#it'll be chilling to see on screen

[crypticmessengergoblin]

hmpf

just laying in bed in the dark thinking about the battle of manhattan a totally normal amount

[gigabyte-flare]

Pause the Game

[A Gigabyte Flare One Shot]

Summary: You decide to play a video game to help you wind down so you can go to bed. Sylus has other plans.

Word Count: 1.9k

Pairing: Sylus x fem!Reader (afab)

Disclaimer: This story is a work of fiction. You are responsible for your own content consumption. If any of the following warnings trigger you, please read at your own risk. Minors do not interact, this story is 18+ only.

Warnings: Pet names, dubcon, oral (f receiving), unprotected p in v, creampie

A/N: Part one of 21 Reasons is going to be freaking massive so I wanted to get a one shot out to help hold me over (especially after yesterday's banner reveal WOOF). This is loosely based on Sylus's "Crying Wolf" Secret times; as an avid gamer, that audio rewired my freaking brain. So naturally, this is 5000% self indulgent, but I hope you guys enjoy it anyway!

It's now morning, you begin to make a mental note of all the things you have to do today before the day ends; you don't have much time.

Wake up, go water the plants, collect the eggs, milk the cows, collect the duck feathers, sheer the sheep--

"What are you playing, Sweetie?"

You practically jump where you're sat up in bed, dropping your phone in the blankets on your lap. You didn't even hear Sylus come into the bedroom.

"Are you trying to scare me, Sy?" you ask, rolling your eyes up at him as he leans over the bed to see what you're so focused on.

"Me, try to scare you? Never. Although I am shocked my little Hunter didn't even notice me…" a devious smirk appears on his lips as he leans in close to your ear, "when I was this close."

His breath on your ear causes a chill to run straight down your spine and into your core, the depths of you throbbing in response to his voice; he knows exactly what buttons to push on you. You shake your head, pushing the lewd thoughts aside just as you bring your hand up, pushing his face away.

"Sylus, come on, I was just really focused on what I was doing!"

He instantly grabs your wrist, holding it still for a moment before letting go; his devious smirk transforming into something darker, "you should know better, it'll take more than just your hand to keep me away, Kitten."

A sudden sad sounding chime emanates from your phone, drawing your and Sylus's attention to it, the words 'YOU LOSE: The wolf ate your livestock!' hovering on the screen. You let out an annoyed sigh as you pick up your phone from your lap.

"Oops… looks like you lost. Sorry for interrupting your game, Sweetie," he says with a low chuckle as he stands back up straight, slipping his hands into the pockets of his dress pants, "don't I recall you telling me this morning that you are going to start going to bed early from now on? Only naughty Kittens stay up and play games."

You clear your throat, once again willing yourself to not let Sylus get you worked up, "I like to play video games to help me wind down and go to sleep!"

Looking down at you, Sylus raises a scrutinizing eyebrow, "playing video games to fall asleep? That is the most absurd thing I've ever heard. I think someone is trying to pull the wool over my eyes."

"No I'm not! Here, give it a try! It's relaxing!" you reply, holding up your phone to Sylus.

"You want me to play your silly game?" he raises his brows, glancing down at your phone before his crimson gaze shifts back up to you, he smirks again, "Oh… you're trying to prove your innocence to me. I suppose I'll indulge you."

He gently takes your phone from you, pulling the comforter back to sit in bed next to you, "scoot over, Sweetie."

You immediately shift over so he can sit next to you, laying your head against his upper arm as he cradles your phone in his hands.

"So, what exactly do you do in this game?" he asks softly.

"It's a farming simulator; you take care of your crops and livestock each day, but if you're not paying attention, the wolf will come and eat your livestock," you explain as you watch him start to play your game, the upbeat music of the game once again filling the bedroom.

"I can see how you fall asleep playing this, it's awfully boring," he replies with another soft chuckle, "let me count the sheep… one, two…"

You playfully poke Sylus's side, "well I like this game, quit being a jerk."

Sylus lets out a huff as he smiles down at your phone. He mindlessly takes care of your farm for a few minutes before his gaze begins to wander; starting with your hands folded in your lap, up your arms until he finally settles on the necklace adorning your neck.

His breath hitches upon recognizing the necklace, "is that the necklace I gave you for your birthday?"

"It is, actually," you reply, looking downwards as your bring you hand up to gently caress the necklace resting on your collarbone area, "I really like it."

"I have good taste, don't I?" Sylas asks, his own hand caressing the necklace, leaning over so that his lips hover just next to your ear, "so pretty."

He kisses the shell of your ear, intentionally making a sound knowing it drives you absolutely wild with need. His lips move from your ear, to just behind your ear, using his tongue, teeth and lips to mark your skin. You can't help but let out a soft whimper, however, you advert your gaze to your phone in his hand, the farm being left unattended.

"Sylus, what are you doing?"

"Sorry, Sweetie. This spot was too enticing for me to resist…" he purrs into your ear.

"But the farm--"

"The farm?" Sylus sits back up, his crimson eyes giving you a predatory look, "I don't have your undivided attention, do I?"

He growls, turning his body and climbing on top of you while still under the blankets, essentially caging you with his body, his ruby eyes practically burning into your soul as he looks down at you, "you know how much I hate sharing, Kitten."

Your phone, now laying on the bed next to the two of you, plays the same sad chime from earlier. You watch Sylus's eyes shift over to your phone, that smirk you love so much appearing once more, "oh dear… looks like we lost again."

Leaning down to you, his lips hover above yours, his breaths ragged, hot and heavy as he whispers, "the wolf ate all the animals."

Before you can even say a word, he descends upon you, his mouth devouring yours like a man starved. His hands grip your upper arms like a vice as he turns his head to invade your mouth with his tongue, savoring you. In the midst of this, you try to reach over to grab your phone, but Sylus is quick to grab you by the wrist again, pinning your arm to the mattress before shoving your phone away, so hard that it falls off the bed.

"Now, why are you reaching for your phone?" he asks, burying his face into the crook of your neck, "if you need something to help you fall asleep, I can fulfill that role."

He props himself up on his arms and knees, once again caging you beneath him. First, he slips your pajama top up over your head before he slowly moves downward, trailing his lips and tongue down your body as he moves.

He stops briefly over your breasts, his hot breath caressing your hardened nipples before he speaks, "how do you think the wolf ate the animals? Like this?"

His mouth seals itself over one of your breasts, his tongue swirling and flicking your nipple; all the while his crimson gaze is locked on you. You can't help but let out a strangled moan, covering your mouth with your hand as your body trembles beneath him.

He relinquishes your breast with a pop, then proceeds to continue moving downward once more, gracing your skin with his soft lips as he moves lower and lower. He reaches the hem of your pajama bottoms, hooking them and your underwear beneath with his fingers, peeling them off slowly and tossing them off the bed once they're off. He pries your legs apart, looking up at you with an animalistic grin.

"Or like this?" he growls before diving into the spot between your thighs, lapping up the sweet nectar of your arousal.

"Sylus!" you cry out, your hand moving down to tangle your fingers in his silver locks, but rather than push him away, you force him down into your heat, earning you a dark chuckle in response; the vibrations coursing through your folds, sending shivers of pleasure through your body.

He starts by flicking your throbbing clit with his tongue, then wrapping his lips around it, sucking it like his life depends on it. The coil of your release binds tight in your stomach and just when it's about to snap, he moves lower. His tongue delves into your leaking hole, caressing your walls as his nose rubs your clit. Your heels dig into the mattress, trying to stop your legs from violently shaking, but your efforts are useless. Your makeup is running down the sides of your face from your violent cries of his name. He lets out a low growl, the vibrations hurling you over the edge. Your release covers tongue and mouth; when he pulls himself away from your sex, strings of your orgasm pull away with him before snapping and dripping onto the sheets below.

Sylus sits up onto his knees, his deft fingers making short work of his belt and pants zipper, "is my Kitten prepared?"

Your eyes widen when he pulls out his hardened length, the tip red and angry, dripping with pre-cum. He then proceeds to crawl back up to you, nestling his hips between your spread legs; you feel the tip of his cock prod at your entrance.

"Because the wolf is coming."

With a single jerk of his hips, he sheathes his whole length into your warm depths, causing you to yelp. As Sylus stares down at you, you drape your arms around his shoulders, trying to brace yourself as he begins to brutally thrust into you. Each thrust hits your cervix, making your eyes flutter and roll into the back of your head. Sylus buries his face into the crook of your neck once more, biting and sucking dark bruises into your skin.

"Don't hold back, Kitten. I want to hear how good I'm making you feel."

His ministrations move to your throat, but not before running his tongue over the necklace he bought you, pulling a strangled moan out of you. His tongue continues to run up your throat until he reaches your chin. He smirks, a low chuckle emanating from him before his lips are on yours once more. You can taste the tangy flavor of your release as your tongues dance with each other. His large hands grasp your breasts, gently squeezing them before he rolls both nipples between his index fingers and thumbs. You sob into his mouth, which he happily devours with a growl. Soon, his thrusts become uneven, heralding his release.

With a breathy moan of his own, he snaps his hips into you once last time, his member throbbing as he paints your pussy walls white with his love. His hands grasp the pillow under your head as he rests his forehead against yours. You whimper as your legs hook around his waist, your body shaking as you come down from your own release. Your breaths are shaking as you place a gentle kiss onto the tip of his nose. He can't help but smile and laugh.

"That was more fun than you silly little game, wouldn't you say, Sweetie?"

