Little did Michael know that your eyes weren't on the magazine in your hands. Hidden behind your designer sunglasses, your gaze was right on the handsome guy. You used to think that girls crushing on pool boys was a laughable cliche. After all, your family has previously hired the most dimwitted guys who half-assed their work. Such a turn-off. 

But Michael wasn't like that at all. He was actually a hard worker and put some real muscle into the tasks he was given. And he looked DAMN good doing it. 

That perfect, glowing skin, those strong arms, and those eyes that were bluer than the water in the pool. You had a big, fat crush on the guy, and you were going to milk this for all it was worth. 

"Hey Mikey!" you called out to him in between sips of your drink. "You missed a spot by the steps!" 

A nonexistent spot that was chosen in an area where you could get a better view of his back muscles, of course. 

Michael cringed at the nickname, but still headed over to clean the imaginary grime from the spot to humor you. 

Your lips turned up into a satisfied smile as you watched his muscles ripple. You sucked down the last of your smoothie as you imagined what it would be like to suck on something else.

As Michael finished amusing you, the sound of your fingers snapping garnered his attention. He watched as a suit-clad man rushed towards you so that you could set your empty smoothie glass on his silver tray. 

“Strawberry banana this time,” you ordered the man, “and no chunks, you know I hate that.” Your nose crinkled in disgust at the thought of a non-smooth smoothie.

Michael quirked an eyebrow, watching your little display while cleaning the sediment from the pool walls. 

"You know, it's already unfair enough that he has to wait on you like you're a little princess. Do you really have to make him do it in that monkey suit?" Michael quipped. 

Your pretty, red lips pulled up into a smirk. You angled your sunglasses downward to watch him more carefully. 

"I'm not the one who assigned the uniform, honey. But by all means, don't feel pressured to do the same. You can wear whatever you want around here~"

All you could think about was getting him from a bathing suit to a birthday suit. You’d spent many days by the pool imagining that hunk finally showing you all of what he was blessed with. You had to find a good way to thank your parents for hiring him.

Michael pursed his lips, but before he could reply, your butler returned with your smoothie. 

You took the cup from the tray, wrapping your full lips around the pink, swirly straw and sucking a bit to make sure it was to your liking, smiling as the flavors hit your tongue. 

“Thanks, Jeeves, that’s all for now,” you dismissed him with a flick of your wrist.

The man gave a little bow before heading back into the house, you presumed to go and dust some of your mother’s beloved antiques. 

Michael shook his head. “Is that even his name?” he asked.

“Dunno,” you replied, shrugging your shoulders, “not my job to know it.”

Michael crossed his arms over his chest. You pouted as your view was obscured. 

“You’re a real spoiled brat you know?” 

Your jaw dropped at his boldness, but you quickly regained your composure. “Didn’t know you had that in ya Mikey,” you teased. “Whatcha gonna do about it, spank me?”

The Emerson boy was no dummy. He knew exactly what you were trying to do. You liked playing around with boy toys without any consequences. Well, that would never fly in everyday life. All the struggle and humbleness his family experienced helped him realize that. 

He was going to make certain you learned a lesson about the real world. 

Michael let the net fall from his hand, the cleaning device splashing loudly into the water below. Curiosity rose within you as he stepped closer to your spot. Soon enough Michael was hovering over you, seeing you down while he slipped his glasses down and gazed at you with those piercing baby blues. 

"No. You're gonna apologize for being a little brat."

You nearly choked on that last sip of smoothie you had. Your head was spinning at that statement. 

"Excuse me?? Who the fuck do you think you're talking t-"

"Stop that!" 

Your words were cut down with a mere raise of his voice. To your own surprise, you felt yourself tremble beneath him. Between his height over you and the booming sound of his words, you were suddenly feeling quite small compared to him.

"Bad girls don't get what they want. Only good girls do. So," Michael began. In one swift motion, he grabbed the glass in your hand and effortlessly plucked it out of your grasp. "you're gonna be a good little lady and apologize for your behavior. It's the only way you're getting this back."

You sat up on your lawn chair in shock. Your mouth opened, then closed, then opened, then closed again. It felt like one of those novelty-singing fish your dad had hanging over the fireplace at your winter chalet.

While you didn’t want to give in, you also wanted your smoothie back…and despite yourself, Michael kind of made you want to be a good girl. You cleared your throat before speaking. 

“I’m sorry,” you whispered.

Michael scoffed and leaned forward. “What was that?” he teased.

You huffed at him. “I said, I’m sorry… Michael, I’m very sorry.” 

He smiled and handed you your cup. “Good girl, I knew you could do it,” he leaned forward to kiss your cheek and pat your head softly. 

You gasped as your cheeks turned bright pink at his touch.

If Michael had noticed your embarrassment, he didn’t let on. When he pulled away from your cheek, he picked up his net as if nothing had happened and returned to his work. 

You laid back in shock, that was not how you’d expected the day to go. Your blush deepened as you realized your bikini bottoms had dampened and not from the pool water. You liked being Michael’s good girl.

Lost in your own thoughts, you missed Michael’s smirking face as he shot you subtle glances. He could tell you’d never had anyone tell you what to do your entire life. He’d enjoy being the first. Hmm, maybe you were different.

Although your mind was swimming with confusion and flirtatious thoughts of Michael, you still had enough focus to go about your routine. Every day the sun was out you got some tanning done before doing laps in the pool. By the time Michael was finished, it would be perfect for your swim. 

Until then, you were going to get that gorgeous summer glow that would be the envy of all your other rich friends. 

With a deep breath and a shake of your head, you reached under your chair to grab hold of the trusty bottle of tanning oil you preferred. You gave it a hefty shake before holding out your palm to take some in.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Michael's voice stopped you in your tracks. If the smoothie stealing hadn't shocked you before, this certainly did. 

"What??"

The curly-haired boy tsked while shaking his head in sheer disappointment. He crossed his arms over his strong chest as he eyed you once again. 

"You're going to get skin cancer with the stuff. You better put on sunblock or you're gonna turn into a raisin, little lady."

You pouted and whimpered without even thinking, the pink tinge returning to your cheeks. “But I don’t have any sunblock,” you admitted.

Michael sighed overdramatically, “what am I gonna do with you?” he lightly scolded before running to his bag.

“We can share mine,” he told you. “Lay down for me.”

You scrambled to do as he asked, laying out on your stomach on the lawn chair. Though you couldn’t see him from your position, his lips were curled up at your obedience. You were a quick learner. 

“That’s my good girl,” he purred as his hands skimmed the small of your back teasingly.

You could only bury your face deep against the chair so he wouldn't catch the deeper shade of blush on your face. He was already making you feel so flustered, yet his fingers were only touching a small part of you. 

"Better get rid of this so I don't make a mess."

Before you could even think to ask what he meant, your ears were greeted by the sound of fabric being scrunched before something was tossed to the side of your lounge chair. A tiny squeak fell from your lips as you caught sight of Michael's shirt on the ground.

There was no way this was happening. Your pool boy was going to rub sunblock on you while half-naked. The more you thought about it, the wetter your bikini bottoms got. 

"Gotta get a good, thick layer of this on ya, okay?" Michael spoke, slathering the cream onto his palm. He rubbed his hands together to warm it up some. "Don't worry. I'll be gentle."

“You don’t have to be…” you whispered to yourself more than anyone, but he smirked all the same.

Michael began to knead the sunscreen into your shoulders and back softly. He was almost as good as your massage therapist. You made a mental note to offer him that position when his pool cleaning gig was up. You wanted to keep him around for as long as possible, no matter what. 

When Michael finished with your upper half, he moved to your legs, running his fingers up and down your calves, coating your skin. As his hands began to drag up your thighs, you felt yourself grow warmer and it wasn’t from the sun. It took everything in you not to moan at his gentle caresses.

You knew Michael’s hands were likely calloused from all the hard work he did, but his feather-light touches felt so soft. His fingers skimmed the hem of your bikini bottoms as he continued to rub the sunscreen into your skin. Though you hadn’t thought it was possible, you could feel your face burn even hotter. 

You moved to flip onto your back, but Michael splayed a hand on your back, keeping you pressed into the chair. “Be good and still for me. Okay, honey?”

God, he really was a dream. The way Michael was on top of you and giving orders was driving you wild. You couldn't stop yourself from nibbling just a bit on your bottom lip. 

"O-Okay," you stuttered. When he decided he was ready, he flipped you onto your back, causing a gasp to leave your lips. You didn’t dare to say anything, you still wanted to be his good girl. 

The way the rays of the sun shined down on his sculpted body looked too perfect. Your eyes watched carefully as he spread another coat of sunblock onto his hands. He started with your stomach, massaging the area as he had done with your back. Once again, the lulling comfort of relaxation fell over you thanks to his touch. 

You didn't have a worry or care being like this with Michael. He was so firm, yet so gentle with you. Now that he could see your face, that was far more clear to him. 

The moment of peace was only interrupted when Michael took hold of your thighs.

"Wh-What're yo-"

"Shh shhhh, don't be scared, honey," Michael cooed, his soft words contrasting with how he threw your ankles onto his shoulder. "I gotta get all of those special spots on your skin~"

You followed Michael's orders and kept still and silent. While you were internally freaking out, he was casually rubbing sunblock along the length of your perfect legs. He pushed himself closer to you, his hips grazing the special spot where your bikini bottoms were. 

When he finished with your legs, he leaned over you, his brown curls falling around his face like a halo. 

He moved even closer, the curve of your ass rested on his thighs while your legs were still slung over his shoulder. You opened your mouth to speak but he shushed you. 

Michael glanced down at your right hand, resting by the side of your head, and moved to lace his fingers with yours. Your heart warmed at the feeling of your hands pressed together. There was something so sweet and intimate about how he held your hand. 

His other hand fiddled with your bikini top, pulling gently at the strings. “Now that I’ve done your back…” he traced a finger over your collarbone, “do you want me to do your front?”

You almost couldn't believe this was happening. Not too long ago Michael was rolling his eyes at you while scooping leaves out of your pool. Now he was offering to strip you down and get extra handsy with the sunblock. 

All those times you acted like a spoiled princess seemed so stupid now. Why would you keep misbehaving when you could give in and let Michael treat you like a good girl? Like HIS good girl. 

"Yes, Michael," you whispered. 

With his striking baby blues focused on you, he pulled the string of your top. The fabric slipped off with ease, revealing your breasts to him. Even with just a glance at your body, you could see the hazed look of lust take over on his face. It made your skin burn hotter than ever. 

"Perky little thing, aren't you?" He cooed. His fingers glided down your chest and over the nipples presented before him. The heat of his body contrasted with the coldness of the lotion, toying with your sensitive spots quite a bit. 

If that didn't make you whimper with lust, the feeling of his erection poking your thigh certainly did. 

You shouldn't have been surprised, given he was a hot-blooded man enjoying a shirtless lady underneath him. Then again, you were more than happy to find out he had an impressive size. You couldn’t remember the last time you enjoyed yourself with a guy.

“Hmm,” Michael hummed, faking concern.

“What is it?” you asked with a pout, worried you’d done something wrong.

“The sunscreen, it’s not gonna stay on here,” he said as his fingers skimmed over your nipples once more. “Too wet.”

“What?” your brow furrowed in confusion, “How are they-” 

You couldn’t finish your sentence when Michael’s mouth sealed around your breast. You gasped and arched your back into his mouth, loving the feeling of his tongue swirling around your nipple. The hand that wasn’t clasping his found its place in his perfect brown curls. When he’d finished toying with you he pulled back. 

“See? Way too wet,” he told you with a wink. You could only mutter a flustered ‘mhmm’ in response.

Not wanting to keep you waiting, Michael dove right back in, continuing his work with your other nipple. He let out a soft groan around the flesh, clearly aroused by how you felt in his mouth. Instead of swirling his tongue again, he sucked gently, stimulating you quite a bit. 

"Ooooh god~" you sighed. The grip of your fingers in his hair grew tighter as your arousal got stronger. You were dripping wet for Michael at this point. Your brain was completely clouded while your body took in all of the pleasure. 

"You taste so good, honey. Makes me want you even more than I already do."

Now you were REALLY hot and bothered. Michael's voice sounded so husky and hungry to you. The more he toyed with you, the stronger your need for him got. 

"Michael," you whimpered out. 

"Hmm? What's going on, honey?" he smirked, playing dumb with you. It only made you even whinier. 

"I need more! Please….please don't tease me…."

Michael laughed softly to himself. He dragged a finger down your abdomen, making your stomach muscles clench. “You wanna feel me in here?” he stroked his finger over your clothed pussy lightly.

You had never had to beg for anything in your life, and Michael could tell. Tears started to well in your eyes and your lip popped out as you nodded.

He pretended to consider your request, “I don’t know honey, do you think you’ve earned it?”

Now the tears had started to roll down your cheeks as you knew the answer to that question, maybe you could convince him otherwise?

“Yes…yes Michael I’ve earned it,” you swore.

Michael sighed. “You were mean to your butler, you teased me…doesn’t sound like good girl behavior to me.”

“But- but I apologized! And I was so good just now! I- please Michael,” you begged for the second time in your life.

“Don’t talk back baby,” Michael scolded and your lips immediately clamped shut. “Still,” he considered, “you have a point, I guess you have tried to be good for me today…maybe I can give you something.”

You would have done anything for him. “Thank you, Michael! I’ll be so good, I promise!”

“Yeah? You gonna be good and take what you’re given,” he smirked.

“Yes! Yes, Michael! Whatever you want.”

He loved the sound of that. Even if Michael was acting stern with you, he was still a very giving and kind lover. He wouldn't let your pleading fall on deaf ears. 

His hands moved gracefully, taking hold of each side of your bikini. You softly mewled from the sensation of a nearby breeze on your exposed bottom half once the last piece of clothing was discarded. Michael was left positively ravenous at the sight of such a wet, glistening pussy. 

"Holy shit," he sighed, running his tongue over his lips. "God, I gotta show you what you're doing to me, baby." 

It didn't take long for you to figure out what that meant. Far less gentle with himself than with you, Michael practically tore off his swim trunks. In mere seconds, his cock sprang out, thick and twitching with arousal. 

Your mouth fell open and your eyes shimmered at such a sight. He was so impressive. 

"Oooh my~" you said. "How'd you hide a big thing like that all this time?" 

"I dunno. But I guess I can't help how it shows when I got you under me, honey~"

Michael took hold of your thighs again, gently touching them as he pushed his body close to you. Your perfect breasts pushed up against his toned chest while he pressed his forehead against yours. You could smell the gum on his breath and it made you feel positively desperate to kiss him. 

