#yes his employer was clearly trying to make money
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i honestly feel like hybe played jk. he had nothing to do with the creative process of this song ( the writing, production, etc.) It's a somewhat catchy pop song for the western masses that they got jk to sing because of his following. this whole thing, even the lato feature was just a big business deal. and it waters down jk's musical capabilities. i dont hate the song. but i was just expecting more. sick of the western music industry downgrading genuine talented artists to bubblegum pop.
it definitely felt like a song made directly for the western market, and i kind of assumed latto was under one of the sister labels. tbh, at the end of the day, while music is art, it's also a business, so it is what it is
..but you also forget. jungkook loves bubblegum pop. this is the type of music he listens to, so it's not a far reach to say this is the type of music he'd like to make. he is JEON JUNGKOOK--if he didn't want to do it, it wouldn't have happened, period đđ˝ďż˝ďż˝ďż˝âď¸
#let's not take out his autonomy now#yes his employer was clearly trying to make money#(just like latto was for hopping on the track to begin with)#but it's also very jungkook despite that#tbh i've been joking for years that i'm anticipating his solo work to be filled with bubblegum pop and edm#so this is on brand lol#asks#bby
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Jester Stole His Thorny Crown
Chapter Four
He never had a choice in his life. His dreams were nothing more that that. Dreams. But then he met a lounge singer at his brother club and everything changed.
Mafia!Au
1.4K
Warnings: drugs (not taken), gun violence, descriptions of piano playing even though i don't know how to play piano
Series Masterlist
It had been three lessons, and she was still terrified of him. That was clear. Every time he pulled up his sleeves, she flinched.
Charles noticed every single time. What had she heard to make her fear him so? More importantly, what had Arthur told her?
It made the piano lessons incredibly difficult. Charles could play one song and it was only ten seconds long (he had been a little surprised when she first taught him to play happy birthday, but he went along with it, at least slow progress was being made).
The three lessons happened in the span of a week. In that week Charles had met with the Gasly family, reunited with his old friend Pierre, had collected the money from the other clubs (since Arthur had taken the drugs out of the lounge) and had attended her performances almost every night.
It was amazing, she was amazing. Charles didn't care if he sat there with an empty drink, just watching her. He didn't notice his glass was lacking, not when he couldn't pull his eyes away.
Charles never had a chance to daydream. He was forced to grow up early, was never able to let his imagination run wild. At twenty-six years old, Charles understood why. He understood why he was never allowed to daydream.
As he sat in the meeting with Lorenzo and Esteban Ocon. Esteban Ocon was a mystery in the mafia world. He was a normal kid, hadn't grown up in a mafia family Charles, Arthur and Lorenzo. It was a mystery how he got to this point.
Somehow, as a teenager, Esteban ended up under the employment of the Gasly family. He and Pierre became good friends, but that friendship soon ended. Nobody but Pierre and Esteban knew what happened between them, but guns were pointed at each other and Esteban had to flee. He ended up in Monaco, under the protection of the Leclercs.
Charles was staring at Esteban, clearly making him uncomfortable. But Charles didn't notice. He was too busy daydreaming, imagining being sat at that piano with her, the crowd before them clapping as they finished their song.
"Charles," Lorenzo began, but Charles didn't respond. He was still staring, a stupid, dopey smile on his face. "Charles, Charlie," Lorenzo tried again. He knew just how much he hated being called Charlie, but even that wasn't getting him to respond.
Lorenzo turned his attention to Esteban. "Did he take something?"
But Esteban shrugged his shoulders and leaned across the table to snap his fingers in front of Charles's face. Charles flinched away from him, blinking rapidly as he sat up straighter. "What the fuck?"
"Are you concentrating now?"
Charles glared across the table. "Yes, I'm concentrating," he spat, crossing his arms over his chest.
But still, it was hard to concentrate as the meeting went on. Charles couldn't stop his mind from drifting back to her. He stopped imaging the crowd watching them. Just them, sat around the piano. enjoying each other.
"You know Verstappens boy, don't you?" Asked Lorenzo.
Charles nodded his head. He knew Max incredibly well. They were best friends when they were kids, before Jos became the head of the Verstappen Family. It had been a good few years since they had seen each other last, but Charles doubted anything would change.
"Stay on Max's good side and maybe Jos won't try and kill us," Lorenzo muttered. "Get ready to meet them tomorrow. Don't take guns, but be ready to fight if you have to. And take Arthur with you," he said, ready to dismiss them.
"Arthur? No way. He's still got a fucking gunshot wound in his arm," Charles threw back at his brother. He sat back in his chair, staring at Lorenzo. "Why can't Esteban come with me?"
"Because Max hates me," said Esteban.
"I'm not taking Arthur."
"You're taking Arthur. And that's final."
Lorenzo finally dismissed them. He sent them out of his office, turning his attention to the papers in front of him. Charles was the first out of the room. He stood up with such force that his chair fell back. Esteban followed him out of the office, falling into step behind him. "I can come if you want," he said. "I can sneak around and make sure that nothing bad happens to your brother," he offered.
Charles shook his head. "There's no sneaking around with Jos," he replied. "He'll kill you without hesitation."
He climbed into his car and quickly drove off. Esteban was one of the only friends he had in this world. It was lonely, but Esteban made it a little easier.
Charles didn't know where he was driving to. He was heading somewhere, his mind too consumed to know where. Thank God the people of Monaco knew to get out of his way.
When did he arrive at the lounge. He sat in the car for a minute, just staring at the building. He wasn't there for sanctuary, for comfort. He was there to confront her.
He was angry, but it wasn't at her. His anger was nothing to do with her, but he couldn't do anything to fix the reason why he was angry. He could do something about her.
He pushed the doors open, walking into the lounge. "Mr Leclerc," she called, standing from the piano stall.
That just fuelled Charles's anger. She watched as he stormed over to her, his jaw clenched. Her back was against the piano as he climbed the stairs and walked across the stage.
He stood so close until she was consumed by him. Every breath she took was him. And she was terrified. "I thought I told you to call me Charles," he said, his voice low.
How she wasn't shaking, she didn't know. "Mr Leclerc, please," she whispered, trying to get away.
Charles grabbed the piano lid, trapping her between his strong arms. "Why are you so scared of me?"
She opened her mouth, but no words left her lips.
His arms tensed and he pressed himself closer. "Tell me. Now."
"Please," she whispered, trying to get away from him. "Mr Leclerc, Charles, please." But she couldn't get away from him. It was too much, far too much, and she had to get away.
Charles hadn't expected her to push him. He didn't expect her to press her hands against his chest and push. But she did. She pushed him away and he stumbled back. "No way," he said, a grin crossing his face.
"I'm not scared of you," she said, standing strong (even if it was a lie).
And Charles knew it was a lie. He pulled his gun from his waistband, watched as her face fell, and put it on the floor. "I don't want to hurt you," he said. "I'm not going to hurt you."
Slowly, he walked toward her again, like she was a startled animal. This time, she didn't flatten herself against the piano. As he sat on the bench, she moved away from him, standing beside the piano as he pressed his fingers against the keys.
Charles had dreams like this. Her against the piano as he played. It wasn't something impressive, just happy birthday, but she sang along.
At the end of the ten second song, Charles stopped. "I don't want you to be afraid of me," he said. I know what I've done, I know what you've probably heard, but I promise, I'm not gonna hurt you."
"Because you need me to teach you piano?"
His hand touched hers, where it rested against the top of the piano. "Yeah," he answered and swallowed thickly. "Yeah, because I need you to teach me piano." At this part in his dream, she would reach for his tie and pull him close, kissing him.
But, in reality, she pulled her hand away from his. She quickly walked away from the piano and off the stage. She disappeared into one of the back rooms, and slammed the door shut behind her.
Charles fists slammed down onto the piano. It was a miracle it didn't break. "Fuck!" He shouted, his voice echoing around the lounge.
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I would love to see a story where reader and sanji were dating until he left to go with the straw hat pirates and a year or two passes and they meet again but reader seems more interested in zoro and so we get some jealous sanji but reader still loves sanji and so they make up đŁď¸đŁď¸
A/N IMPORTANT:Â First of all Thank you for your request anon, second i'm so sorry it take me so long ! Due to my job schedule I have only few time to write and my request list was kinda long. So thank you also for the wait. I have fun with the drama and jealousy in this one as well at throwing some Zoro and Sanji Fan Service. I hope you will like it !
You left me
OPLA - Sanji
Sanji / OPLA Masterlist and Coming Soon
* English is not my first language, I tried really hard to correct myself but, I hope you will excuse me if some mistakes are still there.
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The morning air, that day, was fresh and crisp.The perfect day for sailing. As you were watching by the second floor window, you saw Sanji, a foot on the boarding plank, looking behind, clearly searching for something or someone in the small crowd of the Baratie employer. But he will not find you there, he made a choice and you did yours.
â...You said yesterday that you were not leavingâŚthat Zeff needed you, that it was where we are...â You said, watching him throw his clothes in his travel bag.Â
âWell the old man seems to say he doesn't want me here anymore he wants me to goâ Sanji harshly replied, the argument with his mentor still burning.
âAnd whatâs that mean for meâŚfor usâ You enquire, afraid to already know the answer.Â
â Come with me, think of all the things we will see and live together!â He simply replied, small hope coloring his voice.Â
âBecoming a pirate? I canât SanjiâŚMy parents need that money to take back the bakery, I need that money â You protest, guilt, anxiety and sadness starting twisting your guts.Â
â Y/N we are talking about finding the All Blue!â Sanji replied, putting the last items in his bags. Â
â Yes, your dream is important, but us, our future, were all you told me were empty promises? â You asked, seeing that said future of running the Baratie side by side, getting old together and love each others more and more crumble before your eyes.Â
â No but Zeff is right, staying here will not help me find the All BlueâŚâ The tall blond says, defeat, seeing himself the realization of the inevitable situation rolling up in front of his eyes.Â
âThen leaveâ You whispered, shock slowly flooding your system.Â
âY/Nâ He pleaded, trying sadly to reach for you.Â
â Leave ! âYou suddenly shout, taking him by surprise.Â
It was still only after he had closed the door behind him that you let yourself fall on your knees, crying, as your broken heart seemed to be aspired to by an black hole. Â
You knew that things could have been taken differently, should have taken at least a more compromise turn. But everything had been so sudden and you had become so quickly frustrated that he didnât understand the situation he was putting you in, that you didnât want to try to be rational, he had chosen adventure and a mystical part of the ocean full of fishes, you had chosen your family. Still, as you watched him disappear in that ship, you couldnât stop the burning tears from running down your cheeks.Â
Two years laterÂ
Sanji almost wished he had stayed on the ship. The atmosphere in the tavern was too loud for his current mood, the drink either not cold enough to be enjoyable or badly mixed and the food was so blank he had to fight the urge to enter the kitchen and throw the faulty chef out. But, Luffy had insisted on going out with everyone and nobody could resist their idiot but joyful captain.
That part of the year was always kinda bittersweet for him. Even with all the happy or more hard events that had followed his departure from the famous floating restaurant. The best cook of the east blue couldnât help himself from missing his old man, keeping as a reminder, a small jar of oregano at his eye level in his kitchen. But it was you that he was missing the most, your tender eyes on him as he was talking about a new recipe, your humor finding a way to make him laugh or smile, your lips soft under his, your body warm and fitting perfectly between his arms.Â
The guilt of your last conversation had frequently haunt him, during those years, your eyes full of tears, a recurrent memory of how badly he had handled the delicate situation. With time, the culpability had little by little given him some rest as the realization that it had been indeed one of those impossible cases nobody could have gone out without dommage. Yet, you were still a souvenir tormenting his heart he didnât feel the need to share with his crew members.Â
â Nami, how far are we from the next group of islands?â Zoro asked, coming back from the bar, new bottles of alcohol in his hands.Â
â Few days, maybe a week, why ?â The navigator answered, trying to see behind the tall form of the swordsman.Â
â I would ask for a temporary place on your ship if itâs possibleâ A feminine voice answered, making Sanji lift his head and knock down his glass, spilling the mediocre liquor across the table,surprising everyone.Â
If the tall blond was honest with himself, he would admit that for the most part of the first year, he had searched for you in every crowd he had crossed, stupidly hoping that you had a change of heart and had finally decided to go with him. But everytime he had believed seeing you, he had ended up with some cruel deception.
However, this time, he couldnât make a mistake.Standing at the side of Zoro, in an elegant but simple dress he never saw, your hair pinned in a way Zeff would never admit in the kitchen, you were absolutely stunning and real. As real as your surprise but shock, gaze on him.Â
â I found her talking to the barman about a way to travel to the next water, I thought of catching her before Luffy somehow tried to recruit her.â The green haired man said, letting you sit before taking himself a seat. Â
â Y/N.. ? â Sanji asked, himself shocked to see you in front of him, so far from the restaurant.
â Do you already know each other ? â Usopp asked, his eyes traveling between you and the cook, clearly reading with Nami a tension the others didnât already catch.Â
â Hello Sanji. Yes, we had worked together at the Baratie under Zeff command â You replied, trying to avoid his hypnotizing blue eyes, cursing the universe for reuniting you.Â
â What, what are you doing here ? â Sanji asked, cleaning the table with a rag a waitress had brought.Â
Looking at the straw hat crew, somehow embarrassed to be so suddenly the center of attention, you adjust your dress, preparing yourself ,like if you doing a difficult task, to answer Sanji, trying to raise as far as you can the barrier around your heart.Â
â Well, my parents died so I had to get back home for the funeral yesterday. â You replied.Â
A vague sympathy and condolences enveloped you as you tried to not again be submerged by the emotions of the devastating event. You casually start to play with the discarded paper of a straw.Â
âSo you will take back the bakery â The blond asked, wondering why you weren't already there instead of trying to buy yourself a passage for some island.Â
â I sadly have nothing to take back, the bakery was the cause of my parents death. A fire had caught in the middle of the night, they didnât wake up in time. The neighbors tried to help but it was too late. â You confess, taking a deep breath as the hand of Sanji advances to press your hand in sign of reconfort.Â
But, it was the hand of the swordsman giving you one of his beers who reached you first, before tapping uncomfortably your shoulder in an essay of recomfort. As you gave a look to Sanji, his hand still half-way, you realize that you never saw what seemed like blue flame in his eyes before.
Offering a thank you smile to the clearly well-intentioned but more reserved man, noticing for the second time of the night that he too, has some really fine features. You face every member of the crew.Â
â I can pay for my transport, name me the amount of Berries and itâs yours. So, will you accept me on board ? â You asked as Luffy exploded in an exclamation of joy despite his already mouth full of food and Namiâs smile enlarge at the mention of Berries.
â
His hands gripping the rope, showing the strong muscles of his forearms while sweat was sticking on his naked back and torso . Zoro was keeping at a comfortable height one of the heavy stabilizers, letting Usopp do his carpenter magic, while you were sitting with Nami, in one of the chairs in the upper deck, clearly enjoying the show.Â
Well, at least of what Sanji could see. He was as well on the lower deck, trying to avoid the many discard tools while collecting fresh tangerine for one of his dessert idea, ideas who had recently start flowing again since your two path have cross again Yet, even if his hands could blindly and with ease found the perfectly ripe tangerine, his gaze alway seem to linger to you, drooling on that moron of a mosshead.