[peacheeeliz]

040. maybe a little biting (wc: 796)

Wooyoung walks through his apartment, rubbing his wet hair dry with a towel, while another hangs on his hips. He scrolls through his phone with his free hand, stepping into the kitchen blindly to search for a drink. He's about to reach into the fridge when his phone begins to ring and Yeosang's name appears on the screen.

“You just left, and you're already calling me?” Wooyoung teases, putting the call on speaker as he places the phone on the countertop. He continues his search for a drink in the fridge, “I just knew you couldn't get enough of me.”

“Ew,” is all Yeosang lets out, and Wooyoung can just hear his eyes roll. “I ordered food for you to eat, so it'll be arriving soon. Please be fully clothed when it arrives.”

Wooyoung's eyebrows furrow, “Who says I'm not fully clothed now?”

“We've lived together for years, I think I know how long it takes for you to get dressed after you take a shower,” Yeosang groans.

“Send a pic!” San shouts from the background, but Yeosang goes to shut him up.

“Oh, don't threaten me with a good time,” Wooyoung jokes, grabbing the water pitcher and maneuvering around the kitchen to find a glass. “Listen, I can't make any promises about getting dressed, though. You know how much I love to flaunt what I got.”

“You're going to traumatize the delivery driver,” Yeosang responds bluntly. “Just get dressed, Jesus. I'm hanging up.”

“Have fun with your playdate,” Wooyoung coos, smiling as he picks his phone back up. He holds it out in the air as he takes a few gulps of the water, “play nice, Sangie. No biting.”

“Maybe a little biting,” San comments, and Wooyoung could hear the quiet sound of a slap through the speaker.

“Good night, Wooyoung,” Yeosang says before hanging up abruptly.

Wooyoung can just laugh as he sets his phone back down, taking a few more sips of his water. He hears a couple of soft knocks on the front door, “Damn, didn't know they'd come so quickly.”

He looks down at the towel covering half of his body, shrugging before continuing to the door. He steps quickly, hunger taking over each and every thought, and before he can even check to see who is on the other side of the door, he opens it. But it's not the delivery driver standing there, no – it's you.

Eyes widening at the sight of him like that, your brain almost short circuits. The reason for your visit there leaves your mind for a moment, giving him the chance to speak up.

“Y/N, fuck, hi,” he rambles, trying to cover his half-naked body with the door. “What are you doing here?”

Trying to gather your thoughts once he covers his body, you finally remember why you're there. Except you can't find the words to explain it. Maybe your brain's still trying to piece your thoughts back together. Maybe you never really had the answer in the first place. All you can do is stare into his eyes and feel that flutter in your chest. Suddenly, your feet begin to move before you can stop them.

You push the door in, slipping into the apartment. Your hands find his face instantly, and you're pulling him into a kiss before he can protest. Not that he would've, as he's melting into the kiss almost as quickly as your lips found his. He softly grabs onto your waist, closing the door as he shoves you against it.

The world around you becomes quiet as your lips mold perfectly with his. You let go of his face to inch around his neck, raking your fingers through his blond locks. When you tug at them ever so slightly, he groans into your mouth and grips onto you harder, never wanting to let go. He holds you close, your shirt scratching against his bare stomach. Water droplets that still remain from his shower latch onto the fabric, but you pay no mind as pure desire invades your brain.

His hands travel up your shirt, sending chills down your spine. Your breath catches in your throat, and he pulls away, breathing heavily as his eyes dart back and forth between your lips and eyes. He rests his forehead against yours, chuckling. “Fuck, you make me lose my mind, hun,” he murmurs, and you can feel his hot breath against your lips.

He wants to lean in again, but three loud knocks against the door startle the two out of your daze. With a hand over his heart – his other still holding onto you – he lets out a breathy laugh. “Let's eat first, yeah?”

Mind still fuzzy, you nod slowly as a smile plays on your lips. “Yeah, let's."

synopsis ⤏ when wooyoung, mr. "scared of commitment," finds himself catching feelings for you, his supposed friend with benefits, he struggles between keeping things casual or possibly ruining your friendship.

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[prettypinkporkchop]

Bite Me

Vessel x f!reader

Description: Sleep token started to work with you for helping them write their songs. You have a studio in your basement, which the band comes to use for the night. You and Ves do NOT get along... until you do.

Warnings: sexual, language, ves is daddy, IV cockblocks yo

The lights flicker as the thunder grows rougher. You close your book and toss it across your bed,letting out a sigh. You lean over and pull your phone off the charger. The screen turns on, and you see that Vessel had messaged you. You're confused because you both hate each other. He only texts to ask questions about upcoming studio dates. You guys don't have any more until a few months.

You open the message and realize it's a series of texts.

Vessel: sorry. Not interested.

Wrong person.

Don't ask annoying questions.

You raise an eyebrow and ignore it.

---

The next morning, you sit on the couch and watch TV. Your phone starts ringing. It's ii. You answer it. "Yes?" You ask.

"Sorry to bother you! Would it be okay if the band comes to use your studio?" He asks.

"Sure!" You reply.

You guys end the phone call, and you just chill and wait for them. While waiting, it starts to storm again. You groan, realizing it's bad enough that you could lose power.

Within a few minutes, the whole gang walk inside in a hurry, a bit wet from the rain.

"Phew! Thanks for letting us use your basement for a few hours." iii says with a smile.

"No problem! Just don't leave a mess. Also, we may lose power soon, so use your time while you can." You smile back and then return to your phone.

The guys scramble to your basement. Not even 30 minutes later, the power goes out. All you see is black and small flashes from the lightening through the window.

"Perfect." You mumble.

The door going to the basement opens, and the guys step out with their phones lights on.

"Bummer." IV chuckles.

"Sorry, guys.. we'll try again in-", you try to speak, but everyone's phone goes off. You check your phone and see a tornado warning. "Perfect." You mumble again.

"I'll light some candles. Would you mind if we stayed here until it passes?" iii asks, moving to the candles you have set out, pulling out a lighter from his pocket.

"I don't mind at all. It'll make me feel better, too. It's too dangerous to be on the road. You guys can pick who gets the spare room and the couches in here." You giggle.

"Yeah, I'd rather get sucked into the tornado than stay here longer than I intended." Vessel says.

"Good for you. You get the couch then." You deadpan.

"If you two start bickering again, I'm going to bed. I call the spare bedroom." ii snorts.

iii gets all of the candles lit. It sends a small bright orange tint in the living room and kitchen. He sighs and sits on the couch. Everyone turns off the flash on their phones.

"Alright, I'm gonna go to bed." You stand up and walk into your room.

You pass out for a few minutes but wake up to loud thunder that shakes your bed. "Shit." You hiss. Your throat is dry, so you make your way out into the hall to get into the kitchen. But as you close your door, you bump into a body.

"Watch it." Vessel hisses.

"Why're you up?" You ask with attitude.

"Can a man pee without being questioned?" He starts to walk to the kitchen.

You follow because you need some water. "What were the texts about?" You ask, opening the fridge.

Vessel scoffs and sits at the table. You turn to face him. The candles light up just enough to where you can see his face.

"Of course you'd ask. A girl texted me. I wasn't interested." He crosses his arms.

"Okay." You chug the water.

"Thirsty?" He snickers.

"Bite me." You toss the bottle into the trash can.

"Dare me?" He smirks.

You sigh and start to walk away. He gets out of the chair and grabs onto your neck, pushing you into the fridge.

"Say it again." He threatens.

His face is close. You're getting nervous. You can feel his breath against your lips. He smells so heavenly. His hand on your neck slightly turns you on.

"Bite me."

He smiles before bringing his hand to your jaw, pushing your head to the side to give him your full neck. He leans in and gently bites your skin.

You gasp and out of instinct, and without thinking, you grab onto his waist. Your thumbs are on the sides of his abs.

He pulls away and looks over you. "You want me, don't you?"

You do. You always have, even though he's a dick to you. But you know this won't mean anything to him. He's going to push you to the side after you give in. You're just another girl he can get with. You wiggle your way out of his arms and look over him with shock. Just as you do so, the lights cut back on. "I.. better turn off the lights so that they don't wake up in there." You point toward the living room.

Vessel nods his head and stands in place. He watches you move around to the living room and switch off the lights.

You go back into the kitchen and blow out the candles. You walk over to the stove and turn on the small light underneath it. You ignore Vessel and begin to make your way back into the hallway. You walk into your room but you hear him follow behind you.

"You didn't answer my question." He closes the door behind him.

You sit down on your bed and look up at him. "You don't like me." You reply.

"You think so?" He crosses his arms and smirks.

"You're arrogant, cocky, and so mean to me! You know you're irresistible, and you can get anyone you want! But I'm not a toy, Vessel." You watch his face straighten out from his smirk.

Vessel steps in front of your legs that dangle from the side of your bed. He bends down to reach your level. He looks up at you with soft eyes. "I don't know how to love properly. You scare me." He whispers.

You're taken aback. Is he admitting he's had feelings for you? What a weird way to show them.

"I haven't been with anyone since I laid my eyes on you last year. I am disgusted by other women who aren't you."

"What made you have a change of heart tonight?" You ask shyly.

"The song we were working on before the lights went out, I wrote thinking of you. When you said, 'bite me', I lost my mind." His hands grab your outer thighs. His thumbs rub your skin.

His touch sends fire through your soul and mind. You reach to put his face in your hands. You run your thumb over his bottom lip. His eyes remain on yours, letting you do what you want at the moment.

"Bite me." You smile.

