#when it was take off glasses time and i saw the corona

[jennilah]

brightness not very indicative of what it was like irl until i kind of messed with it at the end

that was absolutely incredible. There are no words, really. Everything about today was perfect and exactly what I always dreamed of. seeing a total solar eclipse was a long time bucket list item for me and it was literally jaw-dropping. my hands were shaking filming here

also dont give me shit for not showing the sun i was too busy looking at it with my eyes & not through my camera (also it looks bad on camera)

the crowd was something to behold alone. i really wasnt sure what to expect when i went over to Old Port but wow, the turnout was insane

other pics:

[marleyybluu]

Inside My Love

Pedro Pascal x black!fem!reader

WC: 2.1k

Warnings: smut, a bit of plot, calling Pedro daddy, p in v, unprotected sex (but be safe irl pls), cockwarming at the end if you squint hard enough, kitchen sex.

I love this pic of him

He was in love with you. The poor man was smitten like a schoolboy every time you came into his view, his brown eyes flashing with adoration when he looked at you. He thought you were the prettiest woman he'd ever set his eyes on, stumbled any time he talked to you, would blush any time your hand would rest on his thigh while laughing at one of his stupid jokes.

As grown as he was he was terrified of letting you know how he felt, scared he'd ruin the bond you two had. He wasn't going to risk losing you over that but he started to hate seeing you all hugged up on anyone that wasn't him, more specifically your co-star in a new movie that you were starring in. The two of you had to do press to promote the film and keep the illusion up that you two had chemistry outside of work, it's not like he was a terrible person but he just wasn't your type.

Your type was Pedro himself, in all his goofiness, in all his sweetness-- he was a gentle and kind soul for as long as you had known him and no one could change your opinion of him. You two were foolishly in love with each other without even knowing it.

Pedro sat in your living room, his feet up as he reclined in his designated Lazy-Boy, he called dibs on it the minute he saw the new addition in your house. You laughed whenever he sat down and made the usual grunting noise to emphasize the fact that he was "so old".

It was a quiet Saturday night, you were in the kitchen dicing it up, making a special little dinner for the both of you. Music softly played from your speaker, your favourite song— Snooze, had come on and you decided to turn it up a bit louder. Pedro sat in the living room playfully rolling his eyes at the fact that now the music drowned out the television. He didn't mind though, he loved your music taste. He started to become curious and decided to come to keep you company. His gray socks slid against the hardwood floor as he made his way to you.

You were distracted finishing up the food with a wine glass in your hand and an almost empty wine bottle in the middle of the kitchen island, your hips swaying side to side in your gray shorts, you sang along to the lyrics, the bottom of your-- well his, shirt riding up as your raised your hand. You were tipsy and enjoying all the tingles the wine provided to your body. Pedro couldn't take his eyes off you or maybe he just didn't want to. So tempted to sneak up behind you and hold you from behind, pressing little kisses on your neck... whispering how much he loved you.

He shook his head and tipped his head back downing his Corona, just enjoying the show. It took you a while but you finally turned around, a short scream sounded over the music— you placed your hand over your heart feeling the beat against your palm. Pedro let out a hearty laugh, he didn't mean to but your reaction was too funny not to be laughed at. "I'm going to kill you, Pascal," You shouted throwing a kitchen towel at him. "Don't do that."

He put his hand up in surrender and softly apologized, you rolled your eyes pretending to be mad. "Oh, come on YN, don't do me like that."

You digested the last sip of your wine, you turned around emptying the bottle of its last drop and resumed cooking. Pedro lowly chuckled at your attempt to be mad at him, he too downed the last of his drink and placed the empty bottle on the counter. There was a beat of silence as Spotify chose the next song.

A soft, almost lulling beat, started.

Two people, just meeting, barely touching each other.

Two spirits, greeting, trying to carry further.

The classic 'Inside My Love.' by Minnie Riperton began to play, changing the mood of the atmosphere. You couldn't lie the alcohol was going straight to your core, you were fighting demons. You turned off the stove and moved the pot off of the hot burner, you backed up and were immediately met with a wall. You froze.

Your heart raced as you felt gentle hands settle on your hips and carefully pull you in closer. You could tell he was a bit scared about how you'd react to the sudden action he just took but you received it with ease, almost melting in his hold. He took that as permission to bring you in even closer, he closed his eyes as your hair tickled his chin. Pedro slowly sunk his head into the beautiful bush of your soft tight curls. Smelling sweet as usual, courtesy of the various products you put in it.

That smell lingered every time you walked by him. It invaded his senses, and made his eyes roll back every time. His head in the clouds over how close he was to you, he was almost stunned to feel your plentiful behind brushing against his hardening cock. You two swayed along with the music, you leaned your head back against his chest closing your eyes and just enjoying his hold.

He softly smiled, it felt like he'd been waiting to do this forever. You smirked placing your hands over his guiding them higher, they passed under your shirt brushing over your torso and firmly planted on your bare breasts. He groaned feeling the flesh, the warmth of your tits. Your nipples hardened almost immediately, you tugged on your bottom lip to stifle the little moan that threatened to spill over. Your hands loosely holding onto his wrists, he took the chance to move one hand further up your body, wrapping his slender fingers around the column of your neck.

"Pedro..." You whispered. He could bend you over the counter for that alone. Suddenly his hands were gone, even for a second you missed them. You turned around with a pout, and a wave of embarrassment passed over you. "Sorry." Not sure why you were apologizing in the first place.

His eyes softened, his hands taking yours. "No, no, no YN you have nothing to apologize for. I just..." He wanted to swallow his words. You searched his puppy eyes, filled with adoration and hope. You smiled removing your hand from his but quickly resting it under his chin, scratching at his scruff. "You're getting grey there buddy."

"I know." He sulked. "Mm, don't worry you're still cute."

The small compliment caused his cheeks to heat up. You pulled him closer, your noses brushing and finally your lips touching. A fire lighting inside him rather quickly, he'd imagined how your lips tasted many times over and it was nothing compared to the reality, his hand transferred to the back of your head-- holding your place, where you belonged. Your own palms scaling the perimeter of his body and landing at the bottom of his shirt, you lightly tugged at it hoping he'd get the message and he did. Your lips parted for a moment and glued right back together, it was starting to heat up in the kitchen again.

He peppered kisses along your sweet brown skin, his hand slipping under your thighs-- soon your feet were off the ground, he carried you off to the dining table, your warm thighs rested on the cold surface. Pedro was lost in lust, mapping out your collarbone and chest with his lips your little pants were his motivation. "Pedrito..." You called out his nickname. "I need you, please."

He didn't need to hear it twice. His fingers fumbling with the band of your boxers, taking them off and tossing them wherever. Your pretty pussy on display, swollen and soaking for him and him only.

"Fuck." He couldn't contain himself anymore. His index finger slowly dragged between your folds, collecting your juices, he brought his finger to his lips taking the chance to taste you. You were heavenly. He dropped to his knees to be closer to your heat, he held your legs apart and dove between them. You gasped feeling his tongue explore your crevices. Your palm rested on the table holding you up while the other played in his shaggy hair, you loved when it was like that but you knew he'd probably have to tame it soon.

You whimpered as he sucked and slobbered all over your clit, his saliva running down your cunt and his chin. You peeked down only to be met with his dark eyes, the brown in them had seemingly left. "Baby, oh shit." You attempted to squirm away, your orgasm approaching a lot quicker than you had anticipated, but he wasn't letting you budge. "Pedro, please, oh my god." You faintly cried. He let go of one of your legs, using his free fingers to slip inside. You were done for.

You laid back, unable to hold yourself up anymore. Your legs closing around his head, he accepted his fate knowing this was a nice way to go out anyway. You clenched around his fingers, your nectar coating them well-- he enjoyed your taste, almost becoming drunk on it. He stopped when he figured you'd had enough. He resumed leaving kisses on your skin, trailing up your torso until he reached your lips. He playfully flicked his tongue against your bottom lip causing you to smile.

"I love you." You blurted out. Your eyes widened, the words slipped out with ease and now they were out in the open for him to receive but he didn't say anything and the regret was settling in you started to wonder if you just fucked up your entire friendship. Pedro pressed his forehead against yours, he shifted around fumbling with the strings of his sweatpants, and he pulled everything down all at once. "I fucking love you." He muttered easing himself inside. You whimpered feeling his girth stretch you out, he filled you up so nicely. "You have no idea how much I fucking love you YN."

His words went straight to your cove, they made you wetter and he could tell. He slowly thrust into you, his hand around your neck once again-- he wasn't choking you he just loved the way it rested there. "I want you to be mine, so bad."  He confessed. "I'm yours, baby, I promise." You reassured.

He grunted delivering one hard stroke, he stayed in place just enjoying your warm and oozy walls hugging him tightly. He was throbbing inside you. He hissed as he began to move again, your eyes rolled to the back of your head when he gave you steady strokes that weren't too fast and weren't too slow. He wanted you to feel everything.

Your moans and the sound of skin contact drowned out the music that was still playing. "Right there daddy, fuck yes!"

"Yeah? It feels good mama?"

He was coming out of his shyness. "Yes baby, you feel so fucking good inside me."

His pace picked up, he was pounding into you, holding you close. Your moans were music to his ears, your nails scratching down his back stopping right above his cute bum. You giggled lazily when he moved your hands down onto his butt. One hard stroke cut that laughter with the quickness, your nails leaving crescent moon imprints on his skin. "Shit!" Your legs trembled, the way he would switch it up and slow it down just to edge your release, he began to play with your aching clit.

His name flowed like a river out of your mouth, you whimpered and moaned, screamed and shouted. "Fuck! Pedro, I'm gonna cum."

He left kisses along your jawline and up behind your ear. "Please, cum for me my pretty girl. All over me." Those words set you off, you coated him in your cream, an appreciation of his work. He had a few strokes left before he emptied himself inside you. The two of you were sweaty and the table was messy. You placed both hands on his face. "I meant what i said you know. I do love you."

Pedro beamed. He picked you up, your tired body wrapped around him as you two exited the kitchen and entered the living room. He sat down in his chair, you lightly moaned feeling him shift inside you. He reached behind him finding a blanket on the chair back, he draped it over your body. He was so warm.

"I loved you first though." He childishly said. "Uh uh, who said that?"

"Me." He said proudly. "Mm, I won't fight you on it then."

He wrapped his arms around you and kissed the top of your head. Over the moon to have you in his arms for good.

idk i was just trying to dabble in the Pedro fantasies. God that man is so fine. if you liked this fic feel free to like this fic reblogs and comments are appreciated.

Peace and all the love

[kaelidascope]

director's commentary for the parallel hangouts merging together in Reach in MM (and WHAT WERE BLAKE AND WEISS DISCUSSING IN THAT CHILI'S)

**cracks my knuckles**

OKAY

Both Reach and Resist go hand in hand and achieve a handful of things all in one go. They read like a large time skip montage, showcase the growing tension between the bees, memorialize a handful of personal favorite memories of mine, and cover all these mod-podge collection of scenes I wanted for MM bees but ran out of space to properly expand on LOL

Blake teaching Yang how to pole-dance;

The stuffed bee comes from Pugoata's Etsy shop and I have one on my desk NGJFGFKGF

Yang not realizing the pole spins was also my first reaction touching a dancing pole for the first time LOL before I got into dancing, my roommate had me install her pole into the ceiling of our apartment and I went to touch it and almost fell off. Life imitates art or whatever

Around this time, as we later see in Resist, Blake is obviously going back and forth with her personal feelings and beliefs. Sawrin words it well in his breakdowns, but she is wanting to give into temptation by the obvious signs Yang is throwing at her. But then she remembers her life and situation and goes down a spiral of assumed futures and 'what ifs' and then just shuts down and runs off. Despite her willingly putting them BOTH in a situation where they could flirt and kiss. She's giving into natural temptation when she shows off to Yang more than she should, getting in her personal space. It's an easy mask to hide behind when she can play off her advances as 'teaching Yang how to be sexy'

She totally did intend on kissing her she just wussed out LMAO and what Yang doesn't see if she is downing that water in literal gulps because she is blushing profoundly and her hearts beating a mile a minute. This is roughly around the time Blake starts getting Ideas.TM about Yang and none of them are in the bible

Yang comes over for Guys Night at Pyrrha's;

I designed their neighborhood after the historic yuppity district close to where I lived for a brief time. More specifically, it's modeled after a fucked up cobblestone route I used to have to drive when I delivered pizzas in that area

Weiss may have been cut off from her family but she still had savings. She invested a fuck ton into that property specifically cus there's no HOA

The vibe I was going for with the fire pit and the projection outside on a cold November night was modeled after 2 experiences of mine. I remember being super fucking cozy around a fire pit at my ex's family house once and it was one of those rare nights where it was freezing. But with the scent of the firewood burning and being bundled up near loved ones, it was a rare moment of peace for me in my early twenties. Second, we used to have these family friends who had a sheet tacked up on their back porch and would watch football on it. I blended the two vibes together for this one

I can't get a lime to float to the bottom of a bottle of Corona so neither can Yang

I used to destroy the plate of pigs in a blanket at cookouts so that's why they ate those

Pyrrha's gambling addiction was born on the spot in this scene! It started with her just placing a bet but then after that, I saw opportunities present themselves and it was just too good not to pass up. The club-wide bet also did not exist until this chapter either LOL I wrote it into the story after the fact and it is not mentioned until The Hangover Chapter. But chronologically, she established it the second she saw Yang take Blake home after work.

The Chili's Girls Night is real and I used to do it often. The photo of them leaning over the table filled with empty margarita glasses also exists

And yes. We were very hungover after (there are more photos that exist, but for the sake of pre-transition face reveal, I'll send them to you Spork in DMs after if you wanna see them LOL)

So on this particular night, Weiss spent a good chunk of it complaining about her usual gripes. After three drinks, she asks Blake about Yang. What Yang DOESN'T see is how supportive Weiss actually is of their relationship, and she's the one who told her to text Yang and send them some pictures of their night out. Blake has been dragging heels FOREVER about dating and Weiss is just glad she's not being a fucking shut in who only focuses on working and nothing else. She was very much a recluse even when they lived together, so she's glad to see Blake spending time with someone other than Weiss's mandated outings. She had thought something might've gone somewhere with Ilia, but Ilia couldn't end up handling it. They then collectively nod and drink on her behalf (poor thing). They talk about some things in their past memories. Blake asks how she and Pyrrha are doing. They talk about some social drama going on in the club. Jaune is their waiter at this particular Chili's (yes there is lore here) and they make drunk small talk/tease with him. After drink 5 or 6 Blake starts getting loose about her attraction and shyness towards Yang and Weiss asks Pyrrha to bring Yang to come get them since Blake's too embarrassed to do anything.

Blake actually being receptive towards Yang here is literally cus her insecurities and self-imposed rules are barred out cus of how drunk she is. Yang acknowledges this, much to her dismay, and misses another opportunity to kickstart their relationship because if they are gonna start, it should be proper LOL and not something that could be seen as taking advantage of Blake. Both of them are old kind of beyond the sloppy juvenile mistakes

Blake "sleeping" on Yang is a memory from when I had a really rough emotional night during my grieving period and my boyfriend at the time just held me on the couch while I half-slept. Same vibes. We eventually had to move but I did not want to.

In the anthology series Midnight Forever, we will see a lot more Blake/Weiss interactions both from the past and off-screen throughout the original fic. Including the night Weiss made her stay and their first Margarita Night SKKSKSS Weiss and Blake's dynamic is modeled after mine and my now oldest standing friendship :) the very same girl who I danced with! Unlike Blake and Weiss though, our dancer personas were completely different and incompatible LOL we did not have a matching act

[magnolia-among-the-stars]

Dear August (Bradley Bradshaw pt. 2)

Summary: You and Bradley have been best friends since college and when he was stationed in North Island, you were thrilled that he would be back in your life. When things start to sour with Bradley’s girlfriend and she breaks things off, Bradley comes to you for drunken comfort. What happens when an accidental hookup brings along an unexpected positive pregnancy test threatens the state of your friendship?

part one / part two / part three / part four / part five

Tropes: friends to lovers, unexpected pregnancy, unrequited feelings

Word Count: 1600+

It was not fine as it turned out. As the bar began to get more and more crowded, Bradley disappeared from the pool table. You saw flickers of his torso across the hectic space, a flash or two of her bright eyes and braided hair as the two danced around each other. As you sat with Jake and Rueben, trying to keep your eyes on the intense match between Bob and Mickey at the dart board.

“You’re staring,” Jake says, his twang punching through the ringing buzz in your ear. You slide your elbows from the oak table and sigh, drowning the rest of your corona. “You gotta stop staring.”

“I didn’t want to come tonight,” you respond back, eyes steady on the couple collecting at a round table a few groups away. Bradley’s hand gestures are rapid, and Jenny is still. It makes you swallow.

“I would say I tried to stop it,” the man huffs out and adjusts his collar of his crisp white button up. Jake’s hair is grown out, a bit shaggy but it looks so soft as he searches your face. His arm, tucked on the back of the chair behind you, readjusts. His palm is warm as he gently touches your back, rubbing it in soothing circles. “You know how Rooster gets about you.”

And that was the crazy thing. Bradley had always been the one with the girlfriend. Always a female dotting around and following the suave, tanned pilot no matter how many Hawaiian shirts he draped along his body. Still, it didn’t matter when it came to his jealous of your attention, the aggressive fight for your time. Here was Jake, a handsome and admirable man. He was a man who easily could be persuaded into adorable dates and early morning coffee in bed, but you never would do that. All because of Bradley.

“Maybe we should date,” I mumble, finally turning to look into his forest green eyes. I find comfort there, a trust. But there is something else too and after a moment, I know he sees it too. Pure and genuine friendship. The comment makes a chuckle ripple out of his chest.

“We’ve tried that Dukes and we both know where your heart stands.” You nod, swallowing down the truth with a dry tongue. Your throat gets a bit itchy, skin scratchy as discomfort swarms your chest. It’s then that you notice the conversation between Bradley and Jenny has gone stale from the looks of it, the two-standing next to each other in silence as Bradley drowns his beer.

“What’s the acceptable rate of approval for getting shit faced tonight?” you ask Jake, turning to pay attention as Bob hits a bullseye.

“Mmmm,” Jake grins wickedly, closing an eye to evaluate the situation at play. “7/8 approval.”

“Magnificent,” you say, sliding off the chair to congratulate Bob on his win with your arms wide. You cheer for him for a second before heading to the bar to grab yourself a whiskey and Bob a root beer. Jimmy is only a second into pouring your double when a heavy weight plop down beside you at the bar top. You know the weight of the man before you see him, his mustache hairs curled in the wrong direction and fingernails scrapping along the varnish of the counter absentmindedly.

“You alright?” you ask him without looking, holding up two fingers to Jimmy. He nods and begins to pour another glass of bourbon.

“She broke things off,” Bradley’s voice shakes as he takes a shallow breath. When you finally get a good look at him, you can see how broken he looks. You step into his space, tugging him to you as he tries and falls to stop the tears.

“I’m so sorry,” you whisper, and you mean it, genuinely. Bradley thought Jenny was the one, just weeks ago dragging you with him to go looking for engagement rings. “Here,” you slide the drink over in front of him when he loosens his grip slightly.

“Thought you didn’t want get drunk tonight,” Bradley grumbles, his fingertips playing with the hem of your sleeve.

“My best friend needs me.”

Hours pass as the liquor flows through your veins and clouds your judgement as you continue to take shots and down glasses of whiskey together. Into the late hours of the night, you find your senses loosen and your filters shutting down as your arms twirl around Bradley’s thick waist tightly. Your cheek rests along the bulging of his strong bicep, on his tanned chest as he hums to the jukebox and spins you around between the chairs and the pool table.

Javy and Jake look on with knowing eyes at the two of you and being the drunk that you are, you stick your tongue out at the men in a meager attempt to silence their thoughts…they were too loud. You could feel Bradley’s hot breath wash over the bare skin of your shoulders, your knit sweater long forgotten on the back of some chair.

“We’re way too drunk,” Bradley’s voice is slightly higher pitched, his large hands squeezing the flesh of your hips while he tucks his head into the apex of your neck.

“Mmmmhmmm,” you agree, eyes sliding shut as you take in his aura and soaking up how close he is. “Feels needed,” you murmur as your head spins, enjoying the feeling. When you open your eyes, his brown eyes are there and he’s staring back at you. His gaze is warm and endearing as a stretch of a lazy smile creeps onto his face. You could the freckles on his cheeks, getting distracted by the beauty of his scars and the flush pink of his full lips. “You’re beautiful Bradley,” you breath and he swallows a shaky breath.

“It’s time to go,” he chuckles as the world feels like it’s spinning now, just the two of you existing on North Island, “You’re talking nonsense.”

“I am not. You are the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen.” He’s staring at you now, eyes narrowed as he searches your face for the butt of the joke, the punchline about to drop. But he comes up short, because there’s nothing more than truth and sincerity in the lines of your smile and the crinkle of your nose.

“We should go home,” Bradley’s breathless as his hand scampers down your side until he is scooping up yours. You stumble on your feet due to the ease of his long legs moving quickly through the bar. You barely register saying goodbye to the boys or paying out at Penny’s register. The cool, nighttime air washes over you however and soothes your cheeks as you turn left out of the door and down the street to Bradley’s beach house.

The walk feels both swift and everlasting, even though its only minutes until you’re climbing the stairs of his porch. It’s only then that he lets go of your sweaty hand to dig out his keys from his pocket. His brows raise as he continues to dig through his jeans and pats himself down. “Shit,” he grunts as he turns slightly around, doing a 180 before he looks at you.

“What?”

“I can’t find my keys,” his voice is a little far away as you lean up against the railing, your cheek smushed against the wooden banister.

“Oh no,” you pout, before eyeing the open window overlooking the kitchen sink a few yards away. Fits of laughter roll through the both of you when you find yourself scooped up on his shoulder as you try to nudge the window further open. “Bradley, stable, stable,” you mutter, tugging his curls slightly to steady yourself.

He’s giggling; a giraffe on their hind legs as he raises you up more until you can clutch onto the frame and pull yourself into the house. You slid into the sink, a wet spot growing on your ass cheek as your feet hit the linoleum tiles. “We did it,” you scream happily, cheering and raising your fists.

“Open the door Daisy,” your nickname rings out from below the window, and you jump toward the front door, forgetting Bradley momentarily. You fumble to unlock the door, tugging it open to see the big goof barrel through the door and tackle you to the ground. A squeal escapes you when your back lands on the floor, as gently as the man can muster and bursting out in laughter as you roll around.

You’re a heap of giggles on the floor, the two of you basking in the afterglow of booze and glowing moments until you glance over to see the twinkle in his eye. Slowly, your laughter dies down as you take in his existence and breath him in. You reach up to brush a curl out of his eyes, not knowing how close your faces were to each other until he’s leaning in. And you’re meeting him halfway, grazing your mouth along his in a methodical test. You pull back, frightened by the action but not having enough time to consider the consequences because he’s sliding you across the floor and onto his thighs.

His fingers are running through your hair and knotting in the curls while his hips are pressing up into you for friction. There’s no time to think or question yourself when he feels too good, when it feels like a dream. It’s all a messy blur of crumbled clothes being dragged off each other and bruised lips peppering each other’s bodies. You fall asleep that night in a naked haze of sweat and panting breathes, the glowing of the moon radiant against your skin.

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[sun-in-retrograde]

A star is about to explode

The Blaze Star is about to go nova in the Northern Crown. For a day, this faint star will become as bright as the North Star. In the past, a new star appearing in the sky was a major omen and people would pay close attention to it, but people rarely understood that it could be a recurrent phenomenon.

Recurrent nova explosions basically happen when a star experiences a large explosion that is nonetheless not big enough to destroy it. In the case of the Blaze Star what happens is that a small white dwarf is orbiting close to a much bigger red giant star. The red dwarf has an “accretion disk” of chemicals around it and as the Blaze Star travels through it it takes in more and more glasses until this reaches critical mass and explodes. Then, for a day, the star becomes 1500 times brighter than it usually is. We know of ten recurrent novae but the Blazing Star has one of the longest known periods between recurrences - about 80 years.

The Blaze Star, also known as T Coronae Borealis (or T Crb) is currently at 18°22 Scorpio and it’s moving slowly through the Scorpio. The last time it lit up was 9 February 1946 when it was at 17°16, then before that it was at 16°10 on 12 May 1866. There’s also two documents that discuss the nova before it was properly discovered. It was observed in around 1787/8 and a medieval manuscript mentions the nova in mid Autumn of 1217 when it was at around 7°04. The Ursperger Chronicle reports it like this:

"In the autumn season of the same year, in the early evening, a wonderful sign was seen in a certain star in the west. This star was located a little west of south, in what astrologers call Ariadne's Crown. As we ourselves observed, it was originally a faint star that for a time shone with great light, and then returned to its original faintness. There was also a very bright ray reaching up the sky, like a large tall beam. This was seen for many days that autumn. The preachers also in these times asserted that many other signs had taken place in heaven and on Earth, which it would be too long to enumerate and to add to this brief account."

I share the full text here because I think as astrologers what it shows us is that ancient astrologers took events like novae seriously and if we are seriously making a case for following in their footsteps we need to do the same. But also, they didn’t understand what they were looking at. We are aware of ten recurrent novae in this galaxy and we didn’t have evidence of this phenomenon at all until the 1900s. Most people who saw a recurrent nova before that thought it was a possibly miraculous one off event. I am 100% expecting to find ancient mesopotamian, Chinese, or Indian records that show that someone somewhere noted a recurrence in ancient times. The ancients were so often able to see more and connect more than we give them credit for. But I’ve not yet seen any evidence of this. For now, we have to assume that the recurrence of nova explosions is something nobody understood until modern times.

