#which is very interesting -- I could talk for hours about how it suits the actual real-life history as well haha

[cupcakesmoothie]

I did all three backstories for Touchstarved (I have 12 hours on this thing and it's only the demo)

Kuras and Vere don't seem to have red options, but Vere does have a secret ending and Kuras... I don't know, holds you for a bit longer?

For Mhin, it really is just picking The Alchemist backstory. You can call them short or whatever and you'll still get it.

For Leander, you have to take the flowers and keep touching him. It's okay if you hold back the first time even.

For Ais, you gotta tell him fuck you and pet the soulless, and after that red option pretty much all yours.

Differences I found between the three backstories:

It is pretty much like how they tell you, Oracle gets premonitions, Hound has experience with people and survival, and Alchemist has knowledge about magic and science, so there's different things you find out with each one.

The Alchemist:

I may be a little bit biased, but think The Alchemist is the most informative (It's also the first one I picked). There's the expected info of noticing that Vere's collar is enchanted, or knowing about how strong Leander really is when it comes to magic, but it's got the added bonus of MC's mentor having been in the Senobium in the past.

Compared to the others, The Alchemist is more familiar with Senobium, albeit through word of mouth. It's interesting how many times the MC says something similar to "I didn't know the Senobium did that." It calls into question whether MC's teacher was lying, or more interestingly (and what I think might be the case), the Senobium has changed a lot recently. It's talked about, even without the Alchemist backstory, that the Senobium used to be somewhere you could go to for help, but now most of the characters you meet do not like the Senobium, so what changed?

The Hound:

The Hound (the least popular option, apparently) was pretty fun. The Hound notices more about Ais, specifically that he's very suited to be a leader, and that the number of scars he has (one) seems suspicious for his temperament (or "how seasoned he acts", as the MC puts it).

One thing that I found very fun was doing Mhin's route as the Hound. They're somewhat able to keep up! They can (or tried to) recognize tells, and noted that Mhin was one of the few people who was able to sneak up on them. They also weren't sure how Vere managed to get their key. They were also prepared to steal to survive.

The Oracle:

While The Hound notices physical things, the Oracle notices... how do you say, otherworldly things. The Seaspring seems to be hiding a lot (of course it is), but the MC notices a heartbeat. A presence. They feel something from Ais. The name Ocudeus means something, they can feel it. They feel like they can see Ais' tattoo move.

Also, the MC feels something from Mhin and Kuras (in his clinic at least), which is interesting!

If I had to decide which love interest was better with which backstory...

Vere: The fact that the Alchemist thought that they could tell what enchantments were on his collar if only they could touch it feels promising! And both their connections (though I mean connection in the loosest term for MC here) to the Senobium makes it feel like you might very well find something.

The Hound might be one of the few who can actually survive this guy if I'm gonna be honest. (I mean you can still get killed by him but. You know.)

Ais: The Oracle's sixth sense makes going to the Seaspring a lot more interesting compared to the others, and the way they can feel something from Ais is very cool.

The Hound can tell his character better than the others, and I wonder how that will come into play later on.

Kuras: The Alchemist knows their way around spell-crafting and alchemy (When I picked this I wondered if they would be able to help Kuras around the clinic, which doesn't happen, but hey it might).

The Oracle seems to also feel something from him.

Mhin: First things first, their red option literally requires you to have the Alchemist backstory. Mhin's precision is noticed by the other MCs sure, but not to that detail.

Watching the Hound observe where they could be was so fun to watch. It feels like this MC will be able to keep up.

The Oracle feels something from Mhin, something inhuman.

Leander: The Alchemist was able to tell that the flash of magic was a barrier spell, and that most magic (or at least the ones they're familiar with) uses an incantation or spell circle. His didn't.

But either way, there will be things to find no matter the backstory you choose, and all of the character's stories are intertwined, so don't let this dissuade you from a specific backstory! There will always be things to find, you just need to look.

Extra: I found it pretty cool how each MC has a different way of knowing what a Groupmind is. Story-wise this makes sense of course, but each of their reactions to it are slightly different, from I heard this from rumours of people in cults (Hound), to I used to be told I could put people in a groupmind (Oracle), to legends suggest it was possible with a strong enough catalyst but it's never been done before (Alchemist).

Also, it's interesting to know what they each think of surroundings (specifically the Amaryllis district). They all have different opinions from I used to be told bizarre things about this place and now I kinda get it (Alchemist), to it's not that different from the place I grew up in (Hound), to it's VERY different from where I grew up in (Oracle).

And if I'm not mistaken, the reason Vere gives for your desperation is different for all of them!

You can find gameplay from me on my Youtube channel, or watch me getting all the red options and secret ending here:

I didn't read it out loud cause my mic sorta sucks and sometimes it peaks and gets a bit shrill. Also you see how my mouse moves sometimes? It means I'm screaming. I don't think I'd have been able to keep calm enough for this. Also my reading kinda sucks anyway hope you like it lol

[arliedraws]

All this anti-Remus talk is making me like him even more 😂

I love that he’s a character who is so fixated on image and how he comes off. He’s such a cold person! Detached! Won’t form close bonds! Like…his loving parents fucked him up by keeping him away from all other children until Hogwarts. I love how this plays into his character again and again and again.

I put the rest under the cut because it gets a bit tangential, but whatever, I was feeling a bit heated.

I feel like Remus doesn’t actually know how to make friends—he has let everyone come to him. James and Sirius formed their little group, and Remus has always been in awe of what friends will do FOR him. What did Remus do for his friends? Maybe Remus learns how to accept love, but he is not very good at giving it back.

It’s so interesting to me that Remus doesn’t become Harry’s go-to even after they spent hours together. Harry allows Remus to see his most vulnerable side, and Remus doesn’t reciprocate even after the truth comes out. At the very least, he could write Harry. He could visit Harry in the summer.

But I actually LOVE this about Remus. I love that he’s written as a warm, inviting sort of person when he’s actually someone who is terrified of forming close bonds. No one is allowed to see the real Lupin, and once someone has seen a part of himself he doesn’t like, he immediately detaches himself and disappears. Remus wants to appear in control of himself because he is concerned more about his image than doing the right thing. At the end of PoA, I’m sure he’s upset that he nearly killed Harry and co, obviously, but more importantly, he’s embarrassed that he lost control. If he really cared about the safety of students, he would have revealed Sirius’s disguise to Dumbledore as soon as Sirius escaped Azkaban.

The point of his character is “what you see on the surface is not necessarily what lies below.” It’s one of the most salient themes of PoA.

Anyway, it’s uncomfortable! So many people want to make Remus a “model of marginalization” - who, depending on the fanon, falls on one end of the spectrum which is “ohhhh poor disabled guy :((( he can’t do anything because he’s a pathetic baby” or “look how hot and tall and rational and intelligent he is despite his poverty/disability!!!!”

It’s SO INFANTILIZING. I don’t think Remus is a bad guy or a good guy—I think that his particularly negative character traits are a result of prejudice towards his condition, his upbringing, and his internalized prejudice towards werewolves. So I am not saying he’s a complete asshole. Obviously. My point, though, is that he has friends who support him in school, particularly James, who break the law and risk torture prison (and bodily harm from a werewolf) to support him.* And Remus…he does not do much to reciprocate that sort of love. The very least he can do for James is to check in on Harry (he doesn’t even need to say hi—just literally see that he’s ok!). James risked his life for Remus, and Remus won’t risk Dumbledore’s disapproval to reciprocate.

He continually does the LEAST for Harry. Harry has to beg him to teach him the Patronus Charm. And when Harry is clearly craving his parents’ voices as they’re dying, Remus doesn’t even offer a nugget of “ohhhh, gosh, Harry, let’s give you some good stories about your dad, ok?”

This is a cold, broken man who has convinced himself that being alone is safe because you can never be rejected. This is Remus’s greatest fear. He’s the teacher that needs to be liked but he hides behind professionalism when it suits him. His “nice guy” traits are a fucking ACT. I want people to explore more about his negative traits! He blames his condition when people get too close, and when people manage to climb his walls to try to get close to him, he pushes them away.

Chronic illness does not make you a good person—it just makes life harder. Remus accepts love and support from his friends—and yes, they SHOULD give him love and support because this is what we owe each other, but Remus also owes his friends love and support. It’ll look different from how James, Sirius, and Peter can support him, but you don’t get to just take from your friends without giving back. Your friends are not there to be your mommy. Sometimes, you’ll go through periods where your friends are holding you up and you just need to accept that they don’t resent you for it, but if you’re willing to accept help, you’d better be willing to return it later. As someone who has a few people in their life who take and take and give little in return, I can tell you, it starts to feel like your only purpose is to carry them on your shoulders. And man, it’s fucking exhausting. Sometimes I need to be carried too.

I have no idea how Remus behaved at Hogwarts regarding his friends on a day to day basis because Harry never sees evidence of this, but we see him as an adult who is unwilling to support his friend’s orphaned kid in ANY meaningful way…unless Harry begs him. In the end, Remus is still an autonomous adult and Harry is a child in need. In this situation, at the bare minimum, Remus has the power to pick up a pen and write.

So why don’t we see this more in fic? You all know I’m a Sirius stan, but I am CONSTANTLY critiquing Sirius’s relationship with masculinity. Sirius is my favorite character, and I LOVE exploring the uncomfortable parts of him—he’s cold when he perceives that he has been emasculated, even belittling Harry when he’s insulted. He’ll put himself in danger to protect Harry when all Harry really wants is for Sirius to be there for him (which Sirius can’t do in OotP). These are the bits that make me queasy—and I love exploring them!

Why not explore the ugly parts of Remus? You say you want interesting, well-rounded characters with chronic illness/disabilities/neurodivergence? Then let them be interesting. Make them complicated and embrace the icky parts of them. If you want, explore how society has created a cold, sad, wet noodle Remus and then GIVE HIM A PATH TO GROWTH. Like… if you don’t like these parts, give him scenarios so he can grow and become a better person.

Anyway, stop fucking throwing around words like “ableism” when you hear something you don’t like about a character. You don’t know the real person behind their username. Most of us here have some sort of disability/neurodivergence/chronic illness, etc, so stop fucking assuming we’re Chad Abled-Bodied or Karen Neurotypical, ffs.

It’s fucking insulting and infantilizing that we can’t discuss complexity in characters who are marginalized in their society. By excusing all of their less than cute actions, you’re essentially saying, “This is not a full human being with a full range of emotion and flaws—they are a perfect little baby who doesn’t deserve reproach, who can do whatever he wants!”

But that’s just me, I guess.

—

* (Also, side note, Moony the werewolf could have very well killed any one of them. Additionally, the theory that Moony couldn’t hurt them in Animagus form was ONLY A THEORY. It might not have worked at ALL and they risked their lives to test it.)

[grxmreaperx]

Professor Hoffman

Pairing: (professor!) Mark Hoffman x (f!) reader

Word count: 3.1k (oops)

Warnings: 18+!! this is absolute filth. Daddy kink, choking, oral (m! receiving), fingering (f! receiving), dirty talk, p in v penetration, creampie, age gap (everyone is over 18!!), praise/degradation. Mark being a bastard. I’m so sorry

Summary: You weren’t expecting much from your criminology class. But when you see your professor for the first time, you realize the class may be much more interesting than you were expecting.

I went so overboard with this. I do not know where this came from. I apologize for my actions. Also, all of my knowledge comes from Jim Can’t Swim and Explore With Us interrogation analysis videos, so don’t come for me if some of the criminology stuff is wrong!!

You walked into the lecture hall, bag digging into your shoulder after a long day, trying to find a seat. You sighed. Almost every seat was full, people congregating in the back. You set yourself down in the second row from the front, one of the few empty seats.

You pulled your laptop out of your bag, trying to keep yourself awake. This was your last class of the day and all you could think about was getting back to your apartment and having a nice dinner.

You stifled a yawn, eyes unfocused on your screen.

“Welcome, everyone.”

The deep voice jolted you from your haze, drawing your eyes up from your computer, and onto him.

You felt a jolt run through your body as you took him in. Dark hair neatly pushed back, full lips, chest straining at his suit.

“I’m Professor Hoffman. I’ll be your criminology instructor this semester.”

Shit, maybe you weren’t so ready to go home anymore.

--

That was the one class you didn’t find yourself dreading. Your other psychology and criminal justice classes were a bore, lecturers talking monotonously for an hour and twenty minutes as you tried desperately to stay awake. Professor Hoffman’s class was actually interesting, it challenged you, made you think. He didn’t force you all to listen to him talk the entire time, even if you wouldn’t have minded hearing that voice for hours on end. He had been a detective before switching to teaching a few years back, so he played interrogation tapes, having you all watch the body language, the word choice, the facial expressions of the suspect.

And it was nice to have something pretty to look at while he taught.

You were a bit embarrassed by how many times he had caught you staring at him. You had never looked at a professor as anything more than a teacher, a mentor, before now. But during his lecture, you found your mind drifting. What his voice would sound like in your ear, how his hands would feel roaming over you, the noises he would make.

You had had your fair share of adventures in college, going out with your friends and ending up in someone’s bed every once in a while. But none of them had been anything to brag about; frat boys only in it for themselves, guys who had no idea what they were doing, or didn’t know how to make it last.

You needed something more, something satisfying.

“So, tell me, do you think this suspect was guilty or not guilty? And tell me why.”

His voice shook you out of your daydream, bringing you back to your reality. Your eyes scanned over the screen, trying to remember bits and pieces of the interrogation you were supposed to have been watching.

You raised your hand; as much as you hated it, you wanted to impress the man. You wanted to show him that you were smart, that you knew what you were talking about. And that you were paying attention, not just staring at him the entire time.

He nodded towards you, telling you to go ahead. “Not guilty. He got angry when you accused him, which is a very typical response from someone who is being falsely accused. And he didn’t use any hedge words when he was talking, which would be unusual for a guilty person. And there’s no obvious motive.”

Your professor smirked, nodding along as you answered. “Very good. That’s exactly right. Another clue to tell you this was…”

You zoned out, trying to contain yourself at his praise.

--

He scolded himself, his gaze continuously falling onto you throughout every class.

He had left the police department a couple years ago, looking for a job with shorter hours, more time to relax, less frustration.

But now he had a different kind of frustration.

Every class, there you were. Sitting right in front of him, eyes watching him intently as he spoke. He saw the way your face changed every time he walked in the room, your tired face lighting up a bit. He saw the way your gaze lingered on him when you were supposed to be working on an assignment, or watching one of the interviews you were meant to be dissecting.

He noticed your attempts to impress him, always eager to answer his questions. You were always there early, even when others began to slowly fade out, showing up late or not showing up at all.

And, he had to admit, it was working. You were smart, and he could see how interested you were in this topic, even if you seemed to be a bit more interested in him than the class. He knew you’d make a great detective one day; your understanding of others’ minds would be a great asset to the force.

He almost wished he hadn’t left the department. He would give anything to still be in his position when you were first starting out in the field, eager to learn, to impress, to please. He would love for you to train under him, your frustration growing as he teased you, giving you smaller and smaller tasks, making you prove yourself.

He pulled himself away from his thoughts, shuffling his notes together before the start of class.

“Alright everyone, I’ve posted your grades for your last assignment. Some of you did very well, others seem to be a bit distracted in this course.” He purposefully shifted his gaze, meeting your eyes as he spoke this last part.

He suppressed a smirk as he saw your face flush.

“Now, the rational choice theory…”

--

“I really don’t know what I’m doing wrong in that class,” you sighed.

Your friend nodded. “I mean, he is a pretty tough grader. I don’t think I’ve gotten above a C on anything.”

“Yeah, but I feel like my work is good! Some of it he seems to really like, and then others he’s super harsh. But I thought this last paper was really good!”

“Maybe you should go talk to him about it. Maybe he could help you out, tell you what you’re doing wrong.”

“Yeah, I guess. I probably should. I really like this class; I want to do well in it.”

Your friend smirked. “Do you like the class, or do you like the hot professor?”

You lightly slapped their arm. “Shut up, I don’t think he’s hot.”

They laughed. “Of course you do! I see you staring at him all the time! It’s ok: he is pretty hot.”

You felt your face heating up. “Ok, maybe I think he’s kinda hot, but I like the class too!”

“I hear you.”

--

As class ended the next day, you took a breath. You shouldn’t be this nervous to talk to him, he was your professor, of course he would be willing to help you. You lingered in your seat for a few moments, taking longer than usual to stuff your laptop back in your bag. As people filed out of the room, you carefully approached his desk.

“Professor Hoffman?”

He looked up, smiling slightly as he met your eyes. “Yes, what can I do for you?”

“I was hoping that maybe you had time to talk to me about my last paper? I was wondering if you could tell me what I did wrong, or what I could improve next time?”

He regarded you for a moment and you couldn’t help but shift a bit under his gaze.

“Of course. I have another class in a few minutes, but I have time to meet tomorrow, if you’d like.”

You nodded, thanking him as he gave you a time and his office number. “I’ll see you tomorrow, then.”

He smirked. “See you then. Don’t be late.”

--

“What are you all dressed up for?” your friend asked.

“What? I’m not dressed up. Do I look dressed up?”

“I mean, maybe not dressed up, but you look nice. What’s the occasion?”

“Nothing, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

They smiled. “Oh! Now I remember. You have your meeting with the hot professor today! That’s why you dressed so cute.”

“I did not!”

“I don’t believe you. You better hurry up, don’t you have to be there in a few minutes?”