He smiles as well, chuckling darkly. He pushes you back onto the bed and hovers over you. You can't help but wrap your arms around his neck and your legs around his waist. His hand grabs under your thigh and pushes it down.

"Needy." He breathes on your neck. His tongue meets your collarbone and slowly makes its way up to your jaw. His kisses your neck softly before biting on your skin again.

His simple touches already send you into bliss. He hasn't even done much yet, and you're already mushy in your head. You lean back and softly whimper as he sucks on your skin.

He lets go of your skin and looks down at you. You see a whole change in the way he looks at you. He bends down and kisses you. His lips play with yours as you begin to push further and shove your tongue in his mouth.

He breathes in deeply through his nose and grabs your throat with a small pressure. His hand grabs your boob through your shirt.

You can feel his boner against your thigh, which you decide to take advantage of your position and buck your hips against him.

He groans and moves his hand down to your waist, pushing your body down against the bed to keep your still. "Fuck.." He pulls away from your lips.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

"Are you awake?" It's IV.

"Y-yeah.." You say.

Vessel sighs and moves to sit next to your heavy breathing body.

"The storm blew over. Do you know where Ves is?" He asks.

Before you can say anything, Vessel yells, "Yeah! I'm in here trying to make her feel good. Leave without me."

You blush and cover your face.

The footsteps slowly walk away from your door.

[randomalistic]

DELTARUNE CHAPTER 3 FINALE MAJOR SPOILERS - music rambling

I cannot express how fucking amazing a piece of music the Roaring Knight theme is. Holy shit. AND LIKE. THAT ENTIRE SCENE IN GENERAL. its like a pure shot of adrenaline into your veins <3

EDIT: It's called Black Knife in the OST

If i put it into words Eloquently I would be here for a few hours. so im just rambling like a buffoon instead

The end of Tenna's fight gets pretty intense with the channel switching mechanic, so by the laws of game design you're expecting a break, especially after things seem to be wrapping up and you tell Tenna you'll find him a home... BUT NOPE!! BIG NOPE. The knight just fucking ??? SLICES HIS ARMS OFF and then you get thrown into this !!??? OTHERWORLDLY NIGHTMARE ENCOUNTER with your team at UNDER HALF HP. And just before that, theres this dark, sickening bubbling insect-like soundscape. THE SCREAM IT UNLEASHES THAT RIPS ITS BODY APART TINTING THE WHOLE SCREEN RED???. WHAT THE FUCKKKKK AHHHH AAAH WHAT THE FUCKKKKK

Never have i heard something so "OH SHIT" incarnate in the first 2 seconds. The way the drums COMPLETELY DEMAND YOUR ATTENTION. ITS LIKE. "LOOK AT ME. I'M THE LAST THING YOU'LL EVER SEE. YOU'RE FUCKING DEAD." ITS SO SO SCARY LOL

And the ghostly dissonant choir it starts off with that just makes the hair on ur neck stand up, i swear to god. And the flavor text about feeling something floating behind your head??? Your heartbeat twisting?? THERES SO MUCH COSMIC HORROR INJECTED INTO THIS BOSS. FUCKING STIFLING. CHILLING. UNNERVING. deltarune never disappoints god damn. and i didn't even mention how if you're below a certain hp level it'll just DECIMATE YOU to -999 HP. Nothing has ever been that powerful in these games- and the text along with it?? Ralsei being rendered into a PILE OF WHITE FLUFF. Like after this thing hits you , you'll barely even resemble what you used to be. Save me

I cant even get started on how it incorporates the first piece of intense music you hear in the dark world - the chase theme. And how it switches from Terrifying and intense to ... Hopeful? in the 2nd half. Like the vibe of "Wait... we're actually WINNING? WE'RE KICKING ASS??"

God that 2nd half is like. So incredible it gets me emotional. It seems to be its own unique melody. The main synth wavering as it gets near the end like its a voice on the verge of tears, pushing itself until it breaks, screaming into the void on the edge of everything.. I can't get over this or fully describe what it Makes me Feel. I get chills listening to it. Idk its just a fucking amazing boss.

After seeing footage of it, i really didnt want to fight it for a shadow crystal cuz it looked crazy hard, but genuinely i think the music convinced me. So that's how I spent last night and I did it (yay)

[loveharlow]

can u pretty plzzz write more toxic!jj, i loved ur thots and dreams thing for him but there's no toxic!jj content anywhereee -🍒

I'VE HAD AN IDEA FOR THIS SO LONG IDK WHY I KEEP DAYDREAMING ABOUT IT

swearing, toxic!jj, mean!jj, drinking

"Alright, whose turn is it to… uh… pick a card from the thing?" you giggled, your hand trembling as you reached for the deck. You missed the card by a good inch, your fingers fumbling against the tabletop.

"Easy there, Y/N," Kie chuckled, gently trying to grab your wrist. "Maybe you should sit this round out."

"I'm okay, Kie," you declared, attempting to bat her hand away. Your elbow, however, connected with the stack of cards in the middle of the table, sending them fanning out in a chaotic mess. "Oh shit," you mumbled, a dopey grin plastered on your face.

Before anyone could fully react, your other hand, still clutching your half-full beer, swung wildly as you tried to steady yourself. The cup tipped, and a golden cascade of lukewarm beer sloshed over the table. It splattered onto the scattered cards, soaked into the flimsy napkins, and, with a sickening squelch, landed squarely on JJ's phone, which had been resting innocently beside his own drink.

A beat of stunned silence hung in the air, broken only by the drip, drip, drip of beer from the table's edge.

JJ, who had been mid-laugh, froze. His eyes, usually crinkling with amusement, narrowed as he slowly picked up his now-sodden phone. Water droplets beaded on the screen, seeping into the charging port. His jaw tightened.

"Y/N," he said, his voice low and dangerous. He never called you by your name. "You just soaked my phone."

You blinked, the alcohol blurring the severity of the situation. "It was an accident." You shrugged, a little too casually. "It'll dry. Or I'll buy you a new one..."

He tossed the phone onto a relatively dry patch of the table with a frustrated sigh, then turned his gaze to your still-clutched cup. Without another word, he reached out and snatched it from your hand.

"Hey—" you protested, a sudden burst of energy coursing through you.

"You're done."

"JJ, stop—" you slurred, snatching the cup back from his hold. "I'm fine," you asserted with drunken, slitted eyes.

"Give me the cup," he ordered, more serious than you were used to seeing him, even on a good day. As he reached for the plastic cup once more, you held it out of his reach. "Y/N, I'm serious. Chill out."

"You don't tell me what to do, J, I don't need you monitoring me—"

"Bro—" He tried reaching for it again, only for you to pull it further back. This time, you took steps away from him. "You're about to piss me off."

"Yeah, well, I don't care—"

"Guys, c'mon..." Pope tried, him and the rest of your friends standing up to verbally intervene. They knew better than to actually get between the two of you when this happened, which was more often than it should've been.

"Please, not tonight," Kie pleaded.

"She's bein' difficult," JJ snapped at his friends, swiftly walking across the room to where you had hidden behind the kitchen counter. You tried to dodge him but didn't manage. JJ took advantage of the space to box you into the corner. "Gimme the shit," he gritted, grabbing hold of your wrist and snatching the cup from your fingers. "I'm not fuckin' playing with you right now," he mumbled, walking away from you to pour the cup down the sink.

"JJ, calm down," Kiara defended, her face twisting in annoyance as she walked over to stand in front of you. "She's drunk, it's not her fault—"

"I don't wanna hear that shit, Kie." He dismissed, brushing past the both of you. "I don't give a shit about her being drunk. She was being a brat, and now my phone's fucked." He gestured with his hand in the direction of his sodden phone.

"Why are you talking about me like I'm not right here?" You cried, eyes welling with tears as Kie rubbed a comforting hand up and down your back while you still stood in the corner of the kitchen.

"'Cause I don't feel like dealin' with you right now," JJ snapped from across the room, fuming between John B and Pope.

You couldn't stop the tears that formed at his words. The two of you just glared at one another from across the room, piercing gazes locked. Two separate fires were burning in The Chateau, somehow with the same origin point.

When your rage consumed you, you let it. "Fuck you," you spat in your drunken rage, swiftly walking to the back of the house as you let Kie's hands fall from your shoulders.

At your words, JJ's eyes narrowed at your retreating form, jaw clenching before he stormed after you. It was then that the Pogues all knew this was far from over.

"JJ, don't-" John B tried, taking one step after the blonde before he just sighed, resigning himself when he heard the bedroom door slam shut.

JJ Maybank Taglist in replies!

feedback is appreciated! thanks for reading.

©loveharlow

[ghost-in-the-hall]

Distract Me (Vessel x Fem! Reader) FLUFF

Hello hello! I finally managed to finish this request, even with a name change at that, thank you so much for your patience @theriseofshin ! We have some sweet and fluffy Vessel this chapter. Our reader is a little scared of storms and Vessel can't help but do everything in his power to try and comfort her. Lots of soft touches, awkward flirting, and Ves just being big and cuddly and sweet because I'm so soft for that man. I hope you enjoy! If you'd like to be added or removed from the tag list please let me know!

WARNINGS: None

My Masterlist! ~ AO3 Link! ~ Tip Jar!

