#you’re perfect for each other please don’t include anyone else in your bullshit challenge

[dadvans]

i think a lot of moral policing in ships these days is exhausting, but “they both suck and they deserve each other” is the best, final form of any ship anyway

[soyouthinkucanwrite]

I can be your mirror - Daniel Ricciardo smut!

You feel insecure when you see his ex's instagram and Daniel decides to show you why you don't need to be

Warnings: smut! unprotected sex, low self esteem, etc

You were just chilling in the hotel bed, scrolling through your phone while Daniel finished taking a shower. It was Thursday night in Hungary, and media day was relatively calm (all eyes were still on Max and Lewis, after the whole Silverstone incident).

Your relationship was still new, you guys had just went public a couple months ago, and you liked that you were still discovering things about each other everyday, like how he prefers his eggs in the morning or that small scar under your chin he just noticed yesterday. Yet, some things weren't as fun to find out, like what his exes looked like.

A few fan accounts had started following you, including some F1 WAGs accounts, and you followed some of them back - you wanted to the updated, after all (or at least that's what you told yourself). The thing is, comparisons were inevitable to you - no matter how much you tried to be reasonable, low self esteem was always an issue to you. When a WAGs account posted about Daniel's ex hanging around in the paddock today and how cute her outfit was, you quickly found yourself clicking on the tag and stalking her ig. Perfect. Fucking perfect. You just have to set your own heartbreak up, don’t you? If at least you could let life do that, but no, you had to go and fall for the guy with the instagram models as his exes. You smiled ironically to yourself.

"Did you see Max shutting down that reporter on the press conference today?" Daniel said walking out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his torso and another drying his hair. You quickly locked your phone and looked up, startled like a kid caught with their hands on the cookie jar.

"Hum?" you asked him.

“What were you looking at?” he grinned you, throwing himself on the bed and sitting by your side.

“Nothing” you answered quickly, looking away.

“Don’t be like that. Tell me” he asked again, nudging you with his head.

“It’s nothing Dan, just silly old instagram”

“You wanna know one of the things I love most about you?” He asked before continuing. “You don’t really have filters. And even when you try to hide what you’re thinking, your face and body gives you away” He said. “That’s why you’re so perfect, you’re genuine” he touched your nose with his. “Let’s be honest with each other. Tell me what’s going on in there” Then he tried to lighten the mood saying "Can't be shirtless pictures of me that got you smirking, cause here I am in the flesh for you" you rolled your eyes but smiled at him.

“I’m laughing at myself” You said and he just looked at you, waiting for you to continue. “I’m setting myself up for heartbreak, more and more, and it’s just like me”

“What you’re talking about?”

“Please don’t say it’s stupid” you said before continuing. “You’re like, a rock star… fast cars, VIP, supermodels… these stuff are routine for you, you have the most interesting life. And you could have any girl. And your exes are like movie stars, fucking supermodels, and I'm not sure how much longer till you realize that and just, you know” you said gesturing to yourself and waving your fingers in front of your throat like who says 'abort mission'.

"I should know better, I really should and this might be nothing, but the deeper we get in this, the harder it's to wrap my own head around it and it’s so stupid, but how can anyone compete with that?” You weren’t making any sense, you knew and he was looking at you with his eyebrows raised and lips pressed, like he was holding a smile. “I’m rambling, forget I said anything it's so stupid” You said hiding your face behind your hand.

“I thought you said it wasn’t stupid” He said opening up a smirk and you opened your fingers to look at him. He pulled your hand down. “But you’re right, it is fucking stupid, because there’s no competing with you. I don’t care if I have to repeat that a thousand times for you to believe me, I mean…you had to have a flaw, huh?” You turned your head to the side. “This insecurity of yours, that you’re not good enough, it’s just the most crazy thing ever. Because I feel exactly the same. I’m the one that’s not good enough for you. You’re so smart, and good and you actually do good in the world. I’m just the lucky bastard that got picked to drive in circles around the world”

“You know that’s bullshit” You said.

“I’m serious. This whole stuff, fame, whatever… doesn’t mean anything. It’s just not real. I’m glad I realized that when I did” you were watching him intently. “Racing, challenging myself, working with the team, you... what we have, those are the stuff that are real to me, what really matters".

"Okay" you nodded agreeing.

"If you must to know, the reason why I didn’t work out with anybody else, it’s because we were never more than fuck buddies. Those girls are great fun, but they're more worried about showing than being, you know? And I’m not really interested in talking about them because it doesn’t mean anything, but I’ll tell you anything you ask me” You were dying to ask him more, to know every little details and to learn from their mistakes, but you knew you’d become obsessed with comparing yourself to them and didn’t he just tell you he wasn’t interest in anything about it?

“Sorry” you said quietly.

“What for?”

“Being a nag. Killing the mood” he smiled.

“Don’t-” “you-” “dare-” He kissed your face in between every word. “apologizing-” “for-” “your-” “feelings” he pulled away and looked at you. “Specially not to me. I meant it, let’s be honest, huh?” you nodded smiling back at him. “And if I’m ever a dick, please tell me before screw things up. This is not nothing, okay?”

“Okay”

“And I’m flattered you think I could have any girl” he said grinning. “I mean, I AM pretty hot, but-”

“Shut up. You know I’m right”

“Maybe any girl who cares about that stuff, and my amazing six pack” he says laughing and kissing you.

“And hard butts” you replied laughing and reaching to squeeze his, playfully.

“And hard butts” he agreed, rolling so he was on top of you.

“Those girls are usually the hottest”

“Do you honestly don’t have a mirror at home?” he said pulling away slightly from you. “It’s okay baby” he said in your ear, lifting your shirt over your head, then nibbling at your earlobe, making you moan. “I can be your mirror” he said in a low voice, taking your hands over your head and pinning them with his own.

Then he used his knees to push your legs apart. You were following his face, trying to kiss his mouth but he was holding you down, his lips barely touching your skin now, him hovering over your neck, your collarbone, your exposed breasts. You were squirming now, trying to get some release. He just wouldn’t let you have any yet.

“You have the most amazing skin” he begin saying. “So soft” he looked up to you, you had your eyes closed now. “The most amazing boobs. Fucking perfect tits, so round… and these perking nipples, so hard when you’re turned on” his lips touched your breasts lightly, barely.

“Your hair always smells so good, it’s the perfect frame for your perfect face” He went up again and kissed your lips, biting them lightly and dragging them out. “I love your lips, I love how plumped they are. I’m kind of jealous actually” he chuckled and you opened your eyes rolling them. “And those eyes. Fuck, I know it’s the first thing anyone notices about you, isn’t it? Are you sick of it by now? So big and green. I love seeing them rolling back when you come” he brought one hand down, pulling your pijama pants down and holding both of your hands up with only one of his. “I’m getting there in a minute” he said grabbing your pussy. “I just want to tell you about your ass first” he said sliding his hand through your hips until he reached your ass, grabbing it then releasing to give it a slap. You let out a yelp. “You in the mood for a little rough love?” he slapped you again and you smiled through your moan, this is so hot. And the best part of it was that no one else knew this side of his, just you. It's petty yeah, but you decided to indulge yourself in that thought.

“I love your ass, I swear I was trying to be respectful today, but you were such a tease, on those little shorts, made me hard as soon as you walked in the paddock” he went down to suck your left boob in his mouth and you were so sensitive you couldn’t help but moan, loudly. “Yeah baby, let me hear you. Let everyone hear you” He said releasing your boob and nibbling at it. “I saw how the guys were staring at your ass today. Fuckers, couldn’t help themselves. Let them stare…as long as they know who you belong to” he said leaning down to suck on your other boob. “Tell me who you belong to” his voice was so low.

“Uh…you” You were a moaning mess.

“Huh?”

“You, Daniel! I’m yours”

“That’s right”

“Please” you begged.

“What is it? What you what baby?” he whispered against your skin.

“Touch me, please”

“But I am touching you baby” he said and you heard the smirk in his voice. “Oh, I see what you mean… you want me to touch your pussy?”

“Yeah” you nodded. At the same time this was torture, it felt so, so good.

“This fucking perfect cunt of yours” he said sliding two fingers through your lips and opening them to spread you to him, you were soaking wet and pulsating, clenching around nothing. “Fuck, look at this” He said almost to himself, licking his lips. Then he slid his fingers in, curling them up, making a ‘come here’ motion. He dipped his head down, kissing the inside of your leg, then right over your clit, taking it in between his lips and sucking. You moaned loudly. “Oh sorry baby… you wanted it rough, huh?” he sucked your clit harder, then bit on it lightly. You could scream at how much pleasure he was giving you.

“Fuck! Oh my god Dan” He started to tease you with another finger meanwhile.

“Think you can take another one?” his words sending vibrations against you and making you forget how to form words. “I know you can, you take me so well. Such a good girl for me” he inserted another finger and started to pump them in and out of you faster. “So fucking tight. Can’t wait to feel you around me. That’s my favorite place you know? Buried deep inside your cunt” that was it, you came, hard. Arching your back and hips, Daniel releasing your hands to push you down and hold you there while you came and he kept sucking and licking and biting your clit. You couldn’t take anymore, you pushed him away, pulling his hair.

“Can’t-” You tried to say. “Dan”

“Yes, you can. Come here” He said pulling away and lifting you, dragging you out of the bed and into the bathroom, the rest of your clothes and his towel getting lost in the way. He pushed you against the sink, pulling your face up, making you look at yourself on the mirror. He was pressing against you from behind, his cock leaking in between your legs. “I want you to see what I see” he said staring at you through the mirror. “Gonna fuck you so good, you don’t ever forget how fucking perfect you are” and with that he slammed inside you. “Fucking-” he had one hand on your hair and the other around you, between your folders, massaging your clit. “Fucking heaven, taking me so good”

“Ah Dan” You screamed. He started to fuck you hard and fast, pushing you against the sink. You lifted your head and looked at the mirror, it was the most erotic thing you’ve ever seen. Daniel was dripping sweat, thrusting with perfect precision. His eyes were locked on yours and you knew he was as close as you. The thought of how deep the connection between you were at that moment made you clench again and he lost it, giving you one final thrust and a guttural groan. You came again, shaking more than ever, the feeling too much this time. “I can’t-” You tried to say again. “Too much-” Squeezing him over and over, so he pulled out, still spilling, making a mess over your legs and on the bathroom floor. He was still holding you though.

“I’m right here baby. Right here” He whispered on you ear from behind. You both were riding out your orgasms, rocking slightly, your body leaned on the sink, pressing your boobs against it, and he leaning over you, breathing hard.

After you both calmed down, you tried to move but his weight was too much. You let out a weak laugh and he moved. “Sorry” he said kissing your back. When you got up, you turned to him and kissed him lightly.

“You are-” You said against his lips “amazing”. And kissed him again, lovinly. “Thank you. You make me feel so good, Daniel. Let me take care of you now”

Daniel's POV

This woman is trying to kill me. “Baby I don’t think I have it in me-” “Not like that” she smiled. “I meant with a bath” she said gesturing to the bathtub.

“Yes, please” I said already opening the tap and letting the water run. She went back to the room and returned with a water bottle, taking a sip before passing it to me. I took it from her hand and almost finished it, before giving it back to her.

“Do they have any bubbles? Bath salts?” she asked.

“Hum…I don’t think so, baby” I answered looking around on the sink.

“That’s fine” she smiled, getting in the tub and motioning for me to sit in between her legs. Her hair was up in a knot, but some of it was clinging to her neck due to the sweat. She was so beautiful, I can’t believe she wants me.

“You don’t want me to stay behind you?” she shook her head smiling and I did as she asked, leaning on her. The tap was still running, filling the tub with hot water, while we two of us just soaked in there, relaxing. “This is nice,” I said while she ran her hands through my hair. When the tub was full enough, she turned off the water and applied some body wash on my skin, running her hand over my back and shoulders, it felt so good, so comfortable, like I didn’t have a worry in the world. Then I washed her legs around me, kissing her feet and calves and making her giggle. She kept massaging my shoulders. We stayed there for good while, half an hour? More or less? There’s nothing else in the world other than this bathroom anyway, so who cares?

“Can we stay here forever?” She asked me after a while, kissing behind my neck. I just hummed in response. “Actually, scratch that. I’m getting hungry. And thirsty”

“The limitations of the human body” I said jokingly but got out of the tub after a few minutes. If m’lady wants to eat, I’m getting her food. I dried myself, wrapping a towel around me and holding hers open for her to step out of the tub.

We went back to the room, she picked her clothes from the floor and put them away in her travel bag back inside the closet. I watched as she got a fresh pair of underwear and a clean bra, while I put on boxers and sweatpants. She wore some leggings that hugged her ass perfectly, what a view. I noticed her going through her bag, probably looking for a shirt but I just wanted her to wear some clothing of mine, so I took the hoodie I was going to wear and passed it to her. She smiled and accepted it, it looked oversized on her and covered her ass, but maybe that’s a good thing, I don’t need anyone thirsting over what’s mine, I don’t care how much of a prick that makes me sound.

"Do you wanna order or go out to eat?" I asked her.

"Let's just go downstairs, to the restaurant?"

"Yeah, that's fine" I say and peck her lips.

I put on a sweatshirt, and hold the door open for her. We walk out and the temperature was a bit colder out here in the hallway (or maybe it was just too hot inside the room), so I just take her hand and intertwine our fingers, passing my arms around her and holding her closer. I just love that I can do that whenever I want.

And I plan on doing that for the rest of my life.

[gvsolinea]

—  RED PAINTED LIPS & A GLASS OF SCOTCH

A self-para between Ruby Mackell and Micah Coldburn.

mentioned: Quinn, Bentley, Jocelyn.