The Northern Crown

The Coronae Borealis constellation is named after the garland Venus gave to Ariadne when she married Dionysus. It therefore traditionally has some Venus-Mercury themes. In some cases this seems to play out with a connection between the nova event and children. For instance Spiro Agnew had his Sun conjunct the Blazing Star and his wife’s pregnancy at the time of the novae encouraged him to go back to law school. 

In some cases it can also relate to adult experiences of children and succession - for instance the month of the nova architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s son sent him a copy of his book about their relationship. It had the very Saturnian title: My Father Who Is On Earth. Frank was not happy and wrote notes throughout the book, his son responded to his comments. The book was published with the full disagreement available for everyone to read. This is all very Saturn-Venus to me - succession, children, creation, difficulty, and legacy all wrapped up in one story.

Passing the Torch from Conflict to Conflict

The most notable event at the last nova was the Soviet prosecutor giving his opening statement at the Nuremberg trials. A couple of Nazis had key signs on those strongly conjunct the Blazing Star - Wilhelm Frick (the architect of Germany’s anti-Jewish laws) and Alfred Rosenberg (the administrator in charge of occupied Russia). Oddly Frick was one of only two Nazis to refuse to testify in his own defense, and Rosenberg was the only Nazi executed following his trial who refused to give a last statement before being hanged. I don’t know what this is about but Hess, the other Nazi who refused to testify had the Blazing Star strongly trine is ascendent. Maybe the influence of the Blazing Star encouraged them to let their lives end with the mercy that we didn’t have to hear them whine about it. Because honestly, nothing of value was lost when the leaders of the WW2 Nazi Party were executed. 

Passing the torch from one conflict to another seems kind of key to this nova. On the day of the nova Stalin gave his first major post war speech and said that another war was inevitable because of the "capitalist development of the world economy", and that the USSR would need to concentrate on national defense in advance of a war with the Western nations. This is considered by some to be the start of the Cold War. Meanwhile in Britain, Jewish ex-servicemen beat up a group of fascists who were trying to rebuild their movement - this was both a reflection on the war that had just gone and inspired the formation of the 43 group of anti-fascists which was an essential part of the post war anti-fascist movement. One conflict ends, but immediately, another one starts.

What I’m looking out for

We can expect the nova in the next six months so I’m keeping my eye out for conflicts that are ending and sparking an immediate new conflict. The change over from Israel invading Gaza to a more sustained occupation as part of their ongoing genocide against the Palestinians strikes me as a key one to watch for. The Blazing Star is loosely conjunct Ukraine’s MC and Pluto and its at a sensitive part of various Russian natal charts so this is a conflict to watch when the Blazing Star goes up.

Prince Harry is a key celebrity in this - he has the Blazing Star conjunct his MC and it’s interesting that we’re currently in a period where for the first time ever the British press has more complaints about Prince William’s wife than Meghan Markle. The monarchy is less of a joke than we make it out to be sometimes - the ongoing conflict between the Windsor siblings and their wives demonstrates major faultlines in British society on issues like how tolerant we are of secrecy within the executive arm of government, and how a lot of people understand race and racism. A shift in this conversation could be important. 

Of course, with the conception connection some of the most important events of the transit might not become apparent right away. It could be conception, or women finding out they’re pregnant, or starting to tell people. The key thing seems to be how the arrival of a child impacts the parent and this is a really personal thing we might not be aware of unless this hits your personal chart at the right time in the right way.

In general, I’ll simply be watching out for a new star in the sky. Astrology isn’t just about fortune telling, it’s about forming a personal connection to the universe and watching an event like this is one way to do that. I also think astrology is about forming a link to the past. We do this by following the cycles of planets, or in this case, stellar explosions. We also do this by understanding our ancestors who also tried to understand the stars. We have an opportunity to understand the cyclical nature of an event that most past astrologers could only understand as miraculous. I think that’s really beautiful.

Underneath, for the nerds, I have the charts for the three known nova explosions so far:

[alanahsart-blog]

THE ECLIPSE 🌙 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! some writing about it under the cut :,]

THE ECLIPSE.

I watched through the glasses as the tiny sliver of sun grew smaller and smaller, flickering. Dani and I stood from our chairs-- it was cold, and time felt as though it were moving very fast. It felt like approaching the peak of a rollercoaster, blood drawn not from it's own closed system but from this cold and delighted well of excitement, of my brian struggling to catch up. I was desperate to drink in every small bit of everything that was happening around us. The Sun and the Moon-- the color of the light-- the color of the sky, the people around us, the birds. We stood up. I felt as though I needed to move. I forgot I was a person, teathered to the ground, and not the act of watching and the compulsion to move. I could only look through the glasses as that small scarlet sliver retreated. I was filming on my phone, trying to capture both-- swinging it wildly around. I wanted to look away at the world-- I wanted to watch it dissapear completely through the lens. I didn't know which thing to focus on. I needed everything to slow down so I could see it all. Distantly, I heard people cheer and scream-- "Oh my god," "There it goes!" 

The light dimmed and darkened like it was alive, a being settling over us in some silvery embrace. I had read before it was terrifying, it felt more like a hug. A cold hug that makes your stomach drop-- the embrace of some enormous, incomprehensible ghost. I could see it darken through the sliver of peripheral vision at tthe bottom of the glasses, just the grass. I was swinging my head around, or my hand-- it was still and fixed. 

When I took off the glasses it startled me how big the moon was-- this disk of sky, deep and dusky silver as the rest of it, darkest around the covered sun-- from which the white ring of the corona was a thin bright band, with light radiating from it like glowing, spun sugar or clouds. At the bottom of the focused ring was a red bead. At some point, it struck me that a star had appeared in the sky. I had not seen it appear, only realized, suddenly, that it was there.

We could not stop saying "Oh my god." We were standing. I wanted to dance, or run, or pace, or do something. I looked at Dani-- the light was dark and golden. It was warm. The air was cold. The sky was silver and the light was gold. I looked at Dani, the people around us. Everyone was standing and we we were all cast in warm, dark gold. I had a moment where I wanted to grab them, (vaguely, I saw other people grab onto each other. A couple wrapped their arms around each other as they looked up) but I didn't-- I wanted to move, but it was like my mind and body had been severed from each other. A spirit in it's first possesion-- unfamiliar with what it was to exist in meat. 

I stared at the eclipse, fumbled to take some pictures. Through the lens of the phone the eclipse is a foggy dot, across the universe, wrapped in cloth, buried at the bottom of the sea. It's nothing. A phone camera does worse than nothing-- it shows you an image which is so far from what it is to see it and burns that onto it's circutry when I knew it would be difficult to brand any sight so strongly onto my brain. I wanted to capture it, to drink it in because I knew my memory could not preserve the image of it all like I wanted-- and yet the pictures were worse. I shouldn't have wasted time on it. I spent so much time trying to take them when I should have been staring up. It was surely only seconds, but it was too long. Seconds were a fraction of what they were in daylight. I took pictures of us, quickly, tried to get the disk in frame. To tear myself away and find it in the backwards view of the camera felt so dangerous, like it would end any moment and I would not see it. Yet I couldn't stop myself from trying to capture it with some objective sense. Technology should capture the clearest picture. It lasted 3 minutes and I felt like it lasted 2 seconds. It should have lasted years. I tried to drink in everything I could and burn it to the surface of my mind like a brand: The silver sky. The thin white line with the glowing red bubble at the bottom. The cloudy, white corona. The edges of the sky organge like a chemical-burnt film photograph. The dark golden light and the blue silver sky. The single star. Nothing I looked at felt like it could last long enough, and I had precious moments to preserve it. I was clumsy. I wanted to live in it forever. 

I felt light, and dizzy-- I was shaking, and it felt like I was floating. I felt weak and fragile. I kept feeling chills, periodically-- not from the cold, at least not entirely from the cold. I know I looked away from the totality for far too long. However long it really was, it was too long. I felt so strongly that urge to move, to run, or dance. I've said this already, but it was persistent-- this deep compulsion to do something physical, that I couldn't pull my dreaming body to do. All we could say was "oh my god! oh my god!" Every time I looked back at that disk I felt that old plunge off the cliffside. The shock at the size of it. 

Something momentus is happening and all you can do is try to keep up, to accept it, like jumping from the bridge-trellis into the cool water of the river-- when your feet leave the edge and you plunge you have to drag along your mind with your body as it understands that this is happening and that's all there is and you can not stop it once it's started. You exist in this moment where forces greater than you are pulling you along, and their pulling you along is a special, beautiful, primordial terror and comfort wrapped up together. Its a feeling that bypasses the rational mind, the proccesses of thought. It's not fear and it's not comfort, but those are thethe closest neighbors I can name. All you can ever hope is to experiance these things, and understand them afterwards. If you could live in that moment forever maybe you could rationalize it. The movements of celestial bodies. Gravity. ("Oh my god!" Was all we could say to each other, exalting.) I was hyperventilating-- I could not stop breathless laughter, as if my body needed to remind itself it was alive and breathing. That all other rules by which life passes had not also ceased to be. It was exhaltation. While totality occured I felt like I could understand the compulsion for all of the past's rituals, spirtualizations, sacrafices, mythologies. What are god if not forces of nature. What are gods if not the laws by which the universe turns. What are gods if not an attempt to describe the sublime. What is an eclipse if not pure sublimity. Awe, the fear of being pulled along by forces outside your control, the wonder of everything looking wrong-- the organge edges of the sky where there was no setting sun to light it-- the steel sky and the dark, honeyed light. The darkness of the moon's shadow crouching down onto the world to swaddle us in a cold hug.  

There was a pain as it left, a sense of loss. As it left and I had to tear my eyes away because of that brighteness, I felt an accute sense sorrow, that desperate choking down regret of when something ends and you want to live in it forever. I felt-- touch starved. Grief. The embrace had pulled away and I knew I would not feel it again. It was over, and yet-- nothing was real, still. I could not look back at it as often as I had in anticipation of it's arrival-- because the retreating moon could only remind me that the unearthly wonder of that moment had passed.

Still, nothing feels real. The rest of the day doesn't feel like a weekday, and it doesn't feel like a weekend. It feels like a day completely separated from the continuity of time.

[taylorrama]

Crown Him With Many Crowns

You girlies liked the cassette tape that had "Crown Him With Many Crowns" on it, so I thought I'd make a post about the song.

I don't think there's much depth/authorial intention with this reference–Tamsyn Muir was probably just looking for a song title to match Coronabeth and went with this one. The title also sounds kind of silly and redundant.

I'll admit, when I saw this name in Nona the Ninth, I was like "That's probably a hymn or Bible reference," but didn't know the song. Turns out, as is the case with a lot of hymns, I know the melody but with different words. This hymn appears in a bunch of hymnals, including Catholic ones, so it's possible Muir knows this song simply from being Catholic.

A fun fact about this hymn is that, according to Wikipedia, it has twelve verses. TWELVE. VERSES. That is a CHONKER. Wiki also says that typically, the song is split into two six-verse versions. Fascinating how you split the song and get two different songs with the same melody but different themes. It's almost like if you take an embryo and split it and get twins.

The other funny thing about Corona being named for a chonky hymn is that she's described as well-formed compared to how scrawny Ianthe is.

So, do the words give us anything interesting with respect to The Locked Tomb? Let's see under the cut. This isn't gonna be a detailed analysis at all. More like pointing out some parts that get some weird/cool meanings when applied to this series.

Crown him with many crowns, The Lamb upon his throne; Hark! how the heavenly anthem drowns All music but its own: Awake, my soul, and sing Of him who died for thee, And hail him as thy matchless king Through all eternity.

We have Corona and Harrow in the same verse. Amazing.

I might be misremembering, but isn't there a sound that Resurrection Beasts make? If so, there's our "heavenly anthem." And of course this idea of a king being hailed through all eternity–Jod.

The next interesting part we get is verse 5.

Crown him the Lord of years! The Potentate of time,-- Creator of the rolling spheres, Ineffably sublime! Glassed in a sea of light, Where everlasting waves Reflect his throne,--the Infinite! Who lives,--and loves--and saves.

Jod is an immortal (essentially) necromancer, the literal recreator of planets. And everlasting waves? The River.

The last one to point out is verse 10.

Crown him the Lord of life Who triumphed o'er the grave, And rose victorious in the strife For those he came to save; His glories now we sing Who died, and rose on high. Who died, eternal life to bring And lives that death may die.

Since this verse is referencing Jesus' death and resurrection, it highlights that exciting tension we feel as readers knowing this version of the story, but then seeing this same theology twisted around in The Locked Tomb. This does strike me, though, as pretty close to the narrative that most citizens of the Nine Houses probably have about Jod. He harnessed the energy of death to create life.

That's all I've got on this one. Sometimes, being a church nerd pays off. 😌

[kakejiszka]

Studio Fun

This is my first Jake smut, hope you enjoy! :)

Disclaimer: contains lots of smut, you have been warned.

After changing at least six times, you still hadn't chosen among the three set of clothes that were lying on your bed, surrounded by several other pieces of clothing that together created a mess in your entire room, that smelled like citrus, makeup and despair.

You couldn't help but tremble with anxiety at the sight of yourself in your lingerie in the mirror, after all, the occasion you were dressing for was unprecedented. Should you wear a fancy dress? A slutty short skirt? A rocker leather jacket?

You had hit the jackpot: after a few weeks going out with Jake, he had finally invited you to meet the studio where he and his band rehearsed every week. And furthermore, you would meet his brother Josh and Sam and their friend Danny for the first time. You were nervous, as shit was starting to get serious.

Jake was living rent free in your head. Since the first time you saw him, your standards for men had never been the same, after all, no one could surpass his beauty, talent and charisma. To top it all, he was so romantic: on the three times you went out together, he managed to surprise you even with the simplest things. On your first date, you had coffee together, but he gifted you white roses. On the second date, you two took a walk around the town and he held your hand the entire time. On the third date, where it's socially acceptable to have sex, he took you to a super fancy restaurant with wonderful food. You even wore a beatiful black dress and made sure to wear your best lingerie. But, despite taking you home and kissing you by the door (for the first time), that was it. Maybe he was shy, maybe he wasn't ready, but you couldn't help but feeling a bit disappointed for not spending the night with him.

You chose the skirt. If there was even the smallest chance of you seducing him that day, you were willing to try. You finished the look with a black tank top, which was so tight you didn't feel the need to wear a bra, an oversized jeans jacket and black boots. You applied some eyeliner and mascara.

You called an Uber to the address Jake had texted you and quickly you arrived. Your phone vibrated in your jacket's pocket. "Be there in 15" his text said. You felt your legs tremble during the whole time you spent waiting for him, which seemed like an eternity. Despite all his qualities, it wasn't new to you that Jake Kizka's worst flaw was that he was always late.

You noticed the studio: it was very big and it seemed like a place full of quality equipment. The street where it was located was full of different records and musical instruments stores, what made you realize you were in a part in town where you could find everything that was music-related. As you waited for him, all the thoughts in the world were crossing your mind: what if he's not so into me? What if his brothers don't like me? What am I doing here? What kind of idea was this? Do I still have time to go back home?

"Hey!" you were surprised by a familiar voice behind you.

"Jake!" you said, nervousness resonating in your voice.

"Did I scare you?" he asked, giggling.

"No, I'm okay, it's just that..." you didn't even have to finish what you were saying so that he could understarnd the situation.

"There's nothing to be nervous about, they will love to meet you."

Jake gave you his hand and you held it, now feeling much safer and calmer than before.

You two entered the studio and followed through a long dark hallway. The walls were painted black and were full of band posters and stickers. There were other rooms there and you could hear other bands rehearsing inside them. Jake guided you to the end of the hallway where a small set of stairs took you to the second floor.

For your surprise, there weren't other rooms on the second floor like there were on the first floor. It was a single room entirely, where you could find everything: a big couch, a frigo, technical equipment for recording, vending machines, snooker table, a mini bar, all sorts of things...

A section of the room was isolated by a thick glass wall. Inside it, the walls were covered in acoustic panels and the room was filled with many amplifiers, pedals, instruments and a bunch of other things you didn't know what were called were there.

Lying on the couch were Danny, Sam and Josh, waiting for Jake.

"Goddamnit, finally!" Josh shouted "we waited for like an hour!"

"I was getting ready for her" Jake answered, smirking and pulling you close to him by your waist. You couldn't hide the embarassment on your face.

"What a fancy studio!" you said, trying to change the subject "I didn't know you rehearsed in such a cool place."

"It wasn't always like this, ya know" Josh said while standing up and putting his hands in his pockets "we started playing at our house, but it was starting to get too noisy for miss Karen" he laughed.

"It's true, we had to look for cheap studios, but it was hard to find anything in a small town like Frankenmuth" Sam said.

You all talked a bit and, fortunately, the boys were all very nice. You felt very welcomed by Josh's sense of humor, Sam's big smile and Danny's kindness.

After you got to know them, they entered the acoustic room and started rehearsing. You sat on the couch to watch them and, although you were scared to feel bored, you had a lot of fun with the private show they were performing for you.

You couldn't take your eyes off Jake. What he did to the guitar was phenomenal, sexy and even pornographic. The way he slowly slid his hand over the guitar's neck while sweat drops fell on his forehead were making you cross your legs a bit too hard over the couch.

He noticed you were staring at him and smiled at you through the glass, making you cover your face with your hands out of embarassment. You must have been making a funny face, because he giggled at the sight of you.

After two or three hours of rehearsal, they were done. Although the air-conditioning was making you shiver, they left the room all sweaty. Josh, Sam and Danny went to the frigo to get some beer. Jake went there as well, but he made sure to get one for you too.

"Did you like to watch the rehearsal?" Jake asked, offering you an already open Corona bottle.

"I loved it!" you said, getting the bottle from his hand and taking a sip.

"I was scared you would get bored" he said while he sat by your side on the couch and opened his bottle.

"How could I? I felt very special for watching such an exclusive show!" you said, making him laugh.

For the first time, you noticed what he was wearing: a dark purple silk shirt with the buttons opened showing his chest, as he always wore them. He had tight black cuffed pants and brown boots. On his neck, some long necklaces that reached the middle of his bare chest, and on his wrists a few bracelets. His style was casual and attractive, but goddamn, he looked so fucking hot.

The rest of the day was very fun. You two drank together and talked a lot, what got you even closer to each other. Josh, Sam and Danny played snooker and drank a lot, until they decided to leave.

There were only you and Jake, that were now a bit tipsy and still had a lot to talk about. You noticed that, although you two had already went out before, this was the first time you talked this much. When you realized, you were physically very close: your legs were resting over Jake's left leg and his hand was caressing the back of your head. Your index finger was circling around Jake's bare chest. He looked so great in that shirt.

"Do you wanna see something?" he excitedly asked. You, curious as you were, immediately answered:

"Sure."

Jake stood up and walked towards the platform where there was a panel with a billion different buttons you had no idea were for. After pressing and regulating some of them, he made a sign with his fingers invinting you to join him.

"What does that thing do?" you asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Everything" he playfully answered.

"Everything what?" you asked again, laughing impatiently.

"This is the sound mixer, where we can control everything inside the acoustic room. Bass, treble, autotune, tuning, echo, volume... and so on" while he patiently explained to you, you admired him. He would get so excited when talking about music.

"Wow" you responded, without taking your eyes off his.

"Wanna try it out?" he asked.

"What? Are you serious?" you almost spit the liquid of the forth or fifth beer bottle you were having that day.

"Very serious" he said, looking deep in your eyes.

"Okay then..."

"Put this on" he said, grabbing the two headphones thar were lying on the table over the mixer and handing one over to you.

You did as he said and Jake left you responsible for the sound mixer and ran inside the acoustic room, almost tripping due to his light state of inebriation.

"What is he doing?" you quietly asked yourself.

He shut the door of the acoustic room and got one of the 6 or 7 guitars that were inside. After that, he put on the headphones that he brought with him to the room, turned on the microphone that was resting over a tripod and said:

"Can you hear me?"

The sound came out so loud in your headphones that you got scared and jumped, almost turning deaf. After that, you laughed a lot and so did he.

"How do I turn this thing down?" you asked him, screaming so he could hear you through the glass wall.

"Slide the red button down, on your right. Oh, and you don't have to scream, on your left there's a microphone that's meant for you to talk to me while I'm inside, just hold its button down."

You did as he told you to and laughed at yourself, feeling silly for not knowing how to use those things.

"There. Can I do what I want here?"

"Yeah!" he answered.

Jake started playing a random melody and you played with the sounds, having fun like a child. Distorting, increasing and decreasing the echoes, you two laughing like fools.

When you had enough fun, Jake spoke on the microphone again.

"Did you know this room has an almost perfect acoustic insulation?"

"Almost perfect? Like, no one can hear from the outside?" you said while pressing the mic's button and arching a brow, without believing him.

"Exactly" he said, putting his guitar away "I can scream as loud as I want here, no one will listen. Wanna try it?"

"How do I do that?" you asked, searching for the function among the million buttons on the sound mixer panel.

"Just turn the volume down, all of it."

And so you did. As you turned the volume down, it was getting harder and harder to hear what he said, until you couldn't hear a word. He only realized you couldn't hear him when he saw the surprise on your face, caused by the magic of the acoustic room. You could tell by his facial expression that he was laughing, and you laughed as well.

He made a gesture with his hand, like he asked you if you could hear him. You answered through the mic:

"I can't hear anything! This is amazing!"

He smiled and made another gesture, as if he was inviting you to the acoustic room. You quickly removed your earphones and walked to the door, thinking it would be your turn to stay there as he played with the sound.

When you opened the door, Jake immediately pulled you inside and shut the door with both of you inside. Then, he pressed you against the wall, pinning both of your wrists against it over your head.

You couldn't help but feeling surprised, after all, Jake had never acted like this before. He had always been romantic and careful, so you were pretty curious about his sudden dominating attitude.

He approached his face to yours, whispering close to your ear:

"Wanna test the acoustic of the room's acoustics?"

His tone was everything but innocent. You finally understood where he was getting to, so you decided to play his game.

"How can we test it?" you answered, faking innocence, and he smiled at your acting. So he put his leg in the middle of yours, gently rubbing his thigh against your groin and pressing you even harder agains the foamy wall.

"We can try it the best way possible."

After he said it, he kissed you deeply. His hands let go of your wrists and slowly slid down your arms, all the way to your neck. One of his hands held the back of your head and the other choked you slightly, but strong enough to make breathing a little harder. Your arms, now free of his grip, curled arould his shoulders, pulling him closer to you.

The kiss was getting hotter. You felt the hand that held your neck go down to your waist, and the hand on the back of your head gently pull your hair, bringing your head back and making you moan softly. Jake stopped kissing you and smirked, watching your pleasure face.

"They might see us through the glass!" you said, but he didn't pay much attention as he immediately returned to kiss your lips.

"I don't care" he answered, and although it was a bit scary, the fear of getting caught was also thrilling and exciting.

Your neck was completely exposed now, inviting Jake's silky lips which left soft kisses on your skin, making their way to your ear lobes where he gently nibbled. It sent shivers down your spine and goosebumps on your skin, something Jake noticed and made sure to show he enjoyed.

"You like this, huh?" he whispered in your ear. You nodded with a small moan, still a little overwhelmed by the situation, but certainly enjoying it.

Jake went back to kissing your neck, now a little faster. The tiny threads of growing beard on his jaw scratched your face, the sensation was even more arousing. You were so focused on that that only later you realized that his hand wasn't on your waist anymore, but was grabbing your ass.

Your body was warm, but you had chills. The mix of sensations Jake was causing on you gave you so much pleasure, but at the same time it was torturous. It wasn't enough, you wanted more and he knew that, but he wanted to keep you waiting.

Jake put both on his hands on your ass, squeezing it hard and making you moan softly. But after a short period, you felt his hands leave the place, which surprised you. Only then you realized he was taking off your jeans jacket and tossing in on the floor. The black tank top you were wearing left your collarbone and your shoulders exposed, which was exactly what Jake's lips were looking for. But before he went back to what he was doing, he took a good look at your newly exposed body part. His eyes traveled from your face to your breasts and there they stood, what got you a little embarassed.

"You're so hot, did you know that?" he whispered, staring even harder at your cleavage and then at your eyes. You smiled and blushed. The way he said those things made you feel a way no other man had ever managed to do to you. "You don't have to feel ashamed..." he said, smirking at your reaction.

His lips met yours again, but only for a short period of time. They quickly moved to your collarbone. His hands were now were wandering around your whole body, moving from your neck to your shoulders, back, waist and ass, as if he was desperate to feel you. Which was amazing, because you were eager to feel his hands all over you.

You also wanted to feel him, so you did as he did: you took one of your hands to the back of his hand and slightly pulled back some of his long brown hair, what made him moan and smile in response. Your other hand traveled through his chest, gently dragging your nails around the small part of exposed skin. My god, he looked so hot in that purple jacket. The only way he could look hotter than that would be without it.

You started to slowly unbutton the shirt, which made him stop kissing you and look at you with a naughty smirk.

"So much hurry!" he giggled.

"You take mine off, I take yours, that's how it works" you answered, winking at him.

He helped you take off his shirt and toss it on the floor, next to your jacket. You enjoyed the view of his shirtless body, staring at it just like he did to you before, sliding your nails and digging them on his torso. He held your hand over his chest, looking deep into your eyes. you were expecting him to say something nasty, but instead he just went back to kissing you, now even more intensely.

