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reluctant-mandalore · 5 years ago

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Din Djarin Cuddle Headcanons

Masterlist || Request

Warnings: Mostly fluff. Touch starved Mando. Hints at more sexual themes, but nothing sexual happens. It is just some lovely cuddle times. also dad!Din and bestfriend cara. not beta read >.<

Pairing: Din Djarin x Gender Neutral Reader

a/n: Hey everyone! If you haven’t noticed I really like cuddling and have been talking about cuddling with Din for a while now. So I finally did up some headcanons. I tried to separate some of the headcanons into sections so they weren’t just one big mass of points. I have quite a bit to throw at you guys lol and there may be some possible fics which arise from these headcanons >.>’

+ Din Djarin loves cuddling, and it’s something he’ll always secretly look forward to. This man is always ready for some cuddle action.

+ Din especially loves cuddling with his significant other. He loves the warmth and intimacy he feels from being snuggled up with his sweet cyar'ika.

+ Admittedly, being so close and wrapped up with the one he loves makes Din feel safe and at ease. He could sleep for hours snuggled up with them.

+ Din isn’t afraid of platonic cuddling either. They haven’t done it very often, but he’s definitely shared some friendly cuddles with Cara, while working together on some jobs. There’s nothing wrong with a pair of good friends enjoying one another’s company, especially if one or both of them need some support.

+ Cara finds it fun to joke and poke fun at Din while cuddling. She likes to tease her friend at any sort of time, but while they’re close like that it just makes it easier for her.

+ Usually, if they partake in cuddling with one another, its for comfort reasons. Things like one of them suffering through a nightmare, or having some sort of emotional turmoil, are the main causes to their cuddle moments.

+ Din still remembers that one day where he had just broke down after almost losing the child. Cara had ended up holding him for hours as she had comforted him after they did manage to rescue the little womprat.

General Cuddling with a Significant Other:

+ Din will find any excuse to cuddle with his significant other, even if he doesn’t really need a reason to cuddle with them.

+ Din knows that just wanting to cuddle is a good enough motive to do so. Although, he can’t help but come up with an excuse anyway. Bottling up his emotions for years has made it hard for him to just be honest with what he wants.

+ From the lack of physical contact he has experienced in his life, he craves the touch of others, especially if it’s coming from his significant other. Cuddling just happens to be an amazing way of achieving his desire of needing to feel close to them.

+ This means that the skin-to-skin contact that sometimes comes from cuddling, can send him into a flushing mess and can lead to some more heated encounters.

+ Cuddling doesn’t always lead to more intimate and sexual moments with him. However, there have been numerous occasions, where a regular cuddle session has turned into a heated affair between him and his significant other. All thanks to the cuddling they had started before hand.

+ It took Din a while to feel comfortable cuddling without all his armor on. Even with his partner wearing a blindfold, the fear of his creed being broken still remains at times.

+ He did eventually become more relaxed with the whole thing. He now actually prefers to cuddle without his armor on.

+ There are times where he still insists on wearing the helmet, but he has become more comfortable with removing the helmet (as long as his significant other has a blindfold on) during their cuddling moments.

+ When he has his helmet off and his partner is blindfolded, he likes to pepper kisses along their skin, humming as he does so. He’ll caress them with feather-like touches, barely making contact with their form, as he uses just enough pressure to still send shivers down their spin.

+ Din actually likes when his significant other well do the same to him. Pressing kisses to his revealed skin and tracing heir fingers against his many scars. Doing so can easily send him into a heated frenzy.

+ Din loves having his hair played with. He could just lay there for hours with his partners fingers twirling and running through his thick locks. The gesture always makes him feel sleepy and is one of the quickest ways to help him de-stress.

+ He likes to play with his partner’s hair too, and he really likes seeing the calming expression that crosses their face as he does. The sight always leaves him feeling happy and content.

+ Din is a literal space heater, as he lets off a lot of body heat naturally. So, its very nice to cuddle with him when its a cold night. He warms his partner right up.

+ On warm nights, him and his significant other will sometimes sleep with less blankets (or even without the blankets altogether). Doing this so that they both can still cuddle and not feel too warm while sleeping.

Cuddling Positions

+ In terms of a favourite cuddle position, he wouldn’t say that he has one. All forms of cuddling are completely valid in his mind.

+ Honestly, as long as he gets to hold and smother his cyar'ika with affection, the position it is done in doesn’t matter to him in the slightest.

+ Din may not have a favourite position, but he definitely prefers ones where he gets to be as close to his significant other as possible. This is most likely due to him being very touched starved and craving their presence.

+ Din is also a healthy mix of being the big spoon and the little spoon. He loves being both immensely.

+ He actually didn’t think he was the little spoon type of person. He thought for sure that he was a big spoon kind of cuddlier. Although, this thought process had all changed after one fateful night.

+ On this night, Din had gone to bed much later than his partner—who was already fast asleep—doing his best not to wake them. His partner had felt his presence anyway though, and they had rolled over towards him more in their sleep. As they did so, their arm had circled around his waist, their face burying itself into the back of his neck as the front of their body pressed tightly into his back. Thus, effectively making him the little spoon for the first time in his life.

+ He had quickly learned from this moment that he loved being the little spoon. He just felt so relaxed and safe like this with his partner.

+ In terms of where he likes to cuddle with his partner, he definitely prefers a more private place. One of their cots (and eventually their shared cot) being the most common.

+ Although, Din does like to let his partner sit in his lap in the pilot chair. He likes just sitting there with them in his arms, while watching stars dash by their sights.

First Time Cuddling with Significant Other:

+ The first time Din had ever cuddled with his partner was before the two of them had even started dating.

+ The one night—while staying on a very cold and icy planet—the night had gotten so cold that the Razor’s heating system could not keep up with it. This is what had lead to them sharing a cot.

+ It was only to conserve body heat of course, and totally wasn’t because they both had a secret crush on one another.

+ He had taken off his armor, leaving the helmet firmly in place, so he was in nothing but his undershirt and pants. Not feeling comfortable with removing anymore of his clothing.

+ The two of them had started out back to back, but by morning the both of them had awoken in each other's arms, having begun cuddling sometime in the middle of the night.

+ This was probably also the first moment that Din had realized just how much he enjoyed cuddling, especially if it was with his future significant other.

More Cuddling Things:

+ Din’s partner will often find him cuddling with the child. The little one would be snuggled up to Din, while being hugged closely on top of his adoptive fathers chest.

+ Sometimes Din’s partner could also be found cuddling with the child while sleeping, which leads to the bounty hunter dropping whatever he was doing and joining them instantly.

+ If Din and his partner also have their own children, he can be found cuddling with them as well. Usually him and the children can be found all in one big pile sleeping where ever they had managed to pass out together.

+ Family cuddles are an absolute must in their household and happen quite frequently.

+ After some really tough jobs, Din likes to just melt into his significant other’s arms, sometimes even dozing off there on the spot from how tired he is.

+ Din thinks that the best naps also involve some sort of cuddling. He finds that he gets a more peaceful rest if he goes to sleep snuggled up with someone.

+ If possibly, Din Djarin would live the rest of his life happily wrapped up and cuddled with his loved ones.

Tags:

@ah-callie @readsalot73 @karnita-mexicana @starrywatermelon @kind-of-trash

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kckenobi · 4 years ago

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Writing Tag Game

I’m a dumbass and I copy and pasted this days ago and then forgot who tagged me lol....I think it was @giggles-and-freckles ??? Lol my bad, if it was you, thanks! If it wasn’t...consider this me tagging you

Name: Kasey

Fandoms: Star Wars! I’ve dabbled in a few others over the years but sw and tcw are my ride or die

Most popular oneshot: shelter has the most hits, but old wounds has the most kudos so i feel like technically that one? My writing style in shelter is...not my favorite, but it’s a fun lil sick fic so I try not to cringe too much about it lol. I do like old wounds, even though my style has changed since then too—I just enjoyed figuring out how to portray Qui-Gon as both a sympathetic character and as having made a legitimate mistake. Idk man I like deep stuff

most popular multichapter: roots is my only multichapter at the moment and can barely be called that (it’s shorter than some of my oneshots lol) but I’ve been,,,,,,considering trying a big one. I don’t have an idea or anything, I just feel like I’ve learned my groove for writing short stories and could use the practice on something novel length (since I’m putting my original fiction novel aside for a few months so I can look at it with fresh eyes when I go to revise for what....the fourth draft? Oof). I’ll let ya know if an idea comes to me lol

Actual worst part of writing: the moment in revision when you’re like “okay....this still isn’t as good as I want it to be but I think if I keep at it I’m gonna end up making it WORSE.” Like, it’s good to recognize that, and then be able to work on something else to gain the skills you need to go back to the first project. But it’s also painful to walk away from something for a little, if that makes sense? Revision of big projects just intimidates me a bit I think

How you choose your titles: usually from a line or theme in the fic! I love having a moment when I’m writing where I go OOH—there’s the title! Like with When the Music Stops (which is also technically an allusion to happiness by Taylor swift but that was, believe it or not, an afterthought), I spent the whole fic without having a title in mind. And then at the very last image, where Satine and obi-wan are slow dancing in the foyer after the music stops I was like OH!! THERE!! TITLE!!

Do you outline? Heck yeah! Outlining is like the loophole to my perfectionism—my brain sees bullet points and is like oh! We’re allowed to write trash the first time around! Okay! That’s something we know how to do!

Ideas you probably won’t get around to, but wouldn’t it be nice? I was toying with the idea recently of writing about all of Obi-Wan’s lowest moments from the point of view of some irrelevant side character who witnessed them, but idk if I’ll get there. The idea sounds fascinating to me on like...a theoretical level but not a practical level I guess?? Who knows though, I’m feeling inspired today so maybe I will!

Call outs @ me: Kasey you try too hard to be deep/poetic and you sound like you’re trying too hard to be deep/poetic and it’s c r i n g e— also please stop using the em-dash so much, and projecting onto fictional characters

Best writing traits: I really like writing dialogue—like getting down the voice and cadence of speech for different characters, and writing all the “beats” of silence and movement and eye contact that make up communication. Plus I like to read stories with a lot of dialogue because I think it can reveal a lot about the characters, and moves the story along, so I like writing them!

Spicy tangential opinion: I’m...not a fan of The Last Jedi. I did enjoy watching the sequels when I first saw them in spite of a lot of things that I didn’t really vibe with, but the last Jedi just...did not do what I wanted it to do for the plot, or the characters (and I really do LOVE the characters), or the overarching themes of star wars. No hard feelings, just isn’t one I really rewatch, and the sequels don’t have my heart the way the prequels and originals do!

no-pressure tags: @pandora15 @meantforinfinitesadness @obirain @soplantyourownflowers @katierosefun @lightasthesun (idk how many of you already did this, so really any one who wants to, feel free!)

#tag game #kasey talks about writing

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prettywordsyouleft · 6 years ago

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You Didn’t Let Me! - Part 2 (Jinyoung)

Summary: It took you three guys to realise you had been running from love all along. When you finally meet up again at a university reunion, you weren’t prepared to answer the question of who you wanted most.

Pairing: Yoo Kihyun x Park Jinyoung x Lee Seunggi x reader

Genre: romance / angst / self-growth au

Warnings: three hot guys and y/n’s an idiot lol none

A/N: This was initially meant to be a oneshot for the Trick, No It’s My Treat dares. However, the storyline suited being broken up and so I have made it into a mini-series. I hope you enjoy!

Prologue | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4

“You, joining a gym?!” Raisa scoffed and you pouted in her direction. She gestured to the empty chocolate wrapper on your desk. “You couldn’t choose the healthy life even if you wanted to.”

“So I have a sweet tooth,” you agreed bitterly, picking up the wrapper and placing it in the trash bin beside the desk. “That doesn’t mean I don’t want to tone up. Look at my arms! All these years of studying have done me no good! I need to get active again. We graduate in the spring, and I plan on looking the best I can for it.”

“But you in a gym?” she continued, shaking her head. “I can’t imagine it at all. You hate sweating.”

“I hate looking at myself in the mirror and seeing myself grow bigger too. I’ve cut back on my food intake, now it’s time to match that with some good old exercise.”

“I’ll believe it when I see it,” Raisa muttered and you grinned, reaching out for her lower arm and gave it a shake. She eyed you dubiously, your thoughts soon connecting. “Oh no, Y/N, I’m not joining you.”

“How will you ever get the proof if you don’t come along?!”

And despite her lengthy list of excuses, Raisa was there at your side on your first day at the university gym. You had been through orientation already and knew how to use the machinery well enough that you didn’t have a personal trainer at your side for the first few sessions. You liked getting in there and doing your routine they had drafted up for you, the satisfaction of your after-workout buzz overpowering your major dislike for the sticky sweat you washed away in the shower each time.

Soon, you were dedicated to working out most days, much more committed than Raisa was. You grew confident to go to the gym alone, no longer worried about your appearance among the others who used the facilities at the same time as you. No one was judging you and you were too focused on your own results to care.

That was until you met your new trainer.

“So, I hear you want to tone up your arms? I’m Jinyoung, I’ve been assigned to help you with that,” he announced as he stopped at your side near the weights. Glancing up, you forgot to swallow, pretty sure you were about to start drooling instead.

If arms were the topic of the day, then Jinyoung’s were by far the best set you had ever laid eyes upon. You could sense he was proud of them, folding them across his chest as he smiled down at you. There was a hint of smugness curling up the corners of his lips, satisfied by your instant awe over them.

And then he became awkward, clearing his throat and it startled you enough to let go of the dumbbell you held in your hand, emitting a yelp of pain a moment after you recognised it hit your foot.

Yeah, those arms? They were right around you after he assessed the damage to your foot, scooping you up off the ground where you had somewhat crumpled upon from the pain. Jinyoung then carried you to the medical room so he could examine you further.

It wasn’t the most ideal start.

And yet you were determined to continue. This surprised Jinyoung and you could see he was impressed by your resolve. “Are you fully healed?”

“Of course, I’m not that fragile,” you remarked, even if you weren’t ready for any more mishaps the gym could potentially result in if you didn’t pay enough attention. You decided you were prepared to commit though and nothing would deter you.

Jinyoung wasn’t ready to let the first incident go, however.

It seemed he had made it his sole mission in life to remind you about the accident every time he was training you. “Tighter grip, Y/N. Your foot only bruised last time; these weights are heavier and will break it if you don’t pay attention.”

“I am gripping them,” you huffed in annoyance, heaving them up and down with your set, relieved when Jinyoung finally called to put them down. You placed them back on the stand before wiping the sweat off your face with your towel.

Your trainer grinned, reaching out affectionately to fix the loose hairs around your face. “We don’t need you looking dishevelled after a session with me, now do we?” he murmured, cupping your cheek in his hand for the briefest moment, eyes alive with amusement.

You couldn’t help the deep pink flush of colour that rushed to the surface, nor did you pay attention as you stepped forward, catching the toe of your shoe on the base of the bench you had just collected your towel from. Jinyoung caught you before you fell, eyes wide with the current predicament.

You wanted the ground to swallow you up whole.