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The afternoon sun was warm on your face, the faint scent of lavender drifting through the open window as you stood at your sink finishing some dishes. The TV played softly in the living room, the pretty blonde meteorologist tracing along the edge of a massive storm cell that was rolling your way. You sighed, drying your hands as you leaned against the counter; it looked like you were in for a long night. A gentle knock on your door drew your attention away from the screen. Your bare feet padded across the dark hardwood floor, slinging your dish towel over your shoulder. You stood on your toes to peer outside, the frosted, textured glass above your door muddling your visitors' form. You can't help but smile as you recognize Vessel’s tall, broad frame. “Well, isn't this a pleasant surprise?” You greet him sweetly as you open the door; your heart begins to pound in your chest as you feel him study you.

“IV picked a bunch of fresh fruit today. I wanted to stop by and bring you some.” He holds out the large container that was practically overflowing with various berries. You accept it with a soft ‘thank you,’ your fingers brushing over his during the exchange.

“Would you like to come in?”

“I would love to.” He responds a little too quickly; you hold back a laugh as you watch him cringe slightly at his actions. “I mean, if it wouldn't be too much trouble.” He adds on with a bashful chuckle.

“No trouble at all; I was just about to make some tea.” You nod for him to follow you inside. He ducks through your doorway, shoving his hands in his pockets as he curiously looks around your house. You couldn't help but watch him from the kitchen, smiling softly as you saw him delicately pick up whatever knick-knack had caught his attention, being as careful as possible with the fragile object before setting it back perfectly in place. Ever since the two of you met, Vessel had always held a special sense of caution around you, knowing how intimidating his massive stature could come off; everything he did was settled with a particular degree of care. You're snapped from your thoughts by your kettle beginning to sing.

You sat side by side on your couch, the breeze through the open windows sending a chill through your apartment. The trees danced in the wind, welcoming in the oncoming storm with open arms as dark clouds began to roll in from the distance. Your mug of tea warmed your hands, and a bowl of freshly washed fruit was set between you as you asked Vessel how things were back at the camp. “You should come back with me; I'm sure everyone would love to see you.” He offers with a soft smile.

“I would–” you were cut off by the sound of thunder rumbling, “love… to…” You couldn't help but let your gaze trail to the window, finally noticing that the storm was moving in much quicker than you or the weather channel could have predicted. You swallow thickly before turning your attention back to Vessel, you didn't have a lot of time left. “Um, but it'll have to be some other time.”

“Love, what's wrong?” He sits up from his reclined position, moving closer to you subconsciously when he realizes your nervous state.

“It’s stupid, Ves, promise.” You chuckle, your hands squeezing into fists at another growl of thunder. A warm hand comes to rest on your cheek, your eyes meeting the slits of his mask. His thumb trails across your skin, “storms just make me a little nervous, that’s all.”

You see him start to speak, but he quickly pauses, contemplating whether or not to say whatever has crossed his mind. “If you like,” he begins slowly, “I could always stay until it passes.” He offers, and you feel your pulse begin to race.

“I'd really like that, Ves.” You respond softly. You exchange a coy smile.

“I’ll keep you nice and safe, love, don't worry.” He teases with a soft chuckle, making your cheeks grow warm.

“Trust me, I didn't have any doubts in the first place.” He stands holding out his hand for you to take. He helped you shut all your windows, allowing you to collect your emergency candles and flashlights in case the power went out. You can't help but smile as you watch him organize what you had handed him neatly on your coffee table. “You’re sure you don't mind staying? This could go on all night; I wouldn't want to keep you.”

He hums, slowly striding over to you. “Let me think, go back to camp to spend the night alone in my cabin or to be curled up here with you?” He pretends to ponder over his options for a moment. “I think the latter sounds a little better, don't you?” He glances down at you with a playful smirk.

“You're sweet.” You respond shyly. Over the time you had known Vessel, the two of you had grown rather close; you were someone who he found himself slowly deconstructing the walls he had built up around himself for, and he was someone who you felt effortlessly connected to from the moment you met him. Although neither of you would admit it, through your growing friendship, something else began to grow out of it as well. After breaking through his cold, rigid exterior, you discovered that Vessel was quite sweet. It was in the little things you noticed: how he would always make sure to hold doors open for you, offering you his arm through rockier parts of trails on hikes, how he would absentmindedly comb his fingers through your hair as you lay together, reading outside. Everything about being with him just felt so right.

The two of you quietly prepared dinner together, Vessel humming along with the radio as he finished up the last few dishes. A smile spreads across his face as he catches your gaze lingering on him. You quickly dart your eyes back to the pan on the stove, your cheeks growing warm at the realization you had been caught. You jump slightly as you feel a pair of large, warm hands settle on your waist. “Smells good,” he remarks simply.

“Let's just hope it tastes good, too.” You giggle.

By the time you sat down to eat, the rain was pelting against the windows. As you look outside, you twirl your fork nervously between your fingers, the trees blowing violently in the wind. A bright flash of lightning exploded across the sky; you jumped at the sudden boom of thunder that shook the room. Vessel took your hand, his thumb soothingly running over your knuckles. “If it makes you feel any better, I'm not the biggest fan of storms myself.” You shoot him a playful, skeptical look. “I'm serious!” He exclaims with a chuckle.

“Sorry,” you respond with a giggle of your own, “I'm just surprised. I feel pretty silly about the fact I'm scared of thunderstorms-”

“You shouldn't be; it's cute.” He pauses as the compliment tumbles from his lips. You can't stop the bashful smile that immediately spreads across your features. Vessel tries to speak, but no words manage to find their way out. “I'm sorry.” He finally manages after a moment.

“Don't be.” You glance up at him, his shoulders visibly relaxing as your eyes land on the slits of his mask. You gently squeeze his hand, “I'm really happy you're here, Ves.” You admit softly. He studies you momentarily, noticing how you seemed to lean into him for comfort when the storm outside became too loud for you to ignore.

He states your name gently, tugging you closer by your hand as he straightens up from his reclined position on the couch. Your heart pounded in your chest as his lips hovered just a little too close to yours. “It's alright, I've got you, love.” He wraps an arm around you, pulling you into his chest as he shoots you a sharp smile. Your cheeks burned, and you were sure your heart was pounding loud enough he could hear it. You relaxed into his embrace, allowing your body to mold against his. Vessel’s thumb languidly rubbed over your waist, making electricity danced across your skin where your shirt had lifted up. “Did I ever tell you about the time III managed to get both of his boots stuck in the mud, so he had to walk back to camp barefoot?” You shoot him a confused look, laughter slowly bubbling up in your chest as you thought about how mad III must have been.

“No, I don't think you have.” Vessel holds you close as he does his best to distract you from the weather outside. Telling you whatever story he could think of that would make you laugh. IV dropping an entire pot of pasta on the floor, a bear making off with a basket of II’s laundry, the countless numbers of times Ves has smacked his head in a doorframe or a hanging light, anything to keep a smile on your face. “You need to be careful; you're going to end up hurting yourself one of these days.” You giggle.

“That won't be such a bad thing if I have a pretty little thing like you to nurse me back to health.” You playfully swat at his shoulder, making him chuckle. You hide your face against him, his hand gently cradling the back of your head. “I’m sorry, I can't help myself. You're absolutely adorable when you get all flustered.”

“Well, you definitely don't have any trouble accomplishing that, do you?” You glance back up at him through your lashes, a nervous yet coy smile reaching your lips. 

“What can I say?” He starts, his voice barely above a whisper. “I want to make sure you feel special.” Vessel swallows thickly, his hand brushing over your cheek as his fingers slide into your hair. You let out a small startled sound as you’re suddenly plunged into darkness. Panic immediately begins to bubble up in your throat as it becomes apparent just how bad the storm had gotten; the wind rattled the glass panels of your windows, the rain pelting against your roof made the room entirely too loud yet somehow impossibly quiet as the background humming of all your appliances had been cut. “I'm right here, lovey; I got you.” You're snapped from your thoughts by Vessel’s deep voice rumbling close to your ear.

“I'm sorry,” you apologize with a soft chuckle, your voice trembling slightly as you speak, “I feel silly–”

“There's no need to, sweetheart.” He reassures you, carefully cradling you against his chest. “It's a bad storm; there's nothing wrong with getting a little anxious.” He presses a finger below your chin, angling you to look up at him. “I guess I just need to do a better job of distracting you, hm?” His knuckle trails along your jaw, your hand fists into the soft material of his sweatshirt at another loud crack of thunder.

“Ves?” you state his name softly, you feel his lips ghost over yours.

“Yes, love?” He responds in a similar tone.

“Distract me.” He tips you back into the plush couch cushions, allowing a growl to slip past his lips. In an instant, Vessel ensnared every one of your senses; his large hands were warm as they gripped desperately at your waist, fingers skimming bare skin where your shirt had ridden up. His weight blanketed you, firm muscles pressing into the plushness of your body. The taste of sweet, herbal tea mixed with the slight bitterness of the paint that adorned his lips. You could feel the edge of his mask dig into your skin, your mind numb to the sensation as you found yourself unable to focus on anything besides the feeling of Vessel’s lips on yours. A flash of lightning lit up the room, glowing orange through your eyelids; a loud boom of thunder followed it. Vessel feels your grip on him tighten at the sound; he breaks away from you for just a moment to whisper sweet words of reassurance against your lips. “You're alright, sweetheart; I'm right here; I got you.” He keeps your focus on him, your lips buzzing as the two of you finally break apart for longer than a few seconds. Vessel chuckles, running a thumb over your tender bottom lip. “Sorry if I was too rough, I've been waiting a long time to be able to do that.”

