#well... long by my standards there are for sure longer. its all under a read more don't worry your mouse wheel is safe

[gigamuffin]

im writing that kaptein sabeltann introduction post its ah, getting sorta long.......

[rileythelonelyalien]

Pantalone x GN!Reader (a scarf? for me?)

A/N: hello!! I've had this particular fic in the works for a super long time and I finally had the motivation to finish it: this is a fic that is similar to the Dottore one I wrote a few months back its about Pantalone this time however and the reader makes him a scarf!!

My posts are most likely going to take much longer to write now since I have a lot of assignments that I have to work on for Sixth form which is kind of a bummer but I will try to post whenever I can!!! anyways I hope you enjoy this Fic :D (fic is under the cut)

Want to read the dottore version ?

You knew your lover enjoyed spending his fortune as well as indulging in on the luxuries of life , every piece of clothing had to be of the highest quality , no matter the price. However quality and aesthetic did not necessarily mean that the garment would be functional as intended. You recall the time you had forgotten your scarf behind whilst going out into town with Pantalone and he lent you his, unfortunately it did not do much to help as the scarf itself was quite thin and thus did not work as intended. Ever since that had happened you had watched each time your lover would leave and put on that very same scarf the lack of warmth it provided him concerned you deeply and it began to plague your mind for extended periods of time. It eventually gets to the point where you decided you will have to solve this issue by your own accord : now you did not have nearly enough mora to get him a similar scarf with a better thickness so you did the next best thing that came to min which was make him a handmade knitted scarf. Surely this would be better than that sorry excuse of a scarf he had currently.

Fortunately for you , before Pantalone had taken you with him to the palace you quite often would knit your own garments to wear all the time so you still had a bunch of left over materials that you had left over that you had stored in a safe place for until you decided to use them again. You spend quite a bit of time sorting out through all the materials you had and selecting the few yarns that would be high enough quality and yet still thick enough to actually hold up its purpose to be used for his scarf , once you had narrowed the selection of yarn you had begun to knit the scarf was one of the most simplest garments to knit therefore it wouldn't take long for you to finish it , Pantalone’s long hours at his office also world to your advantage as it would give plenty of time to be able to focus on this mini project of yours. As you sat there knitting you would often think about what your lover's reaction might be to receiving something like this , he had always been the one providing you with lavish gifts and you could only gratefully accept his show of affection , although it's not as materialistically valuable as the gifts he gives you it still shows your adoration towards him no?  

Soon enough with only a few days of work on this project you had finished it to your own standard of perfection, feeling quite fulfilled having finished a piece in such a timely manner even if it was a simple garment, it was still an achievement worth feeling good about. However, you decided against giving Pantalone his gift to him straight away, instead you were going to wait for the perfect opportunity to be able to present your gift to him. With fate on your side barley any time had passed before the perfect opportunity had shown itself and now it was time for action. Pantalone had entered your shared bedroom in order to retreat for the day , his face softens once he sees you contempt , laying on the bed. You noticed his presence and quickly got out of bed in order to meet him , running over towards him and throwing yourself into his embrace. 

You can feel his laughter reverberate through your ears as your body shakes along with his chest as he lets out a small laugh at how adorable he found your antics. He gently places a gloved hand atop of your head as he hums in content at the contact before letting out a dejected sigh ‘ my treasure, I'll be leaving tomorrow early in the morning as I have some business to attend to in one of the banks on the far side of Shneznaya … I’ll have to leave for the day I do hope you do not mind ?’ He let out the news he's been meaning to say and as soon as this leaves his lips you bring your head up from his chest to look up into his eyes ‘ Your leaving tomorrow?’ you question ‘indee-’ before Pantalone could even finish his sentence you dash out of his arms and for a moment, he is distraught as he feels like he had offended you in some sort of way , this was not the case. You quickly rummage through the things you kept under your bed until you are able to grab what you were searching for as soon as your fingers interlace with the garment you quickly make your way back to your lover. Your hands outstretched offering to take what was in your hands ‘I made this for you … I thought that your scarf its lovely but it's not good for its purpose , its thin and won't keep you warm and I worry that because of that it will make you more prone to illness if you're constantly traveling like that and I couldn't let that happen so here’ as soon as you finish your small ramble you proceed to motion for Pantalone to take the scarf. You watch as your lover does something quite particular , he proceeds to take of his gloves before even going to even touch the garment. After he had taken his gloves however, he gently takes the item out of your hands , running his fingers across the surface and even holding it up to his eyes seemingly examining the work that had been put into the creation of this scarf. His actions seem to make you feel bashful as your gaze lowers as you try to avoid Pantalone's eyes contact. However, his silence seems to be telling to how he feels : he was truly enamoured that you had managed to create such a beautiful item in his eyes and still preserve it initial purpose. He truly admired the work and effort you had put into this scarf. Furthermore, the reason behind why this scarf was even created in the first place absolutely melted his heart , he had gotten used to a life of which ‘kindness’ always came with a price , not one thing came for free there was always the expectation of a reward or pay-back. Yet this was a symbolism of how you would do something unconditionally for him out of your own love for him and that was much richer than anything that could be bought with mora. 

After the prolonged silence and examination of your scarf Pantalone hands you the scarf as he smiles at and proceeds to ask ‘My treasure , do you think you could wrap this scarf for me?’ His voice low and comforting showing how this gesture had taken effect on him. You smile as you oblige his request , he leans forward so that you are able to reach his neck as you gently wrap him in the scarf to be snug against his neck keeping him warm and serving as protection from the harsh Shneznayan winds. Just before you could step away from him Pantalone catches you by the waist and bring you into a loving kiss ‘thank you dearest , truly you never fail to surprise me day after day ‘ he smiles as his hand gently caresses your face, he was clearly admiring your features absolutely infatuated with you and the things you do for him. He has never felt richer than he did in that very moment. 

[nerdzzone]

Worlds Apart

Chapter Five

Summary: Single mom, Bridget Clark, thought that she was fine by herself. Moving her son to a new town and out of the hustle and bustle of Boston, she thought that life would be quieter and simpler, but a chance encounter with a certain Hollywood actor only a week after their big move had her questioning everything. Bridget was faced with the ultimate decision of head vs heart, but would letting her guard down prove to be worth the risk?

Series Masterlist

-----

Waking up the morning after her birthday, Bridget was immediately reminded of why tequila shots were rarely a good idea for anyone over the age of twenty-two. Her head was pounding, it felt like it weighed far more than it usually did, and even simply rolling over had her feeling like her brain was going to burst out of her skull. She reached for the glass of water on the nightstand, taking a few big swigs in an attempt to get rid of some of the dryness in her mouth and she was relieved when her stomach didn’t turn and immediately attempt to force it back out. She might have been a far cry from feeling her best, but she’d definitely had much worse hangovers in her life and she was grateful for that small win.

However, a wave of dread washed over her as the memories of the end of their night came back to her. Frantically grabbing her phone, she was hoping to find that the messages she remembered sending had all been a dream, but the several notifications of messages from Chris confirmed that it was all true. She was torn about whether she should read what he had to say or just assume that she’d embarrassed herself enough that he no longer wanted anything to do with her, but eventually her curiosity got the best of her and she opened their conversation.

The first thing that caught her eye was the picture of his face that popped up on the screen. He looked tired and like he’d had a very long day, but he was handsome nonetheless. The visible neckline of the t-shirt he was wearing and the soft light in the room told her that he must have sent it after he was home for the night and the timestamp confirmed her suspicions as she realized his reply had come long after she’d fallen asleep.

After staring at - and appreciating - the picture for longer than she was willing to admit, she tore her gaze away to focus on the message that accompanied it.

Sorry for the late reply, it’s been a long and busy night. Not sure my face is quite up to Paul’s standard, but who am I to deny the birthday girl?

The picture came through after that message, but it was followed by another.

I think it’s only fair that I get a picture in return though, don’t you? I have a theory that I’d like to prove and it would really help me out.

Her curiosity was piqued, but the heavy feeling of residual mascara around her eyes and the crunch of leftover hairspray in her hair despite its current out of control style had her cringing at the thought. A glance at the clock told her it was just before ten - a fact that surprised her considering her routine usually made it impossible for her to sleep after eight even on days she didn’t work or have Landon - which meant it was just after seven where Chris was on the west coast. Feeling comforted by the time difference, Bridget answered him.

A theory? What would that be?

She assumed she had plenty of time - especially if Chris was up late - to relax and freshen up before he answered, but she’d barely had enough time to snuggle back down under the blankets next to her still snoring friend and open her other unread messages of delayed birthday well wishes when a notification popped up.

I’ll explain when I get the evidence I need.

Again, her curiosity was getting the best of her as she tried to puzzle out what exactly a picture of her face could be used as evidence for. She was intrigued enough to sit up a little higher in bed and fluff her wild hair as she opened the front camera on her phone. The reflection that appeared on the screen had her dreading the thought of Chris seeing her in her current state, but there was something about the casual picture he’d sent her that made her pause just as she was about to turn her camera off. He definitely still looked great - she doubted there was ever a time when he didn’t - but it was also drastically different to the pictures she’d seen of him on the red carpet earlier that day. His hair was messy, his eyes were tired, it wasn’t a perfectly poised snapshot, and if he was willing to share that vulnerability with her then it had her thinking that maybe she should let her guard down and return the sentiment.

She ruffled her hair a little more in an attempt to shift it from unruly messy to sultry messy and leaned into the hungover look as she stared at the camera and snapped a quick picture. It absolutely wasn’t her best - definitely not a picture she would want to share all over social media - but it wasn’t entirely awful and she quickly sent it before she could change her mind, adding a disclaimer underneath the picture.

I don’t always look so rough in the morning, but I’m currently facing the consequences of drinking over the age of thirty.

Bridget tried not to let the suspense drive her insane as she stared at her phone, desperately hoping that Chris hadn’t fallen back to sleep and wouldn't leave that picture unanswered for a moment longer than necessary, but she was relieved when he once again replied almost immediately.

Haha well that’s the thing! You mentioned something about not being cute after a wild night and I couldn’t imagine that you’re ever not adorable. Turns out I’m right, you’re gorgeous even when you’re hungover.

The giddiness that his words stirred up inside her had her feeling a touch embarrassed by how easily a few sweet words could get under her skin. She felt her cheeks heat up and her smile stretching wide across her face as he seemed so genuine in what he’d said. Of course, it could have just been mindless flirting - she was sure he was well versed in how to charm a woman - but the fact that he’d remembered her offhanded comment enough to circle back to it encouraged her to believe that he was being sincere - even if she wasn’t entirely convinced he was right.

Wow, that is very generous of you to say! I’m glad I wasn’t there to see your actual horrified reaction, but thank you for being so kind.

Wrapped up in the conversation happening on her phone, Bridget hadn’t even realized that Molly was awake until a voice croaked out from the blankets beside her.

“Who are you talking to?” She questioned, her face barely visible as it peaked out from under the duvet. “The ear to ear grin on your face is blinding me.”

“Sorry,” Bridget giggled as she let her phone fall onto the bed beside her. “Well, I’m not really. It’s almost ten so you should be waking up anyway, but I was talking to Chris.”

The blanket lowered slightly as Molly poked her head out of the soft cocoon she’d buried herself in enough for Bridget to see the excitement in her eyes once again.

“You were? What did he say?”

“He was just commenting on how gorgeous I am even when I’m hungover.”

She spoke with a nonchalance that she hadn’t had when sending the picture, but the way that Molly’s eyebrow raised at that information had her biting back more giggles.

“And how would he know that?”

“Because I sent him a picture.”

“Well, that was bold of you,” Molly teased, a smug look on her face as she ventured a little further out from under the blankets just in time to hear Bridget’s indignant scoff. “Not that you don’t look super cute while you’re all ruffled and sleepy, but you must really like him if you’re feeling confident enough to send him a picture so early in the morning after one date.”

“Well, he sent me one last night when he was tired,” she admitted. “So it seemed fair to do the same.”

“That’s adorable,” Molly smiled. “You guys are already disgustingly cute.”

“Shut up,” Bridget blushed. “It’s no big deal.”

“You haven’t been on a date in five years,” Molly reminded her, finally throwing off the blanket completely as she stretched. “And now you’re exchanging selfies with someone you clearly like. That is a big deal and I’m very happy for you.”

Bridget’s first instinct was to roll her eyes, but she knew her old friend was most likely being more sincere than teasing in her excitement so she flashed her a smile instead.

“I’m happy for me too,” she admitted. “I’m really trying not to get too ahead of myself, but he seems really sweet and it’s nice to have someone that I’m excited to talk to.”

“You deserve it,” Molly assured her before adding, “And I deserve some coffee. Do you want some?”

“Yes, please,” Bridget nodded as Molly dragged herself out of bed. “I’ll be out in a sec.”

When Molly had disappeared out of the room, Bridget checked her phone and saw two more messages from Chris.

I’m not being kind, I’m being honest. You’re beautiful.

How were the birthday celebrations?

She answered quickly - not wanting to draw anymore of Molly’s well-intentioned attention to the situation - and explained briefly about her day with Landon, the dinner with her friends, and drinks with Molly before turning the conversation back towards him and asking about the premiere. She briefly wondered if she’d overshared by giving him so much detail instead of sticking to something simple like ‘it was good, thanks for asking’, but when Chris responded to her own question with just as much enthusiasm, she felt more at ease. He informed her that it had been a pretty exciting evening, but shared that he always found the big premieres to be pretty draining. He mentioned the anxiety that he struggled with before every big event and how hard it could be to get out of his own head and really be in the moment in the midst of all the chaos. He assured her that it had all worked out well in the end and been a success overall, but she appreciated his willingness to open up. There was something about Chris that made her want to let her guard down and it was comforting to know that he apparently felt the same way.

They continued their conversation throughout the morning - as Bridget cooked a big, greasy breakfast with Molly and Chris prepared for the day of press he had ahead of him - but it petered out just as Bridget headed home to shower and get some chores done before she had to head back into the city to pick Landon up from daycare. Chris was on her mind for almost the entire drive as she tried once again to understand how someone as kind, interesting, successful, and attractive as he was actually seemed to be as interested in her as she was in him, but just as she was trying to force herself to get a grip back on reality before she got carried away, she pulled up to her house and noticed the almost comically large bouquet of flowers on her doorstep.

Curious about who they could possibly be from, she hurried out of the car and as she read the card that was tucked in between the bright and beautiful arrangement, she felt her heart soar.

Happy Birthday!

Sorry for the belated gift, but everywhere was closed by the time I found out. I hope you had a great day and aren’t feeling too rough this morning.

Chris

-

In the days after her birthday, Bridget and Chris spent almost every free moment they had messaging each other. With Chris busy doing press for the movie and Bridget busy balancing work and her duties as a mom, they’d had to sneak in short conversations whenever possible but Bridget was grateful that Chris was making an effort to reach out at all. However, despite the fact that he was already exceeding her expectations for staying in touch, she had a feeling that it was about to change on the Sunday after her birthday when the press tour went international and he was heading to Beijing.

They’d texted back and forth most of Sunday afternoon after she’d dropped Landon off with his dad, but Chris had to say goodbye early in the evening to board his flight. Bridget had been determined to give him space - let him initiate the conversation so she didn’t bother him or make him feel pressured to reply to him when she knew his schedule would be pretty busy - but she caved almost as soon as she woke up the following morning. Her fingers were practically itching to text him as she opened and closed their conversation at least three times before she decided that it was only polite to send him a message. Not checking in to see if he arrived safely would be pretty rude and she quickly sent him a text before she could change her mind.

After their various conversations over the weekend, she was pretty sure that he would answer her as soon as he could. However, she wasn’t prepared for the way that her phone screen lit up less than a minute later with an incoming call from Chris. A million questions instantly started running through her mind - was it an accident? did he hit the wrong button when he saw the notification of her text? did he mean to call someone else? - but she quickly realized the only way to get any kind of explanation was to answer.

“Hello?”

Her voice was quiet and tentative as if she expected it to be a pocket dial with no one on the other end, but the sound of Chris’ chuckle floating through the phone immediately put her at ease.

“You sound tired,” he informed her. “Did I wake you up?”

“No,” she assured him before pointing out, “I texted you first.”

“Good point,” he admitted. “But is this okay?”

“Yeah,” Bridget smiled. “It’s really nice to hear your voice.”

“Yours too. I was gonna text you back, but I’m pretty exhausted so I thought this might be easier.”

His admission had a frown sliding onto Bridget’s face.

“If you’re exhausted then you should get some sleep…”

“I’m trying to stay up a little longer,” he assured her. “I wanna beat the jetlag a little.”

“Oh, that makes sense. What time is it there?”

“Almost seven-thirty in the evening.”

Bridget glanced at the clock beside her bed and saw that it was also almost seven-thirty for her.

“So you’re twelve hours ahead?” She questioned, waiting for him to confirm before she asked him another question. “How was your flight?”

“It was long,” Chris sighed. “I was hoping to sleep, but it was pretty turbulent so I kept waking up.”

“I hate when that happens,” Bridget sympathized. “But if you didn’t sleep much on your way there then maybe you’ll adjust to the time difference even if you go to sleep now?”

“Are you trying to get rid of me?”

He’d tried to sound offended, but Bridget could hear the smile in his voice.

“No,” she giggled. “I’m trying to be considerate.”

“Well, thanks, but I’d rather stay awake a little bit longer,” he insisted, pausing slightly before adding, “Especially if I get to talk to you.”

The words had Bridget’s breath catching in her throat as she felt an increasingly familiar goofy grin slide onto her face.

“You’re such a charmer,” she teased, earning another chuckle from Chris. “So, do you get to bunk alone or does Marvel make you guys share rooms?”

“They’re pretty generous,” Chris admitted. “I’m not sure about everyone, but most of us get our own rooms.”

“Ah, yes, all the big superstars have to be spoiled, I guess.”

She hoped he could hear the teasing edge to her tone and was relieved when he went along with her joke.

“Yeah, well, you know what a diva I am.” The smirk in his voice was clear and Bridget bit her lip to hold back another giggle as he continued. “But it does have some drawbacks.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah, I hate being alone in hotel room beds,” he admitted. “They’re always so cold and stiff.”

“Are you wishing you had someone to break it in with?”

“Not like that,” Chris chuckled, grasping what she was implying. “But it would be nice to have someone to warm up with, maybe cuddle a little.”

“Yeah? And which of your co-stars were you hoping they’d make you share a room with to help you with that?”

“You’re hilarious,” Chris drawled sarcastically. “I actually had someone else in mind. How do you feel about cuddling?”

“I love it,” she confessed, feeling a wave of yearning wash over her touch starved body just at the thought of being wrapped up in his arms and pressed tightly against his side. “Do you?”

“Yeah, I’m pretty physical with my affection.” The images that his words conjured up in her mind doused her in a flood of heat that was followed by a flush of embarrassment that she was clearly so desperate for any of the affection he was willing to offer. “So I’m glad we’re on the same page.”

“Me too,” Bridget smiled before boldly adding, “It’s just a shame we’re not in the same bed.”

There was a brief moment of silence on the other end of the phone as if Chris needed a second to process what she’d said, but just before she could mumble out an apology, he chuckled. It was a slightly darker, rougher chuckle than the lighthearted ones she’d heard earlier and the sound sent another shiver down her spine.

“That is a shame,” he agreed. “I guess I’ll have to suffer in this giant bed all by myself.”

Bridget laughed at the dramatic sigh that fell from his lips, but another glance at the clock had her amusement quickly replaced by disappointment.

“Sounds like quite a hardship,” she mockingly sympathized. “But unfortunately, I have to leave my nice, warm, cozy bed and get ready for work.”

“Oh, right. I’d already forgotten that it’s Monday morning for you.”

“Unfortunately,” Bridget stifled a yawn. “So I’ll let you go get some sleep.”

“Alright, I hope you have a good day.”

“Thanks, good luck with all your interviews tomorrow and have fun at the premiere.”

Chris thanked her for her well-wishes as well before they said their goodbyes and hung up, leaving Bridget to drag herself out of bed and go about her day with a smile on her face that she just couldn’t shake.

-

The first week of Chris’ travels made it difficult for them to stay in touch. The twelve hour time difference meant that one of them was always just about to start their day while the other was winding down which meant their conversations were mostly limited to brief check-ins. However, Chris still made the effort to send her a message every single day so even if the conversations were short, Bridget was content. She really hadn’t expected to hear from him more than once or twice while he was away, but now the thought of such limited contact had her stomach in knots. She knew it was silly - they still barely knew each other and he was still well within his rights to change his mind and cut their contact altogether - but he was always so eager and genuine in their conversations. She didn’t get the impression that he would be looking for an excuse to toss her aside any time soon.

She found herself sitting on the couch as Landon built a train track on the floor by her feet debating for what felt like the millionth time whether or not she was letting herself get too attached. She was willing to admit - at least to herself, not anyone else - that Chris took up more time in her mind than anything else currently did and that she looked forward to their conversations maybe a little more than she should, but it was fun and refreshing and Chris seemed just as enthusiastic as she was so that made it easier to let herself indulge.

Almost as if to prove her point, her phone lit up in her hand with an incoming facetime call from Chris. They hadn’t even spoken on the phone since the last time he’d called so she was a little surprised by the sudden shift to video, but she lifted up her phone until it was in front of her face and answered.

“Hey!” Chris grinned as his face appeared on the screen. “There you are.”

“Here I am,” Bridget confirmed, matching his smile as she let her eyes drift to the small shot of herself in the corner to make sure that she looked at least somewhat presentable. “Did you make it to London?”

“I did,” he nodded. “We got in a few hours ago, but we went out for dinner to try and stay awake a bit longer.”

“You must be exhausted,” Bridget sympathized, doing the math of all the various time differences in her head. “I don’t know how you can handle bouncing through all these time zones.”

“I get used to it,” Chris shrugged. “And then sleep for a week when I get home.”

Bridget was just about to comment on how he’d earned the rest when their conversation caught Landon’s attention.

“Who are you talking to?”

“My friend, Chris,” Bridget informed him. “He’s all the way across the ocean in England right now.”

“That sounds really far…” Landon’s eyes widened as he scrambled up, standing on the couch to lean into the camera’s view. “Hi, Chris!”

“Hi, Landon!” Chris smiled. “Do you have baseball today?”

The question confused both of them for a moment until Bridget realized what Landon was wearing.

“No, not today, but Landon loves wearing his jersey,” she informed him. “I had to order a second one just to get the first one off of him long enough to wash it.”

Bridget rolled her eyes, but Landon puffed up his chest to make the logo a little more clear and Chris chuckled at his pride.

“I don’t blame him, that’s a pretty cool jersey. Are you liking baseball so far?”

“I love it,” Landon frantically nodded. “I even hit the ball sometimes! Not all the time, but sometimes I do!”

“Well, that’s better than I can do,” Chris admitted. “Usually I can’t hit the ball at all.”

“I can teach you!” Landon offered, earning a snort of laughter from Bridget at his confidence. “Maybe when I’m a little better at it.”

“That would be really fun,” Chris agreed. “I could use a good coach.”

“Landon might have to work on that a little bit more,” Bridget teased. “We were playing catch yesterday and he gave me a pretty hard time for not being able to throw very well.”

“But you were bad at it,” Landon protested over the sounds of Chris’ laughter. “I couldn’t even catch the ball!”

“Good coaches have to be patient.”

Bridget had to admit that she was embarrassingly bad at the game they’d been playing and Landon’s frustration was probably justified, but she appreciated the way he had the decency to look a little sheepish as he sighed and agreed to her criticism. However, before anything else could be said about it, a look of realization crossed over Landon’s face as he changed the subject with a lack of tact that only a four year old could get away with.

“Do you have a dog?”

The question was directed at Chris who nodded in confirmation.

“I do! You met him at the park one day, remember?”

“Yeah!” Landon grinned. “Where is he?”

“He’s not with me right now, he has to stay home when I travel.”

The sadness was clear in his voice and Bridget thought it was sweet how much he obviously missed his little companion.

“Landon loves dogs,” she explained even though she was pretty sure she’d mentioned that before. “He wants us to get one.”

“I love dogs too,” Chris agreed. “But, you know what? Dodger is staying with my sister right now and I’m sure he’d love it if you took him for a walk some time.”

The suggestion had Landon’s whole face lighting up as he blurted out an excited, “Really?!”

“Yeah,” Chris smiled. “He really misses me when I’m gone so I bet making a new friend would cheer him up a lot.”

Landon’s attention turned back to Bridget as he bounced on the couch, his excitement making it hard for him to sit still.

“Can we, Mommy? Can we, please?”

“I don’t see why not,” Bridget shrugged. “Is he with Carly?”

“Yeah, he likes being around the kids. They keep him entertained.”

“Okay, then I can text her and see if we can set up a time to borrow him,” she agreed, earning a squeal of joy from Landon before he jumped off the couch and turned his attention back to the trains. “I think you just made his day.”

“I should have suggested it sooner. I’m sure Carly won’t mind the break, but there’s no pressure if you don’t have the time.”

“I think we can find time to fit it in,” she assured him. “And hopefully it will get Landon off my back about getting him a dog for a little while so it’s a win-win.”

“Unless it just makes him want one more,” Chris pointed out with a smirk. “But you can borrow him when I’m home too if it does help.”

“Thanks, I think,” Bridget smirked. “Unless you’re just looking for some free dog sitting.”

Her teasing earned a bark of laughter from Chris as he shook his head.

“One day you’re gonna have to stop thinking the worst of me.”

“You’ve gotta earn that privilege, I’m afraid,” Bridget giggled. “But anyway, how’s London?”

“It’s good so far,” Chris shrugged, but as he launched into a little more detail about where they’d gone for dinner and the brief parts of the city that he’d actually had the chance to see that day, Bridget was struck by how natural their conversation was. Considering they’d only been on one date - maybe two, if painting her house counted as an unofficial one - it was amazing how easily they slipped into casually chatting like old friends. It felt far more like they’d known each other for years than the reality of them being virtual strangers, but Chris drew her focus back as he sleepily rubbed his eyes and admitted, “I’m tired though. I don’t feel like I’ll really be able to enjoy it here because I doubt I’ll have much energy for anything other than work, but maybe I’ll feel differently in the morning.”

“That’s understandable,” Bridget assured him, knowing how exhausted travelling always made her from the limited experience she had with it. “Have you been there before?”

“Yeah, so I’ve seen a lot of the big tourist attractions,” he admitted. “There’s a few other places I’d like to see, but nothing that I’m convinced would be worth losing sleep over.”

“I’ve never been, but I bet there’s some amazing libraries,” Bridget mused wistfully before she felt her cheeks heat up as she realized how lame she sounded. “Sorry, that was super dorky. I just, uh, I know that there’s one that supposedly used to be an asylum so that’s kinda cool. They're not all boring, sometimes the architecture is pretty impressive too.”

She cringed at her rambled defense as she was once again reminded that she was in a very different league to Chris when it came to interesting careers, but the amused look on his face slowed her spiral into humiliation at least a little bit.

“I know what you mean,” he assured her. “Some libraries are pretty incredible. I haven’t been in a long time, but the one in Boston is beautiful.”

“It is! It was my home away from home for a long time.”

Technically, if she was being honest, it was more like home to her than her actual home was for a very large portion of her childhood, but she was relieved when the fond smile that accompanied her words didn’t spark any more questions from Chris.

“Maybe I’ll try and squeeze in a library tour while I’m here,” he decided. “I bet there are some pretty great ones. I’ll check it out and report back, see if it’s worth your time coming all the way over here some day.”

“Well, I’m sure I could find other things in London to entertain myself.”

“Yeah,” Chris flashed her a smirk. “But would you want to?”

A giggle slipped from her lips as she felt a strange flush of pride that he apparently already had her so well figured out, but she couldn’t resist shooting him a playful glare.

“Maybe,” she shrugged. “I do have other interests.”

“Oh, yeah? Name one.”

It was a teasing challenge as while his tone implied that it would be a difficult task for her, she was pretty sure that he knew she’d be able to come up at least one other thing she liked besides libraries and books, but the answer that rolled off her tongue surprised her almost as much as it surprised him.

“Well, lately I’ve been getting kinda into Captain America.”