You looked at your phone, cursing under your breath. They were right, you only had a couple minutes before your meeting. You sped up your pace, telling your friend you’d see them later as they walked to their class building.

“You better tell me all about it! Don’t do anything inappropriate, young lady!”

You hurried into the brick building that held Professor Hoffman’s office, trying to find the room number he had given you. Your eyes scanned the plaques next to each door, looking for the one engraved with his name. When you finally found it, the door was shut. You knocked softly, waiting patiently until you heard a voice tell you to come in.

You pushed the door open, examining his office as you entered. One wall was lined with bookshelves, filled with books on psychology, criminal justice, and what looked like case files. His desk sat in front of the window, his back to the light streaming in through the glass. He sat, leaned back in his desk chair, shirt slightly unbuttoned and sleeves rolled up to his elbows.

“Take a seat,” he said, motioning to the chair in front of his desk. You quickly complied, smoothing your skirt as you sat down.

--

He couldn’t keep his eyes off of you when you walked into his office, closing the door behind you. He should have punished you right then for testing him like that: all dressed up for him, pretty skirt cutting off just above your knees, shirt lower cut than he had ever seen you wearing in class.

“So,” he started, trying to regain his composure. “You wanted to talk to me about your paper?”

You nodded. “Yes, sir.” Fuck. “I was wondering if you could tell me what I could have done better with this assignment. I thought I did really well on it, until I got my grade back.”

He cleared his throat. “Yes, well, it was very well-written. And you have the concepts down. But your job was to analyze the video, not just repeat what I had said in class. Even if you put it a bit more eloquently than I did.” He smiled. “I almost get the feeling that you’re a bit…distracted in my class.

He watched as you became flustered, a smile still on his lips. “Well, professor, I just – I just have a lot on my mind. Sometimes it wanders, you know?” Your eyes darted around, staring at your hands, your bag on the floor, the surface of his desk.

He nodded. “Wanders to what?”

He couldn’t help the smug look on his face as you struggled to answer. He knew what your mind wandered to, he could see it on your face when you were supposed to be paying attention to his lectures. He saw the blush on your face, the way your pupils were blown. And he knew exactly where your mind was wandering to.

“Well, you know, to other things I have to do.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Like me?”

Your eyes widened. “What?”

“You heard me. I see the way you stare at me, the look on your face when I catch you. You think I have no idea what you think about when you’re in my class? You think I can’t read you like a book, sweetheart?”

He tilted his head, watching as you took in his words. You looked like a deer in headlights, knowing he had figured out your secret. He saw the way your body stiffened at the pet name, your legs pressing together.

“I’ll tell you what,” he started, against his better judgement. “You really want to improve your grade?”

You nodded. He told himself to stop, to kick you out of his office before he put his career in jeopardy. But, God, the look on your face, so eager to hear what he had to say, pretty face flushed with embarrassment, legs squeezed together so tight he thought you might explode.

“Cmere,” he said in a low voice.

You slowly stood, making your way around his desk to stand in front of him. “Tell me, sweetheart,” he growled. “Where does your mind wander to during my class? I want to hear you tell me.”

“To you,” you said softly.

“Cmon, baby, you can do better than that.” He knew he was being a dick, he saw how flustered you were, how you were trying to work up the courage to answer his question. And he loved it.

“To you – to you…”

“To me fucking you?” he helped.

“Yes.” Your eyes were fixed on your hands.

“Look at me and say it.”

Your eyes met his. “My mind wanders to – to you fucking me.”

“Much better. Now, you really want to improve your grade, sweetheart?”

You nodded and he saw the eagerness in your eyes, waiting for him to tell you what to do.

“Then get on your fuckin’ knees.”

He smiled, chuckling as you quickly dropped to your knees in front of his chair, hands getting to work on his belt. He watched your eyes widen as you released him from his dress pants and couldn’t help the feeling of pride that swelled in his chest.

“Something wrong, baby?” he asked, cocky smile spreading across his face. You shook your head. “Then go on.”

He let out a deep groan as you took him into your mouth, placing a hand on the back of your head. He wrapped his hand in your hair, guiding you as his dick hit the back of your throat. “Such a good girl.” He leaned his head back against the chair, savoring the feeling of your head bobbing on his cock.

His looked back down at you, eyes darkening as he saw how eagerly you sucked him off, spit coating your lips, tears welling in your eyes every time you took him down your throat. He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t a little distracted during classes too, picturing you just like this.

He pulled your head back by your hair until you were looking up at him. “Get up here, sweetheart,” he said, motioning to his lap.

You shakily got to your feet before straddling his lap, setting your hands on his shoulders to steady yourself. He reached under your skirt, hands gripping your ass. He watched as you began to grind your clothed core on his dick, admiring the desperate look on your face.

“What’s the matter, baby?” he asked, hand slowly wrapping around your throat. “So desperate for me. No one been taking care of this pussy?”

You frantically shook your head, grinding down harder.

“Poor little slut. Take them off. I’ll take good care of you, sweetheart.”

You shifted on his lap, pulling your underwear down your legs and tossing them to the side. He slowly ran a finger through your folds, letting out a low hum. “God, baby, this all for me?” Your answer was cut off by him pushing two fingers inside of you, your words turning to a moan. He slowly pumped his fingers, curling them inside you while your ground down on his hand.

“Poor baby, those college boys don’t know how to make you feel good? You’re so fuckin’ desperate.” You quickly shook your head, too lost in the feeling of him working you to form words. You whined when he pulled his fingers out.

He lined himself up at your entrance, the other hand wrapping around your waist, holding you steady. “Go on, baby. Show me how needy you are.”

You slowly slid yourself down onto his cock, mouth falling open as he stretched you out. His head fell back onto his chair, eyes screwing shut, before quickly opening them again, taking in the sight of you full of his dick. He placed his hands on your hips, keeping you steady as you began to bounce. You quickly picked up the pace, grinding yourself down on him, eyes clouded from pleasure.

Your moans filled his ears, eyes roaming your body as you fucked yourself on his cock.

“God, baby, you look so fuckin’ pretty. Such a good little whore for me, hmm?”

“Yes, yes, just for you, Daddy!” you moaned, before quickly catching yourself. He saw your eyes widen, realizing what you had just said.

He wrapped his strong arm around your waist, standing from his chair, still buried deep inside you, before setting you on his desk. He wrapped a hand around your throat, squeezing slightly and pushing your back down onto the surface. “Say it again.”

“I’m all yours, Daddy,” you said softly.

“That’s fuckin’ right baby.” He set a fast pace, roughly fucking into you, one hand still around your throat, the other gripping your hip so hard he knew it would probably leave marks.

He let out a groan at the sight of you underneath him, skirt bunched around your waist, mouth hanging open, hands gripping his arms. He watched your back arch off the table, squeezing your eyes shut.

He froze, abruptly stopping his thrusts. “Look at me when you cum on my dick, baby. Fuckin’ look at me or I’ll stop again. Understand?”

“Yes sir,” you cried, eyes locked on his.

“Much better.” His fingers found their way to your clit as he continued burying himself in you. “Cum for me baby, show me how much you love my cock.”

Your nails dug into his arm as your legs shook around him, moaning loudly as you reached your high. He felt his own end coming on. He leaned down, his face inches from yours. “Tell me sweetheart, where do you want me to cum?”

“Inside…” was all you could manage, still overcome with pleasure.

He smiled. “You want me to fill you up, baby?” You nodded, begging him to fill you.

His pace faltered as he came, gripping your hips tightly. He let go of you, placing his hands on his desk, catching his breath. He slowly pulled out of you, pulling his pants back up and tossing you your underwear. You carefully sat up, legs still shaking slightly.

He settled himself back in his chair, leaning back and running a hand through his hair. He smirked at you, sitting on his desk, completely undone.

“I suppose I can raise your grade on that paper,” he started. “But I do think we should have weekly tutoring sessions. You obviously need some more help with this.” He smirked at you. “Does that sound good to you?”

You never agreed to something faster in your life.

--

I really liked writing this, if y’all like it I may give you a part 2👀

[sparky-is-spiders]

Jonelias Week Day 1 (Which is definitely today I swear), for the prompt "No Powers AU"

This one... maybe got away from me. This is actually only the first half of what I've written so far, and probably the first third overall! I do plan to post this to Ao3 at some point (although I suspect I'll need to do a lengthy round of editing first lmao). It's some very self-indulgent nonsense, which is a lot of what I write, but now it's getting put in the main tags of a ship during said ship's event week. So. It may also be a little bit "aromantic dude tries to figure out what having a crush is supposed to be like." Also a lot of "dude who took Principals of Accounting once pretending it knows what office work is like." Anyway, quick warning before we begin, and the rest will be under the read-more:

Stalking (played for laughs) for most of the fic.

Just. A weird amount of obsession.

Ok that should be it I think. Fic under the cut.

Jon's new boss was, quite possibly, the most boring man in the world. He wore the same outfit every day (pale dress shirt with dark unpatterned tie and gray slacks and matching suit jacket). The only personal effect in his entire office was a potted plant on the windowsill (some sort of succulent, and definitely fake). He always arrived to work exactly half an hour early and left exactly half an hour late. The only hobby he appeared to show any interest in was scheduling, which he seemed to find both deeply engaging and remarkably irritating. In fact, he was apparently so opposed to the idea of mixing his work with his personal life that he might as well not have existed beyond the walls of their office. Jon had never been more fascinated by anyone else in his entire life.

It stared with the transfer to the accounting department. Elias had met with him personally to get him acclimated to his new role. He had been blandly polite, and blandly handsome, and Jon had stopped listening to him about five minutes into their conversation. It was probably bad form, really. The software Elias was droning on and on about sounded like it was about to become a central feature of his days. He really should've been paying attention to it. Instead, he pretended to make eye contact while zeroing in on the top of Bouchard's forehead (a very useful trick, really) and became inordinately focused on the small lock of hair that had fallen across it. It was terribly distracting, and Jon had wondered how he hadn't noticed it. And then he wondered how it had come to be there. And then he had built up an entire story involving a murder, an illicit affair with the assistant director of marketing, and the potted succulent. And then he had noticed Bouchard eying him with what could've been suspicion or amusement or irritation or nothing whatsoever, and had been forced to rapidly pretend to care about their company's bad debt expense policy. Bouchard had indulged him, and had spoken with the calm authority of someone who knew what they were talking about, and had even managed to avoid being overtly condescending (a feat forever out of Jon's reach). At the end he had shaken Jon's hand (with a nice, firm grip), and had told him "I'm looking forward to working with you, I'm sure you'll make a wonderful member of our team." Jon had left that meeting with a mind shrouded in a fog of boredom and a faint sensation of warmth which he decided was best attributed to curiosity and left otherwise unexamined. Over the next few weeks, Jon had tried to subtly inquire into Bouchard's life. At the time, he had been naively under the impression that surely he must have let slip something about his life; some odd quirk or funny story or harmless bit of information which could justify Jon's blooming curiosity. Unfortunately; "He lives in Chelsea, I'm pretty sure?" (Sasha) "He's currently in a meeting. Honestly Jon, you'll be better off just sending an email. Now can I please get back to work?" (Rosie, probably lying about the meeting) "He actually lives here in the office. Set up a cozy little home away from home in one of the storage closets and sneaks out at night to raid the canteen. And he's having an affair with the assistant director of marketing." (Tim, definitely lying (but maybe a mind reader? Also, full of brilliant ideas for places Jon could maybe set up a cot whenever he needs to stay overnight)) Clearly, Jon would have to take matters into his own hands if he wanted answers. That was fine. It could be his own private little research project.

Jon liked to think that the entire thing had actually been quite reasonable, and that he had acted within the bounds of their pre-established relationship as employee and supervisor. Surely any rational person had to realize that nobody could possibly be that uninteresting. Anyone would be curious as to what dark secrets Bouchard his behind his well-tailored suits and polite, professional demeanor. … perhaps most rational persons would not meticulously record the movements, behavior, and daily appearance of their colleague in a discreet notebook (with annotations, color-coding, and graphs where appropriate), but Jon had always prided himself on his dedication to research and understanding. So far Jon had collected frustratingly little data. If Bouchard was hiding anything, it wasn't apparent from his schedule (see pages 8-13, figure 2.b), his eating habits (see page 22), or his lone plant (see page five, figure 1.c). His breaks did seem specially timed to avoid other people (and he appeared not to engage in many social behaviors generally), but he never acted irritated or otherwise unhappy to encounter one of his subordinates, so Jon wasn't entirely sure if it was deliberate avoidance or simple coincidence. Really, the only truly odd thing about him was his inexplicable interest in Jon. That very morning, for example, Bouchard had stopped by his cubicle for a fifteen minute discussion on the upcoming Annual Team Luncheon, an event Jon had never attended before (due to an annual migraine which coincidentally always happened to occur on the exact date of the luncheon), which Jon did not plan to attend, and which honestly sounded like some sort of violation of the Geneva Convention. The topic itself was not especially odd (small talk was an archaic tradition which had stubbornly clung on in every workplace Jon had ever set foot in), but Bouchard's low propensity for inter-office socialization combined with the fact that he had both chosen Jon specifically as his conversational partner was… highly suspicious. Most people who encountered Jon inevitably concluded that he was more effort than he was worth (an attitude Jon mostly appreciated).

And of course, there had also been their interaction two days ago, when Elias had paused briefly to inquire as to whether Jon would be staying late, and what he was working on, and if he might perhaps consider heading home soon because there was only so much overtime they could pay him. Or on Friday, when he had managed to hold two separate conversations with Jon where very little was said. Honestly, Jon somewhat suspected that Elias had spoken to him more in the past few weeks than he had spoken to any of their colleagues for the entire time Jon had been there to observe him. Most of Jon's notes were now dedicated to their interactions. From his cot in the unused storage room (which was indeed a good place to stay overnight, thank you Tim), he could jot down everything he recalled about their interaction; it had begun at 8:32 and had concluded at 8:47; the weather was warm and slightly humid, although the office interior remained at a comfortable 21 °C. Bouchard's shirt had been a nice, cool gray, which complemented the silver of his eyes. Jon (who had been busy digging for his favorite pen (the ink was a lovely deep green color, and it was usually kept on the left side of the top desk drawer, and Jon had no idea where else it could have possibly gone)) had settled on "irritation" as his tone, which Bouchard either had not noticed or had not cared enough to acknowledge. He had easily dominated the conversation, and Jon could admit in the sanctity of his research journal that his voice had been soothing enough to cool away some of Jon's annoyance. He wrote his conclusion: Subject behaved near-identically in tone, posture, body language, and apparent mood as he has in all previous communications. Subject displayed no strong thoughts or opinions on subject of discussion nor conversational partner. Interaction was pleasant but slightly dull, no new information discovered. It was almost exactly the same as every previous conclusion. Jon had to admit, so many months with so little progress was… discouraging. He shifted on the narrow mattress and winced when his movements aggravated his backache (which was surely unrelated to his frequent occupancy of the cot). It was becoming more and more apparent that the only possible solution was to do some actual, direct investigation. His first idea (break into Bouchard's office) seemed a tad far (also, he didn't know how to pick locks). His second idea (follow him home) seemed a stretch further than the previous one, and was perhaps best saved as a last resort. His third idea (something something computers? (perhaps "idea" was a bit generous)) would almost certainly require Sasha, who would have questions Jon couldn't answer. He flipped idly through his notes, half-skimming, half-thinking. It was only when his gaze landed on figure 2.b, Weekly Schedule of E. Bouchard, that he actually came up with something reasonable. Something actionable.

[scandinavianfairytale]

Doubt

Pairing: Tony Stark x Millionare Reader

Warnings: A few mentions of sex, but no act itself and a small age gap (7 years) between the reader & Tony 😊

"I think you two would be great together. He works a lot, you work a lot, he's rich, you're rich, he's a nerd, you're a nerd-"

"I get it, Pepper." You stopped your friend who has been trying to set you up with her boss for a few weeks now. She has seen you go through so many boring men that you were rolling your eyes immediately after someone offered a date to you. Experience taught you it will be a dumpster fire.

The last one turned out to be homophobic, ignorant and went into detail how his Christian ex-girlfriend was into public sex. As you listened to him you wondered if it wouldn't have been easier for you to just stay single. So you deleted all the apps and decided that you won't be going on any more dates any time soon.

And now Pepper has been pestering you about her boss.

Tony Stark.

In all honesty, a date with him worried you. He was a billionare, while you just made your first million, and you came from a humble home, still feeling weird and queasy when attending anything remotely fancy. The thought of dating a rich old(er) man confused you. There was a 7 year age gap, which doesn't seem much, but you've been dating guys your own age your entire life. And none of them could've ever imagined being as rich as you. Let alone as Tony Stark.

"Just go out on a date. I'm not asking you to marry him." Pepper pressed. Tony has been driving her insane, working at all hours, meaning that she was also working insane hours. So she figured...maybe if Tony gets a girlfriend, he'll sleep once in a while. And who would be better suited for him than her sharp-tongued and a newly turned millionare friend who was into robots almost as much as he was.

She has been trying for weeks to get you to agree. She didn't worry that much about Tony. If she was to mention a woman, he was on that subject immediately, requesting a date.

You, on the other hand, with your string of very bad dates...you were the tough cookie.

"One date." You stated.

"One date. If you like him, more dates, but for now let's go with one." Pepper smiled.

And then Natasha got involved. The sensual, no holding back friend that also knew Tony was "tasked" with your make-over. Not like in the movies make-over, the kind where she went through your closet and told you what to wear. She pulled out the black dress that was reserved for fancy dinners. Not a first date.