“I think you have a thing for my arms, Y/N. You keep ending up in them too often,” he attempted to tease; though his tone held no jest and his skin had grown warm. Righting yourself, you nodded rapidly then shook your head to refute his statement, barely saying your farewell as you dashed off to the ladies locker room. You then slumped against the wall, heaving in a deep breath.

Had Jinyoung just flirted with you? Was he affected as much as you were about his presence? You had to admit your clumsy nature only increased whenever he was around. He was gorgeous, with his dark eyes and raven hair that fell into them as he worked out. His body was toned but not excessively and whenever he chuckled your legs turned to jelly.

It wasn’t safe anymore to be in this environment. Having a crush on him wasn’t the end of the world, but in a setting with heavy equipment, you were bound to end up in hospital if this continued.

“Here, let me spot you,” Jinyoung offered the next time you were in the gym, moving in behind you. Glancing over your shoulder as you swung the dumbbell back and forth, bracing yourself against the bench, you arched an eyebrow at the man. He chuckled. “Last time you were here you almost ended up in the medic room. I’m not prepared to have you hurt again.”

“You’re not funny.”

“Your swing is though, it’s meant to be straight like this,” he stated, reaching to take the slack out of your arm. Instinctively, his other hand went to your waist, pressing on it gently. You knew logically he was asking for you to find your centre and balance through the core. It wasn’t anything more than a technical approach, to ensure you were doing the movement correctly.

And yet it felt entirely intimate, his torso pressed into your back whilst his hands guided your movement. You felt his breath on your neck and it wasn’t long until a fantasy cropped up in your mind, throwing you off entirely.

His breath was now tickling against your ear. “Y/N, are you focusing because I don’t think you are.”

“I am,” you breathed, shaking away the sinful images and returning to mindfully exercising. But it was too late, your movement now stunted by Jinyoung’s hand reaching out to remove the weight from your hand. In doing so you lost your balance, tumbling backwards into him and sending you both sprawling onto the floor. You heard the weight drop on the ground and gasped when you saw how close it was to hitting him in the head.

“So, I think we need to come up with a new safety plan whilst working with weights now, huh?” he breathed, wide-eyed from assessing the proximity of the dumbbell.

You were too mortified about almost killing your trainer that you skipped your next session. Raisa came home from her study session to find you in the apartment spooning mouthfuls of ice-cream in as you watched the television. She frowned, wrestling the tub out of your grip. “Shouldn’t you be with Jinyoung right now?”

“Even you think we should be together,” you grumbled, reaching out to snatch your treat back. “I’m not in the mood.”

“That much I can tell,” she commented, gesturing to your state. Sitting down beside you, Raisa leaned in closer. “Are you feeling something towards him? I mean I don’t blame you, he’s gorgeous. I think I’d have more success in going to the gym if he had been assigned as my trainer.”

You sighed, letting the spoon fall into the tub. “He’s just my trainer, right?”

“Well, what do you mean?”

You explained the moments you had with him thus far to your best friend, trying to remain as factual and not emotionally attached as you had been with Kihyun. You knew it would be easy to construe feelings since you had done it in the past with your friend in the second year of university. You didn’t want to think Jinyoung’s proficient care meant anything more than him doing his job, if that was all there was to it.

Yet the little smiles, the commentary, the way he held you last time, well, your mind was definitely confused.

“I think there might be something there,” Raisa said afterwards, expression still thoughtful. “I mean, he’s very accommodating to your needs.”

“He’s paid to look out for his clients. It’s not his fault I’m clumsy.” You reached for the spoon again, Raisa taking the ice-cream away a second time and spooned some into her mouth instead. You didn’t even have the energy to whine at her.

“You’re friends with Kihyun so I can see where that got a little messy. But Jinyoung doesn’t have to do anything apart from be professional, Y/N. I think this time, your feelings are valid. Even if I still think Kihyun held feelings for you but you were too dumb to see them.”

“Let’s not,” you lamented, shooting her a look. However, you began to consider her advice over Jinyoung, your hope soon growing.

With Raisa’s pep-talk, you returned to the gym the following week. Smiling at the clerk on the front desk, you pushed through the gym doors and began heading towards the locker room to put your things away when you noticed Jinyoung with another woman over by the weights. You paused, watching on with interest. She was giggling and curling her hands around his as he showed her the appropriate way to hold the equipment. You could see from here that she was far too delighted to have such a handsome trainer. Had you looked like this when you first started working out with Jinyoung? You weren’t as bold as she was being about her attraction, at least.

Yet Jinyoung was smiling, laughing even at something she said a moment later. Jealousy reared in your stomach and you managed to tear your gaze away, stomping into the locker room. Once you were ready to head back out – and much more composed – you went over to the weights area, standing off to the side and waited.

It was your session time, after all.

Jinyoung glanced up at you, eyes flashing with multiple emotions and he stepped back from the client, brushing his hands on his pants. “Oh Y/N, I need to talk with you.”

“I can wait for you to wrap up here. I’ll just go work on the cardio equipment until you’re ready.”

Jinyoung shook his head, looking apologetic. “I won’t be taking your sessions anymore.”

You merely blinked, not quite understanding the change. “Is it because of the accident last time?”

“No, of course not. It’s just that Jackson will be taking over for me. He’s exceptional, so you’ll find his training a great benefit to you.”

“Do I not get a choice in who I train with?” you blurted out, uncaring how the girl waiting on Jinyoung looked at you. “I choose to be trained by you.”

“I can’t anymore, it’s a little complicated to discuss here but if you come into my office after your training with Jackson, I’ll explain more about why then. Okay Lisa, where were we?”

You stood there dumbfounded for a moment before you jarringly stepped back, turning around to go over to the treadmills across the room. You refused to look up into the mirrored wall that would reflect Jinyoung’s area. Instead, you ran, pushing harder than you usually did.

You felt stupid. Once again, you had gotten the wrong impression, assuming there was more to Jinyoung than just the training. You had made him uncomfortable and so he had chosen to move on. There was nothing more to it.

Even though it was no fault of his own, you told Jackson you weren’t ready to start training with him. And when you were done with your session, you didn’t stop as you walked to the exit, ignoring Jinyoung’s request for you to stop by afterwards. You didn’t need to hear what he had to say, your heart was already broken.

You soon decided to change to a different gym, wanting a new environment to refocus on your original goals. You had joined the gym to tone up and not to fall for your trainer in the process after all.

“You gave up, just like that?” Raisa asked and you shot her a look. “What if there was a reason for Jinyoung pulling away from you? I’m sorry, Y/N, I can’t keep training you because I like you. Let’s see each other outside of the gym. You didn’t even let him explain. See, this is your problem Y/N! You keep running away before getting all the facts.”

You laughed, shaking your head at your best friend. “Rai, this isn’t a fairytale. Things don’t work like that for me anyway. I think it’s best to just move onto the next chapter in my life. With graduation around the corner, I just want to focus on getting a job that I enjoy.”

_________________

Part 3

[GOT7 Masterlist] | [Series Masterlist] | [Main Masterlist] | [Request Guidelines]

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izzy-b-hands · 5 years ago

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You Send Me: Chapter Eight

Tag List: @xmxisxforxmaybe

Did I seriously include the song this fic is named for in the fic? Of course I did lol. Part of this fic is self-indulgence, another bit is wanting to write good fic y’all will enjoy, and the other part is getting more people to listen to Sam Cooke.

Also, much like Freddie, I’m a gay who can’t drive. I’ve had a few lessons on an automatic, was too terrified to learn stick at all, so if the driving in this chapter is questionable...yeah. There’s a reason I made description in that section brief lol. In my defense, Freddie is also involved in that portion, so this is the blind leading the blind here, but doing their best. Points if you notice the real life driving mistake I made when I had lessons that I included in this fic!

My love to all who read/like/reblog!

“Come dance!” Freddie, usually shy in public, was officially drunk enough to be less shy, and it was adorable.

Until now.

“I don’t dance,” you insisted. “I’m content to watch you lot go.”

“You said you like Sam Cooke,” he protested, pointing at the jukebox, which at this bar held almost exclusively ‘50s and ‘60s sock bop sounding pop music. “That’s what’s playing, and what we have queued up. Come on, let yourself have some fun!”

Blessedly, it switched to a slower favorite of yours, You Send Me, as Freddie pulled you out of your seat. This, you knew you could manage.

And with no one there aside from the bar staff, the band, and the crew, you could actually enjoy it, letting your arms wrap around Freddie to hold him close while you swayed. It maybe wasn’t ‘dancing’ exactly, but it was lovely, and his smile was well worth it.

“I bet you can sing this well,” Freddie mumbled. “I want you to sing it for me. Go on.”

“Freddie,” you blushed. “Maybe later.”

“Later,” he nodded. “Fine. In the next hotel room, you’re going to sing for me.”

You shook your head and laughed. “Sure. If we’re both awake by then.”

Even though you were refraining from drinking more than a sip of whatever Freddie was having, you figured you would still be exhausted from running about with them. They were fun, but energetic fun, more than you were used to from working the same venue each night.

The crew fell away from their professional personas as well, and you chuckled as you drifted with the group to the next bar, one arm holding Freddie close and mostly upright, the other tugging John in line, as he would turn to look at whatever caught his eye as you went down the road, and would occasionally forget to continue walking as he did.

Crystal and Roger were mostly holding each other up, and Brian was trying to tally exactly how much each of you had already had to drink, in what seemed to be an attempt to ensure no one got any drunker. Adorably, he kept getting distracted by the sky, desperately working to point out various stars and constellations to whoever was closest to him, disparaging the brightness of the city lights that made them hard to see.

You could only compare it to kittens, or puppies, let loose in a yard for the first time. Interested in everything, with unsteady legs, barely able to recall exactly what their original goal in moving was.

Somehow, the next bar still agreed to serve you all, though you again found yourself not wanting to drink much at all. It was more fun watching everyone else get sloshed, the playful barking at each other over the drinking competitions that started over already half-drunk pints of beer. Besides that, someone would need to have most of their mind present to get everyone back to the van.

The idea was to drive right away, and make the two or so hours to Kalamazoo so everyone could rest before the show. However, the more everyone partied, the more you wondered if that was an achievable goal.

Sure enough, getting them back to the van was chore enough.

“I’m not ready for the van,” John mumbled. “I hate that thing.”

“You helped pick it out,” you giggled.

He was draped over your shoulder, feet stumbling along, trying to hold hands with Freddie behind your back. “I know. It was cheapest, and safest, but it’s so ugly. You know, you know, it won’t even be the booze that makes me sick, it’ll be the interior of it.”

“It’ll be the booze for me,” Freddie said cheerfully, before patting you on the back and stumbling to the nearest trash can on the corner. It sounded painful, but he grinned even as he stumbled back. “No more for me. Too much, much too much already. That’s a funny word, much...”

John groaned as Freddie continued to rhapsodize about the word ‘much’, and you focused on keeping them both walking.

Granted, the trail you were following was an odd one, with Brian and Roger and the crew leaning on each other just ahead of you, laughing and walking in anything but a straight line. More importantly, you didn’t recognize anything around you.

“Lads?” you asked.

No response, everyone was in their own little world.

“Guys?”

Nothing, but Freddie let his face fall against your neck and mumbled something that sounded like “What?”

“Are we going the wrong way?”

Brian was the one to stop dead, so fast that Roger smacked straight into his back. “This isn’t where the van is.”

“No,” you said slowly. “I think it’s back the way we came. I think, at least.”

Had Brian been sober, you figured he would have led the charge back the other way. But drunk Brian was easier to panic, and panic he did, dropping to sit on the nearest curb.

“How’re we going to get back? I don’t know where we are, and if you don’t know where we are,” he threw up his arms in apparent frustration. “Then we’re done for.”

“I don’t know about that,” you said, and tried to swing John and Freddie with you to a payphone on the other side of the road. “How about I call the driver, hm? Maybe he can just drive and find us.”

“Y’mean me?” the crew member that usually drove popped out from behind Crystal, nearly tripping as he did.

“Oh for pity’s sake,” you muttered. “Did you all forget we have to drive to Kalamazoo before the morning?”

Mentioning the next city’s name was a mistake, because it utterly destroyed them.

“What a stupid fucking name,” Roger laughed, slipping to sit down by Brian. “Like kazoo. Or harmonica. I’m going to name a city Timpani.”

“You’re going to buy a city just for that?” Brian asked.

Roger shrugged. “What better reason to buy one?”

“Property taxes,” John said decisively, earning another round of laughter, but as far as you could tell he was deadly serious.

“Okay,” you said. “I technically have a license. I’ve never driven a van, or much at all, but I can do this.”

Only Freddie seemed to glom onto what you were going to do. “Are you going to leave us here, and go get it?”

“Don’t have a lot of other choice, love,” you replied, and helped him and John to the curb. “Just stay put, make sure no one is sick all over themselves, and soon enough we’ll have you on the van, alright?”

“I should come with you,” Freddie insisted, struggling to his feet. “I’ve only had...I didn’t count the drinks, but that’s fine. You can drive, I’ll just help you drive well.”

“Freddie, you don’t know how to drive at all!” Roger called.

“Well, technically I don’t either,” you admitted. “I mean, my granddad bribed the instructor to pass me...and I have been in a car, behind the wheel before...for an afternoon, at least...”

You looked down at the sensation of John’s hand on your leg.

“I believe in you,” he said, again so serious you would have thought this matter was life-or-death. “Bring us our ugly fucking van.”

“It isn’t that bad, John,” you sighed. “You’ve got to forgive yourself for that, my man. You really do.”

You left them then, Freddie stumbling along beside you, and pondered exactly how different a van might be compared to a car, and hoped to god it wasn’t a stick.

“Driving is overrated,” he mumbled as you took him by the arm, keeping him close so he wouldn’t get lost in the small crowds on the sidewalk. “But flying is expensive. How do people get around in this country?”

“You drive, or you find the money to fly, or you hope there’s a train or subway in your area,” you replied. “Or in my case, you walk when you can, and are incredibly thankful and kind to those who provide you with rides when you need them.”

He looked thoughtful for a moment. “That’s why your thighs are so big. I mean I like that, that they are. But it’s the walking. Lots of muscle. Good thighs, those. I wish we had a hotel room tonight, so I could appreciate them properly.”

You blushed, grateful that the people out and about didn’t seem to give a shit about the two of you wandering, and Freddie speaking less than quietly, though you didn’t think he was aware of that in his current state. “Maybe once you’ve sobered up, hm? If we make it to Kalamazoo on time, and all.”

He nodded, only to suddenly dash away from you as you approached the venue, lurching towards the van.

“Please be careful!” you called, patting yourself down for the van keys.

The keys that were not in any of your pockets.

Because they were with the driver, back many streets away.

“Freddie,” you said softly as you watched him struggle with the van door. “Have you ever picked a lock?”

----

“We owe Roger one,” Freddie sighed as you finally clambered into the van. “I’ve never been so glad he liked breaking into my hotel rooms.”

Roger’s method, at least part of it taught to Freddie, had been enough to crack the lock and let you in. As a bonus, it has also sobered Freddie up a decent amount.

He settled into the passenger seat and watched you sit behind the wheel. “So. You have driven before, at least once?”

You nodded. “It didn’t go great, but I have.”

