#I was so caught up in my art I forgot to relax and have fun

[theusernameiwantisntavailable]

Returning to my roots, just a quick soft doodle :)

[ephemii]

𝐂𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐌𝐞! 🦇☁️🌙

⭑genre: fluff, romantic or platonic

⭑pairing: lilia/yuu

⭑cw: none!

✶notes: haven't posted in a hot second! got very busy with college, but i decided to write this as a treat! enjoy~

A long day had passed once again, leaving a relieving calm to wash over the campus. Golden afternoon glow gave way to lavender haze, a watercolor meld of dwindling daylight and the bleeding eve of night. It was on the last dredges of days like these that Yuu would be shedding their stress and aiming to unwind by themselves, weary after dealing with the troubles of their ever considerate headmage and two loveably idiotic best friends.

.... Well, that's what they would have loved to be doing, anyways. Intead, they were several dozen feet off the ground.

Their hands grip onto those of their fae friend like a lifeline, muscles pulled taut and straining as they fight to maintain a secure hold while they dangle precariously, reeling from the contrast of their fear for their life and Lilia's boisterous laughter ringing across the quiet horizon. If it were any other situation, Yuu could have mustered the praises that compiled at the tip of their tongue, admiring the way the deep magenta of his irises glinted like precious stones and the demure sunlight reflecting from beneath his flowing onyx locks of hair— alas, they were left to reserve their strength for the periodic yelps and shouts they emitted any moment they looked beneath them and the impressive height Lilia had managed to guide them through. They had never once thought that they would have such an epiphany— to realize that they had taken gravity itself for granted, they had to truly commend Lilia for making that a possibility to begin with.

"A youthful smile does you more justice, my little bat," Lilia giggled cheekily, his fangs glinting brilliantly, "why, you're on top of the world!"

"Set me DOWN, Lilia!!" Yuu ignored his spirited jargon, pleading vehemently.

Lilia’s laughter echoed like music in the crisp air, each note teasing and light. “But why would I do that when the view is simply exquisite?” He gestured expansively, as if presenting his life's work in an art gallery. Yuu screamed, scrambling to latch their now empty hand onto his sleeve, feeling like their heart had caught in their throat. Below them, the sprawling campus looked like a patchwork quilt stitched together with fading hues of the day, and once again they inwardly cursed the fae for not giving them an opportunity to admire it peacefully.

"Lilia, for Sevens' sake!!" Yuu clenched their teeth, the world swirling beneath them. “This isn’t exactly my idea of a good time!” they protested, their heart racing as they nearly whined in fear.

“Oh, come now! A little thrill never hurt anyone.” Lilia’s hair fluttered against a pleasant gust of wind, a flurry of iridescent colors that glinted in the twilight. He reveled in the sensation of weightlessness, the sheer excitement invigorating him. “You’ve been cooped up for far too long. A bit of adventure is good for the soul!”

Yuu squinted at the horizon, trying to focus on anything other than the dizzying height. “I thought you were supposed to be helping me relax, not give me a heart attack!”

With a mischievous glint in his eyes, Lilia leaned in closer. Yuu looked up at him, eyes boring into his pleadingly— yet all their hopes were quickly shattered the moment his smile widened.

“How about this for a little fun?” Before Yuu could process what he meant, Lilia tossed them upward with a swift, strong heave.

Stars damn it all, they forgot he was that strong.

Yuu’s scream cut through the air as they soared for a split second, staring down at Lilia with wide, bewildered eyes. They didn't know whether to feel warmth or sheer anger at the way he laughed so exuberantly, looking like the very inspiration of joy, painted onto the backdrop of a calm autumn. Just as panic set in, and they were ready to pray to whatever gods safeguarded Twisted Wonderland, Lilia caught them with readily open arms, wrapping them up securely with his legs around them. Yuu grunted at the impact, gasping at the immediate relief rushing through them in dizzying waves.

“Surprise!” he giggled, clearly delighted by their shocked expression. “What did I tell you about living a little? How was that for a ride?”

Heart pounding, Yuu buried their face in his shoulder as they clung to him like a lifeline, mortified but unable to suppress a small, breathless laugh.

“You’re insane!” they lamented.

“Oh, but what is life without a healthy dose of heedlessness?” Lilia grinned onto their cheek, holding them tightly as they swayed gently in the air, “Look at you, all flustered. Isn’t it just the most exhilarating feeling?” he said with a reverence that made them wonder if he truly worshiped the thrill of the chase. The contrast of his deft fingers brushing through their hair caused a small shudder to wrack their limbs.

Yuu could feel their cheeks heat up as they took a deep breath, their initial fear giving way to a strange titillation. “I mean, maybe...." they admitted, peering out from their hiding spot. “...as long as you always catch me.”

Lilia processed their words for one quiet moment... Then he grinned, something more warm and tender as he looked down at them. Yuu averted their gaze, to which he chuckled quietly, that deep, melodious and quick staccato, his eyes crinkling with mirth.

“Then what say you to another round? I promise to catch you again, but you have to let go of that fear!”

With a mix of trepidation and enthralment, Yuu nodded, their heart racing in anticipation. Even then, they smiled delicately— No matter how hard they tried, they could never say no to him.

while i'm not inexperienced in writing, it's still a bit exciting finally writing for twst! i have a lot more in store, and hopefully i can finish them up and post them soon if time allows :] thank you for reading! 🤍🩷🤍

[justsomerandomfanfic]

Hey love ur match ups!!! Was wondering if you could do a mha matchup for meee?? ❤

I'm 19 5'6 chubby but not too chubby I have very curly shoulder length brown hair I wear glasses and my typical style is either baggy tee shirts with shorts and slippers or a dress haha. I have kinda a short temper. I take care of others before myself! I also joke a lot I try not to be serious unless needed haha. Also just a weirdo who had a glow up!😂 I like writing, reading, artistic things like drawing, clay art, painting, and bracelet making! I dislike any type of bugs, I'm a picky eater and I dislike people who aren't open/Understanding! Oh!! I'm a big cat person!!!! I like animals all together but cats are my big time favorite!! I'm always in nature my favorite thing to do is read outside by a tree<3 (TYSM AND I HOPE YOU CONTINUE LOVE YOU LOTTA) ❤

Hi! Thanks!

I am sorry that this has taken a bit to be posted! I had finished it a couple of days ago, but totally forgot to press post! I am so sorry! （＞人＜；）

I really hope you like your matchups nontheless!

I had so much fun with this! MHA is so fun!

<333333

Hope you enjoy!

Romantic Matchup; My Hero Academia

~~~

Romantic;

~~~

My Hero Academia;

Keigo Takami -

You met Keigo during hero work - maybe on a joint mission where you had to take down a villain together.

You were immediately struck by how effortlessly cool he was, while he was equally intrigued by your fiery personality.

He noticed how you prioritized others over yourself, and while he admired your selflessness, he could also tell you needed someone to make sure you were being taken care of, too.

After the mission, he casually teased you about being “way too serious for someone so fun-looking” after seeing you deep in thought.

That was his first mistake because once you cracked a sarcastic joke back at him, he realized he had just met his match.

From that point on, Keigo kept popping up in your life, whether it was at work, during hero meetings, or just randomly bumping into you when you least expected it.

He was always around.

You both quickly became good friends, bonding over sarcasm, teasing, and just vibing in general.

He loved how you joked around and how natural your friendship felt.

He noticed how often you took care of others before yourself and made it his mission to subtly look out for you.

“C’mon, you ever think about letting someone take care of you for once?”

You'd often hang out outside of work, doing simple things like getting coffee, relaxing on rooftops, or just enjoying each other’s company while talking about life.

Keigo loved your artistic side and would watch you draw or paint with a lazy smile, making dumb comments like, “You should paint me next. Y’know, like one of those fancy romance movie scenes.”

He found your love for nature adorable and sometimes took you on quiet flights to scenic places - just because he knew you’d love the view.

Keigo had always been a flirt, but when he started getting real feelings for you, he got quieter about it - not because he was scared, but because he wanted this to be real.

He caught himself staring at you a little too long when you were lost in thought, brushing paint off your hands, or adjusting your glasses while reading.

He also noticed the way he felt lighter whenever he was around you - like he could be himself, without the pressure of being Hawks.

You started realizing your own feelings when Keigo’s teasing turned softer, his usual smirks replaced with small, genuine smiles.

One day, while relaxing together, you absentmindedly ran your fingers through his feathers, and he just melted.

It was rare for him to let anyone get that close to his wings, but with you, it just felt right.

He never said anything, but after that day, he’d purposefully position himself so you could reach them more easily.

Keigo being Keigo, he couldn’t just confess in a normal way.

Instead, one day, he dropped down in front of you dramatically while you were sitting outside reading.

“I just realized something huge,” He started, feigning seriousness.

“What?” You asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I might be in love with you. Like, dangerously in love. Don’t tell anyone, though. Might ruin my rep.”

You just rolled your eyes at his antics, but then you caught the way he was actually watching you carefully, waiting for your response.

“Keigo…” You started, hesitating. You thought he was just teasing...

He leaned in closer, voice quieter now. “I mean it. It’s you, always been you.”

And just like that, he had you.

Dating Keigo meant a lot of casual affection - he loved leaning against you, wrapping a wing around you, and just being close.

He still teased you, but it was softer now, laced with genuine love.

He’d bring you small trinkets or things that reminded him of you - random pressed flowers, cool-looking feathers, or little doodles he attempted (badly).

Lazy mornings together became his favorite thing.

Waking up late, letting you rest your head against his chest while his feathers wrapped around you protectively.

You’d find yourself getting surprise flights to scenic places where he’d just hold you and say, “Figured you’d like the view.”

You became one of the only people he really let in, the one who saw the tired side of him, the vulnerable side.

He loves stealing your baggy T-shirts because they’re comfortable and smell like you.

You both have a habit of sitting outside together - sometimes talking, sometimes just enjoying the quiet.

He adores your cat obsession and absolutely spoils any cat you have, even letting them perch on his back while he lounges.

If you’re ever feeling down, he immediately picks up on it.

He might not always have the right words, but he’ll wrap his wings around you, whispering, “I got you, alright?”

Whenever you’re working on an art project, Keigo hovers (literally), watching and making comments.

If you try to get him to paint, he’s awful at it, but that doesn’t stop him from trying.

He protects you fiercely, even when you don’t ask for it.

He trusts your strength but hates seeing you hurt.

He makes sure you’re taking care of yourself, bringing you food or dragging you away from work to relax.

He loves surprising you with random, heartfelt gifts - nothing big, just small things that remind him of you.

Whispering the sweetest things in your ear when you least expect it. “You really are something special, y’know that?”

Loves learning to love nature more just because it’s something you adore.

He’d sit under trees with you, even if he preferred flying.

You ground him.

You’d be the one person who doesn’t expect anything from him, who lets him just be Keigo.

You help take care of him for once, making sure he actually takes breaks and doesn’t overwork himself.

You make little artistic things for him - bracelets, paintings, even small clay figures.

He treasures them.

You let him rest against you, especially after a long mission.

He’s always moving, but when he’s with you, he lets himself stop.

You keep up with his teasing and sarcasm, making sure he never has the upper hand in your playful banter.

[syneilesis]

This was supposed to be a draft to a -- I forgot if it's supposed to be serious and angsty -- Rafayel mermaid AU that I conceived post-beta version and pre-official release. I never got around to continuing it, and I'm cleaning my drafts, so I am releasing this into the wild like a pokemon trainer letting go of an extra caught pokemon.

--------

Artist's block sucks.

After working in an animated film project for ten months, you're drained, relieved that it's finally over, and there's no more last-minute executive decisions to change some design or other that would have made you scream and tear your hair out. Lucky that they also paid on time; you've been hearing other more unfortunate stories that would have rattled your heart and liver from the sheer audacity of some companies in refusing to compensate freelance artists. The life of someone pursuing art is tough—spiritually fulfilling, but tough in this economy. Thank heavens for your luck, truly.

The next project is lighter: for an otome game—designing side characters and painting some backgrounds. It may not be as taxing as your previous work, but it's still creatively challenging, as you have to adhere to the art style of the game.

For an otome game, this project is a little … quirky: the protagonist embarks on a cruise, and the ship sinks. The protagonist thinks she'll die, drowns, and wakes up on a beach. It turns out that she's currently on an island inhabited by gorgeous people. Then it is revealed that the inhabitants are members of a cult and this is actually an elaborate attempt to capture the protagonist and sacrifice her to a spaghetti-anatomied god. She then must conquer the heart of at least one love interest to help her escape the island.

You said yes to this project because it looks fun, the plot right up your alley. But when you sat down for a preliminary brainstorming, your brain came up blank. Sapped and burned out from the animated film, you could not produce any ideas at all.

Your roommate, who has seen your highs and lows in your career, takes one look at you and knows. Just knows. She marches up to you and slaps a brochure on your empty palm.

“What's this?” you ask.

“The solution to your problem,” she answers.

It's a resort by the beach. White sands and cerulean sky, the kind of place where blockbuster films shoot their summer montages. Definitely expensive, something that you can't afford.

“I won a vacation package,” your roommate adds, sensing your hesitation, “use it.”

“But wouldn't you want to use it?”

“You need it more than me. Besides, I'm more a mountain person than a beach person.”

It takes her an hour to persuade you. But once you're convinced of the pros, you're all in, and that night, you're packing your things for a weekend beach retreat.

+

If nothing else, the resort is a nice place to relax and forget your artist's block woes. The brochure seems to be accurate in what it advertises, and that's a rare thing to encounter. Golden light blanketing pristine-white sands and the azure sea. The service appears to be top-notch too.

In your lodging, the windows span an entire wall, overlooking the horizon. Blue and blue and blue, endless and dreamy, and you hope that this view inspires you to come up with at least a couple of great concepts for your project. Might as well use this place as a reference for the seaside backgrounds.

[radama-zard]

Dungeons & Drabbles 2023

Day 2 - Step

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

FCG & Ashton - ModernHuman AU

Steps.

Why did it always have to be steps?

What was wrong with a nice, accessible ramp? They were easier for everyone, nobody had to fear tripping down or up them, parents with strollers could get inside, injured folk didn't have to struggle… and Fresh Cut Grass could have a little of his independence back, being able to wheel themself in with their wheelchair.

But of course life was hardly ever that kind.

A tired sigh slipped past their lips as he stared up at the flight of stairs, blocking them from the sweet little cafe they’d been oh so excited to try out. A customer, Jester, they thought, had been raving about the cupcakes here, and knowing the woman to be a real pastry connoisseur, Fresh Cut Grass had near instantly wanted to get a few themself.

But that dream seemed so cruelly out of reach now.

“Man, you’d think fucker’s would have caught on by now. Shit like this doesn't fly these days! Fancy new chairs and tables, but the owner can't be assed to make their business accessible. Bastard!”

Oh how they startled, jolting in such a way that almost had Fresh Cut Grass and their chair veering dangerously close to toppling. A solid, scarred hand steadied them, letting his frantically beating heart finally come to a rest.

“Fuck! Didn't mean to scare ya like that. My bad. You alright?”

“Y-Yeah! You just gave me a right startling, is all. I'm a-okay!”

“That's a relief. I’d feel like crap if I’d sent your heart packin’ or something…”

Did… Did the stranger look guilty? Well, that just wouldn't do at all! After all, a stranger was just a friend you hadn't met, and the last thing Fresh Cut Grass ever wished to see was a friend all sad and down in the dumps!

“It's fine, really! I spook real easy, my friend Imogen says I’d jump at my own shadow if I ever forgot it was there! But you're not scary yourself. I like your purple hair, and the eyeliner! Oh, and your cane too! Did you decorate it yourself? It looks fun-spooky!”

The stranger stared down at them, slowly blinking as their one good eye focused down on Fresh Cut Grass, taking in everything from their chunky cerulean blue box braids and round, thick glasses, to their bright yellow sweater and mismatched fingerless gloves. In contrast to their own ragged leather vest, covered in hand stitched patches and badges, deep red plaid pants and spiked belts, topped off with boots so hefty they looked able to smash someone’s head in… Well, they couldn't look more different.