"He's a man. Not like the boys that you have been going out with. You need to pique his interest and you're not going to achieve that wearing those disgusting jeans." Natasha commented as she glanced at the jeans that you were wearing at that moment.

"He's dubbed as the playboy." You conutered.

"That's because playman doesn't exsist. Now go change."

As it turned out, the first date was actually really good. You actually had a good time. Tony picked you up himself and you went to a new art exhibition at the Met, followed by a dinner and a ride home. As you were about to exit his car, Tony took your hand and kissed the back of it.

"Thank you for the lovely time." He said with a smirk.

"Thank you as well. But please, let me get the next one." You smiled back as he let go of your hand.

"Deal. I do hope you forget that you promised to pick the tab."

"I don't forget things, Tony." You smiled before wishing him a good night.

As the weeks went on, you met with him several times. It was always interesting and you spent hours talking and he even made you laugh. You could feel hope and contentment bloom in your chest. That little anticipation whenever he called or texted.

And then it all came crashing down. You noticing that he started getting cold. He was texting less, no face times were requested. It just died down.

"He's busy with work." Pepper told you over the phone. Tony has been holed up in his lab for days, barely getting out of that room.

It's not like you weren't busy as well. You also had a demanding job and a life outside of it. And you understood the fact that he gets sicked into work, you knew from experience, but this was different. It hurt, because you got your hopes up. That he'd be different. And he was, much different than all other guys, but this time around you might've gotten attached. Which has never happened and it made you mad. Mad at yourself for feeling this, mad at him for doing this to you, mad at everything.

"I don't care how busy he is." You responded.

"Just be patient, he has never taken this much time for a woman before."

"That's because he immediately sleeps with them." You rolled your eyes, pacing around your still empty apartment.

"You still haven't slept with him?" Pepper stopped walking.

"Of course not."

"What do you mean of course not?"

"We barely spent 18 hours all together." Saying that aloud made your blood boil. How the hell were you feeling this way after 18 hours.

"You talk everyday, what do you mean it's been 18 hours? And so what?"

"I don't sleep with men I don't know. And if this is how he acts in everyday life, I think it's better I stop seeing him altogether."

"If you gave him a reason to continue trying it'd be for the best."

"If he's not interested in me with what he already knows, sleeping with me is not going to pique his interest. I'm done, Pepper. I'm not the type to sit at home and wait for a man's text. I don't care what his profession or reason is. This isn't me, nor is this my style."

You hung up the phone and angrily stared at the blank walls and the pile of boxes waiting for you to unpack them.

I can't believe that I'm feeling bad because of a man. You groaned before taking off your jumper and started unpacking. You put your phone on silent and threw it in the bedroom, away from your reach. You noticed how much it put you in a bad mood when you saw 0 messages from Tony.

It must've been a couple of hours when the doorbell broke your concentration. You made significant progress as almost all the boxes have been unpacked. In all honesty, you were mildly annoyed that you were abruptly taken out of your flow state as only 2 boxes remained.

"Why are you ignoring me?" Tony asked as you opened your front door, getting startled as you saw him standing there.

"What are you doing here?"

"You were not taking my calls. Can I come in?" He didn't wait for your answer and entered your apartment.

"I've been unpacking. And also that's rich coming from the man that has been steadily ignoring me for the past two weeks." You rolled your eyes.

Tony started opening your kitchen cabinets, looking through them. "Do you have any coffee? I could use a cup about now."

"You're not staying that long. And my coffee would be wasted on you." You snatched your speciality coffee from his hands.

"Why are you angry?"

"Because you showed up at my door, entered my apartment without my permission, and are now snopping around my personal things."

"You were angry before that." Tony pointed out and leaned on the windowsill.

"I was annoyed. Now I'm angry and annoyed." You glared at him.

"Okay. Why were you annoyed?"

"Because I feel like you're playing games." You confronted him.

"Regarding?"

"Me."

"I'm not playing games. At least not that I know of. Do you want to play?" Tony smirked and winked at you, making you roll your eyes. "Can you tell me what's got you upset?" He crossed his arms.

"It's been two weeks since we spoke. And then you show up at my place, accusing me of ignoring you."

"I was busy at the lab."

"I understand. I get how quickly you can get sucked up in work, I've been there. But I've never ignored someone I was interested in. A clear deduction from that is that you're not interested in me. Which is fine, but then you don't get to show up at my place, demanding attention. You don't get to act hot and cold and expect me to go along with it. I have an ego too. And also you pride yourself with being direct however you love playing games. There are hundreds of women who would love to play games with you, but I'm not one of them. I take no pride in becoming one of the notches on your belt."

"Great speech, a couple of things, though, if I may correct you." Tony straightened and walked towards you slowly. "I am interested in you. That's a given. How could I not be? Secondly I am direct and as such I can tell you right now that the reason why I was holed up in the lab for two weeks with no contact was because I needed to finish something before focusing on you. I want to spend more time with you. Take a trip or two." He paused for a second. "And have sex with you."

You let out a snort, feeling your face heat up slightly.

"Lots of sex." He was standing right in front of you, staring into your eyes. It made you insanely nervous, making your skin crawl, but in a good way (?).

"You made your point." You found your voicebut you knew it sounded breathless.

"Did I?" Tony asked before tipping your chin up and kissing you.

It was such a good kiss. God, you haven't been kissed this good in such a long time. Your hands pulled at his collar, trying to bring him closer to you, and together, you stumbled backward until his hand extended behind you, slowly pushing you into the kitchen wall and preventing your head colliding with the hard surface.

As you separated to catch a breath, Tony stared at you. "Still doubting my interest?"

"No." You replied firmly before reaching for him again.

Thank you for reading 😊

The GIF doesn't belong to me, belongs to the amazing creator 😊

My first Tony story! 🙌

[writtenbymisunderstoodnerds]

It can't come soon enough (USWNT x ADHD reader)

Part one, two, three

Part 4 of the ADHD reader series! I love this series, but there will probably only be one more part after this, of course with the wedding!

Warnings: Brief mention of harassment and violence, implications of smut

Words: 6.7K

We didn't want a long engagement, we just wanted to get married as soon as possible. So after weeks of talking about it, it was time to finalize the date and send out the invitations. It wasn't the best brain day, but it wasn't the worst I had had recently. Ally chucked me my bouncy ball as I sat on the end of the bed, hitting it against the wall. We were next to some of the team which I knew were out so I didn't feel as bad about it.

"Okay so before we go find the invitations, we need a date because I know as soon as we start, I will lose your attention."

"Tomorrow."

Ally laughed, "We need to give people enough time to plan."

"Okay, next week." Ally gave me a look, her look that tells me that's enough and to be serious. "In all seriousness, probably 2-3 months right? Like I know longer is preferable and probably off season, but I cannot wait that long."

"Neither can I, end of April, early may? The weather is nice, hopefully most people will be able to make it."

We left the conversation there for the time being, deciding to talk to Ali and Ash later about the date and if it even suited them. Ally went to have a shower while I lay on the bed, overthinking the wedding, if people would actually want to come, if we were being stupid expecting people to be able to drop everything and come to a wedding in 3 months. Ally straddled my waist, lacing her fingers with mine, "I can tell when you're over thinking something, talk to me."

I sighed, pulling her so she was lying next to me instead, "Do you think people will actually come or be able to come? I know it's all last minute, 3 months isn't a lot of time for people to plan especially with it be-"

Ally ran her fingers along my jaw, pecking my lips to cut me off, "Look, I know it's last minute and there is a high chance that some people won't be able to make it. In saying that, your team loves you so much Y/n, they will do everything to be able to make it. We can always push it out until early next year. Give them more time to plan."

"I know it seems ridiculous, how fast we're moving. Most people probably think there's not much difference between being engaged and actually being married, but I just want to marry you Al, as soon as I can. I know it's silly, it's just this is something I never thought would happen, even for a while after I met you. I want to wake up next to you every morning, calling you my wife. That can't happen soon enough for me. I just can't imagine getting married without all the team there, my family there."

"It's not silly Y/n/n, it will never be silly. There is nothing I want more then to marry you as soon as possible. I don't want to get married without them either. I love your team, over the past months they have become my family too. Maybe there's a work around though. Why don't we talk to the team before we finalize anything, see if they would be able to make it at short notice. If they can, we get married as plan, if they can't then we can push it out until early next year, when the weather starts getting warm again. If that happens then maybe we can have that court house wedding we joked about, then celebrate a little later than planned."

"How did I get so lucky with you? This is why I love you, you understand me like no one ever did or ever will. We can talk to the team tonight. Would it be ridiculous to have a wedding a year after we actually get married?"

"We can do whatever we want. Should we go to the mall? Find some invitations or stuff to make them?"

I jumped up onto my knees, bouncing next to Ally on the bed, suddenly very excited. I loved being creative and making things. If it interested me, I could spend hours hyper fixated on creating it. "We can make them?!?"

Ally laughed before pulling me off the bed, "Yes we can make them, but you have to let me help."

"That I can do."

---

Ally wrapped herself up under my arm as soon as we got to the mall. Most people would just think it was her being cute, but in reality it was to stop me from running off. It was a bad habit when I got excited and Ally had figured out ways to keep me with her. I didn't mind seeing as I got to cuddle with her, "So do you have any ideas?"

"I was looking a while ago and there were ones that looks like an envelope, but it opens up into two or three pieces. The main one with the important information and the other with the RSVP and stuff like that. Sometimes they have a photo."

"Do you have a photo of them?" I quickly searched google, showing them to Ally. She looked at them for a second before nodding, "I like those. They look easy to make, we could do a two piece, but put a picture at the top of the main information one."

"Then we can close it with a ribbon or similar. Let's go!"

She pulled me back by my hand, wrapping her arm back around my waist, "Hold up, let's go get the photos printed first, they'll take a while."

We chose a picture of Ally on my back, looking down at me while I looked up at her, huge grins on our faces. It was one of my favourite pictures. After they were ordered, we spent the next hour finding all the stuff we might need. Given the number of pictures we were getting printed, they wouldn't be ready for another hour or so. We decided to get lunch while we waited. It was nice, spending time with just Ally. I loved the team, I loved that they loved Ally and wanted to hang out with her, but it didn't always leave us much time for just the two of us.

Once we got back to the hotel, I was super excited to start on the invitations so we snuck in avoiding the team for the time being. We moved the desk into the middle of the room, setting up the stuff we needed first. Ally was better at calligraphy and nice writing than me so she was going to do that while I made the envelope things. We stuck the photos on first and the rainbow striped border on each side of the card stock. That way Ally knew where to write. The invitations were just going to be simple black outside, white inside with a silver ribbon around it. Nice and simple, just like us.

"What do I do about the date?"

"Just leave a space until we have a chance to talk to the team tonight. Same with the RSVP."

Ally lent over the table kissing me, "Okay. Let's take a break. It's been two hours of leaning over this desk, it's not good for our backs."

"You can." Kisses were placed along my jaw and down my neck as hands slipped under my shirt and along the waist band of my shorts, "B-baby-"

I cut myself off when her hand slipped into my shorts, trailing along my thigh, before being pulled away, "Okay, you can keep doing this and I'll take care of myself."

I swung around, pushing her back onto the bed, Ally just smirked as I hovered over her. She knew exactly how to get me to do what she wanted, "Like hell you will."

---

Ally was sitting on my lap, giggling uncontrollably as I kissed along the back of her neck. It was the only spot she was ticklish so I took advantage of that. A few of the girls walked in to the meal room, somewhat disgusted looks crossing their faces, "Do you guys ever keep your lips to yourselves?"

"Sometimes when we sleep," I replied as Ally finally pushed me away, "Otherwise why would I want to when my fiancé is this attractive?"

They just rolled their eyes before going to claim their seats. Once everyone had come down for dinner, I got their attention. I was nervous for this conversation, there wasn't actually a reason to be, I knew they would come to the wedding. I was just overthinking. Ally laced her fingers with mine, squeezing gently. "Hey ladies, can we talk for a minute?"

"Of course, what's up kid?" Ali answered. Her warm smile bringing some comfort.

"So Ally and I were talking about our wedding, trying to figure out a date. Now we want to get married as soon as possible and were thinking the 6th May since there's no games planned, but we know that's not a lot of time to plan especially for those with kids. We don't want to get married without you guys there, so we were wondering realistically if you guys would actually be able to make it or if we push it out to next year."

"We wouldn't miss it for the world Y/n. If you choose to have your wedding this year then we'll be there," Christen answered, the rest of the girls agreeing quickly.

"We can't wait to see you get married."

"Okay awesome, you'll get the invitations by end of camp."

There was excited chatter about the wedding throughout dinner. They were speculating about the theme, what our clothes would look like, dress code, our vows and so much more. We didn't comment because quite frankly, we hadn't gotten that far. We knew the date, cake flavour, food and dress code. We hadn't thought about music, decorations, times or her dress and my suit. The cake would be red velvet since it was both of our favourite, food would be a potluck with a BBQ and they could wear whatever they wanted. It felt more intimate and casual that way. I know Ally had been looking at other ideas, but I could only properly focus on one thing at a time and actually be helpful so she hadn't brought anything up yet besides the invitations.

After dinner I pulled Ali aside as everyone was starting to leave the meal room, "What's up kid?"

"So, as you know my parent's aren't going to be at the wedding. Ally has her dad walking her down the isle and I didn't realise until we were talking about it that I actually want to be walked down the isle too. So um, will you walk me down the isle?" We had agreed not to do bridesmaids. There were too many people that I was close to and I didn't want to have to choose between them. Ally had been subject to my anxious rant about it and had suggested not to do them. Ali was probably the person I looked up to most, who I knew always had my back no matter what. There was no one else more suited to walk me down the isle than her.

Ali hugged me tightly, kissing my temple, "Of course I will, I'd be honored. Let us know when you think about decorations and we can help you out. Are you guys coming to the movie night?"

"Thank you Ali. We're going to skip it tonight and go work on the invitations instead."

"I can't wait to see what they look like. Have fun and don't stay up too late, we have training tomorrow."

---

I lent against the door, watching as Ally braided her hair. She was wearing a black skirt stopping just above her knee, with a white sleeveless blouse. It wasn't often that Ally wore skirts outside of work, but when she did, my god she looked stunning. I loved Ally in anything she wore, it's just when I saw her in things that she didn't normally wear, it drove me crazy. As she finished her braid, I wrapped my arms around her waist, kissing just below her ear.

"You look stunning baby. Where are you going, love?"

She turned, looping her arms around my neck, "I'm going to look at dresses with a few of the girls, is that okay?"

"You never ever have to ask to do things Al, you know that. Do I get to see your dress before the wedding?"

"Honestly, I don't know. I know we don't want traditional, but that's a part I kind of like."

"If that's what you want to do, then I'm okay with that. Just because we don't want full traditional, doesn't mean we can't have some aspects of it even if the suspense will kill me. Can I at least know which colour you choose so I can find a suit that matches? Because if I've chosen a bright blue suit and you've chosen an orange dress, those photo's won't be flattering."

Ally giggled before kissing me slowly, "I love you, you're amazing. I will definitely not be choosing an orange dress, but yes I'll tell you what colour it is. Have you thought about your suit yet?"

I shrugged, trying to act like I hadn't already spent hours looking at different suits, "I have some ideas. They're pretty basic, but I'm kinda obsessed with some of them. I'm heading out with Megan and Ash a bit later to try some on."

"Hmm you're going to look incredible. Do I get to see it?"

"I um I think I want to surprise you on the day as well. Is-is that okay?"

Ally played with the baby hairs at the bottom of my neck, making my knees go weak. It always did, "Of course it's okay hun."

I ran my fingers down her back, then dipping under her skirt and along the side of her thighs, "Do you have to go now? Because you look amazing."

Ally jumped up, wrapping her legs around my waist and connecting our lips in a passionate kiss, "You're a bad influence Y/n Y/l/n, we have half an hour. If you mess up my hair, you're in trouble."

"I thought we were meeting like 15 minutes ago?" Kristie questioned as we approached, eyeing the likely forming bruise on my neck.

---

Ally's POV

My face heated up and I knew I was turning red. Unsuccessfully, I tried to hide it by checking my phone, "Sorry, I lost track of time."

"I gathered. Y/n go away, Ally come on."

"Yes ma'am," Y/n jokingly saluted before leaving a lingering kiss against my lips. I fought the urge to pull her back in. I had always been drawn to her, wanted to be close to her, addicted to everything her, but since she proposed it was like that connection got stronger. Maybe it was the excitement of it all. I definitely wasn't complaining though, there was nothing wrong with having a strong connection with the person you were going to marry.

"Have fun. I might be out when you get back. Please send me photos of the dresses you aren't picking because I know you'll look incredible. I love you."

"I love you, I expect photos of those suits in return."

I was kind of nervous spending the afternoon with Y/ns teammates. Sure, I had spent time a lot of time with them, but Y/n was always there. This was new territory, I was nervous and excited at the same time. I was also a bit nervous about finding a dress. I wasn't the most girly girl, sure I wore dresses and skirts for work and occasionally outside of work, but they were simple. Nothing like what I was looking for in regards to a wedding dress. To be honest I wasn't even sure what I was looking for.

"Hey, you okay?" Ali asked falling back into step with me.

"No, I feel like a fish out of water. I own maybe three dresses and skirts. This is just a lot, I don't even know where to start."