He nodded slowly, matching your nods, as if that would somehow make the van go on its own, as the two of you stared at the steering wheel. “By didn’t go great...”

“I was supposed to do a three point turn on a really narrow dirt road, and sort of ended up more in the ditch than on the road. My granddad had to help me get it back on the road, yelling the whole time, it was horrid, honestly.”

“Can sort of see why you don’t drive more, knowing that,” Freddie said. “But you’ve got this.”

You sighed, and then realized that, without the keys, the van would not go anywhere. “Oh fucking hell.”

Freddie fumbled with the glove compartment, and tossed an extra set of keys to you. “Thank god we paid extra for those. Never thought we’d need them, but here we are.”

Getting out of the lot was easy enough; it was a big open area with no other vehicles in it at the time.

Detroit traffic, however, was a different beast.

“I literally would kill to be doing anything else,” you muttered.

“As long as it isn’t me you would kill,” Freddie chuckled. “But I get it, this is...not great. Let’s not say bad.”

But it was bad. You crept forward as much as you could manage, only to get not a single spot you were fast enough to drive into so you could join the traffic.

“Maybe you’re overthinking it,” Freddie said gently. “I don’t know that this is really right, but next time you see an opening, just gun it? I suppose?”

“Anything is better than sitting here,” you replied, and the next chance you got, you took.

Thankfully, it seemed Detroit drivers weren’t unused to sloppy driving. Sure, ninety percent of them were flipping you off, but you were in your lane, obeying the speed limit, and braking with enough room (maybe too much, at a few stops, but you preferred that to accidentally hitting anyone.)

Even so, you had to nearly ask Freddie to pry your white-knuckled hands off the steering wheel once you’d reached the rest of your group and parked in the lot of the bar nearest to them.

“Are you good to drive?” you asked the driver as he led the rest over.

“Sure,” he replied, while you watched everyone else make their way into the van.

“No, really,” you said. “Traffic is terrible here, if you aren’t sober enough, then we need to wait.”

He muttered something under his breath, too low for you to hear, but nodded. “Fine. We’ll be close on time, but we’ll see if we can sleep it off here for a bit.”

You headed for the van, only to dash away as John came running back out of it, making it a good few feet away before he lost his stomach over the pavement.

“I told you it would be the interior,” he said, as he tried to wave away your hands.

“Let me at least help you up,” you insisted, and it was a relief when he let you grab him and carefully pull him up. You managed a quick wave to Freddie, who watched as you helped John back onto the van.

He looked tired, and like the beginnings of a hangover were starting to claw at him, but he smiled as he looked on, and that made the whole situation better.

Though you were still incredibly glad you wouldn’t have to drive the van to Kalamazoo yourself. The streets of Detroit had been more than enough, thank you very much.

#text post #LeeH writes #Queen band fic #freddie mercury x reader #freddie mercury x male reader

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gasp-iwrotesomething · 5 years ago

Note

Alex and MC are having a moment😳😳😳 MC has them pulled close by the collar of their shirt and she asks them to leave marks along her neck. Alex happily obliges, and eventually make their way down-

God, I love how thirsty this request is; it makes me feel I’m not the only thirsty person on this blog lol. Anyway, I’d be happy to write this for you, anon--thank you for requesting and I hope you enjoy it!

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“I want you to mark me.”

The abrupt request paints Alex’s lips with her breath, sweet and intoxicating in every aspect imaginable. MC was blushing, her fingers locked around Alex’s collar, their face only inches away in distance. The demigod smirked one of their impeccably dashing smirks. “Oh? Bold today, aren’t we?” They keened smoothly, their head cocked to the side studiously. MC had an incredulous bubble of authority lodged in her ambitions, so contrasting when beside her sweet, understanding after-work attitude; especially when it came to spending the rest of her day with Alex. I’m telling you, the stress I get from work is beginning to become my aphrodisiac, she twinkled secretively.

“Says the silver-tongued, demigod.” MC quips as her unoccupied hand slides around Alex’s waist sensually slow. Her lips were sewn into a devilish smirk. Alex returns the expression eagerly, their eyes alight with mischief. “Still, this is a new look for you,” a pause sifts through their words as MC reels them even closer to her body, “a seriously good look on you.” The last fragment of the sentence is delivered with a timid pink dusting their face. Apparently possessive gestures such as this were a high never explored for them. “I want you to mark me, Alex.” MC’s demand is unremitting as she coaxes the demigod onto her. She makes sure to direct Alex’s attention to her neck, hidden behind the ruffled, unstable wall of collar circumventing her shirt. Alex recognizes the suggestive lure right away and hums thoughtfully, the look in their eyes deepening. “How so? Just say the word and you know I’ll obey.”

MC’s smirk fattens impishly. “Obey, huh? Can I expect you to grovel and beg if I ordered you to?” She teased, the fingers draped around Alex’s waist feathering their hip playfully. The tension between them was staggering, the two of them lost in a perilous stupor, one that’d result in some articles of clothing being ripped clean off limbs. With a quirk of their eyebrow, the demigod grins. “Not unless you rid me of my clothes first,” Alex denounces wantonly, “today I just so happen to be wearing my best suit and I’d rather not send it to the trash so soon.”

Laughing, MC brushes a feather soft kiss to Alex’s lips, so faint their head spun. “Well you can rest assured, Alex, because I’d much rather see you plead naked.” One of Alex’s hands cards through MC’s brunette hair, catching in the tiny knot caused by the bun she ties her hair up in. Their eyes wander the pale flood of skin from her face, down to her throat and lingering there. It was like Alex was stepping away a canvas they were painting on, checking how it all looked and where they should begin next. MC stares into their eyes with need, passing on a silent request. They relent, brushing aside the collar to expose her skin. Alex pauses for moment. “Please,” MC murmurs, the flush in her cheeks reinvigorated once more. Satisfied with her response, Alex presses their lips against her neck gingerly, their warmth seeping into her skin.

MC uses a hand to cradle the back of the demigod’s head, encouraging them onward. They suckle her flesh into their mouth, first softly then more aggressively to paint a darker splotch. A pleased sigh rings from her lips when they break away only to refocus on a new patch of skin. Their path of sensual havoc continues further along MC’s body, her clothes disposed each time a sheen of fabric blocked their route. Alex was diligent in their task, summoning a series of reddish-purple stepping stones along a river of pale silk. They kissed the swell of MC’s breasts and bruised the suppleness with prowess. Alex worshiped the stuttering surface of her stomach, speckling marks anywhere their mouth could reach.

When the demigod came to the only article of clothing strung on her body, they were kneeling before her. She struggled to stay standing under Alex’s expertise. With a chipper hey peeled away her underwear tantalizingly slow. The soft chill of the room swept through heated regions, ones that made MC shiver and cling to Alex harder, the better portion of her hands embedded in their hair. “Alex, please...!” Her bright eyes shined down on the demigod, catching their wicked eye and the smirk they catapulted her way. “Now who’s the one begging?” The sovereignty of their position seemed obvious by appearance, but by more heavier scrutiny, the power was all in Alex on their knees. They had a vice-like grip on her despite barely touching her at all.

“Who’s the one on their knees right now?” A feeble comeback to a cocky demigod but somehow it works. Alex shrugs, a chuckle cascading from their grin. “Touché.” Then their mouth proceeded to redefine pleasure as it joined her right where she needed. MC almost buckled right then and there but Alex was there to prevent her fall, still prodding her to bliss. Silver-tongued seemed like an understatement with the way Alex used it, demonstrating their impeccable skills. She could only grip their black hair in fistfuls and relish in the paradise Alex presented her. They were slow in tasting her, acquainting with her tang, even though they’d done it hundreds of times before. By the time she was teetering on the brink of euphoria, Alex swore she stained their tongue with her sweetness. MC fell apart quickly, her knees wobbly as she fought to remain standing. The demigod kept their eyes open, admiring the expression her face was set in as she trembled. Once the tempestuous high was resolved, just a distant purr of thunder in her body, MC pulled Alex to their feet.

She kisses them hard as a reward for their hard work. Flattered, Alex returns the kiss and cradles MC close in their arms, smiling cheekily against her when she hissed at their clothes against her nude form.”Your turn,” she rasps. The demigod withdraws to look MC in the eyes. There’s teasing twinkle to their already mischievous air. “I’m sorry, but for professional reasons, I’ll have to pass.” MC doesn’t try to hide the disappointment haunting her tone as she responds. “What? But what about-?!” Her question is interjected by a soft fingertip to her mouth. Alex’s eyes gleamed. “You’ve got a pretty swanky wardrobe, don’t you? Your sense of style can cover those up easily. Mine isn’t.”

MC was shocked into utter silence for a solid few seconds before a bubble of questions rupture that quietness. “What? First of all, who the hell uses the term ‘swanky’ nowadays and why does it have to be when describing my wardrobe? Second, are you seriously using your job as a pass out of this? That’s an unfair move to make after you did this,” MC irately gestures to the purple spots tattooing her body, “to me--don’t forget that we work at the same place, pal.” Alex blinks then bursts into laughter, their shoulders shaking softly. The sight had butterflies swarming MC’s stomach in seconds.”Don’t be so blunt, my heart might actually crack at the hands of your brutal criticism.” Alex teases, the last couple words highlighted by their melodramatic tone. With another chuckle, the demigod moves away from MC and starts walking... in the opposite direction.

“Where are you going?” MC calls after them. Alex casts a brief, and very impish, glance over their shoulder at their naked girlfriend, standing in the middle of the their living room.

“That left me feeling a little hungry so I’m going to get eat a snack real fast.”

MC groans, her eyebrows pinching together. Is that their lame way of saying ‘you might as well get dressed, I’m not going to risk my position at H.E.R.A for your fulfillment’?

Whatever the answer, she knew the demigod was up to their classic tricks again.

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Thanks for requesting, anon, I sincerely loved quenching your thirst (hopefully) with this Alex Cyprin fic!

If you want to request something, here are the Guidelines, here’s Who I Write For, and here is where you can Request me.

#alex cyprin #astoria fates kiss #👀i might've gone on a bit of tangent with this request 👀

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albionscastle · 6 years ago

Text

First Impressions 10 - Saturday Night Fever

I was so glad to actually write this chapter it’s not even funny. I started five times and trashed each one but FINALLY! This is the Netherfield Ball chapter and second only to the Pemberley scenes as my favorite in Pride and Prejudice.

There are mentions of anxiety in this chapter.

Also obvs you can picture whatever song you want for the dance, I just had the Bee Gees - More Than A Woman running through my head at the time lol.

FIC MASTERLIST

FIRST IMPRESSIONS 10 SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER

LIZZIE

If she was perfectly honest with herself, Lizzie was kind of looking forward to the wrap party. It was probably the chance of a lifetime - there weren’t likely to be any glam Hollywood parties in her future so she figured that she may as well enjoy this one. Charlie was, naturally, embracing the event wholeheartedly and had even managed to rope her into a trip to the city for new threads. According to him absolutely everything in her closet was too awful to be worn in public.

As usual he was right, Lizzie thought as she looked in the mirror. In a million years she never would have picked out this dress for herself, but she had to admit, it looked fantastic. Charlie had worked his magic with her hair and face and she almost didn’t recognize the smoky eyed woman staring back at her. It was the first time in years that she actually liked what she saw.

“Come on Bennett, time to go show those asholes whats, what!”

Charlie was waiting by her front door, over the top as usual in a silver top hat and makeup that would put Ziggy Stardust to shame. Not for the first time she felt the little tug in her heart, he really was gorgeous. It didn’t happen often, the moment of wishing he wasn’t gay, and she’d even told him about it. Charlie had never laughed at her, or brushed it off. He simply agreed that had life been different they probably would have been meant for one another. She wasn’t in love with him, not in this life, but it have happened very easily and every now and then, it made her a bit sad.

“Get that look off your face woman, I know I look good enough to eat.” Charlie sighed dramatically. “I’m on the prowl tonight and I need my wing woman.”

Lizzie laughed. “Are you sure? I’m likely to frighten all your prospects away with my bitch face.”

“Looking like that darling, they’ll be flocking to you and I’ll be there to ease their broken hearts when you turn them down.”

“Well you certainly have it all figured out don’t you.”

“When don’t I babe?” he winked. “Now get your coat and let’s go before I miss anything.”

The ballroom at the hotel had been completely transformed and Lizzie was almost speechless when they stepped into the lobby. She supposed it wasn’t all that big a deal to the rich and famous but her small town heart was a flutter with excitement at the sight. Gauzy fabric covered the bland beige walls and tables were set with linens and centerpieces fit for royalty. Everywhere she looked there was something gorgeous that she wouldn’t have expected to see, right down to the soft candlelight that was the room’s only illumination.

There was no sign of Brad though and a check of her cell showed no missed messages. Despite her misgivings, she’d still been excited to see him here and he had promised that Jack’s presence wasn’t going to stop him from attending. He was probably just late, she tried to tell herself, knowing it was a lie.

“There you are Lizzie!” she cringed at her mother’s loud voice as her family moved toward her.

“That’s my queue sweets.” Charlie kissed her cheek. “Come find me later.”

“Fucking traitor.” she muttered as he dashed away into the throng of people.

Turning around with a sigh, Lizzie plastered a smile on her face, barely keeping it in place when she saw what Lydia was, or rather wasn’t, wearing. She glanced at Maya who simply shrugged in defeat.

“Hey pumpkin.” her father reached her before the others and his weary look of resignation told him everything she needed to know about the situation. “You look lovely.”

“Thanks Dad, but I can’t believe you let her out of the house dressed like that.” she whispered as he pulled away from the hug.

Ben simply sighed, shunted to the side as Chloe approached, eying Lizzie up and down.

“Do I meet your approval mom?” she snarked.

“You look very nice. Her mother admitted. “You’ll never have Maya’s charm and sweetness but you do look very nice.”

“Gee thanks mom, at least I’m actually wearing clothing.” Lizzie looked pointedly at Lydia who was tapping her foot and looking bored.

“Shut up Liz” she snapped, cracking a piece of gum.

“Stop it both of you! Lizzie leave your sister alone!”

Lizzie bit her tongue, feeling her cheeks go red while Lydia stuck out her tongue behind her mother’s back.

“Lizzie, I was meaning to ask you something.” Maya piped up, quickly gauging the situation.

She took her sister’s arm and let her lead them to where Tom was standing with Jack and Caro. Honestly she would have rather stayed and fought with Lydia.

“Eliza!” Caro practically sneered, looking stunning in a barely there pink dress. “Oh, your whole family is here, how nice.” Her tone implied the exact opposite of her words.

“Actually Mary and Kate aren’t here.” Lizzie murmured, craning her head to look for Brad.

Jack, being his usual pleasant self merely inclined his head in greeting before looking away, dismissing her completely.

Prick, she thought to herself as she tried to seperate from the group, without any luck.

“Lizzie dear,” her mother had her arm, “I promised poor Colin that you would at least dance with him tonight. He’s been quite desolate since he came back you know. I think he hopes you’ll take him back.”

The excitement in Chloe’s eyes at that thought made Lizzie feel ill. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Well ok, her mother arranging things, that she could believe but not the bullshit that Colin had obviously been spewing. How dare he?