"Listen closely," Michael whispered to you. "If you want to stop at any time, please don't be afraid to say so. I'll take care of you, but I need to keep you safe. Do you understand?"

Your heart raced from his words. Even when he was teasing, he was still so sweet with you. Michael sure beat all the arrogant trust fund assholes you’d messed around with in the past. He was a special guy.

“I understand, and I’ll tell you if I need to stop,” you promised.

Michael smiled down at you, “That’s my good girl,” he cupped your cheek before his hands gripped your thighs once more.

You bit your lip, “Michael?”

“Mhmm,” he stopped what he was doing and met your gaze. His lips pulled up into a smile at your blushing face. 

“Can I have a kiss before you start? Please?” you asked.

Michael’s smile grew even wider at such a cute request. He was proud of himself for seemingly taming you into his perfect, good girl in less than a day. “Since you asked so nicely…”

He pressed a kiss to the tip of your nose before beginning to grind against your thighs softly. You gasped at the friction, he was barely touching you and you already felt like you could come apart on your lawn chair.

Before you could whine for a proper kiss, Michael ceased any teasing and went right in. His lips were perfect in every way. Warm, soft, and fit so well with your own. Never before had a boy made you positively melt from just a first kiss. 

But Michael wasn't going to stop the passion there. He was a romantic at heart and wanted to keep you happy. With one hand caressing your cheek and the other grazing over one of your legs, he moved his body with yours some more. 

"My good girl~" he groaned. The tip of his cock was pushed past your thighs, so achingly close to your cunt. He let each inch of his length through as well. The two of you each let out a moan as his cock brushed over your pussy lips, getting soaked with just a small touch. 

"Keep your legs nice and tight for me, okay? I'm gonna fuck your pretty thighs like this~"

You nodded furiously and whimpered at his words. He smiled down at you. “You’re so cute like this, such a pretty girl for me.”

You beamed at his praise as you clenched your thighs tightly around him. His head fell to the crook of your neck and he moaned as you squeezed him. Your arms immediately gripped the lawn chair as your body felt overcome by the feeling of his cock brushing up against you.

“Do you hear how good you’re making me feel, baby?” he asked. “You’re being such an angel right now, holding me so tight. That’s my girl.” 

You sighed blissfully, ‘his girl.’ He had you wrapped around his finger and you didn’t even care.

Michael rolled his hips into your thighs at a slow and steady rhythm, occasionally brushing against your pussy and making you see stars.

"Mmmh! M-Michael~" you sighed out for him. You hadn't expected this to feel so amazing. He didn't even need to penetrate you to get your body going. The way his cock pushed against your thighs and clit was just so perfect. Even if you couldn't have more, you still loved what it was now. 

"Pretty little princess, arentcha~?" he cooed in your ear. Michael grabbed your hips tighter and thrust his hips at a faster pace. He tugged you upward a bit, letting your lower half lift from the chair. 

He brought his mouth to yours again, kissing you deeply while he fucked you. The precum dripping from the tip of his cock made your thighs and pussy so very slippery. He just made you so warm all over, and you didn't want it to stop for even a moment.

You wanted to touch him so badly, to wrap your fingers in his brown curls and pull, or to grip his toned shoulders as he fucked you, not so gently. But you knew better than to do anything without permission.

You managed to let out a breathy, “Michael…” between whimpers and moans. “Mhmm?” his tone has an almost condescending tinge to it, but you didn’t care. Maybe you didn’t mind being put in your place a little.

“Let me touch you? Please?” you begged.

Michael’s lips parted in shock. He had to hold back a snide remark about how the brat had already been fucked out of you, and he wasn’t even in you. Oh, but you were so vulnerable like this with your eyes glassed over and your supple lips pressed into the prettiest pout. Michael was a lot of things, but he wasn’t cruel.

He smirked down at you, not letting up from his pace, but moving closer to your clit with each thrust, a little reward for asking for what you wanted. “Where do you wanna touch me honey?”

He shifted his weight to support himself with one hand, while he grasped your hand sweetly with the other. 

"I won't lie, I've been wanting to touch this body of yours all summer," you admitted. 

Michael seemed to enjoy that statement quite a bit. He was a humble guy, but it was still nice to get his ego fluffed up a bit with compliments. 

"Then, by all means, enjoy yourself~"

He kept up the motions of his rocking while he allowed you to do as you wished with his body. Your manicured fingers traced over the dips and curves of his muscles. You couldn't help but squeeze his pecs and abs. It turned you on seeing someone so perfectly sculpted and toned above your writhing body. 

There was no hiding the fact that he felt the same way about you. Even when you were acting like a spoiled brat, you were a very SEXY spoiled brat. One with a gorgeous figure to caress and cherish as he pleased

His heart swelled with pride as you touched him softly, your eyes always searching his face to ensure you weren’t taking too much or being too greedy. 

He leaned down to whisper in your ear, “You’re being so good for me, sweetheart. Think you deserve a reward~”

You gasped as his thumb brushed across your clit. You could have cum right then and there. He began to move his thumb in soft circles, pulling gasps and moans from your perfect lips. It was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard.

“Love how you touch me, baby,” Michael purred into your ear, “Needed to return the favor.”

You whimpered beneath him, totally intoxicated by the pleasure he was giving you. “I’m close,” you admitted, blushing.

He sighed happily, your words music to his ears. “Then be a good girl and cum for me ok?” Michael patronized, feeling how much you enjoyed his tone.

God, there was no holding back when he talked to you like that. The jolts of pleasure were rushing through your body, charging you up like electricity. With your hand gripping him tightly and your legs locking more firmly, you felt yourself get closer and closer with every second. 

Michael wasn't far behind you. It was quite easy to catch up with how much you had stimulated him. He grunted and moaned as he fucked your thighs and toyed with your clit at a faster pace. He was dying to see that beautiful face make an expression of truly amazing pleasure.

"FUCK!! Fuck, Michael!!! Yes!! Aaah~" you cried out. Your voice echoed out into the California air as the orgasm hit your body with full force. If Michael's cock and fingers weren't soaked already, they certainly were now. 

The sound of your pleasured screams triggered his own release mere moments later. Thick, white shots of cum splashed onto your soft thighs and stomach, properly marking you as Michael's girl. 

He stared down at you and smiled to himself, God you were a pretty sight. He bent down from his arms to his elbows and laid on your chest, arms wrapping around you in a sweet embrace. Now you were covered with him in more ways than one.

Instinctively, your arms snaked around him and your fingers began to draw circles on his back. Michael smiled softly, enjoying the lovely sensation as he pressed wet kisses on your cheeks, your jawline, and your neck. 

“You with me baby?” he asked as he tucked sweaty strands of hair behind your ear. 

You sighed happily, “Yeah.” Your cheeks were a pretty shade of pink as you smiled at him. “I like when you call me baby.”

He laughed softly. “Can I tell you a secret?”

You nodded enthusiastically.

“I like when you call me Mikey.”

You could have melted right there.

Michael grinned as he began to push up from the chair, but your sudden, tight grip on his waist stopped him. He looked down at your pitiful pout. 

“Gotta clean you up sweet girl,” he said as he stroked your cheek.

“Later, I promise,” you bargained. “For now can you just…hold me?”

His lips pulled up into a bright smile before he settled on top of you, laying his head on your chest. “For as long as you want, baby.”

Your mom and dad may have been in Aruba, but you were in heaven.

Tag List: @bloodywickedvamp @vampirefilmlover @auntvamp @ghoulgeousimmaculate @michael-after-hours @legal-lost-boy @silvermaplealder @6lostgirl6 @crustyboypix @oceansrose2002 @piratesangel @kurt-nightcrawler @velluvette

[unholyhelbig]

Crescent 9/? | Natasha Romanoff x Moonknight!Reader

Summary: When Natasha Romanoff takes a job as head of security for Dina Jackson she has an ulterior motive- to find the tomb of Egyptian artifacts that the art world is racing for. Dina’s disgraced niece is charming, awkward, and under the influence of Khonsu, the God of the Moon.

Warnings: Airplanes, angst, and really bad grammar

[A/N: Hm, long time no see. I really miss writing for Natty.]

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Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five | Part Six | Part Seven | Part Eight

The flight from New York to Cairo took ten hours and 30 minutes, most of which you spent in the bathroom at the back of the plane. It was cramped and smelled hot. You filled your lungs with the scent of orange cleaner and the specific type of rot that Khonsu carried like a burden. He cursed under his breath, head dipped, the ceiling too short.

“Can you please just accept the fact that she actually wants to help us?” You asked in a hushed voice.

The flight attendants had informed you all that it was the middle of the night, though it was hard to tell this high up in the clouds. The lights were lowered, and businessmen began a soft cacophony of snores. Natasha kept her sunglasses on despite the darkness. Hangover, she said. It was easy to recognize an ex-avenger, though and you understood that.

Dina wasn’t on your flight, and neither was Chip. It was a small blessing. The last thing you needed was to get detained by the in-flight agent before the wheels even touched Egyptian soil. For right now you had to settle with the idea that they were behind you instead of ahead of you, but you feared the latter.

She is an Avenger. They have a god complex. Must always do good.

“She was an Avenger. She gave Dina a fake scarab. Doesn’t that serve in our favor? Come on, Khonsu, your favorite game is using people until they’re not useful anymore.”

You struggled to appeal to his good side if he had one. There was no telling what he would have you do the second he had what he wanted. If he would leave you, your wounds bloodied and hands quivering. It was selfish, you knew, wanting to hold onto Natasha for as long as you could.

There was a small knock at the door.

“Occupied,” you said, louder than your ears were used to. “Either way, you’re getting to the tomb. This is what you wanted, right? Sit back and enjoy this lovely 10-hour flight.”

 I have better things to do.

“Right, yes, do those.”

“Y/n?”

Natasha’s voice flitted through the small crack under the door. You gave Khonsu a smart smile. He let out a rumbling sigh. If you could see his eyes through the soulless sockets of his crumbling skull, you guessed they would be rolling. He dissipated into a cloud of sand. You flicked the door unlocked and were quickly pushed back, Natasha joining you.

You breathed her in, the small of your back pushed into the counter. “Oh, ouch”

“Hi,” She smiled.

“Hi”

“Were you in a business meeting?”

“I wouldn’t’ call it business. Certainly not pleasure. I mean, there’s only so much fun to be had when you’re in-flight. Especially in the bathroom.”

Natasha narrowed her green eyes at you. There was a heat that pooled in your cheeks. She was close and you were conscious of her warmth, her lavender scent, the devilish look in her stare. She swiftly gripped your hips and lifted you onto the counter, standing between your legs. That certainly freed up some space.

“Are we alone right now?” She asked.

“There is an entire group of people right outside of this door.”

“Not what I meant.”

Her lips grazed against your pulse point, breath warm. Goosebumps rose on your skin. You chuckled, wrapping your ankles around her waist and pulling her close. Natasha trailed soft kisses down the side of your neck, to your collarbone.

“The mile-high club, really, Nat?”

“Oh, are you opposed to it?” her words vibrated into your skin. “Because I can stop.”

“No, don’t.”

Natasha looked at you tenderly, then, both of her hands on your cheeks. They were warm compared to the cold cabin air. She had moved her head to a 45-degree tilt, the smallest of smiles against her lips. There was a vulnerability there, and you both knew it, despite the small, cramped bathroom. You wanted her to lean forward, you wanted her to touch you and that ache radiated into a craving to return the favor.

Instead, she leaned forward and kissed the tip of your nose with a deep chuckle that you could feel in her chest. “I’m afraid they’ll come looking for us if they know we’re missing. We shouldn’t get air marshalled above the North Atlantic.”

You groaned into the soft spot in the crook of her neck “Can’t you pull some Avenger bullshit to get us out of it?”

“Ex Avenger, Malen'kaya Luna”

Admittedly, when you got a spare moment, you googled the easy Russian that slipped her tongue. She had been asleep next to you, curled under your sheets as the dull glow from your phone was kept low enough not to wake her. Little Moon. It warmed your heart, squeezed it like her hand on your knee now.

You leaned forward and kissed her again. Natasha hummed into your mouth, fingers ghosting over the back of your neck. Oh, how you wished you had stumbled upon the woman in front of you in any other circumstance. No moon gods, no secret temples. And certainly, no evil aunts.

Natasha begrudgingly led you back to your seats at the center of the plane. The flight attendant raised both of his eyebrows at you before realization clouded his expression and the tips of his ears turned a cotton candy pink. Nat placed her hand on the inside of your thigh protectively, chills moving across your spine.

“We need to come up with a plan for when we get to Cairo.”

“Truthfully, I was just going to follow your lead.” You said, giving your best pout. Natasha narrowed her eyes at you. “Fine, yes, fine. I actually have a map.”

“A map?”

You pulled your backpack from under the seat. Apologizing to the man next to you who grunted, pulling himself closer to the window in annoyance. You produced the sketch book that you took to the museum every day.

The lights on the plane dimmed automatically as you flew through the night. You could hear the muffled sounds of in-flight movies humming through the issued headphones. Two kids in front of you were playing a game on a switch, quietly chittering to themselves. A flight attendant walked through the aisle and offered out sleep masks. The man to your left took it gratefully.

“The coffin of Lady Madja was brought in by Chip a year ago. It was a great find, in-tact and the art across the outside was still readable.” You whispered, flipping through the pages that you had scribbled on. “It took a long time to decipher, but the hieroglyphics tell a story about the Valley of Kings, and where to find it. But it’s not something easily translated. It took me months.”

You finally got the page that you wanted, each drawing had been analyzed, highlighted and deciphered. There were charcoal smudges and the crossing out of things you didn’t quite understand. Natasha’s eyes lit up.

“The scarab is important, sure. It’s like a key that unlocks the tomb. But it’s equally important to know how to get there. The mask had clearer instructions carved into it. Dina just didn’t realize that it was right under her nose the entire time. She didn’t’ look hard enough.” You pressed your finger at the green highlighted numbers at the bottom of the page. “These are the coordinates. They lead us straight into the desert.”

However, Natasha wasn’t looking at the notebook, she was staring directly at you. Her breath was warm against your cheek. You ran the pads of your fingers nervously over the indentation in the paper, giving her the smallest, brightest of smiles.

“You’re incredible, you know that, right?”

“Oh, I wouldn’t go that far.”

“I would.” You felt your cheeks warm up with a rush of blood. Even in the dim lights, it was nearly impossible to get anything past Natasha. You went to flip the book closed, but instead, she put her fingers in between the pages. “Y/n, what’s that?”

“This?”

