#which man what a way off to a bad start w a plant I’ve already failed at before lol

[dyna-myght]

Still working on getting this set up fixed but I think it’s coming along alright.

[pascalpanic]

I’ve been feeling it for Javi lately because I just started narcos and safe to say I’m obsessed. I was thinking about how sometimes he might not be the best at communicating when he’s had a bad day or needs something from his partner but imagine him coming home after a long week and being surprised by his girl welcoming him home in a full on matching lingerie set like Ouf. He would be so feral but also so happy that he finally has someone who just knows him enough to know he needs a lil loving

Angel (Javier Peña x f!Reader)

Summary: ^^^

Warnings: lots of sexual shit, pwp essentially, lingerie, oral sex (f and m receiving), fingering, unprotected P in V sex (pls wrap it before you tap it), squirting, cum-eating, spanking/a single slap to the thigh, dom/sub elements

W/C: 2k

A/N: I’m trying to clear out my inbox! if you have a request it’s coming! anyway good morning have some smut.

“Welcome home, baby,” you coo as the lock clicks open and Javier walks into the apartment. There’s a thud as he drops his briefcase, and a strangled noise as he looks up and spots you, perched on the arm of the sofa.

You’re wearing a creamy white lingerie set, and Javier thinks he’s going to die. Long white stockings cover your legs, held up by a garter belt encircling your waist. You wear lacy white crotchless panties, and your legs are spread open to showcase the fact. Your breasts are held up by a tight bustier, with sheer cups to allow him to see how your nipples have peaked. There’s even a matching white choker around your neck, lacy and delicate. The bustier has straps across your chest, with a ring in the middle- the whole thing has a very bondage-esque vibe, and it sends all of the blood in the DEA agent’s body to his painfully hard dick.

Javier nearly quakes when he sees the sight in front of him. It’s been a long week, filled with seemingly endless hours at the office, coming home for a few hours of sleep and a shower. He’d been at Steve’s throat, but when the office got sent home early on this Friday night, he took the first chance he could to get out.

You’ve noticed. How can you not? Javi’s never around, and when he is, he’s frustrated. What better way to relax him than with his favorite vice, your body?

From where you sit, you beckon Javier over with a single finger. He gulps and you can already see his pants tenting at the sight of you. The white is stunning, making him fall to his knees in front of you. It makes you look so innocent, so pure, and Javier thinks of all the nasty things you’ve done to each other; you’re far from innocent now. “Baby girl,” Javier whispers reverently, his hands sliding up your stocking-covered legs.

“You like it?” You ask and arch your back a little, breasts sticking out further, legs spread wider. “It’s all for you, Javi,” you murmur, slipping your fingers into his hair. “Know you had a tough week. You didn’t tell me, but I knew.”

He nods and rests his head against your knee. “The hardest I’ve ever had. So fuckin’ close to getting Quica, and yet-“

“Don’t start talking shop,” you whisper to him, massaging his scalp. “It’s the weekend, baby. No work until Monday.” Your foot traces up and down his clothed side. “I got all this for you,” you murmur to him and take his hand, tracing it up to cup your breast, moaning softly as you make him roll his thumb across your nipple.

“Look so fuckin’ pretty, baby,” Javier groans as he paws at the skin through the lace, feeling the delicate nub against his fingertips. “Like an angel.” His Texan accent comes out when he’s tired or turned on, and it’s hard to tell at first which one.

You know which one it is when his other hand traces across the lace panties, his fingers running over skin where the panties are slit. “Javi,” you whimper as he finds the dripping wetness of your core. “Please, baby. You wanna use me? Go right ahead.”

Grunting, Javier stands. He pulls his hands away from you completely, making you groan, but then he picks you up bridal style and carries you to the bedroom. He tosses you on the bed, making you squeal, and gets to work undressing himself. He mutters in frustration as he has to go through every little button.

Moments later, he’s completely nude, his rock-hard length evident. “Mm, dulzura,” he murmurs as he kneels on the edge of the bed and pulls you to it.

“Baby,” you whine as he spreads your legs, but he doesn’t go for your aching slit quite yet. Javier’s lips find the edge of your stockings and press kisses there, then he traces along the edges with his tongue. The feeling is overwhelmingly arousing, feeling Javier’s hot mouth through the holes of the lace. He finishes one leg and moves to the other, making you pout. “Please, Javi. Don’t tease.”

Javier smacks his hand into your thigh, hard, leaving the hot mark of his palm and fingers behind. He looks up at you with fiery eyes. “You told me to use you. I’m doing what the fuck I want to do,” he murmurs, going back to his actions and nipping at the skin.

You squeal at the feeling of his teeth, at the way he’s manhandling you but somehow painfully soft and affectionate. It’s the most perfectly Javier moment, especially when he sits back and stands, then pulls you to him by the loop over your chest.

“I’m not playing nice tonight,” he warns you, his face close to yours. “You still want it?”

Now it’s your turn to gulp. Javier is painfully hard, you can feel it against your side, and all you want is that inside of you, no matter the cost. “Yes, Javi,” you purr submissively, and he pulls you even closer with a finger through the metal loop.

He kisses you bruisingly hard, his hip starting to rut into your side. You nip at his lip teasingly and Javier grunts, breaking away and panting. “Oh fuck,” he shudders as he looks down at your breasts in that bustier, pushing them up higher. He falls to his knees on the bed this time, pulling you closer by the loop once more and turning his attention to your chest.

Not a millimeter of skin is untouched, Javier’s mouth kissing and licking and sucking and biting you. There’s sure to be constellations of love bites and bruises across your tits tomorrow, but you want it. You wrap your arms around Javi and fall back, lying down now.

Javier suckles your nipples through the lace, dampening the lingerie and making you groan helplessly. One of his thighs is pressed against your aching clit, and you grind against it, desperate to feel anything from him. You cry out as he tugs at the nipple with his teeth, pulling the lingerie with his mouth. You grind yourself harder into the strong muscle of his leg, desperate.

“You want my mouth somewhere else, bebita?” Javier murmurs with his mouth between your tits, eyes looking up at you with both teasing and desire.

Nodding, you roll your hips into his leg again. “Right here, Javi,” you choke out, spreading your legs wider and planting your heels on the bed for traction.

“I want to take my time and devour every inch of you, pretty girl,” he murmurs as his lips find your navel, just above the garter belt. “And you’ll take it, won’t you?”

Nodding, Javier laps at the soft skin of your stomach, his hands gripping your sides as he works lower, dampening the edges of the lace panties with his painfully wet and hot tongue.

Your legs open wider and you bury your hands in his hair, and he finally turns his attention to the aching between your legs. “I haven’t even touched you here yet,” he murmurs in astonishment as he runs a finger through your folds, smirking as you keen into his finger when it presses against your clit. You’re drenched and you know it. “Hands and knees,” Javier orders, and you immediately comply.

He does this sometimes, when he wants you to feel it in a different way. His hands grip your ass, digging into the soft plush skin he finds there. The soft noise you make at the feeling of his fingers digging in is overtaken by a louder moan as his mouth finally finds your clit, sucking and lapping at it.

You’re so aroused that it takes a very short time before you’re coming apart, face pressed into the pillows. “Javi, Javi,” you cry again and again, fingers digging into the bedsheets.

He slips two fingers inside of you and you’re done for. The second he curls them, you shout his name again and let yourself go, the agonizing bliss rushing through your body.

When you’re done, Javi delivers a sharp smack to your ass. “Didn’t say you could cum,” he reminds you and kneads the flushed skin he just struck. “That means I’m going to fuck you and I don’t give a damn if you cum again.”

With any other man, you’d snort. One orgasm is all you get if you’re lucky. But this is Javier. He’ll spend hours with his mouth on you, making you cum so many times he has to be the one to keep track.

But this is Javier, and so you nod and wave your ass seductively in the air, daring to push into his hips and grind the soft skin there into his hard member. “Okay,” you murmur, and Javier pushes into you harshly, groaning at the way the lace parts with your folds.

The feeling of him inside of you is always a stretch, but always in the best way. He wastes no time in chasing his own high, gripping your hips hard and thrusting with all of his might.

Every slap of his hips into your ass, every time he pounds into your g-spot, every little thing he does is too much. You’re still reeling from the orgasm not too long ago, overwhelmed and rushed.

It doesn’t matter that Javier isn’t trying to get you off; he does it anyway. The pounding into your g-spot coupled with the way his dick stretches you had you orgasming again, squirting all over him and crying out his name.

“Look at that,” he says with a smirk, between grunts. “Look at you, bebita. Not even getting you off, just fucking using you, and you squirt all over me. But you didn’t fucking ask, did you?” He says with another smack to the ass. He pulls out completely, leaving you feeling desperately empty and fluttering against nothing. “Sit up.”

You comply, feeling your sensitive clit as it brushes against the cool bedsheets. You look up at him with wide eyes, as if you don’t know what seems to be the problem.

“You said to use you, I’m going to use you. Open,” he says and cups your jaw. Once you do, he wastes no time in slipping himself into the desperately hot confines of your mouth. You swirl your tongue around him and he grunts. “Dirty girl. You don’t even get to cum like this and you love it.”

You nod as you suck on the tip, working your tongue against the frenulum. He’s achingly hard, just about to cum. You know it. You know Javier’s body, know the little mannerisms.

“I’m going to cum down your throat, you got that?” He asks as he holds onto your throat, not squeezing or pressing. Just holding you there. In response, you take him into your throat and swallow around him, making him groan harder.

“Fuckin’ dirty little angel, wearing white lingerie and making me fuck her,” he says with a strained voice, impossibly close. “I ruined her. I ruined her and she fuckin’ loves it- fuck,” he cries as he shoots his hot release down your throat and you swallow every last bit.

When he’s done, he pulls out from your mouth and groans, lying on the bed and pulling you to follow him. His arms wrap around you and he kisses your head. “Was that what you had in mind?” He asks with a hoarse voice.

“Are you relaxed?” You ask, swallowing hard and knowing your throat will be sore in the morning. Just another delicious reminder of how good Javier is.

He nods softly, and you smile and kiss his lips ever so lightly. “Then it’s exactly what I wanted.”

-

taglist:

@remmysbounty @mishasminion360 @blo0dangel @binarydanvvers  @sleep-tight1 @apascalrascal @randomness501 @spideysimpossiblegirl @notabotiswear @pedro-pastel @sanchosammy @lv7867 @greeneyedblondie44 @hunnambabe @astoryisaloveaffair @emesispo @pedritobalmando @magikfanatic @a-court-of-feysand-and-elorcan

[angel-anoetic]

Hey! 🌿 here, I've been having Jack Manifold brain rot recently. He's so pretty and genuine and has such a nice singing voice. And then I was struck with this idea of Jack and Reader being reincarnated souls of dryads who waltz to save the world when the egg takes over and reset the timeline minus the corruption that happened and only Foolish remembers (because he's a god) even if you don't write it, thank you for writing all of my requests, it means a lot to me! ❤️

hey hey 🌿! i too have had jack manifold brain rot or it might be the gender envy but anyways- his voice is so pretty. Anon, you always give me the best writing prompts to and i always love writing your requests! i hope you enjoy !!

Don't forget to like to save, and reblog to share

c!JackManifold x gn!Reader - Saving Souls

genre: /rom, soulmates almost (?), fantasy, Dreamsmp au

warnings: none! (let me know if i missed anything)

masterlist <3

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

The first time you had noticed any kind of power, you were maybe 5 years old. It wasn't too obvious at first, things that could be passed off as mere coincidence Leaves seemingly following you, flowers turning to face you.

But you couldn't ignore the big signs, the bigger things. Vines growing around you, the flowers you picked immediately sprouting a few more in their place.

It scared you, but over time you got used to it. It gave you something to do on the hot summer days and cold winter nights. Spring gave you the most power and let them flourish, literally and metaphorically.

It had been some years ago when you met a young man who went by the name Jack Manifold. It was a nice day and you decided to cross the river that surrounded your home when you came upon a field of flowers after walking for a few minutes.

There were so many that you could feel their energy fill your veins. But there was something else. Someone. An energy that matched your own, too powerful to be a plant or a part of the Earth. Then he appeared, seemingly from nowhere. A tree a few yards away suddenly a boy.

From there had blossomed, no pun intended a friendship and relationship that held so much power. You two had grown and helped each other through work through the cons of your powers. Learned how to control them before they controlled you.

So one day when you received a message from an old friend regarding a certain evil that had taken over his friends and one of his homes, you couldn't ignore his call.

You and Jack showed up a few days later, and after a brief meeting with Foolish, you considered your options as you and Jack walked to the Egg's resting place.

"Maybe we could find if its core, and if we're lucky it'll be plant-based. Or Foolish did say that there are lots of vines and other plants surrounding it. We can just bury it so deep it won't be a problem ever again."

"No, Foolish wants it gone, and I think we should exhaust all of our options, whether we destroy the Egg or not."

As you two made your way to the Egg, people began to stop and consider the new visitors. Some looked tired, others just seemed angry or upset.

Then you two found it. The entrance to its resting place. Its red color illuminating what otherwise would have been a darkroom underneath the SMP. Vines and some other plants that you weren't sure you had ever seen.

"Oh my god." You looked at Jack, his eyes glowing against the room's tainted glow.

"What is it?"

"This is worse than what I would have expected, Y/N. These plants...I've only seen them once before in a very bad place. But it could work to our advantage."

You both made your way down the stairs, the sight of the Egg pushing beyond what you could have ever imagined. It stood tall, and the pure energy and heat that it gave off were almost enough to make anyone tired.

You began to feel a sense of panic rising in you, your hands slightly shaking at the sight of the object.

You felt the energy rushing out, towards the palm of your hands as a small flutter of energy found its way to the ground. As soon as the small seeds touched the ground, they grew into enormous green and white flowers.

A terrible scream suddenly emitted from the room, one that neither of you could hardly understand.

"Y/N, do that again."

"W-What?"

"The flowers, help them grow, just like those."

You focused on the type of flower, seeing it in your mind, then three more sprouted out of the original one.

Another scream filled the room.

"Alright, I have a plan. I'm not sure it will work but I do know it's worth a chance."

You couldn't look away from the Egg. It was like a monster staring you down, one that you were seconds away from fighting.

Jack turned to you, grabbing your face gently, rubbing his thumb against your cheek.

"Hey," he whispered, "It's alright. We are gonna take care of this in no time and help so many people. And we're gonna come out of it together. Okay?"

You nodded, grabbing his hands with your own, leaning into his energy.

"Alright, the plan is simple. I am going to try and manipulate these plants and grow the ones you just did. The Egg, it doesn't like the sight or the addition of plants that aren't connected to it. So while I'm carrying that out you need to start making something to protect us. I don't care what it is, how big it is, as long as it's strong enough to get us through a really bad thing. Can you do that for me?"

"I can do that."

You both smiled until Jack spoke. "Then let's do this."

Jack picked one of the flowers and one of the crimson plants that encased the room. He placed them gently together in front of the Egg and began to focus on transforming them into whatever he could.

You on the other hand began to pull together whatever plant matter you could find. Some pieces of wood and plants you had never even seen in your life still seemed to bend your will with just a little resistance. A small burrow was slowly being formed around you. When you looked up you could already see Jack had formed a large hybrid of the red and white plant which was now surrounding the Egg in a spiral.

The screams returned, nearly knocking Jack off his feet. He was a mess, the focus combined with the pure power that he needed to do what he needed was taking its toll slowly but surely.

Eventually, the Egg's screams, while still loud, became weaker, and a sudden rumbling came from the ground around you both.

"Jack! Jack get in here!" You screamed from your makeshift plant and wood bunker.

"Just a minute!" He continued his work, the vines and leaves already infiltrating the Egg's core.

You looked up, the ceiling above you caving in slowly. Right above Jack.

All he felt was the large vine wrap around his waist, then a harsh pull as he fell next to you within the bunker, moments away from the boulder that nearly crushed him.

"Keep going! It's not over yet."

You turned your attention away from the bunker and began to help Jack. The screams had to be the worst part. Your ears were basically going numb. You weren't even sure if Jack could hear your encouragements or if you were even talking.

All you know is that both of you were trying, the shaking of the ground was strong, and a sudden bright light was exploding from the Egg.

Then silence.

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

You were the first to wake up. The ringing was still in your ears, but less powerful and daunting. Jack was situated against you, sleeping peacefully.

You leaned back against your arms and tried to shake him awake. Eventually, he stirred up, and you were able to clear away your shared 'bunker'.

After you made your way back up you saw the change immediately. The skies seemed happier. People were less scared to move about town.

You and Jack walked around, people greeting you as you did. You spotted Foolish atop a hill.

When you finally met him up there he smiled.

"Y/N, thank you so much. It happened. Whatever you two did...it worked." The tears filled his eyes as he engulfed both you and Jack in a hug.

"I don't know what you did, but no one here even seems to know what happened. It's like they went to bed and woke up new people. A fresh start."

You laughed. "That's great Foolish. I'm happy we could help. It was all Jack in the end."

You both turned to each other, the light in both of your eyes new.

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

[restlessfandoming]

“ice fishing” (pt. 3) (chilumi fic)

[part one] [part two] “Childe invites Lumine to the annual Snezhnayan holiday dedicated to the Tsaritsa. There, she meets his entire family, and all the conflict that comes with them.” 

warning: will get mildly suggestive in this part onwards so uhhh yea beware O///w///O

[Fic Masterlist] 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

“ice fishing” (pt. 3)

The morning sunlight streamed in through the window, and Lumine cursed herself for not closing the curtains last night. 

Last night… She looked to her right, and found Childe sleeping, no clothes in sight. Her face flushed with heat as she recalled everything that happened last night. She shook her head, instead looking at his sleeping face. 

He slept absolutely still—no snoring, no twitching; if Lumine hadn’t been paying attention to the rise and fall of his chest, she would’ve thought he was dead. 

In the light of day, Lumine could see his body was covered with scars: some tiny scratches, others long, painful lines. The largest scar was to the right of his sternum, inches from his heart. Her hand lightly traced it, and Childe’s eyelids fluttered open. His eyes landed on her, and a glowing smile spread across his face. 

“Well, good morning,” he said breathlessly. He took her hand that was on his chest into his own. 

Lumine intertwined their fingers. “I’ve never seen your scars before.”

“Of course not, unless you want me to start stripping in the middle of our battles.” He winked. 

Lumine grabbed a pillow from under her and shoved it in his face. He laughed, yanking the pillow off his face.

He turned to her, fingers ghosting over her bare shoulder. “And you...you don’t have a single scratch on you.” 

“Mm, that’s because I’m not from this world,” she whispered, half-joking. 

She hadn’t told him about her origins. Only that her brother was missing and she was searching for him. Maybe it’s time I told him…

“Anybody could see that,” he mumbled sweetly against her skin where his lips were pressed on her shoulder. He planted kisses up until he reached the crook of her neck, where Lumine felt him bite down lightly. 

“Ah!” she gasped, arching her back, to which Childe immediately pulled her closer, hands gripping her waist. He lifted his head, eyes meeting hers—blue eyes burning with desire. Lumine felt herself heat up. He leaned forward to kiss her, when there was pounding on their door. 

“Ajax. Will you be cooking breakfast this morning?” Misha’s voice asked, muffled. 

He let out a frustrated laugh. “Yes, Misha. I’ll be down there soon,” he called back. After Misha’s footsteps receded, he rested his forehead on hers. “I’d better go before the whole house starves.” 

Lumine nodded, her own hunger taking over her mind. “You’d better hurry; remember we skipped dinner last night?”

“Oh yes, I remember very clearly,” he said, smirking. Lumine playfully shoved him. He chuckled. “C’mon, I know you’re starving.” 

The two got dressed and headed downstairs towards the kitchen. Upon entering the dining room, they found Misha and Alexei sitting at the table. Both the older siblings were drinking cups of steaming tea—Misha not looking towards the couple, while Alexei eyed them over the rim of his cup. 

“Your dinners are cold,” the oldest brother said, his voice sing-song. “Went off for another sparring match, you two?” 

“How obscene,” Misha muttered, taking a sip. “The little ones were asking about you two all night. Perhaps think how your actions will be viewed by the children.”  

The little ones you abandoned? Lumine wanted to ask. 

Childe put a hand on her shoulder. “We’ll make sure to tell them something, Misha.” With that, he hurried Lumine into the kitchen. 

“Why do you put up with that? I would’ve taken you for the type to get rid of them,” Lumine asked.

“The little ones already have enough going on with theirs with...Mom’s condition,” he said as he started prepping the kitchen. “A fight between their older siblings would surely mean they’d lose their idea of family love forever.”

“It seems like Alexei and Misha are ruining that already…”

Childe sighed. “If I could knock some sense into them, believe me, I would. But there are consequences for doing so.” He looked out the kitchen window. “The family has already been through a lot.”

If there was one apparent weakness of Childe’s was the fact that he would protect his family no matter what, even if it meant acting irrationally, putting up facades and lies. Even if it meant he was hurting himself in the end. And it hurt Lumine to see. 

Lumine helped him prepare breakfast until there were plates of steaming pancakes ready for the family to eat. 

“Ah, beat me to it,” Feliks said walking into the kitchen. “Ajax, you don’t need to always prepare food for us.” 

Childe shrugged. “I don’t mind. The kids like it anyways.” 

“And it saves the kitchen from being burned down by Misha.” Feliks laughed. He grabbed two plates, heading back out of the room. “I’ll bring this to Galina.” 

Lumine started heading out as well. “I’ll go wake the kids up.” She held a hand up as Childe started to get up. “You’ve already done a lot this morning.” 

Walking past the dining room, Alexei and Misha were gone from the table. Good, I don’t have to talk to them, thankfully. 

She went to Anthon’s room first. He got up quickly, and she left as he started getting ready. A good, responsible kid. Lumine thought fondly. Next, she went to Tonia’s room. Upon waking, the little girl demanded a hug, to which the traveler obliged warmly. She also helped Tonia pick out her clothes for the day before heading to Teucer’s room. Teucer took the longest to get up, but Lumine was patient with him. Like Tonia, he wanted a morning hug, which Lumine gladly gave. Soon, she successfully gathered all three of the children, sending them to the dining room where their breakfast awaited. She smiled to herself listening to them cheerfully rushing down the stairs. 

“How motherly of you.”

Lumine felt the vein pop out on her forehead. “What do you want, Alexei?” She turned, surprised to find him closer to her than anticipated. 

“You are so very hostile towards me, dear Lumine.” His face had his trademark unsettling grin. “Why is that?” 

“And you? What’s your problem?” She crossed her arms. “I don’t generally like people who are as disconcerting as you.”

He laughed darkly. “Me? Disconcerting? You say that as if you’re not involved with a Harbinger. A member of the Fatui.”

“Do I hear resentment? Are they not under the command of your ruler, the Tsaritsa herself? Something a Snezhnayan should be proud of?” 

His smile dropped, mouth pursed. “Perhaps.” 

Oh. OH. Lumine almost smiled at him. “You’re envious of your brother.”

His eyes flashed, and from under his coat, he yanked out a dagger. Lumine quickly materialized her sword, easily countering his attack. Alexei sneered at her, digging his dagger against her blade. “Not envious. At a loss.” His voice was becoming slightly frantic. “How does someone like Ajax become a Harbinger? When I—”

Lumine threw her might upwards, sending Alexei’s blade flying down the hallway. She held the tip of her sword at his throat. “Sounds an awful lot like envy to me.” 

The corner of Alexei’s mouth twitched, as if he were holding back a snarl. Then, he let out a laugh. Unstable. “How powerful. No wonder my brother has taken an interest in you.” He leaned closer, the tip of Lumine’s blade now brushing his skin. “I may have to take an interest in you myself.” 

He reached for a strand of her hair, but she turned her blade from his throat to his hand. “Absolutely not,” she said. “You abandoned your family when they needed you. I have no interest in you, not even a little bit.” Her eyes narrowed at him. “So why are you even here, Alexei? You obviously don’t care for your family.”

“So smart! Even the old man hasn’t figured it out! Though admittedly, his mind isn’t as sharp as it used to be,” he said, taking a step back to grab his dagger again. “Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you, unless you get in my way, dear.” He brought his dagger up to her blade, running the two edges together. “Or you can join me.”

“And what is it that do you plan on doing?”

His eyes glinted. “Taking everything that’s rightfully mine.” 

Lumine raised her blade again. “If you hurt anyone in this family, I won’t hesitate.” 

“Lumine?” Childe asked behind her, coming up the stairs. “...Alexei?”

Both sheathed their weapons, and Alexei smiled. “She’s a keeper, Ajax! Don’t let her go now,” he said, putting a hand on Childe’s shoulder as he passed him heading down the stairs. 

Childe and Lumine watched until Alexei’s figure disappeared into the dining room before turning to each other. 

“Care to explain what happened?” the Harbinger asked. 

“I think we need to stop Alexei. Get him away from here before something bad happens.” Lumine frowned. “He mentioned he has a plan of some sort. ‘To take what’s rightfully his,’ he said.” 

Childe’s eyes narrowed. “Of course. There’s no way he was here to just celebrate Lyublyu.”

“Do you think Misha’s in on it too?” 

“There’s no telling with her. Sometimes she and Alexei are at odds, other times, they can get along. Especially when it comes to their ideas about weakness.” He sighed, then came up to Lumine, embracing her. He asked, “Alexei didn’t hurt you, did he?”

Lumine hugged him back and scoffed. “Of course not. I can handle myself.” 

Childe laughed. “Yes, yes, I know, how could I forget?” He planted a kiss on the top of her head. “The kids want to go into town today; there should be some festivities in the town square.” 

“You aren’t worried about Alexei’s plans?”

“Of course I am. But the kids come first.” 

Lumine nodded. “Then we’ll go.” She felt her stomach rumble. “After breakfast.”

“Yes, I saved you the biggest plate.”

“I knew I liked you for a reason.”

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

[part 4]

[cheri-translates]

[CN] Victor’s Sleepless Night Date

🍒 Warning: This post contains detailed spoilers for a date which has not been released in English servers! 🍒

Dedicated to @pixiestick0924, who sent me my very first message on Tumblr filled with wholesome sweetness 🌹

Kiss Dates Collection: Gavin // Kiro // Lucien

The date begins with MC receiving an invitation card from Loveland TV to participate in an award ceremony at the end of the month

The card notifies her that she has won the “Best Influence Award” due to the many highly rated programs she has produced

She’s allowed to invite one person to the ceremony, so she immediately thinks of Victor

Just then, she receives a message from him, which reads: “What time are you coming down?”

MC: …it’s already 6.30pm?!

Stuffing the invitation card into my bag, I rush downstairs. Victor is standing at the bottom of the steps, his arms crossed over his chest as he watches me run over.

MC: Something special happened today. I was so excited talking to everyone that I didn’t notice the time.  

Victor: What were you all talking about?

MC: The previous program. I didn’t think it would receive such good ratings. It makes me feel like all the late nights and overtime were worth it.

I share the news with Victor happily. He seems to smile a little, and takes my hand as we walk along the path lit up by streetlamps.

Victor: Looks like high ratings have become your cardiotonic.

MC: Of course. However, there’s an even bigger piece of news!

Victor: What is it?

I carefully take out the invitation card and wave it in front of him with satisfaction-

MC: This!

Hiding the fact that she’s an award winner, MC explains that she can invite one person to the ceremony.

MC: Dear CEO of LFG, Mr Victor. I cordially invite you to attend the award ceremony as my male partner. I wonder what CEO Victor’s response would be…?

Victor: …that’s all?

MC: Yeah! You wouldn’t reject, right…?

Victor gives me a meaningful glance, then retracts it.

Victor: What do you think? I’ll pick you up then.

~

The day of the award ceremony arrives. After putting on her makeup and outfit, she carefully puts on a pair of earrings.

The brilliant blue earrings give off a crystal-like light in the palm of my hand.

She meets Victor downstairs and they travel to the venue by car.

I turn my head and see Victor sweeping a glance towards me.

Victor: Looks like the past few hours weren’t a waste.

MC: …can’t you just give me a direct compliment? Also, don’t you have anything else to say?