He embraced your waist and pulled you closer to him, as if it were possible. Then, his hands slowly moved upwards, passing through your waist and reaching your breasts. He squeezed them softly, making you moan. Your skin, that was already shivered, got even more chills under his touch. You weren't wearing a bra, which made your nipples appear through your shirt. Jake noticed and liked it, since he touched and tweaked them over the thin cloth. At this moment, you were already wet and impacient, but you were only getting a small portion of Jake's sexual expertise.

"Jake..." you moaned in agony between his kisses, suffering with his touches over your clothes. Although it was very hot, the throbbing sensation in your groin was starting to feel unbearable and painful.

"I know, babe" he answered, resting his forehead on yours, without ceasing to fondle your breasts "you're eager, but I'm only getting started."

Hearing that made the situation of your arousal even worse, to the point where if he decided to just lift your skirt and fuck you at that moment you wouldn't even feel pain, so horny and ready you were. He went back to kissing you, never letting your breasts go. But suddenly, you felt him pull your shirt up and reveal your stomach.

He kept on pulling it, enough that your breasts dropped down from your top, due to how tight it was. He watched that pornographic scene without blinking, dazzled. Rapidly he went back to fondling your breasts, only now he took his lips to one of your nipples.

He sucked it gently, making you let go a pleasurable moan. Glad with your reaction, he kept on sucking it, sometimes licking, nibbling and kissing. He moved to the right breast, but without stopping to give attention to the left one, playing with the nipple with his thumb. The saliva he left on the thin skin of your nipple in contact with the air made you feel a little bit cold, but it gave you pleasure.

Jake took his time there, enjoying the sensation he was causing you. You, on the other hand, dig your nails a bit deeper all over his back, feeling his skin also get goosebumps.

Jake finishing sucking your nipples and went back to kissing your lips. He took off your top with a bit of hurry, tossing it on the floor and then pulling you closer to him by your waist. His hands were now back on your ass, but now he started to lift your skirt.

"This short skirt of yours... I spent the whole day thinking about lifting it and fucking you" he said, holding the cloth with the tip of his fingers and raising it slowly. The fingers that lifted the fabric softly scratched your thighs and your hip, making you shiver.

Jake saying those things made your legs tremble with pleasure. You didn't know how good it felt to hear that dirty-talk until it was Jake whispering it to you.

"I wore it thinking about it" you answered, what made him smile in a sexy and predatory way at the same time.

When he lifted your skirt high enough, he slid his right hand over your thigh. He gently slid back and forth towards your groin, torturing you with the desire of his touch. He looked you deep in the eyes with a serious expression, like he was in control of the situation. When you couldn't stand the teasing anymore, he caressed your pussy over your panties.

"Wow, you're soaking wet... I didn't know it was that easy to make you horny, baby."

You looked at him, almost not believing what you had just heard. After half an hour of teasing, he thought it was easy?

"Jake, please..." you moaned in desperation as he now rubbed your clit over the thin lacy fabric.

"I know, love, I'll give you what you want."

Jake pulled your panties down and slid his index finger between your fold, reaching your clit. You were so wet it was slippery inside you, making his job even easier. He then started to rub your clit in slow and circle motions.

You let go a fairly loud moan and, out of embarassment, you covered your mouth with your hand. He took your hand out of your mouth and pinned it against the wall behind you.

"Moan all you want, no one's gonna hear us. Moan loud for me."

And so you did. The harder he rub your clit, the more pleasure you felt and the more you moaned in his ear. He, who was also feeling pleasure, had his lips parted, watching you squirm against the wall.

Jake increased the speed with which he masturbated you, driving you insane. But you also wanted to torture him. Therefore, catching him by surprise, you took your hand to the huge bulge in his pants. He wasn't expecting that, but he enjoyed it.

You stroked his cock, that was very enhanced outside his pants. You were surprised with its lenght.

"You did this to me" he said, grabbing your hand and rubbing it harder against his dick.

But you didn't last for too long, since Jake's expertise in masturbating you was making your legs shake so you couldn't concentrate in anything but your own pleasure. You kept on moaning ach time louder until your orgasm finally hit. The pulsation made you almost scream.

You couldn't help but feel a little embarassed, but the look on his face comforted you and made you realize there was nothing to be ashamed of, since the man was clearly enjoying it.

He removed his fingers from your pussy and licked them. what made you feel another throb of pleasure. Next, he deeply kissed you.

"Fuck, your moans are so hot" he whispered in your ear. You couldn't answer him, since you were still recovering your breath.

Although you didn't say a word, you went back to stroking his erection. Gladly, he let you masturbate him over his clothes, torturing him as he had done to you.

"It's your turn to suffer" you said, and he smirked in response.

"This is nothing, I've been suffering since I first saw you in those tight clothes, your tits almost bursting out of that small top of yours. It was hard to hide how hard I was" he answered, gently pulling your hair behind your back so he could delight himself again with the sight of your naked breasts.

You rolled your eyes, giggling. He always had an answer on the tip of his tongue. But the fact that he said he got an erection only by looking at your cleavage made you feel powerful and sexy.

You kept masturbating him over the thick fabric of his pants, watching him twitch out of pleasure. After a few minutes, you removed his leather belt, tossing it on the floor together with the rest of your clothes. Next, he unzipped his pants himselft and lowered it a little, just enough so that you could see the bulge on his boxers. You could see the tip of his cock, since it had scaped the prison of its tight black fabric, which was already wet with his precum.

You licked your lips at the sight of his rigid cock. You wanted to suck it, but you would make him wait, just like he did to you. You stroked it over his underwear, which was way thinner and allowed you to move up and down much more easily. Jake was panting, anticipation taking over both of your bodies.

When he couldn't stand it anymore, he grabbed your hand and put it inside his underwear, surprising you.

"Couldn't handle it?" you laughed.

"I need to feel you" he murmured, almost out of breath.

So you masturbated him, now inside his underwear. You started off slowly, gently touching the tip of his cock with your thumb. It was wet with eagerness. You then started to move more quickly, but the fabric of his underwear was making the job a little difficult, so you impaciently pulled it down, completely revealing his penis. Now that you could see it completely, you masturbated him even faster.

You looked at his face saw the expression of pure pleasure, small groans escaping from his mouth. You smirked and he smirked back, pleased with how much fun you were having while touching him so intimately. You then looked back at his cock and realized you couldn't take it any longer: you had to suck him off.

When he noticed you were getting down on your knees, his eyes widened up in anticipation. Knowing what was about to happen, he helped you take off his pants and underwear and took off his shoes, tossing it all on the floor. Then, he grabbed all of your hair and held it tightly in the back of your head, not letting any strand of it get in the way of you doing your job, but at the same time being able to mildly control your movements.

You slowly licked his entire shaft from the base to the tip, making him shiver and moan. Next, you placed your lips around its head, gently sliding his whole cock inside your mouth. When it reached your throat you gagged, but you kept going. Starting off with slow movements and then increasing the speed, sometimes licking, sometimes kissing, sometimes harder, sometimes easier, sometimes just masturbating it while you gathered some air. With one hand you stimulated it, with the other you grabbed his butt. You looked him in the eyes, knowing he was enjoying it. His pleasure facial expression was incredible, only making you want to suck him even more.

You kept going, so eagerly you reached a very high speed, but it didn't last long. He gently pushed your head away from his cock and pulled you up, asking you to stand up.

"If you keep going like that, I won't stand for long, babygirl..." he murmured, catching some air.

"Sorry, I guess I got carried away..." you said while wiping your lips with your hand, making him giggle.

"Don't ever apologize for giving me the best head I've ever got."

Jake gave you a deep and sloppy kiss. Next, he is the one who went on his knees.

Jake laid kisses on your chin, neck, the middle of your breasts, your tummy and, after taking off your skirt and your boots and throwing them on the floor, he kissed your groin. Your body shivered in anticipation, nervous with what was about to happen.

Jake lifted one of your legs up and laid it over his shoulder, in a way he could be face-to-face to your entrance.

Before he got started, he looked up deep into your eyes, grinned and held your hip firmly with one of his hands, while the other squeezed the thigh that laid on his shoulder so tightly you had marks of it the day after.

Jake touched his tongue gently on your entrance, spreading your lips allowing his to explore your pussy. His hot and wet tongue in contact with your soaking folds sent shivers through your whole body, and several others followed it when he started to lick your clit.

The sensation was even better than the one he caused you with his fingers. Which was surprising, since he was a guitar player, you always thought he would be better with his hands. Turns out Jake Kiszka was god with incredible with string instruments and even more skilled in pleasing a lady.

He kept licking your clit, now harder. You, who were already having trouble standing on one leg while getting your pussy eaten like that, reached a tripod that stood nearby, dropping the microphone from it. Your other hand grabbed his light brown hair tightly between your fingers, trying to hold up to something and not lose grip from reality. You two were making a mess in the studio but you didn't mind, for he continued to go down on you and you kept moaning as loud as you could.

But it didn't stop there.

Jake slowly inserted his index finger inside you. You felt your walls clench around his finger as he moved it up and down, hitting your g-spot so easily you regretted not doing this earlier. The mix of sensations his tongue on your clit and his finger inside you were causing on you combined drove you insane. At this point, you were moaning so loudly you completely forgot where you two were. Your eyes were closed and all you could say was Jake's name between groans and breaths.

Jake inserted another finger and started to estimulate you really rapidly, as fast as he was sucking on your clit. Your pleasure had become unbearable and your second orgasm hit like a tsunami, wetting even more your folds and Jake's tongue. Although you had shown him he could stop so you two could move on, he didn't want to. He didn't stop, never allowing your orgasm to reach its end and making your legs shake uncontrollably.

When he thought he had enough he started to slow his movements down, for your relief. When he finally stopped, he laid a soft kiss on your wet entrance as a demonstration of affection and stood up, immediately kissing your lips making you taste your own bitter juices.

"You taste so delicious" he whispered between your lips "I can't get enough of it."

You two kissed once more, now more romanticaly and tenderly. When you two finally caught some breath, you looked at each other and smiled, excited with what was about to happen next.

He then grabbed your hair very firmly, bringing goosebumps to your skin. Next, he whispered in your ear:

"Are you sure you want it?" he asked, you thought it was sweet of him to ask for verbal consent.

"Yeah" you answered, embarassingly anxious.

"Then ask for it."

As he said it, he turned you over, making you face and lean against the wall, your back completely exposed to him. He still had his hand holding your hair very tightly. You moan at his dominance.

He bent you over in a way your ass was tilted up for him. He enjoyed the sight of it, caressing and squeezing it really hard. Next, he rubbed his hard cock over your entrance. You arched your back even more, feeling exposed like that felt hot and thrilling. The sensation of his entire lenght rubbing against your wet folds was torturous.

"Ask for it" he repeated impaciently.

"F-fuck me" you stuttered, nervously enjoying him telling you what to do.

"I can't hear you" he rubbed his cock against you even harder.

"Fuck me, goddamnit!" you shouted, feeling obligated to put all shame aside to please that wonderful bossy man.

"Good" he said in a husky voice, seeming pleased.

Jake finally put the tip of his cock inside you, slowly so your walls could adjust to his size. It wasn't necessary to wait for too long, since you were so horny and ready that he slipped right in. When his entire lenght slid inside you, you felt chills run from your neck to your back. Finally feeling Jake inside you was incredible.

Jake started to fuck you, increasing the speed bit by bit. You impaciently start to move your hips in his direction, showing him he could go faster.

"Oh, you want more, you slut?" he asked, squeezing and then slapping your ass, what would leave a red mark on the next day.

"Yeah..." you moan.

Jake then did as you asked, increasing the speed. You were now fucking really hard, his cock moving in and out of you at a rapid pace. The pressure of his shaft hitting deep into you gave you so much pleasure your eyes were rolling to the back of your head, and your moans had become screams.

Jake slapped your ass again. The pain was intense but extremely hot. He, looking for more pleasure, pulled your hair back even more while his other hand reached one of your breasts, which shook due to the harsh movements you were making. Jake's groans were low, but vibrant and rough. He moaned your name while gasping for air.

"Your pussy feels so tight, so good."

Then, for your surprise, he got out of you. You turned over to him to see what was going on, but he pulled you to the floor before you could say anything. He lied on the floor and placed you on top of him, then putting his arms under his head and laying down, enjoying the view of your completely naked body on top of his.

"Ride me" he commanded, and you obeyed without question.

You began to ride him, getting used to the position before doing it faster. As soon as you managed to find balance, you started to ride him really quickly. That position hit different a different spot inside you, and you could see by Jake's expression that it hit different for him too.

You were fucking him so hard Jake was cursing between his breaths. He put one of his hands on your butt to guide the movements as he wanted to and the other hand on your right breast, holding it and squeezing it. You two kept that position for a while, looking deep in each other's eyes, chills running through your spines.

Jake wanted to change positions again, laying you under him. For the first time you could feel how harsh the carpet felt under your soft skin, only then remembering the place the two of you were. But that didn't matter. Jake leaned on his knees and pulled one of your legs, placing it over his shoulder and going back to fuck you again.

That position was taking you to heaven, what seemed impossible. To make it even better, Jake began to estimulate your clit with his thumb while he slid his cock in and out of you. At that moment, any drop of sanity that you still had disappeared.

"Yes!" you moaned, biting your lower lip.

"Fuck!" he hissed, sweat running down his beautiful face.

He kept fucking you in that position, which didn't take long to make you come for the third time in a row. Your orgasm made you scream and moan his name for the millionth time that afternoon, and that was driving him insane.

"I'm gonna cum" he said, increasing the speed with which he fucked you, not allowing your orgasm to end. The noise your hips crashing against each other was so loud it filled the room.

Jake reached his limit, letting his fluids fill you up inside. You, still experiencing your multiple orgasms, enjoyed the sensation the hot liquid mixed with the bliss caused you. The two of you began to slow the pace, until you fully stopped. Jake laid over you, without pulling out. You two were dripping in sweat, his hair all messy and glued to his forehead.

The both of you stood there for a while, catching your breath. He caressed your hair and you stroked his back. When you could finally breathe again, Jake looked you in the eye and you both giggled in complicity.

Jake pulled out and lied next to you on the carpet while holding your hand.

"This was..." he said.

"Wow..." you said.

You two laughed for having spoken at the same time. You two stood there for a long time, staring each other in the eyes. His dark brown eyes sparkled with joy and both of you were enjoying the serotonin the intimate moment you two had just shared produced, cuddling.

"I think I'm falling for you" Jake said, breaking the silence.

You couldn't hide your surprise in hearing that declaration, but you gave him a big smile in response.

"Me too" you said, unable to contain the huge smile on your face.

"Phew!" he said, laughing "This means we will be able to do this more often."

"Obviously. But can we do it in a more comfortable place next time? This carpet is so rough!"

"You didn't like the studio? But we can make as much noise as we want in here!" he said, comically offended by your preference of having sex somewhere else.

"It has its advantages, yes, but I bet it can't be better than Egyptian silk sheets on a king-sized bed" you said, convinced you knew better than him.

"Okay, you've got a point. But I can't promise I'll be able to provide the Egyptian silk sheets and a king-sized bed by tonight."

You hit his arm and laughed, glad for having found such an amazing partner.

[rocksandrobots]

Phantoms of the Past Chapter 28 - The Halloween Hunt - Part 3

 "The Lucky Cat..." Rapunzel read the sign on the cafe door out loud. Normally she would have found the inviting atmosphere of the cafe exciting, but knowing that Varian might be inside, waiting for her, tied her stomach into knots.

 Thus far she hadn't allowed herself to think about what their meeting would be like after so many years. Would he still hate her? Did he still blame her for everything? Would he attack her again, and endanger all of the people here, or would he simply sulk and make vague threats to her? Would he be remorseful of anything? Would he even care about helping Corona? It was once his home too, but he had vowed to destroy the place himself many times before, and had come very close to doing just that on more than one occasion.

 "Quick question," Lance said, interrupting her bad memories. "How are we supposed to get Varian to go along with anything? I mean, it's not like we can arrest him and drag him back to Corona with us like this... Can we?"

 As if to prove his point, he tried to open the door and his hand went through the door handle.

 Eugene sighed, "I don't know, but he doesn't have to know that we can't... Let's just ask him about the scroll first and go from there."

 Just then a customer walked out of the cafe, and Rapunzel tried to shove all her doubts away as the trio hurried through the open door. Only to find out when they entered that she had been worried over nothing. Varian wasn't there.

 "Hi, Welcome to The Lucky Cat!" A petite woman with short brown hair called out to them. She was all smiles as she placed a coffee pot on a stand next to a bunch of cups and wooden stirrers. "Happy Halloween! Today's special is our mean green matcha mocha. How may I help you?"

 Rapunzel started to breathe easier. This was the warmest welcome that they had received since arriving in San Fransokyo and Rapunzel decided that she liked this enthusiastic woman. "Hi, nice to meet you. Oooh, what's a mocha?"

 The woman blinked in surprise, but then quickly recovered with another beaming smile. "Oh, well usually it's hot chocolate mixed with coffee, but in our matcha mocha special, it's matcha green tea with white chocolate."

 "Both those sound great!" Lance said. You could practically see his mouth watering.

 "Oh wonderful... so you like one of each?" The woman said as she walked around the counter to take their orders. "We're also offering a special 'trick or treat' sale today. Buy any drink and get one of our specialty made treats, like our monster muffins or ghostly donuts for half off."

 "Oh cuuute!" Rapunzel bent down to see the decorated sweets behind the glass counter. The 'ghostly donuts' were frosted beignets; round and covered in powdered sugar with black frosting forming eyes and mouths.

 Eugene lightly coughed in his hand to gain his friends' attention and put them back on task. "As delightful as that sounds, we unfortunately don't have any money." This announcement elected disappointed frowns from everyone present, but Eugene ignored them. "We're actually new in town and we're looking for a particular person. We were told, by an old acquaintance, that we might find him here."

 The woman behind the counter tilted her head. "Oh... and who's that?"

 "His name is Varian." Rapunzel said. "We saw his raccoon outside and figured that he was here."

 "Yes an honest assumption to make seeing as how he's never seen without the little vermin," Eugene hastily added before the woman found the explanation odd,"Does... does he frequent this place often?"

 The woman gave a soft laugh. "Well, I should say so. He lives here! Oh, but I'm sorry, you've just missed him. He's probably at the school by now."

 "The school?" Eugene echoed.

 "Oh yeah, they're holding a big Halloween event at the SFIT campus. It'll go on all night, so you still have time to get there. Are you three from the art institute instead?"

 The trio exchanged confused looks with each other, unsure how to respond to that question.

 "Umm... not exactly..." Eugene stuttered, debating on what to tell the woman. He decided to turn the tables instead. "How do you know him, by the way?"

 The woman smiled again and offered her hand to them. "Oh, I'm his Aunt Cass."

 "Cass?" Rapunzel whispered. They may have shared a name but she couldn't picture two women being more opposite than this baker and their Cassandra.

 However, Lance was far more interested in the woman's title than her name. "Aunt? You mean we have another aunt!?" he excitedly blurted out.

 Eugene gave Lance a warning glare, and the taller man shrank back as he realized that he had given too much away.

 For the first time however, the smile faded away upon the kind woman's face. "Wh-what do you mean... 'we'?"

 Eugene coughed again, "What my brother means... is... you wouldn't happen to know an Edmund would you... or maybe a Quirin?"

 "Or an Adira, or a Hector?" Lance added, despite himself.

 Aunt Cass slowly lowered her hand and Rapunzel could see the transformation on her face as her friendly demeanor was replaced with a more guarded one.

 "Quirin? You mean Varian's father. You're from Corona." It was a statement not a question.

 Eugene sighed, there was no point in skirting the truth now. "Yes, we're from Corona. I'm Eugene Fitzherbert, this is my adopted brother Lance..." Lance waved at her enthusiastically, "and my lovely girlfriend Rap-"

 "Just call me Raps." Rapunzel hastily interjected. She didn't want a repeat of the conversation with the police officer, and there was no telling what Varian had told the woman.

 "Yes, well, as it turns out that my father, Edmund, and Varian's father, Quirin, were brothers, and we only just all found each other again after several years of being separated." Eugene gave a nervous chuckle, "Honestly, we're still trying to piece together the whole family tree as it is, and we were just wondering how you may fit into it."

 The woman closed her eyes as realization hit her and her beaming smile returned. "Oh... now I see." She gave her own awkward laugh. "Sorry, no, y-you wouldn't recognize me. I'm not his biological Aunt... I've just been fostering Varian while he's here in the states."

 "The states?" Rapunzel echoed.

 "Oh, yes, the US. " Aunt Cass noticed the trio still staring blankly at her... "the United States of America."

 "Oh.. America!?" Rapunzel shouted. "Yes... I can't tell how exciting it is to finally see the Americas. I've only gotten to read about it in books before. They really undersell how insanely amazing this place is. Like those horseless carriages everyone rides around in. I've never seen those before."

 'You... you mean… cars?" Aunt Cass asked surprised. "They don't have automobiles in Corona?"

 Rapunzel shook her head, not understanding why the woman was surprised. "Oh no. Everyone has horses in Corona. Like Maxumis, he's the best horse ever! So sweet... Come to think of it, I haven't seen any horses here at all. Do they just not have them in America?"

 Aunt Cass tried her best not to laugh at that question. "Oh, no, we do have horses here, just not everybody owns them. Especially here in the big city." She flashed them another wide smile. "Listen, there's no other customers right now. I can take a short break. Why don't you all have a seat and I'll bring us some drinks. On the house. Would you prefer coffee or tea?"

 Eugene tried to politely turn down the invite, not the least of which because they couldn't drink anything in this state. "Oh no, you don't have to go out of your way just for us."

 "Nonsense, any family of Varian's is more than welcome in my home." She insisted. "How about I brew up some of that matcha? I'll go put the kettle on." And with that she walked behind a swing door into the cafe's kitchen.

 "Quick, we need to get out of here." Eugene whispered in a panic.

 "We can't just run away now." Rapunzel whispered back. "She'll think something is wrong for sure and warn Varian. Besides, we might learn a thing or two by talking to her."

 "Like what? How to brew tea?" Eugene hissed. "In case you haven't noticed right now, we're kind of incorporeal right now."

 As if to prove this point, Lance tried to take a seat in one of the chairs and fell right through it. He rubbed his backside as she stood up again.

 "Oooff... Incorporeal or not, it still hurts when you land on your rear end."

 "See!?' Eugene squeaked. "If we don't get out of here now, she'll definitely know that something is wrong."

 "Ooh... where is that white chocolate..." They overheard the woman's voice call out to them. "Hey, do you mind if we just had plain green tea instead?"

 "Uhhh... anything is fine with us!" Rapunzel awkwardly called back into the kitchen. "Heh... Take your time. No rush."

 No sooner were the words out of her mouth before everyone started running around the cafe looking for a solution. Yet everything they touched passed through their hands as if made of air.  

 "Do you want any sugar?" Aunt Cass called out again.

 "That'd be wonderful, thank you!" Eugene yelled back as he tried and failed to get on a bar stool. Beside him Rapunzel sunk through a booth; only her nose and eyes were visible over the top of the seat cushion.

 "Whatta we do?" Lance whimpered.

 Eugene widely cast his eyes around for anything that might help.

 Then Rapunzel stood up and grabbed their hands. "Quick. I have an idea!"

                                                ----------------------

  "Nervous?" asked Trina, as she and Varian tuned their instruments.

 Varian softly laughed. "Nervous? Me? Naw, we both know that my ego won't allow me to be nervous."

 Trina smiled at the joke. "That's true. Your big head probably swells up so much that it blocks your ear drums and prevents you from hearing the audience's boos."

 Varian snorted as he failed to not laugh. "Yeah, well how about you? Are you ready to show everyone what you're made of?"

 "Umm... titanium steel alloy and circuit breakers?" She giggled. "Don't worry, we've been rehearsing for weeks. We got this."

 "Drums are set up." Megan called down to them from the stage. "And Mole said that the sound system is ready to go. We should do a sound check before everybody gets here, though."

 "Well, looks like things are going smoothly over here." Tadashi called out as he sauntered over to them with his usual cheeky grin.

 "Hey, Tadashi." Megan waved.

 "How's the haunted house going?" Trina asked.

 "It's almost done. I asked Carol to help Gogo and Honey Lemon with unpacking the concessions, she should be back over here in just a minute." Tadashi explained. "Hey, umm... Varian can I talk to you for just a moment?"

 "Sure... What's up?" He asked as he followed Tadashi out on the manicured lawn that connected the various buildings on campus. It was called the Quad; so named because there were four main structures spread out in each direction on the compass.

 Tadashi sighed and cast a quick look about them to make sure no one was nearby to hear them. "I... don't want to worry you... but I just got a call from Chief Cruz. He... he was asking a lot of questions."

 Varian raised an eyebrow. "What kind of questions?"

 "Well mostly the usual.. 'How are things? What's Megan doing? Is everyone safe?' but he mentioned you by name and asked if 'you were alright'... You wanna tell me what that was about?"

 Varian just shrugged. "I don't know what he's talking about. Everything's fine.... Unless you told him about the fainting incident last week."

 Tadashi closed his eyes in exasperation. "And why would I tell him that?"

 "Because you're over protective and you won't let things go." Varian accused.

 His brother snorted. "Look who's talking? Listen, if I was to tell anybody about your fainting spell it'd be Aunt Cass. I'm not exactly on the Chief's good side."

 "Then why did he call you?" Varian asked, confused.