You couldn’t very well hide it now. By no means did you classify yourself as a top-of-the-line artist. Sure, you had the studio, but most of your stuff was abstract, curated like you had been taught to do. But you did sketch diligently.

Some of your sketches were of Natasha. Namely from the trip the two of you had taken. During the long comfortable stretches of quiet on the road, you had captured her profile as she drove. The curve of her jaw, the way stray pieces of hair had fallen from her baseball cap. There was admiration there, infatuation flourished every line drawn.

“A half-baked hobby.” You watched as she furrowed her brow and looked up at you like you had just said something blasphemous. “You’re impossible to capture, you know that, right?”

“How so?”

You swallowed the dryness in your mouth. “Everything is subjective, but your beauty is concrete. There is always room for interpretation, for improvement. You, Natasha, are infinite in your words, in your actions, in your complexion. Charcoal and paper cannot even begin to encapsulate.”

Natasha let out a shuttered breath that tickled your collarbone. She moved forward, she kissed you slowly, careful and quiet. You pulled all of her in, smoothing your thumb against the edge of her jaw. You wouldn’t stop drawing her anytime soon, or at least attempting to do so.

By the time you landed in Cairo, your neck was aching. Natasha had dozed off against your shoulder, and you were careful when laying your head on top of hers. She had to be roused when it was your turn to exit the plane. She had an adorable, sleep ridden pout on her face that you resisted kissing away.

The heat in Cairo hit you both and slowed your movements. It was balmy, the sun warmed your skin and your cheeks. You hadn’t been in Egypt for a long time. Your last visit was under the boney wing of Khonsu, a small meeting between the God’s and their avatars.

Sure, you had gotten a chance to see the sites, but part of you knew that Khonsu was receiving a slap on the wrist for his less desirable habits. You had gotten the chance to see a few things, and make some friends.

“Layla is going to meet us inside.”

“You’re sure we can trust her?”

Out of all the avatars that you’d met over the years, Layla El-Faouly was the most trustworthy, as was her master, Taweret. You’d only met the Goddess of Woman and Children once, but she could level Khonsu with a single pointed stare. You’d seen it during the meetings, had stifled a smile that Layla wasn’t too keen on hiding.

You had shot her a message before boarding the plane, and she waited in the dusty Egyptian heat. She leaned against an old dark-red Nissan that rested among the hustle and bustle of families picking up friends, and workers making deliveries. Natasha shifted rigidly as the woman pushed herself off the side of the car.

“Y/n,” Layla grabbed your free hand and pulled you into a warm hug. She smelled like freshly turned soil, metallic and alluring. She moved back, keeping her hands on your arms “Ugh, it’s so good to see you. We have so much to discuss.”

You laughed, taking her in. It was always nice to see other avatars, but especially her. You’d both been thrown into this life at the same time, living in the city and talking over stale bodega coffee. The memory blocks were the worst, eventually fading away into nothing but the cold feeling of always being watched by your master, doing their bidding.

Taweret had a softer hand, you both admitted, but you had grown used to the way Khonsu had done things, even if he kept you in the dark for most of his plans. Natasha had gotten further than you thought she would. Rather- Khonsu had allowed you to usher her towards the endgame.

“I’m being a dick,” Layla put her hand out “I’m Layla.”

“Natasha,”

“Romanoff, right? I’ve seen a few press conferences. You’re very impressive.”

The Russian spy tentatively reached out and returned the handshake. She was guarded like any agent would be. There was a heat to her cheeks, almost as if the sun had already likened them to ripe strawberries.

She led the two of you to a nearby café and the shade that the awnings offered instantly quelled the heat. Layla ordered them drinks without looking at the menu, and you were frankly thankful for that. The words blurred, and while most of them were in English, you still knew that you would butcher the pronunciation regardless.

“Alright, so, give me the rundown. What does Khonsu have you chomping at the bit for?”

You scoffed “Chomping at the… I think I’m being very level-headed.”

“No such thing, not with you.” She took a long sip of her drink “While Taweret doesn’t have an explicit say on who I associate with you are not her favorite.”

“Oh, ouch. I thought we bonded!”

“Was that before or after you lifted a shabtis from the Smithsonian?”  

Natasha eyed you “You what?”

Suddenly you were interested in the drink in front of you, humming into the cup as you gulped down the cold liquid. Layla laughed. “My point is, Khonsu blurs the line between ethical use of immortality, don’t you think? If you contacted the Black Widow and me, then you’re in some deep shit.”

“We are in deep shit.” Natasha said, her hand finding your knee in a domestic act of familiarity. “And need to get to the Valley of the Kings as soon as possible.”

“The Valley of Kings? That’s a little further than most tourists go. It’s a good forty miles of nothing but sand and heat. A team of archaeologists have been digging out there for years now, searching for a key. But I can get you out there.”

She leaned back on the chair, sizing the both of you up. “You have the key, don’t you?”

“We’re not the only ones that do.” Natasha kicked you under the table, a small warning tap, nothing that you wouldn’t gain feeling back in after a few minutes. “Ow! Okay. No, Layla. We don’t have the key. We would like to go sightseeing.”

You smiled sweetly at the both of them. The heat was starting to get to you. It didn’t’ seem to be bothering Natasha or Layla. They rolled their eyes at you, almost in unison that made you swell with an odd bit of pride.

“I don’t want anything to do with what’s inside of the Valley of Kings, trust me. It’s a construction zone at this point. But there are rumors. And in good conscience, I can’t help you unless I’m certain that what you’re doing won’t add fuel to the fire.”

Layla was staring at Natasha when she spoke, shifting her weight on the metal chair. How wasn’t it burning a hole through the fabric of her pants?

“I have no reason not to trust you. You’re a literal Avenger going after Avenger level threats. But Y/n…”

“I’m in the room.”

Natasha put a domestic hand on your shoulder, effectively shutting you up. It was such a tender gesture, one that you had seen your parents do, and even your aunt when Chip took too much liberty with the conversation. For now, you were content to sit and listen.

“I assure you, Layla, I will do everything in my power to keep things in order. I may not be associated with Nick Fury and his practices anymore, but my goal remains the same. Protect the general public and if Khonsu pushes further than he should then I will not hesitate to push back to a certain degree.”

There was a hard swallow. You were suddenly reminded of the press conferences the Black Widow had to take part in. There were flashing cameras and microphones shoved into her face. She had to smile and assure the world that its fate wasn’t detrimental.

“Okay,” Layla shrugged non-committedly “I’ll take you both out there. But y/n, don’t think for a second I won’t call upon Taweret the second you step out of line.”

You nodded, keeping quiet, as promised. The journey ahead would be long, and undeniably hot, and while you didn’t’ want to question Layla’s power and skill, you knew that with the promise of resolution within your grasp, Khonsu would only grow stronger. You’d sit and behave, drinking down the last of your water and instantly regretting the decision to do so.

There was no doubt in your mind that the rest of the gods had caught wind of Khonsu being back in Egypt. While you had entrusted Layla, there was still a lingering feeling of fear that you would be stopped by something stronger than one God with a warrior. There were hundreds, and you were simply one.

Natasha hummed quietly “I can’t let you do that. Y/n leaves with her life.” 

“I can’t promise you that. Most God’s are selfish, they pick avatars based on their brokenness. They mend them and use them, but at the end of the day, they discard them. And we let this happen simply because we crave that second chance.”

You scooted forward, letting your elbows rest on the metal of the table. It scorched your skin. Your heart clenched at Natasha’s obvious worry for you. It was cruel- bringing her here, just to watch your potential demise. But you couldn’t do this without her.

“You knew this?” Natasha asks, and her voice is filled with a certain type of regret and sorrow. “That you had no full control of the God that governs you?”

“There… was a 50/50 shot that things would go wrong, and that still stands. I’ve been loyal to Khonsu for years now. Part of me wants to believe he’d be benevolent and spare me.”

“And the other part? The part that leads you to the Valley of Kings in the first place?”

You swallowed the dryness in your throat, fingers twitching with anticipation to reach out and comfort the woman in front of you. Her green eyes were dilated, and her lips were pursed with contemplation. She had every right to turn around and get on the next flight back to the States.

“That part is fucked.”

[slinkysolinsky]

Typing the lyrics of every tally hall/miracle musical song:

-Good Day:

I'd like to say hello and welcome you, good day, that is my name Come here and sit down, I'm so glad you even really truly came We can even go and take a walk or something like that or something like that But first, I need to introduce my what and introduce my when

Let us sing! (Ah, ah-ah)

Its name I like to call, it likes to say it's nothing (it's nothing, it's nothing) It lives and breathes, and it insists that, it insists (whoo!) that it is something (it's something) It never liked to speak or run or walk or sleep or eat (ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah) It even thought that everybody tried to thought to take its seat

Looking through glass eyes, give it a few tries Nothing goes right in its time Kill all its bad dreams, wonder 'bout no things Circles and spirals in mind

But we know that this song is not about a no or yes or why What's really truly what I say is that about a little sigh (ah-ah) So come along, I think I'm done, I think we're done, yes this is done What's truly that I think about it, and it thinks about a ton

Na, na, na, na-na-na Let us sing! (Ah, ah-ah)

Looking through glass eyes, give it a few tries Nothing goes right in its time Kill all its bad dreams, wonder 'bout no things Circles and spirals in mind

I thought you knew I knew but Why and by and why and by and by I wanted you to know I thought you knew, but why and by and why

Everyone loves a potato monkey (I stepped on gum! I stepped on gum! Ho-ho-ho!)

Let us sing, let us sing Let us sing, let us sing Let us sing, let us sing Let us sing, let us sing Let us sing, let us sing (birds and bees and television) Let us sing, let us sing (cardboard houses, x-ray vision) Let us sing, let us sing (many little silly rhymes) Let us sing, let us sing (things forgotten lost their time) Let us sing, let us sing (telephones and silly games) (Periods and lots of question marks) let us sing -Greener:

Here's that part again where everything's more than it should be And greener seems to fall beneath your feet Seconds tick like boulders whenever you don't call Does it seem like that where you are? Wherever it is you are Does it seem like that where you are? Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

Time for time together, and depending on the weather We'll either argue in your house or outside How different I felt, before I got this notch on my belt 'Cause in my plans, you were all for me Yeah, but now it seems that you'd just rather leave

Wherever you go is breaking me slowly Don't leave it alone, don't leave it alone You sound so much further on the phone! You fit just right, right next to me But there's always a reason why it can't be

Telephones make you seem miles away from home All alone, I get a little meaner I leave a message at your tone And miles away from home You get a little cleaner of me And I find a little greener shade of envy

Wherever you go is breaking me slowly Don't leave it alone, don't leave it alone You sound so much further on the phone! You fit just right, right next to me But there's always a reason why it can't be

Wherever you are is breaking my heart Don't leave it alone, don't leave it alone! You fit just right, right next to me

-Welcome to Tally Hall:

"Welcome to Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum Known from coast to coast like butter and toast From headlines to bedlines From school rooms to pool rooms No other place in the contiguous United States Or other environments of the world Welcome"

Can I get a T? (T) And if you hit me with the A-L-L-Y Then you'd see why The Hall is here for y'all The mini mall is calling us all in So kids pack up your mom's car Back up the Windstar Kick it in drive and arrive at the mega mart Slide the side hatch with pride 'cause your ties match On booty duty like your name was Eddy Thatch

W-W-T-H-D We like to kick it at the university But all work and no play makes us crazy So, we jump in the bumping SUV Hit the street get the sweet tunes on Do a donut on your mama's front lawn And sooner than you know You've found the rock 'n' roll show At the Tizzy Hizzy we'll be gone

We're in the mini mall Working the carnival We like to play it all Welcome to Tally Hall

The automated players, I proclaim Yellow tie, this suave fellow writes Heterophonic tunes of how love bites Red the proud loud guy we adore (Is my amp too high?) No, turn it up more So Grey in the back sipping 'gnac can hear He's knocking down the shots like Bill Laimbeer Send home the locksmith, Green's got keys To unlock the rock in the act, if you please Now open the gates Give Blue the bass And jiggle your badiggle all over the place

We're in the mini mall Working the carnival We like to play it all Welcome to Tally Hall

We're in the mini mall Working the carnival We like to play it all Welcome to Tally Hall

Can I get a click Flick off the switch And we'll ignite the night in pitch Sing songs you like to hear And the world will disappear Then we'll be glowing in the dark Lighting up the park Revealing that the Hall is the place that aims to please With unpredictable games and antiquities The collectables so delectable The unreliable style's undetectable

Like I might rap like an English chap Take you by the knickers and I'll bum your slap You didn't think we had the gall Well bloody welcome to Tally Hall

We're stereosonic We're animatronic We're rocking with the robo-electronic Ebonics A quick distraction A mechanic attraction Got a penny in your pocket for the slot Rock

Hey ho, don't you know It's a good old-fashioned puppet show That's right quite the set We're the marionette quintet

We think we're playing in a band But we'd love to give you all a hand (Woo)

We're in the mini mall Working the carnival We like to play it all Welcome to Tally Hall

We think we're playing in a band But we'd love to give you all a hand We think we're playing in a band But we'd love to give you all a hand We think we're playing in a band But we'd love to give you all a hand -Taken for a Ride:

Marvin walked into a helpless land and wondered lightly am I happy, is this happy Following the footsteps left by man he stepped to reprimand the mystic who's sadistic Took a step into the elevator who said guess I'll see you later, don't you worry Fifteen flights that lasted nights and days that spent without a cent for creatures with their beat shirts

Listening to painted whispered light on top forgotten hill

Next the stranded senate of the white brick house with flowers asked some questions for their story All feeling now he took his bow and left the stage of time with no answers to no questions Lonely paperbacks that wanted just a taste of feeling to implode them before living Tiptoed to that wooden sign that said now take your place in line for happy, this is lovely

Listening to painted whispered light on top forgotten hill

One secondary smile To go that extra mile To make me feel today To make it go away The chemistry is gone Taken for a ride Far away from you No longer left inside

The actor with his world renowned was thinking ‘bout his last real day of silence, was it over Or is it just we all think that our answer isn't real it's just a picture of a letter Bumble mumble make the rounds no matter what you'll seem profound it's useless just to worry Something normal happens somewhere far away in clouds so please stop thinking this is happy

Listening to painted whispered light on top forgotten hill

One secondary smile To go that extra mile To make me feel today To make it go away The chemistry is gone Taken for a ride Far away from you No longer left inside

One secondary smile To go that extra mile To make me feel today To make it go away The chemistry is gone Taken for a ride Far away from you No longer left inside