Yet Fresh Cut Grass still smiled up at them, all warm and welcoming and so completely genuine that it seemed to catch them off guard.

“Most people would just flip me off and tell me to get fucked,” they muttered, leaning heavily upon their cane before shrugging and sticking a hand in their pocket, seemingly relaxing. “I didn't decorate this shit myself. A friend did. She’s one hell of a spooky ass bitch. Real arts and crafty. But anyway. I’m Ashton. Ashton Greymoore. You?"

“Oh, right! Introductions! Smiley Day to ya, Ashton, I’m Fresh Cut Grass!”

There was a beat of silence, more than a tad awkward, as Fresh Cut Grass awaited their response. Likely a laugh or a roll of the eyes or maybe even a sneer! Most people were funny about names when they weren't the most normal.

Not Ashton though.

No. He grinned, wide and bright and just shimmering with absolute delight.

“That's one hell of a name. You picked it yourself?”

“I did! It's my favorite smell. Ya don't think it's… weird?”

“Oh no, it's weird. But, I mean, fuck, have you looked at me? I like weird,” Ashton grinned wider, throwing one last glance at the inaccessible cafe as something shifted once more in his demeanor. “I know a place a few blocks from here. Unlike these fuckers, they actually give a fuck about people like us. Wanna join me there, Grass?”

“... Do they do cupcakes?” Fresh Cut Grass asked, their mind already made up before Ashton even had a chance to answer.

“Freshly baked in house. So… You coming?”

“I’d love t’ join ya! Thank ya kindly, Ashton!”

Their laughter in turn was rough and harsh, yet the warmth it held settled deep within Fresh Cut Grass’ tired bones… and within moments, he couldn't even quite remember why they’d been upset at all.

[ayukaze]

Happy Birthday @sincerelytan 💙💚 Thank you for being a supportive friend in the fandom, and a fun. energetic presence in my life outside of it for these past few years 🫶🏻

This is very rushed and last minute, but I couldn't go the day without posting something for you! I hope you enjoy reading it, and that you had a great day today! Wishing you another amazing year ahead 🥰

[post divider by @/cafekitsune]

Contrary to what most people believed about her, parties could be intimidating for Mimi. She liked attending them no doubt, but throwing one always sucked the life out of her and yet, she could never step back and let anyone else take charge because unfortunately with her, planning an event gave her a kick like nothing else ever could. But once that phase was over and the party actually came to be, you'd easily find Mimi running around making sure every guest was comfortable, that the cutlery was spick and span, the flowers fresh, the drinks flowing and the food ever ready to be consumed. And as much as she tried to keep things simple, as her friends often advised her, it was impossible for her to not get carried away by the flow and then suddenly you'd find her running across Tokyo looking for an ice sculpture centrepiece under the warm August sun.

Today she managed to take things slow however, or so Yamato had remarked when he'd woken up and stepped into the living room which was also the venue for the day. Since then Mimi couldn't fight the gnawing feeling that she hadn't done enough. She went around the house checking and rechecking all the preparations, almost as if she was looking for a fault because if Yamato was satisfied by something then her standards were definitely not being met.

"Today isn't about you, Meems."

She stopped fiddling with the white and blue roses that adorned a large glass vase kept in the centre of the room. While she was grateful for Yamato's help with shifting around the furniture in the room so she could decorate it appropriately for the party, she knew she could do without his dry commentary.

"I'm perfectly aware of that." She rolled her eyes at him and began to check the ribbons she'd tied around the chairs that circled the centre table.

"Hilary specifically said she wanted to keep things minimal." Yamato did not seem to get the hint that she wasn't in the mood to talk to him right now.

"And I have kept things minimal-"

"But you're still fussing around like something's missing!" He insisted, narrowing his blue eyes at her from across the room.

"I am not!" She lied, moving away from the centre table to inspect the various vases of every size and shape she'd decorated the rest of the room with, "I'm just running the final checks."

"For the past two hours?"

"Well you never do something like this, so you don't know how careful one needs to be with the checks."

"Sure." His wry tone grated against her ears but she paid it no heed and continued moving around the room, "Do you even know what time it is?"

Now those words caught Mimi's attention. Having replaced their living room wall clock with an art piece as decoration and with her phone left behind somewhere in their house, she had no idea just how long it had been since she'd started the preparations. She rushed to where Yamato was standing as he held up his phone screen for her to see the dreaded digits displayed starkly across it.

The girls would arrive in less than two hours and Mimi was still in her pyjama shorts.

"Oh my god-"

"Relax, I prepared the bath for you,” Yamato said, a small yet deeply smug smile flashing across his face as he patted her head to help keep her emotions at bay, “You go in and I'll set out the clothes while you bathe."

"But…but Yama kun, I - I think I forgot to decide what I'm supposed to wear…" Mimi could not hold back the choking sob that surfaced in her throat as the realisation dawned on her. She’d been so busy buying the right decorations and planning the right menu, that she’d ignored a few things on her checklist for the week, one of which included planning an outfit for this party. But before she could begin to panic, the sound of laughter broke her train of thought and she fixed a glare at her boyfriend who stood in front of her clutching his stomach while his eyes were squeezed shut.

"Stop laughing! This isn't funny!"

"It truly is.” Yamato managed to speak in between chuckles, “The great Mimi Tachikawa forgot to pick out clothes for a party. They need to put this on the news."

"Shut up, you're not helping!" She shrieked as both her hands flew to her head. She could feel an impending panic attack rise in her chest as an image of all her friends showing up earlier than she expected and her receiving them in the clothes she’d slept in last night appeared in Mimi's mind. But before she could begin to pull out her hair, she felt a strong grasp around both of her wrists as Yamato sternly took her hands in his and kept her sanity at bay.

"Okay, okay, let's get you to your closet." While his tone hadn’t lost its humour, he still sounded softer than before as he tugged at her hands to get her to follow him.

Maybe it was the sound of Yamato’s low humming, or the sensation of his warm palms wrapped around hers but as they walked towards the bedroom, Mimi was able to take a few deep breaths and began to feel calmer. Once they were in the closet, she felt more in her element surrounded by the colourful sight of her clothes lined up perfectly and the scent of the flowery fabric that enveloped the roomy walk-in closet.

“What was the theme again?” Yamato asked as he gently let go of her hands and began to skim through the clothes on the left side of the closet.

“White and blue,” Mimi muttered as she took to the right side, surely with the two of them searching they’d be able to find something in this enormous collection of hers.

Even with her back to him, she could feel that Yamato was trying his best to bite back on making a sarcastic joke, the impatience radiated off him like a rippling wave as he rustled through her clothes. Knowing that they didn’t really have much time to spare, Mimi wanted him to stay focused so she turned around with folded arms and decided to get over the teasing as quickly as possible.

“What?” She asked flatly, almost making Yamato jump at the irritation in her tone.

He turned his head back to meet her eyes and a smirk immediately graced his lips as he pulled out a hanger and dangled it in front of her, “I’m guessing you want to wear something much more sophisticated?”

Mimi rolled her eyes and snatched the white and blue striped bikini piece from his hand, throwing it in the back of the closet as the sound of his satisfied snicker filled the air.

“You’re supposed to be helping.”

“I don’t believe there’s any harm in showing up to a party wearing a bikini, in fact, I will support your brave act by keeping my hands all over you mmph-”

The sequinned blazer she’d grabbed off the rack hit Yamato right in the face, drowning the rest of his sentence as Mimi tried to fight off the warmth spreading across her cheeks.

“You’re supposed to be helping.” She reminded him, turning her back to him so he wouldn’t catch her blushing. 

She heard the sound of sequins hitting the floor but could not catch whatever Yamato grumbled under his breath. On another day she might have humoured him, put on the bikini just to tease him and see how far he would take the joke before succumbing to his own embarrassment. But today they were short on time for such games, even if the thought of Yamato's hands all over her body refused to leave her mind.

“Here you go, this is white and blue,” Yamato stated triumphantly so she turned again to look at what he had picked out.

It was an old dress of hers, one she’d forgotten she even owned. A white beach dress with blue spaghetti straps that were tied into a bow behind the neck. The style wasn’t too flashy but not completely plain either, it would be perfect for today’s event since someone else would be the star of the party and Mimi didn’t need many eyes on her. As glad as she was that Yamato had managed to dig this out from the depths of her collection, she was a little surprised by the feat too.

“How did you find this? I don’t think I’ve worn this since high school…”

“I gifted you this, so of course I know where it’s kept.” He shrugged in response as if this was obvious enough.

Mimi tried not to grin too widely as she stepped closer to him and took the dress from her hands, “So you were searching for this right from the start?”

At last, a tinge of red appeared on Yamato’s face as he stuttered out a reply, “O-of course not. I only remembered because I caught sight of it over there,” he said as he vaguely gestured towards the back of her closet, not doing a good job at keeping his emotions hidden.

“Awww, Yama-kun you’re such a softie! Do you remember where I’ve kept every present you’ve given me till date?” Mimi squealed at him, knowing that he would rather the earth swallow him than accept that he was extremely cheesy when it came to stuff like this.

“Don’t be ridiculous! Aren’t you getting late by the way?” He pulled out his phone again and avoided looking at her as his whole face turned a dark shade of red under dim, closet light.

Mimi promptly linked her arms with his to make sure he wouldn’t rush out before her, “Maybe, but I would like to talk more about whether you have a little diary where you cutely scribble all these details about our relationship-”

“Ah the water must have gotten cold by now, let me go and check the bath for you!” Yamato squeaked as he somehow untangled himself from her and dashed out of the closet.

Mimi giggled as she followed him out, a glance at the clock in their bedroom reminded her that she was getting late but she was sure the girls would forgive her once they heard about the new cheesy trait of Yamato she’d discovered.

[serafiel-jacobs]

The calm before the storm (Fanfic)

New chapter from my main series 🩷

January 16th 18XX

The lesson went as usual and Pinocchio was happy that there was nothing wrong with Gemini, still, he still felt awful, and despite being told multiple times that it wasn’t his fault he blamed himself.

Being the bastard he is Dorian played with his feelings of insecurity, staying a little too close to him, disguising his true motives as words of encouragement, he liked playing with his prey sometimes, and he needed to relax, things had been way too tense for him, that’s why he was taking his break in the first place, he had gotten sloppy, he knows, he was sure that he was about to get caught, he had to get rid of anyone that he deemed suspicious, he had to kill them, and Dorian wouldn’t give that Ergo to that Demon, that was for himself and himself only, he would torture their souls as long as he lived.

Although he dotted on the attention that idiot Sybil gave him he had no choice but to get rid of her, and her brother, and he made sure that her family had a few mysterious accidents; Dorian couldn’t trust anyone anymore, only himself, he ended up killing his servant Victor and his housekeeper Ms. Leaf. His mansion is completely empty, only him, he fired all his other workers, so no one must know, and no one must find that cursed painting that holds his terrible secret.

Blackmailing Alan Campbell is tedious but he is an alchemist, the more he gets out of him, the better, that’s how he has gathered even more information and skills about Ergo.

Dorian Gray took every opportunity to lean closer to Pinocchio, even directly grabbing his hand to paint alongside him, he could feel that the boy was tense, and that just made it even more fun for him. At the end of their time together, he made a signal to Pinocchio to remind him of their special plans for tomorrow.

Pinocchio left with his father, showing him the painting he did, and he smiled knowing that his father liked it, they were thinking of getting him art supplies once they were back home. For now, the rest of their time together here they decided that today was good to finally shop for gifts for everyone back home, it’s always hard for Pinocchio to choose gifts, there is so much stuff he would love to give them, he loves his family so much.

As they left and were finishing up with their shopping and making their way back, Pinocchio felt something, something he hadn’t felt in a long time, he grabbed Gemini’s cage and turned its light on, reveling a Golden Dimensional butterfly, it flapped its and Pinocchio followed it, taking them to an empty alley, he grabbed his dagger and proceeded to stab the butterfly, he felt a little bad but each time they were down they would leave something important behind, and this was no exception as the golden butterfly left a Quartz behind, Pinocchio took it and kept it his pocket.

“Son, don’t run off by yourself like that”

“Sorry I just had to catch it”

Pinocchio thought that his father would be confused but instead, his father said that it was odd to see a dimensional butterfly in there, right, how could he have forgotten, his father made Gemini of course he knows what they are.

Wait why does he feel like he is forgetting something? Butterfly… Butterfly…

“Sophia!” Pinocchio shouted, shoot, he forgot to tell his father about Sophia’s visit, and it was only two days from now, “Sophia is supposed to come here and see me in two days!”

“What? Son why didn’t you say anything before?!”

“I forgot…”

Geppetto put his palm to his face, there was no problem with Sophia seeing his son, but a little heads-up would have been nice.

He hopes that maybe he can also talk with her, Sophia was dear to him, he had known her since she was just a child and she cared deeply for her, maybe they can finally have a heart-to-heart conversation, but it was possible Sophia doesn’t want to speak with him, and he wouldn’t blame her, she has gone through a lot, and he knows firsthand how hard it is to be reminded of the past, specially since everything is still so recent, only a year has passed yet it probably felt like an eternity to her.

“It’s fine don’t worry, just be more careful next time”

They continued walking and Geppetto started to have a lot of thoughts in his mind now that he was reminded of Sophia.

“Son, what do you think about Sophia?”

“She is a great friend! She has always been there for me, and she is so nice and her powers are so cool, she kept me safe out there”

So he still doesn’t know, Geppetto lets out a sigh, he is starting to regret that he hasn’t taught him anything about romantic love, Sophia surely will ask Pinocchio for some time alone while they are here and he wonders how that love confession is going to go; but maybe he has no right to judge, when he confessed his love to his late wife he ended up fumbling his words so much, at least he was smart enough to choose a nice scenery, the lake they were in reflected the moon perfectly…

Sometimes Geppetto wonders if he should tell Pinocchio about her, and tell him more about Carlo, talking about them can be painful but remembering the good times is always precious. Well, maybe when they get back home he will, for now, it’s best to enjoy the present with this vacation.

“Geppetto, Pinocchio nice to see both of you here,” Alexander said, having bumped into them.

“Alexander, nice to see you again” It was, it’s nice to talk with him outside of work.

“Today was tough, right? Maybe we shouldn’t be working at our age anymore?” Alexander teased but considering how tired he has been getting lately Geppetto is starting to think that’s true.

“Well, we aren't too far from the age of retirement, unfortunately, we are pretty close”

“Geppetto, don’t remind me how old I am please”

“How old are you?” Pinocchio asked innocently.

Alexander laughed, “Looks like you haven’t taught him that it’s rude to ask that”

“It’s rude to ask a Lady that, we aren’t ladies,” Geppetto said.

“Is that why mother says she is 25 when others ask her?” Pinocchio looked confused, even more when Alexander and his father laughed.

“Son, she is 64 but don’t tell her I told you that” Well, his son has the right to know her age, and Geppetto knows that she will never say her age out loud.

“Okay,” Pinocchio says innocently, already planning to tell her as soon as he sees her again, he thinks it’s funny when his mother gets angry at silly things like that, and he has never seen her angry at his father, it’s going to be fun to see that.

“Pinocchio me and your old man are already 60” How the years have passed, “Although your father does look a few years older right?”

“It’s because I had kids and you didn’t”

“You are just proving my point even more, kids drain the years out of you”

“What?!” Pinocchio started crying, and Alexander started to apologize, saying how it was all just a joke.

“My boy is sensitive Alexander don’t scare him like that” Geppetto grabbed Pinocchio into a playful hug.

“I’m not… that sensitive, I’m pretty strong,” Pinocchio said while still having a few tears in his eyes.

After a little more time spent talking, Alexander waved them goodbye and they arrived at the Hotel to rest again, as the day became night, Pinocchio was getting ready for bed, and he started to look from the window, knowing what Mr. Gray had told him, this painting was going to be special, it’s going to be the perfect gift for his father.

Pinocchio couldn’t wait to make up tomorrow and make his father proud of him.

[arturodelisle]

"It's great you weren't hurt," Arturo said. "I've seen some real nasty accidents before, my uh, well, my brothers and sister, well one of them, they got into a real lot of trouble growin' up and there was a lot of us, and they all loved rough housin' and stuff."