“Same here.” You giggle bashfully. “And you weren't, I really like… I really like the way it feels when you kiss me.” You admit breathlessly. He continues to hold you close for the rest of the night, pulling your lips to his as a distraction whenever the weather picked up again. After a while, you struggled to suppress your yawns, the warmth of Vessel’s arms making your whole body melt into his touch.

“Let’s get you to bed, lovey.” He whispers, slipping an arm behind your knees to lift you from the couch effortlessly. You wrap your arms around his neck, sleepily pressing a kiss to his cheek.

“Thank you for staying with me, Ves.” He can't help but smile, turning to press a kiss to your forehead. He lays you in bed, carefully situating you under the covers. Your hand slips into his; he brushes some hair out of your face as he studies you with a gaze of pure admiration. “Do you have to go?” You ask quietly as if speaking too loud would somehow break your perfect evening.

“Not if you don't want me to.” You slide back across the mattress, gently tugging him into the bed beside you. He hesitates at first, thrown off by eagerness to have him beside you. He wraps an arm around your waist, pulling your much smaller form on top of him. You tense slightly as a boom of thunder erupts from outside, the storm finally on its way out. You glance up at Vessel only to be met with a soft smile as he gently caresses your cheek. Without a word, he pulled your lips back to his, and suddenly, the storm outside didn’t seem quite as scary anymore.

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Tag List is in the comments below!

[daenysx]

Hey darling, just wondering if i could make a request about modern!aemond? it can be just some drabble about his wife(reader) telling him about her pregnancy, or them finding out their gender💘

hi, i'm a bit self conscious about this but i hope you enjoy! thank you for requesting <333

modern!aemond targaryen x pregnant!fem!reader , fluff

aemond started counting down the days since you told him the date of your appointment with the doctor.

he tries to be cool about it because the most important thing for your baby is to be healthy, he didn't really think about gender. he keeps calling the baby 'baby' , nothing specific, and to be honest he doesn't picture a girl or a boy in his arms when he imagines of the moment he finally gets to meet with the baby.

now, though, when you said you can find out about the gender at your appointment, a sudden chill runs through him. it's a funny feeling and no matter how calm he tries to be, he realizes he's excited beyond the words.

he wakes up earlier than you on the day of appointment, gives your cheek and the baby sleepy kisses. your hand goes to stroke his hair when he presses his lips on your belly but he's quick to not fall for your tricks. you always wanna stay in bed longer and somehow convince him to accompany you. this morning, he will not fall for that. he has things to do like finding out the gender of his baby.

you've been craving savory stuff for breakfast lately, and aemond took that as a challenge to find new options for you to eat. he's preparing the eggs when you walk next to him in kitchen, you kiss his cheek soundly before leaving for bathroom. it's all part of a routine and luckily you have more time to spend with him today since he got the day off.

"so, do you have any guesses?" you ask, after both of you settle down for breakfast.

"i feel like it'll be a girl." aemond says as he puts some olives on your plate. he gets some for himself too. "it doesn't matter if it's a boy or a girl, of course. i'll be happy either way."

"i think it's a boy." you smile. a little boy who looks exactly like your husband is one of the nicest dreams. "and, boy or girl, they will definitely have your hair."

aemond laughs at that. you take a sip from your tea. "i get so excited every time they make us listen the baby's heartbeat. it all becomes real. hard to imagine a baby growing in me otherwise."

you look really beautiful pregnant and aemond makes sure you know that. like you really know that. he finds himself staring at the changes he can spot on your body most of the time, especially in the mornings when he wakes up before you. your skin has a new type of glow, your belly grows bigger, and you have a sore back but it's all been okay until now.

the drive to hospital is filled with your favorite songs. aemond has a small smile on his lips and he doesn't try to hide it. his hand finds yours easily, leading the way to the doctor's room. it's like living a moment that has been there before. he thinks he's watching a movie scene, you're the actors, and now the doctor says her lines.

he can only focus on the sound of his baby's heartbeat. the room is silent. aemond doesn't necessarily believe in miracles but surely this must be some kind of a miracle. a part of both of you, alive and has a heartbeat. it's so beautiful. you can't help your tears, let them roll down on your cheek freely.

"are you ready to find out about the gender?" your doctor asks with a smile. again, it's like a movie scene. aemond holds your hand, you give the doctor a tiny nod. she keeps looking at the screen, her eyes squinting just a bit. aemond feels like his heart will stop.

"okay." she says, her finger pointing something on the screen. "here, can you see that? that's your girl, right there."

a girl? it fits right in to every dream aemond has. no, because what can be more beautiful than having a baby girl who looks like you? he imagines her tiny face, chubby cheeks and softness only she can offer, and he's never dramatic but it's enough to die as a happy man.

"it's a girl?" you ask, crying. "aemond."

he kisses your hair. you're happier, more than you thought you would be when you find out. the doctor says she's healthy and everything looks good, which is a huge relief. you give her nods as she talks about what will happen in the next weeks. aemond can remember those parts from the pregnancy book he read before.

the movie scene stops when you're back in car. it's the reality now. you will have a girl. a silver haired baby, maybe, with your eyes. aemond's smile is bigger now and he never lets go of your hand. now that the baby can have name options, it all becomes more- real.

"i can't wait to meet her." you say. aemond agrees. he can't wait to be a girl dad.

[afyrian]

☆ messy w/ atsumu | wc: 532

m.list

    there's a chill in your empty apartment, your legs sprawled out against dusty wood flooring. crumbs and mites live between each crack and within every natural groove. your head presses against a few shirts strewn into a pile, wrinkles have started to set in, but your mind thinks of everything but. hands resting on your stomach, your finger traces circles around your belly button, the feeling of dust accumulating on the bottom of your feet.

  the phone buzzes against your nightstand, staring up at it, your eyes narrow as it moves slightly. watching it, you wonder if he'll blow it up so much it'll finally fall off the side and end its own misery. the cracked screen protector would give out, and the thin rubber case would finally slip off from the pressure. it only bars so much of your attention as your head turns towards your bedroom door, the sound of the front doorknob turning and clicking.

  your breath catches on your teeth, unable to escape. with every footstep your heart just beats quicker, the sensation ringing in your wrists. lips curl into one of disdain, but nothing inside of you cares to get up, all you can do is stare at the doorframe. watching, you see a shoe come into view, a running shoe with dirt caked on the strings, always coming undone from his lack of poise.

  noticing them, you can feel the hot breath leave your lips, ruminating for a mere second. looking up, you meet atsumu’s eyes, the amber color suddenly making you feel warm. he stands there, hands stuffed into his pockets. “you come back to this again?” his lips purse for the fifth time this week, and with every interaction, it just gets more intense.

  “yeah. he’s been blowing up my phone but i just don’t care anymore,” you bring a hand up to your face, rubbing against your temples and down from your nose to your chin, your hands feeling chill. 

  atsumu nods slightly, reaching up to pull off his baseball cap. tossing it onto the bed, he holds out a hand to you, “let me help you get cleaned up, then you can come to mine and ‘samu’s place. i’ll make sure he won’t have a hand to carry that key with anymore.”

  you swallow hard, thick mucus forming in your throat. staring up at him you finally feel sensation in your feet. the kind that tingles, like you’re finally waking up from a deep slumber. and instead of sunshine peeking behind your awakening, it’s atsumu standing in your doorframe. “you don’t have to do this-”

  “no, i do,” he nods, stepping into your room, making sure with each step he takes, it’s only on the hard wood flooring.

  leaning down, he holds out his hand for yours, and you can finally see how much it’s been affecting him. there’s a redness behind his eyes that you’ve only ever seen on him after he’s cried. his cheeks have been rubbed by his hands, a blush forming below his skin. “okay. thank you, i- yeah, thank you atsumu,” you can’t seem to find the words, only finding his hand in your’s.

  “anytime.”

gen. taglist (open): @eggyrocks @causenessus @applepi25 @softpia @bakery-anon

@nekozaki @nnnyxie @kameyyy

[punksyeet]

- Staycation ❥

Plot: Gianna (OC) and her boyfriend Josh book a little getaway after being drafted to seperate WWE brands.

Warning: Hefty flirting and light smut!

I finish packing up all of my bathroom essentials and place them into my tote bag.

My boyfriend Josh booked a mini staycation for us at a lakefront cabin in Big Bear.

I'm super excited because this will be our first ever trip together - just the two of us.

The drive is supposed to be 2-3 hours so I change into a comfy outfit: a black ESSENTIALS sweatsuit and UGG slippers.

Once I finish, my phone rings. I look at the screen and automatically smile. I pick up and see my gorgeous man driving.

J: "Hi babygirl."

G: "Hey love. Are you on the way?"

J: "Yes ma'am!"

I smile, shaking my head.

G: "Sounds good. I just finished packing the rest of my stuff."

J: "Perfect. I'm so excited to have you all to myself for the next week."

He does a little dance in his seat and I giggle.

G: "I'm excited too. I feel like we never get to see each other anymore."

He sighs and flashes a slight smile.

The WWE Draft just occured a week ago, and we were both drafted to two seperate brands: Josh to SmackDown and me to Raw.

J: "I know, baby. That's a lot of the reason why I booked this trip in the first place. It'll be some nice relaxation time, as well as quality time for us."

I smile and look in the mirror, playing with my curls until I'm satisfied with how my hair looks.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see him staring through the phone and biting his lip.

Moments later, the traffic light must've turned green because someone beeps behind him. "Aight chill uce! Damn!"

I giggle and cover my mouth so he doesn't notice.

He smirks and sucks his teeth.