                            Green  hues  were  scanning  over  the  letters  on  her  screen,  words  causing  the  corners  of  red-painted  lips  to  curve  upwards  as  a  soft  laugh  managed  to  slip  out.  The  previous  text  that  her  fingers  had  sent  was  meant  more  as  a  joke,  asking  for  proof  of  life  for  their  children.  As  always,  the  male  took  the  joke,  making  sure  to  send  back  a  picture  of  the  two  boys  and  their  daughter.  His  follow  up  text  message  that  sounded  like  a  beg  for  her  to  come  home  was  what  caused  the  sound  to  escape  from  the  back  of  her  throat,  the  female  sending  back  nothing  more  than  a  heart  and  a  reminder  that  she  loved  him.  After  everything  they  had  been  through,  she  made  sure  no  matter  what  the  conversation  was,  it  always  ended  with  those  three  words.

❝I  assume  this  means  he  hasn't  managed  to  drown  or  lose  one  of  them.❞  The  other  male's  voice  came  from  his  spot  on  the  floor,  his  back  leaning  against  the  front  of  the  living  room  chair  as  half  of  his  focus  remained  on  the  young  boy  playing  with  his  blocks.  Maybe  he  wasn't  at  the  point  where  he  was  spelling  out  words  or  telling  everyone  in  the  room  about  their  little  adventures,  but  even  the  usually  serious  male  found  the  boy  to  be  entertaining.

Yet  even  with  the  slight  distraction  that  was  the  boy  and  the  male's  comment,  the  woman  still  found  the  curve  against  her  lips  remaining  as  she  turned  her  phone  onto  silent  and  set  it  down  on  the  coffee  table.  It  was  such  a  clean  surface,  the  only  other  items  resting  against  it  consisting  of  a  glass  of  red  wine,  a  small  box  she  could  only  assume  contained  keys,  and  a  framed  photograph  of  the  brunette  and  the  son  the  couple  shared.  How  the  other  woman  managed  to  live  with  the  male  each  day  without  losing  her  mind,  she  wasn't  sure  she  would  ever  know.  But  on  that  same  thought,  she  was  sure  the  same  could  be  said  about  her  marriage  or  even  Jayden's.  Then  again,  even  the  raven-haired  woman  was  sure  the  youngest  Coldburn  brother  was  most  likely  easier  to  deal  with  than  the  other  two  men.  ❝He's  not  as  terrible  with  them  as  he  and  everyone  think  he  is.❞  Affectionate  words  towards  her  husband  were  given  as  she  leaned  forward  to  take  her  wine  glass  into  a  single  hand.  ❝I'm  sure  she  would  say  the  same  about  you.❞

Her  comment  came  as  he  watched  her  tilt  her  glass  towards  the  picture  on  the  coffee  table.  It  was  likely  they  were  words  he  would  never  believe  and  it  was  even  more  likely  that  both  women  knew  it  more  than  he  did.  ❝If  you're  going  to  attempt  to  convince  me  he  isn't  a  moron,  I  wouldn't  bother  wasting  your  breath.❞  It  wasn't  the  most  pleasing  comment  for  him  to  offer  back,  even  with  his  entirely  calm  tone,  a  thought  he  had  after  all  he  got  back  from  her  was  that  familiar  smirk.  If  he  had  taken  the  time  to  think  it  through,  he  would  have  realized  they  had  been  in  this  position  before.  The  woman  across  from  him  dressed  in  yet  another  outfit  that  suited  her  more  than  most  would  expect,  a  glass  of  wine  in  her  hand  and  a  smirk  against  her  lips,  his  head  filled  with  millions  of  thoughts,  half  of  his  focus  on  something  else,  banter  offering  back  and  forth.  How  it  had  led  to  a  night  they  never  spoke  of  again,  he  had  no  idea  but  neither  of  them  bothered  to  think  about  it  after  that.  Little  did  they  know  she  had  been  attempting  to  find  a  distraction  after  coming  face-to-face  with  her  father  and  he  had  been  trying  to  calm  himself  down  after  an  unexpected  fight  with  his  brother.

❝I've  concluded  that  neither  of  you  are  ever  going  to  get  along  and  one  day,  Quinn  and  I  are  going  to  be  dressed  like  wives  that  have  murdered  their  husbands  while  attending  a  shared  funeral  between  you  two.❞  There  was  no  doubt  in  her  mind  that  it  was  a  ridiculous  thing  to  say,  but  she  had  gotten  a  scoff  as  a  response  from  the  male,  something  she  had  been  looking  to  receive.  Bentley  was  known  for  being  ridiculous,  filled  with  far  too  many  jokes  when  the  moment  should  have  been  serious,  and  he  wasn't  always  the  best  during  certain  situations.  But  he  always  made  her  laugh  when  days  felt  dark,  he  was  always  there  when  she  needed  him  and  no  one  else,  and  it  was  always  amusing  how  much  others  managed  to  underestimate  him.  It  was  safe  to  say  that  she  didn't  have  the  perfect  husband  but  she  also  wouldn't  have  wanted  to  share  her  life  with  anyone  else,  even  if  that  included  all  of  his  faults  and  the  hills  they  had  to  climb  to  get  to  this  point.  ❝Speaking  of,  how  is  she  doing?❞

Even  he  knew  the  two  women  didn't  speak  as  much  as  they  used  to.  Part  of  him  wondered  if  it  was  due  to  the  incident  when  the  three  were  out  together,  knowing  well  no  one  but  her  knew  just  how  much  of  her  trauma  the  incident  had  brought  up.  Being  shot  was  never  good  but  having  to  face  it  in  a  different  situation,  trauma  returning  when  you  assumed  you  were  well  again,  it  was  only  reasonable  to  want  to  distance  yourself  from  something  that  could  bring  horrible  memories  back.  ❝Considering  I'm  sure  she's  the  only  one  that  managed  to  handle  Marcus  taking  off  well,  she's  better  than  expected.❞  Then  again,  considering  the  timing  of  it  happening,  he  wasn't  surprised  her  focus  had  been  split  between  the  young  boy  and  making  sure  the  older  Coldburn's  mind  didn't  completely  fall  apart  with  worry.  It  was  reasonable  if  there  just  wasn't  enough  room  in  her  focus  to  outwardly  worry  as  much  as  others  had  been.  But,  truth  be  told,  now  that  his  brother  was  home,  other  thoughts  had  managed  to  drift  back  into  his  mind.

It  was  something  that  the  woman  had  expected,  the  pair  always  having  known  each  other  far  more  than  anyone  could  have  expected.  Ruby  had  always  been  known  as  someone  that  knew  every  detail  about  you  even  before  you  did,  somehow  always  managing  to  gain  details  without  any  effort.  It's  what  had  her  shifting  in  her  spot  on  the  couch,  leg  crossing  over  the  other  as  green  hues  remained  locked  on  the  male.  ❝And  you?  As  ridiculous  as  it  may  sound,  how  you're  doing  matters  too.  And  I'm  not  going  to  sit  through  you  giving  me  some  bullshit  response  of  your  fine  or  you  shrugging  like  you  usually  do,  I'm  not  that  moronic  and  you  know  I  don't  let  things  go  easily.❞  If  there  was  one  thing  that  was  always  expected  when  it  came  to  their  relationship,  it  was  honesty  and  knowing  that  they  wouldn't  deal  with  the  same  responses  they  gave  to  other  people  in  the  world.  The  pair  knew  each  other  far  better  than  that.

Eyes  would  have  rolled  if  he  had  been  the  type  to  offer  such  a  visual  response.  He  had  always  had  conflicting  feelings  when  it  came  to  their  relationship.  Partly  glad  there  was  someone  else  other  than  his  brother  that  could  partly  understand  the  thoughts  in  his  head,  but  he  hated  how  easily  she  could  twist  a  simple  conversation  into  making  sure  he  wasn't  going  to  crumble.  ❝I've  suddenly  decided  you're  not  allowed  to  push  for  some  kind  of  honest  response  until  you  own  up  to  your  issues.  Not  exactly  fair  to  come  knocking  on  my  lack  of  communication  when  you've  got  your  issues.❞  Words  managed  to  end  with  a  hand  raising,  finger  gently  tapping  on  his  head  in  response  before  turning  his  focus  back  to  the  young  boy  that  was  now  busy  playing  with  a  stuffed  animal.

It  was  their  challenge  towards  each  other.  One  person  has  to  give  something  up  if  they  expect  the  other  too.  That  realization  that  they  had  fallen  into  yet  another  conversation  surrounding  that  challenge  was  what  had  her  shifting  to  sit  up  a  fraction  more.  ❝I've  been  seeing  a  therapist  since  the  whole  club  incident  and  Bentley  doesn't  know  yet.❞  A  huff  of  a  laugh  managed  to  slip  from  her,  practically  mirroring  the  male's  usual  sound  as  she  slid  to  lean  forward,  setting  her  elbows  down  to  rest  on  her  knees.  ❝Post-traumatic  stress  disorder.  According  to  him,  I  have  apparently  been  forcefully  avoiding  coping  with  everything  over  the  years  and  we've  concluded  that  what  happened  while  I  was  pregnant  may  have  triggered  it  more  than  expected.❞  Nightmares  had  plagued  her  from  years  regarding  her  childhood  and  after  the  shooting  those  years  ago,  nightmares  managed  to  morphe  enough  to  involve  all  of  it  together.  Having  nightmares  of  men  only  for  it  to  shift  to  being  shot  all  over  again,  it  was  far  worse  than  nightmares  consisting  of  memories.  The  thought  had  another  huff  of  a  laugh  escaping  her  as  she  twisted  her  glass  slowly,  watching  as  the  red  liquid  danced  in  the  glass.  ❝I  don't  need  to  worry  him  more  than  he  already  does.  Besides,  I  don't  feel  like  starting  a  whole  thing  all  over  again,  I  don't  think  I  can  refrain  from  murdering  that  woman  again.❞  It  was  an  overdramatic  thought  that  had  her  eyes  rolling,  memories  of  their  break  up  while  she  was  pregnant  that  had  continued  after  the  boys  were  born,  they  were  memories  that  managed  to  slip  out  in  the  most  unexpected  moments.  After  all,  she  very  rarely  let  things  go  when  it  involved  her  feeling  hurt  and  betrayed,  it  was  likely  those  memories  were  always  going  to  haunt  her.  ❝It's  your  turn,  what's  going  on  in  that  giant  head  of  yours?  Is  Jocelyn  finally  setting  in?❞

The  questions  felt  like  they  were  meant  to  poke  some  kind  of  sleeping  bear.  He  hadn't  spoken  about  her  after  that  phone  call,  still  having  no  idea  how  to  fully  process  the  fact  that  she  was  completely  gone  off  the  planet.  It  wasn't  like  the  pair  had  spoken  in  the  years  since  she  took  off  but  after  Xavier  and  the  conversations  they  had  held,  it  was  hard  to  register  the  fact  that  the  young  boy  would  never  know  her.  It's  those  thoughts  that  had  his  focus  turning  to  the  boy  all  over  again,  watching  now  that  he  had  moved  into  shoving  his  stuffed  animals  into  a  pair  of  Quinn's  shoes  and  using  them  as  race  cars.  ❝I  think  she's  worried.❞  A  different  kind  of  worried  but  he  knew  that  wasn't  a  detail  he  needed  to  give  out,  the  woman  understood  the  difference.  ❝I  don't  know  if  she's  worried  about  not  being  enough  for  him  or  if  it's  that  she  doesn't  think  he'll  love  her  as  much  or  if  it's  something  entirely  different,  but  it's  something.❞  That's  when  his  familiar  shrug  was  offered  as  his  attention  turned  to  his  glass  sat  beside  him,  scotch  sitting  at  the  bottom,  the  male  making  sure  it  was  far  away  enough  that  it  didn't  catch  the  boy's  attention.

❝I  can  understand  that,  having  worries  surrounding  it.  She  might  be  raising  him  and  might  be  the  only  mother  he  knows  but,  that  doesn't  mean  she  won't  have  worries  around  it.  There's  probably  always  going  to  be  some  amount  of  questioning  in  the  back  of  her  head  because  they're  not  blood,  there  isn't  that  immediate  familial  connection,  and  when  you're  older,  you  have  this  sense  and  feeling  that  something  is  different  and  I  wouldn't  be  surprised  if  he  feels  that  once  he's  old  enough  to  understand  it.❞  It  was  her  turn  to  offer  a  slight  shrug  to  her  shoulders  as  she  shifted  in  her  spot  once  again,  body  leaning  forward  so  she  could  pull  off  her  heels.  ❝Quinn  is  a  brilliant,  compassionate,  talented,  and  strong  woman.  But  even  I  know  she's  a  wonderful  mother,  I  don't  need  to  be  around  every  single  day  to  know  that  she  is,  she  just  gives  that  energy  off.  It's  like  Jayden,  you  might  not  see  her  acting  like  a  complete  puddle  of  love,  but  you  can  feel  how  much  she  loves  all  of  her  children  and  just  how  much  she  would  do  for  them.  It's  this  radiating  feeling  you  give  off  and  she  does,  besides,  I  know  her  enough  to  have  no  doubts  around  that.❞  Her  head  tilted  at  that  moment  as  a  small  laugh  managed  to  fall  from  her.  ❝She  might  not  have  given  birth  to  that  boy  but  I  can  honestly  say,  I'm  pretty  sure  she's  taken  to  motherhood  far  better  than  Jayden  and  I  ever  did  and  that's  saying  quite  a  lot  when  it  comes  to  that  woman.  I  have  no  doubt  that  he'll  love  her  just  as  much,  if  not  more,  than  he  would  have  loved  Jocelyn,  simply  due  to  how  Quinn  is.  But  it's  not  reasonable  to  say  she  shouldn't  have  worries,  everyone  has  worries  around  things  and  given  everything  that's  happened,  I  would  take  it  as  a  win  that  she's  worried  about  that  and  not  about  being  shot  walking  out  the  front  door.❞

She  was  right  in  more  ways  than  he  could  explain  and  he  knew  that,  never  doubted  it  when  it  came  to  how  the  woman's  mind  worked.  Truth  be  told,  he  wasn't  worried  about  it  in  the  slightest.  Maybe  he  wasn't  the  most  emotional  and  he  didn't  always  know  how  to  show  that  he  cared,  but  even  he  could  see  how  much  the  small  boy  loved  his  mother.  He  was  just  waiting  for  the  day  he  was  old  enough  for  the  pair  to  openly  act  ridiculously.  Sure  they  would  team  up  and  fall  into  every  holiday,  already  prepared  for  the  day  he  stepped  out  of  the  bedroom  and  the  entire  house  looked  like  Christmas  had  exploded  inside  of  it.  As  disgusting  as  that  thought  would  have  been  years  ago,  now  he  found  himself  watching  the  young  boy  as  a  slight  curve  twitched  against  his  lips,  only  to  quickly  disappear.