Arturo was rambling fondly, even if there was a sadness that would forever weigh even the fond memories of his childhood down, having grown up abandoned in a group home. There was also a bit of mourning for how many of those times Arturo had only found out about after someone got hurt because of the fact that he had not been invited to join in the first place.

Then it occurred to him that this girl seemed sweet, and he was starting to make it sound like his family was nothing but trouble. Which was the god's honest truth, but a stranger who might not know of them did not need to know that yet, no sir.

"They got into a lot of scrapes, but I was good where I was way out of trouble with my puzzles a-and colorin' books and-and my toy cars-" Arturo fought not to grimace at how much he was stuttering. He normally did not struggle with that. Only when he was really embarrassed, or nervous.

Arturo relaxed a bit when he heard her giggle. It was sweet, the romantic in him would call it melodic. He felt butterflies in his stomach at the sound, and how he had been the cause of her smile. He smiled back with a soft, friendly smile.

"Glad to hear your day's not so bad! Cause I have a lot of bad days and they're kind of the worst--and y-yeah. It's no problem. Always happy to help as much I can. Now if you start comin' round here with broken cars then I might not be able to cut you as many favors, but a bike, just happy to make someone's day better. Also uh, I just really like workin' on stuff. It's a lot of fun for me so--" He caught himself rambling, and paused to stand up.

"I'm Art by the way, sorry for bein' so rude." He held out a hand to shake hers, before noticing the oil stains on it. "Oh, sorry forgot I've been workin' with my hands all deep in cars all day-"

.

You certainly know how to get into situations you can't find your way out of, she imagined her stepmother telling her in a cold, deriding tone. As always, she'd be right. "Oh, please, don't worry! I'm alright, I wasn't hurt or anything..." Sofia hurried to say. Darn it, of course she should have thought of that before. Did he suspect anything? She fidgeted with her hands, thinking back to her mother's compact, thinking of the little clasp to open and close it and the comfort it usually gave her when holding it in her pocket. Then the cute young man came closer and got on his knees, and she held her breath, and he gave the bike a look.

As he kept speaking, making conjectures and sputtering, Sofia slowy smiled. It was most probably not the case, but she imagined that perhaps he was also a bit out of his depth, maybe he did not know yet how to fix the bike alone and needed to ask his boss, maybe he did know but still wanted a hand and didn't want to outright admit it, maybe they were both trying to fix a situation they didn't really know how to navigate. It was rather sweet, that nervousness of his. Sofia didn't often talk to boys, let alone mechanics, but she would have thought of them, at least from what she knew about them in her stories, as more gruff and tough --not sweet and considerate and a little bit vulnerable. That made him somehow even cuter.

She let out a little giggle. "I'm okay, really, and... My day's not bad, not at all." She cleared her throat again. "I mean, even less so now I'm being offered a free bike fix... But are you sure about that? I don't have any trouble paying for it." Was her bike so basic and old that fixing it seemed so easy, and unworthy of even charging her? Given the same had happened at Gepetto's, that was most likely.

[ziee]

Yb(TeddyBear) x Reader

"Before I go, I wanted to get you something special." Your dad says, turning around to rummage in his bag. You watched his back in curiosity, wondering what he would have gotten his 22-year-old daughter. He was going on a business trip for about 2 weeks, but every time spent away from you, your dad always got you something. Mostly plushies, or some childish stickers. It started as a kid, your dad would always have to leave due to business trips, so it's kind of sweet he still does it.

"Tada!" He excitedly says, turning around while holding a large plush in his hands. In his hands, he held a rather large stuffed bear. It wore a black vest with a blue shirt, housing a rather cute black and white heart. It's fur was grey, with large blue eyes.

You smiled at him, thinking that the bear was incredibly cute for just being a stuffed bear. "Aw dad, he's so adorable!" You squealed, taking the bear from your dad's hands. He puffed out his chest in pride due to your reaction.

"I bought him in the cafe next to your work, they said he was one of a kind. I'm pretty sure he has a name too, check the tag." You rolled the tag on the bear's back around and looked at the tiny words. Your boyfriend- Peter!

"So your names Peter huh?" You smile and hold the bear to your chest. "Thank you dad, this is much better than those paw patrol stickers from last time." You playfully roll your eyes as your dad clutches his chest in a playful manner.

"You hurt me Y/n, I thought that was your favorite show." He fakes his painful expression as you laugh.

"Yeah, from like when I was 5!" You shout at your dramatic dad. Once the giggling fades, you move in to hug him. "Stay safe, ok?" You mumble into his chest. Your dad wraps his arms around you, pulling you tighter in.

"I'll be back before you know it." He kisses the top of your head and lets you go, moving to enter his car. As he drives off, you wave goodbye. Returning your focus on the bear in your arms, you smile as you run your fingers through his soft fur. Entering the house, you make your way towards your bedroom.

Placing the bear on your bed, you settle him between your pillows before leaving the room. "What to do now.." You mumble just as your stomach growls. Food, of course. You hadn't even eaten breakfast. It was just 5 minutes past 9 AM. Your dad usually leaves early on business trips, so you wake up to say goodbye.

Entering the kitchen, you go to prepare some food. The day moves on as you do your usual activities on your off days. Clean the house, get some groceries, dread going to work the next day. You decided to try and relax, preparing a hot enough to melt your bones bath. Perfect.

You stripped in the bathroom, setting your clothes on the counter before realizing you forgot one thing. Wrapping a towel around your nude body, you enter your room for a candle to light. You then notice how your bear was suddenly not on your bed. Your brows furrow as you stepped closer to your bed before feeling a soft plush under your foot. You yelp and scramble backward, tripping on your own feet before falling on your ass.

You moan in pain as your rub your pained butt, looking forwards at the monster that tripped you. It was.. Peter? "Peter? How did you get on the floor?" The window wasn't open, preventing the breeze from coming in. Even though you don't think a little breeze would knock over a plush bear. Your exposed legs closed as you move to crawl towards your bear.

In doing so, your towel got caught under your knee, pulling it down from your chest. There you sat, crawling towards your bear in the nude. You didn't really care, there was no one else but you home and besides, you walked around this house naked before. You got to your bear, taking hold of its.. Hot body?

Was it in the sun or something? His fur felt warm as well a pink tint on its cheeks. Maybe you just didn't see the pink outside. You stood up, holding the bear to your chest before placing it back on your bed. "Now you stay there, alright?" You say, pointing a finger at the grey bear before grabbing the items you need, making your way back to the bathroom.

The day went on with no more predicaments. You relaxed in your bath, ate as much as you wanted without annoying comments.. And soon enough the day was coming to an end. Changing into your pj's, you stripped once more in your room and threw on a t-shirt and some shorts.

Washing your face, you hopped back into your room and jumped onto the bed. Bouncing up and down with your new teddy, you smiled before pulling out your phone. You brought the bear under your arms, looking as though you're cuddling it as you scroll through social media.

Eventually, you got tired and put away your phone on the nightstand. Turning off your light, you rolled over, away from the plush before falling asleep. As the clock reached 12, your bed suddenly bore new weight.

Your bear disappeared from view, instead, a man took its place. Beside you, the man silently watched as you slept. He wore the same as his stuffy counterpart, but with the addition of black pants. Blue eyes, almost suffocating, stared at your unconscious body.

Feeling his grin widen, so did his boxers. "Oh darling, I almost couldn't control myself after that show you pulled earlier.." He whispered as his hand ghosted your cheek, almost touching your warm skin before stopping himself. He got off the bed, making his way to the other side, towards where you've turned.

Leaning down, his face stood in front of yours. His breathing turned heavy as he stared at your face. Cheeks dusted with red blush, a large tent formed in his pants. Soon, the pounding of his cock beneath his clothes became too much for him. Growing annoyed, he figured he can just relieve himself while watching you..

The next day was busy. Having to get up early, get ready for work, and whatnot. Thankfully, the shift seemed to end quickly. Although you hate it when it gets super busy, it does make the time fly by. When you got home, you kicked off your shoes and headed straight for the shower.

Walking in your room to grab your pj's, you smile as you spot Peter on the bed. "Hi Peter, did you get lonely when I was gone." You asked the stuffed animal.

...

Why are you talking to a plushie.

After your shower, you flopped down on your bed. Grabbing the bear, you set him on your chest as you stared into your phone. Peter couldn't see your face but did feel your breasts underneath him. Rising up and down from your breathing, he watched you as scrolled endlessly.

The first week went by quickly, your routine being work, shower, lounge around. Maybe do some chores here and there, obviously you had a little more control when your dad was out, and do some snack trips.

All the while, every night when the clock hits 12, your little bear would turn into a 6'5 man. Who is awfully obsessed with you. He wishes you would take him everywhere, feeling anger every time you leave him on the bed. But it's to be expected, you still only know of his toy form. That would change this week.

Only having a week until your father gets home, he doesn't want to miss his chance to introduce himself. He doesn't know why he waited this long anyway, I guess it's just so fun to watch your sleeping face as he.. Uh, does his 'activities'.

As of right now, it was about 11:50. Just 10 more minutes. He could wait that long. You had already gone to bed, sleeping like an angel, but facing away from him. He grumbled as the clock took its time ticking.

But alas, it struck midnight. He stretched his stiff body, staying in the same position every day unless you readjusted him. He moved his weight off the bed, walking over to the side where you lay before kneeling down.

He smiled as he leaned in close, feeling your soft breaths through your nose on his. Watching you sleep was a ritual, but recording every detail of you was a way of art. The way your nostrils flared slightly as you breathed out, your lips growing dryer throughout the night, and your beautiful open eyes..

Opened eyes?

The first thing you usually woke up to was either your nightstand or the ceiling. Not a pair of large, blue eyes. Wait, blue eyes? You shot up, away from the strange man as you scooted to the other side of your bed.

"Who are you." You shakily spoke, feeling around the bed for anything you could use as a weapon. In doing so, you realize your bear is now missing. Your eyes now pierce the stranger on the other side of the bed, not daring to move as he stares at you. Wait a minute..

He looks familiar. His clothing reminds you of your bear. As well as his eyes.. And skin too?? "Peter..?" You whisper, furrowing your brows. His eyes light up, a grin spreading across his face.

"Yes! I'm your boyfriend." He comes up on the bed, sitting in front of you as confusion racks your brain.

"Wait- Are you really my stuffed bear?" He nods. "But how? You're a stuffed BEAR! Not a human? Are you a cursed bear or something?" You look at his skin, trying to find any markings of curses or what not when he grabs your hands softly.

"I'm not cursed. I turn into a human at midnight each night." He smiles, rubbing his thumb over your hand. "You're really cute when you sleep." Bringing your hand up, he rubs his cheek against your palm, all the while as he stares at you.

Your mouth opens, flabbergasted at what you've just been told. Your bear can turn into a human. Each night. And he's been staring at you while you sleep?? "How come you didn't tell me before? You could have just woken me up."

"You're always so busy in the mornings, and I want you to get your beauty rest.~" He mumbles, rubbing his face into your hand. You let it happen, a bit weirded out but I mean, it is your bear. Your bear.. That saw you naked... MULTIPLE TIMES.

OH MY GOD.

Your cheeks suddenly flush, remembering all the times you've been naked in your room the past week. The first day burns into your mind. He takes notice of your blush, grinning as he guesses what you're thinking about.

"You know, I've seen your body so many times yet you have never seen mine." Great observation dude, this is the first time I'm learning about it too.

"What are you saying?" His rubbing stopped, seeing him lick his lips before bringing his head up. My hand falls onto my lap as he grins.

"If you want.. I could show you." He's offering to show you his body? Actually, you've never seen a man's body. In-person, of course. It's not like you haven't had boyfriends, but you never got close enough for 3rd base. This- your teddy bear is now offering to show you his junk.

...

You were a little curious.

"I've listened to the videos you watched, and albeit I'm still furious that you would look at other bodies while pleasuring yourself but, I've only ever heard male voices." Your face burned in shame. Completely forgetting most of the time that your bear was right beside you as you touched yourself, he was right.

Your history consisted of mostly guys jerking off. You just found it fascinating and fucking hot, how they came. The different ways they would touch themselves too, and their small groans of pleasure.. Thinking about this is getting you a little wet..

"Oh um well.." You didn't know what to say. 'Yes, I wanna see your dick.' ?? God you were such a virgin. He watched you with a smirk, watching as your eyes zoomed everywhere but his eyes. He could tell you wanted to say yes, but you were just too embarrassed. Cute.

Slowly, he grabbed hold of your hands and placed them on his chest. You let out a quick 'eep' as you felt his hard chest. Looking up towards him, his encouraging smile allowed you to run your hands over his shirt. Your hands were a bit shaky at first, but you kept telling yourself this was alright. It was your stuffed bear anyways.

Moving one hand down, you poked his belly button, making him laugh a bit. That seemed to ease you, moving your hands more freely around his chest. You got curious, wanting to see under the vest and shirt.

You inched your hands down, looking up at him as you do so. You flick your fingers under his shirt, slowly pulling it up. He stared at you and grinned, allowing you to do so. "My, so eager.."  

"Shh!" You blushed as you lifted his shirt up. He took off his vest as you placed your hand just below his collar bone, holding up the shirt as your other hand cautiously touches his free skin.

His skin was cold, and grey. Flinching at your first touch, you watch in awe as his stomach clenches before relaxing. His belly button was small, a cute innie. Your hand moved up from his hips towards his nipples. They were a darker shade of grey than him, small as well.

You ran your fingers over his right one, instantly becoming hard from your touch. Your cheeks flushed with heat and color as he arched his back, pushing his chest out towards you. You softly pinched one, making him let out a soft moan. You immediately release his nipple and throw your hands up, shocked. His shirt fell after your hand left, as his eyes stared at you in confusion. "Did I do something wrong, darling?" His whispered voice made you want to writhe in excitement. You made a guy feel good! Even moan! Your fantasies were coming true, and oh boy were you gonna milk this.

"N-no.. I just got a little excited." You mumble, fanning yourself with your hands. His face morphed into one of pure delight, his cheeks dusted with the same pink as you. Lifting his hand up, he pulled his shirt up and grabbed one of your hands, placing your palm against his chest once more.

"Then by all means.. Continue to explore." You felt your legs twitch as you got even more aroused. Now with another free hand, you used both to play with his nipples. Twisting, flicking, pulling, all the while a large tent was forming under his pants. You wondered what it would feel like licking his nipples.. Should you- ask?

...

"Can I.. Can I lick them?" Peter almost creamed in his pants. Figuring you were too far though, he grabbed your waist and pulled you upon his lap.

"You can do whatever you want with me. I'm yours." He answered, begging in his head that you would do much more than lick his nips. You licked your lips as you stared at his swollen nipples, moving your head closer towards his chest before your mouth was almost touching one of them.

You opened your mouth, lolling out your tongue before giving a quick flick onto one of them. Peter's body flinched at the cold contact, creating a jolt of pleasure straight to his pelvis. You pulled his nipple into your mouth, twirling it around your tongue. He let out more moans, encouraging you to do more.

Softly biting into his skin, he continued to be at your mercy. You released him from your mouth, looking at the bite marks encased into his skin. You grinned, staring at his flushed face. "I didn't know you were so sensitive." You teased, trailing a finger around his abused nipple.

He smirked, deciding to say nothing but look down. Following his gaze, you suddenly realized that you were subconsciously grinding against his knee. You opened your mouth but closed it after not knowing what to say. God, how desperate were you?

"Didn't know you were so horny y/n." He let his shirt fall and grabbed your waist, moving you back and forth faster on his knee. You jolted and moaned, the feeling of someone else pleasuring you was far better than you expected.

"Mmm.. Oh god.." You clutched onto his shoulders as he swayed you, your shorts doing little to nothing in resistance, which you thanked. You jolted every time you moved, your breathing heavy as you felt nothing which you've felt before. You wanted more.

"Peter.. Do you wanna do it?" You moaned into his ear, still clutching onto his shoulders. He stopped moving you, softly pushing you off his knee and onto your back. Leaning over you, his wide blue eyes stared into yours. Rose dusted his cheeks as his tongue licked his lips.