 Tadashi awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. "I think he knows something is up... with Big Hero Six, I mean. He hasn't come forward, probably because he doesn't have any concrete evidence yet... but he's onto us."

 "You mean he's on to Hiro. We're not superheroes, remember?"

 "That's just it. He didn't mention Hiro. He asked if you were alright, specifically, made some small talk, 'casually' mentioned watching a special feature on the news tonight about the 'Portal Pirate'... and then said 'You know it's Halloween tonight. There's a lot of weirdos out there. Keep an eye on your brothers, and make sure everyone's safe. Call me if anyone shows up trying to start trouble.' and then hung up."

 Varian blinked in confusion as he tried to figure out the policeman's cryptic warning. "Do you think he knows something we don't? Like maybe a supervillain escaped jail again?"

 Tadashi shook his head. "I think he would have been more forward if that was the case. If he honestly thought anybody was in danger tonight he'd step in, regardless of whether or not he had evidence for it."

 Varian once again mulled over the officer's words in his head... "If he just thought I was the one in trouble... then why didn't he call me instead?"

 Tadashi shrugged. "I don't know... maybe he didn't want you flipping out and running off again."

 Varian narrowed his eyes at the cheap shot. Tadashi met his glaze coolly.

 "And you've not done anything stupid lately, like poke around Madam Canardist's anymore?"

 Tadashi sharply inhaled before stopping himself from snapping back a harsher retort. Once his initial anger subsided he slowly exhaled. "For the last time... I was only trying to help..."

 "Well don't. I don't need your help, no one does, there's nothing happening... that old lady is just trying to toy us and if we ignore her she'll go away."

 Tadashi looked at him as if he had suddenly grown two heads. "Nothing's happening?... You traveled here from another world, you invented time travel just to rescue me from a fire, and now there's this creepy old woman who somehow traveled from the same world that you came from who owns a weird glowing rock that caused you to faint. And I still can't figure out how I was able to read that incantation in the first place, it wasn't in English or any other language that I could recognize."

 Varian rolled his eyes and started to walk away. He didn't want to discuss this with Tadashi now. Yet, his older brother wasn't done. Tadashi firmly grabbed him by the shoulder and forced him to turn around.

 "Look... I know that your past is traumatic and that you don't want to be reminded of it... but it's just not going away. Especially when you're actively trying to get back to Corona again. As long as you keep fooling with that portal we could all be in danger."

 "No one is in danger Tadashi!" Varian pushed back. "Nothing can get through that portal without my knowing."

 "Oh and what about Canardist? How did she get here then?"

 "I... I don't know." Varian mumbled.

 Tadashi didn't say anything more but Varian could feel his stare. Varian refused to meet his gaze and after a moment Tadashi continued.

 "It's magic, isn't it?"

 Varian sucked in his breath as if he'd been punched in the stomach, but he didn't deny his conclusion. Tadashi pressed on.

 "This Canardist has figured out how to harness the power from those radioactive rocks that you said destroyed your home, and she has one just sitting in her shop right now."

 Varian bit his lip. "Wh-what did the stone look like?"

 "It was black, with a mirror like sheen... b-but it started to glow blue whenever I read that spell written on it."

 Varian darted his eyes back and forth across the field, still refusing to meet Tadashi's gaze. "Was... was it pointed at the end.. like a spike?"

 "Yeah..." Tadashi slowly nodded, encouraged that at least Varian was asking questions now. "... and it had a symbol on it. Hiro said, that      you     said, that it came from your father's home country."

 "The seal of Umbra... the mark of the brotherhood…" Varian finished.

 "What does that mean?"

 "The rocks come from Umbra... they destroyed my father's home first. Be-before they started to spread... I.. I really don't know much. All I could find out from his diary was that our family were knights sworn to protect the rest of the world from the rocks. He and his siblings were trained since childhood to be these protectors. That's why they're called the Brotherhood, I guess.... Anyways, they failed. The rocks took over the whole kingdom, causing everyone to evacuate,  and the plague was free to travel wherever it will, destroying more homes in its wake. "

 "B-but how?" Tadashi asked, more gently this time. "How do the rocks keep spreading… I mean, they're rocks... is it the radiation coming off them, this 'magic' or... wh-"

 "Tadashi, can we please just drop this!" Varian hissed as he blinked back tears. "What does it matter!? The rocks can't get here. It's a whole other world, alright, and there's no magic to be had in this one. I.. I just fainted, alright. I must have gotten a bad migraine from the blaring music at the dance hall or something. It was just a coincidence and there's no reason to keep bringing it up!"

 Now it was Tadashi's turn to roll his eyes as he grew exasperated with Varian's constant excuses to avoid the subject. "If you had just 'fainted' like you said, then you need to go to a doctor, because people don't just 'faint'. There's a reason for it. So either you need medical attention or there's something to this magic business after all. Either way, a check up wouldn't hurt you."

 "Baymax already looked me over. I'm fine, and this conversation is done."

 Varian turned and started to storm away again. Tadashi glared after him as he left and pulled out the cloaking sheet from his back pocket.

 Varian hadn't made it ten paces before Tadashi suddenly reappeared in front of him, as if by magic himself, and Varian fell back with a surprised yell.

 "Don't do that!"

 Tadashi ignored him as he finished pulling the sheet off his head. "What are you afraid of Varian?"

 "I don't know!? Maybe my big brother, jumping out of thin air and giving me a heart attack!"

 "That's not what I mean, and you know it! Why are you afraid to talk about the rocks? What are you afraid of us finding out about you? I know it's painful to think about your past, but its been months now and none of us know the full story!"

 "Why do you need to know anything? What does my past have to do with Cruz calling? I'm here now and I finally have my life together again. Why isn't that enough, Tadashi!?"

 "I don't know!? If all this really was enough, then why do you need to keep fooling with the portal?"

 "You know why..." Varian's voice dropped to a dark whisper.

 Tadashi frowned. "Look... I want your Dad to be safe too... alright? But if you're going to keep messing with magic then we need to know what we're dealing with."

 "For the last time, the portal isn't magic."

 "Oh, isn't it?" Tadashi stepped forward, arms crossed. "What powers it up then?"

 Varian titled his head to the heavens. "Electricity. Same as everything else in this very, non-magical city."

 "What about that focusing device you need?"

 Varian stiffened. "Wh-what about it?"

 "Hiro said it was a yellow rock, from your home. Is it related to these rocks?" Tadashi smugly thought that he was winning the debate. After all, if Varian was experimenting with these radioactive crystals in order to return to his homeland, then surely they needed to know more about these experiments.

 Varian however didn't agree. Suddenly he snarled and lunged at Tadashi. And before he knew what was happening, the smaller teenager had grabbed him by the shirt collar and lifted him off the ground.

 "Woah!" Tadashi's eyes went wide. "Talk about your adrenaline rush."

 Varian didn't appreciate his attempt at humor. "Stay away from the amber. Stay away from the rocks, and stay away from Canardist. Do you hear me?"

 "I told you, you don't get to order me about."

 Varian gave him a firm shake, before finally letting him go in a huff, almost flinging him to the ground. Tadashi had to react quickly to keep from falling as he righted himself.

 "You're a fool." Varian spat. "Stop messing with things you don't understand."

 "I would understand them, if you'd just talk to me, you hypocrite!" Tadashi indignantly shouted as he straightened out his shirt collar.

 Varian screwed up his face and looked for a moment like he would retort, but instead gave a wordless cry of frustration before turning to leave yet again.

 This time Tadashi let him go, before shaking his own head in annoyance and stormed off in the opposite direction.

 "What was that about?" Carol asked as Varian rejoined them on the stage.

 "Nothing... my brother is just an idiot." Varian dismissed as he grabbed his guitar. "You got the sound system set up and ready to go Mole?"

 "Sure do buddy." The short twelve year old said with a thumbs up. "With your band and my DJ-ing skills this party is going to be off the hook!"

 "All right, first sound check in 3.. 2.. 1..."

                                               ----------------------

 "Alright, the tea is ready." Aunt Cass called out as she re-entered the cafe carrying a tray with a tea pot and china cups. "And I brought out the good china-"

 She stopped abruptly when she saw her guests. They were all sitting on the floor!

 "Haha... Old Corona tradition..." The young gentlemen called Eugene explained with a tight smile. "We always take our tea sitting on the ground."  

 "Oh… Oh like in Japan?" Aunt Cass recovered, "Oh, well I have some seating cushions and floor pillows up stairs if you want me to go get them."

 "Oh no, don't trouble yourself on our account, we're quite comfortable, aren't we?"

 The other Coronians nodded enthusiastically and so, Aunt Cass found herself sitting on her knees as she placed the tray between them. Fortunately the little stand was still large enough to hold all of the cups. She poured out the tea for each of them and then filled her own glass. "So... Umm... I hope you had a nice trip over here." She said as she picked up her cup and leaned back on her haunches.

 "It was a breeze." Eugene lightly dismissed.

 "Yeah, and hardly took any time at all." His step brother said. "It was over in the blink of an eye."

 "Well, I'm glad your flight went smoothly." Aunt Cass politely commented. She was having difficulty navigating the conversation. She was too afraid to dive straight in with the questions that she really wanted to ask, and it was also clear that her guests were equally nervous at meeting her.

 She decided to make with some small talk. "Does Corona have a nice airport?"

 This must have been the wrong thing to ask however as the trio all exchanged bewildered looks.

 "Umm... does Corona have airplanes?" She asked, "I just assumed... though I guess you could have come here by boat. I'm sorry that was rude of me."

 The young man with the goatee gave her a wide, tight smile, "No... no, it's not rude at all... Ummm, it's true, Corona has limited flying transport..."

 "Though the Saporians have hot air balloons!" Lance eagerly butted in.

 Aunt Cass stiffened. She recognized that name. They were the rebels that Varian had joined. Her foster child hadn't told her much, but she knew that they were fighting for their independence from what they believed to be oppressive Coronian rule.

 What did these people know? Probably more than her, that was for sure. Whose side were they on? Indeed, if they were on anyone's side? Surely they were here to escape, just as Varian had... Also, who used hot air balloons in combat?

 Aunt Cass was too taken aback by the casual mention of what she believed was an ongoing war to notice the disapproving glare that Eugene gave his brother. She was also too caught up in her own worry and paranoia to notice that none of the Coronaians had even tried their tea.

 "Th-that interesting. Soooo, where are you staying while you're here in San Fransokyo?"

 "Oh, uh... we won't staying for very long." The woman with the cute Rapunzel costume replied.

 "Yes, unfortunately we are a bit on a time crunch..." Eugene explained. "In fact we really should get going if we want to see Varian again before our... uh... 'flight' back..."

 Aunt Cass blinked in surprise. "Go back? You're going back there?"

 The tone of her voice caused everyone present to look at her in confusion and suddenly Aunt Cass felt very foolish. Who was she to judge their home like that? She had next to zero knowledge about the conflict. Maybe things had calmed down...

 "I mean... so soon? You just got here... Why... yo-you haven't even tried your tea yet."

 Once again she noticed her guests giving each other awkward stares. She frowned. Had she forgotten something again? She looked down at the tea set as she took a nervous sip from her own cup. That's when she noticed what was missing.

 "Oh, the sugar! I'll be right back."

                                               ----------------------

 Rapunzel watched the kind woman stand up and rush over to a counter where sugar, and what looked to be other spices, were placed next to a stack of more cups and wooden stirs.

 "Whatta we do now?" Lance whispered to her. "We can't drink anything like this."

 "I still say we should make a break for it." Eugene said through gritted teeth as he watched the woman with a plastered smile, in case she turned around and saw them conspiring together.

 Rapunzel took a deep breath. This wasn't going to work, unless they could touch something; anything. Maybe if she concentrated really, really hard...

 She tried to envision in her mind the way a teacup should feel in her hand as she reached out and tried to grasp the handle. She imagined she could feel the cool, hard porcelain between her fingers, and could swear that she almost felt it's smooth texture pressed against her fingertips. She dared not look down, for fear that wouldn't be the truth, as she lifted up her hand.

 The baker turned around just in time to see Rapunzel lift the cup up, she saw nothing unusual in it. However Rapunzel couldn't have been more delighted as her companions looked on with awe and admiration.

 "I did it! Haha!" She crowed.

 "Did what?" The woman innocently asked as she sat next to Rapunzel and placed the sugar on the table.

 Rapunzel momentarily lost her concentration with that question and the cup slipped through her fingers once more as if she'd been made of air. The china teacup shattered on the ground.

 "Oh! Oh, I'm so sorry." Rapunzel moaned.

 "Oh, no, it's okay. It's okay." The woman gently cooed as she grabbed a towel to clean up the mess. "There's plenty more where those came from."

 She smiled as she picked up the broken pieces and placed them in the towel. "What kind of cafe owner would I be if I didn't have more cups?"

 She stood up. "I'm going to throw these away and I'll be right back with a new one for you."

 Rapunzel pouted as she watched the kind woman hurry away into the kitchen once more.

 "Well that was an abject failure." Lance commented. "Maybe we should cut our losses and just run for it."

 Rapunzel hung her head in her hands as embarrassment washed over her.

 "Hey, don't worry about it sunshine." Eugene said as he rested a comforting hand upon her shoulder. "When she comes back out again, we'll just simply ask her where this school is located and then politely excuse ourselves."

                                               ----------------------

 "Can you believe that guy?" Tadashi complained as he joined Gogo at the concession stand. "Here I am, trying to help, and he practically throws me across the yard."

 Gogo gave him a frown, but said nothing.

 "Oh. You think I'm overreacting?"

 "No." she sadly shook her head, and sighed. "Varian has a bit of... an anger management issue that he's working on."

 "So you agree with me then? He's the one who's blowing this out of proportion." He reached out for a cupcake and Gogo lightly smacked his hand away.

 "No."

 Now Tadashi was just confused. "'No', as in 'you can't have sweets right now', or 'no' as in 'I don't agree with you'?"

 "I don't agree with you." She plainly said as moved the plate of cupcakes out of reach. "Also, don't eat our profits."

 "Who's side are you on?"

 "I'm not on anybody's side. You're both wrong."

 "How am I wrong?"

 His girlfriend gave him another pout. "Do you like talking about the car wreck?" she gently whispered.

 Tadashi stiffened. "Th-that's different."

 Gogo crossed her arms and raised her eyebrow at him.

 Tadashi relented with a sigh. "Ok, fine... maybe I should have been a little more tactful, b-but.. I really believe that this itsimportant an-"

 "And you're the only one who's obsessing over this." Gogo interrupted.

 Now it was Tadashi's turn to pout. Gogo gently cupped his cheek. "Babe, I know that this past month has been.. stressful.. to say the least... But ever since we rescued you from the fire you've been... sort of... well... sort of..."

 "Roguishly handsome, and devil-may-care?"

 Gogo rolled her eyes at the joke. "Been acting kind of crazy."

 "Ooof.. ouch, again." He over dramatically placed his hand over his heart.

 "Okay, yeah, saying it out loud, that did sound harsh, b-but you know what I mean right? It's like... it's like you're trying too hard to fit back in, and you don't have to. We're just happy that you're here."

 Tadashi sighed. "I... I know I may have gone a little overboard on a few things lately, but this isn't about trying to fit back in... not anymore. I'm genuinely worried something might be wrong, now. You weren't there, you didn't see it, but I'm certain that whatever that stone was in Madam Canardist's shop it's connected to Varian, and his home world."

 Gogo tilted her head and genuinely considered this possibility. "Well... even if that's true... which it might very well be, we don't know... then what makes you think trying to pressure him for information is going to help?"

 "And what do you suggest we do? He's not willing to talk about it, and yet he's still fooling with that portal. What if something dangerous comes through?"

 "Like what?" Gogo seriously asked.

 "I don't know." Tadashi shrugged. "It's another world. It doesn't even follow our rules on physics. There could be anything on the other side that we're not prepared for that Varian isn't considering because he thinks it's 'normal.' Like for all we know, Cthulhu could be considered a pet over there."

 Gogo snorted with laughter.

 "Alright, that maybe a bit of stretch, but you see where I'm coming from now? I just don't want anyone getting hurt."

 Gogo gave him a loving smile and rested her head against his shoulder. "I know what you mean... and I think we're all nervous about Varian's experiments. But all we can do is be there for him. If something comes through that portal, we'll handle it."

 "Because you're superheroes?" Tadashi quipped.

 "No... cause we 're all too stubborn to give up on those we love." She gave him a peck on the cheek. "Now go finish getting ready. The first guests will be arriving soon."

 Tadashi gave in and pulled out his ghost costume. "Fine.. but don't say I didn't warn you. For all we know some bugged eyed, hairy monster could already be roaming the streets of San Fansokyo as we speak, intent on stalking us down, and feeding off our flesh."

 Gogo rolled her eyes again, but this time she smiled at the joke. "Sometimes you're just as bad as Fred, you know that!?" She called after him, and they both had a good snicker before he disappeared under his cloak.

                                               ----------------------

 It wasn't a bugged-eyed creature however, that currently sat inside the Lucky Cat. Though he had come from another world, and he was hunting down a certain alchemist...

 Eugene frowned at his reflection that swam inside the tea cup. How he managed to cast a reflection, despite not physically being in this world, he couldn't say. All he knew was that magic was weird, and very,  very annoying.

 They were running out of time and yet if they didn't play nice at this tea party then... well, Eugene had trouble thinking of a consequence. If nothing could touch them then it wasn't like anything could hurt them either, but Eugene hated to give the nice lady before them a fright by walking through the walls to escape or something.

 This 'Aunt Cass' was genuinely trying to welcome them, and treat them as extended family, even if she didn't have any real clue who they were and was not actually related to them at all.

 It was an awkward situation to say the least, and Eugene began to wonder if this was what real family reunions were like. He had heard people complain about such boring get togethers before, but he had always assumed they were exaggerating, until now.

 "So, umm... 'Aunt Cass, (Shall we call you Aunt Cass?) you have a very lovely home here" He told the lady as she finished pouring Rapunzel another glass of tea. "Is that a genuine cashmere curtain?"

 "Umm, I think it's miro fiber?" Aunt Cass gently laughed. "Honestly, I don't know. Those curtains were a house warming gift from my sister and brother-in-law, when I first opened the cafe, and you can call me whatever you'd like. Cass, Aunt Cass... Cassidy... It doesn't matter."

 "Does your sister live nearby?" Lance innocently asked. "What do we call her?"

 Aunt Cass gave a sad smile. "I'm afraid that my sister and her husband are... no longer with us. It's just been myself and my two nephews for years now... until Varian that is. Oh, would you like to see the family portrait? I just got it taken a few weeks ago!"

 "Oh, yes please! I love paintings." Rapunzel answered.

 "Well, it's not necessarily a painting, but I'll show it to you." She got up and walked over to the stairs and pulled a picture off the wall. "He we go." She walked back and flipped the fame around to show them.

 It was a group portrait alright. In the middle stood Aunt Cass and Varian. She was holding a calico cat, while the goggle wearing teen held Ruddiger in his own arms. Beside them were two other teenage boys with dark hair and brown eyes. They looked far more related to each other than the rest of the occupants in the photo, but it was clear from everyone’s smiling faces that they were all a family.

 Aunt Cass pointed to each person in the picture, "This is Tadashi, my eldest, and Hiro here is the youngest, and that is our pet Mochi that I'm holding. There's also Baymax, but he's the one who took the picture."

 "Oh my..." Rapunzel beamed. "and he did such a good job. It looks almost real! Baymax must be very talented."

 Aunt Cass seemed bemused by this comment. "Yeah, I suppose he is. Not many robot nurses moonlight as photographers, I guess." She laughed and went to hang the picture back up.

 "Robots?" Lance asked.

 "Oh, sorry, yeah Baymax isn't human, he's a robot." This elected questioning stares from everyone.

 "I'm sorry, were not familiar with that word..." Eugene suggested.

 "Oh.. oh, sorry, I don't know what you would call them in Corona. But... you know. A robot is a mechanical being… a machine that looks kind of like a person and can walk around but is all metal instead..."

 "Oh you mean an automaton!" Lance said.

 "Yeah, that's it! That's the word Varian sometimes uses."

 "Oh man, is the kid building more of those?" Eugene asked.

 "Well, actually, Tadashi is the one who built Baymax." Cass explained as she took her seat again. "The 'automaton' is suppose to be a nurse... you know, to help people."

 Eugene could barely comprehend what he was hearing. "Wait, wait… You're telling me that you live with two teenage mad scientists?"

 "Three, actually." She proudly smiled. "They all go to SFIT. That's the San Fransokyo Institute of Technology. All of my boys have managed to get scholarships there. Tadashi and Hiro are both majoring in robotics. Tadashi specializes in programing software, while Hiro is more of an engineer. Meanwhile Varian is going for physics."

 Eugene's mouth nearly hit the floor. He was sure that the boys admittance into a university was a notable accomplishment, but what really impressed him was the idea that this petite woman, who was all smiles, somehow lived with and raised such children while doing it.

 Her home must have been swarming with weird inventions, ready to go boom at any second! And if her biological nephews were anything like Varian, she must have had her hands full with their antics.

 "You are the bravest woman I have ever met." Eugene said with all seriousness.

 The woman only laughed at the compliment. "Oh, it's nothing really. So long as you don't mind the occasional appliance exploding."

 "What has the google head blown up this time?" Eugene slyly smiled.

 Aunt Cass's smile grew wider as she realized that these people genuinely were Varian's family. Who else would know about her foster son's chaotic nature?

 "Well, there was that issue with the oven, a couple of weeks ago, but fortunately it was only a small fire." She waved away the incident. "Oh, but you should hear how well Varian is doing in school. You'll be so proud. Professor Granville, that's the dean of the college, she submitted Varian's work to be peered reviewed by a science journal. She says he may be up for a Noble Prize! Isn't that exciting?"

 Eugene didn't recognize half the words that the woman used, but he could tell from her enthusiasm that this was some sort of big deal.

 "Oh, a, uh, a prize? For being the smartest guy around? Yeah... of course we're proud of him. Aren't we, gang?"

 Rapunzel didn't comment. She had remained unusually silent for most of the exchange. Lance however was in his usual good humor.

 "Sure we're proud, but it's not like it's a surprise or anything. Few can match the kid when it comes to alchemy."

 "Alchemy?" The woman echoed.

 "Uh, yeah, that's Varian's favorite science." Eugene explained.

 "Oh, you mean chemistry! Yeah, he loves it. I'm honestly surprised that he didn't major in it, but he's determined to get his portal invention working, and you know Varian, once he gets an idea in his head it's hard to get him to focus on anything else."

 "Yeah… do we know it." Eugene said through a plastered smile.

 "He'll be so excited to see you, I'm sure." Aunt Cass continued. "I don't know what time your flight is, but if you're willing to wait a few hours... Well no, the boys won't be back till late tonight... Umm perhaps we can meet tomorrow? Have lunch together?"

 "That sounds wonderful, Miss Cassidy, but I'm afraid we don't have that kind of time." Eugene saw his opening. "You said that there was this party tonight, at the university, maybe we can just meet Varian there?"

 The smile faded momentarily from the woman's lips and Eugene could sense her hesitation.

 "We just want to catch up with him. Talk about old times." Eugene insisted. "Seeing as how we'll be gone by the 'morrow."

 "Alright then," She said with a sigh and stood up. "Let me call ahead and tell him that you're coming."

 Eugene, Lance, and Rapunzel all hastily stood up as well.

 "Oh, there's no need. We'd kind of like to surprise him." Eugene hurriedly explained as the woman pulled out a small, thin, box. She pressed the screen on the box a couple of times and the box started to ring.

 Everyone was too confused to ask what she was doing. Soon however, Varian's voice, of all things, sounded out from the box.

 Both Lance and Rapunzel hid themselves behind Eugene, while Lance made a protective cross with his fingers to ward off the bad voodoo.

 "Hi, this is Varian. I'm too busy to pick up the phone right now, but just leave your name and message, and I'll see if I can't get back with you as soon as I can. Bye."

 "What was that?" Eugene asked.

 Aunt Cass huffed. "That was his answering machine. The party must have already started. He and his band are performing tonight."

 "Performing?" Rapunzel asked.

 "Yeah, he and some of his friends started a garage band. They're playing tonight at the party."

 "Friends?" Lance echoed. "You mean more of those robots?"

 Aunt Cass laughed in spite of herself. "Oh no, they're human." Then she paused. "... well most of them, anyways."

 After a moment she turned back to the box in her hand. "How about I text Tadashi instead and explain to him what's going on? He's the one in charge of the event. He can help you when you get there."

 "No, really, that's not necessary." Eugene insisted. "After all, your nephew won't know who we are. Maybe it'd be best to save the introductions until we actually get there?"

 Aunt Cass pouted and there was an uncomfortable silence as she hugged her phone. She looked like she wanted to protest, but she couldn't come up with a good enough excuse to fall back on.

 "You're ... just going there to talk to him, right?" She finally asked, her voice barely a whisper.

 Eugene was taken aback. The once smiling woman seemed.. well, afraid. Of them, no less! And this was the woman who'd been living with Varian, of all people, for several months now.

 Eugene spared a quick glance at his friends, to see if they had any ways to deal with the situation, but they didn't. "Ummm, of course... wh-what else would we do?"

 This didn't calm the woman down. "What about?" She hurriedly asked, before excusing herself. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to pry... but Varian... Well he... He's doing so well, and he's been through so much, which I'm sure you already know all that, or maybe you don't, not to the full extent, b-but he's still... He's getting better, we've made a lot of progress, but.. uh... I j-just don't want him to get upset. Do you understand? Not that he'd be unhappy to see you, I'm sure, it's just.. well... certain things can.. set him off..."