J: "Girl get yo lil fine ass down here and see your man."

G: "Alriiight baby, I'll see you in a minute."

I hang up, double check my room to make sure I have everything, and head outside.

Once Josh sees me, he hops out and walks over, scanning my body. "How you manage to always look so incredible, even in some damn sweatpants, I'll never understand."

I smile, biting my lip gently. "Well you don't look too bad yourself."

He smirks and holds my waist, pulling me in.

We share a kiss and I tug on his bottom lip as we pull away.

He takes my tote bag and heads back over to the car, while I lock my front door.

Soon enough, we're on the road.

We share more kisses, jam sessions, I take a couple of quick naps, and we hold hands the entire time.

I wake up to the feeling of a soft hand stroking my leg.

I flutter my eyes open and, once my vision gets used to the light again, I see Josh looking at me and smiling softly.

"Good morning sleeping beauty," he coos, taking my hand and kissing it. "We're here."

I let out a quiet yawn and stretch. "Sorry baby, I didn't mean to fall asleep on you."

He strokes my hand with this thumb. "No worries, mama. I'm glad you were able to rest."

I smile and reach over to kiss his cheek, then open my door and hop out of the car.

We both grab our bags from the trunk and head into the house.

Hand in hand, Josh gives me a tour of the cabin.

There’s a master bedroom with a full bathroom included, a guest bedroom with a half bathroom, a connected kitchen and living room space, a deck with a view and stairs to get down to the lake, and a hot tub.

"This is perfect," I exclaim, leaning against the deck fence.

Josh comes up from behind me and wraps his muscular arms around my waist. "It really is."

I wrap an arm around his neck and play with his mullet, as he gives me soft kisses on my neck.

After a while of just chilling around the house, he leaves to grab some stuff from the grocery store and I head to the master bedroom to unpack our stuff.

As I'm folding a pair of his sweatpants, my phone rings. I look down and see that my best friend and Josh’s sister in law Trinity is facetiming me.

G: "Hey girlfriend!"

T: "Hey mama! How are you?"

G: "I'm good! We arrived a little bit ago."

T: "So good to hear!"

Her husband and Josh’s twin brother Jonathan comes bursting into the room and plops down on the bed, making Trin bounce.

T: "Boy your big ass is gonna break this bed one day."

I giggle as Jon sucks his teeth.

J: “Ooh I heard my sis! Hey giiiiiirl!”

I snicker at his goofy tone and decide to match it.

G: “Hey bookieeeee!”

We all burst into laughter.

The call continues and, soon enough, Josh calls from downstairs. "I'm back ma!"

"Alright baby, I'll be down in a sec!" I call back, causing Trin to smile.

T: "You two are the sweetest."

I smile shyly, and fold the last piece of clothing and place it in the last drawer.

We send our love and say our goodbyes.

I place our empty bags in the closet and head downstairs.

Josh turns from putting spices in the cabinet and smiles when he sees me. "Hi gorgeous girl."

I smile, blushing hard, and wrap my arms around his neck. "Hi handsome. How was shopping?"

He creeps his hands around my waist and we share a sweet kiss. "It was good. I got some stuff to make dinner - including my grandma's Oka recipe later."

I've had Oka once in my life, and it was at Josh's most recent family cookout. It's kind of like a salad but including fish. It's heavenly.

I smile and lick my lips. "Mmm my favorite."

"That's why I'm making it," he replies in between kisses on my cheek.

I smile and play with his mullet. "Can I help?"

"Of course ma," he says, smiling. "We might as well start cooking now, so everything can marinate."

We share one last kiss and he rubs my back before pulling out of the hug.

He grabs a bowl and the necessary ingredients for the Oka.

I lean against the island, watching.

"You can start chopping these while I prep the sauce," he says, placing some veggies in front of me.

"Yes chef!" I reply, going over to the sink to wash my hands.

We share a laugh and he lightly smacks my ass while walking past me.

I head back over to the island and chop some green then yellow onion.

I hiss, closing my eyes tightly, a tear streaming down my face.

Josh looks over at me with a look of concern, and then chuckles. "You good ma?"

I wipe my eyes with my sleeve, nodding. "Yeah, this stupid onion is strong."

He sticks out his bottom lip. "Awww my poor baby."

I suck my teeth and playfully hit his arm. "Boy shut up!"

He chuckles, leans over, and puckers his lips, asking for a kiss.

I roll my eyes playfully and give in, making a "mwuah" sound.

He smiles and goes back to what he's doing.

Once finished with the onions, I chop up some cucumber and tomato, and slice some lime as well.

"All done," I exclaim, placing my hands on my hips proudly.

He looks over and smiles. "Perfect mama. The sauce is just about ready."

He gives it one more stir and slides the veggies in with the knife.

The sauce is super creamy and includes mayonnaise, half and half, soy sauce, pepper, and water.

I watch as he combines everything, including the already prepared Mahi Mahi in the bowl.

"It looks so good already," he says, stirring it.

I nod in agreement.

He places some foil over the bowl and places it in the fridge.

"It's chicken tiiiime!" he sings, doing a goofy dance.

I giggle as he grabs all the ingredients for his family's go-to marinade.

When it comes time to chop more onions, he smirks at me. "I'll chop em this time."

"Yeah please do," I reply, backing up.

He laughs and kisses my cheek.

Once the chopping is done, I hold the pot as he adds water, soy sauce, brown sugar, the onions, garlic, and pepper.

He hands me the whisk. "Would you like to do the honors, my lady?"

I smile and take it. "It would be my pleasure."

He chuckles and pecks my lips, before heading to the fridge and grabbing the chicken.

Once the sauce is well combined, he adds it in.

We throw that in the fridge as well, wash our hands, and clean off the counter.

He kisses my temple. "I love cooking with you, babygirl."

I smile and brush our noses together. "Me too, bae. Thank you for letting me help."

We share a quick kiss and decide to go on a walk.

—————————————————————————————————

Josh and I have been sitting at the lake for so long, that the sun is starting to set.

As I'm on his lap, stroking his hair, he pats my thigh as a way of getting my attention.

"Baby look!" he says, pointing out towards the water.

I follow his finger and see two swans mating.

I smile and pull out my phone to snap a picture. "They're so pretty."

He wraps his arms back around my waist and looks up at me.

I look down, and blush when I see him looking back at me.

He smiles, brushing a curl out of my face. "All these months later and you still get shy when I look at you."

I hide my face in his neck and he chuckles, stroking my back.

After about 5 minutes, he breaks the silence.

"Come on pretty girl," he begins. "We should get going so we don't have dinner too late."

I smile and climb off his lap, and we walk back to the cabin hand in hand.

Once we return, he heads out back and fires up the grill, while I grab the bowl of chicken.

I head back inside to set the table and, within minutes, an incredible aroma fills the entire house and deck.

I stand in the doorway smiling, my arms folded and shoulder against the wall, watching my gorgeous Samoan boyfriend chef it up.

Cooking is truly his love language and it makes me so happy to see him happy.

I walk over to the grill and rub his back. "Smells amazing, love."

He smiles proudly, continuing to flip and brush excess sauce on the chicken.

He rips off a tiny piece and cools it off before feeding it to me with the tongs.

After a couple chews, I throw my head back, causing him to laugh. "Good ma?"

I nod, still chewing. "It's sooo good. You never miss, baby."

He tries some as well and does a little dance in reaction to the taste.

I giggle and stand behind him, placing little kisses on his shoulder.

"Ma'am I don't think so," he replies turning around. "You gotta kiss the chef right."

I roll my eyes playfully and cup his face, proceeding to place my lips on his.

He kisses back and groans as I slide my tongue across his.

His hands slowly find their way to my ass and gently squeeze, as I slide mine from his chest to his shoulders.

We pull away slowly and he takes a curl away from my face. "You mean to tell me I have all this to myself for a damn week?"

I smirk, playing with his chain, looking right in his eyes.

He licks his lower lip sexily, staring back and forth in my eyes and at my lips.

"I'm starving baby," I say, interrupting the silence and tension. "We can finish this later, yeah?"

He bites his lip and strokes my face. "We can and we will."

I smirk and kiss his cheek, heading back into the house.

—————————————————————————————————

** tiny smut warning! **

"Oh my god Josh," I whisper, arching my back off the bed, my fingers tangled in his damp curls.

Chris Brown's "Under The Influence" and the faint sound of slurping between my legs fill the room.

Eventually, he replaces his mouth with his fingers and looks up at me. "You feel good ma?"

I nod, my head thrown back and my hands gripping the sheets.

"Look at me," he orders, still thrusting his fingers in and out of me. "I wanna see how my babygirl looks while I pleasure her."

I look down at him, my bottom lip between my teeth, as moans continue to pour out of me like crazy.

He licks his lips and smiles. "You look so pretty like this, princess."

With his free hand, he reaches up, holds the side of my face, and brushes my bottom lip with his thumb.

I take it into my mouth and suck on it, swirling my tongue around.

"Mmm good girl," he says sexily. "You know just what daddy loves."

He thrusts his fingers some more and eventually finds my g-spot.

"J-Josh! B-Baby! Fu-ck! Righ-Right there!" I scream, my back fully arched and my face practically against the headboard.

He continues and moves them even faster.

Soon enough, our sheets are soaked and I've released everywhere.

** smut over! **

I plop back down on the bed, panting like crazy.

He cleans us both up and plants a kiss on my temple, before heading into the bathroom.

Moments later, he comes out. "I started a bath for you mama."