"I've been waiting since day 1 to do this to you, darling." He leaned down, rubbing his head against your breasts. You bit your lip as your thighs trembled in anticipation. You could see his cock against his pants, trying to escape.

This would be your first time seeing a real cock. In person. Up close. And very, very, personal. He removed his head, touching his fingers against your shirt before pulling it off you. He stopped to admire, watching as your chest rises and falls, remembering the time he had sat there. God, you were so warm.

He moved down, pulling down your shorts. Easy enough, but he stopped at your underwear. Dragging his fingers over your clothed slit, you whined at the consistent pounding of your clit. "Patient love, like I have been.." He growled as he continued pushing into your clit. Due to how wet you were, your underwear soon became drenched at the constant pushing. He soon takes off your underwear, coming over you once more as he leaned down.

With the underwear in his hands, he takes a long lick up the cloth, sapping up all your juices. You watch, mouth agape. That was fucking hot. He smirked at your blinded reaction, too red to move. Throwing the panties on the ground, he pushed your legs up before spreading them apart.

Resting in front of you, it was now time for the grand show. "Are you ready to take me all dear?" He purred, reaching for his zipper.

"Yes! I want your cock inside me, please!" You cry, all the teasing from him was too much for your virgin self. He chuckled as he unzipped his pants, his cock almost protruding from his boxers. You breathed heavily as you stared at his erection. Such a pervert.

He brought down his boxers, pulling them down to his knees. There, his cock stood at full attention. "Is it- uh, always this big?" You gulped, seeing the size. He laughed, bringing a hand to your cheek, swiping his thumb against your skin.

"Only when I see you, darling."

"Will it fit?" You question.

Like an idiot.

"Of course it will. Don't worry, you'll only feel a little bit of pain. If it hurts, I'll take it out, alright?" He promised, giving you an oscar worthy smile. You relaxed a bit, trusting him enough to stick it in you. Just like your doctor.

You breathed out and nodded, confirming you still wanted to do it. He positioned himself over you, his tip touching your entrance. "Just relax, alright?" He leaned down, giving you the first kiss of the evening. Your lips mushed together, you being a bit less experienced but still, it was romantic.

Pulling away left a string of saliva, turning you on even more. He stroked himself over your slit before slowly pushing himself inside. The tip was alright, but past that it started to hurt. You grabbed onto his arms and squeezed, stopping him immediately. He nuzzled into your neck as you breathed, trying to relax.

As soon as you were ready, you nodded against his head. He kissed your shoulder before pushing himself further in. You breathed in and out, trying to relax. "I'm- in." He panted, resisting the urge to destroy you.

"Your so- b..big." You moan, clenching his arms. He chuckled, sweat growing on his forehead.

"Thank you dear, you're the perfect fit for me." He waited until you were alright, slowly pulling out as you gave him a nod. Pushing himself back in, you gasped. Continuing to do so slowly, pain turned into less pain before it turned into pleasure.

"F-faster." You moan into his ear. He complied happily, turning up the heat with his hips. The slapping of skin commenced in the room, panting and moans swirled around the 4 walls as sweat dripped.

His thrusts were hard, pushing himself in and out of your wet hole. His cock shone from your juices as he panted in your ear. Him being inside you excited you, but hearing his groans and pants? You thought you were already close to cumming.

His hands suddenly went to your hips, gripping into your skin as he pounded harder into you. Was he already close? His thrusts suddenly went wild, pounding into you harder and harder. You saw his thighs start to shake before he lets out a long, low groan.

Hot liquid shoots into you, leaving him blinded with pleasure. His hips go into auto as he pumps his seed into you, filling you up before he stops. Pulling out of you, a trail of liquids follows him out. Great, now you'll have to wash your sheets, but to be honest, that was far from your worries.

You hadn't even cum yet! You felt him all up, let him in and you don't even get to cum?? He lays next to you, panting. You watch as his breathing slows from hurried gasps. "Had fun?" You mumble, staring into his eyes.

"Yes, you felt amazing darling." He lifts himself up, before rolling to hover over you. You're trapped under his arms, smiling at what's about to happen. "Don't think I haven't felt your glares at me, I'll get you to cum too, dear~"  He smirks as he leans down, head before your entrence.

Is he gonna..? After he put it in?!

That's hot.

You grin as you felt his hands trailing your thighs before clutching onto them. You start to feel his breath on your clit, waiting in anticipation for what's to come. You squeal as you felt the first lick. His long tongue spreading along your whole slit. It's so wet and warm, mixing with his own cum. He doesn't seem to mind though, lapping it all up along with your juices.

You moan as he gets into it, taking your clit into his mouth as he sucks. Placing a hand on his head, you softly urge him into you further, making him suck harder. Biting your lip, you muffle your moans as he twirls your clit along his tongue.

You buck your hips into his mouth, your breasts bouncing along with your body. You place your other hand onto your tit, rubbing and squeezing your nipple. It seems to boost your arousal, suddenly getting more and more sensitive.

You jolt and tremble under his tongue, squealing as the pleasure overwhelms you. You squeeze your tit hard, pushing his head into you as you buck widely into his mouth. Crying out as you cum, you see white. When that fades, you're left dazed. Your hands move back beside your hips, sprawling out onto the bed as Peter holds his head up from his job well done.

Licking his lips, he smiles as he sees you passed out from pleasure. He cleans you up, putting yours and his own clothes back on before tucking you under the bedsheets. Just as the sun rose, he gets back into his usual position, beside you.

Your dad comes back after a week since the incident. Well, the 'first' one at least. "Y/n! I'm home!" You run downstairs to greet your dad, pulling him into a hug. "Welcome back dad." You smile.

"So, did you like the bear?" He asks as he sets his coat on the rack. You grin, nodding.

"He was great companionship!"

[guardianofrivendell]

A Royal Tease

Thorin x fem!reader

Requested: kind of - this was a favor to a very special person! 

Warnings:  NSFW with an E rating, so please only read if you’re 18+! 

A/N: Wowee... that was a ride! Writing smut is definitely NOT the same as reading it :) Let me know how I did it and if I should write more smut in the future. I still feel like it jumps from here to there sometimes, but the longer I worked on it, the worse it got so I decided to stop editing and throw it on here 🙈

Before you start reading, another friendly reminder that English is NOT my first language, so if some sentences feel forced or the vocabulary feels too simple or not descriptive enough, that’s why! 

Thorin was lying on his back in the sand, eyes closed and panting heavily. 

“Another one!” he growled after a few seconds.  “Are you sure you can take another one? Married life sure is taking a toll on ya!” Dwalin teased, getting in his starting position again. He rolled his muscles and Thorin could hear his bones crack. Dwalin was enjoying this far too much. 

Thorin might be losing his touch, but Mahal be his witness, he would never admit defeat. He couldn’t give Dwalin the satisfaction. So he pushed himself back up while muttering a line of very colourful words, ready to smack that smirk of his best friend’s face.

These late night sparring sessions with Dwalin were a godsend to get rid of the tension and frustration in his body, but that didn’t mean he would let him off the hook so easily. 

Wiping the sweat of his brow with the back of his hand, he walked towards the opposite side of the training field.  His tunic clung to his body, dripping with sweat so Thorin decided to take it off. 

“What in Durin’s name are those?” Dwalin’s voice boomed across the field.

Thorin immediately held his tunic in front of him, as if he had been caught doing something that he shouldn’t. He completely forgot about them. 

“S’none of your business,” he muttered.

“As your personal guard it is my bloody business, Thorin,” Dwalin retorted, making his way towards his King. 

“Who gave ya those bruises?”

Thorin stared at his best friend and felt his cheeks flush. He could see Dwalin’s thoughts take a turn for the worst, blaming himself for his King’s injuries. But he couldn’t tell him the truth, could he?  

“You were not the one who caused them,” Thorin said in a tone that made it clear he wasn’t going to elaborate.

“Then who did?” he pressed on. 

“Leave it, Dwalin.”

But Dwalin was quicker and snatched the shirt out of his hands so the bruises were visible. 

“Thorin…”

Dwalin’s eyes traveled over the King’s bare chest. His pecs, abs and hips were covered in dark purple bruises, each one of them the size of a gold coin. His eyes landed on the waistband of Thorin’s breeches and it looked like the bruises didn’t stop there.

“I’m supposed to protect ya, Thorin. Who mistreated you like this?”

Thorin kept his eyes focused on Dwalin’s, as if he wanted to have a staring match. Dwalin could see the internal battle his King was fighting, before Thorin broke eye contact and turned around to put his tunic back on.

“They’re Y/N’s alright,” he hissed, without looking at him. 

Dwalin stood completely shocked for a few seconds, before he balled his fists and almost bristled in anger.

“Dam or not, she can’t treat ya that way, Thorin,” he said through clenched teeth. 

Thorin placed his hands on Dwalin’s shoulders to calm him down. 

“No, my friend. No, it’s not like that at all… They happened during…” Thorin took a deep breath and lowered his voice in case someone could overhear. “During our lovemaking.”

Dwalin’s eyebrows shot up and his eyes went wide.  But he didn’t back off like Thorin had expected. If any, it peaked his interest. 

“She hurts ya for… Pleasure?”

Dwalin’s nose scrunched up, like the thought of someone hurting their One for pleasure was the most ridiculous thing he ever heard. Which, in his humble opinion, it most certainly was.

“In her world what happens at night is a lot more... interesting, to give it a name. We’ve been missing out, Dwalin. You can trust me on that.”

“But she hurts ya?” he repeated. 

Thorin chuckled. “Believe me, it doesn’t hurt one bit. On the contrary...”

They started walking out of the training halls, their sparring session long forgotten. 

Thorin knew it might not be appropriate to discuss his love life so openly with his friend, but he was almost certain Y/N wouldn’t mind and he felt relieved he could finally talk to someone about it.

“You don’t know half the things she’s capable of, Dwalin… The way her hands feel when she… Mahal!” Thorin groaned at the memories of your late night activities. 

“Easy there, lad,” Dwalin chuckled. “Ya don’t want to ruin those trousers too, aye?”

Thorin shoved him in a playful jest, but the seasoned warrior didn’t even budge.  He shook his head, tutting at the poor attempt of his King. “Pathetic.”

While they were walking towards the Royal wing of the mountain, Thorin told his friend about some of the things he learned the last few weeks. 

Dwarrows were a bit old fashioned in the bedchambers, or ‘rather prude’ as Y/N had called it, and she helped him discover a different side of himself.

By the time Thorin had told Dwalin about the different positions he definitely should try besides the classic one, they’d reached the heavy double doors of Thorin’s chambers and Dwalin’s cheeks had turned a few shades darker. 

Dwalin halted and nodded at the guards posted at each side of the door. 

Thorin opened the door and the right corner of his lips twitched. He was still a bit agitated that he couldn’t beat his friend on the grounds but there was always another way to get the upper hand...

“Oh and Dwalin… They use their mouth too.”

“Well I may hope so, it’s hard to kiss without yer lips,” he said, not understanding what Thorin meant. 

“Not for kissing, Dwalin. Not only for kissing.”

Thorin closed the door, leaving a speechless and heavily flustered Dwalin in the hallway.

*

When he turned around with the intention of entering his chambers and relaxing for the night, someone forcefully pressed his back against the door and pulled his face down in a heated kiss. 

It only took him a fraction of a second to wrap his arms around his wife and happily return the kiss, not wasting any time with deepening it by swiping her bottom lip with his tongue.  He felt her smile against his lips and she broke the kiss. 

“Eager, are we?”

“I do recall it was you who couldn’t resist me, ghivashel, you didn’t even let me come in properly,” Thorin chuckled, keeping his arms tightly wrapped around her while he placed a soft kiss on her forehead. 

In the meantime, her hands started traveling on their own, making their way over his broad shoulders and upper arms, before finally settling on his chest. His tunic was still damp from his earlier activities and left nothing to the imagination. Not that she needed to imagine it, she knew exactly what he was hiding underneath. What was hers…

Y/N smiled. “I can’t greet my husband after a day’s hard work?”

She reached up and caught his lips in another kiss. Thorin hummed softly.

“Aye,” he said, his hands lingering on her back, but he couldn’t resist slowly lowering them towards the delicious curve of her buttocks. He gave them a firm squeeze and pulled her flush against his body. 

Y/N could feel someone else greeting her.  “Well hello to you both,” she smirked. 

Even though she knew Thorin was that kind of dwarf who gets easily aroused - which was incredibly fun during meetings and official visits - he still caught her off guard with how fast his soldier could report for duty. 

“We’re at your service, little one,” he said, lowering his voice. 

Licking her lips in anticipation, Y/N grabbed the hem of his tunic and lifted it upwards.  Thorin raised his arms and helped her get the tunic off his body, carelessly tossing it aside. His breathing growing heavy already with the adrenaline still in his body from the earlier workout. 

His trousers and undergarments were next, she tugged at the laces and let the fabric pool around his ankles. 

She took a few steps back and took the time to admire the view before her.  His silver and black hair screaming at her to get her hands in, so she could tug it just the way he liked it. The dark hair dusted across his broad chest, trailing down towards his V line and circling around his member. The bruises her lips left the night before stood out on his skin, proof of her claim on him.  Thorin was absolutely stunning. A work of art.

“Like what you see?” he hummed, his voice still a deep rumble, hitting her right in her core. Mahal, bless that voice! 

“Always,” she whispered.

When she turned around and started walking away from him, Thorin grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. 

“You’re not going to leave me like this, are you,” he growled. 

He knew she was capable of it, she’d done it before. There was nothing his wife liked more than teasing him and leaving him hanging for a while. According to her it was fun, she liked getting him all riled up, but for Thorin it was absolute torture. He wasn’t used to not getting things when he wanted them. 

“Easy tiger, I was just going to draw you a bath.”

*

Thorin sighed deeply when he reclined in the tub, the warm water soothing his aching muscles. 

“Feels good?” Y/N smiled, getting a washcloth ready. 

He nodded and hummed softly, closing his eyes. His nose filled with the scent of the burning wood from the fire and lavender from the bathwater, and combined with the warm temperature of the water it made him finally relax.

She sat down behind the bathtub and took the bottle of oil for his hair. Y/N brought the opened bottle close to her face, smelling the herbal fragrance. She inhaled it deeply, loving the smell because it reminded her of Thorin. Her husband. Her King. 

“I’ll start with your hair.”

She poured a little oil on her hands and rubbed them together to spread it evenly.  Her fingers purposefully moved around his scalp, working in small circular motions. He moaned when she added just the right amount of pressure to massage the oil in his hair and again when she started delivering gentle strokes around his ears and neck.  With a cup she poured hot water over his hair to rinse it. Thorin kept his eyes closed when she was finished, his body completely relaxed and at peace.

Seeing how he turned into mush under her skilled hands, made washing Thorin’s hair something Y/N loved to do. It was not her favorite part… no, that part came up next. 

She leaned over and pressed a kiss below his ear, and took the washcloth from the side of the tub. Carefully pouring some oil on it, she kneaded the cloth until it was properly soaked, before she let it glide over his chest. 

A smile played around her lips when Thorin groaned as soon as she started massaging his muscles with the cloth, washing away the tension in them. 

Her hands let the washcloth glide over the muscles in his arms, shoulders and legs, adding enough pressure to work the knots out, leaving no skin untouched.

Except the part where he needed her touch the most. 

Every time she came close, Thorin bit his lip in anticipation but she always changed direction or directed her attention elsewhere. He grew more and more desperate, she noticed. So far so good.  

“What were you and Dwalin talking about?” she asked, curious about the subject of their conversation.  

Thorin opened his eyes, but couldn’t meet hers. 

“Ah… yes. Well, I may have taken off my tunic during our sparring session tonight.”

Oh. So Dwalin got curious, she thought.  She abandoned the washcloth, letting it float around the water.

“I bet he had some questions about these?”

Her finger started trailing the contours of the bruises. First in a faster circular motion, but as she got closer to his hips she slowed her pace down and adjusted the pressure to nothing more than a feather-light touch. 