Her answer earned a chuckle from Chris as he pressed for more information.

“Yeah? The comic books or the movie?”

“If I’m being really honest, I’d have to say the actor is what appeals to me the most.”

“Wow, I’m sure he’d be very flattered to hear that.”

Chris flashed her a wink that had her biting the inside of her cheek to hold back a giggle, but as he let out a yawn she knew that his bedtime was probably long overdue.

“I hope he is and I hope he doesn’t mind that I have to cut our conversation short, but I should probably go make Landon some dinner,” she informed him, hoping he’d be less resistant to ending their conversation if it wasn’t solely for his benefit. “And you should probably go get some sleep if you’re planning on finding the energy for that library tour.”

“You’re probably right,” he agreed. “I guess I’ll have to do that now, won’t I?”

“Yep,” Bridget smiled. “I expect a full written report.”

“Of course you do,” Chris smirked. “There’s that sexy librarian side coming out.”

Despite the blush that the word ‘sexy’ had flushing over her cheeks, Bridget stuck out her tongue before saying goodnight and hanging up. She tried her best to keep the lovesick smile off of her face, but it was hard when her conversations with Chris left her feeling so giddy and she was just grateful that Landon’s age left him clueless and distractible enough not to question her suddenly great mood.

-

Most days, Bridget liked being a parent. 

She liked watching Landon learn new things, she liked any opportunity to see things from his point of view and she liked getting to teach him about the world. She even liked helping him work through his bigger emotions and watching him slowly but surely learn better problem solving and coping skills. 

However, there were also days when it was a struggle. 

Days when Landon showed his stubborn side and refused to listen, when he would get frustrated and upset over every little thing and when it seemed like nothing Bridget tried to do could turn his mood around. Luckily, those days were few and far between, but as Bridget sipped a glass of wine at the end of one of those particularly rough days, she found herself feeling very glad that it was over.

It wasn’t until she was almost halfway through her drink that she felt like her head had stopped spinning enough to turn her attention to the text that remained unread on her phone. It was the first time since Chris had left town about a month and a half earlier that she’d let any message go unanswered for more than about an hour and while the guilt of ignoring him had weighed on her, she hoped he would understand as she typed out a reply.

Sorry. Had a bad day. I’m glad you made it back to L.A., maybe we can chat tomorrow if you’re not busy. I don’t think I’d be great company tonight.

He’d been bouncing back and forth between L.A. and New York since he’d returned to the US at the start of May and they’d spent almost every evening chatting and catching up about their days. They’d planned to talk that evening, but Bridget really didn’t feel like she had it in her to be cheerful and she wasn’t sure that their relationship was at a point yet where he wouldn’t be scared off by her bad mood. That was why she was surprised to see her phone almost instantly light up with an incoming call and Chris’ name on the screen.

“Hi, Chris…”

Her greeting came out as a sigh and she immediately felt bad for how disinterested she sounded, but before she could apologize, Chris replied.

“Hey, is everything okay?” He asked. “We don’t have to talk if you don’t feel like it, but if you need someone to vent to then I’m happy to listen.”

His words would have made her laugh if they hadn’t sounded so sincere. He reminded her of one of those cliche descriptions of the perfect man that women just want to rub their feet and listen to their problems, but she could hear the concern in his voice and doubted that he was feigning interest just to win her over.

“It’s just been a tough day,” she admitted. “But I’m sure you have better things to do than listen to me complain.”

“You’ve listened to me complain plenty since I left,” he pointed out and Bridget did have to admit that it was true. He often opened up about how monotonous and exhausting all the press and interviews could be and she was happy to listen so she wasn’t entirely sure why she felt so guilty sharing her frustrations as well. “What happened?”

“Landon’s just been giving me a hard time all day,” she told him. “He didn’t sleep well last night so I should have expected it, but I literally Googled ‘am I a bad mom?’ at least four times today so that’s the point I’m at in my parenting journey.”

“Well, I can answer that question for you because you’re definitely not.”

Considering the rather small amount of time that Chris had actually seen Bridget and Landon together, it would have been easy to dismiss his support as meaningless reassurance that he knew would make her feel better with no evidence behind his claim, but Bridget knew that his heart was in the right place as she thanked him for the gesture.

“I appreciate that,” she sighed. “But sometimes I just feel so ineffective. Like, there’s only so many times I can warn him not to do something before I have to just let him do it and deal with the consequences, but then it’s hard to watch when he’s devastated by the outcome.”

“Is that what happened today?”

“Yeah,” she nodded to herself. “We’ve spent the entire week building this big Lego spaceship and he was so proud of finally finishing it, but then he wanted to play with it which is totally fine, but he kept balancing it right on the edge of the coffee table so I warned him that it would fall off and break and he just kept getting irritated with me and saying that it would be fine until it fell onto the floor and shattered into a million pieces.”

“Oh man, that’s rough,” Chris sympathized. “But sometimes I think they’ve just gotta learn things like that the hard way.”

“Definitely,” Bridget agreed. “But he was so crushed when it broke and that turned into anger because I couldn’t immediately put it back together even though it took days to build in the first place.”

“Patience is a hard skill at his age.”

Chris’ words were said with a chuckle that - despite her still lingering bad mood - had Bridget’s lips twitching into a smile.

“It is. And that was the last of a long list of hiccups we had today so I think we were both just kinda over it,” Bridget reflected. “But I’m sure tomorrow will be better and I’m sure that you are tired of hearing me vent about something you have no interest in.”

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone - long enough to make Bridget a bit nervous - before Chris spoke again.

“Well, you’re wrong about that for a couple of reasons,” he informed her, a hint of something that sounded like hurt in his voice. “First of all, I asked you to vent, I told you it was fine. I wouldn’t have done that if I was going to be irritated about it after two minutes of listening to you. And second, I am absolutely interested in hearing about Landon - even on days when things aren’t so great. I know he’s a big part of your life and if we’re gonna to do this then I’d like to be involved in that too - even if for now that just means getting to listen to you work through your frustrations.”

Again, his words sounded so much like exactly what she wanted to hear that she would have questioned how genuine they were if she couldn’t hear the sincerity in his voice. He was clearly bothered by what she’d said and she felt bad for assuming that parenting woes weren’t a part of her life that he would care much about, but something he’d said had her momentarily distracted from what he was saying.

In all their conversations, they hadn’t mentioned anything about what exactly their situation was. They talked a lot - enough that they’d become pretty good friends - and they flirted pretty regularly - enough that it was obvious that friends probably wasn’t all they would be - but they hadn’t actually talked about what their plan was. So Chris speculating about if they were ‘gonna do this’ was something that Bridget took as a pretty good sign that his time away hadn’t given him any second thoughts and had her biting back a smile despite the guilt she felt from his scolding.

“You’re right, I’m sorry,” she apologized. “I wasn’t trying to be dismissive, I really do appreciate your support. I just don’t want to bore you if it’s not a problem that you can really relate to.”

“I can relate to it in some ways,” he assured her. “I’ve spent enough time with my niece and nephews to know how tough kids can be some days. They’re good kids, but even good kids have their bad days.”

“Absolutely. Landon is a good kid too, but that doesn’t make days like today any easier.”

Another heavy sigh fell from her lips as she sipped her wine and tried to shake off her bad mood, but it was what Chris said next that really cheered her up.

“I know, but I bet tomorrow will be better,” he assured her before adding, “And I don’t want to be presumptuous by thinking that this will help at all, but I’m gonna be home in a few days. Maybe I could take your mind off things by taking you out on another date?”

The flush of excitement that Bridget felt as she processed his offer easily succeeded in washing away the last of her melancholy feelings. Her heart raced, her hands started to sweat, and it took more effort that she was happy to admit to play it cooler than simply immediately blurting out an enthusiastic ‘yes!’. She’d been curious about when he would be coming back as she did remember him saying he’d only be gone for a couple of months - which by her math was wrapping up pretty soon - but she couldn’t think of a way to ask about it that didn’t feel too desperate so she’d just been hoping that he’d mention it when he was ready. So, to hear that he was eager to make plans for when he was back was music to her ears.

“I would really like that,” Bridget accepted, grateful that they weren’t using video and Chris couldn’t see the goofy grin on her face. “And you’re not being presumptuous, I was hoping you’d be back soon.”

“I'm happy to hear that!” Chris let out an audible breath of relief and Bridget couldn’t stop a giggle from slipping from her lips before he continued. “I have a few more things to do over the next few days, but I think I’m gonna fly back on Tuesday night.”

“Great. I’ll be childfree until Sunday, but I understand if you need a little while to catch your breath when you get back.”

Even though her statement was true, the thought of having to wait almost two weeks until she had another free evening made her heart clench with disappointment and she was relieved when Chris rushed to assure her.

“Nah, usually just a couple days is all I need. We could aim for Friday if that works for you?”

“Absolutely,” Bridget smiled. “That’s made me feel better already, thank you.”

“No, thank you for saying yes,” Chris chuckled. “I was worried you’d come to your senses while I was away and turn me down.”

“Definitely not. I’ve really enjoyed talking to you.”

Bridget felt that was a somewhat obvious statement considering how much time they’d spent chatting while he was away, but there was something that made her feel vulnerable about actually admitting it to him and she was relieved when he returned the sentiment.

Once their plans were in place and the weight of Bridget’s bad day had lifted, they continued their conversation as they figured out what their second official date would entail, talked about what other obligations Chris had in L.A. and what else Bridget had planned that week. It was the same easy and comfortable conversation that they always seemed to fall into, but the excitement of seeing each other again so soon bubbling under the surface had Bridget feeling desperate for that close connection that could only be reached by actually being in the same room and from Chris’ enthusiasm and increased flirtation she thought it was safe to assume that he was feeling the same way.

[mckiwi]

Update for An Angel and a Demon Walk into a Hotel

Chapter 2: Crowley and Aziraphale's POV is now posted, but can also be read under the cut. If you haven't already, please read Chapter 1 either here or on AO3, then feel free to come back to this.

“I can’t believe you convinced me to watch a bloody Oscar Wilde play with you,” Crowley bemoaned, pushing the speed limit to just over 80 while keeping his eyes on the sparsely lit road in front of them. 

Aziraphale scoffed, “You like the funny ones!”

“With a title like ‘The Importance of Being Earnest,’ you can’t blame a guy for being just a tad skeptical of the genre,” Crowley argued.

“Never judge a book by its cover, or, play, rather.”

“Everyone judges a book by its cover, Angel. Why d’ya think authors pay good money to have people design their covers?”

“Be that as it may, did you still enjoy it?” Aziraphale asked, turning to look at the other. 

Crowley remained silent for a moment, “perhaps.” At Aziraphale’s chuckle, he bit back with, “Oi, none of that, now. You can lose your air of self-satisfaction.”

“And whyever would I do that?” Aziraphale challenged. Crowley responded in the way of a yawn. “Hmph. It is getting rather late, isn’t it? Would you like me to drive the rest of the way?”

Crowley laughed, “Absolutely not. Last time I tried to teach you how to drive the Bentley you nearly ran her into a signpost.”

“You hit a woman!” 

“She hit me!”

Aziraphale sighed, “Okay, would you like to stop for the night, then?”

Crowley shook his head, “Nah. Think I’d rather get you home so we can drink till sunrise.”

Two minutes had passed and Crowley had yawned twice as much. “Crowley,” Aziraphale tutted. 

Crowley threw his head back, “fine,” he drawled. “You’ve gotta pick the place, though. I doubt there’s anything open this late at night.”

Aziraphale hummed in acknowledgment. “The next town shouldn’t be too far from here. Perhaps we can find an inn somewhere.”

Not too much longer, Crowley found himself pulling under a canopy surrounded by a crowded car park. “I don’t know, this place is looking kinda full,” Crowley said as they stepped out of the Bentley, “I doubt there’s any rooms left.”

Aziraphale adjusted his coat and rounded the vehicle, “well, there’s no harm in asking.”

“There is in my experience,” Crowley retorted with a huff. 

“Oh, Dearest, you know I didn’t mean it like that!” Aziraphale fretted and laid a comforting hand on the demon’s shoulder. 

Crowley gently nudged his hand, “It’s all good… bad… whatever– just being a feather in your wing.”

“You always are,” Aziraphale said, but the fond crinkle around his eyes betrayed his words. The duo walked in through the front doors and took in the hotel’s vintage atmosphere. “Oh, well this is nice!”

“Sure, if you call a hotel that’s a few decades old ‘nice’– don’t answer that.” Crowley interrupted himself when he saw the angel’s eyes brighten. 

A boy behind the front desk perked up at their arrival, “Hi, welcome in! Do you two have a reservation?”

Crowley wandered over to the coffee machines while Aziraphale took care of their room situation, per their agreement, “I’m afraid not. We’ll be needing a room for two, please.” 

The boy grimaced sympathetically, “I’m sorry, we’re actually completely booked up for the night.” 

“Oh,” Aziraphale said. He could almost feel Crowley smirking on the other side of the room. Well, that wouldn’t do. With a quick gesture out of the boy’s sight, a couple found they miraculously didn’t need their room for the night and canceled. “I do believe you’ll find you have one room left.” 

“No, sir. I doubt it. I’ve been booked for hours now and I had just checked my page not that long ago,” the boy answered skeptically. 

Crowley, having felt the slight tingle of miraculous activity, deadpanned while stirring his coffee, “Check again.”

The boy eyed Crowley warily from behind the front desk but checked his system again regardless. “Oh, I’m sorry! We actually do have a room left. It’ll be our standard King bedroom.” 

At that, Crowley decided to intervene and approached the desk, “Just one bed, then?”

“One king-sized bed, yes,” he confirmed. 

Crowley’s head rolled to the side dramatically and glared at Aziraphale, who in turn bristled, “Well how was I meant to know? And what would our head offices think if we shared a room.”

“It’ll be fine, Angel. Just get the room,” Crowley reminded. The six-thousand-year habit of ensuring plausible deniability was a hard one to break. 

Aziraphale relaxed only minutely and sighed, “Fine. We’ll take the room, please. Under the name A. Z. Fell.”

“Perfect. What’s a good phone number we can use?” The boy turned his attention back to his computer. 

“You can use my bookshop’s number. +44 20 7440 3248.”

“Excellent, and what kind of vehicle are you driving?” 

Crowley intervened again, “We’re in my car. Issa Bentley. A black one from 1933. Plate is NIAT RUC. Name’s Anthony Crowley, by the way. If you need to put that in your notes, or whatever.”

The boy seemed to contemplate something before asking, “Is that ‘curtain’ backward? Are you a patron of the arts, by chance?” 

“Ngk, well… you ah, you could say I’ve put a certain investment into Shakespeare,” Crowley answered as Aziraphale chuckled softly, knowingly. 

They gave the final details of their reservation, paid, and were given their key cards. “Here you are! Room 119. That’ll be down this hallway to your right. The WiFi password and breakfast hours are inside your card envelope.” The boy handed the keys over to Aziraphale.

“Wonderful! Thank you ever so much! And what was your name again, dear?”

“Gabriel.”

“Oh,” Aziraphale said sourly, “that’s unfortunate. No matter. Well, I hope you have a nice rest of your night.”

“You as well,” the boy returned. 

Crowley announced, “Right, well, imma go park the car. Angel, you can go look at the room or something. I’ll catch up.”

“Okay, dear. See you in a tick.”

“Hmmk,” Crowley responded eloquently and left to go park the car. The car park was very nearly full, not that this mattered much to a demon with an imagination like Crowley’s. He expected there to be an empty spot close to the front door, and so there was.

 Aziraphale in the meanwhile thanked the boy, Gabriel, again and went back to find their room. Shortly after Crowley came back in, made another coffee as well as some tea for Aziraphale, then knocked on the door of their room, “It’s me. Lemme in.”

Aziraphale opened the door partially and teased, “What if I don’t want to?”

“Aye, I paid for it! It’s my room, technically speaking.” Crowley argued, leaning his hip against the door frame. 

“Yes, but, it’s under my name and number.”

“Nyeh, the devil’s in the details.”

“Oh, I’d rather hope not,” Aziraphale opened the door fully to let his demon inside. 

Crowley analyzed the room and plopped onto the side of the bed, “not bad. Pretty much what you’d expect out of a place like this. Well done.”

“Thank you, though I am sorry about the bed,” Aziraphale confessed, taking a seat at the desk opposite the bed. 

“Don’t worry about it. We’ll figure something out.” He leaned against the headboard and fiddled with the TV remote. “D’you suppose it’s weird we didn’t bring any luggage with us?”

Aziraphale thought about it for a moment and took a sip of his tea, “no, not really. I do have a book in your car I’d like to go get later, though.”

“Yeah, I’ll walk you out. Now, let’s see what kind of entertainment they’ve got for us.” Crowley pointed the remote at the TV and started flipping through the channels. “Let’s see… stupid American show, stupid American cartoon, oh, The Food Network, you might like that.” Crowley glanced over to Aziraphale sitting straight-backed in the desk chair. “You know you can sit on the bed, as well. There’s plenty of room. My back’s getting sore just watching you sitting all prim and proper like that.”

“There’s nothing wrong with the way I sit,” Aziraphale said, slightly offended. 

“Exactly, scoliosis fears you.” Aziraphale remained where he was. Crowley tilted his head toward the empty side of the bed, “come on. We’ll be here all night. Might as well get cozy.”

Aziraphale pursed his lips, “Yes, but I’d hate to be a bother. I know how much you need the rest.”

Crowley shook his head, “not a problem, Angel. Honest. You could never bother me. Look, we can ask for another pillow or blanket when we go grab your book if that makes you feel any better. That way we don’t have to worry about you being a blanket hogger.”

The angel smiled and looked down at his hands in his lap, “I suppose that could work.” 

“Of course it could. I thought of it. What d’ya say we go ahead and grab the stuff so we can tuck in for the night? Get a few hours of rest and head out early. I’ll have you back to your books before afternoon tea.”

Aziraphale considered it, “Hmm, alright. Let’s do that.”

Crowley spun the car keys around his finger as he followed Aziraphale to the lobby, “I’ve been thinking about getting the Bentley detailed. Just a nice cleaning, really. I mean, I’ve kept her clean with miracles for decades, of course, but there’s something refreshing about taking a hot shower every now and then, you know? I imagine she’d probably feel the saYEM-” He yelped as Aziraphale grabbed his arm and jerked him back. Crowley stumbled at the sudden change of direction, “what was that for!”

Aziraphale urgently slapped a hand over Crowley’s mouth and looked back around the corner, “Shh! Be quiet!”

Crowley pulled Aziraphale’s hand away and whispered harshly, “What was that for?”

“Gabriel’s out there!” Aziraphale exclaimed lowly. 

“Well, yeah. He works here? Doesn’t he?” Crowley asked, frowning in confusion. 

Aziraphale pulled a face, “No, not Gabriel. Gabriel, Gabriel!”

Crowley stuck out a forked tongue and his eyes widened in understanding, “Oh. Yeah, that might be a bit of a problem.”

“A bit?” Aziraphale criticized, looking back around the corner. 

Crowley followed his example and poked his head around the corner just above Aziraphale’s. “What’s he doing?” Crowley whispered. 

“Nothing?” Aziraphale answered. “He’s just standing there, talking.”

“Mmm, sounds menacing.”

“Crowley, please take this seriously! What if he knows we’re here?”

Crowley took Aziraphale’s wrist and led them further down the hallway, away from Gabriel, “I am taking this seriously! And you know what, maybe he does know we’re here, but maybe he doesn’t. Am I comfortable with him being so close to us? Heavens no, but I’d rather just hide at this point and not draw attention to ourselves. He doesn’t seem to be looking for us. Or you, anyway.”

“Why else would he be here, then?” Aziraphale asked, distraught. 

“I don’t know! What are you going to do? Go up to Gabriel and say, ‘Oh, hello there, buddy old pal! What brings you to this neck of the woods?’” Crowley gestured animatedly, giving the angel an incredulous look. 

Aziraphale’s eyes widened as his gaze met Crowley’s, “maybe not the archangel Gabriel, but the human Gabriel…”

Crowley’s lips lifted into a sneer, “No.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t want you going anywhere near him!” Crowley said vehemently. 

“Gabriel’s just a kid. He couldn’t hurt me.” Aziraphale answered, puzzled. 

Crowley threw his head back with an aggravated groan, “No, not Gabriel. Gabriel!”

“Ah,” Aziraphale said, “it really is quite the unfortunate name.”

“I’m sure the archangel Gabriel got a real kick out of it. Self-righteous arse that he is.” Crowley countered.

The two fell into a terse silence before Aziraphale spoke up, “I’m going with my initial plan.”

Crowley raised a single brow, “what plan?”

“To talk to Gabriel! Human Gabriel, that is.” Aziraphale said and made to peek around the corner once more. 

“Ssstop!” Crowley grabbed his arm and twisted him back before the angel could see. Aziraphale’s complaint died on his lips once he saw Crowley’s eyes completely blown with gold, the slitted pupils a mere hair’s breadth in width. He knew the demon only ever had this kind of reaction when, “another demon’sss around.”

Surely enough, the pair heard the front doors slide open, accompanied by the sound of a demonic horde of flies. 

“What is Gabriel doing here with Beelzebub?” Aziraphale exclaimed. 

“Like hell I know!” Crowley retorted and committed to dragging them both back to their room. Only once the door was securely fastened and the desk chair lodged under the handle did Crowley take a breath and lean back against the wall. He heaved a sigh and let his eyes flutter shut for a moment, “What’ve we gotten ourselves into this time, Aziraphale?” He felt something warm bump into his arm and looked up in alarm. Aziraphale smiled apologetically and raised the warm cup of coffee in way of explanation. “Oh, thanks,” Crowley said and took the cup gingerly. 

Aziraphale took a sip from his own cup and set it on the nearest surface. “I do think we need to see why Gabriel and Beelzebub are here– borne more out of necessity rather than curiosity.”

Crowley blinked languidly then downed the rest of his coffee, “Yup, you’re probably right. Alright, how do we do this?”

“Well, I can sense Gabriel, and you can sense Beelzebub. Perhaps we should wait until we feel them both leave the front lobby, then go ask human Gabriel if he knows why they’re here.”

Crowley stared somewhere behind Aziraphale, “I don’t like this.”

Aziraphale's eyes crinkled around his grimace, “I know, Dearest. I don’t either, but I don’t think there’s anything else we can do. You’re too tired to try to miracle yourself and the Bentley back to the bookshop.”

“I probably could,” Crowley narrowed his eyes in determination. 

“Well let’s make that our Plan B, then. Hmm?” Aziraphale dissuaded. 

“Mmh,” Crowley hummed. After a few moments, he flicked out his tongue, “Beelzebub is moving.”

“So is Gabriel,” Aziraphale agreed. They both stood stock-still as they tracked their respective former side’s boss. “He’s gone to the north side of the hotel.”

Crowley nodded, “Same here. What are they doing?”

Aziraphale held out an open palm, “I suppose we should go find out?” The demon considered the inviting hand in front of him for several seconds. He exhaled heavily through his nose and pressed his hand into the angel’s. 

Upon confirming the archangel and Prince of Hell were out of sight, the duo hesitantly came up to the desk. “Hello again, dear,” Aziraphale began,  “um, I understand if you can’t answer this for… patient confidentiality or what have you-”

“He’s not a doctor for Go– for Somebody’s sake, Angel. Just ask him the bloody question.”

“Right, yes, I was getting to that. Anyway, could you possibly tell us why Gabriel and Beelzebub are currently in your establishment?” Aziraphale asked, to which Crowley sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. 

The boy behind the desk seemed to consider his answer for a minute before settling on, “They said they were having a meeting.”

Both immortal beings felt their hearts stop despite never having needed them to beat in the first place. Crowley spoke first this time, “Did they say how long this ‘meeting’ would last? Did they say anything about what the meeting was over? Did they mention our names at all? Did they ask about us?”

“No, sir. As far as I’m aware, they’re having a meeting about some kind of report.” Gabriel looked between the two. “They haven’t said anything about either of you. Should I tell them you’re here?”

“No!” They both shouted, before promptly shushing each other and grabbing at each other’s sleeves. Aziraphale cleared his throat, “Best not, dear boy. That wouldn’t bode over so well for either party.”

“Right, okay, well…” Gabriel stumbled over words. 

“Angel, with me,” Crowley all but dragged Aziraphale back towards their room once again.

Aziraphale fretted with his waistcoat, “Oh, dear Lord. Do you think they know about the swap?”

“I don’t know,” Crowley answered shakily, looking around their room wildly. The desk chair once again found itself to be lodged under the door handle. “I don’t know, Aziraphale, I just– I don’t know what to do.”

“They haven’t asked about us, at the very least. That might be a good sign?” Aziraphale theorized. 

Crowley shrugged, “I don’t know. They didn’t seem to be aggressive, but that doesn’t have to mean anything.”

Aziraphale blinked, “now that you mention it, the lobby did feel rather odd.”

“Odd how?”

“Like it was… oh, how do I put this? Almost as if Gabriel, the archangel, were projecting feelings of love.” 

“Gabriel? Giving off love? That prick’s never given off a lick of ‘love’ in his too-long life.” Crowley said, disgusted.

Aziraphale made an expression of agreement, “I did say it was odd.”

Crowley pursed his lips, “Actually, you might not be too off the mark. Beelzebub’s presence is feeling less hateful than usual.”

“Maybe,” Aziraphale started, “they’re not here for us, after all.”

“Maybe, ‘cause Beelzebub definitely hates me. I’d know if they were trying to find me.” 

Aziraphale spun the signet ring around his pinky a few times, “I don’t even feel Gabriel’s presence here, anymore, except for a Blessing.”

Crowley took the opportunity to feel for Beelzebub, “they’re gone, too. That was quick. Ope, wait, they just Cursed something, I think.”

“Should we go see?” Aziraphale asked.

“See what they Cursed? Probably not. Better not be my car.” Crowley stiffened at the thought of his precious Bentley being harmed. 

“Go see if they’re both truly gone, I meant.”

“Oh, yeah. Probably.” Crowley amended.

Exactly one minute later, Crowley peeked around the corner, “Are they gone yet?”

The human Gabriel exclaimed from the lobby’s windows, “There’s a car on fire outside!”

“What!” Crowley was at the nearest window before either of them could comprehend it. He practically plastered himself to the glass to peer out, then peeled himself away with a sigh of relief, “Whew, it’s not mine. Almost had a heart attack there, and that’s saying something.” 

“What’s going on here?” Aziraphale asked, having followed Crowley out a moment later. 

Gabriel shrugged, “There’s a car on fire, apparently. I don’t know what to do, I– I mean,” he gestured cluelessly, “guess we should see who’s it is.”

Crowley moved back slightly to give the boy room to look outside and laughed, “I’d hate to be that guy.”

The boy paled, “That’s my car.”

Crowley shifted uncomfortably, “…oh.”

Aziraphale came up behind Gabriel and rested a hand on his shoulder to turn him away from the window, “Don’t fret. I’m sure your car is just fine.” With a quick miracle, reality adhered to his words. 

“What was that?” Gabriel asked.

“What was what?” Aziraphale returned. 

“That thing you just did with your hand.”

“I don’t believe I know what you’re talking about,” Aziraphale said carefully. 

The boy narrowed his eyes in confusion before looking at Crowley, who shrugged noncommittally, “didn’t see a thing.” 

The boy then turned back to the window frantically, shook his head, rubbed his eyes, and looked at the window again. “No, you did something. I’ve been getting this weird feeling ever since you came in.”

Dread started to slowly snake its way into Aziraphale’s mind as the angel and human observed each other. His brow creased in worry and pinched his lips as he took in Gabriel’s erratic breaths and clammy skin. “Are you feeling alright?” he asked. 

Gabriel stepped back and inhaled shakily, cocking his head to the side and eyeing Crowley warily. He’d stepped up to Aziraphale’s side. “Think we might have another one, Angel.” 

Aziraphale sighed, “Seems like it. That’s what happens when you get blessed by an archangel, I suppose. Gabriel never did have a touch of subtlety.” Aziraphale took a step toward the archangel’s Blessed, “Come here, dear.”

The boy shook his head vehemently, “why?”