I smile and take his hand. "What would I do without you?"

He smiles, cups my face, and kisses my forehead. "God knows. Now go on and enjoy yourself."

I head into the bathroom and do exactly that.

I just finished my bath and I'm now in the mirror, dressed in my fluffy robe, doing my skincare.

Josh knocks and opens the door slightly. "You good in here, baby?"

I smile and nod. "Mhm I'm all good."

He smiles back, walks up behind me, and strokes my hair. "How was the bath?"

"Perfect, baby. Thank you." I reply, and turn around with my lips puckered.

He squeezes my cheeks gently and attacks my face with kisses.

I giggle and turn back around, as he hugs me from behind.

He digs his face into my neck. "Mmm you smell so good."

"Why thank you," I reply, applying moisturizer to my skin.

He rests his chin on my shoulder, his arms still wrapped around me, and watches me through the mirror.

I hop into bed and get comfy under the covers.

"I'm gonna shower real quick mama," he says and kisses the corner of my lips. "You need anything before I go?"

I shake my head. "I'm good baby, thank you."

He nods smiling, and we share a sweet kiss before he heads into the bathroom.

** Josh's POV **

I shut the bathroom light and head back into the bedroom.

As I'm walking closer to the bed, I hear light snores and chuckle quietly.

I carefully get into bed and under the covers, facing my gorgeous girl.

I study her face for a little while - so peaceful and perfect.

How did I get this lucky?

I plant a small kiss on her plump lips and wrap her into my arms.

"Goodnight beautiful girl," I whisper.

Soon enough, my eyes drift closed.

Tag List: @uceyliyahh ♡

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[sophiebaek]

An over-analysis of the Yerin Ha as Sophie Baek announcement video

Because I literally can't be chill about the official announcement and love being delusional, here's me reading into everything!

Fitting for our first shot being of Yerin walking and stepping into her role as leading lady

Very similar to how we will see Sophie entering the masquerade ball

The silver shoe is a direct reference to The Lady in Silver and also feels very Cinderella

I've already seen people complain about the nails and chill. Clearly this is not Yerin in costume as Sophie. I think production has heard the criticism loud and clear about the s3 styling; there is a whole new makeup and wardrobe team for s4 (which is good in sense that it'll be different from past seasons but also that they're getting a team that knows how to do make up on Yerin. I've had my make up done in western styles and it just does not suit my face and features.)

ANYWAYS my point are the rings :)

We see two silver rings that represent Yerin playing essentially two different characters (The Lady in Silver & Sophie Baek), but long story short it's really just one person

Yerin looks through clothes and stops at a silver dress and gloves; representing the one she will wear to the ball (But obviously not this one in the video)

She also holds the gloves themselves as they are the object that Benedict uses the find her and is the catalyst to aofag pt 2 in the book.

The glove part is also one of my most favorite moment of the ball bc 👀

Just like Benedict, we don't fully see her face at first

A reference to the mystery of Sophie/LIS and our long awaited anticipation of seeing her on screen

As we finally get to see Yerin's face, we see she's in pink

Now as an individual who's degree made her take color theory I love color symbolism

Pink is a delicate color with white but it also has the boldness and power of red

It's a color that's feminine, romantic, and tender

Pink also is associated with healing

I love that they chose to introduce us to Sophie/Yerin in pink because the color represents everything Sophie is and what's important about her character

Lastly I noticed this sparkly beading on her sweater that's hidden under Yerin's hair...

This could be another nod hinting that Sophie is the Lady in Silver

One thing I observed is a good amount of people did not know who Sophie was.

This announcement was made because filming will be starting this month and the paps will for sure be there, but also it's for fans who've been waiting years for sophie (book fans mostly)

The caption to this video only list Yerin as Sophie

Fans who go in with no prior knowledge do not know Sophie = Lady in Silver and I think the show is making a point on keeping it a mystery even though we'll probably know she is the LIS in ep 1

Welcome Yerin Ha and Sophie Baek 🤍

You are already so loved and thank you for representing us Asian girlies xx

[storiesabouteli]

Romance (Maybe it's a place) // Elijah Hewson X fem!Reader. PART 1

prompt: Eli is a vampire who falls in love with a human. The story explores the passage of time and the challenge of maintaining a relationship between two very different beings. It’s a guide on how to date a vampire/human while seeking a place of comfort in someone—and all the complexity that this longing brings.

words: 4K

(it'll probs 2 or 3 parts, it won't be long promise!)

There was nothing to expect, no prospects for the next day. Everything felt empty, his chest heavy, despite the absence of a beating heart. He wasn’t tired of the life he led; it was simply that so many years had passed, and he felt he’d experienced it all. Then, you showed up.

“Uh, she has this endearing look when she’s around me, like when you discover something new and know it’s going to be worth every moment. It’s still like that, even though we’ve been together for a while. I think I’ve gotten used to the idea that she knows who I am and isn’t afraid of me, even though I still watch my every move, thinking it might come to the surface one day. My point is, Josh, my human is kind and deserves a beautiful life. We’re not on the same page, but I can’t let her go.”

His voice cracked, eyes filling with tears, and he welcomed the feeling—it had been a long time since he’d felt anything like this. Over time, he’d grown numb to so many things. Josh sighed, understanding the weight of what Eli was going through but knowing there was little he could do.

“Eli, you’ll know what to do. You can agonize over it and delay all you want, but not making a decision right now is already making a decision.”

Josh had offered advice—he was a bit more adaptable to modern trends, though he knew how to use a phone just fine. He had tried getting Eli on board with it, considering up until recently, he still received letters, written as outdatedly as Eli sounded when he spoke on the phone. It was like he was composing his words with an old-world elegance, carefully phrasing each sentiment. But then you came along, and suddenly, he found himself adjusting to screens and adopting habits a bit more in tune with the present day.

Eli rubbed his face with a frustrated urge to shout. He had hoped his friend would offer a practical solution, but he knew this was the truth. Many of them had been through something similar. He knew what he wanted; he’d seen both paths before. And yet, he kept overthinking it, as if that would help somehow.

...

Eli chose heavier coats when he went out with you—usually something soft, like wool, more inviting to touch. “You alright, love?” His thick accent made you glance up at him. You couldn’t answer right away; all you wanted was to stay pressed against his chest, arms wrapped around his waist. There were no steady heartbeats to listen to, but his breathing—always at the same, calming rhythm—was comforting in its own way.

“Yes, El,” you murmured, slipping your hands into your own hoodie pockets. The cold air wasn’t helping. “You’re freezing,” he said, with a hint of guilt, the words lingering like it should’ve been obvious this would happen. But you didn’t mind. You chuckled; sometimes he was quick to worry. “I’ll go grab more blankets, alright, grumpy?” You didn’t want to downplay his concern but hoped to ease the way he saw it.

You took his face in your hands, kissing his naturally flushed cheek, then pressed closer, brushing a kiss to his lips. He savored the warmth eagerly, even though he could feel the chill in your fingers and nose—areas that must’ve ached from the cold. Embarrassed, he looked away for a moment, until you returned with more blankets. Wrapping yourself in one and placing another thick layer between you and him, it wasn’t ideal, but it worked; you could hold onto him, enough to count as a hug; proper physical contact.

He took in the scent of your hair, and it was enough—these little moments that reminded him you were his human, seeing every detail about him as a feature, never a threat (which was a little worrying, if he was honest). Eli held you close between the blankets, feeling a bit better.

“You know, El,” you said, turning your face to invite him in for a soft kiss, “your body temperature is going to be really useful in the summer. It’ll be nice.” He laughed, noticing your lips were warming up again.

...

Eli was waiting for your shift to end at the bar, his usual spot reserved with that easygoing smile. You'd started a weekend night job, one that fit around your studies, and he'd made it a point to pick you up every night so you wouldn't walk home alone. There he was, leather jacket, cigarette between his fingers, his hair charmingly tousled. He leaned on the bar, a soft, inviting smile playing on his lips as he ordered a drink. "You look beautiful." He tilted his head, letting the dim light catch his gaze as he took you in. You'd put in a little extra effort tonight – waves in your hair, a cinched dress under your apron, all for the quiet thrill of seeing Eli at the end of it.

"You too," you murmured, cheeks heating up as he let out a soft chuckle. His hand met yours briefly, the contrast in temperature catching you off guard, so he held onto them a little longer than usual. You slipped off your apron, glancing around to make sure everything was in order, and turned back to him. Eli rarely smiled fully-one of those open, toothy smiles. But whenever he did, you couldn't help but imagine those sharp canines showing, a detail he'd told you only appeared at his choosing. You had never seen them before, but fairy tales made you think it would be cute. Eli wasn't the tough type.

"And you're hot," he whispered with that thick accent, words lingering just long enough to leave you wanting more. You felt his cold hands at your waist, fingers resting lightly, and wrapped one hand in his hair, pulling just enough to get that quick intake of breath, followed by the softest sound that showed he liked you being a bit bold. "I like the dress," he murmured faster, hands resting on your hips as he nudged you back against the wall at the exit, his body pressed close against yours. It was quick, a thud against the wall that didn't hurt, but he caught himself, realizing you weren't quite like him. His apologies were soft, but you just whispered, "I like that, to be honest," which made his eyebrows raise in a mix of excitement and teasing.