Like if it wasnât enough of a torture for him to having you so close but at the same time so far, since you was barely talk to him except for the polite minimum. He had now to watch you fall for a pile of muscle with no brain, who already thought he was better in combat than him. No, he couldnât tolerate it. For four days, he had already endured enough of your smiles toward him, or your genius question about his show off three swords and the sweet way you had answered his observation about your knife technique. For god sake, Sanji was the one who had shown you and helped you perfect that skill, he should have been the one complimenting you about it. His blood boiling in his veins at the thought, pulling too harshly a very ripe fruit, he felt it crush in his hand, staining his shirt with the sugary juices.Â
â Merde! â The cook exclaimed, extending his arm to avoid spilling more of the citrus liquid on himself. * Shit
Abandoning the basket behind, his mind full of french curses addressed to the damn swordsman, who clearly wasnât aware of the ultimate luck he has to have caught your attention, Sanji slammed the door of the kitchen behind him, letting go of the smashed fruit in a small bowl before discarding his now dirty shirt.
â OhâŚsorry you had forgotten your basket...I just wanted to...â You said, stopping in your tracks as your eyes fell on his shirtless frame.
It wasnât the first time you saw the bare chest of Sanji. In fact, you had often joked that you knew his form so well that you could easily draw a map of his naked torso with your eyes closed. However, as you admired the sun highlighting new muscle lines on his shoulder and chest, you couldnât deny that the life at sea had given him some benefit and had turned your previous mental map of him almost useless. Trying to keep your head cold and not ruin four days of hard effort in the salt water, you bite your lips and gently put the basket on the kitchen island.Â
â See you later â You simply said, counting your breath, adding mentally some bricks to the crumbling fence around your heart.Â
â Whatâs the rush, itâs not like you didnât already see me like that. Or the spectacle of Moss head outside is more memorable. â Sanji bitterly said, holding his shirt in his fist, mouth half open in a sarcastic smirk. Â
â What are you talking about ? â You asked, confused.Â
â Iâm talking about you and Zoro. Look I get it, I left you behind to accomplish my dream to find the All Blue and you have all the right to resent me for it. But, that man didnât deserve even half of the perfection that you are.â He said, frustration blooming in his chest. â I see you for days now trying to flirt with him, look at him with your beautiful eyes like if he was your favorite pastry. I know him for two years mon coeur, and I swear it he isn't made for you âÂ
â And you are ? â You asked, old anger slowly rising to the surface.
You knew, after two years, that the situation of your break up was meant to happen. But the pain of being abandoned by who you thought was the love of your life, was still an open wound you had hoped would close with time.Â
â You know that I am, but you still drool with Nami on that imbecile !â He exclaimed, throwing his shirt on the counter.
â Drooling ?!âŚI was talking to Nami about our last relationship ! We were looking at you ! â You shout. â You have left me alone for the last two years in a restaurant haunted by our memories ! âÂ
â And I regret it everyday ! I was haunted too ! I saw you everywhere, smelled the ghost of your perfume on my skin, and heard you call my name every time I was trying to move on and talk to another girl. You were there without being there ! I missed you so muchâ He replied, tears filling his eyes as your heart arches in front of his now vulnerable state.Â
You had tried to keep your heart safe from him. But at the minute your feet step by themselves to meet him, you knew it was a lost cause. You were tired to fight your feelings, tired to pretend you could forget him. Â
Taking his face in your hands, brushing off the few tears running down his cheeks. You lifted yourself on your toe, kissing him gently, the soft sensation of his lips against yours tried to bring you back in your memories. But, as you felt his arms close around you, holding you like if he would never let you go again, you decided that new choices have to be made, and this time, you both choose each other.
Bonus :Â
Few weeks later
â Sanji, I will go pick some tangerine outside,donât be jealous, Zoro his training shirtless so I will try to not slip when I will drool â You tease your boyfriend, laughing when he abandons his new recipe to try to catch you before you leave.
Easily pinning you against the door, kissing you breathless, his laugh caressing gently your lips, you smile against his mouth, letting your body take his place against him.
â I love you â He whispered, stealing another kiss.Â
â I love you tooâ You replied, more happy than ever.Â
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Come Rest Your Bones Next To Me, And Toss All Your Thoughts To The Sea
Christine x GN!Reader
Raoul x GN!Reader
The Phantom (Erik) x GN!Reader
(Separately)
What the trio would get you for your anniversary!
Warnings/Notes: I admit Iâm a Raoul hater so his part is going to be ass, fair warning
Christine
⢠Most likely is sneaking away from the Opera House to have an outing with you so donât expect a super long date if rehearsals are supposed to be going on.
⢠Something sweet and simple, she knows what itâs like to be.. love bombed.. shall we say so she likes to enjoy the smaller things with you. A picnic as the sun rises or sets, doing each others hair and dressing in extravagant clothing which may or may not be costumes, enjoying sweets and tea somewhere hidden in the opera house so you can be alone (+Erik).
⢠Singing for you; showing all of her hard work on the newest song she needs to learn, if you are a singer yourself she definitely has a few duets up her sleeve.
⢠I feel like sheâs more of a âfew meaningful giftsâ kind of person as opposed to spending all of her money on things she doesnât even know youâll use.
⢠If youâve at any point mentioned something special from your childhood she wants to include that in her gift, maybe she has found a copy of an old favorite book or turned something only you will understand into a necklace; no matter what she will do what she can to bring something you love to life.
⢠Your favorite flowers, if they arenât in season sheâs had them prepared months before this anniversary. Anything to show you just how much you mean to her.
Raoul
⢠Heâs a fancy rich man, of course he has something planned that makes you feel like royalty.
⢠Over the top bouquets, expensive meals, a carriage drawn by pure white horses. He goes all out for his lover, everything needs to feel perfect.
⢠Of course, money canât get you everything in life. It can however get you that item youâve seen in shops and adored but donât have the money for, Raoul is happy to get you this as long as it brings you joy.
⢠Unlike Christine I feel like he would shower you in gifts, among the pile you would end up with, yes; there would be meaningful and precious gifts but the rest are spoils from his wealth.
⢠He would try his best to empty his schedule and make all the time in the world for you, if your schedule is the problem he might try a little bribery of your employer to get your being out of work for the day.
⢠In the end itâs your relationship which is being celebrated, if this means minimal gifts and smaller amounts of time it matters not to him. Well, it matters a little bit. But as long as you remain happy and he feels like he can keep you safe then he will be content.
The Phantom, Erik
⢠So so freaked out letâs be honest, even making it to a year of being in a relationship has cause for some kind of celebration for him.
⢠Like Christine he wants to sing with you, even if you donât sing (unlikely, considering who he is) he wants to show you something that he treasures. He wishes for your praise but is most likely not expecting it.
⢠The quantity of gifts depends on your preferences, heâs learned that he does tend to come on strong so he doesnât want to scare you off. If you do like more material displays of affection then he is more than set, he can clearly sew beautifully so if you need new clothes or repairs on old ones he is more than capable. Not to mention the money he gets from the opera house, asking Madame Giry to retrieve the gifts for him so he can stay hidden.
⢠Writing, of course. Poetry, songs, simply melodies; he has it all, all for you. Music is where he can express himself and really âget in the zoneâ without fear of judgement. That is until heâs done with the small performance, thatâs when he will flush and the anxiety will set in. Praise him too hard too suddenly and he might just burst into tears.
⢠All in all nothing too extravagant will be happening, all he needs is your love to be happy. His proclamations of love will be given and all he can do is hope that you return them with a smile and kiss on his cheek.
#phantomoftheopera#phantom of the opera#x reader#erik the phantom#erik destler x reader#christine daae#christine daae x reader#raoul de chagny#raoul de chagny x reader#x reader fluff#the phantom x reader#Christine x reader#raoul x reader#phantom of the opera x reader#poto#poto x reader#sfw x reader#sfw
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Ready Or Not|Part 5|Yandere Levi x Evelyn
(A/N: I am loving hardened military Levi, he's so out there and off his rocker I love it!)
WARNINGS: noncon, dubcon, manipulation, domestic abuse, yandere themes, forced marriage, forced pregnancy, stockholm syndrome, graphic depictions of violence, mind breaking, misogyny, etc.
===============================================
Levi followed his troops to the home of one of the city's wealthy families. An older woman who often chatted and gossiped around the town, people like these he couldn't stand normally, but a gossip like this would know more than he would about Evelyn's whereabouts.
He dismounted and marched straight towards her, time was money and he continually found himself in short supply as of late.
"Speak, and if I find that you've wasted my time woman you'll be sorely paid back for it."
Her smug smile never left her face, happy to have something to make Humanity's Strongest indebted to her. As a man who declined invitations to parties and visitations something like this would surely get her and her worthless husband in his favour.
"Captain Ackerman, just the man I wanted to see. You might remember me, I was at Commander Pixis' little get together to commemorate all his years of service. It's such an honor to meet the man who keeps us safe."
His expression is unchanging, the lighting casting dark shadows onto his face, giving him a more menacing appearance.
She clears her throat, uncomfortable, but continues. "I hope this information puts us in a good light for you, always eager to help out those in our class. It's a shame with your wife, why if I were you-"
"Cut to the chase woman, I don't have time for your empty flattery and nonsense."
A little offended she presses on. "Right, well, I saw Mrs. Ackerman running this way with dear little Furlan on her hip. The poor thing was frightened half to death at being taken from his home. She seemed frantic and headed towards the docks."
"What time was this?"
"I'd say about, two in the afternoon? Clearly trying to sneak away before you came home."
"Good." He turns to a soldier. "I want you to look up ship records, who was in port at that time or the hour after for good measure. That'll narrow it down."
"I'm glad to be of help." Her smile still smug.
"And you," He motions to another. "Make sure this woman and her husband understand the meaning of keeping her lips shut."
"Yes sir."
"Wait what are you doing? Not even a thank you?"
Levi continues to return to his horse, ignoring the pleading from the lady as his soldiers show her what will happen if this turns into gossip as well.
He's renewed with a sense of vigor, another lead. Her location was being narrowed down with each passing day, soon he would find her.
"Now to show someone else what happens if they don't talk."
==============================================
"Fired? What do you mean fired?"
"I mean you're done, look your kid broke a lamp the other day and I know you sure as hell can't afford to pay me back."
"I will eventually, please, just give me another chance."
"If I gave every sob story a chance I'd be broke. Go talk to the man who knocked you up for support."
Evelyn's expression darkened. "Come on Furlan."
"Yeah get lost, find someone else to steal from."
Evelyn had survived with much less, but rent was going up and she was running out of employers. All of them found some reason to fire her.
When they returned home she set Furlan down for a nap while dealing with the dead body in her house. Her former employer, Mrs. Price, the poor soul had been badmouthing Evelyn to everyone looking for work in this city. All because she believed that Evelyn was being punished for the sin of being a single mother and that helping her would only give her a means to have more pre-marital sex.
She had it coming to her.
Evelyn Glass Ackerman, a murderer. It was in times like these she referred to herself by her married name, since it was fitting to accompany the two. Levi had made her this way, he had forced her to do things she never would have done. All because of his selfishness.
Thankfully for her he always taught her how to clean up the mess afterwards. In all his years alive Levi had never been caught and charged with a single crime although he committed more than she wanted to think about. He was a vile human being, but he taught her how to survive. For that and only that would she be forever grateful.
She had to find another income soon, with a child on the way soon she would have another mouth to feed. And without Levi's money she wasn't sure how she could do it. Everyone here believed that she was the product of her own making and that one could damage their reputation by associating with a whore.
Some people never changed.
She'd find a way, somehow, to survive. She couldn't go back, not now, she was too far into this. Who knows what Levi would do if she came crawling back now? He could actually kill her, lose control and everything she still loved of this world would be gone. No, she had to keep running.
He controlled her once, he'd never do it again.
#ready or not#break me slowly#levi x oc#attack on titan#levi ackerman#levi x reader#shingeki no kyojin#levi aot#yandere levi ackerman#yandere levi x reader#yandere levi
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Camboy Masterlist
all i want (ao3) - lourrygum michael/luke E, 15k
Summary: Luke is a camboy and Michael has to have normal conversations with him like he didn't watch him come untouched just last night
Or, Lush isn't Luke's only place of employment, Calum is falling in love with the curly haired dork that comes in to his coffee shop on a daily basis and Michael's going to stop watching Luke's videos soon, he swears.
Baby Boy, I Can Misbehave (ao3) - senioritastyles luke/calum E, 3k
Summary: In the back of his mind Luke knows he probably shouldn't be doing this, let alone for the fifth time this month. But more towards the front of his mind he just really doesn't care at all, even though he can hear his best friend's voice in his ear telling him that it's "unbecoming for the prince of Australia to play with himself on a high-quality webcam". Luke had sort of just smirked and shrugged at the time because if anything, being told he "shouldn't" is the exact reason that he should in his twisted brain.
Or: Luke is the sluttiest prince in all the land.
Camboy (ao3) - adhdjoongs (orphan_account) luke/ashton E, 6k (WIP)
Summary: Luke Hemmings is notoriously known online for being a camboy: an online "entertainer" who engages in pornographic activities to get money. In other words, he likes to show off his ass to get money for his college tuition while living in his one bedroom apartment in LA. Sure people can think his way of getting money is interesting, but to each their own. Everything is going according to plan, that is until he meets a stranger on one of his live streams who steals his heart in the most non-romantic way possible.
Camboy (ao3) - orphan_account M, 1k (WIP)
Summary: While Luke is searching for porn, he ends up finding Michael. The shy boy in his trigonometry class.
Camera Guy - @daydadahlias (cornflowerblue (daydadahlias)) calum/ashton, luke/calum/ashton E, 12k
Summary: Calum briefly glances up at him through his lashes, mouth still on Ashtonâs skin. He wonders in a somewhat mocking tone, âWhat, and youâre gonna film it for us too, huh?â
âI mean if you guys want me to," Luke replies.
FutureSex/LoveSounds (ao3) - Migs luke/calum, michael/luke, calum/ashton E, 47k
Summary: Luke is Med student/camboy with a crush on the Footie captain with a secret.
OR: Cake have a lot of hot sex for money whilst trying to pursue romantic relationships with other boys.
I Thought Heaven Can't Help Me Now (He's So Bad But He Does It So Well)Â (ao3) -Â Migs michael/luke E, 6k
Summary: "It's Lux." Michael whispers directly into Calum's ear, making sure that no one can overhear them.
"What? No." Calum replies shocked, measuring Luke up and down like he is having a "camboy" badge pinned somewhere on his attire.
"Yes." Michael says back before he is opening his tumblr app and pulling up Naughty Lux's page. "Look!" He says as he scrolls down the page and showing Calum a picture of what is clearly Luke sitting on a bed with wide spread legs and a baby blue collar around his neck.