“Don’t be afraid,” Aziraphale Said. Crowley hissed softly and backed away from the second-hand holiness as Gabriel walked towards it. The angel held one of the human’s hands in both of his. “May you go home, and dream of whatever it is that you like best. Be well and go in peace.” Aziraphale released Gabriel’s hand, and the boy clutched it with his other at his chest. 

“Healed that scratch too, didn’t you?” Crowley asked from a small distance away. 

Aziraphale smiled sheepishly as his holiness diminished, “I was already extending my Grace to fix what Gabriel left rattled– might as well go ahead and fix what I find on the physical plane as well as the metaphysical.”

A soft grin spread across Crowley’s face, “I know. You’ve always liked healings.”

Aziraphale jolted at the memory of Crowley’s earlier hiss, “Oh, my dear! I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

“Nah. Just got a little too close to a hot oven, is all. No harm done.” Crowley reassured with a yawn. “Think we can head back to the room now? The kid’ll be coming back to his senses soon enough. Best not give him another existential crisis by seeing us.”

Gabriel still stood in place, holding his hand to his chest, but he was indeed beginning to blink away the haziness. 

“Perhaps you’re right. Let me just grab my book from your car and I’ll be back with you in the shake of a lamb’s tail.” Aziraphale said and stepped out of the front doors. Crowley snapped his fingers in the meanwhile and an extra pillow and blanket appeared in his waiting arms. Aziraphale noticed the new linens immediately once back inside, “where’d you find those?”

Crowley shrugged, “does it matter?”

Aziraphale mirrored the action, “I guess not. Come on, let’s get you to bed.”

An angel and a demon found themselves on either side of a king-sized bed. The demon lay underneath a white duvet while the angel sat on top with a thin blanket and book in his lap. Aziraphale used the pillows to create a makeshift backrest while he kept his hands occupied with reading Persuasion. A small pair of reading glasses fit soundly on his nose and a small smile graced his lips while his eyes danced over the words on the page. Crowley peered up at the angel from beneath his nest of sheets and pillows, suddenly glad for the lack of sunglasses. From where Crowley was on the opposite end of the bed, the lamp’s light cast Aziraphale’s side profile into a fiery silhouette, framing his face in sharp shadows to contrast the brilliant halo of soft curls that Crowley knew could never be as stunning as the real deal, no matter how bright the light. Nothing could compare to the pure essence of his angel. “Aziraphale?”

“Yes, dear?” Aziraphale asked, eyes meeting Crowley’s for only the briefest of moments before returning to the page in front of him. 

Crowley couldn’t help but stare openly, “I did like the play.” 

“I’m so glad to hear it. You can choose next time if you’d like.” Aziraphale suggested, sparing Crowley another glance and a smile reserved just for him.

Crowley hummed, “maybe.” He shuffled onto his side so his back faced the other and pulled the duvet up to his chin. “G’night, Angel.”

“Good night, Dearest.”

[thosearentcrimes]

Surveiller et Punir is a book by Michel Foucault. I found it difficult to read, as French is not my native language, and Foucault has a tendency to write long sentences in long paragraphs accompanied by long citations of primary sources. By the time I finish a paragraph I have quite frankly usually forgotten how it started, and I'm not sure this is a mere accident of writing or an inevitable consequence of the depth of the ideas involved. Foucault was something of a troll, and parts of this book are fairly obviously trolling. Nonetheless, the book is thick with genuinely interesting observations and fascinating citations. The book consists essentially of two parts. The first, significantly longer part, presents a mostly dispassionate history of a particular technology of power. The second is a much more obviously politicized sort of invective against the institution of the prison and against the most common reforms proposed to it.

The primary point of Surveiller et Punir seems to be that in what Foucault calls the classical period in Europe (17th and 18th centuries, yes this is confusing) a technology for the management of what we might call human resources was developed and broadly applied. The basic elements of this technology are observation and classification. The observation might take the form of an overseer, or an examination, an inventory. The important part is that information is being recorded, contextualized, analyzed, and applied at scale. The purpose of classification is not only to assign people to positions they will be more effective in, but also to prevent undesirable behaviors and social contacts and promote desirable ones. In addition to this, the classification can become a tool for the punishment of offenses against its own rules, using the threat of reclassification into a less pleasant, less prestigious class.

This technology, Foucault says, is extremely powerful, allowing the user to produce more effect with less force. In the vast majority of cases, application of this technology will lead to significant increases in productivity. The gains are not merely those of specialization, or the psychological effect of observation, though these are considerable and may well be the initial impulse to impose the system. What is essential about this system is that in principle everyone knows exactly where they need to be, what they need to do, and how to do it. Further, everyone who needs to know knows all of these things too, and can design the tools and the physical spaces in which the activities take place accordingly. The effects of these changes are theoretically visible in your measurements and observations, allowing a rapid optimizing cycle of intervention-result. In practice, anyone who has been subject to a KPI regime knows how easy it is to maximize metrics at the cost of overall effectiveness. But the power of optimization to increase measured performance is undeniable.

The specific point of origin of this technology is unclear to me, and Foucault isn't much help. Militaries are early adopters as they professionalize, but paradoxically when they first design their codes under the influence of particularly devout political leaders and they are primarily taking inspiration from monastic codes, but then the monastic hierarchy references Roman military hierarchy. Perhaps Bret Devereaux would be a good person to tease out which parts of the system Foucault describes the Romans had, and where they got them. Unfortunately I don't expect Devereaux would find Foucault appropriately intellectually humble or precise.

The standard form of a Foucault argument is roughly this, first Foucault presents some straightforwardly true and obvious elements that would seem to naturally apply in all forms of social organization, but when you really think about it do not really seem applicable as described to medieval society outside of monasteries. Then Foucault declares that they were first introduced in a particular domain (school, workplace, prison, army, hospital) with objectives that are obviously and totally deranged and dystopian. Reading this, you imagine that Foucault is speaking of some sort of subconscious motivation, an effect of an implementation of a reform that is not consciously intended but serves a politically repressive function. Then Foucault gives you a citation of a specific highly influential figure presenting the reform that introduces those elements to that domain, explicitly presenting the deranged political project as their vision of a utopian society.

[xzacloudx]

Thanks so much for bringing up these valid concerns & details. I absolutely agree with your misgivings here. Wow, what a mess Mozilla made of this. Total fumble. And there's a LOT to be suspicious about, like whether or not that data isn't skimmed on the way (despite the supposition it's done locally) or still able to be de-anonymized.

But if Mozilla's proposal IS legit, it would potentially be VERY helpful for everyone's privacy rights in the long run, especially the majority who don't use ad-blockers. But crucially, the only way for this prototype model to work would be for enough people to be using it, to see if advertisers can finally realize that anonymous general data is sufficiently sustainable, so they no longer have to feel like they HAVE to data-snatch.

And so, Mozilla was kinda caught between a rock & a hard place here, when it comes to opt-in vs opt-out approaches. They broke user trust by not being more open about this, & making it opt-out (thus making the whole thing look fishy, especially since it's all about privacy & ads, combined with working on this with Meta of all companies)... But if they made it opt-in, the vast majority of users would just give it a glance, say "Nope", & leave it off.

(continued under the snip)

Sure, most of us don't want to support advertisers to begin with... but sadly, unless you wanna pay subscriptions to websites & services, ads are how they stay afloat (which in turn can help businesses make sales, including small ethical ones, as well as fundraisers for those in need). If advertising is no longer profitable, we CAN lose the web.

I wonder if it could be reaching a point where the increased need for ad-blocking is starting to actually put a dent in ad profits, enough that maybe that's what's motivating Meta to work on this (SUPPOSING it's not to skim the data for themselves before anonymizing it, of course). If people are less afraid of their privacy being violated, then they may not block ads so much (though of course their invasiveness & overabundance, as well as propensity to carry malware, are other huge issues too)... thus, this would be a compromise to move toward a (slightly) more ethical & sustainable ad standard.

The constant arms-race between advertisers & ad-blocker folks no doubt eats up LOTS of resources & time on both sides. If ad data systems could meet in the middle, that would free up so much lifetime otherwise being wasted on this struggle. At least to some degree. The START of maybe something even better eventually.

It's a social responsibility kind of thing, for those doing this potentially paving the way for future improvement of online privacy. (But MY GOSH did Mozilla flub it by not making that clear & presenting it as such! You can't just volunteer people like that, gah!)

---

In the end, I'm very mixed on it. Great points are being made by both sides (I've been reading through the Reddit thread (& its many long sub-threads) you linked to, which is full of great discussions & various perspectives... But sheesh, yeah, whoever they've got in there remains clueless about addressing the legitimate concerns, which does NOT HELP). There's good arguments for & against this system, as well as whether it may be trustworthy or not.

Like I said, Mozilla's options concerning our, well, options, weren't great. Making it opt-in would likely have doomed the experiment from the start. But making it opt-out, ESPECIALLY with such difficulties in doing so for mobile... is likely doing the same thing, & losing them much of their already dwindling audience.

They couldn't win either way. Though they sure could've lost less.

But yeah... everyone can make their own decision, but we gotta be informed of the good, bad, & ugly so that decision is truly our own.

that article going around abt firefox's new ad program is annoying bc it's phrased as though "mozilla has finally TURNED on its people and is SELLING YOU OUT for cold hard cash!!" when. that's not what's happening. it is specifically being implemented to discourage tracking behavior, and literally all the data they are giving to advertisers is aggregate and anonymized, which is like, the opposite of what that post wants you to worry about, lol

[pr0cyonid]

Turns out you can layer your outlines (pantsers do not read)

I've taken Blake Snyder's original drama beats (eat pavement you pretentious fuck; you're so right about everything and you changed the way I build stories, but I HATE your guts you self-aggrandizing asshole), changed them, and built upon them to create what I call The Homunculus Method (under cut):

Step 1: The Skeleton

The skeleton is Blake Snyder's original beats with some minor name changes that I feel make the purpose of the beats more clear to the user, as well as some shuffling and minor surgery to make something that was meant for screenwriting fit better for novel writing and longform stories. My proposed beats list is as follows:

Setup/theme/characterization

Catalyzing event

Opportunity to change

Enactment on change

Fun & Games

B-story (Optional)

Midpoint

Wall of spikes

All is lost

Rock bottom

A glimmer of hope

Resolving Events

This is the bones of your story. Your animation keyframes. You major events that will shape the story and your protagonist in a way that moves things along. The fun thing about this is that where you want to put your act breaks is fluid. Not writing on a standard 3 act structure? That's cool! Put your act breaks wherever you would like - I'm personally working on a 5 act structure and have my acts separated as follows:

Act 1: Beats 1-2 Act 2: Beats 3-4 Act 3: Beats 5-7 Act 4: Beats 8-11 Act 5: Beat 12

Where you put yours may vary! Beats can be super long or super short depending on what the story needs. Often items like the catalyzing event, midpoint, rock bottom, and glimmer of hope can be broken down to a single scene if your story demands it! The setup/theme/characterization, Fun & Games, and Resolving Events will almost always be your longer beats. If your unsure where to put your act breaks starting out, that's okay! You may find an extra moment of clarity once you get to

Step 2: The Muscle

So you've jotted down your primary drama beats, but you're still feeling terrified about all the gaps in your story that you need to filled in? You're not sure where to start writing? The Muscle is here to help! Like the muscles in your body, this part of the outline sits on top of your Skeleton and fleshes it out so that it can move more fluidly.

For the Muscle, you're going to take everything that you did for the Skeleton and break it down into smaller parts by thinking about your longer story as a collection of short stories that are tied together by a continuous plot thread. Regardless of the length of a story, you'll still be establishing your theme, a catalyst, a midpoint, and a resolution. You should think of each act of your story - or even each individual chapter if you're so inclined - as its own set of drama beats. The important thing to remember is that the resolving events of each Muscle should line up with the corresponding drama beat in your Skeleton.

For example: If my Act 1 ends at my Skeleton's catalyzing event, the resolving events of my Act 1 Muscle should be the same plot point as the catalyzing event of the Skeleton. Moving down my list from early, Act 2's resolution ends on enactment on change, Act 3 on the midpoint, Act 4 on the glimmer of hope, and Act 5 encompassing the resolving events of the entire, overarching story.

If you've been having trouble figuring out where to place your act breaks, building the Muscle should help with this! Remember: Match the Muscle's resolving events to the corresponding plot point on the Skeleton and place your act break immediately after.

Step 3: The Skin

By this time, your outline should be pretty much done. You should know where your story is going, and you should have a very, VERY solid foundation that you've built. All you have to do now is stretch Skin over the whole contraption. This is where you include your fine details - your fun things, your easter eggs. All the little things that make your story special will materialize in the skin.

You may find as you are writing that something you planned in the Skeleton and Muscle isn't working the way you thought. That's okay! There's never any shame in revisiting and revising your outline later in the process.

Happy writing!

[xiakha]

FFXIVWrite 2024 Prompt #14 - Telling

Within the scope of an Aetherometer, the world was remarkably different, as one would imagine of course, but it wasn’t just a matter of colors and the like. Smoke and steam were almost completely opaque, and elements that would be imperceptible or invisible to the naked eye could be easily identified and observed.

Moreover, reflections do not show up in the Aetherometer, as no aether is produced by these reflections. The reflective body instead just seems oddly dull, or would radiate its own aether strongly instead. It was simple enough to take the Aetherometer off one’s face if one needed to look at a reflection, albeit it did mean that indirect observation of aether was difficult.

But for Y’shtola, what this meant was that she had spent the last five years without a mirror. Longer if her perceived time on the First were taken into consideration. 

Oh, it hardly mattered, she had her glamours memorized, and it was trivial to apply and reapply them as necessary. As long as she kept up her hygiene, there would be no perceptible difference in her looks day in and day out. Not that they truly mattered, the Night’s Blessed would follow her even if she actually looked like Master Matoya.

But Y’shtola wasn’t getting any younger. She also wasn’t getting any older, having locked her appearance to that of her twenty-three year old self. But even if she didn’t seem it, or at least she was pretty sure she didn’t seem it, she still felt it. Her youthful chipper and energy were fading, she tired more quickly, and her wrists and back cracked and popped far more than they had before.

And, perhaps worse of all, Xiao also had some ability to use aethersight. Her scarred eye had a slightly paler tint and crystalline fragments still embedded in the iris. The accident that gave her the injury also awoke her Echo and gave her the ability to see channeled aether, letting her read opponents and their next actions before they were performed. This meant that Xiao saw an overlay on Y’shtola’s face as the aether of her glamour and the aether of her actual skin would both be visible to her, at least in one eye.

So of course that meant she had to ask Xiao.

“How do I look?”

Xiao put a gentle palm on Y’shtola’s cheek and tilted her face into the sunbeam.

“Beautiful as always.”

“Really? All these years we’ve been together, and you only have these simple pleasantries?”

Y’shtola felt Xiao trace a laugh line with her thumb as she spoke, “Not about to cross the Sorceress of the Greatwood, don’t want the tip of my tail singed off.”

“I shall cast no spells in retaliation for the truth.”

Xiao chuckled and kissed Y’shtola’s forehead, “Little tired, shouldn’t have kept you up so late last night.”

“Xiao, please.” It was fairly obvious what she was doing.

“Yer the splitting image of Master Matoya all right?”

That earned her a rough push back into the pillows.

“If I knew you so lusted over that centenarian, I could surely have arranged something.”

“Ye gods, ‘twas but a joke.” Xiao feigned horror and squirmed as if she were uncomfortably imagining Matoya in the all together.

“Indeed you would be a joke, I don’t know if you could meet my mentor’s exacting standards.” She lay back into the pillows herself, half resting on Xiao, enjoying the way her chin seemed to fit quite perfectly into the crook of the younger Miqo’te’s neck, “Now really, how do I look?”

“Think the venture into the Rokan ruins took more of a toll on ye than expected. Eyes are a bit puffy.” Xiao gently rubbed the bag under one of Y’shtola’s eyes. “Also think the time cooped up doing scholarly work instead of field work has left ye a bit soft.” She gave Y’shtola’s stomach a slight nudge. “Also ‘tis well that you wear that choker, lest the Night’s Blessed ask questions.” She lightly prodded one of the hickies she had left on Y’shtola’s neck just south of her Archon mark.

“But truly, how beautiful you are, Y’shtola.”

So, Xiao did see the way age settled in on her. Mayhaps it was all the same, they weren’t twenty-somethings with something to prove anymore, and it wasn’t as if Xiao hadn’t been vulnerable and ugly with her in the recent past. 

The Warrior of Darkness’s skin remained weirdly unscarred despite all of the damage she withstood, but Y’shtola could see the aetherial traces of those wounds. They were oddly reminiscent of the lines and cracks from which light aether had seeped from Xiao’s body even after Ryne had done her sealing. Perhaps they were one and the same. Y’shtola also recognized how tightly Xiao’s skin seemed to sit on her body. Maybe it was the lingering effects of the light poisoning, maybe it was just age catching up to her, but Xiao seemed just that much less supple, more stretched thin. Y’shtola wasn’t sure what moon it would be on the Source, but surely Xiao would have celebrated her thirtieth—

“Oh, by the by, happy nameday, Y’shtola.”

“Pardon? What makes you say it’s my nameday?” Really, what were the days when she had spent three years under everlasting light?

“Not that I’m aware what date it truly be on the First, but ‘tis only on your nameday that ye fret over these sorts of things.”

And it really would be just the sort of thing she’d get ornery about once a year when aging was on her mind, wasn’t it? It would be quite Y’shtola to have kept track of the days simply so she knew exactly what day it was that she should be ornery on.

But there was one thing for certain, even as Xiao poked at Y’shtola’s body, Y’shtola felt beautiful and cared for. They had kept each other up for more than half the night and made a right tangled mess of Y’shtola’s sheets after all, and Xiao’s reverence for Y’shtola’s body was evident in every intimate moment. Through Xiao’s eyes and touch, she was that much more beautiful in her own perspective.

It was almost enough for one to let go of the silly vanities and do away with the glamours. 

Almost.

[cindylouwho-2]

Recent SEO & Marketing News for Ecommerce, January 2024

Here's my first SEO and marketing news report for 2024 (please read my ecommerce and Etsy news report as well, if you want to keep up to date! They were previously one large report together)

SEO: GOOGLE & OTHER SEARCH ENGINES 

If you have ever wondered how Google ranks pages, this correlation study [infographic] by Semrush may shed some insight. 

And if you have ever wondered how Google assesses page or site quality, this good overview of Google’s “E-E-A-T” standards can help you gain better reader satisfaction and even higher rankings. “Although these guidelines might not have a direct impact on rankings, adhering to the principles of E-E-A-T is aligned with creating content that meets user needs, which can positively influence search performance.”

If you want to optimize a page for Google do that search first and see what Google displays, including related searches and related questions. 

An interesting study shows that tons of people use Google search like a bookmark service, to search common sites instead of typing the full URL. On the other hand, the long tail numbers have grown as well. 

Some Google search results in the EU will be changing a bit, due to the Digital Markets Act. Most of them involve Google giving searchers more options to see Google’s competition. 

Periodic reminder that you should not move your website or otherwise alter the URLs without making sure you won’t lose Google traffic in doing so. 

Google’s Helpful Content updates have really hurt some sites. There are things ecommerce sites can do to improve their “helpfulness”. 

While this Semrush blog post claims to focus on ecommerce SEO, it’s useful for most types of websites and has little in it specific to ecommerce. This post on ecommerce product pages specifically has more ecommerce-focussed info. 

A great article demonstrating how SEO is done on content blogs, and why it often means we get substandard content and confusing Google results. As with the The Verge’s last piece on SEO, some SEOs were not happy with this, and Google reps directly contradicted some of the info, including the claim that you need author bylines to rank better. 

“There is no such thing as perfect SEO”, and Google confirms that. 

If you missed any Google developments in December, you can catch up on them in this webmaster report. Missed November as well? That’s covered too. 

Not Google

Despite Bing’s AI chat being widely preferred to anything Google has put out, Bing only gained an extra 1% of search traffic worldwide in 2023. 

Baidu is China’s largest search engine; here’s a correlation study on ranking factors. 

SOCIAL MEDIA - All Aspects, By Site

General

A US federal court blocked Ohio’s ban on under-16s signing up for social media accounts without parental consent. 

Facebook (includes relevant general news from Meta)

Meta has introduced Link History, so that users have more control over privacy, but note that “Meta is just asking users for permission for a category of tracking that it’s been using for over a decade.”

Meta ads no longer have some detailed targeting options, as of January 15. 

Meta collects info on you from thousands of companies, an average of 2,230 different ones, according to a study by Consumer Reports. The study was not a representative sample, and “[p]articipants were also likely more privacy-conscious and technically inclined than typical users and more likely to be members of Consumers Reports.”

Instagram

Instagram now lets you make custom stickers from your still images. Note that you can do this with other people’s still images as well, unless they have disabled permission. 

Reddit

Reddit is expected to introduce its IPO in March, after a few years of rumours. 

Threads

Threads became available in the EU in December. And it even has hashtags now. 

TikTok

We’ve heard a lot about Gen Z using TikTok as their primary search engine, and this study from Adobe confirms it: 64% of Gen Z say they have done this, while only 29% of Gen X has. Almost 10% of Gen Z prefers TikTok to Google for search engines. Also of note: across the whole study, YouTube finished second to Google as the most useful search engine. 

If you market on TikTok, check out their Valentine’s Day guide. 

YouTube

Shorts are doing well on YouTube, and the company now provides a tool to change your long form videos into Shorts. 

(CONTENT) MARKETING (includes blogging, emails, and strategies) 

To get results from content marketing, you need a solid content strategy. This Search Engine Journal article outlines 11 reasons a strategy can underperform, with some tips on avoiding these issues.  

Get next month’s promotions ready early with 5 content marketing ideas for February. 

New Yahoo and Gmail email rules take effect in February, which may mean more promotional emails get sent to spam filters. There are some things you should do to improve deliverability rates, including not sending from free email addresses. 

Is a business’ blog eligible to show up in Google News? Possibly, but you still have to follow the content rules. 

ONLINE ADVERTISING (EXCEPT INDIVIDUAL SOCIAL MEDIA AND ECOMMERCE SITES) 

While Google Ads is not planning on phasing out free support for the product after introducing a paid support service, they are looking at AI to improve service. Hundreds of employees in the Ads division have been laid off as AI-options become more available. 

Google’s Chrome browser has begun removing tracking cookies for 1% of users, the first step in removing them for everyone by the end of 2024. “The impact of Google removing tracking cookies will be significant, with cookies traditionally providing key insights that help power the internet’s targeted ad system. Google’s replacement will instead see users categorized into topic listings, in an anonymized way, so brands will still be able to show their ads to subsets of users, but they won’t be able to utilize granular targeting based on the specifics of what people have engaged with across different websites.” If you use Chrome, you can figure out if you are part of that 1%. [Sadly, I am not in the initial test.] Remember that Google “makes the vast majority of its money tracking you and showing you ads online” so this is a big change, but “Google isn’t about to destroy its own business.”

Not sure if you can afford Google Ads for your website? This article walks through the current average costs and how to control them. For example, “[a]d scheduling, also known as dayparting, involves specifying the hours or days to show your ads to potential customers. This practice enables you to allocate more of your budget to peak times when potential customers are more active, ensuring better visibility and more clicks.” As for setting bids, “If you’re unsure where to start, Google suggests a $1 max CPC bid. But the golden rule? Set a max bid below the point where you no longer profit.”

You need to set up GA4 in certain ways to get the most data out of your Google Ads. 

Microsoft will soon launch an AI tool to generate banner ads for you, based on the product page you want to advertise. 

BUSINESS & CONSUMER TRENDS, STATS & REPORTS; SOCIOLOGY & PSYCHOLOGY, CUSTOMER SERVICE 

When asked in surveys, free shipping is very popular with most US shoppers. Yet another survey had similar results, noting that same-day delivery is far less important to buyers. 

IMAGES, VIDEO, GRAPHIC DESIGN, & FREE ONLINE TOOLS

So many artists are furious about AI image generators scraping their work that there is now a tool, “Nightshade”, that you can embed in your work to poison the data set. “This can result in the algorithm mistakenly learning to classify an image as something a human would visually know to be untrue. As a result, the generator can start returning unpredictable and unintended results.”

MISCELLANEOUS (including humour) 

Looking to give away surplus stock? Here are some ideas. [The charities linked are in the US, but there are many general ideas that will apply to other countries as well.]

People are so careless with their AI use that they are posting items to marketplaces containing OpenAI’s refusal to generate a response. It’s hilarious. 

AI-created items can’t be patented in the UK. 

[healinghyunjin]

Hello, how are you? I'm sending this on anon because well, I'm shy about this matter and honestly it has took a lot of confidence to send it. So, you have been the biggest inspiration to me here, with your fics and ideas which are always "right". From the overall theme, setting of the story to the way you build your characters and how the stories progress. In a few words it the type of fanfiction that clings to my heart and reminds me most of those that kinda saved me when I first discovered it. So thank you. Now onto what I wanted to talk about. I'm not much of a writer, in fact I haven't written anything longer than 1k -2k words and it wasn't for any fandom or anything. I'm a reader and that's all it is, but one idea has been wandering around my mind for so long. It is a Chan fic with arranged marriage in a historical setting, which time period I'm not exactly sure but late 19th century, beginning of the 20th or in between. Chan would be some kind of a business man, quite wealthy but not of arstocratic origin just a well off family in a city and of course he would be looking for a wife as he is of age and to comply to society 's standards. The reader's family is the perfect choice because they are acquainted with him for some time and its a good deal. Reader would be a little younger than him and he would have that serious and powerful reputation, so their relationship would be purely official and practical, like those you could find in historical novels. So what I really wanted to do is write about how it slowly develops into something more but with the loneliness and silence in between, without strong consuming passion that just makes them act on instinct. They would feel it but it would be hidden deep under the layers of responsibility and respect, with the wall of societal norms and the constant watchful eyes of propriety holding the back from expressing their feeling directly. To see that wall slowly crack and then break down, without jumping steps but with the intensity increasing more and more only for it explode in the end. That is something that I would like to write but yeah. I hope this message wouldn't be a burden to you or if it is, I'm very sorry! I wanted to share this with someone who has experience in writing and get it out of my system, at last. Have a nice day and once again I'm sorry for the long ask!

Anon hello!! I’m sorry for the delay in getting back to you - my time hasn’t been my own over the holidays 🎄

First and foremost - I’m so so happy that you felt comfortable enough (and enjoyed my writing enough - thank you 💕) to reach out and share your thoughts with me!! I know firsthand how scary it is, and I’m so glad (and proud!) that you did 🤗

In terms of your idea…anon this sounds *wonderful*!! I totally get what you mean about the ~vibe I try to create in my period/arranged marriage fics - though I think you did a much more poetic, eloquent job of describing it than I’ve ever done!!! I know it might feel scary and incredibly difficult (which - in all honesty - it can be), I would love for you to write this anon. The biggest, biggest problem I had getting started was myself - nervousness about whether I could actually write anything anyone would want to read, whether I could do justice to the ideas I had bouncing through my head, etc. Once you’re able to push yourself past that though…you’ll have something to cherish and be proud of 😊 So…please! Go for it!! 💪🏽

[freaky-flawless]

So I Got Cleo's G3 Doll

Here's my thoughts under the cut. Just wanna put a disclaimer that I am someone who doesn't consider themself a fan of Gen 3, but is keeping an open mind. So just keep that in mind as you read, I am biased and do compare her to the G1 dolls, but I try to give credit where credit is due.

Like I said previously, I love the doll itself. Her face up is pretty (mine does have a slight imperfection, but its subtle enough that I'm not bothered by it), her hair is pretty, her skin tone and the shimmer they added to it are beautiful. I love her new body as well, though I do wish her torso and neck were a little longer. Specifically I love her big ears and hands. I do like G1 Cleo's hand pose a little bit more, but overall her new hands are great, and because they're bigger they're easier to remove. And finally, this will probably be an unpopular opinion, but I could do without the chest articulation in place of something else, like a doll stand.