There're no secrets in the door Just a moment doing chores And there's something And there's something And there's something And there's something next to nothing And there's something And there's something But you're gone -The Bidding:

I've been sleeping in a cardboard box Spending every dollar at the liquor shop And even though I know I haven't got a lot I'll try to give you love until the day you drop

I've been training like a Pavlov dog Let my independence out to take a hike All you got to do is activate my bell And I'll fetch you anything you like

Going once, going twice Every man here has a price Over where? Over there, sold To not a single lady in here

I've been in like a thousand times Dated every woman in the atmosphere I've been to every continent Broken all the hearts in every hemisphere And if I'm not the type of guy you like to circumvent Just remember not to love me when I disa-

I graduated at the top I like to take advantage of the bourgeoisie So if you have a fantasy of being a queen Maybe you should blow a couple bucks on me

Going once, going twice Won't these gentlemen suffice Any here? Any there? Any motions anywhere? Going twice going thrice Guess this means we'll go four times a lady

I promise I'll be all you'll need, ever need You'll never have to shop around (don't shop around) And I'll give you all you'll ever need, ever need Don't worry I will never let you down, let you down Don't worry I will never let you down

So many ladies are wanting for mates And the prospects are good but the date's never great Over here over there over where? Anywhere They're too busy with winning the bidding to care And he's sold -Be Born:

I suppose you're quite content in your swimming pool All you pink-skinned babes are the same And you can't stay forever young So get out here and see the sun You're only six inches away from becoming one

I was in your shoes before, or lack thereof And things worked out for me There's a dozen people here, and they're waiting for you It's your party, you can cry if you want to

What if I told you I could show you something? What if I told you I could make you live? Follow my instruction, swim in the direction Of my voice, hear my voice Of my voice, hear my voice

You think that you've seen it all in your little ball But, man, you're wrong and she's been waiting Long and hard to kiss your head and hold your hands And hold you while you fall asleep, and

What if I told you I could show you something? What if I told you I could make you live? Follow my instruction, swim in the direction Of my voice, hear my voice Of my voice, hear my voice

Ba, ba-da-ba Ba, ba-da-ba, ba-ee-ah Ba, ba-da-ba Ba, ba-da-ba, ba-ee-ah

What if I told you I could show you something? What if I told you I could make you live? Follow my instruction, swim in the direction Of my voice, hear my voice Of my voice, hear my voice -Banana Man:

Ladies and gentlemen, Colonel PT Chester Whitmore is proud to present Bung Vulchungo and the Zimbabwe Songbirds

Do you see banana man Hopping over on the white hot sand Here he come with some for me Freshly taken from banana tree (one, two, three, four)

Banana man me want a ton Give me double and a bonus one Give me more for all me friends This banana flow never end

Do you want a banana? Peel it down and go mm mm mm mm Do you want a banana? This banana for you

Tonight we dance around the flame Then we get to play the spirit game Spirit names we shout out loud Shake the thunder from the spirit cloud All the songbirds in the tree Chant a tune to let the spirits free Then we see them in the night Spirits jumpin' by the fire light

Do you want a banana? (Do you want a banana) Peel it down and go mm mm mm mm Do you want a banana? (Do you want a banana) This banana for you

Look you, you're too uptight you know You can laugh and kick it back and go (we) But without a rhythm or a rhyme You do not banana all the time Fly away from city on the run Try to make a little fun

Look you come to the bungalow African't you tell me don't you so Don't you love the bumping of the drum Make you shake until the bum go numb Let the bongo play until you drop This banana never stop (never stop, never stop)

Forget all your troubles and go with the flow Forget about whatever you may never know Like whether whatever you are doing is whatever you should And whether anything you do is every really any good And then forget about banana when it sticks in your throat And when they make you want to bellow but you're stuck in a choke And you forget about the yellow from the beckoning man He'll make you take another and make a mock of your plan

Bungalay bungalo make up your mind and tell me no umm shh

Well it's nine o'clock and it's getting dark And the sun is falling from the sky I've never left so early and you may wonder why

Tomorrow morning on the plane No banana make you go insane Floating back to busy town No banana make you want to frown

Do you want a banana? (Do you want a banana?) Peel it down and go mm mm mm mm Do you want a banana? This banana for you -Just Apathy:

I'm too much or not enough Maybe everyone else is messed up Well, anyway, I can't seem to stay in just one state of mind Waiting round for something better I'm the one that wouldn't let her Now I'm back and forth, I get bored when she's no perfect find

'Cause it's one thing or another I don't even know why I bother One thing just tears her down 'Cause it's one thing or another I don't even know why I bother Something I just can't get around

Consider the possibility that you've been had, but not by me We're just kids, don't worry about this My course is run and I'm so tired, until the next one comes inspired I feel bad and I should I made her sad and I knew it would

'Cause it's one thing or another I don't even know why I bother One thing just tears her down 'Cause it's one thing or another I don't even know why I bother Something I just can't get around

I need to learn to wait in turn 'Cause now I just step blindly And I'm only happy when I can close my eyes and I just dive in And forget about about acting kindly

'Cause it's one thing or another I don't even know why I bother One thing just tears her down 'Cause it's one thing or another I don't even know why I bother Something I just can't get around

But still, I know you won't let me down -Spring and a Storm:

One time, I tried to sing About spring and a storm But you know How it goes

Blah blah blah blah Blah blah blah blah Blah All along

Won't you please stop complaining I'm playing a song

But all the rain comes down the same Falling to from where it came On the ground then back around Up in the sky

I wish you could have heard the music When the clouds growled overhead I finally felt enthusiastic I finally felt alive

Blah blah blah blah Blah blah blah blah Blah So you said

Would it please you to listen To thunder instead

Man the rain came down that day And it drained my soul away And I wondered why I even Bothered to try

Mr. Moon (yeah?) Tell us about the sky

The sky is deep and dark and eternally high Many people think that's where you go when you die

Do you?

Well, I think you return to obscure Or wherever you were Before you were But I won't let you lose yourself In the rain

We have so much left to sing There's a storm for every spring All you see and you and me Became from a star

You're a star You're a star You're a star You're a star You're a star Yes, you are

Silent explosive and Silent explosive and Silent explosive and Silent explosive and

Create until nothing is left to create and The universe bursts with an overworked sigh then Pretend to pretend to re-crown the creation and Sing the same thing 'til the clouds start to cry and then Over and over and over again and then Over and over and Never again -Two Wuv:

I have this little thing It's probably just a fling Two girls I like a lot I think they're really hot But I'm not sure if they know How my love began to grow It took a lot of time But right now, it's solely mine

Today! I drew a mural of The things I'd like to love And where my heart resides Is with two girls with great eyes

If they just gave me a chance I'd show them what they want And teach 'em what they got I'd tickle each and every one of their fancies And I'd take the key to my heart And open it, and let the love shine through

Mary-Kate and Ashley, I hope you understand That I love you a lot and I wanna be your man And I think that it'd be totally cool If I hung around your apartments and enrolled in your school Mary-Kate!

I saw you on TV You're dressed up like a bee Reminds me of the time How it's gone, and it's gone, and it's gone It's sadness every day that passes without you And I really wanna, really wanna, really wanna hold you both tight And tell you you're mine, but instead I sing

Mary-Kate and Ashley, I hope you understand That I love you a lot and I wanna be your man And I think that it'd be totally cool If I hung around your apartments and enrolled in your school

Hello? (Hello?) Hello? Hey, I'm calling from Tally Hall (wait, say that again, slowly) What? Hello? (Hello?) Hey, I'm calling from Tally Hall and I just-

Mary-Kate and Ashley, I hope you understand That I love you a lot and I wanna be your man And I think that it'd be totally cool If I hung around your apartments and enrolled in your school

I know that life without you and you would be sad And I know it'd be bad

Mary-Kate and Ashley, I hope you understand That your loveliness blossomed and I wanna hold your hands And I think that it'd be totally cool If I hung around your apartments and enrolled into your school

Mary-Kate and Ashley, I hope you understand That I love you a lot and I wanna be your man And I think that it'd be totally cool If I hung around your apartments and enrolled in your school

Mary-Kate and Ashley, I hope you understand That I love you a lot and I wanna be your man And I think that it'd be totally cool If I hung around your apartments and enrolled in your school

Mary-Kate and Ashley, I hope you understand That I love you a lot and I wanna be your man And I think that it'd be totally cool- -Haiku:

I have been trying To write a haiku for you Some things I just can't do

Maybe you're beyond Ancient Asian poetry Or maybe it's just me

I have been trying To get this haiku just right All night for you, alright I'm through!

Maybe this poem Was lost in the sauce we spilled That never got refilled I've never thought much Of formulaic verse anyway And rhymes are not my fort!

I have been trying To get this haiku just right All night for you, alright I'm through!

I'm trying not to try too hard But you're hard to write down right So I pen these trite attempts At haikus for you tonight

La da dee diddum Lada da dum doo diddle Dum doo la dee do

There, that's sufficient! I wrote a haiku for you! Well, I tried at least And that's not so bad I'm working here Can that be said for you?

I'm trying not to try too hard But you're hard to write down right So I pen these trite attempts At haikus for you tonight

Words don't work like Webster says They trip me up all night I'm just trying to write for you But you're hard to write down right! -The Whole World and You:

There's lots of pretty people here Sharing stories and passing letters and There's lots of questions answered and Metaphysical astronomical songs Worth printing all on papers That seemed too mystical It's so magical People that dance and compute that No one's better then you

La la la La la la La la la La la la

There's kings in distant cities Who rule their persons and Make them happy and We won't forget about all the servisory congratulatory Even the animals know that something's brewing And they're all cooing 'Cause in the end I'd like to say No one's better than you

I hope you're happy now I've revealed the truth I've even written this whole song about you And not about me And not about me

Please don't just laugh and clap right now This is serious I'm not delirious I've waited very patiently Just to let you know Who should run the show 'Cause we all know these are the facts Nothing to retract Nothing too abstract

Concluding in the song I'll say that No one's better than you No one's better than you No one's better than You -13: bWAAwaAAwaAAAaaa BWAAaaaWA (Ahhhh) BWAAAAA, bWAaa bwaaa bwa bwaa ba -Ruler of Everything:

Juno was mad, he knew he'd been had So he shot at the sun with a gun Shot at the sun with a gun Shot at his wily one only friend

In the gallows or the ghetto In the town or the meadow In the billows even over the sun Every end of the time is another begun

You understand mechanical hands Are the ruler of everything (ah) Ruler of everything (ah) I'm the ruler of everything in the end

Do you like how I dance? I've got zirconium pants Consequential enough to slip you into a trance Do you like how I walk? Do you like how I talk? Do you like how my face disintegrates into chalk? I have a wonderful wife, I have a powerful job She criticizes me for being egocentric

You practice your mannerisms into the wall If this mirror were clearer, I'd be standing so tall I saw you slobber over clovers on the side of the hill I was observing the birds (circle in for the kill)

I've been you, I know you, your facade is a scam You know you're making me cry, this is the way that I am I've been living a lie, a metamorphical scheme Detective undercover, brotherhood, objective, obscene Oh, no, no, oh yeah

Do you hear the flibbity jibbity jibber jabber With an, "Oh my God, I've got to get out of here or I'll have another Word to sell, another story to tell Another time piece ringing the bell" Do you hear the clock stop when you reach the end? No, you know it must be never ending, comprehend if you can But when you try to pretend to understand You resemble a fool, although you're only a man So give it up and smile

Do you hear the flibbity jibbity jibber jabber With an, "Oh my God, I've got to get out of here or I'll have another Word to sell, another story to tell Another time piece ringing the bell" Do you hear the clock stop when you reach the end? No, you know it must be never ending, comprehend if you can But when you try to pretend to understand You resemble a fool although you're only a man So give it up and smile

You understand mechanical hands Are the ruler of everything (ah) Ruler of everything (ah) I'm the ruler of everything In the end

Without looking down, gliding around Like a bumbling dragon, I fly Scraping my face on the sky Oh, no, no, oh, yeah -Hidden in the Sand:

We were playing in the sand And you found a little band You told me you fell in love with it Hadn't gone as I'd planned

When you had to bid adieu (ooh, ooh, ooh) Said you'd never love anew (ooh, ooh, ooh) I wondered if I could hold it And fall in love with it too

You told me to buy a pony But all I wanted was you

Mmm-mmm-mmm-mmm (ooh-ooh-ooh) Mmm-mmm-mmm-mmm (ooh-ooh-ooh) Mmm-mmm-mmm-mmm, mmm-mmm-mmm, mmm-mmm-mmm (ooh-ooh-ooh) Mmm-mmm-mmm-mmm, mmm-mmm-mmm, mmm-mmm-mmm (ooh-ooh-ooh) (Ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh) -Mucka Blucka:

Bluck bluck bluck, ba-bluck bluck blucka A-blucka bluh, blucka bluck bluck blucka Bluck bluck bluck blu-blu-bluck. Blucka! Blucka blucka blucka blucka bluck-bluck

A-bluck bluck bluck blucka blu-ha-ha Blaaah, mucka blucka Mucka-blah, mucka-blah, mucka ba-ba, ba-ba, Mucka blucka blucka blough Blucka!