I deliberately lift up the hair by my ear, revealing the earring. Victor’s eyes trail to my ear lobe, and a smile surfaces within them.

Victor: Not bad.

MC: I think these earrings look nice too.

Victor: I meant that my taste is not bad.

MC: …!

Victor laughs lightly, then leans against the car seat.

Upon reaching the venue, they head to their designated resting area.

?: Nice to meet you, CEO Victor.

Right after we go through the doors, an elegant lady walks towards us. She looks to be around forty years of age, and wears an amiable smile on her face.

Victor: Good evening, Chairman Li.  

Victor tilts his jaw slightly, greeting her. From the way he addresses her, I react immediately – this is Chairman Li of the Film and Television Association!

I hurriedly straighten my posture and give her a slight bow.

MC: Nice to meet you, Chairman Li. I am MC, the…

Chairman Li: The producer of “Miracle Finder”.

Hearing Chairman Li smoothly stating my identity, my eyes widen in surprise. She smiles at me.

It’s rare to have such an opportunity to meet, so I speak.

MC: It’s still early… if it’s all right with you, could we sit and talk?

I look at Chairman Li with anticipation. Sensing my concealed anxiousness, Victor arches an eyebrow. He doesn’t say anything, and just looks at Chairman Li.

She nods.

Chairman Li: Of course.

Noticing that MC was surprised that Chairman Li could recognise her, the latter explains that she used to watch Miracle Finder as a student

She comments that the programs produced by MC are excellent

Chairman Li: You must have experienced several setbacks along this journey, right?

MC: Setbacks and difficulties are inevitable… However, meeting these thorns along the way seems to make the resulting flowers even more beautiful.

Chairman Li: Having such a mentality enables me to rest assured. Please continue working hard.

Looking at Chairman Li’s tender smile, a warmth bubbles in my heart. I nod solemnly.

Victor: She has improved quite a lot…

Victor, who has been standing silently at the side all this while, suddenly speaks. I look towards him in disbelief.

Victor: But there is still a lot of room to grow.

At an angle where Chairman Li can’t see it, I blink forcefully at Victor to signal my protest.

Looking at Victor, Chairman Li laughs lightly.

Chairman Li: Come to think of it, I was even worried CEO Victor wouldn’t accept the invitation to attend the award ceremony. I’m grateful that you could make it today.

Victor: You flatter me. It’s an honour for me as well.

Hearing their conversation, I get a shock -

Victor had already received an invitation?

Perhaps the shock on my face was apparent, as Chairman Li pauses for a moment, as if realising something.

She looks at Victor and I subtly, then reveals an intrigued expression.  

Chairman Li: I might have accidentally said the wrong thing.

Victor remains as calm as ever, resting his arms on the arm rests as he leans into the chair.

Meanwhile, my heart starts beating rapidly as I think about how I had deliberately left out the news that I am an awardee.

While Chairman Li answers a phone call, MC leans towards Victor.

MC: When did you receive the invitation? Why didn’t you tell me…

Victor tosses me a glance and responds plainly.

Victor: That isn’t important. What’s important is that I accepted your invitation.

MC: Then…

I originally wanted to ask if he knew who the awardees are. However, as I’m afraid to blow my cover, I stop the words from coming out.  

Chairman Li excuses herself to return to her resting room. MC offers to walk her there, and requests for Chairman Li to keep the fact that she is an awardee a secret

All of a sudden, two boys accidentally crash into MC and her skirt rips. Turns out those brats are Chairman Li’s children

Chairman Li offers MC a spare dress

It is a blue spaghetti strap dress, with ribbons strung from the shoulder areas. The blue skirt is reminiscent of clear, brilliant ocean waves.

MC finds the dress beautiful, but notices that it reveals her bare back.

MC: …isn’t this a little too sexy?

While Chairman Li tidies the folds around my waist, she laughs.

Chairman Li: It’s very suitable for tonight’s event. Moreover… don’t you want to give CEO Victor this unexpected surprise?

~

After saying goodbye to Chairman Li, I walk towards the resting room where Victor is.

Hearing the sound of the door being pushed open, Victor immediately turns around. In the process of putting on his suit, he halts his movements the moment he sees me.

Victor: Why did you… change your clothes?

I bunch up my skirt, walking towards him while explaining the incident that happened just now.

Victor: I see. It’s a good thing she could resolve the issue.  

MC: Yeah, it’s fortunate that she prepared this spare dress.  

Victor has a tender look in his eyes, possibly due to the lighting in the room. He lifts his hand, preparing to put on his suit jacket.

Without realising it, I have already reached out for his suit jacket to assist him.

As I turn to the side, Victor has a clear view of my back… I lift my head and meet his eyes, which are as dark as ink.

The light in front of the mirror is a dim yellow, descending into the turbulence within his eyes. They reflect the depth and heat in his gaze.

Noticing the way he is staring at me, I suddenly feel the temperature of the surroundings rise. My palms break out in sweat.

MC: W-what is it… do you find me exceptionally pretty today?

He retracts his gaze, and laughs lightly.

Victor: I discovered that someone has become even more thick-skinned.

In response to his words, I tug at his suit jacket to show my soundless protest.

Victor’s eyebrow twitches slightly.

Victor: Are you helping me put my clothes on, or taking them off?

Hearing this, my face involuntarily turns red. Unwilling to back down, I retort.

MC: It depends on whether you want to take them off or put them on.

I thought Victor would say that I’m being childish, but he pauses for a moment and his lips hook up into a smile.

Victor: ...dummy.

Feeling the heat on my face, I turn my head to the side and happen to see the flower display. Only then do I discover that the fresh flowers are actually blue roses. The flowers silently release an aromatic fragrance. I lean closer to take a whiff. Victor also leans over, pulling at his cuffs.

MC: Victor, do you know what blue roses represent in flower language?

Victor: What is it?

MC: In the language of flowers, blue roses represent “miracles and things that are impossible.” I once read a poem that said, “Plant some blue roses in the courtyard. Plant countless of them. Miracles will definitely come.”

I turn my head towards Victor. Dressed exceptionally formally, he stands behind the blue roses, his eyebrows arching gently.  

Victor: What are you hinting at?

Looking back at the mirror, I’m standing next to Victor, whose suit jacket has been tidied.

MC: Apart from the blue roses, I also have the blessings of this blue skirt and blue earrings… maybe there will really be an unexpected occurrence.

Using his palm, Victor holds onto the hand that I’ve hooked onto his arm. His lips curl into a nice-looking smile.

Victor: Not a bad insight. However, you can keep those “maybes”. Let’s go, it’s about time.

~

At the venue, MC sees a lot of distinguished figures, including a renowned producer. Victor encourages her to talk to him.

Victor: I need to settle some things. You can go over to talk to him. I’ll look for you later.

MC has a pleasant talk with the man.

Eventually, the host takes the stage, but Victor has not returned.

MC: Where has he gone to? If he doesn’t come back soon, he’d miss my award...

Host: The next award is the “Best Influence Award”!

The host has already begun introducing the guest who would be giving out the award. At the same time, my heart feels anxious and downcast.

With the thought that I wouldn’t be able to share my joy with Victor immediately, my anticipation dulls. Just as I try to pull myself together-

An incredibly familiar profile appears from behind the stage. His footsteps are steady, and his face is illuminated by the lights.

MC: How could this be…

My heart is throbbing in my chest. Before I have time to think, Victor is already standing in front of the microphone.

His eyes sweep across the room, and his gaze ultimately rests on me.

Victor: I’m honoured to be the guest presenter for this event. In this day and age, producers and people in the media are indispensable. They open the door for the audience – a door that reveals a wider world. The “Best Influence Award” bears testament to the certainty of the contributions by producers. This certainty is not just from the Film and Television Association, but also from the audience who have walked through this door.

On stage, Victor gives his speech without any hesitance. His deep voice and the words that he says are like the keys of a piano, ringing in my heart.

Victor: The recipient of this award…

The dazzling spotlight illuminates Victor as he stands at the center of the stage. As he pauses, I feel all the blood in my body flooding to my head.

He unfolds the card, looks at it calmly, and continues.

Victor: I have watched quite a number of programs she produced. Through her programs, I see a producer who is steadfast in her responsibilities, searches for the truth, and her tenderness towards the audience. Undeniably, her first few programs had a few flaws. However, she has grown from being naïve to becoming a benchmark. I’m thinking that she must have put in a lot of effort.

Saying this, Victor pauses for a moment. His eyes cut through the crowd and land directly on me.

Victor: MC, congratulations on your award.

When these words leave Victor’s lips, my heart is filled with both surprise and a certain stillness.

I do my best to calm my thunderous heart rate. I bunch up my skirt, straighten up, and walk towards the stage.

At the side of the stage steps, Victor smiles as he offers me his hand. With his grip, we walk towards the center of the stage.

I solemnly receive the trophy from Victor’s hands, and an indescribable emotion pours out from my heart. Clearing my throat, I lean closer to the microphone.

MC: I am incredibly grateful to the Film and Television Association for giving me this award, and also for everyone’s certainty towards me and Miracle Finder.

Different from the tens of rehearsals I did at home, the stage lights and the eyes of the audience are all on me.

MC: To be honest, this trophy is quite heavy… but it shall be the motivation for me to carry on moving forward. Even though producing this program is not an easy feat, we will never give up as long as we have one audience member who likes and looks forward to it.

I cast a quick glance at Victor, who is standing beside me, and purse my lips.

MC: Also, I’m very grateful for the guest presenter’s certainty… it’s very important to me. In sum, all of us in Miracle Finder will continue working hard!

After giving my thank-you speech, I happily raise the trophy towards the audience.

Victor smiles faintly, joining me as we face the applause of the audience.

At this moment, a sudden surge arises in my chest. I can’t help but turn towards him.

He happens to turn his head towards me at the same time. The smile in his eyes is even more striking than the spotlight.

~

After the award ceremony, I stare at Victor as he walks out from a corner.

MC: “The respected guest presenter Mr Victor”… does this mean you already knew that I won the award right from the start?

Victor’s eyes trail from me to the trophy resting at the side. His eyes hide a mildly teasing look.

MC: I wanted to give you a big surprise, but it turned out the other way round… why didn’t I hear anything about you being the guest presenter?

Victor: It just shows how poorly informed you are. LFG has always been an investor of Loveland TV, and is also the sponsor of today’s event.

MC: …work can really be confidential.

Faced with my “accusation”, Victor lifts an eyebrow.

Victor: Seems like you haven’t finished complaining in your heart earlier.

MC: …how did you know?

Victor: The thoughts of a dummy are not difficult to guess.

While he speaks, his eyebrows smoothen out. The gaze that rests on me contains an obvious warmth.

My ear suddenly feels hot, and I mutter softly.

MC: I’m not a dummy… have you seen a dummy win an award?

People spot MC and start showering her with congratulations. After a while:

MC: Huff… it feels like my smile is stuck in place, and my feet are starting to hurt from standing.

Victor is beside me, a hand in his pocket. Hearing what I said, he looks at my high heels, then places a hand on my shoulder.

Victor: Since you’re tired, don’t force yourself. There’s an open space outside. Want to take a breather?  

MC: Eh?

I follow Victor, leaving the venue through the backdoor and walking to the open space he mentioned.

I am met with a quiet courtyard bathed in moonlight. The fountain in the center reflects the moon and its silver light.

Sitting next to the Roman column surrounded by roses, I take a few breaths of fresh air.  

MC: This place is really pretty! As the guest presenter, is it really okay for you to be accompanying me outside? Do you still have any other tasks after this?

Victor: I do.

Before despondence can arise in my heart from his straightforward response, Victor continues.

Victor: Have you forgotten that I was invited to be someone’s male partner?

While speaking, he sits next to me, traces of amusement in his eyes.

I turn my head to give him a grin. The small earrings sway along with my movement, and the gemstones seem to glow. Sensing that Victor’s eyes are on this brilliant blue light, I suddenly speak up.

MC: Actually, I am a little selfish.

Victor: What?

He looks slightly confused, not understanding the meaning behind my words.

In the courtyard, the moon reveals itself from behind the clouds. I look into his deep and tender eyes, and say a little shamefully.

MC: I had a selfish reason for wearing these earrings today. You gave them to me, so I hoped they would bring me good luck, and also…

I pause, lowering my eyes.

MC: It would be as though you were on the stage with me as well. I didn’t think that…

Recalling the moment I saw Victor appearing on stage, I can almost feel my earlier frenzied heart rate.

Victor: I see. It suits your style. Always putting in effort in the strangest of places.

Victor lets out a small laugh. Even though it’s very soft, it plucks at my heart clearly.  

MC: Come to think of it… I really like how we are tonight.

For such a long time, I’ve been continually working hard and never letting any opportunities slip me by. Apart from the passion I have for the program and being a producer, it’s also because…

I wanted to stand on a stage that he had walked on, and stand at the same place he stood.

Despite my obscure words, Victor seems to have understood.

The night lights descend into his deep eyes, refracting colours. He turns to the side slightly, and takes my hand into his.

Victor: You’ve actually set a reasonable goal. Moreover, you’ve already reached it.

The night breeze tousles his originally tidy fringe, and sticks against his forehead softly.

The Victor in front of me no longer looks as cold and strict as before. He even exudes warmth. Faced with such a Victor, I can’t help but feel like joking.

MC: Actually, I was going to give this trophy to you as a surprise gift! Since you deliberately hid your identity as the guest presenter from me, I’ve decided to take back my gift.

Seeing my sly and satisfied smile, Victor also lets out a light laugh.

Victor: Your ability to find excuses is unparalleled. Who was the one who first hid the fact that she won the award?

MC: Um, this… well, if I win a global award next time, I’ll think about it!

Victor: I’ll wait and see then. I hope I wouldn’t have to wait too long.

MC: Don’t underestimate me!

Just when I think he would continue joking around, Victor suddenly tightens his grip on my hand, and closes the distance between us.

Faint music drifts from the venue – melodious and gentle. However, my entire focus is on Victor.

Victor: Since you have prepared a present, I should give you a return gift.

MC: R-return gift? There’s no need…

As his face draws closer, my voice involuntarily carries a tremor. This situation, and this familiar conversation…

In just a moment, he cups my neck, his other hand shifting to my waist.

MC: Mm-!

My bare back, which was slightly cool, is suddenly covered by a searing palm. My body trembles.

The music from the venue continues to chant. The shadows cast by the moon above us dance amid the haze. The neon lights in the distance seem to be painted in a romantic colour.

Even so, the only thing I can see are Victor’s deep eyes.

He leans closer, rubbing the tip of his nose with mine. Then, his warm thin lips trail slowly from my forehead downwards…

Victor’s breath encases my entire body. He plants scalding kisses on every inch of my skin, making me tremble as I hold onto his cuff.

MC: V-Vic-

He swallows the remaining syllable before I can finish.

This time, his soft lips seize mine, prying my teeth apart and diving right in.

He takes my breath away. In the midst of our breathing, what surrounds the tip of my nose is the unique taste belonging only to him…

After a long while, Victor finally ends his deep and searing kiss.

I clutch onto his arm, my chest heaving as I struggle to catch my breath.

His lips once again brush my nose and cheek gently, like a dragonfly flitting across the surface of water. He looks into my eyes.

I see myself in his pupils, red-faced and misty-eyed.

Our close proximity and breathing causes every single one of his words to drift into my ears with clarity.

Victor: The future you foresee, as you said it yourself, has both flowers and thorns. Are you ready for it?

I nod subconsciously.

Victor: Me too. No matter how far you go in the future, I am prepared… to never let you go for eternity.

The fragrance of the fresh flowers permeates the air, accompanied by faint music. It makes me wish that I could etch this moment for my keeping.

My arm presses against his familiar warmth. I lean my head on his shoulder, feeling exceptionally at peace.

I will continue working hard and running forward, and he will always be by my side – becoming the deepest source of strength in my heart.

[stripper-patrick]

Uh, hi. May I request some smut w Henry cavill x Indian reader? Some lazy Sunday morning/Friday night stuff? Thank you 🥺💕 I love your blog. I binge read most of it today. Hehe

Heaux Tales 👜 Henry Cavill

Warnings: smut, language, unprotected, rough, cheating, fingering, reverse voyeurism (?), daddy kink, quickie

Tags: @rebellious-desires @mrsbanreswillseeyou @eclecticblkgirl @designerwriterchic @bvssmob

Relationship: Henry Cavill x Indian/black reader

I zip down the highway switching into the right lane before taking the exit hitting a quick right turn. I whine my hips to the music of my throwbacks playlist the song Temperature by Sean Paul blasting through the speakers.

I’m coming straight from work to my sisters house and where she’s having a game night. My boyfriend unfortunately couldn’t make it seeing as he couldn’t take off the graveyard shift. I make a left entering into the driveway of the nice looking townhome my sister Armani owns.

I park in a parallel spot and see a few cars, about 4, already outside of her house. I step out pulling down my suede mini skirt with a vertical seam. I smooth out my sepia colored shirt feeling the wind start to pick up outside. I grab my black duster sliding it over my thick arms before grabbing my chestnut brown purse and walking up to the door. I try the door handle and it opens allowing me in. I take off my loafers at the door and hear the chattering of a few guests.

This house used to be our parents right before they died. We had 2 beautiful mothers who loved us very much but sadly they were involved in a head on collision that killed one of them on impact. The other died in the hospital just a day later but I was grateful for those few hours.

I look at the pictures of all of us and then I hear my name being shouted with joy. “YN” I’m greeted with open arms from my older sister. The fair-skinned 5’8 woman with a cheeky smile plastered on her face looks at me “don’t be mad” she bites her lip

“I’m already mad now” which was only half of a joke. What did she do this time? Appears from behind a wall, my recent ex Henry, with a cheeky smile as well. His perfectly short hair and fitted tee makes me wonder if he does all the thing he used to do to me, to his... snow bunnies. He started off as a fling which then turned into a 2 year relationship and when that ended we were still having sex with each other. I really only stopped fucking him just a year ago, right before I got with my current boyfriend, Cameron. The breakup was mutual but still sour. He was my best friend. Now every time I look I see a different broad on his shoulder. Like a trophy. He’s got a bitch for everyday of the week.

“Oh nice seeing you Henry” I glare at Armani and she smiles. The tall Brit walks over to me engulfing me in his warm embrace. Almost made me miss us being together. He lets me go and I step back.

“Nice seeing you as well. You look good” he glanced me up and down quickly before returning to my eyes. I can’t help but remember that those were one of his favorite features about me. My chocolate brown eyes.

“As do you” an content silence falls in the air and Armani clears her throat

“Let’s get you drunk and get this game night started” she grabs my hand and Henry follows us. We part ways, him heading to the living room and me and my sister to the kitchen where I look at her.

“I miss his goofy side” she tried to plea. I shake my head grabbing a shot of tequila and taking it straight to the head. I pour another shot downing it before shaking my head squinting at the taste. I walk to the living room meeting everyone. 2 of our cousins Briette and Joseline and Bri’s husband Carter.

“Hey guys” I hug them and look for a place to sit. Unfortunately I’m seated only one person away from Henry and I cross my legs watching his eyes move back and forth between my thighs and his hands that are resting on his thighs. Let’s begin the games.

....

I’m slightly tipsy and I’m definitely hot from the whiskey I’ve been consuming. I’m not completely drunk but I’m a little tipsy. We’re playing the game midnight taboo and it’s me, Henry and Briette vs. Armani, Carter and Jo. It’s Henry’s turn to read off the cards and we guess.

The timer starts and he begins. “Um ok Brazzers, Xvideos-“

“Porn” Bri yells out he nods grabbing another card

“YN I do this to you all the time”

“Fuck?”

“Something while we do that”

“Spanking? Cumming?” he shakes his head looking dead at me “choking” he nods grabbing another card

“Young adult kids play this at a party it’s a this or that activity”

“Get high or get drunk” I answer he shakes his head

“It’s a gathered activity” this British man and his proper English are blowing me right now. I think hard hearing Bri yell out random stuff and I finally come up with something “truth or dare”

“Time” Carter yells. Henry smiles nodding and I can’t help but begin thinking about when he would choke me while he thrashed his hips in me. I press my legs together biting my lip before raising my eyes to accidentally meet his. I knock back another shot wincing at the taste before just zoning off.

....

We’ve moved onto another game which is cards against humanity. Me and Henry are seated close next to each other of course not by my picking. He decided to sit this game out and just watch us play. I sort through my cards trying to find a good one that Joseline would like. I place one down and Henry inches closer making my breath catch in my throat.

“I see the way you keep looking at me” he whispers. Without a word being exchanged I look at him and unconsciously bite my lip. Something that would’ve made him take me right then and there.

As Joseline reads off the cards deciding on which is her favorite determining who gets the point Henry’s hand caresses my thigh. I always melted when he’d squeeze and knead my thigh like dough.

“I like Y/N’s” I smile and grab a black card reading it off. “This is the prime of my life. I’m young, hot and full of blank”

As the crowd sorts through their cards Henry’s hands creeps higher and higher softly rubbing my clothed clit. He does it so swiftly that I’m already at the point where I don’t want him to stop. He slides my panties to the side running his fingers through my slick using that to rub my coated pearl.

I jolt slightly opening my legs more where he inserts 2 fingers pumping slowly. Everyone hands me their cards and I clear my throat trying to act as normal as possible. “Crippling debt” I smile biting my lip again as Henry keeps grazing that spot “money moves, asshole full of jelly beans, tax fraud, and oh god” his fingers dig deeper inside of me as I mask my moan grinding my hips in the seat. I can see the tent forming in his pants and trust me he was packing.

“And crabs” Henry curls his fingers against my g-spot. My body jerks as Bri looks at me.

“You ok?”

“Yes I’m good. I like tax fraud” Carter smiles and grabs a black card. I grab Henry’s wrist and he leans close to my ear again.

“That’s it pet ride my fingers until you cum” oh god I wanna protest so bad but it feels so good. I rest my hand on his bulge rubbing it through his pants. I move my hand to his thigh as my legs shake and I close my eyes succumbing to my demise in front of my sister and cousins.

“Good girl” he removed his fingers rubbing my clit making my body jerk.

“Excuse me I’m going to the bathroom” I glance at him and walk shakily to the bathroom. I hear a chair scuffle and look at myself in the mirror.

“You have a boyfriend get it together” I try to pep talk myself but knowing the capabilities Henry has I can’t help myself but to fall under his spell once more.

A small knock appears at the door and I open it. Henry lightly pushes me inside and licks the door behind him. Immediately his lips are attached to mine and it was like our first time together all over again. My hands wrap around his waist and he moves his large hands down my butt lifting my skirt a little.

“Please fuck me” I beg quietly. He picks me up setting me on the counter. My legs open for him as he drops his pants finally letting his shaft spring free. Henry tears off my underwear dropping then next to his pants and guiding the tip through my wetness rubbing my sensitive clit. I grab him by the back of his neck planting an open mouth kiss on him letting his tongue explore what was previously (and still might be) his.

Henry finally stops teasing and legs go of his dick letting it align with my entrance. His hand moves to the counter behind me slowly stretching me out like the old days. My jaw drops as I sink into his touch feeling his dick fill me up. He holds my hips as my legs dangle in the crease of his shoulders while my arms support myself behind me. He looks done watching his dick submerge in my juices as he fucks me slowly.

“please daddy” he speeds up per my internal request forcing me to lean back pressing my head against the mirror as he wraps his hand around my throat. My legs start to unconsciously close and Henry forces them back open stroking me harder. My royal blue painted acrylic nails dig into his forearm as he brings me closer pressing a warm kiss on my lips. My body sparks each time he plummets inside of me pressing my g-spot like a button.

“Oh god” I mewl careful not to make too much noise. He moves down to my neck using both hands to keep my legs apart sucking at the patch of sensitive skin. My eyes roll to the back of my head hearing his grunts and moans as he digs deep in my guts. My hand wraps around his muscular shoulders and moving up to his short curly locks. I feel that hole inside of me start to open up with each thrust.

“Henry I’m close” I warn trying to brace myself. He pushes my bottom forward going deeper and my toes begin curling.

“Cum for daddy pet” he moans. My body tenses up and I cover my mouth masking a loud moan. I shutter and shake under him hearing his small sadistic laugh. His breath filled with bourbon and mint is hot against my ear.

Once my convulsions stop Henry puts my feet on the ground and turns me around sliding back in and pounding me out. He pulls my head up looking at is on the mirror. Henry places my arms behind my back. I watch Henry’s gave turn to bliss coating my walls in his seed. Something that’s happened multiple times. We’ve had our fair share of pregnancy scares.

“Look at what you do to daddy” my jaw drops as he keeps pumping making sure he’s emptied inside of me. “Fuck I miss the way you make me feel”

He slows down before coming to a stop where I feel his dick pulsing inside of me. I lift up pressing my back against his chest holding him in a powerful meaningful kiss.

“I know I’ve put you through a lot and I’m sorry” he says. I shake my head kissing him again.

I come to my senses and pull his dick out thinking about my boyfriend “shit what did I do?”

[slimy-vore-bog]

Consuming Curiosity

Disclaimer: all my work is non-sexual N/SF/W interaction is not appreciated

Hi, this was the story I was talking about... It’s kinda boring, but it’s probably the last thing I’m going to be posting for a long time.

Um... This AU is a little weird to explain. At least, how I came up with it. It’s basically a pokémon AU with size-shifters and safe vore. I have a few posts about it, so if you want to read some about they are there. You don’t necessarily have to, but it can help.

Though, a couple thing to note outside of that is:

The confession in this story was written before s2 ep5

Luz has a flashlight, despite flash being a thing. So let’s just say that’s what the light around trainers are in caves.

The title is supposed to be silly, not serious.

I’m going to say a few more things under read more, just to avoid spoilers (for season 1) but here’s a summary:

Amity tells Luz she's a size-shifter, before asking to eat her, but Luz isn't too comfortable with the idea when it’s brought up.

Ao3 (sorry, you’re going to have to copy paste this, unless you check out my reblog to main) https://archiveofourown.org/works/32602456

Spoiler warning: I do talk briefly about s2 ep 5 on Ao3

Word Count: 7.4 k

It’s not a big spoiler, but in this AU Amity has never threatened Luz’s life, because she has never snuck into the school pretending to be an abomination. The duel also wouldn’t put Luz herself in harms way as much.

Also I use the word “fearmongering”, but I’m not sure it’s the right word, so feel free to correct me.

That was kinda the last thing I wanted to note... So onto the story.

***

Luz looked around, as her and Amity walked along the small forest path. A thought suddenly hit her. “You know, it’s really quiet out here! I thought there would be more people and pokémon training!”

Amity looked over at her unsurely. “Yeah, uh, that was why I took you here.” She glanced away. “For the quiet, I mean… And we’re not there yet, but I have something I want to talk about with you.” She locked eyes with Luz for a few seconds, but she couldn’t keep the eye contact. “I don’t want anybody else to overhear it.” She turned her head from side to side, before she walked off the path.

Luz’s curiosity was instantly piqued. A secret? More about Amity’s past? She jogged up to Amity, unsure where to start with her questions, or if she should keep them to herself a while. Amity did say we weren’t actually there yet. She pushed her questions down for the moment, but her curiosity about the girl was still strongly on her mind.

¨¨

Amity led Luz to a large clearing, before glancing over at her. “I think this place is quiet enough.” She said it more to herself than Luz. “I’m sorry it might take a while before I’m ready to talk about this.” She took her bag off her shoulders, placing her poké balls it, before slowly walked out into the clearing.

Luz looked out at the different sorts of plant life. There were a few trees starting to spread out into the open space, but they were still just saplings and small enough for any herbivorous pokémon to eat them and others to accidentally trample them. A few giant thistles were starting to bloom here and there, and a few bushes had snuck in too.

She stepped out into the clearings too, the grass nearly went up to her knees; she noticed how oddly beautiful the place was. There was something wild about it, it wasn’t a flower meadow or anything, but it still had a strong natural beauty. The thistles were blossoming pretty purple flowers and the sky was clear today, shining on everything in the gorgeous way. Luz looked over at Amity, as a thought popped into her mind. This would be the perfect place for a love confession.