Ali wrapped her arm around my shoulder, "Let's start with a simple question, are you sure you want to wear a dress?"

"That I'm sure of, but I don't think I want a traditional wedding dress. That's not me."

"Alright, why don't we just go try on some dresses and see if anything feels right. We have time to just explore different styles and colours."

We found a shop that had dresses for pretty much everything you could imagine. I didn't even know a shop like this existed. It was overwhelming, but the girls walked around with me as I just picked a few dresses that caught my eye. There were a few traditional wedding dresses in the mix, I knew I didn't really want one, I also didn't want to just discard the idea completely. You never know, I might end up falling in love with traditional.

It didn't happen. Every traditional dress I tried on, I absolutely hated. They didn't look or fit how I wanted to. There were a few dresses so far that I liked quite a bit, but didn't jump out as the one. A few hours had passed so far, I had tried on what felt like hundreds of dresses, keeping my promise and sending photos to Y/n. Her replies had started out innocent, telling me how amazing I looked, but they were now definitely moving towards R-18. I had fully expected it, Y/n had always made a point of telling or showing how attractive she found me. It was one of the many things I loved about her. Even after trying on all the dresses, none of them felt right. I knew it might take more than one day to find the right dress, but I was impatient. I wanted to find the dress now. 

We had gone for lunch and when we came back, I froze in front of a dress at the back of the shop. As soon as I saw the dress I knew it was the one. It was an ink blue, A-line scoop asymmetrical, satin dress with black lace covering the torso and lining the bottom of the dress. It was simple yet elegant. I stood in front of the mirror, admiring the way the dress looked. There were some adjustments that needed to be made so it would fit perfectly. For that reason I was glad camp was in our city, it meant there was no rush to get them done and I wouldn't have to try take the dress on a plane.

"I love it. This is the one."

"It's perfect Ally. You look absolutely stunning."

After sending Y/n a picture of the colour and paying for the dress, the person at shop started figuring out what needed to be altered. As that was happening, Kristie spoke up, "So how did you and Y/n meet? She never told us that story."

"It's nothing exciting, we met at the park, I was studying, she was running around with a ball and well kicked it at me. We connected pretty much straight away, hanging out, she would help me with my study and I would help her with her shots. It was obvious from the start that there was something more than friends between us, but she was so invested in her career that it took six odd months for her to agree to go out with me. She's been stuck with me ever since, not that she seems to mind too much."

The girls nodded, before Lindsey asked another question. I guess this was their chance for a little interrogation. They were protective so I wasn't that surprised, "Did you ever struggle with her ADHD?"

"No, it's part of who she is. Y/n wouldn't be y/n without it. It took a bit to learn about it, how it effected her and how to help. It was worth it though. It helped us grow closer, connect on a deeper level. I wouldn't change anything about the process or her. The only struggle was how she saw herself because of it. It hurts seeing her think she's a burden, knowing what her parents did to her, because she is the most amazing person I know. She's come a long way since I met her, I'm so proud of her for it. You guys should know that you're a big part of it, just accepting her for who she is, doing your best to help and try to understand what she's going through. You are the family she never had."

Ali smiled widely at the last part. I knew they had grown super close since they met and it probably meant a lot knowing Y/n loved them like family, "We love her so much. I know she has been through a lot, but she is still such a loving and kind person. You really love her don't you?"

A smile made it's way onto my face just at the thought of her. When Y/n and I first met, I knew I was screwed, but I never expected to fall as hard or fast as I did. There's not a day that goes by that I don't thank everything out there that I get to be the person she loves, that I get to spend the rest of my life with her by my side, "More than I ever thought it was possible to love someone, she means the world to me."

Ali eyed me for a second, making my nerves start to rise. It was a look I couldn't quite decipher. I knew Ali and Y/n were close, maybe she didn't actually like me as much as she said. "We never got to give you this speech when you two first started dating, but Y/n means the world to us, we love her as if she was blood. I swear if you ever hurt her, intentionally or not, we will make your life a living hell."

"I won't. She's my bestfriend, my person and I get to spend the rest of my life with her. Y/n has been through a lot, it's not easy for her to trust people. So the fact she trusts me to help her, that she trusts me with everything, it's special, it means the world to me. I wouldn't give that up for anything in this world."

"You are officially the best fiancé in the world."

The things I did for Y/n weren't for points or anything. She was the person I loved most in this world, I would do anything to make sure she was okay, that she knew how loved she was, "No I'm not, I'm just a girl who loves her fiancé."

---

Y/n's POV

It was safe to say I was overwhelmed and overthinking everything. There were more suit types and combinations than I expected, I was struggling to keep my mind in check. Megan and Ash were doing a good job at keeping me on track, picking out different suits for me to try on. I had to fight myself to not call Ally or ask her to come help. I loved Ally, I wanted her around, but this was something I wanted to do by myself. We had been messaging back and forth throughout the day, mostly sending photos to each other. Ally had kept her replies pretty neutral, mostly about how she couldn't wait to marry me or how the suit would look better on the floor. Ally knew that if she commented about one more than another, that I would start to overthink my decision, thinking she didn't like it.

"It's safe, it's nice, but I want to try that one."

I would normally go for black or dark blue clothing, it was safe. This suit however was a dark maroon 3 piece suit, black shirt and tie. It wasn't what I was used to, but I loved the way it looked. "Will this even match?"

"You're going to have to tell us what you're matching with."

I pulled up the photo Ally had sent me of the colour of her dress, "Here, she sent me a photo of the colour."

"I think it'll be perfect. Just like Ally said, don't get too caught up in if they match or not. Wear what you feel comfortable in. If you like it then get it."

It was probably five minutes of looking in the mirror at different angles, spinning around and posing different ways before I decided I absolutely loved it, "This is the one."

Ash snapped a quick photo before wrapping me in a one armed hug before a smirk appeared, "You look amazing Y/n/n. I know she won't see it, but you've been practically teasing each other all day, we'll be sure to leave you and Ally alone tonight."

There weren't many times that I felt truly confident with how I looked, I had always had some form of self confidence issues. They weren't always strong, but they were there. No one knew about them besides Ally, I had always been good at putting on fake confidence. This was probably one of the first times in ages that I felt truly attractive, "I do don't I?"

---

Ally cuddled further into me with a groan as her alarm went off. I chuckled, holding her close as I fought off sleep. We had a couple of days off, but unfortunately Ally still had work. "You gotta get up baby."

"Five more minutes," Ally mumbled, almost certainly falling asleep again. I knew she had another alarm set for 10 minutes, she always did. So I kissed her forehead and started falling asleep again. When her next alarm went off, she slowly sat up, but I pulled her back down. 

"Kisses." Ally laughed, lips connecting with mine. It was sleepy and slow, but it made my heart melt. They were some of my favourite kisses from Ally. "Oh hey, how do you feel about going out tonight? Some of the girls want to celebrate us getting married."

"Involving alcohol I assume?"

"Considering Kelly and Emily suggested it, I would say so. We don't have to if you're not up for it."

"I can handle a night of drinking in cerebration of getting to marry you. Now you go back to sleep, my first meeting isn't for a few hours so I won't wake you up. I love you."

I cuddled further into the blankets, already missing her warmth, "I love you."

When I woke up a couple of hours later, Ally was slumped over her computer, typing away. I watched her work, taking in the way her hair fell over her shoulder, the way she bit her lip in concentration and her wearing my sweat pants and hoodie. She would only change into something more work appropriate for meetings, but I loved seeing her in my clothes so I never complained, even though they were my favourite sweatpants. "Stop staring at me."

"You look adorable, I can't help it. Straighten up though, you're going to hurt your back."

"I can't straighten up, I'm marrying you." Ally retorted, but sat up straighter anyway.

"Come take a break." She went to protest, however stood up and made her way over to me instead. I opened my arms, kissing her softly as she straddled my waist. I could never control myself very well when she sat like that and she knew that, "You know this is a dangerous position."

Ally smiled innocently while her hip ground down slightly. She knew exactly what she was doing, "I know, but it's been a stressful morning and I could use some quick stress relief before a run of no doubt stressful meetings."

This wasn't an unusual occurrence. Ally had a high sex drive, she always had. Even though it was definitely higher than mine, I almost never turned down the opportunity to make her feel good even if I wasn't in the mood for anything in return which was quite often. So without another word I slipped the hoodie off, starting to work on her chest as my hand slipped into her sweatpants. 

15 minutes and a successfully destressed Ally later, she was cuddled against my side. I knew we only had a couple of minutes before she had to go back to work and I would get ready to hangout with the girls and leave Ally to work, "You are so beautiful Ally."

"You know I'm already marrying you right? You don't need to keep flattering me."

"Good thing I'm not just flattering you then. I mean everything I say, every compliment, everything. You deserve to know so I'm going to tell you."

---

It didn't take long for me to get ready, I had just gone with jeans, short sleeve off-white button down and black leather jacket. Ally on the other hand was taking a bit longer so I was sitting on the bed, watching her sitting on the ground in a bra and underwear while curling her hair. Then she moved onto make up. 

We didn't go out to clubs very often so when we did, Ally liked to go all out with everything. It was her chance to dress up for once in a way that wasn't appropriate for work. I loved it because well normally her outfit was pretty revealing and she looked incredibly sexy. It was cold though so Ally's outfit was a little less revealing then normal, but still sexy. Ally had chosen a pair of tight jeans that showed off her curves in all the right places and a black blouse with the first couple of buttons undone. I never got insecure or jealous when she dressed up like that. She was dressing up because she wanted to, because she felt confident, not because she wanted to impress anyone. Well except me anyway as she had drunkenly admitted one night.

"How am I expected to keep my hands to myself when you look like this?"

Ally smirked, arms wrapping around my shoulders, lips trailing along my jaw until they stopped at my ear, "You're not. This is all for you baby."

Before anything else could happen, there was a loud knock on the door, "You guys have 2 minutes before we break in so don't even think about starting anything."

Ally groaned, pulling away with a pout, "You are not allowed to kiss or touch me until we get back unless you are going to fuck me in the bathroom."

I smirked, fingers dipping down into her cleavage before pulling away, "That can be arranged. Now let's go before they actually break in."

The team had found a cute, medium sized club that was busy, but not overly busy. We found a couple of tables, pushing them together as Ashlyn, Megan and Emily came back with drinks for everyone. 

"To Y/n and Ally, the cutest and grossest couple we know. We can't wait to see you get married."

Everyone raised their glasses, cheering as they did then gagging as my lips connected with Ally's. At this point in knowing us, they shouldn't even be remotely surprised by it anymore. It's pretty much known that I will kiss Ally any chance I got. As the drinks flowed, everyone started breaking off either dancing or attempting to have conversations. Ally dragged me over to the bar, ordering shots for us then dragging me to the dance floor. Remembering her statement about not touching her, I had kept my distance from her throughout the night, only allowing a few kisses. I knew she didn't mean it, but I wanted to see how long it would take her to break. She lasted maybe three minutes before pulling me into her, hands buried in my hair as she tried to kiss me. I stopped her with a smirk, "I thought I wasn't allowed to touch you?"

"Y/n Y/n/n, if you don't touch me I swear to god I will look after myself for the next month."

"You couldn't handle that my love."

"Watch me."

I was pretty sure she wouldn't be able to handle no sex for a month, but I also didn't want to risk it so I gripped her hips, pulling her in for a rough kiss. Hands and mouths wandered as we danced, Ally grinding against me while I kept my hands in likely inappropriate places to keep her close. The team came and went, dancing and laughing along side us. I felt free for the first time in a long time, my mind was solely focused on Ally, the team and dancing. Something that hadn't really happened since I changed meds. It had taken adjustments, headaches and outbursts, but the new meds had definitely helped sort myself out. My mind was still all over the place more so then with the other meds, which was not my favourite thing, but it could be worse. 

When Ally started dancing with some of the younger girls, I took the opportunity to escape to the bathroom. I came back from the bathroom to find Ally dancing with some random guy. She looked happy and comfortable so I left her to it and went to get us drinks. Emily and Kelley were at the bar, we ended up talking for a while until I saw the guy plant his hands on Ally's hips.

My attention was fully on them now, waiting to see what Ally would do. She could take care of herself, I knew that, but I was ready to step in as soon as needed. Ally stepped back, saying something to the guy, He didn't seem to listen though, hand moving to sit lower on her hips. I slammed my drink onto the bar, anger rising to an almost uncontrollable level. Emily and Kelley must have noticed because I heard them mutter 'oh shit' before I stormed into the crowd. 

My arms wrapped around Ally's waist from behind, pulling her into me and out of his reach. He didn't back off though, trying to take her arm and pull her back, "We were dancing, fuck off."

"You were until you disrespected her and started trying to touch my fiancé, so back the fuck off."

He tried again so I pulled Ally behind me, standing almost chest to chest with him. He pushed me back, before swinging, his fist connecting my with my jaw. It didn't hurt, though it might leave a small bruise. I would almost never start the fight, but I would finish it. I swung hard, fist connecting with his jaw and knocking him to the ground. Once a few guys held him back, I turned to check on Ally, making sure she wasn't hurt before pulling her into my arms.

"Are you okay love?"

"I'm fine. Thank you baby."

"Like I would let anyone treat my girl like that."

We were pulled out of the club by Alyssa and Ashlyn. Ali was waiting with a disappointed look obvious on her face. "What the fuck Y/n? Do you have any idea the trouble you could get in?"

"He through the first punch, therefore it was self-defense."

"That doesn't matter! You shouldn't have engaged."

"Like fuck I was about to let him assault my girlfriend. She made it clear she wasn't interested, I made it clear she wasn't interested yet he kept trying to grab her. Then he swung at me, what else was I supposed to do Ali? Just let him keep trying to come at her? Over my dead fucki-"

A hand ran up my back and into my hair, scratching lightly, effectively cutting me off and calming me down slightly, "That's enough baby, Ali's not the one you're mad at."

My head rest against her shoulder, hand still working through my hair as I waited for the anger to fade before saying anything. "I'm sorry Ali."

"I'm sorry too, I didn't realise what had happened. It doesn't make it right, but your reaction is understandable. How's your hand? And your face?"

"My face is fine, he barely hit hard enough for it to hurt. My hand however hurts like a bitch."

Ally smirked, whispering in my ear, "Looks like your tongue will be doing a lot of work for a while."

"Something tells me it won't be complaining."

"Okay you two, that's enough of whatever gross stuff that is. Let's get back to the hotel."

Ally and I stumbled slightly into our room, having sobered up a bit, but still pretty drunk. Ali stopped by quickly to give me an ice pack for my hand, mumbling something about going to bed and telling us to have fun. I flopped down onto the bed, ice pressed against my throbbing hand. I didn't regret defending Ally, there was nothing I wouldn't do for her, to make sure she was okay. I did slightly regret hitting the guy though. It was self-defense, but there was the possibility for trouble or bad publicity for myself or the team. There was nothing I could do now though except damage control if it came to it. 

"You know you shouldn't have hit him right? I know it was self-defense, but I also know you were hoping for him to swing first."

I sat up to find Ally watching me, eye brow raised as if daring me to deny it. She knew me, she knew I wouldn't have started the fight, but I would likely bait someone into starting it, "I know, but when it comes to you, I don't care if it was right or not. And yes, maybe a part of me hoped he was going to try."

She rolled her eyes at me, a love filled smile appearing, "You're lucky I love you and your dumb decisions. Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine love. My hand hurts a fair bit, but my face is fine, he didn't hit hard." 

"Can't say the same about him, I'm pretty sure you broke his nose."

I laughed, pulling her into me. I was worried about how this would actually affect her now that the adrenaline was wearing off. As far as I was aware, this hadn't happened to her before. Sure there were the occasional touches, but everyone had backed off when she told them to, "Are you sure you're okay Ally?"

"Honestly, I don't know. Everything happened so quickly, I haven't really had a chance to process it yet."

"I'm here if and when you want to talk about it."

"Thank you baby, thank you for protecting me even though I don't agree with how you did it."

"I'll always protect you Ally, no matter what. Come on, lets get changed, watch a movie and cuddle."

We quickly got changed before cuddling up under the blankets. Drops of warm water landed on my shoulder as Ally sniffled quietly beside me. Like me, Ally didn't cry very often, when she did it was best just to hold her until she was ready to talk about it, if she was even wanted to. So, I held her closer, hand running along her back as she cried quietly. I felt my own tears start to form. Seeing Ally crying hurt me more than pretty much anything else in this world. When she cried, it made me want to cry. I pushed them away as best I could, focusing on comforting Ally. She needed it more than I did.

Ally kissed my collarbone, mumbling, "I love you Y/n. I wouldn't have danced with him if I thought he wanted more. I'm sorry."

"Don't apolagise to me Ally. Nothing that happened tonight is your fault, it's his fault, he should have respected your wishes. I love you Al. I love you so fucking much. You light up my life like the moon on a dark night, you make me ridiculously happy, like love sick in a way that you only see in romcoms. Even after all these years you still make the butterflies go wild, my heart skip a beat when I see you. You're the first person I think of when I wake up, the last thing on my mind when I go to sleep and even in my dreams you're there. I love you."

Ally pecked my lips before pulling away giggling, "You're drunk baby."

Ally made me more sappy then I had ever been, but when I was drunk it was definitely over the top sappy, "Maybe a little. Do you at least feel the same?"

"Of course I do baby. I love you so much it hurts."