❝You  love  her  and  him,  it's  why  it's  bothering  you,  I  understand  that.  It's  a  good  thing  you're  bothered  by  her  being  worried  or  upset  over  something,  which  means  the  mysterious  Micah  Coldburn  has  a  heart.  I'll  be  sure  to  inform  the  media,  I'm  sure  everyone  would  love  to  hear  of  this  miracle.❞  Every  bit  of  it  was  teasing  and  joking,  something  they  both  knew  and  understood.  It  was  her  only  way  of  being  able  to  get  a  few  meaningful  words  out,  by  surrounding  them  with  nonsense  so  he  wouldn't  shove  them  away  as  soon  as  possible.  Yet  even  if  she  knew  the  nonsense  was  for  a  real  reason,  she  couldn't  help  how  she  continued  as  she  set  her  glass  down  on  the  table.  ❝Gosh,  it's  almost  like  you  care  about  who  you're  married  to.  Gasp,  an  actual  marriage,  not  a  complete  sham-deal.❞  She  couldn't  help  how  it  continued,  knowing  well  she  could  easily  surprisingly  relax  around  the  male.  ❝The  fact  that  'you  love  your  wife'  sounds  unusual  and  weird,  is  quite  ridiculous,  don't  you  think?❞

It  was  at  that  point  when  a  signature  glare  managed  to  cross  his  features  as  he  watched  the  woman  fall  from  completely  serious  and  land  in  a  pit  of  being  absurd.  The  sight  took  a  moment  to  finally  fade  and  it  only  came  when  he  felt  the  slight  tug  of  a  tiny  hand  on  his  shirt.  At  this  point,  it  had  become  automatic  for  his  arms  to  drop,  allowing  and  helping  the  boy  to  crawl  onto  his  lap.  Immediately,  he  curled  up  and  the  male  had  no  doubt  he  would  most  likely  fall  asleep  right  in  that  spot  and  the  pair  would  be  stuck  there  until  he  woke  up,  because  even  the  oldest  Coldburn  wasn't  heartless  enough  to  try  and  move.  ❝Don't  you  have  two  demons  to  return  to?❞

They  both  knew  he  was  reflecting,  pushing  away  because  of  how  right  she  was,  which  is  what  had  her  leaning  back  into  her  spot  all  over  again.  There  was  no  doubt  in  her  mind  the  feelings  he  had  for  the  woman  and  considering  how  well  she  knew  him,  it  gave  her  one  conclusion.  Quinn  was  more  powerful  than  any  woman  on  Earth.  ❝Have  you  bothered  attempting  to  contact  your  mother?  I  didn't  realize  I  gave  you  her  number  and  address  for  no  reason.❞  It  wasn't  abnormal  for  their  conversation  to  twist  back  into  something  more  serious,  one  of  the  main  reasons  the  pair  had  met  up  at  his  home.

❝I  didn't  see  the  point  in  it.  Marcus  seems  fine  now  and  I  doubt  she'll  end  up  contacting  him  again.  If  she  does  and  he  ends  up  going  on  another  spree,  she  can  go  find  him.❞  Months  were  spent  filled  with  worries  and  murder,  he  wasn't  ready  to  go  through  all  of  that  again  so  soon.  ❝I'll  talk  to  Marcus  about  it  sometime  this  week,  see  what  he  wants  to  do  about  it,  if  he  wants  to  do  anything  at  all.❞

It  sounded  reasonable  to  her,  which  is  what  had  her  shoulders  lifting  in  yet  another  shrug.  She  could  understand  it  considering  how  difficult  it  was  to  find  the  male  and  even  now,  she  was  unsure  just  where  the  other  male's  mental  state  was  at.  At  this  point,  she  was  sure  no  one  was  ready  or  prepared  to  ask  him  how  he  was  doing.  It  took  a  lot  to  get  him  to  go  on  some  spree  without  any  thinking,  she  didn't  want  to  know  how  close  he  was  to  breaking  all  over  again.  ❝You're  a  good  brother,  Micah.  Even  if  you're  also  the  biggest  pain  in  the  ass  on  the  entire  planet.❞  If  there  was  one  thing  most  people  knew  about  him,  it  was  that  he  could  be  completely  heartless,  but  he  was  always  completely  loyal  to  his  brother  and  those  he  considered  to  be  family.  At  this  point,  she  had  no  doubt  he'd  go  to  hell  and  back  for  his  brother,  Xavier,  and  Quinn.  She  even  had  half  a  mind  to  throw  Jayden  into  the  mix,  even  if  she  knew  their  relationship  could  be  quite  rocky  sometimes.

[superfreakerz]

TDDUP 13

"Til Death Do Us Part"

Immortal/Reincarnation AU.

Rated M for eventual smut and heavy themes.

Summary: There are immortals and there are those who reincarnate, but it's best to keep these things hidden. Lucy is attending college and meets Natsu, a boy with pink hair, a devilish smile, and a body that never ages.

Since links on Tumblr still aren't working, I can't post one to my previous chapters. But you can find them on FF.net. My username is superfreakerz.

Chapter 13

Girls' Day

Nothing was working. Not raising her hand, morning greetings, or even perfect exam scores were working. Getting on Aquarius' good side was proving to be impossible.

Lucy sighed, returning to her seat after volunteering to answer a question on the board. Even though she had solved the problem correctly and showed all of the steps, Aquarius still gave her snide remarks before sending her to her seat.

"Nice try," Natsu whispered once she sat down. "You're never gonna win our bet. Just give it up."

The girl stuck her tongue out at him. "Yes I will. It just takes some time."

Figuring she did enough trying to please Aquarius for the day, Lucy pulled out her writing journal. She was currently in a rut for her wizarding guild story. Writer's block was a pain that she suffered from many times. So, she figured she'd work on another story she just started writing in hopes of regaining her motivation.

This story was about a boy and a girl who mistakenly sign up for a couple's cruise. It was a simple friends-to-lovers story, with a fake relationship thrown in the mix. In hopes of broadening her writing, Lucy was even going to try to write some more mature content for once.

Natsu's brow piqued as he watched Lucy began to scribble in her writing journal. He hadn't seen that journal in weeks, as Lucy hadn't been writing in class lately and she'd gotten better at hiding the damn thing. He wondered what was going on in the world of celestial mage Ellie and dragon slayer Haru.

Eyes skimming through the girl's neatly scribed words, Natsu became confused. Now she was writing about some sort of cruise. And who were these new characters? Rebecca? Shiki? He didn't remember those characters being in her story before. Unless…

"This is a new story!" Natsu thought, a mischievous grin spreading over his face.

As if having a Natsu-mischief-radar, Lucy glanced towards him, finding him trying to read her story. So, she closed the book and shoved it back in her backpack. This was the one story she couldn't let him read no matter what. Not when she was going to attempt writing smut. She'd die of embarrassment.

Natsu pouted, nudging the girl's side. Oh well. He'd just have to tear apart her apartment later to find her journal.

Once class ended, Lucy, Natsu, and Gray headed towards Fairy Tail to meet up with the rest of the gang. Their walk was filled with the usual Natsu and Gray brawl while Lucy sighed on the sidelines before losing her patience and dragging them along with her. That didn't stop the two boys from giving each other derogatory nicknames the whole time. Lucy's personal favorites were "Ice Princess" and "Ash Tray."

Reaching Fairy Tail, the trio greeted the rest of their friends and sat in their signature spots. As usual, Natsu ordered a whole list of food from the regular waitress, Kinana.

With a mouth stuffed with food, Natsu turned to Lucy and asked, "What're we doin' tonight?"

Lucy shrugged. "I don't know. It's not movie night but I wouldn't mind watching a movie anyways."

"Sounds good to-"

"Wait," Erza interrupted, her eyes narrowed at Natsu. "You are not Lucy's only friend. It is unfair that you are the only one that has spent the night there when even Levy hasn't."

"Oi! I'm her best friend! Of course it's fair!" the boy shot back.

"Umm, excuse me?" Levy said, glaring at him. "I've known her the longest! I'm Lucy's best friend!"

"Who cares if you've known her longer? Lucy and I have a connection!"

"Oho? A connection, huh?" Gajeel teased with a smug grin.

In seconds, Natsu and Lucy's faces turned pink.

"Not that kinda connection, idiot!" he shouted. "Either way, I called spending the night at Lucy's! Go find somewhere else to hang out!"

"Oh? Is that a challenge I'm sensing?" Erza questioned, cracking her knuckles in threat.

Lucy awkwardly chuckled. "Umm, shouldn't I get a say in this?"

Gray leaned closer to her. "I would give it up if I were you. Once Erza set her mind on spending the night at your house, it was set in stone."

Natsu leapt onto the table, unbothered by the way everyone else in the pub gawked at him. Smashing a fist into his palm, he gave Erza a wide grin.

"I've been meaning to challenge you to a rematch for a while now! Let's go! Winner spends the night at Lucy's!" he exclaimed.

The redhead calmly stood up, a small grin spread over her face. "I accept your terms."

"Here we go," Jellal said with a sigh.

"Natsu never learns," Levy added.

Lucy ignored them, watching as Natsu charged at Erza. She'd seen Natsu fight just about all of the guys in the group, and she'd seen Erza beat Natsu to a pulp when he was misbehaving, but she'd never witnessed a mutual fight between the two.

Natsu gave a war cry as he thrust a fist towards Erza, who dodged with ease. This didn't deter the boy, as he continued to throw punches and kicks. Their fists clashed, but neither backed down. Lucy was awed at how nimble Natsu was and admired the way Erza blocked or dodged every hit. They were locked in a stalemate.

Until Erza promptly bashed him upside the head, sending him sprawling on the floor.

"Looks like I win again, Natsu," she said with a pleased smile.

The boy groaned. "I'll get you next time, you redheaded monster."

Erza ignored him and faced the rest of the group, planting her hands on her hips and giving them a smile. "So it's settled. We'll be having a girls' day, starting now."

"Girls' day?" Juvia repeated. "Juvia thought we were just spending the night at Lucy's apartment?"

"Yes, but why not make it an all day event? We can go shopping, go out to dinner, and then go back to Lucy's place and share secrets we've never told anyone else!"

Stars practically formed in Erza's eyes, her excitement palpable. There was no turning her down now. The redhead never got the chance to do girly things as she was so used to dealing with the boy's idiocy, she couldn't wait to spend time with the other girls.

"Oi, I had plans with Levy!" Gajeel barked.

"And now those plans are canceled. You can reschedule for tomorrow."

"But I wanna hang out with Lucy too!" Natsu complained. "Lucy! Tell her you're gonna hang out with me!"

The blonde giggled, amused at how attached Natsu was to her. In truth, she felt the same way. But a girls' day sounded fun! She hadn't had one of those since her first lifetime!

"Sorry, Natsu! But you heard Erza. It's girls' day!" Lucy exclaimed.

While the boys were gloomy and depressed at the thought of being without the girls, the girls were actually excited. Even Juvia was starting to get into it. So, they all waved goodbye to their respective boys before rushing out of the guild in a wave of excitement and giggles.

"This is bullshit!" Gajeel shouted. Turning to Jellal, he continued, "Your wife just stole our girlfriends!"

"Lucy's not my girlfriend," Natsu corrected. He was slouched over the table, bored out of his mind now that his best friend was missing from his side.

"Yeah, but you want her to be."

"Oi! Say that again and I'll bash your head into the wall, Metal Mouth!"

"There's no point in denying it," Gray said. "Everyone knows that you like Lucy. Well, everyone except for her- which is weird because isn't she supposed to be smart?"

Natsu blushed from head to toe. He wasn't used to blushing. He hadn't really had problems with his body warming up until he met Lucy.

"I don't like Lucy like that!" he said, glaring at the lot of boys. His hands formed tight fists as he continued, "And even if I did, it doesn't matter! She doesn't feel the same…"

"I know you're stupid, but you can't be that stupid, right?" Gray teased. "Of course she feels the same, idiot."

"It's so obvious," Gajeel added. "Bunny Girl acts differently around you. The both of you are always follwin' each other around. It's disgusting, really."

Natsu picked his head off the table. "…You really think so?"

"What? That's it's disgusting? Yeah, that shits gross."

"Not that, dumbass! I meant about Lucy liking me!"

"Oh. Well that too. You're just too stupid to realize it."

Feeling his cheeks warm, Natsu laid his head on the table again. Even though he doubted the guys were right, the thought of Lucy liking him back made his heart thump wildly in his chest. It was exciting to think about, even though he didn't know what he'd do if she did like him.

What could he do with him being immortal?

"Even if she does like me, which she doesn't," Natsu began glumly, "it doesn't matter. She's a mortal and I'm not."

At that, Gray and Gajeel shared a concerned look. They didn't know what to say to that. After all, everyone knew that relationships between mortals and immortals were harder than most. It was messy and doomed from the start.

This time, Jellal was the one to try to cheer Natsu up.