Luz shook her head. Why would I want a love confession from Amity? She felt her heart sped up a little as she looked over at her friend. Why would Amity even give me one? We’re just friends. But the ‘what if?’ made her heart beat way faster than it should.

Amity looked over at Luz, when they were only a few feet apart. She took a deep breath, before she let out a strained sigh. “I’m…” she hesitated again, before she decided to spit it out. “I’m a size-shifter.”

Luz’s eyes widened in surprise, for a second feeling lured into a trap, before she shook her head. “You are?!” She took a step back, instantly feeling the fear creep back into her. “You’re dangerous?” she didn’t manage to cut herself off before she saw the pain on Amity’s face. It’s still Amity, why am I acting like this? “Don’t size-shifters eat people?”

Amity already looked like she was about to cry. “No!” she shouted at Luz. “Luz, why would you think I would kill someone?” She looked away from Luz.

Luz’s eyes widened once again. “I’m sorry! But I don’t really understand.” She thought back to all she had been taught about size-shifters. They are dangerous, they will eat you and don’t trust them. Luz had a realization she should have had a long time ago. It’s not actually true. It’s fearmongering! Luz’s brow furrowed. It feels like a strange thing to lie about. “Can you explain?”

Amity looked tired. “I guess I have to… You’re not going to get the right answer from anybody else.” She took another deep breath. “I know everybody always talks about how we are all murderous cannibals, but it’s not true.” Amity held her breath for a moment, looking unsure. “And I know there’s sometimes footage of it and ‘the rescues’, but-”

Luz cut her off. “Wait, the footage isn’t fake?” That had been her first thought after thinking it was fearmongering. She hadn’t ever wanted to believe the footage was real, but the way Amity said it and hesitated to say it made her think it was real. “So-” Luz was about to take a step back, before she shook her head. “But… Wait.” Luz couldn’t wrap her head around it. “How can the rescues be faked? And how do the people stay alive?”

Amity paused. “I don’t know exactly how the biology behind size-shifters work, but we can swallow people alive safely.” Amity had to think about her second question. “They aren’t exactly ‘faked’, but they aren’t what they seem.” Amity’s face suddenly fell into a sad grimace. “Haven’t you noticed that the size-shifters never hesitate to spit the people back up? If I was an attempted murderer; I wouldn’t just spit people up because I was asked to.” She shook her head. “My point is that size-shifters aren’t worse than anybody else.”

Luz had another question on her mind. “But… Why would they want to eat people, if it gets them in trouble?” It wasn’t like she had a problem with breaking unfair rules; she lived with a criminal who was broke laws, pretty fair and unfair. “What do they gain from it?” It wasn’t even a meal, since they wouldn’t be trying to kill the person.

Amity avoided Luz’s gaze. “Uh… I have heard it feels comforting, in a way.” She glanced over at Luz for a second. “But I have never really… I’ve never tried it, so I don’t know if it’s worth getting in trouble over.” Amity quickly changed the topic away from eating people. “But I really want to try holding you in my hands…” She looked expectantly at Luz. “Can I do that?”

Luz smiled, already feeling a lot more at ease. “Sure!”

Amity’s shoulders untensed, before she grew to a size where Luz was barely the size of her index finger. She carefully sat down and lowered her hand to the ground.

Luz looked at it for a couple seconds, intimidated by Amity’s new size, before she climbed up on her hand with an exaggerated huff. She could feel as Amity raised her up and closer to her.

Amity sat like that for a while, as they didn’t say anything to each other. She gently brushed Luz’s back with her finger, making Luz flinch in surprise. “Sorry,” apologized Amity, as she quickly pulled her finger away. “You’re just so…” she tried to come up with a good word that wasn’t ‘cute’, “small.” She gently grabbed Luz’s hand in her fingers, letting it rest on top her finger; it couldn’t even reach across the slimmest part of it. “It feels strange to hold you.���

Luz kept looking into her giant eyes. “It’s really strange to be held too.” She looked down at the ground. “You’re really big when you’re a giant…” Amity felt a little too big to be real in her mind. “I mean, obviously, but you’re so big, it doesn’t really feel possible.” She talked absentmindedly, as she leaned onto Amity’s finger, which twitched under her touch. “I’m not even the size of this finger.” Luz tried to wrestle it downwards, but it barely budged. “I’m not even as strong as your finger!”

Amity raised an eyebrow. “Did you expect to be?”

Luz shook her head. “Not really, but it’s still weird.” She leaned down on her finger again, but this time she just felt like lying down. “Man, today has already been a day, huh?” She chuckled. “My brain feels just as mushy as when I first got here…” She took a moment to take it all in, narrating some of her thoughts out loud. “You’re a size-shifters. Size-shifters eat people, but not really, so people fear and hate you guys for no reason…” Her brow furrowed. “I got scared of you too. I’m sorry.” She had a better idea of how much it must have hurt Amity to hear her freak out and call her dangerous after the whole explanation.

Amity ignored the last part of it. “Yeah, today has already been a lot.” Or maybe she didn’t… It was part of her day that she thought she was about to lose Luz as a friend from how she had reacted. She moved her finger away from Luz lowering her down to rest her arms in her lap. She sighed. “I don’t think it was all on you… Maybe I should have explained everything and if you caught on it wouldn’t be as bad.”

Luz felt even worse for her. “No, it’s not at all your fault; I didn’t wait to hear you out.” She looked up at Amity. “I should have trusted that you would never hurt me.” It was even strange, because she would have completely trusted Amity with her life just before she told Luz her secret. Why was my first thought she was tricking me? “I trust you so much and I promise that we are still friends!”

Amity gave her a small smile, and Luz was happy that her reassurance worked. “Thanks.”

It was silent between them after that.

Amity carefully stroked Luz’s hair in the silence, and Luz found it calming. She liked knowing that there was nothing wrong between them and neither of them hated each other over what had just happened. But it was strange with the sudden affection from Amity’s side. She usually veered away from physical contact with Luz. Maybe she just doesn’t like it when others touch her? Luz felt a bit conflicted. I hope it isn’t for a bad reason.

Amity shifted her fingers to brush Luz’s back instead, but her head was filled with other thoughts. It had been bugging her from when she picked Luz up in her hands, but it was even worse after Luz had told her that she trusted her. She couldn’t stop thinking about swallowing Luz alive. Her brain kept shouting at her that Luz needed to get somewhere safe, despite the lack of danger. I guess I know why others do it despite the risk now. She stared down at Luz, wishing she could just shove her into her mouth without scaring her. Should I bring the idea up? She decided not to.

Luz relaxed, as Amity stroked her back, but she did seem to be a little distracted. She decided not to ask about it. It wasn’t like she always paid attention when she was with people. She could get a little lost in her daydreams about her favorite shows and books from time to time. But what type of thoughts would Amity get lost in? Luz straightened her back, immediately changing her mind about not asking. “What are you thinking about?”

Amity hesitated. “I’m trying to figure something out…” She shifted her hands a bit, before she stroked Luz again. She looked like she wanted to say something more, but changed her mind about what. “It’s annoying.” That was what she left it at.

Luz tilted her head. “What are you trying to figure out? Oh! Maybe I can help?”

Amity laughed. “You could, but that is also the problem… It could solve it too.”

“That sounds like some weird cryptic riddle… Sooo what do you mean by that?” Luz watched her, while she thought about what to say next.

Amity tried to pick her words carefully. I think I should ease her more into it… maybe it won’t startle her as bad? “It’s just that… Hmm, no…” Saying it like that would be more ominous. Imagine hearing that… She shook her head. ‘I think have figured out why other size-shifters want to risk swallowing people whole’. Even thinking it to herself made her shiver. “I’m thinking about how it feels to swallow a person whole.” Amity watched Luz’s face for a reaction, but she didn’t see any fear yet, though she did make a face. “It has to feel good, right?” She tried to avoid the fact that she knew that was not the reason others did it, until she saw Luz’s reaction.

Luz felt a bit weirded out by her, but she decided it was better not to judge her too harshly. Maybe it’s some weird feeling she gets when she’s giant. “So… you were trying to ask if you can swallow me whole?”

Amity’s fingers twitched a little closer around Luz, before she nodded. “And, actually… I think I have figured out why-” she stopped herself abruptly. “I mean, not in a scary dangerous way, but I think I have figured out why other size-shifters risk so much to do this.” She paused again, as she watched Luz intently, making Luz squirm. “I don’t know why, but holding you like this makes me feel like I need to keep you safe from everything and never let anyone or anything get to you. And the same feeling is screaming at me to eat you.”

Amity was being a little overdramatic, but so were her thoughts. Or at least the feelings it gave her. It pressed heavily in on her mind, as she stared down at the relatively tiny girl in her hands. She tried to calm the thoughts, in case Luz said no, by reminding herself that if anybody or thing did try to hurt, she could still protect her normally. It obviously didn’t help, but that was also maybe part of the fact that she, even without the strange feelings, wanted to try swallowing Luz whole.

Luz smiled uncomfortably, glancing down towards the ground. It wasn’t as much a lack of trust, as it was an ‘I don’t want to be swallowed alive’. “Well, uh,” she laughed anxiously, “I mean… it’s nice that you want to protect me, but-” she wondered how to say it. “I think you should just put me down and we can go back.”

Luz could see Amity’s mood drop, before she replied. “I guess that would solve it too…” She placed Luz down on the ground, going back to her regular height, holding a hand to her forehead. “Okay, now I’m confused.” She stared at Luz with a weirded out look on her face.

Luz could guess what the problem was. “Maybe it takes a while for the feelings to disappear?” she guessed, hoping she was right. Or I would just have to deal with being swallowed alive. She shivered, trying not to feel too disgusted with the idea. “Wait, what if the feeling stays forever? Even after you’ve eaten me and let me back out?”

Amity’s eyes widened. I would not be able to handle that! Was what Luz said actually possible? It sounded like it. What if I eat Luz and never let her out? She wanted to get away from her ‘protective’ thoughts immediately. Her mind filled up with horrible images and scenarios. Both of them dying of hunger from neither being able to eat. Or her eating something and getting her stomach to work again. Her thoughts started spiraling into more horrible scenarios.

Luz noticed Amity’s distress, but she had no idea how to help. “It probably won’t! Uh…” Luz looked around, trying to find something to talk about that could distract Amity. “Sunny!” Luz grabbed one of her poké balls from her belt, sending the pokémon out. “Look at Sunny, hasn’t she gotten stronger?” Her shiny Luxio’s fur sparkled in the light, as Sunny looked up at Luz, before rubbing her head against her. “Can you go over to Amity?”

She listened, turning around to see Amity still looking alarmed. Sunny looked surprised, before she used her head to guide Amity’s hand to pet her.

Amity looked down at Luz’s pokémon, letting her shoulders untense a little. The thoughts were calming down a lot faster than she thought they would, both the eating ones and the anxious ones. She felt the thoughts about swallowing Luz slowly disappear. There were still memories of the thoughts when she looked at Luz, but nothing like what she had just felt. It was more like having said something completely seriously in a dream and then waking up to it being completely ridiculous. Amity smiled. “Thanks…”

“No problem!” Luz was happy everything had resolved itself so fast. She wouldn’t really know how else to fix this. “Sorry for bringing… that… up.” She hadn’t expected Amity to react like that at all, but now she could see how it would be worrying. “I promise I wasn’t trying to scare you.”

Amity petted Sunny for a bit. “It’s okay now.” A conflicted expression fell on her face. “I just felt like it was what was going to happen.” She sighed. “But luckily it wasn’t.”

It was strange… It was supposed to be a comforting feeling after she had swallowed Luz, so why did the thought of doing that so easily panic her? But then again… She wasn’t giant anymore, and she had just feared having thoughts about swallowing Luz for the rest of her life… And then thought about her death.

Luz looked at Sunny, as her pokémon walked back to her. It was good that Luz’s pokémon didn’t hold a grudge. It was good that Luz didn’t either, or she and Amity could never have been friends. She smiled at Amity as a strange feeling made her heart sped up again, like it had when she had thought about how oddly perfect for romance the place seemed.

Amity smiled back, before she spoke. “Well, we should probably be heading back.”

Luz looked at Amity unsurely. “So, you don’t want to try eating me?”

Amity looked a bit uncomfortable. “I’m not sure… Why are you asking? I thought you didn’t want me to do that?”

Luz returned her pokémon to her poké ball. “I did, but… I mean, how can I not be a little curious?” It seemed scary at first, but there was something about it that intrigued her. Even if she had to dig to find it. “It’s crazy that it’s actually possible to be eaten safely!” A thought suddenly hit Luz. “But, if you haven’t eaten anybody before, how do you know it’s safe? It’s not very obvious when seeing the footage of it.”

Amity shrugged. “It’s usually a thing only size-shifters know about. I don’t think other people would be so open to hear us out.”

“I guess that makes sense…” Luz hesitated. “But do you want to try it?” She felt a little hesitant herself, but maybe she could at least try it, just to see what it would feel like. Maybe it could be interesting?

Amity gave it another second of thought. If Luz wants me to, I guess she doesn’t think it’s that bad? And Amity had no reason to be scared. She wasn’t going to live with the urge to eat her forever, it would disappear after a few minutes. She made her decision. “Yes.”

Without any warning, Luz closed the distance between them with a hug.

Amity froze in Luz’s embrace. “Why are you hugging me?” It didn’t make any sense; Luz was doing something for her, so why did she also get a hug? At the same time, the closeness threw Amity’s heart into high-gear.

Luz felt Amity freeze in her arms, as she squeezed her tightly. She let go of her, seeing how red her face had gotten, before she replied. “I felt like you needed it.” Luz stared at Amity’s face, unsure of how to process her blushing. “And I wanted to hug you.” She took a step back from her. What do I do about her blushing? It wasn’t really hitting her what it meant, but she knew it would in a moment, because it was right there in her head. How should I react?

Luz is staring at me. Amity felt a rush of anxiety. She has figured it out. “Uh, well, I was supposed to grow, so I’ll just do that now.” She backed away from Luz, growing back to her biggest height again.

Luz stared up at Amity, as the words her mind was searching for fell into place. Amity has a crush on me. Luz couldn’t figure out what to do about it. Was she supposed to tell Amity that she knew or keep quiet about until she decided to confess? Would that make it more awkward? She played the scenario out in her mind. If I told somebody I had a crush on them and they- her thoughts were abruptly cut short as she was pulled up into the air. She shouted in surprise. “Amity!”

Amity gave Luz a fake smile. “Sorry, I’m just really impatient right now.” She was hoping Luz hadn’t guessed anything at all and that she could distract her. What exactly do I do, if she has guessed it? Wasn’t she supposed to let Luz know that she liked her as more than a friend? It doesn’t feel right yet…

Amity shifted her hands, so Luz could sit in them. “At least ask if you can pick me up.” She took a second to figure out what she had been thinking about, before she fell back into her thoughts. If somebody knew I had a crush on them, would I like them to tell me they knew or not? She tried to figure it out, but she didn’t know how Amity felt about it. “What would you do if you knew somebody had a crush on you?” Maybe that was enough to let Amity know that she knew.

Amity felt her pulse quicken even more. “Tell them.” She wasn’t sure she would have answered that, if it wasn’t glaringly obvious Luz had figured it out, but she needed to hear it from Luz’s mouth.

Luz could sense how uncomfortable Amity was. She already knew that I figured it out… That’s why she’s acting so much weirder. “Uh… well… I think-” she corrected herself, “-I know you have a crush on me.” Luz felt her heart pound quicker in her chest. “And… I think I might have feelings for you too?” Luz looked away from Amity. “You know… The first thing I thought of when we got here was that this place would be perfect for a love confession.”

Amity stared down at Luz, wide-eyed, before she blinked. She looked around the clearing, before she laughed. “It kind of is.”

Both of them stayed quiet for a few seconds.

Amity felt the feelings of wanting to eat Luz slip back in through her worry about her not returning her feelings. “So we both like each other…” she stated to herself, feeling unsure. Everything about this whole day seemed fake. First, she had actually told Luz she was a size-shifter, Luz had agreed to let herself get eaten and now… Now Luz had told her she had feelings for her. “Would it be weird, if I swallowed you whole now?”

Luz smiled awkwardly. “Not any weirder than it would be any other time.” She hesitated again. “But I would like it if I could get more eased into it.” Luz felt a bit embarrassed to ask, because of the absurdity of the situation. “Could you hold your mouth open, so I can look inside first?”

“Sure.” Amity raised her up in front of her face, opening her mouth wide.

Luz couldn’t stop herself from flinching back at the sight of it. Her teeth were way too big for Luz not to imagine her accidently getting something caught in between them and crushed. The sight of her throat was even more unnerving, with the thought of her having to go down it. Luz shivered from both thoughts, before she managed to calm herself down. Relax, nothing’s going to go wrong.

It wasn’t that she hadn’t expected it to be scary, but she thought her curiosity would have made it less scary. Still, she didn’t want to not try it. “I-” she cleared her throat to avoid her voice shaking, “I meant so I could lean in.”

Amity shifted Luz closer to her mouth after she said that.

Luz once again had to take a moment to convince herself everything was going to be okay, before she held onto Amity’s teeth and leaned into her mouth. Nothing’s going to be bitten off. She could feel the heat of Amity’s breath against her face, but it luckily didn’t smell bad.

Amity moved her tongue moved away from Luz’s hands, confusing her. “Uh, you know, if you want to swallow me whole, you have to touch me with your tongue.”

She could see that Amity hesitated, before she relaxed her tongue.

Luz cringed slightly, as the warm wet tongue hit her hands, but she relaxed shortly after. It’s not that gross, just a little weird. Luz let Amity drag her tongue up her arms, as she watched. I wonder if I taste like anything? She pushed her tongue back down when she was about to lick at her face. “I still need to look!” she called out, trying to make it clear she wasn’t that bothered by it and actually found it a little amusing.

Luz moved her hands on top of Amity’s tongue. It felt strange how it twitched under her hands, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. Luz suddenly threw herself back out of Amity’s mouth. “Oh! Wait!” She took her poké balls of her belt shoving them in her bag. “Can you take this?” She left her flashlight on her belt, just in case she wanted to look around.

Amity carefully picked the bag out of her hands, before placing it by her own. “I thought something was wrong.”

Luz shook her head. “No, everything is fine! I just thought… I mean, you could get hurt, if I lost something in there.”  She decided not to dwell on it. “Can you open up again?”

Amity did as she was told.

Luz leaned back in on her tongue, looking at Amity’s throat. The sight made her shiver, just like before, but it still wasn’t enough to make her back out of trying this.

Amity was having a bit of a different experience.

She couldn’t figure out why Luz tasted like she did. It wasn’t at all how she would have imagined a person to taste. She had expected them to maybe be a tiny bit salty, if they were sweating, but Luz tasted like her skin was made of sugar. She liked it, but it also weirded her out at the same time. Maybe this is just how people taste to size-shifters? She shifted her tongue under Luz’s hands, trying to get a bit more of her taste…It’s kind of like having a living piece of candy. She felt even weirder about it after that thought.

Luz turned her head to look at Amity’s teeth. The ones farthest in were the size of both her hands curled into fists. She leaned in a little farther, pushing herself up on her toes, to see if her assumption was right. She rested her elbows on Amity’s tongue, comparing the size of her fist to her teeth. Wow, they are! I am really tiny compared to her…

Luz felt a bit unsure of what to do now. Do I want to get swallowed yet? Her gaze fell on her throat. Something in her was telling her that she should tell Amity to stop, but she knew it was just her very rational fear of being eaten.

She sighed, before she relaxed her legs, sliding a bit backwards. Should I let Amity shove me in or crawl in myself? But she felt Amity pull her back out after a second to close her mouth.

Amity looked at her, but Luz couldn’t really read her expression. “Uh…” Amity started unsurely, “can I eat you now?”

Luz shrugged. “Sure, I’m done looking around.” She felt weird about phrasing it like that, but it didn’t matter too much.

Amity gently picked Luz up with her other hand, but put her back down when she saw her confused expression. “What?” she asked carefully.

“Nothing! I kinda thought I would be climbing into your mouth again, but this works too.” Amity nodded, picking her up once again. But Luz couldn’t help feeling a little uncomfortable with it. It can’t be not more uncomfortable than climbing in on my own…

Amity held her pinched between her fingers, still feeling that strange need for protecting Luz by eating her. Yet she also thought about how to do it. Should I tilt my head back and lower her in? She had no idea what she should do, but she felt that there was a right way to do it, even if there probably wasn’t. Would Luz find it weird or even scary? Her mind was getting impatient with her, yelling at her that it didn’t matter as long as she got Luz safe. Amity tilted her head back, hoping she didn’t look stupid doing that, before she opened her mouth.

Luz felt her heart pound quicker, but not in a good way, as Amity brought her legs down towards her mouth. Why is this so much scarier? She looked down into her mouth, feeling a much stronger shiver at the sight of Amity’s throat. She pulled her legs back, as she felt the jolt of fear. “Amity, wait! Give me a moment.” I just need a second to calm down and then everything is going to be fine.

Amity closed her mouth again reluctantly. Her mind was screaming to eat Luz even more severely than before, while she tried to push the thoughts down. She’s scared to be eaten; I won’t do this if she doesn’t want to. Yet that didn’t seem to calm down the thoughts at all. Either that, or it calmed down such a little bit, she could barely feel the difference.

Luz held her hand over her heart, feeling her heart beating under it. Should I back out? With how her heart was thumping; she strongly considered it. She looked at Amity, as she imagined going down the other girl’s throat. “Uh…” she didn’t know how to voice her sudden fright. “Just a moment more.”

Amity already felt let down. “Please…” She stopped herself, not wanting to make Luz feel like she didn’t have a choice. “Sorry.”

She was about to place Luz back on the ground, when she shouted, “Wait!” making Amity stop. “I still want to try it, I’m just scared.” It was pretty clear, giving how she was shaking. “I can do this; I don’t think it’s going to be as scary after I’ve tried it.” Luz looked up at Amity unsurely, fiddling with her hands. “Maybe it’s kinda the same fear that comes from anything scary.” She gestured something with her hands, but Amity wasn’t sure what she meant, or if it even meant anything. “Maybe a roller coaster or trying to climb a really high rock-climbing wall. Something that’s terrifying the first few times, but after that it’s fun?”

Luz could feel her heart still pounding away in her chest, but both not wanting to let Amity down and grasping on to that little bit of curiosity, she knew she had to do it. “Maybe those two aren’t the best comparisons, and it probably won’t be ‘fun’ in the same way, but you know what I mean.”

Amity smiled at Luz’s comparison, before she tried to figure out how to make Luz more comfortable. “You didn’t feel as scared when you were looking around my mouth yourself…” she thought out loud. “Would it help if you climbed in on your own?” Amity realized she was still holding Luz the way she had been before, putting her back down to sit in her hand.

Luz watched Amity’s mouth, feeling an uncertain chill run down her spine. “I think so?” It would feel better than being lowered in.

Amity opened her mouth again.

Luz didn’t waste any time, afraid to back out if she waited for too long. She pulled herself up using Amity’s teeth as fast as she could, feeling a little shove on her feet from Amity. Amity closed her mouth as soon as Luz was inside.

Amity grimaced at the feeling of Luz’s clothes against her tongue, as it sucked the moisture from her mouth. She felt embarrassed about having to roll Luz around her mouth before she could swallow her. Should I swallow her head first her get her to turn around? Amity wasn’t sure what would be best. She couldn’t picture what would be easier for both her and Luz. I guess I should just focus on getting her soaked enough to go down. With how Luz tasted, she guessed it wouldn’t take too long.

Luz squeezed her eyes shut, despite the darkness, as she felt Amity’s tongue move around underneath her. She couldn’t stop herself from feeling like she was a piece of candy. She felt Amity’s teeth grab her foot, before she swallowed the saliva around her. Despite her foot in between Amity’s teeth; she let her shoulders untense for a moment, feeling a little bit less scared. Everything is fine. She tried to reassure herself. Amity isn’t trying to scare me.

Amity could feel Luz becoming less tense, realizing that she was still scared, as she could feel her rapid heartbeat against her tongue. She didn’t know what to do… How scared was Luz? Should I let Luz back out? She didn’t want to at all. She swallowed around Luz again.

Luz squirmed uncomfortably, as her clothes became more and more drenched in drool. Her body was once again pressed up into the roof of Amity’s mouth. She felt the saliva disappear from around her, before she was lowered down again and pushed around.

Amity thought about how to swallow Luz again. Does it matter to her? Luz felt scared, but would one way be less scary? She hesitantly opened her mouth back up, hoping Luz wouldn’t mind needing to get back in.

Luz could feel a change in light behind her shut eyes, before she was pulled back out of her mouth. She uncertainly opened her eyes, seeing the string of drool between her and Amity, before she tried to slurp it in, before licking it away. She couldn’t keep herself from grimacing in disgust. That’s so gross. Both how it looked and how it sounded made her cringe and shut her eyes again.

Amity noticed Luz’s discomfort, feeling incredibly embarrassed. “Uh… I was wondering if you cared how I swallowed you?” She used her free hand to briefly scratch the back of her head. “I mean, head first or feet first?”

Luz opened her eyes hesitantly. Did she care? She pictured both ways. Being swallowed head first would probably be really uncomfortable… But is feet first any better? She tried to picture it. It doesn’t sound like it… But that was more about the whole being eaten thing not being very pleasant. At least I won’t be upside-down… “Uh… Feet first?” Luz knew that meant she couldn’t avoid Amity putting her in her mouth, unless she wanted to try turning around in her mouth herself, but she might as well let Amity do it. Maybe it won’t be as scary now. “And I’m okay with you putting me in your mouth.”

Amity’s brow furrowed. If she’s changes her mind, I can stop. She shifted her hands to hold Luz differently, deciding not to do what she did earlier. She lifted her hand up to her mouth, letting Luz’s legs slip inside, before she quickly, but gently, pushed the rest of her inside.

Luz didn’t get as much time to be scared as Amity pushed her in a lot quicker than she had tried to lower her in.

Amity’s tongue flipped her on her stomach, before she tilted her head back.

Luz’s fear sparked back up, as she slid backwards. Calm down; it’s not going to be that bad. She tried to keep that in mind while her legs slipped into Amity’s throat, before her tongue squeezed her down into it and her feet and lower legs slid down into her esophagus.

Amity felt her brain scream a loud ‘Finally!’, as she swallowed for the first time. But she could also feel how hard and rapid Luz’s heart was beating. She didn’t let herself dwell on it, as she swallowed again. She’ll tell me, if she wants to back out.

The tongue around Luz squash her up into her palate, shoving more of her into her throat. Luz wriggled, trying to feel less squished. It was a lot tighter than she would have thought.

Luz felt Amity swallow again, as her waist was pulled into her throat. Only her arms were still on her tongue, as the rest of her was falling into her throat, but she didn’t feel as scared as she did before. It’s okay… She comforted herself. It’s not that bad. Amity’s throat pulled on her, as she was squashed down farther.

As Luz felt the crushing pressure around her chest, she realized she should have taking a deep breath before Amity had swallowed her this far in. I can’t breathe. She could gasp a little bit of breath in, when she really tried, but it wasn’t easy.

Amity stopped swallowing, when she felt Luz wriggles become more intense. Oh… should I have let her out? It was too late for that now. She swallowed Luz’s arms and hands in one gulp, feeling jumbled, as feelings of worry and joy mixed in her head. I’m not supposed to be happy while Luz scared. But that didn’t stop that part of her from feeling like she had done something good.

Luz hated how tight Amity’s throat squeezed her, as she was pushed down. She couldn’t catch her breath at all. She wasn’t too worried about it, but it wasn’t pleasant. It felt like trying to dive to the other end of a small pool, except everything around her was crushing her and she couldn’t go up for a breath when she felt like it was too much.

Amity felt Luz slide down her throat, as her worry grew instead of lessened. Did I hurt her? She tried to swallow again, wanting to get Luz down faster, but she didn’t know if it would work.