[lumiambrose]

Blue lock matchup for @hidden-oracle

I ship you with…

Rin Itoshi

hear me out hear me out… while rin could rock the extrovert x introvert trope, i think introvert x introvert suits him much better.

mans does not need someone as loud as shidou shouting in his ear 24/7. which is why he loves you so much. you guys definitely match each others energy; quiet, attentive and passionate.

honestly, i think rin would be completely fine with your autism and anxiety. he certainly understands that different people have different difficulties and stuff that they’re going through so he’s very understanding.

althoughhhh you gotta give this guy some time to adapt. rin has only had rivals in his life so he’s like a lost kitten when it comes to comforting a friend, or better yet, a lover.

rin is a good learner though. give him some time and communicate a bit and he’ll have it down quickly. need a hug? he’ll definitely pretend to hate it but he could hug you for hours. want to go home? he’s already called an uber.

basically rin is the perfect boyfriend.

but this guy has his own issues too. poor boy is still scarred from his brother so him opening up to you could take a while.

he’s never had anyone to hold so close to him. but once he’s able to open up to you? this man wouldn’t leave you for the world. especially knowing you’re just as scared as him.

oh and his hugs? the best. now in public he won’t hug you, but god he loves it when you hug him. like yes, show everyone how good you two look together.

he’ll definitely pretend to hate it for the first few seconds but you swear it looks like he’s sulking if you try to pull away.

hold his arm while you two are walking together. he loves it.

and in private? my god he matches your energy 100%. he will not leave your side. being alone together is the only time you’ll ever wonder if he’s more touchy than you.

honestly, you two don’t even need to be talking to each other. your presence is enough for rin.

while mans definitely loves to spoil you and take you out on nice dates, sitting on the couch together while you read and he analyzes his matches is almost just as good for him.

now as to how you two even got together? i’d say you met at a cafe. it was a busy day and as there was no space left other than on your table, so he sat there.

now none of you actually said something (god forbid human conversation). althoughhh you thought he was pretty enough to sketch and spent your time drawing him.

of course he noticed (he didn’t seem to mind it) and before he left he scribbled his phone number on your sketchbook and asked you to send him pictures of your sketches.

and that’s how a cute ass couple is born.

he reacts the same to your chaotic behavior as he does with pda. he pretends to hate it. he really tries. but alas he can’t hide the smile that pierces his lips.

the fact that you can keep him on his toes and keep things interesting has him in awe.

horror movie marathons. he loves horror. you love horror. you at least spend one evening per week binging your favorite scary movies.

he’ll also play horror games with you if you ask nice enough :p

personal favorite of mine but the HEIGHT DIFFERENCE? ugh… i love it.

5’1 and 6’1? yes. he’s over a head taller than you and thinks it’s hilarious.

definitely puts stuff on the top shelf so you have to call him to get it for you

as you said you’re quite observant. rin definitely values your opinion on his plays and matches. even if you don’t know much about football, he’ll take your words into account and discuss them with you.

sometimes after his matches, you two will sit together on the couch with some popcorn and analyze the match together. (peak quality time)

i may have written quite a lot for this one… :p

what can i say? i really enjoyed writing your matchup. i hope you like it! <3

[accidentally-in-fictional-love]

📖 🥺 🩹🍭? Oooor 🙏🏻🍭

45 Minute Friends - Lester Billings/Reader

Warnings: Gender neutral reader, no use of Y/N, nothing else this time other than those sad eyes QwQ

Wordcount: 5391

Summary: When your meetcute turns into a surprising but nice friendship with the handsome man at the grocery store you frequent, you find yourself not ever wanting to know what he looks like without the smile that drew you in in the first place.

Notes: Even though he was in the list, I was still so surprised when I got this one! Did not expect any Lester but I'm so glad I got him because once again I have rebuilt a man from scratch to make him my own hehe so I hope you guys like this one~ 💗💗💗 (And if there's any demand for a sequel, wellllll... 😏)

Every Thursday like clockwork he was there, getting groceries between the minutes of 5:15 and 6PM. The first couple times you'd bumped into him had been random, just you rushing to the store for something for dinner or grabbing something you were low on last minute - usually you preferred getting in during the early hours of the morning when the place was empty - but after the third Thursday of noticing him grabbing a bunch of sugary breakfast cereals and a big tub of ice cream to pile along with the more adult things in his cart, your curiosity was too strong to resist wondering if you could see him again. He wore suits, a working man, and he took his health seriously despite the treats, although once in a while he did tend to hang out a little too long amongst the dessert counter where all the cakes were on display.

He was tall, very handsome, and there was something so comfortable about him you decided as he grabbed a box off the shelf and flipped it over to read the nutritional values. You sucked in a deep, encouraging breath before pushing your cart down the aisle, pretending to be interested in the many different brands of pasta before stopping and staring at the one on the top shelf where he was standing. ‘Excuse me,’ you asked politely, pretending like you hadn't just found the perfect excuse to finally talk to him, ‘could you please pass me that box? If it's not too much trouble.’

His height came very much in handy as he easily grabbed it and handed it over, and you flushed before you noticed the ring on his left hand as it held the box; ah, he was married, so much for your meetcute. ‘Big dinner coming up?’ he asked casually when he saw your cart, which was packed enough to last you the rest of the month since you knew you'd be too busy to visit weekly for a while, and you just shook your head with a nervous laugh.

‘Oh, no, just that time of the year again, gunna be swamped from dawn til dusk for a while,’ you told him as you tossed the pasta in, even if it was something you'd never eat normally you were still going to buy it after this. ‘How about you? I take it your kid has a sweet tooth?’

He laughed back, and even though it couldn't be your dream meetcute you still felt a blush dust over your cheeks. ‘All three of them, actually, don't tell my wife but I think they got it from me.’

So that explained him staring at the cakes. ‘Don't worry I won't,’ you promised, your hand over your heart, and he looked back to the box in his hand before going for it and offering you a handshake.

‘Lester, Lester Billings,’ he introduced himself as you shook, your name falling from your mouth rather ungracefully when you saw how his hand enveloped your own. ‘I think I've seen you around here before, do you live nearby?’

‘20 minutes out of town, but I like the prices here, so it's worth the drive,’ you admitted easily even though your crush was still technically a stranger, but he just whistled at the long drive and moved onto the sauces.

‘I'm in town, but if I don't go right after work I'd never get the chance,’ he confided right back while picking up a jar. ‘Have you tried this brand before? Rita, my wife, introduced me to it last year and we haven't gone back.’ He handed you the jar before grabbing his own before you could answer, and you hadn't even heard of it before as you just shrugged and took his word for it, it also joining your increasingly expensive haul. His phone went off then, and he pulled it out and let out a quiet kid-safe curse before typing a reply back. ‘Sorry, forgot the party started at 5:30, thought I still had an hour, it was nice meeting you!’ he said as he headed off for the register, his food toppling over with several crashes in his hurry, and you couldn't help but grin as you grabbed your favourite pasta as well as a second bottle of sauce before continuing on your own list.

You really weren't able to go back again until work had died down, your cupboards getting bare from all the late nights of having just enough energy to cook, eat, and pass out until your alarm. Now that you knew he lived in town you couldn't help but look for him as you drove to work, but you put an end to that pretty fast after you swear you saw him in casual clothes and nearly ran a red light. You spent that time instead getting your crush under control, your mother didn't raise a homewrecker that was for sure, but when you finally were able to return and you spotted him checking out the watermelons you couldn't help but wave when he glanced up. He smiled wide at you and pointed at the one in his hand, it was huge and he was over the moon about the find, and you couldn't stop the smile and blush that followed as you rolled over to him without a second thought.

‘Free from work?’ he asked as he finished his checks, and you realized it'd been a while since you indulged and started the hunt for your own.

‘Finally, it's been a nightmare,’ you breathed exaggeratedly, which earned you another laugh.

‘It’s been the same for me, Thursday is the only night I get to come home on time just for this.’ He settled on a melon and was about to put it in his cart when he quickly stopped you from picking up your own. ‘Whoa, that guy's not ripe yet, here, my wife sent me this after last time,’ he said as he swapped out the melon for his phone, and he swiped through a bunch of photos before pulling up a visual guide on how to choose. He pointed at the one you were about to grab on his screen before taking your hand and finding a better one, the shiver running up your arm hopefully not giving you away. ‘This one should be better, it'll last you longer too if you aren't eating it all tonight.’

‘By myself? Hell no!’ you blurted out before you could think of something more suitable to say, but the resulting laugh was so loud and full of life that you couldn't help but giggle along with him as he supported himself on your shoulder. 

‘Sorry, I don't mean to offend,’ he chuckled as he picked up his suggested fruit, placing it in your cart for you without you even asking, ‘forgive me for assuming you were unavailable.’

‘No no, it's fine,’ you quickly said before you could say the same to him, he didn't need to know about your crush, ‘thanks for the recommendation, it's been years since I took the time to actually get one of these and not just the packaged slices.’

‘Every time they're in season we get one, my kids could eat most of one on their own, I swear.’ He considered getting a second before deciding against it, they could space it out you figured, and he started to head for the next thing before turning back to you. ‘You coming? It's been a while since I had some company on one of these, makes it less boring,’ he offered as he waited, and your heart skipped a beat as you hurried to catch up to him.

You talked about random things as you shopped, him mostly about his kids and how much his youngest looked like his mother, you about whatever you could think of so it wouldn't be so one-sided. You learned that he and his wife were highschool sweethearts, started dating then and got married when they were both in their early 20s, and that it'd taken them a while but finally their firstborn had been gifted to them by the time they were almost in their 30s. As such he spoiled his kids rotten, loved them all immensely, and he revealed to you that he planned on taking them to Disneyland once summer vacation finally came. You could tell he was excited about it, maybe even more than his kids were going to be, and your crush turned to something more as you finally reached the dessert counter.

He didn't linger since you were with him, so you sneakily stopped to check out the cheesecakes. ‘Oh, they have Caramel Pecan! I might have to grab a slice after that nightmare of a month,’ you wondered aloud, and you saw the way his eyes shone as he stopped and joined you.

‘My kids do love chocolate…’ he trailed off as he examined the flavours, all of them enticing him, and you smiled as you waved over the worker.

‘Excuse me, could I get a slice of this one?’ you asked as you pointed to your choice, Lester still deciding on his own with childlike wonder that made you suspicious it wasn't just his kids who liked chocolate.

‘I'm sorry, only the full sized cakes come in that flavour, the slices can be found over here if you'd like to try another one?’ she apologized, and you couldn't fight the frown as you glanced at the slices but didn't see any you wanted. 

‘I'll take the Caramel Pecan and the Chocolate Fudge Supreme,’ he then said as soon as you went to tell her it was fine, and you looked up at him as he gave you the warmest smile you'd ever seen in your life. ‘We're having another party this weekend, maybe you can join us, have a slice,’ he offered, and when you nodded you then found yourself with his number in your phone along with his address.

His house was nice and the front yard was covered in toys, loud music drifting from the backyard as kids screamed in delight and parents talked over them as best they could. You held the dish you'd decided to bring at the mention that it'd be a potluck a little closer to your chest before knocking on the door, almost missing the sign taped to the wall above the doorbell. It told you and their other guests to head around back for the party, and you followed the path to the side gate and headed to where all the voices were coming from. 

He had a huge pool that was currently filled with kids and their friends, some of the adults hanging out by the deep end as others were crowding around the grill, and you searched for him in this sea of strangers until you spotted him exiting through the back door, the cheesecakes in hand. You grinned as you rushed over to help, but you stopped when an auburn-haired woman walked up instead, taking your Caramel Pecan from him and making a face at it before placing it on the table along with the other treats. You stilled, halfway to him as he waved off her disgust with a laugh, and you felt yourself become self-conscious; you enjoyed his company, and he was fun to talk to, but you didn't belong in this part of his life, no, you were his friend among the aisles from between 5:15-6PM, you shouldn't be there-

‘Hey! You made it!’ You stopped mid-turn at the sound of his voice, a smile plastered to your face as he jogged over, and you wouldn't tell him but he really did look like a dad in his casual clothes, it was a good look on him.

‘Hey, yeah, something came up so I just wanted to drop this off on my way,’ you lied, and his smile turned to disappointment as he glanced back at the party.

‘You sure you can't stay? The food's almost ready, we were gunna get out the protector and watch a move on the side of the house while we ate,’ he told you almost sadly, and you were about to decline when the woman from earlier walked up next to him and looked you over. ‘Rita, this is the one I was telling you about, my new friend from Walkers,’ he announced as she linked her arms through his, and she wasn't at all like he described as she glanced up at him so fast he missed it, but you didn't.

‘Charmed, I take it you're staying for dinner?’ she asked, and she didn't sound nearly as nice as he made her out to be.

‘I, uh…’

‘You were just telling me what you wanted, burger or hot dog,’ he cut in, looking hopeful as you held your bowl of potato salad a little tighter. ‘We also have sausages and some vegetarian options, if you'd prefer?’

‘A cheeseburger sounds great,’ you finally replied, and he nodded before calling over to someone named Tommy by the grill to toss on two more for you. Rita let go as he led you to the table so you could set down your bowl, and everything looked delicious as you gazed over the spread, completely entranced by what you planned on grabbing before he held you out of the way of a bunch of running kids. You thought he scolded them for running and to be careful, but honestly you didn't hear anything as your face was pressed to his chest, his hands warming you more than the sun as they rested over your back and arm.

‘Sorry about that, you know how kids get,’ he chuckled as he let you go, and when he asked about how red you were you quickly blamed it on the sun so you could hide in the shade a safe distance away.

You ended up staying til dark, the food so delicious that you couldn't stop until you were full, and your Caramel Pecan cheesecake was even more delicious as he handed it to you while his wife scowled in the background, jealous over nothing. You knew you'd never make a move on him, seeing him around his family was enough to fully kill the crush, but still you couldn't leave as you sat in the grass and watched horror movies with the rest of his friends once the kids went to bed. The speakers couldn't be too loud, but that didn't stop everyone else as they had a great time, and when you stopped by the pool to enviously check it out, you found yourself splashing along with the others when he pushed you over the edge, jumped in, and encouraged everyone else to join, which they all childishly did.

You didn't hang out outside of shopping, the party would have to be your only exception, but you still had fun with him as you met up in the parking lot every Thursday after that. He shared his favourite recipes with you when you were looking to try something new, and was always ready to grab something off the top shelves for you while you grabbed stuff from the lower ones, bad back he explained after too many spills trying to keep up with the kids. You became close enough to openly talk about your jobs and your weeks, more invitations to parties offered to you every time you met, it seemed he was just really that social, but you found excuses for every one of them to his growing disappointment; you still saw Rita glaring at you when you looked at him, and you didn't want to start anything when your intentions for talking to him were nothing but pure now. 

As you were checking out, he offered for you to join them for movie night, this one would be a smaller gathering in case you didn't like the crowds, and you just laughed and declined as always. ‘It's not the crowds,’ you reassured him as your stuff was rung up, Lester bagging all of his own since you'd let him go first. ‘I'm just… not one for parties in general.’ It was a boldfaced lie, but you'd rather lie to him than get him in trouble with his wife just by being there.

‘It's not a party, it's movie night,’ he insisted, and he held the extra large bag of assorted salty snacks up high to tempt you. ‘C'mon, you told me you had a rough week, one round of cards with my kids will cheer you up, and since it's movie night you can pick your favourite to join the lineup, what do you say?’

That sounded wonderful, if you were to be completely honest, and you just sighed dramatically before grabbing a big bag of chips from beside you to add to your remaining items. ‘What's your family's stance on Stephen King?’ you asked as you pulled out your wallet, and he just grinned widely as the last of his bags was stuffed into the cart.

‘Too scary for me, but my eldest loves him.’

You nearly crushed your poor bag of chips by the time you got to his house on Saturday, a bottle of your favourite soda tucked under your arm as well just in case he didn't have it and so you'd be able to drive home later. It was already starting to get dark since you wanted to give them time to have dinner together despite him saying it started early, and you could already hear a movie going on on the other side of the door as you knocked. You waited a moment as the movie was paused, and a little boy who couldn’t be more than 8 opened up and stared at you before calling back over his shoulder that you were finally there, putting extra emphasis on the ‘finally.’

You heard Lester laugh before he stumbled into view, and he welcomed you in with a bright smile as you held up your chips and drink. ‘You're late! We saved you some dip, had to fight these animals back with a stick to keep them away from it,’ he teased as he brought you to the living room, his kids piled onto the floor with pillows and blankets while a few couples, more of his friends, took up the couches, the loveseat empty and waiting for you. 

‘Daddy, we saw you eat a bunch!’ the boy, apparently his middle child, cried out as he hit his legs while he passed by, his body bouncing energetically on his pillows as he then flopped back down, and Lester just shook his head in denial before reclaiming the spot next to his wife, his youngest going from her lap to his the moment he was settled. The movie was resumed, your chips on your lap as you tried to ignore the heat from Rita's gaze that he somehow didn't notice, and you only got a few in before the middle one noticed you had something different. ‘Did you bring enough to share with the class?’ he asked smartly as he turned and stared up at you from the coffee table, his eyes purely on your chips and those alone.

‘Shaun-’ Lester said warningly, he’d had enough snacks already apparently to not let you enjoy yours, but still you waved him off and held the bag out. He thanked you and grabbed two big handfuls, his eldest, Denise, or Deni everyone called her, glancing over before you just relented and passed it down, ready to try out that dip you almost missed out on instead, one of his friends handing it to you and stealing one final chip's worth before going back to his beer. It was damn good, you could see why it was almost completely gone, and this he did notice as he called your name before a very loud action sequence nearly drowned him out.