"Natsu," he started with his usual calm smile, "even though you and Lucy wouldn't be together forever, wouldn't it be nice to explore something you haven't experienced before? You two are very close, but wouldn't you like to be closer? There's so much potential in your relationship, it'd be a waste not to pursue it, even if one day things will end. Every relationship is a gamble, including mine with Erza. We were dear friends who wanted to be more, so we risked our friendship for it. And it turned out to be the best decision of my infinite life."

"But it won't end well when it does end," Natsu replied with a frown. "We don't have long in the outside world. What am I supposed to do then?"

"Why worry about a problem that doesn't exist without the relationship? There is no use dreading that moment when you two aren't even together."

"So what do you think I should do?"

"Take the risk. Even though you'll have to separate one day, the days you spend together will make it worth the pain. They can be the best days you've ever had, you just have to live them first."

Lucy walked alongside the rest of the girls as they entered Magnolia's shopping mall. It was a large mall with three stories and a variety of shops. Hell, there was a store that only sold Tupperware.

"What store should we go to first?" Levy asked.

"I'd like to buy some new clothes," Erza replied, thus leading the way to the nearest store that sold the cutest clothes.

The four stuck together, picking items that would look good on each other. Lucy found a yellow sweater that would suit Levy perfectly, despite the clash between the yellow and her blue hair. She knew that her friend liked the drastic change in colors.

"I think this would suit you, Lucy," she heard Erza say. Turning towards the redhead, she saw her holding up a red, off-the-shoulder dress. Even though the neckline wasn't as promiscuous as her other dresses, the bottom was tulip shaped, which would make her legs and hips look great.

"That's really pretty!" Lucy replied. "But I'm not really shopping for dresses right now since it's winter. I wouldn't even get the chance to wear it for a while."

"Not unless you go on a date," Erza replied.

In seconds, Lucy's face matched the other girl's hair. "A-A date? Oh, I don't see that happening any time soon, so we can just put the dress back!"

Erza's lips curled into a smirk. "No. I will buy this dress for you as thanks for letting us welcome ourselves into your apartment multiple times. You can wear it on your next date."

Instead of arguing, Lucy nodded her head, her face still burning hot. "O-Okay."

With that, they went to the neighboring store, which sold lingerie. All of the girls except for Levy felt right at home buying this sort of stuff. Even Lucy, despite having nobody to show it off to.

"Here, Levy-chan! I'm sure Gajeel would love to see you in this!" Lucy said, showing the petite girl a strappy, black lingerie set.

Levy groaned in embarrassment. "Can we just go to the next store already?"

After Erza and Juvia bought themselves some lingerie, they decided to head to the food court. There, they split up to get their food: Erza and Juvia at the teriyaki restaurant, Levy at the seafood one, and Lucy at the small McDonalds.

Having already known what she was going to order, Lucy fished in her wallet to get the correct change. It was always an anxiety-induced hassle receiving change and stuffing it back in her wallet after ordering, so she preferred to have everything ready beforehand.

McDonalds was the busiest food place in the mall, so there were five people ahead of her. She was sure that the others were going to finish ordering before her, but she didn't mind. She'd been craving a chicken sandwich for a while.

Just as she was going to move up in line, there was a light tap on her shoulder. Turning around, she found a boy roughly her age with neat blonde hair and emerald eyes staring back at her. He had a nice body, lean and toned, and his smile was nice.

"Hello?" Lucy greeted, cocking her head to the side.

"Uhh, hi!" the boy replied. He rubbed the back of his head nervously, his cheeks a bright shade of pink. With that, Lucy knew what was happening. "Umm, do you come here often?"

She wanted to roll her eyes. He was going with that line? That was the most cliché, overused line in the book. "Not really, no."

"Oh. Well, do you go to the university here in Magnolia?"

"Uhh, yeah. I do."

"Oh, me too! What are you majoring in? I'm majoring in computer science!"

Lucy kept checking the line, praying that she could move forward in line. The sooner she reached the front of the line, the sooner she could end this awkward conversation without hurting the guy's feelings.

"That's cool. I'm majoring in creative writing," she answered, only for the sake of being polite.

"That's amazing! I actually write a little too! But I'm not that good, it's just for fun. Umm, maybe we can get together sometime and show each other our work?"

Lucy wanted to sigh. He seemed like a nice boy, really. He asked questions about her, didn't talk too much about himself, and he even had some shared interests. And there was no denying that he was good looking, but…

He wasn't Natsu.

"I'm sorry," Lucy said with a frown. And she meant it. She never liked rejecting people. At least, not the nice ones. "I don't think that'd be a good idea."

The boy frowned as well. "Oh. You have a boyfriend?"

"Not exactly…"

He nodded. "I get it. Well, I wish you luck with that and thanks for letting me down gently."

Lucy gave him a nervous smile and turned back around. It was awkward standing in line with him still behind her, but she pushed through it for the crispy sandwich she'd been craving.

Once she got her food, she nodded her head slightly to the boy who asked her out before walking towards the sea of tables. She scanned them all, searching for her friends. It wasn't hard to find them when two of them had blue hair and the other scarlet. They were like beacons for her.

"Who was that guy, Lu-chan?" Levy asked once Lucy reached them. "He was cute."

"I don't even know," the blonde replied. She hadn't realized that they didn't even introduce themselves. "He was just asking me out."

"What did you say?" Erza asked, placing all her attention on the other girl. She was rooting for Natsu to make things work with his first crush. so she hoped she'd said no.

"I said no and he was nice about it, thankfully. I hate when boys make a scene over being rejected."

"Do you get asked out a lot?" Juvia asked.

"More like all the time!" Levy answered for the blonde. "Almost every time we get smoothies, some guy would ask her out!"

"It's not like I want them to ask me out," Lucy said. "I'm not into any of them."

"Yeah, because you're into Natsu."

"Levy-chan!"

"It's true, isn't it?"

"Well, yeah but still! Don't just bring it up!"

"That's what girls' day is for, Lu-chan! Talking about the people we like! Have you and Natsu made any progress, by the way? You guys hang out more than we do now!"

Lucy took a sip of her drink and shook her head. "Not really. But I'm fine with that. I don't expect to date Natsu or anything. Things are fine the way they are."

"But what if Natsu did ask you out?" Erza asked.

"That wouldn't happen."

"Humor me."

Lucy blushed at the thought of Natsu asking her out, wondering how he would do it. Would he make some grand gesture? Or would he just pop the question while watching a movie? Would he ask her on a date first or straight into a relationship?

Either way…

"I-I'm not sure," Lucy answered, staring at the table with a frown. Even though she liked Natsu, she hadn't acted on her feelings for many reasons. For starters, she didn't want to ruin their friendship. She also didn't want to deal with the mess of dating with her reincarnation.

If they were to date, one of them would die eventually. If she died first, she'd have to be born again and see Natsu had moved on with someone else while she'd have to start over with the thought of him fresh in her mind. And if it wasn't her that died first, then it'd be him.

Both thoughts were devastating.

And it wasn't like her friends would understand her dilemma.

"I don't think I'm ready," Lucy answered honestly. "I want to be, but I'm not."

"That's totally fine," Levy assured, placing a comforting hand on the other girl's shoulder. "It's fine not being ready."

"Gray wasn't ready to date Juvia for a long time," the blue-headed girl added. "Juvia had to wait for years." Eight years, to be exact.

Erza frowned. "I'm sorry if it came off as me pressuring you. That wasn't my intention."

"No, no, it's fine," Lucy assured. "I think… I think one day I could be ready."

Or at least she hoped.

Once they finished shopping, the girls headed back to Lucy's apartment. Lucy set up a movie they could watch, but it ended up only being background noise as the girls talked all the way through it. This time, they didn't just talk about boys- though Juvia did bring up Gray quite a bit. They talked about anything and everything, laughing the entire time.

"You're saying that you'd rather live in space than the bottom of the ocean?" Levy asked, bewildered. They were currently playing a game of would you rather.

"Duh!" Lucy replied. "First of all, I would be closer to the stars. Second of all, do you know how terrifying it would be at the bottom of the ocean? It'd be pitch black! And most of the ocean is unchartered territory! Who knows what's down there!"

"That's all the more reason to go down there and find out for yourself!"

"I'm with Lucy. I would rather go to space. That way I can see what it's like without gravity," Erza chimed in. "What about you, Juvia?"

"Juvia would rather go to the bottom of the ocean. Juvia loves the sea," the blue-headed girl answered. "Would you rather go back in time for five minutes or into the future for five minutes? Juvia would go to the future to see what her lovely Gray-sama would look like!"

"I'd go to the future to see what the world is like by then," Levy said.

"I'd go to the past. I want my future to be a surprise," Erza answered.

"Me too," Lucy agreed. That, and she could change some mistakes she made. Especially mistakes from her second lifetime… Shaking her head, she forced those thoughts to the back of her mind. Tonight was about having fun, not wallowing in the past.

Hours felt like minutes as they talked about the most random things and played games. Soon enough, it was already three in the morning.

"I'm going to go to bed now," Levy announced with a yawn. "I have work in the morning."

"Juvia is tired too," the other girl added.

"Goodnight then, everyone," Erza said, laying down on the floor.

In no time, Lucy was the only one left awake. Grabbing her phone, she found that there weren't any texts from Natsu, which was surprising. Usually, he'd be blowing up her phone whenever they weren't hanging out.

"Are you awake?" she typed. She didn't want to wake him up, but she hoped he was awake. Luckily, her phone buzzed not too long after she sent the text.

"Duh. You know I don't sleep this early," Natsu replied. "How's girls' day?"

"A lot of fun," Lucy answered with a smile. "But I guess I sort of miss a certain idiot who hasn't texted me all day."

"My bad, my bad! I wanted to let you have fun with the other girls! And I got dragged into some kinda bro day."

"Bro day?"

"It's our revenge against the girls for not inviting us."

Lucy giggled quietly. "How's that going?"

"Ehh, it's alright I guess. Everyone's asleep now, though. Wbu?"

"Same. Now I'm bored."

Lucy stared at her screen, waiting for Natsu to text back. He usually texted back in seconds, but it'd been five minutes now. Had he fallen asleep? Just when she was about to put away her phone for the night, it vibrated.

"On my way! See ya soon! :D"

Lucy's eyes nearly bugged out of her head. Her fingers were fast as bullets as she typed back, "Are you serious? It's 3 in the morning!"

"Who cares? I'm bored too and I wanna see you! I'll be there in five!"

"It's a twenty minute walk!"

"Yeah, and I've got a six minute mile time. What's your point?"

"Okay fine!"

Lucy grinned, locking her phone. Her heart was beating so fast, she felt it would beat right out of her chest. Her crush was running over to her place at three in the morning because he wanted to see her.

Grabbing her pillow, she shoved her face in it and squealed. She was lucky she didn't wake any of the girls up. She didn't want them to know that Natsu was coming. The moment felt like a special one that was only between them and she wanted to keep it that way.

Seven minutes later, Lucy's phone lit up.

"Here!" read the text that Natsu had sent her.

Lucy carefully got out of bed so as not to stir Levy who was sleeping beside her, tiptoed over Erza who was sleeping on the floor, and crept by Juvia who was asleep on the couch. She made it all the way to the door without making a noise. Slowly turning the knob, she opened the door, relieved that it didn't creak.

Closing the door behind her, Lucy turned to see Natsu standing outside her apartment. He was dressed in shorts, a tee shirt, and running shoes. Sweat dotted his face and his pink tufts of hair were messier than usual.

"You lied," Lucy said, locking her hands behind her back and grinning at him. "It took you seven minutes to get here, not five. Looks like your mile time is going down."

"Oi! It's three in the morning! Cut me some slack!" Natsu replied, playfully shoving her. "So can I spend the night too or is it still girls' day?"

"Still girls' day. Besides, Juvia's in your spot."

"In the bed?"

A vein ticked in Lucy's forehead. Poking him in the chest, she said, "Your spot isn't on the bed. It's the couch. You just have listening problems."

Natsu grabbed her wrist and pulled her closer so he could stare into her eyes while giving her his signature, mischievous grin. "That's funny, because every time I sneak into your bed, you use me as your human heater."

Lucy's face was set ablaze as Natsu's breath fanned over hers. They were close. Too close. And yet, she didn't have it in her to move away. Her legs were shaking. She felt if she moved even an inch, she'd topple over. Her heart was racing. She cursed her body for acting the way it did.

Her eyes darted to his lips and she subconsciously licked her own, not noticing the effect it had on Natsu. In all of the books she'd ever read or the movies she'd seen, the guy was always the one that made the first move. Her body screamed at her to change that. To give into her insatiable cravings and press her lips against Natsu's. All of her friends told her he felt the same, why not find out the truth now?

She pressed forward just a bit before stopping herself. Thoughts of her conversation from earlier with the girls replayed in her mind. Thoughts about dating Natsu and thoughts about how it'd end.

She wasn't ready. And with her reincarnation, she feared she never would be.

Feeling deflated, Lucy tugged her arm free from Natsu's grasp, letting it fall freely to her side. Sighing, she leaned against her door and stared at the starry sky. Her mother from her first lifetime told her that everyone who dies turns into a star, and that the nicer you are in your life, the brighter your star would be. Since then, death didn't scare her so much. She would just become a bright star that shined down on the loved ones she left behind. But reincarnation stole that away from her. Just as it had with everything else.

Natsu stared at Lucy. Seconds ago, the atmosphere was light, and it seemed like they were having a nice moment. In fact, he could've sworn he saw her lean closer. His hopes had told him it was for a kiss. But now, she was frowning and staring at the stars. She usually smiled when she did that.

"Lucy? Are you okay?" Natsu asked in concern. He loved her smile and hated seeing her upset. Did he do something wrong?

Lucy's gaze never wavered, her stare glued to the sky above. "Natsu, do you believe in reincarnation?"