 "And make him a teensy bit.. erratic?" Eugene finished for her.

 "Well... I wouldn't say 'erratic' necessarily." Aunt Cass excused. "M-maybe, a little impulsive aaaandd..

 "Angry?" Rapunzel timidly suggested from behind Eugene.

 "Temperamental." Aunt Cass corrected.

 "And violent?" Lance added.

 "Nooo, no," She shook her head. "Varian would hurt anyone."

 The Coronians stood there quietly frowning at her, and all four of them knew that this wasn't quite the full truth.

 "What has Varian told you about Corona?" Eugene softly asked.

 She visibly stiffened at the question. "N-not much... I know about the war, and how he fought in it. He doesn't want to talk about it, obviously, so I don't know anything in great detail. Just that his home was destroyed, and he fell in with these Saporians."

 "Oh don't worry. The war ended months ago." Lance cheerily offered up. "All the Saporians are in jail now."

 This news, however, didn't have the calming effect that Lance had hoped for. Instead the woman's eyes went wide with horror.

 "Lance, I don't think she finds that fact very comforting," Eugene said between clenched teeth."seeing as how the kid that lives with her was a part of that rebellion."

 "Oh.. right." Lance nodded.

 "Y-you said that the war is over?" Cass asked, hopefully. "That's why you're going back? Is it safe now? Then why did you come here to begin with?"

 "We need to talk to Varian." Rapunzel explained, her voice barely above a whisper. "We need him to translate this scroll."

 She unrolled the parchment, so that Cass could get a better look at it.

 "What is it?" She asked.

 "It's a family heirloom." Eugene stepped in. "It's been passed down through generations. We've been collecting the pieces from our Aunts, Uncles, and Fathers, trying to figure it all out. It explains an important part of our family history, but it's written in a code that nobody can read. Varian's the only person who's been able to translate some of it.. before... well, before..."

 "Before his father was injured." Aunt Cass finished.

 Eugene hung his head, unable to meet the woman's gaze.

 "How is is his father?" She asked. "Varian's been talking non-stop about bringing his dad over here  to live with us, which would be wonderful, but I just don't... fully know the extent of his... condition."

 No one wanted to answer her.

 "Has he recovered yet? Can Varian call him?" She hopefully pressed.

 "Oh... there's no recovering from where he's at." Lance sadly broke the news.

 Aunt Cass cupped her hand over her mouth and blinked back tears. "Oh my poor baby." She sobbed, and then suddenly remembered who she was speaking to. "Oh and I'm so, so sorry. He was your uncle. You must have been devastated."

 "Yeah.. th-the news came as a shock to all of us, when we found out about the accident." Eugene truthfully admitted. "In fact my father only found out today and he was very upset. You could tell."

 The kind woman gave a sympathetic sob. "And you came all this way over here just to tell Varian in person.. so he wouldn't be alone. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry, I just... I was worried..." She awkwardly laughed. "Well I was afraid that you were going to try and take him back to Corona tonight. That was silly of me. Let me grab my coat and I'll just drive us down there. I won't be a moment."

 "Oh, well, that's kind of you.. b-but we kind of wanted to speak with him in private." Eugene panicked.

 "Yeah, and what about your business?" Lance added. "Isn't this like a busy night, what with all the trick or treaters."

 "Oh who cares, about the cafe?" Cass said as she slipped on her jacket. "My child needs me. Varian is going to be heartbroken, when you tell him the news."

 "But he already knows." Rapunzel said, flatly. All the usual warmth in her voice had dissipated as she sought to correct the woman. How dare Varian take advantage of this woman's kindness and generosity. "He was there when the accident happened."

 Eugene gave his girlfriend a disappointed frown, but she wouldn't be deterred.

 "I don't know what Varian has told you, about Corona or his dad, but it's probably not the full truth."

 "Sunshine...please?" Eugene patted her shoulder. "What my lovely future bride-to-be means... is that... Varian has never fully accepted the reality regarding Quirin's... predicament. He's not in a good headspace, and possibly hasn't been for a long time, and he's… uh… made some poor choices since then."

 "Such as?" Now it was, Aunt's Cass's voice who turned cold.

 "Such as joining a terrorist group and trying to over throw the government. He told you that part himself." Eugene thought that was an obvious answer, but their host seemed to disagree.

 "He's just a boy! A poor traumatized little boy. Lost and alone, and... those people took advantage of him!

 "Aunt Cass... I'm not saying that you're wrong... I'm just saying that the situation is more complicated than th-"

 "And what about that king? Is he still in charge? Huh?" Aunt Cass pressed. "That leader from your country that persecuted and imprisoned him to begin with? Why, of all the barbaric things..."

 "He's not barbaric!" Rapunzel suddenly snapped. Eugene held her back and gave her another warning glare.

 "Look, we're getting off track here. We just want Varian to help translate the scroll; we're not here to dig up old grudges, or play the blame game." Eugene huffed. This momentarily calmed down Rapunzel, but Aunt Cass was having none of it.

 She stepped closer to him, though she was too short to reach his eye level she stood on tip toe and gave him the fiercest glare he had ever seen."What are you really here for?"

 "No-nothing, we just need Varian-"

 "You are not taking Varian away."

 She then sharply turned around and ran back upstairs.

 Eugene was shocked. "We... we' aren't trying to take him away... we just..."

 Before he could finish Aunt Cass came bounding down the stairs. In her hand she held a large stack of papers. She stopped in front of them and then held the papers up so that they could see them. As if the documents were a shield to protect her.

 Eugene's eyes quickly glanced over them. "Adoption papers." He breathed.

 "You're adopting Varian!?" Lance squealed with joy. "Oh that's wonderful! I just adopted my own two little girls and let me tell you it's the best decision I've ever made in my life! Oh I'm so happy for you. Give us a hug , Auntie!"

 Eugene stretched his arm out to prevent Lance from rushing up to the now clearly bewildered woman.

 Eugene stepped forward. "Listen, Aunt Cass... Cassidy.. ummm, I understand your concern, and while I can't promise that Varian won't get upset by our... uh news... I promise you we aren't here to hurt him, or take him away. We just need him to translate the scroll. It's of vital importance."

 "Important? Why?" Aunt Cass demanded. "What is it for? Is it even an heirloom? Are you even his family?"

 "Everything we told you is the truth." Rapunzel insisted. "Corona is in danger and this might be the only was to stop the roc-"

 "Y-you... you just want to drag him back into that mess he just escaped from." Aunt Cass interrupted. She was shaking with anger and fear now, and all of her previous friendliness was gone. "Well, I won't let you! He's my child, and I got the papers to prove it. True... it'll be a few months until they're finalized and I still haven't asked Varian to sign them yet... but... But I'll... I'll take you to court if I have to. You're not taking him back there to that awful, horrible country!"

 No one knew what to say to that.

 Eugene had always heard that mothers protecting their children were more dangerous than the most seasoned warrior. He had never believed it till now. The short woman was bravely blinking back tears, daring him to defy her.

 “Ma'am... no one here is trying to take Varian anywhere. We physically can't. We're just going to ask him about the scroll and be on our way. And, who knows if he'll even bother to help us, but I would, never, ever, try to deny an orphan a loving home."

 Aunt Cass pouted up at him. She looked like she would cry. She felt foolish now, but she couldn't fully displace her fear.

 Suddenly a 'ding' sound filled the air as the bell above the door rang. Everyone turned to see a large group of people at the door.

 "Trick or Treat!" One little toddler, dressed as a mummy, called out.

 "Well, it looks like you have a lot a customers, and we'll just take our leave and get out of your hair." Eugene said, taking advantage of the opportunity. He motioned behind his back to single Rapunzel and Lance to escape through the crowd at they filed in. He started to back away himself as Aunt Cass started to protest.

 "I'm so glad you're open tonight! We got a bus load of kids." One of the customers called out, and Aunt Cass didn't know where to turn, or what to give her attention too as Eugene backed away.

 "Hold the door open for me my good man!?" Eugene requested the customer who helpfully held the door as the last of the children and adults filed in. However, before he took his leave, Eugene paused long enough to tell his hostess farewell. "Goodbye, and thank you, for taking care of Varian. I mean it. The world would be a lot nicer a place if there were more people like you in it."

 And with that sincere statement he ducked under the customer's arm and ran outside.                                              

                                               ----------------------

 "Can you believe that!?" Rapunzel fumed as Eugene rejoined them outside, "She called my father barbaric! As if they don't arrest and jail people here too. And.. and how would she know what Corona is like? She's never been."

 "Well, it's not like Varian would have given the place a glowing review." Lance pointed out.

 "Listen, listen..." Eugene interjected, "We need to get to this university before Aunt Cass does, and she probably has one of those horseless carriage things. Not to mention we still don't know where this place is, so we gotta hustle people. Come on."

 Eugene was about to walk off, with Lance close on his heels, when Rapunzel noticed the flier. "Wait! I found it! Look!"

 The poster was stuck to a street lamp and the image of a green skinned monster with large black eyes and a bulbous head was painted on it.

 "'Fight Night' Sic-fi Bash at the SFIT campus this Halloween night. Thrills, chills, and more. Concessions, live music, and an Alien Spaceship to explore." Eugene read out loud, confused.

 "Man, sounds like a party!" Lance cheered.

 "Oh and here's the address, with directions even!" Rapunzel pulled out her sketch book from her purse and wrote the street name down. "Got it! Let's go!"

 She pocketed the journal again and started to march off, followed by Lance, but it was Eugene's turn to stay behind. He frowned at the advertisement before stealing another look at the cafe.

 Aunt Cass was  still busy with the crowd of customers and she wouldn't be able to leave until she got rid of them. They might still have time yet to track Varian down before the woman warned him.

 The thought didn't give Eugene any pleasure. Especially when the kind woman caught him staring and made eye contact with him again. She was no longer angry, just sad, and Eugene felt his stomach turn with guilt.

 "Hey Rapunzel?" He called out to his girlfriend. She paused and waited on him to catch up. "We're just going to ask Varian about the scroll... right? I mean... I know he's the most wanted criminal in the land and all that but... umm... it's not like we have any physical way to bring him back with us, and well, he seems to be doing good here.. and,.." He stopped rambling and gave a sigh.  "I just, I think we need to rethink our plan here."

 Rapunzel looked at him confused. "All I care about is getting the scroll translated, and saving our home and Cassandra." She said. She sounded almost hurt by Eugene's question. "If Varian wants to stay here and not bother anybody, then that's fine by me."

 "But what if he refuses to help?" Lance asked.

 "He can't." Rapunzel said flatly, as if her simplifying saying so out loud would will it into reality. And with this resolution she marched away.

 Lance shared a questioning look with Eugene, shrugged, and then followed after her.

 Eugene however couldn't help snag one last glance at the cafe before hurrying after.

                                               ----------------------

 Edmund violently snorted as he jolted awake.

 "Who goes there!?" He hollered as he brandished his axe with his one good hand.

 "No one! You just fell asleep!" Angry snapped back.

 "Oh..." Edmunds eyes went wide with embarrassment and sheepishly tucked the axe back into its sheath.

 'I can't blame him for getting tired." Catalina yawned. "This is worse than watching paint dry."

 She gestured to the princess and the others who were seated next to her. They hadn't moved in hours and the eerie white light still shown from their unblinking eyes. The only thing that had changed was that the green flamed candle in the center was halfway melted down.

 Angry poked Xavier in the arm to nudge him awake as well. The aging blacksmith blinked his eyes rapidly, and quickly sat back up. Pascal fell off his shoulder from the sudden movement.

 "How much longer is this going to go on?" Angry whined to him.

 Xavier rubbed his eyes and took another look at the candle. "They only have a few hours left. Hopefully they were successful in their quest and are speaking with Varian now. I imagine it will take some time to translate the scroll."

 "Who is this Varian guy anyway?" Catalina asked. "I mean, I get that he's Eugene's cousin, but what makes him so special that he's the only person able to translate the scroll?"

 Xavier sadly smiled. "Varian is a most accomplished inventor and scientist. Not to mention a very talented and skilled blacksmith in his own right. Unfortunately, he does not agree with the king's rule and so fell in with Separatists of Saporia before fleeing the kingdom. There's is no telling if he'll even be willing to help us, but we must try."

 Edmund tilted his head. "Surely he must. It's not just Corona at stake but the whole world."

 Xavier only shrugged his shoulders. "Who's to say? Varian can be a very difficult young man to predict."

 Edmund frowned at this description. It didn't sound anything like what he expected Quirin's son to be like. His brother was a fiercely loyal soldier who placed the safety of the community, and his loved ones, above all, but one didn't have to take after one's parents, he supposed.

 "Well if he does refuse to help, can they bring him here?" Catalina asked. "Let him see for himself what's going on?"

 "Oh, I assure you Catalina, no one understands how dangerous the rocks are better than Varian." Xavier informed her. "However, as for bringing him here... I'm afraid I don't know. I would have to research the matter."

 He stood up and walked over to a stone bookcase built into the wall and started to search through his collection of spellbooks.

 Suddenly, screams could be heard outside in the distance and Feldspar, the cobbler, ran inside the shop.

 "The rocks! They're back!" He yelled in a panic. He then saw the princess and her friends sitting in the magical circle like zombies. He let out a little squeal of fright at the sight.

 Angry rolled her eyes. "Feldspar, calm down."

 "Yeah, what do you mean the rocks are back?" Catalina asked.

 Feldspar twisted the strings of his apron as he nervously fidgeted. "Oh me! Oh My! The black rocks are tearing up the kingdom again! They're heading right this way! We need the princess!"

 Everyone shared worried looks before Edmund stepped forward and brandished his axe once more. Poor Feldspar stood there shaking in his boots as the former dark king towered over him.

 "Show me." Edmund softly ordered.

 Feldspar's knees knocked together. "Th-this way." He pointed back the way he had ran from. "They're this way. Oh do hurry. Please. Oh woe is me, my poor shoe shine stand was demolished!"

 Edmund and Xavier followed the lanky shoemaker outside, where the townspeople were already fleeing from the black spikes that appeared in the distance.

 "Girls, stay here." Edmund ordered and started to march forward.

 "B-but what are you going to do?" Catalina asked.

 "Yeah! You can't fight rocks!" Angry shouted.

 Xavier turned to them with a serious frown. "Guard the princess until we get back." His voice was gentle as always, but there was an worried edge to it that he couldn't fully hide. He handed them Pascal, who empathetically squeaked at them, before hurrying after Edmund with a spellbook in his hand.

[thebookreader12345]

Stop the Violence

Pairing: Jay Halstead x Best Friend! reader

Summary: Y/N has been hiding her abusive past for all her life, and somehow, she’s managed to keep it a secret from Intelligence, and her best friend, Jay Halstead, this long. However, when someone sees something they shouldn’t have, Y/N’s world changes, and the only way she can get through it is with Jay at her side

Requested: Yes, by @virtualreader​

Warnings: abusive relationship, talk and depiction of a beating, alcohol abuse

Word Count: 1,764 Words

I tugged my sleeves down for the umpteenth time this morning, hoping that they would stay in their current position, but I knew they wouldn’t. I should’ve just worn a hoodie, but alas, all of mine were dirty, and since I didn’t feel like doing laundry last night, I was stuck with this long sleeved shirt whose sleeves never stayed all the way down my arms, and always found a way to ride up.

“You okay over there?” Jay questioned from where he was seated at his desk across the room.

“I’m fine,” I reply. “It’s just that these stupid sleeves won’t stay down.”

“Just role them up,” Jay proposed. “It’s warm in here.”

“It’s cool,” I insist. “I’ll just deal with it.” Jay hesitated, as if he wanted to say something, but ended up not talking and went back to doing his paperwork. That’s when Kevin and Adam entered the bullpen side by side, both with a cup of coffee in their hands. “Hey, guys. Either of you know when Voight’s gonna be in?”

“Uh, no,” Adam responded. “Why?”

“I need to run a quick errand. Cover for me?” I ask Jay.

Jay nodded. “Sure. Where are you going?”

“I’ve got to run an errand for my dad. I’ll be back soon,” I say quickly and stuff my phone into my pocket before heading for the stairs. 

My dad and I have never really been close. I was always closer to my mom, but when I was 16, she passed away from heart failure, leaving my dad to raise me all by himself. That’s when the problems began. My dad started drinking more often, coming home drunk after work. During these times, he would become somewhat aggressive. It was just little things though, like grabbing my arm a bit too rough. I waved it off at first because he was grieving over the love of his life, and I was sure he’d get over it in a few months. Except it never stopped. The drinking continued, not just after work at bars, but at the house too. And the violence didn’t stop either. In fact, it just got worse. Grabbing turned into smacking, and then punching. I thought that when I moved out, things would be different. I wanted to stop going by his house to say hello, but he was the only close family I had left, so I continued stopping by and running errands for him. The abuse didn’t happen as often as before, but when it did, I had to figure out how to hide the bruises, hence me wearing long sleeves and a lot of makeup. It was hard keeping this from the rest of the unit, especially Jay, who was my best friend, but I didn’t want them to think differently of me when they heard about my family life.

The reason for my errand was that my dad wanted a few things from the grocery store, and since he was apparently busy, he asked if I could pick those things up. I didn’t want to because I had work, but because Voight wasn’t in yet, I figured I’d just do it now to stop my dad from bothering me for the rest of the day. So, I left the district and drove to the grocery store, hoping that I could get this done as quick as possible. It didn’t take me long to grab everything my dad needed, including beer. I could’ve just not bought it, but that would make him angry, and I didn’t want to face that at the moment. After loading everything into my car, I made the short drive to my dad’s house.

“Dad! I’m here!” I call out into the house as I stepped inside. To the right was the living room, and behind that was the kitchen. My dad was sitting in the living room on his recliner with the TV on, not doing a single thing, which made me mad because I left work for him, but I pushed those thoughts aside and made my way into the kitchen to set the groceries down.

“What kind of beer did you get?” my dad asked as I headed back into the living room.

“Uh, Budweiser,” I answer.

“I asked for Corona,” my dad spoke.

“Yeah, I know, but I had to be quick cause I have to get back to work, so I just grabbed the first thing I saw,” I explain and fish my keys out of my pocket.

My dad growled and stood up. “So your work is more important than your own father?”

“At the moment, yeah,” I reply. Right after I said that, I immediately regretted it. I could see my father’s face change, and before I could even move, my dad stepped forward and punched me in the face, catching me square in the eye. I cried out in pain and fell to the floor, clutching the side of my face, which was now throbbing. “Dad, please stop,” I beg. But he didn’t stop there and took another step towards me, this time sending a kick straight to my ribs. Pain exploded in my side where the tip of his boot had come in contact with me, but I couldn’t do anything about it. Just before my dad could kick me again, the door to the house was kicked open, and seconds later, Jay and Hailey appeared.

“Hey! Step away from her,” Jay ordered with his gun raised. My father glanced between me and the cops, and decided it was better not to go against their orders, so he took a step back. Hailey didn’t waste any time and handcuffed my father’s hands behind his back, telling him his rights as she led him out to the car.

“J-Jay? What are you doing here?” I croak out and sit up, which sent more pain throughout my body.

“Hailey and I came down to see what was taking you so long, and to tell you that we’ve got no new cases, so Voight gave us the day off. I uh, I saw everything through the window,” Jay mumbled and gestured towards the big glass pane in the wall behind us. “I’m gonna take you to the hospital, okay?”

I shook my head. “N-no. I just want to go home.”

“Well, that’s not going to happen. I’ll bring you back to my place, and then I’ll call Will over to check you over,” Jay said and held out a hand to help me up. I took his hand, allowing him to pull me up, but pain racked my body. “All right. Lets go.” While Hailey used Jay’s truck to get my father back to the district, Jay drove my car back to his apartment. A few minutes after we got there, Will arrived to see if any of my injuries were severe enough to where I would need professional care.

“Your orbital bone isn’t broken, just bruised,” Will informed me as he examined my eye. “Jay also said something about your side.” I nodded and lifted up my shirt so that Will could get a look at my side. A reddish purple bruise had already began to form, and based on it’s size and deep color, I knew it would be there for awhile. Will pressed on the bruise, and I winced in pain, immediately tensing away from his hand. “Sorry. Uh, your ribs don’t look broken either. But you should be careful the next few days so you don’t hurt yourself any more. You should also ice your side and your eye. That’ll help the swelling go down.”

“Thanks, Will,” Jay told his brother, who left seconds later, leaving Jay and I alone in the apartment. I took a seat on the couch, my back resting against the arm rest, and Jay sat down on the opposite side, moving his body so it mirrored mine. For a few moments, we sat in silence, but finally, Jay spoke up. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

I sighed. “What was I going to say, Jay? ‘Oh, hey, just to let you know, I’ve got an abusive father who beats me over the stupidest things?’”

“You could’ve at least talked to Hailey,” Jay put in.

“I know,” I state. “But what kind of friend would I be if I made her relive her own terrible memories?” Again, we were silent for a few seconds, and again, Jay broke that silence.

“How long has this been going on?” Jay questioned.

“Since I was 16,” I reply softly, tears beginning to gather in my eyes. “He wasn’t always like this, but after my mom died, he changed. The beatings, they didn’t start until I was in college, but I think that made them worse.” I took a deep breath and wiped at my eyes, cleaning the tears off of my face. “I-I should’ve said something, should’ve done something. I mean, I’m a cop. I should’ve been able to defend myself, but I just let the beatings happen. I let him hit me.”

“Hey,” Jay murmured and got up from his seat. From there he moved to the seat next to me and placed a comforting hand on my knee. “Don’t blame what he did on you. This isn’t your fault. It was never your fault.”

I sniffled and wiped more tears from my face. “I know, but it’s hard not to think that it is. If anything, I should’ve gone to the unit, or at least talked to you.”

“You’re talking to me now, and that’s all that matters,” Jay confessed and gave me a small smile.

“So, what’s gonna happen to my dad?” I ask.

“He’s uh, he’s going to get jail time. He got charged with assault down at the 21st. It looks like it’ll only be a year or two for him in prison, but I am going to make sure he’s never able to hurt you again. That’s a promise I intend on keeping,” Jay admitted. I smiled and sat up, pushing my legs to the side so that I could lean forward and hug Jay. He squeezed me back tightly, and being in the arms of my best friend gave me the comfort I really needed right now.

“Thank you,” I whisper into his chest. “For everything.”

“You’re my best friend, Y/N. I’d do anything for you. Now, I say we order some takeout and have a movie night. What do you think?” Jay quizzed.

“I think that sounds like a great idea. Lets do it,” I say.

____________________________

Tag List:

@prettypyschoinpink @securityfriendly-jay @scarletsoldierrr @lorenakaspersen @virtualreader @carnationworld @caitsymichelle13 @dreamingmanip @campingmonkey @winterberryfox @nevertoofarfromivar @anotherfan07 @giagma @mrspeacem1nusone @i-like-sparkly-things

[neoheros]

how would haikyuu boys handle getting shipped with a friend on tiktok? feat. kuroo tetsuro

kuroo tetsuro has a crippling tiktok addiction and he’s in denial about it but everyone around him knows because all he does in his free time is get on that app

that’s canon i’m not arguing with anyone about this

he’s the kind of guy to fall asleep from scrolling through his fyp and the moment he wakes up he looks for his phone under his pillow to watch more lmaooo

so anyways

you share classes with him and he’s not really the kind of guy to have crushes especially on people he’s not close with

but then one day he’s on his fyp and he stumbles on one of your videos

and he’s just like ?? woah

he recognizes you obvi, he’s not one to talk to people out of his friend group but he’s not completely ignorant to everyone else

he immediately sees that you have indeed quite the following and have almost majority of your posts going viral

so yea you can say he’d notice you more in class now

at first it was subtle, looking at you more when he’s spacing out or paying close attention to you when you’re reciting

he doesn’t even notice how he includes you more in his thought process until the day kenma pointed it out to him how he’s been a bit more distracted lately

he brushed it off thinking it wasn’t really anything serious

but then boy Oh boy !!!

he started noticing the fact that you’ve got a really nice room in your vids and your fave led lights are the red ones since you almost always use them

he’s also really into the fact that you upload more on comedic videos than dancing ones

but HONEY when you posted your take on the dance trend of savage by megan thee stallion ,,, he was GONEEEE !!!

he sent that video to kenma like five times in a row with the caption “aha brb gonna LIVE for this woman 😗✌️”

kenma be like: simp city population - u

at this point he just accepts it, like flat out he took it within himself to UNDERSTAND how much he’s crushing on you and kenma asks him if he’s gonna do anything about it and he’s like ????

like he gets how awesome he is and stuff cause duh captain of the volleyball team and most probably the most beautiful man on campus but you’re also really good in class and very attractive

not to mention that you’ve never even looked his way before

he was hurt, man !!

only he could feel as rejected as someone who actually did get rejected

nevertheless, he got over that and just woke up one day telling himself that he was gonna shoot his shot anyway !!

so one day in class, right after the lunch bell rang, he took a deep breath and rummaged his insides for every drip of confidence he could muster

he walked to your seat and you were kinda surprised because this boy right here has never once talked to you before

his opening line was “can i sit here?”

you were still really confused but then he said something about wanting to be friends and your heart was just really warm cause !!!! that’s so NICE !!

and he mentioned how he knew you from tiktok since you practically lived on his fyp

you were really embarrassed and he got to see in action how your ears turn really red when you get shy

kuroo, internally: “that’s so FUCKEN CUTE !!!!!”

he had to reassure you that it was indeed really cool that you made bomb ass tiktoks

you were so grateful cause like one minute you were having a terrible day because of your stupid teacher then bam this 6’2 beauty of a man came swooping in telling you you were terrific

you two became friends after that and it made you really happy to have someone as cool as kuroo as your best friend

kuroo likes to sit with you at lunch except when you’re with other people then he gets a bit dejected so he’s just “well damn maybe tomorrow then”

it’s all good though cause he has invited you to numerous of his practices and that’s when you SEE how amazing this man is at volleyball

one day you’re like “hey wanna do a tiktok with me?”

and he’s like “the one where you kiss me?”

you, flushed: DIPSHIT WHY WOULD YOU SAY THAT !!!!1!1!1!!

you guys do the one where you dance to supalonely by benee

it went OFF !!! 700k likes and a solid ass 2.7M views because apparently the viewers really like it when kuroo dances next to you in his varsity uniform and has sweat dripping on his forehead

your comments for the next two weeks are just like “bro post another one with kuroo please PLEASE”

kuroo: guess people just like me more :)

you: leave my mentions <3

sometimes you’d get people replying to your videos with “you and kuroo look really good together”

you see them but you most likely ignore it because even if you did know how much you liked kuroo, you didn’t wanna jeopardize the friendship, yk?

anyhow due to popular demand, you include him in your videos again and every time you do they always go viral !!!

it’s very cute especially when you do the ones where you snapchat him song lyrics and he answers even if he does know it’s a trend

“can they please just get together already, we all know they’re pining but they’re too coward to say it !!”

you: ok u know what user9728182829 since u’r so good at this why don’t u be the one to make tiktoks at a volleyball court and dodge all those stray balls 😤

you were so fed up with it that you actually tell kuroo about the entirety of tiktok shipping the two of you together

he was worried that you were upset because people liked you and him dating that he thought maybe you just weren’t into him

BUT THEN !!!

because of the corona virus all the schools shut down and people were forced to stay in their houses for quarantine

it was sad that everything got cancelled and you weren’t allowed to see your friends anymore

but that’s ok cause kuroo insisted to facetime everyday

you: why can’t we just text

kuroo: because what if you forget what i look like 🥺

you: hey i’m not that blessed ❤️

it was like the quarantine never happened since you still saw and talked to him everyday

sometimes he’d show up at your place but refuse to come inside cause social distancing

this mfer threw rocks on your glass window just to get your attention once

kuroo: i got you those edible cookie dough in pints !!

you: omfg 🥺👉👈

then he chucks it at you because he ain’t boutta break the law to get you food 😤

it’s ok though you have really good reflexes and it only hit your elbow the first 2 times !!

you got it all on camera and posted it on tiktok and everyone in the comments were LIVID at the fact that you captioned it with “best friends b like”

“i just know that kuroo is punching the air right now.”