“I need a drink.” she snapped, stalking away into the crowd before anyone could stop her.

Fuming all the way to the bar, she ordered a Scotch ready to down the whole thing in one gulp.

“I’ll be taking that Red.” Charlie was there, sliding up next to her and stealing her drink, downing it smoothly before she even had a chance to protest. “You know you can’t drink.” he whispered, smiling at anyone who appeared curious enough to try and listen to what was going on.

“I don’t care.” she huffed, feeling like a scolded child.

“Listen dollface, I know how your mom gets and I guess she got to you. However drinking with your medication will just create a spectacle of you being carried out of here too far out of it to know your own name. And everyone in town will talk about it for years.”

“You don’t know what happened.” But she was conceding that he had a point.

“I’m going to guess she told you to play nice with poor, heartbroken Colin. He’s plying that shit all over town.”

He was right, as fucking usual.

“Listen, I’m not saying that you shouldn’t be upset. Just don’t give anyone the satisfaction of seeing you upset. The best way to stick it to that piece of shit is to pretend that you just aren’t affected at all.”

“I bloody hate you sometimes.”

“You love me and you know it.” Charlie placed a glass of cola in front of her, his arm slung over her shoulder as they perused the room.

Maya was dancing with Tom and Lizzie couldn’t help but smile at the serene look on her sister’s face as she looked up at him. She was clearly in love with him and Lizzie couldn’t have been happier for them. It didn’t matter what anyone else thought.

“What’s the deal with those two anyway?”

“Maya and Tom? What do you mean?”

“Well have they ‘sealed the deal’ so to speak. Seriously she needs to get him in the sack.”

“You know Maya isn’t like that.” Though she was fairly sure they already had, not that Maya had said anything.

“She needs to get like that, when that boy leaves Maya needs to be the only thing on his mind.”

“They are crazy about each other Charlie.”

“Well they hide it well, seriously though, Maya needs to up her game, you’ve seen the women here tonight.”

Lizzie’s brow furrowed as she thought about what Charlie was saying. Maya was admittedly very reserved and even though she knew her sister, Charlie’s observations had her worrying. She had said nothing about Tom beyond this week. He was spending Thanksgiving with them though, surely that counted for something. Charlie was just being a pain in the ass.

She watched him moving through the crowd now, a hit with everyone he came in contact with, male or female. More than once she had wished she could be more like him, so easy with everyone he met. She knew of no-one who disliked him while most people usually thought she was either stuck-up or awkward and boring.

Her eyes danced across the ballroom, Colin was so far nowhere in sight, but there was still no sign of Brad. She should have known better, it wasn’t the first time she’d been stood up. Spotting Jack standing with a group of men she narrowed her eyes. If looks could kill, she laughed bitterly to herself, liking the vision of him laid out on the floor. Yes, shed was irrationally angry and him and no she didn’t care. It didn’t matter what her thoughts were about Brad, it was Jack’s fault that she was standing alone at the bar instead of dancing in a killer dress. It was ALL Jack’s fault.

He chose that moment to look her way, his drink to his lips, long fingers wrapped around his glass, his clothes….well they were perfect for fuck’s sake. She actually had to bite the inside of her cheek to avoid making an embarrassing noise. The bastard had no business looking as good as he did, just as her body had no business betraying her the way it was. She would be damned if she gave him anything, despite her trembling knees. She refused to look away as she threw back her now flat soda, enjoying the surprise in his eyes. Enjoying it so much that she didn’t notice Colin coming up beside her. Too late she realized he was there, only when she smelled his cologne and almost dropped her glass. Remembering Charlie’s advice and her own determination, she forced herself into turning, her best ‘bitch face’ firmly in place.

“What do you want Colin?”

“I was promised a dance.” his eyes slide over her from head to toe and she barely repressed a shudder.

“Then why come to me? My mother promised you a dance, so go ask her.”

There was anger sparking in his eyes and she fought back the familiar fear. She knew what he was capable of when he was angered, but she still wasn’t going to give in.

“I was promised a dance with you.” he smiled, his eyes cold like a snake’s.

“This isn’t the middle ages, my mother doesn’t decide who I dance with.”

“Everyone is watching, you don’t want to make a scene do you?”

Lizzie shrugged.

“I’m not causing a scene and I don’t care who’s watching.”

His smile never faltered as his fingers wrapped around her wrist, tightly. Lizzie resisted the urge to yank herself out of his grasp. The point was to not give him the satisfaction of a response. Instead, fighting the bile rising in her throat she looked pointedly down at his had and then up at his face, staring him down she put her hand over his, pulling it off her arm and taking a step back.

“Good night Colin.” she said firmly, turning on her heel and walking away.

She managed to hold her breath until she was out of sight of the ballroom, making her way quickly to the ladies room. Locking herself in a stall she collapsed against the cool metal door, breath coming in ragged gasps, legs feeling like jelly. She couldn’t believe what she had just done. Before if she had even looked at him in a way he didn’t like he would have made her pay, but now….. She laughed, feeling lightheaded. There was nothing he could do to her, he was completely powerless. Colin Ryan couldn’t hurt, control or scare her anymore except in her own mind, and only if she allowed.

Taking a few minutes to compose herself, Lizzie still felt giddy. The power was all hers and she was determined to go and have a good time, everyone else could be damned. She was still shaking and though she wanted to her body wouldn’t move out of the bathroom. A million thoughts ran through her head and right in the middle was a vision of all those people, crowding around her, closing in, blocking any chance for escape. It only took an instant to realize what was happening and what she needed to do before she had a full-blown panic attack in a hotel toilet.

Closing her eyes she pulled in a deep breath, holding it for the count of three before slowly letting out again. A few repetitions later and the dizziness subsided, along with the trembling, enough for her to be able to swallow a pill. Looking at herself in the mirror she saw wide, frightened eyes and knew that Colin had still managed to get to her.

“Pull yourself together.” she muttered to her reflection. “You are better than this, you are stronger. Don’t let the bastards drag you down.”

She repeated the mantra sternly, over and over until her heartbeat slowed and her legs felt strong beneath her again.

“Right, that’s the end of that. We go out there, we dance, we have fun and we go home. Nothing more to it.”

A much more poised Lizzie emerged from the bathroom and headed back to the ballroom. One more deep breath and she stepped into the throng searching for Charlie, or Maya, neither of them in sight. Turning to go in the opposite direction, she almost collided with Jack.

“Ammm Elizabeth, I was wonderin, would ye care tae dance? Wi me, I mean.”

JACK

The surprise that Jack felt matched the surprise on Elizabeth’s face when they both realised she had said yes. To dancing. With him. A little flustered he was able to at least offer his arm to lead his startled partner out onto the dancefloor. All he could do was gulp, avoiding her eyes as he stiffly slid his hand to the small of her back, taking her other hand and hoping that she didn’t notice his trembling fingers.

As they rocked like two gawky teens with a balloon stuck between them jack couldn’t stop his thoughts from running wild. He’d been in a state from the moment Elizabeth had walked in and slipped off her coat. In his wildest dreams he’d never imagined her in that dress. The gold sequined number had been designed to turn her into a goddess, complete with plunging neckline and a hemline that made his mouth run dry. He’d fought his attraction to the woman from day one but the surge of lust that ran through his body at the sight of her nearly did him in. As it was he was barely able to manage a nod, afraid that the croak in his voice would give away what was happening in his trousers.

In another life maybe.

Distracted and barely paying attention to the conversation around him his eyes had followed her, seeing her obvious embarrassment with her family. When he’d seen her at the bar with a drink he’d almost gone over but Charlie had beaten him to it. A few Google searches had informed him that Elizabeth’s medication and alcohol did not mix and he was glad she hadn’t drunk it.

His mind had wandered at that point as he imagined himself walking over there, welcomed by a cheeky, secret glint in her eyes. Running with it he pictured them laughing as he led her through the lobby and into a dark, quiet corner. In his fantasy she moaned when he kissed her, pulling him against her as she leaned back against the wall. She chuckled low in her throat when his hand slid up her thigh, hitching her leg over his hip as he ground against her. He could hear her voice in his ear, a breathless sigh of want and promise as he in turned whispered all the things he wanted to do to her when they were alone.

Jerked out of his dream world by a question he hadn’t even noticed he saw Elizabeth watching him from across the room and his cheeks reddened. If she’d had any idea what he’d been thinking she would have no doubt slapped him so hard his head would spin.

He didn’t see Colin approach until it was too late to do anything that wouldn’t cause a scene. Despite himself, jack felt a surge of pride as he watched her stand her ground, the look on Colin’s face priceless as she left him with her head held high. He shouldn’t have cared, shouldn’t have wanted. But he did and his feet seemed to move of their own accord to the entrance of the ballroom in time to see Elizabeth disappear into the loo. Colin was nowhere to be seen, but Jack wouldn’t have put it past him to follower in there so he placed himself within view of the door, just in case.

It was the deer in headlights look when she came out that prompted to move towards her, no plan at all in his mind. Now here they were. All silence and bungling, each of them looking anywhere but at the other. Jack didn’t know what to say that wouldn’t embarrass her and he was far too well aware of his previous inappropriate thoughts. What could he say?

“Awkward silence much?” he heard her remark quietly.

“Do ye prefer tae talk while dancin then?”

A chuckle.

“Generally, yes. Even if its just to comment on the sucky song. It’s only polite.”

“I confess I never really thought about it tae be honest.”

“Perhaps it’s time you did.” Elizabeth said archly as the song ended.

Taking the chance, Jack grinned, the next song starting before she could make an escape.

“Then I’ll say I quite like this one.”

“Bee Gees? Well at least you have some taste.”

“Saturday Night Fever was a cinematic masterpiece.”

“Never saw it.”

There was a hint of steel in her voice, a challenge and he vaguely remembered the party in the summer, the inference that Elizabeth had at least once loved to dance. Without a second thought he moved, spinning her out to the end of his arm before tugging her back, a moment spent flush against each other before he dipped her down almost to the floor.

She was looking at him now, her eyes wide with surprise as she followed his lead perfectly.

“Channeling your inner Tony Manero?” she questioned as they came together.

“Everything but the strut lass, and I thought ye said ye’d never seen it.” he laughed as he spun her again.

They were silent for a moment, their steps in perfect sync. The woman could dance, that was for sure. He got the feeling that it wasn’t something she did often and he felt a momentary spike of malicious satisfaction that Wick probably hadn’t had this opportunity.

“I understand ye all haf been seein a lot of Bradley Wick.” he knew he’d put his foot in it the moment the words left his mouth. The flash in her eyes confirmed what he had feared.

“He’s been helping my parents with the house, he needed the extra money. They are quite fond of him.”

“Aye, Wick has a talent of makin himself useful when it suits him, it doesna stay that way though.”

Spin out, tug in, her body against his, an angry spark in her eye. He was up for the challenge.

“I’m sure that the loss of your friendship has shaped your opinion of that. Do you think that just because you couldn’t be friendly that he can’t make friends at all?”

“He’s always been able tae make friends luv, he’s jus no good at keepin em.”

“Hmmm.” she appeared to be thinking as they moved. “I’m assuming something serious happened between you?”

“Ye assume correctly.” but he would be damned if he told her what.

“And it had nothing to with, oh say, jealousy or pride?”

He felt his eyes narrow, not at all comfortable with the direction this was taking.

“Why are ye askin?”

Elizabeth shrugged, spinning under his arm and around his back. He felt her hand across his waist like fire, her cold challenge sparking something in him.

“I’m just trying to understand you, I hear so many different things about you, almost like you’re two people.”

“Maybe ye should jus come straight tae the source.”

“Where’s the fun in that? You would only show me what you wanted me to see and I far prefer the truth.”

The truth? Did she really want to know the real man? The one who drank too much and had at one point gone through women like socks, the one who still thought she was no good for him despite how much he wanted her.?

“Now is probably no the best time tae be attemptin tae sketch my character.”

The song was ending, his hopes that the dance would turn into more fading by the note. She was baiting him and he couldn’t help but respond. He couldn’t help himself around her, she met him challenge for challenge and he wasn’t sure he would be the one to come out on top. He wasn’t sure who was the conqueror anymore.

“If I don’t do it now I’ll never get another chance.”

Her words hit him hard hard. After tonight there was no reason for him to stay in town so she was right. He was going home, never to return. Why was it bothering him so much?

The final notes of the song, Jack dipped Elizabeth down, never taking his eyes from hers, noticing the way her pupils dilated and her breath hitched. He allowed a smile to spread across his face. They stayed that way as the music changed, Jack slowly easing back until she was pressed against him again, so close he could feel her ragged breath on his neck while his heart hammered in his chest. Apparently neither of them wanted to be the first to break eye contact, to admit weakness of any kind to the other.

I certainly wouldn’t wan tae leave ye wantin Elizabeth, but in this regard I’m afraid ye’ll jus be disappointed.” Her eyes flared, lips parted to respond. ‘Unless….” he murmured as he started to move his hand on her back, pulling her closer.

“Lizzie! My dear look at you, I haven’t seen you dance for an age.” Mr Lucas had pushed through the crowd, breaking the spell with his booming voice.

Elizabeth took a step back, the familiar mask of indifference settling over her features.

He already missed her. Damn it!

Lucas clapped him on the shoulder, oblivious to the tension he’d inadvertently dissipated.

“Should have known such a handsome young man could bring our Lizzie out of her shell again. I’m sure we’ll be seeing a lot more of it when a certain wedding takes place.”

The appalled look on Elizabeth’s face and the direction of Lucas’ gaze was enough for Jack to figure out what was being inferred. Maya sat, looking down demurely as Tom leaning in, speaking into her ear.

Was that what everyone was thinking and expecting? He turned back to Elizabeth, only to see the back of her head as she walked away. Jack wracked his brain, trying to figure out how there was a wedding expected. Tom was obviously enamored with Maya but he did have a habit falling in and out of ‘love’ with remarkable swiftness. Grudgingly he admitted that Tom seemed somewhat different this time, but surely things hadn’t gone that far.

He was angry suddenly, or perhaps not so suddenly. The conversation with Elizabeth had stirred his unrest, knowing that she was friendly with Wick just rubbed him the wrong way. Knowing that there was gossip, that he was being judged based on whatever the bastard had decided to say about him. He was pissed that she had essentially confirmed that Wick was yet again running his mouth. It wasn’t her fault, many a woman had fallen for his lies, he just didn’t want it to be her, surely her attempt to talk to him had been her not accepting Wick at face value.

With a sigh he downed another glass of whiskey. Everything was completely fucked up and tonight was just it.

He was done.

LIZZIE

The frigid outside air was a blessing against her burning cheeks. She gulped in a few deep breaths, trying to calm her hammering heart. That, that had been unexpected. Anger mingled with desire and her brain, as well as her body was on fire.

From a dance.

A dance that included an argument. Lizzie had no idea what the hell was going on with her. She couldn’t stand the man, hadn’t wanted to dance with him. The only reason that she’d even agreed was because Colin had her so befuddled. Her hackles had been up and she was furious at the way her body had betrayed her the moment Jack’s hand settled on her back.