Mucka, ba, ba, blucka, ba, ba, bow (bluck bluck bluck bluck blucka) Mucka, ba, ba, blucka, ba, ba, bow (bluck, blucka) Mucka, ba, ba, blucka, ba, ba, bow (blucka blah ba ba mu-blucka) Mucka, ba, ba, blucka, ba, ba, bow Bluck! Blucka mucka blough ba-blah, Bluck, blucka, ba-blah, Bluckity bluck-bluck-bluck, ba-ba Blickity bow, bluck blickity bow, bluck bluck bow Bluck bluck bluck bluck bluck bow Muck bluck bluck, bluck bow, muck bluck-ow Muck blick bluck, bluck bow Muck bluck bluck, bluck blough, blough, blough, Bluck bluck blah blah blah blah blah Mucka, ba, ba, blucka, ba, ba, bow (bluck, blucka) Mucka, ba, ba, blucka, ba, ba, bow (oh, oh, blucka bluck bluck) Mucka, ba, ba, blucka, ba, ba, bow (blucka, ba blucka) Mucka, ba, ba, blucka, ba, ba, bow (oh, blucka, blucka) Mucka, ba, ba, blucka, ba, ba, bow (blucka blucka bluck bluck, ba) Mucka, ba, ba, blucka, ba, ba, bow (oh, oh, blucka) Mucka, ba, ba, blucka, ba, ba, bow (blucka blucka blucka blucka blucka blucka) Mucka, ba, ba, blucka, ba, ba, bow (blucka blucka blucka bluck bluck bow) Beeiiish! -Dream:

Da Da Da Da Da Da Da Da Di Dum Da na DA Na Da Na da-di did dum Da di dum da-di-da da-di-da da-di-da da da Da Da Da Da Da Da Da Da Di Dum (da dum) Da na DA Na Da Na da-di did dum (da dum) Da di dum da di dum di dadidedadididada dum dum dum dum Da Da Da Da Da Da Da Da Di Dum (oooooooooooooooooh) Da na DA Na Da Na da-di did dum (oooooooooooooooooh) Da di da di dadidadidadi da da da Da di dum da-di-da da-di-da da-di-da da da Da Da Da Da Da Da Da Da Di Dum Da na DA Na Da Na da-di did dum DadaDadaDaDadAdadadadadadad Da di da (da de da) Da di da (da de da) De dada de dada dada dada de dada de dada dada dada De dada de dada dada dadadedeadidum De dada de dada dada dada de dada de dada dada dada De dada de dada dada dada de dada de dada dada dada -Never Meant to Know:

Woke up today with the lay of the land Feather in cap and the sun in the sand It was easy, it was easy to understand Everything suddenly falls out of sight Every attachment is made of the light That you offered, you have offered to give me life

See the sky and all the land together again See the way the earth can stay below Who do we think we are? Everything plays a part There are some things we are never meant to know

Having enjoyed all the meat from the bone Is perfectly equal to being alone It was even, but you breathe and I turn to stone Everything suddenly looks like a sign Easy to see from the outermost clime I believe in what I leave in the way behind

See the sky and all the land together again See the way the earth can stay below Who do we think we are? Everything plays a part There are some things we are never meant to know

And all the parts combine to one And all of us around the sun Everything will fall away To order from the disarray See the sun the shadows cast From all the times I floated past See the ocean spinning out With all the hope and all the doubt

See the sky and all the land together again See the way the earth can stay below Who do we think we are? Everything plays a part There are some things we don't understand Reasons on the other hand There are some things we are never meant to know -&:

Love of the s*n

Came back again to make it clear that He never said it would meet demand

Shame on a martyr, claiming friends from Either perspective of &

Weak & strong & Wet & dry & Right & wrong & Live & die & Sane & gone & Love & not & All the &s that we forgot so

Sing while you hear it, don't deny it Leave if you can't stand the thought of it

Come back again to make things stand with No disrespect to the &

High & low & New & old & Stop & go & Hot & cold & John & Yoko Dark & light It's almost time to say goodnight to it

They took a lesson from their fathers Told them that they were the same command

Wait for the minds to make complete Their lies stuck beside every &

Words & numbers Sound & silence Stop the peace & Keep the violence No & yes & We digress It lives with sad & happiness Oh, God!

Big bad Betty of the 'pocalypse She opens her lips and it goes like this When the golden rule and the jungle meet There'll be nothing to love and there'll be no one to beat

Oh, the things we know, the things we don't Oh, the things we think, we can, will and won't We're loathed together and nothing's left We're all together and we're all bereft

Capitalist, communist You did the hokey pokey and it went like this You hate each other and you love yourselves It might be heaven and it might be hell

Oh, the things we do, the things we say Oh, the things we wish we could wash away -You & Me:

Starting on the road Carefully unload Open-eyed and all the light is falling Back and forth And I concede of course Maybe I am in the way recalling

It's just you

Off again we go Another seed to sow Another part to keep in proper order What have I begun? Get away undone I have seen the signs and I ignored them

Now it's you and me Divine, a circular design Do-do-do-do-doo Time, and place in mind Points along the line Do-do-do-do-doo

Sitting in the park I carefully remark "Everything is better when you're learning" You were in the dark And I was in the dark Everything is made to keep on turning

It's just you and me Divine, a circular design Do-do-do-do-doo Time, and place in mind Points along the line Do-do-do-do-doo You and me Return to be In orbit all the time

You turn away and around I've been coming down I've been coming down You turn away and around I've been coming down I've been coming down You turn away and around I've been coming down I've been coming down You turn away and around I've been coming down I've been coming down -Cannibal:

Looking for a cavern A place where she can stay Waiting for the darkness When she leaves obsessed to make her way to me Because it's getting to the time when she will need to feed

And I am the willing victim of a cannibal She rips out my bones just like I'm an animal And right when I'm feeling like my blood is drained She calls it a game But the wound that she leaves is unmistakable

I'm not the only one that she has come to see Dig up the skeletons of men who thought that they would be the one like me Like they could be the ones to make her believe But for now

I am the willing victim of a cannibal She rips out my bones just like I'm an animal And right when I'm feeling like my blood is drained She calls it a game But the wound that she leaves is unmistakable

Hiding in corners, disguised She's a phantom, a glimmer inside She keeps on feeding while I am conceding So please, won't you tear me open wide?

I am the willing victim of a cannibal She rips out my bones just like I'm an animal And right when I'm feeling like my blood is drained She calls it a game But the wound that she leaves is unmistakable -Who You Are:

You were the chosen appointment to be who you are I have been sitting and waiting and hoping apart You are insight in the air, in the night, in the airplane I am a light in the city your flight overcame

How is it all of the people can know who you are? Off in the distance emitting a glow in the dark I see you Not too far

Maybe there's something to being the one who you are Holding the thoughts in as you pull away in your car I get to thinking a little too often and All that I want is a little aloft and Maybe it's all too much thinking and not enough heart

How is it all of the people can know who you are? Off in the distance emitting a glow in the dark All of it subtle and all of it very bizarre How is it all of the people can know who you are? I see you Not too far

Armed to the teeth You will sit at the fireside We are the ones who have chosen the other side It was easy to see You were ready to be And it all falls down

You rose up And rode away underground Alone, us Finding our way to found You rose up And rode away underground Alone, us Finding our way to found Dark, I see you Not too far -Sacred Beast:

We live in the service of the king Almighty in control of everything As the queen decides who lives and dies Tonight we will sing

Love was never more than going Hmm-hmm-hm-hmm-hmm, hmm-hm-hmm Hmm-hmm-hm-hmm-hmm, hmm-hm-hmm Hmm-hmm-hm-hmm-hmm, easiest thing

Our mission is to slay the sacred beast Who has come to claim our innocence at least And though those who went before us won't return For the feast

We'll be riding high and going Hmm-hmm-hm-hmm-hmm, hmm-hm-hmm Hmm-hmm-hm-hmm-hmm, hmm-hm-hmm Hmm-hmm-hm-hmm-hmm, hmm-hm-hmm-hm

Worst of all it knows its only truth is made of lies Wanting for aught and ever-wise So there will need to be a compromise Easier to close our eyes See the other sides of our disguise

We thought we had found a separate peace Thought all our pain had finally been released But as long as it's alive we'll never rest In one piece

Meanwhile, may it join in going Hmm-hmm-hm-hmm-hmm, hmm-hm-hmm Hmm-hmm-hm-hmh-hmm, hmm-hm-hmm Hmm-hmm-hm-hmm-hmm -Hymn for a Scarecrow:

You hang around for a living Somewhere between all the land and the sky Being by never forgiving Nobody knows you and neither do I

Birds may believe at a distance You wear a grin and keep perfectly still Driven away with persistence I wonder if they have wondered or will ever wonder Ever wonder

Farmer Jim hums when he's all alone He may imagine you heard and he knew You wouldn't hear what he might have known I wonder whether he wonders if you ever wonder Ever wonder

Oh, scarecrow Maybe the wind knows Whether you wonder Who's calling your name

Scarecrow Maybe the wind knows Whether you wonder If you are to blame

Mother Earth's love whispered to me (and it wasn't her fault) Real is a feeling and feeling is real All of you are flowing through me But you wouldn't know how to fathom or feel

When the wind blows The wind knows The wind knows

Oh, scarecrow Maybe the wind knows Whether you wonder Who's calling your name

Shame how nobody knows you Only who wonders if you are to blame

Saving the grain of your golden domain Without even reasoning why The crows seem to know where you need them to go Igniting a spark in their minds, so they circle and fly

Fly, fly, fly Fly, fly, fly, fly Fly, fly, fly, fly Fly, fly, fly, fly

You hang around for a living Blown in the wind like a pinned butterfly Monarch of ever forgiving Some of us wonder if you want to die Would you want to die?

How I wonder, ever wonder Ever wonder, ever wonder Ever wonder, ever wonder (the wind knows, the wind knows) Ever wonder, ever wonder (the wind knows, the wind knows) Ever wonder, ever wonder (the wind knows, the wind knows) Ever wonder, ever wonder (the wind knows, the wind knows) Ever wonder, ever wonder (the wind knows, the wind knows) Ever wonder, ever wonder (the wind knows, the wind knows)

The wind knows, the wind knows The wind knows, the wind knows The wind knows, the wind knows The wind knows, the wind knows -A Lady: I know a lady, good and evil Showed me that I was a gentleman Wait for the girl to blossom into Colors that grow where you can -The Trap:

Whispered leaves on swaying trees And mysteries define Summer nights of endless light Remind us of the line that's yours and mine

Thoughts of green and breezes mean I'm growing from a stem Missing dirt on my T-shirt You'll move a little closer, but the moving isn't over if it's

Them and you and me, stringing electricity And the rest of it is waiting under When it overflows, taking us where no one knows We remember when we fell into the trap

Midnight air is unprepared for Thoughts we would condemn Silence of the stars above in any other weather We would try to stay together but it's

Them and you and me stringing electricity And the rest of it is waiting under When it overflows, taking us where no one knows We remember when we fell into the trap

Mothers and fathers without will doubt Brother to brother another hold out Imagine a world if the numbers would take some time out Me without you and you without I want to break out of this abstracting pattern of layers but it's on -Turn the Lights Off:

Don't go in there You'll become one Freaky creatures Monster party Eyes of yellow Scales and feathers Tails in tethers Turn the lights off

Bend the nightmare You control it Artful dodger Easy does it Shut the closet Get under the covers Snakes and lovers Turn the lights off

Everybody likes to get taken for turns To see how bright the fire inside of us burns And everybody wants to get evil tonight But all good devils masquerade under the light

Here's the pinky There's the kinky Everybody complicate it Man and woman Baby child Calm and wild Turn the lights off

Don't remember (day's gone) What we look like (night's on) Younger holding (day's gone) One another (light's passed) Paper colors (day's gone) Dangle streaming (night's on) Tangle screaming (light's gone) Turn the lights off

Everybody likes to get taken for turns To see how bright the fire inside of us burns And everybody wants to get evil tonight But all good devils masquerade under the light

Can't they take it Should be stronger Books abandoned Breathe the water Mind distracted (bad girls) Sons and daughters (good boys) Out for slaughter (bad guys) Turn the lights off

Sparkles and shines on the water Seeps through the cumulus brume Tingles and tears while we're gazing Vanishes soon after bedtime for good

Don't you like it (day's gone) I know I do (night's on) How about you? (day's gone) What do we know (light's passed) Tiny patterns (day's gone) Hypnotizing (night's on) Terrorizing (light's gone) Turn the lights off

Everybody likes to get taken for turns To see how bright the fire inside of us burns And everybody wants to get evil tonight But all good devils masquerade under the light

Chroma diamonds Twinkle brightly Dance in darkness Blow the nights off Sleepy child Spark desire Walk the fire -Misery Fell:

Misery fell on the town when they lost all their looks Spent all those years with their jobs and their scholarly books With no one to share all their thoughts and their worldly-to-bes Oh, no They got down and prayed a little more for a life that was free

Wanting a change they assessed how reform comes around A wise man suggested they work in their smiles not their frowns And all of a sudden, it sounds like the town was to be Oh, yes A happier place where they live out their personal dreams

La-la-la-la-la La-la-la-la-la-la La-la-la-la-la-la La-la-la-la-la-la

Why, oh why? This town without love, too much faith in above Can you feel the Force that it brings not to worry 'bout things Just the stars in the sky all enjoying their time With a hope for peace

First thing they do is to substitute pleasure for pain Helping themselves figure out there's so much they can gain The bad guys surrender their chemistry books at the fair Oh, well Then frolic and take in the love that persists everywhere

La-la-la-la-la La-la-la-la-la-la La-la-la-la-la-la La-la-la-la-la-la

Why, oh why? This town without love, too much faith in above Can you feel the Force that it brings not to worry 'bout things Just the stars in the sky all enjoying their time With a hope for-

Why, oh why? This town without love, too much faith in above Can you feel the Force that it brings not to worry 'bout things Just the stars in the sky all enjoying their time All the people that kiss, all the children that wish All the fresh living flowers That spend all their hours outside in the rain Just so happy you came from so far for so long With a welcoming song Just to say, to say -Out in the Twilight:

Stone & glass, everything balancing Every saint has a sin Won't it last? Resident present I don't even want to ask

All the light is low Where the time will go All I know is that I can see anything Out in the twilight

All is past, everything interesting Is it new? Is it me? Stone & glass, give me a reason it Ought to be easy to last

All the light is low Where the time will go All I know is that I can see anything Out in the twilight

And in between, eternally An even fall is all that will appear to be Our story's old and either end untold The in-between goes on

Collect yourself and move into the street Out in the twilight The rest of our entire life is free Out in the twilight Collect yourself and move into the street Out in the twilight The rest of our entire life is free Out in the twilight -You:

It's never fair to say I never care about Anything 'cause I always care about you It doesn't seem like there's anything happening Nothing ever seems happening without you

Mm, mm, mm, mm Mm, mm, mm, mm, mm Mm, mm, mm, mm, mm, mm Mm, mm, mm, mm, mm

It never seems like I'm all alone when now Everywhere that I search about is for you There's always something that's worth believing in Keep uncovering more at the thought, it's for you

Mm, mm, mm, mm, mm Mm, mm, mm, mm, mm Mm, mm, mm, mm, mm, mm Mm, mm, mm, mm, mm Mm, mm, mm, mm, mm Mm, mm, mm, mm, mm Mm, mm, mm, mm, mm, mm Mm, mm, mm, mm, mm

In the warm sun Past the winter Here and ever, hear forever In the motion Frozen quiet Still it's spoken heart unbroken Clouds before us Unknown waters Greater spaces hold no hiding Far and near to Change or constant I'll still wait and do it all for you

Mm, mm, mm, mm, mm Mm, mm, mm, mm, mm, mm Mm, mm, mm, mm, mm Mm, mm, mm, mm, mm Mm, mm, mm, mm, mm Mm, mm, mm, mm, mm, mm Mm, mm, mm, mm, mm -Fate of the Stars:

To leave from this tale, follow closely ahead Prepare to exist by the living & dead Too slow or too kind or too wary of those too at ease Past all the buried impressions of then Sullen drawn eyes and expressions to mend Continued through mirrors left broken to sing and be heard Through when it seems all the senses are lost to absurd

So the part where we are Trapped in active depart In the fate of the stars No, not one who we are No control pumping heart Button pressed mind in art Mind control, mind restart

To leave from the present with no source of sound They laugh because silence is never around Ignored and forgotten, the past may continue to breathe Feared not a rest by this desolate friend Whose patience revealed what intent comes to send With a stare at a hole in the world comes a lust to be high Above all the dark nested clouds that keep guard of the sky

So the part where we are Trapped in active depart In the fate of the stars No, not one who we are No control pumping heart Button pressed mind in art Mind control, mind restart

Step onto the Ferris wheel Round for day & night Lost in what's forever more Complacent in its reasons for Give & take & sleep & wake & Pray for day & night to come Again, we see there's certainty in What we feel and what we've heard Again, we see there's certainty in Expectations all the same -Introduction to the Snow:

Alone at the edge of a universe humming a tune With sparkling crystals souls aglow

A part of thee in the key of what we know to be every part without me Knows only two can make it light

You'll live forever tonight -Isle Unto Thyself:

Blinding shining star You won't see so far Know what can't be shown Feel what can't be known

You were an island unto thyself You had a heart you hadn't felt Why would it hurt me? Or was it real?