Thorin closed his eyes again and let his head fall back against the sloping side of the tub. His breath came quicker and when her eyes wandered down his stomach, she was pleased to notice his member was back at full attention again. When she let her finger linger near the tip, she could hear him hold his breath in anticipation. 

“What did you tell him?”

But Thorin didn’t give her an answer, too focused on her movements and ministrations. She was so close, just a little more to the left...

But instead of doing what he wanted her to do - and she knew he was desperate for it, her teasing and lingering touches had made him wild with desire - she changed direction again and traced the inside of his thigh and pelvic bone, purposefully ignoring his hard on. 

“Tease!” he groaned, clutching the edge of the tub in frustration. 

Y/N raised an eyebrow in question. “A tease? Me?”

She stood up, clutching her chest like she was actually shocked by his accusation.

“I would never,” she smirked, and Thorin loved the way her eyes twinkled with mischief. “You’re the one who doesn’t want to tell me what you told Dwalin.”

“I merely gave him some advice based on our experiences, ghivashel. I believe master Dwalin will keep his flushed cheeks for the remainder of the week. Serves him right.”

Satisfied with his answer, she turned to grab a towel, dropping it on a nearby chair for him to use later. 

“I’ll leave you to it then.” 

Her eyes lingered on his pulsing cock for a few seconds before she winked at him. “Don’t enjoy yourself too much.”

Before she could leave him, he called out to her.

“The least you can do is give me another kiss.”

Y/N smiled and leaned down to peck his nose. 

“No, a kiss worthy of a king,” he groaned. 

But when she leaned further down to press her lips on his, she missed how his eyes held the same twinkle hers did a few moments ago…

Before she knew it, Thorin had grabbed her by the waist and pulled her on top of him. Their movements made the water splash everywhere and Y/N shrieked when her dress got soaked with the bathwater. 

“Oakenshield,” she growled, pushing her off his chest with her hands and settling in his lap.

She enjoyed the lustful clouding of his eyes when she moved just the slightest, giving him the friction he longed for. 

“Always trying to get what you want,” she reprimanded him. 

“Can you blame me?”

His hands drifted admiringly over her body, following the curves of her bossom and hips. 

“Yes!”

He was taking over control and she had to stop it before she gave in. With some difficulty she managed to climb out of the tub and wrung the water out of the dress of her skirt, turning the bathroom floor in a small pond.  Seeing as Thorin made no move to get out of his bath or apologize, Y/N decided to take the teasing to a higher level. 

Keeping her back to her husband, she slowly unhooked the fastings of her dress and let it drop to the floor with a slap.  She heard the sharp intake of Thorin’s breath and the slosh of the water when he sat up. 

Oh, that’s right… Did she forget to mention she wasn’t wearing anything underneath? Oops…

He wasted no time in getting out of the bath, not even bothering to take a towel to dry himself. The only thing on his mind was to get to his wife as fast as possible. 

She whimpered when their bodies clashed together, the evidence of his arousal poking between her butt cheeks. His lips attacked her neck, and she was almost certain the firm grip of his fingers on her waist would leave bruises the next day. Not that she minded.   

He guided them into their bedroom, and when the back of her knees touched the bed frame, her mind cleared and she tutted at him. 

“Since when are you in charge, yâsûn?”

He cupped her breasts, softly kneading them and letting his thumbs flick over her nipples. He lowered his head to take one in his mouth, not stopping his caresses on the other one. 

Y/N sighed and let her head fall on her shoulder, her hand finding its way in his hair. His damned mouth...

“I don’t hear you complain,” he smirked.

She certainly didn’t complain when he slid one of his thick, calloused fingers between her folds, and Thorin moaned when he felt how slick she already was. 

“You’ve been enjoying your teasing,” he accused her. “All this for me?”

She grabbed his length and he hissed at the sudden contact. She stroked a few times to spread the precum, and when her thumb flicked the head it took all his strength not to come all over her hand right that minute. 

“I couldn’t stay behind with all this for me...” she smirked. 

With a growl he connected their lips again. His wife knew exactly which buttons to press and    he both loved and hated it. Without breaking the kiss, he grabbed her thighs and squeezed them, urging her to jump up. Y/N did as asked - which surprised Thorin - and locked her ankles behind his back to keep her balance. 

Not bothering to clear the furs from the bed, he laid her down on top of them, her hair sprawled out on the pillows. 

She bit her lip when she noticed how his eyes had darkened even further, Thorin looked like he could devour her any minute. She didn’t realise how close to the truth she was. Maybe he needed another round of teasing...

Before she could follow through with her plan, Thorin took the lead.

He flipped her on her stomach, grabbed her by the waist and pulled her onto him, all in one fluent move. It was a position they only did once before but he had already claimed it as his favorite. 

Knowing what he wanted, she placed her knees on either side of his hips and let her back rest against his front. The hairs on his chest rubbed deliciously against her soft skin and she had a hard time staying still. The muscles in his thighs and stomach were rock hard, just like her toy in between.  Y/N’s hand went up his hair and tugged it harshly when her clit came in contact with his cock.

“Are you ready for me, little one?”

His voice got even lower if that was possible, the words wrapping around her like a silky smooth blanket. If he kept talking like that, it would be over for her before they even began. 

“Thorin, please,” she begged.

“I thought you liked teasing?” he chuckled. 

She grabbed his member, guiding it to her entrance and lowered herself down in an attempt to shut him up, a desperate moan falling from her lips when their hips connected. Thorin tightened his grip on her. She felt absolutely divine. 

“Only when I’m the one doing it,” she gasped, enjoying the feeling of being stretched out. 

One of his arms slid around her stomach and settled between her legs, circling her clit with his thumb when he began to thrust upwards. 

They soon found a steady rhythm, and Y/N could feel her orgasm building quickly. 

No, too soon, she thought and she slowed down the pace, slapping his hand away from her clit.

She leaned forward, keeping her body up with her hands on the furs. The new angle made her feel every inch of him and a loud moan escaped her throat. 

This is what she had been craving the entire day. 

She raised her hips until only his tip was inside of her and then lowered herself down, agonizingly slow. 

“You’re such a good girl for me. Mahal, keep going, do not stop!”

She loved it when he got vocal, and with each curse and praise he murmured, she felt herself getting closer to her release. 

Thorin noticed her change in breathing and pitch of her moans and sped up the pace. 

This was all feeling too good and with the help of his encouragements she came undone, clutching the furs until her knuckles turned white.

He cursed heavily when she clamped down on him, but did his best to help her ride out her high. He kissed her neck and stilled his movements to give her a break, only resuming them when she nodded that she was okay. 

As he began to thrust even harder and faster, Thorin gathered her hair in one hand to keep her in place, his other hand firmly on her waist while he chased his own release. His moans became increasingly louder, less controlled with each thrust and a curse escaped his lips.

“You feel too good, ghivashel, m’not going to last,” he hissed through clenched teeth. 

He came with a shout and a cutoff curse but kept thrusting in and out of her until he felt himself soften. When he finally pulled out, he covered her back in kisses.

Y/N laid down on the bed and opened her arms for him to cuddle. Both their bodies were covered in a thin layer of sweat, and it took them a while to catch their breath. 

These were the moments when she felt the safest. In his arms, in the after bliss of their lovemaking, listening to the soft and even breathing of her husband. She kissed his head and trailed the muscles of his upper back with her finger, earning her a content sigh from Thorin. 

A chuckle escaped her throat and he looked up at her questioningly.

“Now you have something new to tell Dwalin,” she said with a wink. 

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[f1nalboys]

i’m glad you have suck lovely followers/anons that make you happy!i feel that all writers/creators of art need to know what that we care about them even more than the work and they matter! i was going to request some plain old headcanons about dating (maybe with someone who got off the plane too with, like a mutual friend that he always thought was cute of something?) or nsfw? whatever sounds the most fun to write too you! and don’t stress about getting this done asap, you have a life too! hope you enjoy writing whether one of these you choose! (also my anon specialty is writing incorrect quotes for pieces i request, so keep an eye out for those whenever you finish!)❤️❤️

GOSH ALEX ANON I AM SO SORRY IT'S TAKEN ME THIS LONG :( I recently rewatched FD and fell back in love with alex <3 I forgot how much I loved him and Ian from FD3 omg. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this and I really hope you love it :)

WORD COUNT: 827

WARNINGS: nsfw under the cut, gn reader

Ah, Alex my beloved

Not even gonna lie, I rewatched the movie because of this request and I forgot how much I loved it

Anyways, onto some headcanons!

This is going to be a weird non-canon type thing? Like the plane accident happened, he saw and the people who left the plane did, but there’s no ‘death is coming for us’ aftermath

Okay lets go

I can see Alex getting crushes super easily

Like he could see someone and go ‘okay I’m going to end up with them.’

But talking to said crush is a different story

He is kinda shy, especially if Todd isn’t with him, so I don’t seen him automatically going up to someone he finds attractive and talking with them

Now, if you come up to him??? You’ve caught him off guard and now he’s stuttering

“Oh! Hey, hi, what's up? How're you? I’m good, you? I already asked that, didn't I.”

That type of shit

Very cute in my opinion because he’d get all bright red and be rubbing the back of his neck because he’s just so damn nervous

The longer the conversation, the more relaxed he’d get and eventually he’d ask you on a date

He seems to be the type to want a more,,,, traditional first date? If that makes sense? Like he wants to do a dinner and a movie, maybe take a walk in the park and end the night by giving you a goodnight kiss on your cheek

After that he is hooked and he’s not leaving you alone (well, as long as you don’t tell him to fuck off)

Every time he talks about you, whether you’re around him or not, he gets this big goofy smile on his face

He gets made of SO much but he doesn’t care

His love language is definitely words of affirmations and physical touch

Constant compliments, says ‘i love you’ pretty early on and then everyday after, talks to you about his day and wants you to tell him about yours, and he really listens to you

Like, hangs on to your every word kind of listens

And god does he touch you! Always holds your hand, rests his head on your shoulder, wraps his arms around your waist from behind, plays with your hair.

When he’s touching you he’s definitely more relaxed and able to focus more than if he wasn’t able to

Now your first time with him??? Very important to him

He builds the night up in his head a lot and will plan it out to the letter so he may freak out if something happens that he didn’t plan for

He’d have candles lit, relaxing music playing in the background, that kind of stuff

GOD HE IS SO ROMANTIC DURING IT TOO

Now, the first time is probably not going to be the best for you LMAO he’s a virgin and it’ll be his first time. His only experience with sex is porn mags and talking with Carter which… I won’t even get into it lol

But if you talk him through it, he’s a fast learner, just saying

He’ll lay you on your back and kiss you, real soft too, and his hands gonna trail down your chest to your jeans

And his forehead is gonna rest just above yours so he can watch your face when his hand slips in your underwear

“Does that feel good, baby?”

“God, you sound amazing,”

Very into praise, I don’t see him wanting to degrade anyone but maybe the longer you two are together the more willing he’d be to try it

He’s cumming early idc, the minute your mouth is on his cock he’s goneeeeee

Get’s all embarrassed and is literally close to tears because shit thats the worst thing he could do

But just tell him it’s okay and keep going, maybe have him go down on you, and he’ll be ready to go in just a bit

Sex with Alex is very intimate and sensual, lots of kisses and praises and pet names

It’s also kind of awkward the first few times but like,,, a loving and cute awkward

That honeymoon phase lasts a very long time

His affinity for touching you gets more perverted the longer you’re together because he can’t help himself

Won’t do anything TOO out there, won't go down on you or shove his tongue down your throat in public but he’ll absolutely grab your ass and whisper filthy shit in your ear

Speaking of, this man lovessss dirty talk especially if you’re giving it to him

Tell him about how you can’t wait to choke around him, how you love when he fucks you because he fills you just right and you’ll have him hooked even more than you thought would be possible

Basically he is the perfect person to date idc <3333333

Y’all don’t even know what I’d do to kiss him gently in the rain :,(

[helloalycia]

The Wrong Lifetime – Six // Wanda Maximoff

chapter five | story masterlist | main masterlist | wattpad | chapter seven

author’s note: i’m glad you all seemed to like the last chapter! i’m all for slow burn but i didn’t want to leave you hanging too long aha. Now onto dating territory!

Since going to Blackpool with Wanda, we hadn't actually gotten another moment to ourselves. Wedding plans were picking up which kept her busy, and if not that, then I'd only see her in passing in which we'd exchange smiles before moving on.

So, I though it would be good to take her out on a date. A proper one, even if it was to be disguised as a simple outing between soon-to-be sister-in-laws. The plan was to 'bump' into her in town, which we did, then I asked her if she wanted to go to the art gallery. She'd been before, but they'd put in a new exhibition which I thought she might like.

We couldn't exactly hold hands when there, but I made the most of her presence and stood a little too close to her than a friend might. Since she'd kissed me at the beach, I wasn't able to think about anything else. And when shot me a knowing smile, I knew she felt the same.

"I like this one," I told her, pointing to a piece hung on the wall, before squinting to read the plaque. "Jedburgh Abbey from the River by Thomas Girtin."

"And why's that?" she asked, watching me with humoured eyes.

I pursed my lips, glancing between her and the painting sheepishly. "I'm not gonna lie, I just like the way the guy painted the clouds in the sky."

She stifled laughter, not wanting to draw attention from passers-by, and nudged me in the shoulder. "You're unbelievable, milaya (darling). We didn't have to come here if you don't like art."

I gave her a knowing look. "Hey, I love art. Especially when it's by a certain Sokovian artist named Wanda Maximoff."

Rolling her eyes, she shook her head. I grinned at her bashfulness, wanting to tease her but also very true with my words. Her work was my favourite, biased or not, and I still had that amazing portrait she'd done of me in my room back home. It was tucked into one of my drawers where nobody would find it. I didn't want anyone else to look at it since she'd done it for me and it was private... it was a beautiful reminder of the amazing day we'd had.

"You're poking fun, but in all seriousness, I'd actually love for my work to be up here someday," she said softly, looking at the painting before us with hopeful eyes. 

"They wish they were that lucky to score someone as talented as you," I said without skipping a beat.

She cracked a smile, tilting her head in my direction. It was obvious she was losing her patience with me, but I enjoyed watching her lose it. She didn't know what to say, especially when being complimented, and it was endearing to witness.

We remained civil for the remainder of the 'date', refraining from holding hands or gazing at each other longer than friends would, and I was pretty proud of myself for not thinking about kissing her once when we were done.

As we got into the carriage to go back home, the door closed and I was going to ask her how she found it when she moved towards me in an instant, kissing me without question. I raised my hand, caressing her jaw and closing my eyes as she leaned forward, practically on my lap, not that I cared. She sucked on my bottom lip sensually before she opened her mouth, pushing her tongue into mine. I almost forgot how to breathe as she did, unprepared for such an intense kiss.

"I've been wanting to do that all day," she revealed when she pulled away.

I flushed at the contact, a dazed smile on my lips. "Huh."

She chuckled as she sat back beside me more 'appropriately'. "Thanks for taking me. I loved it."

I nodded lamely, still trying to recover from our kiss. "I'm– I'm glad."

She smirked playfully, leaning forward to press a gentle kiss to my lips before sitting back. "You're so cute."

My words still hadn't returned, so all I could do was nod before looking the other way. Her laughter filled the carriage and I wondered how I'd gotten so lucky to be in the presence of someone so perfect.

After exchanging some more kisses and actually being able to hold hands without prying eyes, we reached Wanda's home and she invited me in for some tea. Sadly, that meant we had to let go of one another, but I think she'd given me enough to remember her by as we parted, and she must have thought the same, judging from the smirk she sent my way.

We sat on the patio outside to have some tea and biscuits, enjoying the sunshine and blue skies, a rare occurrence for England. We were chatting mindlessly when her brother decided to make an appearance, helping himself to a seat between Wanda and I.

"How lovely of you to grace us with your presence, Miss Y/L/N," he said playfully, shooting me a charming smile, before reaching to grab a biscuit. Wanda slapped his hand but he stole one anyway, making her roll her eyes.

"Nice to see you, Pietro," I greeted with amusement, always enjoying his presence.