"Oh god, it really is him." Calum breathes out as he scrolls lower just to see Luke in various positions and from various angles. "He is gorgeous." Calum whines as they watch a short clip of Luke riding a dildo.
Or: Luke is Michael's favourite camboy that often comes to Calum's coffee shop.
Only Time You On The Net Is When You Google My Ass (ao3) - senioritastyles michael/luke E, 2k
Summary: Michael checks and rechecks his angle, making sure that Luke is perfectly framed the way he likes to be: from just about his mouth down. They're always careful not to show their full faces on camera, not ashamed in the least but wanting to keep their identities hidden especially when they know what some people around the school campus watch their sessions. Michael checks the screen again, looking at Luke's naked body kneeling on the rough carpet of their dorm room floor and smiling.
Or: Michael and Luke are college camboys.
Play With Me More (ao3) - converse_luke luke/calum E, 2k
Summary: âLuke, can you look at me?â His eyes open slowly, the love in Calumâs eyes makes him want to cry. âYou are so beautiful yea? And remember last time, they love you baby.â Luke doesnât give a verbal reaction but Calum can tell he wants to dig his face back into the crook of his neck. Calum lets him for a moment, picking up the mask before lifting Luke up. âIâm gonna change our game plan for tonight baby, you okay with that?â Luke nods against his neck as Calum softly sets him down on the bed. âGood, just relax okay?â
Speed It Up Baby Make Me Sweat (ao3) - converse_luke luke/calum E, 2k
Summary: Luke finally joins Calum for a camming session.
That's Money, Honey (ao3) - senioritastyles luke/calum, ashton/ofc E, 22k
Summary: "Excuse me?" Calum calls, gesturing for the bartender and waiting for him to come over before continuing. "Who is that, over there? The boy on stage."
Michael doesn't even have to look, already smiling and nodding as he tops off Calum's already half-gone whiskey. "That's Luke." Michael explains and Calum nods, sipping at his whiskey again as he watches Luke dance, body swaying fluidly in front of several men dressed pretty similarly to how Calum is. "He tends to attract the uh, black card crowd." Michael says, handing Calum back his own black card.
Or: Calum makes Luke his sugar baby.
touch me like you never (im begging you to take me)Â (ao3) -Â orphan_account ot4 E, 4k
Summary: :+: Mikey rainchecks on his friends to do his job of being a camboy, and when they come home, they find him fucking himself and decide to help. :+:
Webcams (ao3) - gardener luke/ashton, michael/calum M, 3k
Summary: Luke Hemmings is an eighteen years old Photography major at the City College of San Francisco, who works as a camboy on the side. His now calm life changes when he walks into Ashton Irwin, who just happens to watch his cam sessions nearly always he goes online. While the elder one had no idea this guy went to the same university as he did, Luke doesn't even realize Ashton is his favorite subscriber.
You Deserve It Baby, You Deserve It All (ao3) - senioritastyles michael/luke/calum E, 7k
Summary: "What were you dreaming about, Princess?" Michael wonders, his voice whispery but loud enough that he knows Calum will hear, figuring he might as well give the other boy somewhat of a show if Luke's gonna be this needy.
The color in Luke's face deepens and when he speaks he tries his best to keep himself quiet but the desperation and horniness he's feeling make his voice higher pitched and louder than he'd intended. "Was dreaming about Calum." He admits, instantly going even redder since he knows said boy is in the next bed over and could wake up at any second.
Or: Calum joins Michael and Luke in their camboy adventures.
You On Top Got Me Feeling On Your Booty (Give Me That Sugar With The Sweet Talk)Â (ao3) -Â Migs luke/calum E, 3k
Summary: Luke is a camboy and Calum is his bodyguard.
Your Sheets Are Home (ao3) - veinmichael (AvannahSay) michael/luke, calum/ashton, luke/calum, michael/calum, luke/ashton N/R, 5k (WIP)
Summary: Luke needed money. It started as something awkward, then Michael from English found out. Then Calum found out. Then Ashton. And now it's like a big awkward orgy, but with feelings. Always with fucking feelings.
Aka Luke is a camboy, and everyone wants in.
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Hiring a Bodyguard
"Well, your qualifications are impressive and skills are obvious. I think you'd make an excellent part of my team. As long as you are willing to indulge the... least usual part of Ms Holmes hiring process." Pearson said as they walked into an unusual room. A chair with a large amount of odd machinery and suspended screens above it that could clearly lower.
"Ah, we're at this part now?" Krista said slightly surprised it was real and not some sort of joke "So, if I want to work as a bodyguard for Ms Holmes I have to spend half an hour in this... mind control device?" Krista tried to hide her incredulity from Pearson.
"She actually calls it..." the man paused "a 'loyalty inducer', actually. She believes that the chair and those sounds will ensure total loyalty to her." while he had done his best to hide it, Krista could tell he was dismissive of it too.
"So..." Krista decided to ask outright "it doesn't work, right?"
"My team is certainly loyal to Wendy Holmes." Pearson said coldly, then his face softened as he said "She's very rich and has some of the best wages in the industry."
"Right." Krista said, smiling back, the unspoken intent of the statement being clear. An eccentric, but one who pays well enough to play along "So, I just sit in this chair?" Krista asked.
"Not yet, I'm sorry. First you must get out of those clothes, down to your underwear." Pearson saw the look on Krista's face "She checks on the 'process' halfway in, there's no skipping steps, I'm sorry." he said, sympathetic.
"Alright." Krista sighed as she took off her jacket. Pearson made a point of not looking at her as she stripped down. "Done." Krista said, now in nothing but her cheap, practical white undergarments.
"Now sit in the chair, I have to strap your legs and arms down." Pearson just gave her a slight shrug when she looked at him for that line. Krista almost wanted to leave and find a less peculiar employer, but Pearson was right, the pay was far better than her last job. Getting by while not having money for nights out or to treat herself would be a thing of the past if she got this job.
Krista sat in the chair and Pearson strapped her in. As the screens came down, Krista thought she noticed a grin on Pearson's previously stoic face, a glint in his eyes. It was too late to escape now, though.
Half an hour later Pearson, now in his 'proper uniform' of a tight bodysuit undid Krista's bonds as the screen raised Krista spoke "Mr Pearson, you tricked me." she said in delight.
"Yes, but I said no lies about the process." Pearson smiled at her "The silly girl inferred." Krista found herself giggling at that.
"So, did The Mistress like what she saw? I hope I looked good while I was being brainwashed."
"Yes, The Mistress liked what she saw. The inducing of absolute loyalty both to the job and to her sexual pleasure in her dolls is her second favourite thing. Seeing the dolls loyalty demonstrated is her first." Krista was smiling incredibly wide thinking of pleasing The Mistress in both roles "On sexual pleasure those rags have got to go." Krista looked down at her boring underwear and gasped.
"I forgot I was so inappropriately dressed!" Krista hurriedly stripped off "There. This doll is ready for display however The Mistress desires." Krista stood proudly naked before Pearson. The amusing memory of how close she had came to trying to leave instead of stripping before this other doll.
"We'll get you some latex soon enough. For now, let's go show The Mistress her newest bodyguard and doll's loyalty." Krista happily followed Pearson out of the Loyalty Inducer, excited to do just that.
"Oh, and by the way." Pearson said back to her "The wages are real, but you'll be spending them mostly on pleasing The Mistress."
"What else would I spend money on? There's no recreation or treat more rewarding than pleasing The Mistress."
"Exactly."
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Jeeves and Wooster Headcannon:
Itâs one of those very rare days when thereâs no great adventure to get his boss out of or mess he needs to clean up, itâs almost too quiet, before he started working for Wooster this would have been a pleasant afternoon, a respite from being condescended to by some uppity arsehole who had more money than he could have possibly dreamed of and squandered it in drink, or gambling, or girls. Hell, he reflected, the voice he used with Wooster wasnât even his real accent, it was one he had put on when heâd been applying at first to be a gentlemanâs helper, he had to pretend, the company wouldnât take âHis sortâ as the first man heâd ever spoken to in the job centre had said almost twenty years ago now, that was before the war, his service medals for bravery got his foot in the door after he got back. Looking back on it now he was one of the lucky ones, many didnât get to come back at all. He hears something drop to the floor beneath him which brings him out of the stupor he realised heâd found himself in.
Bertieâs sitting in a lounge chair staring at him with the most disconcerting look on his face, biting his lip and clearly trying to structure the question in the most casual way possible before he blurts out
âDid you grow up terribly poor Jeeves?â
His eyes go wide with shame and his cheeks pink up as he slaps a hand over his mouth in shock.
âOh my god Jeeves, Iâm so sorry, fuckâ he shoves his face into his hands making sounds of humiliation and distress.
He had never imagined heâd ever hear Bertie Wooster of all people say âfuckâ or that he knew the word at all, it didnât seem in his character to be crass, although he probably shouldnât have assumed a man in his twenties was that naive.
âI take no offence to it sirâ
âI shouldnât have asked, itâs just so awful of me, can you forgive meâ
He resists the urge to laugh âHonestly lovey, my skinâs a bit thicker than that, Iâve been asked far more insensitive things over my time working, thereâs nothing to forgiveâ He didnât even realise heâd let something so colloquial slip until it had left his mouth âand yes, I did grow up very poorâ.
Bertie toys with his hands still tensed up like a jackrabbit before almost whispering
âWhat was it like?â
Itâs a question that catches him off guard, heâd never thought about it if he was being honest, it was just how he grew up, it was how everyone from Bethnal Green grew up, poor, filthy, half starved and desperate.
âIt was what it wasâ he says evenly âWe didnât have any choice in the matterâ.
âWhere are you from?â
âBethnal Greenâ
âThe slum?â
âYou know of it?â
âThere was a friend of mine in school that used to sneak out the dorms to see uhhhâŚladies of the nightâ
âProstitutesâ
âIt sounds ugly when you put it like thatâ Bertie hugs a cushion on the lounge to his chest.
âIt can be an ugly profession, girls and boys taken in by wolves with false promises, only to be used and spit out when they get too old or too disturbed to be useful, and youâre plenty old enough to know what I mean by âusefulâ â
âBoys?â
âSurely your friend let you in on the scandalous male on male activities of the slumsâ
âHe neglected to mention that partâ
The phrase âprobably because he was seeing one instead of a bird darlinâ was out his mouth before he could stop it, real voice and all, heâd never dared address a former employer like this, above all else it was horrendously unprofessional.
âIs that how you really sound?â
This had gone way too far, but now he was forced to commit.
âFraidâ soâ
âWhy do you hide it from me?â
Oh Mary, Joseph, Jesus and all his carpenter friends, how was he meant to answer that?
âItâs not personal, innit, itâs just your sort looks down on my sort and thatâs thatâ
âI donâtâ
âYouâre one of fewâ
âOhâŚIâm sorryâ Bertie shifted his gaze down to the floor again, crushing the cushion with his delicate, bird like hands with this wretched expression of guilt on his face.
He sighs, gently tilting Woosterâs chin to face him.
âPoppet, Iâm not blaming you for being born with money, and I donât resent you for having opportunities I didnât, one flip of a coin and it could have been the other way round, you couldnât control it anymore than me being born in the slums, I worked my way out, I make a comfortable living now, I survivedâ.
âBut people treated you badly because of where you came from, regardless of how good you were at doing your job, how is that fair?â ďżźďżź
ďżźâThe world ainât fair but you learn how to deal with it, plus, if all the employers who treated me like a human accessory were trials for getting to work for you at the current moment, I think Iâm content with thatâ
A rosy hue of mortification rose on Bertieâs face.
âReally?â
âYes, you treat me like a human being instead of just âthe helpâ, youâre more than generous with not only your pay but your companionship and fundamentally Wooster, you are a good person, and I am dead proud to call you my gafferâ
âYouâre what?â
âBossâ
âAhhâ
âGood, now, Earl Grey or Darjeeling?â
âDarjeelingâ
âIâll get on itâ
âAnd Jeevesâ
âYesâ
âThank you for answering me honestlyâ
âNo prob, loveâ
âWhat?â
âNo problem, Iâve got to teach you some slangâ
âLooking forward to itâ he giggled and if that wasnât the cutest sound heâd heard all day.
#jeeves and wooster#working class#classism#headcanon#drabble#bit OOC but who cares#bertie wooster#reginald jeeves#ignore any cannon info on how Jeeves was raised#weâre exploring a concept here
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Here's the thing. Military honger was a child. A CHILD. generally children die in war. They don't get wealth and recognition. Even good fighters. Even children of wealthy families die in war. It's not exactly a moral positive to let a kid fight a war. What xl was even thinking having seen this young kid throwing himself in front of him (a god!) while in combat and not sending him home or even to a safer posting is beyond me. (I get it xl was young and inexperienced himself and a lot going on, so mistake but not malicious).
Mu qing saw the kid several times where the kid was (supported by the text):
1. Throwing himself in front of xl in combat (wtf!)
2. Following xl even when xl said to go back because it is too dangerous
3. Clearly harboring a crush for xl
So a subordinate military person is not following orders, doing dangerous things, and having inappropriate feelings for a superior. As an adult all that's going to get you kicked out.
Add in that this is a child with injuries already, and yeah, send the kid home. He is going to die and you'll be lucky if he doesn't get others killed with him.
As for the earlier incident, mu qing gave his observations about honger. He said it probably wasn't a good situation but based on x and y things he had someone looking after him. He didnt lie. Ultimately xl got to make the decision with what they did, not mu qing. They all knew what honger looked like being beat up like that.
Now the xianle trio were teens at that time, so really why that was a decision for any of them is beyond me. But xl was a prince who was used to being a bit sassy and pushing for what he wanted to do. It's not like mu qing was some great decision maker over xl.
The first time xl came in contact with honger, xl got bored of him almost immediately and moved on with his life. It's not like anyone was keeping him from the boy or finding out more etc.
Now I'm not too sure about this one because I don't want to look it up, but I'm pretty sure it was feng xin who was worried about a prince interacting with a poor child and how it would look etc. And once the preceptor read his fortune, then I think everyone was like okay back away from the child slowly.
Also, there is no supporting text that mu qing sent honger away out of jealousy. There is only hc saying what he assumed on the matter. Mu qing gave his side that he didn't think it was good for a kid to fight a war. There hasn't been actual evidence of mu qing being jealous of honger.
#
The other thing mu qing often is saddled with are leaving xl and the spiritual land fight.
Leaving him made sense. Mu qing had a sick mom to care for. She had no one else and xl had others. They also had different strategies for dealing with the issues they faced. Would you expect xl to abandon his parents to care for mu qing's mom? No? Okay. Weird.
Let's not forget that mu qing was working a job to bring in money for them all. AND he was doing labor for them such as chores and finances. He was working 3 jobs essentially. 2 of them were unpaid, and 1 of them had most of the money kicked back to the royal family since they seemed to be pooling the money.
They did that for at least many months.
Think of your current employer. Would you do that for them? No? Okay. Weird.
As for the spiritual land debacle, there are people who have explained that much better than I and it's worth looking up.