‘Want me to make more?’ he asked as you chowed down, and when you shook your head politely so as to not trouble him, everyone else loudly exclaimed, ‘Yes!’ at the same time. ‘Okay, okay, it's Annie’s bedtime anyway,’ he conceded as he stood, the movie not paused this time as he brought his sleeping youngest upstairs. You watched him go in the reflection of the TV stand packed with trinkets and knick knacks and photos before watching the movie, and when he returned he pressed a kiss to Rita's forehead before heading for the kitchen to make more dip. When he returned everyone was instantly ready for more, but he made sure to scoop a fair amount into your bowl before placing it on the coffee table, since you had missed out after all. You thanked him quietly and went back to eating, your chips returned to you before he sat back down, and it was almost criminal how damn good of a combo they ended up being.

You weren't able to get to your movie since you'd arrived so late, but you were promised first dibs for the next one as long as you showed up on time. You promised, and everyone but Rita waved goodbye to you as you headed out, the kids devouring the last of your chips in front of the TV again.

The next Thursday that came around you were running late, a detour from work to Walkers making you come closer to 5:48 than your desired 5:15, but no matter where you looked you couldn't find him. You felt almost disappointed when you remembered that summer vacation had started, he was probably in California by now, and you hoped he was having a good time as you passed by the dessert counter and noticed that slices of Caramel Pecan were now available.

You didn't see him the next Thursday either, but you didn't know how long his vacation was going for, judging on how excited he was it probably wouldn't be for just a few days, and again you hoped he was having fun as you grabbed yourself a new watermelon using the same guide his wife had sent him.

On the third Thursday you felt worried, he should be back by now, but you didn't think it proper to go to his house and see if his car or the family van were there, that felt much too personal for just a 45 Minute Friend. You felt that, but the temptation was strong when you passed by the pasta sauces.

On the fourth Thursday you figured enough was enough, something was wrong, and you piled your food into the back of your car and tried not to speed to his house. His car wasn't there but the van was, maybe he'd had to switch his grocery day to some other time thanks to work, and you felt embarrassed but you'd rather find out from Rita than text him about missing him. You approached the front door and saw lights on inside, but there was something heavy in the air as you raised your hand to knock; there was a lack of happiness radiating from the house, no sounds of the TV drifting through the door, the yard had been cleaned up, something just felt off. 

You took in a deep breath and knocked, and you saw Rita peek through the window's curtains before the door was unlocked. ‘Finally come to collect?’ she snapped as she glared through the gap, and your brow furrowed as you tried to figure out what she meant.

‘What?’

‘You can have him, I'm done with this,’ was all she said before she slammed the door in your face, your confusion turning to concern as you knocked again.

‘Wait, what're you talking about? Is he okay? Are the kids okay?’ you demanded to know, and as soon as you asked about them the door opened once more; her hand slapped you hard across the face, your eyes wide in surprise as you touched your cheek.

‘He doesn't live here anymore, try any of the fleabag motels along the highway,’ she all but yelled before slamming the door again, and you raced back to your car without another word.

You spent the rest of the night looking for him but was unsuccessful, his car nowhere in sight as you checked every motel and hotel on your GPS, the stinging on your cheek not going away as the sun set and darkness swallowed up everything.

You tried to check out the store every night after that, keeping a worried eye out for him as you bought only a couple things so you wouldn’t just be loitering, although it seemed like the dessert counter worker was now used to your friendship. She called out to you as you passed, your eyes scanning every which way as you slowly turned to face her. ‘Haven’t seen him around lately, he feeling alright?’ she asked concernedly, and you could only shrug, you were just his friend, after all.

You kept up your search for a week, Thursday coming by again as your snacks ran out and you did have to get some real food like a real adult, and you were in the middle of turning down the pasta aisle when you saw him standing there and staring at the jar of sauce in his hand. ‘Lester!’ you started to call out in pure relief, but when he heard your voice and turned to you, you only saw the saddest pair of eyes you’d ever seen in your life; the smile was gone, buried underneath the sorrow, he was just barely holding it together, and you ditched your cart right there and you quickly jogged over. ‘Hey, is everything okay? I haven’t seen you in over a month.’

You didn’t want it to sound like you’d been waiting for him, but if it did come across that way he didn’t notice as he looked back down at his wife’s favourite brand.

‘Haven’t had time to come, been trying to secure an apartment from my hotel,’ he confessed, and when he blinked a tear ran down his cheek. ‘Haven’t been very hungry, anyway…’

‘What… I mean, why did-?’ You couldn’t ask it, not when the pieces were starting to fall together, and he didn’t clarify anything as he nearly dropped the jar; you just barely caught it, his hand covering his eyes for just a moment as he bit back a sob, and when you put it back on the shelf you found yourself comfortingly rubbing his back.

‘I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have come, it’s been so hard since…’

‘It’s okay, do you have a list? I think I remember what you usually get, let me help you,’ you offered, and when he looked at you you felt your heart clench so much your knees nearly gave out. ‘Shopping’s more fun with some company, right?’ He nodded, and you skipped the rest of the aisle entirely as you tried to remember what you’d seen him get in the past. It was slow work, he kept lingering around certain things like the cereal and kid-targeted snacks, your heart hurting more and more the closer you got to the desserts. He didn’t even look at them, and you quickly asked for two slices of Caramel Pecan while he avoided staring at all the chocolate flavours.

He went to pay when you were all done, but he was low on cash, no cards in his wallet to go with them, and you understood that all his money must’ve been going towards the hotel as you pulled out your own wallet. ‘Please, I can’t ask you to,’ he mumbled, but you just placed your hand on his as you forced a smile.

‘What else are friends for?’ you asked, and he silently let you pay as he packed his stuff into as few bags as he could to save you a few cents.

Your groceries were completely forgotten as you then helped him pack them into the trunk of his car, fast food wrappers littering the floor of the backseat, and you didn’t comment on them as he obviously looked embarrassed about it. The sky rumbled as you unloaded the last bag, and you should’ve really run back inside, but you couldn’t leave him as he got into the front seat and just sat there, staring at the wheel. You opened up the passenger door and sat down next to him, his eyes glancing at you before he patted your hand, his thanks just barely out of his mouth before he finally broke down.

He sobbed openly in the privacy of his car as he covered his eyes again, his shoulders shaking and his weeping only enhanced by the rain as it turned from a light drizzle to a storm within moments. You just let him cry, ready to wait until he was able to speak, small waves blown across the pavement in front of you as other people hurried to their own cars, his cart slowly rolling away in the background. It took a while but finally he was ready, and he didn’t look at you as he wiped his eyes and sniffed.

‘Rita asked for a divorce, said she wants full custody,’ he confessed as the thunder roared above, and the pain in your heart turned to a pounding as you felt not sadness but anger overtake you.

‘That’s bullshit!’ you shouted, but you controlled your voice when he recoiled. ‘Sorry, but you’re an amazing father, where the hell did this come from?’

‘She thinks I was cheating on her, wouldn’t even tell me who she thought it was,’ he told you with another sniff, and you felt your cheek sting again as you recalled the look on her face as she slammed the door in yours. ‘I would never, I love- I loved her so much, and my kids-’ He broke down again, and you refused to even attempt to hold yourself back as you leaned over the console and pulled him into your arms. He melted into them, crying on your shoulder as you whispered comfort to him, patted and rubbed his back, his grip on you so hard that it hurt but you didn’t care.

‘I won’t let her do this, you know I work at a law firm, I’ll message everyone I know to help with your case,’ you swore, and he just shook his head against you.

‘Why would they side with me when she tells them what she thinks?’ he mumbled, and you backed up so he’d look at you.

‘Because I know who you are, and I will not let you lose your kids.’

His eyes looked between your own as a single tear fell, and if your crush was still there you might’ve wanted to kiss him, but that wasn’t what he needed. No, you meant every word that you’d said, and you were going to make good on it for him because he was your friend, and you would not ruin this more for him when his feelings were that that mattered right now. You were his friend, and you loved him like that, and he could see that you were serious as he hugged you again but didn’t cry, his voice so broken and soft and unlike the lively energy you’d gotten to know over your grocery trips.

‘Thank you,’ he whispered, and you didn’t nuzzle into his neck as you placed your hand on the back of his head.

‘I don’t have much, but for now I can at least offer you my couch, if you’re tired of hotel rooms?’ you said softly, and when he went to object you just smiled as your own tears fell when you blinked and stared out into the rain. ‘What else are friends for?’ you repeated, and when he sat back to rub his eyes again his smile was there, just barely hidden under the pain; there was your friend, there was Lester.

You didn’t know how this story would end, but you knew that it wouldn’t involve him losing everything, not if you had anything to say about it, that was for damn sure.

[mamaladeskies]

Shutline is Nasty Business

I happened upon Shutline the animation by chance as I was surfing an unnamed website for the next thing to watch when the poster of Jake and Shin caught my eye.

Tell me, how could I pass this? Look at their shadow!

I pressed play immediately, expecting a buddy cop show because I didn't read the description -- descriptions are for the weak, plus this is as adventurous as I get. What I did not expect was the low budget animation and the nastiness (compliment)!

Yoh, I'll be honest, I was about to dip and skip this anime because the characters look like paper-people with a voice actor slapped on top, and frankly after reading the manhwa, I stand by it.

But! The moment the show started to linger on Shin's features, I had to find out where this was going. I'm talking like precious seconds dedicated to Shin's ass.

I was not disappointed. Shortly after, Shin was on his knees paying homage to Jake's glorious manhood. This is fancy speak for Shin was giving Jake a bj in public.

My eyes were nearly watering in disbelief! I don't think I've seen something this mature in animation, to be fair though I don't watch a lot of anime. The closest thing may be Citrus but it was not this mature. Citrus was mainly sensual with lots of kissing and it had a semblance of a plot. Shutline's plot did not make sense, so while I kept watching for the mature content I was also trying to understand what the hell was going on.

At the end of 5 episodes each 5 or 6 minutes long, I was thoroughly confused. It made sense that the next course of action was reading the manhwa.

I finished Vol 1 in a matter of hours, it's that good. The manhwa caters fully to my tastes: two masculine men, grey characters who are well developed, no declaration of love, instead their actions communicate it, an interesting action driven plot, slow burn, no heteronormativity, and aged-up characters who are actually mature.

The drawings were also really good; those of the characters, I especially love how Shin looks, and the background as well. It's obvious the author is not cutting corners.

Something else I need to commend is how the author was able to communicate their sexual tension in drawing. There's a scene where Jake goes to visit Shin at the garage and then we get these panels of Shin's muscular build and Jake being discreetly hot and bothered. The fact that Jake could get turned on by Shin's armpit... I'm in awe.

In girl love (gl) mangas that I've read when the author has panels focused on the women's intimate parts like boobs, sometimes I'm like, what was the reason! Because the woman might only be doing mundane stuff like reading with no love interest in site to warrant such close ups. Thanks to Shutline I've seen the potential of such close ups.

Which brings me to something else; the sex has greater purpose! When the characters had sex within the first several episodes I was sure I'd soon get bored if the story was stuffed full with them and do thorough skimming, but I was wholly satisfied to find that they're purposeful.

For one, yes it helps take their relationship to the next level -- one sex scene shows us how Jake is pushing his boundaries for Shin. And two, it's advancing the plot -- in Vol 2 Shin and Jake have a discussion that determines where the plot goes next while having sex. In this particular scene we also get to see Shin trick Jake which was interesting, finally my boy gets a point against Jake.

A nitpick I have is how Jake reminds me of Wilson Fisk from Into the Spiderverse, both Fisk and Jake fill the screen/panel and they both like black suits. I swear I am not reaching, I just can't unsee it.

I don't think I have a major critique of the manhwa yet. As for the animation; it's very obvious important back stories were cut so that you need to have read the manhwa to get it, what's majorly left is the mature scenes. This makes me think that the animation might be fan service. It is not a bad thing, but I definitely stand by the fact that the story itself is so good it deserves better.

This reddit user says that Shutline has the potential to rival KinnPorsche and I have to agree, but only if done well.

[unabashedly-so]

💙💜🩷 SDV Bachelor HC 🩷💜💙

How much has each bachelor explored their bisexuality?

Content warning: compulsive heteronormativity, loss of family, grief, risky sexual behavior mention, drinking mention. SFW.

✨The Bachelors✨

Elliott

look me in the eye and just try to tell me this man doesn't already know. i dare you i fuckin' dare you i WANT YOU TO

that line on the 10 heart boat scene about not knowing he could feel that way about another man is bullshit and that is a piece of canon I toss into the sea.

now please understand the majority of this is colored by my very vivid hc of Elliott's upbringing and young adult life, but you're literally reading a hc post that is labeled hc so you bought the ticket now board the train. choo choo mfs.

the low hanging fruit is that this is a man that canonically spends hours on hair care, dresses like that, talks like that, etc. etc.. Yes, you can be cishet etc. and do that, sure.

and don't get me wrong, it's valid that Elliott could just Be Like That. (I love and respect the hell out of that incorrect opinion)

but this man is penny-romance novel cover coded. just. think about that. think about this active CHOICE he is making.

ffs he lives on a BEACH and dresses in a THREE-PIECE SUIT with his PERFECTLY COIFFED hair that he has to spend HOURS on because that's what happens when you LIVE. ON. A. BEACH.

i am going to have an aneurysm about this man's life choices rn

he's arguably pretty self-secure*, which tracks because you don't get to be his age and not have some better understanding of yourself. As others have pointed out, there's no real ""growth"" in Elliott's arc because boy came whole because HE BEEN KNEW HE BEEN THROUGH THIS ALREADY. He's secure in his identity because he's worked it out already! He's moved on! focusing on his career and legacy now that he knows who is he and who he's not!!

*dont make me drag out the receipts his part is already long enough just trust me ok

now meet Elliott in his early 20's and wow, buddy, you are trying way too hard I promise you things are gonna be okay sweetheart

speaking of his early 20's, it's hc to me that he did, uhhhh, so much exploring. of everything. and everyone in the English and Theater department during university.

King Slut, long may he reign. 🙏

just. someone who's not as self-secure and self-aware would not be able to own the aesthetic PLUS the temperament we see with Elliott, who really only gets flustered with the intimate interpersonal stuff because he's a romantic and it's meaningful. He's confident in who he is and the kind of person he wants to be, and you don't get to that point in life without having done a lot of experimenting and soul-searching.

I could write a whole fucking meta on this boy, but for today: 9/10 he knows it, owns it, enjoys it, but he's got more interesting things going on in his opinion than to make one of his core personality traits just Gay/Queer/Bi/Pan, etc. He has an AESTHETIC and BI BY YOBA he's sticking to it.

also he can walk in heels better than you.

Harvey

Hmm, he's actually hard to get a read on for me. There's a few others in the fandom who might have a better take than me, but here's what I can offer.

first let's grant him that he's older. With age comes wisdom, experience, etc. the older bachelor/ettes are just going to be at an advantage vs the younger ones.

also... like 8 years in college. I cannot be swayed away from this as a crucial part of his journey.

twinkle TWINK-le little snack.

it just feels like one of those things he felt happening in high school and might have gotten bullied for it because everyone Knew but he couldn't/wouldn't just own it.

but then in college he finally realized that owning it would give him the power, so he did. kind of. very quietly.

he probably had a boyfriend or two in undergrad. They were definitely the kind to hold hands from the coffee shop to the library. you know the ones, we've all seen 'em. <3

and isn't he just so lucky that he can get butterflies from girls too?

a blessing and a burden for this man with anxiety because, oh no, now everyone's cute.

by the time he gets to Pelican town, his last relationship kind of ended on a sour note, so he's a little discouraged from pursuing romantic relationships, hence why he's a bit guarded and shy and nervous.

he gets a 8/10, he's just quiet about it because who's business is it but his own? also, like, he's literally the doctor for everyone. He's gotta keep some confidentiality in this small town.

Sebastian

while he doesn't show it, I'd say Sebastian is actually quite comfortable with being bi.

I mean like as comfortable as he can be around people in general.

He doesn't bring it up, and doesn't really let anyone know either, but again that's just kind of his MO, regardless of gender.

now when he's Together with someone, well that's a different story. we stan possessive Sebastian in this house 🫡

he probably wouldn't bring it up with the gang unless someone else brought it up first. 🤷‍♀️

would probably give some semi-defensive response of "yeah, what of it??" to his friends, but a low hearts farmer might get a coldly aggro "why are you asking? That's none of your business."

he and Maru Know about each other but keep those conversations private. hashtag just sibling things ig

has definitely kissed guys at concerts before. Lots of people can also provide a feeling of anonymity, letting him get lost in the crowd and not have to worry so much. 10/10

Shane

closeted sportsballer. As a former Closeted Sportsballer, I can see this going two ways.

First option: you DO NOT explore that unless you want things to get real weird REAL FAST.

Like, I'm not even talking locker room nonsense, let's be mature here. Even if you do not like your teammates, you WILL still share a Sports Bond with them built on a shared passion, a common goal, and lots of comiseration.

So if you're already on iffy social standing, which I'm just gonna go out on a limb and say Shane might have had... you're gonna have a bad time.

Then after his gridball career ended, it may have already been baked in that that was Dangerous. OR he could have just been so far down the path of self-loathing that he stopped looking at people romantically.

OR OR--part of his self-loathing actually opened him up to exploring his sexuality......