“imagine risking the corona and still being friend zoned.”

“when you realize kuroo is actually the president of simp city.”

other times he’d snap you at 3 in the morning asking if you want anything from starbucks

no one:

your snapchat dms at 3:28 am: you really went to bed you SN A KE !!

and when you wake up the next morning you find out that this guy is still awake and that he’s been chilling in the starbucks parking lot all morning !!!

that’s ok though because other than the fact that his sleep schedule is completely wrecked he still got you your venti strawberry acai refresher

you: thank you sm 🥺 what do i owe you

kuroo: a kiss on the cheek

you: you can have the drink back ❤️

that’s when the new tiktok trend started and people were posting the hottest guys on campus or revealing their crushes since 1st grade

you, feeling brave because school is cancelled: aight bet 😎

you do a tiktok hopping on the trend and you captioned it with “now that we aren’t coming back to school here are the boys from campus that i’d date for real”

you stall for the first 30 second by vibing to the music and when the beat drop !!

you showed a picture of kuroo and you put in the text “kinda missing him too”

you were extremely regretting this but numerous people already saw it and the comments went on and on about how unsurprising this was

press f ma’am

so one afternoon while kuroo was scrolling through his tiktok, he was surprised by the amount of notifications he was getting

cause he doesn’t even post videos ??

he’s only there to watch funny stuff and leave insulting comments on your posts cause he’s a good friend

he checks and they’re all just tags of him in this one video and he was kinda worried cause what if it was a hate post ??

but then he saw that it was yours and he’s less nervous !!!

kuroo, texting you: if you diss me in this one i’m posting the screenshot of you falling asleep on facetime

so he watches it and ??????????????

bro he went 🥺

before he messages you he went straight for the comments and !!!!!

“who knew it was kuroo before watching the whole video?”

“don’t be shy put some more photos of him !!”

“if kuroo duets this i’m gonna make sure to never fall in love unless its like this.”

“y’all he did it boys!! he graduated from the best friend zone!!”

he’s still really surprised by this and he really hopes you’re not kidding cause bro you??? like him????

thanks to that comment he saw, he decides to duet your video by using the same sound and doing the same dance with the same caption “now that we aren’t coming back to school here are the ones from campus that i’d date for real”

and they’re all just pictures of you 🥺

it blows up but before you see it on your fyp he’s already asking to facetime and when you answer you swear he’s just got the biggest smile in the world i’m :(

kuroo: lol remember when you publicly told majority of the internet how much you liked me

you: lol remember when you weren’t talking ❤️

[pinkhairedlily]

SS Retsuden Countdown | D-2 (late entry sheessshh)

Prompt: Corona borealis - Your hands are my pride 🔞

Summary: In a party. On a stage. Sasuke shows Sakura what his hands could do.

Sakura likes parties. It's where people let loose and let live in the guise of freedom under dim lights. She has rules when she joins one: dance with practiced moves, drink enough and not too much, grind a little. Just the perfect amount of vulnerability to show them she’s human. But all the same cool, everybody-wants-you, it girl. 

With Ino in tow, she becomes a mirrorball.

Maybe it's because of this that she's resistant in telling the world she's dating the uptight council president, Uchiha Sasuke. It’s not very on brand. She’s supposed to like jocks and MVP athletes, students who have more charm than brain cells, or men who would prefer her as eye candy than an armful of books. 

Quite frankly, Sasuke doesn’t fall short in the looks department. He’s on top of it. 

It’s just that he’s intimidating. And serious. And brooding. And grumpy. And he matches someone willing to sit in Uchiha family dinners with the pomp and grace of royalty and converse about trust funds. 

And yet — he chose her. 

One social science elective in fall, a project for two, library meetings blending into afternoon americanos. Then a class dinner after the semester. Sure, it was wholesome. He had a beer, she had a sangria, he slipped a casual ‘I like you’ over the rowdy laughter, and he held her hand under the table. She didn’t let go. She held on tighter. She felt dizzy then, as if he took her whole world and spun it around. She hoped it wouldn’t stop turning.

Now they have late nights drinking each other in. Under broken streetlights, against a tree, through pretend alleyways, in safe covers. Sasuke has become her most treasured secret.

“Why is he present tonight?” Sakura is seething. She can easily pick out Sasuke with his slicked back hair in the sea of bodies, dressed in white satin shirt that accentuates his eyes and leather pants that show off his build. He came to kill.

She tries to get his attention by staring, but of course, that was futile.  

Ino shrugs and sips her cocktail. “Rest easy, Sakura babe. I heard he lost a game against their adviser. Standing order to go enjoy himself before his last semester.” One brow shoots up in curiosity. “Fit is A-plus. If I’m not the love of your life, I would have pulled him already in the nearest bathroom stall.”

“Shut up Ino,” Sakura stomps both of her feet in annoyance. Everyone, everyone, is looking at him. “Can you like — scare him off or something?”

Ino’s smile increases a notch. “You’re so worked up. This is quite a funny scene to me. I finally saw the day where my unaffected Sakura got so possessive.”

Sakura takes the glass out of Ino’s hand and glares at her until she does the favor. Ino rolls her eyes and complies with her best friend’s plea for help.

All the lights come on bright as day and the ear-dumbing music dies down to silence. “As you may know, we have special guests tonight.” The host comes on stage with a set of peaches. “Everyone, let’s give it up for our seniors in Business Administration!”

“Shit,” Sakura and Ino say at the same time.

“They’re doing the peach game.” Ino points at the table on the side of the stage where pieces of the fruit are placed.

“Let’s call them up here, especially our very own student council president Uchiha Sasuke!”

Cheers and hoots ring across the place. In her periphery, Sakura sees him getting shoved in front. He begrudgingly gets on the stage along with ten others, sticking to the side instead of the center. The number and positioning is comforting, but Sasuke is unfortunately dazzling.

“He just stands out too much,” Ino says what Sakura is thinking. 

“Now that each of you has a fruit, your mission is to extract a small piece of pearl we injected inside. You have to…finger it.” This earns snickers from the crowd, and Sasuke almost looks like he’s about to pass out.

“Girl, don’t you think we should go in front?” The blonde doesn’t wait for Sakura’s answer, and she pulls him to the part of the stage directly in Sasuke’s line of sight.

“The pearl can be a cash prize, a key to a room, a free drink voucher, anything you like!” The host holds up a timer. “Fastest one wins — GO!”

Multitude of shouts ‘Go Sasuke’ irks Sakura. She almost opens her mouth to drown out the noise with her own voice. Surely, he’ll know her scream. He has been hearing it on most nights anyway.

But he finds her immediately. He smirks and complies with the theatrics.

“He’s looking at me,” Sakura says to Ino.

“Yeah, he is,” Ino grimaces. “Eeeewww. It's like being a bystander during sex. Let me look at Shikamaru instead.”

Sasuke takes his time. He’s uninterested in the competition. To Sakura, the room dwarfs down to only him and her. He flexes his hand before grappling the fruit. She doesn't have to squint to remember the thickness of his veins and how they pulse during the rush. 

He palms one side and under until the peach nearly bursts. Sakura can feel the phantom connection of him fondling her breasts, one mound after the other, rough hands against smooth skin. Each one fits his hand perfectly; when they let go, they leave handprints. She finds that he likes leaving traces of his touch.

He puts up one finger at first — tender and long — and dives into the bottom of the peach, coaxing its way into the fruit’s entrance. It opens up to him, dripping juices over his wrist. He catches her eyes as if he could hear her catching her breath.

Then he puts in another digit, and Sakura has to be conscious not to let out an ungodly moan. Sasuke plows through the ripe flesh, and the mics below the stage relay the pulpy sound of decimation.

He makes scissoring motions inside the fruit, probably finding where the goddamn pearl is, but it's her core who feels the motions. 

The tenacious nudge of his movements against her walls. The whispers and randomly placed kisses. The sound of her name leaving his perfect lips.

Sakura is near tears. The wanting is visceral — the way she is forced to see how he intends to pleasure her in a crowd of people she wants to please. Like she is being given an ultimatum.

Sasuke's fingers settle on a rhythm, thrusting and scissoring through the pulp and skin, until the small pearl finds its way in between. 

He's one of the last to find it, but he's unperturbed, taking his time instead to lick his hand clean.

Long enough for Sakura to pull him down the stage and give him a kiss. Hands entwined for everyone to see. /He's mine./

Long enough for the lights to black out and return to their flashy show.

Long enough for the booming bass to mask the hurried steps, a french exit.

In an abandoned stall. Against the door. One leg raised to give entry to the aching bulge. His peach-laced fingers in her mouth, sucking him clean. His fingers in her hair, pulling her in, taking all of her lips, her mouth, her tongue.

Sasuke doesn't have to rip her apart. He only has to set the thong aside and enter in one swift thrust.

"Hmm, you're wet." There's satisfaction in the remark.

"With your performance — who wouldn't?" She bites his neck at the overwhelming pleasure of contact. Funny when they already fucked before the party.

"That was only for you though." Sasuke breaks away for a second. "Is the peach game a tradition or is it intentionally made to embarrass me? They could have chosen a ripe persimmon —" 

"Uchiha, please shut up." She seals his ramblings with a flick of the tongue, and they both get lost in the ensuing waves of sensation.

He pulls up her other leg and wraps them both around his waist, giving his cock the right angle and tightness to thrust into. Sakura loves looking down on him as he starts to come undone. 

She shivers and then she breaks.

In the sweat drenched afterglow of nicotine and alcohol, he asks her, "What does it mean?" 

For someone who never runs out of excuses to wiggle out of her lovers' arms, she finds herself unable to dodge the question.

Sakura chooses to retreat further in his embrace, her legs still straddling him against the sink. "Hmm?"

"You gave me a verbal contract."

She remembers. She told him she'll only do this until he graduates, to preserve her reputation, to not taint her own, to let two different sides of the world stay where they should be.

"Yeah," she replies. "It still stands. No one saw us."

She didn't tell him she's scared. 

Scared of how much she loves him, and how it will eventually end.

"Everyone saw us." He's defiant. Those fingers that destroyed the peach wound themselves now around her wrists, planting them on the tiles. "Stop running away, Sakura. It only happens once for us."

"What is it?" She's in denial, and he's aware of it. His fingers let her go, only for his hands to settle on top of hers. She turns her palms over so he could hold them.

She has always lived on intimacy and affections, as if each touch pumps blood, gives her reason to go through one more night. One more day. She has always craved it. Sought it in the most opportune moments with the most random of people.

And now it has a name.

Uchiha Sasuke.

"This." He kisses her forehead, then her eyes, the tip of her nose. "This gold rush."

Sakura couldn't resist. She's being swept away.

AO3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/42599475

[stargaze-issei]

Ngl, Ive been feeling very sick and Im kinda scared i have the virus... Breathing is a struggle and I wanted to request smth where bakugou, todoroki and shinsou (separately) help reader out!

please, if you feel sick take all the precautions needed! i understand the fear of getting sick, my country is going through a sanitary crisis right now ): i send all my love to you, sweetie! i hope you like this<3

also, i took descriptions from what i found on the internet about shortness of breath due to corona, let me know if i made a mistake!

— 𝐚 𝐬/𝐨 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 + 𝐛𝐚𝐤𝐮𝐠𝐨𝐮, 𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐨𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐢 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐮

bakugou katsuki.

in the middle of this situations, you were relieved to have someone like bakugou around. he was a fast thinker, most of the times, and helped you ease your anxiety. still, usually he was feral as normal, but whenever he saw you having any trouble, he'd leave everything aside and focus on you, only you. the uncertainty of you having or not that nasty virus was stressful for the two of you, but until you had some answers, he did his best to keep you at calm. katsuki had no symptoms, so he couldn't understand what you were going through, but it hurt him to see you suffer, both physically and mentally. he'd make you warm tea, because he read that it help with sore throats, cook easy to eat meals, so you don't struggle eating. despite of the danger of being near you, if it turned out you were infected with the virus, he won't stop kissing you, cuddling you, touching you in general, he knew it made you feel better and that was worth everything, and, staying a six feet away from you now wouldn't help at all.

"katsu, ka-" he was in another room while you laid in bed, too tired to move, your voice was so low that he thought it was his imagination.

"y/n? are you-" when he saw you fighting to breath normally, he rushed to your side. it wasn't the first time it happened, and probably wasn't the last, so he was already familiar with what to do.

even if he wanted to succumb to fear in those times, he knew he couldn't do it. from what you described, you chest felt so tight, that air barely could get to your lungs, every inhale was like pieces of glass going down your throat. adding the anxiety of not breathing, making it even harder, was a vicious cycle. katsuki placed his hand on your back, moving it slowly but consistently from your shoulders to the center of your hips, with his free hand, he cup one of your cheeks and focused your eyes in his.

"i know this hurts, but please, try to breath with me" his tone had discovered a new level of sweetness, leaving behind all his screams and swearing. "it's okay, it'll be over in a few minutes, just do it with me" with soft words, he stayed by your side for as long as you needed, trying to take your mind off that immeasurable pain. it always hurt, but those occasions were considerably stronger than usual.

once you feel better, he would lay right next to you, putting his warm hand in your throat, whispering how badass and amazing you are, how much he loves you and admires you for bearing that kind of pain.

todoroki shoto.

he has troubles expressing his feelings through his words, instead, he does it with actions. it's obvious he worries about you, how couldn't he? you're his whole world, the moment he sees you struggling, not just with breathing but anything in general, runs to your and tries to help you. he has a hard time understanding how you feel, but seeing you in pain is enough to get his own anxiety going. todoroki remembers when his dad trained him, how sometimes he felt his lungs were about to collapse and nobody could help him. he didn't want to be so powerless when it came to you. 

he usually asks you what to do to make you feel better, otherwise he would be clueless. since he's in no pain, most of his daily routine is modified to be all about you, even though you tried to stop him because it made you feel like a baby he had to take care of, he did it anyways. 

"shoto? is dinner ready?" todoroki had volunteered himself to make you every meal of the day since you told him your body ached.

"yes, seat a little, please" he had made you soup, a special recipe he learned from fuyumi, she said it cured them from any desease, he hoped it'd do the same to you.

in the middle of bed, he placed the tray which contained two full bowls, and gave you a soft smile before thanking for the food. you were eating, slowly but consistently. todoroki had a hidden talent, cooking. you felt an itchiness in your throat, so fastly left the bowl in a steady place avoiding spilling it. shoto got on guard immediately. you tried telling him it was okay, but the cough was only getting harsher and harsher. no air went in, and too much air got out.

"water, i'm bringing water" with your hand, you stopped him. better not waste any time, you couldn't swallow in that condition. it was pure desperation, even todoroki knew that.

he moved around the bed, helping you get your legs out the blankets. your throat felt close to tearing apart, it hurt so bad. affraid, shoto did all he could think about. both of his hands travelled to the back of your neck, positioning it where air was easier to get, his fingers did small circles in your skin. little by little, the attack calmed. you weren't feeling like eating anymore, so he cuddle you in his arms until you fell asleep. he shouldn't let you know how scared he got every time something like that happened.

shinsou hitoshi.

he knows what it feels like, at least at some level. shinsou has had more than one panic attack in his life, so he understands the desperation of not being able to breath properly. but has no way of knowing what you feel, physically speaking, and the darkness killed him. all he had left to do was research, and he did, he gather every piece of information he could find, about what you felt, how could he help you, what environment was better for your help. sometimes it was stressful, to keep everything in place, make sure you were okay, but it was worth it. he helped you feel better, he made you feel better, and that was all he needed.

at nights, he'd sleep holding you, always ready if suddenly you started to struggle while sleeping. you noticed how big the bags under his eyes had gotten, even though he refused to take a nap, you managed to convince him. you made fun at the fact you basically copied his quirk, gaining a annoyed yet sweet look. hitoshi went to bed, and when he woke up, you were okay and nothing had changed. after that, he started to relax a bit, which relaxed you as well.

"babe, are you okay?" he hadn't heard you talking or laughing at the tv show you were watching, shinsou wasn't worried, but it was a habit to check on you, specially on that condition.

"can you come, please, hitoshi?" even when he was a few meters away, your voice was extremely low and drowned. fast like a lighting, he went into your room. "it's– i– it hurts".

"let me go get–" before he could leave, you grabbed his hand. he understood, you didn't want to be alone. so he placed himself behind you, moving his arms around your shoulders, resting his head in the space between your shoulder and your neck. his nose brushed your jaw, making you feel his breath in your chest.

there, under his touch, everything slowed down, easier. he helped you to get through all the obstacles in front of you, even when both were under that immeasurable pressure.

[lightwithinthedarknessu]

A Crown to Adorn

Starting off #sokaiweek2021 with a fluffy one-shot! 

Wrote a little fluffy one-shot for Day 1 of @sokaiweek Prompt: King and Queen. Childhood memories for #sokai and a cute flower date! A time of healing and reminiscence, adorned with flowers fit for a King and Queen.

A03:   https://archiveofourown.org/works/32511775 

Fanfiction. net: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13918369/1/A-Crown-to-Adorn

A Crown to Adorn

*.*.*.*

“Wear a crown of flowers on your head, let its roots reach your heart.” – Kabir

*.*.*.*

The smell of the grass, the warmth of the sun on their faces, and the slight scent of honeysuckle wafting through the canopy above was the perfect complement to an otherwise ordinary day. Ordinary, that word seemed to slip into her mind with a lithe bump, nestling into her heart but leaving behind a tinge of anxiety. Was it good to cherish something even if you knew it wouldn’t last? Those words danced within her mind as warm rays of light kissed her cheeks.

Living in the moment. Cherishing those small moments of reprieve-sometimes Kairi had to keep reminding herself to do that. Whether it be taking in deep breaths of the salty air or cherishing the soft sensation of sand squished between her toes- those small insignificant moments she needed to hold close. The way the wind hit her face as Sora and Riku rushed past her in one of their many races or the sensation of cold droplets hitting her face during one of their many water fights. Those moments, they would rush back at her all at once during those times she was alone, listless, and longing for their company.

Somehow, Kairi knew that today would be one of those many moments she held close to her heart. She took in a deep breath, savoring the crisp air hitting her lungs.

The Kingdom of Corona was as beautiful as Sora had claimed it would be. Filled with flora and fauna, clean air, and warm bathes in sunshine. Even the few heartless around were, she had to admit, cute in their own way. Made her almost sad to pummel them, but once she found herself attacking in unison alongside Sora- every thought she had just melted away. He always seemed to do that, make her feel as if she could do anything, be anything. It sounded silly but- his light made hers stronger somehow. It radiated within her a warmth that felt so comforting she never wanted it to leave.  

After clearing the area, they had decided to take a quick swim in the spring nearby and were now sunning themselves like a couple of lizards on the forest floor. They had taken off their shoes and fully let themselves relax for what felt like an eternity. Peaceful, it was so peaceful that Kairi felt she could fall into a sleep here without a care in the world.  

“I’m glad you brought me here. It’s so pretty.” Kairi turned to Sora, her eyes welling with shimmering light. After hours of training, Sora had dropped by unannounced, unattended by the other two little half-pints, to whisk her away for a “well-deserved break” as he put it. At the time he had a shy grin on his face, letting her know that really, he had just wanted to see her. Not that she minded. She wanted to see him too.

“I had to! I mean you love flowers and well the beach back home isn’t as green as this. Heck, I hadn’t even seen some of the plants here before. It’s really something- all those worlds we wanted to see- just there’s always something new.” Sora blurted out, his excitement burgeoning behind an uncontrollable grin. He rubbed the back of his neck and leaned forward. “Sorry, I’m getting a bit too excited. I’ve been wanting to show you all these new things for so long. Every time I see something I think, “Kairi and Riku need to see this!”

Kairi giggled. Sora did seem to be holding in boundless energy every time she saw him. “I want to see it all with you. I mean, we always wanted to travel and learn everything we could. Even just seeing this world makes me want to go to all kinds of places with you- and Riku too…” Kairi tucked a stray piece of hair from her face. She felt almost embarrassed to say anything more- to tell him that really, she wanted to just run away with him right now. Leave it all behind. But that would be selfish, wouldn’t it? They had to face Xehanort. Even if that meant risking their lives. Still, that incredible wanderlust creaked within her bones. Even now her heart began to beat faster at the thought of Sora whisking her away to world after world. She could just picture it-brisk walks on stardust touched beaches, huddling close in frigid snow-kissed air, or dancing on the tips of their toes across warm cobblestones-

Everything. Just experience it all-together- hand in hand in a world all their own.

Kairi felt something lightly fall on her head. A light gasp escaped her lips at the sensation. It tickled her eyelashes as she looked up to greet Sora’s impish grin. Her hand reached up to touch the delicate petals of a ring of flowers he had placed on her head. Her eyes widened. “When did you…”

“Oh just while you were humming to yourself earlier. Did I do a good job? I mean I’m not as good at connecting them together as you…but I did have a good teacher.” Sora winked.

Tears pricked the edges of her eyes. When they were children, Kairi often spent her time near the shore picking small wildflowers and clover. One of the few things she remembered about her grandmother was her love of flowers and the way she used to weave together flower crowns. It used to make her feel like she was almost home again, weaving the flowers together, creating something from nothing. It was cathartic. For hours she would lose herself in the action- maybe that was why piecing shells together also soon became second nature. Once, Sora sat down next to her, and watched intently as she connected each stem of clover flower without asking any questions. When she was done, he told her how pretty it was and how “he wanted one too.”

For a few days after school, they would go down to the shore, make flower crowns, and pretend they were a King and Queen of the flower people. Well, the last part was entirely Sora’s idea. When she thought back on it- Kairi wondered if Sora did that to help her feel better about being homesick. She had missed her grandmother so badly back then. Every day she felt so alone. But then…Sora was there. And Riku…and the three of them found new things to do together.

Back then, Kairi hadn’t paid a second thought to the idea that most boys wouldn’t find what she was doing that interesting. Thinking about it now, Sora probably only said he wanted one too so she wouldn’t feel lonely- after all…she wasn’t the fastest runner or could hold her own at the time in a mock sword fight. What she was good at was making things, connecting flowers, shells, and bits of shattered sea glass into stars shapes or crowns. Her room back home was filled with makeshift stars, unfinished and marred imitations of the charm Sora now held close as an oath to her. Her childish fantasies of an unbreakable connection, made real and whole through a brush of their fingers as she passed the charm to him. Her fingertips warmed as she recalled his touch.

Now, with the newly coronated flower crown atop her reddened locks-Kairi felt that same bubbling joy well up inside her.

Kairi couldn’t believe Sora had still remembered that time or well had even retained his “flower-tying skills” as he used to call it. Sora had remembered a time that even she had pushed back deep into the depths of her heart. “I think that you retained some skill.” Kairi puffed out her chest. “But I think I’m still the master. So, I’m going to work my magic! It’s only fair that you have one to match.”

Sora chuckled and placed both hands behind his head. “Well, I guess we’re off flower picking then huh?” His hips swayed from side to side, his legs acting listless as if they hadn’t moved in hours.