In short though, yes mu qing was wrong and he apologized more than once, and tried to immediately help monetarily at risk to himself. He wasn't allowed to give them anything but he did.
The reason it was complicated was because mu qing took the pragmatic approach. If he went against the other officials he could end up losing his position again and then would be able to help no one. Not his mom. Not himself. Not the royals. So as difficult as it was it was more in line with his strategy to try to avoid escalating that situation so he can keep his position.
Xl wasn't going to win the land in the end. So mu qing using his strategy really had a better outcome in terms of finances for everyone including the royals. He still apologized (because it was morally wrong). More than once.
It's a real weird take to be mad at a character for sending a child soldier home.
I think it's so funny that hua cheng held an intense, long, 800-year-old grudge against mu qing for not letting him die in the army for his celebrity crush while mu qing had no fucking idea who he was until like book 4
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Authorâs note: This is another old prompt that Iâd like to turn into an actual short story. I ran out of steam trying to figure out what to do next, and left a note for myself to watch more heist movies (which I never did), so this one cuts off rather abruptly. Still wanted to share, though. I like this one.Â
Also, if you find any [text like this], thatâs figure-it-out-later filler that I missed.Â
Prompt: Letting go, 20s gangster, thief
âOn my way to pick up Johnny.â
Harry slipped the phone back into the pocket of her uniform and shook her head. Normally she would leave it at home or in her car, but her client for this job was a micromanaging piece of work who wanted to know her every move. Sheâd tried to tell him that texting during a job was an unnecessary distraction that had gotten her caught more than once and left an incriminating paper trail, but heâd insisted that was one of the terms of the agreement. She kept him updated at all times, or heâd find someone who would agree to his terms. With the amount of money he was offering, and the not-so-subtle threat that the police would be informed who really stole the Dresden Green, Harry couldnât say no.
No one said no to Tony Semenza.
Harry hadnât taken more than three steps toward the door to the broom closet she was currently occupying before her phone buzzed. Again.
âHave a safe trip :)â
Rolling her eyes, Harry jammed the phone as deep into her pockets as it would go. At least sheâd convinced Semenza of the importance of using a code. The idiot had honestly thought âthe packageâ was vague enough to not be suspicious. How had the grandson of Marlon âThe Knifeâ Semenza grown up not knowing the basics of avoiding jail time? The family must have had a seriously good and/or expensive lawyer on retainer.
Okay. One more time. Taking a deep breath (and pausing just before she turned the door handle to allow for another ill-timed text from her employer) Harry straightened her shoulders and stepped out into the hall.
The twenty-ninth floor of the Obelisk Hotel was empty, though Harry doubted any of the residents would have given her a second glance. No one ever really noticed housekeeping. Humming the opening bars of Edelweiss, Harriet pulled her cart out of the closet and headed to room 2810.
The door at the end of the hallway was flanked by two beefy men in ill-fitting suits and knock-off designer shades. One moved to block Harry as she approached.
âTurn around, maâam,â he said.
âBut I need to clean that room,â Harry said, putting on her most puzzled expression.
âYouâre not authorized to enter. Turn. Around.â
Not authorized to enter? Pfft. Who did Maxwell Steiner think he was? His dad hadnât been involved in politics for a couple of decades now. âSir, the resident specifically requested that housekeeping clean this room right away. I think he said something about broken glass?â
She couldnât see his eyes, but Harry was pretty sure the guard was narrowing them at her from behind his sunglasses. âStay there.â He pressed a hand to his ear-piece and turned away as he spoke. All she could make out was a hushed murmur.
Harry glanced at the other, shorter guard. He watched her impassively, but beneath the cheap fabric of his suit he was clearly tensed for action. Good to see that Steinerâs budget bodyguards took their jobs seriously. If it came down to a physical altercation (not that she was planning on one) she was in trouble, but dedication to duty was a good trait to have. Even if that dedication was easily bought and just as easily sold.
The murmuring grew slightly louder, and Harryâs ears perked up just in time to catch, âYes sir. Of course, sir.â The first guard turned back to her, his face the same blank slate it had been when sheâd approached.
âSorry for the trouble, miss,â he said. He pulled a keycard out of his pocket, unlocked the door, and held it open for her. âYouâre cleared to enter.â
Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, Harry muttered a âthank youâ and pushed the cart inside the hotel suite. As soon as she was past the door it shut behind her with a muted click.
Harry had staked out the hotel several times in preparation for this heist. On average it took housekeeping half an hour to turn a room. Depending on the nature of the request, a call to housekeeping for something more specific could take anywhere from two to fifteen minutes. However, this particular mess sheâd been called to clean up was all over the bedroom. Exploding wine bottles tended to stain everything and send glass shards flying into all sorts of places. This one was going to need special attention.
Humming again, Harry slipped on a pair of latex gloves. She had thirty minutes. If everything went according to plan, she would only need five.
Anyone with even a passing interest into the lives of spoiled politiciansâ children knew that Maxwell Steiner always traveled with a portable safe. Never one to trust hotel security measures (a quirk that Harry fully agreed with â those safes were way too easy to break into, and apparently they let just about anyone hire on as a hotel maid) Steiner had a custom, top-of-the-line safe made just for him that went everywhere he did. Just what was in that safe was a mystery for the ages, or at least the age of smart phones and sex tapes.
Harry knew what was in the safe. At least, one item in it. And boy was it a doozy. Sheâd been hired to procure a lot of objects in her relatively short career â man, the stories she could tell that involved live animals and ill-advised uses of historical artifacts â but this one was big, even for her. Never in her lifetime did she think she would ever lay eyes on plundered Nazi loot.
She had to find that safe and get it open before that could happen, though. The logical first place to look was the hall closet, where most hotel safes were kept. And, logically, Steinerâs safe wasnât there. Harry closed the closet door and was about to check the kitchenette when her phone buzzed.
âHowâs traffic? :)â
God, those smiley faces were starting to get on her nerves. Guy couldnât wait more than three minutes to check in on her, could he?
âTraffic is light, I should get there on time. But remember I told you I donât like to text while driving.â
Sent. Seen. A response seconds later.
âThatâs what red lights are for.â
â:)â
Harry was starting to see red. Motherfucker was doing this on purpose. âFine,â she muttered, moving on to the bedroom. If Semenza wanted to leave enough rope to hang himself, that was on him. This was a burner phone anyway.
The safe wasnât in the bedroom. Nor was it in the kitchenette, or the living area, or the bathroom. Harry checked her watch. She was ten minutes in and her objective was nowhere to be found. Where the hell was that safe?
A curtain fluttered, pushed by the breeze from the open balcony doors. Harry frowned. Surely he wouldnât be fool enough to keep his safe out there⌠would he?
At first glance it seemed he wasnât that kind of fool. The only things on the balcony were a white wooden lounge chair, a side table, and a palm fern in each corner next to the building. But that side table didnât match any of the decor inside or outside; it looked like a solid block of polished mahogany, completely out of place among the sleek modern metal and glass that dominated the presidential suite. Kneeling down, Harry could just make out a rectangular outline on the side. She slid her fingers around the outline, gently pressing against the wood in search of a button or other release mechanism.
There! The wood gave slightly under her fingertips, and a moment later a panel silently slid forward and to the left, revealing a black metal door with a combination lock set into it.
âBingo,â Harry whispered. A slow smile crept across her face. With a quick glance back into the suite to make sure no one had come in, she set to work on the lock.
For all the fuss people made about Steiner and his safe, it was disappointingly easy to crack. As the final tumbler clicked into place, Harry finally allowed herself to breathe. She was almost done. After this job, she could quit stealing (for a while, at least). She turned the handle, relishing that satisfying clunk it made, and opened the safe.
A spray of dark fluid splattered her in the face and chest. Harry threw herself backward, sputtering and wiping at her eyes. A bitter taste crept onto the edges of her tongue; some of it had gotten into her mouth.
She sat up and looked down at herself. Blue ink covered her hands, arms, and uniform. She could only guess how much of it was on her face. Steiner was clearly more of a tricky bastard than sheâd given him credit for. She certainly hadnât expected ink packs in the safe.
The door to the safe was wide open, revealing⌠nothing. It was empty, save for a single slip of paper, folded and standing upright.
A paper addressed to Harriet Cohen.
With trembling hands, Harry took the paper and unfolded it. All it said was âGotcha.â
Fuck. Sheâd been set up. And worse, sheâd fallen for it. How could she have been so stupid? Was Semenza working with Steiner? And if he was, whyâ? Raised voices from inside grabbed Harryâs attention. Her eyes widened at the bulky figures coming toward her. She couldnât talk her way out of this one. There was only one way to go.
Harry scrambled to the railing and dove over the side.
For a split second the feeling of free-falling drove all thought out of her brain, save for the single repeating refrain of oh fuck oh fuck weâre gonna die!!! Then she snatched the bottom rungs of the railing, and stopped herself with a jolt that made her stomach lurch and threatened to pop her elbows right out of their sockets. Her feet dangled helplessly in mid-air.
She tried not to think about how far below the street was, or how fast it would take her to hit the pavement if she fell. There wasnât time to panic about being thirty stories up. All she had to do was follow the plan. If she followed the plan, sheâd get out of this alive. Hopefully.
The voices grew louder as Harry shifted her weight
âLooks like she took the bait,â said Meatbag #1 from above. They were on the balcony now.
âI knew she would,â said a new voice. âA rat canât resist nibbling when it sees a piece of cheese.â
Harry had never had the displeasure of meeting the man in person, but sheâd seen enough celebrity ânewsâ to recognize Steinerâs voice. Of course the dirtbag was here to gloat. Sheâd expect nothing less. Which meant she needed to get away as quickly as possible, before someone took two steps to the right and saw her hands clutching the railing.
Harry looked down. The suite below Steinerâs also had a balcony. She just had to drop down there. The only consequence of missing would be falling to her death. No big deal. She took a deep breath and swung her legs back and forth, building up momentum.
âNow where,â Steiner said, each word punctuated by the click of his heels as he strolled across the balcony, âdid the little rat go?â
Swaying out over the street below made Harryâs head spin. She swallowed down the little whine of fear that threatened to leak out. Almost there. She just had to swing out a little furtherâŚ
The footsteps were coming closer. No more time left. Harry gave one final kick and let go. She tucked her arms and legs in close to her chest, intending to roll as she landed, but she hit the floor flat on her back with a loud thud.
âWhat was that?â
The impact had knocked the wind out of her, but Harry at least had enough presence of mind to roll beneath the lounge chair. Struggling to breathe without gasping like a fish on land, she clenched her teeth and forced herself to breathe through her nose.
The click click click of footsteps. A pause that seemed to drag on indefinitely, every second marked by the pulse of blood in her ears. Harry tucked her limbs in as close as she could. Was the end of her ponytail peeking out from beneath the chair? Had she left a smear of ink on the tile? Steiner had to suspect she was down here. The only other way out of the suite was through the front door, and the guards would have caught her if sheâd gone out that way.
Finally Steiner let out a sigh. âNothing,â he said, unable to keep a note of disappointment from his voice. âSheâs not out here.â
âDunno where else she could be,â one of the meatbags said. âOnly other way out is through the door, and we were out there the whole time.â
âClever little creatures, rats are.â Steinerâs voice faded as he headed inside, but his voice was raised enough for Harry to catch it. âTheyâll find any number of ways to escape a sinking ship.â
The balcony door clicked shut above her, and Harry let out the breath sheâd been holding, exhaling like the air was exploding from her lungs. She closed her eyes, allowing herself to relax. The tile wasnât exactly comfortable to lay on, but the cool stone soothed her sore muscles. She was just going to lay here for a little bit. Just long enough to catch her breath and let her heartbeat slow down to a gentle gallop. Then it was time to get back to work.
The job wasnât over. It was just getting interesting.
* * *Â
Suite 2710 had been rented out to one Jurgen Niemand for the last two days. (By some miracle Semenza had at least been smart enough to use an alias this time.) Sadly, in the interest of not drawing attention to herself, staying in the room wasnât an option for Harry. (A pity, that. Sheâd have put room service through their paces and rung the bill up as far as she dared, since it was all on Semenzaâs dime. Another time, maybe.) She had made sure she was responsible for the basic housecleaning for the suite, however, which gave her ample opportunity to stash any supplies she might need. Supplies like a change of clothes, for example. Or professional-grade theater makeup. Or wigs.
A quick, scalding scrub in the shower took care of most of the ink, though there were a few faint splotches mingled in with the freckles that dusted her nose and cheeks. A careful application of concealer took care of that problem. Her ruined uniform was dumped unceremoniously into a trash bag, replaced with black leggings and long-sleeved t-shirt. Free of that damned wig for the first time in two weeks, Harryâs head felt lighter than air and no longer itched like sheâd rubbed poison ivy all over her scalp. She ran a hand through her short, tight black curls and sighed in relief.
Reluctantly, she pulled up the text conversation between her and Semenza. He wasnât going to like this turn of events, but it was the kind of thing heâd insisted he be informed of immediately. And his reaction might help her figure out if he was in on the trap.
âJohnny wasnât at his apartment,â she typed. âHis big brother chased me off. Going to see if heâs at a friendâs house instead.â She hit send and hoped that the code wasnât too obscure for Semenza to figure out.
A minute passed. No reply. That was weird. Normally Semenza was all over his phone. Frowning, Harry slipped the phone into her pocket. Then she shrugged and pulled her climbing harness out from under the bed. Whether or not her employer saw the message, she still had a job to do.
Steiner had been right about the rat metaphor, as insulting as it was. The house Harry had grown up in was plagued with rodent infestations, and one of the first things sheâd learned was that for every mouse hole you found, there were guaranteed to be at least two more you didnât know about.
What Steiner had neglected to mention, however, was that even if you cut off all their escape routes, rats would just gnaw their own.
The air ducts in this hotel, as one might expect, were all connected. Theoretically, all Harry had to do was get in at any point, and given enough time and effort she could find her way to the ducts above Steinerâs suite. That, however, would require more time than she had, and the noise of her crawling around inside a sheet-metal tunnel would alert Steiner and his guards for sure. So, instead, Harry was going to come in from below.
The vents in each suite werenât big enough for a toddler to crawl through, let alone a fully-grown adult woman, but that was okay. Two days had been plenty of time for Harry to make her own entrance. As long as she was careful about not making too much noise, it was really no big deal to move the bed and cut a hole in the wall behind the headboard, right into the air duct. The duct that, if her calculations and memory of the hotel blueprints were correct, also vented into Steinerâs bedroom. She didnât need to fit through the vent if she pumped the suite full of sleeping gas and entered through the front door.
Of course, having the logistics of her next step figured out was only half the equation. Steiner and his men would be looking for her, and whatever else Steiner was, he was not a stupid man. He would have realized by now that she was still in the hotel, and sooner or later (and Harry was banking on sooner) heâd either jump to the most likely conclusion, that she had dropped to the balcony below, or just start searching room by room in an effort to apprehend her. It didnât matter that he wasnât a police officer or hotel staff: he was Maxwell Steiner. If he wanted in somewhere, heâd get in.
And where the hell was the painting? If it wasnât in the safe (was it ever in there?), where was it?