"And you," he returned, before chowing down his biscuit.

Wanda gave me a fed up look over his shoulder which he was oblivious to, and I tried not to laugh as she clearly wasn't a fan of him interrupting our time.

"So, I caught a glimpse of the wedding invitations," Pietro said, making conversation. He glanced between us with a nod of approval. "They're coming along well."

I hummed in agreement, smile becoming less real when he mentioned the wedding. Wanda didn't acknowledge his words as she fiddled with the handle of her teacup.

"Is your brother behaving, Y/N?" Pietro continued jokingly, looking to me. "I know how many admirers he has, but my sister should be his first priority."

"Oh, Piet...," Wanda breathed out with embarrassment, facepalming.

"Of course he is," I assured her brother with a small smile. "He wouldn't dare try hurting Wanda or he'd have a lot of explaining to do."

There was some playfulness in my voice, but an underlying truth to my words.

"It's sweet how close you've gotten," Pietro noticed, looking between us, before settling his gaze on me. "It's about time Wanda made friends with people who aren't me."

Cue another slap. I chuckled at her sheepish expression, amused by Pietro's antics.

"Anyway," he changed the subject for his sister's sake, "mother has been getting on my very nerve about finding a bride because you decided to get married."

Wanda rolled her eyes. "We both know I didn't decide, Piet."

He sighed over-dramatically. "Well, it's because of your engagement that she's now on my back about it."

"Join the club," I joked, knowing exactly what he meant. "My mum was already on my back about finding a husband, but since this engagement, it's ten times more annoying."

Pietro laughed. "Oh, no. Has she lined up suitors? My parents like to point out every pretty woman they see to me in hopes I'll make a move. It's hardly productive."

"I haven't asked her for fear she'll pull out a folder with all of the eligible bachelors in town," I said, half joking and half serious.

Pietro snickered as Wanda rolled her eyes in the background. She should have been happy I was getting along with her brother. He was actually quite entertaining to be around.

"It's funny you say that because you're one of the women my parents pointed out," he admitted.

"Oh, God, so they're saying the same thing to you?" I asked with a groan, and he nodded regretfully. "Isn't it just the worst?"

"You're a lovely girl, Y/N, don't get me wrong," he began gently, "but I don't like you like that."

I raised my hand for a high five. "Me and you both."

Laughing once again, he returned my high five and I was glad we were on the same page. The amount of people that had been hinting at getting to know Wanda Maximoff's very single brother was getting pretty annoying. It was nice to know he was just as irritated at the insinuation as I was.

"Okay, I should leave you both to it," Pietro concluded, slapping his knees and standing up. Looking to me, he said, "Miss Y/L/N, it was as lovely as ever to make your acquaintance."

I smiled as he winked playfully before looking to his disgruntled sister.

"Dear sister, the pleasure is always mine," he continued to tease, and she slapped him once more, making him dodge her and begin to leave. "Love you, too!" he called before heading back inside.

I laughed at his silliness and relaxed in my seat, looking back to Wanda. She didn't seem half as amused as I was as she drummed her fingers on the table and chewed on the inside of her cheek.

"I may be mistaken, love, but it looks like you're jealous," I poked fun at her.

She rolled her eyes and her jaw tensed before she finally looked to me, expression softening. "Can you blame me?" she asked quietly. "You're both single. You're both similar age. Everybody talks."

I shrugged nonchalantly, having a sip of my tea. "True... but I've got my eye on another Maximoff anyway."

She sighed, small smile creeping on her lips. Subtly moving my chair closer to hers, I grabbed her hand under the table and squeezed. My thumb stroked her hand softly as I leaned on the palm of my hand on the table.

"You look really beautiful today," I admitted in a hushed voice. "I should have told you earlier."

She, too, leaned into the palm of her hand as she watched me with an enchanting gaze. "So do you, milaya (darling)."

Unable to resist, I glanced around quickly before kissing her cheek and pulling away. Letting go of her hand, I busied myself with the tea and biscuits again.

"Biscuit?" I offered her, and she began to laugh at my attempt at acting casual.

Playing along, she accepted the biscuit from my hand. But a knowing smile was on her lips as she nodded. "Thank you."

—

Being with Wanda was a luxury in itself, even if we had to keep it private.

To everybody else, we were merely two women about to become family who happened to create a bond that was close. But we both knew what it really was and weren't eager to say it. Because saying it made it true and that meant that what we were doing became realer than it was in our daydreams and hidden moments.

I did find myself wracked with guilt sometimes – particularly the times when Y/B/N would gush about how excited he was to marry her. Wanda was technically cheating on him with me, his sister, but that fact was something that was still blurry to me.

We had no choice but to lie and be secretive. In a world like this, where we would never be able to be together like we wanted to, all we had was secrecy and deception. Did that still make us bad people?

I tried not to think about what would happen when she actually married my brother. The future was something I was adamant on pushing to the back of my mind because I knew what it would hold and I just wanted to enjoy the time I had with her. Convincing myself that what we had wasn't serious, just a heat of the moment relationship maybe, made things easier to accept. But really, I knew that whenever she looked my way with her signature smile and dazzling eyes, it was way more than I envisioned. She was way more.

So, trying not to be dragged down with the weight of reality, I vowed to myself to only focus on the now. Focus on the moments I shared with her whilst we could. Anything beyond that and I'd surely snap.

"Medovyy (honey), the Y/L/Ns are here!" Iryna called behind her, before looking to my family and I as we stood at her front door. "Please, all of you, come in!"

She ushered us into the main hall before closing the door after us. Perfectly timed, the rest of her family left the living room and came to greet us.

Automatically, my eyes found Wanda's and she was already looking my way, her dimple making a show as she attempted to reign in an excited smile. I did the same, trying to ignore the way my heart stirred upon seeing her.

Oleg and Iryna welcomed my parents and then me, kind expressions accompanying genuine greetings. In the corner of my eye, I saw Pietro shaking Y/B/N's hand before Wanda took his place, accepting a kiss on the cheek from Y/B/N. It wasn't jealousy that I felt whenever they were together, at least not entirely – they were to be married, what more could I expect? – but it wasn't anything pleasant either.

"Ah, my favourite Y/L/N," Pietro beamed upon shaking my hand, making my lips twitch upwards. "You excited for dinner? We're having salmon."

"Ecstatic, Pietro," I answered with a playful eye roll. "All I've been thinking all day."

He chuckled at my sarcasm before letting go of my hand and moving over to greet my parents. Wanda was next, her shoulders relaxing when she stepped before me with a soft smile present on her lips.

"It's good to see you," she said, but her eyes said much more than that. "How have you been?"

Exchanging a friendly-looking hug, my body was warm where she pressed against me. Touching her always sent a rush of emotion through me and I looked forward to it every time.

"I've been good," I answered aloud, before whispering into her ear, "Better now."

She squeezed my waist inconspicuously in response before letting go. "That's good. You know, we've got time before dinner and I wanted to show you the painting I've been working on lately. Wanna see?"

I glanced at my parents and hers for permission, knowing they'd heard her question.

"Just try not to take too long since dinner will be on the table soon," Iryna said with a nod. "It's so good to see you girls getting along."

Breathing out slightly, I smiled gratefully before letting Wanda intertwine our fingers and drag me up the staircase. She led me past several doors before we finally reached hers and she tugged me inside.

As soon as the door closed, she was quick to connect our lips in a heated, desperate kiss. I relaxed against her instantly, my hands falling to her side and pulling her closer. Her fingernails gently scratched the sensitive skin behind my neck, giving me goosebumps, and I let out an involuntary gasp at the feeling.

When we pulled away for a breath, her nose brushed against mine and she pressed a final kiss to my lips, slower and more tasteful compared to the first, before smiling at me.

"I missed you," she said, as if reading my mind.

A breathy laugh escaped my lips. "It's only been a week since we last saw each other, love."

She shrugged, arms laced around my neck. "A week too long."

Raising a brow judgementally, I gave her a knowing look. She wasn't embarrassed in the slightest as her half-lidded eyes met mine with a confident smirk.

"Did you just pull me up here to have a quick snog?" I teased her.

"Well, yes," she said, making me laugh again, before adding, "And I wanted to ask you if you'll go to the park with me tomorrow. A picnic. If you want."

She bit her lip anxiously, eyes darting elsewhere as she waited for an answer. I always found it amusing how she could be so confident one second and then so innocently adorable the next.

"Wanda, I'd love to." My thumb rubbed circles on her waist as I kept ahold of her. "I hear it's supposed to be nice weather tomorrow, too."

She pursed her lips. "Even if it rained, I'd still drag you to the park with me."

"Somehow, I feel like that's true," I countered with a ghost of a smile on my lips. She tried to hide her own smile and I continued, "Was there an actual painting you wanted to show me or...?"

Breathing out with amusement, she intertwined our fingers and pulled me to the back of her room where her 'studio' was. Since the last time I'd visited, there were plenty of new additions to her work, all as wonderful as the next.

"This one is from the beach at Blackpool," she said, stopping before a medium-sized canvas depicting the horizon. "When we sat on the bench. Just before I kissed you."

My heart fluttered at the memory and I studied the canvas, recalling it looked similar to her watercolour painting of the same view. She'd done a spectacular replica in oil paints, reminiscent of the trip we took.

"You should already know what I'm going to say," I said, looking to her knowingly. "But just so you can hear it again, I absolutely love this. You're so talented."

She rolled her eyes to distract from the pink spreading across her cheeks. "Thank you... and again, thank you for taking me. Seeing an actual water source upfront really helped me refine my paintings. It feels so much more real now."

I looked back to the painting, noticing what she meant. Either way, I loved both versions of her work, before and after going to the beach.

"You did good, love."

She squeezed my hand gently before sighing quietly with realisation. "We should probably go back down."

"We should," I agreed, glancing at her. "Thanks for showing me these."

She cracked a smile, teeth nibbling on her bottom lip. "Always."

Reluctantly, the two of us returned downstairs and joined the others as they were settling at the dining table. Wanda and I sat side by side, and this time when her fingers brushed mine, I made no move to pull away.

The meal was good, but as usual, I found myself zoning out. The conversation made its rounds, falling to me as the Maximoffs wanted to know how I was doing, then moved on, giving me chance to focus on eating my dinner and getting through the evening. I knew that at one point, everybody was talking about some play that was showing in the theatres.

Bits of the conversation were going in one ear and out the other and I was minding my own business until Wanda's bare foot rubbed against my leg under the table. The sensation of her skin against mine made my knee bounce up and hit the table with surprise, earning everyone's attention.

"Are you okay, dear?" Oleg asked, noticing my discomfort.

I cleared my throat, straightening up and ignoring the stifled smile Wanda had in my peripheral vision.

"I'm good, sorry about that," I apologised awkwardly, shivering when she dragged her foot back down my leg. "You were talking about the play, right?"

That seemed to distract them, as they leapt right back into conversation, giving me a chance to breathe out with relief. I looked to Wanda, watching her lean on her palm and hide a smirk as she stared at me with mischievous eyes.

Glaring and nudging her in the arm subtly, I looked back to my food, but she didn't move her foot, nor her hand. Both brushed my against me, starting a fire on my skin and making me swallow hard. She kept like that for the whole evening, making my head dizzy and leaving me at a loss for words.

And when I looked her way, she was already staring, definitely knowing the effect she had on me.

—

"I just need to find my shoes and we can go," I told Wanda the next morning, before our date at the park.

She'd come to pick me up at my house and was hanging around my room as I finished getting ready. From her place at my desk, she hummed in acknowledgment before distracting herself with my notebooks.

"I see you're making great use of the notebook I picked out for you," she commented, and I glanced towards her mid-search for my shoes, seeing she was flicking through the already-filled book.

"I have a lot of ideas, what can I say?" I joked, before looking under the pile of clothes near my wardrobe.

She chuckled, before falling quiet again. I wasn't really paying attention to what she was doing until she spoke up after a few minutes.

"Y/N, your writing is beautiful," she said, making me look her way to see an amazed smile on her lips. "I didn't know you could write like this. I mean– I should have because you helped write that letter Y/B/N gave to me, but this..."

I shrugged awkwardly, distracting myself with my search again. "It's okay, I guess."

She exhaled mockingly. "Okay? Y/N, this is miles better than okay. Why didn't you show me this sooner?"

I smiled satisfactorily as I finally located my shoes. Grabbing them, I approached Wanda and took a seat on the edge of my bed, opposite her seat at my desk.

"Because it'll never be anything more than what you're looking at?" I said rhetorically. "It'll only ever be words confined to pages that nobody will see?"

She gave me a knowing look. "I think you forget that my brother is a publisher, dorogoy (dear)."

"And I think you forget that he is the publisher to my brother, dear," I retorted playfully.

She sighed, shaking her head and putting the notebook back on my desk. "You know Pietro would love this, right? He'd sign you in a heartbeat."

I snickered at the ludicrous thought. "Wanda, you're a little biased, love."

She rolled her eyes. "Writers write for audiences. I am an audience. I consume literature. And I'm telling you that it's not just me who would read what you have to write."

I tried not to laugh as I pulled my shoes onto my feet.

"Are you really telling me that you'd never want to get published?" she asked with a raised brow.

My heart ached at the thought of such a fantasy. "Of course I would, Wanda." I met her eyes, which were already peering across from me patiently. "I've dreamed of that. But it's just not what's to happen. My family have told me that many times. In another lifetime, maybe."

She pursed her lips, studying me thoughtfully. I offered her a smile and stood up, holding out my hand.

"Forget that," I told her. "I believe you promised me a picnic."

Thankfully, she dropped the subject and accepted my hand, letting me pull her up. The topic wasn't brought up again and I wouldn't have had it any other way.

We went to the park like she wanted and she brought a picnic basket with her, having packed a lovely variety of finger foods and snacks.

As she was unpacking the food onto the blanket, I narrowed my eyes at her. "You know, now that we're finally alone, I can say how unfair it was of you to do what you did last night."

She played dumb, shrugging, focusing on neatening up the sandwiches on a plate. "I don't know what you mean, milaya (darling)."

"Huh. Sure you don't."

Giggles flew from her lips as she glanced at me through her eyelashes. "I'm sorry, I couldn't help it. I just love seeing you squirm. You get all tense and it's so cute."

I pursed my lips. "I figured. You've been watching me squirm since we met."

She grinned knowingly before straightening up. "Okay, I made sandwiches and there's also some coleslaw, fruit, cheese... I made some Sokovian dishes, too, if you want to try them. Okroshka – it's like a cold soup. Then there's this olivye salad. It's... well, salad."

I smiled at the thought she put into it all and grabbed her hand between us. We'd set the picnic out behind a tree so we wouldn't have curious eyes watching us. It didn't look like we were overtly hiding, but we still got our privacy, too.

"It all looks great, Wanda," I said with appreciation. "I can't wait to try it."

She squeezed my hand in response before letting go to grab some paper plates. After popping a strawberry in her mouth, she asked, "Do you just want a bit of everything?"

I leaned on the back of my hands as I hummed a 'yes'. She began to put me some food in and I watched her, admiring the sight.

Her hair was half-pulled back today, falling in waves down her back and exposing her perfectly sculpted jawline. Everything about her was perfect – the way she moved was elegant and graceful, even when her hair fell over her shoulder and in her way; she simply moved it back with a flick of her hand and resumed what she was doing. The sun caught her immaculately, her hair glowing bright under the light and her eyes magnificently green as they focused.

As always, she took my breath away.

"Here," she said, holding out the plate towards me and pulling me from my reverie.

I accepted the plate and fork, returning her smile, before she watching as she began to make another plate for herself.

"You sure this is fancy enough for you?" I asked jokingly, stabbing my fork into a carrot. "I heard you and my brother went to a very luxurious restaurant the other night."

She met my eyes, holding amusement in her own. "Jealousy doesn't look good on you, milaya (darling)."

I kissed my teeth and rolled my eyes. "I'm not jealous, I just– it's so annoying listening to him talk about how beautiful you are or how funny you are or how kind you are."

"Oh, so you don't think I'm any of those things?" she teased, trying to get a rise out of me.