"Reincarnation?"

"The act of being reborn after you die. Do you believe in it?"

Natsu frowned. He knew what it meant, but he didn't know where the question was coming from. Just what exactly was on her mind? Seeing as how Lucy's gaze hadn't moved, he figured he needed to tread lightly. To answer her question to the best of his ability.

Did he believe in reincarnation? He'd thought about it a few times, but that was before he found out he was immortal. Now, it didn't apply to him. But could it apply to the mortals?

"I don't think I do," he finally answered, rubbing the back of his head. He figured that if they weren't cursed with being immortal like he was, then their lives just simply ended. He had no clue what came after death, but the thought of mortals being reincarnated while his life continued forever didn't make sense to him for some reason.

Lucy smiled, but Natsu noticed immediately that it didn't reach her eyes. Had he messed up? Did she want him to say that he believed in reincarnation?

Hoping to fix it, Natsu said, "Reincarnation sounds awesome though!" Wanting to lighten the mood, he joked, "I just hope I wouldn't be reincarnated as Gray's son or somethin' like that."

Lucy didn't seem to find any humor in his comment. She still hadn't looked at him. He hated it.

"Yeah," she finally said. Finally, she turned to face him with a smile. "Well, I better go back inside. It's still girls' day and I feel like a traitor spending time with you. I'll see you tomorrow, Natsu."

As Lucy reached towards the doorknob, Natsu grabbed her wrist. It was clear she was upset about something, and he couldn't just let her leave like that. He wanted to fix it. He wanted to help her the way she helped him last night.

"Lucy, can you tell me why you're upset?" Natsu pleaded, his eyes searching hers as if the answer would shine through them.

Lucy stared at the ground, her lips curling into a frown. "I wish I could."

"You can tell me anything, Lucy. We're best friends, remember? I just wanna help."

Lucy studied him. Concern was etched into his features as he stared right back at her. There were no signs of deceit anywhere on his face.

She wanted to confide in him, she really did. She wanted so badly to speak of her reincarnation and to get everything off of her chest. He was her best friend. He trusted her and told her about his father, she felt wrong keeping this from him when he was just trying to help.

But would he believe her? He'd already told her that he didn't believe in reincarnation.

"He'd probably just laugh in my face," Lucy thought, biting her lip. After all, how was he supposed to believe her? She wouldn't have believed someone in her first lifetime either if they'd told her they'd been reincarnated. He'd probably just have her locked in some mental ward.

And what if he actually did believe her? Would he be scared of her? Would he send her away to some science lab to be dissected?

Either way, she couldn't tell him.

"I-I'm sorry," Lucy said, shaking her head and refusing to meet eye contact. "I-I know you told me about your dad and I should trust you, but I just… I can't."

"You can't trust me?" Natsu asked. His heart squeezed in pain.

"No! I do trust you!" Lucy said, lifting her gaze to meet his. It was obvious her words had hurt him, and she hated herself for it. "I'm sorry. I meant I just can't talk about this."

Natsu was quiet in thought, which scared Lucy. She hoped he wasn't mad at her, but she wouldn't blame him if he was. He had confided in her about something that plagued his mind for years and yet she couldn't bring herself to do the same.

"Alright. I'll drop it," Natsu finally said. "I don't wanna pressure you into talking about things you aren't ready to talk about."

Lucy's mouth parted as she stared at him. Her throat felt like it was getting tighter as tears pricked her eyes. "…You aren't mad at me?"

"What? 'Course not, weirdo. Why would I be mad?"

"B-Because you just told me about your dad and yet I won't tell you about this! It's unfair to you!"

Natsu grabbed Lucy's hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. He watched as the tears that gathered in Lucy's eyes spilled down her cheeks.

"It's not unfair, Lucy," he said, his voice serious. "Just because I was ready to talk about something doesn't mean you have to be. We're different people. Ain't nothing wrong with that."

Lucy's resolve shattered and she threw her arms around Natsu, hugging him tightly. Her body shook as she cried. She felt one of Natsu's hands land on her back while the other cupped the back of her head, letting her tears soak through his shirt. Minutes passed by without either of them saying a word.

Eventually, Lucy's sobs turned into sniffles, which led to her having a bad case of the hiccups. And even though she wasn't able to talk about her reincarnation with Natsu, she felt as though a large weight was lifted off her shoulders.

"Thank you for being so understanding," Lucy said, pulling herself away from Natsu and rubbing her face.

"Don't mention it," Natsu replied. He shoved his hands back in his pockets. "Listen, like I said, I'm not gonna pressure you into telling me anything. But if you ever do wanna talk about it, I'll be there. I'm always gonna be there for you, Lucy."

Lucy blushed from the look he was giving her, and for a brief moment, she wondered if her friends were right about Natsu liking her back.

"Thank you," she said. "I really should go back inside. Thank you again, Natsu."

The boy ruffled her hair, giving her a toothy grin. "Quit thankin' me, you weirdo. I'll see you at Fairy Tail tomorrow."

"Okay. Goodnight, Natsu."

"Night, Lucy."

[artificialqueens]

Black Leather Chapter 3 {biadore} - imafuckinglibra

Cluck Cluck Motherfuck. For the person who asked if there can be some smut in this fic…c’mon you know daddy will always supply my loves. Seriously though there originally was smut in the first chapter but idk it didn’t make it in the final draft. To make it up to you here’s some fluff, some smut and some Nirvana. Also unlike my other fics this shit is actually fairly planned out so…there will probably only be 2 more chapters…now is your chance to tell me what you’d like more of in this fic. K bye.

“Oh you bitch.” Roy laughed when Darienne, who he was walking in with their arms linked, pushed him into the pink wall.

He was in pretty much the same outfit as the previous episode but this time in a white polo shirt and brown blazer completely hiding his birth mark on his chest.

Shane and Dela entering with giggles behind them and slowly and silently Danny with a black bandana covering his mouth entered way in the back.

Underneath a black shirt with some dancing skeletons on and a pale red flannel he hid his birth mark too. It wasn’t part of their new arrangement with the producers but they felt more comfortable hiding it for the time being.

The two strange men that Duncan was with the previous day of filming were from the studio. Before letting them return to the hotel after the last episode they had called the couple aside into a strangely eery executive room.

There they, RuPaul included, made the new couple sign a disclosure with all the terms they’d previously discussed as well as a few new compromises.

They would allow the men to continue the last week of filming as if nothing had happened, the only extra benefit they added were allowing them to spend the weekend in the same hotel room.

They just weren’t allowed to discuss the competition of course, not that anyone really thought a new linked couple would have the free time.

The other new compromises were that the queens could be affectionate in the workroom if they pleased, within limits, as long as they allowed whatever was caught on camera be shown at the finale.

They would then dedicate a segment to their relationship and announce their linking at any given moment during it’s filming. Part of that meant Adore and Bianca would have to wear matching outfits.

Roy and Danny however wouldn’t be informed on when the segment would take place. This was to leave the element of surprise in making their reactions more genuine and organic.

They would also have to come back to the studios two weeks prior to it’s taping to film a quick interview of their life after linking and what it was like to experience something that intimate during the show.

Like agreed upon earlier however once filming had ended at the end of each day or when they were dedragging these rules no longer applied. They were then free to go about as they pleased until they got back to the hotel and were quarantined again.

The final part of their terms were that regardless of them being soulmates if one of them got eliminated she would still have to leave. The remaining queen would however get to keep a few of their belongings just for safety reasons.

Danny however had some concerns about the segment, he was afraid they’d manipulate too many things about their relationship for the ratings. He attributed this distrust in producers to his time on American Idol but Roy sat him down and presented him with some pros and cons.

Con, yes they’d use whatever footage they had of them being together for the finale. Pro, they could be together.

Honestly that seemed to be the only pro Roy had to explain because after that Danny happily signed whatever they presented them.

While they were being mic’d for this week’s episode however Danny had explained how determined he was to give them as little ammunition as possible. He was standing his ground. Hence the silently sitting across from Roy at the table playing with his nails.

Roy decided to test his resolve with this whole standing his ground thing and tapped the table to get his attention before anyone could speak. “That’s it fight the man over there fidgety.”

Roy got a couple of confused looks but he saw Danny’s eyes light up which made it worth it. He even pulled down his bandana to reveal a small smile. “Fuck all the way off.”

Roy kept an eye on Danny’s hands examining the skin around his chewed up fingernails that he had been picking at. He really was just a lankly ball of nerves sometimes.

“You are such a liar.” Roy rolled his eyes in response to Shane’s bullshit story about writing down his prediction of them being the top 5.

“I swear to god.”

“You are so full of shit.” He smiled, Danny now smiling too. When one soulmate was happy it was great, but when both were and they could both enjoy each others joy it was down right amazing.

“Well it was the best of a bad bunch really wasnt it.” Shane shrugged making Danny burst into his adorable soft giggle.

“You are starting some shit.” Danny finally spoke.

“Saved by the bell.” Roy gasped when the loud siren went off again.

When they got up to walk away he waited a minute for Danny to catch up, Danny grabbed Roy’s hand giving it a tug when he passed him.

“Love you.” Roy smiled at him walking away.

“Love you too. Kill it today.” Danny peered over his shoulder smiling at him, already in a better mood.

-

“Now, in the heat of competition a lot of unexpressed feelings can get bottled up…”

Roy’s stomach dropped and his smile fell. Shit

He knew the fact that he and Danny finally had a chance to get to stand together wasn’t just some crazy fluke. His luck was too fucked up for that.

Ru definitely had a hand in this, Mama Ru had brought something up during there little consultation about knowing too well what the torture of being separated from your soulmate was like.

Mama Ru has a soulmate though? This was new information that honestly was still shocking him.

Lucky for them maybe Roy’s luck wasn’t actually that bad - it was finally the much anticipated puppet challenge.

“Because everybody loves puppets.”

Rumor has it every time a drag queen says the now iconic quote Tammy Faye Messner not just rolls over in her grave, she sometimes even does a death drop.

Danny next to him was mischievously rubbing his hands together as if he was warming them up to avoid giving whatever puppet buddy he got a very cold, unpleasant fist.

He was definitely in MUCH better spirits by the way he made his way over to the big hole in the fake pink wall hopping over first looking like some crippled obnoxiously tall rabbit.

Peering into the hole first before he stuck his arm in he got Dela.

“Dela!” Ru announced.

“Yay.” He cheered shaking poor baby Dela’s head.

Roy strutted over next looking at Danny as he stuck his entire arm in hoping the further he dig the better chance of nabbing a good one.

“I have…Adore.” He growled her name deeply. On one hand this was absolutely fucking perfect but on the other hand he didn’t want to read his soulmate too harshly.

“Oh shit.” Danny nervously laughed.

The other queens went up next one by one making their way to the fake wall. Darienne got courtney, Dela got none other than Bianca, who’s mouth he clamped shut earning a laugh. Courtney obviously got Darienne since she was only one who was left, making a shady comment about the hole being big enough first.

The giggles muffled behind a pair of hands that Roy could hear coming from the giddy giraffe next to him made his heart flutter.

When Ru gave the girls the go ahead Roy and Danny playfully pushed each other’s side, Danny just being plain mean pushed him back to give himself a head start.

“So, Bianca, you giving it a nice hog body?” Shane quipped.

“Oh you think” Roy had a hint of a slight evil chuckle in his voice.

“You are so evil.” Danny looked over to him.

“Darienne you have Courtney’s costume together?” He quickly changed the subject. Not before he and Danny stuck their tongues out at each other though.

“I was hoping I could get someone else to make it for me.”

Roy let out a very loud animated gasp at the shade fest already beginning. He loved Darienne’s shady side he couldn’t deny it.

“Ooh…” Dela and Danny joined in.

“It’s interesting that Bianca, who could’ve taken any of us down, got the absolutely easiest to pick.” Dela decided to chime into the shadiness.

“I did get a easy one.”

“Um, shut up. What is that supposed to mean?” Danny whined in a higher than normal tone.

“It’s nothing bad you’re just basically already a puppet.”

“Ah!” Danny instinctively looked over to Roy clearly hoping he’d defend him but Roy stood his ground smiling brightly.

“That is so rude!”

“No you’re just really easy to imitate where as Biancas hard to imitate because I don’t listen to her.”

Danny gasped again looking back at Roy. ‘This bitch…’

“Oh my god.” Roy laughed more at Danny’s thought in his mind rather than the other queen’s comment. “Pipe down.” He snapped at Danny quickly blushing when he realized it was his annoyingly loud thinking and not something he actually said out loud. Woops.

Danny’s puppet of Dela was unbelievably precious making Roy crack up the moment he opened his mouth.

Playing it safe to avoid hurting his soulmate Roy followed Dela’s advice and turned his puppet of the already very puppet like Danny into basically a glorified caricature of him spitting out catchphrases in the most Adore like voice he could muster.

To nobody’s surprise Dela with her impeccable, big acrylic nail teethed portrayal of Bianca won. Even Bianca thought she was fucking hysterical, but she did make an mental note to maybe accidentally slash her dress before the runway.

The universe yet again smiled down upon the cuban queen proving Roy’s theory of his inhumanly fucked up luck wrong. They’re main challenge this week had Roy Haylock’s name written all over it. They had to make three runway looks.

Bangie girl bling, Platinum Card Excutive Realness & Dripping in Jewels Eleganza.

Roy was already at work and in his element sewing. The one place he felt most at home, in front of the whirring machine where he could create.

“C’mon diamonds.” The voice of Laganja took over Danny as he dropped his mannequin trying to stack him.

After Roy asked Dela if he was okay he walked over to the mirror to test his boat neck puffy frill over his shoulders.

“I like this…To start with.” Roy turned examining his reflection.

Roy turned to Danny asking silently for his opinion as he examined his work from a different side.

“That’s pretty.”