#my writing#WIPs#writblr#writers of tumblr#prompt response#I really like the rat metaphor but I'm also worried it might be antisemitic? Even if Harry specifically says it's an insult#I guess I could just make Harry not Jewish but I also really like the idea of a Jewish woman reclaiming art stolen by Nazis#real talk - do I use too many parentheticals?
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A glimpse of the royal life
Spare by Prince Harry My rating: 5 of 5 stars I read this and listened to the audiobook at the same time, which made for a more engaging experience. Prince Harry's voice came out very clearly, even through the written words. Kudos to his ghost writer, who captured the essence of his personality. I do not know much about Harry as I do not follow the escapades of the royal family, but I have heard snippets of his naughty scrapes in his youth. Prior to reading this book, to me, he was a privileged boy who does humanitarian work. How much and how involved, I had no idea. I must have had expectations, because the book disarmed me. The first part was about his childhood, especially right after his mother died, and how he coped with the pain and trauma of it. It brought me to tears as Harry's suffering reminded me of my own son's behaviour (who lost his father at 5years old). The second part was about his adulthood, and Harry was very honest and raw about his weaknesses, his mistakes, the coping mechanism he employed, and the salvation he found in the army. He was also very consistent with his loathing against the British media, his frustration at not being able to fight back, or at least the way the institution (his family and their minders) prevented him. Here, Harry was a frustrated, traumatised young man trying to find a way (any way, even temporary ones) to alleviate the pain, and to survive the restricted life he was forced into as a royal, including being the target of vitriol based on lies. He debunked more than a few of the stories written about him in the British tabloids. And confirmed a few basic truths. It was a really clever move as the media can no longer use those to make up stories about him. The third part was about his meeting Meghan and their life together. And what they went through. This was heart-wrenching. And my thought was, Meghan was his lifeline, the final rope that pulled him out of the golden quicksand he was neck-deep in, and into the freedom he now enjoys. At the expense of herselfâher mental health, public image, and her own freedom. You can feel, almost taste, how much Harry adored his wife and kids. Maybe it was my love for romance novels, but one could not help but root for them. Their story is one of the most beautiful, torturous, and sweetest that I have every read. The book was also a study of human behaviour. About how the Royal Family operates, why they behave as they do. King Charles couldn't help what he is because he was trained to be like that, to the detriment of his sons. Especially his heir, William. Harry was the luckier one. And while there is glamour at being a royal, it is also very sad to be one. Harry and the other members of the family that were not heirs were like gold-plated, diamond-encrusted servants to the crown. It makes one think why would one even want to be born into it. A person born into a non-royal but rich family is so much better off. Harry lacked love, freedom, and money. Yes, money. Despite the net worth of the estate of the royal family, Harry was very dependent on his father's hand-outs (as most of the royals are including Charles brothers and sisters). And not because he was lazy, but because he wasn't permitted to have a career outside being a royal. His being a soldier was the only exception allowed, because it adds to the prestige of the Royal Family. King Charles was both Harry's father and employer, and the man wasn't very good in either role. Harry was a pauper underneath the princely trimmings. And Meghan was the warrior princess in a shining armour made of everything Harry didn't have but needed. She was educated, confident and free, both financially, emotionally and intellectually. And they bonded because they were made of the same empathetic heart. She came at the right time for him, when he was already restless, and finding a reason to break away. Spare was beautifully written, and Harry as the narrator for the audible file was perfect. I highly recommend it. View all my reviews
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Wife, girlfriend or Whatever: Chapter 1
-- I promised @ravensmadreads I would upload this during the weekend and it's Tuesday.... pls forgive me
Big thank you to @lgg5989 for editing this for me <3
As always, the picture has nothing to do with the fic...
Tw. I guess age gap? Reader is 25 and Beau is like 50? Also Beau is cute and I love him? This is wholesome
Taglist: @luckyladycreator2 @feedthemadness-sweetie @ravensmadreads @lgg5989 --
"Aren't you grumpy this morning?" you said, walking into Cycloneâs office like he hadnât just made a Lieutenant cry. You walked to his windows and opened the blinds, taking care to move them so the sun shone directly in his eyes, punishing him for treating an employee that way.Â
He looked at you for a moment before bowing his head down with a sigh, "There's an uppity function in NYC on Monday," he said, sounding dejected.
"I know, I put it in your diary a month ago. Did you just remember?" you replied, turning around with your hands on your hips, about to launch into yet another lecture about checking his diary for important meetings.
"No," he said, too quickly, "Yes. Fleet Admiral Jameson reminded me this morning. Strongly implied it would look better if I brought a wife, girlfriend, whatever,..." he added, leaning back into his chair with a heavy sigh
"What's the problem with that?" you asked.
"I don't have a wife, girlfriend, or whatever,â he replied, looking at you like it was the most obvious thing in the world. It was. Even if you didnât know him like the back of your hand -- and better, sometimes -- the fact that the corner of his mouth sported a smudge of dried toothpaste, that his tie was crooked and no one had brushed the cat hair off of the back of his uniform, or that he rarely ate anything other than microwave meals shamefully packed in brown paper bags gave him away as a single man.
 âI have a cat but I don't think they'll accept thatâŚ" he joked.
"Ah⌠No female friend?" You asked, he shook his head, "Acquaintance?" He shook his head again. You released a heavy exhale, "Cousin? Sister?"Â
He scoffed, "I'm not bringing my sister," he said, outraged, "If being single isn't encouraged, chaperoned by his older sister is just going to be worse."
"Not chaperoned, accompanied," you corrected. He threw you a very pointed look, "Fine," you sighed.
"Do you think 'secretary' belongs in the 'whatever' category?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at you.
"Absolutely not," you replied, catching onto what he meant before the words even left his mouth.
"Oh come on! You're leaving in a month, right? Why not enjoy yourself in NYC?" He said, trying to convince you with a smile but the edge of desperation gave him away.
"Sir, you described it as 'uppity', I don't think enjoyment will come into it much,"
"Please?" He begged
"This is the last favour I ever do for you," you replied
"Absolutely," he promised
"With all due respect, sir," you said, "you're a pain."
Admiral Simpson laughed, "Scale of 1 to 10?"
"17," you immediately replied with a straight face
He laughed a little harder, "Oh God, how can I help?"
"You're on lunch duty. I'll have whatever salad has mozzarella,"
He threw a look telling you not to push it. Deciding he couldn't fire you even if you did, you shrugged at him.
"What?" You asked, your tone flat and expressionless "I'm in agony."
He looked away to hide the curl of his lip in an amused smile.
"Fine," he eventually sighed, "drop of the money and I'll go at twelve."
"I thought bills for workplace injuries were covered by my employer?" you asked, clearly making it known he would be paying.
"You're lucky you're good at what you do. And that you're leaving. I would have fired anyone else for talking to me like that,"
You gasped in fake outrage, "What?! You wouldn't! But I'm your oldest 'whatever'!"
"Get out!" He laughed, pointing at the door of his office
"I'll have caramel macchiato as well!" You said as you walked back to your desk
"Don't push it!" He shouted after you
You said nothing but mimicked slamming your hand against a button before returning to your desk. You sank down on the uncomfortable chair and swiped the mouse against the pad a few times to wake up the computer. It sprang to life and after filling in your password you went through the emails to find the information for the navy function.
If the email itself was anything to go by, the event would be more than âuppityâ. Black tie formal attire required and dinner at a three Michelin star restaurant where the menu counted more French words than you had ever learned, you would not have qualified it as âuppityâ. Uppity was a word dedicated to boy moms who thought they owned the field at your godsonâs football practice. Or the kind of people who looked at you like you were nothing more than shit on their shoe because you decided not to eat organic. Those were uppity. This was downright fancy.Â
And fancy meant shopping. You changed tabs on your browser and opened the website to one of the only stores in town that sold ballgowns and looked through their selection. When none of them struck your fancy, you decided to gamble and looked through your favourite online retailer.Â
âFind anything?â Cyclone asked, making you jump. Seeing your reaction, he smirked.
âNothing for the function,â you replied, trying to hide the seven other tabs you had opened showcasing a cardigan, three new skirts, two work shirts and a lipstick. Ever so observant, he swatted your hand away from the mouse and clicked through the tabs. He tutted until he reached the lipstick.
âRed?â he asked, clearly surprised
âItâs a nice colour,â you said, not keen on discussing your lipstick colour choices with your boss, âDonât you think?â
âNo, no, itâs nice, youâre right. Iâm just surprised,â he replied, trying to backtrack so hard it was actually kind of funny, âitâs just -- isnât pink kind of your thing?âÂ
âI like pink,â you replied, âBut there are other colours.â
âI know. You donât usually wear other colours, though,â he said. You rolled your eyes and looked down, ready to disprove his point with a single glance at your ensemble, only to find that your pencil dress and shoes were both the same shade of baby pink.Â
âWhat are you doing here?â
âI brought you lunch?â he said, putting the plastic salad container down on your desk, followed by the venti cup of coffee. You glanced down at the clock on the screen and were horrified to find you had wasted most of the morning online shopping, âThey were out of caramel macchiato, but I know you like pumpkin spice, so I got that.â
âI donât like that you know so much about me,â you told him, grabbing the coffee and taking a long sip, savouring the beverage and noting that not only had he picked the correct backup flavour, he had also asked for non dairy milk and sugar free syrup.Â
âYou know more than that about me,â he frowned
âIâm paid for it, sir. Being a hobby secretary is just creepy,â you replied
âI am paid,â he retorted
âUh huh,â you said, twirling your drink around in its cup.
âWith the pleasure of your company,â he said, slowly backing away towards his office
âLeave. Now.â you told him, trying hard to look stern and annoyed
âYour cheery disposition,â he added, grinning widely. He winked at you.
âI despise you,â you said
âAnd your friendliness,â he laughed
âLeave! Youâre so cheesy youâre stinking up the place,â you shouted and he vanished back in his office, laughing loudly. You rolled your eyes and resumed your shopping, finally deciding on a dress. You added everything to your basket and paid for it, wondering if, because this was technically a work function, you couldnât get reimbursed for the price of the dress.
Deciding to test your luck, you drafted an email explaining the situation and attached a picture of your bill and sent it, hoping Jenna from accounting would be the one opening it. You liked Jenna, she always approved anything you sent and only ever replied to your emails via emoji. Your computer chimed with a notification and you smiled.
[email protected] : ;)
You leaned back in your chair and grabbed the salad box, shaking it hard so the dressing mixed in with the veggies before popping the lid open and digging in, occasionally stopping to sip at the coffee. Too early for your tastes, you went back to work, calling to book flights and hotel rooms and confirm your attendance with the functionâs organisational committee. Â
Luckily the day came to an end eventually and you shut down the computer. The Admiral, always staying behind to finish whatever paperwork he hadnât managed to work through the day, was still working hard, too concentrated to notice you pop your head through the door and say goodbye.Â
You looked at him, hunched over his desk, a deep frown visible between his brows. His eyes were straining in the dim light of his office lamp, night having already fallen over San Diego. You left your bag by his door and walked to the recreation room where you made him a coffee. Taking the cup back to his desk, you stopped by yours to find his spare pair of reading glasses -- which you kept in the locked compartment of your file drawer so he couldnât lose those too -- and a few biscoff biscuits, and brought everything over to him.Â
âThanks, just put it down wherever,â
âPut the glasses on,âÂ
âI will, just have to finish this,â
âBeau,â you said, startling him out of his concentration with the use of his first name, âPut the glasses on. Youâll get a headache,âÂ
âOkay,â he said softly, taking them from your hands and perching them on the bridge of his nose.
âPain meds are in the top drawer of your desk,â you said in the same gentle tone of voice, âDonât be long.â
You turned around and left, picking your bag up on your way out. You made it about halfway down the maid corridor when the Admiralâs upper body popped through the doorway.
âY/n!â he called after you, âErr⌠Goodnight. Drive safe,âÂ
Involuntarily, your eyebrows shot up in surprise. Heâd never said goodnight before. Though surprising, it wasnât entirely unwelcome, as evidenced by the warm feeling quickly spreading through your chest and the rosy tint your cheeks had taken on.
âRight, yes. Thank you,â you replied, âI will.â
You turned around before he could see the smile spreading on your face and walked out of the building.
#fanfic#top gun fanfiction#top gun maverick#top gun x reader#fanfiction#original fic#cyclone simpson#cyclone x reader#cyclone#beau cyclone simpson#beau simpson#beau simpson x reader
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Lbh Henry Cavill will be fine career-wise. Heâs a big name and very popular across a lot of demographics
As someone who just spent the last month bingeing almost everything heâs ever been in, Iâll say this: most of his projects havenât been great. I personally think he can be a great actor when the writing is there and its something he can really enjoy (ie. geralt and sherlock).
Idk who he is as a person. He seems really nice and down-to-earth in interviews and the like. His costars seem to have nothing but good to say about him. But I remember the MeToo stuff from way before i ever started following him, which i also remember his apologizing about in a way that seemed genuine to me when i read up about it also before i was a fan. And you never know about celebrities. They could just have really good PR.
Re: the witcher and some stuff from a podcast (???) thats going around. I dont buy it. Not because im convinced hes some angel, but you would think we would have heard about this by now. Youâd think weâd see some tension between him and the other actors, but we donât. All we see is tension between him and his boss, which is understandable considering he quit. Also re:quitting. It seems pretty obvious he quit bc he didnt like the direction the show was heading in. And thatâs fair. But itâs also fair to assume that being âbackâ as Superman made him more comfortable with leaving the witcher in terms of consistent employment. Seeing now that there was no formal agreement in place, I canât help but see it as unwise on his part, which Iâve realized kind of lines up when you look at his projects as a whole. He seems to put too much faith in others having the same mindset as him, which I donât say as a compliment.
But man, what the hell was WB thinking. The DCEU hasnt exactly been doing well lately. Most of the attraction wasnt the movies themselves, but the stars like Cavill, Gadot, Momoa, Robbie, even Affleck. Trying for another âhard rebootâ just seems like such a bad choice when what the DCEU has been lacking is any type of consistency that fans can rely on.
And no matter who the actor, or how good of a person they are or how popular or how employed, itâs unbelievably shitty to encourage one of them to reprise a role thats been in limbo for years and to have him announce it to his fans to promote their franchise and then drop him not even 2 months later.
The hardest hit, of course, is not really to henry cavill (who, again, will be fine and very employable), but to fans. As an actor, he is so refreshing because he was clearly so passionate about his roles as geralt and superman. He knew his stuff, he wanted to do those roles justice, and thatâs why it was so easy for fans to love geralt or clark. To know that someone involved will put the effort into making sure âyes, this is the story i know and love, being brought to life in a new mediumâ, but to see the show drop in quality in season 2 and then that actor leaves, but then hes back in another big role that you know he is equally invested in, only for this? God, the disrespect to these people who invest time and energy and money in hopes that they get a good piece of media for them to enjoy.