I can't say much on the quality of her hair as it's not something I'm all that knowledgeable about. All I can say is that it feels more...plasticy? Compared to her G1 doll's hair. I'm having a hard time getting it to stay flat. I also think it's kinda odd that they seemingly made it a point to give all the dolls long brushable hair, but didn't provide brushes. Don't get me wrong, I have an abundance of Monster High brushes and don't need any more, but kids brand new to the series don't. And as someone with nieces, I can say for sure that they love brushing doll hair. I feel like doll stands and hair brushes are pretty standard things for dolls to come with nowadays, especially at that price range.

I'm very amused at how much she looks like Nefera, in the sense that the two of them look even more related than G1 Cleo and Nefera. It does look to me as though they took more inspiration from Nefera's G1 design more than Cleo's, which is interesting. I also discovered that Nefera's shoes, though they don't fit, match G3 Cleo's outfit pretty well, aside from the black in them.

Speaking of G3 Cleo's outfit...that's where my biggest disappointment lies.

I haven't exactly been subtle about my dislike for her boots. They don't go with the style of her dress, and overall I think giving a character who grew up in a hot desert climate boots is a super weird choice. On top of that I don't find them to be flattering on her new leg molds. Her calves are much thicker now, and adding thick boots to them really accentuates it and makes her look slightly awkward and disproportionate. However the actual quality of them is pretty good. There's a decent amount of detail, and I appreciate that the slit in the back of them doesn't go all the way up so they can't lose their shape, which is actually an issue I have with a couple G1 dolls. I would say the same for her accessories, they're well detailed and the paint job on them is really nice.

Her dress is where things take a nosedive. I think before I was so distracted by how much I disliked her boots that I didn't pay that much attention to her dress. But now that I have her and have felt the material I'm really disappointed by it. I don't know what material was used to make it, but I can assure it's plastic and pretty cheap feeling. Compared to G1 Cleo's clothes it feels like a cheap costume. I will say this material is probably more play proof, but I do have G1 Cleo's basic outfit, which is over ten years old by now, and her jumpsuit still looks brand new, and the material is so soft. It feels like real clothes. And compared to other modern doll lines the quality of her dress is kinda embarrassing. They couldn't have used a nicer material?? And aside from that, she has this new beautiful body mold, I would have really hoped that they'd have given her an outfit to accentuate it a bit more, like Draculaura's does.

Interestingly, I think her outfit in the show and on the box art would look better on her doll, and her doll's outfit would look better on her 3D model.

tldr; the doll is gorgeous, she should have come with a brush and a doll stand, her accessories are well detailed, and the quality of her dress is cheap.



[tobesobri]

Traditions | 17.3k

a/n: it's been a while since I uploaded writing and for some reason I decided to sign up for this challenge and by some miracle actually managed to write something for it 🤯anyways, this is for the Valentine's Day Challenge by @1dffchallenges and it's honestly just a bit of fun, enemies to lovers little bit of angst and some smut! so i hope you enjoy! I'd always love to know your thoughts!! (also pls excuse any errors, I wrote this in a week with little editing lol)

prompt: doube date

dialogue: “So let me get this right. You want to hire me as your date for a Valentine’s Day Party?”

Pink and red were speckled throughout the entire office, whether it was a bouquet of chocolate roses, a banner of hearts, or stuffed bears residing next to bowls full of heart-shaped candies. Every employee’s section of the office had been filled to the brim with decorations as well. Pink and red ribbon taped carefully around the edges of their desktop computer, little store-bought balloons, also heart-shaped, grouped together and tied to desk chairs. 

And Y/N, dressed in her typical all black outfit, rolled her eyes as she paced through the office toward the one section in the back that was immune to all things heart-shaped, pink, or stuffed. 

She sat down at her desk with a loud sigh, her purse hitting the floor in its usual spot just before she slipped out of her jacket and draped it haphazardly between her back and the chair. It’d be wrinkled by the end of the day, but she didn’t care all that much, nor did she put much thought into the stains on her purse from leaving it on the floor. All she concerned herself with, after settling in, was getting straight to work… which was put on hiatus when she came face-to-face with both a pink and heart-shaped sticky note plastered onto the center of her computer screen. 

Groaning, she ripped it off and moved to turn her computer on before she bothered to read whatever was written on the note. She considered three potential suspects while she pulled her keyboard down onto her desk and logged in. There was Kayla, who worked front reception and was one of the main culprits of all the Valentine’s decorations. A strong contender. It could’ve also been Ines or Carmen, her closest work friends whom Y/N knew both owned a pad of pink, heart-shaped sticky notes. 

However, when she finally let her eyes fall to the note as her computer loaded up, the handwriting didn’t match any of the women she knew, and she was quite positive that none of them would have written was was sprawled out in black ink either.

Roses are red, violets are blue. I will fill your office with teddy bears and balloons, if you don’t send me your half of the proposal by two.

Harry.

She crumpled the note and tossed it into the bin under her desk. He could go fuck himself for all she cared. Sure, she was nearly done with her portion of the work and would be able to send it to him before then, but now that he’d pestered her about it, he’d be lucky if she even bothered to send it to him at all. 

She didn’t doubt the promise, i.e. threat, he made on the note, but being surrounded by teddy bears and balloons would be worth making Harry’s life just a tad miserable.

After opening all the apps she’d need to get her work done, namely Photoshop and Illustrator, she connected her drawing tablet and set up the rest of her work station for the day, both on screen and off.

Harry had worked at the company for about two years longer than her and she’d started off as an intern while she was still in college and, after graduating, was hired as a permanent graphic designer. They had never really gotten along ever since Harry—jokingly—asked her to get him a coffee once… or twice. Unfortunately for her, though, they ended up working well together and their boss had stuck them both on the same projects ever since. Especially after the month-long project last spring that had been their most successful one to date. 

While she came up with the design parts of client projects, Harry handled the more technical side of things and they’d never really argued much over each other’s work even though they clashed constantly at a more personal level. 

“I see your feeling festive.” Just as she’d gotten into the groove of her typical morning and had forgotten all about Harry’s stupid note, his voice interrupted her entire thought process. So when she swiveled around to find him leaning into her little office space, it was hardly a surprise when she glared at him, even though he feigned offense at her bitterness.

“You got my note, I presume.” He let himself into her space anyway, holding a mug of steaming coffee she was sure he’d just made in the workroom, and leaned up against the opposite side of her desk that housed a much larger, digital drawing tablet for when she needed to do more intricate design pieces. 

She just swiveled back around to face her computer again and went back to work as if he was no longer there. Pretending to ignore his existence proved to be quite difficult when the very particular woodsy, vanilla scents of his cologne met her nostrils and filled her entire office. Not to mention, the sight of what he’d been wearing singed the backs of her eyelids so that she still saw him every time she blinked. It was as if her brain refused to let her forget what he looked like in his white button-up, sleeves rolled to the crooks of his elbows, all tucked into his fitted black trousers that tended to get the imaginations going of all the women in the building. 

Not her though, of course. She was better than that. Obviously.

He cleared his throat, still very much present in her space and still very much giving her a migraine. “So will it be ready by two?”

“Well, I planned to send it to you before lunch.” She tweaked the spacing between letters of a potential logo for the millionth time. “But now… I think I might need the rest of the day.”

She heard rustling behind her and knew he was shifting his weight impatiently and running a hand through his hair as he often did when he was… displeased. “I told you I’m leaving early tomorrow and I need it no later than two.”

She cocked her head to the side, still staring at her computer screen and not giving him an ounce of satisfaction. “Did you tell me that?” She teased, an amused smirk lifting the corners of her mouth when she heard him groan behind her. “I must’ve forgotten.” Shrugging, she went back to her work.

“Unlike you,” he snapped, “some of us actually have a love life and I’d appreciate you not fucking up mine.”

She froze then, only for a split second, when his words sank in. Two thoughts raced through her head. The first a string of curse words because of his assumption that she didn’t have a love life. But the more prominent and worrisome part of his statement was that he did have one. And that he was leaving early tomorrow—Valentine’s Day—so he could get ready for a date.

Throwing both her prickly exterior and heartbreaking smirk up again, she turned to face him. “I’ve known you for three years now and if anyone has the potential to fuck up your love life, it’s you.”

He narrowed his eyes at her and her gaze fell to the hand that seemed to wrap a bit tighter around his Bugs Bunny mug. His knuckles whitened and she met his heated stare again, pleased with herself for getting him riled up before he’d even finished his morning coffee.

“So,” she continued before he get get a word of retaliation out, and sat back against her chair, crossing her legs confidently as she folded her hands in her lap. “Who’s the poor girl you’ve tricked into going on a date with you this time?”

Harry had a terrible track record. The longest relationship he’d been in lasted for two months, and that was well before she’d known him. Everything else he had was just a one or two night thing and nothing more. Sure, it was all more than she had, but she preferred it that way. Harry seemed to resent the fact that he couldn’t keep a girlfriend to save his life.

“You don’t know her.”

Her smile widened. “How long have you been seeing her?”

“Couple weeks.”

“Ooh, that just might be your second longest relationship, Styles.” 

“Well at least I’ve had one.”

His jab didn’t have an affect on her however, and he knew it wouldn’t because it never did. He knew she didn’t give a damn about relationships, or at least that’s what she claimed anyway. He couldn’t think of many twenty-four year old women who actually wanted to be alone. He actually couldn’t think of a mid-twenties anyone who wanted that.

“You’ll have to try harder than that.” She said nonchalantly, which irked him even more than he already was, and then swiveled away from him one last time, picking up her drawing pen and getting back to work.

“What’s your issue with relationships?” He went on and she knew he was headed right down a path intended to hurt her feelings just as much as she had his. So, she tensed slightly and braced for impact. “Is it a commitment thing? Or can you just not find anyone to put up with you for longer than five minutes?” 

She let his words sink their teeth in and then smiled to herself. “Hm. Seeing as you’ve been in my office now for,” she checked the time at the top right-hand corner of her screen, “eight minutes, maybe we should date.” She lifted a brow, awaiting his next response. 

It felt a bit like a cat-and-mouse chase bickering with Harry and since she was usually the cat, it brought her way too much pleasure fighting with him.

He scoffed. “Like I’d lower my standards for you.”

That one hurt, she had to admit. Not out loud or to Harry, but it still stung because it was true. He’d have to drop his standards to the floor to even consider dating her and she knew it. 

“Maybe,” she began, still half focused on her work, and ignored his comment all together, “some of us like being alone.”

“Nobody likes that.” He responded quickly and she heard a shift of his weight again and then his voice once more a few moments later. “It’s nice to be by yourself sometimes, yeah, but you can’t tell me you don’t want someone to come home to at the end of the day.” He crossed one leg over the other as he gripped the edge of her desk for support and just when she thought he was done, he kept going, “Someone you can vent to about your annoying co-worker.”

She glanced at him through the little portable mirror hanging above her desk—mostly used to make sure she looked decent before meeting with clients or, sometimes, Harry—and saw the tight smile on his lips. Almost as if that’s what he wanted, like he was talking about himself and not her. 

She’d slowed her progress down while he’d talked until she was no longer working at all. She no longer swiped her pen across the pad or had any idea what she was even doing when she focused solely on his words. Because, once again, whether he was talking about himself or about her, he was right.

“Yeah well,” she quickly hid herself back behind her wall and made her hands function properly again. “Some of us also don’t have the luxury of choosing whomever we want.”

She imagined him smirking at that one because, buried deep within her words was a compliment. That he was handsome enough to actually have anyone he wanted.

Instead, when she glanced at the mirror again and found him, there was the complete opposite of a smirk on his face, and as he stared down into his mug, clearly lost in thought, she wondered what the tightness in his jaw and the frown pulling on his lips meant.

She sighed and stole his attention away from his coffee. “I’ll have it to you before lunch. You can go now, unless you’d like to argue some more and slow me down by another…” she glanced at her clock again, adding up all the time he’d been standing in her office, “fifteen minutes.”

Without another word, she listened to the drag of his footsteps as he finally left her office space. And although she was glad to be rid of his distraction, the room felt so much bigger and so much colder and emptier without him in it. Shivering, she slipped back into her jacket and spent the next few hours doing nothing but staring straight ahead at her screen as she made final adjustments to her designs. 

Any other conversations with Harry were had over email as he worked in his own respective office, messaging her with every little concern he had in order to get his work done efficiently so that he wasn’t stressing to finish it tomorrow before he had to leave. Even though Y/N considered not responding to him a few times, just to spite him and slow him down for her own amusement, she found herself feeling guilty after leaving him hanging a couple times. Sure, she hated Valentine’s Day and everything surrounding it, but she’d almost hate even more the idea of both her and Harry being miserable tomorrow, so she inevitably gave in and cooperated with him. She’d probably regret it when he came back on Thursday spreading around the office all the gory details of his date, but at least he wouldn’t also be in a shitty mood. Her days were both boring and slow whenever Harry wasn’t having a good day. And although she’d blame it all on selfish reasons, it did also make her sad to see him frowning around the office and sulking when all she wanted to do was bicker with him and make him smile again, even just a little bit. But it was easier leaving him to his own devices than risk him finding out she cared about him enough to not wish sadness upon him.  

She couldn’t say the same for him. Harry probably relished in the days she came into the office in a sour mood. He probably celebrated and threw a party whenever she was upset, and, even so, it didn’t change how she felt about him.

The sun had long set and most of the office was gone by the time she finally called it quits and began packing up her things and giving her computer a rest for the night. There were still quiet murmurs from other workaholic employees, which comforting her knowing she wasn’t completely alone in the building, since the last time she’d done that, it took everything in her not to have a panic attack all the way to her car. 

Even though her boss told her countless times not to stay past five o’clock, as he told every other female employee that worked for him that he didn’t wish to see attacked after sunset in the city. Of course, when she was the only one who didn’t listen to him, he hired more guards and one of them rounded the corner into her office space, ready to escort her all the way down to her car.

“Figured you were still here.” He leaned against the walls of her cubicle and watched as she startled, twisting to meet his eyes for a moment before she settled and returned to slipping her belongings into her purse. 

“I don’t need you to escort me.” Zipping her purse, she rose from her chair, checking one last time across her desk to make sure she’d grabbed everything she needed to take home with her before turning to him as he still lingered in the opening of her little office. 

William had been hired a couple months ago, and was only a year older than her, but even so he was more than a foot taller than her and his biceps were about as big as her head. While the entire office drooled over him, she tended to keep her eyes and her thoughts to herself. 

“You say that every night you stay late. Just let me do my job and shut up about it.” He smirked at her and when her eyes met his again, sharply, glaring at him, she groaned and whirled past him toward the elevators. He followed swiftly behind, knowing she’d close the doors on him if he didn’t keep close enough pace with her, mostly because she’d done it before.

As he took his spot beside her and she pressed the button for the parking garage at the basement of the building, a familiar voice rang out through the office.

“Wait!” As if she wasn’t already annoyed enough with William’s presence, his stupidly large arm held the elevator doors open as Harry slipped inside a moment later.

“Thanks, mate.” Harry said exclusively to William as he caught his breath and stood wedged in the middle between the guard and Y/N, who was inching closer and closer into her corner to get away from Harry.

“You have any plans tomorrow?” Harry asked, his attention solely on William again while the elevator took off down through the levels of their building. Not fast enough for Y/N, of course.

William sighed, crossing his arms and trying to resist smiling. “Me and my girlfriend take turns surprising each other every year. And it’s her turn this year… so I guess I have plans, but I don’t know what they are.”

“Damn, way to make us feel incompetent.”

Y/N whirled her head to glare up at the side of Harry’s face. “Speak for yourself.” She warned.

Harry just ignored her though. “What did you guys do last year?”

Again, William stifled a grin. “I had been saving up for a while and took us both to Paris.”

“Shit.” Harry’s eyebrows rose and Y/N rolled her eyes away from him, watching the LED screen above the elevator doors as they neared the bottom levels of the building. She knew Harry and William had become friends, mostly because Harry was annoying and befriended everyone. Except her, of course. She heard his stupid voice again and wished she could just transport herself directly into the front seat of her car and be done with the both of them. “And now she has to do better than Paris.”

Y/N glanced around Harry just in time to see William smirk and she should have known what was about to come out of his mouth before it did. “Well, I don’t consider much better than her mouth ar—“

Y/N cut him off. “Ew! Are you serious?”

Both men eyed her curiously just as the elevator came to a stop and, with a ding, the doors opened. She flew toward them quickly.

“Y/N wait, I have to—“

Again, she cut him off, turning once she was out on solid ground. “I’ll be fine, besides trying to rid my mind of that image you just burned into it.” She turned on her heel and headed off toward her car.

William made a move toward her and Harry grabbed his arm, “I’ll walk her. Forgot she’s a bit of a prude.” They shared an amused look and Harry jogged out onto the concrete and asphalt until he reached her side.

“I heard that, you know… and I know for a fact your car is not parked in this direction.” She seethed and he just smiled to himself, happier than ever that she was in the mood to bicker with him, because he wasn’t quite in the mood to leave yet, where he’d have to wait till tomorrow morning at nine-thirty to see her again. And she wasn’t always the most talkative person on Valentine’s Day, either.

“Why are you the only female in our building not foaming at the mouth over him?” He asked instead, referring to William.

He heard her scoff. “Just because he’s attractive doesn’t mean I have to be interested… or want to hear about his girlfriend sucking his—“

“Cock?” Harry finished for her and within a second she spun around to face him, forcing him to stop in his tracks just inches from her now. His smirk only grew when he saw just how quickly he’d gotten her all flustered. 

And then, as they started each other down, the hardness in her face softened and she drew out a breath, forcing his eyes to fall to her lips and his smirk to fall from his mouth. He thought back to last spring, when there were numerous late nights with her just like this one. When he went home and couldn’t stop thinking about…

“Why are you looking at me like that?” She asked and he blinked a couple times before he lifted his eyes.

“Like what?” He furrowed his brows, trying to track down all the resentment he had for her but he couldn’t find it anywhere anymore. He couldn’t summon it and say something that would save his ass from being caught looking at her like he wanted to kiss her.

Like he wanted to taste her and feel her against him, and hear what she sounded like when he tugged at her hair for more.

“Nevermind.” She shook her head, silencing the chaos going on in his brain. And then she turned, continuing the walk to her car with or without him, but, when she heard the echoing click of his shoes against the asphalt once more, she knew she wasn’t rid of him yet.

“I don’t suppose you’ll give me a ride back to my car, will you?” He easily stepped back into place beside her like nothing had happened.

She didn’t say anything for much longer than he was comfortable with. And then, finally, they reached her car and she sighed. “Get in before I change my mind.”

As she went for the driver’s side, he took quick steps to the opposite side, watching her over the top of her little Honda as she unlocked her door, and then, after clicking the button, his door as well. They both slipped in at the same time and while she fastened her seatbelt and settled in for her drive home, he sat perched with his backpack in his lap, knowing he’d be out of her car within only a couple minutes.

He still glanced around at his surroundings as she backed out of her parking space. “Should’ve guessed your car would be as neat as your desk.”

She didn’t say anything as she drove in the opposite direction of the exit toward the section of the garage Harry always parked in. It was closer to the elevators because he always came in before her and snagged a prime spot. She preferred an extra few minutes of sleep over walking an extra fifty steps.

And he started up again when she continued to not talk to him. “Most artists I know of are super messy.”

“I’m not an artist.” She gritted out through her teeth as she came to a stop once she spotted the rear-end of Harry’s BMW. Although she knew it well enough to distinguish it from the other black BMWs in the garage, it also helped that Harry had an old, faded license plate cover filled with a collage of cute pictures of puppies. He’d said it won him bonus points with women, but she also knew his screensaver at work was a picture of puppies as well, and no women he was interested in ever saw that.

He peeled his eyes off his car and looked over at her. “I know you can draw, too.”

She paused, gripping her steering wheel. She did enjoy both art and design and she knew Harry knew the difference between the two. She just didn’t know why he always insisted on bugging her about it. 

“Yeah, well that doesn’t make me an artist.”

When he didn’t say anything, she glanced at him just in time to find him shrugging a shoulder like he was agreeing to disagree. Even if she couldn’t draw, he’d still consider her an artist because the things she managed to design always blew his mind and if that wasn’t art… 

She rolled her eyes. “Are you going to get out, or do I have to drag you?”

He grinned, and it was almost as if her eyes refused to see anything else but his dimples and the bright whites of his teeth, and the birthmark to the side of his mouth… 

“I’m going.” He assured, and yet he still hadn’t moved an inch. “Even though I’d love to see you try to drag me.” With her knuckles whitening on the steering wheel, he chuckled and unzipped the small pocket on the front of his backpack, withdrawing his keys as he finally swung her door open.

Once he was out, he gripped the top of the door and leaned back in to find her staring straight ahead. “Drive carefully, yeah? Would be quite tragic for your bitter ass to die on Valentine’s Day.”

She reached over and, despite having to brush her knuckles along the side of his thigh, grabbed the handle of the passenger door and yanked. His body remained in her way, however, and he was unfortunately a lot stronger than her.

Then she finally looked up at him, and those thoughts he had earlier surfaced again as much as he’d tried to bury them. This time though, he didn’t fight it as he glanced at her lips once more, then back at her eyes, which had widened slightly just before the dimples reappeared in his cheeks. “And I guess I would miss bickering with you every day.”

With that, he was gone and she retreated back to her seat as he shut the door for her. She had no idea what to think about what had just happened. Why he’d looked at her like that again. What that look even meant. 

By the time she reached the freeway, she’d convinced herself she was just seeing things. Harry wasn’t looking at her in any other way he had before when he was intent on pestering her. But, as she took in the scent of him still lingering in the cabin, she allowed a small part of her to hope she was wrong.

Her eyes fell on the man down the hall from her door as she slipped her key into the lock, her brows furrowing as she watched him. It wasn’t unusual for their paths to cross, as they tended to get home around the same time, but it was quite odd to see him sitting on the floor outside his apartment, his head in his hands. 

They’d said hi to each other a couple times in the mailroom, but she definitely didn’t know him well enough to go up and ask what his issue was or try to fix it for him. And after it was confirmed that he hadn’t, in fact, lost his keys, as they sat beside him on the floor along with his phone, she figured it best to leave him be. 

Turning her key, she pulled her gaze from him and disappeared from the hallway.

The second she was inside her apartment, she felt all the weight lift right off her shoulders, especially when her cat came racing up, screaming at her from the floor while also coaxing her toward the kitchen to fill the food bowl. Whatever was going on with her neighbor still very much on her mind, she tried to focus instead on relaxing and getting both her and the screaming Pretzel some dinner. 

She tried to remember his name as she heated up leftover pasta. She knew it started with an A, but her brain was coming up short. So, while Pretzel crunched on his food in his corner of the kitchen, she tried her hardest to remember. 

And it was no question why she cared so much. Her neighbor was someone she was actually interested in, and she had been since she first saw him. Of course, she was never foolish enough to think he was into her, but she still let herself fantasize. He was tall, nearly black curly hair atop his head always in a state of disarray, and he had the most beautiful blue eyes she’d ever seen hidden behind his glasses. And, if she was being honest with herself, he was just a darker-haired version of Harry. Maybe that’s why she liked him.

The beeping of her microwave tore her thoughts from the dangerous path they’d been headed down. Harry’s voice rang in her head a moment later.

Like I’d lower my standards for you.

She’d needed to hear him say that, because sometimes her thoughts got carried away when it came to Harry and sometimes she did let herself be a fool who hoped. But after he’d said that one damning phrase, it was enough for her to stop. She didn’t meet a single one of his standards, inside or out. 

Still, she tried her hardest not to go back out into the hall and make sure her neighbor was alright. Maybe he just needed someone to talk to and it wasn’t like she was doing anything important. Even if she didn’t have a dumb crush on him, as she did Harry, she still didn’t enjoy seeing him in the state he’d been in.

Before she could work up the nerve, however, a knock sounded through her quiet apartment.

She held her breath as she opened her door, really hoping it wasn’t the boy from across the hall, since she was still blanking on his name, but she couldn’t imagine anyone else knocking on her door this late into the evening. 

So when she inevitably found him there, looking down at her through his annoyingly long lashes as she took in the horrible state he was in—red, inflamed eyes and hair that needed to see a brush rather than his hand—she completely lost her breath instead.

“Uh, sorry, I… saw you come in and I know we don’t talk and this is a weird thing for me to ask but…” He ran said hand through said messy hair and she found her breath again while looking up at him like she’d do whatever he’d asked just so he’d stop frowning.

He sighed, glancing down the hall toward his apartment and then met her curious and somewhat concerned gaze. “Can I come in?”

She recoiled. “Um… why?”

“Well, um, I was hoping you could help me with something and I’d rather not have the entire floor know about it.”

She was beyond confused now, but still, she stepped aside and let him pass, assuming that if he was actually a murderer he would have done her in a lot sooner than this. He had plenty of other opportunities. Plus, something in his face just… made her want to trust him.

She closed the door and turned to him, watching as his eyes scanned her kitchen and where her food still sat before he twisted around, eyes wide. “Shit, I’m sorry for interrupting.”

She shook her head. “It’s fine.” And after clearing her throat, she crossed her arms over her chest. “What do you, um… what do you need help with?”

He swallowed and she watched his Adam’s apple budge in his throat. “I don’t imagine you’ll like me very much after I ask but… I need a date.”

“What?” Again, she nearly flew out of her skin.

His eyes darted back and forth between hers, gauging her reactions and very obviously on the verge of seeing himself out and pretending this never happened. Instead, he stuffed away his pride and went on. “My ex… she, uh… well we broke up a few months ago and I saw her the other day and she’s seeing someone and we were talking and I… told her I was seeing someone too and so she invited me to go on this stupid double date with her… but the thing is… I’m not actually seeing anyone and I just told her that so she’d be jealous but she didn’t seem jealous at all and I don’t exactly have many friends to ask for help and I saw you and…” He rambled, but she managed to understand his predicament just fine. 

“A double date? With your ex?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know either. She’s… she does weird shit but… I still want her back.”

Y/N’s heart ached in her chest. As much as she detested relationships, she was a sucker for other people’s relationships and she was definitely a sucker for her beautiful neighbor, even if he was asking to use her to make his ex-girlfriend jealous.

“Not that I’m saying yes but… when? And where?” She finally asked after thinking things over for a moment.

“Tomorrow night… I can pay you. I will pay you, I mean… but, seriously, you don’t have to do it I just thought I would ask.”

“Where is this date at?” She repeated when he didn’t answer that part of her question.

“At this party… and bef—“

She cut him off. “Okay so let me get this right. You want to hire me as your date to a Valentine’s Day party?”

He lifted a brow, “Well, there’s more… she wants to get dinner before going to the party.”

She shook her head, looking away, “I don’t really do Valentine’s Day…”

“You wouldn’t have to do much. I’ll pay for your dinner, too. Whatever you want. I just… really need your help and you’re my only option.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “You realize I’m not exactly…” she waved at her face and his eyebrows screwed together in confusion. “I’m not easy on the eyes and I don’t think taking me will make anyone jealous.”

He didn’t say anything for a while, just stared at her incredulously. She shifted her weight nervously and he finally opened his mouth. “You don’t actually think that, do you?”

Her features scrunched up and she kept her eyes planted on the middle of his chest. And then he realized that she, in fact, did.

“I’m so sorry… I shouldn’t have asked you to do this.” He also realized that using her to make his ex jealous would possibly hurt her more than it would help him and he could no longer fathom putting her through that. “I’ll figure it out. I’m sorry.” He moved to walk past her, back to his apartment but she stopped him before he got far.

“No… I’ll help you.” And then she realized his identity was still somewhat of a mystery to her. “This sounds even worse than what you just asked me to do, but… I completely forgot your name.”

He breathed out a laugh. “It’s Adam.”

She knew it had started with an A!

“Y/N.” 

He smiled wider and nodded. “I know.” And then his face grew sad again. “I am really sorry I’m asking you to do this on Valentine’s Day, it’s definitely not my proudest moment.”

She waved him off. “I wasn’t going to do anything anyway. Just tell me what you need me to do.” She didn’t bother brining up the whole payment thing. She didn’t really care about being paid. He was nice, the only nice person she’d encountered in her apartment building and if getting him back together with his ex meant she’d never have to come home and see him in the fetal position on the floor again, she’d suffer through a date and a party on her least favorite holiday.