That was why she tried to bait him, started a fight to distract herself from everything she was feeling. Especially when that song came on, one of her favorites and Jack had pulled out the moves. Excluding everything else the man was good and a long forgotten excitement had begun to swell. Once, before Colin, she had loved to dance. Charlie had convinced her to take lessons with him when they were in high school and it had been love. All through college they had taken every chance they could to seek out Chicago’s speakeasies and dance the night away. Colin’s jealousy had ended that.

Tonight, with Jack, the excitement had come flooding back and she hated that it was with him. As much as she was pissed at the direction her thoughts had taken when he’d dipped her down with such smooth skill. The clean smell of him, his warmth through the crisp cotton of his shirt, the strength in the way he’d held her, they had all combined in her head. In that moment her imagination had run wild and all she could see was him, shirt and hair all rumpled as he pressed her against a wall, hands and lips roaming.

The realization had shocked her to the core, not so much the attraction - she’d already admitted to that. It was the knowledge that in that moment she wanted to lift her head those few inches closer, press her mouth against his and see what happened. Her body was completely betraying her, ignoring everything that she knew about the kind of man he was.

The argument had served its purpose, reminded her why she hated him. His casual dismissal of Brad infuriated her, the fact that despite that she was still attracted to him made her even angrier with herself.

Mr Lucas’ interruption couldn’t have come at a worse moment. The look on Jack’s face had effectively cleared her head, telling her everything she needed to know about his thoughts. She’d had to walk away before she called him out in public for being such an ass.

“Nice job out there twinkle toes.”

Lizzie managed a smile as Charlie wrapped his arms around her.

“Pity about the partner though.”

“I don’t know, he looked like he knew what he was doing.”

“Yeah he always knows exactly what he’s doing.” she said bitterly.

“What is it with him anyway? I mean I know he’s been around a lot, I thought there was….you know.”

Ew, god no Charlie! Trust me he hates me as much as I loathe him.”

“Coulda fooled me.” he muttered, side eyeing her.

“I told you what he did to Brad and you’ve seen the way he acts around here.”

“Ok I agree that the whole Brad thing was a bit low, but also normal for a cutthroat world like that. But come on Liz, let’s face it, he’s cute and all but only a fool would turn down all that Jack has to offer.”

“Consider me a fool then, besides you know I don’t care about all that crap. I don’t give a shit what he does for a living or how much he makes doing it - a jerk is a jerk.”

“Real shame the jerk is so hot though.”

“Yup, that’s a hard truth.”

“Come on, let’s go back in there and have some fun, fuck the rest of them.”

Charlie had a way of making her feel better and of putting things in perspective. He was blunt and pragmatic, funny and comforting, everything she needed to see things more clearly. She would have been lost without him.

Halfway through their dinner, after a few hours of dancing, someone grabbed Charlie’s attention and he was off again leaving her alone at the table. She could see Maya sitting with Tom a few tables over, a smile on her face as they talked some of his friends. Her mother and father sat with the Lucas’ and some other people they knew from town, Chloe’s voice carrying as she talked of her various maladies.

“Enjoying the party Eliza?”

Lizzie almost cringed as Caro sat down beside her, her perfume wafting, boobs spilling out of her dress.

“It’s been okay so far.” she shrugged nonchalantly.

“Listen, I hear that you’ve been getting quite friendly with Brad Wick.”

“And?”

“Well I should warn you that he’s not exactly a great guy.”

“Really?” Lizzie tried her best to sound bored. “How so?”

“I don’t know the particulars, but I do know something nasty went down between him and Jack and Jack was in no way to blame. But honestly, considering he grew up in a home, what else can you expect?”

“I assume you got your information from Jack?”

“Not entirely, there are some rumors swirling, but Eliza I wouldn’t trust him.”

Anger flared again, what the fuck was it with these people? Why did they find it so easy to try and ruin the lives of others? What made them think they were supposedly so much better than everyone else?

“Well Caro, it really isn’t any of your business. Besides it sounds like the only thing he’s done wrong in your eyes is grow up rough, and he already told me all about that.”

Lizzie saw the woman stiffen, obviously surprised at her audacity.

“I’m sorry, I was just trying to help.”

“I don’t need your kind of help, I’m a big girl and I make my own decisions about people.”

Caro didn’t say another word, just stood up and left. Lizzie let go an exasperated breath, suddenly tired and wanting to go home.

“Are you ok?” Maya was beside her looking concerned.

“I’m fine, I’ve just had enough of these people.”

“I saw Caro over here, what was that about?”

“She wanted to ‘warn’ me about Brad, I told her to fuck off.”

“Lizzie…” Maya started cautiously, “ I asked Tom about him and he said that Brad wasn’t a good guy.”

“Oh Maya, not you too. Besides has Tom even really met him, outside being on set?”

“No, I don’t think so.”

“Then he’s getting all his information from Jack, who has a very personal problem with him!”

“I didn’t even think that you liked him like that.”

“I don't. I just….I just hate the way that they all act like he’s done something wrong without having any proof. It’s not fair Maya.”

Maya sighed, obviously torn between her support of her sister and her affection for Tom. Lizzie hated that she had put her sister in the middle of it.

“It’s ok, I’ll be fine. I think Colin just got me all worked up.”

“Speaking of which….”

Lizzie followed Maya’s gaze to where Colin stood behind Jack’s seat, tapping him on the shoulder.

“That’s not going to end well.” From the stony look on Jack’s face as he turned, it hadn’t even begun well. Despite everything, she was sort of rooting for Jack to put Colin firmly in his place. The man was a born sycophant and Jack was the biggest fish in the room, it would give her a perverse satisfaction to see him firmly put in his place by the younger man.

“Colin has forgiven Lizzie for everything, she just had cold feet. Honestly I wouldn’t be surprised if the wedding is back on in a few months.”

Lizzie’s head turned in horror at the sound of her mother’s voice as it carried across the tables.

“Between that and Maya, both the girls will be very well off indeed and set up to help Lydia too. Everything is working out exactly as I had hoped.”

Both girls had burning cheeks, Lizzie could see both Jack and Tom staring, Colin looking smug. She felt sick, she had to leave. Out of her chair, she managed two steps before her father came into her line of sight making a beeline for the dancefloor. Lydia was there with some kid from school, grinding against him while his hands roamed all over her. Ben walked straight over, grabbing her sister’s arm and leading her away while she cussed up a storm.

The humiliation was complete. She was done.

“I’m going home.” she hugged Maya. “Go back to Tom and act like nothing happened ok.”

Maya nodded, walking away.

Lizzie kept her head held high as she stalked out, grabbing her coat. She walked home despite the cold, refusing the offer of an Uber. Once locked inside she quickly stripped off her dress and jewelry, leaving everything in a pile on the floor. Her makeup was washed off as she stared blankly into the mirror, trying to hold it together. It wasn’t until after she climbed into bed, pulling the covers up around her head that she finally broke down and cried herself to sleep.

JACK

Jack honestly couldn’t believe what had just happened. Seriously couldn’t even begin to fathom how the night had taken such a turn. What an absolute clusterfuck. After the dance with Elizabeth everything had gone downhill so quickly, he’d been so distracted by what Lucas had said that he hadn’t seen the impending disaster unfolding.If he hadn’t so busy watching Tom and Maya, he would have seen Caro pounce on Elizabeth before she came stomping back to the table calling her a stuck up bitch. Then he’d been listening to her go on and on that he hadn’t even realized that Colin Ryan was right behind him until the creepy cunt was tapping him on the shoulder and going on about how he worked for Ann De Bourgh's L.A office and was hoping Jack would consider him for his U.S publicity.

The sheer nerve of the man had Jack in shock and he’d barely managed to shoot the man down with any politeness at all. That he would even consider asking him, given his history with Elizabeth and the current situation spoke to the audacity of the man. Then he heard the mother’s voice and saw the smug look on Colin’s face. It was then that he looked over at Elizabeth where she sat with Maya, hating the look of humiliation he saw on both their faces. He knew every word was bullshit, but he couldn’t believe how tone deaf Chloe Bennett was to her daughter’s feelings. Or how determined she apparently was to get her daughters ahead in the world.

He saw Elizabeth get up to leave and he took a step toward her, watching her falter as her father practically dragged Lydia off the dance floor. While he couldn’t blame the man for trying to protect his underage daughter, his method caused a scene that could have been avoided. The whole thing could have been avoided if the girl had any discipline at all, she wasn’t an idiot but she was very much out of control. He could almost feel the embarrassment that Elizabeth was experiencing, it was radiating from her and he was more than a little chuffed with the way she kept her head held up as she left.

He wanted to follow her, but he knew he couldn’t, not after everything that had happened. He was probably the last person she would accept comfort from right now. Still he struggled, hating himself as he watched her go, the haunted look on her face something he wasn’t soon going to forget.

“I suppose things didn’t get too out of hand tonight.” Caro sneered sarcastically. “I mean most of the natives have behaved themselves, except for the Bennets. God what a nightmare those people are.”

Jack merely grunted, unwilling to give her satisfaction of agreeing. Apart from the behavior of those three the night had been a surprising success, not that he really gave a shit.

He was expected to remain, so he did, keeping a close eye on things. Lydia spent the rest of the night sulking in a chair beside her father. Chloe Bennet quieted down, thankfully, but her earlier words still rang in his ears. Tom and Maya were inseparable as always and he took special notice of them. They looked happy enough, but she had withdrawn, he smile not quite reaching her eyes. He wondered if Maya was being pushed toward Tom by her mother. Sure she liked him but to his eyes not nearly as much as Chloe seemed to be implying. The question was, how far would she allow herself to be pushed and how much would that damage Tom?

Biding his time he waited until the party wound down before returning to the suite to wait for his friend. Tom walked in, on a cloud, Caro following behind him looking disapproving. That was fine, he thought, he could use her help for this.

“After Thanksgiving Maya and are going to take off for a few days, maybe up to Michigan.” Tom was prattling on and Jack knew he had to step in now.

“Don’t ye have those auditions next week?”

“I’m sure I can reschedule.” “And if ye canna? What will ye do then? That's no a professional way tae act.”

“There’ll be other roles, Jack.” Tom looked crestfallen that his mate wasn’t as happy for him as he would have liked.

“Ye know as well as I do that's no true.”

“Well I don’t care, Jack. I’m happy.”

“And ye were happy wi Sandra, and then mel, until ye weren’t.”

“It’s different with Maya.”

Caro snorted, rolling her eyes and Jack leveled her with a glare.

“Ye always say tha, mate. Ye fall in an out o love all the time. It’s no worth risking yer career fer.”

Jack saw the first flicker of doubt on Tom’s face and he knew he was getting through to him. Swallowing his conscience he kept at it. He didn’t want his friend to get hurt.

“Look Tom, I donna doubt that ye care abou the girl, an she’s lovely, but ye barely know her.”

“It’s been three months!”

“And after four months with Mel it was over remember?”

“Because Mel only wanted one thing, Caro. You know she was only using me to get an inside track on roles.”

“And Maya’s mum is pushin her at ye fer fame and money too. Ye heard her tonight.”

The trap was sprung and Tom had walked right into it. His face told the whole story, anger, doubt and hurt.

“Maya’s not like that.”

“I’m no sayin she is.” Jack admitted truthfully. “Maya’s a nice, sweet girl but how vested is she in this and how much of it is her mum’s manipulation?”

“It’s….I’m….she’s….” Tom was yammering and though Jack was feeling guilty he squashed it quickly. He was doing the right thing and Tom would see that in the long run.

“God, what am I going to do?” Tom sighed, sinking into a chair.

“I can get us all on a flight to London by 7am.” Caro piped up.

“That would mean leaving now.” Tom looked shocked. “That’s a low route to take.”

“Do ye wan tae drag it out? Sit at a dinner table with the whole family knowing ye’re goin tae break it off?”

“No, I suppose not, but Maya deserves better than a disappearing act.”

“Then text her, send an email, but draggin it out is only goin tae complicate things. A clean break is best, no harm no foul.”

Silence. With a nod Jack indicated to Caro that she should book the flight and then he went to pack.

There was a feeling relief knowing he was leaving this place behind him and returning to the familiar. He had a break until January before he was expected at a job in Italy and then in L.A for February and March. Spending most of that time at home in Scotland seemed like the best idea to get his head straight. A picture of Elizabeth presented itself in his thoughts and he tried to shake it away. He would soon forget that she had ever existed, or at the very least she would just be the memory of a pretty girl he’d failed to shag.

Tom didn’t say a word to anyone, not as they packed or as the car drove them to O’Hare. He looked miserable but resigned and Jack was sure that he would be back to his old self in no time. The boy always bounced back quickly and this time would be no different. Maya would be fine too, he was sure of that. She would be hurt at the way they had left yes, but with them gone her mum would stop pushing her and she could just get on with her life. Every time his thoughts turned to Elizabeth he pushed them away, what she did now was none of his concern, whether it be with Wick, or Colin, or no-one.

The bile rose in his throat and he swallowed against it, turning to look out the window. As the plane sped down the runway and began to ascend he thought about London and all the reasons he had to never come back here. And as the plane rose higher, the Chicago skyline receding from view, he pulled down the shade and closed his eyes, willing himself not to dream of a woman that he would never see again.

#jack x reader #jack lowden #jack lowden blurb #jack lowden fanfiction #jack lowden fic #pride and prejudice au

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centrally-unplanned · 2 years ago

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I also remember strongly (and more fondly, though not to the point of actually-fondly) this Type of Guy - Camp, Kitsch, and Trash is like 50% isomorphic to the classic Premium Mediocre essay, this was a whole genre of writing at the time. (Gin & Tacos was the classic I knew in the politics space, for example. And of course the Last Psychiatrist is the apotheosis of the genre)

I believe it is Lindsay Ellis who has, in one of her final videos of her Youtube era, a bit of review of the 2000's era writing trend of "Disney movies are ~problematic~" because their main characters aren't Girlbosses or w/e, and with that lens of hindsight you realize how much of it was windmill tilting, taking media out of its intended context and then pillorying it for failing to meet the standards you invented for it (with a dash of lies to make it go down easy). I remember enjoying those works as baby's-first-media-analysis, it made you feel smart! But you grow out of quickly, and its context is laid bare for you over time; those Disney critiques were absolutely feel-good attempts at coattail-riding the rise of 2000's pop-feminism, for example.

For writers like Bond, I think they are a classic case of medium-is-the-message; the early internet was land of text and websites. Everything had to be communicated in sentences, and you had to put in the work to go to a specific site to read it, yet it was an audience very different from a typical newspaper. To make writing more 'pop', more fun, more accessible, to continue to climb the competitive treadmill, the written word had to push more and more polemical. Particularly in say 2007, when the non-text internet was rising. Today, this essay would be a meme - maybe a podcast if that was his beat)

Which is less shade being thrown than it might come off - it is more fun! I write polemically sometimes for the same reason; I am writer but in a medium that incentivizes certain kinds of writing. I 50% agree with him on that Generalizations note, endless caveats are boring and you can trust in the audience. But its only 50% - he comes off as a classic case of one who let the fun override the logic to result in slipshod conclusions, and probably because he huffed his own supply and actually bought into said conclusions. Its a genre tightrope to walk, and most fall off like Bond did.

(This guy put, under 'Camp', *all opera*. Just lol. Lel, even.)