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THE ARRANGEMENT â SEALING THE DEAL
Featuring: Tommy Shelby x Reader
Words: 3522
Warning: Sugar Daddy, Submission, Smut, BDSM
Notes: I will use this headline to write more smutty encounters between Tommy and the Reader. But they will get a bit heavier in the BDSM department. So if this is not your thing, donât keep reading.
Requested: Yes
Tag List:
@lilymurphy03  @deefigs @theflamecrystal @chrisevanshoeee  @desperate-and-broken  @weepingstudentfishhorse  @captivatedbycillianmurphy @fookingshelby  @livinginfantaxy  @rosey1981  @atomicsoulcollecto  @peakyboyslover  @nerdy4itall  @elenavampire21  @hanster1998  @mariapaiva13  @fairypitou  @harry-is-my-sunflower Â
âŚâŚâŚ
The Proposal
Today marks the day youâve been working for at the Garrison exactly one year. A job you found by sheer accident when you moved to Birmingham.
You had no money when you fled Northern Ireland and were in need of employment. Your parents were involved with the IRA and with a well-known surname like yours, it was difficult for you to find employment.
You always tried hard to disassociate yourself from your parents with whom you did not agree on political matters. They were terrorists and you stood elsewhere on the Irish question.
When you arrived in Birmingham, you were offered a job at the local whorehouse. You declined. The last thing you wanted was to lose your virginity to some filthy married patron who paid you as little as 2 shillings for your services.
When you saw a job advertised in the paper at the local pub, you applied. This is when you met Grace Shelby who hired you.
Grace was there by sheer accident herself, arranging the new fit-out for the pub. She was Thomas Shelbyâs wife and no longer worked herself.
She was a kind hearted woman and had been in your shoes many years ago. No one other than Grace believed that you would last in a job like this. But here you were, still working behind the bar and serving alcohol to drunk men.
To your disappointment, Grace had passed away six months ago and your husband Tommy has never been the same since.
For the first four months following her death, he got himself and his family into lot of trouble. The majority of his family members were serving prison time for a robbery. But not Tommy. He was working on their release while continuing to build his familyâs wealth.
Ever since their arrest, he attended the Garrison frequently, most often late at night after he had visited one of the up market brothels owned by him.
Of course, he didnât tell you that, but it was obvious to you. It was his way of coping with life and to stay focused.
You talked a lot. He would often be the last patron at the Garrison and ask you to drink with him. You didnât drink much, but would allow yourself a glass of whiskey on occasion.
Tonight, was one of these nights where Tommy and you were alone, just talking and drinking.
He walked into the Garrison at 11 oâclock, greeted you and ordered a whiskey.
âYou are early tonight Mr Shelbyâ you said.
âWell, Y/N, things have not been going my way todayâ he responded.
âDo you want to talk about it?â you asked.
âI rather notâ he responded.
âAlright, no talking thenâ you said with a smile.
âDo you have a man in your life Y/N?â he then asked all of a sudden. His question took you by surprise.
âI do not. Never had. Why are you asking?â you wondered.
âNo reason. Just curious why a woman like you works in a place like thisâ he said bluntly.
âIt pays well, I get good tips. I had a job offer from one of the mistresses at one of your brothels. I declined. I rather serve 50 drunk men a night than fuck ten of themâ you laughed.
âThis seems like a reasonable choiceâ Tommy chuckled.
âSo, you ever get bored of them? Knowing that sex is no more than a transaction to them and you are no more than a client must be frustratingâ you asked.
âHow much whiskey did you have to drink tonight Y/N, eh?â Tommy asked sheepishly, being surprised by the directness of your question.
âMore than a little. Itâs my birthdayâ you laughed.
âThatâs what I thought. Happy Birthday Y/Nâ Tommy said.
âThank you, Mr Shelby, but you didnât answer my questionâ you smirked.
âThe good thing about prostitutes is that they do exactly what you pay them to do. They fuck. They donât expect feelings from you, just money. You are right, it is a simple transactionâ Tommy said.
âSounds boring and repetitive. Wouldnât you rather have someone consistent? The same skilled woman every time, someone who gets to learn exactly how to please you, always around right at your disposal and with no strings attached?â you asked.
âIâve read that, in France, rich businessmen and politicians keep themselves mistresses rather than going to brothels. Itâs discrete and itâs safe. The men provide their mistresses with accommodation and visit them for sex whenever they pleaseâ you added.
âA mistress, eh?â Where do you think I would find such a woman Y/N? Tommy joked.
âWell Mr Shelby, I know of someone who would be very interested to come to some sort of arrangementâ you smirked.
âYou realise that I am about twice your age?â Tommy asked sheepishly, knowing exactly that you were talking about yourself becoming his mistress.
âI do and this makes it even more interestingâ you suggested.
âYou are quite young Y/N. How many men have you been with?â Tommy asked
âNoneâ you said, causing Tommy to choke on his whiskey.
âNoâ he said firmly. âI donât do virgins Y/N. Itâs not my thingâ Tommy added.
âThink about it, I am like a clean canvas. You can teach me exactly how you want to be pleasedâ you smirked.
âYou are clearly drunk Y/N. I shall drive you homeâ Tommy said.
And so he did. After you closed up the pub, he drove you to your apartment which was located in one of the worst areas of Birmingham.
As he drove you home, you brought up your proposal again and Tommy appeared more open to consider it at this point. But not tonight, not with you having been influenced by alcohol.
You were an attractive woman, clean and easy to talk to. You worked in the Garrison for a year and he knew you would be discrete and he could trust you.
âCome to my office tomorrow at noon if you decide that this is what you want and then we talk, ehâ Tommy said as he pulled up in front of your apartment.
You nodded before saying goodnight to him.
The Arrangement
The next day, you attended Tommyâs office as instructed.
âY/N, I am surprised to see youâ Tommy smirked as you walked inside his office.
âYou thought I wasnât serious, didnât you?â you smirked as you sat down in front of his desk.
âLetâs just say, you surprised meâ he said with a grin.
Tommy then went on to ask you what you expect from your arrangement if he was going ahead and agree with it.
You didnât have many demands other than being looked after financially.
Tommy then advised you that you might change your mind if you know what his desires were.
Thomas Shelby was no ordinary man and he didnât enjoy ordinary sex, which is one of the reasons he was getting bored with the prostitutes.
He was looking for what some might call a submissive. He enjoyed authority, even in the bedroom.
He wanted to be in charge, always.
With that in mind, you agreed. You were ready to be his and sealed the deal with a passionate kiss.
âAlright, itâs a deal Y/N. But, to ensure that you understand, you belong to me. You are my property and you are not to fuck anyone else, understood?â Tommy said as he pulled his lips away from yours, his hand holding onto your hair tightly.
âYes Mr Shelbyâ you said, biting your lip.
âYou will be available when I need you to be available and you will submit. Is that understood?â Tommy then said.
âYes Mr Shelbyâ you answered before his lips met yours again in a hasty kiss.
âGood. Now, since you are a virgin, the first time, I will take it easy on youâ Tommy said as he kissed your neck, taking in the sweet scent of your perfume.
âHere are the keys to your apartment. 15 Watery Lane. I will visit you tonight at 8 oâclock and this is what I expect you to wear. Nothing elseâ Tommy said as he handed you a small bag.
âBefore I come over, I want you to think of a safe word which you can use at any timeâ he added, causing you to nod. He had explained the premise of a safe word to you earlier when you discussed what he would expect from you.
Sealing the Deal
Later that evening, after you settled into your new apartment, you were waiting for Tommy in nothing but the black lace panties he gave you.
He was right on time, letting himself into your apartment at 8 oâclock.
âDo you like what you see Mr Shelby?â you asked as he walked through the door.
âI do, very much soâ Tommy said before he kissed you and ran his hands over your breasts and down to your stomach, making you moan.
He continued the gentle gestures for approximately five minutes, kissing you gently and exploring every inch of your body.
âWhat have you decided on for a safe word Y/N?â Tommy asked after he broke the last kiss.
âRedâ you said.
âRed. Very well.â Tommy said before taking off his jacket, waistcoat and gun holster and placing them all onto one of the armchairs.
He then walked back over to you and gave you one more quick kiss.
âNow be a good girl and get on your knees. And Y/N... eye contact. I want you looking at meâ Tommy said as he pulled your hair downward to bring you to kneel in front of him.
He kept his hand wrapped in your hair behind your head but clutched onto your skull tightly. You were about to be Tommyâs, in complete submission.
With his other hand he unzipped his pants and slowly pulled out his impressive length. You gasped. This is the first time you saw a manâs most intimate parts right in front of you.
âOpen your mouthâ Tommy instructed as you looked up into his blue eyes.
You obliged and Tommy pulled your head forward and forced your lips around the head of his erect cock.
Your hands shot up to his thighs to try to hold him back but he charged forward, making you take the first few inches of his length into your mouth.
You closed your eyes, trying instantly to focus and control your gag reflexes. There you thought that he was going to take it easy on you. If this was him taking it easy, what would he otherwise be like you wondered.
âLook at meâ he instructed as he began to notice your eyes fall close.
Your lips were completely stretched around the girth of his shaft as he pushed his cock deeper into your mouth.
Your ravishing eyes opened and looked up at him, his face full of want and desire for you.
As you looked at him you started growing more comfortable as the minutes passed.
You relaxed your grip on his legs and began opening your throat a little for his intrusion.
You kept eye contact whenever you werenât suppressing a gag reflex. Your mouth soon began to move with his rhythm while your tongue was stimulating him. Â
After about five minutes Tommy released his hold on your hair and reached down to your breasts, playing with your already hard nipples. You moaned around his cook as he stimulated your breasts and the wetness began to grow in between your legs.
You bopped your head up and down his length, trying to take as much of it into your mouth as you could.
Your hands soon joined your mouth, and stimulated the end of his shaft which didnât make into your mouth.
âIs this what you wanted, Mr Shelby?â you asked.
Tommy nodded politely in between moans, running his fingers through your hair again.
He pushed you down on his cock a few more times, making you take him deeper than before, while he looked down, admiring the view.
âGood girl, thatâs it, take it all inâ he groaned as he guided your head.
You struggled, finding it difficult to breath, but you obliged.
The sight of you taking him like this drove him crazy and, after several more strokes, he pulled your head back up and, without warning, re-entered your mouth with vigor and dominance.
You squirmed below him and your hands moved back to his upper thighs, attempting to press him back.
But Tommy had other ideas and swatted your hands away from his legs.
âCross your wrists behind your back Y/Nâ Tommy ordered.
âTommyâ you pleaded.
âI make the rules Y/N. You don't get to resist. If you want me to stop, use your safe wordâ he said.
With reluctance, you placed your wrists behind your back. Some twisted part within yourself enjoyed this, him taking you like this. In your mind, you were nowhere near at your limits.
Just like this, Tommy took hold of your hair again and thrusted forward into your open mouth, deeper and deeper until he bottomed out in your throat.
You could no longer retain eye contact and he didnât seem to care as he continued to thrust into your mouth a few more times until he decided to relent.
He soon released the grip on your hair and made you look up at him.
âCome up, youâve done wellâ he said as he pulled you up towards him and pulled you in for a kiss.
His hands moved in between your legs.
âSo fucking wet ehâ he said as he ran his hand over your soaked panties.
âTake them offâ he instructed and you didnât resist and pulled them off in a haste.
âNow Love, I think itâs time for us to sort out this little issue for yours, eh?â Tommy said with a smirk.
âYes Mr Shelbyâ you said nervously, knowing that he was about to take your virginity.
While you always thought about this moment to be romantic, you were at the point where you just wanted it to be over with. You were soaking for him and you wanted him to fuck you just the way he wanted. You wanted to be taken by him, right then and there, regardless of the pain.
âShall we go to the bedroom?â you asked.
âNo Love, right here will do just fineâ Tommy said as he turned your ass on to the edge of the kitchen room table, and gently pushed your back down on to it.
His eyes gazed over your perfect body, taking in the view of your breasts and your soaking wet mound.
âOpen your legsâ he instructed just as he lowered himself in between them.
You werenât sure what he was doing and watched him nervously as, all of a sudden, he dipped his tongue into your wet slit.
You squealed in surprise, but it was already too late to plead for him not to, his tongue was already murdering your senses.
He sucked and licked over your clit just as you could feel two fingers enter you.
You expected pain, but it was nothing but please when he began to slowly thrust them in and of you.
âOh god yesâ you moaned as Tommy worked his magic on you.
You werenât sure why he was doing this. Wasnât it all about his pleasure and his pleasure alone? But, when you looked at him, he seemed to be enjoying this. You squirmed helplessly beneath him.
As he circled his tongue over your clit over and over again and carefully pushed two of his fingers in and out of you, you could feel an unfamiliar sensation build up in your stomach.
Soon you we trembling to your own unbidden orgasm. You were already aroused beyond your own redemption.
The intensity or your climax was so all encompassing, that your muscles from your stomach to your knees, spasmed and contracted. Your legs slammed together trapping Tommyâs head in a wrestlers type grip, and his eyes bulged until you relaxed a little.
As your orgasm washed over you, you could feel Tommy grin against your mound.
âI think you are ready to take my cock now Loveâ he said after you came down from your high and he positioned himself in between your spread legs.
Within seconds, Tommy hooked his hands under your calves and lifted them to rest on his shoulders. Now he was ready, you were flat out on your new kitchen room table, and in no position to refuse him.
He held your knees apart. and maneuvered his cock to your bright wet slit. He rubbed it up and down a couple of times before commencing his intrusion.
âDonât worry Love, I will be gentle since itâs your first timeâ Tommy said as he pressed forward slightly and pushed his cock into your small, warm, and unbelievably tight pussy.
Despite his best efforts, you moaned and screamed at the same time at the intrusion but there was nothing you could do, not now.
âYou can take it Love. I know you can. If you want me stop, use your safe wordâ Tommy said as he pushed into you further.
You moaned loudly has his length invaded you and pushed past your barrier, causing you to let out another moan and scream until, finally, he was completely inside of you. Tommy had just about split you in two and you had never felt like this before, you were full and he could feel your body trying to get out of the way
Tommy let you adjust to his size and then began pulling on your hips, before thrusting into you gently.
âGod you are so fucking tight Y/Nâ he moaned as, slowly, you began to relax completely.
After several gentle thrusts to, Tommy pressed your knees back together and then he pulled out and rammed it back in again.
You cried out once more, but this time not in pain but, instead, in pure pleasure. You felt him running up and down your love channel and it felt better than anything else you had experienced before. There had been no event in your life that could have prepared you for this.
âOh my god Tommy, please make me cum againâ you begged him.
Tommy grinned and didnât care to correct you on your language.
He began to fuck you mercilessly and rode you past your pain into a world of pleasure.
The unassailable flush of desire and the insane delight of him being inside of you overcame everything you were, or ever had been. As he thrusted in and you over and over again, harder with each stroke, you got lost in the grip of irrepressible lust, a powerful inarticulate lust.
It wasnât long until he fucked you just the way he wanted, hard and fast. You were ready for it and you took it, every single bit of it.
And, just like that, you could feel another even more intense orgasm wash over you.
âGood girl, cum around my cockâ he moaned as he picked up his speed and pounded into you.