......which is a very nice way of saying he took part in a lot of risky sexual encounters. 😮‍💨 (with all genders! One night stands do not discriminate!)

so if there were any feelings involved, it was... not good or conducive to self-understanding. Probably made things worse.

cue the drinking! the depression! all the risky behaviors!

ALTERNATIVELY... Option two: he does explore Feelings For Dudes and it could have played into his sportsball exit. 🤔

Hi. Let me just reiterate personal experience here: LEAVING A TEAM CAN REALLY FUCK YOU UP depending on your life outside the sport. Sports teams are a social support group, like, I really hate the phrase "like family"... but literally structurally so similar. If you already don't have a strong family life outside of the sport (like Shane has admitted to, let's fuckin goooooo), AND being on a team is an overall positive thing in your life??

Leaving your team (willingly or unwillingly) takes away that social support. And not just the social/emotional support, but the structure to your life, the routine, the feeling of belonging, the PURPOSE!!!

gee, wonder what kind of feelings those can bring about in a person. like a sad chicken man.

are we seeing a trend here???????

Ok this definitely got more into a sportsball psychological study, but what I'm saying is my money's on gridball heavily influencing his trajectory but since he DIDN'T have the family or social supports outside of it, he crashed and burned afterwards. Contrast with Alex below who DID have social supports and--

focus, bisexuality.

Personally, I like the idea that Shane's been with dudes, but it's never been anything emotionally healthy (except maybe one pre-gridball-exodus which could have prompted the leave......🤔👀) or fulfilling.

5/10, would be 6 but he got -1 because it was driven by self-loathing. >:(

somebody come show him some mlm love!!!

Sam

baby boy. sweet baby boy.

the younger bachelor/ettes are at a bit of a disadvantage because they're in the time of their life where they would be exploring their sexualities in a conducive environment. Not to say the valley isn't but there's, uh, only 11 other singletons there and they all know each other sooooo...

that said, due to Kent's military career, it's likely Sam has had time living outside of Pelican Town, so may be a bit farther ahead than, say, Sebastian who's lived there his whole life.

speaking of Kent, it's canon that Daddy has been in and out of his life and tbf I don't remember exactly how Sam feels about that but

I'm JUST SAYIN'. baby boy gets a whiff of attention from some buff dude who wants to make him his baby girl?? melting.

you know the trope of how girls with absent fathers sometimes overcorrect for that and seek out male attention like crazy? well, who says boys are any different??

what I'm getting at is this: you're trying to tell me Sam has NEVER had a raging crush on Alex?????

I mean fr it was probably like. Alex told him "good choice" on his ice cream flavor once and it was all downhill from there.

plus I'm hoping he's got a solid enough friendship with Sebastian (and Abigail) that they could talk about these things without it getting weird.

also, singer/lead guitarist in a band?? come on, too easy.

anyway 5/10, once again a bit oblivious until he gets smacked in the face. Definitely a flavor of "haha no homo bro! :):) ...... unless...?? 👀"

Alex

closeted sportsballer, round 2 EXCEPT

he canonically admits he crushes real easy. so just statistically speaking, there's an equal likelihood that he's crushed on the male singletons of the valley, too. Which totally doesn't even take into consideration his gridballer time, which I'll get to in a second.

he also admits his crushes don't usually last very long. part of that probably has to do with a lot with attachment issues (seriously he should be more messed up than he is), but if gridball is just SDV American Football, there's probably a good deal of internalized homophobia Alex has had to either work through or not work through. hence why his not het crushes might not last long.

but confusing and conflicting as they may be, THEY'RE STILL THERE. just. probably presenting more like a "wow I'm really noticing this person a lot lately huh. I mean I guess they look pretty good and seem kind of cool..." he's completely and utterly oblivious to so much, his own feelings included.

so what I'm saying is there was a brief window of time where Alex unknowingly had a crush on Sam and, listen, under the right circumstances Sam/Alex (Smalex?) could have been canonized--don'T BOO ME, I'm RIGHT

as for gridball, compulsive heteronormativity is absolutely rampant so there's no way he could have felt comfortable exploring his interest in other gender(s). ESPECIALLY in his case where he's still kind of on the outside, trying to model himself to fit a certain kind of mold. Just, no chance, absolutely none.

and really, Idk, between him and Haley I'm starting to get real compulsive heteronormativity vibes now... not that they're mad about it, but they were kinda forced into those roles and, well, the shoes KIND OF fit I GUESS...

you might say it was ... they're kind of sh... shoeho--shoehorn--*shot*

Anyway, boy's represso. 2/10, if you called him bi he'd say wait why are you leaving , what did you want to tell me???

[heichou-dancho]

FFVII Rebirth thoughts (Spoilers for everything)

I reemerge having finished Rebirth after four weeks and 92 hours in-game playtime. That’s an incredibly short but also massive amount of playtime for me, Yakuza 0 took me a year with pauses. I’m still reeling after finishing chapter 13, and since all my FF buddies from the old days are long gone, I’ll just vent here. I enjoy reading the reactions and thoughts of other players, so maybe someone else does too?

This post is full of spoilers and Shinra fangirling, but it’s about the whole game:

Shinra:

First, somebody on the team that wrote material for the Turks and Rufus must be some Shinra fandom veteran grown up with 20 years of fanon. Just Elena as a whole, Rude getting her that ice cream, Rufus in the Gold Saucer harassing fighting Cloud for fun, Dark Star not only obeying Rufus but also Tseng. Rufus complaining that Tseng is being overprotective… (faints) So much crack and shippy moments, I was grinning like an idiot.

(Is crack fic even a thing anymore? It feels like they’ve gotten rarer)

I expected maybe three or four scenes with the Turks, maybe less for Rufus. AND THEN SQUARE SHOVED THEM IN WHEREVER THEY COULD WITHOUT DERAILING THE PLOT. Elena was given so much room to breathe. Same for Rufus. Those little moments with Darkstar. I’m over the moon.

Okay, Rufus, so your father got stabbed, and the first thing you did after that was recording some motion-capturing and dialogue for a Turk recruitment hologram-video-thingy in an abandoned facility? It makes zero sense, but it’s my favourite protorelic mission and I’ll happily add it to my headcanon as a sign that Rufus gave Tseng his okay to recruit more Turks.

(The real answer would probably be automatically generated AI shenanigans, but that’s not very exciting.)

Viceroy Saruf. Just … Rufus, you’re such a cheeky idiot and I love you. Is there any faction in this world you’re not manipulating from the background? I can’t shake the feeling that being the man in the shadows suits you more than actually openly running the company.

Tseng and Reeve were great, I would love more little moments like that, where the Shinra folks just interact outside of action scenes and dramatic moments. The talk Tseng had with Reno and Rufus in Remake after the Sector 7 collapse hit the same note for me. I want more Reeve in part 3.

The scene between Tseng and Aerith at the temple made my eyes misty, but I wish it had been longer. Tseng keeping it short and abruptly leaving to "make a report" was perfect, and I know Cloud being so cold and cutting Aerith off fits his behaviour, but something about the timing just felt off.

I was surprised that Heidegger would take a bullet for Rufus. For President Shinra, absolutely, but Rufus? Hmm… This makes great fanfic material. I’ve read a fanfic before that tried to reimagine the Shinra executives (even Palmer) as more realistic people, and I found it to be really interesting, but then I’m a weirdo with plot bunnies in my head that involve a younger President Shinra, his wife, Veld, Vincent and the older Shinra execs.

I’ve never been a fan of Hojo but his R re-imagining is one of the few that doesn’t work at all for me. OG Hojo was far more unsettling. R!Hojo is just your typical mad scientist, I just can’t care about him, which is a shame, because him taunting Aerith in Remake with how he dissected Ifalna hit me hard.

I still haven’t quite grasped why Rufus is so obsessed with the Promised Land. It probably all comes down to wanting to be more successful than his father, right? I’m probably forgetting or mixing up details from Remake, Rebirth or the OG here, but I assumed that Rufus would outright dismiss it as a fairy tale.

Apparently there is a Midgar DLC for Power Wash Simulator. Square Enix, where is Hitman: Tseng and a version of Yakuza where I can play the Turks dealing with dumb crap doing missions in Midgar? Give us Shinra fans something, I'm still waiting for the EC version of Before Crisis. And I don't even like gacha mobile games. >:(

General game thoughts:

The open world is fantastic, I want to live in Gongaga or Kalm. So pretty. People online seem to hate the Gongaga map, but the soundtrack and the jungle theme made it work for me. I found the gliding parts in Cosmo Canyon far harder to navigate.

Shinra Manor is terrible with Vincent being it’s only redeeming part. The actual mansion looked great (the portrait of President Shinra was a nice touch) but the upper levels being inaccessible and turning it into another lab dungeon was boring. Same for the box throwing mini-game.

Dio the archaeologist turned body-builder is great, but Shinra knowing about the keystone and just not bothering to use it when President Shinra was looking for the Promised Land is a weird plot hole. It would have been a lot easier than trying to convince Aerith to come to them. There were some other little details like that, that bothered me but it’s a blur now.

Remake Barett made me into a Barret fan, Rebirth Nanaki into a Nanaki fan. The writers are genius when it comes to rewriting these characters from the OG. I’m not really bothered by Cid not being grumpy and swearing all the time. Him reminiscing about Ifalna was cute. Vincent using his old Turk skills (and having some lingering loyalty to the job?) was cool. Really looking forward to seeing how they’ll handle Lucrecia, the one character in FFVII I'm so conflicted about.

I’m still confused about Aerith’s death scene, especially the cuts where she’s lying in her own blood and then isn’t. I understand that she’s dead in her current reality, but is the scene without blood (and Aerith "waking up" in Cloud’s arms) Cloud’s hallucination or just a different reality? I’m also utterly confused by how many Aeriths we’re dealing with. The Aerith and Cloud we’re playing with and the sleeping Aerith (and Cloud) from the dimension where Zack lives are one and the same? It’s tying my brain into knots, and not in a good way. That’s why I usually can’t stand stories involving elaborate time travel loops or parallel universes.

(Man, why doesn't Tumblr allow spaces between paragraphs? I hope your eyes aren't bleeding)

I first played the OG as a young teen. Cloud’s mind being fractured and hallucinating was a neat bit of storytelling back then that I hadn’t encountered in video games before. Twenty years later, I’ve dealt with loved ones who are ill but refuse help, and known plenty of people who have some form of psychosis or schizophrenia. Whilst I would never seriously compare Cloud’s problems with rl mental illnesses, I found the scenes where he sees Sephiroth and no one else, or is completely out of it hard to stomach. Interacting with somebody who has hallucinations (even "harmless" ones) or paranoid thoughts is unsettling at best, nightmarish at worst. The group trying to passively bear it and keep things together rings very true (especially Tifa) but I’m surprised that even Barett or Yuffie aren’t trying to confront Cloud about his behaviour at least once.

(I tried to format in html, but it somehow looked worse. I'm old. This is how Vincent must feel like every day.)

Dyne, Myrna and Tseng talking to Aerith at the temple had me tearing up, and I lost it at Aerith’s "date" with Cloud in Ch. 14. Hoo boy, I know Aerith stalling off the inevitable just for a little time, was the game having a very direct conversation with the player about what’s going to come, death and how we deal with it. But to me personally, it was more about how one gets caught up in trauma and repeat it over and over in your head, mulling about the point of where things went wrong and what you could have done to prevent it. I know it doesn’t fit, but that’s what my weird brain made out of it. Also Dyne’s and Aerith’s (at the temple) speeches about how they deal (or didn’t) with grief and trauma hit me hard.

Damn you, silly anime action game, you really shouldn’t affect me this deeply, but then a lot of fiction hits me harder than it used to.

[angsty-twihardxx]

I’ve seen a lot of dbf!joel and was wondering if you’d write a dbf!tommy as there aren’t any and I absolutely adore your writing style x

RIGHT WHERE I WANT YOU | T. Miller

dbf! Tommy Miller x fem!reader

A/N: THANK YOU I LOVE YOU AND THIS IDEA. I have been tinkering with this idea for a while because there are no dbf! fics for this man and he deserves it, let’s be real he’s a horn bag and a tease i just uh-😩 also I would love to do multiple of these or even a series, plz let me know what y’all think and send ideas.

Feel free to gander at my masterlist if you like x

Warnings: 18+ (minors go away), PnV, age gap (reader is 21) basically porn with little plot. This is NOT edited I very much rushed it no apologies.

You remembered the first night that you met Tommy, he was leaning against the bar with your Dad who beckoned you over. The dining hall was cramped which wasn’t new on a Saturday night, you had mainly come because your dad mentioned a new member that he found on patrol. Usually you dreaded it, but when you saw him across the room you had a change of heart.

His black curls sat on his shoulders when he turned to face you, his lips curving up to give you a wide smile— which you returned quickly. His smile suited him, making his honey brown eyes squint. “Nice t’meet you, m’Tommy.” He spoke lowly, his Texan drawl catching you by surprise as he extended his hand out for you to shake.

You didn’t expect the accent, at first. It made sense though, the more you thought about it he did seem like the cowboy type. You tried your best not to over think how his hands felt enveloping yours, how much bigger his hands were compared to yours.

But that night was a long time ago. When it was merely just a crush on an older man that was friends with your Dad, which developed the more and more you saw him— which ended up being a lot.

Early in the morning’s were now filled with his presence, always standing with a mug full of coffee as he leaned against the kitchen island talking to your parents. The muscles under his button up sleeves flexed as he moved the mug up to meet his lips.

How was he actually so perfect? It wasn’t fair.

But now your feelings had developed, becoming more filled with desire and need. You were a women now, with womanly needs that weren’t being met with the boys your age. It’s not their fault though, newly developed minds bodies that was being pumped with hormones made them awkward and well— quick.

Its not like there were any classes going around for this kind of stuff in Jackson, but you just knew that you needed more.

Maybe it was some undiagnosed daddy issues that had you interested in the younger Miller brother. You could just tell that Tommy knew what to do when it came to sex, after ‘accidentally’ overhearing him drunkenly spew his past life to your father as the two got into a bottle of whiskey, he seemed to be quite the man-whore back in the day. You imagined what he’d be like fucking you, whether he’d be gentle or if he’d pound into you relentlessly till you were screaming his name.

And he knew it too, the smug bastard.

It made the blood in his body rush to his cock seeing you look so flustered from something as simple as a ‘mornin’ darlin’ when he’d see you first thing in your kitchen. When you’d descend down the stairs in your tiny pyjamas, he had to force his gaze off of you when he realised he was staring. He imagined what the soft flesh of your ass would feel like in between his fingers.

Everything about this was wrong, SO WRONG— but yet, neither of you could stop.

. . .

A cool breeze crept in through the ajar open that you sat beside in your living room, book in your lap. Taking the liberties of enjoying the large empty house on your own, which seemed to be happening more and more often lately. You had finished patrol only a few hours ago, thankfully it had been quiet and you were partnered with Eugene. The older man was well liked by you and your friends, mainly for his secret underground weed bunker.

Which is what led you to this point, leaning against your window as you blew out the smoke from your joint.

“Should you really be doin’ that n’here?” Tommy’s voice ripped your attention from your book, he was leaning against the entrance. His denim coat was covered in a thin layer of sawdust, you remembered him mentioning building a new set of homes over breakfast yesterday. “Well, last I checked the smoke detectors don’t work so—“

Your shoulders fell, a huff of air falling from Tommy’s nostrils in amusement. Dragging his palm along his hand he moved to sit beside you on the sofa, just enough space between you. It wasn’t unusual for Tommy to come check on you when your parents were away, whether it was because he wanted to or because he was asked to by your parents was another thing.

You felt butterflies as you thought about the domesticity of your situation right now, the thought of being the first thing he saw every night after work. Being able to ask him how his day was while the two of you ate dinner together.

“Like you wouldn’t believe.” Tommy sighed, rubbing his fingers through his sweat damp curls. Even after working all day in the heat he still looked fucken amazing—it wasn’t fair. You extended out your arm, holding out the lit joint in front of him to take. An unspoken invitation, which he declined. Muttering something to you about working in the morning.

“C’mon it’s not like you have to worry about a drug test in the morning.” Tommy’s brows burrowed in confusion, before deciding to just take the joint from you. Your breathing hitched as his calloused fingers tangled in yours, taking ahold of the still lit joint in your fingers. “How the hell you even know about that?”

“Eugene was telling me about it today.” You smiled proudly, watching as his lips pursed around the hand rolled paper.

Everything about him just made you want him more, the way his dark curls sat on top of his broad shoulders as he leaned his head back. You wondered what they would feel like with your fingers brushing them back, would it really be so wrong for you to test the waters? You were an adult, and a mature one at that.

. . .

Maybe it was the weed that blurred Tommy’s judgement, the longer the two of you sat together engrossed in casual conversation. He couldn’t keep his eyes off of your exposed thighs, the shorts doing very little to cover you. Giving him the perfect view to admire your soft supple skin.

Stretching his arm out Tommy let it fall down to the back of the chair, his hand now grazing the soft exposed skin on your arm. Goosebumps form on your skin, burning from his grazing fingers.

He loved how you shuddered from his touch, he could only imagine what how wet you were from just one touch. Tommy doubted that anyone your age could please you the way he would. He always noticed how they watched you, none of them new the first thing when it came to pleasing a woman.

“So have you uh-been seein any boys around here?”

“Not at the moment, but I uh— have an eye on someone at the moment.” Your sultry voice only made Tommy’s blood rush to his cock, you had no idea the affect you had on him. “Oh really?”