It was the night we had to part We were afraid to miss the start What did it matter? Why would it matter? And could we heal?

Blinding shining star You won't see so far Know what can't be shown Feel what can't be known

I was a victim of magic Apollo, catching my breath as I bled on the ground Somebody called me to follow I followed thinking aloud without hearing the sound

Then, all the planets fell to dust Lonely departing after us Gone, not forgotten Long, but forgotten old lore

In every element of life Love camouflaging under strife or other matters Minds over matters, let there be more

Maybe you'll exit tomorrow The sorrow sweeping you off as your island replies Sudden invincible flowing A river clearer than all thou might view with thine eyes

Why did fire-erupted lands arrive? Why did murderous animals survive? Why did we deserve to be revived? Why was any and everything alive? -Black Rainbows:

Do we remember (Oma'oma'o polū poni) Connected rainbows? ('Ele'ele, 'ele'ele) Stella octangula

I see the praised rays You see me smile We know the joy beyond above Has been here awhile

I draw the rainbows You draw them near ('Ele'ele) And lo the hues arrange to show It's perfectly clear ('Ele'ele)

Stella octangula ('Ula'ula 'alani melemele) (Oma'oma'o polū poni)

I draw the rainbows ('Ele'ele) You draw them near ('Ele'ele) And lo the hues arrange to show ('Ele'ele) It's perfectly clear ('Ele'ele)

Do we remember ('Ula'ula 'alani melemele) Connected rainbows? (Oma'oma'o polū poni) ('Ula'ula 'alani melemele) (Oma'oma'o polū poni) (Ah-ha!) -White Ball:

Drift aloft In some effortless place Bound by delicate dread Saving no face

Air dissolves Where one game is designed Something's elegant find So the program goes

Fate decides How these columns align Birth by chess or benign Every moment

Marble gods Tango circles in space 'Round the already dead Hung by staircase up

On and on The awakening light Will bathe slumbers Of ethereal sights Today is renewed, is reborn Each day, I am new, I am yours

So please dismiss What they claim about this Being in vain to explain How expressed with a kiss Taking passionate steps Floor suspending abyss

Such impossible bliss Such impossible bliss Such impossible bliss Such impossible bliss Such impossible bliss Such impossible bliss -Murders:

He was in the forest looking to see the trees But none were there He found a girl She found the Erlking (the lover)

They were in the white wood Gamboling out to picnic In the light leaves broke above Then fell below

I was in the middle ground Looking to find the flowers in the garden Wearying of the hate me, hate me not Wait. they forgot Woe, oh, the rot

Deeper in they crept Oblivious of the bears and darker terrors Or none were there How did they dare?

I was in the middle ground Looking to find the fountain of infinite mirror Tree falling, no one would hear Shadow of nobody there Murders of murderers living in fear of it

Owls on the night watch Solemn and easily wise to what we thought They thought above Sound broke below

They were in the black wood Coveting indiscreetly her for him Or him for her Shown what they were

I was in the middle ground Looking to find the fountain of infinite mirror Tree falling, no one would hear Shadow of nobody there Murders of murderers living in fear of it

I was in the clearing Buzzing around to hearing But the bees and birds who knew the words Soon arrived the twilight Finally the night and day remembered How they came to be

All for nothing at all All for nothing at all With something to do

I was in the forest looking to see the trees But none were there -宇宙ステーションのレベル7:

十五年後、待ち時間は終わった それは大地を残すことは無理 我々は天国から出発 それは秘密じゃない すぐに誰もが知っている

HEAVEN 天の御国 HEAVEN 天国は待機

それは大地で宇宙ステーションだ も何もこれに比較しません レベル七にはしごを使用し 睡眠、俺の子供 明るい目が待っています

HEAVEN 天の御国 HEAVEN 天の御国

UN ENSEMBLE D'ENFANTS LA GALAXIE S'ÉTEND JARDIN DE L'IMAGINATION

JE DOIS DIRE BONSOIR LANCE-TOI ET TU VIVRAS TOUJOURS CE SOIR

HEAVEN 天の御国 HEAVEN 天国は時機 HEAVEN 天の御国 HEAVEN 天国は時機 -The Mind Electric:

Think of these thoughts as limitless light Exposing closing circuitry of fright Think of each moment holding this breath As death minute in decimal

Resident minor, how do you plead? We'll need your testimony on the stand Solemnly swear to tell the whole truth So help you son, now raise your right hand

Father your honor, may I explain? My brain has claimed its glory over me I've a good heart albeit insane Condemn him to the infirmary

All mine towers crumble down the flowers gasping under rubble Shrieking in the hall of lull, thy genius saves a thirst for trouble

Scattering sparks of thought energy Deliver me and carry me away Here in my kingdom I am your Lord I order you to cower and pray

Nuns commence incanting as the lightning strikes mine temples thus Electrifying mine chambers, wholly scorching out thine sovereignty So-so-so-so-so-so-so-so spiraling down thy majesty I beg of thee, have mercy on me I was just a boy you see I plead of thee have sympathy for me

See how the serfs work the ground (see how they fall) And they give it all they've got (fall) And they give it all they've got (fall) And you give it all you've got 'til you're down (fall)

See how the brain plays around And you fall inside a hole you couldn't see And you fall inside a hole inside a- Someone help me Understand what's going on inside my mind Doctor I can't tell if I'm not me

When it grows bright, the particles start to Marvel having made it through the night Never they ponder, weather electric Calming if you look at it right! -Labyrinth:

See how I circle Imaginary mind Imaginary lines Let the maze of my design carry you on

Just bumped my head and my face turns purple Running through hurdles Running in circles Trying to escape from this thing that I fear Everything seems clear like the end is near

In the rear I can see the beast getting close Surrounded by ghosts in a cloud of smoke

The smoke reeks of failure I don't want to fail But all the stairwells lead straight to hell So I'm jumping trap doors in the floor 'fore they floor me Focus on the love and the light right before me

Walls keep spinning and my path keeps turning Patience thinning and my calves keep burning Hotter than a furnace Suddenly I'm learning Maybe I finally reached the point of no return and East is North and West is South I feel like I'm 'a never get out I'm trapped

See how I circle Imaginary mind Imaginary lines Let the maze of my design carry you on See how I fly away (away, away, away, away, away)

Behind me my ex-girl's chasing me In front of me, my next girl's facing me Awaiting me The light's in my sight but I can't cross these enemy lines I'm behind I can feel the fatigue but I'm dying to shine But the road winds I rewind, I rewind

Got to find a new place to hide for the night Will I ever escape Boy, I try and I try Everybody's watching me I'm dying to get out In the glass labyrinth, I am the mouse

See how I circle I'm trapped I'm trapped It's just a game you play Here in this labyrinth (I'm trapped) -Time Machine:

Look Oh look at what you've done now to me Dead tired and ornery I'm leaving today today

Thinking of the way I used to spend the time I can see that I have overpaid Past is passed and rather than regret the old I can live it back the other way

Just look Oh look at what you've done now to me Free floating temporally I'm leaving today today

I avoid the messiness of misery Playing in dimension number four I can get away to any time I like Space-time's any time and many more

Live the dream with a time machine You've been waiting forever But you can make ever wait for you Do what you want to do

Live the dream with a time machine You've been waiting forever You'll have time enough to spend some time alone

Wait I await for all eternity With standing modernity Is where we must stay today

Now I know the nature of no urgency Now I know why now is never gone Fleeting in this mode of making memories Keeping up this pace of keeping on

Live the dream in a time machine You've been waiting forever But you can make ever wait for you Do what you want to do

Live the dream in a time machine You've been waiting forever

You'll have time enough to spend some time alone All alone Time alone

Live the dream with a time machine You've been waiting forever

Live the dream with a time machine You've been waiting forever

Live the dream with a time machine You've been waiting forever

Live the dream with a time machine

Live the dream with a time machine You've been waiting forever

Live the dream with a time machine -Stranded Lullaby:

There's a still tension in the swell Of dreamt debris afloat amidst the waves and then dispel

Aimless thoughts and papers blown around A million moments meant remembered rest in deep dark sound Game the mess I'd like to know why you are all alone while I'm lost at sea Maybe we'll be there when you want

Anchorless and unmoored set amiss Awake would only prove the fantasy made lucid sense Sail on, sail on I'd like to know why you are all alone while I'm lost at sea Maybe we'll be there when you want

There's a still tension in the swell So given to the vast receiving emptiness of time Beyond, beyond I'd like to know why you are all alone while I You're unsure if I am A loose end or a strand That waits for you to mend or understand -Dream Sweet in Sea Major:

Alone at the edge of a universe humming a tune For merely dreaming we were snow

A siren sounds like the goddess who Promises endless apologies of paradise And only she can make it right So things are different tonight

We'll go together in flight

It's now and never A reverie endeavor Awaits somnambulant directives To take the helm

Believe me, darling The stars were made for falling Like melting obelisks As tall as another realm

Un ensemble d'enfants La galaxie s'étend Jardin de l'imagination Combler la lacune Voler face à la lune Vois comme nous évoluons

It feels like flying But maybe we're dying A cosmic confluence of Pyramids hologrammed

She knows you heard her Staging music murder In line before the show began To be where I am

Children born of one emotion Our devotion's deepest ocean No division reasoned we'll be free

To know We are beyond a bow And lo, the hues arrange to show It's perfectly clear

You look quite divine tonight Here among these vibrant lights Pure delights surround us as we sail Signed, yours truly, the whale

Joy mirage's kingdom come No one left at stake Now that existence is on the wake Let's see what we can make

The part is wholly ending A line in any final song So long, so far

We will be atoning At last eternal through the past Above a blinding star

Bye, hi Sigh, Hawaii We never meant to part Sublime, thy art

One light Higher than the sun Invisible to some Until it's time

[solarmorrigan]

You're Not the Type to Give Yourself Enough Love - Chapter 6 [Complete!]

It’s been a bad day.

Something’s had Steve’s subconscious in a bind all week (fucked if he even knows what at this point), and it’s been nothing but weird, anxious dreams at best and nightmares at worst.

The lack of sleep has kicked his brain in on the act and his hands have been shaky for the last couple of days, and a little jerky since this morning (it’s annoying, but it’s not such an uncommon symptom that it makes him worry; sometimes it means a migraine, sometimes it’s just… a thing. A thing that his body does now, after all the trauma he’s put it through. Just a thing).

He’d already been tired and on edge, and then the pool cleaners had called.

There’d been a family emergency, and they wouldn’t be able to make it out to do their regular maintenance this week, they hope Steve understands.

And Steve had said of course, no problem. Hope everything works out.

Except there had, actually, been a problem.

Read the rest on Ao3!

Be sure to listen to @sunlightsymphony's podfic, too; just follow the same link! They do such a wonderful job breathing life into this story, and now you can listen to it all in one go!

Thank you to everyone who's been following along <3

[falloutjuli]

Look who got mad Chuuya brainrot so Im gonna drop this one here while I continously work on my other two ideas uwu. dont even ask how i came up with any of this, I typed this in like two nights I think? Im not even sure anymore lmaooooo.

Also its my first time writing for BSD sooo, hi im nervous af.

-----------------------

Chuuya Nakahara × fwb!gn!Reader - Lets be more than friends

Wordcount: 2,7k

Short summary: After an excruciating couple weeks, Chuuya texts his friend to come over and they do. Unfortunately after some great time together, Chuuya gets hit with a dose of reality that the situation is changing and perhaps he has waited too long.

Warnings: Very brief not super detailed smut, some cursing, FWB Situation, toxic frommer relationship mentioned, theres a creepy guy reader goes on a date with. THEY/THEM pronouns and Y/N used.

MINORS DO NOT INTERACT -----------------------

>>Could you do me a favor? Please go to my apartment, make yourself comfortable, order some food for the two of us and then let me fuck you until I forget my own name.<<

Arriving at his front door, Chuuya wondered if perhaps he had been a little too harsh in his message. But the smell that invaded his nostrils the second he opened the door told him they didn't take it in a mean way. Kicking off his shoes, putting away his hat and coat he walked into the kitchen where they were staring at his oven.

"Welcome home Chuuya." Y/N said, giving him a warm smile. "Roughly thirty minutes, then food should be ready, sorry that's it's that long, I miscalculated my time preparing."

"You could have just gotten takeout or something. I didn't expect you to cook. And also..." Chuuya looked at his couch that was cleaned up. And now that he looked around, everything was cleaner.

"Gathered your laundry, put on a machine, and cleaned a little. Like I said, welcome home."

The cheeky smile they gifted him, while saying so nonchalantly that they did all this for him, it had Chuuya grin, walking quickly over and lifting them up to sit them down on the counter. Getting between their legs, the redhead grinned up at Y/N, who lovingly put their hands on his cheeks, cupping his face.

Their lips finally met and both relaxed into the other, with Y/N brushing their thumbs over his smooth skin and Chuuyas arms wrapped tightly around Y/Ns waist.

This wasn’t enough in Chuuyas mind, he needed more so his tongue rather quickly invaded their mouth, making his desperation rather clear. Pulling away after a while, a little out of breath, Y/N spoke up; "We got still twenty-five minutes left until your oven beeps soooo..."