With one loud moan, your walls contracted and your quivered beneath him. You were a shaking mess and screamed his name as you rode out your orgasm.
Just as you came down from your high, he pulled out of you. He was not done with you yet.
Without letting you recover, he pushed you back onto your knees in front of him.
âYou know what to doâ he said just as he pushed his cock back into your mouth firmly while grabbing onto your hair.
This time, he held your head in place while he began thrusting his cock in and out of your mouth.
Your eyes shut again instantly and unintentionally in order to deal with the gag reflex.
âLook at meâ he instructed and you obliged, opening your eyes and looking towards his face.
âI'm going to cum in your mouthâ he said, causing you to nod.
âI hope this was understood, but I expect you to swallowâ he added and, just like this, with several more thrusts, his warm cum spurted into the back of your throat.
You gagged again, trying hard to allow his warm seed to run down your throat as he thrusted into you until, finally, he came to a hold.
You licked the last of his cum from his hard cock, making sure to swallow every single drop.
âYou did well Y/Nâ Tommy said with still laboured breathing.
âThank you, Mr Shelbyâ you said as you stood up and had a drink from his glass of whiskey.
âI will see you on Friday, same timeâ Tommy said as he zipped up his pants and buckled up his belt.
âFriday it isâ you grinned with excitement before he gave you a passionate kiss.
âWe will try something new then and I wonât be as gentle with you thenâ he said.
âI am looking forward to itâ you winked as you said goodbye to him.
#tommy shelby smut#Tommy Shelby#tommy shelby x reader#tommy shelby imagine#thomas shelby#thomas shelby smut#thomas shelby x reader#thomas shelby imagine#Peaky Blinders#peaky blinder imagine#peaky blinders fanfic#peaky blinders imagine
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Character ask: The Ghost of Christmas Past (A Christmas Carol)
Tagged by anonymous
Favorite thing about them: The gentle wisdom with which it guides Scrooge through his past, subtly coaxing him toward important realizations about his current life.
Also, the fact that it's so deliciously strange, eerie, and ethereal â seeming young and old at the same time, with muscular arms yet "most delicate" legs, its costume featuring both winter holly and summer flowers, and constantly changing shape as its light flickers, so that it's sometimes a disembodied head, sometimes a headless body, sometimes has no legs, sometimes has twenty, etc. It's a very effective symbol of memory, and how it encompasses so many things and constantly shifts and flickers in the mind. And since it's virtually impossible to adapt, this means we get an interesting wide array of different portrayals of the Ghost in different screen and stage adaptations â some male, some female, some young, some old, some human, some not-so-human â which adds freshness to each new retelling.
Least favorite thing about them: The fact that Dickens's surreal, otherwordly description of this Ghost is so impossible to capture in screen adaptations. Only one version â Richard Williams's 1971 animated short â has even come close to depicting it accurately. While I do enjoy seeing all the different creative approaches to the character, none are as fascinating as the original.
Three things I have in common with them:
*I believe it's important to remember the past to create a good present and future.
*I tend to be gentle, or at least I try to be.
*I love revisiting happy memories of past holidays.
Three things I don't have in common with them:
*I'm not a weird, insubstantial ghost.
*I can't time-travel.
*I very rarely wear white (it stains too easily).
Favorite line:
When Scrooge is afraid of falling as they're about to exit his room through the window:
"Bear but a touch of my hand there [on his heart], and you shall be upheld in more than this."
When it notices Scrooge crying at the sight of the countryside where he grew up:
"Your lip is trembling. And what is that upon your cheek?"
When the arrive at Scrooge's old school:
"The school is not quite deserted. A solitary child, neglected by his friends, is left there still."
About Scrooge's sister Fan:
"Always a delicate creature, whom a breath might have withered. But she had a large heart!"
About Fezziwig, using reverse psychology to provoke Scrooge into admitting the value of his old employer's kindness:
"A small matter to make these silly folk so full of gratitude... Why! Is it not? He has spent but a few pounds of your mortal money; three or four perhaps. Is that so much that he deserves such praise?"
brOTP: Its fellow Ghosts of Christmas, if they were to interact.
OTP: None.
nOTP: Probably any human.
Random headcanon: It was the first of the three ghosts to agree to Jacob Marley's request that they visit Scrooge. The other two were reluctant at first, because the Ghost of Christmas Present only knew the current nasty Scrooge, while the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come only knew his destiny (as it was before he changed it) to die alone and unmourned. But the Ghost of Christmas Past knew the goodhearted, lonely child and idealistic young man he once was and felt sympathy for him, so it agreed to pay the visit right away and helped to persuade the others too.
Unpopular opinion: I think Dickens meant this ghost to be masculine-presenting, not androgynous or genderless. Yes, he calls it "it," but he uses the same pronoun for all the ghosts, including the clearly masculine Marley and Ghost of Christmas Present. He describes it as like a cross between a child and an old man, and Scrooge addresses it as "sir" when they first meet. That said, its status as the strangest and most ethereal of the ghosts does make it come across as the least gendered, and its touch is described as being "as gentle as a woman's hand," so I don't mind when adaptations cast a woman or a young girl in the role.
Song I associate with them: "The Lights of Long Ago" from A Christmas Carol: The Musical.
youtube
Favorite pictures of them:
This illustration by Sol Eytinge Jr.
Ann Rutherford in the 1938 film.
Michael Dolan in the 1951 film.
From Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol, 1962.
Edith Evans in the 1970 musical Scrooge.
From Richard Williams's 1971 animated version.
Angela Pleasance in the 1984 TV film.
From The Muppet Christmas Carol, 1992.
Joel Grey in the 1999 TV film.
Motion-captured Jim Carrey in Disney's 2009 CGI film.
#character ask#a christmas carol#the ghost of christmas past#ask game#fictional characters#fictional character ask
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Jealousy
It was a quiet day at the Dimitrescu Castle. The girls were unusually calm going about their business in and out of the basement, keeping their messes down there for the most part. None of the staff was being chased down the corridors in fear of their life and even better; there were no crashing sounds of decorative pieces being broken. Only silence. You and Alcina settled in the library for the afternoon. It started off nice with the two of you lost in your own novels, but it wasnât long until the vampire grew bored and wanted cuddles. You were more than happy to oblige. It was one of those days that youâd call perfect. Alcina lounged on the couch with her head resting on your lap. Her eyes are closed and all she can focus on is your rhythmic breathing and the feeling of your fingers gently massaging her scalp. A perfect lazy afternoon. You almost thought she had fallen asleep until suddenly her eyes were open, glowing their beautiful gold. Alcina raised her head and sat upright, eyes glued her eyed to the main doors.
"Someone coming, Darling?" You ask in a low voice, reaching blindly behind you for the weapon concealed under the cushions.
She nods. "Sounds like a woman running out of breath. Perhaps a maiden managed to escape the basement." She leaned toward you like she was ready to shield you from whoever was making their way down the corridor. You could hear the footsteps now, they were coming closer and closer to you. Alcina was right, it was definitely a woman, the footsteps were much too delicate to be a man. Said vampiress was practically on top of you now, her arm supporting her weight on the opposite side of you, just in case you needed to be protected.
Whoever it is was just outside the door. You both braced yourselves as the door now twisted. Just as Alcina was about to pounce on the intruder, you both recognized her as one of the maids. False alarm. It was only Mihaela, a very dear friend of yours from the below village. You grew up together and considered yourselves sisters. When her father passed away Alcina welcomed the girl into the castle with open arms. The girls had been introduced to Mihaela on more than one occasion and knew not to harm her. You'd like to think they consider her more or less a friend.
"What are you doing here, dear," Alcina immediately relaxes back onto the couch. "It's your day off, is it not?"
The girl nodded, physically unable to get any words out.
"Good Lord, Mihaela, did you run all the way up the mountain?"
She nodded again. Alcina stood to fetch her a tall glass of water. Mihaela eagerly accepted. "Y/n!" she rasped. "You'll never guess who's in the village right now asking about you."
You share a sideways glance with Alcina, waiting for the girl to continue. Who could possibly be asking about me?
"E/n, your ex!"
If you were drinking something you would have choked. That was a name you hadn't thought about in years. To say you were not expecting that would be the understatement of the century. You don't know what to say. What can you say? What could they possibly want with you after all these years? Money? A place to stay? Work?
Sweet spawn of Satan Aclina would kill them.
She's still staring at Mihaela with an expressionless look on her face.
"What?" You hope you simply heard her wrong.
Mihaela nods vigorously. "I know! I couldn't believe it either. There I was, helping my little brother open up shop for the day and I see them walk by. At first, I thought my mind was playing tricks on me, but the next thing I know they're inside the shop hugging me! I could barely get a word out I was so floored."
"I thought they left to tour Romania looking for their 'dream job?'"
"Didn't work out. I guess no one would keep her employment for long. They said they were too good for the jobs anyway, can you believe that?"
"Honestly? Yes. You remember how outlandish they were, guess they haven't changed too much."
Mihaela giggled. "It sure felt that way."
"So wait, how did my name get brought up?"
"They asked if you were still around- seemed pretty keen on seeing you again."
Alcina rolled her eyes. "Marvelous."
You take her gloved hand in yours and give it a reassuring squeeze. She eases up a little bit as you rub circles on top of her hand. "You said no, right?"
"Of course I did!"
"Then why do you look so nervous, Mihaela?" Alcina asked.
The girl stood like a statue, only moving to twiddle her thumbs. Silence fills the room as the matriarch waits patiently for the girl to speak. Her eyebrow arches as if she says "I'm waiting..."
Finally, Mihaela speaks. You let out a breath you didn't know you were holding in.</p>
"As I was leaving I heard them asking others of your whereabouts. It's only a matter of time before they find out the truth."</p>
"Well that's just fantastic then, isn't it? Now we can't even go down to our own village without risking an encounter."</p>
Mihaela gave a sympathetic smile. "Don't worry, Lady Dimitrescu. They're not staying in our village, just passing through. I believe they said the village just east of us, on the other side of the forest."
Alcina hummed. "Best to stay away then, don't you agree, Love?"
You couldn't nod your head quick enough. "Of course. What do they want with me though? I haven't even thought about them in years."
Mihaela shrugged. "I guess they just wanna talk? Reconnect with all our old friends? I didn't ask; just said you weren't around anymore."
"Couldn't you have just told them I died or something? That would have solved everything! They wouldn't be going around using about me AND if they ask to visit my grave you just bring them to the coolest tree in the forest and say I'm buried under it. My body intertwined with its roots. You could've had so much fun with the dramatics!"
"Do you think they'd be stupid enough to come looking her y/n up here?" Alcina asks in an almost hopeful tone.
Mihaela rolls her eyes. "Well, I only came to warn you. You know how...persistent they can be. Now that I'm here, may I stay and pick up some work?"
"Of course you may, my dear. If it's the trek back down you want to avoid I can always call a carriage for you."
"That's very generous of you, my Lady, but really, I don't mind. I like to keep busy."
Alcina nodded, accepting the answer. "Very well, dear. My study could use another dusting once you've regained yourself."
As the doors close behind Mihaela, the matriarch relaxes and lies back down with her head on your lap."Well, that was interesting."
You immediately start running your fingers through her hair. "No kidding, What the hell do they want from me? I thought we agreed we'd never have to look at each other ever again, now they wanna talk?"
"I wouldn't know. You've never told me about this person."
"I was sparing you, trust me." Alcina still looked up at you, her eyes flurrying with emotion. "There isn't much to tell, Al. We were together a few years and couldn't make it work so we started hurting each other, sometimes just out of spite. Really, Al, it's nothing I ever felt compelled to bring up; especially to you." You can't hold back a giggle. "You know how jealous you can be."
"I do not get jealous."
"Al, not two weeks ago you almost slaughtered the village butcher cause you didn't like the way he looked at me."
She rolled her eyes. "That swine was looking you up and down like you were nothing more than a piece of meat."
A comfortable silence fills the library. You're both lost in your own worlds together. Alcina stares up blankly at you as you continue to read."It was a serious relationship then? If it lasted a few years then it must have been."
You try to hide behind your novel and Alcina tosses it to the ground. You can't look her in the eyes without blushing and feeling really uncomfortable. "It was-umm...we were...briefly engaged."
"What?!" Alcina bolts up from her spot. "You were engaged?!"
You nod curtly. "Briefly engaged, yes."
Alcina just stares at you, completely flabbergasted. "When were you planning on telling me that?"
You pulled a confused face. "Um never? Why would I ever bring that up? Under what pretense is that an ok thing to bring up?"
"I..." She sighs, "I don't know."
"I'm sorry, Alcina. I didn't think it was a big deal."
"I suppose it's not. You're here now and that's all that matters."
You crawl on her lap and give her a sweet kiss. "And I'm not going anywhere."
Later That Night
You were out on the balcony gazing up at the array of constellations, waiting for Alcina to join you when there was a knock at the bedroom doors. Strange, no one is around at this hour. From your vantage point, it sounded like one of the servants talking to Alcina. He handed her something through the crack of the open door before having the door slammed in his face. Alcina joined you out on the balcony and handed you a rather beaten-up-looking envelope. "This was left for you by the main gates. Can't imagine who it's from?"
"Fuck, already?"
Alcina hummed as she sipped her wine. "A letter from your ex-fiancee."
"Wanna read it together?"
Alcina shakes her head but it looks forced. "It's none of my business."
"I don't care Alcina, really. This is clearly bothering you and I want to know what's going on between them and me."
"Well, if you're sure then." She hands you a letter opener and curls up next to you. The action briefly reminds you of a puppy looking for attention.
You waste no time opening the envelope and pull out a short, sloppily written letter.
I hope this letter finds you well. Please, before you crumple this up and throw it away please just hear me out. I want to apologize for how I treated you when we were together. Obviously, we were both dealing with a lot back then because we were young and stupid, but I'd like to think I've changed a lot since then. Don't get me wrong, I still have my moments, I'm only human, But I really have changed. If you still hate me and never want to talk to me again I understand. I wanted to say I'm sorry and see if we could make an effort to at least stay friends. I'm not the wreckless teenager you used to know and I've always thought about reaching out to you.
These past years of backpacking have taught me a lot and helped me grow up. I had to learn how to fix my own problems and not lean on someone else's support. I had to learn how to live off the land and support myself through the good and bad times. I realize now that I wasn't able to take care of you because I was unable to properly take care of myself. I see that now. You were never far from my mind; I thought about you every day I was gone.
The blacksmith told me you're working at Dimitrescu Castle as a handmaiden? Never thought you of all people would ever accept that kind of job, but hey, I guess I'm not the only one that changed. I hear it's pretty tough up there...then again you're the toughest person I've ever met. If anyone can handle it it's you. How are they treating you up there? Â What's it like living in such a massive castle? You know me, I would probably lose my way and get lost haha.
I really hope you decide to write back, but no pressure. I understand everything we went through was...a lot to deal with and you want your space. Just in case you want to respond, I'll leave my address enclosed. A nice elderly couple is letting me stay with them in exchange for work. How sweet is that? It's mostly just labor chores around the house that need to be done so it's no big deal.