It was somehow even worse than it’d been yesterday. The decorations seemed to triple in size. Not an inch of the office was untouched by something pink and she prayed whoever had put up even more decorations had spared her little cubicle.

“Oh, hey, Y/N!” One of the receptionists most responsible for the overflowing decor, Kayla, called her over to her desk not even a minute after Y/N had arrived. And she stalked over until she saw the package Kayla pulled out that instantly lifted her spirits.

She stopped in front of Kayla’s desk and took the thin box from from her, already knowing what it was and thanking god for the timing so that her entire day wasn’t completely miserable. It was a new drawing pad she’d ordered, a bigger one that she hoped would be a bit more efficient to use than her current one.

Even with her back turned to the rest of the office, she sensed Harry’s presence long before he stopped beside her with his mug in hand.

He lifted a brow at the package in Y/N’s hands just as she reluctantly turned to look at him. “Getting gifts sent to the office? That’s a first.”

She rolled her eyes and stuffed the box under her arm, holding herself back from running off to her office to set it up. “Jealous?” She cocked her head.

And instead of his condescending smirk and a hateful response to go with it, the sparkle in his eyes seemed to fade as he eyed the box again, genuinely worried now that it was actually a gift from someone. 

Before either could say anything, they all turned to find a delivery man walking up to Kayla with a giant bouquet of flowers in tow. And so it began. Although, when Kayla took the vase from the man eagerly, a bright smile on her face because Kayla loved love a little too much, Y/N couldn’t help but think about Adam. About how the only time she’d managed to get a date on Valentine’s Day was when it wasn’t even real. Instead, she’d stupidly agreed to help her cute neighbor win back his ex-girlfriend in exchange for a free dinner.

It was… pathetic. To say the least.

She felt Harry watching her, too, while she eyed the bouquet of flowers as they departed reception with Kayla and made their way to their recipient. As stupid as she found everything about the holiday, she couldn’t help but want someone to send her flowers. To give her anything for that matter. To have thought about her for at least a second of their day. Harry cleared his throat and she tore her eyes away.

“So… what’s in the box?”

“None of your business.” She rounded him, heading to her office, but he grabbed her free arm to stop her short and didn’t speak until she met his gaze again.

“Can we meet up in my office to finish the proposal? Think it’ll be easier to get it done than over email.”

She had every reason to be suspicious of him. They almost never worked in each other’s offices. When they did work together, which was often, it was in one of the empty conference rooms and it was usually at the beginning of the process when they needed the space to plan things out. The last time they’d really been in each other’s offices was last spring. Figuring he just wanted to get things done so he could be out of the office on time, she let it go.

“Give me fifteen minutes.”

He watched her walk away, watched her even as Kayla returned and noticed his gaze and giggled at him as she took her spot back behind her desk.

“It was something she ordered for herself, by the way.”

“What?” Harry whipped around again, not having even realized the other woman until now.

“I know you two pretend to hate each other but I see the way you look at her, Harry.” Kayla lifted a brow at him as she began typing on her keyboard.

He feigned disgust. “I’m seeing someone, you know.”

“Are you?”

“Yes.” He insisted. “I have a date. Tonight.”

She lifted her hands in surrender. “Okay… I’m just saying.”

“I don’t look at her.”

Kayla suppressed a smile and snorted instead. “If you say so. I guess you didn’t also sneak into her office this morning, either.”

“I think all these flowers and stuffed bears and heart-shaped things have gotten to your head.” He pointed around to the decor littering her desk while holding his mug steady.

Kayla met his eyes and her smile slipped off her face. “Harry, please don’t mess with her.”

His face screwed up. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“If you don’t like her then don’t lead her on.”

“I don’t think she’s capable of being led on.”

Kayla froze for a moment and then nodded. “You’re right.”

He wasn’t sure what she meant by that either. “Why are you being weird?”

“Because,” Kayla sighed, brushing her curled brunette hair onto one shoulder and then lowered the volume of her voice. “I happen to know she doesn’t think very highly of herself and I’d rather not see her get hurt, especially not by you.”

Now Harry froze. The hand that gripped his mug tightened and he didn’t even flinch as it began to burn his skin. He heard Y/N’s voice in his head then as he drowned out his surroundings.

Some of us don’t have the luxury of choosing whomever we want.

He had instantly regretted what he’d said to her yesterday when she’d told him that. And now hearing Kayla, in a way, confirm what he’d read between the lines of Y/N’s words… his chest tightened in quite possibly the worst way ever. He’d hated himself most of the day after telling her he’d never lower his standards for her and he could say he was just bickering all he wanted, but he knew now for certain she took it the wrong way. And he wished more than ever that he hadn’t said something so horrible to her, especially when it was the farthest thing from the truth. 

And the real truth, that he was trying desperately to shove away with stupid remarks like that, was that he didn’t meet her standards. She wasn’t into relationships and he knew he wasn’t good enough to change her mind.

“How do you know that?” He finally asked.

“That Christmas party last year… she’s a really happy drunk until she’s not.”

He flinched. “Did she say something?”

“I don’t want to get into it, mostly because I don’t think she remembers and would probably kill me if I told you but… just leave her be.”

He hardened back up again. “She does’t have any interest in relationships anyway, ‘specially not with me.”

Kayla scoffed. “She’s a really good liar.”

Harry stood there for a few more moments, feeling as if his life had just gotten flipped upside down. He’d been in such a good mood mere minutes ago before his dumbass waltzed into reception all because he’d seen Y/N. Because, despite everything and despite the fact he was already attempting to date someone else, it was Y/N he wanted to be close to all the damn time. Groaning, he turned on his heel and left for his office, hoping she wasn’t there waiting for him so he could have a moment to himself to gather his thoughts.

In a hurry to open her package, Y/N slumped down into her chair tossing her purse on the ground at her feet and pulling out her box cutter in a rush of movements. She was so distracted, in fact, that she didn’t even notice the little stuffed frog, the box of chocolates and envelope sitting on the other side of her desk near her mouse. Instead, she unboxed her new tablet and began setting it up, not noticing the gifts until she went to turn on her computer. And then she froze.

With reluctant hands she grabbed the envelope first, her name printed on it in perfect cursive. She knew nobody in the office who had such good penmanship. Opening the card in hopes of finding out who had placed the items on her desk, instead, she just found it signed as ‘secret admirer.’ Rolling her eyes, she set the card down and realized it had to be from her boss. Sometimes he remembered to go around and give everyone little gifts on the holidays. Obviously he’d remembered this year. 

She dug into the chocolates as she set up her tablet and began calibrating it to suit her needs before finally testing it out in the little bit of time she had before she needed to make her way to Harry’s office. 

And once that time came, she left everything in its place, besides the box of chocolates, which she continued to pick at while she made her way through the room. What she didn’t notice while stuffing her face with candy was that… no one else had a stuffed frog or chocolates or a cheesy little card on their desks.

She rounded the corner into Harry’s office, which was a real office and not a cubicle that he usually shared with one other person who was thankfully out with clients for the day. She knocked on the doorframe to get his attention after just watching him focus on his screen for a moment. Harry was cute when he was focused.

But then he turned to her and his eyes fell to the box in her hand.

When he didn’t say anything, she held it out toward him. “Do you want some? I think Andrew was feeling generous this year.”

Harry’s eyes quickly panned up to hers and his brows furrowed as if she’d just punched him in the gut. And she couldn’t make out what that expression meant no matter how hard she tried. 

“He didn’t give me anything.” Harry motioned around his desk.

“Maybe he doesn’t like you.” She shrugged, setting the chocolates down on his desk while she grabbed his office mate’s chair and pulled it up beside him.

Harry sighed, turning to his computer for a moment and then watching her from his peripheral while she picked out another piece of chocolate. “I didn’t see anyone else with chocolates on their desks this morning.”

Y/N just shrugged. “There was a frog too. And a card.”

“And why do you think he’d give you all of that and no one else?” Harry hoped she’d get the hint but he didn’t hope too hard. She was still Y/N after all. And he really didn’t mean to sound so bitter… well, okay, he did. But he knew she’d misplace his bitterness, crushing what little hope there was to bits.

“Maybe he likes me better than all the rest of you.”

Harry scoffed, shaking his head as he put his attention back on his screen. 

“No one else in this office would give me a card signed as a secret admirer so… maybe I did something I don’t remember doing and he’s thanking me?” Now that she really thought about it, and if Harry was right… then it really didn’t make  much sense. It’s not like she was Andrew’s favorite employee.

Harry just lifted a brow and then pretended to lose all interest. 

Sensing the tension, she slipped the box closer to him. “Here. I think you need a knock-off Snickers if you expect me to work with your grumpy ass.” He made no move to indulge her, however. And so she went on, continuing to poke the bear. “Why are you in a lousy mood anyway? Isn’t this your favorite holiday? And you get to leave early.”

His eyes fell from his screen and he stared at the brick of sticky notes below his monitor before mumbling, “I’m sorry about what I said yesterday.”

Taken aback, she searched what she could see of his face for answers to what he was apologizing for. He’d said a few things she could imagine deserved an apology and yet, so did she. Maybe she should have been the one to apologize to him first.

“I didn’t mean to say what I did.” He finally turned to meet her face on. He’d hoped the frog and the chocolates would have been atonement enough, but considering she thought they were from their boss and not him, he just had to suck it up and actually say what he meant.

She shrugged. “It’s fine. I can be a prude sometimes.”

He searched her eyes for a moment and then shook his head, “No that’s not… I meant what I said earlier in your office… about lowering my standards. It was a stupid thing to say and not true in the slightest.”

But then she smiled and he grew confused. “Yes it is. It’s okay to have standards, you know.”

“I know that. But if we… I wouldn’t have to lower my standards. And it was cruel of me to have said that to you.”

She couldn’t stand looking at him any longer and averted her gaze, clearing her throat. “Well it doesn’t matter so… can we just get this proposal done?”

He’d wanted to spend how ever long it took to convince her that it did, in fact, matter, but Y/N was persistent, more so than him, and so he’d given in and they moved on to being productive with their time. And in less time than he’d anticipated their proposal was finished, being sent off to Andrew for approval before their presentation at the end of the week with their clients.

Harry sat back in his chair and she returned her own to the other desk where it belonged, all while he watched her. 

“What do you do on Valentine’s Day?” He asked, just trying to get her to stay longer, knowing that if those were his true intentions, then he was fucked. That he wanted to be around Y/N, even though he was seeing someone else, albeit for just a week so far, even though she’d never want the same from him. 

Maybe he was just as terrible with relationships as she claimed if he always chased after what he couldn’t have.

“That is also none of your business.” She grabbed her box of chocolates from his desk, his voice pinning her in place again though.

“Let me guess… it involves chocolate, your cat, and the most anti-romantic movies you can find?”

He would not think her very prudish if he knew what else she did on Valentine’s Day while alone in her apartment, but she figured it was best to keep that to herself. Instead, she smiled at him. “Something like that.”

He narrowed his eyes and threw his arms up behind his head as he laid back in his chair, watching her curiously like he was trying to figure her out. Meanwhile, she was trying to not make it obvious she was staring at his biceps as they just about bulged from underneath the sleeve of his pink button-up. He’d done it on purpose though, so as much as she tried to hide it, he still grinned with satisfaction when she became flustered.

“Well, have fun with that, then.” He nodded, and for a moment while she was lost in his eyes and growing embarrassingly hot, she wondered if he could read her mind. If he knew exactly what not-so-innocent things she did on Valentine’s Day. Then he brought his arms back down to rest his elbows on the edge of his desk, pinching his bottom lip between his fingers and watching as she rolled her eyes, held her chocolates close, and left his office. 

Adam arrived right when he said he would at five-thirty. It had given her plenty of time to change out of her work clothes and into one of the few dresses she owned, to at least seem somewhat convincing that this was a real date. She also fixed her makeup and put on a pinkish-nude lipstick before switching out her bulky purse for a smaller crossbody. 

When she opened the door to him, he most certainly did not disappoint. She almost let herself get lost in the delusion that it was a real date when she saw him dressed to the nines and cleaned up for the first time since she’d known him. And she especially got a little lost in it when he pulled a small bouquet of flowers from behind his back and handed them to her. 

“You didn’t have to—“

“I know.” He gave her a once over when she wasn’t looking. “You didn’t have to do this for me either.”

She quietly accepted the flowers and let him in while she found a vase and filled it with water. He leaned on the counter, watching her as she did so.

“You look… beautiful, by the way.” He blurted out once she had cut and placed the stems into the vase. Her hands froze, though, and when he met her eyes, he knew he’d made a mistake.

“You’re paying me to make your ex-girlfriend jealous. Please don’t flatter me.”

“Sorry.” He muttered, although he was beginning to wonder if the bigger mistake was not taking her out on a proper date that had nothing to do with his ex. 

She sighed and adjusted the strap of her purse. “Let’s go then.”

He went over all the final details on the Uber ride to the restaurant. Things about his ex he thought Y/N should know about. And he made sure she knew, for about the hundredth time, that she didn’t have to do anything she didn’t want to. And she reminded him for an equal amount of times that she never did anything she didn’t want to do. So, settling that, he helped her out of the back of the Uber when they arrived and opened the door to the restraint for her as well. Everything that she’d expect from a normal date, which only left her disappointed when she reminded herself it wasn’t.

She waited quietly, and tried to catch her nerves, while Adam talked to the hostess and gave her his ex’s name for the reservation. The place was packed and anyone who didn’t call ahead surely would not be getting a table tonight. She’d never been out on Valentine’s Day, though, so it was like stepping into a brand new world for her. And as she followed both the hostess and Adam, she paid more attention to all the couples enjoying their meals than anything else.

Except for when he reached back and grabbed her hand, entwining their fingers just before they came to a stop. She blinked her eyes at their hands for just a moment before he gently pulled her around next to him. And whatever way she’d felt about holding Adam’s hand went right out the window when she locked eyes with Harry.

Shit.

Shit, shit, shit.

The last thing she expected to find, while Laura, the gorgeous blonde ex-girlfriend, stood to hug Adam, was Harry fucking Styles. And what a fucking coincidence it was, almost as if this was her karma for feeling the need to constantly help people. 

Adam’s hand slipped from hers but she didn’t even notice it anyway. She and Harry still stared each other down and neither of them moved a muscle either. Well, besides the one in his jaw as it tightened. Then he did move, glancing over at Adam with a blank expression before landing his gaze back on her again. And then his eyes fell to the glass of water in front of him and she felt like she’d been released from chains he’d tied around her wrists.

“This is Y/N,” Adam’s hand went to the small of her back, guiding her forward to meet his ex-girlfriend and Harry’s current… whatever they were. 

Laura held out her hand, her smile a little too forced. “Laura. It’s nice to meet you. Please, sit.” She ushered them to the table as she took her spot beside Harry again. Adam, of course, took the chair opposite Laura, which left Y/N in the one opposite Harry. 

This would be a long, hellish night.

She couldn’t help but wonder what Harry was thinking. That maybe she’d come to crash his date. Or, even worse, that he’d already figured the whole thing out. That Adam was paying her to be here. She really hoped he’d never find out because it was just embarrassing enough to make her want to change her name and move across the country, thousands of miles away from him. Harry finding out that she couldn’t get a real date to save her life… beyond humiliating.

“This is Harry.” Laura motioned to him and he just barely lifted his gaze, nodding at Adam and ignoring Y/N entirely. “You know,” the blonde went on, glancing between Adam and Y/N, “I was a little shocked when you told me you were seeing someone again.”

Adam just shrugged.

“How did you guys meet?” 

Y/N left all the talking to him. Mostly because she was still in shock that she was sitting across from Harry. And she hadn’t even taken the time to properly take him in and realized he’d also changed his clothes since work. Swapping his wardrobe out for a fitted black button-up, that wasn’t buttoned all the way to the top as his shirts normally were. The sleeves were already rolled to his elbows. He’d shaved off the scruff along his jaw as well and fixed his hair so that it was combed back out of his face, although a a couple rebellious strands hung down onto his forehead. He looked… like absolute perfection. And he was being forced to be on a date with the ex-boyfriend of the girl he was seeing and his annoying co-worker. She felt terrible for him.

“Oh, uh, well we live on the same floor.”

Laura nodded, clearly anticipating more. “Is that it?”

Y/N felt Adam tense up beside her and so she took over, easily spinning a lie. “I ran out of milk one night a few weeks ago. He’s the only one who answered the door.”

She noticed a flash of movement in her peripheral and turned to find Harry’s gaze on her again, one eyebrow lifted curiously. He was either wondering how she hid it so well, or trying to figure out what to ask in order to reveal their ploy. He never said anything, though.

“Sorry, um,” Laura’s tone changed as she glanced between Harry and Y/N, both of them looking away when the other girl interrupted. “Do you two know each other?”

Harry grinned, sitting back against his seat and folding his hands in his lap. “Something like that.”

Y/N rolled her eyes. “We work together.”

“Really?” Although her tone said otherwise, Laura’s face said everything about how she felt upon hearing that bit of information. 

Adam twisted his worrisome gaze to Y/N, but she ignored it. Harry, however, did not.

“Don’t worry, mate. I was under the impression she was celibate up until now.” With that, Y/N kicked him under the table and he sat forward to swallow the groan that very nearly left his lips after she’d jabbed him in the shin with the toe of her heels. “Guess she’s really good at hiding things, though.”

Adam just chuckled nervously and Y/N shot him an apologetic smile, trying to reassure him that this date would still work out despite Harry. 

“What a small world.” Laura laughed, trying to break the tension but dinner hadn’t even started yet. 

Sometime during the main course, Laura excused herself to the bathroom and Y/N almost, in a desperate attempt to flee both Adam and Harry, invited herself along. But she figured it’d be worse to be alone with Laura than with them. Laura might ask questions she wasn’t prepared for. So, she stayed put, as much as it pained her to do so.

“So, Adam, what do you do for a living?” Harry asked suddenly and she wanted to kick him again. Mostly because his tone was that of a jealous teenager and he’d waited until Laura was gone to pester her ex-boyfriend who most certainly did not deserve Harry’s pestering.

“Oh, uh, I’m an artist. I work for an animation studio at the moment but I’m trying to get into freelance.”

Harry’s eyes shot to the suspiciously quiet girl sitting across from him. “So is Y/N.”

Adam turned to look at her, but she just glared at Harry. “Oh, I didn’t know that.”

Harry titled his head as he narrowed his attention in on Adam again. “So you’ve known her for a few weeks and you never asked what she did?”

“Harry.” Y/N warned, trying to kick him under the table again but he dodged out of the way.

“Well… she said she was in graphic design… not art.” She had told him that, during their crash course yesterday while they got to know as much as they could about each other in a span of a couple hours.

“I think it’s the same thing.”

Adam just shrugged. “I guess. I don’t think I could be a designer, though. Most artists make what they think looks good, designers create things to appeal to customers.”

“Just ignore him.” Y/N advised and Harry was the one shooting her daggers and attempting to stomp his foot on top of hers under the table this time.

“You and Laura used to date then? She never told me how you split up.” Harry moved on.

Adam swallowed nervously. “She broke up with me.”

“Why?” Harry pushed and Y/N looked at him like she wanted to kill him, which he ignored.

“I, uh… I had a drug problem for a while. I was not the best person to be around sometimes. But after we broke up, she helped me with rehab and everything.”

“Guess that explains why you’re on such good terms.”

Now Y/N really wanted to do more than just kick him. 

Adam grabbed Y/N’s hand under the table and pulled her straight from her violent thoughts about Harry. And he didn’t lace his fingers between hers, instead, it felt as if he had just been looking for something to ground himself with. And her hand resting on her lap was the closest thing he could find. It didn’t, however, go unnoticed by Harry and his jaw clenched as he stared at the point in the table where, just below, there their hands met almost as if he was trying to set everything on fire.

Laura returned shortly after that. 

As promised, Adam paid the entirety of both his and Y/N’s bill, even though she attempted to snag it from him, seeing as the date had gone to shit and it was all her fault. Well… maybe it was also Harry’s fault a little bit too. But she definitely did nothing to make Laura jealous. Adam, on the other hand, did a great job at making Harry jealous just by existing and being Laura’s ex, whom she was still friends with. 

The four of them stood outside on the curb awaiting their Uber after dinner was over, agreeing upon splitting one car to get to the party instead of taking two. Laura was apparently very cautious about fossil fuel consumption.

Y/N shivered as she stood between Adam and Laura, wishing she’d bright a jacket instead of relying on a long-sleeve dress to keep her warm. Then an arm wrapped around her shoulders and Adam pulled her close, running his hand up and down her arm to form heat. She tensed up, though, forming into an immovable brick. She had no idea the last time she’d been that close to another person, let alone a member of the opposite sex. When he felt her go rigid, he leaned down until his lips were at her ear. “Is this okay?”

She just nodded and tried to relax. Which turned out to be quite easy because Adam was warm and he smelled nice. She, of course, didn’t let her mind wander off too far. He was still in love with his ex. He’d still shove cash into her hand at the end of the night for her troubles and go on with his life.

Adam let go of her when the car pulled up and quickly went to the passenger door to confirm with the driver. Then he opened the back door for the three of them to climb in, Laura going first, then Harry, and, at last, Y/N, while Adam slipped into the front seat beside the driver.

While the car took off, Y/N was shoved into the corner when Harry moved closer to her in order to find both his and Laura’s seat buckles in the dark. Eventually, he settled back into the middle and gave her some space again. When she made no move to do the same as them, Harry turned to look down at her. 

“Put your seatbelt on.” He whispered.

Her eyes whirled up to his. Wordlessly, and of course after rolling her eyes, she grabbed her seatbelt and he made room for her to buckle it in. Then she sat back in her seat, crossing her arms over her chest while she stared out at the traffic through her window.

She would have stayed in that exact position the entire trip, too, if Harry’s knee didn’t insist on bumping into hers constantly. And she couldn’t tell if he was doing it on purpose or not.

When she glanced up at him, and found the corner of his lips curl upward, she figured it was, in fact, purposeful. So, with the hand closest to him as her arms were still crossed, she poked him in the side, right against his ribs, hoping it hurt.

“Ouch.” He whined, covering the spot with his hand dramatically. Everyone in the car glanced at Harry, all except for Y/N who snickered as she returned to staring out the window.

Harry wasn’t giving up, though. This time, with his arms crossed in his lap, and glancing at Laura to be sure she wasn’t watching, he walked his pointer and middle finger up the outside of Y/N’s thigh, close enough to her hip to make her squirm slightly when his touch tickled her. And as soon as he got her attention, he looked down at what he was doing and pressed his middle finger against her, meeting her gaze with a smirk.

In the same moment, the driver turned up the music in the car as they waited tirelessly at a red light. It was better than silence or listening to his passengers breathing. But Harry mentally thanked him and turned his attention back to Y/N, leaning into her slightly until his lips were at her ear and she shivered for an all new reason.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in a dress before.” He whispered for her ears only. The music was especially loud in the back and he wasn’t sure Y/N had even heard him.

Especially since she didn’t respond right away. But how could she? Harry’s fingertips were still grazing her thigh, as if trying to emphasize the dress she had on. And his stupid knee was pressed right up against hers. She couldn’t think straight.

Though when she finally turned to him and whispered back, “Don’t get used to it,” he knew she had, in fact, heard him well enough. 

He leaned again, “Afraid I already am.” 

She hated that there were butterflies in her stomach. That he was saying such odd things to her when his date was sitting just on the other side of him. The date who most definitely met all Harry’s standards.

Huddling away from him, she stuck her eyes out the window and kept them there the rest of the trip.

It was just past eight when they arrived, a fifteen-minute trip up through the city taking half an hour due to all the Valentine’s Day traffic. Another reason she hated this holiday.

The party was being held by Laura’s best friend, who’s name Y/N did not care to commit to memory. In the elevator ride up to the penthouse, though, Harry stood close to Laura, his arm wrapped around her waist and Adam to Y/N, although he didn’t touch her. She wouldn’t have minded if he did, but she figured it was best to keep those boundaries in place anyway.

Pink and golden balloons littered the ceilings of the penthouse. The drink cups were also pink, as was the communal punch bowl that Y/N steered clear of, having no idea what was in it, or who had already spiked it. She knew nobody at the party besides who she’d come with, though she assumed both Adam and Harry were somewhat acquainted with Laura’s friends. 

It was most definitely not someplace Y/N ever saw herself being at, not only because it was a Valentine’s themed party, but also because she wasn’t exactly comfortable around so many people. Especially when those people were all so unfamiliar to her.

“Here,” Adam handed her a drink and then grabbed one for himself. She downed the thing in one go, needing to take the edge off. It might’ve been a slight mistake when the alcohol burned the back of her throat, but she didn’t care too much when she grabbed another.

Then he was leading her into the dancing pit of bodies where they huddled close enough so that his lips were at her ear. “Is it alright if I touch you?”

She glanced over at where Laura and Harry had been left, finding both her hazel eyes and Harry’s green ones glued to the both of them. She wasn’t sure what Harry’s deal was, but this was her moment to fix things and make Laura jealous, so, turning back to Adam, she nodded.

He eased his hands onto her waist as they began swaying to the music. And then he pulled her closer, his hands slipping to the small of her back as her arms wrapped around his neck, being careful with her own movements even though she desperately wanted to sink her hands in his hair.

And, god, he smelled so good as her head rested in the crook of his neck. And he felt good, too, as he moved against her body. She knew it wasn’t real, and that the alcohol was making skewing her perception of things, but it was still nice. Nice to be held and to just let go for a change.

Over Adam’s shoulder, Y/N caught Harry’s eyes again. His jaw clenched and he looked the same as he did back at the restaurant. Angry. And then she realized that maybe she wasn’t really trying to make Laura jealous anymore at all, but rather Harry.

It was dumb, she knew that. He’d have to like her in order for her to make him jealous. But… the way he was looking at her. The way he had looked at her. His eyes lingering too long on her lips. What he’d done in the car ride here. 

She heard Adam in her ear again. “I think it’s working. She just stormed off into the kitchen.” Then he pulled away and she realized she hadn’t even seen Laura. Just Harry. Harry and his stupid, obnoxious green eyes.

“You owe me more than just dinner.” Y/N teased but Adam grew serious.

“I know. And since you refuse to accept my money, I’ll have to figure out another way to repay you.” He smiled and then twirled her around so that she no longer had any line of sight toward Harry. He pulled her close again, one hand going to her waist while the other stayed locked to one of hers. “Suppose I could start with making your coworker just as jealous… although I think he already is.”

Confusion flooded her features as she peered up at him. 

“Oh, come on! He was ready to rip my head off when he realized I’d grabbed your hand. And when I put my arm around you? I thought I might be better off just giving you my jacket and freezing to death instead.”

“I don’t…” she shook her head in disbelief. It was one thing for her to be pretending to make Harry jealous in some delusional hope that it’d work. But this… this was a whole other thing.

“I’m actually quite interested to see what he does if I kissed you.”

She was shocked at first and then, possibly due to the alcohol, just as interested. “Are you asking my permission?”

“Are you saying yes?”

Y/N hesitated. “Is she back?”

Adam’s eyes scanned the room and Y/N realized he hadn’t asked to kiss her for Laura’s sake at all.

“She is.” He finally announced. 

Without any more second guessing, Y/N’s hand slipped to the back of his neck and pulled him in. As soon as their lips collided and she tasted the alcohol on him, she knew that she’d never agreed to this without it. Or maybe she would. Adam spun them back around again, deepening the kiss as her eyes opened and fell into the direction she’d last seen Harry.

He was still there.

Still watching.

His hands in fists. His jaw tightened into a crisp line. His nostrils flared. His eyes… sad.

She pulled away. Adam steadied her, grabbing her shoulders when she swayed. But, as she caught her breath, the dizziness went away. 

“I’m going to find the bathroom.” She told him and after he nodded, she left, forming a rift for herself through the bodies that danced all around them until she was in the clear. Then she was avoiding Harry as she walked past him, not so sure his gaze was still set on her. Maybe she’d gone too far. She didn’t often just kiss people for no good reason and that’s exactly what she’d just done with Adam. She barely even knew him.

She didn’t exactly need the bathroom, just an open, empty and quiet place. And so, she fell back against a wall in the foyer and ran a hand through her hair.

“That was quite the show.”