I titled my head towards her. "Of course I know you're all those things. But it doesn't mean I like hearing him talk about it constantly..."

Clearly amused, she erupted into laughter and I felt my face heating up with embarrassment. I know it sounded like I was whining, but it was true. Sometimes, I wasn't envious of my brother but rather at the fact that he could actually take Wanda out properly. He could be seen with her in public and hold her hand without fear of getting looks or disowned. He had the privilege of being with her and it wasn't fair.

"You may hear him talk about it, but there's one thing I can assure you that you get that he doesn't," she said when recovering from her laughter.

I stared at her with an exasperated sigh. "And what's that?"

She smiled confidently, glancing around quickly, before leaning forward and kissing me softly. As quickly as it came, it disappeared, leaving me desiring more.

Licking my lips, I couldn't tear my eyes from hers. "You know, you're a really good kisser."

She chuckled at my reaction and I found myself leaning in again, entranced by the way she tasted. Putting my plate to the side, I raised a hand to pull her closer, getting better access to her mouth.

She tasted sweet like the strawberry she'd just eaten and I swiped my tongue across her lip, indicating I wanted her to part her them. She did, allowing me to slip my tongue in and wrestle with hers, revelling in the way she tasted. My heart was thumping loudly in my chest as she let out a moan, it reverberating in my mouth and giving me goosebumps.

When lack of oxygen became an issue, she pulled away breathlessly, flushed cheeks adorned with a smile.

"As lovely as that was, I actually want to eat what I made," she ridiculed playfully.

"Yes, we will," I assured her, my hand moving from her neck up to her jaw. My thumb touched her lips, outlining them tenderly, subconsciously committing them to memory. "We'll get back to it."

She wanted to laugh, but I moved forward and caught her bottom lip between mine, unable to stay away. It was wrong, the rush I felt in my gut and the warmth that spread all over my body and the tingles that travelled down my spine. Because I knew what it all meant, but admitting it was a different story. So, I didn't.

I just continued to kiss the girl before me, knowing I could have kissed her forever and not regretted a single thing.

[mssirey]

Some agentreign, with a tattoo artist Alex! 

Alex knew the roughly sketched symbol, of course. How could she not recognize the insignia of the character her sister played on her show—the campy series with its sometimes shallow commentary or ham-fisted allegories of the world, but that left enough room for interpretation that lent to a beloved view of its main cast. 

When Alex glanced up at the woman who had booked her afternoon slot, there seemed nothing outwardly fan-ish about her—her aesthetic one of corporate power, her blazer a sharp cut from a designer Alex couldn’t be bothered to know the name of, her palette choices bold, but smart—not someone she would have read as having much time for fun. But then, Kara was much the same, and she knew better about how deeply her sister loved being a part of a show about superheroes. 

“My daughter really loves the show,” the woman offered with a little wave of her hand at the drawing, a jittery air around her, as if she anticipated the judgment she might face, “and Supergirl is her favorite character, of course!” She laughed, a short puff exhaled as her shoulders sagged and her hand returned to ring together with her other. “She said I was her Supergirl the other day, and if you knew how much she loves the character—“

Alex stopped her then, a gentle smile touching her lips. “That is a beautiful base for a tattoo,” she assured. She stepped forward, reached out without thinking, hand covering the nervous twist of fingers, warm against her palm. That close, she realized how tall the woman was—especially as her shoulders pulled back and she straightened up just a little. 

Alex almost withdrew her hand as the woman’s teeth clacked sharply together. She watched lashes flutter over warm chocolate eyes as they dropped to where their hands touched, lingering while their breath was held as one. 

“Wow— ” one hand pulled free of hers, Alex’s stomach ready to turn, only for fingers to run so gingerly over her own skin—from wrist up her forearm—drawing her gaze down to the full sleeve of ink that she had poured her own heart into, disappearing beneath the once-tidy cuff of her shirt, since stained with the efforts of the day. “Your tattoos are… so…” she had heard all manner of words to describe the art she wore—everything from ‘intense’ to ‘troubling’—rarely a favorable opinion coming from someone who wasn’t an enthusiast, “catching.”

Alex swallowed as those fingers traced a line of color, meant to accentuate the form of the figures at the center of the design—both a representation of herself, stood back to back; one stripped down to blood and bone; the other painted in an unnatural light, too ‘perfect’, meeting all the expectations placed on her, shackles on her wrists and chains weighing down her shoulders. 

“I designed it myself,” she said the first thing to come to mind, her eyes almost rolling at her own lack of wit. 

“I really like it,” the woman commented before seeming to realize how long she had been touching Alex, her hand jerking upward, a marvelous warmth reaching her cheeks. 

They parted, a full pace put between them by the time Alex found the breath to offer her thanks. 

“So, um, did you just want the insignia?” Alex held up the sketch to bring them back to business. 

The woman faltered, a plea writing itself into her expression. “Well, um, so, you might be able to tell, but I’m not much of an artist,” she exhaled, a laugh bubbling up after, plucking at the chords of Alex’s heart. “I know I want to use the symbol, but I… I don’t know what else to include.”

Alex chuckled along with her. “That’s alright,” she assured. “Come on, let me stretch a few ideas for you,” she waved for the woman to follow her, leading them to her drawing table. The sigh of relief she heard tickled up her spine, and she had to resist shivering. 

Drawing on little bits of knowledge she had picked up from Kara, Alex started with a simple base, offering the traditional symbol along with a few alternate designs—some softer, some sharper, some with broken or doubled lines to add a bit of extra dimension—before getting into a range of accenting options. 

The woman was vocal with her thoughts as she looked over Alex’s shoulder, humming approving notes when something stood out to her, or commenting on the touches she liked, allowing Alex to easily evolve the piece. There was particular interest when she mentioned the phrase ‘el mayarah’ and explained its meaning. 

“Oh! Ruby has definitely said that before,” she gushed, the happy little sigh that accompanied the words tugging at the corners of Alex’s lips, her grin so effortless. “We should definitely include that!” 

It wasn’t long before they had a final design— staying true to the show’s version of the insignia and incorporating both ‘el mayarah’ and the script of the language used by Supergirl, wreathed by a flowy, cape-like backing. 

“This will likely take two visits— one for the linework and base coat, and then another for the detailing. Is that okay?” She certainly wouldn’t be sad to see the woman again and grinned when she agreed. “You said you were hoping to have this on your back,” Alex prompted as she led the woman to her station. 

“Over my heart, yeah,” she confirmed.

“I really like it,” Alex echoed the words spoken to her, and she genuinely meant it. She loved the way the woman talked about her daughter, how every word ran deep with love, how cherished the little girl was. 

“Is there anything I should know... going in?” There was a surge of nervousness buzzing in the air as the woman shrugged out of her jacket, folding it neatly over the chair at Alex’s desk. 

There was a moment—as Alex watched buttons slipping free of their holes—that she forgot herself, staring longer than might have been polite before she busied herself with putting on her gloves and arranging her inks. “Mostly that when I’m over your ribs, you will feel it,” she sucked in a sympathetic breath. “But, I’ll be gentle, and you can always take a break, if you need.”

She waved the woman toward the chair, turning away as she divested her bra and slid into place against the padding. 

“Comfortable?” She got only a nod before she pulled up her own stool. “Relax,” she coaxed, placing a gentle hand on the woman’s back. “I’ll take good care of you and you can swear all you like.” 

“Glad to know it.”

As Alex had warned, the woman did feel it. Her breath hissed through her teeth, a sharp inhale that tugged at her, but then she relaxed beneath Alex’s hand. “Good girl.” The words slipped out before she could think to question them, and her own breath caught in her lungs, her gun lifting away from the woman’s skin. There was a soft shiver and then stillness, the barest whimper bubbling out of the woman. 

Alex could have perished. The woman was so pliant beneath her, and it took everything to concentrate on the design. But she leaned into that soft praise, continued to encourage her to stay loose, and things went very well—hardly needing to hold the woman still and working straight through without a break. And in the end, she did manage to finish the whole piece, running only slightly overtime. 

There was a little disappointment knowing that she likely wouldn’t see the woman again. “If you need any touch-ups, you can always reach out,” she offered. 

“Thank you,” the woman said as she gingerly slipped back into her jacket. She bent over Alex’s desk, scribbling something down on the sketchpad with all the trial drawings. “Maybe we could get dinner some time,” she nodded down at the page, where her number was scrawled. 

“I’d like that,” Alex grinned, excitement blooming in her chest. The woman’s name was also there on the page. “Then, I’ll see you later, Sam.”

“I look forward to it, Alex.” The sentiment echoed through her for days, accompanied with the image of Sam’s haughty little smirk. 

[jujutsu-headcanons]

Gojo Satoru general headcanons

Let's get one thing clear: this man is absolutely chaotic. He is always full of energy. His energy levels never reach below 50%. He is loud and proud, always running, and never takes a minute to relax.

Do not give him Monster. Shoko did that once and it took her forever to get him off the ceiling. Also, avoid caffeine. Shoko replaces his normal coffee with decaf and he still hasn't noticed the difference. Keep it that way.

He was the class clown when he was younger. He wasn't exactly a trouble maker, but he may as well be. I cannot word that sentence and I am sorry. Next.

All of his teachers assumed he never listened in class, so they always called in him when they thought he wasn't paying attention. It still shocked them every time he rattled off the correct answer.

Not only did he answer the question correctly, but he could also explain his reasoning behind the answer, and if it was multiple choice, explain why the other answers were wrong. 

This tall man child would march up to the board and absolutely fill it to the brim with work, turn around, drop the chalk-like a mic drop and walk back to his desk with the smuggest look on his face.

That doesn't mean he did the work tho

Idk how schools in japan work but we all know schools in America only care about the amount of work you do and not what you actually know so we'll use that for the sake of the headcanon: he had straight D's bc he never turned in his work

Despite not doing the work snd goofing off, teachers actually really liked him

A lot of people liked him and he was super popular, but he still felt alone

Fake friends, you know how that works, he didn't meet any real friends until he became a shaman

Clean freak. This dude actually makes his bed. He scrubs his bathroom twice a week. His desk can get cluttered but he straightens up once a week. He's not exactly a germaphobe because

He cannot respect your personal space and that's actually canon but let me take it a step further 

He's a slapper. Especially when he laughs. It doesn't hurt, it's playful dw. He hugs you from behind especially when he's cold. He picks you up and carries you around. He will grab your wrist, arm, or hand and lead you around even if you're following him. He lays his legs across you or lays across your lap. Puts his head on your shoulder. Platonic cuddling between friends is mandatory. He's just so hands-on it's ridiculous.

Unless you explicitly tell him you're uncomfortable he won't stop

Don't worry, if you aren't in that type of relationship, your no-no square is safe. Except, if you seem chill, he will slap your ass regardless of friendship status. His ass is also slappable. You can't tell me Geto and Gojo didn't run around slapping each other asses, okay

He was weird and scrawny as a child. He didn't start beefing out until he started training to be a shaman and he's still kinda smaller than most beefy boys

He can pick you up and throw you around easily. He carried around a 170 pound Yuji like a sack of potatoes and can easily carry around three times that weight

It's amazing he's so tiny because you remember 2014 Shane Dawson making all of those wack ass desserts that was just s pile of chaos wrapped in chocolate?

He can eat every last bite of one of those monstrosities without getting a stomach ache, gaining weight, or dying basically

He knows bc Yuji dared him to do it

He has really cold hands and feet

He sounds old. Let me elaborate. He's constantly cracking his joints. They also creak when he moves. He complains about body pains like he's 80 y/o

He also shares wisdom with the kids as if he's actually 80 y/o

It's irrelevant advice that doesn't make sense but is also useful. Megumi can't count the number of times he's asked Gojo for feedback on his technique but had been told to remember to chew 40 times or never go to bed angry

Starts off sentences with "now son" and "when I was your age"

He uses his blindfold as a headband when he wants his hair out of his face. He also uses headbands as... Headbands... When he wants to wear sunglasses but get his hair out of his face

He owns so many pairs of sunglasses but he always wears the same pair

He's only bought a handful of them himself, most of them are gifts

No one knows what to get him for Christmas or his birthday bc he has everything, so they resort to sunglasses

His favorite pair is a pair that Shoko and Geto bought him as a gag. He thought they were dead serious, though, so he wore them around for a month

They were heart-shaped, rose-tinted glasses

Can you believe this man doesn't use any gel or anything to keep his hair spiky with the blindfold on? It just naturally defies gravity when the blindfold is on

Tell this man he's pretty because he already knows. He's narcissistic but not the cringy kind

Photogenic as hell. Takes great pictures from any angle. 

He gives everyone a different story as to why he covers his eyes. Sometimes he says it's because his eyes are too pretty and are a distraction. Sometimes he says it's because the sunglasses/bandages/blindfold look cooler than his eyes. Sometimes he says it's to protect the six eyes from seeing things he doesn't want to see. The world may never know

He's tried covering his whole face before, but he thinks he's too pretty for that. He at least wants one of his many amazing features to be shown at all times.

So about his driver's license;

He knows how to drive. He can be a good driver. When he wants to be. He just doesn't have a driver's license.

Now he TELLS people he just never got around to getting one, however, there's a rumor he lost it due to too many parking tickets

It's amazing the only tickets he's ever gotten have been from that and once he got caught without a seatbelt; he would have gotten out of that one if he hadn't been flirting with the police officer so bad

This doesn't stop Gojo from driving places though

He steals Ijichi's car a LOT and Ijichi DOESN'T KNOW HOW like??? The windows are never broken and it doesn't look hotwired-

Gojo has a key

You're not even supposed to be able to duplicate car keys but Gojo did 

Also; none of the first-year trio knows he doesn't have a driver's license, though that much should be painfully obvious

He whips around corners, speeds up at yellow lights, goes "watch this" and does a donut, it's just a mess

The poor students have to sit in the backseat too. Just imagine Megumi with all three seatbelts around him like that one meme.

He thrives off of Nobara and Yuji screaming from the backseat, and he can see Megumi being smooshed because he thought the middle seat was the safest through the rearview mirror

Which he doesn't even need because of the six eyes

Despite being such a reckless driver, he knows when danger will happen, so he's never once gotten in a wreck

He blasts the radio, which makes up for the driving.

Has a habit of getting in a car and ending up in the McDonalds drive-thru

Steals other people's fries and keeps the fullest one for himself.

He was rebellious as a kid and teenager, but hey, at least his juvie record is sealed 

He's been detained and in the back of a cop car many times, but the reason was never really bad enough for him to be arrested. Mostly he's just being mouthy. And the time he got caught spray painting on the side of a building. And that one time he and Getou hopped the fence to get into the local pool. And that other time-

It got worse after Getou wasn't around to get him out of trouble. Suddenly, breaking the rules wasn't fun anymore and he mellowed out. 

Tried alcohol and cigarettes before he was legal. Decided neither was his thing, however, he did start drinking occasionally when he was legal.

He's a fucking chaotic drunk. Oh my god he's absolutely feral

Most bars in the vicinity know him by name and they sigh whenever he walks in

Shoko is his emergency contact. She hates it

Shoko has to drag drunk Gojo home at least twice a month and is not happy about it

Once she left him in an alley. He made it home okay so she guesses it's fine

Once he got so drunk he spilled beer on his sock. The thought the fastest way to dry them was by sticking them in the microwave. Forgot about it until someone asked, "Who the fuck is cooking socks???"

I feel it important he was in the break room of the local grocery store and no one knows how he got there

As he was escorted out he stole a grocery cart and rode away in it while singing Don't Threaten Me (With A Good Time) by Panic! At The Disco

He has no alcohol tolerance at all what so ever

He will literally just stare at you and giggle

It's funny he's really flirty but also doesn't seal the deal. Literally, every woman in that bar is willing to get in his bed but he declines every offer. No one knows why

Its because he respects women

He helps his students break the rules as long as they're within reason. Once night Yuji was really hungry and after having a temper tantrum he couldn't order Uber eats bc the school is supposed to be secret Gojo helped sneak him out to get food. Who needs curfew anyway.