Without any hesitation, Chuuya lifted them up, carrying them over to his bedroom to do what they did so many times already.

The undressing of Chuuya was practiced by Y/N so many times now that it happened very quickly. The buttons opened, vest, shirt and accessories discarded (except for the choker, which they never took off, they had once confessed to Chuuya how much it turned them on), his pants pooling on the floor.

Thanks to Y/N rather simple outfit tonight they were undressed soon too and so it wasn't before long that Chuuya was inside of them, the main noise that filled the room being their moans. Y/N still had a sly grin on their face and Chuuya was determined to fuck it out of them.

"What you grinning for like that?"

"Dunno. Ah... I just like the way...fuck...it riles you up."

Biting his lip, he picked up the pace, making the person underneath him a moaning mess.

---

His hand roughly grabbed a fist full of h/c colored strands of hair as he came down their throat, a shaky "Fuck~" on his lips.

Patiently, Y/N waited until he had rode out his orgasm and took his whole length one more time before letting him go and swallowing the cum. "You're too good to me." Chuuya said, falling backwards on his bed from his sitting position, still a little out of breath.

"Oh please, it's nothing." They said, got up, and looked at the sprawled-out man. He was pretty, oh so pretty.

Putting their underwear back on and stealing one of the bathrobes that looked so exquisite, they walked back out to the kitchen, checking on the food, which finally looked done. While carefully pulling the steaming hot Lasagna out, Chuuya exited his bedroom, dressed in Casual sweatpants and shirt.

"I didn't hurt you, did I?" He asked as he crept up behind Y/N, pressing a few light kisses onto their neck. "Not at all. Don't worry. I know how you are when you come back from a long mission and then get even more work loaded onto you."

Chuuya kind of disliked how easy they were able to read him, but at the same time it made things so easy. They understood each other wordlessly. Y/N always knew what he needed, wasn't mad if he was unable to keep in touch due to work and was there whenever he needed them. It was perfect.

So, while he let Y/N fill plates with food, Chuuya grabbed wine and glasses for them, placing them on the couch, where not long after Y/N then proffered the plates and took seat next to him. Putting on the TV for some background noise, Chuuya leaned back with a filled glass in hand, taking a long sip.

"Thank you. For everything." He whispered quietly, almost thinking his friend hadn't heard him, but they did reply.

"No, don't thank me. I'm just helping you out a little."

"I have to. I haven't texted you in a couple of weeks and then only send you that message that I typed while rushing out of my boss’s office after getting more work loaded onto me." And without even wanting to, anger filled him, but it just as quickly subsided when a warm hand was placed on his chest, calmly petting him.

"Don't sweat it. You're here, you have wine, so relax a little."

Moving to sit on him, straddling him, Y/N got comfortable and reunited their lips again. He tasted like his wine, sweet though also a little bitter, which was so unapologetically Chuuya in every way.

Just when that new make out session was getting heated once more, with their hands in his red hair and his hands slipping underneath the robe, a phone notification ripped them out of their bliss.

 "Sorry I..." they mumbled as they leaned over, grabbing the device from the couch and swiftly unlocking it. Chuy's groaned, taking another sip. "Who's interrupting?" He asked and the grin on Y/Ns face grew wide.

"My date for next week."

Suddenly it felt like the wind has been knocked out of Chuuyas lungs. He just stared at his friend, who was happily texting, on top of him.

His chest felt heavy, his thoughts raced through his mind, but he couldn't even make out what he was thinking, nor what he was feeling.

"A date?" He asked, his voice suddenly sounding strange to him. "Yeah. I went out with friends recently and I met some really nice guy who kept buying me drinks!" They laughed, putting their phone aside.

"And we exchanged numbers and he asked me out. Aren't ya happy for me?"

"Yeah totally. It's what you deserve!" He lied through his teeth. Unexplainably he didn't feel happy, though it was what he had hoped for Y/N all this time.

He had met them after they got out of a horrible relationship. And out of their friendship and shared need for human contact blossomed a little friends with benefits situation.

He knew what they were, so why did his chest feel like it was burning, why did he feel regret that he had left Y/N for weeks, allowing some asshole who wasn't deserving of them to even get a chance.

"Aw thank you. I'll let you know how it went. But for now, we should get eating, otherwise I'll feel like I wasted all my time preparing this." They slipped out of his lap, plopping down beside him and grabbing their plate.

His appetite was lost but Chuuya still ate, not wanting them to feel like it was going to waste.

The meal continued in an awkward silence, broken only by the clinking of utensils and the distant sounds of the city outside. Chuuya mechanically put food in his mouth, but it might as well have been cardboard for all he tasted. His mind was a whirlwind of conflicting emotions.

As they ate, Y/N seemed oblivious to Chuuyas inner turmoil. They chatted about their upcoming date, sharing more details about the guy they had met and their plans for the evening. Chuuya tried to feign interest, asking questions, and nodding at appropriate times, but his heart wasn't in it.

He couldn't shake the feeling of regret, the nagging thought that he had missed an opportunity. They had been there for each other in the aftermath of Y/N's horrible breakup, and their friends-with-benefits arrangement had provided comfort and solace.

But somewhere along the way, he had allowed himself to become emotionally attached, even if he hadn't realized it until now.

And this realization now threatened to crush him under the weight it held. From the corner of his eye, he looked at Y/N, who still wasn't aware of his silent demise at all. Their eyes were on the TV, a kind smile on their lips as always.

Soon the dinner was over, food had been eaten, wine has been downed, and internally Chuuya was still freaking out in a way. But what was he supposed to do? Overstep their boundaries, and just tell them he got attached now that they met someone? That would have been cruel and unfair to them, so he swore to not say anything about it.

"Hey you alright?" Y/N asked, placing their hand on his, concern written all over their face. "Nothing to worry about. Just thinking about all the work I'll have to do the coming days." Seemingly believing his lies, they smiled again, and went to clean up.

"You don't have to-" Chuuya said but was immediately hushed. "Let me do this for you."

So, he let them, he couldn't deny them.

Once everything was clean and Y/N was back in her own clothes, Chuuya accompanied them to the door.

"You won't allow me to thank you, but please know I'm glad you were here tonight."

"Always Chuuya. Just text me when you can, and I won't be mad when you won't, I know you're busy." He nodded absentmindedly, his thoughts only clouding with regret over his missed chance. Y/N quickly hugged him tight, mumbling; "Alright then, see you soon hopefully."

"Yeah, see you soon." He replied and watched them leave. Back inside behind closed doors, he just walked to his bed, laid down and felt the emptiness that suddenly felt crushing. He had never felt lonely in his bed.

But tonight, he did.

---

Radio silence from both ends followed that evening. Chuuya was predictably busy with Mafia work while Y/N was simply caught up in their own life and prepared for their date.

So Chuuya didn't really expect a sudden message appearing on his phone that read; >> SOS, help me! I'm at the Yokohama Sunset grill place, pllsss<<

"Will you guys be alright without me?" Chuuya asked directed at his subordinates, who were by now only cleaning up the guys Chuuya left behind.

"Of course, Nakahara!" One replied so Chuuya quickly got on his motorcycle and took off towards the place mentioned in the message.

The drive towards the restaurant was rather pleasant, the early dusk painted the sky all kinds of colors and the air was chilly but not too cold yet.

His mind was restless, hoping nothing too bad has happened. And in case it did, well whoever hurt Y/N better be prepared for the wrath of a Mafia executive with the ability to manipulate gravity.

Arriving at the fancy looking  place he spotted his friend near the entrance being talked to by a guy who was rather rudely invading their personal space.

Y/N was smiling but Chuuya immediately spotted that it was a fake and pained one. He quickly got off and walked over, his coat wafting behind him as he did. "Chuuya!" Y/N immediately called out, leaving their leaned position. And meeting Chuuya halfway.

"Hey woah woah, Y/N we ain't done yet." The guy called out and came after them.

Chuuyas eyes narrowed as he approached the scene, his protective instincts kicking in. He stood beside Y/N, his presence meant to offer support without escalating the situation. Y/N, visibly uncomfortable, took a step closer to Chuuya.

"Listen," Y/N began, their tone polite but firm, "I appreciate the evening, but I'm just not feeling it. Let's part ways amicably."

The guy's cocky demeanor faltered for a moment, but he quickly recovered, leaning in closer to Y/N. "Come on, don't tell me you'd pick that shrimp over me," he sneered, glaring at Chuuya. "He's barely a man. Honey, you can't be real. Come on, let's go to my place."

Chuuya clenched his fists, his temper rising, but he reminded himself to stay calm. He didn't want to make things worse for Y/N. Instead, he spoke in a measured tone. "Look, she's made her decision, and you need to respect that. It's time to move on."

Y/N nodded in agreement, their fake smile still in place. "Yeah, sorry, but I'm really not interested. Thank you for the evening, though."

The guy's face contorted with anger, and he took a step back, his frustration evident. "You're making a big mistake," he spat before storming off.

Chuuya watched him leave, making sure he was well and truly gone before turning his attention back to Y/N. "Are you okay?" he asked softly, genuine concern in his eyes.

Y/N let out a sigh of relief, their shoulders relaxing. "Yeah, thanks to you. I really didn't want things to get any worse."

Chuuya gave them a reassuring smile. "I've got your back, always. Let's get out of here and grab a drink perhaps? My place is closer than yours, but only if that’s alright with you…“ He said, and carefully examined their reaction, not wanting to cause any mire discomfort.

“Yes please, get me out of here.“ They replied and followed Chuuya over to his motorcycle. They have ridden together a few times already, but it still felt a little weird every time again.

---

The ride to Chuuyas apartment was silent, but it was a comfortable one. Y/Ns arms around his frame felt nice and Chuuya felt more than happy that they had contacted him to rescue them in a sense.

They remained in silence all the way up Chuuyas apartment, and even until they were both seated on the couch with wine filled glasses. Putting an arm around them, Chuuya pulled Y/N close.

"You alright?" He asked as his head leaned on theirs. "Yeah. Thank you for coming. The guy kept pestering me no matter how many times I said no. He wasn't like that before and didn't know what to do so I texted you."

Suddenly they leaned away and looked at Chuuya shocked. "I didn't call you away from work or anything, right?"

Laughing, he waved his hand and shook his head. "No. Also don't worry your pretty head about that. I'll gladly come safe you any time from some creep." Smiling brightly, they clicked their glasses together and then took a long sip.

Feeling glad that his beloved was back with him, safe and sound, he also felt dread creeping up in him again. This time your date went as poor as possible, but what about a next time?

He didn’t even want there to be a next time. It was time to be honest.

“Hey, Y/N?” He asked carefully. Making a humming noise as a signal to continue, Y/N looked expectantly at him.

“I…I think I like you more than I should, considering what he are and I…” Okay, that had sounded a lot more smooth in his mind, now it was just awkward, with them staring blankly at him.

He opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, trying to somehow formulate what he was trying to say.

“Chuuya, are you asking me out?” Y/N asked and Chuuya just answered with an enthusiastic; “Yes!”

Much to his surprise, they laughed warmly, before putting a hand on his. “I’d love to. I think we can skip a couple of steps and get right to the fun parts huh?”

It took Chuuya a second before he realized what Y/N was saying. “The fun parts are what I’m best at.”

Pulling them over and placing them in his lap, Chuuya passionately pressed his lips onto theirs, enjoying the smile his partner had as he did so.

“I know.” Y/N said as they pulled away, pressing a couple of light kisses all over Chuuyas blushing face. "But I am also pretty good at them, no?"

[firespirited]

Hi! Thank you for the detailed guides re: glue head treatment with phenoxyethanol, I managed to de-glue 6 dolls by following your instructions :)

Onto my question: is there any information out there about the type of glue in these dolls? I vaguely recall seing resin(?) based adhesive mentioned in a MLP arena post, but that could be wrong/misremembered.

I'm a chemist and I got a bit fixated on trying to figure out the mechanism behind the glue + phenoxyethanol reaction (and maybe help contribute the doll enthusiasts' knowledge pool).

As far as I know: no-ones figured it out. There was a theory that maybe this glue was a two part glue and something was missing from the equation like maybe they got the mix wrong and it was supposed to solidify fast. Something that would explain the disparity in dolls and how some have hard yellow glue that's sticky but not liquid ten years on and others were found in stores with yellow sap-like glue dripping down their necks. It doesn't react with alcohol, acetone or WD40, I use vaseline or mineral oil to remove it from my tools.

Another clue is that it doesn't smell - not even a hint of solvent in the brand new doll packaging. When i first saw the stuff my mind went to dark places (showing my age and class here ^.^;) but whatever might be in the possible mix doesn't end up smelling on the doll or the box. I honestly can say it's not like any other glue i've encountered. It seems to whiten a little when treated.

We don't even know if the surfactant is the chemical that's responsible because results have been from various household cleaners with other ingredients. It's not affected by soap or conditioner so we can maybe rule that out. But we can't rule out something with the PH. I'd love to hear your theories.

[crinkled-emotions]

Day 1: Nights spent by the toilet, rubbing A's shoulder

We're finally here! I kinda felt like maybe I wouldn't get to this point but here we are, ready to publish day 1!

The way these are going to work is very similar to my other fics: they will vary in length, the warnings will be the first thing you see (where applicable) and then the fic itself will be under a readmore. We're starting with a bang, but there are a couple different types of fics coming with multiple ships and, of course, some Dagger time!

This particular fic was partially inspired by one I wrote last December - find it here!

Warnings for this fic: emeto

-

Rapping his knuckles on the bar table in front of Phoenix and Bob, Payback immediately had their attention.

“Bagman’s out the front pukin’, might want to go check on him.”

“Why not you?” Bob replied. Payback sent him a look and Bob sighed.

“Well it can’t be me either; I already lined up a game of pool with Fanboy and Rooster.”

With that, Bob got up and followed Payback into the crowd, leaving Phoenix on her lonesome. For such a big team, no one really minded having a moment to themselves. She glanced around the Hard Deck, taking in the rest of her team. Coyote was nowhere to be found which was odd; he was usually one of the first to suggest a team outing on a Saturday night, shortly followed by Hangman. Considering how much they fed off each other’s shithead energy, no one was really shocked that Penny had them thrown overboard at least once a month... maybe twice, if they were really leaning into their naughty adult children act (terrorising Rooster at the piano). She’d barely seen Hangman tonight, but a glance from Penny and Maverick told her they had information she could use. As she walked past she gently touched Rooster’s shoulder. She always did it when passing him- he did it too. They used it as a way to check in with each other more than anything.