“Yeah he’s a little bit older than me, but I don’t mind.” You teased, exhaling a breath of smoke that danced in the so between you both. A cheeky smirk plastered on your face, you knew exactly what you were doing. “That right sweetheart?”

Without another second of teasing glances and lingering hands, cupping his stubbled cheeks in your hands you pushed your lips together. A small whine left your mouth as he pressed back, with even more of a fever.

“Tommy—“ You whined against his kiss swollen lips, savouring how his tongue darted to dance with yours. It was everything that you thought it would be, the way soft lips kissed into you roughly it only got you hornier. His facial hair scratched the underside of your palm, his curls were soft as you dragged your hands to the back of his neck. The wetness pooling in your underwear was only growing.

“God, this is wrong.” Tommy groaned in between kisses, he shouldn’t be doing this, with one of his closest friends daughter. Friends were hard to come by these days, especially good ones like your dad. He took him in and gave him a purpose again in Jackson. Yet here he was, his tongue down his daughters throat.

“If it’s so wrong— then stop.”

This emitted a playful growl from Tommy as he moved to nip the soft skin of neck with his teeth. He was already to deep into this, no backing out now. “S’that what you want sweetheart?” Tommy dared to ask, maybe you had changed your mind about the whole thing, but was pleasantly surprised when you shook your head, your lips never leaving his.

“Absolutely not.”

Tommy’s strong hands lifted you up as he held you up around his middle, his fingers kneaded the doughy skin of your ass. Your legs instinctively wrapped wrapped around his waist as he lifted you off the sofa. It felt so surreal to you, Tommy’s hands felt exactly how you imagined them. All those years of working as a contractor meant his palms were rough and calloused, you needed this hands to explore all over your body.

Tommy made quick work of taking long strides to get to your bedroom as quickly as possible, the same bedroom that he would pass every morning to join your family for breakfast.

Never did he think he’d be on the other side of the door, regardless of the many times he thought about it. Fucking you relentlessly in your room, your faced pushed into your pillow while your parents were completely clueless downstairs.

You let out a shocked gasp as your back made contact with the bed, Tommy quickly climbed up on the bed to hover above you. His elbows propped by your head as he leaned down to pant his lips onto you again, all you could think about was his erection pocking against you thigh through his jeans. “Tommy-“ You whined as your hips bucked into him,

“Need you Tommy.”

“Don’t worry baby, ‘gonna take care of you.” Tommy trailed his fingers down till they dug themselves under the waistband of your underwear. Your skin felt like it was on fire, you needed him now. In one swift motion your pants were pulled off of you, Tommy let out a sharp breath of admiration.

You watch as he fumbles with his belt, before once again pulling off his jeans without hesitation. His cock springing to life before you, and fuck was he big.

“Y’alright?” He looked back up at you with all seriousness, to which you nodded quickly.

“Oh fuck!” You gasped out as your eyes squeezed shut, feeling him fill you up was almost overwhelming. You always imagined him having a huge dick, when he would sit with his legs wide open. Now it was actually happening you felt like he was going to tear you in two.

The blissful sting was quickly quickly replaced with pleasure as he slowly eased himself into you, his hips rolling into yours.

“That’s it baby girl, takin’ me so well.” He muttered softly into your ear, his hot breath had the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. His praises had your hips bucking against his, driving his cock into you deeper.

He already had you in a puddle of gasps and moans, your mouth failing you anytime that you tried to speak. Your stomach was in knots, feeling your orgasm beginning to approach you wrapped your arms around Tommy’s neck. Pushing his face down to meet your lips once again. His herbal soap mixed with the salty sweat forming on his back, all your senses were taken up by Tommy.

“S’fucken amazing baby.” He groaned against your lips, his own pace beginning to falter. Your head fell back as the pleasure grew more intense, feeling your stomach tightening as his pace quickened. “Fuck Tommy, I’m gonna come!”

“Come f’me darlin, that’s it.” He whispered softly moving his lips to kiss along the soft skin of your neck, which was enough to send you over the edge. Your body shuddered as your orgasm rolled through you, feeling the jolt of electricity course through you as your vision went white.

“That’s it baby, good girl.”

A animalistic groan erupted from deep inside Tommy’s throat, right before he was about to come he pulled out. His sweat-covered forehead fell to rest on your still heaving chest, the two of you merely laid silent for a moment. You couldn’t form any thoughts besides the fact that Tommy just fucked you—in your bed!

After a few moments Tommy lifted himself off of you, the mattress dipping as he fell beside you. “Y’alright? That wasn’t too much f’you?”

“Are you kidding me? It was amazing.” You exasperated as you rolled onto your side to face him, your flushed cheeks pinched into a smile. “Y’know Tommy, it’s just going to be me on my own in this house.” Your head tilted to fall onto his chest, a playful smirk plastered on your face as you waited for his reaction. “Oh is that right?” Tommy feigned ignorance, a wide smile on his face. “Might need some company, s’that what you mean?”

“Thats exactly what I mean.”

[marimayscarlett]

Someone should do some Ramm math

How many miles has Flake walked on the treadmill?

How many pre show shot glasses have they smashed? And do we include birthday smashes as well?

Who fell down on stage the most times?

Hi 👀

I must admit, I'm probably the last person you want to ask when it comes to math, because oh dear. That surely wasn't my strong suit back then 😀

Anyways, there are actually some answers I can give you here concerning Flake's treadmill-workout 🏃🏼‍♂️

Here's an article from August of 2019, in which it is estimated that Flake walked about 781km and 650m since the beginning of the LIFAD tour which started in late 2009 (according to the journalist this was the first time the treadmill was introduced) up to 2019.

Here's the method the journalists used to come up with this number: "We took the total minutes of all shows which equaled 28950 minutes (avg), converted to seconds (1737000) and then used a walking average speed of 1.5 meters per second to calculate the total he could potentially walk during all of this time. Now, remember, the potential would be if he walked for the entire show, which he does not. The potential is 2605500 meters, of which 30 percent is 781650 meters. 781650 meters converted into kilometers gives you 781.65 kilometers. This might seem like an insane distance for one person to walk, however, when you consider that the average human can cover roughly 5km an hour and Flake has spent around 144.75 hours walking on his treadmill since 2009, the figures actually seem quite reasonable."

Regarding the tequila glasses it would be interesting to know when they started the tradition of talking a tequila shot together - in total they almost played 1100 concerts (here's a list of all their concerts including the 2024 tour), so a very simplified version of calculation would be:

1077 (concerts) x 6 shots (mostly tequila, at some point one was replaced by lemon juice) = 6462 shots in total since 1994. Of course this is (probably?) not realistic in any way, but well, it at least gives some sort of impression 😅 Not sure if these glasses were smashed though or just consumed 👀

Regarding falling down (off stage, from pyramids, what-have-you): we don't talk about that here currently, I'm not venturing in this field again so closely to the tour, not that we manifest something 🤫 Let's just say this band has a history with falling off stages, earliest evidence was found way back in 1994 🔎 Till literally just... tips over off the stage (x):

[ronearoundblindly]

Hi Ro! I have this idea eating a hole in my brain since it manifested. I feel like we see a lot of mafia! Steve and Bucky where the reader is one of their gf and the other is her bodyguard or something else of the sort (which I love) BUT…

Could you imagine a badass bodyguard reader? Like, she works to protect one of them and they don’t even sexualize her, but after seeing how well they work together and how dedicated and hard-working she is, they just hopelessly fall in love? Which launches mutual pining, but also both of them thinking it’s unrequited and her still just girlbossing away. Until some inciting inciting incident (TBD) which makes them super close to realize how they feel and then both of them needing a new bodyguard because now she’s the gf of a mafia boss.

I’d try and write it but I don’t have anywhere near as much talent as you and wouldn’t do it justice. Also, sorry if this adds to your 92747739 other WIPs

Alright. Full disclosure: I am not even remotely a fan of the mafia!fic, or mob!fic, or really any of the tropes that take a fundamental piece of a character out of the equation. To me, doing the right thing and using personal harm as a last resort are inextricable from Steve's personality--and is what we love about him.

[To be clear, I am not throwing shade on y'alls writing or reading preferences! Just telling you my take on it. You do you 😘]

His character lends itself to being a CEO, like in the It Had To Be You series, a military commander, or even president.

In that regard, I wonder if it would fall into the same vein of story to have Steve be running for some sort of 'office' but in a kind of dystopian country as the non-corrupt candidate who is in danger due to political/military pressures between opponents?

Say...maybe John Walker could be the smooth-talking but selfish alt runner? Bucky and Steve and Walker used to serve in the armed forces under an equally corrupt dictator figure...say, Ross, perhaps? Then Steve broke away--like the Nomad persona--until he emerged to run against Walker with a faction of the military's support.

So you're hired as part of Bucky's security team first, but since Bucky is with Steve so much, you're very recognizable to Steve. There could be a minor attack at a public event where you throw yourself in front of Bucky (who threw himself in front of Steve), and the real surprise to them is that you want to return without hesitation once recovered.

After a completely professional, stone-faced few months, Steve wins the election.

The night's celebrations go on till the wee hours; you keep a keen eye on your charges even though it's the first time either has seen you in a formal gown instead of a plain suit. When the results are actually announced on the TV, Steve is struck by seeing you smile and get emotional for the first time. It warms his heart to see you proud of him. It's a relief to know you don't just stick around as an employee. You actually believe in him and what he's doing.

fucking swoon

I'm not sure whether I'd write this as Stucky x reader or Steve with reader and Bucky as a friend, honestly, but I feel like after Steve (and maybe Bucky) turn in at their hotel room after all that partying, you're the guard at the door.

Steve debates inviting you inside because he's so curious to know more about you personally.

He opens the door, but you're not there. Sam Wilson is. He took over the shift so you could get out of your heels.

Steve makes up some shitty excuse to need your room number, fusses over going to talk to you alone, maybe says Bucky will come with him as protection instead (since at very least Buck is sus of Steve's interest).

You answer the door sans jewelry and shoes but with the dress still on. He can come in if he helps with the zipper and buttons down the back. For such big hands, his fingers are nimble as they work the delicate fastenings.

ope, swooned again

And then...ya know...this is all very tempting since the night has been charged with adrenaline and hope, so...yeah...

Steve goes in for a kiss and more.

🥴

Idk. Probably. Something like that. Is that close enough to mob/mafia? Not my wheelhouse so this is likely the best I can do...

Can y'all help me? You want stucky or just stevie?? Promise that the politics is more of a background thing, but it's the only scenario I could work with in their canon dynamic/personalities.

[t00nyah]

Meet 24 hour — they're ready to cheer you up, well…24 hours a day!

2019. Despite both not being really fond of publicity, it seems like the idea of making a band together made them work on their social awkwardness and, by publishing their fresh version of Calamari Inkantation, they got the attention of Inkopolis' cephalings. Soon after that Off the Hook finally were ready for their tour and their place was offered to 24 — which, while being quite unexpected, but was accepted by them.

Sango is a beginner DJ with a potential, but not with the most expressive face, trying hard to contribute in broadcast, although very often he can be seen gesticulating more than talking…

(even though Three is they/them non-binary in my headcanons, they went through some gender identity crisises before getting there. Timeline-wise in 2019 my Three uses he/she and identifies as man, and still has to figure out why it still feels not like it doesn't suit him. I will refer to Sango with he/she when I portray him in that time period, but with they/them when it's later, when they came out as non-binary!)

Hachi is a brighter, easily impressionable and smiling octoling songwriter. She seems to be very easy to offend because of her emotionality, but she forgives easily.

(now, i'm not good at music at all, but i've made a track for Inkopolis News ft. 24hour!~ i tried making more but it all turned out bad and my pc couldn't handle my spicy beats, uhhh...)

🎃SpookyFest!🎃

Hachi: It's time! Sango: 24 LIVE… Hachi: Yep-yep, that's us! I wonder what are current stages for… OH! Sango: ? (turned his head to Hachi, interested) Hachi: I think we might need to tell the exciting news first! Sango: You mean… Hachi: (nods) Ta-du-dum! It's Splatfest time! Sango: What's the topic this time? Hachi: We'll find out… In a minute!

[BAM!] Hachi: (puts her hands over her beak) Ah!! Wait, what day is it?! It can't be that soon… Splatoween, already?! Sango: Oooooh… (motioning fingers in a spooky manner) How would you like to spend your Splatoween…diving into the atmosphere by watching spooky films? Hachi: Or on a theme party? Hachi: Oooh… This one's tough… (taps finger on her cheek, thinking) Sango: It's pretty simple for me. Parties are not my thing. Sango: You can't turn off people around you when you're tired. Sango: But a TV always has this function. Hachi: Hm-hm~ But what about spending time with your friends in spooky or funny costumes? Hachi: You could make thematic decorations, food, games, anything! Hachi: I'm team Splatoween party. Sango: Have fun there, and I'm going to watch Nightmare before Squidmas. Hachi: Hey, I want to too..! (puffs her cheeks) Hmpff… Sango: I can wait for you if you want. Hachi: !.. Sango: (smirks) Well, what would you choose? Splatoween films or Splatoween party? Hachi: Don't forget to go to the Splatfest terminal and choose!!

~~~ Hachi: It looks like it's time to wrap up… Sango: Well, all day's the time… Hachi: …to let you shine!

(yep, i decided 'what do you mean no splatoween. here i have it right there.')

SpookyFest art! Hachi and Sango doing both activities in the end. It's not like anyone's gonna find out that they're both too scared of scary movies and social interactions to do things on their own, right?

Bonus: 24 concept art!

(you can actually use this as a reference as long as you understand that some things here aren't finalised and if something doesn't seem right(like sango's teal color is different from his actual design here) — you better reference the artwork above! it's mostly good for small details like their headphones or hachi's skirt for example)

(me trying to figure out their studio layout and dynamic at broadcast)

(small doodles where you can see hachi hiding her shoulders by tying her sweat..er?.. anyway i love this concept so much.)

(i tried to cut out splatoween sango and hachi in case anyone wants to use them as a pfp idk (just credit me please if you do!))

(also a small shellfie doodle i made yesterday bc i was really hyped to show all this!!!)

big thank you if you made it to the end!! i worked on this for half of this month and i'm really glad i finally get to show all this stuff :] i hope you like it 'cause i might plan to do something else...

[stars-tonight]

Hi!!!Could I request a long male Romantic haikyuu matchup? Can I be 🍀 anon! My pronouns are she/her.I’m a Sagittarius and my mtbi is infp I would say I’m a very quiet and shy person around people I don’t know but if I’m around my friends or people I’m close to I tend to be very talkative, I’m also a little sarcastic and short with people sometimes my friends say that I look unapproachable, but I love getting to know new people and learning about their interests and seeing what we have in common. Some of my hobbies are reading, crocheting/crafting, and listening to music. I really like going to aquariums and museums with friends, I also like discovering new coffee shops and going to them with friends My love language (giving) is gift giving love getting people gifts that remind me of them or making people things that I think they would like, and my love language (receiving) is words of affirmation.I don’t really have an ideal partner but the only things I look for is someone who is vey kind, laughs at my dad jokes, and is willing to listen to me rant.

Tysm!! 💕

headcanons

🥛 you'd probably be introduced via a mutual friend

🥛 like imagine it's nearing the end of the 2012-2013 school year

🥛 kuroo's out here thinking "i better introduce kenma to some people or he's not going to function next year when i'm gone"

🥛 so he introduces you two!

🥛 initially kenma's probably just like "i'll talk to her so kuroo will get off my back"

🥛 but he'll slowly open to you and probably let you watch him play video games

🥛 kenma can also be pretty blunt but i don't think he's sarcastic to make fun of others

🥛 that's just how he is

🥛 you seem to have pretty chill, relaxing hobbies which kenma would appreciate

🥛 he's definitely not an outdoors kind of guy

🥛 probably hates getting sweaty

🥛 would 100% rather just stay in with you and play video games

🥛 you have to pry him away from his games because it's not good to be staring at screens for so long

🥛 he is NOT a reader though

🥛 the type to read the same page over and over again cause nothing's registering in his brain

🥛 would rather listen to music

🥛 would try to learn crochet but would probably find it a bit boring

🥛 since crocheting requires a bit more patience than video games, which promise short-term dopamine rushes

🥛 kenma is a chill date kinda guy

🥛 definitely suits museum dates, although he might end up being a little bored at the end

🥛 i can totally see kenma on cafe dates though

🥛 probably orders something simple like matcha

🥛 although he likes coffee too for those late-night gaming sessions

🥛 if he can't sleep, he'll probably pull out his camera and do some streaming, or just play video games by himself

🥛 he'll be sure to keep it down though, as to not disturb you

🥛 he used to really sacrifice his sleep schedule in favor of video games but since meeting you, he's tried to sleep normal hours again

🥛 kenma actually loves it when you give him things (it doesn't strike me as his receiving love language, he just thinks it's a nice gesture)

🥛 because he's not used to people paying attention to him, it surprises him when he realizes you know him really well or remember when he mentioned in passing that he liked something

🥛 kenma is very blunt and doesn't mince words

🥛 so this can be kind of difficult when he's trying to be gentle and comfort you

🥛 but the honesty in his words provide a different sort of comfort because he truly believes in you

🥛 he's not a big talker so he'd be more than happy to just sit back and listen to your rants

runner up for you was hinata shōyō!

A/N: there you go 🍀anon, i hope you liked it! sorry about the long wait 😣