Luz was eventually squeezed into Amity’s stomach, sliding down to the bottom of it. She began panting for breath, finally feeling the pressure of Amity’s throat let go.

Amity didn’t know exactly what to do. Luz didn’t seem like she was scared… She wasn’t screaming or fighting against her. “Uh… Luz?” she started hesitantly, “what was wrong earlier?”

Luz took another deep breath, appreciating her ability to breathe a lot more than she usually did. “I couldn’t breathe.”

It was quiet between them again.

Amity sat for too long trying to figure out what to say, before Luz spoke up again. “So uh… How does this whole thing feel?” There was a sharp jab from inside her stomach. “It better be as good as you thought.”

Amity couldn’t stop herself from laughing. “I don’t think it is.” She focused more on her question. “But it’s… something. I think I liked it more when I had you in my mouth, but at least now I don’t have those irritating thoughts about needing to swallow you.” She held a hand over her stomach, unsure of how to feel. “You taste like sugar.”

Luz stared up into the darkness around her. “Oh…” she muttered. “So I do taste like something. You know, I was actually thinking about that when you tried to lick my face the first time.” She felt around for the flashlight on her belt, before she got a hold of it, and turned it on, blinding herself for a few seconds. “Argh!” she shouted. That was stupid.

Amity immediately called out to her, before Luz interrupted her panic. “Don’t worry! I just blinded myself with my flashlight…” She slowly opened her eyes again, turning the brightness of the light down, looking around.

There wasn’t as much room as she had thought there would be, but she was more focused on how the walls around seemed oddly still. I guess that makes sense… Luz stared at the pink wrinkly walls around her. “Hmm…” I wonder what would happen if she ate something? “Do you really not know that much about size-shifter biology?” Luz wasn’t going to let herself possibly die inside Amity’s stomach just for an experiment either way, but she was curious. “What would happen if you ate something while I was in here?”

“I don’t know.” Amity made a weird squeaky noise. “And I don’t really want to find out.” She was quiet for bit, before she thought of something else. “Though I know that if you had eaten me and you ate something I would be safe… But it’s different.”

“Oh…” Luz wondered what Amity meant by that, but she probably didn’t know. “And I don’t want to try anything! I was just hoping you knew what would happen.” She shined the light up towards the entrance of Amity’s stomach, immediately distracting her from the conversation. Luz felt a strong chill run through her, despite the warmth of the body around her. “I am really inside your stomach…” Around Luz were layers of muscles and fat, and skin… and she was just sitting there, inside Amity, completely invisible to everything… Except for Luxrays, but they would only find her if they were looking for her. The thought wasn’t scary, as much as it was fascinating. I would really be completely safe in here… She could hide from everything if she wanted. Not that she did, but the idea of such a quiet place just with Amity… She felt a sting of disappointment. “I wish you wouldn’t get in trouble over stuff like this…”

Amity didn’t know how Luz came to that conclusion, but she agreed. “I know…” She brushed her hand over her stomach, despite knowing Luz couldn’t feel it. This was one of the only things that affected Amity and had all her life, besides her parents. She had never been one to break rules or get in trouble and she didn’t care that she could only use ground type pokémon for the rest of her life. Golett or Golurk weren’t the worst pokémon she could think of training. But being a size-shifter with the rules that were set in place? She was almost breaking rules just by existing ever since she was born. “It’s really hard.”

Neither of them knew how to continue the conversation from there.

Amity heaved a deep sigh. “I think I’m going to let you out now.”

Luz felt like it was a little soon for all the stress, but she didn’t have any objections. “Okay.”

¨¨

Amity had thought it would have been a lot harder to get Luz back up, but it barely took any longer than swallowing her, and it was far from as painful as vomiting normally got.

For Luz, it didn’t feel worse than first having been swallowed.

Luz slipped into Amity’s hands, before she was placed down on the ground, looking over where Amity had placed their bags. She cringed, imagining get Amity’s drool all over it too, but she knew she had to pick it up somehow. She didn’t really want to ask Amity to carry it.

Luz couldn’t stop feeling a bit awkward. She tried to avoid looking at Amity, as her face heated up. “Uh… I think we glossed a little bit over the fact that we both like each other?”

Amity seemed shy too. “Yeah…”

Luz headed back to where they had come from, picking up her bag. “Let’s just go back.” She yawned. “I’m really tired…” she mumbled, before she continued. “Maybe we can figure it out on the way back.”

Amity yawned too, but Luz was pretty sure it was because she had yawned. “Uh, yeah, we can do that.”

***

Thanks a lot for reading! I would really appreciate if you liked this story, if you enjoyed reading it!

Have an awesome day! <3

[boyduroy]

What Friends Are For

"Bill! Did I tell you I lost another tooth?!" Richie asks excitedly as they sit on the swing set, idly digging the toes of their shoes into the playground sand. The two of them sway lazily on the swings as they watch the other children laugh and play.

Bill replies, "Only about s-s-six times today."

Despite this, Richie sticks his tongue at Bill through the now double wide gap in his front teeth. Thankfully this tooth fell out naturally instead of as a result of Henry Bowers.

"I got another dollar for it. I wanted to spend it on candy but my dad says I should save it."

Richie spins his swing in a circle, twisting the chain until it can't tighten, then lets go and spins quickly as the chain unwraps itself. He laughs as the swing snatches him sharply once fully straightened out, shaking his head dizzily. Bill watches him with amusement, a pleasant smile on his face. It still feels like yesterday when this messy-haired boy with his face full of freckles and glasses too big for his head planted himself into Bill's life. It was an uneasy start for Bill, admittedly, as he had spent the majority of that day just trying to get Richie to leave him alone. But Richie proved to be nothing if not determined, and he had decided that the two of them would be friends whether Bill liked it or not. And Bill decided he did like it.

"Did you still wuh-want to s-s-s-sleep over this weekend?" Bill asks as they watch a gangly boy with curly hair run past.

Richie nods enthusiastically. "Yes! I asked my mom and she said yes." He smiles, his tongue poking out again between the gaps in his teeth. "I got a new comic book, I could bring it if you want to read it. I've already read it twice, it's really good!"

"Yeah, I'd l-like that," Bill says. He draws a random shape in the sand. "Do you like p-p-pizza? My parents said w-we could order p-pizza if we b-both agree on a tuh-topping."

Richie thinks for a moment. "I really like pepperoni but--"

"Hey!"

The two look up as the curly-haired boy from before jogs up to them. He wrings his hands nervously, his face slightly red from running around.

"Hey," he says again, a bit winded. "Can you help me with something?"

Bill is already standing. "What's wrong?"

"I'm trying to find a teacher, but I don't see any out here," he says. "There's this kid being bullied over by the baseball field. I want to help him but..." The boy looks down, ashamed.

Richie jumps up as well. "The teachers are probably having a smoke break behind the gym. Come on!" He turns to run off, not towards the gym but to the baseball field.

"R-Richie, wait up," Bill calls, following him.

"Hang on, we need a teacher!" interjects the curly-haired boy, but he, too, is close behind.

The three of them hurry to the baseball field. There they find an older blonde boy holding something over a mousy kid who appeared to be crying.

"Give it back!" the boy cries, pawing at the object that was maddeningly just out of his reach.

"Why?" comes the mocking reply from the blonde kid. "Didn't anyone ever tell you you're not supposed to have drugs at school?"

"It's not drugs," he wails. "It's medicine for my asthma! I need it!"

"Medicine is drugs, dummy," the blonde boy laughs. He tosses the object back and forth between his hands, playing one man monkey in the middle with the mousy boy, who tries feebly to catch it.

"Hey!" Richie shouts, taking a step forward. "He said he needs his medicine, Connor, give it back!"

Connor sneers at the newcomers, Richie in particular. "Oh yeah, four-eyes? What are you gonna do about it?"

Richie doesn't appear to actually have a plan other than yelling at the bully, so Bill steps up next. "W-we've already told the teacher," he lies. "He's on his way over n-now."

"You lie," Connor spits back, but suddenly looks unsure of the situation. He looks at the crying boy at his feet, then to the three of them crowding around him, then decides not to chance it. "Whatever, I've got better things to do than hang out with babies." As a final insult, he offers the object - Bill can see now that it's an inhaler - to the mousy boy, then turns and quickly throws it over the chainlink fence. The boy screams as it sails in a wide arc through the air and lands in the outfield. "Later, nerds," he yells, laughing as he runs away.

"Yeah, you better run, you butthead!" Richie yells back, but Connor is already out of earshot.

The curly-haired boy is at the mousy boy's side once the coast is clear. "Are you okay?" he asks urgently, a hand on his small shoulder. "It's okay, he's gone, just calm down now."

The boy sinks to the ground and whimpers, glancing at the baseball field, then begins to cry harder. The curly-haired boy sinks with him, rubbing his back in a comforting manner.

"It's alright, just breathe," he murmurs, but frowns when the sobs turn into choked gasps. He looks back to Richie and Bill, his eyes wide. "I think he's having an asthma attack!"

Bill and Richie, momentarily frozen by the scene, instantly spring into action. Richie launches himself at the fence and climbs over, landing on the other side with a small "oof!" Bill, noticing the gate to the fence is right next to them and was unlocked the whole time, flings it open and races after Richie. They skid to a hault in the field, which had yet to be mowed for the ball season, and frantically searcg for the inhaler amid the grass. Nothing, nothing, then a glint in the sunlight. A small canister with the name Eddie K. written in marker on a piece of tape.

"Got it!" Bill announces, grabbing the small canister and running back to the other two boys, Richie hot on his heels. The latter attempts to go back to clambering over the fence until Bill drags him to the wide open gate.

"Here, Eddie," Bill says breathlessly, kneeling down and thrusting the inhaler into the curly-haired boy's hand. The boy shakes it quickly, flicks the cap off the mouthpiece and shoves it into Eddie's mouth.

"Here, breathe in."

Eddie inhales deeply, gratefully, and grabs the inhaler himself to administer a second dose. His erratic breathing slows as he catches himself, the other boy still patting him gently. Finally he sighs and looks up at the three of them.

"Thank you," he whispers, then at Bill, "How did you know my name?"

"I-i-it's written on your inhaler," Bill points out.

Eddie glances at his own medicine, forgetting momentarily that his mother labels almost everything of his. "Oh. Right."

Bill smiles. "I'm B-Bill, this is Richie," he says, gesturing to himself and Richie. The latter beams his front-tooth-less grin at Eddie.

"I'm Stanley," the curly-haired boy adds, pulling himself to his feet. Eddie, no longer crying, scrambles up as well. "Thank you guys for helping, I didn't think I could do anything about it by myself."

"Hey, what are friends for?" Richie says, giving Stanley a friendly slap on the arm. Stan blushes and finds a welcome distraction dusting off his khakis.

"Do you have a stutter like all the time?" Eddie asks Bill.

Richie frowns and throws a protective arm around Bill. "He was in a car accident, he can't help it. Don't you dare make fun of him--"

"No, I would never make fun of someone for something like that," Eddie replies, holding his hands up. "I was just asking!"

"It's okay, R-Richie," Bill says, defusing the tension. "H-he didn't mean anything buh-bad by it."

Richie glances at Bill but relaxes. "Sorry," he tells Eddie. "I don't like when people mock him."

Eddie nods. "Kids make fun of me for my asthma, so I get it." He puffs again on his inhaler - perhaps unnecessarily - and pockets it.

"They make fun of my glasses and the way I talk too much," Richie adds.

"I get made fun of sometimes for being Jewish," Stanley pipes up. The other three stare at him blankly.

"What's that?" Richie asks.

Stan frowns, as if he isn't exactly sure. "It's my... It's being Jewish. I'm a Jew." He gestures to himself as if that explains what the word means.

The others decide to let it go, but Richie makes a mental note to pester Stanley about a more definitive answer later.

Bill points to another part of the yard. "You g-guys wanna go play?"

Stanley and Eddie smile, and the four of them head off together.

[lexpressobean]

Parent/Teacher Night

In which Shikamaru steps in as Mirai's guardian to help her complete her unofficial assignment of the night and subsequently suffers from nostalgia induced shock from unforeseen circumstances.

**Modern AU, Mild Swearing, late 20-something adults who simply care about the same 10-year-old kid lol

Edit: Now available on AO3 too!

•••

Shikamaru had gladly accepted Kurenai's request for him to attend Parent-Teacher night with Mirai in her absence. It had been his day off after all, and he hadn't planned anything anyway. Plus, it'd only take, what, half an hour at most back and forth? Maybe he could even treat Mirai to dinner, just 'cause it had been a while. Normally, Kurenai would have skipped it all together due to her schedule, just this one time, but apparently Mirai's teacher was offering extra credit to the students as an incentive for them to have their parents come. And Mirai was very adamant that she shouldn't waste such an opportunity. Not for this teacher.

Shikamaru wondered what seemed to make this teacher so special to Mirai anyway. When he asked, Mirai seemed confused.

"You don't know, Shikamaru?"

"... Well, it's not like I've met the teacher either Mirai. But this teacher must be really good at their job if you like them that much already."

Mirai gave him a gleeful grin, "Watch, you'll see!"

And see he did.

Shikamaru wasn't expecting to run into such a classicaly "tall, dark, and handsome" form in the classroom. He certainly wasn't expecting that man to BE the teacher.

"Shino-sensei!" Mirai called, running over to greet him.

And at that, something froze Shikamaru in place. Something almost urgent... Wait... Shino? Shino... Why did that name sound familiar...?

The teacher turned just in time to take her glomp's impact with a deep, "OOF!" into his abdomen, and Shikamaru got distracted by the sound of his voice. Wow, deep... but then Shikamaru noticed his glasses misaligned in the process, and Shikamaru then realized they were... sunglasses? Indoors? Ha, this guy... Shikamaru wasn't necessarily gonna dock him points for that. But the only other person Shikamaru remembers doing that unironically was-

...

... Oh wait...

Oh... Wait.

OH. OH, HOLY SHIT!?

WAIT, THAT'S SHINO!? AS IN "SHINO ABURAME" SHINO!?!?!?

...

W H A T ! ?

"Ah... Mirai, hello. I thought you and your mother weren't coming. I told you it's okay, sometimes people can't come."

"Shikamaru came with me! I didn't want to miss the extra credit!"

"Shikamaru?"

"He's technically my godfather, so it counts, right?"

Shino stayed quiet for a moment and looked over towards the doorway where Shikamaru was still standing. As he recognized Shikamaru, Shino straightened up, gave a brief wave and... a smile?

Shikamaru was dumbfounded. Just a minute ago, he would've simply held up an open hand in response as he subtley and respectfully checked him out. Seriously, how could he not? But, now the movement of Shino's wave snapped him out of his thoughts and Shikamaru probably waved more than really needed to acknowledge the teacher. And he cursed at himself inwardly as soon as Shino looked back to Mirai. Was he blushing? It was feeling kinda hot in the classroom all of a sudden...!

"Alright Mirai, thank-you for coming, but for now please wait your turn, okay?"

"Alright!" Mirai walked back to Shikamaru, smiling widely proud of herself.

From far away, he could hear Shino's voice, "Sorry for the interruption. You see-"

"Surprise, Shikamaru!"

Mirai knew. This whole time. And the more he thought about it, Shikamaru at one point knew too. He just... simply forgot... Wow, what a thing to forget. Damn it, why didn't Shikamaru ask more questions earlier? Why didn't she just tell Shikamaru? Hell, why didn't KURENAI tell Shikamaru!?

"Yeah, I guess you're right..."

As Mirai led Shikamaru around the classroom, he started to try and recall more about Shino. It was all coming to him, slowly but surely. And if what he recalled was correct, this neat and organized classroom definitely would scream Shino. It was decorated with the typical posters meant to be both fun and helpful, and colorful and eye catching. Shikamaru even recognized many of the books in the shelves, though most he never actually read any of them. But there were traces of decorations here and there that were definitely conscious choices. Namely pictures of worms in apples, ladybugs, ants and bees symbolizing teamwork, things like that. Shino was a fan of bugs afterall.

Then Shikamaru found some board games and noted shogi was among them. He was tempted for a split second to pull it out and challenge Mirai to a game, but thought better of it. But what Mirai was most eager to show Shikamaru was her seat. Or rather, what was nearly right next to her seat.

In a terrarium, no doubt from Shino's collection if Kiba told him the truth, held a black and white worm. Except the worm had these orange like eye markings all along either side if it, and black dots in each eye shape... Shikamaru thought it looked kinda goth for a bug.

"We all decided to name it Daidai! Shino-sensei says this one will turn into a moth. Before Daidai, we had a catepillar we all named Marugao, because it's head was so big! But when he became a butterfly, he was so pretty, he almost shimmered!"

As Mirai gushed about how she got to sit next to Daidai, Shikamaru stole a glance at Shino once more. He was still making rounds, and it looked like no one else had come into the classroom either. Hm, looks like they were gonna be last.

Sunglasses had always hid Shino's eyes, ever since they were kids. Shikamaru couldn't quite recall if they were actually prescription or not, but up to this point, they had always been a constant. Otherwise... his former classmate really was virtually unrecognizable. And now that he thought about it, Shikamaru recalled that Shino had graduated from university with a teaching degree some years back, but this information had only been secondhand from Kiba on social media. Shikamaru wasn't even sure if Shino had social media...

Meanwhile, Shikamaru had barely been back in town for still less than a year. It wasn't his fault if he didn't know Shino's business. Medical school was gruelling, and anesthesia was no joke.

But still... Shikamaru had been expecting something similar from Shino. Maybe not a medical doctor, but a doctorate? Hadn't he been in the Environmental Club in high school? He seemed like he would've been very interested in the natural sciences, and definitely had the means... It was just kind if odd. He was an academic star that was always competing with both Ino and Sakura for top of the class as far as he could remember. And those ladies had gone to school to become a Pediatric Psychiatrist and Pediatric Surgeon respectively too. They were all a smart bunch, no doubt about that.

Yet, Shino had always been... different too. He had looked like a troublemaker with the beanies he wore, and his messy, nearly kinky curls always managed to find a way to stick out in the back. And he always had baggy looking clothing on in layers during any kind of weather. Plus he had a bad case of RBF Syndrome too, which would alarm a few others because he was always so good at blending into the background, yet when noticed, he looked like the kind of guy that would mess you up for just breathing funny. He had always been taller than most too, that probably didn't help.

But he wasn't a bad kid at all. Not like Naruto and Kiba anyway. Acording to Kiba, Shino's loner tendencies were due to simple shyness. And he would know, as Kiba and Shino seemed to grow close after they opted to join the Environmental Club separately in high school, which happened to be run by Kurenai-sensei. And that's all Shikamaru really knew, because when Kiba would come out and about Shino hardly ever came. Kiba could be pushy, which is how Shikamaru suspected the pair became friends in the first place, but apparently not enough to enjoy a party or things like that together outside of school... Maybe once or twice? Not even at Naruto's insistence could make him a regular, as Naruto was... an "unofficial" member of the Environment Club. Meaning he'd just crash the club's outings when they did plant specific activities. Naruto had a green thumb after all.

Actually, it always seemed like Kiba and Naruto were those extroverts that had the habit of adopting introvert friends so to speak. Funnily enough, their respective adoptees had already known each other too. But Sasuke was even LESS friendlier than Shino, and even Shino seemed annoyed with him, one of those rare times he let his thoughts show in his expression...

But today, in the yellowish glow of the classroom lights... something was definitely different. From his smoothed out hair tied up into modern bun on his hatless head and his open, light duty trenchcoat that really... accentuated his very... broad, adult figure... It was most definitely different... but the most dynamic change of all had to be that Shikamaru had never seen Shino so soft in the face before. Behind those shades, he looked... relaxed, and when he spoke, it sounded so... nice? Definitely not a bad thing at all...

And suddenly there was a hand in front of Shikamaru's face.

"-kamru...Shikamaru?"

"HUH!? What?"

... Oh... Hell, he spaced out.

"... Shikamaru, are you okay? Busy day at work at the hospital maybe?"

HUH!? How did Shino know that? "Uh! Yeah, kinda..." he shook his head, "Well no, that's not it, today was actually my day off. I worked yesterday. Still a little out of it looks like," he added with a casual chuckle. At least he hoped he sounded casual.

Shino frowned, eyebrows knit into concern. Ah man, how embarrassing! Had Shikamaru been caught starting with a dopey look on his face?

"... I'm sorry, maybe extra credit was a bad idea this time around. Mirai is so dutiful, I didn't mean for anyone to be dragged here."

"What? No way, I wasn't dragged here. Mirai is my Goddaughter, Shino, so I'm perfectly ready to be informed about her progress. I agreed to come, it's no big deal."

The now teacher looked at Shikamaru with a slight head tilt to the right... And then another small smile. Wow, he really had to stop doing that!

"Well, all in all, Mirai is actually doing very well. She already excels in her studies and is easily one of our most engaged and top students at this time. She's still young, but she shows a lot of scholarly promise."

"Ah, I see. Do... do you see any areas in need of improvement?"

"Well, there's always room for improvement of course. But in Mirai's case..."

Shino looked over at Mirai who was at the snack table. She had walked over to get a couple of cookies and was seemingly cornered by a classmate into a chat.

"... I think, she could benefit from some encouragement to be more social."

"More social?"

Shikamaru followed Shino's gaze and saw Mirai talking to her classmate, her expression showing patience more than anything... It looked like the other little girl was chatting up a storm.

"Don't misunderstand, she's definitely a team player and is very respectful. However, her maturity level is above many of her classmates. As a result, she tends to prefer to study on her own..."

Well, that rang a bell. Shikamaru could've sworn that Shino was the same way back then. But Mirai didn't resemble Shino at all.

"Is she quiet?" Shikamaru asked.

"Oh, no, thankfully she's still quite engaged. If anything, sometimes she may overthink things. I've noted she's a bit of a perfectionist, and so is actually a little slower on average during tests, but she's an avid question asker too. If she just had some more confidence in her self and would... relax a little more, I think it'd be good for her. She's still a kid after all, she should feel allowed to act like one."

That was a strange thing to say... Did Mirai... not feel okay?

"... She's Kurenai-sensei's daughter, so I try not to favor her. It's kind of hard when she used to ride on my shoulders during reunions and things like that though."

Shino gives a small, warm smile in Mirai's direction. And Shikamaru is kind of touched. Despite the shades, his fondness for Mirai is so obvious. It makes Shikamaru glad to know she has Shino to come to during school time. At least that was something....

Then, Shino turned back to Shikamaru, who was TOTALLY not staring just now.

"But it's necessary. She's... too comfortable with me... If earlier didn't make that obvious."

Shikamaru did have it in his mind to scold Mirai about that, but that was a talk for later. More private.

"I had meant to bring this up with Kurenai, but Mirai also... has had a habit of staying in the classroom during lunch and recess. I've had to move to the teacher's lounge during just to get her outside..."

"What? Really?"

Shino nodded, eyebrows knitted and a smile that showed a regretful sympathy.

"... I wonder what that could be about..."

"I suppose some kids find it hard to socialize, but she needs a more... balanced perception of boundries. In no time, she'll have her own mother for a teacher too. Otherwise, she's generally doing pretty well."

Shit. Shino was thinking way ahead, Kurenai was a high school teacher. But... he was right, this couldn't be allowed to go on.

"Shikamaru?"

"Hm? Yes?"

"Did you have any more questions?"

"Uh... No, I... don't think so. But, even though I'm sure you don't have to be asked, please, continue to take care of her."

Shino perked up a little at that before smiling at Shikamaru again! It made it hard to stare him in the face, "Of course."

... Damn... Was Shino's smile... always this cute?

"Shikamaru! I brought you a cookie."

"Oh, thank-you."

"Did you want one too Buggy... I mean... Shino... sensei?"

"... Buggy?" Shikamaru repeated.

"... Ah, Sensei I'm sorry, I did it again...!"

Shino pat Mirai's head, and gave a small chuckle even. Shikamaru was all ears, "It's okay Mirai, I'm know you're trying. No offense taken."

"I really am, I promise!" she assured, "So did you want one?"

"No thank-you Mirai, it's for the guests. You go ahead."

"Okay, sensei."

Shikamaru couldn't help it. He just had to say something.

"Hey Shino."

"Yes?"

"You must be pretty suited to teaching."

"Oh? What makes you sat that?"

"I mean... It's been a while. Actually it's been a long time, but... well, I don't think I've ever seen you quite like this before..."

"Pardon?"

"I dunno, you just seem... Very much in your element here. I'm glad the whole instructor thing really worked out. You've been here for a few years already, haven't you?

"Oh... Thank-you, Shikamaru... And yes, I have. I appreciate that."

This time Shino GRINNED. And Shikamaru suddenly was very aware of his... jawline... uh...

"Y-Yeah, of course! Well, I'm sure there's other parents you need to talk to..."

"Right, that is true." A couple more stragglers had come in.

"But here, hold on a sec," Shikamaru pulled out his phone, "I don't think we've ever traded information before. Wanna trade now? I'll send you a text back."

"Oh," Shino was a bit surprised, "Um. Okay, sure."

After getting his number, Shikamaru sent a text and could hear one of Shino's pockets vibrate.

"There, all set! Thanks for talking with me, Shino."

"Thank-you for coming. And if you're not terribly busy, I trust you will be the one to come when Kurenai-sensei is unavailable?"

"Yes. Yes, that'll be the plan," Shikamaru decided right then and there.

"Alright, thank-you Shikamaru."

"No, thank-you. C'mon Mirai, let's go. Goodbye, Shino.

"Bye Shino-sensei!"

"Goodbye."

-

"Shikamaru! Can we go eat something? I'm starving!"

"What do you want?"

"Yakisoba!!"

"Haha, alright, sure."

Mirai gave Shikamaru a sudden and huge hug.

"Whoa, what's up?"

"I'm just so happy you came, Shikamaru! So thank-you!" she beamed.

It tugged on Shikamaru's heartstrings a bit. She really had missed him, huh? "You don't have to thank me, Mirai, but your welcome anyway. C'mon, let's go."

"It was nice that you and Shino-sensei got to see each other again too, don't you think?"

"Uh, yeah, it was quite the surprise. But a welcomed one."

Hmmm... It looks like Kurenai was gonna have to be unavailable for the next few parent-teacher nights....

••

I kept tweaking it and tweaking it until I decided to simply stop. So sorry for any grammar or syntax errors, but I just needed to get this out of my system haha

[smol-and-grumpy]

Light My Fire - CH08

Pairing: CEO!Dean Winchester x Reader

Summary: She always thought her boss was an ill-tempered man, but when he presents her with a proposition she can’t quite deny, she gets to know him better. It’s not bad, right? Because all she has to do is being fake married to him for six months, sounds do-able, right? Right.

Warnings: Fluff, maybe a tiny sprinkle of angst

WC: 2649

Please share your thoughts with me, I’d love to hear your feedback.

Beta’d by @deanwanddamons​​​​​​ <3

SERIES MATSTERLIST 

BECOME A PATRON ~ BUY ME A COFFEE

The next morning, Y/N walks out of her room, dressed and ready to go to work at precisely 7.30am. She figured that she doesn’t have to get up as early as she did, because she basically lives a ten minutes walk away from the office. She’s early enough to be at the office at 8.00am and there’s still plenty of time to get a coffee into her system first. 

Opening the door of her bedroom, she catches a whiff of Dean’s cologne and takes a deep breath. She doesn’t know why, but she loves it. There aren’t a lot of men’s cologne that she likes. The boys in the office don’t smell that good and Donatello’s cologne always makes her gag. That’s why she isn’t going near him if she can avoid it. She always likes Dean’s, though.

Rounding the corner into the living space she’s surprised to see Dean standing by the kitchen island. He’s usually already in the office at this time of the morning. 

There’s a newspaper spread in front of him and he takes another sip of his coffee with a frown. When he notices her, he looks up, the frown evens out and there’s even a little smile decorating his face. She can probably count herself lucky that he’s in a good mood this morning, “Hey,”

“Why are you still here?” It’s her turn to frown because she did not expect him.

She walks over to the machine and Dean opens his mouth to speak but she pushes the button and the machine gurgles loudly. He has to chuckle and he takes another sip of his coffee, waits until the machine stops being so loud. 