Roy turned back to him. “Yeah.”

“Fuck off.” Roy tried to hide his smile at Danny’s comment as he started hand stitching one of his accessories for his look.

When Roy started inquiring as to how Dela chose who to get what gem and why exactly she got sapphire, which he wasn’t mad about, just curious, Dela explained she didn’t really think about any of them. Except for Danny, she gave him the easiest.

Made sense. Danny was talented in many things but sewing definitely was not one of them, not by a long shot.

“Why not just give her cement shoes and throw her in the water or give her something really rough?” Darienne and her fucked up shady ways came through making everyone look up in utter disbelief.

“Cause shes not a evil cunt.” Danny intervened.

‘That’s my boy.’ Roy thought.

“I mean this is a competition.”

“So? Bitch! I wouldn’t throw you under the damn ocean?” Danny looked up. He made a good point it was just maybe a little…confused, but good

Roy’s protective instinct kicked in ready to defend his love’s honor and glared at Darienne ready to jump in but Danny looked over to him shaking his head. His way of silently saying ‘Down boy.’

“Am I being hateful by saying that?” Darienne spoke up again.

“No you’re being real.” Danny smiled, clearly having been raised right by his mother. Although from what Roy saw in the video she sent Adore and what he’s heard from Danny she probably would’ve been on his side ready to gut the shady elephant.

“And that’s what I am…I real.” Darienne channeled her best inner banjie girl swaying her head.

“And you’re real self…is hateful.” Dela added from under her table where she was working on her…gown? Bedazzled cardboard?

“Meowr.” Roy growled undeniably enjoying the drama.

-

During Ru’s visit Roy noted a heavy feeling in his chest, so unbearably heavy he was certain his heart would fall out any moment.

He instinctively looked up to Danny’s station and spotted him crying with his hand in front of his mouth, chewing on his nails to hide it.

‘Baby…’ He ceased whatever he was busy with, the idea of work completely leaving his mind being replaced by only the thought of comforting Danny in whichever way possible.

He could physically feel the discouragement radiating from his soulmate, his sorrow digging into his very being.

After Ru had lined them all up and explained the fact that the glitter ball had to be an actual ball with choreography and singing they were all fairly over it. Except when Ru dropped the bomb that Dela had to be in charge of choreographing it.

That little magical bit of information was a god sent that made everything about this ball worth it ten fold. Regardless that gnawing in his chest coming from his love’s depressed state didn’t ease up.

The girls were lined up set to be escorted to the empty main stage for rehearsals when Danny came up to him, grabbing onto of his wrist when he went to fall into the neat little row of queens.

“Hey there leaky.” He swung Danny’s arm in an attempt to lighten the mood, the younger just halfheartedly smiling the same way he did with Ru.

Danny slid his hand down to Roy’s interlocking their fingers. “I going home next, aren’t I?”

“Not over my fucking cold dead body, you’ll turn this out don’t worry. Come here, my angel.” Roy tugged on his hand easily drawing him in for a hug, Danny nearly lost his balance in the process but standing on one leg and with Roy’s help he remained upright. He gave his cheek a few speedy small kisses, smiling when he felt the corners of his mouth forming into a smile as wel. “There’s my favorite fucker.”

The gnawing in his chest easing and turning into gentle butterflies. Everything was still muffled but he’d began developing a system, kind of. Somewhere in the darkness he had found a flashlight if you will, using it to navigate Danny’s emotions flooding through him constantly.

Whenever he got happy it was like a soft tingling, for lack of a better metaphor, butterflies.

“Sorry for being so leaky.” Danny looked up at him pouting.

“Go be leaky under Courtney so the bitch falls on stage. Showgirls that hoe.” This made Danny genuinely laugh and hide his face in Roy’s shoulder.

-

“How you doin’ over there, Adore?” Roy asked after rehearsals cutting some fabric.

“So far I think so good.” Danny nodded. “I wanted to just drench this in diamonds.”

“Well you have a lot of rinestones?” Roy spotted the glass bowl of sparkling clear gems taking a break from his snipping.

“Kinda?”

“What about that pretty stuff unda’ your table?” He pointed with his giant pair of scissors to the bundles of sparkly fabric.

“That?” Danny followed his pointing.

“Yeah.”

“I was gonna use that to make a tutu but…I don’t know how.”

“Why don’t you gather that up?”

Danny looked up from where he was sitting with the fabric very confusingly smiling ever so slightly at him. “Gather it up?”

“Oh wait I’ll show you.” Everyone looked up knowingly at each other knowing exactly why Roy was really going over to him to help him but fuck them. “What you really could do is cut it evenly.”

“Mh-hm.”

“To a length…and gather it on top.” He held the fabric up against his dress where it had to go.

“Uh-huh.” Danny agreed in a nasally tone brightly smiling at him. Clearly not following as if everything was going directly over his pretty little head.

“Listen.” He scolded flicking his forehead.

“Thank you B.”

“You’re welcome.” He bent down to where he was grabbing the sides of his face. “Mwah.” He gave him a loud kiss and walked back to finish his own dress keeping an eye on his progress every now and then.

“You’re supposed to cut it in strips and just glue it like that right?” Danny asked motioning in the air with some oddly snipped up pieces of the fabric from earlier.

“Oh no…Not like that.” Roy cried out defeatedly from behind his sewing machine hiding his laughter.

“It looks ugly.” Danny whined holding the mannequin with the dress on up high in the air.

“It does.” He broke face at Danny’s bubbly laughing.

In the couple of weeks of filming the sweet sound had become his favorite thing in the entire world. Nothing made him happier than hearing that breathtakingly stupid sound.

“I don’t know how to make a fucking tutu!” Danny laughed turning in a circle with the leftover white fabric he previously destroyed covering his face.

“Oh…you mean like wrap it then…” He motioned with his fingers how Roy gathered it earlier.

Roy pulled a face he knew wouldn’t exactly be helpful in this situation but it was too ridiculous not to cringe at. Poor baby was absolutely useless.

“I don’t fucking make clothes.” Danny pulled the same face at him shaking his head and returned to putting endless sparkles on his dress’s coset.

-

“Alright ladies! 20 minutes, wrap up what you need to!” A crew member circled the queens reminding them of their time remaining till filming wrapped for the week.

Because they didn’t film on weekends, today being Friday, the queens had to wait two excruciatingly long days to present their ‘Dripping in Jewels Eleganza’.

Fan-fucking-tastic.

Roy liked the part of the dress that he had gotten completed so far, the most important part was basically finished all it needed was some sparkles.

Danny had offered to assist him with it when they returned on Monday but he was concerned for his partner’s tutu and thus declined his help.

His diamond inspired dress didn’t look bad, on the contrary it was actually coming along great and he knew Danny would be looking absolutely enchanting in it. However he knew the judges were unpredictable and could tear anyone, particularly Adore, to shreds in a heartbeat like the vultures they were.

He took a step back to examine his day’s work hanging on the grey mannequin with his hands in his jean pockets, rubbing the small handkerchief of Danny’s that he kept there at all times between his fingertips.

So far it was a strapless smooth, satin like gown with not much detailing but impeccable workmanship. Earlier in the day he had already made what looked like the sapphire version of Danny’s tutu to place around his shoulders with a matching big puffy bracelet.

All he still needed to do was bring in the waist and attach a darker shade of blue belt…and then bedazzle the living Jesus out of everything but that could come later. As long as he had a garment, he was happy.

It was still more than Darienne had.

He shook his head in disgust at the hideous brown, bejeweled body bag Darienne was making and went back to his sewing machine to try and make aforementioned blue belt.

“Duncan!” Danny popped out of his station from underneath his white diamond dress like a tall meerkat. “Since it’s only like 20 left can we play some music?”

“Yes please?” Shane joined in plopping theatrically down on the couch next to his station by the wall of multicolored fabrics.

Even Darienne agreed that it’s been an exceptionally exhausting day and that he wouldn’t mind the small distraction.

“Sure…just this once because it’s almost the weekend, alright.” Duncan reluctantly nodded holding his hands up but they could all see the smile he was hiding when they excitedly cheered for him.

“I call dibs! Me first!” Danny nearly knocked poor Dela to the ground when he rushed to where his iPod was tucked away in his bag.

To no one’s surprise Danny picked a Nirvana song - Lithium. Roy was too lost in the zone to look up from his sewing machine and acknowledge what was happening. If he did he’d have noticed the younger queen holding up his index finger in front of his mouth to silently gesture to the others not to make a peep.

I’m so happy ‘cause today I’ve found my friends. They’re in my head

As the late Kurt Cobain’s smooth vocals filled the room Danny made his way to Roy’s station twirling slightly on the ball of his feet with every step in time with the song

Roy was startled out of his concentration when a pair of scrawny arms with a tattoo of a skull and purple roses were suddenly thrown over his shoulders and a gentle kiss was placed on his cheek. Danny’s lips remained against his dimples cheek as he sang the, slightly insulting I might add, words to him.

I’m so ugly, but that’s okay, ‘cause so are you. We broke our mirrors

“That’s fucked up.” Roy grumbled still focused on the deep blue fabric he was pushing through the machine’s fast working needle. “Can I finish this please? I don’t know how much time we left?”

The other queens looked up from their dresses with strange grins on their faces.

“What I miss?” He worryingly looked around, clearly everyone was in on a joke that he missed.

“Old age is making you deaf, Del Rio.” Dela joked going back to gluing her pink rhinestones and gems onto something that looked like a swirly pizza slice.

“20 minutes, babe.” Danny informed him before continuing singing along with Kurt. His arms now hooked under Roy’s biceps meeting in the middle around his chest. His chin rested on his shoulder next to his face.

I’m so horny but that’s okay my will is good

“Too much information, oh no! My ears!” Shane dramatically cried throwing his hands over his ears.

“Shut up.” Roy hissed in his direction before pulling the blue fabric out under the machine and continuing the rest of the seem with some hand stitching. Danny’s arms still clinging onto him swaying with the music as he worked.

This felt so natural, so at home. Regardless of the cameras and the practically still strangers they were surrounded by, sitting here doing what he loved with the person he loved against him just felt so right.

He had gone from admiring this young man, crushing on him from a distance to now being head over heels in love. Unable to ever see a future without him.

It wasn’t just the fact that they were soulmates it was Danny himself. Even if they weren’t soulmates he’d want to end up with him. His naive, carefree and down right fearless approach to life was something he had lacked.

He was a bitter old man, not old but 37 sure wasn’t a spring chicken, he never thought anyone would want to be with him. But Danny did. He made him feel appreciated and loved, almost needed at times.

I like it, I’m not gonna crack I miss you, I’m not gonna crack I love you, I’m not gonna crack I killed you, I’m not gonna crack

The song finally came to an end and so did the embrace Danny held him in. His eyes followed longingly after the man bunny hopping away, unable to resist staring at the ass as it bounced along.

“Bae!” Danny eagerly shouted looking through something on his iPod. “You done with that?”

“With this part yes, why?” Roy snipped the leftover thread off and walked over to where Danny was gesturing for him closer with a curl of his finger.

Despite the time warning it seemed nobody was in the mood to work. Roy was pretty much the only one still adjusting stuff on his dress but throughout the workroom it was just deserted gowns on mannequins with their makers resting on stools chattering amongst themselves.

“What’s up?” He went up to the table to check what Danny was fiddling with. Probably a song because when Roy reached him soft strumming came through over the speakers.

Danny smiled brightly and went to hug him without warning. With their hands held clasped to the side, Roy’s hand on the small of his back, his in the back of Roy’s jean and their foreheads rested against one another Danny started swaying them to the tranquil music.

Underneath the bridge The tarp has sprung a leak And the animals I’ve trapped Have all become my pets And I’m living off of grass And the drippings from the ceiling But it’s okay to eat fish ‘Cause they don’t have any feelings Something in the way

“You know this is that ammunition you didn’t want to give them right?” Roy tilted his head when he saw Danny reaching to kiss him softly. Longer than their previous rushed pecks. Their lips lingering a second to enjoy the contact.

“I know…I don’t care.” Danny whispered into his mouth.

“I love you.” Roy closed the space between their lips for another kiss.

He meant it. He loved Danny. With every molecule that made up his existence he loved this guy that only seemed to know the words party and fuck.

He nuzzled his head into Danny’s neck to get as humanly close to him as possible. To take in everything he was.

“I love you too…” Danny’s hand reached up to caress the shortly shaved back of his head.

Despite the fabric of their shirts between them Roy could tell their birthmarks were against each other by the stinging radiating from his calling to be closer to its matching one.

They continued disregarding everyone around them and finished the song. Die, Die My Darling by Misfits came on the shuffle next and Roy quickly ducked out claiming it hit too close to home.

-

It was finally time for their first weekend together, whoever in was that convinced the producers to let them get this chance was a god sent, although Roy had a sneaking suspicion it was Ru…

“You think they know I snuck in here the first time?” Danny asked trailing a finger around Roy’s birth mark.

“Nobody said anything and they wouldn’t have given us this if they knew. Think we’re good.”

After their dinner and showering Roy was laying down on his back with his head resting in his hands against the pillows. Danny sitting on his stomach like during their chase that lead to them linking.

Danny didn’t really seem like he had a plan or a purpose, his hands were just absentmindedly exploring Roy’s body. Running up his shoulders, over his pecs and back down his abdomen.

“You actually have a really fucking rad body.” Danny tilted his head.

“For an old bitch.” Roy snorted.

“Nh-yeah.” He giggled at Roy’s unamused face.

“Hey!” Roy slapped his chest. “I’ll fuck you up, Delano.”

“Pinky promise?” Danny licked the corner of his mouth that was forming into a smile. “You still owe me for the last time you said that.”

He raised his brows mischievously and with his hands on each side of Roy’s face he bent down for a deep kiss.