Kairi bounced up on her heels, feeling a renewed vigor in her veins. “Yep! Lead the way, King!”

“King?” Sora’s jaw slacked. “Gosh, when you say it like that it only reminds me of “the King.”

Kairi lightly patted Sora on the shoulder. “Now, now.” Kairi chided. “There can be more than one King and Kings of different things. He may be “the King” but you- you’re my Flower King right?” An impish grin filled her cheeks. Sora blinked a few times before averting his eyes. She could swear a tinge of red was on the tips of his ears.

“Geez flower King? Don’t tell Riku, or Donald or Goofy- I’ll never live that down.”

“But I’m the flower Queen- we have to match!”  Kairi pointed an accusatory finger at him. Sora jumped back a beat, his deep blue eyes tinged with uncertainty. Soon, his eyes swirled with glimmering sunshine, his smile so subtle she found herself itching to gently brush her fingers across his lips. Her cheeks heated at the thought.

“Okay, I mean if you are I have to be then.” Sora put a hand over his mouth to muffle a laugh. Though clearly uncomfortable, there was a hint of joy in those words. Poking fun at him like this was almost too nostalgic. With ease, she slid her hand into his and gave it a tight squeeze. He recoiled slightly before sheepishly squeezing her hand back. His eyes wouldn’t meet hers, but she knew- he was just a tad shy still.

Hand in hand they traversed the woods searching for violet, azure, and fuchsia hues. Their still bare feet brushing against rough patches of dirt and slick grass, staining their toes a light green as they went. The morning dew, still kissing the tips of their hair, kept them cool against the ever-rising sun. Every flower they came across seemed more beautiful than the rest- they gathered until they were spilling out onto the ground beneath them. Sora sneezed a few times, sending them flying much more than he would have liked. The air filled with laughter as they collected them all again, each time regretting having over-prepared their bounty.

They returned to the clearing in no time at all-and she set about her work. Connecting the flowers together wasn’t hard- but choosing which flowers suited Sora best- well that took some thinking. Baby’s breath, delicate and kind, hydrangeas as blue and calming as the sea, red carnations brandishing the passionate courage in his heart, and yellow calla lilies to represent his happy disposition. When she was done- it was a crown only befitting him. When she held it up against the light, the shadows cast across her face danced- truly she could think of it as her best work yet. Smirking and a bit too proud, Kairi stood up and delicately laid the crown atop her “King’s” head.

“I, Flower Queen Kairi dub thee- Sora- Flower King.” In a grand bow, Kairi placed a hand over her heart, glancing up at him with mischief and mirth.

Sora’s wide toothy grin greeted her. “It’s an honor!” He paused, searching his mind before snapping his fingers in the realization of something important. “Does it look Kingly?”

“I think it suits you, just as mine suits me.” Kairi spun on her heels, dancing as she delicately brushed the petals she adorned. She gave Sora a taunting wink as she thrust out her hand. “I’d say a dance is in order, sire.”

A deep laugh escaped his chest as Sora jumped up to grab her hand and pull her close. Their eyes connected as if a thread between them became taught, sure, and certain that the entire world around them could just melt away into nothing, and it would all be alright. One step, then two, a sway and a swish, he even threw in a twirl or two as they danced to the bubbling brook and twilling birds. The melody in their hearts flowed and swirled at a tempo that pulled her into a sense of weightlessness. The countless times she dreamed of the two of them, blissfully dancing, suddenly made it real.

It was real, him, her, this moment. It was a sensation, a scent, a feeling she wanted to bottle up and keep close- like an herbarium filled with preserved flowers. Bright, opulent, and ever so warm. As their dance slowed, and her heart settled, Kairi leaned her head on Sora’s shoulder, letting herself melt into his rising chest. It was then Kairi knew that home wasn’t ever far anymore. That homesickness had long flitted away like petals in the wind once she let Sora into her heart. Now, every time she thought of their memories, these moments, the rise and fall of his chest, his heartbeat…Kairi knew somehow she was always closer to home.

 Years Before

*.*.*.*

The bluff at the edge of town was filled with clover flowers. Though she had been warned with a stern shake of the mayor’s finger, and a disapproving huff or two from the town elders, Kairi always found herself foraging for flowers here. The wind blowing through her hair, and the misty salt air gently caressing her chubby cheeks made her feel more at home here than anywhere else on the island.  In the afternoon quiet, only the rumbling low roar of the waves had been keeping her company. Lightly and carefully, she hummed a melody as she worked, losing herself in knot after knot.

*.*.*.*

“What do you think she’s doing?” Sora muttered in a hushed tone, trying to keep his usually loud voice as quiet as possible. He was huddled on his haunches behind a large hedge, practically wiggling to keep himself from falling over. He and Riku had followed Kairi from a distance like two ducks up the winding hillside. When they had seen her leaving the Mayor’s house she had been stomping and letting out a long-winded sigh or two. Riku had said that she was “probably angry” and that it mostly had to do with her going off alone. Sora, being extremely curious about Kairi ever since she had arrived on the beach, had never not kept watch over her. So, Riku being Riku had suggested they follow her, knowing well that Sora would have found himself trailing after her absentmindedly.

Riku let out a sigh and shook his head. “She’s going to make something again. The last time she came back down from here she had a crown of flowers in her hands. That’s probably what she plans on doing.”

“Hmm, that seems more lonely than fun. She’s all by herself.” Sora pursed his lips, his nose scrunching up. He crossed his arms and readjusted his drooping bum with a light hop. “Seems like it’d be better to do with more people.”

Riku raised a brow, then smirked as he realized something important. “You know, if you want to join her nothing’s stopping you. We can go back to the play island any old time.”

“But it feels like if I go over now, I’d be like- I don’t know- I’d um make her mad…”

“Mad?”

“You always say I talk too much. Kairi seems a bit scared when I do that.” Sora looked down at his fidgeting toes. “Still, I think she’s lonely.”

“She just doesn’t know much about us yet. And well you do talk a lot. My dad says sometimes though that just being near someone without saying anything is enough.” Riku crossed his arms, and nodded, certain his father’s words were true.

“Really Riku?”

“Yeah, Really.” Riku put a hand on Sora’s head and gave his hair a quick ruffle. “Now, no more waiting!” Riku placed both hands on Sora’s back and pushed him forward- not even worried if he would fall over on his face. Usually, he did, and Sora had to brace himself for a fall that didn’t come. Instead, he found himself balancing on one foot and staring into the wide cerulean eyes of a frightened girl.

*.*.*.*

When a rustling bounded behind her Kairi gasped and found herself on her feet, her hands clutched close to her chest. A familiar head of spikes was what first caught her eyes, then the twigs and leaves sticking out every-which-way, followed by the shy grin of a boy caught doing something he shouldn’t.

“Geez, Sora! You scared me!” Kairi tucked her hair behind her ear as if she were suddenly aware of her own messy mop.

“Sorry, Kairi! Me and Riku were just…” Sora paused to look behind him. Not a soul was in sight. “Aw man, where’d he go? We were just talking about…ugh never mind.” Sora stood up straight and puffed out his chest as he shook the stray twigs and leaves from his head. Once he was done, he placed both hands behind his head. “So…what-cha doing?”

“Making flower crowns…” Kairi mumbled under her breath, feeling herself carefully enunciate each word. Sora was nice, after all, he was the one who found her on the beach that day. But a part of her felt scared, nervous, and a bit rumbly in her tummy when she talked to him. He was always so bright, and his grin was wider than his face. Kairi didn’t know how to be around him. Kairi turned her back to him and smoothed the ends of her dress.

“Okay.” Sora uttered. He continued to stare at her, unmoved until she decided to sit back down among her work. As she picked more flowers, she began to take more glances over at Sora. He watched her intently, swaying from side to side on the edges of his sandals. He stayed that way for a beat then promptly plopped down next to her. Kairi’s breath hitched in her throat at the sudden invasion in her little bubble. But Sora didn’t say anything, although his face was twisted into an unnatural frown, alerting her he really did want to say something.

Kairi tried her best to get back to her crown, but she fumbled with shaky fingers as she tied the tiny stems together. Her lips moved into a fine line, her teeth biting down into the corners of her cheeks. Again, soon she became lost in the motions, not even noticing Sora get up and go look around. Moments later he dropped back down next to her, this time, with a handful of clovers.

“It’s really pretty.” Sora blurted out. His eyes were wide, expectant.

A shivering jolt went through her back, and Kairi shyly looked back down at her completed crown. He said it was pretty, what she made. A slight hint of pride wafted through her chest. “Thanks…”

“I-I want one too!” Sora’s voice was louder than he intended, for Kairi almost fell back at the sudden noise. She made sure to quickly put on a smile for the boy looked almost as if he would cry if he knew she was scared.

“Okay, I’ll teach you.” Kairi found a new strength in her voice. She was more confident now. A voice inside her heart, but from where she didn’t know, whispered caressing words.

Whenever you feel lonely, look to the flowers. Surround yourself with them, let them take root in your heart. Every moment may seem small, but you can make them bigger and more beautiful. For those moments when you’re alone, the flowers will remind you of me and of those who love you. That light in your heart will continue to bloom and grow, as long as you let it. Adorn your head with a crown of flowers, my dear. Adorn the head of the one you love. Find that light, never lose sight of it.

  Notes:

Thank you for reading! This fic was inspired by the prompt King and Queen for SoKai Week 2021. Visiting Sora and Kairi's childhood and what they meant to each other during that time was pure joy. I hope that this little bundle of fluff reminds you of the wonder of picking flowers as a child, and how even the smallest acts of kindness can mean the world to someone else. I tried to add in some of Sora's flowers from his herbarium by super groupies as well as flowers that spoke to his personality. Fun fact: Clover flowers were something that I would gather when I was a child, and luckily they do grow at least in Hawaii at high elevations, so it's possible they could be on the mainland in Destiny Islands!

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[discnchant]

when: may 30th, coronan lantern ball who: faerilyth moor and melinoe papatonis @oncemorewthfeeling​

The clock struck nine and the party was still raging on. The music swelled, a gorgeous symphony by a small orchestra situated at the farthest point of the ballroom. Bodies moved in sync, rushing through daring waltzes and quadrilles in fiendish glee. Faerilyth thought dancing to be a stupid pastime, and had never before coming to Auradon thought it wise to learn how to do so. However she had her part to play; docile, naïve, doe eyed child captivated with the world that had only barely been given to her. How she cleaved into such a role, even when people assumed the worst of her, and how she played her part.

She was now working her way to the edge of the dance floor, chest heaving with labored breath, carefully pulling her arm from an eager dance partner who dared to pull her back into the fray. “Oh Miss Moor, please just one more! They’re gearing up for a waltz.” She had to fight not to send an icy glare to him, the kind she learned from her mother but bled with the powerful fury of her demonic father. Instead she kept the charming grin she’d practiced countlessly in front of mirrors and shook her head with a giggle. Because that is what pretty little things did — they giggled. Horrid noise.

“Mr. Barrow, I must insist upon a break. You are such a wonderful dancer, I am not fully accustomed to countless turns. I am in dire need of refreshment.” He quickly offered to retrieve, but Faerilyth silenced him with a wave of her hand. “Go now, there are so many lovely women in need of a partner. I daresay — Lady Rose of Auroria seems lonesome now. Why don’t you ask her for the next one?” She waved her hand again, a spell from which he could not refuse, and watched as he rolled his eyes but mechanically walked away. Free at last.

Once she felt no eyes were on her, she dropped the look upon her face and rolled her own eyes in irritation. The things she needed to do to build up her carefully chosen façade. Reaching into her skirts to where she had pinned a stop watch, she flipped back its cover and looked. Barely five after. Time was extremely of the essence tonight. She would need to somehow get message to Nikolai and Mercedes, and perhaps Cillian. Organize the troops, and send off a team into the catacombs below the city where her sources claimed the Sun Drop Flower was hidden. The last remnant of magic in Corona.

As her gaze whipped across the room, taking in the number of palace guards and where they were stationed — small obstacles that could stand in their way — her eyes stumbled over Melinoe Papatonis, lingering upon the Child of the Underworld with a sudden curiosity. She could not recall how often she spoke to the other back in the Shadow Realm. Then again, she was not allowed to socialize much. She stayed up in that cave at the base of those horrific mountains on the edge of Shadowloft, the makeshift town the villains put together. Mostly segregated from those that would be her peers. In truth, she didn’t need to know her on a deep level, there was just one thing about her she wanted to know about. Her powers, the scope of them, and how they could be used to her advantage. Taking the first two glasses she saw upon a tray of refreshment which wandered past her line of vision, she began walking towards the other, lowering her head in greeting when Melinoe’s violet eyes met hers. A hand extended forward, offering the second glass she’d managed.

“I’m not sure what it is, but I suppose we don’t have to worry if it’s poisoned,” she quipped, a small but friendly grin on her face. She stood beside the other, but her gaze returned to the merry throng dancing at the center of the room, of the guests excitedly conversing and socializing on the fringes of the dancefloor. Much like them, she supposed.

“You know, I find it odd you and I are not better acquainted. In a way we share something in common; fathers who rule over domains of the dead.” Hers was the demonic prince of hell, home of sinners and the worst of men, while Melinoe’s was the god of the underworld, the place where all dead would eventually go if not claimed by Chernabog. “Perhaps our time in Auradon will give us the chance to finally get to know each other, don’t you think?” There was more to her words, a subtle sort of invitation. If Melinoe suspected that Faerilyth was up to something, and if she would want in, then maybe she would catch on. Or maybe it was just a friendly invitation to properly socialize. She left it up to her to decide.

~ ♰ ~

[ratedbangtann]

The Game ~ KNJ (18+)

↳ summary - “Behave yourself tonight, _____,” he warned. “I mean it. Too far, and I’ll be forced to act.” 

“Of course, dear. I’ll play fair, I promise,” you smiled, fluttering your perfectly permed eyelashes at him.

And with that, the game was on…  

↳ rating - explicit/18+

↳ word count - 8.3k

↳ pairing - namjoon x reader

↳ genre - established relationship, alternative universe, CEO Namjoon, angst, smut

↳ warnings - teasing (oh, so much…), flirting with others, angry Joon, rough Joon, manhandling, oral sex (m receiving), throat fucking, dirty talk (incl. name calling), unprotected sex, rough sex

↳ a.n - okay so yeah hi it's been nearly 5 months since i posted an au please don't hate me life has been ROUGH but here have this little gem that was commissioned by a lovely twitter follower of mine.If you'd like your own commission or to leave me a tip, head over to https://ko-fi.com/ratedbangtann (i just lost my job thanks to corona so anything helps, honestly) **************************************************

Your husband’s words echoed around inside your head, a strangely sadistic little grin on your face that only you knew the reasoning behind.

“Behave yourself tonight, _____.”

You had promised you would, but were you being entirely truthful? Absolutely not. On a night like tonight, how could you possibly not use your charms to get ahead? That was the foundation of your company, after all; the charms you had used on your husband and his clients to merge your small business with his much larger enterprise.

Of course, you hadn’t done this with malice, and you certainly hadn’t expected to fall in love with the CEO of the company you flirted your way into… Not until he called you out on your charm, made light of it, and explained that actually, he saw you as a very smart and beautiful woman with a drive that precluded any other potential businesses he was contemplating to taking on.

Four years of happy marriage later, you had become co-CEO of Kim Enterprises – a main hub for all things fashion and retail, with 32 different brand names coming under the Kim umbrella; including your very own line of gorgeous evening wear.

Tonight, yourself and your husband were holding a company event at a hotel, hiring out the ballroom to bring together the heads of each of these little companies you had dominion over in order to impress a handful of investors to buy shares in Kim products. This was your specialty, and you were certainly going to whip out your charm tonight.

However, in the back of the Bentley that had driven you and your partner to the ball, your husband was already way ahead of you…

*************************************************

He looked handsome, as always. His silver hair perfectly quaffed and styled with a side part, round-rim glasses poised on the end of his nose, sharp grey suit fitted perfectly to his wide shoulders and thick arms. His hand had been affectionately poised on your bare knee for the duration of the ride, the flesh of your right leg beautifully displayed through the slit in your evening dress – from your own company, of course.

Just five minutes away from your destination, you felt his grip tighten a little, and slide a little further up your thigh, enjoying the softness of your skin on the inside of your leg. He was staring down at his own hand, watching his thumb draw circles on your skin with a look of deep thought on his face.

“You look a little apprehensive, Joonie. Are you alright?” you had asked, concern laced in your tone with perhaps a little mischief. He hummed in response, not looking up at you and instead still very much intent on his thumb grazing your skin.

“You look so beautiful in that dress tonight, my love…” he smiled to himself, pride swelling in his chest that it was you he got to call his wife. “No doubt, you’ll turn some heads.”

You smirked; this was the start of laying down his rules… You knew it was coming. It sent thrills through you every time.

“Thank you, it’s from the Fall line. Taking it out on a test run, shall we say…” you smiled sweetly.

It really was a stunning dress; sleek and fitted pearlescent silk with a little fabric tapering in the waistline. The straps themselves were strings of pearls, thin over the shoulders and draping in loops down your chest, cleavage beautifully displayed with the low hanging stones and fabric. The pearl straps continued to drape over your back also, hanging lower than in the front in another loop. The fabric exposed your back to just where your back dipped in, the pearls hanging down over the top of your butt.

It was an extremely sleek and sexy gown, expertly tailored to hide potential flaws and accentuate perfections. And that’s why you picked it tonight.

“It’ll definitely be an advantage in your tactics tonight, I’m sure,” he smirked, his eyes finally darting up to meet yours. “I have mine too though, just so we’re clear.”

“I don’t doubt it,” you laughed quietly, shaking your head with a smile. “But the dress is not the only tactic I have up my sleeve, my love. You’ll see…”

His thumb stopped its rotations then, his grip tightening just a little more in response.

“Behave yourself tonight, _____,” he warned. “I mean it. Too far, and I’ll be forced to act.”

“Of course, dear. I’ll play fair, I promise,” you smiled, fluttering your perfectly permed eyelashes at him.

And with that, the game was on…

************************************************

You stood and laughed with the small group of investors that you had attracted into a corner of the ballroom. The dress and your charming reputation proceeded you and worked like a beautiful spider’s web, drawing in the most naïve of flies until they stuck – it was then that you could make your moves.

Three men were stood in front of you, all of them middle-aged, wealthy bachelors of sorts. Mr Song, CEO of a cosmetics company you were hoping you could persuade to come on board and partner with Kim Enterprises; Mr Kang, an investor who made his money buying and selling shares of companies throughout Korea, and Mr Garcia, a Korean-American entrepreneur looking to invest in more Korean companies to impress his elderly Korean mother, unhappy with his choices to continue his late father’s American legacy.

Frankly, it seemed like an easy sell. You knew you could get Mr Garcia to come around very easily; he was in a rush to invest, hoping to improve his foreign relations and his relationship with his dear mother.

Mr Song had shown an interest in selling part of his company to Kim Enterprises for years, but it had never felt like the right time to introduce a cosmetics line into your empire; Namjoon agreed. Focus on fashion, on the clothing and accessories retailers to begin with. When you had enough, cosmetics could be introduced. You’d kept Mr Song at arm’s length, dangling the carrot in front of the donkey for him to follow you; and he had, willingly.

But Mr Kang? He knew the market very well, he knew his investments, he was careful and very picky with what he chose to buy into. But when he did, he really invested; billions of won at a time, in fact. If you could just crack his outer shell, you were sure he would drop his guard a little, and you could sweet talk him around.

You had a few tactics of course that included, but were not limited to; laughing at their jokes with a coy giggle, fluttering your eyelashes a little, giving them side eye smiles, pushing your hip out and elongating your leg to show it off through the slit in your dress, touching their arms when you were talking directly to one of them, making little provocative jokes followed by a delicate wink and a sip of your champagne flute…

All these things combined? They worked incredibly well, as did the compliments you would slide in, directed at the men themselves or at their business endeavours. They seemed incredibly receptive to you, taken in by your beauty and your confidence as many men often were; including your husband, who had been eyeing you from the bar across the ballroom for a while.

He himself was focussed on his own investors; female, of course. But he wanted to watch you deal with yours first, he wanted to watch his competition – you – claim your prizes before he made any moves on the female investors he was hoping to win over. And of course, keeping to himself was always a viable option in these games you played at corporate events. It kept him mysterious and aloof, striking at opportune moments and asking these women for a dance, or if they would like to join him for a drink; if he kept to himself all night, then these women would feel particularly special. ‘Who, me? He wants me?’ they would think. All part of his plan.

But for some reason, tonight he was distracted. He couldn’t tell why, but his eyes were fixated on you even more so than usual. Perhaps it was the way Mr Garcia seemed to have taken an interest in you, standing a little closer than the others… he kept pushing his hair back too, trying to flip is off his forehead in that typical ‘movie heartthrob’ way, but honestly it was just laughable from where Namjoon was standing. Every time you touched his arm and laughed at his joke, he shuffled a little closer, and it was starting to bother Namjoon.

He wasn’t the one you should have to focus on… He was an easy catch, desperate to invest. So why were you paying so much attention to him? Namjoon didn’t understand… Unless you genuinely were enjoying flirting with the youngest of the three potential business partners. Oh, his blood boiled at the thought.

But what he didn’t know, was that you already had Mr Song hooked on your line. He was in, whether he’d verbalised it yet or not. Mr Kang, however, was a little more reserved, although he did enjoy your attention. You had quickly calculated though that he was someone who got what he wanted, and it infuriated him when he didn’t get it. He would do anything to get what he wanted… So, you paid extra attention to Mr Garcia, starving Mr Kang of your attention that he so clearly wanted.

Doing so made him work harder, would make him eventually think that it was his idea to invest in order to get your attention back on him. So far, it was working. He was trying to land more jokes, make you laugh at his one liners the way you laughed at Mr Garcia’s…

But Namjoon didn’t get your game, didn’t understand what you were doing. He saw you getting closer to Mr Garcia and it enraged him, immediately jumping to a wrong conclusion as men so often do.

Now, he wanted to strike. He was ready to start his game.

Leaning against the bar, he necked back the rest of the expensive scotch in his glass, slamming the glass to the bar and pushing off in search of a particular young lady he knew was a potential investor; So Soomin.

Soomin was an easy target; new money. She was a fashionista, a blogger mostly with a large Instagram following. Her profile skyrocketed when she began dating a famous idol, as did her net worth. And although that relationship came to a sticky end, it was the idol’s career that suffered, and not hers. Hers has only blossomed into modelling and investing. She was new on the scene, fresh and a perfect advertising opportunity, and investment opportunity also.

Namjoon had spotted her sat at a table on the edge of the dancefloor, in a stunning navy blue sequin gown. She was most certainly beautiful in reality also, just as her photos portrayed her. She was sat talking to an older woman, a woman Namjoon recognised from Kim Enterprises as a very loyal board member for the public relations department. She must be working her magic on Soomin too, seeing her as the perfect walking advertisement.

But Namjoon could work his magic too. He strode over to her, confidently stepping through those dancing on the dancefloor to make his entrance. As he stepped up to her table, her head turned to look at him immediately, and her face changed from relatively serious to a very sweet and flirtatious smile.

“Good evening, Ms So,” he bowed nice and low, respectfully greeting her. She dipped her head as he straightened back up. “Kim Namjoon, Kim Enterprises.”

“Ah, of course. Pleasure, Mr Kim,” she chirped, her eyes glittering under the dim lights of the room.

“I wondered if you would be interested in a dance?” Namjoon offered his hand, ignoring the look of ‘here we go again’ from his employee – of course everybody at Kim Enterprises was aware of the marriage between you two, and yet unaware of the games you played at events such as these that kept the fire of need burning hot within you both. They saw you as a pair who used their attractions to get what they wanted, but of course, they dare not speak up.

“That sounds lovely, if you’ll excuse me Mrs Cheong,” she bowed her head to the woman and took Namjoon’s hand, stepping ahead of him to pull him onto the dancefloor in a display of confidence.

It caught your eye; specifically, the sparkle of her dress caught your eye. Clearly, a woman who liked to make a statement. And behind her was… your husband? Smirking and quite clearly checking her out.

Now, it’s fair to note that in your entire relationship with Kim Namjoon, neither of you had ever been unfaithful, and neither of you had ever planned to. There were of course limits, and plenty of trust. This game that you played with each other was to keep that fire lit; and boy, was it raging right now.

Namjoon carefully took Soomin’s hand with one of his, placing his other on her waist, and began to sway to the smooth jazz being played by the hired band. He smiled down at the beautiful woman, and from what you could see, he was enjoying a flirty conversation with her.

She would giggle and hide her face behind her hair a few times, Namjoon tucking it back behind her ear. He would smirk and arch his eyebrows suggestively. But the moment that made you snap? He leaned down and whispered something into the woman’s ear, to which her eyes widened momentarily, and she was grinning and laughing again.

Your boiling point had been reached. The game had now stepped up.

“Hm, you know what?” You started, interrupting Mr Garcia’s little conversation with Mr Kang, bringing the attention of all three men back to you. You quickly necked the rest of your champagne and smiled up at Mr Garcia. “I want to dance.”

“If you don’t mind, Mr Garcia, I would like to take this one?” Mr Kang piped up, seemingly out of nowhere. You looked at him, a little shocked, but smiled and took his open hand that he had offered you.

“Don’t worry, you’ll get your turn,” you turned back to look at Mr Garcia, winking in his direction before allowing Mr Kang to direct you to the dancefloor. As the oldest of the three men you were working so easily this evening, he was most definitely the most chivalrous. He guided you like a gentleman, stepped aside to let you step onto the dancefloor first, gracefully placed his hand high enough on your waist to be respectful, the other in your hand and much like the other duos scattered around, you began to sway to the music. You remained in pleasant silence, dancing with the older man for a few minutes.