When her coffee’s ready, Dean speaks, “Thought we could go in together. We’re married, remember?”

Cocking an eyebrow she looks at him, “I do, but you’re still the CEO and you have a job to do.”

“Eh,” Dean shrugs, “There’s nothing I can’t do with my phone.” He waves his phone to emphasize it. “How are you feeling?”

She drinks half her coffee in one go because she doesn’t want to keep Dean here longer than he has to be. Wants to get going, because she knows how important it is for him to be on time which is before all his other employees start. She holds her mouth when she burns her tongue, “Ow,”. Definitely shouldn’t have drank it that fast.

“What?” He frowns. 

“I just—” She pauses to trail her tongue along in her mouth, “Burned my tongue because I drank too fast.” 

Dean has to chuckle, “You really don’t have to hurry,”

Y/N frowns at him some more, “Duh, I do? You’re waiting for me and I don’t want you to be late.”

“Jesus,” Dean walks over to her, comes to stand a mere inch away and cups her chin between his fingers, tilting her head up to look at him, “I really don’t mind, okay?”

She nods and Dean smiles, the crinkles around his eyes showing. 

His hands go to the back of her neck, thumb stroking along her jawline. “Did you hurt yourself?”

“Uh-huh,” She says, her tongue still feels rough inside of her mouth and she doesn’t feel like talking. 

Dean grins, “Where?”

She points her index finger to her mouth and Dean grins some more, leans down, presses his soft lips on hers. 

There’s fluttering in her stomach. Why does it flutter? What the fuck is he doing to her?

“Better?” He asks but he doesn’t move away, his lips still ghosts over hers, his coffee breath mingling with her own. 

“Tongue,” She manages to say without opening her mouth too much but she leaves her lips parted a little.

“Show me,” Dean demands, and watches her open her mouth. She sticks out her burned tongue. 

He inspects it at first but then he moves closer, his lips seals around her tongue as he sucks it in. She can’t lie about it. It really does feel good. Dean’s tongue and mouth is smooth against her burned one. 

It feels good but it’s also very bad because now she can’t quite get enough of it and Dean seems to have the same problem because his hands are on her ass and he goes further down, grabs her thighs and lifts her up to sit on the kitchen island. He slots himself between her thighs, kisses her rough and hard, bites down on her bottom lip, making her yelp, and she can hear him chuckle against her mouth. 

“We should go,” She breathes against his lips, feels a little more than out of breath. 

Dean grins, pecks her lips twice more before he takes a step back to look at her, “You look as if you just kissed your boss,”

She swats at his chest, “Seriously, we should get going.”

“Yeah,” Dean agrees, helps her down onto her feet before he takes his jacket and puts it on, “Gabe’s already waiting.”

Y/N frowns at him, “You drive to work?”

He looks at her dumbfounded, “Yeah?”

“Dean, you literally only need to walk two blocks.”

“Wait, does that mean that you wanna walk?”

“Duh,” She grabs her bag and walks to the door, “I mean, you can let Gabe drive you but I’m going to walk. It’s such a beautiful day out.”

Dean’s already on his phone before she can even finish her sentence, “Yeah, Gabe. We’re going to take a walk. I’ll call you when I need you.” He follows her out and locks the door behind him, “Are you happy now?”

She stops in front of the elevator and turns to smile at him, “Yeah.”

*

Dean takes her hand when they step out of his apartment building. She knows it’s for show but it feels real. And it feels good. 

“You know,” Dean tilts his head down to look at her, “I’ve never walked to the office,” He pauses to think, “No, actually, that’s not true. I ran yesterday when I thought that you were leaving. And then I ran back.” 

Yeah, she remembers that. She was so mad at him yesterday and he walked right out of a fucking meeting to stop her from leaving.

“You should do it more often. It’s really a nice stroll. I wish I could live close to the office so I wouldn’t have to be stuck in traffic.”

They start to talk on the way and they walk slower past the coffee shop close to his company. That’s the place she used to work before Dean offered her the job. She wonders if he remembers it too. 

*

They arrive on the office floor together with her hand in Dean’s. In fact, he never let go off her the whole way here. Some people are staring and it makes her feel a little uncomfortable. 

When they arrive at her desk, Ruby’s already grinning at her and Dean. Her grin is wide, bright. Y/N frowns at her friend who’s grin just got even brighter.

“So, have a great start,” Dean says and she feels awkward going back to what they were before the whole friends with benefits thing. To what they were before she agreed to be his fake fucking wife. 

“Thanks, do you need me to do something urgent today?” Y/N hears Ruby giggling and turns to her friend, “You, shush!”

She looks back at Dean and sees him holding back his laugh as well. 

“Oh my god, you guys are unbelievable!” She rolls her eyes and Dean pulls her close by her waist, kisses her cheek and her face literally lights up. What is he thinking? Everyone can see!

“I want you to go over my schedule. Cancel whatever I have at lunch. Was thinking we can go get lunch together.”

“Okay,” She nods, and adds, “sir.” 

Dean’s eyes widen and he has to clear his throat upon hearing her address him formally again, “Right. And oh, get me coffee, please? I miss your coffees.”

He turns to Ruby, “No, offense,”

“None taken,” Ruby shrugs it off.

“Sure thing,” She turns around to sit but Dean stops her, his grip tight on her waist. He pulls her against him with force and plants a kiss square on her lips. She turns to putty in his arms and she can hear someone gasping from a distance. She thinks she can hear Ruby whimpering, too. She can’t be sure because, she’s lost in Dean’s kiss again and it drowns out all the other noises around her.

“Good,” Dean whispers when he parts, pecks her wet lips once more before he steps away and lets her sit down. He clears his throat before he walks to his office, “I’ll be in my office.”

When Dean closes the door to his office, Ruby’s on her case right away.

“What the fucking fuck is going on? Oh my god, you gotta tell me! Are you two doing what I think you’re doing?” There’s a smirk on her friends face and she even wriggles with her eyebrows.

“Shhhh!” She hisses at Ruby because she’s so fucking loud, “I’m his wife remember? Of course we do—” She gestures widely with her hands, “—things!”

Ruby snorts out a laugh, “That’s why he was in such a good mood yesterday! Although he nearly fired me.”

Y/N starts her computer and types in her password, “Yeah, what was that all about? He told me that he almost fired you.”

“It was really a stupid thing. He apologized, though. So it’s okay.”

“Aaaand you don’t wanna tell me why because…” She raises her eyebrow at Ruby.

“Your brother called and Mr. Winchester got mad because I didn’t interrupt him and put Jack straight through to him.”

“What?!” Y/N’s mouth stands agape.

“Yeah,” Ruby sighs, “Like we both know how he is when he gets interrupted when he’s in a meeting.”

That’s true. Ruby’s not wrong. Dean absolutely hates when someone interrupts him when he’s in a meeting because that would divert his attention and it’s hard for him to clear his head again to focus on the matter at hand. That’s why she was also baffled that he left a meeting just to make sure that she won’t leave. 

“So, tell me,” Ruby grins up from her screen, “Does he have a stick up his ass?”

*

The first day back at work was okay. She has spent her breaks with Ruby and filled her in on everything Ruby wanted to know. Maybe not really everything though, because there are things she likes to keep to herself. Like that they already had sex and that Dean ate her out, and that they decided to be friends with benefits. 

Dean took her out for lunch and they went to grab a burger around the corner. The people warmed up to the idea that she’s his wife too. At least she hasn’t heard anyone saying bad things about her, not even behind her back, and if they do, she is sure that once Ruby got wind of it, Ruby will give them an earful. 

Y/N’s on her way home after a long and stressful day. Turns out that she was more needed than she first thought she would be. She’s walking home alone this time, because Dean went straight to a meeting he has with Sam about the marriage thing before Sam would meet with Amara, and she’s not needed. Even though Dean asked if she wanted to join, she really didn’t want to intrude.

Instead, she’s going to go out with Ruby tonight. Apparently, Ruby’s favorite bar is holding a karaoke night. 

Come with me, Ruby said. It’d be fun, Ruby said. And that’s why she’s on her way to change and then she’ll meet Ruby. She’s still allowed to do that, right? She’s allowed to go out and enjoy herself. Sam just said that she isn’t allowed to flirt or date or have sex. Things which she’s doing but basically with her fake husband who’s also her boss.

How did her life get so complicated?

*

Y/N turns up at the bar and she sees Ruby sitting at one of the little tables. Right in front of her is a mic stand and there’s a big monitor. Someone’s already singing too, some strange interpretation of Staying Alive.

Ruby waves at her when she sees her. 

“Oh my god, Ruby, seriously? Karaoke?” Y/N wrinkles her nose at her friend and Ruby just shrugs and takes a sip of her drink. 

“Drink some, it’ll be funnier if you do!” Ruby shouts out above the music.

It seems to be a good idea, so Y/N orders herself a gin. 

After about her third gin, she can see that Ruby’s right. It really is much more fun if you’re tipsy. She’s still not drunk enough to go and sing herself, though. But she bets that she can talk Ruby into singing. 

The people who go up to sing are either drunk or — no, they are definitely all drunk. Some more than others. It’s funny, really. She likes the atmosphere and she thinks that it’s probably not going to be the last time that she’s going to come here. 

Her phone lights up when someone finishes their own version of I Will Always Love You, and she takes a look at her screen to see that it’s Dean.

He had called her too, apparently, because she has two missed calls from him. She was so lost in having a good time that she didn’t even feel her phone vibrating and it’s just pure luck that she sees it now.

 D: What are you up to?

Y/N: I’m at a bar with Ruby. You?

D: Meeting just finished. What bar?

Y/N: 7th street. O’Malleys. They are having a karaoke night.

D: Oh no, you need to be drunk for these kinds of things. Are you drunk?

Y/N: Not yet.

D: Good, I'll be coming with Sam.

Y/N: You really wanna come and listen to other people singing?

D: Hey, a bar is a bar

 She laughs to herself and sees Ruby raising an eyebrow at her, “Dean said he’ll be coming too and he brings Sam.”

“Oh my god, Sam is coming? Shit,” Ruby threads her fingers through her hair, tucks strands behind her ear and rights her cleavage, “How do I look?”

“You look absolutely stunning,” Y/N says, she’s already feeling light headed, “All the women want to be like you and all the men want to be with you.” There’s a cheeky grin on her face as she eyes Ruby who’s frowning a little.

“Ha-ha, shut up.” Ruby hisses grumpily, “I really like Sam. You think he’s still single? Is he looking for something? I don’t even mind a one night stand, I just wanna feel his cock inside of me.”

“Oh my god, Ruby!”

The other woman shrugs, “What? I know what I want, okay? I’m not ashamed of it.” 

“You’re drunk.” Y/N says teasingly.

Ruby raises her eyebrow, “Oh come on, don’t tell me you haven’t been thinking the same about the bossman. Who, by the way, I would also like to spend a night with but he’s off limits now.”

Yeah, because he’s married to her, she thinks. But even if he’s not she would probably be more than jealous if Ruby had something going on with Dean.

Y/N takes her friend’s hand, and looks her in the eye, “Ruby baby, honestly? You look great and if Sam’s single, he would be an idiot not to want you.”

“You think so?”

She nods at Ruby, “I think so. You’re so fucking pretty, sometimes it makes me jealous that you get all the attention.”

“Now you’re just crawling up my ass.” Ruby snorts. 

“Hey, it’s warm and cozy in here.”

CH09

[hazbinextgeneration]

Into The Casino Ch14

(Disclaimer: The two songs Hey Pachuco and Sway and the lyrics sung are in NO way mine or my property. They all belong to their rightful owners: One being from the soundtrack from the movie The Mask, and the other performed by Pablo Beltrán Ruiz BUT for this I used the glee version of Sway performed by the glee cast. I used them just for the characters to dance and sing to, the dances performed also have no name and I just made them up but some were inspired by movies. I own NOTHING!! Thanks for reading. If you wanna get a good idea for the first swing dance, watch the dancing part from The Mask at the Cocobongo.) True to Disease's words, he kept a much closer eye on the sulking unicorn for the rest of their stay there. Which wasn't too long. He ate and talked a little more with this Dolly person, but he still snapped his head to her every five to ten minutes and she still sat there. Looking disappointed and bored, but he seemed happy with that. You wouldn't imagine her relief when he finally decided it would be the best time to leave and they were finally able to go home. Lou was..very delighted to see them back home, smile wide and gave an expected look to Disease once Cyber lead the sad looking gal away.

"Well? You didn't let any 'mishaps' happen did you?" Those red eyes narrowed. Disease just waved a hand. "Psh. You kidding me? She didn't find out anything she wanted. Asssk her yourself if ya don't believe me." And he did, but in a casual way not wanting to seem suspicious. Asking questions like: So how was your trip? Was Disease acting in a rude manner? Did anyone touch her?...Did she get to speak with Rita and was the conversation to her liking? She just answered no to most. Always keeping ears back and avoiding eye contact, which he was pretty suspicious of. But he didn't push it too hard. She wasn't acting too different from when they left and she still aloud him near and gave him the same treatment as before, but he still couldn't be too sure. So he asked the question, would you want to go back? And her answer was exactly what he wanted to hear. "...No. It's too loud and reeks of bad choices. I'd rather not get anymore headaches." His smile couldn't have been any bigger and happier. Almost all suspicions thrown out the window...almost. But he could deal with them later. He had more important things to think about, like if he wanted his future garden to have one section of red roses and another for mixed colored roses, or if she should just mix all the different rose bushes together into one multicolored section. My, my the choices were plentiful. But thanks to her little plan, he was on higher alert, he unfortunately couldn't spare Cyber very often, so it was up to Disease to keep an eye on her, and fortunately he didn't object...But it was starting to become obviously suspicious to her when she found him peeping into her doorknobs keyhole, and the next day he had found a wad of gum shoved into it....Dammit Disease! But it was obvious she was al least behaving. But time flies fast when you were doing the same boring routine was it not? So she couldn't really have been surprised one day when Lou of course delivered the same list of usual things to do but asked the question, "By chance, do you know ballroom dancing?" Her purple eyes blinked up at him in surprise as she slowly took the list from him. "Um..Y-Yes? I-It was one of the things my tutor insisted I learn, b-but I haven't done it in years." The taller demon hummed, bringing a hand to his chin. Well this wouldn't do. Not at all, which was exactly why he told her to drop by his main office first thing next morning, he'd have a surprise for her. She only rose a brow in confusion when the plant demon happily walked away from her and down the hallway. Most likely to greet more guests or whatever he did when she wasn't looking-...Unknownst to her, he was meeting Cyber in the back. Meeting with the slug from a few days ago. The back alleys were perfect for this sort of thing. Narrow enough so no one could ambush them, but just the perfect size to dispose of him if things went sour. The man was there alright. With an armful of something wrapped in an old dirty cloth, looked quite old. Once those red eyes hit him the man simply...Dumped them. Literally. The man threw the things to his and Cyber's feet without a care in the world and crossed his arms. ..Lou's smile wavering. He's had some rude dealers before but this man was as patient as a hellhound starving for nearly a month, he almost didn't make a deal with him because of how rude and ungrateful he was. It took everything he had to NOT feed him to his plants or have Cyber cut him down into little pieces, because at the time he was already feeling anxious and annoyed at the situation his little pet decided to put him through, but he held it up pretty well- A small clanging noise brought him back when Cyber nudged the wrapped up things with her foot. It felt hard and with the same foot, she caught the edge of the tarp on it and kicked it off. What was inside...was not what they were expecting. Angelic spears absolutely. But these ones...They looked rather old and worn. Rust creeping up on some of them. Lou rose a brow and gave the man a look. "...Really?" He shrugged. "I never said they were in completely perfect condition. I only said they've worked for as long as I've used them, which was quite a lot. Now do you want them or not?" Lou almost gave a growl but instead calmly looked to Cyber who by then was kneeling down and giving the things a calculating look....One of her hands reached down slowly to poke one of the blade tips. A small burning sound was instant when her fingertip touched one of the dull blades and as a result she instantly pulled back and peered up at him. A wide smile spreading over his features. Perfect. Well almost perfect, but he was sure Midnight could polish these things back to normal. A small price to pay for any angelic weapons he could get his hands on..and speaking of pay. The man was standing there obviously expecting something in return. So with a chuckle Lou reached behind his back and pulled out what he wanted, a small jar full of small round orbs. Lou tossed it to the demon who snatched it and grin that disgusting grin at him. "Pleaser doing business with ya." "Yes, yes. Please leave the premise immediately." Lou narrowed his eyes just as the man turned and began leaving..snapping his fingers, a small green vine came out of the back doorway he was standing in and wrapped itself around the weapons in question, bringing them inside before Lou turned to Cyber. "..Recollect those souls will you? I'm needed back on the floor before someone suspects something." He nodded and began off after the man in the same direction. "And do be quick about it. I wouldn't anyone 'specific' noticing." ****************************************************************************************************** Soon enough the day had come to a close and the familiar jar of souls was sitting on top of his desk as he hummed and happily signed away at a few papers, except maybe a new soul had been added to the collection. Cyber did an excellent job as always, but he couldn't care less about the souls for the moment. Right now he had someone on their way and he was dying to get started on the practice he wanted to do, all he needed was the lucky young lady. A few knocks at the door and a nervous shuffling had gotten his attention. The jar of orbs was easily hidden back into a desk drawer and papers were neatly shuffled in his hands. "Come in, Dear." The door slowly opened and much to his delight, purple eyes blinked back to him in confusion. He geatured to the chair in front of him and she slowly walked in. The door closing with a click behind her. Once her body sat down in the chair he chuckled. "Now. You're probably wondering why you're hear, yes?" She nodded yes. She really was. She didn't think she did anything wrong. The list of chores was always done, the paperwork always organized, and other than yelling at Disease when her eye caught him staring at her, she hadn't done anything wrong or acted in any rude manner. So another thought reached her mind, had he or Disease found out about her meeting with Charles?! Was she in trouble!? Was he gonna throw her out!? ..Or worse?! The guilt knotted up and twisted in her stomach and kept her from saying or doing anything else for the rest of yesterday and didn't let her get a good night's sleep. It took all the nerves she had to not stay under her covers, and maybe because Cyber forced her out, and to never knock let alone come in. But he didn't look mad at all, if anything he looked genuinely happy as he stood up. "As I am aware you're not exactly up to speed with dancing yes?" She nodded as he walked around to her seat with a smile. "Well, we can't have you rusty, as I do intend to have a grand time there, and as a man who appreciates the fine arts, I couldn't just stand by and watch you flail around like Disease on alcohol? No, no." He smile leaned down and his hand quickly went to grab hers. "Which is why you and me are going to practice dancing of course." She didn't know whether to be suddenly more releived or suddenly more horrified. Her? Him? Dancing?! Together?! Her mouth dropping slightly opened and he chuckled, only snapping back to it when he pulled her to her feet. "I-I-...You-..Me-..W-WHAT?!" "You heard me, and I won't take no as an answer." Her stunned body was pulled along as he walked her to the door. Big smile on his face. The nervous feeling in her stomach came back ten times as hard as the sudden seriousness of the situation hit her. He was serious about her dancing, and she hadn't even danced in....What? fifty, sixty years?! But he didn't seem to notice her rising fears as he opened the door and walked her out. She was lead down the hall and up to the another larger part of the building she hadn't been down before, not that she wouldn't have explored if Disease was always on her tail. But she blinked when the doors they passed became slightly bigger and the hallway widened slightly, they were too big to have bedrooms or normal bedrooms. Perhaps one of these was Midnight's lab? Sensing her curiousity he chuckled. "These are places I usually host gatherings or are for my personal entertainment. You'll see soon. Now let's see." He hummed eyeing the doors to the left of the hallway, his free hand reaching up hovering in the air as they passed, and his brow raising. Until he finally stopped her. "Ah! Here we are!" "H-Here where?" He chuckled and let go of her. Not answering as he grabbed both doors and pushed them open. Bright lights overhead lit up and what they shown was an absolute marvel. Polished wooden floors different from the rest of the casino shined up at their owner as he walked along them, almost showing his reflection in the pale tan wood. The walls were just as pretty as the floor she noticed when she leaned her head in, beautiful wall paper showed a painted on scenes of a walk in garden. For all she new perhaps they were famous gardens on the living world long forgotten. A large crystal chandelier was connected to the ceiling but this one was much smaller and styled differently than the giant ones in the casino and lobby. She blinked and looked around. To the far left side was ..Well she guessed it must've been what Cyber told her was a jukebox, it didn't look old though. In fact this jukebox looked as if someone tuned it up to look more advanced, and next to it was something she definitely something she recognized. A record player! It's tuba like horn attatched to it's table body and crack lever were undyeable and so was the giant shelf of records next to them. They must've been for the jukebox and record players. She tilted her head and only looked back to Lou when she heard his footsteps walking somewhere. She blinked and watched curiously as he started towards the two music making machines she was staring at. Tail swishing behind him as his eyes immediately scanned some of the selections all the while humming. Red talons glazing across the thin black disks before stopping and pulling one plain looking record out from one of the middle shelves. "Well? Come in and we shall get started," he motioned for her to come in with one hand as he made his way to the record player. She..reluctantly did as he carefully placed the round disk onto the machine and using his other arm, carefully reached over and began cranking the lever to wind the music box she blinked as the small needle was placed onto the record that had started spinning and a weird tuba noise came out of the giant horn before the small beginnings of violins and a flute made their debut out of it. And she blinked...This just wasn't ballroom music. It was a waltz. And Lou gave a content sigh as he took off his hat, throwing it ontop of the shelf before turning to her. "Now. Why don't we begin with a few simple steps?" Her eyes widened. "W-Wait. N-Now!? B-But I haven't-" "Shush. I told you Im not taking a no to this. If it helps, Just think of this as a small assignment to help ME instead of you practicing. It might help if you pretend you're not." He made a grab for her waist- Which resulted in her flinching and jumping a few feet away. Both pausing and staring at each other for a few moments before he sighed. Reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose. "....Look. I completely understand your ...unease with me physically connecting with you, but it would mean a great deal to me if you would participate. ....After all. You DID say you would make it up to me for allowing you visitation to Rita's. And I never forget a promise." Her ears went back in guilt. Oh...Right. She did say that didn't she? So this time when he approached her again she didn't move. Slowly he reached a hand out and she allowed one hand on her hip and one to hold her hand in the typical dancing position, but he felt her tense under his grip for sure...Shakily lifting her hand up..moving it to his shoulder- She flinched slightly when he moved his shoulder closer to make contact with her hand...Ok. She could do this. It was just the two of them, in a close position that she hasn't been in in years and those red eyes and smile was just a couple inches away from her now...She gulped down the lump in her throat- "Who taught you how to dance in the first place?" She flinched and blinked up at him. She just calmly stared and his smile...wasn't like the wide smiles he always gave, instead it was smaller. Still there but it looked genuine. And he looked completely serious and interested in that question. "..U-Uh...M-My old t-tutor and her son did. T-They were very kind to me." He hummed. "Were you nervous then as well?" "Y-Yes. But they always made it fun." "Then why don't you pretend that moment's happening all over again." Her eyes blinked up at him. "Remember the beautiful times. Let it all come back. Can you do that?" She hesitated..But with a big inhale she slowly nodded. "Good." He tilted his head behind him as the music sounded like it would be coming to a close. And he shifted his hold on her, she lightly flinched again but he rolled his eyes. "Oh, relax. Im not going to bite, just follow my lead and you'll be swinging across the floor my dear.~...Just relax." She took in a big intake of air before letting it out, just as the final few violin and drum notes faded from the air. A couple more seconds wnt by before the record playing began repeating the music from the still spinning disk. True to his word. Lou gently began to push her and she also froze up then and there not used to having someone so close direct her body's movements but luckily she didn't trip on herself and forced her hooves to move along with him. Stiffly at first, but her mind forced herself to relax in his hold. Remember her. Remember giggling as a child. Remember the fun you had without your father scolding you for unlady like behavior...Remember the fun. To Lou's slight surprise and the easeness of his own body, she slowly began to relax within his hold. Making it easier for him to guide her and ease her steps. And soon the two of them were stepping in graceful circles across the floor, with her occasionally looking at their feet. It was when he started to lean and dip and little more in their swings when she lightly tensed up again but soon forcefully relaxed herself again. Until he attempted to spin her around, she reacted by giving a yelp and falling onto her knees on the first spin. She froze for a few seconds as the music still played and gave a sigh, giving a small jump when he placed a hand onto her shoulder and gave a smile. "I must say. For someone who hasn't danced for quite a while you did better than I expected." He grabbed her arm gently and lifted her back to her feet. Before repositioning themselves back into the same dancing stance. "Now. Once more from the top. And keep in mind that spins and swings are a part of waltzing, Darling. As are dips, but we'll work on just swaying and spinning for now. Your footwork while clumsy is more graceful than you give credit for." She blinked. Was he- Did he just compliment her or criticize her? Either way it didn't stop them from repeating the same steps as before when the music again restarted. "Remember. Relax. Trust in yourself." She kinda lost track of the amount of times they restarted after the third time, but he seemed genuinely happy to be swinging and reteaching her through the steps almost long forgotten. By the time of their fifteen( yes. HE had been keeping count of exactly how many times she messed up, he couldn't help it. It was in his nature to calculate his partner's moves. Especially after that small surprise she pulled.) restart. It seemed some of those memories were starting to come back as her steps started to become easier and she started to not tense up as much as say two hours ago, but she looked tired. So after he dipped her one last time, with her clutching onto his shoulders before he pulled her back up, he let go of her. She blinked as he reached out to straighten himself giving a snap of his red talons. "You dance devine my dear. But for now we're done." A green vine came out of nowhere wrapped around his top hat, which he graciously took before planting it back on top his head. "But you still need much more practice. I'll let you have the rest of the day off, but prepare yourself for tomorrow. We have less than three weeks, and I intend of making the most of that time." True to his word. Lou kept that promise. The very next day it was right back to it after she got something in her stomach. And again the same results. She still tensed under his hold and still messed up a few steps, once or twice stepping on his foot or god forbid his tail. He barely flinched when this happened but his brow did raise whenever it happened. Which did no good to her because all it did was make her very nervous and thus mess up more. By the fourth day of this he took her aside and tired something different, just swaying in graceful circles without spins or dips, which was much more better but he still felt her body tense and sometimes slightly shaking under him, which he was starting to find unpleasant but not annoying-....Yet. He prided himself on his skills and despite his doubts the two had gained a few steps but not much...Until he talked to Cyber about it all. But all she could offer was a shrug as she watched him shift through papers and stuff on his desk. 'I'll try talkin' to her about it later' was her response and if anyone could figure it out it was Cyber. So he left it in her hands. In the meantime between regular business and 'trying' to get the pony on her feet, he made regular trips to Midnight's lab to see if he could get progress on her fixing up those weapons....It was...Hard for her to do. She had to wear some kind of makeshift mask and gloves to keep any part of the sacred blades from burning or cutting her, and was trying to use any kind of polish and whatever she came up with to restore them to their once perfect state. Slow progress but they were getting there. ...Couldn't say the same for the dancing. Still as stiff and unprogressive as ever. To his dismay. And it was slowly until he noticed a whole week of nothing but barely any progress had passed and he pestered Cyber again for some kind of answer. She looked at him for a couple seconds before shrugging. "Well, whaddya expect? She doesn't like anyone touching her, you make her feel pressured, and she probably suppressed those memories after being chained who knows where for who knows how long. Instead of trying to force her to relax, why not find something about the subject that appeals to her?" It was like a lightbulb had went off in his head. And he smiled. OF COURSE!! Why hadn't he thought of that sooner?! Cyber was definitely a genius at times, and a smile reappeared on his face. So the very next day when she showed up for probably the eighth day, he was grinning ear to ear with a grin of his face compared to her sad and tired look. "Amalfia, my dear. Tell me, what music and dance do you really enjoy?" He asked once he started leading her off again and she blinked surprised at his strange question. Before shaking her head. "It's stupid, and really unlady like-" "Oh hush." He waved his hand. "I don't care if it's square dancing like drunken hill billys. If you enjoy it I want to know what you like. I want to get to know you better." Her eyes blinked surprised up to his face..but she again shook her head. "It's stupid like I said....But I r-really like s-swing?" He blinked back..and laughed, her head tilted curiously at him before his grin became more excited. "My dear little flower.~ You are speaking to someone who has basically mastered that art.~" To his delight. Her eyes lit up. "You..Y-You like swing?" He nodded and a small smile came to her. "And jazz?" He chuckled and nodded again. Delighted to get her attention and a smile on that little face of hers. Those purple eyes lit up like a darn holiday tree. "D-Do you..do you dance to it?" He stopped. Giving her an even bigger smile at the meer question. "My dear." His hand came to settle himself on the door. "I just said I mastered that art. But knowing you also enjoy it..heh. Well we know what we're doing today!" With a push both doors opened and he lead her over to the shelf, when he still tugged onto her arm and she blinked in surprise when he happily gestured to the swing labeled section."You may pick any you like?" "R-Really?," she gaped excitedly. "Yes, but in return. I expect to be able to dance with you to it. No buts. I enjoy a good dance with my dear lady. Deal?" She hesitated. Her father forbad her to even touch another record after he learnt about her tutor teaching her this 'new aged degenerate crap' as he put it and she only ever danced to it with her now most likely deceased friend. ....But your dad's not here a voice whispered. That smile appeared back to her face a bit. She..still had to let him hold her hand but..with swing..most of the moves required barely any contact beyond that. That thought accompanied by the feeling of the swinging jazz bands just a finger tip away...She happily turned to him and nodded yes to his request. In turn he smiled and gestured a hand to the shelf. She didn't hesitate to start looking at the records he presented to her. He patiently waited as she pulled one or two out, glanced over the titles of the songs written on them, before placing them back into place....Eventually she pulled one out near the end if the shelf, flipping it over in her hands, and turned back to look at him. His raised a brow. "Find something you like?" She gave it a nervous look over before handing it to him. He took it and read over the title: Hey Pachuco. With a smile he looked back to her in question. "Are you quite sure? This is fast paced and with your footwork being a bit...out of touch, I wouldn't want you hurting yourself." ...With a slow inhale and exhale, she nodded. "I-I..want to try again. And this time..I wanna do it for myself." He hummed and looked back to it for just a moment. "...Alright just get onto the floor, and don't be surprised by what we're about to do." She nodded and made her way to about the middle of the floor, just as he put the said recording in and began winding the lever up again, he seemed almost excited as he carefully put the needle on and tossed his hat away. Wouldn't be needing that with what he was about to do. The thing coughed a bit of static as he made a few steps before pausing a little ways away from her. She tilted her head when he didn't come any closer but paused when the sound of drums came a beating out and her ears immediately perked at the familiar sound. Lou however was already tapping his feet to the beat of those drums, when they started getting faster he finally bounced a few steps towards her before suddenly sliding and grabbing onto her. Dipping her just as trumpets blasted out of the drum beats. Which caught her completely off guard and making it easy for him to perform the next moves as the song sung out of the thing. When he suddenly brought her back up, one arm around her and one grabbing her arm, and in a tango like motion rocked them from side to side. Her brain still hadn't quite caught up yet and so it was easy for him to just suddenly push her away from him next time all the trumpets sounded at once, before pulling her and ducking under her arm so she was pushed away from him again- Only to have her unsuspecting self be pulled back into his embrace, and be given a small spin. She blinked, brain finally catching up a little but only enough to notice his actual...genuine happy smile- Only for him to expertly pull her back to him with a spin so her back was facing him, and she was made to do an actually cartwheel- Fear spiked in her as she was about to crash into the floor on her side, but that was swiftly dashed when she was again grabbed and half dragged half spun against the floor twice in a circle before being pulled up fast and spun out to where she managed to stay on her legs and finally give a look to him. His body still bouncing to the beat of the drums and trumpets as he gave her a half lidded look..Clearly saying: 'Well? Are you going to pick up the slack?' ..And she was quick to respond with a ...smug smile of her own. Oh! That made something in him feel only slightly challenged. So it was no surprise when the singer of the band finally started playing when he made another slide grab for her- Only for her to completely duck under him and grab his shoulder, turning him around just as the first 'HEY!' from the chorus shouted, he didn't seemed fazed at all as he grabbed her hand and the two came to a tap dance of sorts. Her almost perfectly mimicking him and him raising a brow at her attempts to catch up. The game was on! He brought her into a few more spins and she unexpectedly dodged some of his grabs at her and did some twirls of her own. Until he finally managed to grab her and to her surprise lift her almost onto his shoulder, making her spin in mid air before catching her and pushing her arm's length away again. This time when she was pulled back and made to do another cartwheel however- He caught her mid flip back into her feet and with strength she didn't know he had, he actually hoisted above him in the air. And spun around a few times as he pivoted on his heel, only for her to then be twisted around his body and pulled back up into a standing position. Spun out from him and shakily spin back onto her feet as a drum solo started up. As they beat, she took the moment to push her blonde and white hair from her face and look towards the still slightly bouncing and smiling demon. "...Well? Is that the best you can do?" He held out a hand to her. Fangs flashing. "Impress me!!" She smirked back. A look he hadn't seen on her but was quite interested to see! As her body suddenly began to bounce on it's own from his. And she did. When the trumpets came back, she slide right toward her and she ducked- But this time immediately popped back up and grabbed him. He was slightly surpised when HER of all people spun him back around and grabbed his hand and pulled. He spun out a little bit but immediately regained composure, quickly turning and grabbing her when she slid towards him. Lifting her up and then next to him. As if having the same thoughts, the mirrored the same in place movements with their arms and legs before both spinning, Lou's hand suddenly grabbing her's and taking her for multiple spins around himself. Before stopping and dipping her- Only to suddenly be thrown in the air twirling who knows how many time before falling back into his arms. Twisted around before making a final stop when he was- Oh gosh. Holding her bridal style and dipping her enough to where their faces were inches apart. Making her freeze. Just as the last few notes finally blasted out. Silence rang out as the two of them stared at each other. Her heart was hammering in her ears and her lungs taking quick breaths from her lungs..But him. he just grinned that half lidded studying grin at her...before slowly sitting himself back up and gently placing her back down. Her hooves met the ground with a small tapping sound and she felt wobbly. Smiling plastered on her face and her hand coming to clutch her chest. Lou was also breathing a bit faster from the rush, but was more calm and straightened himself out. until he heard a snort. He rose a brow to her and to his surprise another snort escaped her, and she covered her mouth...Before her eyes closed and a roar of happy laughter escaped her lungs. He stood there for a long moment...Before smiling back triumphantly at her once she finally got ahold of herself enough to look at her. Her face was twisted in a joyous shade of light pink and her eyes twinkled in a way he hadn't seen her do before now. "...Y-Y-You weren't kidding when you said you were a m-m-master at it." Her lungs heaved ad her arms clutched her stomach. " T-That was the most f-fun I've ever had down here!!" With that he gave a chuckle and gave a glance to his red talons. "But of course.~ I wouldn't lie about my skills.~ And if you enjoyed my dancing you should hear me sing-" "You-....You sing?" Her head was tilted at him curiously like a puppy before another smile graced her face. "M-May I see?" He stared at her a moment before humming, hand coming up to tap his chin. "Hm. I suppose so, but if I'm gonna work, then I expect another dance out of you. It's only fair." She happily nodded in agreement to his deal and he hummed in delight. After all, if he was going to sing for her then it was only fair she danced for him. The upbeat swing music was already starting to replay itself on the still spinning machine and the upbeat drums from before began drumming out, until Lou walked over to the record player and pulled the needle back up, effectively stopping the music with a record stopping sound. The machine seemed to stop moving as soon as the plant demon removed the needle. Before, with record delicately in hands, turned back to the shelf humming to himself and carefully slid the large black disk into it's proper place. Amalfia watched curiously as his eyes scanned the piles of records, until shifting back to the swing section.....His red finger pulled one record out near the front, and he curiously peered at the name written on it. It read: Sway. And he made a small 'mm-hm', before turning and placing it onto the machine. The lever cranked just as usually before he turned and with a few long strides made it to her. But unlike the few times before he rose a brow curiously..before giving a bow. She blinked a little caught off guard before catching up and giving a slight curtsy back- Before he pulled her into his form and into the same ballroom style stance as before. She still flinched under his touch, but too his utter delight, her body didn't tense up and she still had that goofball smile on her face. He chuckled as the music finally started up and it was a cha-cha like music with trumpets and at least one violin and cowbell. And he started by leading her across the floor and slightly rocking back and forth, before giving her a spin or two that she DIDN'T fall from this time and was pulled back against him as the music paused for one brief moment- "When marimba rythms start to play dance with me, make me sway.~" When he said 'sway' he really did sway her, but with a half dip so her body came back up and back into standing position and he moved her across the floor in graceful circles again. "Like a lazy ocean hugs the shore.~ Hold me close. Sway me more.~" Again the same half dip sway as he pulled her out arm's length- "Like a flower bending in the breeze, bend with me.~" He quickly pulled her back in with a full dip before pushing her back up with the next sentence. "Sway with ease.~" She. Was....Surprised. Yes. She heard quite a few big names and random men sing, and their voices were just lovely. But Lou's- Maybe it was just the way the walls were echoing his voice or the music accompanying it. Or maybe it was just not hearing anyone sing in the longest time...But coming from a demon with red eyes- His voice was absolutely heavenly, velvety smooth, and it was CLEAR this wasn't his first time singing like this. It had only been a few sentences but he acted like this was everyday living, his posture calm, and not showing the slightest ounce of unease. "When we dance, you have a way with me, stay with me.~'' He brought her back up and ran his red claws gently under her chin making her immediately turn pink as a result, before suddenly pushing her out and leading her in a circle at arm's length. "Sway with me.~ Other dancers may be on the floor. ~ Dear-" She was suddenly brought back in with a spin that put her back against him and he gave her a giant sly smirk before saying the next line. "-But my eyes will see only you.~" She was spun around again to face him with a another graceful circle. "Only you have that magic technique!~ When we sway I go weak!~" She was spun a few times as the trumpets and drums made three hard notes followed by another half second pause which ended her back facing him again. "I can hear the sounds of violins long before it begins.~" He moved from their stilled position by slowly rocking their bodies and slowly rotating them as if in a slow dance. "Make me thrill as you know how.~ Sway me smooth.~ Sway me now.~" Again that same half lidded genuine smile and her heart actually...Jumped? What? Her excitement and fun from the earlier dance, but he couldn't help but internally smirk at her clearly bedazzled eyes and pink cheeks. Oh his sweet little naïve weapon. If only you could see how cute you looked falling into your place on the puzzle. But he was true to his word, as he never turned down a good deal yet. And this one was a great deal. There was a brief pause in his singing with just the upbeat swing playing. During that time he made sure to sway her a few more times, giving the occasional spin, all with a smile on his face. But it was when he finally pulled her back in from a spin and held her against him did her face go from pink to red. "Other dancers may be on the floor.~ Dear.~ But my eyes will see only you.~" He took her for another spin on the word 'you', and kept her spinning as he sang out. "Only you got that magic technique.~ When we sway I go weak!~" The same three hard notes played out and on the last one he brought her back in yet another dip and she felt dizzy. But she wasn't sure if it was from the spinning or the way her head felt like the burning sun. "I can hear the sounds of violins-" He brought her back up into that slow dance swaying and rotating in a small circle. And they stayed like that for a while. "-long before it begins.~ Make me thrill as you know how.~ Sway me smooth.~ Sway me now.~ When marimba rythims start to play, dance with me. Make me sway.~ Like a lazy ocean hugs the shore, hold me close.~ Sway me more.~" The music completely stopped for a second and so did they. She just heard the beating of her own heart, and his smile and those red eyes stared right at her. "...Like a flower bending in the breeze!~" The trumpets came back on full blast and he pulled her away from him at arm's length. His voice now much louder than before but still not rough. If anything he was putting more passion into this as she was pulled back into him into a dip. "Bend with me!~ Sway with ease!~" At 'sway' he once again swung her around in a half circle before more spinning began. "When we dance, you have a way with me!~ Stay with me!~ Sway with ease!~" At the second 'sway' she was stopped and faced him again. "WHEN THE RYTHM STARTS TO PLAAAAY!!~ HOLD ME CLOSE!!~ MAKE ME SWAAAY!!~" At 'play' he did something different when he suddenly grabbed her leg and pulled it up, making her squeak. But when he sand 'hold me close' he pressed her against him gently, before dipping her at 'sway' again. "LIKE AN OCEAN HUGS THE SHOOORE!!~ HOLD ME CLOSE!!" He brought her up still holding her against him before actually lightly picking her up and twirling her around at the next 'sway'. "SWAY ME MOOORE!! LIKE A FLOWER BENDING IN THE BREEZE!!" She was suddenly again dipped at 'bend'. "BEND WITH MEEE!~ SWAY WITH EASE!!~" At 'sway' her leg was let loose as he simaltaniously swung her back up and his now free hand grabbed onto one of hers. And he pushed her out from him again. "WHEN WE DANCE YOU GOT A WAY WITH MEEE!!~ STAY WITH ME!!~" She was pulled back and spun around. "SWAY WITH MEEEEEEE!!~" She was stopped completely and suddenly pulled back against him just as the very last note was played out. And she was left staring into those red eyes for a few silent few seconds....before he chuckled and slowly let go of her. WIthout him supporting her against him, she wobbled back onto jelly feeling legs and brought her hands up. One pushing the hair from her eyes while the other coming to cup her still warm and red cheek. He however chuckled. ....It was STILL like he hadn't even broken a sweat and simply went to straighten himself up. Humming as he straightened his bow and walked back towards the record player just as the music once again started to replay on loop. The needle was plucked from the record and then said record was removed from the spinning platform, making the machine give the same record stopping sound and completely stop working. Humming as he moved to place it back onto the shelf. Still feeling the happiness of the woman behind him. Before chuckling again. Oh how he loved it when his plans went so smoothly! Midnight doubting his plan all along, but joke's on her now. He snapped his fingers and a random vine brought down his hat as he placed it back onto his head- He froze....Something had just wrapped around him. It was just maybe for two seconds before she flinched back away but it was enough to make all thoughts and body movements stop for a complete few seconds. ...His red eyes blinked and he slowly turned around to be faced with the red faced unicorn. She gave a nervous smile before looking away. "S-S-Sorry. I-I just wanted to t-thank you for t-t-the great time. Y-You s-s-sing beautifully." He still blinked before shaking it off and smiling at the compliment. "It's quite alright my dear. No harm done." His hand came to give a few pats to her shoulder. "And Im so delighted to hear you enjoyed our little session, as did I. After all we've been trying to do that little step for a while." Her face blinked back confused and he chuckled. "Oh my dear. Did you not realize? The same dance we had just done, was the very same waltz you've been tripping over for almost a week now." ......She blinked. That was- They were- THEY SAME WALTZ!? How did she not notice that?!..She must've been too distracted to notice but again slightly jumped when he put his hat on and slung an arm around her. Still chuckling at her pink cheeks. "You did wonderful progress, just as I said you would. And I never lie. But you still need plenty of practice before the big day, but for now. Let us get back to regular work. Shall we?~"