Best regards,
E/N
You share a look with Alcina who only scowls at the piece of paper. "I don't like the sound of this."
You shake your head, genuinely lost for words."I don't even know what to say, honestly."
"What do you want to do?"
"I don't know."
Alcina sighs and sits you on her lap, straddling her thick thighs. "I know you're going to say forget about them because of me," she silences you with a single finger to your lips. "But it's ok. I know you love me and only me. You're allowed to have friends outside the castle, my love, and I have no right to deny you. Even if this particular friend was your ex-fiancee; I trust you completely."
Your heart was melting in your chest. Even though it looks like it took all her strength to say those words you know she means it. 'Thank you, Alcina. I know you don't like this, but I would at least like to hear what they have to say. Our relationship wasn't a happy one at the end and, well, I don't know, I guess I just want some closure. But I promise every letter I get we will read together."
"Oh you don't have to do that, love, I trust you."
"I know and I appreciate that very much. But I want you to know exactly what's being said between the two of us, even if it's just to ease your mind about them."
Alcina smiles down at you and strokes your lips. "What have I done to deserve you?"
"Whatever it was, you definitely deserve me."
Three months and several letter exchanges later
âWhy do we entertain this, again?â
You glanced up after opening the latest letter received. âBecause, my love, all theyâre looking for is a friend. Itâs been a long time since they left the village and a lot has changed, the people included. Trust me, as soon as they make more friends down there they will get bored of me.â
Alcina only groaned in response as she laid herself down on the bed, rather dramatically, so her head was in your lap. âDoesnât sound that way to me. Last week they said, and I quote, it means the world to me that weâre talking again. I canât believe after all this time and everything weâve been through youâre still willing to talk to me.â She sighed. âIâm still surprised myself.â
You lean down and kiss her lips chastely. She pulls you back onto her and bites your lower lip, causing you to gasp. She takes this opportunity to deepened the kiss, caressing your tongue with her own.
You only pull away when the need for oxygen is desperate. âYouâre needy when youâre jealous.â
She scrunched her face in disgust. âI told you I am not jealous. Thereâs nothing to be jealous of. They are nothing.â
âItâs ok babe, I think itâs cute.â You kiss her sweetly. âShows me how much you love me.â
A light blush powdered Alcina's cheeks. âWell, I do love you.â
âI love you too.â
She closes her eyes and focuses on the feeling of your fingers running through her hair. âSo, what are they saying this time?â
âNothing interesting. Theyâre still looking for work, I think they might still be holding out on us hiring them. Even though I made it very clear thereâs no place for them here.â
âAbsolutely not,â Alcina growled. âItâs bad enough I have to listen to you read these damned letters why would I want to hire them? Short-staffed or not that...person is not allowed in my home.â
âI know Darling, I made it very clear. You know that.â
âI know you did. You were sweet enough to let me read it.â
You chuckle as you continue reading. âI let you read all the letters, Alcina. Youâre my partner and I love you. You have a right to know whatâs going on.â
She moved to sit up and kissed the top of your head. âI appreciate that.â
She made her way over to the vanity and starts taking off her makeup. You paid her little attention as you continued glazing over the letter. This has become your weekly routine; open the letter, read it first by yourself, and then give it to Alcina to read over so she can make fun of the person for the rest of the night. You think itâs her way of letting all her jealous energy out. She knows you and this particular ex were extremely close. It was the deepest relationship you had been in previous to Alcina. But it was also the most toxic relationship you had ever been in.
Every week you got the letter you would assure her there was no reason to get jealous or upset as she does. Not that you minded the extra cuddles and kisses that came along with jealous-clingy Alcina. It was cute. The way she gets close and cuddly with you like an attention-starved kitten.
You were about halfway through the letter when you realized the handwriting changed ever so slightly. It appeared sloppier than the previous paragraphs, almost as if the writerâs hand was shaking as they wrote. Then as you continued down the page the reason became apparent.
â....what are the odds us giving our relationship a second chance? Iâve changed a lot over the years and now that Iâm back...maybe things would be different? I never lost feelings for you. This has been on my mind for a while now, but Iâve been too scared to bring it up until today.â
Oh god....
You turn back to Alcina who thankfully hasnât noticed your sudden nervous energy. You take a few deep breaths, trying to calm your nerves, before continuing.
âMy feelings never really went away, only transferred from person to person cause I wanted them to be you. But they werenât and never can be. You have always been so special to me- you should know that by now. Itâs nice having you here again. You were a major part of my life growing up. I wish I could change not having you around these past years cause you were my everything.â
You raise a hand to cover your mouth and bit down on one of your fingers.
As you look up to check on her your heart sinks as youâre met with her eyes burning into you through the reflection of the mirror. She knows somethingâs wrong. Of course, she knows- she always knows! Itâs like she can smell your nervousness from across the room. She doesnât break eye contact even when removing her lipstick.
You try your hardest to pretend she isnât staring and continue on reading.
âIf thereâs a way to make your feelings for me come back you better believe Iâll find it. But I know I canât force you to feel something you donât anymore. Itâs just always been so easy to connect with you. Thatâs why I want to try and rekindle our flame. Youâre such a loving, generous, kind-hearted person to be around. I always admired you for that. To this day Iâve never been able to connect with someone as deeply as I did you.â
âFor fuck sake...â you thought. âIt canât get any worse than this right? It canât possibly get any worse.â
You donât have to look up to know that Alcinaâs stare has intensified. Her eyes are practically burning holes in the back of your head. You know the game sheâs playing too...sheâs gonna wait until she knows youâre finished reading and come over to read it for herself and let the rages of hell consume her. After all, youâve seen how out of control her temper can become, this year alone sheâs gone through three replicas of her vanity. And that was only because Mother Miranda called.
â....Iâm glad to hear youâre in good health. Your health has always been something I worry tirelessly about, even when we werenât on good terms.â
You sigh in relief. âOk, thatâs not so bad. I guess I can forgive that one. My health has always been up and down, even Alcina worries like a dog over me some days.â
âWhen I leave again maybe you can come with me? We always did talk about living in the country. We can have our own land for whatever animals you want and a barn to match.â
You actually yelp out of surprise. âHoly shit thatâs worse...thatâs so much worse. Alcina is going to be livid when she sees this.â
Your attempt to steady your breathing fails miserably. The most you can hope for now is to not make eye contact- then she sees how much of a nervous wreck you are. âDonât look up, donât look up, donât look up, donât look- FUCK!â
In an instant, Alcinaâs up and making her way to stand behind you, wonât glass in hand. Sheâs already glaring down at the piece of paper like it personally cussed her out. âWhat did that lowlife say this time?â
âAlcina, I donât think you should-â itâs too late. Sheâs already snatched it out of your hands.
You start inching away as you watch her facial expressions morph from displeased to disgust, to seething as her eyes scan the bottom of the page. Her breathing is heavy, her nostrils are flaring, and her eyes glowing a bright gold as she recites the final paragraph out loud.
âIâm always going to be here for you from now on. I made the mistake of missing all those years with you. I ainât missing no more.
Goodnight, MY LOVE?!â
You bring a hand up to hook around her arm. âCalm down, Alci.â
She doesnât respond. Everything is quiet for what felt like hours when in reality it was only about a minute. You watched her eyes scan over the page over and over again until they fall back on you.
You have never really been scared of the vampiress, she never gave you a reason to be. But those eyes hold no mercy. You want to run away and cower somewhere sheâll never find you, the abandoned passages maybe, but fear has you frozen in place.
Her smile doesnât reach her eyes, itâs one of those psychopathic smiles someone sees right before they die. She notices your cautiousness and is quick to retract her claws and thread her fingers through your hair. âIf youâll excuse me, darling. Thereâs some business I must attend to in the basement.â
âAlci-â
âIâll be back later tonight, porumbel mic. Donât wait up.â
Hours passed before you abandoned the idea of sleeping and decided to stroll around the castle. It was usually only done with Alcina when one of you had trouble falling asleep, but since she was still nowhere to be found you figured it couldn't hurt to try by yourself. Bloodcurdling screams from the basement were particularly loud tonight. The girls must have found themselves new toys to play with. No matter which part of the castle you were in you could hear the muffled cries of the damned. You wrote it off as Daniela and Cassandra being particularly intense. Eventually, you ran into Bela while in the west wing. She flashed you a broad smile.
"A little late for you, isn't it y/n?"
"Couldn't sleep. Your sisters are having a lot of fun tonight, huh?"
The eldest vampire sibling shot you a confused look. "What are you talking about?"
"All the screaming in the basement, that's them, right?"
She started laughing. "Oh no, y/n, that's all Mother's doing. She's pretty pissed about something; I haven't seen her this mad in decades! And from the looks of it, I bet you know why."
You rubbed the back of your neck and look around the corridor, really anywhere other than Bela's eyes. "Well..."
"Ooh! What is it? What did you do?"
"I didn't do anything, not really. It's just, someone I used to be in a relationship with has been sending me letters and Alci thought it would be alright if I responded. Just to make sure they knew I was happy and safe and all that kind of stuff. Then after I'm done reading what they sent me I give the letter to your mother to let her read. So she knows there's nothing going on between the two of us, ya know?"
Bela nods, stars shining bright in her eyes. "OOh what did the letter say?"
"They um, confessed they still had feelings for me. And they were thinking about running away with me to the countryside."
Bela looked like she was going to explode from all this excitement. You knew she was only pretending to not know about all the other letters. Bela was the gossip seeker of the family. Nothing made the girl happier than to have something to blackmail you with, or anyone really. There was no escaping her wrath, not even Alcina could.
"Mother must have been seething!"
"Yeah," you felt rather guilty about it. "I guess she's taking her anger out on the basement dwellers."
Bela giggled. "Better them than us, right?"
"No question about it."
It's after three in the morning when Alcina finally crawls into bed next to you. She's already stripped herself naked and there's a thin layer of sweat covering her body. She wraps herself around your back and you try to be as still as possible, giving the illusion you're fast asleep. You should have known better. This is Alcina Dimitrescu we're talking about here. The woman can probably smell your anxiety from the other side of the castle.
"I told you not to wait up."
You sigh and roll over on your back. "I slept a few hours, then woke up and couldn't fall back. Even walking around the castle didn't help."
The vampire shifted her body so she was almost laying on top of you; her arm is draped over your middle, a leg nudging between yours, and she's nestling her face in the crook of your neck.
"Do you feel any better?"
Even in the low light of the moon, you can see her looking at you. "A little bit."
An uncomfortable silence filled the bedroom. Neither of you knew what to say if there was anything to be said. You decide to break the silence.
"I'm sorry, Alcina. You were right from the beginning. I shouldn't have engaged with them," your eyes widen at your own words. "Sorry, not the word I should have used."
She chuckles into your neck before giving your pulse point a kiss. "It's not your fault, porumbel mic. My anger is not directed at you."
"Still, I should have known this would happen. I'm not responding, of course."
She starts kissing and licking down your neck. "Good. Alcina Dimitrescu does not share her porumbel mic with anyone."
Soft quiet moans began escaping your mouth, which encouraged Alcina even more. You shared a brief moment of unspoken words before joining your mouths to one another. You move to straddle her and press your body into her with everything you've got. For the rest of the night, you proceed to remind Alcina just how much you love her.
A week later in the village
It was a quaint little village, full of blossoming flowers in the spring and cheerful wildlife wandering around the outskirts. The people of the village fended for each other all year round. It was a very tight-knit place to live. Chatter fills the air along with the tantalizing aromas from various shops as the people go about their daily routines. You and Bela had accompanied Alcina while running some errands. Nothing important, really, just picking up various perfumes and lotions the matriarch was running low on. Bela made herself comfortable sitting by the fountain in the village square, growing rather impatient and bored.
You were about to suggest going in the shop with Alcina to help move things along quicker until you heard it. That single sound made your heart stop beating and drop to the pit of your stomach.
"Y/n!" They called from a distance. You groaned when you saw their silhouette approaching, and nearly pulled your own hair out when you saw how happy they were to see you. Bela, however, looked very pleased with the change of atmosphere. "OOH y/n is that them? The one from the letters that wants to run away with you?"
You nod.
As they get closer Bela pretends to gag. "Ew, you were seriously going to marry that?"
You elbow her in the side, hoping they didn't hear that. "I was young ok. Please just go get your mother and tell her to hurry up."
The girl flashed you an evil smile. "With pleasure."
She got away just in time. They greeted you not with a handshake, or a playful punch to the shoulder, but with a bone-crushing hug that lasted a little too long to be comfortable. "How's it going y/n? Gosh, I never thought I would be lucky enough to run into you here!" They pulled away and looked you over a few times. You had the inclination to cover yourself even though you were completely clothed. "You look incredible."
"Thanks, it's uh, nice to see you too."
"So what are you doing here little miss handmaiden? Running some errands for your Lady or is it your day off or something? Do handmaidens even do stuff like that? I don't know. Anyways, if you aren't doing anything right now, you wanna grab something to eat?"
Fuck no
Before you could think of an excuse Bela was at your side again, smiling even more wickedly than before. "Mother is making her final purchase and then we're returning home. We best meet her at the carriage." Her eyes fixate on the person standing opposite of her like a wolf to its prey. "You must be e/n. I've read so much about you!"
You elbow her in the stomach. "Bela!"
Meanwhile, e/n had never looked so embarrassed. "Oh, so you let them read all our-"
The gods were smiling upon you today. Being saved from awkward conversations left and right.
"Come along, my darlings. Time to go home," Alcina calls behind you. Your heart starts racing in your chest, whether it was from anxiety or anticipation you had no idea. As soon as Alcina locked eyes with your ex her entire face shifted. She went from calm and happy Mother Alcina to cold-hearted Lady Dimitrescu almost instantaneously. Your ex was in awe of the tall woman before them. They heard rumors about the Lady of course but always believed them to be just that; rumors and wives' tales.
Bela ran to her mother's side. "Mother, look, it's e/n from the letters."
You pinched the bridge of your nose and could swear you feel a migraine coming on.
Alcina looked them over and nodded. Her expression was neutral, but you knew her eyes held no mercy. "So it seems."
Your ex bowed in respect to Lady Dimitrescu ad greeted her politely. It wasn't bad actually, too bad they're already on Alcina's blacklist. "It's an honor to meet you, Lady Dimitrescu."
She smiles, "I know it is, dear."
You lost composure for a split second and let out a snort. "Apologies, my lady, are you ready to return to the carriage?"
Alcina only waved you off. "Oh come now, my love, there's no need to be so formal. They're a friend, after all, are they not?"
Yup, definitely feel a migraine coming on. Though you had to admit, the look on their face was absolutely priceless. They rubbed the back of their neck awkwardly. "I'll just um...I'll see ya around, y/n."
Alcina wore the proudest smile you had ever seen as they walked off.
"You're ridiculous sometimes, you know that?"
The vampires only laughed in response. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Alcina opened the carriage door for you and Bela to enter first, ever the gentleman, and took a moment to survey the village around her. Only when her eyes met your ex's did she enter the carriage herself, pulling her girls close.
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