Their mouths meeting each other slowly at first, the tenderness in which Danny’s soft, full lips brushed over his setting his entire body ablaze. Every hair on his body raising as his skin flared up in goosebumps.

His tongue grazed against Roy’s top lip before he tilted lower and gingerly sunk his teeth into his bottom lip, sucking it into in his mouth.

They resumed their unrushed kissing taking their time in studying each other’s body without the looming fear of sneaking around.

With their lips still tightly locked the hands around Roy’s cheeks moved lower towards his chest. His mouth soon following behind peppering kisses down his neck to his sternum.

“A really. Really. Rad. Fucking. Body.” He emphasized each word with a kiss along his skin. Tracing his crescent birth mark with his tongue.

When his tongue made it’s way to Roy’s nipples the older’s breathing hitched. Danny looked up with a shit eating grin, “A-ha! Found your weakness.”

“Shut up fa…” His voice trailed off when Danny scooted down so he could roll his hips along the length of Roy’s growing erection while taking the other caramel nipple in his mouth.

His tongue twirling around the apparently very sensitive bud taking it between his teeth and pulling on it as he let go. Licking his lips as he scooted down further to straddle his thigh, his hand snaking down further as well onto his stomach.

“I love your little belly.” He smiled taking a second for his fingers to run over the slight fuzz around his navel.

“You’re one to talk, hogbody.” Roy joked, watching Danny roll his eyes sliding down his pants. Right, not the appropriate time or place. Got it.

The tip of Danny’s tongue licking along the small wet stain of pre cum through the charcoal grey briefs he wore made Roy’s eyes fill with lust. His entire body reacting to his touch moving his hips up to meet his tongue.

“And I love your dick, it’s perfect.” Danny admired trailing his index finger down the extreme tightness in the cotton fabric caused by his growing erection.

Even in the horrible dark lighting of the shitty hotel room the big hazel doe eyes staring up at Roy was glittering, pure magic. His hand came up to caress his round cheek, admiring the delicate features of the young man in front if him.

His hips rolling his own growing semi against the thigh he was sitting on following the same smooth rhythm of his hand stroking Roy fully hard.

“Fuck.” Roy let out a deep guttural moan when Danny pulled his foreskin down and wrapped his lips around the overly sensitive head of his cock.

Roy wasn’t joking when he said he really need to get laid. The competition had taken a severe toll especially with no release except for his own hand. I mean 5 weeks of filming and he’s only gotten action once in that time? That has to count as some kind of abuse.

Finally getting to feel Danny’s mouth was well worth the wait though. Roy scooted up so he could sit back against the wall, resting the hand that was caressing Danny’s jaw up to run his fingers through his short dark brunette hair.

With their new position Danny had to abandon his dry humping efforts, now on all fours with one hand resting on Roy’s abdomen he continued his bopping with his ass lifted in the air.

Roy sat up a little more so he could stretch his free arm out to slide along Danny’s back towards his ass. Sinking his hand into the tight grey sweatpants he wore to knead his soft ass while the other hand continued brushing through his hair.

“Wait.” Roy snorted as an attempt to hide his amused shock when he felt skin instead of the cotton he was expecting. “Wait, bitch…” His laughter came through a little more this time.

He got on his knees and made his way over to Danny’s backside pushing him down into the bed to lay on his stomach in the process. With one hard pull he yanked Danny’s pants off so violently it pulled him back up to his knees.

“Cute, not faggy at all.” He smiled pulling the strap of the black and grey jockstrap he felt earlier as far back as it could go. He let the waistband go and with a loud slap it hit Danny’s backside making him yelp.

“I like ‘em! Leave me alone.” He whined rubbing the red skin from the sudden snap.

“I do too.” Roy laughed kneading, admiring his bare cheeks. “Well I do now.”

“You do?” Danny leaned down to rest his face against the sheets. Looking back at Roy he bit his lip playfully shaking his ass in Roy’s face.

The older answered him by running his nails up and down from his ass to his thighs, biting at the baby soft flesh first before eagerly diving between his cheeks.

“Oh fuck yeah.” Danny growled sinking further into the white linen sheets when Roy’s tongue flattened out against his entrance.

-

“Do we have…” Roy’s thought trailed off as he dug through the bag Danny supposedly had snuck the condoms into. He had no idea how or where Danny got them but hey he wasn’t questioning it.

After nearly 30 minutes of foreplay he wasn’t questioning anything except how quickly he can find a fucking condom.

“Where the fuck?” He shouted throwing the contents of the stupid white drawstring bag Danny took on set out onto the grey carpet.

“We could just use spit again?” Danny shrugged.

Wait, was that really how they lubed him up the first time? Roy honestly had no idea anymore, everything of their first night linking was a surreal haze.

“Dirty boy.” Roy teased giving Danny’s ass a very loud slap. “You alright there?”

“Yep.” Danny continued lazily pumping the 2 fingers inside himself as Roy had instructed while he slipped the condom on, discarding the now empty square packet by throwing it over his shoulder.

Despite the effort Roy put into the extra precautions to get Danny ready, seeing as he wasn’t a bottom and Roy sure as hell wasn’t going to be the one doing it, he was worried of rushing him.

Not that it seemed like he needed to be. Holding Danny’s wrist of the aforementioned fingers against his back and with his other hand’s nails dragging up and down along his spine he let Danny push himself back onto his cock.

The younger hissing slightly when his ass reached Roy’s v-line, now fully enveloping him.

“There you go.” Roy leaned forward to lay down on top of him so he could get use to being filled while he kissed the back of his neck.

A few minutes later when Danny had fully adjusted to the tense stretching sensation of being penetrated Roy lifted himself leaving Danny face down with his legs closed so he could pick up his pace.

Roy’s hand was resting to one side of the flustered body beneath him while the other on his hip kept him pinned down. Every time his own hips thrusted back into the gorgeous ass he relished the feel of Danny’s tight unexperienced asshole clenching around him.

Definitely well worth the wait.

“Like that baby?” Roy pulled on his hip and readjusted Danny’s legs so they could be in a new position.

With Danny slightly sideways resting on one elbow they could keep a steady well paced rhythm while he reaching back held onto the side of Roy’s face. Their lips interlocked and their tongues dancing over each other exploring every part of their soulmate.

Growing more ravenous for the other person by the minute.

“You feel so fucking good.” Danny moaned into his mouth giving him the go to increase his speed.

Not pulling all the way out but enough that he could slide in fully again with quite a force he heard Danny’s soft moans soon turn into louder cries making their kissing difficult. He expected the naturally loud younger man to be vocal but not this much, not that he was complaining.

He noticed Danny’s hazel eyes looking slightly glossed over watering up and stopped to lean over him and pull his gaze up to his.

Wiping the single tear from the corner of his eye with the back of the hand he used to lift his jaw he placed a gentler kiss on his puffier than usual lips from the earlier sloppy blowjob. “You still good?”

Danny looked between his deep brown eyes and nodded with a subtle smile. In return Roy resumed his thrusting leaning forward to trail kisses down his temple to his jaw, biting the stubble free skin.

An attempt to help ease the new bottom, which worked better than planned.

“Fuck…baby, more.” The younger dropped his head increasing the volume of his praises that were perfectly in time with his soulmate’s increased movements that were now made easier after relaxing.

His teeth moving to his shoulders and along his neck to graze against the damp porcelain skin, careful not to bite too hard and leave any marks or bruises behind. If he could he’d permanently mark him as his own but not while they still had to walk to dreaded runway.

“On your back.” Danny reached around and tapped Roy’s sweaty thigh.

“What?”

“Your back thank you.” He repeated with a sterner ‘matter of fact’ voice.

Roy sunk his teeth into the soft muscle of Danny’s neck but Danny disregarding him sat up the best he could and pushed Roy down onto his back with his free arm. “Alright, alright. Bossy.”

His fingertips now on Roy’s jaw he bent down and brushed their lips over each other. “I love you.” His voice faint and sincere.

“Love you too.” Roy smiled going in for a kiss, a proper drawn out one, moving his hands to Danny’s thighs.

Now in control Danny rested his palms on Roy’s ribs digging his nails into the skin when he lowered himself back onto Roy.

“I got you.” Roy reassured caressing his smooth sweaty thighs, peering down between them to watch himself enter Danny again. The circular muscles stretching around him as the tip went in till it clenched tightly again when Danny tensed up and his legs trembled slightly. “Give yourself some time it’s all good.”

Reaching between then he steadily started stroking Danny slick pink cock. The younger releasing a low moan when he slid all the way back down thanks to Roy’s expert hand offering a very, very pleasant and welcomed distraction for him.

He wasted no time and slowly but surely started bouncing taking in as much of Roy’s thick cock as possible.

He wasn’t exceptionally long, surely longer than average, but he was thick. Stretching Danny’s tight asshole more every second.

Once he was well readjusted again he matched the pace Roy had prior to their switch moving his hands up to grab hold of Roy’s pecs.

His energetic bouncing making the bed loudly shake. The creaks from the old worn out springs of the hotel bed from years of abuse filling the room.

The sound mixing in with the loud slapping of their naked bodies meeting. Roy’s hand on the naked ass tinted red from his rough slaps earlier when he ate him out to help control his momentum while enjoying the view of his young lover brought to such a gorgeous disheveled mess.

His pale cheeks deeply flushed, his puffy lips swollen, his sweat drenched skin glowing from the cheap bedside table and his gorgeous cock bouncing between them.

The way the young queen licked his top lip as he leaned back resting his shakey hands on Roy’s thighs reminded Roy of the adorable way he licked it in the same manner when he offered him a waist chincher after snatch game.

Soon their unison heavy pants turned into louder moans coming from the younger when he increased his riding’s pace.

Roy’s hands ran down his sides feeling at every soft curve of his exquisite body and the little extra pudge around his waist.

Hogbody. Bullshit.

“You’re perfect.” He thought out loud. Danny leaned down to kiss him when Roy surprised him wrapping his arms around his back to press their birthmarks together.

Easily catching Danny off guard by flipping them so he’d be on top again. “Gotcha’”

“I love you but that’s mean. I was getting so close.” Danny whined dropping his head like a child while declaring his love.

“I love you too. So fucking much, but I did promise to fuck you up.” He bit Danny’s jaw.

Nothing felt as right as this, as absolutely earth shatteringly amazing as this. Linking with someone and getting to feel their emotions in itself was pretty mind blowing.

This was even better though. He could feel Danny’s orgasm building as vividly as he could feel his own. Not just that but on a more almost ethereal level he could feel the love Danny had for him only heightening his pleasure.

Sitting up on his knees Roy returned to smooth, slow idle thrusting to give them both a breather. Danny lovingly guiding his movements with his hands on his hipbones.

“I don’t think you’ve ever looked better.” Roy laughed at Danny’s disastrous appearance.

Danny threw his hands over his already red face turning brighter, so much Roy could swear he saw steam practically coming off his cheeks as he giggled.

Another reason he loved Danny. Reason number 70 million probably. Even during this intimate heated moment he was being the same little goofy idiot.

“Fuck all the way off.” Danny laughed.

“Oh yeah?” Roy cocked a brow, a devilishly wicked grin between those gorgeous dimples forming as he pulled all the way out.

Danny nodded eagerly with the corners of his eyes creasing revealing the smile he was hiding under his hands.

With an aggressive forceful thrust he slammed all the way back into his tight asshole, the hands hiding his blushing moving down to his mouth to muffle the loud cry erupting from his throat.

He repeated this with every thrust causing his grunting to grow louder, Danny’s tightly shut eyes and widely open mouth expression not helping in testing his restraint.

As soon as an almost painful whimper escaped his lips a surge of lighting shot through Roy’s spine straight to his cock.

This could only mean one thing.

“…Roy…” Danny’s voice cracked. “…I’m gonna cum…”

“How close?”

“Really close.”

He sat up hovering over him hooking Danny’s long legs over his elbows to lift his ass so they could kiss as he hammered into him deeper with the new angle making his hard swift thrusts easier.

Feeling the tension building inside both of them pushing him closer to their climax Roy’s own caveman grunts started mixing with Danny’s low cries.

“Ah fuck.” Roy disturbed their kissing nuzzling his head next to Danny’s biting his ear and trying to kiss his neck, which was made difficult by his strained breathing.

Everything turned into a blur. An astronomically amazing blur.

His hips pounding into Danny’s now even redder ass. The room filling with loud grunts, heavy panting, moans, naked bodies aggressively slapping together, the bed’s springs squeaking…All lost to Roy.

All he could focus on was the tightness building in his balls and the nails leaving indents in the tan flesh of his shoulders.

“So…so good.” Those were probably the last understandable words uttered before Danny became seemingly lost except for the whimper escaping with every quick thrust.

His eyes were squeezed tightly shut with his arms nearly choking Roy from the tight hold around his neck.

‘…Gonna cum…’. Roy heard his loud thinking hastily warn.

Roy felt Danny’s asshole tighten as the body pinned under him tensed up with a final barely audible moan right before hot cum shot between them.

The sticky liquid shooting out onto their abdomens between the bodies held clinging together from the sweat.

“Oh…fuck…Danny.” Roy could feel the minute Danny’s orgasm hit him. The ecstasy crashing onto him like a ton of bricks causing him to crumble as well reducing him to nothing as he followed only a second or two after Danny.

Their movements died down gradually after their orgasms and slowly Roy rose so he could look at the cum between them and admire Danny’s heaving young body.

“You’re such a messy slut sometimes.” Roy teased scowling at the cum, slapping his thigh. “High maintenance bitch.”

“Ouch-uh!” Danny faked an adorably hurt look by sticking out his quivering bottom lip.

Roy in turn kissed his way up Danny’s body till he reached the lip in question and gave it a bite. “Be right back. You want some water?”

“No.” Danny whined wrapping his legs around his waist to keep him from getting up. “Stay.”