All characters besides Amalfia belongs to @palettepainter

[nikki-writes-stuff]

Chaser - Part Two

Pairing: Din Djarin (The Mandalorian) x Reader, Gang Leader!Din Djarin x Bartender!Reader

Summary: No one knows his name, and no one knows his face, but the man who leads one of the most powerful gangs in New York from behind an infamous mask is still feared throughout the city. You, on the other hand, are just a waitress at the club he owns, someone who’s only just barely dipped her toe into the treacherous water of New York’s underworld. But that doesn’t stop your boss from taking a liking to you, and if you weren’t so terrified of all that his attentions could mean for you, maybe you would notice that fear isn’t the only emotion your employer stirs up within you.

Your first week as a bartender passed in a blur of shouted orders and masked faces, but by the end of it you’d comfortably settled into a rhythm. You would show up, take your forty-five minute break at 1 am, and then work until 3:30. The music and the smoke had become normal for you, and your feet had stopped aching after your fifth day on the job despite the ungodly heels you still had to wear. All in all, you were content in your new routine; no amount of spilled drinks or sticky countertops could get your spirits down, especially not with the generous tips you’d started racking up.

You were surprised, however, when that first week passed with no other sign of the Boss. His right-hand-woman, Cara, was there most nights, sitting in the circle booth with a near-constant smile on her face. Despite her good humor, though, there was no denying the bulge of her muscles beneath the suits she liked to wear, and her smirks held the promise of a dangerous edge that was far from skin-deep. You were careful around her, making sure to avoid any blunders that could get you on her bad side, but she seemed more than content with the quality of your drinks.

It was only after your two days off at the end of that first week in your new position that you saw the Boss sitting with her once more, and when the time came, you felt more than saw his presence. The people sitting in the scattered dining tables kept glancing over their shoulders towards his table, speaking in hushed whispers with heads bent low towards one another. Quill, too, seemed to act differently; there was a tense line to his shoulders that you hadn’t noticed there before, and you only made it twenty minutes into your shift before your curiosity got the best of you.

“What’s going on?” you finally asked him, setting aside the glass you’d been polishing. “What has everyone so on-edge?”

The older man didn’t so much as glance in your direction as he poured a glass of wine so dark that it resembled blood, but the way his lips pressed tighter together told you that he’d heard.

“…The Hutts are back on their bullshit,” he eventually groused. “The Boss just got back from teaching ‘em a lesson.”

An icy jolt worked its way down your spine; the Hutts were perhaps the only crime syndicate that could rival the Mandalorians, and the history between the two gangs was far from friendly. Even civilians had heard of the territory wars back in the 90’s, before the Boss had risen to his current status. Unlike the Mandalorians, though, the Hutts couldn’t go much longer than a few months before testing their boundaries, usually to their detriment.

“Was anybody hurt?” you asked in a small voice, eyes cutting towards the smoke separating your gaze from the Boss’s table.

“A few; more of them than us,” Quill muttered. “Do yourself a favor and don’t say anything about it; the Boss has everything under control.”

You nodded distractedly, almost missing it when a drunken patron leaned against the bar and demanded another bourbon neat. You couldn’t deny the pang of worry you’d felt for the man who’d taken such an interest in you, as illogical as you knew it to be. The memory of his kindness and of his true, unfiltered voice had stuck with you ever since your meeting with him, and where you had once only felt fear towards the mobster, there was now a dark curiosity that seemed to encase his presence in your mind.

And so, when a waitress leaned over the bar about an hour later to tell you that Cara had ordered one of your long islands, a traitorous sliver of excitement creeped up your spine as you nodded and started mixing her drink. She’d had at least one of the alcoholic concoctions for every shift you worked, always making it a point to praise you for your skills after you’d deliver it to her table.

“Still the best damn long island I’ve ever had,” she’d smirk. “And I’ve had a lot of ‘em in my time.”

Now, after carefully placing a sugared lemon wedge on the lip of the glass, you made your way to her booth, your heartrate picking up when you made out the first flash of shiny plastic through the haze in the air. You felt the Boss’s eyes on you as you stepped up to Cara, and your cheeks heated up as you smiled between them and the other man at their table.

“There she is,” Cara grinned, her canines flashing in the low light.

“Hello, Cara,” you greeted her, setting the drink down in front of her. “How are you all this evening?”

“Better now,” she chuckled.

Your eyes flickered to the Boss as he tilted his head towards you, his gloved hands resting on the table in front of him.

“How have you been enjoying the bar?” he asked, and your fingers twitched as you shifted on your feet.

“I like it a lot, sir,” was your immediate reply. “I can’t thank you enough for the promotion.”

“Cara’s already thanked me plenty,” he chuckled. You could hear his smile in every syllable, and it made your own lips twitch as you lowered your gaze to the ground in front of you.

“I’m glad to hear-“

You were cut off when something slammed into you from behind, and had you not been able to catch yourself on the edge of the table, you would have face-planted onto the raised platform it was situated on. As you stumbled forward, though, you felt your left ankle roll in its high heel, and a pained gasp escaped your lips as you felt something in it pop.

Turning your head, you saw the same drunk man who’d ordered a bourbon neat from you earlier on the ground, having evidently tripped into you as he’d been fumbling his way to his table. He was half-laying, half-sitting in a small puddle of that very same drink, now, and his eyes were fighting to stay open as he slurred mumbled apologies up at you.

“So s’rry, ma’am,” he groaned, trying and failing to stand up. “Wasn’t lookin’ where I w’s goin’…”

The man sitting with the Boss stood up, adjusting his cufflinks before promptly grabbing the man by the front of his shirt and hauling him to his feet.

“I think you’ve had a bit too much, don’t you?” he grunted, his lips curled downwards into a scowl. “Don’t you think it’d be wise to go home?”

The drunkard nodded, his eyes going glassy as the room span with the motion, and your head turned towards the Boss upon hearing him clear his throat.

“Gideon, make sure he finds his way out without assaulting any other members of my staff, please,” he ordered, and the drunkard visibly paled at the thin layer of ice in his tone.

“S-sir, I’m so sorry-“

“It’s…it’s ok,” you interrupted, not sure whether you were assuring the man who’d unwittingly pushed you or the Boss. “Honest mistake.”

Even still, Gideon kept one hand fisted the poor sap’s shirt as he all but dragged him towards the exit, and it was then that you noticed the swarm of eyes that had fallen upon you as the other patrons watched the scene unfold. Feeling distinctly like a bug under a microscope, you moved to straighten up, only to slump over and grip the table as you tried to put weight on your twisted ankle.

“Shit,“ you hissed from behind clenched teeth, glancing down to see that your foot was already starting to swell.

“Are you hurt?”

Upon hearing the worry in your employer’s tone, you glanced up to see him leaning towards you on his elbows.

“…I think I might have sprained my ankle,” you admitted sheepishly.

“You mean he sprained your ankle,” he corrected, starting to pull himself around to the edge of the booth. Your eyes widened as he approached you, and once again you tried to settle some of your weight onto your bad foot, though you gave up hope of walking away as searing pain shot through it once more.

“…C’mon,” he said after a beat, holding out his hand. “Let’s get you off your feet.”

You dazedly felt him maneuver your arm around his shoulders, the dark blue satin of his suit brushing against your entire left side as his woodsy cologne filled your senses. His voice was loud in your ear as he instructed you to lean against him, and you clumsily complied, hobbling on one foot as the two of you slowly began trudging towards a hallway designated for employees only.

“Quill,” he called out as you passed the bar. “Bring a bag of ice to my office.”

You turned just in time to catch the way Quill’s eyes skipped between you and the Boss; puzzlingly, there was a note of suspicion in his gaze, though you couldn’t tell which one of you it was directed towards. It was gone in a flash, though, as his tanned, weathered hands hurried to finish the drink he’d been working on before following his employer’s order.

Once you’d left behind the thumping music of the main dining room, you started recognizing the halls leading to the same office you’d stood in a week previous, and you tried your hardest to focus on anything except the man who was now deeply in your personal space.

“You don’t have to help me,” you muttered lamely, feeling a stab of sheepish guilt from pulling the Boss away from his table.

“Well, something tells me you wouldn’t be able to walk on your own right now,” he grunted. You took in the way he had to hunch his shoulders for you to be able to get your arm around him, and you felt another pang of remorse for the crick that was no doubt starting to form in his neck.

“…Thank you.”

He nodded, his mask brushing against your shoulder as he did, and you fell into another tense silence as you turned the corner to his office. After fishing a ring of keys out of his jacket pocket and unlocking the door, he once more let you use him as a crutch until you were able to sink down onto his sofa. The black leather upholstery was cool against your legs as you settled down into it, and the Boss wordlessly turned to start gathering the throw pillows resting on the armchairs across the room.

“Here,” he said, stacking them on top of one another before gesturing towards your foot. “Elevate that for a while; it’s already starting to swell.”

You did as he instructed, leaning over to unbuckle your shoe and slip it off before settling your foot onto the pillows. Your back was pressed against the armrest behind you, and you let out a quiet huff of relief as your ankle momentarily stopped throbbing.

“I’m guessing it hurts?”

He didn’t give you an opportunity to reply before turning and marching over to his desk, and you watched in the large mirror as he pulled open a drawer and produced a bottle of pills.

“Can you take acetaminophen? Or I have ibuprofen, if you’d prefer.”

“Um… I’ll take the acetaminophen,” you replied. “Thank you.”

He brought over the bottle to you, pouring two capsules into your outstretched palm.

“…I don’t have any water for you to take those with,” he commented, sounding almost apologetic. “Need me to get you some?”

“Oh, no,” you assured him, popping the pills into your mouth and swallowing to prove your point. “But thank you.”

A small laugh crackled through his modulator as he went to place the painkillers back into his desk.

“You don’t need to keep thanking me,” he remarked. “I’m supposed to take care of my employees.”

He began to say something else, but it was then that Quill opened the door of the office with a small bag of ice in one hand and a rolled up length of bandage in the other.

“So, I’m guessing the last bourbon was one too many for him, huh?” he asked you, kneeling down beside your foot and setting the ice down onto it.

You jolted at the sudden cold temperature, your teeth clenching at the spark of pain it sent radiating upwards from your swollen flesh.

“I-I guess so,” you stammered, watching as he started to unravel the bandage.

“Hm.”

Without warning, the older man started poking gently at your ankle, keeping the ice pressed to it as he instructed you to try wiggling your toes. You complied despite the discomfort the movement caused, but you audibly yelped when he tried to guide you to move your foot.

“…Looks like a sprain,” he finally declared, though you would have been able to tell him that several minutes ago. “I’m gonna wrap it for you; make sure you stay off of it for the next few days or so.”

“But I have to-“

Your words dissolved into a pained groan when he started to wrap it, and you saw the Boss’s shoulders flinch at the sound.

“Don’t manhandle her, Quill,” he sighed brusquely, but the bartender didn’t so much as glance in his direction.

“She’ll be alright,” he assured him, looking up at you from behind his bushy eyebrows. “You’re tougher than you look, right?”

Despite the discomfort (and, yes, frustration that he wasn’t being gentler with your wound), you gave him a small smile and nodded.

“’Tis but a flesh wound,” you mumbled under your breath.

A soft laugh sounded from behind you, and you turned to watch your boss in the mirror.

“Monty Python, huh?”

“The one and only,” you confirmed.

When the bandage was secured tightly, Quill once more set the ice over your ankle before hauling himself to his feet with a grunt.

“Take the next few days off, kid,” he commanded you, holding up a hand to stop you before you could protest. “I think there might be some crutches in a supply closet somewhere; wait here ‘til I get back.”

With that, he turned on his heel and left, leaving you alone with the Boss once more. The heels of his shiny black shoes clicked against the concrete as he stalked over to one of the armchairs, and he lowered himself down into it with a sigh.

“Quill is an acquired taste,” he stated, drumming his fingers across one of the armrests. “But he means well.”

“I know,” you assured him. “He’s been nothing but kind to me since I started.”

The masked man tiled his head to the side, and you could imagine him arching an eyebrow at you from behind the T-shaped plane of black plastic.

“…Well, maybe a little grumpy, but still kind.”

“Grumpy,” he nodded. “An apt description.”

Awkward silence threatened to fill the space between you, and your mind raced as it searched for something to say.

You finally settled on, “Do you like owning this club?”, and he took a second to consider his answer.

“…It’s among the more benign parts of my job, I guess,” he replied after a moment. “But I don’t have much to do with running it. Quill is more of the owner than I am, even if my name is on the deed. Do you like working here?”

It was a loaded question, but the answer to it came easily enough.

“I do,” you answered him. “It took some getting used to, but it’s far from being the worst job I’ve ever had.”

“Is it the first job of yours that involves the mafia?”

Your eyes widened at his blunt line of questioning, and you gulped.

“I don’t know if mixing drinks and waiting tables counts as involvement with the mob,” you said carefully.

“Sure it does,” he insisted. “I’m sure you see at least a dozen arrestable offenses every day you come in to work.”