She startled at the sound of his familiar voice and looked up just as he stopped a few feet away from her. “What are you talking about?”

He lifted a brow. “You expect me to believe that that you, anti everything to do with this holiday and with relationships and romance, are actually dating that guy?”

“Is it that hard to believe?” She crossed her arms, willing to go as far as she needed to before she let Harry see the truth. That she was that pathetic. 

“Yes.” He didn’t even hesitate to respond and she flinched.

“Well, I’m sorry that you have a hard time believing that someone may actually like me.” She had no reason to nearly be shouting at him and no reason to be saying what she was because Adam didn’t like her.

“That’s not what I said. It’s hard for me to believe you just dropped all your ideas about relationships for some guy with obnoxious blue eyes.”

“I didn’t.”

“So then what is this?”

Y/N hesitated. Hating that the truth was about to boil over out of her mouth for him to see all the embarrassing bits of it, but she had no other way of convincing him. And it didn’t really help that Adam was so far out of her league that it wasn’t even convincing to begin with. Nor did she want to convince Harry of anything either. It was clear now that he hadn’t been jealous, he was just trying to figure out when she stopped hating relationships so much.

And the truth of that was she never really hated them. It was just easier telling herself she didn’t want it than admitting no one ever actually wanted her.

She trembled, not even sure why, but he was making her incredibly nervous, so much that she wished she could rewind and stay squished next to him in the back of the car forever. Being that close to him... his stupid fingers on her thigh, whispering things in her ear that made her head spin. She’d much prefer that than standing in front of him now, seeing every ounce of judgment he was about to throw her way.

“What do you want me to say, Harry?” She shrugged and dropped her eyes to the white marble floors between them, focusing on calming her anxiety while she was no longer looking at him. “He needed a date and I felt bad for him.”

“What does that mean?”

Letting her head fall back against the wall, she stared up at the ceiling this time as her eyes burned with embarrassment. “He paid me to be his date so his ex-girlfriend didn’t find out he wasn’t actually seeing anyone. That’s what it means.”

Harry didn’t say anything.

“So, yeah.” She folded her arms, looking down at the floor again, still unable to meet Harry’s eyes and see the look that would be on his face. A smirk of amusement at her expense. Even probably his dimples, taunting her and turning her into the joke she already was. “You were right. I can’t find anyone to tolerate me, which is why I’m on this stupid date that isn’t even real.”

“Him kissing you seemed quite real to me.”

There was more exasperation than humor to her laugh. “It wasn’t.”

Harry seemed to finally understand. “He’s trying to make Laura jealous.”

Y/N just nodded. “I promise I didn’t know you were going to be there, that he was trying to get her back from you.”

“You still kissed him though.”

She couldn’t argue that, nor could she tell him the real reason she’d agreed to the kiss. That it wasn’t exactly Laura she was trying to make jealous. She’d never live that one down, if she ever managed to live any other aspect of this night down.

When she didn’t say anything, he stepped closer. “Why did you kiss him?”

“I’m sorry, Harry I just... I don’t know.”

He shook his head and took another step, making her eyes widen when he was close enough that she had to crane her head back to meet his gaze. “Seemed like you were trying to make me jealous.”

She swallowed, not exactly in the position to laugh it off and argue with him when he was this close and all she could feel were the traces of his fingertips on her thigh. Her voice was quiet when it finally came out. “Making you jealous would mean I assumed you liked me in the first place... which I’m definitely not stupid enough to assume.”

A crease formed between his brow and his stupidly perfect jaw hardened as if he was biting his tongue from saying something. And fuck him for choosing then to finally stop opening his mouth.

Just then, a pair of drunk guys, one on the other’s back, came racing through the foyer, screaming at the top of their lungs while a few others followed quickly after them. It was enough to force Harry away from Y/N again, enough for the both of them to step out of the little bubble they’d been in together the past ten minutes.

Once they were alone again, their eyes gravitated toward each other and just when she thought Harry might say something after all, he flipped around on his heel and left. And she watched as he turned the corner and mixed back into the party.

After a few moments to gather herself, she followed him, not exactly sure what she was going to do now that Harry wouldn’t talk to her and it felt weird being with Adam while Harry knew everything. But, whatever plans to keep herself occupied no longer matted when she spotted Laura.

Making out with Adam in the middle of the room. 

Without even thinking, she turned to locate Harry and he might as well have been a source of gravity because her eyes fell right to him within a second. And he was watching them too. He knew. 

He met Y/N’s eyes and she wasn’t quite sure if he was upset or not. She couldn’t really read anything on his face, and stopped attempting to when he moved towards her and she had other things on her mind, like where he was going and if he was going to bother taking her with him.

Shortly after he stormed past Y/N she made sure he wasn’t going to leave her behind and chased after him. She didn’t know Adam very well and definitely not Laura to want to stay with them. And everyone else in the room were complete strangers to her. Adam had promised he’d take her home, but he probably hadn’t expected to be making out with his ex by the end of the night, either.

Harry didn’t say anything, not even when they’d reached the foyer and Y/N asked where he was going. He just located his jacket and slipped it on before making his way out the front door.

And right when she thought he really was going to leave her behind, since she was the reason he’d just lost Laura to her ex, he held the door open and glanced over his shoulder at her while she still stood on the other side of the threshold.

“Are you staying?”

Without a word, she sprung into motion and trailed right behind him into the hallway like a lost puppy, letting the door shut behind her that cut them off from the music as it faded into the background behind them.

It was a silent trip down the elevator, mostly because she had no idea what to say that would sound sincere and he didn’t say anything at all. At least not until she followed him through the lobby until he stopped on the curb just outside the main doors.

She took up the spot next to him, eyes glued to the side of his face as he took in a deep breath of fresh air, or at least as fresh as traffic allowed it to be.

Then he spoke, and it seemed like the first time she’d heard his voice all night. “I’m the one who gave you the chocolates and the frog.”

She narrowed her eyes, both not exactly sure why he’d just said that or if he was even being serious. “What?”

He looked down at her. “It wasn’t Andrew, it was me.”

“Why?” She breathed and while she was positive she’d be freezing cold soon, the fresh air after being surrounded by so many people felt good. It felt freeing and she wondered if he felt that way too.

His eyes scanned hers before he looked away. “Well partly to apologize for what I said.”

“What’s the other part?”

Sighing, he turned his entire body to face her now. “Something else entirely…” He trailed off, only confusing her more as he stuffed his hands into his pockets and stared at his feet. “I didn’t tell you because I know you don’t like all this stuff, but seeing you with him tonight... I wish I had.” 

“It’s not that big of a deal. It’s just a frog.”

He shook his head, grinning. “It’s not just a frog, Y/N... because the thing is,” he paused to catch his breath, “I’ve been in love with you for... a really long time… since last spring. But with you being the way that you are, I never thought you’d feel the same way.”

She opened her mouth and then closed it.

“And then you come in with that guy and...” He pulled his fingers through his hair. “I don’t think I’ve ever been more jealous in my life... because all this time I thought you weren’t interested in relationships, but you just weren’t interested in me.”

Inhaling, she summoned every ounce of courage she could fathom. “You were right about why I kissed Adam.” He lifted a brow, waiting for her elaboration which never came. “You were right about other things, too. I wish I had someone to come home to almost every single night I got to bed alone. No one—“ She cut herself off, trembling again as tears stung her eyes. “I pretend not to be interested so I can ignore the fact that no one’s ever wanted me.”

“That’s not true.” He had that same look on his face as before, when she’d told him she wasn’t stupid enough to think he liked her.

She just nodded. “And I’m sorry but... why would you want me when you could have someone like Laura?”

“Y/N...” He huffed and stepped closer to her, the heat from his body making her shiver. “This is not the first time I started seeing someone to get over you... in fact, all my relationships since I met you have been shit.”

“Why didn’t you just tell me?”

“Well you’re very anti-relationships so I think I was justified in wanting to avoid you rejecting me… especially since we work together and it would have been really awkward.”

“I don’t, uh... I...” She stammered, not really sure what to say to him even though her heart was screaming at her in full volume. 

He held his breath and then, in almost a whisper, “Is this the inevitable rejection?”

“No.” She didn’t even hesitate that time and at this point, her mind no longer controlled the words coming out of her mouth as she let another organ finally speak for itself. “No, I liked you the second I saw you, Harry... and at no point tonight was I ever trying to make Laura jealous.”

The corners of his mouth began to curl into a smile. “That was very cruel of you to do to me.”

“I didn’t think you liked me at all twenty minutes ago, Harry.”

“Twenty minutes ago,” he fully invaded all of her space now, leaving the smallest gap between their bodies as he could get away with, lifting his hand to her jaw and rubbing his thumb over her cheek. “I was still on this date with the wrong person.” 

“I think the date is over now.”

“No,” his eyes fell to her lips just like they had before. “It’s not.” 

“You’re looking at me like that again.” She mumbled, out of breath.

He lifted a brow and didn’t once remove his eyes from her lips. “Like what?”

“Like…” she trailed off, not having the courage to say it in case she wasn’t right. 

“Like I’ve wanted to kiss you for a very long time and I’m tired of pretending?” 

“Something like that, yeah.”

He grinned, both of his dimples making an appearance just before he leaned in and brushed his lips against hers. And once her brain realized what was happening, she sunk right into him, letting his arm wrap around her waist as his other hand tangled its way into her hair to bring her closer. She threw her arms over his shoulders and he hunched lower to meet her. She staggered back a step when he did, nearly losing her balance but he caught her instantly and then drew his lips back as he laughed.

“This is not how I expected tonight to end.” She couldn’t help but think the way he struggled to catch his breath was possibly the hottest he’d ever been. Not to mention the tiny bit of her lipstick smeared on his face. She could look at him just the way he was right there and then for days and be perfectly satisfied.

“It doesn’t have to end yet.” She fully blamed her sudden burst of confidence on the cold, but refreshing February night. And maybe she also just wanted to get out of it before it caught up to her and she would, yet again, regret not having a jacket.

“Oh?” She wanted to smack the mischievous smirk off his face and leave him there on the curb. “And here I thought you were a prude.”

“You thought a lot of things about me that weren’t true, Harry.”

He thought about that for a moment and after realizing she was right, he then wondered just how wrong he was when he’d called her celibate. “I suppose… I’d quite like to find out just how wrong I was.” He slipped a loose strand of her hair back behind her ear, which is where his lips ended up as he whispered softly, “And I’d also quite like to show you just how wrong you were about me not liking you.”

They stumbled into her bedroom in the dark, Pretzel racing out between their twisted feet in a hurry, screeching at them in the process. Harry giggled against her lips, “Your cat sounds friendly.” 

“Well, since I was supposed to be spending tonight with her, and chocolate, and anti-romantic movies…” She pulled away from him, watching as his smile spread further. Maybe she could actually believe he’d been in love all this time. 

“Right… I’d be upset too.” 

She shook her head and kissed him again, then pulled back a second later. “You know that’s not actually what I do on Valentine’s Day.”

He lifted a brow and waited for her to explain but she didn’t.

“And what is it that you do, then?” He finally asked, curiosity getting the best of him, although he had some inkling as to what she was talking about.

Her smile was devoid of innocence as her hands fell to his belt. Harry’s shirt had already been lost to the kitchen floor. Her dress hardly covering what it was supposed to once Harry had gotten his hands on it. 

“Maybe you’ll get to find out.” 

When she brought her lips back to his, after undoing the buckle just under his navel, he spun them around and led her backwards to the bed. He wasn’t sure how far it was, but hoped he was headed in the right direction. And because of that, when her knees did finally bend over the mattress, he practically came flying down on top of her. 

She squirmed out from under him, crawling back towards the pillows as she watched him at the end of the bed while he stood and removed his belt completely, trying not to drool at the sight of him. At the sight of Harry, her fucking annoying ass, perfect, beautiful, coworker standing shirtless at the end of her bed where he was also about to be…

He pushed his trousers down off his hips and they fell to the floor with ease, almost with the same amount of ease that her eyes fell to the tight boxer-briefs he wore underneath. She swallowed as he adjusted the waistband back into place, quite certain that, even in the low light, her eyes were not deceiving her.

The bed shifted at her feet as he joined her, and then it took all her willpower to not fling herself at him as he crawled up the length of her. As he settled himself between her thighs and she felt every last, very hard, inch of him pressed against her. She couldn’t be blamed for the whining moan that she let out in his ear as his lips became familiar with the shape and taste of her neck. She also couldn’t be blamed when her hips instinctively collided with his.

He just giggled again and shook his head, the loose strands of his curls tickling her forehead. “Easy now.” He warned in a hushed mumble, his lips vibrating right against the vein in her neck that pulsed so much faster the more his free hand began to wander up underneath her dress.

He left her speechless for multiple reasons, but the main one was when she felt his fingers tracing down her thigh and then, moments later, after he shifted his weight and used his knees to keep her legs open, she sucked in a breath of air as she felt him pressed against her clit, forcing her nails to dig into his back but he didn’t seem to mind.

Coming back down to kiss her, he began moving his hand in expert little circles, grinning against her mouth every time her body begged him for more. It wasn’t long that he complied, either, when he sat back on his knees between her legs and tugged her underwear off for good, throwing it to the depths of her bedroom floor. He wouldn’t have known where they landed even if he tried because his gaze belong to her only as he lowered himself to his elbows before her, kissing his way up her thighs until he reached her center.

When she squirmed away from him, he wrapped his arms around her thighs and pressed his hands into her hips after gently moving her dress out of the way. 

“You know when we used to stay late at the office working?” He asked suddenly and the heat of his voice against her made her squirm again, but he held on tight. “And you would get sick of sitting in an office chair and made me promise not to tell Jim when you sat on his desk instead?” She had no clue where he was going with it, but still, she nodded. “Every single time I turned to look at you, I thought about doing this.” Before she could get words out or even a coherent thought, she felt his tongue on her. And this time when she jerked against him, she nearly slipped out of his hold until he grabbed her again and pulled her back down, digging himself further into her as she struggled to breathe properly.

She dug her fingers into his hair when he brought her close to the edge and showed no mercy. And somehow, she’d managed to get the sole of her foot up onto his shoulder in order to kick him away, but it didn’t matter much because he never budged. Not that she wanted him to, but he just felt so good… 

“Harry!” She shouted, pulling at his hair and making matters worse for herself when he moaned against her sensitive bundle of nerves. He let her come, never once lifting his mouth from her even as her hips jerked off the mattress and she very nearly pulled his hair out. When she stopped screaming, her voice caught in her throat because she was lost to her own orgasm, is when he lifted his mouth, replaced it with his fingers and watched her as she came down. As her eyes fluttered shut and her chest heaved, her lungs struggling to get oxygen back into her system. Her hold on him loosened as she came undone around him, melting into his hands it seemed like.

And when he began rubbing his index and middle finger into her, once she was far and beyond overstimulated, and he knew that, she reached down with a whine and grabbed his wrist with what little strength she had in her and pulled him away. His hand fell to the other side of her hip, which he used to his advantage to pull himself up over her again, his other hand taking her dress with it until he was able to tug it over her head and toss it. Then he came back down to kiss her, letting her taste herself on her lips. He rubbed his thumb across her cheek and when he pulled away, found her looking at him finally. Although it was with heavy lids as she still struggled to regain her bearings.

Before they could get much further, a loud crashing sound from the other room made both of them nearly jump out of their skin. She shot up instantly, grabbing hold of Harry’s bicep before moving him out of the way and sliding off the edge of the bed. 

“It’s just the cat.” Harry would have probably said the same thing even if it was not just the cat, he’d say anything just to get her to stay with him.

“I know but it sounded like…” her voice trailed off as her feet hit the floor and the moment she went to stand on her own two legs, her knees buckled. He reached to grab her waist but she righted herself before he could. She didn’t see the way he hid his cheeky smirk at the fact that he’d been so good, she was still dizzy.

“You good?” He asked as she stumbled her way into a shirt. With only a groan in response, and what he was sure was her middle finger, she left him alone in her bed to investigate the noise. Sighing, he laid on his back and got comfortable amongst her pillows. And after about three minutes, decided to locate the remote to her TV to entertain himself. 

He flipped onto his side and felt around her bedside table, but his fingers never landed on anything remote-like. So, frustrated, he reached up and switched the lamp on. Again, he found nothing. Looking further, he realized the table had a drawer and so he pulled it open in hopes of finding the damned remote before she got back. 

But what he found instead was so much better than turning on late night news.

“Fucking cat knocked over my vase.” Y/N was back within ten minutes. Harry had left the light on, but made sure it wasn’t obvious he’d gone snooping into her drawer, at least not yet anyway. She crawled back into bed beside him and it was then he noticed the bandage on her thumb.

“Are you alright?” He forgot all about what he planned to tease her with when he gently grabbed her hand to inspect the damage.

“Yeah. I was in a bit of hurry trying to clean up the glass…” 

Harry rolled his eyes and dropped her hand. “I would have come help you.”

She just smiled up at him as he fit his arm around her shoulders, his bicep under her neck. “That’s alright.”

He shrugged. “It was for the best anyways that I didn’t.” When he smirked, she narrowed her eyes suspiciously at him.

“And why’s that?”

She followed his other hand as he reached for something and then, moments later, it reappeared with a very familiar pink object clutched in his grasp. “Because then I wouldn’t have found this.”

Her first reaction was to pry it from his snooping fingers, but when she reached across him to grab it, he way too easily held her back and, at the same time, held it far out of her reach. 

“So this is what you do on Valentine’s Day, then?” He flicked his wrist back and forth, waving her vibrator in the air as he taunted her.

“If you don’t give that back to me,” she reached for it again to no prevail, “you won’t be doing anything, least of all, me.”

He clicked his tongue. “Why would I give it back when I plan on using it?”

She froze and he chuckled at her reaction.

“Would be rude of me to break your traditions, wouldn’t it?” 

She swallowed, her eyes slowly meeting his again. The appearance of his right dimple told her he wasn’t playing any games. She had no idea how many times he planned to make her come tonight or whether or not she’d even be able to walk tomorrow at work. But, given the stupid look on his face, she almost began making plans to call out sick instead.

“Do you actually know how to use that thing?” She finally asked, glancing at the wand still held very firmly in his hand.

He looked at her like she was crazy moments before he pivoted and pinned her onto her back, settling himself into the position they’d been in before the interruption of the cat. 

Just, this time… he was clicking on her vibrator and watching her face as she began to regret her words. 

“‘Course I know how to use it. The real question is,” he brought his lips to her ear, the soft vibrations and the sound of his voice mixing together like sin itself. Even more so when he nipped at her earlobe. “Do you know how to handle it?”

[leviiattacks]

teacher!levi and teacher!reader headcanons please 🥺

author note :: i expected for this to be better but idk,,, um, you know maybe it’s just me who wishes i executed it better but i wrote this at 3am that’s my excuse. ANYWAY I HOPE U ENJOY ANON :-))) i know it’s not headcanons but here!! also my ask box is always open to feel free to drop by !! 

word count :: 5.4k (after i had to severely cut the word count down because my tumblr wouldn’t let me post the longer version with more detail,,,,)

honestly you’ve never fit in well with the math teachers in particular but you’re still amicable with most

however, there’s one unbearable member of the group that happens to want to play jump rope with your patience constantly

and that person just so happens to be mr ackerman

every single staff meeting the both of you sit furthest away from each other whilst silently exchanging bitter glares

maybe it’s his stony disposition or his unrealistically harsh grading system that makes him seem so off putting to you.

or perhaps it’s your soft and gentle approach to teaching that drives him up a wall

but to make matters simple, the two of you have never got along. nearly everything he says you disagree with and nearly everything you say he has to rebuke.

every outlandish suggestion of his at meetings is met with firm disapproval from you and every time you bring up wanting to provide the children with more time for extracurricular activities he sneers in annoyance

today he’s proposing a plan to set exams as soon as possible

???

you wonder if he’s even thinking with his head attached to his neck because it’ll be impossible for the children to handle all of the content in the form of an exam paper so soon

the workload he’s been pushing onto his math class has become far too ridiculous for your liking and you want to put an end to the man’s reign of terror

it just so happens your classes are scheduled in the blocks next to each other meaning he always sees your students an hour before you do

it’s got to the point where your pupils trudge into english class completely EXHAUSTED

the other day a boy fainted because of lack of sleep and now mr ackerman has the audacity to put forward the exam dates???

“we need to instill these children with discipline. taking them by surprise will give them a much needed reality check.”

you groan at his speech and raise a hand

“may i interject?”

professor ackerman’s tongue pokes at the inside of his cheek the irritation is painted on his face but he nods although he seems reluctant

“these children do not need standardized exams to-”

“would you like for me to completely scrap exams from the curriculum?” without even allowing for you to present your argument he has to cut you off with a mocking grin

“levi, i think-”

“that's mr ackerman to you.”

his blunt correction has you rolling your eyes because YES!! you understand the two of you aren’t exactly the best of friends but he doesn’t even want to be on a first name basis with a colleague of two years??

his pettiness has your blood boiling in searing displeasure

“you have to stop going so hard on these children.”

he’s shuffling through some paperwork not even batting an eye in your direction.

“personally, we aren’t hard enough but of course the english teacher has trouble understanding that.”

the jab he makes at your job only causes the anger inside of you to bubble up again

why does teaching english have ANYTHING to do with this???

“you teach math yet you can’t calculate the reasoning behind your subpar love life. do not insult english.”

personal insults are your favourite to throw at him because he always gets so riled up

and actually for once you have the answer to a math question.

the reason why his love life is so uneventful has to be because of this :

his personality + his obnoxious humour + his looks = a good looking but undatable man

his jaw clenches and the grip he has on the stack of papers in his hands strengthens

ok,, that is kinda hot but that is not relevant at all

you’re able to make out miss ral one of the other math teachers make a move to speak and god you fight the urge to punch her every day because she’s always gushing about mr ackerman

seeing as you don’t want to punch her or anyone for that matter you turn to give her a “if you speak right now i swear to god i will lose my shit” look

she gets the memo incredibly quickly because her mouth closes shut immediately

mr ackerman takes a sip out of the cup of black tea next to him. “i would appreciate if you just sat back and let me do what’s best.”

“children fainting in my lesson is not what’s best.” your rebuttal catches him off guard and he seems more than a little surprised

“wait- fainted??”

you eyes flick over to mr zacharias, you had told him to pass the message on but the way he’s sheepishly looking at the floor avoiding your eyes clearly tells you all you have to know

“looks like someone forgot to pass the message onto you but the other day falco fainted in english.”

“is he- is he okay?? did he say why?”

eyebrows raising you’re quite surprised to see any sort of reaction from him let alone concern

“he stayed up all night completing your homework.”

lips pressing together into a fine line it almost looks as if he’s guilty

“i’ll talk to him about it later.” his voice is back to its usually plain tone and any trace of his previous worry has been masked.

an awkward silence follows. he coughs choosing to not continue the discussion about exams.

principal smith takes the hint and moves on to discuss planned school trips

HOORAH victory!!!

yet another day where you’ve saved your students

“who is fallacy and why are they pathetic?” a few snorts and giggles are heard around the class and you force yourself to laugh at falco's miserable attempt at a joke

you’ve noticed falco���s been cracking more jokes around his new seat mate gabi.

she’s small but feisty always willing to debate and she’s really a joy to teach although she can get a little bit aggressive with the others at times

honestly it’s quite obvious that falco has a fat crush on her. well, actually it’s been obvious from the moment she step foot into your class

and... you couldn’t just ignore the way falco looked at her could you?? and there was an empty space next to him too sooooo, what harm would there be in placing the two together?

it seems as if your attempt at getting the both of them to talk has worked. gabi and falco compete desperately for the top position in the class and are two of the best students you’ve had in a while

also after the day falco fainted in class gabi has been noticeably nicer. things like asking if he’s drank water or how much he’s slept

you have a small inkling that she may like him back

and the budding romance is adorable to you because you too once had childhood crushes

it feels rather nostalgic to see the two interact

but today you notice the two aren’t in

in fact, you notice half of the class isn’t?

“where are the others?” your question sends a jolt through one of your present students but he stays silent choosing to pretend to clean his glasses as a distraction

crossing your arms over your chest you walk over towards his desk

“udo, you can tell me what it is.”

“professor ackerman said not to tell.” udo looks petrified and you’re just kinda wondering what in the hell is going on

lucky for you his resolve is thin and he quickly cracks under pressure

“okay. you can’t say i told.”

nodding in agreement he looks around making sure no one else hears what exactly it is he’s about to disclose

“he’s kept some people back to talk to them about something top secret. i don’t know what but he asked for the students who like you.”

at that you feel a little bitter because if he asked for the student who liked you why on earth is half the class still here??

but oh well, you guess you can’t please them all

“oh no, no, no. you’ve got it wrong. we all wanted to stay but he didn’t let us.”

udo looks genuine so you let it slide

either way it doesn’t really matter as long as the majority prefer you over that sick and twisted math teacher you’re alright

“he does know he’s cut into my class time right?”

“falco told him that and he whispered something about how you’re bothersome.”

you???? bothersome???

WHEN HE’S THE ONE BOTHERING EVERYONE?/!:£:!/)

you don’t even look back as you walk out frankly furious at what’s happened

english is important

ACTUALLY!!!

ENGLISH > MATH

you will stand by that till the day you die

your knuckle meets with the wooden surface of your sworn enemy’s classroom door and almost automatically you’re able to hear the shuffle of chairs and padding of numerous footsteps approach

the door swings open and you step aside to allow your missing students to pass through

they look nervous but one look at your reassuring smile lets them ease up and relax

“well.” a voice behind you snaps “look who paid me a visit.”

“we’re talking about this later.”

you try your best to sound serious but you don’t know if you pull it off as well as he does because he just ends up giving you a disappointed sort of look

“y/n. stick to being the good cop it suits you better.”

“we are not on first name basis. you said it yourself.” is your narrowed comeback

finally turning to face him you’re surprised when your eyes travel to the triangle of space behind him and you’re able to get a peek of what looks to be a list of books on his whiteboard

pride and prejudice

wuthering heights

jane eyre

ville-

before you’re able to read the rest he moves in front of your line of vision

he’s got quite the selection but,, when did he of all the people on this planet start showing any interest in literature?

“the books on the board what’s that about?”

your inquiry flies over his head and he shuts the door behind him completely

his face doesn’t move and if it does it only shows the slightest hint of confusion

“what books are you talking about?” he replies and don’t know why your knees feel a little weak when he looks you straight in the eyes

snap.

out.

of.

it.

“i saw books on the board.”

“you saw wrong.” he barks back and he’s getting agitated now

maybe you did imagine it...

and you have to get back to teach your class so okay fair enough you’ll let it go because you do know you have a habit of daydreaming randomly

however that doesn’t stop you from giving him another skeptical look before you leave because there is NO WAY you imagined it, but it is you and it really could be a possibility

the click clack of your heels against the floor sound out as you remove yourself from the conversation

you assume he’s returned to his classroom

that’s why it catches you by surprise when you hear a hesitant voice behind you

“there were no books on the board.”

you don’t know why he has to tell you that again because it only makes himself look all the more suspicious

“but if they were a list of book recommendations then what would you recommend i read?”

the question is peculiar coming from him

are you in an alternate universe?

is this a dream?

are you talking to a clone?

a robot?

because this can NOT be the same man you’ve been working with for two years

maybe he’s having a change of heart?

but that sounds unlikely

maybe he’s planning to read the book and somehow with that big brain of his formulate a calculation to score it a measly two out of ten

yeah. that sounds more likely.

nevertheless, you still want to give him a recommendation, maybe he’ll find out he’s into books this way

“you should totally check out pride and prejudice :-)”

for once you’re smiling at him and he doesn’t know what to do because the change is sudden but he doesn’t say a word after that

instead he retreats into his classroom

god.

now you’re sure he’s just asked to form a stupid calculation or whatever the hell it is math teachers do.

“he likes you.” hange has a shit eating grin on their face and you can’t help but narrow your eyes and sigh in exasperation

no he does not like you but you don’t try to correct hange because you know they’re firm in their stupid belief

“would you ever date him?” hange fiddles with the last of their potato salad absentmindedly waiting on your reply

the question literally has you choking on your lunch

“i would rather fight for survival in the wilderness. thank you for asking.”