“I have to get up.” Roy sprinkled kissed along his neck, resisting the urge to bite onto a chunk of it.

“Why?”

“Because.” He finally steadily pulled out of him and got off the bed. “Otherwise we might fuck the sheets up again.”

Danny went pale and rolled over hiding his hysterical laughing in a pillow that he pulled against his face.

“It’s okay, it happens.” Roy tried his hardest but failed to say it with a straight face. He bent back down placing a kiss on his right cheek. “I adore you my messy slut.”

[andisupreme]

I am currently very tired so this probably might not even make sense in the morning but... 

I’m imagining a D&D minigame (probably lasts 1-2 hours tops unless you’re having fun with it) meant to break the ice for new groups, in which the DM controls an adventuring party and the players control NPCs as they naturally pop up. Specifically, it could help new players get comfortable with roleplaying without the pressure of sticking to a character they just made. If you do this before the character creation stage, then even better because they may stumble into a character they like acting out.

Rules that I’m just rambling out please forgive me if they are nonsensical: 

It’s all improv. Don’t break a scene to look up game mechanics like prices, or which checks to make, or what would give advantage/disadvantage. This is about the acting so if it’ll throw off the groove, make it up on the spot. It’s all about quick thinking.

No modifiers. You’re all making things up on the spot so if you have to roll something, don’t waste time justifying who would have what stats. You could even go without dice altogether. The d20 is just an optional element of chance here.

Mandatory introductions. I don’t care how goofy it is. state your name, race, class/occupation, a random character trait, and how their day’s been going up until this point. As many as you can off the top of your head. Go nuts because things get silly before they get really creative, in my experience. Note: Character voices are encouraged. For funsies.

Everyone participates in a scene. No pressure on how much they interact, but in each new setting, every player has to put one NPC in that tavern, shopping square, riot crowd, etc.

Plot not needed. The adventuring party strategically wanders in a way that builds a town/city/etc as the players make it up. The DM isn’t in charge of telling a story here, just keeping the energy of the improv scene going. This includes-

Leading Questions. This one’s the challenge for you, DM who likely already has a control complex and likes to plan out every detail of everything in their world because it gives them a sense of security. If anything, you are the one who most needs to be good at rolling with whatever your players hand you. For the sole purposes of making you uncomfortable, the newcomer adventuring party knows absolutely nothing about this town. Thankfully, the citizens know everything about it. Which is good because you need directions to find your way out of your rented hovel room let alone to the temple--oh that’s right. Who’s the patron there? You sure don’t know! Better ask someone! Get that DMs?? YOU KNOW NOTHING. 

Important: If the scene starts slowing down, it’s up to you to either encourage and interact with these townsfolk some more, or get moving somewhere else.

Example scene: order of NPC choice is determined by an initiative roll. 

DM: “Alright, so four adventurers walk into the tavern you’re in--” Player 1: “Oh! I call the bartender.” Player 3: “Aw... I had a bit I was gonna do.” Player 1: “Okay, okay fine, I’m the owner of the tavern, Marcus McMuffin the half orc--stop laughing--and uh... I have a tattoo of a dwarf lover that literally no one else knows about? And my day’s been...hm. It’s been awful because I got stood up for a meeting. DM, I basically live in here, so I’d know they’re new, right? I wanna know if these guys look like trouble makers.” DM: “The Barbarian’s flexing at anyone who looks in his general direction but other than him fancying a typical bar brawl, they seem decent--if lost.” Player 2: “I’m the elven bard in the corner and I start trying to seduce the Barbarian with my beautiful voice!!” DM: “Listen... you can’t just use your character from the last game. Cherry the Elven Bard would’ve totally seduced the barbarian but who are you now?... Nah it’s fine, dude. Take your time. We’ll come back to you.” Player 3: “I’m the crazy old village drunkard who’s a human named Steve--” Player 1: “I thought you said you wanted the bartender!” Player 3: “--Who samples a lot of the wares and is thus the village drunkard! I said I was doing a bit, jeez! DM, I start rambling loudly at the strangers about something that sounds like one of those super infuriating sidequests--you know the kind--where you have to go through a lot of bullshit busywork and the longest fetch quest of your life but there’s a promise of GREAT loot at the end so you consider it anyway. You know what I mean? What do I do for that, roll deception? Persuasion?” DM: “Nope. No rolls. Personally, I am so on board with this but I need you to make this speech right here and I need you to sell it.”  Player 3: “Oh boy.”

If for some reason you want to try this please give me a rundown of how it went because I feel like it’s the perfect recipe for hilarious trainwrecks that come with all good icebreakers. (I feel like it’d be a fun drinking game somehow? But I don’t play enough to know how to work alcohol in in a reasonable manner. I’ll leave that one up to house rules.) Taverns & Tanneries, never coming to a game store near you lmao

Edit: I just realized that when the group starts playing a real campaign, you can embarrass them by working their goofily-named NPCs in, keeping an entirely straight face while doing so. Watch as they squirm and laugh-cry over having to discuss the fate of the world with Marcus McMuf’an. If only they’d known. 

If only they’d known what was to become of Marcus McMuffin.

[eiftody-blog]

What the #MeToo movement can teach us about gaslighting in our work environments

Gaslight - manipulate (someone) by psychological means into doubting their own sanity

No matter what you do, you seem to always be wrong.  No matter what you say, you always end up being the monster.  No matter how hard you try to make a positive impact at work, you always end up doing a terrible job.

‘No, go home now!  No, you have to stay to finish this project. No, I didn’t tell you to do it that way.  No, you did it all wrong.  No, I didn’t say that!’  If this in any way sounds familiar, you might be a victim of gaslighting.  

What does gaslighting look like in the real world?

I’m a Canadian and I have no political agenda writing this article, but as a perfect example of how a master of gaslighting others operates, think of Donald Trump - The system is rigged (unless I win).  My political opponents refuse to negotiate (when in fact I refuse to meet opponents at the negotiation table). Mexicans are rapists (when I have so many credible sexual harassment allegations against me).  

Not everyone is so adept at gaslighting as Donald Trump, but he is a classic example of what gaslighting looks like - muddy the waters with unrelated statistics, misdirect with non-sequitor (irrelevant) answers to accusations, accuse others of the exact thing you are in fact guilty of and change the subject or attack when credible charges are leveled at you.  

‘Hey, what about Bill Clinton?  Now that guy really abused women!’  ‘Russia is a ruse! Why isn’t anyone looking into Hillary Clinton and Uranium One?’

Why is gaslighting so effective?

First, a gaslighting message is direct and simple.  ‘He a screwup ...’, ‘She just can’t seem to learn.’, ‘He’s just not a leader.’, ‘She’s not a good fit for the team.’ These direct statements work on our brains’ natural tendency to believe simple messages.  According to the experts, this is referred to as cognitive fluency. Essentially, the easier it is for your brain to understand a message, the more true it sounds. Sadly, simplicity of message often overrides logic. Someone good at gaslighting doesn’t bother using logic at all.  It’s simply not as effective as having a very direct, simple lie.  If no one bothers to challenge the lie or confirm the truth, a simple lie told over and over will easily override a true, but complex logical arguement.

‘That’s fake news ...’

Second, gaslighting relies on the good manners and kindness of victims for the technique to work. People who like to victimize their colleagues count on their victims never fighting back. People who victimize others are counting on the fact that most decent people don’t want an issue to escalate into something highly emotional, embarrassing, and tactless.  Those disgusting people who like to terrorize others in the workplace rely on the fact no one will call them on their misdirection, false accusations, omissions and outright lies.  People who gaslight others are completely prepared to take the risk of embarrassing themselves publicly if they believe it means they can manipulate a situation in their favor.

Why do people gaslight others?  

They do it because they are losers.  They do it because they are selfish. They do it because they are lazy.  It’s just so much easier to get others to do your work.  It’s so much easier to steal the accomplishments of others. It’s so much easier to tear someone else down than it is to build up your own reputation.  

How can you confirm you’re not crazy and how do you handle someone who is gaslighting you?  

I think the best example of how to handle someone victimizing you is to look at the James Comey incident. According to his testimony before congress, Comey realized after speaking privately with Trump, that he was dealing with a dangerous liar. After leaving the meeting, he immediately made notes about what was said, including direct quotes.  These notes ended up being used as a justification (in addition to Trump firing Comey) to start an independent investigation of the Trump campaign’s connections to Russia.

Step 1 - Start documenting to confirm the truth

Not meeting expectations of your supervisor is not gaslighting.  Please see my article - What to do if you are overworked and stressed out to deal with this issue. What you’re looking for is repeated attempts to deceive. If you feel like you’re constantly being corrected, ridiculed and torn down by a colleague at work, it’s critical to determine if this is a communication problem or a gaslighting problem.  Start documenting everything.  Make a habit of writing down your accomplishments each day.  Keep every email. Make notes of conversations. Record meetings on your smart phone.  

If someone is trying to gaslight you, they are counting on no one keeping track of the facts. So step one is to keep great notes on everything.  It sounds like a lot of work but keeping track of what you’ve accomplished each day and jotting down notes after every meeting is really critical and really it only takes a few minutes a day to keep good records.  You should be doing this to keep track of your accomplishments for performance reviews anyway.  So if you’re not writing notes after meetings and listing your office accomplishments, you’d better start now!

When the charges made by your colleague don’t match your notes, emails and recordings, you can start re-assuring yourself that you aren’t crazy and in fact you need to start taking action to get yourself out of the current situation.

Step 2 - Get breathless

This next step is a lot harder.  You’ve got to start standing up for yourself. This sounds easy but believe me, it’s not.  Saying to someone who has been victimizing you, ‘No, you’re wrong. I have the email to prove you’re wrong.’ is very stressful and very unnatural for most decent, kind people. In my experience, outing your colleague directly like this usually ends in a showdown that can only be won with complete transparency and honesty and consistently standing up for yourself and others in the office.  I can’t stress this enough: once outing your colleague as a liar, falling short of complete commitment will end with your reputation torn to shreds and your career in the toilet.

Don’t underestimate the commitment of your colleague, they won’t give up easily.  While you are working trying to get your job done, your co-worker has nothing but time to plan your destruction and to undermine your credibility.  Remember, the reason your colleague behaves this way is NO ONE has ever called them out.  They are used to always getting their way and forcing others to submit to their inappropriate behavior.  Virtually everyone who has ever tried to stand up to your colleague in the past, eventually gave up!  Remember; they have a weak moral standard. They will use tactics you would never consider.  There is no bottom to their barrel. You cannot counter your colleague using the same tactics.  They are stronger, more immoral and more calculating than you.  Stick to your strategy; document everything, call out their bullshit whenever you hear it and broadcast their lies publically in front of as many witnesses as possible.  

Recently I watch Katy Turin on The Late Show.  Katy is now well known for following Trump’s campaign right from the announcement of his candidacy.  She said to Stephen Colbert, ‘We shouldn’t get so breathless about everything Donald Trump does or says or tweets.’  

Katy couldn’t be more wrong.  You can’t negotiate with someone exhibiting this kind of behavior.  You probably won’t be able to shame them into behaving reasonably either.  Almost certainly, this will be a long, slow, grinding campaign of truth and transparency.  Like many well-meaning, decent people, Katy doesn’t recognize how calculating Trump is. Trump is COUNTING on people to be decent and to call for calm and to try to be rational. Trump has no intention of being decent, calm, reasonable and certainly not rational. Trump knows that when you get tired of the constant fact checking, the constant clarifications, the embarrassing encounters, the demeaning comments, and threatening tweets, his version of facts will be the only version left standing.  Sorry Katy, if you want to have any hope of overcoming someone gaslighting you, being ‘breathless’ every single time you encounter a lie, omission, or misdirection is absolutely mandatory. Once you’ve become the target of this behavior, anything short of a tireless commitment to publicly outing and correcting every attempt at gaslighting guarantees your eventual reputational failure.

‘Sorry Paul, last week you said left. Now you say right. I’ll have to double-check your assumptions before we proceed.’

‘Wait Sara, last quarter you said we had no money for staff raises but now you want to increase your own bonus by 20%.  That makes no sense - staff and shareholders won’t stand for this when I make your plan public.’

‘John, I’m getting some mixed messages here.  I don’t understand your policy on overtime hours.  I’ve already met with HR about this issue and they don’t understand your policy either because it doesn’t match company policy.  Can you clarify your reasoning in writing to me and the HR department so there aren’t anymore misunderstandings?’

Yes, you have to be blunt, direct and HONEST.  Don’t hide the consequences or who you’ve talked to or what you intend to do if the dishonest, victimizing behaviour continues.  Your goal is difficult but straightforward; clearly demonstrate you aren’t going to take anymore shit and if the behavior continues, the situation is going to be called out and escalated immediately. In short, you’re going to act ‘breathlessly’ every time you are faced with gaslighting behavior.

What the #MeToo movement has taught us

The #MeToo movement has taught us an important lesson; silence is not a solution. Silence guarantees you remain under the thumb of your gaslighting colleague.  It also guarantees you will almost certainly have to compromise your own morals at some point just to keep your job (Think Salma Hayek’s recent confession of being coerced into doing a sex scene by Harvey Weinstein.  Think of Sarah Huckabee Sanders or Sean Spicer embarrassing themselves day after day in front of the world).  The #MeToo movement has taught us we have to take action when faced with being victimized.

I know my ‘solutions’ sound daunting, maybe impossible.   But the #MeToo movement has revealed to us one more important weapon in your quest for justice; if you are being victimized, other people around you are being victimized too.  Calling out gaslighting will eventually give others in the office the strength to make their stories public too. As more and more people become aware that they are part of the silent majority being victimized in silence, they too will eventually start speaking up and supporting moral behavior, common sense and common decency.

I’m Edward Alexander Iftody, founder of Edward Alexander Consulting and author of ‘Surviving Work’.

www.businesscommunicationcoaching.com