Your mind flashed to the lines of white powder and bags of pot you’d seen openly sprawled out on the tables of the various booths during your time as a waitress, and most of the people in the building, staff or otherwise, had a gun or some other weapon not-so-hidden somewhere on their person.

“…It doesn’t bother me as much as it did at first,” you said eventually. “And even then, it didn’t ‘bother’ so much as ‘surprise’.”

“Hm. And did you know what you were getting into when you took the job?”

You took in a shaky breath.

“I did. Did you, when you first started?”

In his initial moment of silence, you feared that the question had been too personal, but his shoulders hadn’t tensed in anger, nor had his body language shifted from the relaxed state it was in.

“…I did,” he echoed after a moment. “I started when I was young.”

“…I’m sorry,” you breathed. “That was a…pretty personal thing to ask-“

“It’s fine,” he waved you off, crossing one of his ankles over his knee. “It’s not like I hadn’t asked you personal questions first.”

The door opened again just a few moments after that, and Quill came bustling in with a pair of metal crutches tucked under his arm.

“Finally found the damn things,” he grunted. “Had to clean some blood offa them, but they should work just fine.”

You blinked slowly, trying to search for a sign on his face that he was joking, but there was none to be seen as he leaned them against the couch.

“…Thanks.”

“’Welcome,” he nodded. “You need help gettin’ to your car?”

“I… I don’t have a car,” you said, feeling your heart start to sink in realization. “I always take the subway.”

“Aw, hell,” the old man sighed, scrubbing a hand down his face. “Well, I guess I can-“

“Go back and tend to the bar,” the Boss suddenly interrupted. “I can drive her in mine.”

At that, Quill finally turned to level a look at the masked man that showed the same suspicion you’d seen in his eyes earlier, and for the next few seconds, the men stared each other down, communicating in a silent language only discernable to themselves.

“…It’s Saturday night, Quill,” your employer eventually reasoned. “They need your help, especially when we’re already down one bartender.” He gestured to your bad foot, and you felt a prick of guilt seep into you as you thought about how busy the staff would be without your help.

“…Fine,” the older man huffed before turning and stalking towards the door once again as he grumbled under his breath. “Nobody goddamn listens to me anymore…”

After the door was closed, the Boss’s shoulders slumped a bit from where they’d been tensed during the stand-off, and you didn’t get the chance to ask any questions before he pulled himself to his feet.

“Are you sure it won’t be a problem?” you asked him. “I know you’re probably busy-“

“Like I said, Quill runs this place more than I do. Hell, Cara probably does, too.”

He held out one of his hands, its black leather glove shining, and you hesitated before taking it, letting him help you up onto your good foot. It was a precarious balancing act on your thin heel, and the Boss rushed to hand you the crutches before you could teeter backwards onto the sofa. Bending down, he picked up your discarded heel and buckled its strap around one of your crutches, leaving it to hang there as you tentatively used them to swing yourself forward.

The plastic dug into your underarms with every step, but you started to get the hang of them as your boss slowly started guiding you through the building, down unfamiliar hallways until you found yourself standing in a cold, cavernous parking garage.

“I didn’t even know this was here,” you commented, hearing your voice bounce across the high ceilings of the space.

“Technically, it’s supposed to be for the warehouse next door,” he informed you, leading you towards a mammoth-like black Cadillac parked close by. “But for some reason, they’ve always been too intimidated to tell me not to park here.”

You snorted, following him around to the passenger side of the vehicle.

“You? Intimidating? I can’t imagine.”

His shoulders shook softly with his laughter, and you leaned against the car as he stowed your crutches in the backseat. After he opened the passenger door for you, you wondered for a moment how you were going to hoist yourself into the tall front seat, but your worries fizzled away when he gestured for you to come closer to him.

“I’m gonna help you up; is that ok?”

He waited until you nodded before setting his hands on your hips and quickly pulling you upwards, and before you knew it you were comfortably nestled against the soft leather interior. You bit your lip as your cheeks, once again, heated up from how close he’d been, and you couldn’t help but marvel at the effortless strength he’d shown as he picked you up without so much as a grunt from the effort.

The driver’s door opened, but the Boss paused before getting in.

“I forgot to ask if you needed to get anything from your locker,” he spoke, and your eyes widened as you realized that you hadn’t even thought about it, either.

“Shit, I forgot, too,” you groaned, dreading having to take another trip back inside to retrieve your purse.

“It’s ok,” he assured you. “Just, uh…give me your combination and I’ll go get whatever you need. If you’re ok with that.”

“Are you sure you don’t-“

“I don’t mind at all. Now, which locker should I be looking for?”

You described which one was yours, giving him your combination before he nodded and fished out the same key ring as before.

“I’ll be right back,” he informed you. “Go ahead and crank the car, if you want. It gets a little chilly in here at night.”

After handing you the keys, he closed the car door and headed back inside, leaving you to trail your eyes up and down the lean length of his body before he disappeared from sight. His broad shoulders tapered down into a trim waist, and there was no denying that he had exquisite taste in suits as the dark blue material of his outfit hugged his figure; not for the first time, you wondered if the face beneath his mask was just as attractive as the rest of him.

“Get ahold of yourself,” you muttered, shaking your head before jamming the key into the ignition. “None of those thoughts now, thank you very much.”

As soon as the engine turned over, you jolted as loud music suddenly started pouring through the speakers. Frantically turning down the volume, you let out a huff of laughter, shaking your head to dispel your startled shock. The familiar tune of Africa by Toto was playing from a CD he’d apparently been listening to the last time he was in the car, and you smiled, both at his choice in music and the fact that he still used CD’s.

The song was almost over by the time he rejoined you, your old, worn purse clutched in one hand as he climbed into the driver’s seat.

“Oh, I forgot I’d left the radio on; sorry about that,” he apologized, depositing your bag into your lap.

“No, it’s fine,” you assured him. “I happen to love this song.”

He hummed, throwing the car (though, really, it felt more like a tank) into reverse before accelerating out of the parking lot.

“Good taste,” he praised. “But feel free to play something else if you want.”

Letting your curiosity get the best of you, you flicked through the CD, watching as several classics from the 80’s showed up on the screen’s display.

“Never would’ve pegged you as an 80’s fan,” you chuckled.

“Why? Cuz of the music we play in the club?”

You nodded, eventually settling on Jump by Van Halen, making sure to turn the sound down so you could talk to one another without having to shout over it.

“That was Cara’s idea,” he continued. “She’s the one who made the playlist that we-“

He cut himself off, breaking at the first red light you came to before turning to you slowly.

“…I’ve just realized that I have no idea where you live,” he admitted sheepishly, and you laughed as you, too, recognized that he’d begun driving without first asking you for directions.

“It’s ok,” you assured him. “Luckily, you’re already heading in the right direction. I live in Mott Haven, off East 138th.”

A high-pitched sound came from behind his mask, and it took you a second to realize that he’d just whistled.

“That’s a bit of a ways from here,” he commented, but you couldn’t feel guilty in time before he added, “Not that I mind, just… It must be tough to commute on the subway every night from here to there.”

You shrugged, watching the lights of the city whiz by past you after the light turned green.

“You get used to it after a while,” you noted. “And I kind of like walking through the city at night. It’s peaceful, in its own way.”

“And dangerous in others.”

You smirked, fishing through your purse until your fingers closed around your taser, lifting it up so your boss could see.

“That’s why I keep this guy around,” you smiled, watching as he turned his head towards you so he could see what you were brandishing.

“Good idea,” he nodded, approval evident in his voice. An uncertainty seemed to come over him, though, as he turned back to the road, restlessly tapping his fingers against the steering wheel.

“Is, uh…he the only guy you keep around?” he finally asked, and it took your brain a short second to load the meaning of his question. Your eyes widened, and you cleared your throat before answering.

“Not for lack of trying, but yeah,” you conceded. “Well, him and my cat.”

The Boss hummed, turning his blinker on with deft fingers as he navigated from one lane to the next.

“A cat, huh? What’s his name?”

You smiled, thinking about the little mongrel waiting for you at home.

“Gato,” you answered, hearing him laugh softly in response.

“Your cat’s name is Cat?”

“Well, ‘cat’ in Spanish,” you grinned. “He was already named that when I got him; the family who used to live down the hall from me had to get rid of him, and their daughter guilt-tripped me into taking him in. I hadn’t even wanted a cat in the first place, but…”

“Here you are.”

“Here I am,” you agreed. “Do you speak Spanish?”

There was wry humor in his voice when he replied.

“Enough to know what ‘gato’ means.”

From there, you navigated him to your neighborhood until, eventually, he pulled up to your large, rent-controlled apartment building.

“Well, this is me,” you sighed, opening your door before slinging your purse over your shoulder. “Thank you again for the ride; I’m sorry for any inconvenience I caused.”

“Stop apologizing,” he chided you gently. Hurriedly, he got out and walked over to your side of the car, pulling your crutches out of the backseat before helping you down onto the sidewalk, his hands once again finding your hips. “I volunteered, remember? Couldn’t just abandon Cara’s favorite bartender.”

You smiled, tilting your head up to look at where you approximated his eyes were behind the mask.

“Still. I really appreciate it, Boss,” you intoned. “Thank you.”

He nodded, turning to look between you and your building.

“You, uh…need any help getting to your apartment?”

You shook your head.

“Nah, that’s ok,” you promised. “I can just ride the elevator up.”

With one last smile, you turned and began hobbling into your building.

“Have a good night, Boss,” you called over your shoulder.

You heard a quiet, “you, too,” just before the front door closed behind you, leaving your employer standing outside, staring through the glass doors to the lobby even after you left his line of sight.

“…Remember what Quill said,” he eventually muttered to himself, turning back to climb into his car. “Remember what happened last time.”

Once he was in the driver’s seat, hands gripping the steering wheel so hard that the leather squeaked against his gloves, he bowed his head, closing his eyes as images of them started floating through his mind.

“Remember what happened last time, Din.”

[frillshark-fr]

How do you get people to always buy your dragons? Genuine question

i was gonna say something like “haha i have no fucking clue” but that would be a lie i think about this a lot actually so i might have some insights i’ve been breeding dragons as my primary activity on FR since i started playing FR (in 2014...) and people have only started actually buying dragons from me consistently like, 5-6 months ago, despite 2-3 attempts at running a genuine hatchery onsite that always died due to lack of interest & not really being worth the effort. 

so ive thought a lot about what the hell is happening now and why my dragons are suddenly consistently selling and I think ive come down to these being the main points of advice i can give: 1. make friends! be friendly! don’t be weird! be a cool and fun person to interact with! 2. post consistently. post your dragons consistently. post about other stuff consistently. just be an active member of the community 3. POST YOUR SHIT IN THE “#FLIGHT RISING” TAG. THIS IS PROBABLY THE ONLY TRUELY HELPFUL THING I SAY IN THIS POST 4. make pairs that are sexy as hell and be openly proud of them. make dragons and pairs that you like, not what you think will necessarily sell. people can tell when you like stuff and being genuinely passionate about something, whatever the fuck it is, will get other people passionate as well longer versions/explanations under the cut because man this got a mile long. i wasn’t kidding when i said i think about this a lot and i am so sorry if you wanted something concise and useful

1. to be a little glib. i am mutuals/friends with more clout in the FR community than I do kjdshfdsfdhjhkfdf shoutout to everyone who draws their dragons really good on a regular basis because i am riding on your coattails to sell my dragons. i love you this was never my intent, obviously! DO NOT BEFRIEND PEOPLE BECAUSE YOU THINK YOU WILL GET STUFF FROM THEM IT’S JUST A REALLY BAD THING TO DO TO PEOPLE!!! i wouldn’t be friends w/ people if i didn’t genuinely like and get along with them! no amount of pixel cash is worth putting up with people you dont like or abusing people you admire!  but i’d also somehow feel wrong to just... neglect mentioning this factor. idk it’s probably a self-esteem thing sjdkgfhdsf i just Don’t feel like my #success has been totally out of my own effort because its not like im #hustling or whatever i just posted dragons and stuff happened

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2. being consistent! just. posting consistently! posting Every Hatchling I Have and Talking About Them On Tumblr!  Once I had a couple nests just sell super fast likely due to aforementioned clout, i was emboldened to just post more of my nests more often and I swear this has more effect than anything else. i just needed the self-esteem boost to Start Doing That posting consistently makes ppl follow u for ur content which gets even more people to look at your dragons which gets more people to buy your dragons.

-

2a. Also just post a lot in general, even if you aren’t necessarily posting about your dragons for sale. it definitely helps! just be friendly and active and people will come

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3. post your shit in the tag. not in “#dragon-sales” or “#fr-dragon-sales” or anything weird like that because I don’t know if anyone actually looks at those, but people definitely browse “#flight rising”. no matter how many followers you have, more people will see your content if you post it in #flight rising than if you just chuck it into the void. 

-

3a. however! do not put links into the post if you want it to actually show up in the tag. tumblr is cool in that it doesn’t actually matter that much when you post something, the same way it really matters on twitter bc twitter has algorithms that decide for you what it thinks you want to be seeing whereas tumblr just shows you everything in chronological order. if you post something into the tag at 1am... it will still be there at 2pm when people log on and start scrolling.

the only thing tumblr seems to consistently hide from a tag (and possibly a dashboard, but idk) are posts with links in them, as a half-assed attempt to limit spam. instead of linking to your sales tab/to the dragons directly in the post, reblog it with the links instead. to reduce latency between a post going up and the links being available, i type out the links in the initial post, cut them, post the thing into the tag, then very quickly reblog, paste the links, and post the reblog jdhfsdf. i don’t know if that benefits anything really? but it can sometimes take me a while to type links, so if i posted, pressed reblog, typed up all the links, then posted, it’d be like ~15 minutes where someone may see the post, think “oh i would like to buy those dragons”, then can’t find the link, think “oh well, i will just find it later”, scroll on, and just... completely forget about it. so uh. go quick?

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3b. the armchair sociologist in me also thinks self-reblogging has the added benefit of like... you know how people are more likely to tip a barista when a dollar is already in the tip jar? or how people are more likely to take one of those little tabs on a flyer if one of them is already missing? i think that works with notes, too. i don’t know why i think that or why it happens i just swear once a post gets 1 note, suddenly it gets Even More Notes, and if it doesn’t get any notes for a while it will sit at 0 notes until the end of time. so giving yourself 1 obligatory note makes people more likely to interact. i think

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4. all of these are hard to quantify but this one is especially so: have cool and unique dragons. make your pairs sexy as hell. don’t put all your eggs (hah) into the one basket of selling dragons that are technically “popular”. we have all seen triple white/triple obsidian/triple orca/triple any other popular colors and cherub/pere/stained or wasp/bee/glim pthahlos or whatever. they’re pretty! we get it! but everyone has had one and everyone has had those pairs and market for dragons like that can be super oversaturated. try to break free from that and sell dragons that people can only get from you. I can’t tell you what to do though bc that rly depends on you. make pairs that you find exciting or interesting and people will feel that. i have a very specific theme and aesthetic that i don’t feel like is especially common on FR and i am genuinely very enthusiastic about it. marine shit is my Thing:tm: both on and off FR and dragons are one of my many ways of expressing that   if you have a Thing:tm:, either some fr-centric aesthetic (like being super into plague or earth or light or something) or something more general (such as any of the -punks or -cores)... just fuckin roll with it honestly. if you’re goth? make got h dragons. like scene stuff that looks straight out of a middle school in 2010? rock that hot-topic lair. outdoorsey type? make dragons that look like you’d meet them on a hike in the woods. it really works with anything!  people can tell when you really love something and i know that seeing someone really love something, even if it’s not necessarily MY thing, makes me really excited too!! 

-

4a. never show fear. people can smell fear. never be like “well this one isn’t that good” because suddenly now you’ve planted the idea that it’s ugly in other people’s heads when they may have really liked it had you not accidentally suggested to them that it’s an ugly dragon. people are EXTREMELY suggestible to even VERY minor cues so be always a little bit bolder than you think you should be you’d be surprised at how many times ive been like “eh, this one’s kind of a dud, i’ll probably have to exalt this one when the auction expires” and then that hatchling is the first to sell. never ever ever ever decide what other people like for them. always act like your dragons are the hottest shit in all the land and Believe It. this is what people mean when they say “fake it till you make it”

- 4b. also, idk if it’s true of everyone but it’s really off-putting to see someone having serious pity-parties for themselves, on sales posts or otherwise. ive had bad experiences with people who are uncomfortably quick to self-depreciate (because they were using their genuine self-hatred to manipulate me or my friends), so i might be a little more trigger-happy about avoiding this behavior than others, but don’t weaponize your sadness to guilt people into doing what you want. it’s really not cool.

-----

okay i think that’s my entire manifesto on how i do dragon selling. anon i am so sorry im sure you were expecting like “believe in yourself :)” and here i am dissecting dragon selling like it’s a frog in a science class

edit: AFTER ALL THAT I STILL THOUGHT OF ONE MORE THING. It’s not really a Point, just a Reminder:

i don’t post about all the times i have to exalt dragons that don’t sell. you are seeing me being very selective about what i post. you dont sit and stare at my lair or click through offspring lists or check old sales posts. there are a lot of times where someone just doesn’t sell. even now when i’m selling stuff pretty consistently i will still sometimes have dragons that don’t sell for seemingly no reason. even dragons I think are sure to sell will sometimes just... not. and that’s ok! you gotta just be.. ok with that. it’s par for the course. i typically list dragons for 7 days on the AH, give them a couple more days after their auction expires (partially because i forget, partially to give them a grace period for people to pm/ask me about them), and then exalt them after that point. w/ some dragons that i don’t think got a fair shake for one reason or another (such as the sales post not showing up in the tag or something) i do a little clearance (like the halloween dragons i recently posted) but for the most part if they don’t sell, i just exalt them. 90% of the time i don’t even bother to level them up i just press the exalt button and call it a day. it’s fine

[forever-rogue]

Honey & Velvet - Part 4

Summary: Ruthless CEO Max Lord is about to meet his biggest match yet in another CEO such as cunning and biting as he can be.

A/N: Thank you guys for all of your support on this story. Your love for it is beautiful and I appreciate. I hate and love Max so much! If you’d like to be tagged, please let me know, and as always, feedback and comments are always welcome! xx

Pairing: Maxwell Lord x Reader

Word Count: 4k

Warnings: masturbation (18+ only!!); sex; language

PART 1 | PART 2 | PART 3 | PART 5 | PART 6 | PART 7 | PART 8 | PART 9 | PART 10

MASTERLIST

»»————-　♡　————-««

Max sighed to himself as he grabbed his letter opener to unseal the surprise special delivery. He wasn’t used to having do such a menial task for himself; no that’s why he paid others to do it all for him. Tossing the weighted object down, he reached in and felt around, trying to figure out what was inside. It didn’t feel like a letter or any sort of documents, but pictures rather. Polaroids to be exact.

His breath hitched in his throat as he slowly pulled the small stack of photos, trying to prevent himself from taking them in too quickly. He wanted to savor this moment, to remember his exact reaction when he saw the photos. Since it was you and he already had a taste of your fiery personality, he knew it could have been pictures of anything; perhaps you had decided to play a trick on? Hell, it could have been pictures of your feet...although he might have found a way to think that was sexy too. He was a man of...interesting taste.

He set the small, square photos in a neat stack in from of him, arranged just perfectly for him to easily filter through. As soon as his eyes landed on the first image, he picked it up and held it in front of his eyes to examine it closely. There you were, frozen in time and space, immortalized in the photo. You were staring back at him, posed in a scandalous position as you stared directly at the camera, lips pouted perfectly. He licked his own lips as he looked through the photos trying not to get too lost in them. He was, after all, still in the middle of his work day, and not exactly in the positions to just get out his frustrations. 

Letting a heavy breath out through his nose, Maxwell already felt his cock twitch in his trousers, that familiar sensation beginning to take hold. He flicked through the rest of the photos, each of them getting progressively more scandalous, until the last photo. He audibly groaned at it as he tried to study it as closely as possibly. Of course you would manage to send him a photograph of yourself completely nude, but with just enough shadowing so he couldn’t see everything. But it left very little to the imagination, and was enough to send him over the edge. 

Fuck it. 

Tossing the picture back onto the edge, he quickly unzipped his trousers, which happened to be brand new and in season; he’d made quick work of refreshing his wardrobe after your little comment when you’d first had cornered him in his office. He pulled out his cock, already fully hard and leaking, and leaned back in his chair. The door to his office wasn’t locked, but he was so caught up in the moment it didn’t matter to him, besides that he knew most people knew better than ever dare to walk in without knocking. 

A low sound, a mixture between a moan and growl escaped his lips as he started to stroke himself, eyes scanning over your myriad of photos. He could only imagine how good it was going to feel when he finally was able to be inside of you, to feel your walls around him. He’d get his sweet, sweet revenge on you for making him lust this hard after you. He could see it now: taking his time with you, leaving you on edge until you were crying and begging for him to finally fuck you. 

With the image of you firmly planted in his mind, it didn’t take long before stifled moans managed to slip past his lips. Finding one of the favorite photos of the bunch he held it near his cock as he came, letting your name spill off of his lips like a quiet prayer; repeated, gentle, hopeful. He spilled all over his hand, dragging his high out, managed to get a few drops of his thick cum on the edge of your photo. Max you couldn’t wait to see how good you would look with it all over you.

He smiled at his handiwork before dropping the Polaroid back onto his desk and reaching for one of his trusty handkerchiefs. He felt bad, almost, about the stack of used squares that the cleaner had to deal with every week. Sometimes it was none, sometimes, especially of late, they were many. Anyone with half a brain could figure out what they used for, but he couldn’t bothered in caring. If anything, Max could easily convince them that it was really anything.

But for now, coming down from his climax, he was...satisfied and would be content for a small while. Glancing around to make sure no one had intruded for whatever reason, he gathered the photos and tucked them into the top drawer of his desk, the one that was always locked. They would live there for now, until they were of further use, which probably would be sometime in the near future. 

»»————-　♡　————-««

For several hours you were sitting in your office, twiddling your thumbs, both metaphorically and literally, as you waited, and waited, and waited, for a call that never came. It was frustrating, infuriating even, to sit around and be so distracted that it prevented you from even working. How could you let this one man, this one infuriating man, get under your skin so much?

After a while of sitting around and getting nothing done, you let out a long sigh, dropping your head to the desk as you tried to clear your mind. You thought you were being quiet, at least somewhat subtle, but Adina was quick to knock on your door, poking her head inside to find you in distress.

“Y/N?” she asked as you sat up bolt right, trying to collect yourself and not make it seem like you were nearing the middle experiencing mental anguish. Over a fucking man. 

“What can I do for you?” you asked with a stunted smile. She raised an eyebrow, giving you a quizzical expression. Of all the times to be a bad liar, this was not the time. 

“Is everything alright?” she asked and you nodded even before the question was fully out, which most definitely didn’t help your case, “really? Don’t mind me, but you’re acting...off.”

“Off?” your voice pitched about an octave as you realized you were still digging your own grave. She’d known you for so long, she knew you about as well as you knew yourself, “w-what do you mean?”

“I mean...” she trailed off and waved her arm around as if trying to make a general statement of off, “you’re acting kind of weird, different lipstick, which I’ve never seen you do before, I don’t think you’ve done a single thing today, which I am totally not judging by the way...ever since you’ve gotten those deliveries. What even was in them?”

“Adina,” you popped up and walked over to her, putting an around her shoulder, doing your best to give her a small hug, “my sweet, sweet Adina. There’s nothing wrong, I promise. I’m just...tired. Had a late night. It’s totally just me, you have nothing to worry about. I might take off a little early today though...try and get some rest.”

In Benjamin’s bed. Again.

“Y/N,” she back down in her seat, crossing her arms over her chest as she waited you closely, “I’ve known you since we were in college. I know when you’re acting different.”

“There’s nothing to worry about,” you insisted, leaning against the doorway, trying to present yourself as being cool and collect, “I promise. I could never lie to you. Everything is fine.”

Except right now. I’m a dirty, dirty liar.

“If you’re sure,” she was hesitant, but willing to accept your answer. You’d never given her a reason not to believe you before, why would you start now? 

“I am,” you tried to let out a natural sounding laugh, but even to it sounded stunted...awkward, “you needn’t worry about me. Your energy is much better spent on almost anything else.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” you shot her a quick wink. You were about to go back into your office to attempt to do a little work before making a departure for the day, but Adina cleared her throat right before you walked away, “yes, ma’am?”

“Your blouse,” she pointed to the mismatched buttons, “it’s all wonky. Fix your buttons, boss.”

“Oh,” your cheeks felt like they were on fire as you looked down and spotted your mistake. Oops, you wanted to kick yourself. In your haste to slip back into your work clothes, you must not have been paying that much attention. You hoped that Adina hadn’t noticed that your shirt was perfectly crisp and buttoned when you came in that morning, “silly me...must...be getting lazy in the morning.”

“Hmm,” was the only sound out of her mouth as she slowly swiveled in her chair, back to the work sprawled out on her desk. Your door was almost closed when she remarked, “Benjamin called for a little while ago. Said you spoke this morning and asked if you could give him a call back at your convenience.”

“Ben,” you sighed loudly, thinking about whacking your head against the door. Of course he called; that would only raise Adina’s suspicions - the two of you hadn’t parted on good terms and that was knowledge to most people, “oh funny. I’ll give him a call back.”

“It’s been a while since you’ve spoken to him, hasn’t it?” there was a curious lilt to her voice as she seemed to play Sherlock, digging and digging until she finally discovered the truth. You turned and gave her a small smile, “I didn’t know you were still on speaking terms with him.”

“We...are,” if that’s what you called spending time in bed and fucking nowadays, “I had to speak to him for something business related. It’s just a transaction we’re hammering out.”

A wonderful choice of words.

“Sure,” there was a tone to suggest she absolutely did not believe you, but without any real evidence, she couldn’t just accuse you of anything. On top of that, you’d never given her a reason not to trust you; you were the boss after all, “if I can do anything, please let me know.”

“The...envelope from earlier,” your voice cracked a little and you found it hard to meet her eyes, “it got delivered, yes?”

“Yes,” she promised, “I gave it directly to Mr. Lord’s assistant and I saw her bring it into his office.”

“Wonderful-”

“What was it regarding, again? Anything I need to be aware of?” you swallowed the lump in your throat at her words. You hated having to lie to her as much as you hated the feeling you were experiencing for the petulant bastard himself.

“No. If anything comes up, you’ll be the first to know,” you promised and turned back to your office and closed the door slowly as you heard her mumble something in response. Making sure the door was locked, you let out a low, “fuck.”

You hated lying and trying to sneak around. You shouldn’t have even needed to be sneaking; you were a grown woman that could do whatever you pleased. If you wanted to fuck Maxwell Lord then you could.

Shit.

You finally admitted it to yourself. You wanted to fuck him. What had happened to you? It had to be...something. Maybe your hormones were off or...literally anything else. There’s no other reason you could possibly want him, right? He was just a silly man child in an overpriced suit with a bad dye job and too much time on his hands. What was so appealing about that? Nothing. But the growing neediness between your legs suggested otherwise. 

Whatever it was you knew you couldn’t let it get any further. No, you had to clear your mind and get back to work. This was all business and it couldn’t be anything more. You would never mix business and pleasure and you certainly weren’t about to start for him.

Jumping onto your desk, you reached for your phone, fingers hesitating slightly as you contemplating dialing Max and telling him you were done. But no. That would be giving into him, egging him on and giving him just more reason to contact you again. 

Dialing Benjamin wasn’t a much better option, but right now it was the lesser of two evils. With a shaking finger, you dialed his direct office line, still finding that you had it memorized. A part of you was hoping that he wouldn’t pick up; if he didn’t you would have the excuse that you tried but couldn’t get through to him. Yes, you thought to yourself, perfect.

But just before it rang out, that smooth, slightly accented voice picked up on the other, “Y/N. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Ben,” you said firmly, not surprised that he immediately knew it was you,  “you can’t just call my office whenever you please! Adina is going to get suspicious - everyone knows we don’t talk.”