The shirts in his closet range from like twenty bucks to the iconic rich bitch shirt the kids ruined in that one chapter we all know the one 

He still wears that by the way, he calls it "art" 

When he was younger, Megumi drew a picture of Gojo being eaten by his shadow dogs. Gojo found it and now it's framed in his room.

He keeps up with current trends and memes like no one's business. This is how he bonds with his kids.

Don't call him old, but also, he'll tell you to respect your elders it's a mess

He has a lot of games on his phone. You can usually find him holding his phone sideways playing some RPG game he probably spent too much money on 

He did hop on the Pokemon Go hype train but after becoming overpowered he got bored

This happens to a lot of games. He pays way too much money, gets to be the strongest in the server, and gets bored

He likes games where you can kill other people's troops and likes to watch as they lose all their power

I canon him as being borderline sadistic

This is why he's Sakata Gintoki reincarnated

White hair, sweet tooth, black leather clothes, dad vibes, never takes anything seriously bc when he does he's scary as fuck, the works.

He is Sakata Gintoki

He liked Gintama growing up. He watched a lot of iconic shows as they aired. He considers himself an og

He's hella bilingual

Because he's the strongest he goes overseas for missions a lot. Because of this he speaks a lot of languages and knows a lot about international cuisine 

He takes pictures of himself eating disgusting foods like snails. He never likes them but he loves the idea of Nobara gagging back in japan

Has paperwork sitting untouched on his desk from three months ago that he will not touch for at least another three months

Does the crossword puzzles in the newspaper every week

Uses humor as a coping mechanism and it honestly just became a personality

Constantly popping his joints. I'm sorry if you find this gross I too find it gross.

Probably brought home every stray animal he ever met ever until he was at least like 22 y/o

Tags: @wasabito @kittaliapenn

[zhanyes]

The Louvre

https://open.spotify.com/track/5q4BpnMrYEFzLO0dYODj6J?si=2b748fedb75c4a05

To @myscprin​ who asked #64 for Tianshan !!

. . .

A rush at the beginning I get caught up, just for a minute But lover, you're the one to blame All that you're doing Can you hear the violence? Megaphone to my chest Broadcast the boom, boom, boom, boom And make 'em all dance to it

. . .

Mo Guanshan groaned for the nth time as he checked the time on his phone again. 2:50 pm. Was it too late to bail now?

Somehow, really he can’t even remember what they were talking about (or why he was even talking to that bastard in the first place), but somehow it slipped out from his cursed mouth that he’s never been to an art museum. And because He tian, being the leech that he is, latched on to that thought and pestered him until he agreed to go with him to this art museum that recently opened this coming weekend.

He even cleared out his part-time work for the day with a copious amount of bribe to the manager. Bastard.

So here he was now suspiciously early at the front of the museum waiting, really it’s just because He tian won’t stop whining in his ear if he didn’t agree. It has nothing to do with the ravenette insisting it’s a date, it is not. Case in point, he DOESN’T want to be here, really really.

“Fucking chicken dick, being late. What the hell is taking him so long?” Mo Guanshan grumbled once he saw the clock hit 3 pm.

“Or maybe you’re just early. Are you that excited to go on a date with me?” He tian whispers in his ear from behind causing him to tense up at the sudden intrusion in his personal space.

“FUCK! WHO’S EXCITED?! YOU’RE EXCITED!” Mo screamed, whipping around and throwing a punch at the smug bastard who easily caught it in his own hand, smoothly entwining their hands together. Mo Guanshan sputtered at the shameless gesture, trying in vain to grab his hand back. “Trying” being the key word.

He tian simply ignores his protests and drags him along to the entrance. Knowing that it’s a loss cause to keep cursing out the smug bastard, Mo reduced his protests to grumbles, but not before squeezing He tian’s hand in a crushing grip, satisfied at the look of discomfort he received. 

He tian pays for their tickets and they head inside, Mo looks around curiously, there were paintings in every wall of the room, and he moved closer to look at one of them, He tian being surprisingly docile and following him quietly.

The painting turns out to be an abstract art, showcasing a messy mix of shades of yellow seemingly not forming an image. He tilted his way this way and that, trying to see what it’s about but coming up empty so he huffed, frustrated. 

“It kind of reminds me of Jian yi, noh?” He tian suddenly speaks up, taking a picture of the painting and sending it to said blonde.

“What?”

“See? It’s messy and too bright. It’s even in yellow.” 

Mo Guanshan snickers at that, looking back at the painting and finally seeing the resemblance.

“You think we’ll see Zhengxi here too?”

“Probably, the universe might collapse if they’re not together, even as paintings.”

Mo Guanshan allows himself to share a short laugh with He tian before he schooled his features to his usual ‘bitchface’. He tian drags him off to the other paintings on the wall, sharing a few words about the pieces and mostly shit-talking each other.

“This reminds me of you.”

“The fuck am I looking at? It’s literally a drawing of a dumb-looking fish.”

“Exactly.”

‘Wha- YOU FUCKER WHO ARE YOU CALLING A DUMB FISH?!”

They spend a few more minutes in the room, and getting disapproving glances they completely ignore from the other patrons because of their antics, before moving to another part of the exhibit.

They spend hours taking pictures as Mo reluctantly agrees to ONE picture with He tian, on his phone of course so he can delete it right after (He won’t, he just doesn’t want to ask He tian to send the photo to him if they used the other’s phone) and debating about which artwork reminds them of which.

One of the highlights of the trip was when He tian found out that there were beds scattered around a portion of the exhibit, free to sit and lay on by visitors. He drags Mo to the beds, the redhead digging his feet on the ground trying desperately to avoid getting them both banned for public indecency. Once again, “trying” being the keyword.

After a warning from one of the guards, they simply laid side by side on the bed, uncharacteristically quiet as they watched the clouds pass by and the sun slowly go down the horizon.

“I’ve never actually been to an art museum before.” He tian says quietly, resolutely keeping his gaze on the skies even as Mo guanshan turns to look at him in surprise. For all the times the ravenette had pestered and straight-up invaded Mo guanshan’s  life, He tian almost never shares anything about himself. 

“I always wanted to go to one, I remember I used to keep bugging my mom and my brother about it, but no one would take me so I kinda just forgot about it.” The way He tian says it was full of longing, like he was remembering something from a long time ago. 

Mo guanshan gets the sudden urge to make that longing disappear, to keep it away from the other where it wouldn’t burden him anymore. He mentally shook his head to dislodge the thought. Just as he was about to tell the other that they should get off the bed already and maybe find something to eat, his breath caught on his throat at the new sight.

Boom, boom, boom

He can feel his heart thudding in his chest as He tian turned his head to look at him, eyes devoid of anything but fondness and a smile so soft it felt illegal to look at it. He looks relaxed, content, and in love. 

“But I’m glad that I got to experience it with you instead.” He tian says softly, his skin glowing a vibrant orange from the last bits of sunlight clinging to him like a fire that Mo guanshan wants to reach out to, to put out if only to fully see his face untainted.

Boom, boom, boom

He doesn’t even realize he’s doing it until his hand touches a warm cheek, cradling it softly. He tian looks surprised at the gesture, but makes no move to get away or to get closer. Wasn’t it He tian before who said it? That sometimes the distance between two people makes you desire to close it, to come closer…

Boom, boom, boom

And closer…

Boom, boom, boom

Just a little closer…

“I’m going to have to ask you to leave, gentlemen.” The same guard from earlier says, as he crosses his arms impatiently. Realizing what he’s about to do, in public no less, Mo guanshan jumps up the bed and starts speedwalking to another portion of the exhibit. He tian simply sighs and stands as well to follow his redhead, but not before giving a scathing glare at the guard who interrupted them only to receive a glare right back. Rude.

He catches up to Mo and slings an arm around his shoulder. He was going to ask about what happened earlier and if they could continue where they left off, but he notices the way the other’s cheeks and ears are flamed red and resolutely trying to avoid his eyes so he takes pity and chooses to let it go for now.

They find a small fancy cafe inside the museum and decide to get dinner there, where Mo guanshan buys a shocked He tian a mango shake, saying it’s only a little payback for everything the other teen had to pay for today. He tian bribes the manager to let him keep the cup as a souvenir. By the time they finished they were both tuckered out from all the walking and sightseeing.

“I had fun today, Mo~” He tian sing-songs as he walks Mo guanshan to his door, having insisted to drive the other home (“Where did you even get a car? You’re literally underaged.”).

“Tch. Whatever. Stop bothering me already.” Mo guanshan grumbles, before muttering under his breath, “Just get home safely, idiot.”

He tian grins as he hears the other’s sweet (?) reminder, he thinks about it for a moment before shrugging and moving swiftly to plant a kiss on the other’s cheek, near the side of his mouth but not quite. Before Mo guanshan can muster up a response from his sputtering, he jumped away and swiftly walked backwards to his car with a, “Will do, boss Mo! Bye-bye~”

“Yo- YOU! COME BACK HERE!”

He tian laughs as he gets inside his car and drives away with a final flying kiss out the window to the redhead. Once he’s parked in his spot in the mansion, he checks his phone and grins at the messages he received from his redhead.

Don’t close mountain:

YOU FUCKING DICKHEAD !!!!!

OI WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?!!!

You better not check your phone while driving or I’m going to skin you alive.

Tch. Asshole.

Don’t close mountain sent a photo. 

(Photo: The two of them taking a selfie in front of a sculpture of two people made of metal wires intertwined on a swing set)

Because I know you’ll be an asshole if I don’t send it

This is your fault so take responsibility, chicken dick

I’m free next Sunday

Oh he can’t wait to brag about this to Jian yi, He tian grins as he giddily walks into the mansion in search of the blonde.

[elentiyawhitethorn]

Love Is Near, but Danger Is Nearer | Chapter Eight

CW: language

Masterlist//Moodboard//1331 words

Monday

“Yes, I understand, sir.” I gave the man my best waitress smile. Then, ignoring the look he gave my cleavage, I turned to the back, ready to let Luca know that some old crank didn’t think his food was cooked right.

I gave Luca the tray and let him know the situation. Luca just smirked and added a couple chips on the side, telling me to wait a couple minutes before giving it back to the man.

I grinned and rolled my eyes. The thing was, it always worked. Some customers were just looking for an excuse to stir up trouble.

An hour later, my shift was over. I drove to the elementary school and picked up Danny. He came running over to the car, much to the teacher’s chagrin, and hugged me.

“Hey, baby. How was school?”

“Fine.”

That was all I usually got from him. From time to time, he would open up about something fun they did, like art or a movie, but mostly he didn’t enjoy school. I tried to get him excited, but even if Danny wasn’t an antisocial child, most kids didn’t like school. There wasn’t much I could do.

Before I could get us in the car, a teacher came jogging over. He was male, in his late thirties or early forties and dressed smartly in slacks and a button-up shirt. I couldn’t help but wonder who dressed like that when their job was to care for children all day.

“Mrs. Galathynius?”

Danny’s middle name was Courtland, and he shared my last name. I didn’t bother correcting the man on the “Mrs.”

“Yes?”

“Danny forgot his folder in the class.”

I glanced over at Danny, who muttered an apology, and took the folder. “Thank you.”

He smiled, then glanced at my left hand. His expression turned slightly judgmental. “No Mr. Galathynius?”

I didn’t yell at people in front of my son, but that wasn’t going to stop me from telling him off. I wasn’t ashamed of the fact my son’s father had died of cancer. A tragedy, sure, but it was hardly an embarrassment.

But before I could say no, I thought of the serial killer. They wanted young children and a single parent? Where better to find them than by working as a teacher in an elementary school?

Terror shot through my veins, but while I knew it was unlikely that this man was any sort of murderer, that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to be careful. I would do anything to keep my son safe.

All of this shot through my head in a split-second, and I smoothly lifted the chain around my neck so that it was over my shirt, revealing my wedding ring that Sam had given to me. I never took it off my neck.

“I work as a waitress. It used to get caught on things, so I wear it on my neck.” There was a smile on my face as I willed the man to believe me. This was my new plan. The serial killer wanted single parents? Well I wasn’t single anymore. I was married.

The man instantly relaxed. Judgemental old bastard. “I see. Well have a nice day, Mrs. Galathynius.”

I repeated the sentiment, then turned to the car, not wanting to hold the line up. Danny looked confused, but luckily he was too shy to say anything in front of the teacher.

“Get in, Danny.” I handed him the forgotten folder and moved back to my side.

Danny did as instructed, but as soon as we were buckled and driving away, he asked, “Why did you tell Mr. Salvaterre you’re married?”

I held the steering wheel tightly. “You know why I’m driving you to school now? Why you can’t ride the bus?”

“You said it’s dangerous.”

“Well,” I glanced over, “This is for the same reason. If anyone asks you, you tell them I’m married, okay?”

Danny looked confused still. Of course he did. Geez, how much was I supposed to say? That a murderer was hunting people like us? “But why?”

“Because it’s safer. I need you to trust me. Can you do that?”

I looked over again in time to see Danny nod.

“Do any of your teachers of classmates know your daddy’s dead?” I hated to be blunt. But I needed to know to protect him.

“I don’t have any friends except for Rowan. And my teachers don’t ask anything about it.”

“Good.” The only person I didn’t know enough to trust not to kill us in our sleep was imaginary. Other than him, there was the other Rowan (my date Friday night, I remembered nervously), Lys, all of my coworkers (who wouldn’t hurt a fly), and a few other people that likely didn’t even remember it. I didn’t advertise my husband’s death. It was easier not to talk about it.

I parked in our driveway and told Danny to go ahead and work on his homework. Still sitting in the car as he entered the house, I unclasped the necklace. Pulling the ring off of the chain, I slid it on my finger. Just in case the not wanting it to get in the way excuse wasn’t enough.

Clasping the bare necklace back so that I wouldn’t lose it and tucking it back under my collar, I finally got out of the car.

Lysandra was over. She was working, doing some paperwork on the couch. I used to worry about having her over so much, but Lysandra assured me she loved the both of us like family and Danny was basically her own kid, and that being here was anything but a burden. After a while, I realized she really did love spending time with us, even if the most she could manage some days was doing realtor work while we were nearby.

I dropped on the couch just in time to see Danny scamper up the stairs, eager to get his homework over with.

Lys tried to say hello, but her gaze immediately caught on the wedding ring on my finger. She raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

“I’m not single anymore,” was all I said.

Lysandra gasped. “You and Rowan eloped?”

I choked on a laugh. “Hell no. Is that really the first thing that comes to mind?”

“Did you and someone else elope?”

I laughed again. “No, Lys, this is my old ring. The whole killing single parents and their children thing is… worrying me.”

She hummed in understanding. “Ah. That’s smart, actually. And if someone ever sees us somewhere with Danny, I’ll kiss you and then I can pretend to be your wife.”

I cackled. “You sounds like you’re anticipating that.”

“I have no fun in my life.”

Another snort left my mouth before I said, “We’ll see,” with a grin.

“So, just to be clear, you and Rowan aren’t getting married anytime soon?”

“I would hit you if you weren’t so far away.”

“I’m only on the other side of the couch. And I mean it, I want to know how serious it is. Any updates?”

I groaned. “We’re going on a date on Friday.” I knew telling Lys was the best bet. If I kept vital information (read: gossip) from her and she somehow found out, all hell would break loose.

Lysandra gasped. “What? When did this happen?”

I took off a shoe and threw it at the wall, then the other. Getting comfortable and, admittedly, stalling, I finally disclosed the details of our run-in in the store the other day.

While Lys squealed and I hushed her for fear of Danny overhearing, I was also thinking about the date. I was nervous, yes. I hadn’t been on a date in many, many years. That part was hardly a surprise. But I also found I was excited to see Rowan and have dinner with him.

I didn’t know what that said about me. But a little excitement could hardly be a bad thing—could it?

———

Tag List:

@aelin-bitch-queen

@courtofjurdan

@evolving-dreamer

@infernoqueen19

@lemonade-coolattas

@live-the-fangirl-life

@midsizewitch

@rhysandswingspan

@sheharahu

@sleeping-and-books

@slytheringalathynius

@story-scribbler

@swankii-art-teacher

@thenerdandfandoms