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breaktimewritings · 7 years ago

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Unseen II Chapter One

(( Alright so my Love Letters fic with Yukimura went over so well that I decided to make the premise of the lords and MC exchanging love notes a series~! I was about halfway through writing the next entry, one for Masamune, when I happened upon @rubyleeray's "Addled" staring fave tsundere Yasumasa, we got to talking about being Yasu trash aaannnd a plot bunny that was gonna be a simple drabble became 7000+ words that I'm not even done writing oops. Either way though, please enjoy~! There’s only three chapters right now, with two left to go so I thought I’d go ahead and post what I had lol. ))

Tagging by request and suggestion: @ieyasu-tacogawa, @shiranata, @bulbaqueen

AO3

Chapter One II Chapter Two II Chapter Three

The letter before her was unassuming. Innocent. It was sealed with a skilled folded pattern and was blank save for her name on it in small, short strokes. As if whoever wrote it could barely be bothered to write her name at all.

“It was there when we got here this morning.” Umeko said, shrugging simply. “We didn’t see who delivered it.”

MC frowned, turning the letter over in her hand. The possibilities of what it was made uneasiness form in the pit of her stomach. Was she in trouble? Had Lord Ieyasu finally tired of her? No, he couldn’t have. And if he did, she was sure he would be the one to tell her. The man loved to see others squirm.

“Well? Open it!” Umeko urged.

“I’d like to see what it is too.” Matsuko added, giving them a grin. “It’s so rare that letters are delivered like that. And look at the way the outside is folded. Someone put effort into it.”

“You think so…?”

The other maids looked over her shoulder excitedly, but for the briefest of moments, she hesitated before carefully unfolding the seal. The letter inside was on another piece of parchment tucked away in the carefully folded pocket. The strokes on the paper were just as short and sharp as those that wrote her name on the front. It was the words on the page that caught her off guard.

“Is that a love note?!”

“It is?! Read it aloud let me hear!”

“H-hold on.” MC said with a nervous giggle, holding the note away. She turned so she was facing them, leaning against the counter and shielding the letter from them. She read the letter again, trying to process what she was reading.

Despite the neat writing, the ink in some parts didn’t seem fresh as other parts, as if whoever wrote it did so over a matter of days or even longer. The words and strokes were short, obviously not used to writing such things. For every complement of her hair or eyes, there was a jab calling her naive or troublesome.

“But still, I guess the most important thing is that your food is good. So thank you for that at least. You’re not completely worthless.”

MC winced at the last line, and the maids exchanged worried looks with each other.

“Did he confess his feelings?” Matsuko asked.

“I...don’t know.”

“Who’s it from?”

MC blinked, looking over the paper, flipping them over in her hands. “I don’t know. No one signed it.”

“A secret admirer? How romantic!”

“We have to discern who it is soon. The new year’s festival is coming up. Imagine finding out who it is at the fireworks show!”

As the maids giggled to themselves, MC carefully folded the letter back and put it in her sleeve. “They don’t seem the festival type.”

“Do you not want to find out who it is though?” Umeko asked. “Perhaps you could write a letter back?”

“But how would she know who to give it to?” Matsuko pointed out. “No that won’t work at all.”

“Maybe we can try and see who comes and gets the letter in reply.”

“But they could simply use another to come get it.”

MC shook her head with a laugh at the two as they plotted the best way of how exactly to find the admirer. She wondered who was getting more enjoyment out of this. Still, a slight blush formed on her cheeks as she touched the letter in her sleeve. Did she dare hope the letter was sincere? She almost let herself get caught up in the moment before someone yelled for supper and they were all in a flurry of motion. It wasn’t until later that evening, when MC was carrying a tray of strawberry daifuku to Lord Ieyasu’s chambers that she let herself think about the letter again.

“It certainly sounded like something Ieyasu would say…” She muttered to herself. “But it wasn’t his handwriting, and he’s not the kind of man to trust anyone else with that. Lord Toramatsu? No he’s never been that--”

Her thoughts were interrupted as her shoulder collided with another, and she had only a moment to stumble and keep herself from dropping the plate of sweets.

“Stupid woman.” A voice hissed at her. “Do you not have any mind of your surroundings?”

MC nearly groaned the moment she heard the voice, grimacing as she came face-to-face with Lord Yasumasa’s glare. For a moment, her body went cold. He’d never liked her, though she could never fathom why. Still, he must have been in a good mood, because his glare didn’t seem as bad as usual.

“I’m sorry Lord Yasumasa. I wasn’t paying attention.” MC said hastily, giving him a bow.

“Nothing new for you…” He muttered, turning from her and striding away.

MC huffed as he disappeared down the corridor. At the very least, she knew who her secret admirer most definitely was not! The very thought of Yasumasa treating her with anything but disdain was utterly laughable.

After delivering Lord Ieyasu’s desserts and retiring to her room, she pulled the letter out of her sleeve again. Perhaps she should reply? But when she sat down to do so, her brush only made it a few strokes before she sighed and set it down again.

“It’s not as if I know who it’s for anyway…”

And so, she merely tucked the original letter away in her drawer. It wouldn’t do any good replying if she didn’t know the recipient anyway. She’d try to find who it was, and if she wasn’t able she’d simply forget about it.

A few days later, however, she had no new leads. Though resigned to forget it all, it seemed that simply was not an option.

“Another one…” MC muttered to herself as she entered the kitchen in preparation for breakfast.

It was in identical writing to the last letter. Same short strokes spelling out her name. The pattern of folding was different, but just as intricate.

“Did another letter come?” Umeko asked as MC ran her fingers over the meticulous folds.

MC tucked it into her sleeve. “It seems so.”

“From the same sender?”

“It’s the same handwriting.”

“Aren’t you going to read it?”

MC hesitated as she tuned to get breakfast started. In truth, she did want to read it but the whole thing left her with an odd sense of unease she couldn’t explain. Did it come from not knowing the sender? Or was it the words of the other letter which had her hesitating?

“Let her be.” Matsuko chided with a wink. “Matters of the heart should be handled privately anyway.”

MC smiled, grateful for that. “I’ll let you know if there are any juicy details.”

“Please do!” Umeko beamed.

She returned the smile of the two maids, but as she moved to help prepare breakfast she couldn’t fight the uneasy feeling. In fact, she couldn’t quite get into her normal groove that day at all. Her hands seemed slower, the letter feeling almost heavy in her sleeve. She was happy when the dishes for dinner was finally over and she was able to retire for the night. As she made her way back to her chambers, she brought the letter from her sleeve to examine it again. It was an odd thought that an admirer within the Tokugawa clan would be so persistent. Or perhaps it was someone in town who one of the retainers knew? She wasn’t any closer to finding out who it was, but what if this one was signed? What if he told her his identity? What if she didn’t feel the same? Or worse, what if—?

“MC?”

The sudden voice from the garden startled her, and she was so taken aback that the letter tumbled from her hand. Toramatsu looked at her with concern from the garden. Beside him, Yasumasa stood, looking entirely uninterested as he lowered a wooden practice sword. Had they been sparring?

“Are you alright?” Toramatsu asked. “You haven’t seemed yourself today.”

“I-I’m fine.” She stammered. “I’m just a little tired today.”

“Ah. Well get some rest tomorrow.”

“What’s this?”

MC blinked, suddenly realizing the letter was no longer in her hand. Yasumasa had stepped closer at some point, picking up the letter. MC let out a small yelp before her body moved on its own, and the next thing she knew she was snatching the letter from his hand. Her blood ran cold as she realized what she’d done, and for a long moment Yasumasa only stared at her in disbelief, a look she was sure she mirrored. What had she just done?

“You vile—!”

“I have to go!” MC blurted before his glare could be leveled on her. “I’m sorry!”

She dashed down the corridor, not stopping until she was around the corner.it was only then that she slowed to a stop, trying to catch her breath and calm her stuttering heart.

“I hope she’s alright…” Toramatsu said. “She doesn’t seem herself.”

“I don’t know why you concern yourself with her.” Yasumasa’s voice came. “Honestly, I will never understand what you nitwits see in a simpleton like that.”

For a moment, rage bubbled in MC’s chest. She could hear the sneer in Yasumasa’s voice. Practically see it before her eyes. She clutched the letter to her chest. What if Toramatsu had written it? That thought alone made her want to march up to Yasumasa and demand he stop being so cruel, but she thought better of it. The rage was gone just as quickly as it came, and she was soon making her way back to her room.

She couldn’t sleep, which wasn’t at all surprising. The moon bathed her room in soft light, and it gave her the perfect view of the ceiling as she tried to empty her head and find sleep. With a sigh, MC sat up, her eyes drifting to the still unopened letter at her bedside. Why was she so afraid of opening it anyway?

With a sigh she slid open her door, stepping out onto the veranda and settling down in the moonlight to finally read the letter.

The ink was fresher this time, obviously written all at once. But there was still reluctance in the writing. It was short and concise, as if it were hard for them to even get this out. The content, however, made her blink. It was so different from the first one. An apology was the first thing written, followed by an admittance that this was very unlike them and that this kind of thing indeed did not come easily. It was a shorter note. With a somewhat somber tone.

“I can’t say these thing out loud, so I’m sorry if I came off as cruel. You’re very pretty for someone so plain. Please give me some time, and don’t stop smiling.”

MC’s brows furrowed. Give him time? Don’t stop smiling? So it was someone she knew? This was only more confusing.

“What’s that?”

The voice behind her made her yelp, and she couldn’t help but curse herself for losing herself so much that she’s let her guard down again. She whirled around to see the curious eyes of Tadakatsu behind her, staring intently at the note in her hand.

“L-Lord Tadakatsu! I was--”

“A love note? And you haven’t written him back yet?” His tone was teasing, and he sighed almost dreamily, “Ahh your heart might be as cold as Lord Ieyasu’s!”

Tadakatsu’s cheeks turned the odd shade of pink that they always did when their lord was brought up, and MC couldn’t help but smile.

“I’m not cold. I don’t know who it is. I wouldn’t even know how to get it to him.”

Tadakatsu’s odd lovestruck mood went as soon as it came. “I can deliver it.”

MC blinked. “You know who wrote me?”

“I know the handwriting.”

Dread bubbled in her stomach. “Er...Listen Lord Tadakatsu. I appreciate it but I’m not sure you’re really my type…”

Tadakatsu laughed, a deep hearty noise she was sure might wake the castle. “It’s not me. You know my heart and body belong to Lord Ieyasu.” He sighed again, “For him to do whatever he like to!”

“R-right. Of course.” Now she felt foolish. “I only…”

He ruffled her hair, and the gesture oddly brought her comfort. “Don’t worry. I’ll get it to your secret admirer safely. Don’t feel rushed. After all, he asked you to give him time, right?”

“Right…” She smiled. “Thank you, Lord Tadakatsu.”

Writing the letter itself was not as much of a challenge as she initially expected it to be. Her mind still wandered, having no idea who she was writing to. But she knew a few things about him. For one, he wasn’t Lord Tadakatsu, which left her at ease from ruling one person out alone. He had problems expressing himself, and that could be anyone in the castle...But he seemed as if he could also be tender and sweet if given the chance. He reminded her of Lord Ieyasu even if it wasn’t his handwriting. Still, she supposed there was no need rush things. That wouldn’t be good for either of them.

“I might not know who you are, but I’ll keep smiling at everyone so I can smile at you too.”

Tadakatsu took the letter without complaint, only giving her a knowing smile as he tucked it into his sleeve. The fatigue and uneasiness she felt in her chest melted away, and she felt much more like herself. The next day, however, there was no letter waiting for her in the kitchen. Neither was there one the day after that. And by the time a week had passed, she was starting to lose hope in getting one again.

#slbp fic #slbp yasumasa #slbp #samurai love ballad party

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maxattack-powell · 8 years ago

Text

The Freshman 1-9

Book 1-9

Chapter 9: Sorority Ball (Part 1)

Masterlist - go here for other chapters and related original fics

Disclaimer: The following are fics (adaptations from actual game chapters AND original works) to Choices: The Freshman and The Sophomore stories. It is a fictional adaptation. I (we) do not work for Pixelberry Studios, the game developer or own the rights to the characters Chris Powell, Nicole or any other IN GAME character. All of the ORIGINAL characters, storylines and events were developed for my adaptation of The Freshman story.

Comments: I enjoyed playing Choices The Freshman… and then I found this awesome group of people and their works - I’ve loved it all, very much so. Deciding that I wanted more interaction than the options allowed, I’ve gone through the first book, chapter by chapter (omg painfully slow) to follow the story (95-99% I’d say) and add to it as I felt would benefit.

Basically, I wanted to include certain things that weren’t really full fic size worthy, adding to the story. However, I did add some full size fic moments also… some are included in cannon chapters, some are their own full chapters in between. I wanted to see MC and Chris through their freshman year… with more angst, fluff, sweetness, real life and overall detail. So, if you like that pairing then you’ll be satisfied, otherwise sorry James & Kaitlyn fans lol. I even added some parts from Chris’s POV, so that we have a chance to see what he’s thinking, knowing what she experienced.

There will be ADULT and/or NSFW moments in certain chapters - this is a warning lol. I will try my best to make it obvious as it occurs…

Paring: MC x Chris

POV: ~MC~ or ~Chris~

~MC~

The morning after the sorority sleepover, the girls wake up at the Kappa House and scramble to gather their things. They don't have a lot of time to find dates for the Sorority Ball as it's now only a few hours away. They also didn't have the most restful night, and MC had to see Professor Vasquez, and hopefully James. Still in their PJs, Abbie, Kaitlyn and MC dash across campus and head up to their suite.

Abbie and Kaitlyn enter the door first, with MC entering last, unaware of what was infront of her as she entered. Her friends don't stop as they quickly make their way to the hallway, squabbling over who was going to jump in the shower first.

Just as MC passes the doorway to the kitchen, Chris steps out and swerves last minute to avoid crashing into her and dousing her with his coffee.

“Holy shit!” Chris gasps as he quickly swings his cup out of the way.

MC freezes as her eyes go huge, afraid to move as he recovers. “Oh my god. I’m sorry.” She sighs and covers her face with her hands, rubbing them down her cheeks as she cautiously looks around. “Is everything okay?”

Chris avoids her direct gaze but gives her a small sad smile as he focuses on the hand holding his mug. “Yeah, it's fine.”

A small amount had spilled out and ran across the back of his hand, now heading for the floor. MC notices and quickly grabs a dishtowel and wipes his hand, not looking up to meet his eyes as he turns his focus to her, watching her movements.

“I’m really sorry… I was in a hurry and…” She sighs. “Nevermind. Sorry… again.” She throws the towel on the counter and quickly cuts around him and heads to her room, unable to be so close to him.

~Chris~

Chris looks down and watches as MC gently grabs his hand and runs the towel over it, removing the offensive coffee mixture from his skin. He tries to ignore how soft and light her hands feel, almost like feathers on his calloused hand. His brows come together as he slowly looks towards her face, instantly realizing that she's avoiding his eyes. He’s about to say something but she interrupts him.

“I’m really sorry… I was in a hurry and…” She sighs. “Nevermind. Sorry… again.” She throws the towel on the counter and quickly cuts around him and heads to her room.