“Relax,” he chuckled on the other end, “I was perfectly pleasant and didn’t offer her even a drop of what happened last night.”

“Ben-”

“What?” he asked and you sighed in response, “you’re the one calling me back. Surely you could have just ignored me if you weren’t interested in...speaking.”

“Fine,” you gave in, rolling your eyes and wishing he could see, “when are you free?”

“I can be free whenever you need me to be,” gods was he always this cocky? He was almost as bad as Max. Maybe it was time to reevaluate your taste in men. 

“Meet me at mine in an hour,” you hated yourself even as the words came out, “but this is the last time. I swear it, Benjamin.”

“Whatever you say, sweetheart,” you loathed the nickname but he always made it a point to call you that, “I’ll see you at yours. Champagne?”

“Whatever I need to drown out that fact that I’ve resorted to fucking you again,” you twisted the cord in your hands as he could just laughed, “perhaps something stronger.”

“I’ll see you soon,” with that he hung up and you found yourself listening to the dial tone again. Slowly, you put the phone down, it suddenly feeling heavy in your hand, along with the weight of everything else in your heart. You shouldn’t be acting like this; like some sort of fool just running around like sort of animal in heat. 

But this was the last time; you kept repeating that to yourself. You were just going to fuck Ben one last time, or times that afternoon, and then get back to your normal self. Maybe if you kept repeating that yourself it would eventually come true. 

Maybe.

»»————-　♡　————-««

“Oh fuck,” you were on top of Ben, hands on his chest as you rode him, feeling yourself getting closer and closer to that sweet edge you so desperately craved. His large hands were on your hips, in a grip like a vice as he steadied you.

“God, you feel so good,” he managed to moan in between his thrust as he felt your walls start to clench around him, “missed having you so much.”

You didn’t return the sentiment, not exactly proud that you were in this position, but when you were so lost in the moment, you didn’t care. Closing your eyes as you started to see stars, you threw your head back in ecstasy as the familiar crescendo of your orgasm started in the bottom of your belly. You felt his cock twitch within you as he thrust with more vigor. 

“Fuck,” Ben groaned, “‘m gonna cum.”

“Me too,” his hands from your hips to your breasts, massaging them in just the right way to pull a few mewls from your lips. Gods, it had been ages since you’d been with someone that knew how to touch you, to make you feel good. If the two of you weren’t so similar and didn’t butt heads all the time, you relationship could have blossomed into something beautiful. But you were okay with this - a satisfying orgasm; it was better than nothing.

It was only a few more bounces before you climaxed, a small cry erupting from your lips as you waves of pleasure rippled throughout your whole body. Ben came along with you, coating your insides with hot, thick ropes of cum as your name came off his lips repeatedly, like a quiet prayer. 

Running your hands over his chest, you were so lost in the moment that you didn’t even realize what you were saying. But when a soft little Max fell off your lips, that wasn’t lost on Benjamin, your current partner who was certainly not Maxwell Lord.

“What?” he asked as his eyes snapped open and the moment was all but killed. He stopped moving and his roughly came back to your hips as he pushed you off of him. You let out a sound of surprise at the sound movement, and the loss of feeling so full, as you fell against your pillows.

“What the hell?” you asked as you suddenly felt more naked and exposed than ever, pulling the silk sheet up to cover yourself, “what’s your problem, Ben?”

“Who the fuck is Max?” he asked with wild eyes as he practically jumped out of your bed, grabbing his discarded clothes on the floor. Your own eyes widened in shock as you realized what must have happened, “who is he?”

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about-”

“I’m not a fucking idiot,” his voice was low, dangerous, almost predatory as he pulled his clothes back on, “is that why you’ve been wanting to see me?”

“Ben, you don’t understand,” you closed your eyes and groaned as you leaned back against the headboard. A few tears of frustration welled up in your eyes as you tried to get him to see reason. You weren’t the only bad guy in this scenario; he too basically had admitted this was just for sex, “it’s not like that. It’s complicated.”

“Complicated,” he repeated with a snarl as he shook his head at you, “it’s not that complicated, Y/N, it never is. If you’re so caught up in thinking about whoever the fuck Max is, go and fuck him.”

“Ben-”

“And leave me out of it,” he walked out of your bedroom, but you weren’t satisfied with leaving it be. Instead, you dashed out of bed, still as naked as the day you were born, and walked after him.

“Don’t act like I’m the bad guy,” you tried your best to contain your temper, “we agreed that this was just sex. We both got what we wanted. Hell, I wouldn’t have cared if you pretended I was fucking Cleopatra. It’s not personal and it’s not that deep. Get over yourself and be glad you got someone to fuck you with that piss pour excuse of an attitude.”

“You’re a lot of things, Y/N,” he sighed as he shook his head at you, “I didn’t think you were this. I’m out of here. I get that this was just sex, and I can get down with that. But if you just wanted someone else the whole time, you could have done me the courtesy of letting me know. As least have been honest.”

“You’re one to talk.”

“When’s the last time you were honest with yourself?” he asked and you hung your head. He had a point with that, at the very least, “maybe if you figure out what you really want you can let me know. But this? Where I’m just a substitute for what you really want? I’m not okay with it.”

“Just leave,” you pointed at the door and he left without another word. You sighed as you relocked the door after him, cursing yourself more than anything. He had made some decent points and you were willing to admit that, but you hated yourself more than anything. How could you have left him get into your mind like this. He was slowly consuming every part of your thoughts. Even when you thought you were able to keep him out, he managed to invade your mind. 

Walking to the fridge, you pulled out the bottle of champagne that Ben had brought with him, quickly cracking it open and filling up a class for yourself. You took it and sat out on the balcony, in the dying light of day, far beyond caring about who, if anyone, would see you in your naked glory. At this point you felt lost. You didn’t know what to do anymore, and you weren’t sure if you were to give in quite yet. Could you ever live with yourself if you gave in to the biggest prick you’d ever met?

»»————-　♡　————-««

The next couple of days passed in sheer, agonizing slowness. You weren’t sure how time could manage to pass so slowly, but sure enough it did. You swore that for every hour that crept by it had felt like ten. Your mind was all over the place and it was hard to focus on any one thing. But you made yourself stick it out and managed to get the bare minimum done. It was better than nothing. 

And if anyone nothing anything off, they didn’t mention it. Maybe you were that good of an actress. Adina had only given a concerned glance here and there but never pried more than necessary. She probably knew better than to upset you and unleash your wrath. There had been a few times when you had gotten angry, truly angry, and she had witnessed all of them. It was scary, and truth be told she hadn’t realized you were possible of such ire. 

But as the weekend slowly approached, you were glad you’d have an excuse to isolate and remain at home, feeling sorry for yourself. But you found yourself drifting further and fruther into a daydream, lost as you started outside your window, you found yourself picking up the phone. His number was halfway dialed by the time you really realized what you were doing. Biting the inside of your cheek, you willed yourself to stop and put the phone down. You were long beyond that point though; you knew that deep down in your bones.

“Maxwell Lord’s office,” was her voice always so sickeningly sweet? You could still hang up, if you really wanted to.

“Y/N L/N for Mr. Lord, if he’s available,” there was a pause on her end as she registered who you were. It was almost as if she was judging you; you didn’t blame her. You were judging you too. All you heard was a few clicks of the phone system and then a bit of tense silence before the other end was picked up.

“Y/N,” for the first time, his voice didn’t have that automatically arrogant tone. It sounded almost...normal, kind even. When you didn’t say anything he let out a small laugh, “I was wondering if I’d ever heard from you. I received your package by the way, it was...exquisite.”

“Why?” you suddenly blurted out, unable to control yourself, “why me?”

“Why you what?” he smiled to himself as he leaned back in his chair, feet on his pristine desk as normal, “I’m not sure I follow.”

“Why are you coming after me?” you asked, hiding your face behind your hand, feeling a flush come over you, “I’m just...”

“You,” he finished for you. If you didn’t know him, you’d almost think he was normal...just like any other man, “what more do you need?”

“I...” you trailed off, unable to believe the words that were teetering on your lips, “when can I see you?”

He let out a warm laugh, and when he wasn’t be a complete jerk, it was a pleasant sound; a warm, rich, velvety timbre. You wondered if you had made a mistake...if it was too late to take it back, “I happen to be free all weekend. If I didn’t know any better, Ms. L/N, I think you were volunteering to spend time with me. Did Mr. Vasquez did not do it for you anymore?”

“How do you know about Ben-”

“It doesn’t matter,” there was that a bit of that arrogant tone in his voice. Of course. The real Maxwell Lord was bound to come out at one point or another, “I’ll have a car to pick up tomorrow evening at six.”

“Fine,” will you had the option of refusing his offer, you both knew you weren’t going to. But you still liked the illusion of choice.

“And Y/N?” you waited for him to go, “wear it. All of it.”

Without feeling the need to expand, he hung up and you did the same, biting your lip in almost nervous anticipation. You’d finally given in and broken down. He had you right where he wanted you. You could still change your mind, refuse to go through with it, and keep whatever was left of your dignity...

But your fate had been sealed some time ago. The day you first inked a deal to work with him. The first time you called him out for shamelessly staring at your tits. 

You sighed lightly.

What a world.

»»————-　♡　————-««

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[kimberly-spirits13]

Home Invasion

Pairing: Damian Wayne x reader

Synopsis: While at home for the weekend while your parents are away for a business trip, you decided to order pizza. You didn’t think anything would go wrong when doing this, but then again, you were now living in a nightmare

Warnings: Mentions of being shot, home invasion

Word Count: 1770

        It was a pretty regular Friday night for you. The house was quiet but for the movie playing in the background, your parents were on a trip to Washington DC for business, and Damian was set to arrive in 2 hours to stay over. You didn’t have much planned that night, however when your stomach started to rumble, you decided to order some pizza for yourself. Ringing up your favorite pizza place, you got your favorite and sat back to wait for its arrival.

        As you were walking down the hallway and back into the living room from the bathroom, you heard the doorbell.

        “Strange.” You thought, “There was no notification from the guards.”

        Looking down at your phone, your thoughts were confirmed. Since you were home alone, you went to a covered part where no one would see you and checked the front cameras. It was the pizza guy, the right pizza guy in fact. You could tell that he was getting impatient more and more and eventually, you opened the door figuring that if anything happened, you’d be able to handle it.

        “Hello.” You said opening the door, “I paid online already.”

        “That’s wonderful Miss. L/N, however that’s not what I’m here for.” The man that was standing there said.

        Before you could slam the door, he pulled out a small pistol. Without much time at all, shots were fired and you had been grazed by one bullet and shot in the arm by another. Luckily, this one wasn’t a very good shot. You stepped back in pain some before throwing the box at him and slamming the door, locking it and then shutting the curtains on the windows. The only thing that you had heard from him was his voice calling an all clear for more in his group on the cell phone that he now had in his hands.

        “You have got to be kidding me!” You hissed army crawling into the kitchen, “Siri, call Dami.”

        As the phone was ringing, you grabbed the first aid kit and started wrapping up your arm. It wasn’t long before he picked up with a casual voice.      

        “Hello belov-“

        You cut him off quickly, “Damian, I need you to get here now. I ordered pizza and instead it was some guy with a pistol. He got me in the arm and called for backup.”

        Damian paused before you heard the loud sounds of footsteps running down the hallway.      

        “Where are you?” He asked entering the cave.

        “I’m in the kitchen wrapping the wound, I don’t know about getting my suit on since it would give me away but I can try and get to my weapons and upper body armor under my clothes.”

        “Do that, I’m on my way.” You heard him zip something up, clip another item, and then rev up his bike before speeding off.

        “Just give me a second, I’m switching to the comms.” Quickly, you hit the emergency button on your phone for the police and then put an earpiece in before you started talking some more.

        “Can you hear me?” You asked working up the steps.

        “I can, are you still okay?” Damian questioned.

        “I am. I’m going up to my room. I don’t know where they are but I’ll check the cameras once I’m changed.”

        You ran down the hallway and turned left into your bedroom before shutting and locking the door. All of the other doors upstairs were locked and you hoped that they would pick the right side of the staircase to clear before your side. Immediately, you went inside to your bathroom and locked that door before doing the same in your closet door and then, into the secret vault room that you had installed to keep your suit and weapons. You liked to call it your mini Batcave when wannabe killers weren’t chasing you.

        Quickly, you took off your top and put the bullet -proof armor that you typically wore on and then put your shirt on back over it. Over that you had your swords, similar to Damian’s but not too close. In your holsters, emergency knives and, just incase, two pistols with plenty of magazines to keep you going. You knew that you could just stay in here and wait for Damian to arrive to take out the assailants. But this was your home, and you’d be damned if any fake pizza man got into it.

        Quietly, you walked to the camera monitors. In the back of the house you noticed no activity. Then you checked the sides along with the fencing cameras. That’s when the thought dawned on you that the people at the front gate are either dead or they left. You were all on your own in this fight. The only place that the men could be now is the front. It was a bold move but you knew it was probably something that they did because they were either inexperienced or they were trying to scare you.

        You hid in the shadows, shutting off all of the lights and getting into position. All of them were accounted for, knowing that the man only called for 5 more. Not moving, you waited and waited for them to enter before the sound of the front window busting open put you on a higher alert. Watching them enter, you noticed their height and build, looking for their weak spots and sizing them up.

        “Miss. L/N! We’re here!” One of them called out laughing.

        You cringed some at his actions not really wanting to think about what he was to do if it wasn’t just a murder and robbery. They walked in and split up. That would make it easy to take them out without starting a firefight. Besides, you did want to keep the house as in tact as possible, you know, parents and all. They didn’t know that you were doing this kind of work so you figured it would be best to not stab them with a sword since that would be extremely telling. Instead, you leapt down to the first one and as he turned around, threw a knife right into his chest. Batman might have had a no kill rule, however right now, you didn’t care anymore.

        The first man was down. Now, there were only 5 more to go. Carefully, you tracked the next one and after taking him out, the third one. You didn’t think you’d need Damian during this but at the same time, you didn’t really want him to see what you were doing and had done.

        The third target wasn’t as easy. As a heavier set, taller man, he didn’t go down without somewhat of a fight. You didn’t want to pull out your guns as to not alert the others in the house of your location, but you didn’t have to worry about that for long since he knocked over a plant causing a great smash.

        You sighed, “That was more expensive than the hospital bills my parents paid when I was born you idiot.”

        Now that your position was given away, you fired a few shots into his head and chest, effectively taking him out. The other three rallied around you. For some reason, these were more experienced. They had had training and you could tell. One of them punched your arm which made you let out a cry in pain.

        “You stupid girl, thinking you could take us all out.” The one that hit you laughed.

        He tried to do it again before you moved out of the way and threw him into the fireplace. The man groaned in pain as the others looked at you with more anger in their eyes. They two pulled out more guns making your eyes go wide before you let a smoke screen down and escaped to regroup.

        “Damian where are you?” You asked.  

        “I’m about to enter the house, are you still alright?” He replied in a worried but angry tone.

        “Yeah, just bruised up a bit. These guys aren’t like normal robbers, they’re trained.” “Just be careful.” You said.

        “You know I will be.”

        With heavy breaths looking down at your leg you noticed that you’d be grazed again. This time you didn’t really notice because of the adrenaline that was rising. Sighing, you stepped back out and went into the hallway where the men had disappeared.

        “Damian, they’re not in the living room anymore… I don’t know where they are.” You informed.

        “They’re on the upper porch with me, I need assistance.” Damian said.

        “W-what? How did they get up there?” You mumbled heading upstairs in disbelief.

        The moment that you got to the railing of the third story porch that was just above you, you went to reach to pull yourself over. That was when a shot fired and the sound of metal hitting the wooden flooring rang out. You heard someone stumbling and then saw Damian hit the concrete floor three stories below. He didn’t move as blood pooled around him.

        You felt sick looking down at it, throwing up for just a second before shooting up at the floor knowing where they were. When you heard bodies hit the floor, you came up, swords ready with the look of fierce anger plastered on your face. That was when you stopped cold in your tracks. It wasn’t the men. Those bodies were your parents. Knees going weak, you dropped next to them before looking across the patio and seeing the three men laughing. That was when another shot rang out and you woke up in a cold sweat from your bed breathing heavily.

        The room was dark in your home and there was no bandage on your arm. You knew you were safe, it just didn’t feel like it. Within a few seconds, you found yourself reaching for your phone and calling Damian. Like in the dream it was a few seconds before he answered.

        “Beloved, are you alright?” He asked in a groggy voice.

        “Y-yeah. May I come over?”

        “Yes, what happened?”

        “It was just a bad dream.” You said heading to your car and leaving a note for your parents that you needed to go see Damian.

_______________________________________________________________________

        It was insanely late when you made it to the manor. Damian was at the door when you came and opened it without you having to answer. There wasn’t that much of an exchange, however you explained what the dream was about and then headed upstairs into his room for some sleep and the comfort which you couldn’t get alone fighting off strange nightmares.

Yooooo 😂. So I wrote this at like 5am one night and forgot about it. That’s kinda why it’s hot trash and I needed something to post today while I'm working on requesttsssss. I’ve been binging skincare by Hyram cause I had a breakout and also Chloe Ting is kicking my butt 😭 😂

[darkdevasofdestruction]

Soft Tunes, Warm Hugs - Worick Arcangelo

(( I hope you enjoy this little thingy with this cute dork, @ittokan​ <3 ))

Nobody knew, and truthfully, nobody even had to know what they were going through. It was none of their business, was it? It was their life, their tragedies, their problems and everything that they had to deal with, so nobody truly knew what was going on behind those cheerfully playful and mischievous facades of theirs.

Y/N knew Worick since before he called himself that...She knew him from his days as the Young Master Wallace Arcangelo. Ah, such grim days...Days that she curses every time she had the occasion whenever she somehow has the misfortune to remember, by some unknown and unexpected means.

It wasn’t fair...It wasn’t humane...None of it was.

They were just children back then.

Her, Worick, Nicolas...

They were just children.

They deserved better.

But that’s the dark world that they live in, and nobody can really change that.

Such a cruel world they had to grow up in...And why...? Because adults made it that way for them. Instead of witnessing all the beauty of the world, they had to be locked up and forced to succumb to a darkness completely void of anything. They were empty. They were just shells of their former selves.

They went on their own ways as soon as they were able to escape that hell. Worick became a Gigolo, Nicolas was a hitman, while Y/N managed to get out of the town to earn herself a proper medical degree.

By the end of it, when she got back in that town, at least she was happy she managed to accomplish something for the first time in her life. Something that was her  doing, that she did on her own, without anyone else on her back.

She was finally proud of herself.

When she started exploring the town again, she realised that barely anything actually changed, and that he absence of 10 years was most likely not even noticed by anyone.

That’s what she thought, at least, not realising how much the platinum haired man was yearning for her, to see her again, to have her next to him again, to hear her voice again.

Worick didn’t realise how much she cared for Y/N until she was no longer there with him every day and every night. It was weird...So weird. So unusual, no unexpected.

But Worick had to earn money, had to build up his reputation around the town, as Benriya, along with his associate, Nic, so his days as Gigolo weren’t over even now, in his 30s, although they were vastly diminished.

Every girl he put his hands on, he imagined her. Every pair of eyes he was gazing on from above, he could only see hers. Every time he would hear his name being called by a woman, he’d turn around, hoping to see her.

But all of these were his bittersweet daydreams going on. He was, at least happy, knowing that she escaped this terrible place and hopefully, managed to find herself a nice guy to treat her like a jewel and can live a decent life, at least.

Sometimes, he wished he would have nightmares, since they were always about his childhood days, when she was present as well.

But who would have thought that one normal day, when nothing was out of the ordinary and he was just walking around the city, he would hear his name being called, and when he returned, he would see a woman looking so much like the girl he once knew.

She had the same hair colour, but the length was much longer than the girl he once knew. She had the same eye shade, but her eyes were sparkling with life and glee, unlike the dull eyes of the girl he knew, whose eyes only sparkled with tears. Her voice was calming and melodic, as if she was speaking honey, unlike the timid voice of the girl that was too afraid to speak. Her smile was dazzling, twinkling like the stars, unlike the little girl who would bite her lips until she drew blood. She wore a beautiful flow-y sundress, showing off just enough of her flawless skin, unlike the girl who would cover all her skin, ashamed of the bruises, scars and wounds she was plastered with. And she...She was radiating...She was glowing...She was happy...Unlike the little girl who resembled a mouse hiding in a corner, afraid to get abused again.

Who was this angel, calling out his name so beautifully, looking at him as if she knew him? She couldn’t possibly be one of the girls he’d hook up with, he’d definitely remember her. So...Who...?

“Worick? You’ve been staring at me for the past 5 minutes or so. Are you okay? Is the heat getting to your head?” she blinked in surprise, leaning closer to his face, her hand gingerly put on his forehead to feel his temperature. “Who are you, miss?” his voice was betraying all his emotions. “Oh...You don’t remember me, do you? Well, a lot of years passed, and I...I guess I changed a lot, huh? You changed a lot too, you know? But your eyes are not something to forget.” she chuckled, a tint of disappointment in her voice. “No...You can’t be Y/N. She’s in a better city, living a better life.” he muttered, looking away, almost as if he didn’t want to believe his eyes. “Wait, so you knew it was me, but couldn’t believe it? Aww, aren’t you adorable...Wally?” she giggled, teasing the man in front of her. “W-Wally...?! Y/N, come on, don’t use that nickname with me! I’m not a kid anymore!” he whined childishly, his fair cheeks becoming the same colour as the pink roses that bloomed. “There we go, that’s the cutie I know! Get here and give me a hug, big guy! You grew up so much, Worick, you’re literally towering over me!” she laughed without a single care in the world, something that filled his heart with so much joy that he couldn’t stop himself from pulling her into a tight embrace. “I missed you a lot, Y/Nickname. You have no idea.” he muttered softly into her ear, making the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. “I missed you too, Worick. I couldn’t stay forever without you and Nic around me, that much was pretty easy to figure out. You are like some really nice kind of parasites, that are always on your mind and heart, you know?” she chuckled, looking up at him fondly. “I’m not sure how I feel, being compared to a parasite, y’know?” he laughed mirthfully, ruffling her hair, like they used to, when they were young. “Wanna see my new apartment? I just finished fully furnishing it, I’m very proud of it.” she pulled out of the embrace, hooking her arm to his. “Lead the way, my lady.” he flashed her a charming smirk, which he wasn’t sure worked in any way, but the smile on her face was worth everything.

It was great reuniting with Worick and Nicolas, even with little Theo, who also became a doctor, and everything was really nice, there were no more worries, no more problems, no more regrets.

Well, almost everything was nice.

The nightmares were not something from the past’s domain, unfortunately, for either of them, and yet, they were too afraid and ashamed to lean on each other for emotional support, despite the fact that they both knew what the other went through the best.

Neither of them wanted to burden the other with more sorrow than needed.

They tried to be strong, like they’ve always been, but one night it was just too much, and the girl couldn’t sleep at night for a few nights, and the exhaustion was beginning to take a toll on her to the point that she couldn’t focus on anything, and she was becoming weak...Not to mention the headaches were atrocious.

That cold night, the girl left her apartment in only her oversized Tshirt, shorts and a pair of slippers, making her way on foot to the Benriya’s apartment, hurrying and trying to stop herself from thinking, letting her legs go to the set location by themselves.

She already had a spare key, so she got in the house, locking it, and made a beeline to Worick’s bedroom, opening the light and crouching next to him on the bed, poking his cheek and softly calling out his name to wake him up.

As soon as the man opened his eyes, he screamed in shock, being met with another pair of eyes so close to his face, and he used the blanket to shield his body from being exposed.

“Wh-What are you doing here, Y/N?” he asked, confused and surprised. “...Can I sleep with you tonight?” she muttered, standing up. “What happened, Y/N? Are you okay?” he asked, his face washed with worry. “I’ve been having nightmares for years and I thought I was used to them...But these days it’s gotten so bad that I can’t sleep...I look like a zombie, I feel even worse...But I’m afraid to go to sleep because of another nightmare. I guess I didn’t want to be alone, you get me?” she tried to explain herself, but Worick needed no explanation - He understood her so much that it hurt. “Let me get proper sleeping clothes and-” he began, but the girl already turned off the light and got in bed with him. “Don’t worry, I’m a doctor, I had to see more genitals than I know how to count...And trust me, that’s not the best thing in the world.” she snorted, making herself comfortable in his embrace. “Okay, you got me. Do you want to talk about your nightmare?” he asked, playing with her hair soothingly. “No...I just want to sleep. Besides, it’s nothing that you don’t already know.” she sighed, burying her face in the crook of his neck, already feeling drowsy from his body heat. “I understand. I wish you sweet dreams, my dear Y/Nickname.” he planted a soft kiss on the top of her head, praying for at least her to have a restless night.

---

And that’s how many of their nights were spent, either Y/N sleeping over at theirs, or Worick sleeping at her place, having no inhibitions and no shame to get in each other’s room, just to ask for a hug or to cuddle to sleep.

Years passed quicker than imagined, and while they never spoke out to being together, everybody knew there was nothing that could pull them apart - Not his part-job as a Gigolo and neither her being busy most of the time with the clinic.

It was more confusing for poor new comer, Alex, a former prostitute that Worick and Nic saved from her abusive pimp. Ah, she was so confused about everything, obviously because of the pills, and because she never had anyone behaving with her normally and treating her like a normal human being, so she mistook some of the signs, believing that she was in love.

That was until one day when she found Y/N and Worick coming out of the same room and she freaked out, not having any idea how she managed to get there without her knowing. Well- Not that it was difficult to go past Alex, since she was a heavy sleeper...

But Nic having to explain that Y/N and Worick have been together since childhood was... An outright shock for her, who knew Worick for being a carefree Gigolo who doesn’t let emotional bonds get the best of him.

Even so, she found them cute together, and could see, at least hypothetically, how they lasted so long together.

At least in theory, since she doesn’t actually know that their feelings strings are unbreakable.

---

One night in particular was extremely bad for Worick, and he couldn’t understand why. It wasn’t even something that happened -  It was something based on a trauma he experienced, but much darker and more gruesome. Worick was shaken to the core.

Just like usual, he hurried to Y/N’s apartment and went to her bedroom, and upon entering, his mind almost seemed to forget every bit of agony he experienced, as her soft sleeping expression vanished everything in his mind.

Almost, but not quite.

The blue eyed man gently woke her up, kissing her forehead, caressing her face and calling her name until she fluttered her eyes open, which was pretty fast, considering she was a light sleeper.

She needed no explanation, she already knew what was going on.

She got up, gesturing to him to get in bed, undressed as usual, since that’s how he would sleep most comfortably, and taking out a music player and some scented candles, she played some soft jazz tunes, letting the aroma of vanilla and cinnamon sooth their senses.

Y/N took off her shirt, knowing how he needed body heat to be able to calm down and relax, and got in bed, hugging his head close to her chest, playing with his long, gorgeous hair, to help him fall asleep easier, while his arms were pulling her to him, caging her in a warm embrace.

“Thank you, Y/N. These damn nightmares are sure something else...” he muttered with a tint of annoyance in his voice. “I know, darling...I know...But I’m here for you. I’ll fight them for you.” she kissed his forehead once again, making him chuckle. “Well...At least one thing’s not bad from all this. I get to feel your soft chest...Ahhh, it’s like a cloud.” he giggled like a school boy, making the girl sigh, but grin nonetheless. “You’re such a dork, Wally.” she used her free hand to softly caress his arm and side, putting the blanket around their waist and back, so they won’t get a cold. “Admit it, you can’t resist this lovable dork.” he sniggered, making her hum in amusement. “I suppose that’s true. I love you, Wally.” she tightened his grip around him, and he did the same. “I love you too, Y/Nickname. I’m really happy that you came back.” he spoke in a voice, barely above a whisper. “So am I, Wally. So am I.”

Letting the music settle a peaceful atmosphere around the room, she unconsciously hummed a soft tune, along the music, as she played with the man’s hair until she herself fell asleep.

It wasn’t much that they did, but for them, every little thing meant the world.