“oh come on... he’s got a thing for you. you read romance novels all the time you should be able to tell he does.”

“yeah and that thing he has for me is wanting to shove my head onto a pitchfork. you’ve got the wrong end of the stick.” shoving a piece of pasta into your mouth you sigh dreamily at the taste. it serves as a momentary distraction

you get one lunch break and you are not!!!! in the mood to talk about him whilst you’re on that break

he’s attractive

and you have to admit he looks handsome in his crisp white button up and pristine black suit AND his cologne is really...

okay, you are digressing from the point

none of what you just said means anything!!!

at surface level he seems like a catch but it’s what’s on the inside that matters and he said he finds english stupid

that’s more than enough of a reason to dislike the guy?

he thinks stuff like the pythagorean theorem and y = mx+c are entertaining

y = mx+c ??? over literature???

you read books to teach and you read books for your own enjoyment

it would be a complete travesty if you had a crush on a book hater

and levi ackerman most certainly can be classed as a book hater.

a pessimistic book hater if the specifics are needed

“OH! SORRY Y/N GOTTA BLAST MOB’S OVER THERE!!!!!”

you don’t even get the chance to say goodbye because hange makes an eager run towards moblit

hange and moblit are inseparable, both are the shared heads of the science department and since he’s been off on sick leave recently you understand why hange’s rushed off to greet him

you wish you had a teacher friend like that but the sad truth is you’re pretty much a lone wolf. the other english teachers are wrinkly old pickles and talk about antiques or quiz shows :-(

“this seat free?”

no way.

it’s not him

it can't be

what does he even want??

“um, well yeah it is free b-.”

“good.” he takes the seat without you even inviting him and now you’re stuck in an awkward situation you didn’t even expect to be in today

you're about to burst into tears because is it too much to ask for a peaceful lunch period???

mr ackerman clears his throat and places a book in the center of the table. “pride and prejudice although not my cup of tea was... mildly enjoyable.”

wait...

is this him...

admitting defeat!??

HELLLOOOOO

you are over the moon right now because you know he really had to have enjoyed it a lot and is simply choosing to withhold that information for his own reputation

“i’m happy to hear you took a liking to it.” you’re munching away at your pasta a little more upbeat now

“okay but the start of the book assuming all single men want a wife? no, all i want is a good night’s rest for once. also mrs bennet needs to calm down, elizabeth can marry who the hell she wa-”

“someone’s a little passionate aren’t they?” you giggle into your glass of water and you catch mr ackerman frowning

“i liked it okay.”

“i thought you said it was only mildly enjoyable just now?” grinning and looking at him through your lashes his cheeks become red

you guess he’s angry or something but that’s the usual with him

“yeah, whatever. i just wanted to play fair and apologise.”

“apologise?” oh wow, now your interest has really peaked because never in the past two years has he apologised to ANYONE

not even principal smith for the one time he flipped out and nearly cursed at a mouthy student at parent's evening

grimacing a little before he does it he finally speaks again.

“english is important. i’m sorry.”

your lips tug up into a bright smile

well???

this is a great interaction??

an apology coming out of levi ackerman of all people

“apology accepted! i’m glad to know you liked the book but now that we’re a tad bit friendlier with each other i wanted to ask for a favour.” your eyes gleam and he swears he can see specks of shining stars in them

“...okay, it depends.”

he’s warming up to you so he considers it

“please don’t cut into my lesson time levi.” his name slips out of your mouth but it’s so natural you don’t even care to correct yourself

“i’m sorry about that too y/n.” your name now ventures out of his mouth too as it tests the waters

wordlessly the two of you agree to first name basis

BUT more important matters are at hand such as how he’s issued you yet another apology?

this is satire surely

because why is he so willing all of a sudden...?

well, that's the power of pride and prejudice, wow you’re really thanking the heavens for blessing this world with jane austen’s existence

jane austen. a woman capable of remarkable things, she's even managed to make an unmoving book hater somehow become a lover

poking at your tuna pasta you and levi are now quiet.

“soooooo, any opinions on mr wickham?” you ask the question hoping to initiate a longer conversation than before

and luckily for you your attempt works

SUCCESS!!

levi pinches the bridge of his nose and the creases on his forehead show he clearly isn't particularly fond of wickham

“don’t get me started he’s so indescribably annoying?”

ok, ok, ok

you don’t even know how it happens but you and levi really hit it off

weeks have passed and you and him have even become lunch buddies

it was so shocking to moblit at first that he dropped his lunch on the floor when he saw you and levi enthusiastically exchanging words

then again, two mr wickham haters are bound to get along

you’re seriously wondering how the two of you ever survived as mortal enemies

yeah, you still disagree a lot but you’re getting there!!

sometimes he helps you out when your computer stops running and in exchange you’re willing to offer him book recommendations

he swears he doesn't want any recommendations from you but you know he enjoys it

yesterday he got microsoft excel out and showed you how useful it really was and you went :O because you never really understood the need for it at all

you’re a little bit of a granny when it comes to tech...

and just today at lunch you recommended he checks some plays out but his nose wrinkled at the mention of shakespeare so the both of you went through a long list of dramas and eventually you were able to interest him in j.b. priestely's an inspector calls

another victory for you!!

anyway, right now the two of you are sitting inside of the staff room seeing as it's that time of the month again.

time for the monthly staff meeting

it's the first one you've had since you and levi became friends and you're worried the both of you will be back at it butting heads

wait, are you friends?

well, you wouldn't mind if that were the case but to be honest you would like to be a little bit more than friends mayb-

no!!! no!!! no!!! stupid thought!!! you retract that statement immediately

no you do not want to be more than friends with levi ackerman, yes he's lovely to a degree but you are not going to elaborate on why it's a terrible idea to fancy him

okay wait, let's elaborate for the sake of elaborating

he's surprisingly charming and wittier than you thought he would be. the fun conversations are making your days now and to be honest it is nice to have someone to spend lunch with (hange usually skips out on lunch all together to tinker in the science labs and set up experiments)

wait... weren't you suppose to explain why you don't want to get with him?

you're an idiot and you don't notice how dumb you really are until everyone just kinda gawks at the both of you because it's so odd seeing you in the same room let alone within a three feet radius of each other.

fuck, you completely forgot you and levi sat at opposite ends of the room

principal smith enters and even he looks visibly shocked at the change in seats but he doesn't mention it and you're grateful he doesn't because you didn't purposefully sit here it just happened on accident

erwin turns in your direction and smiles

"would you like to start off with your proposition for extracurriculars?"

nodding your head you begin passionately.

"well, i'd like to say i don't think we offer the children enough. we have spare funding so why not open another club? cooking perhaps? i understand many of you may not understand the importance of teaching them how to cook but-"

"do you have an obsession for setting these children up for failure?" tensing up you notice it's levi who's spoke and he doesn't sound remotely happy

blinking once and then twice he realizes his tone isn't the best and he mutters an apology "sorry, go ahead i'll add in when you're done."

whispers travel through the room straight away

"did he just say sorry?"

"actually why are those two sitting together?"

"do you think they're you know...?"

miss ral who's sat a little further away is the next person to disagree with you

"i understand the intention but would it not be better to let them have extra math lessons?"

"oh, so you can get a pay rise?" the comeback you make is aggressive and dripping in displeasure

she sits up face burning up

"no- no- absolutely not i take pleasure in teaching all of my classes." flustered and trying to hide her nerves she takes a sip out of her water bottle

you want to pour all of the water out onto that ginger hair of hers

the reason why her interjection is getting on your nerves is due to the fact you overheard her and another one of the math teachers plan to bring this specific point up

and you are well aware that her reasoning behind it has nothing to do with the children

she couldn't care less about them

"do not make me repeat what you and mr bozado were chit chatting about earlier today."

the threat is enough to silence her and just when you think you've handled the situation levi has to give his input

"let's ignore petra's motivations and talk about how teaching these kids how to cook means nothing if they have no tradable skills to offer in the real world." levi's not looking at you. he's either too annoyed or too preoccupied with his thought process

at that moment you feel naive, you thought maybe he would try to understand your opinion seeing as he's been spending so much time with you as of recent but that looks to not be the case

murmurs of agreement fill the room at his statement and you feel pathetic

it's practically the entire room against you now

genuinely how is it these people can manage to be such spoiled sports about everything?

"recently, i asked all of my classes to write an essay about school stress. maybe you won't understand my views because you haven't read their pieces but they need a fucking break." the expletive flies out of your mouth without warning and you flush in embarrassment

that

was

not

professional.

"oh god, i'm sorry i got worked up i shouldn't hav-" fumbling over all of your words you feel even more mortified

the principal raises his hand signalling you stop and you clamp your mouth shut. you're in huge trouble that's for sure

but,,, in spite of the clear difference in opinion between you and the other teachers, soft and well spoken principal smith says the unthinkable

"i have the final say and i believe you are coming from a good place after reading your student's work. how would you feel about running the new cooking club?"

scanning his face for a second you can tell his question is legitimate and the wave of relief that washes over you has never felt better than ever

sighing contently you agree and as the topic of conversation shifts to something else entirely you sense your heart rate picking up

you feel like you're back to square one with levi.

it's yet another day where you’ve saved your students and you should be feeling overjoyed but if anything you feel a little deflated

you wish he would have come around and understood but you can't teach and old dog new tricks

again, the feeling of disappointment wears you down

two weeks have passed since then and your favourite time of year has come. it’s spring term meaning MACBETH

the english curriculum includes plays and it just so happens that today is your first lesson covering shakespeare

and you LOVE shakespeare

something about all the intricate foreshadowing always has you excited

but some children are missing

and it’s way too many to blame on sickness

so you wait for a few minutes but it's consistently radio silent

the last time this happened the culprit had been levi and he promised to never cut into your lesson time

but you could count on him to break his promise after the fiasco that was the monthly meeting

is he back to hating you and hating literature?

well, that's his loss if that's the case!! and no!! you will not upset yourself over the loss of the budding friendship

sighing you get to your feet making a beeline to the door but gabi and falco rush to stop you

awkward chuckles activated they wave their hands to get your attention “OH NO, they’ll only be five minutes!!” their sentence comes out as one big blur of words but you manage to understand them

now you’re doubtful because you know falco and gabi would usually ignore you and allow you to walk out

giving them a knowing glance the pair look between each other

their eyes are clearly communicating and asking if it’s alright to tell you

“i promise i won’t be mad.” you sigh

perhaps if you reassure them they’ll be more likely to spill the beans

“it’s not that you... i don't know. you might be upset.” gabi isn't one to care much for other's feelings so you're slightly anxious even though you shouldn't be

but you’re a tough nut to crack. so, absolutely not. you are not going to upset yourself over whatever it is

“i won’t be hurt. i’ve suffered through reading some of the most emotional classics to ever exist.” hitting your chest with your fist you wince a little because you hit yourself a little too hard

falco’s seems to be too shy to come out with it so gabi takes the lead as she normally does

“some students were talking badly about you so mr ackerman kept them behind to have a talk.”

oh.

yeah, actually you are a teeny weeny bit disheartened because you think you’re nice to all of your pupils but it’s nothing too bad, not everyone will like you

“if that’s all i’ll go get them. thank you for letting me know.” giving them two thumbs up you leave the class immediately

levi is probably scolding them to hell and back

not because he cares for you but because he hates disrespect in general

as you’re nearing the open door of his classroom you hear something you never thought would emerge from levi’s room

“final question. why does mr darcy say he doesn’t want to dance with elizabeth at first?” oh yeah, that’s levi’s voice for sure

an english question?

is he quizzing them on pride and prejudice?

you wait hoping your students don't fail you and are able to provide the correct answer.

“ummm... she’s not pretty enough!!”

levi hums “you answered all five questions right. do you all know why?”

you can’t see the children’s faces but they have to be confused if there’s no immediate response

he grunts in agitation “because your english teacher works hard to teach you every single day. have some respect because that teacher of yours is one in a million.”

taking your bottom lip in between your teeth you fight the urge to smile

“do you know how at every single staff meeting there’s only ever one teacher fighting for you all and what you want. i can assure you that teacher isn’t me, but i believe you can all guess who i'm talking about.”

your heart does a back flip in your chest and you feel jittery but in that really fuzzy good way

like that super duper fuzzy and hazy good way

he’s really very sweet for saying all of this and you're now smiling like an idiot

one pupil takes a chance to make amends “we’re sorry mr ackerman.”

but before levi can give them a response you clap your hands together and walk in unannounced 

“apology accepted, now if you want to all be forgiven forever please return to class and answer the questions on the board!” directing them to the door with your hands you make sure they're conscious fo the fact you aren't mad at them

still, never have you seen them so eager to run off to analyze macbeth. you guess levi's deathly stare is the cause for it

holding back a laugh you clear your throat after the last student leaves

“thank you levi :-)”

it’s quiet for a second and you think to ask him about what has been gnawing at your mind

“you didn’t have to do that. you disagreed with me before so... why did you?”

“i say this at every meeting and you never listen but children need to be disciplined.” his unchangeable tone is unwelcoming

again it’s awkwardly silent and you sorta regret even coming over to see what was going on because now you and levi are just having an uncomfortable staring contest

then he scratches the back of his neck and heaves a heavy breath

“it may also be because i really fucking like you, but i look like an idiot saying that when we’ve been at each other's necks for two years.”

oh.

the sudden and brutally honest confession has the wind knocked out of you, you’re stunned

and then you get hit by it too. the realization hits you like rain hits umbrellas on stormy days. you like him too.

you like him for his witty sense of humour, his pure honesty and his hatred for mr wickham only serves as a bonus

yes, you have your differences. many of them. but you like him

he’s no longer a book hater and so by default you can fancy him. he goes against none of your guidelines essentially

you like him, he likes you back?’//’.;

[SCREAMS]

“well, what do you say? will you be this mr darcy's elizabeth bennet?” hearing the cheesy pickup line from him of all people has the butterflies in your stomach exploding in delight 

“you sound weird, where's the grumpy math teacher from before?" now you and him are simply shamelessly flirting but HEY!! you have no complaints at all

he scoffs at your sarcastic question

"do you want the equation for a two dimensional heart on a graph beca-"

"can i just kiss you?"

wOWIE are you being bold today y/n???

thankfully you don't have to wait for his answer. levi’s right hand pulls your face in and he slams his lips against yours. he gives your waist a squeeze and you hold him tighter by the neck in response. he has a way of somehow making it all feel gentle and relaxed in the same breath

and... you know what? maybe you should have recommended pride and prejudice to him earlier

but oh well.

what matters the most right now is that you're kissing your mr darcy!!

and he’s kissing his elizabeth bennet

:-)

[monaisdark]

i like how u write Shigaraki 😳❤ can u do maybe some bully reader with a sprinkle of virgin!shiggy hehe 🥰 reader can be dom or sub its up to you!! ❤

AH i’ve been meaning to check my inbox but ommmg this motivates me so much, thank you ! <3 I decided to do some dom reader - hope its ok!

➨ paring — Virgin! Tomura Shigaraki x Fem! Bully! Reader 

➨ warnings —  Sub! Shigaraki, Dom! Reader, slight mommy kink, slight masturbation, humiliation, degradation, cum denial, begging

PART 2

Shigaraki slumped into the ground, his back against the now wet wall. It hasn’t even been 3rd period yet and you already completely ruined his day. You and your group of followers threw water at him, something about him smelling bad. His papers and books were thrown out of his bag, soggy and falling apart from the water poured on them and his favorite hoodie now uncomfortably wet. 

Shigaraki would already be late to class by now so he didn’t bother to scurry off like your friends did when they heard the late bell for class. You walked a bit behind them, turning your head back at him a few times before completely disappearing down the hall. 

Shigaraki wasn’t sure what he did for you to hate him so much. It was almost like you were out to get him since day one. And of course, you being so popular, it made him the school outcast, well, even more of an outcast.

He tried everything — ignoring you, doing everything you asked him, even trying to fight back. The last try left him with a sprained wrist and bruised cheek. So in the end, everything left him either humiliated, damaged, or hurt. 

He finally stood up as he heard footsteps from a hall monitor coming down the hall he was in, grabbing his backpack that contained the remaining contents of his school stuff before running off into a nearby bathroom to hide. Luckily, nobody was there to see how disheveled he looked.

Shigaraki took off his hoodie, thankfully the hoodie was thick and caught most of the water, leaving his long sleeved undershirt a bit damp but nothing he couldn’t handle for the rest of the day. He set everything wet under the hand drier, letting the hot air dry them a bit. 

As he dried his face, something at on the floor caught Shigaraki’s eye. It was a small piece of paper that was also damp. He picked it up confused, did it fall out of his hoodie pocket? 

‘’Shigaraki, meet me in room 204 after school today. Be there.’’  He could read out from the smudged, running ink. Shigaraki looked at it confused, yeah it was definitely for him but why? How did this even get into his pocket? He’s usually always alone, he didn’t hang out or spend his school days with anyone.

“Hey! Get to class!” The voice of the hall monitor outside of the bathroom almost made him yelp. He stuffed the note into his back pocket, grabbing all his stuff that was thankfully a bit more dry before leaving.

You eyed Shigaraki from across the cafeteria, a small smirk tugged your lips as you saw him pull out the tiny piece of paper for the 12th time that lunch. A wave of satisfaction overcame you every time you saw his eyebrows furrowed at the paper. 

You tried to make the note as vague as possible, you could tell from the confused look on his face that he didn’t have a clue on who sent it. Just how you wanted it.

You turned your thoughts back to your friends, mixing your laughter with theirs. You had no idea what they were laughing at. These people are assholes, why do you hang out with them again? A small boy whimpered on the floor, his food spilled all over his body. Oh, that's why. Like hell you’d be on the receiving end of their bullying.

It’s not like you felt bad. School was a hierarchy, these poor people were just at the bottom. When you first got here, you quickly rose to be at the top. Not like you expected to be anything less. You held yourself to a high standard, of course you’d be at the top.

So it made you sick seeing how some of these people held themselves, especially Shigaraki. He looked and smelled like he only showers every other day, he alternated between 2 hoodies each week, did he even bother to wash them?

He barely talked to anyone, usually playing some videogame on his phone. Does he not care about himself? Well maybe that was why you targeted him, you just wanted him to be better. Nothing else.

Then you noticed how much of a pervert he was. If a girl was ever near him, his eyes would automatically shoot to their chests before awkwardly shifting away from them. In P.E, you found it funny how he’d try to hide his boners after seeing all the girls in their shorts. How gross, he’s a horny little virgin.

You almost felt bad, maybe if he smelt better, maybe if he wore better clothes, maybe if he just tried to take care of himself. It was no surprise that he wasn’t getting chicks. But then again, he didn’t look too confident in anything. Yet alone girls.

That’s when you had came up with a plan. You’d sleep with him. Don’t get it wrong, you had dignity. If it was anyone else, you’d probably make fun of them even more, maybe even expose their perverted behavior.

But Shigaraki looked so helpless, if he kept up with this he’d never get better. Maybe he’d become desperate enough to start touching girls on the train to school, how disgusting.

You were doing everyone a favor. This is just charity work.

“Hey.” Shigaraki jumped, what? He was even more confused then before, you? Why would you send him a letter to meet him alone after school? He stayed quiet, he backed into a desk as he heard the click of the door. Locked, shit, you locked the door. You probably were gonna beat him up, usually you’d have other people pick on him, was today finally the day you’d take more action?

“Stop sweating, I’m not here to do anything bad.” You walked in front of him, Shigaraki would be lying if he said he wasn’t terrified. “Um — why.. why did you want to meet me?” Shigaraki’s voice cracked and you almost laughed, has he ever even been alone in the same room as girl?

You decided to be blunt, there was no sugar coating what was about to happen. “You’re a virgin right, Shigaraki?” You brought your hands to the buttons of your shirt, slowly unbuttoning your top.

Shigaraki immediately felt himself starting to get hard at the sight of your bra. “What—” You rolled your eyes, doesn’t he get it? How dense can he be? “Just answer me.” 

Shigaraki felt so humiliated, this was honestly worse then all the bullying he experienced from you. He has to admit to his bully that he’s a virgin, or better yet, that he’s never even gotten close touching a woman.

He couldn’t lie, I mean look at him! The most action he’s gotten was those JOI videos he’d watch late at night. “Yeah..” He whispered enough for you to hear, just incase anyone else was hiding in the room. “..Why?” 

A smirk spread across your face, just like you thought. His red face was honestly so enjoyable to see, almost just as enjoyable as seeing him try to hide how hard he was.

“I know you’re hard, Shigaraki.” Your hands moved to his crotch, palming him. “Ah, ah! Wait! I’m—“  Holy shit, did he cum? Just from a bit of palming?

Your hands retracted from the damp fabric, “God, how pathetic can you be?” Shigaraki lowered his head, you didn’t want to know. You’re the first girl to ever touch him, he didn’t want to come that fast!

“I’m sorry! Please.. I’m still hard!” Now he’s begging? He was ready for you to laugh at him and leave him a gross mess. He would understand.

“Take it out.” Shigaraki could cry right there, you were serious! He didn’t know what made you want to do this now but he didn’t care. All that matter’s was you wanted to fuck him.

His mind flooded to what you guys could do, would you rub his now exposed dick? Would you take it in your mouth? Better yet, what could he do to you? He’ll learn quickly, he just wants to touch your boobs!

Suddenly, he was on the floor. He couldn’t even process what was going on before you straddled him. We’re skipping straight to it? This wasn’t necessarily what he saw in those porn videos but that’s okay. His hands moved to your chest, he saw this in the porn videos too! But your hand slapped his away, “Don’t touch me. You still stink.” 

He frowned but it was quickly gone as he felt you lower yourself on him. Shit, shit, shit, he’s inside you! Inside a pussy! You already started moving and Shigaraki already lost it. This was better than what he could ever imagine! 

You smirked at the scene, its barely been a minute and he’s out of it. His eyes were rolled back and he was moaning louder than you! You had to admit though, you were a bit surprised he even got past 30 seconds of being inside of you. 

“Mhmm— m...mommy!” Now you could laugh, “Mommy? Really Shigaraki?” Tears were forming on the corner of his eyes, you weren’t sure if it was from your words or the pleasure but you preferred if it was from both.

“I’m sorry! It’s just— ah!” You angled yourself to hit deeper, “No, no, Shigaraki. Go ahead. I should’ve known you’d be into something like that.” His moans filled the room, you were lucky this hallway was always empty after school was done.

You felt him begin to twitch, already knowing he’s about to cum. Eyes narrowed down at his messy face, he’s trying to cum inside you without you knowing? 

You stopped moving and brought him up so he wasn’t laying down anymore, “Y’know, for a virgin I’m a bit impressed.” Shigaraki whimpered when he felt you get off of him, the feeling of your warm cunt no longer around him.

“Wait! Please, please— I wasn’t done!” He whined watching you put your panties back on and button your shirt back up, “You were about to. You think I want your battery acid cum touching me?” 

Snickering as he heard his desperate whimpers begging you to finish him off, an overwhelming feeling of power filled you. A fake annoyed sigh caught his attention, “Take a shower tomorrow. Also wear a different top for god’s sake. If you do— “You brought yourself to his level on the floor, “I might let you touch me.” 

Shigaraki nodded furiously, “Yes! I promise! I will, I will!” You turned and unlocked to the door to leave, catching one more look at his messy state. A sigh was let out of you as you closed the door, the sounds of him moaning ‘mommy’s pussy’ as he finished himself off, made you giggle. How sad.

You rolled your eyes, clicking heels down the hallway. You might’ve just created a new problem for yourself. 

[flamingo-writes]

It's Better When The Sun Goes Down — Nanami x Reader

This is a piece for the Anilysium Server NSFW Collab! Make sure to check the masterlist to see other writer's works! This month's prompt was: "I can't hold back anymore"

I'd like to dedicate this fanfic to one of my dearest and closest friends. I'm not a Nanami simp myself, but they are. And I have fun writing for Nanami, and also I love writing angsty things and flawed characters. Reg, I hope you enjoy this as much as you enjoy my more casual writing.

(it's pink bcs youre Chancho)

Word Count: 5.4K

Warnings: Mentions of breakup and heartbreak, alcohol and drug consuption, public sex, ghosting, lots and lots of angst. This does not have a happy ending. This is also non proof read bcs I kinda left it to the last minute I'm sorry, I'll go back and edit it when I am not in a rush dcj nd

Summary: Nanami’s return to the Sorcerer life wasn’t so bad. It could be better if Gojo wasn’t determined to get him back with his ex. As Nanami tries to get on good terms with them, things get out of control, only to end up where it all began.

I made this playlist while writing, in case you wanna listen to it while reading. Preferably listen to it without the shuffle, but you can hear it on shuffle, no biggie.

Nanami had forgotten how painfully unbearable Gojo could be. His return as a Sorcerer had been nothing out of the ordinary for a Sorcerer's standards. Missions here and there, or watching over some of Gojo's students. But God, he had surely stepped out of the line this time.

He couldn't even begin to explain how much he hated his current situation. Fighting by your side for the first time in years felt like rubbing hot oil on an open wound. The uncomfortable ignoring the elephant in the room between you two, as you two tracked and fought what felt like a million Curses.

When the adrenaline was at its peak, it felt almost nostalgic; though he'd then remembered everything else and immediately made his own reality bitter and awkward. Overshadowed by the advantage of years of experience ahead of him made him resent you even more. He knew it was childish and pointless to keep remembering everything that happened between you two, but that bittersweet memory would most likely keep him at bay.

You were still strong, witty, fearless, reckless and quick to act and defend yourself. The way you moved looked more swiftly and coordinated than you did back in your student days. Almost as if you were a professional dancer. He hated every bit of it. He couldn’t stop looking at you, thinking about you, and the possibilities of what you two would have become.

After the mission was over, no words were exchanged between you two. Aside from the: "Are you alright?" He told you as you simply gave him a thumbs up as you caught your breath drenched in sweat. An entire ride in an uncomfortable silence, until he reached the school and you got out of the car.

"Thanks. You did a great job. Keep it up" You said. Cold, and straight to the point. Closing his car door before he could reply. And soon, you were gone.

As Nanami tried to get his mind off the mission, Gojo made it difficult. He called him to ask for the details of the mission. He seemed amused and intrigued, as clearly you hadn't told him shit. And honestly, he could understand why. Gojo was meddling on things that weren’t his business, and things that had died a long time ago.

"Why are you interrogating me, Gojo?" He asked as he pressed hisnfingers on the bridge of his nose. "Ask your underling…"

"Because that jerk left for the bar as soon as they arrived" He explained. "And I know better than to annoy a drunk [Name], It took me a while but...I finally learned my lesson" He chuckled. “I knew they could hit hard, but damn, I had a big ass bruise…” Nanami could almost hear his stupid grin.

"You make it sound like it's a recurrent event" Nanami pointed out, slightly surprised as he didn't know you were a drinker.

"Oh, Nanami-kun, you really know nothing huh?" Gojo said, smiling widely as he had managed to manipulate Nanami into asking.

"Know what?" Nanami hissed as he now swore he could hear Nanami creepily grinning at his phone.

"No, nothing!” Gojo said as if it were nothing; trying and succeeding at peeking at Nanami’s curiosity “I'm not gonna talk over depressing things on the phone. Gotta go, bye! Kith kith, Kento-kun" Gojo sang and hung up, as he smirked, proud of his little mischief. He sighed deeply as he stretched in his bed. "Soon, those two will be back together" he smirked to himself.

Nanami hissed a curse under his breath as he locked his phone and threw it on his bed and went to the kitchen. If he had understood well, Gojo had just hinted at a possible drinking problem. He tried shaking his mind off of it. You couldn't, could you? You weren’t a drinker...You weren’t the last time he saw you. You were able to party and have fun without having to intoxicate yourself.

You were wild, cheerful, unpredictable. Everything he was not. And that’s what had made him fall in love with you back in your school days. You were so laid back, he could feel it permeating into him when you two hung out. The few times he’d broken rules was because you’d been the bad influence, however, you somehow managed to get away with it, and leave him with some distant memory in which he felt actually glad to be alive. He usually felt like he was walking on a cloud stuck in time, being present and enjoying the little things that made his everyday memories.