Chris stands there in the same spot for a moment, watching her retreating form. His jaw clenches as he takes in and releases a deep breath. MC’s door closes with some force as he remains still. He closes his eyes for a moment, jaw still flexing and unflexing, mirroring his troubled thoughts. He sighs and shakes his head before he opens his eyes, glancing down the hall one more time before he finally finds the ability to move. He quietly grabs some of his books from the kitchen table and heads upstairs to the roof. Alone.

~MC~

She quickly runs to her room and tries not to slam the door, feeling only partially successful as it makes a solid connection with the doorframe. She leans against the door for a moment before shaking her head and rolling her eyes, irritated with herself. As she pushes off the door and heads to her closet, she scolds herself for letting his presence affect her like that. She starts thinking about everything that had happened since she arrived at Hartfeld.

Her thoughts end with his voice, stating his desire to stop the progression between them. He didn't want serious. He wants to have fun… to not get hurt. And even though she wishes they were more, she's trying to respect his wishes. Even though she doesn't fully believe him. Even though it hurts her deeply to be pulled to, then pushed from him with such force. And at the end, she still misses her friend.

She knows the others do too, but she feels his absence is affecting her differently. Being honest with herself, she knows that part of it is because, again, she wishes they could be more… but he has made it clear that they would never be, and that realization hurts.

She pinches her lips together as she dig through her clothes. She doesn't have time for emotional musings right now. She needs to get over to Vasquez’s office as soon as possible, so she can track down James… or let Vasquez know of her failure. Whichever comes first.

If by some miracle everything works out with James, she has to get back to her room as quickly as possible. The Sorority Ball is a big deal, especially if she wants a shot at getting into Kappa Phi, and she needs to prepare. As of right now she has no clue what she could wear, but her date needs to be locked down before she worries about that.

Grinding her teeth together, clearly irritated, she pulls out a pair of jeans and RHCP t-shirt. She changes and fixes her hair before jumping back in the hall, cutting in front of Kaitlyn as she tries to take over the bathroom after Abbie.

“Hey!” Kaitlyn jumps back as MC barrels past.

“I just need to brush my teeth, one second!” She works as fast as she can as Kaitlyn squeezes in behind, her arms full of clothes, toiletries and her towel.

MC does as she says and quickly finishes, thanking Kaitlyn as she runs towards the door. She heads to Professor Vasquez's office to update him on her progress. She enters his office with an upbeat attitude. "Good morning, Professor Vasquez." "Hmmm? Oh yes. Good morning." He gruffly replies, barely looking up from his desk. She notices the empty trash can in the corner of the room and wonders whether the professor's letter to his daughter went out with the trash.

She frowns and searches his face for any helpful information. "Everything okay? You're looking a little down." He pauses for only a brief second to give her an incredulous look. "What?" His nose crinkles as he makes a mild sneer. "This is how I always look." His turns his gaze back to the papers on his desk. Her eyebrows raise as she takes in a breath. "Guess I can't argue with that..." Without looking up this time, Vasquez sharply speaks. "Now, do you have an update on the task I gave you, or did you just come here to irritate me?" Shocked by his abruptness, MC does her best to remember why she was there. "Well, I’m on the final challenge... I just have to find an upperclassman to take me to the Sorority Ball this evening." He scoffs and shuffles through a pile of papers. "And what do you want from me? Boy advice?" "No, I... well, it's a bit awkward. Becca and Madison said that I have to bring James." She gives him a pleading look, hoping maybe he would take pity and let her off the hook or something.

"They were... very adamant about it." She sighs. His interest is piqued as he stands straight, looking at her with surprise. "Really? I have to say, I didn't see this twist coming." He thoughtfully rubs his chin. "Maybe I should hire Becca and Madison as story consultants for my novel..." MC frowns. "Professor!" He refrains from rolling his eyes but waves his hand at her somewhat dismissively. "Sorry, sorry. Regarding James... well, how do you feel about him? Is there... something there?" "I'd say there's nothing between us that's any of your damn business." MC snaps, her face screwing up into an angry frown, clearly offended by his intrusive personal questions. "I think you'll find that your romantic woes are very much my business." His eyes narrow as he looks directly at her. It lasts only a moment before his face softens slightly. "After all, what's a story without a little romance?" "Ugh." MC crinkles her nose in disgust. Just then, the door opens and James walks in. He stops short when he sees MC and Vasquez staring at him, sensing the tension in the air. "Uh... everything okay in here?" Vasquez actually puts on a neutral, somewhat pleasant expression to greet him as he stands up straight. "Good morning James. Do you have a nice suit in your closet?" Before MC can say anything James answers. "Uh, yes. Of course." Vasquez actually smiles, however small. "Good. You're taking MC to the sorority ball at Kappa Phi Sigma house tonight." James takes a step back, an extremely shocked look on his face. "What?!" MC tilts her head back, a look of contempt on her face. "That's your reaction?!" James quickly collects himself, nervously looking at MC as he raises his hand in defense. "Sorry, I didn't mean... I was just caught off-guard, that's all." His face melts, becoming sincere. "I'd be happy to accompany you to this... Sorority Ball." MC takes her turn to be surprised. "Oh, you would? Uh, I mean... thank you. I look forward to it. You can pick me up from my dorm at six. It's building 2, on the south side of the quad." "Great. I will... see you then." James looks at them both, judging the situation, assuming he navigated through well. MC gives him a small smile and heads out the door, making her way back to her dorm. Once she finally arrives at the suite, she finds Zack and Tyler in their usual spot in front of the TV, gaming controllers clutched in their hands. Zack warns her before she gets too far past them, his eyes never leaving the screen. "Careful MC. Kaitlyn's in full-on prep mode." She stops and backs up, causing him to look at her then. "Uh oh. Is that bad?" She gives him a concerned look. Tyler frowns at her from his spot next to Zack, pausing the game. "She's asked our opinion on, like, thirty different dresses! I don't have good input on these things!" Knowing this was his area of expertise, Zack chimes in. "And yes, they were all totally gorgeous, but I'm trying to focus on kicking Tyler's ass. I can't be distracted by fashion at a time like this." Tyler bows up next to him, his mouth open in a shocked smile. "Oh, you're kicking my ass? Really?! The score suggests otherwise, my friend." Before Zack can deliver a retort Kaitlyn strides out of her room and down the hall, straight towards the guys. She snaps her fingers at them both, glaring.

Tyler has a look as if he has been caught sneaking out of the house after dark. "What? What did we do wrong?!" Zack sighs dramatically and looks at Kaitlyn. "Could you use your words please? I may be able to read many things, but minds is not one of them." Kaitlyn's face turns into a huge scowl as she barks at them. "Up!" She halls Zack and Tyler off the couch and starts flipping over all the cushions. "Looking for something..?" MC asks the obvious question. Kaitlyn keeps digging, not making eye contact yet. "I lost my sparkly eyeshadow palette... bad enough that I can't seem to find the right dress, now my face is a total disaster too!"

She's clearly about to lose it, so MC steps in to help. She grabs Kaitlyn's arm and makes her stand back up, looking her straight in the face.

"Let me see…” She appraises Kaitlyn's look. “Don't be silly, you look great. I'm starting to wish YOU were my date." She squeezes Kaitlyn's upper arm softly, trying to reassure her friend. Kaitlyn looks surprised, but also relieved. "You... you do?" MC smiles at her warmly, hoping Kaitlyn is calming down. "Maybe a little." Kaitlyn finally laughs, causing the tension to leave her body. "Flatterer. You're just saying that to make me feel better. But... thank you." "I just tell it like it is." MC gives her a toothy smile. Zack randomly pipes in, the look on his face is a mixture of confusion and concern. "Why would your makeup be in the couch..." Before Kaitlyn can answer Abbie enters the room, looking stunning in a flattering dress. Everyone stares at her while she appears unaware.

"Oh, Kaitlyn.. were you looking for your eyeshadow?" She asks calmly. Kaitlyn, no longer concerned with her makeup woes gasps. "Damn Abbie!" Abbie suddenly focuses, finally noticing everyone staring at her. "What? Why are you all looking at me like that?" She shifts uncomfortably, mild irritation crossing her face. Zack laughs at her sassy attitude. "Cause you look hot, girl! Duh," MC grins. "Aww... doesn't she look great, Tyler?" Abbie's face turns even more irritated. "MC! Argh! I'm changing." Tyler steps towards her his hands up as if he's going to block her. "No, don't!" He suddenly blushes, hard. "Uh... not that I care. Er..." He looks down at the floor. Zack grabs him around the shoulder, a mischievous smile crossing his face. "What this mush-mouthed idiot is trying to say, is... you look nice. That dress really suits you." Tyler gives Zack a thankful expression then slowly turns his eyes to Abbie's. "You... you really do look amazing, Abbie." "Really?" She asks, a look of disbelief crossing her face. Tyler stands up straighter, takes a deep breath and holds her gaze. "Really." Abbie's face turns soft. "Oh, well... thanks, Tyler." She smiles bashfully before refocusing. "Anyway, here's your eyeshadow palette, Kaitlin. It dropped under the cabinet in the bathroom. Sorry, I should've mentioned it before." She holds out her hand, offering the makeup to her friend. Kaitlyn smiles as she takes the makeup from Abbie. "No worries! I'm just glad to have it back. Now if only I could find the right dress..." She slowly taps her cheek, then turns towards MC. "But let's focus on MC! What are you wearing to the dance?" MC makes a face, wiggling her nose playfully. "Hmm... I haven't really thought about it." Kaitlyn's face blanches, her mouth hanging open. "Are you kidding me? Picking the right dress is everything!" She forcefully pumps her fist in the air. "With the right dress, your crushes will drool over you... and your enemies will be insanely jealous!" MC listens to Kaitlyn's words carefully, causing her thoughts to wander slightly. She then realizes that Chris was apparently not in the suite, so she assumes he's no longer there. She knows there's a good chance he is already at the Kappa Phi house and sighs.

"I guess I'd better choose wisely then..?" She knows she needs to stop her thoughts from focusing on Chris. It was becoming very distracting. Kaitlyn and Abbie both go to their rooms to finish getting ready, and MC does the same. As she looks through her closet she pulls out three choices. One is a glittery midnight blue shoulder dress with an illusion neckline, very regal looking. The second is a halter type style, purple with lace overlay. And her third option, a strapless crisscrossed 'little black dress' that is just about perfect for any occasion. She remembers what Kaitlyn had said before about ‘dressing for the job’, a statement that is still relevant for this situation, at least in theory. She grabs the sparkly midnight blue ball gown and shuts the door. After getting dressed, refreshing her makeup and styling out her hair a little more than normal, MC steps out of her room and heads towards the living space.

Zack notices her first, his eyes going wide as he checks her out head to toe. "Careful MC. You go out looking like that and someone's gonna fall in love with you."

MC pauses her movements and blushes as she looks down at her dress. Kaitlyn enters from the hall at just that moment. "You could say that again..." She doesn't try to hide her staring. MC starts to wonder if she chose poorly, her face a mix between sadness and fear. "Too much?" She asks nervously. Zack shakes his head quickly. "No way! James is gonna be psyched when he sees you like that." Kaitlyn agrees, barely mumbling. "Yeah... definitely." No one seemed to notice her brief pout. Abbie walks in then, turning towards Kaitlyn, causing her to switch expressions quickly. "Did you decide what you're going to wear yet, Kaitlyn?" Back to her normal self, Kaitlyn squints one eye and gives her a thoughtful look. "Hmmmmmmm.... let me think. Oh! I've got it!"

She turns on her heels and takes off back to her room. A few minutes later she's leaping in front of everyone from the darkness of the hallway wearing a beautiful red strapless dress with a gold necklace. Her hair is pinned up off her neck in loose but still formal way. She spins for everyone, grinning. "Well, what do you think? It's perfect, right?" When no one answers her face completely flips, her smile turning into a scowl. "Right?" Tyler stutters, quickly trying to cover for everyone's lack of response. "Yes, yes, it's perfect!" Zack gives her a thumbs up. "Best one yet!" Kaitlyn smiles and looks down at her dress. "Better late than never. Do you like this one, MC?" MC cocks her head to the side a little, studying Kaitlyn's new look and nods. "You look amazing!" Kaitlyn smiles even wider and pulls MC into a tight hug. Leaning back she stares into MC's eyes, her hands on MC’s upper arms. "You're amazing." MC winks at her, jokingly. "I know."

Just then the doorbell rings, causing everyone to jump. They all jump a second time as the door to the suite swings open suddenly. Darren pops his head in first, then proceeds to step into the suite.

"Did anyone order two handsome... oh." He pauses, noticing Kaitlyn's grip on MC. James steps in behind him, also becoming aware of the setup in front of them. "Are we... interrupting?" Kaitlyn pulls away from MC as Darren limps into the room, James slowly following behind him. "Nope, not interrupting anything! How... are you?" Darren gives her a warm smile, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. "Can't complain. Especially when my date looks as good as you do." Zack laughs, wiggling his eyebrows at Kaitlyn. "Looks like this guy's got moves on and off the field." Abbie rolls her eyes and snorts. "Oh my god Zack." Darren just grins, enjoying the jokes and mood of the evening. "Sorry we barged in here like this. James told me to wait, didn't you buddy?" James gives him a blank look. "Yeah, I did tell you that... buddy." He turns away from them and makes his way towards MC, his hands in his pockets. She catches him glancing at her dress, his eyes lingering just a little too long around certain curves.

His eyes finally make their way to hers. "MC... you look nice. Really." She tuts at him, giving him a questionable smile. "'Nice,' huh? Really charming James." He flushes. "Well, I--" He lightly shakes his head and smiles. "We're both doing this for Vasquez, remember? It's not like..." He pauses briefly, deciding against continuing that line of thought. "...never mind." "I did remember that, actually, but I appreciate the reminder. I mean it." She winks at him. He laughs and rolls his eyes lightly at her. "So it's going to be like that, huh? I can tell this is going to be a long night..." Zack forces his way into their conversation as he makes towards the kitchen. "Only if you play your cards right, buddy." "Zack, cool it with the color commentary!" Abbie snaps from the living room. Tyler looks around, making sure he didn't miss anyone. "Where's your date, Abbie?" "Darren, I thought Logan was going to come?" Kaitlyn suddenly looks concerned, looking around the group. Darren sighs and frowns, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Yeah, about that... he ate like seventy eggs yesterday, and he's still sick." MC's face twists in disgust. "Uh, why did he eat seventy eggs, exactly?" Her eyebrow raises higher with each word. "Darren's face falls flat. "Gains. That's all he said." Tyler motions towards Abbie. "Maybe I could be your date? I mean... I'm not really doing anything." Zack's face falls dramatically and he turns towards Tyler. "Except hanging out with your best bud Zack!" He mock glares at him for only a second before he laughs and lightly slaps Tyler on the back. "Just kidding, you two should totally go together." Kaitlyn frowns deeply at their plan. "They can't... she needs to bring an upperclassman." Abbie's face draws up with irritation. "Ugh, this is so annoying!" MC tries to reassure her. "Don't worry about it Abbie. Just stick with us. They won't even notice Logan's missing." "Well, I don't want to be a third... or a fifth wheel... or anything." Her face shows her concerned thoughts. MC smiles and shakes her head. "You won't be." James agrees. "Yeah, no worries. If anyone asks, we'll say your date just went to get drinks or something." Relief began to creep onto her face. "Really?" James shrugs and laughs. "Yeah, why not?" Abbie smiles at him then turns to MC. "I like this guy MC. Nice catch." MC looks at James and crinkles her nose. "Yeah... he's alright I guess." James gives her a questioning look, his eyes narrowing as he judges her words, a smile on his lips the entire time. "Just 'alright?' I guess I should've expected that." Darren interrupts before things can go any further. "Hey, I didn't get all dressed up just to watch you two flirt. Let's go!" He starts ushering everyone to the door. The girls wave bye to Zack and Tyler. Only Zack notices Tyler's slight frown as they leave.