Up at the bar, Penny offered Phoenix a bottle of water and a gentle smile.

“I saw Seresin looking a little green earlier; do you want Mav to come with you?”

“Hey!” Maverick protested, but the corner of his lips twitched upwards. Phoenix shook her head.

“I’ve known Seresin since before either of us were legally allowed to drink; we’re fine. If Bob asks tell him I’m taking Hangman home.”

“Sure thing.”

Penny walked off to serve an incoming customer, but Maverick paused for a moment.

“Are you sure, Tasha? I was only joking-“

“-it’s better that you don’t, he’ll crawl out of his skin,” Phoenix reassured, “it’s nothing personal.”

“I understand. We’re here if you need anything.”

Never had Phoenix met a CO like Maverick; though, to be fair, she wasn’t sure there was anyone like Maverick. Paternal but firm and with a quick temper. She’d been one of the only people allowed to know the full story between him and Bradley; it felt like a privilege and she continued to treat it as one.

-

“Hey; what’s going on? Did your drink get spiked?”

Natasha had seen Jake in a lot of compromising positions over the almost ten years of knowing each other; from her roommate’s bed in the academy to the stomach flu of ’09 that had taken out him, her and Bradley all in one swoop. It’s still a topic all of them refuse to talk about. Sitting in the dirt around the side of the Hard Deck, Phoenix barely blinked as she reached to help him up. Jake grimaced.

“Wait, don’t move me yet. I didn’t get spiked; I think it’s a cold at worst. Relax, Tasha.”

Another thing Phoenix learned very early on in their frenemyship; Hangman will understate everything going on in the hopes it gets him left alone until he’s ready to accept help (read: most likely requiring hospital treatment or, at the very least, a cleaner with a strong stomach... cooking dinner ended up requiring both once).

“Yeah, sure, and I haven’t done this for you before. Do you know where Coyote is?”

“He’s not here.”

“I know that; where is he specifically?”

In response, Jake just shrugged and Phoenix determined if she didn’t laugh, she’d probably smack him. Hefting an arm around her shoulder, she pulled him to stand. Immediately he snorted and Natasha rolled her eyes.

“Okay, man, out with it.”

“Have you ever thought of suing the county? Y’know, for putting the sidewalk too close to your ass- ow! Hey, I’m sick!”

That time, he did get smacked.

With his keys in hand, Natasha guided (read: dragged) Jake back to his truck. Climbing into the driver’s seat she sighed and reached for the handle to pull it forward; for someone who had just lost everything they’d eaten over the last 24 hours, Jake seemed to find this rather funny from the passenger seat.

“Fuck you, Seresin.”

That shut him up for the time being. They only had a short window to get him home before the nausea would take over and Phoenix wasn’t down for pulling over for him to hurl on the side of a street.

-

In the end they barely made it back to his place. Phoenix had barely pulled up before he threw himself out the passenger side to gag rather dramatically on to his driveway. She rounded the back of the truck to put a hand on his back, wincing at the warmth radiating off his body. Jake shivered, turning to look at Natasha.

“This sucks.”

She snorted.

“It does, even more when it’s not because you had tequila the night before. C’mon, you aren’t doing anything else but going to bed tonight.”

“No, wait; I don’t think I’m done.”

“You’re empty, dude. Anything further and you’re gonna tear your throat.”

Jake winced, sucking in a breath.

“Promise you’re not gonna laugh?”

“You know I can’t promise that.”

Jake might have laughed, but it was shortly followed by a grimace. Using her body weight like they’d taught her in basic, Natasha hauled him up to stand.

“Let’s make this quick,” Jake said. Natasha winced.

“Gotcha. Bedroom or bathroom?”

Jake stayed quiet. Natasha got the hint.

-

With Hangman curled up in the bathroom for the time being, Phoenix took the opportunity to take a quick inventory of the kitchen and medicine basket on top of his refrigerator. He had Tylenol but no Advil; everything in the refrigerator was either expired, meal prepped or not useful in this situation (read: a carton of milk). She huffed, glancing over her shoulder.

“Hey Bagman, you do know what a cheat day is right?”

No response. She couldn’t blame him.

At least he had a thermometer; she’d guesstimated he had a fever but confirmation would be a good start. Finally, she located bottled water in the mostly empty pantry and she grabbed a couple to put by the couch. After a couple minutes of searching she paused in her steps when she heard the retching start again. Phoenix cursed under her breath and jogged back to the bathroom. Doordashing those missing supplies could wait.

“Jake? You good?”

“Fine,” he groaned, “just nauseous.”

He was so past the point of nauseous. Tentatively, Phoenix took a seat on the bathroom floor by his side. Her hand hovered over his shoulders for a moment, eventually making contact with his shirt when his arms came up to brace himself over the toilet.

“You know what you need?” She started after a moment. Hangman turned to glance at her over his shoulder.

“A hug?”

“A toothbrush.”

Despite the fact that Hangman was miserable as fuck and Phoenix could feel her skin starting to crawl considering the stench of puke in the room, they both snorted.

-

For the first thirty seconds of being awake, Phoenix couldn’t remember where she was or why she wasn’t in her bed. Instinctively she went to glance over her shoulder just to make sure she didn’t have someone else in her bed, only to meet the back of the couch... wait. That wasn’t her couch. It was Hangman’s. She’d crashed there after finally managing to get him into bed, promising to listen out in case he needed help in the night. By the time she’d gotten him to bed he’d brushed his teeth, had a couple sips of water and downed Tylenol, and was ready to pass out until the cycle restarted.

Sure enough; it had indeed started.

Phoenix got up, heading through Hangman’s room and into his ensuite. Crouched over the toilet, Hangman looked like he was not having a good time between the sweating, shaking, and the... y’know, the retching probably didn’t help. The offer of comfort came a lot easier to Phoenix that time, kneeling by him to calmly rub his back when he winced.

“You alright?” Phoenix asked. Hangman hummed, reaching up to wipe at his forehead.

“Killin’ me.”

“Well, work should be quiet on Monday if you’re dead. Maybe I should go, leave you to die in peace.”

“Don’t go.”

Oh. That was new.

“Sit back. I think you’re good for now.”

Phoenix reached for the face towel sitting on the end of the sink, dunked it in the water, and then handed it over.

“You and me; we take this to the grave. Clear?” She said. Jake nodded, groaning as he turned to rest his head on her shoulder. Natasha went quiet for a moment, then she checked for a fever again.

“I have an idea. Get up, asshole, I can carry you I just don’t want to.”

“Keep telling yourself that.”

-

Of all the things Natasha had expected Jake to do, she didn’t even think about getting all of five minutes into the shitty late night show she’d left on low only for Jake to toss a pillow on to her lap and rest his head on it, pulling her hand into his hair.

“You good?”

“My stomach hates me more right now than it did in flight school.”

Natasha snorted in amusement, her hand remaining on his shoulder.

“If you promise not to hurl on me, you can stay there.”

He slowly drifted to sleep. Despite the fact that her thighs were probably going to die if he slept long enough to start feeling better, Phoenix figured there were worse places for him to be.

-

[kebriones]

Will they ever repair the school of arts in Athens? I read it was one of the first universities to be built in Greece, but now it looks like an abandoned building which is a shame how little the government values art 😔

WELL. Sorry anon you touched a sensitive subject and you're getting a rant.

Last year they fixed up our neoclassical building at the entrance, made it very ugly imo, and it has remained unused, closed and empty since then. They spent 1.6 MILLION euros to fix that thing. Do you know why? Because every journalist who wanted to write about the school's condition would come to the entrance, take a picture of the gray-ish, graffiti-covered neoclassical building, and use it in their article about how they've let THE school of fine arts be ugly and abandoned and so on. They fixed that only for show, which is a slap in the face to everyone who studies and works in the actual building.

We have incredibly little funding from the government. The building that houses the school is an ex-factory and as such requires very specialized types of repairs and upkeep. The old house on the left of the school as well as some storage buildings no visitor ever sees at the back are classified as "preservable" and therefore, like the now-renovated neoclassical ex-bank at the front, require very large amounts of money and time and studies to get fixed. I don't see that happening any time soon. Especially the house with the double staircase and all that, would have to be essentially rebuilt from scratch.

The actual building where the studios and everything is housed has so many practical problems. Some places like the underground cinema, the main auditorium and the exhibition hall are in fairly decent condition. The studios, not so much. We don't have money to fix clogged sinks, move or replace broken machinery, everything is always unimaginably filthy because they don't have enough cleaners, there are doors and windows that can't close, which results in pigeons and cats and dogs getting inside and shitting everywhere, the ceilings especially in the upper floor are falling apart from water pooling on the rooftop, making entire spots unusable because of the mold and constant dripping and the danger of stuff falling off the ceiling and injuring someone, everything floods the moment it rains, some of the bathrooms lack light and we don't even have soap or toilet paper most of the time. We don't have enough space for everyone to work in either, in the majority of the studios. But there is no funding. The school can't even afford to give simple cheap paper to the students, last year we were out of clay at the ceramics class for months. Every now and then they bring people to come paint over the graffiti at the entrance, as if that's the main problem of the school.

Also, it was actually one of the first universities to be made in Athens, but up until the 80s it was housed in the building of the polytechnic university on Patision street. It got moved to the ex-textile factory to have more space and a more modern environment, which I think was the right move. If it was functional and not so dirty and falling apart to the point of being actually dangerous, the factory itself is an incredible, gorgeous building, with the graffiti and the posters and everything. I just wish I didn't have to step around poop every time i had to go to class, or that I could actually use the sinks normally to wash my paintbrushes and my hands. Or idk have some cheap supplies available for free. I think they will come make actual improvements when someone dies or something. Two years ago after the floods that destroyed expensive equipment and stuff, their solution was to bring us sand bags to pile up on the entrances of the building to keep the water out whenever it rains.

[mod-kyoko]

Kirumi is cleaning and when she gets to the pool the fem reader goes swimming with her.

kirumi and fem!reader go swimming

info: fem!reader, around 995 words

type: oneshot format, in killing game

a/n: I think I made y'all mad with my kirumi angst fic, suddenly getting a lot of kirumi asks lmfao as long as my girl gets love

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even the calm and composed maid gets stressed, although she hides it under a mask of perfection she is sweating bullets when she is alone. to think that her fellow classmates, people she consider as friends were trying to harm each other it's all difficult to fathom. so, to calm her nerves kirumi cleaned as she usually does - but she seriously cleaned. she scrubbed every surface, dusted every shelf, trimmed the growing foliage in the academy. it allowed her to put her mind off things for now.

it was around the afternoon by the time she arrived at the pool building, it was the last thing she wanted to clean today. perhaps she could scrub the tiles or sweep the dust away?

however, upon entering the pool area her eyes immediately catch onto a figure swimming in the pool, lounging on their back. she wasn't expecting someone else to be here. "hello, y/n." her voice gently called out to you, you opened your eyes and sat up, looking to see kirumi politely standing at the pool's edge. you smiled warmly at her and you adjusted your swimwear. "oh! hi kirumi! did you come here to swim?" "no, I didn't. I actually came here to... clean." you look at the cleaning equipment she was carrying, a mop, bucket and a scrubbing brush. you furrowed your brows. "you're cleaning the pool? it seems pretty clean to me already..." you leaned your arms on the pool ledge, looking up at her with fluttering lashes. she looked around as you said that, letting out a sigh and picking her cleaning tools back up. "yes, you are right... my apologies on disturbing you." she seems disappointed and as she turns to leave... "wait wait! kirumi!" you called out to her and rise from the pool, swinging your hair back. she turned back to you and cocked her head. "yes? something you need?" "why don't you just... relax and swim with me?" she looked puzzled, as if a different language was being spoken to her. "is that a request?" she asked you. you sighed heavily, pondering on it. kirumi probably wouldn't accept your offer if you didn't make it sound like a request...she would go and say 'well as a maid I should attend to other's needs and not indulge in my personal leisure' or... something like that. "uhm... yeah! I request you come and swim with me." you smile. "you don't have to change into a swimsuit or anything... you can just go in your underwear." "is that alright with you?" she asked however she was already in the process of taking the strap to her apron off her shoulders. "yeah! I used to do it all the time, before all of this..."

kirumi nodded her head, setting down the cleaning equipment to the side before stripping out of her clothes until she was just in her undergarments. respectfully you looked away and dipped yourself back in the pool in the meantime. it wasn't long until kirumi was joining you in the water as well. "oh, wow." you say as you looked at kirumi and the maid in question gave you a inquisitive look. you blush. "oh, I mean... I wasn't expecting you to be... thin." "i'm sorry...?" she didn't sound offended yet you found yourself feeling guilty. "I mean... with how much arm work you do, scrubbing and cleaner... I thought you'd have the biggest biceps I've seen." you play it off with a chuckle, the absolute relief washing over you when kirumi giggled as well.

"that is an interesting thought indeed. perhaps I should be 'working out more', what do you think?"

"uh... well... if you want to, I'm not saying you should change your body or anything like that."

"there was no offence taken. I will consider it. thank you, y'n."

"uhm... you're welcome..."

man, kirumi can be kinda weird sometimes. she's so unbothered. it was actually pretty admirable. you leaned against the pool wall, watching kirumi do backstrokes with an intense expression on her face. you laughed softly and she stopped what she was doing to look at you. "is something the matter?" "sorry... It's just... you don't have to take things like relaxing so seriously, why don't you just sit in the water?"

"you know relaxing isn't really my forte, y/n." regardless, she swam over to you and joined you with resting against the pool wall. she leaned her head back and took in an intake of breath. "I know, but... even hard working people such as yourself need a break every now and again. if you work yourself too hard, you'll just collapse... Then you can't work anymore, right?"

she looks at you stunned as if that was the first time she's ever came to that revelation. slowly, she nodded her head in an understanding way. "yes... you are right, if I overwork myself then I can no longer be as devoted and service others..." she nods once more and smiles. "thank you, y/n."

"of course!" you said gleefully, it was a good feeling to finally get kirumi to stop thinking about work and just relax. besides... you knew that the both of you needed to relax with all the things going on around you.

for the rest of the evening you chatted with kirumi in the pool, swimming around in circles together just to get the body moving. when it was nearly night time, you had to get out of the pool so you weren't breaking the rules.

"we should do this again." kirumi spoke up as she was drying her body with a towel. you blinked at her surprise but you smiled. "yeah! sounds like a good idea, maybe when you're finished cleaning we could come back here... it can be a you and me only thing." something in kirumi's eyes twinkled, her cheeks almost hurt from the smile that stretched on her face. "i'd like that, a lot."

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-Mod Kirumi