He’d really screwed up after breaking up with you...if he could call that a breakup... His life took a dramatic turn. And then, he turned his back to this world, and got immersed in the gray life the average man in Japan had. Away from what he's familiar with, away from his friends, away from you.

And now, apparently, you had a drinking habit. He wondered if he had caused it, or if he was one of the reasons behind it. The guilt started creeping in. The same guilt and regret he felt after ghosting on you. Not being able to bring himself to properly end things with you.

The guilt he’d managed to swipe under the rug for so many years creeped back out, and followed him around as the afternoon went by. After having a shower, changing into more comfortable clothes and in a lame attempt to cook dinner, he decided to test his luck. He put on a dark button down shirt and decided to go to the bar closest to the School. He felt the naive hope to find you there. However, if you had an actual problem, then his chances to see you there were higher.

Such was his surprise to find you there, trying to get rid of some insistent guy who kept talking to you despite your very obvious lack of interest. Before you could spot him, he watched you aggressively turn to the guy and talk to him in a rather rude tone. Sounding almost like a moody sailor as the guy’s face soon was washed with horror and disgust and walked away. As you turned your face back to your drink, your eyes scanned the bar, finally spotting him.

“Oh god” You whined as you pulled the glass to your lips. “It’s too early to be this drunk…” You hissed.

“Mind if I sit here?” He asked, pointing at the chair in front of you.

“Tell Gojo to go fuck himself…” You snapped at him as you stood up and stumbled your way to the bar asking for a refill. Nanami looked at you, feeling slightly sorry for your tipsy state, as he’d never seen you like that. And he knew being mad and drunk was never a good combination. As you turned around with your glass and made your way back to your table, you gave him a slightly repulsed smile. “You’re still here…”

“Gojo didn’t send me here, if that’s what you’re thinking” He replied.

“He might as well have manipulated you into doing so, has that crossed your mind?” You said with a sassy tone as you sat back down. “Why are you still standin’?”

Nanami took that as an invitation as he ignored your last comment, trying to refuse the idea that Gojo had manipulated him.

“Rough day, huh?” He said as you nodded and stared at your drink.

“Look, Kento. I’m glad that you’re back. I really am. You’re strong, and you’re smart…” You began. “But I’m gonna cut the chase, I’m kinda annoyed too. Ever since you got back, Gojo has been sticking his snobby nose into my business” You explained. “Many of the missions he sends you in, I’m supposed to be there as well, but manage to get busy by then and not go”

“So you’re actively avoiding me?”

“Yes” You replied bluntly. “Mostly because Gojo is trying very hard to bring us back together. But no, I learned my lesson the first time” You said taking a sip to your scotch, feeling it smoothly sliding down your throat, no longer feeling the burn from the alcohol.

“I haven’t apologized for that…” Nanami began.

“Don’t” You interrupted him. “It’s better this way”

“Are you sure? Because you still seem to have an issue with it…” Nanami said, managing to read you like an open book like he always did. He still had that ability.

You glared at him, angrily as you opened your mouth to snap back at him, but your mind was foggy and a big portion of your brain was focused on the little details surrounding him. His black shirt, the first buttons undone. His thick wrists, one of them hiding underneath a fancy looking watch, his blond hair pushed back, his sharp features...And god, his smell. The smell of his cologne luring you in like a fly to honey. Since any words made it to your mouth, your next step was to take another sip.

“You’re drinking too fast” He pointed out.

“None of your business” You said standing up and taking your wallet out and leaving a few bills on the tale. “I’m out” You said coldly and walked out of the bar.

Nanami sighed, frustrated that he hadn’t managed to get anything out of interaction. Aside from the pretty clear fact that you disliked him. However, he didn’t think of the possibility of you resenting him so much because you still had feelings for him.

As you walked out of the bar, the chilly wind hit the back of your neck, making you shiver. You cursed, knowing it was going to make you feel drunker faster. You made your way to the school with long steps, trying to make it to your dorm before your last drink made it to your head. Despite the cold wind, the hot tears in your eyes in a way kept your face warm. As you tried to keep yourself from crying, you heard steps behind you.

“Wait” You heard Nanami’s voice calling behind you as you stopped on command, against your own will. You swallowed the lump on your throat and managed to keep the tears still in your eyes, as you refused to look at

him. “At least let me walk you home. You can’t walk on your own like this…”

“Oh, so now you care?” You said turning around and looking at him, giving him a smug smile. “You’ve changed” You scoffed bitterly.

“Please” He said, knowing better than trying to argue with you.

Your stare on him softened, as something within you urged you to say yes. To have more time with Nanami and maybe cling to the bittersweet memories you were constantly reliving since his return.

“Fine” You said, very much to his surprise. He smiled and walked closer to you with the gentle smile that had been haunting your dreams as of lately.

“C’mon. My car is not far from here…”

You stopped coldly as he mentioned a car. Taking a second look at him, you wondered how much he’d changed. He’d become an adult through and through, hadn’t he? While you were still a mess...Or so you thought. To Nanami’s eyes, you were a far better sorcerer and warrior than him. And he envied you for it.

“Are you actually going to take me to the school?” You asked, suddenly growing suspicious of him, as you’d had plenty of experiences with strangers on the street and knew better than going into someone’s car in a drunken state.

Not that you didn’t trust Nanami. You didn’t trust yourself drunk.

“I was actually thinking of taking you somewhere for dinner and then to the school” He said.

“Not hungry”

“No, but you’re drunk. It’ll sober you up, and tomorrow morning you’ll thank me when you wake up without a hangover” He said as he walked towards his car.

“I don’t have any more money on me” You lied, looking for an excuse to avoid spending any more than necessary with him.

“I didn’t ask you if you have money” He said boldly as he managed to make you smirk for the first time since his return.

“Smooth, Nanami. You’ve grown” You said as you followed him.

The walk to his car felt like your chest burnt far more than the alcohol ever did. It felt bitter, it hurt and was nauseating. Was it really it, or was it the alcohol finally catching up with you? Like flashes of instant memories being erased from your memory, the drive to a restaurant felt like a poorly edited foreign film. The car felt like some intense themed park ride as you felt dizzy with the alcohol whispering everything you missed about him. It was gross and it was sickening.

The Ramen sign on the outside on itself managed to sober you up a little by taking your mind off Nanami. As you followed him, clumsily standing on your feet, you sat on one of the tables and tried to make sense of the dancing letters in the menu. More flashes of memories were taken off your head, as you wondered what was happening and how drunk were you for you to start blacking out.

“Not good…” you muttered under your breath.

“Did you say something?” Nanami asked.

“No. Nothing”

“How are you holding up?”

“I’m not”

“You’ll feel better in a bit. Don’t worry…” He said softly as he sipped from a soda you didn’t know he had. When had he ordered it? You looked in front of you to the nice surprise that you had one too despite not knowing how or when. “I ordered some ramen for you. Something spicy...It’ll sober you up faster”

You chuckled as you looked at him.

“And how do you know that?” You asked with a cheeky tone as he smiled softly.

“Went drinking a lot with friends from work” He said. “I learned a few things here and there”

More brief black outs kept lazily painting a rather miserable painting in your memory. As you ate your ramen, you found yourself relaxing more and more. Was it the hot spicy broth? In the beginning, the balck outs weren’t getting any less frequent, however, as the night went by, you found yourself sobering up like he said. Soon, the black outs were gone, however you were still somehow locked in a haze. Although it made sense. The amount of booze as well as the short time, it was going to take a lot more than just one hot bowl of spicy ramen to get you back to a sober state.

The conversation kept flowing comfortably as both of you ate. It was reminiscent of the old days, nostalgic and somehow morbid. As the both of you tried to grasp at the old days when your worries were limited to school work. Catching up like old friends who hadn't seen each other, as if you didn’t have hard feelings for each other.

After having finished your food, Nanami paid for both of your meals and went back out into the cold night. The sky black, stars hidden by the streetlights as you made it to his car and finally noticed the silver color in it.

As he drove back to the school, you noticed he took a small detour, instantly setting alarms in your head.

“Where are we going?” You asked, your voice considerably serious as he noticed the change in tone from the pleasant talk they were having in the restaurant.

“There’s somewhere I’d like to go…” He said as he briefly looked at you and gave you a tender smile.

That smile made your heart uncomfortably skip a beat as you hated the effect he still had on you. You didn’t dare to ask any further as you slowly recognized the route he was taking. As he slowly took one of the roads towards the edge of the city close to the coast line. He stopped in a rather deserted place, as he got off the road and stopped the car.

Despite the lack of light, aside from the few streetlights, you knew exactly where you were. A whole in your chest opened dramatically as you felt your eyes tear up and happy memories attached to the location flooded your mind.

“Kento…” You said chuckling bitterly.

“When I said I wanted to apologize, I meant it…” He said as you clenched your jaw and looked out your window, avoiding his stare.

“And I told you I didn’t want to talk about it…”

“You’re still upset about it, I get it. And I don’t blame you” He began as he felt his heart beating hard in his chest. “Look at me, please”

You wanted to say something to him. But you knew you would break down crying as soon as you opened your mouth. You took a deep breath and without saying anything you looked at him. His dark brown eyes gazing into yours, as he was looking at you with a rather pained stare.

“You remember this place, don’t you?” He asked.

A bitter laugh escaped your lips as you clicked your seatbelt, getting it off.

“I’m done” You said dryly as you opened the door and got out of the car.

“No, [Name]. Please, wait” He said as he mirrored your movements and excited the car walking around it.

“Of fuckign course I know where I am, Kento” You barked as you walked away approaching the door. “I know where I lost my fucking virginity, okay?” You barked as you stopped coldly and looked at him, tears finally streaming off your face. “Look, I’ll make us a favour and summarize this conversation. Yes, you’re a fucking asshole for just taking off one day and completely disappearing. Yes, I’m still mad about it. No, I won’t take your apology. No, I don’t care about whatever shitty excuse you have for me to listen to you. You bringing me here out of all places isn’t going to change shit…” You spat all in one breath as you stopped and took a deep breath.

“I loved you, Kento. I really did. And it hurt to have you just dissipate like you were a hallucination or something...You were my first kiss, my first love, my first everything! And one day I lost all of that. You ruined sex for me!” You yelled angrily. “I could never hold, kiss or sleep with anyone, because at some point I’d see your stupid face, and then be incredibly underwhelmed because I would not enjoy sex. I can’t feel anything anymore, Kento...The only way I can actually enjoy those things is by getting drunk or high” You admitted. “I can’t walk into bookstores, nor eat sandwiches or diet coke, nor drink tea because all those things remind me of you. And yes, it’s lame that all these years later I still care about those things. And this is why I can’t forgive you” You cried, as your voice shook.

Nanami’s heart broke little by little at each one of your words. He knew he’d screwed up and had hurt you deeply. But he wasn’t aware of the actual impact. He clenched his jaw as he felt his chest tight and a lump on his throat. Now the drinking problem made sense. Gojo had painted it like you were an alcoholic, but it wasn’t exactly the case. So you’d gone to the bar to get it off with some stranger, probably pretending it was him.

The dizzying pain and weight of his mistakes blinded him for a second as he walked towards you as you kept bitterly complaining. As you tried to walk away, you made a very poor effort as he caught up with you and cupped your face in his hands, bringing you closer to him and shutting you up by pressing his lips against you.

The sudden surprise made your heart stop. Your mind turning numb and blank at once as you struggled to bring yourself to push him away. However, truth be told, you didn't want to push him away. The poor attempt to push him away was more than obvious. The strong fighter you were, barely making any physical effort. Nanami's hands wrapped around your back and pulled you close, squeezing you against him as he sighed into the kiss.

Finally kissing him back, you locked your lips against his desperately, eager to taste the lips you've been dreading in your dreams. Clinging to him like he was going to disappear again, a soft whimper escaped your mouth. Your chest pressing against him as he felt his own world getting blurry.

He broke the kiss pulling away as he pressed his forehead against yours.

“You have no idea how much I missed you” He whispered as you clung to him.

“I-I…” You stuttered, the words tasting bitter before they even made it to your mouth. “Fuck, I want you, Kento” You growled as he pulled you in, kissing you hungrily again.

His hands posessively clinging to you as he slowly guided you back to the car. One step at the time as you both melted in a hungry sour kiss. As you ran out of breath, you pulled away, gasping for air as you gripped his collar in your hands.

“I can’t hold back anymore” You said as you pulled away and grabbed his hand, walking back to his car.

Your words unleashed a shiver down his spine as his heart skipped a beat and raced like crazy, as his pants started feeling tighter on his crotch. He chuckled softly as he realized his own judgement seemed to have disappeared with that first kiss. And before you could even make it to his car, he gripped your hips and spun you around as he bumped his forehead against yours.

“I can’t either” He admitted as he guided you to the car’s hood and pulled you over it. Ass you sat on the warm hood, he got between your legs and you wasted no time wrapping them around his waist. He grunted softly feeling your crotch against his as you pulled him closer to seal your lips together.

As you soon were absorbed by the dizziness of your rising heat, his hand went to your bare thighs as he slowly caressed your skin, going up and lifting your skirt up in the process. A soft moan slid into his mouth as he gripped your ass softly and squeezed it. The way your skin got covered in goosebumps and how you jerked your hips made him moan in response.

It felt good, and intoxicating. The driving desire burning his insides. The feeling of desiring to taste you all over and have you shaking underneath him. God, he’d missed that particular rush of adrenaline. His body reacting to the deeply buried memories now loose. He felt like he was in the best high he’d experienced. Lightheadedness and presence in the moment, he hadn’t felt this alive in so long.

Your hands were slowly undoing his buttoned shirt and were quick to explore his warm skin. He pulled away from the kiss, gasping as he looked at you. Your devilish smile matching your hungry stare. You leaned forward kissing his neck, nibbling on his skin every now and then. His hand gripped your hair tightly, pulling it lightly, making you look up at him as he stared at you.

He leaned forward, kissing you once more, this time a lot more slow and a lot more tender. It was sweet and it was slow and it took you by surprise. You felt his sweet kiss begging you, still holding on to the feelings you both decided to drown unsuccessfully. It almost hurt. It was the kind of kiss that told you how much you missed and needed each other. How much you regretted the mistakes you’ve done.

As you melted against his lips, his hands slowly slid your panties off. You helped him lifting your hips a little but as you giggled against his lips.

“Eager?” You said with a playful smirk.

“You have no idea” He replied as he took off your panties and shoved them in his back pocket.

His hand made it back to your thigh, slowly going up until he palmed your hot sex. Stealing a gasp out of your mouth, he teasingly ran one of his fingers through your dripping slit, making him smile satisfied.

“I’m not the only one, huh?” He said as you looked at him with lustful eyes.

You took his glasses off and set them aside. You were about to go back to kissing his neck when he slid one finger inside of you effortlessly. A rather loud moan escaped your lips as you shut your eyes closed feeling your entire body tingle in a way you hadn’t felt in years. You smiled satisfied as you continued kissing his neck. Slowly, he got another finger inside. The delicious stretch of his second finger prompting you to bite his neck softly making him growl your name softly. His fingers explored the whole he knew so well, as he found your sweet spot almost by muscle memory. More moans came out of your throat sounding like music to his ears.

“Fuck, Kento” You hissed as you took off your top, not caring that you were outdoors and by the road. Up to this point, you were so pent up, you simply craved him like you’d never craved anything before.

Nanami wasted no time and kissed your neck, going down to your neck, gently biting your skin every now and then. Sucking delicately on your skin, leaving marks that wouldn’t last long. He pulle dhis fingers out of you, clinging to your body desperately. As you laid on the car’s hood, you devoured him with your lustful eyes, begging him to get on top of you. Wearing just your skirt by this point, Nanami groaned at the plain sight of you.

He undid his belt and his pants. Your hands playfully teasing your own body in an attempt to drive him crazier and crazier. He cursed under his breath as he couldn’t take it any longer. He pulled his painfully hard erection out of his pants. You watched hi, intrigued, stretching your hands towards him, gently gripping his dick. His breath hitched and you smiled proudly.

Nanami leaned over the car hood, slowly getting on top of you, his shaft resting on your belly as he looked at how much deep could he go inside of you. His tip almost reaching you belly button, as the idea alone made a shiver run down his spine.

"Please, Kento" you gasped, need dripping from your voice as you caressed his dick

He growled softly as he pulled away softly, aligning against your entrance and slowly going in. You gasped, pushing your head back and pressing your hips against his making him go deeper.

Hissing your name, he jerked his hips, his tip.kissing your cervix as sudden rush of pain jolted through your body, followed by pleasure. You dug your nails in his shoulders as he thrusted back and forth, hitting all the right spots. The sound of his gasps and grunts hypnotizing as you got wetter by the second. His length coated in your juices, echoing in lewd wet noises.

He was rough. He usually was. Back in student days, he was particularly rough. As quiet and collected as he seemed, he sure got his stress out if his body through wild sex.

Relentlessly pushing against you, stretching you in such a delicious way only he knew how. Strong and aggressive movements as your walls swallowed him whole every time, breathless moans escaping your lips with every push. The cool wind kissing your skin, only enhancing his warmth.

As you felt your orgasm progressively approaching, the realization of how addicted you were to him hit you. He was everything you desired. And it was wrong. Before the feeling of uneasiness started to sink in, a sudden electric rush ran through your body. Painfully and soothing, as you tightly clenched around himbsoon numbed your mind.

As you came around him, your walls sucked him in tightly, as he was right over the brink, your velvet flesh pushed him off the edge. He didn't have time to pull out. And honestly, he didn't want to pull out. The way your walls milked him felt delicious. As he rode you through your orgasm, filling you up as his head felt dizzy and the world was spinning faster than usual. His hot seed coating your insides, as you shut your eyes closed, feeling the very last of your orgasm fading away.

He pressed his forehead against yours. Loud pants echoing.

However, the world didn't quite return to its regular focus.

The rest of the night went by in a fuzzy hot mess of events. You returned to his apartment and kept feasting on each other, making up for the lost time. Both of you incredibly starved and needy, you desperately went at it over and over again. It was a rather long night. As you feared, no one made you feel as he did. All of him was addicting. His smell, his voice, his warmth, his skin...It didn’t matter how many strangers you fucked, or how drunk or high you were, he felt just right. He made you cum so easily, it seemed ridiculous everyone else couldn’t.

But you knew it was far more than that.

You were still deeply in love with him. No wonder why he had that effect on you. Just hearing his breathlessly gasp was enough to have you soaking wet and under his mercy. Between sweet kisses, fake promises and sweaty sex, he quite literally fucked you to oblivion. Until either of you could take it any longer and you two fell asleep in each other’s arms. It had been a long tiring night, as you knew many of your muscles were gonna be sore the next day. Your chest painted in red and blue bruises.

It was possibly one of the best night sleeps he’d had. In such a long time. The uncomfortable hole in his chest didn’t feel so wide now. Just like you, he didn’t know how much he actually needed you until now. His regrets, his guilt, the thoughts haunting him on how much of a jerk he’d been when he simply took off...All those feelings went away for a night. As he tasted the wonders of the universe under your skin. Feeling ecstatic and euphoric for the first time in years. However, nothing could’ve prepared Nanami for what he was about to experience when he woke up.

~

“What the hell is this?” Gojo asked as he waved around the folder you’d left a few hours earlier in the Headmaster’s office.

“Why the fuck do you care?” You said as you grabbed it, ripping it off his hands.

“You’re seriously leaving for Kyoto?” He whined.

“So my transfer was accepted? Great!” You said sarcastically as you opened the folder and saw the Headmaster’s seal at the bottom.

“What about Nanami-kun?” Gojo replied as the very last string of your patience snapped.

“Oh, fuck you, Gojo! You tried to force us back together, but it’s not going to happen” You snapped. “I’m done. I’m done with him, and I’m done with you sticking your nose in my business”

“Do you really think that running away will solve anything? You’ll still be depressed as hell”

“The less I know about him, the better” You said as you turned around, hot tears blurring your sight as you headed with long steps towards your room. “I don’t trust myself around him…” You whispered. “He’s my weakness Gojo, I can’t let that happen…” You said coldly.

You’d left that morning very early, before Nanami woke up. And you left leaving no trace of you ever being there. Unintentionally doing the same he did. It was unintentional because you hadn’t done it out of spite. Your thought process had been simply. You preferred to not have that conversation and simply leave without him noticing. You had had the exact same thought process Nanami had had all those years ago.

You didn’t waste time and soon started packing your things to leave for Kyoto right away.

[honeyhan-123]

A Slice of Heaven ~ Part One

Summary: When Jensen stumbles across Melody Meringue on a cam website, he just can’t forget her and his obsession blurs the lines between right and wrong.

Warnings: masterbation, camgirl, mention of anal.

Word Count: 1.7k

AN: This can be read as a standalone and has very little - if any - darkness to it. However, Jensen will start to turn dark in the later parts. 

Also this is my first time writing for Jensen so I hope you enjoy!

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It all started with a crass joke made by Cougar. Like most of his jokes, Jensen was there but of it. He was used to it by now but something about the way Cougar patronised him about how he wouldn’t understand because of his inability to make a woman look his way just got under his skin. 

Even as Jensen made his way home later that night he was still seething. His anger wasn’t directed at Cougar but at women in general. Why didn’t they pay him any attention? He was just as fit as Cougar, just as smart as him too, probably more so given everything he could do with a computer, but women still ignored him.

He was too potent up to eat so instead Jensen logged onto his laptop and opened up a private browser. He hardly had to type in the first word before google knew what he wanted, offering up the direct link. He was greeted with a black screen and bold red words slowly started to appear. Hot single and lonely.

Jensen pulled his laptop to the edge of his desk and reached into the draw, searching for the secret little satin bag with one hand while his other scrolled down the website. He wasn’t sure what he was in the mood for tonight but he was having fun looking at all the choices. He was tossing up between a best friend threesome and a horny stepmom when a little notification along the top left of the screen caught his eye. 

Melody Meringue is about to go live. Click here to join. 

Jensen had never really been one for cam girls, he preferred to be able to to skip to the good parts but there was something about the little miniature image of you. There you were kneeling on your bed, a white babydoll covering your sensuous curves, and a golden mask covering the top half of your face. He couldn’t help but click on the link. 

It was free to join so Jensen figured you must be pretty new to the scene. You mustn't have amassed enough followers yet for them to charge a joining fee. 

You hadn’t started the session yet so while Jensen was waiting for it to begin he headed to the kitchen, his little satin bag in hand. He still had enough time to boil some water before you were meant to start, plus Jensen figured you wouldn’t get to the good stuff for a while, wanting to go through as many pay barriers as possible. 

When the water started to bubble over, Jensen opened up his most recent purchase. It was pitiful that he had had to stoop so low, relying on a flashlight to keep him company. Maybe if women weren’t so shallow and vapid, he’d have a real pussy to fuck. 

By the time his toy had warmed up enough and was once again sitting in front of his screen, you were ready to start. 

‘Well, it looks like I have a nice big turnout tonight. Thank you all so much, you really do know how to make a girl feel special.’ Jensen swallowed thickly. Your voice was so perfect, so sweet and innocent. He could already tell a girl like you didn’t belong on a seedy website like this. 

‘To any newcomers, I’m Melody Meringue and here’s how this is going to work. I’m here to please you, to make sure you have a good time and the best way to ensure that is to click on the little dollar sign down the bottom. There’ll be a list of actions I can perform for you, each with a different amount attached. However if there’s anything you’d like to see that isn’t listed just send me a message and I’m sure we’ll be able to arrange something.’ 

All of that seemed fairly standard to Jensen, despite never having seen a show like this before and he was surprised by how many messages there were already. They ranged from ‘c’mon Melody. Let Daddy see those gorgeous tits’ all the way to much more crude messages ‘I want to see that big purple dildo up your ass this time’. A wave of heat flushed through Jensen as he read that last message. He could barely imagine a sweet thing like you taking something up the ass but god, did he want to see it. 

With one hand Jensen fumbled with his best while his other filled the fleshlight with lube. He was already straining against his pants and he was desperate to get off with you.

He watched with eager eyes as your hands travelled up your luscious body and squeezed your tits together, letting the flesh pop out over the top. How he wanted to bury his face on your chest, kissing and nuzzling the tender skin there. Or slide his cock between your tits, coating them in his essence. 

Jensen had no idea how long he had been watching but you’d discarded the chiffon babydoll and bra you had one underneath when the first paywall came up. It was only $5 to keep on going and Jensen was definitely hooked enough to keep on watching. Plus his dick was now aching from how hard he was. 

He was brought back to your image as you knelt on the bed, your hands dancing along your nearly naked body. The lighting had changed slightly, becoming slightly darker and more sensual as you prepared to go further into your show. After about a minute of you teasing the audience, waiting for everyone to join back in. ‘It’s so lovely to see so many of you interested in little ol’ me. Well… really I guess you’re actually more interested in this pretty little pussy aren’t you?’ You gripped your cunt over the thin material of your panties and slowly gyrated your hips as you rubbed yourself. ‘Don’t you worry Baby. I’m gonna give you exactly what you want.’ 

Jensen let out a soft gasp as you barred yourself to the camera. He definitely had to admit you really did have a very pretty little pussy. Even from the angle of the camera he could see your slick as it dripped out onto your thighs. His cock was pulsing against his stomach, firm and flushed with precum dribbling down from the tip. He was so hard he couldn’t bear being untouched anymore so he gingerly eased himself into the little hole of his fleshlight, wishing it was you. 

He was so sensitive and the warmed silicone was almost too much as it contracted, pulling him in even further. His eyes were glued to you as you moved on the bed, leaning back so that the camera had a clear shot of your fingers swirling around in your slick, rubbing your precious little clit as you let out moan after moan and Jensen turning his volume up to the max, not wanting to miss a single sound coming from you. 

Jensen had never felt this desperate to cum. He was so close to typing a message to you, begging you to cum for him so he could too. He refused to do it before he got to see the pleasure course its way over your body, but the familiar tightening in his gut had a different idea in mind. 

He watched enamoured as you slipped one finger into your wet hole, and then another one, scissoring them together while your palm brushed against your clit. You were a heavenly sight as you fingered yourself harder and faster and Jensen was right on the edge about to let his own release overpower him. He was so freaking close, his knuckles turning white as they gripped the toy desperately but suddenly, your image was gone. 

And just like that, so was Jensen’s orgasm. 

He huffed as he approved the next paywall. It was slightly more expensive than the first but Jensen didn’t even pay attention to the price, he needed to see you again too badly. 

When the stream resumed you were once again kneeling on the bed, this time with a cute little rabbit in your hands. You were lathering it up with lube, pumping it generously and Jensen twitched in excitement. He wanted to see your perfectly manicured hand wrapped around him. 

You pouted towards the camera as you continued your work, pushing out your plump lips. ‘I wish you were here so I could have your cock but instead I guess I’ll have to settle for this one.’ Jensen could hear the faint squelch when you sank down onto the bulbous tip.  Only the small flared base poked out and you smiled rakishly at the camera. 

‘Tell me Baby. Do you wanna see me fuck myself like this or are you gonna let me turn on the vibrations?’ Jensen eagerly reached for the keyboard, typing his first message of the night. 

Of course you can Honey. I wanna see you come apart for me.

He hit send before he could see anyone else's messages. He wanted to pretend it was only you and him in this show. 

You must have read his message on your small tablet because a smile lit up your features. ‘Thank you Baby. You’re gonna make me cum so hard. I’m already so close.’ 

The soft hum of vibrations echoed through Jensen’s speakers and even louder were your moans as they fell from your lips. Jensen slid the fleshlight over his cock in time with your bounces and if he squinted he could almost pretend you were right there in front of him, bouncing up and down on his cock. H

He could tell you were close as you reached up to grasp your tits. ‘I’m gonna… please. Please let me cum Baby. God I need to. Please!’ You begged the camera and a string of approval filled the chat. ‘Thank you Baby. I -’ your sentence broke off half way through as your orgasm washed over you. Jensen could see your muscles tense and convulse as the pleasure rushed its way through you and he felt his own orgasm crash over him. His breath came in spurts as he filled the toy with his seed. 

You stuck around a little longer, thanking your patrons and reminding them of your times and Jensen made a little mental note, promising that he wouldn’t miss any of them. 

+

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