He pats him on the back. "Come on big guy, show me how to play this stupid game." After a short walk through campus, the five of them stand outside the Kappa Phi Sigma house in the soft light of dusk. Darren offers Kaitlyn his arm. "Oh... thank you!” She recovers from her surprise, quickly threading her arm through his. Darren flashes his ultra white smile. "Let's see if anyone's home." He walks up to the front door and raps sharply, his other arm firmly linked with Kaitlyn's. Becca answers the door, actually happy to see them. "Darren, so glad you could make it to our little soirée! And you've brought Kaitlyn. I have to say, I wouldn't have guessed that you were her type..." Kaitlyn gives her an irritated look. "What is that supposed to mean?" "Nothing, of course. Come on, the dancing's just about to get started." She waves everyone in without giving MC or Abbie a second glance. Becca leads them all into the house, through a winding path of guests. MC leans towards Abbie and whispers. "So far so good Abbie." James nods his head slightly, keeping his focus forward but addresses her as well. "Just keep a low profile, and you'll be golden." Abbie doesn't seem so sure. "I hope you're right..." Becca taps a fork to her glass to get everyone's attention as Madison queues up a romantic R&B playlist. "Welcome to Kappa Phi Sigma's first official call of the quarter! Darren, Kaitlyn... would you like to open the dance floor?" Kaitlyn is caught off guard. "Uhh..." Darren squeezes her arm slightly. "We'd be happy to. Here, take my hand Kaitlyn." She still looks unsure. "Okay.." Abbie leans close to MC and James as Darren slowly leads Kaitlyn across the dance floor, his actions hindered slightly due to his recent injury. "Is it just me, or does Kaitlyn seem actively disinterested in Darren?" “Maybe we should get out there, alleviate the awkwardness a bit." James leans towards MC. MC glances at him tilting her head with a smirk. "Are you asking me to dance?" James holds up his hands, his shoulders slightly shrug. "I might be. Professors orders you know." MC's face lights up as she laughs. "Riiiiiiight." They step out onto the dance floor, James putting his hand on her waist. She clasps her hands behind his neck and smiles up at him. "Hey James, ready to get this over with?" She jokingly prods him. James knowingly takes the bait. "Ouch." He pulls his right hand away from her waist momentarily to grip at his chest as if he was mortally struck. She laugh and smacks at his hand before he puts it back on her waist. "Oh, quit whining." She notices the ample amount of space he is keeping between them. "You can get closer if you want." His smile reappears. "Alright." "Wow, show a little enthusiasm. I could still change my mind." She jokingly threatens. He pulls her closer as he takes a step in as well, a wry smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "I kinda don't think you will." He challenges. He gracefully leads her across the dance floor, both having a great time. She looks up into his eyes. "You know, you're kind of good at this." "Thanks. I have some experience... my parents used to drag me to charity balls and formal scenes all the time, and dancing was always required." She purses her lips a nods. "Wow, sounds fancy." He curls up his nose, clearly showing his distaste. "More like, incredibly dull. But at least I picked up a trick or two." He lifts her hand, leading her into an artful turn then winks as she joins back with him. She can't hide her growing smile. "Very nice." The song ends and another begins. "Wait right here. I'm going to get us some drinks." He gives her waist a light squeeze before turning towards the refreshment area. "What a gentleman..." She turns thoughtful as she watches him walk away.

Maybe Kaitlyn was right. Maybe James was someone she should consider as more than a friend. If he felt the same of course. That she wasn't sure of though, as she had been learning that he often kept his true feelings to himself. She turns her gaze away from James as he reaches the table, spotting a familiar face through the crowd. By the expression on his face, Chris has been watching her for a while, his face instantly softening when their eyes connect. A smile starts on one side of his lips at first, growing when she doesn't move her gaze from his. She notices his suit. It looks like it was built just for him, cut in all the right places to give his muscular form the best visual advantage. MC swallows hard, trying not to be obvious. Suddenly Abbie leans in and whispers to her. "Wow. Chris isn't exactly my type... but he definitely knows how to wear a suit." MC let's out the breath of air she was holding slowly through her nose, still maintaining eye contact with Chris. "Yeah... he's looking good.” She almost grumbles.

“I wish he didn't look so good." She whispers, biting her lower lip. She closes her eyes for a moment, wishing she was anywhere else. Abbie turns her back to Chris so only MC can see her face, she frowns sympathetically at her. "Seriously..." At that moment James returns holding some drinks. He hands both MC and Abbie theirs as he joins them on the edge of the dance floor. MC tries turning sideways to face them both, helping her avoid Chris gaze if possible. She does however notice as Becca pushes her way through the crowd as it caused some people to stumble as they regain their footing. When she reaches Chris she gives him an overly saccharine smile, wrapping her arms around him.

~Chris~

Unaware of her arrival, Chris startles as Becca is suddenly there, tugging on his arm lightly. "Come on Chris. I want to dance." Her sudden intrusion breaks his focus on MC, making him sigh as he is forced to look away. "Uh, sure." Becca drapes her arms around his neck, shooting a sly look at MC out of the corner of her eye, letting her know she was aware that MC’s attention had been on her date. Chris can't help but look back at MC and James, a small feeling of jealousy growing.

~MC~ MC's face scrunches up momentarily, unable to control her nauseation of the performance in front of her, courtesy of Becca. She turns her back to her friends, focusing on James and Abbie. James immediately notices though and squeezes her arm gently. "You okay MC? You kinda went away for a second." Realizing she had been caught, MC wipes all expression off of her face. "Sorry, I just..." She shakes her head as if trying to release something. "Let's dance some more." James seems satisfied with her response and gives in to her request. "Sure, whatever you want." He offers to take her glass and places both his and hers on the nearby table. They step back onto the dance floor, his hands once again finding her waist. MC tries to avoid eye contact with both Chris and Becca, but notices as she leans on Chris's chest possessively. MC catches Chris's eye over Becca's shoulder as they happen to line up on the dancefloor, making her pull James closer to obscure his line of sight. Chris’s intense gaze makes her cheeks flush. He shows his dance partner little attention, keeping his focus on her instead. It's then that MC decides that it would be best to ignore them both, concentrating on James instead.

She smiles up at him, her hands locked behind his neck. "I'm one hundred percent here now." He gives her a authentic smile. "I'm glad." She raises an eyebrow at him. "Really? Sometimes I can't tell when you're being sarcastic..." "I'm not being sarcastic, I promise." He holds up his hand, giving the boy-scout salute. She can’t hold her laughter, somehow not at all surprised he knows the boy-scout salute. "Suuuuuure..."

MC doesn't notice that her laughter draws even more attention from Chris. He intently watches them float around the dancefloor, clearly having a good time. James, unaware that his date is drawing the attention of another, looks at her with dismay. "I'm not! Seriously!" "I guess you just have one of those faces then..." She studies his face as confusion takes it over. "What's wrong with my face?" He frowns, almost pouting. She giggles even more at his questioning look. "Absolutely nothing." She smiles up at him, swaying together in time with the music. Being in the moment with James, MC doesn't notice Chris leaving Becca stranded on the dance-floor, quickly cutting through the crowd, straight towards her. His expression is unreadable as he gently touches her elbow, causing her to turn and meet his piercing blue eyes.

Chris doesn't look at James as he addresses him, keeping his eyes locked on MC’s instead. "James, can I borrow MC for a second?" James shifts to look at Chris, his face neutral as one hand let's go of her waist. "Why are you asking me? She's an adult. She can make her own decisions." MC squeezes James's arms as they begin to separate. "Thanks James, I'm sure Chris didn't mean it like that." He gives her an understanding nod. "I'll go check on Abbie. If you need anything..." He glances sideways at Chris, who's eyes are still set on MC's, "...just let me know, okay?" She smiles at him warmly. "Okay." ~Chris~

As James heads towards Abbie, MC turns towards him, finally holding his unwavering gaze. Her expression is mostly neutral, except for the hint of sadness he sees in it. "So... what did you want to talk about?" He takes a deep breath and let's it out slowly, his face now looking down at his clenched hands. He looks up slightly, almost avoiding her eyes now. "There are just some things I wanted to explain." He looks around the room, seeing multiple people looking their way, including Becca, James and Abbie. "But... not here." He starts to feel hot and uneasy. ~MC~

She can't stop herself out of curiosity. Knowing he's made his point a few times by now she assumes this time won't be any different, but even if she tries not to, she knows she will always give him another chance to say whatever he felt he needs to say. "Okay... I suppose we should go talk somewhere more private then." He motions towards the door. "Let's step outside." She follows him out, throwing a last look over her shoulder at James, making sure he doesn't see her slip outside, already feeling bad for leaving him to talk with Chris. They head around the side of the house, ending up at the same memorable spot they shared a breathless moment once before. She looks down at her heels, lightly tapping her toes near the foundation. "So... what did you want to talk about?" ~Chris~

Chris begins pacing back and forth by the garden fountain, a curious look on his face. "I..." He anxiously runs his hand through his hair. “I'm not sure.” Suddenly he frowns, feeling intense pressure on his chest.

"I guess I just wanted to say that..." He sighs, letting his hands drop defeatedly at his sides. "You and James look happy together." He raises his eyes to hers. "And I'm happy for you." His brow pinches as he ignores the painful feeling that is crossing his chest. Her brow pinches together briefly at his words before relaxing. "Well... thanks, I guess."

He awkwardly shifts his footing in front of her. His mind is racing, thinking about everything they've said, experienced and felt. His previous decisions feeling less important all of a sudden as he studies her face.

~MC~

"That's all you have to say?" MC considers his words briefly, before deciding he isn't being completely honest. He searches her face, looking for something specific, then sighs heavily his look becoming darker. "Yeah. That's all." Noticing this, MC decides to prod him again. "If you say so Chris... but I don't know if I believe you." His brow tightens with concern. "What? What do you mean you don't believe me?" He runs his hand through his hair a second time. "I don't believe that's all you have to say." She says softly. "I don't believe that you're happy for me and James." His jaw clenches. "MC, what are you--" She shakes her head, looking away from him as she fiddles with her necklace. "You're lying to me, Chris... and you're lying to yourself."

~Chris~ His face turns somewhat angry at her comment. "Well... so what if I am?! How am I supposed to feel when I see you with another guy?"

His arm shoots out sharply at the house, his hand pointing to the center, as his voice raises slightly. He quickly realizes and lowers it back down somewhat, trying to avoid drawing attention. Chris feels his blood pressure rising with his irritation. She looks at him in disbelief, her own anger making it's way to her face. "I don't know... the same way I feel when I see you with Becca?"

Chris feels a sting of pain at her words. He clenches his jaw and remains silent, the guilt of his words soaking through his body.

She tightens her fists and takes in a deep breath before continuing. "You barely even gave the concept of us a chance Chris." The anger melts off of his face instantly, a deep anxious look taking its place. "I... I was scared. I didn't want to ruin something that could've been..." He motions loosely in the air between them. "...real." "But you and Becca..." She starts. He sighs again. "Don't you get it? That's safe. I'm never going to fall in love with Becca." He watches MC’s face as he says the words. Watching to see if she understands what he's implying. "So you don't love Becca? That's so sad..." He could see a look of confusion on her face. "So long as you both know you're just using each other, I guess." His eyes are solemn as he looks at her before he pinches them shut. It's as if her words struck him, feeling like a punch to the gut.

"That's a harsh way to put it... but it's probably true." He rubs the back of his neck, opening his eyes but not looking up into hers. "I told you on the first night we met... I just wanted my freshman year to be a time to heal... to have some fun." He sighs, not sure if he believes that anymore. "So... this is fun?" She pinches her lips together, forming a thin line as she looks down at her dress, picking at a random sequin. He lets out a huff of air, deciding to be honest with her. "Seeing you with James is the opposite of fun." He shakes his head and looks up as she raises her gaze to his. "But... I can't be with you. Not now. I know I'd only hurt you." His voice grows quieter with each word. "And what if I'm willing to take that risk? Shouldn't I get a say in this?" Her lips become even thinner as she forces them together, frustration clearly taking over. ~MC~

"If I hurt you again... I wouldn't be able to forgive myself." As Chris hangs his head MC suddenly realizes how close they now are, all of his pacing leaving him here, only inches from her. MC takes his face in her hands, pushing up on her toes to close the small gap in height. Even with her low heels on, he's still an inch or two taller. He gasps at the contact, his eyes deep and searching as he stares through her. "MC... what are you--" She silences him with a lingering kiss, his lips warm against hers in the chilly night air. When she pulls back she sees a tormented look on his face.

“I…” She suddenly feels troubled, regret swimming through her.

"I shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry." She speaks in barely a whisper as she quickly drops her arms from his face and wraps them around her body. "No, it's... it's fine. Don't worry about it." His face is a mix of emotions, confliction everywhere. "You're here with Becca tonight, and I... well, I don't know yet what's going on with me." She was yelling at herself internally. This really wasn't like her. She had to get herself in check immediately. "Seriously, MC, it's fine. Let's just... let's just go back inside, okay?" He look away sadly. She looks down, her fists clenched so tight her knuckles are turning white. "You go ahead. I want to stay out a while longer."

She sighs and mumbles very low. “Or maybe I should just go home…” Chris frowns as he believes he hears her last statement correctly. Unsure he shakes his head and looks away. "Suit yourself." As Chris turns to leave, she sinks onto the cold stone rim of the garden fountain, feeling a heavy weight settle over her heart. "When did things get so complicated?" She pulls out her phone and dials Zack. She immediately picks up on his joyful mood as he smiles into the phone. "Hey, MC, what's up? How's your fancy ball going?" MC frowns into her phone. "Not so great Zack, not so great." She can hear his demeanor change. "Uh oh, what's wrong?" "Ugh... just stuff with Chris, I guess." She shakes her head. "Well... you know I'm happy to talk boy drama with you, but isn't Kaitlyn there? I'm sure she'd know just what to say to cheer you up." He gives her a knowing look. "You know what? I think you're right about that. I'll see if I can find out where she disappeared to..." MC starts to feel slightly better. "Go for it. Just make sure to fill me in when you get back." Zack winks at her. "Will do." She heads back inside and searches the Kappa House for Kaitlyn. She finally finds her, leaning against a banister. A wave of relief washes over her as she speed walks to her side. As she gets closer she notices the sad look on her face, wondering why she she looks so down.

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