“You know, I’m aware of what you’re up to, Mrs Kim,” he smirked, averting his gaze to be interested in something in a far corner.

“Up to?” you asked, remaining calm and collected as if you had absolutely no idea what he was accusing you of.

“Yes, it’s quite clear to me. It’s quite amusing, honestly. I appreciate that you use your strengths to your advantage in business. You most definitely had me for a while, I was definitely very willing to invest for your attention. But you gave yourself away,” he looked back down at you, clear amusement on his slightly aged features.

“How so?” you asked, dropping the innocence and yet remaining charming.

“I saw your face falter when you spotted your husband over there, dancing with the pretty young woman in the blue dress. And now suddenly, you wish to dance? I ask myself, why on earth would you not simply walk up to him and tap him on the shoulder to take her place? Why would you ask Mr Garcia to dance?” Ah, busted… “This is some kind of game to you, isn’t it? Between you and your husband, I mean.”

You were lost for words; no one had caught on before, but the slip in your persona had been noticed. Damn.

“Tell you what,” he began to proposition, “if you can win this little battle with him tonight, make him jealous enough that he is the one to step to you, then I’ll invest heavily into Kim Enterprises. That’s a promise,” he grinned. And suddenly, the gleam in your eye was back.

“You want in on this, huh?” you laughed, stepping just a little closer to him.

“As long as I don’t get a fist in the face, I’m happy to help you win your game Mrs Kim,” he smirked, his hand slowly starting to sink a little lower, resting on your hip.

“We have a deal, Mr Kang. But just so you are completely aware, I am completely loyal to my husband. I wouldn’t want you to misunderstand at all; this is just good sport. Just flirting,” you outlined with a playfully warning tone.

“Absolutely. I’m not interested in separating a marriage. I won’t try to kiss you or woo you in any way. Just good sport,” he mirrored. And now, you had stepped up to Namjoon’s level, with another key player involved.

Across the dancefloor, Namjoon was happily chatting, happily flirting with Soomin. They were discussing business amongst general chit chat, flirting happily and dancing away, when Namjoon caught a familiar figure in the corner of his eye; you.

He turned strategically in his dancing with Soomin to get a better look and low and behold, there you were just a few metres away from him, on the dancefloor with Mr Kang and looking… rather cosy, shall we say.

He didn’t like how low his hand was on your waist, on those curves of yours that he adored so much. He didn’t like that your hand wasn’t on his shoulder or his arm, but snugly half tucked into the inside of his tuxedo jacket, lying flat on his chest. He didn’t like the mesmerised looked you seemed to have in your eyes as you gazed up at him. And he most certainly didn’t like the smirk of arrogance on his face either…

Namjoon was only partly listening to Soomin talking about the timeline of her modelling career, eyes intently focussed on watching you dance with Mr Kang seemingly unbothered by the fact that he was metres away with another woman in his arms. It was like you were lost in the arms of the silver fox of the business world, and it infuriated him.

He noticed the grip on your hip tightening a little as you giggled at whatever poorly constructed joke he must have been telling you. He watched as you lifted your hand from his chest and tapped the end of his nose playfully with a perfectly manicured finger.

It was the tiny little details that were starting to make his eyebrow twitch and his tongue press against the inside of his cheek.

He watched for what felt like hours but could only have been a maximum of twenty minutes, the music changing pace and flowing from one theme to the next three themes, but it was all background noise to him. Until Soomin’s narcissistic bubble finally popped, and she noticed the attention was no longer on her.

“Is everything alright, Mr Kim?” she asked, tapping his shoulder and watching his pupils adjust as he focussed back in on her.

“Hmm? Yes, fine. Apologies, you were saying?” he brushed it off as nothing, managing to convince her enough to start babbling on yet again about herself. But when Namjoon looked up to keep tabs on you, you were nowhere to be found on the dancefloor.

His head whipped around, panicked with anger bubbling in his chest. Where the hell had you gone? Where had he taken you?

A quick scan of the ballroom found you, sat at a lone table in the corner, Mr Kang closely sat beside you. He leaned forward and whispered something in your ear, and Namjoon watched as you swatted his shoulder with a playful giggle, your hand dropping to rest on his knee which had found its way between yours, the slit in your dress exposing your beautiful thigh.

No, this was too far. He had warned you before, and you had promised to play fair, but this wasn’t fair at all… If he had to watch that man touch your knee, your thigh… He couldn’t bear it. His jealousy, his ownership of the woman he loved had ignited his primal self, and he needed to come and claim you again, to show you and everyone else that you were his.

Without so much as a glance down at Soomin, Namjoon dropped his hands from her and began marching towards you sat at the table with Mr Kang.

“N-Namjoon?” she called after him, confused and annoyed that she had been cut off mid-sentence. But again, he paid no mind, intent and focussed on getting between you and the man with his hand on your bare fucking thigh.

At the table, Mr Kang was the first to spot Namjoon, quickly approaching with a face like thunder. His eyes widened momentarily, before settling back on you, a smirk on his features.

“Congratulations,” he mumbled to you smugly just as you heard the stomp of Namjoon’s loafers getting closer to your chair. Your head snapped up to look at him, and there he was – and oh, did he look pissed. You were half expecting steam to be shooting out of his nose and ears.

“Ah, Namjoon! I wondered where you had been all evening. This is Mr Kang. I’m sure you’re aware of his stellar reputation in investmen-“

“May I speak with you privately?” Namjoon interrupted, popping his tongue into the inside of cheek, eyes darkening.

“Is something the matter?” you asked innocently, cocking your head to one side. Namjoon’s eyes darted down to the hand still comfortably laid on you, although now it had shrunk back to just rest on your knee. Your eyes followed his, looking up at Mr Kang briefly – who was smiling sweetly as if nothing were the matter – and then back to Namjoon.

“There’s an opportunity that has come up, I need to discuss with you immediately. It’s quite time sensitive. Mr Kang, if you’ll excuse me, my wife and I need to have a private discussion,” he barked, like a guard dog defending its prey from another equally hungry canine. Then without hesitation, Namjoon took your hand in his with assertive dominance and guided you out of the large double doors to the ballroom.

As you were navigated through the tables you turned back to see Mr Kang smiling and waving at you, giving you a thumbs up. He knew you had won the game. He was going to invest. Perfect.

But now to deal with Namjoon.

Your husband was dragging you now, out of the view of the investors and business partners and alone together in the hotel corridor. You let him take you, thrills already building and anticipation heightening. At the end of the corridor you noticed a lattice shutter and an open silver chamber behind it; a service elevator. Was that where Namjoon was headed?

Apparently so. Without letting go of your arm he pulled the metal lattice gate open and practically threw you in, stepping in himself and slamming it shut behind him, pressing the button to the left hand side marked ‘8’ and there he stood, silent and motionless as the elevator kicked to life.

With his back to you and his hands clasped behind him, you were suddenly very aware of the anger in his demeanour, the dominance in his posture. He stood unmoving, not bothering to look back at you once, not saying a single word as you steadied yourself and hung onto the railing along the back wall. The silence seemed deafening, louder than the chatter and the music that you had experienced throughout the night.

The ride up to the eighth floor seemed agonisingly slow, every silent second dragging. You knew Namjoon had booked a room in the hotel for that evening so you wouldn’t need to go home after the event, so assumed that must be where he was taking you.

The elevator ground to a halt and Namjoon ripped open the lattice gate, letting it slam against the edge before turning and gripping your wrist again, pulling you and pushing you until you were both on the opposite side of the threshold and he could slam the gate shut once again. And then he began walking, leaving you stood in shock that he wasn’t dragging you this time, just expecting you to follow suit.

You folded your arms across your chest for a second and waited, wondering if he would turn and tell you to follow him, or come back to grab your arm but he did neither, simply stomping his way down the long hall with white walls and gold trimmings, luxurious red rug rolled out with gold detailing. Beside each room’s door was a small mahogany table with a white and gold marble vase, fake red arrangements inside. Fancy, but you’d expect nothing less from a hotel of this calibre.

You realised quickly Namjoon wouldn’t turn around, wouldn’t wait for you, and with a huff of annoyance you unfolded your arms and followed behind him, the pearls on your dress rattling as they hit each other in the quiet of the corridor. Three doors from the end of the corridor, he stopped and turned to room 804, slipping a key card out of the inside of his jacket and into the slot as you approached him. He disappeared from view, entering the room and almost letting it shut behind him, if you hadn’t been quick enough to stop it with your healed foot.

“You know, Mr Kang is really a very nice man…” you began to speak as if nothing was wrong, entering the room and closing the door behind you, flipping the lock. But before you could continue, your shoulders were being pulled to spin you around, and pushed back against the door.

Namjoon loomed over you, his eyes dark and angry, arms either side of your head now, trapping you.

“Is he, now? Is that why you looked so cosy with him on the dancefloor, hm?” Sarcasm dripped from his voice, his head tilting in mock query.

“Just as much as you and that man-eating model? Don’t try and take the high road, Namjoon,” you defended with a smirk. “We both know the game we play, for good sport…” You leaned in, lifting your lips to his ear in order to whisper to him…

“And I think I won…”

Namjoon closed his eyes for a moment, his jaw locking and teeth grinding, a deep breath quickly exhaling through flared nostrils. He hated losing. He hated it so much. But admitting he had lost was even worse.

He said nothing, but instead you felt two strong hands on the tops of your arms, gripping them and pulling you from the door, dragging you further into the room before he could push you down onto the couch of the open hotel suite. You didn’t have time to admire the royal blue upholstery and French renaissance style before he was slotting his knee between yours and towering over you. You let your back sink into the back of the couch, sat upright with your thighs parted by his.

He ran his fingers through your hair, letting the fingertips gently glide down your jawline and eventually grip your chin with a hold that you couldn’t wriggle from.

“You went too far, ______. I warned you…” His voice was significantly darker than usual; deeper and more threatening than most would have heard from him.

“I was simply trying to get us an investment, Mr Kim. But I think your pathetic little display of dominance may just have ruined that,” you argued, although of course it wasn’t true. You only wanted to rile him up further, to aggravate him into giving you frankly what you can only describe as a good, hard fucking. It was working, too. You saw his eye twitch.

“You just don’t know when to stay quiet, do you?” he scoffed. You simply looked down at his lips and back up to him, as if you say “oh, yeah? Try me.” He didn’t like that.

So instead, he swooped his head down to plant a ferocious and bruising kiss to your lips, his hand coming to push the back of your head into him further. He wasted no time in parting your lips, messily exploring and taking ownership in the way he had wanted to all damn evening. His fingers curled into your hair, short nails lightly dragging at your scalp and adding to all the sensations you felt all over your body.

Namjoon was always so skilled with his kisses, having you succumb to him very quickly like a warlock casting a spell. You felt yourself move to his every whim, sinking further and further. It was when you moaned into his kiss that he knew he had you under his thumb.

He let go of you and moved to stand, seemingly in a rush to get some kind of payback or comeuppance for the way you had teased him tonight. He shook his tuxedo jacket from his shoulders and unfastened the zipper – and just the zipper – of his slacks, reaching in to pull his half-hard length through the opening in his underwear and the hole in his trousers, slowly tugging at it a few times to full arousal.

In this position, with him stood with one leg between your thighs and you sat directly in front of him, you were at the perfect height for what he wanted from you… He squeezed himself each time he came close to his tip, allowing for a small bead of pre-cum to gather. He pushed his hips out until all you could focus on was the sight of his delicious pre-cum.

“For you, Madam,” he smirked when your eyes met, his hand reaching out to run his finger under the length of the straps of your dress and gripping the strings of pearls that gathered in front of your breasts like reins, “seeing as you like pearls so much.”

And then he pressed the little pearl of precum to your lips, coating them like a gloss before pushing the tip of his cock past them and sitting it on the flat of your tongue.

“Let’s see you talk shit with a mouthful,” he smirked, fingers weaving into your hair once again and gripping tight, pulling at the roots to move your head and have you begin to bob on his length, encasing the impressive size in the warmth of your mouth and throat. You gladly took it; you could never deny your man since the first head you had ever given him. He’d practically declared his love to you for the entire twenty minutes whilst you showed him what a blow job was supposed to feel like.

You just had a thing for making your husband feel exceptionally good.

“Fuck, see? You can be a good girl,” he praised, grunting and beginning to piston his hips back and forth whilst still moving your head. “Just needed putting back in your place again.”

The chords of pearls on your dress rattled as they rocked with your body, hitting each other noisily with each forward and back motion. You relaxed your throat easily to take him, although with his girth and length combined it was always a snug fit. You could feel each ridge of the vein on the side of his shaft, the drag of his uncut foreskin on your tongue. It wasn’t common for a Korean man to remain uncircumcised, but it was never something that bothered you. In fact, it seemed to only encourage some more imaginative ways to please him.

But there was no time for intricate details, no space for you to move your tongue and focus on the spots that made him weak when he was moving at such a pace and filling your mouth and throat over and over again. You could do nothing but bob your head the way he was moving it and flutter your eyelashes innocently up at him with a sparkle behind them. It drove him crazy, to see you so pliant and taking him so well. He loved the way your lips wrapped around him, how you took the opportunity to try and hollow your cheeks to vary the pressure you put on him. All of it was so perfect…

“Fucking shit, ______,” Namjoon groaned, his head falling back and his eyes closing in bliss. You hummed against him, sending vibrations through his length and you were sure you could feel the vein pulse harder as his thighs tensed in his slacks. Knowing what you were doing to him, the pleasure you were giving him right now… well, it was turning you on considerably. If he were to peel back the rather beautiful ivory lingerie you had decided on, then he would be all too aware of the arousal this was causing.

“You wanted this, huh?” he asked, gritting his teeth and tightening his grip in your hair. “That’s why you’ve been acting up. My little cock slut was just desperate to get fucked huh, is that it?” His hips increased in speed and power. You were no longer moving, simply kept still by his hold as you tried to keep from gagging. You were good at this, at letting him use your throat like a fleshlight. You’d had plenty of practise after all.

All you could do was hum in affirmation, sending another wave of vibrations along his shaft. A rumbling groan erupted from his throat and he bit his lip, pulling his cock out of your throat completely. You gasped for breath, now able to take in more through your mouth for longer.

“You want my cock that badly, hm? In here?” he reached between your legs with his free hand, using the slit in your dress to his advantage and placing his palm flat over your damp panties. You whimpered a little at the contact, flinching but never daring to look away. Without having to think your head nodded on autopilot, desperate for him to give you what you wanted.

He smirked and stood back, lifting you by gently tugging at your hair to stand. He spun you around, easily finding the zipper on the low back of the dress and unzipping it, letting the straps of pearls fall down your arms and the dress come clattering to the floor with a loud rattle. A beat of silence passed in which you weren’t sure what he was doing, but you weren’t quite brave enough to turn your head to see, let alone ask him.

But had you seen him, you would have noticed the way his eyes were scanning every single beautiful curve of your body, every inch of smooth skin right down to his favourite part of you; that incredible round ass of yours. And in the lingerie you wore for him? Oh, it was beautiful. The ivory tones complimented your skin tone in the most marvellous way, and Namjoon couldn’t help himself from salivating at the sight.

He snapped himself out of his trance quickly though, manoeuvring you to kneel on the couch and bend over the fancy upholstery arm. Before you were really even comfortable, your panties were being tugged down and falling to your knees and a swift and harsh spank landing on your ass. Joon always loved watching that little jiggle…

Behind you, you heard fumbling, the rustling of Namjoon’s shirt being untucked from his pants, his tie being undone, and his buttons being popped open. But the fabric never hit the floor, and his pants remained unaltered.

Waiting was driving you crazy, so to taunt him even more you leaned down fully on the arm of the couch and wiggled your bare behind up in the air.

“Impatient little girl, hm? Don’t worry, you’ll be full in no time,” he growled, positioning himself with one knee up on the couch and pulling on your hips to line himself up with your dripping core.

He dragged the tip through your folds a few times before he pushed in, agonisingly slowly but at least you were finally getting some attention. When buried completely to the hilt, his hips pressed firmly against your ass and his grip on the flesh of your hips tightened, fingertips digging in as he adjusted to your warmth and the pleasure it brought him.

Even after four years of marriage – six since you had begun your office romance – he still revelled in the way you felt around him, still marvelled at how stunning you looked from every angle. He’d never tire of you, completely intoxicated and hooked; and this explained exactly why he was so possessive of you. No other man could have you; you were his.

Now that you finally felt full, your eyes fluttered closed and enjoyed the feeling. By now, you were used to his size and the way it filled you, but it didn’t mean it brought you any less pleasure than that first night you spent together. Your jaw dropped as he dragged himself back out of you, a high pitched moan spilling from your throat. His hands tightened on your hips, digging into the flesh as he used it as leverage to slam back into you harshly, jolting you forward and pushing a cry from your lips.

“Is that better, baby? This what you wanted?” he grunted, his hips now snapping against yours rhythmically. “You wanted my attention, hm? You got it, Babygirl…”

The force he used against you was intense, the slapping sounds deafening despite him never even removing his trousers – he knew you liked it when he was still at least partially dressed in his suits. It somehow upheld his aura of dominance, of power and leadership.

You couldn’t help but moan with each thrust, his length hitting every wall inside you, every sensitive nerve sending pulses of extreme pleasure through your pelvis and spanning out like lightning bolts through the rest of your body. You’d wanted this all night, been doing everything in your power to rile him up and get him to this point. This was the whole point of the game, and whilst he wouldn’t admit it just yet, you knew you had won.

“F-fuck… Namjoon…” you groaned, the upholstery on the couch brushing against your breasts. Hearing you groan his name ignited a fresh fire fuelled by lust in his gut, his hips changing their angle to hit you more directly against that spot inside you that sent you crazy. He pounded into you with an unforgiving speed, over and over and over again until he decided he was bored of that angle, that position. He wanted your full attention just as much as you wanted his.

So without warning, he pulled out of you and sat back against the opposite arm of the couch. You whined in disappointment, turning your head to see him watching you with his arm draped over the back of the couch, his other hand stroking himself slowly, and his lips pulled into an infuriating smirk.

“Come and get it, Babygirl,” he taunted, and rather than fight him on it you did as told, too worked up to deny yourself. You kicked your heels to the floor and pulled the panties draped around your knees off whilst Namjoon shuffled and laid down flat on the couch. The shirt he was wearing spilled open, exposing his well-toned chest and abs to you. You wasted no time, straddling his hips and positioning yourself to take him again, to let him stretch you out so perfectly like before.

Only this time, you were in control, and he didn’t seem to mind that – wanted it, even. Some of his favourite positions included ones in which you were the one moving, using his cock to make yourself feel good. He’d get lost in watching you, the way every part of your body moved, the way your eyes shut, and mouth fell open. And already, he was hypnotised by the way you rolled your hips against him, trying to move as fast as possible and as fluidly as possible to make sure he hit every nerve ending.

Your hands fell flat onto his pecks – those glorious, solid pecks – to keep yourself from collapsing forward, overwhelmed by pleasure. He reached up to your breasts, feeling the weight of them in his hands bouncing with every movement. He growled like an animal, sitting up and latching himself to one of your nipples, tongue flicking and teeth nipping at the sensitive nub. He continued to growl deep in his throat like a man possessed, his own length throbbing and pulsating inside you.

“J-Joonie… Mm, feels so good…” you practically sang, threading your hands through his hair and messing it up in an instant, holding him against you. You bucked your hips against him as fast as you could, clenching your walls on purpose to make him lose his mind. He did just that, letting go of your breast and falling back against the couch, his hands over his face and a long, wanton moan rumbling from his chest.

You kept clenching around him every time his cock would slide out of you, creating a drag that was absolutely mind blowing and has him sucking air through his teeth every time.

Suddenly his hands slapped down onto your thighs, fingertips digging in and his feet planting themselves flat on the couch behind you for leverage as he bucked his hips up into you. He furiously pounded into you from below, losing his composure. Your head dipped forward and all your weight went into your wrists, still holding you up by your hands flat on his pecks. He gripped your arms then, grunting with rapid breaths from exertion.

“Hey… Hey, ______,” he snapped his fingers in front of your face a few times to get your attention, “Eyes on me, Babygirl. Understand?”

“Uh… uh-huh,” was all you could muster with the force of every thrust and the roll of your hips in time with them. You could only hold eye contact for a moment or two until one particularly perfect thrust and then your head fell forward again. Namjoon didn’t like that, his hand coming to reach for your chin to hold your head up, forcing eye contact between you.

“Naughty girl… can’t follow basic commands,” he grunted, his fingers tightening on your chin and pushing on your cheeks. “I said, eyes… on… me,” he punctuated each word with a thrust, having you biting down on your lip and digging your nails into his pecks. You could only stare into his eyes as the both of you moved in sync. His were dark, so clouded with lust and hooded with passion that the heat in your abdomen started to swell impossibly.

Somehow, he kept up his pace. His thighs – however thick and muscled – must surely have been burning with his movements as yours were. His abs must have been screaming at him to slow down, but he didn’t, not even for a second. And now, he had slipped a hand down between your legs to circle your clit, adding yet another rush of heat.

You could feel yourself growing wetter, a sure sign of an impending orgasm. Namjoon clearly felt it too, judging by the way he looked down at the two of you connected and muttered out a ‘oh fuck…’ followed by a sharp intake of breath. He was starting to show tell-tale signs of his own climax approaching; he’d sucked his cheeks in in that way that made him look pissed off, but in fact was him simply tensing his jaw. His biceps were tensing under the sleeves of his open shirt and you could feel the pecks underneath your hands tensing also.

And my god, were you close too…

“G-gonna cum, please… please let me cum,” you begged between pouted lips forced together by his hand clutching your jaw. With or without his permission it was all about to unfold so quickly you couldn’t hold it off.

“Cum Babygirl, cum with me. Want you to feel the way I fill you up…” With his permission, letting go was easy. You squealed and whimpered as your nerves set alight, the heat spreading and igniting, filling your veins like hot lava. Your pussy clenched over and over, pulsing around his length and sending him further into his own ending, not quite there but so, so very close.

He let go of your chin, letting you break eye contact and fall forward onto his chest. He quickly wrapped his arms around you, still lifting his hips up to ride you through it and get himself off. He held you tight against him, whispering how good you felt in your ear, how perfect you were, how much he’d wanted you all night, that you were his and his alone.

Slowly, the heat dissipated, the fire cooling and leaving you light-headed and breathless, and Joon just kept on going, desperate for his own orgasm. You did your best to help him along, mustering all your energy to purposefully clench around him. Tilting your chin up, you were able to bury your face in the crook of his neck and nuzzle into the skin just under his shirt collar, kissing him just where his mole was. You nibbled and sucked and mouthed at the skin, feeling the tendons in his neck tensing.

And then he was groaning out loud, letting go completely. His hips stuttered and jerked unevenly, and you could feel pulse after pulse along his shaft. A new heat filled your pelvis; his seed spilling inside you, painting your walls white and creating a lude noise as he came to a halt.

His legs fell back down onto the couch whilst his arms loosened their grip on you, but still cradled you close to him; no way would he want to let you go right now.

“Fuck, babe… Fuck,” he sighed. It took a few moments for you to lift your head to see the blissed-out look on his face, eyes shut and sweat dripping from the ends of his messed up hair. You laid together like that for a while, catching your breath and enjoying the high you both felt.

“Hey Joonie…” you whispered, giggling when he opened one eye to look down at you. “Gotcha.”

He sat up a little then, resting back on his elbows as you sat upright, still straddling him. You had to clench a little extra hard to stop from leaking his own cum back onto his lap… You wouldn’t want to ruin such an expensive suit.

“What do you mean, gotcha?” he asked, brows furrowed.

“The game. I won,” you grinned, reaching out to fix his hair sticking up in strange directions.

“B-but… I got you to come with me, I must have made you jeal-“ You pressed your finger to his lips.

“Who felt so threatened by Mr Kang that he just had to intervene, thus, already losing at his own game?” you smirked. He couldn’t argue with that.

“Well be fair, he was getting very cosy, and you weren’t stopping him…” he complained.

“Sure, but um… Mr Kang was in on it.” You got off him then, standing up to head to the en-suite bathroom to freshen up, but he caught your wrist.

“He was what?” he asked, confused and irritated. You turned to face him again and leaned over him.

“In. On. It,” you sounded out slowly. “If I could get you to break, if I could win, he promised to invest heavily.” The smarminess was laced in your voice. You knew you had won. You got everything you wanted tonight; investment, and a decent, hard, jealousy fuelled fuck with your husband.

Namjoon’s jaw dropped, his grip falling from your wrist as he sat back against the couch with a heavy thump. He shook his head in disbelief, a smile forming as he watched you walk away and into the bathroom. But you popped your head out of the doorway, catching his attention again.

“Oh, and uh… as you were dragging me out, he gave me the thumbs up. Mr Kang will definitely be investing in Kim Enterprises,” you winked.

“Oh you, little…” he couldn’t hide his happiness at the investment, a grin spreading across his face. He didn’t mind that he’d been beat, not when such a huge business transaction was about to unfold. He didn’t even mind that he’d been played; not by you at least. Not by his incredibly gorgeous, sexy and genius wife.

“You…” he stood up, jogging towards you and shedding his shirt to the floor, “are impossible,” he laughed, chasing you into the bathroom and slamming the door shut behind him. Your night was only just beginning.

You had definitely won this game.