The hem of your dress hitched a bit as he held you close, your pulse quickening against him, and the smirk on his lips only grew. Your eyes traced the freckles across his nose, his pink lips near yours, and it left you a bit breathless. "You're dying for me to kiss you, aren't you?" And you were. He cradled your face, pressing a kiss to your cheek, trailing down to your jaw. Your hands trailed up his arms, reaching his neck, pulling him closer. He nestled into the crook of your neck, his soft hair tickling your skin. "Missed me that much, El?" you asked before his eyes lifted to meet yours. He finally pressed his lips against yours, slow and deep, and you sighed into it, feeling everything melt away.

"I did. So much." His eyes had a soft gleam to them, a smile lingering, one that felt like it was just for you. Seeing your shaky breaths, he peppered your lips with little kisses until you settled, or at least got used to the fact that he wasn't about to stop. "Do... do your teeth ever show?" It slipped out before you could stop yourself. His eyes dropped for a second, awareness hitting him, and you instantly felt bad. "Sorry, you said I could ask."

"It's fine," he reassured you, fingers still gentle. His rings brushed your skin – a subtle reminder that he was there, by your side, despite whatever thoughts he kept to himself. "I won't bite you, okay?" His voice had a deep warmth, cautious but reassuring, and you let yourself believe him. He kissed you again, the same trail as before, from your cheek to your jaw, then this time letting his lips brush along your neck. You melted, fully aware of the way he held you. The kisses were soft and warm, pulling your eyes shut, and truthfully, you didn't fear much. Eli wasn't cruel, and you'd give him the benefit of the doubt until proven otherwise. You felt a faint graze, almost a scratch – it felt good. This was good. "I won't hurt you, little one." You'd talked about it before, those early questions you had about his predatory nature, and he'd told you he could handle it. He needed things but managed them.

"Maybe I'd like it if you did," you teased, part joke, part honest. He drew back, clearly content with all of it. "We should go. We're in public, miss." You groaned, laughing in playful protest.

...

The first time, you sent him a message saying you needed company, that you weren’t doing well. That way, he’d have the choice, the option to decide not to stay if he didn’t want to. But Eli called immediately—there was no time for your mind to spin into catastrophic scenarios. He briefly asked what was going on and if you needed anything (he didn’t even remember the names of medications anymore). It was clear he’d be spending the weekend by your side.

There was something about his presence that made you feel better, and knowing he’d be there in person filled you with a renewed sense of relief.

“I can turn my back, even if I’m in the

bathroom.” He said it so casually, and he was hard to read sometimes; every now and then, he seemed almost detached. You curled your toes, wrapped in a towel and seated on the edge of the toilet. He stood in the doorway, trying to figure out the best way to help. You needed a shower—your temperature was all over the place, and it would ease things a bit. But your feet ached at the slightest touch of the floor, and your shoulders were so heavy that you felt you’d collapse if you stood for too long.

“Can you?” Your voice came out low, soft, as if admitting just how much you needed him, even though you didn’t want to. Eli looked at you, and his expression softened as he came closer, kneeling down in front of you. His hands cupped your face, brushing your hair out of your eyes. You looked so tired, and instinctively, your cheek pressed into his palm, despite the chill of his skin against you. He pulled back, but you held his hand there, keeping him close.

“You know you shouldn’t wait ‘til things get worse before calling me, don’t you?” He spoke gently. You nodded, but dealing with this on your own was second nature; it was just how things had always been. Your eyes lingered on his tank top, the small star tattoo peeking out alongside his necklace, and a few scattered freckles across his shoulder. Your warm fingers traced over them, grazing those little dots softly. He smiled, and you looked up to see his eyes crinkling at the edges, that pointed nose and unruly curls, with a few locks twisted just perfectly.

He was beautiful, maybe that was why he wasn't human. Pale, rarely a fan of sunlight, but not repelled by daylight either. He didn’t sleep in a coffin or flinch at garlic; he’d answered all your questions, even if he felt uneasy talking about it. You often avoided asking too much. He needed blood but had assured you it wasn’t as dire as the movies made it seem—he didn’t hurt anyone, didn’t kill innocents.

You wrapped your arms around him, hugging him close. The intimacy of being wrapped only in a towel didn’t faze him; he was there just to help. “It’s chronic,” you admitted, barely holding back tears. “It’ll keep happening, and I don’t want to depend on you… but I’m just, uh, so tired.” He heard the strain in your voice, the soft sniffle, and drew you closer. His hands moved gently along your back as your cheek rested against his shoulder, forehead pressed to his neck. He kissed the top of your head, feeling a deep ache he hadn’t felt in years. For a fleeting moment, he felt the exhaustion you bore—aching shoulders, tired eyes, a sudden warmth creeping into his skin.

He couldn’t take this from you, but he’d stay with you as long as you allowed. “Well, then, I’ll be here with you more often, and as often as you need,” he said, and you simply held him a little tighter, eyes meeting his. He noticed the subtle dark rings beneath them, a telltale human weariness he found beautiful, something unique to you. Morning puffiness, the way your scent changed with the seasons—these little shifts only added to your charm in his eyes.

Feeling a bit lighter, you were ready to try standing. “I won’t look, I promise, love,” he murmured, and you knew he wouldn’t. Slowly, you stepped into the shower, letting the water pour over you, hoping the fever would slip away down the drain. Through the steam, you could just make out his silhouette, back turned, his posture more relaxed with you nearby. You’d seen him tense up in public around you, but you understood.

He didn’t look, not even once. When you were done, you let him know, narrating as you dried off and dressed. When you finally said you were ready, he turned around with a soft smile, placed a gentle hand on your waist, and kissed your forehead. Then he led you out, guiding you with a steady grip.

Lying on your back, you stared up at the ceiling while he lay beside you, careful not to touch, as if he knew it might not be what you needed right now. The bed felt small with him so close. You took his hand and guided it to rest at the crook of your neck and shoulder. “The feeling of warmth happens when the fever reaches the new set point the body establishes. At that moment, blood vessels dilate to release heat, and you start sweating to cool the body down.” Your words came out so precise, almost like a textbook. Eli smiled, clearly thinking you’d looked it up somewhere for him. Still, your temperature was finally stabilizing, and his natural coolness seemed to help. “Do you still feel any pain?” he asked, his eyes growing heavy, yet relieved to see you were getting better.

“Just a little, I’m much better now. You’re like an angel,” you murmured, watching his nose wrinkle slightly. You found it curious how he felt emotions without any functional organs. His body didn’t give him trouble; he was visually healthy, able to just… live. You weren’t sure if you wanted to be like him, but something about it felt unfair. Silence settled over you both, and he turned on his side, his deep, amber eyes holding yours, drawing you in.

“Can you turn people? Just anyone?” The question tumbled out suddenly, genuine, raw. He looked away, as if bracing himself. This was bound to come up, sooner or later. “It’s like when you asked if I’d move away when you leave for college because, otherwise, I might not be here anymore,” you added, trying to ease the weight of your question. You were getting to know him better.

He nodded slowly, knowing he’d answer you honestly if you asked for it. If you wanted, he’d let you be like him. “I can,” he whispered, keeping it brief, not wanting to linger on the subject.

You hesitated, taking in the idea. He knew how much you suffered from chronic pain, how sometimes you just wanted relief, independence. And while he wouldn’t think twice about offering you this existence if you wanted it, he couldn’t shake a selfish feeling—the thought that, in giving you this choice, he’d be binding you to him and trapping you in your current form for eternity. Even so, he’d never refuse to help you if you needed him.

“So… it’s just a bite? And that’s it?” you asked, curiosity shining in your eyes without a trace of fear.

“Biting’s just for blood,” he clarified, his voice softening as he took a deep breath. “To turn someone, it takes a witness and making sure the person won't die, y’know?” He sighed, and you noticed, arching a brow.

“I thought you didn’t feel tired,” you teased, sensing his discomfort and wanting to lighten the moment.

“I don’t,” he said, brushing off the feeling with a small lie. You let it go, realizing you were also getting sleepy, even though he didn’t need sleep the way you did.

He’d once told you he’d been at this for around 300 years, adapting quickly but feeling his enthusiasm fade with time. He didn’t even remember who’d turned him, just that he’d woken one night alone, with the pain of transformation, figuring everything out by himself. That always made you think about your own fear of being alone, especially when pain flared up and made you feel trapped to someone.

“Can you… have kids?” you asked softly, eyes tracing the constellation of freckles on his nose.

“No,” he replied simply.

“I was going to say I’d have your kids if I knew they’d inherit that nose and those freckles, but I didn’t want to offend you or anything.” He chuckled, that familiar, comforting nasal laugh. Eli felt pain, but holding you like this made it melt away. He’d met thousands of people over the years, but you were the one who made him want his world to keep turning.

“Do you want kids?” he asked.

“No,” you said without hesitation. “I wouldn’t want anyone else to go through this just because of some unlucky genes.” He looked at you, an emotion in his eyes that made you wonder if he’d learned to mimic human reactions, replicating them when needed, though Eli had never done that with you.

“Would you have wanted them? If you were still… you know,” you asked.

He wrapped you both in the blanket, creating a cocoon. The light smell of cigarettes and mint gum surrounded you. His curls tickled your face, and you reached out to touch his lips with your fingers as he spoke, feeling the faint movement of his mouth. “I don’t know. I never thought about it when I was human, and now it doesn’t make much sense. Maybe I’d be happy, maybe I’d be sad if I’d had kids in a life that isn’t mine anymore. But I’ve stopped dwelling on what I can’t control.”

He said it with a calm acceptance that made you wonder just how long one had to live to reach that kind of peace. You liked living in the moment, but only when it was good. And you understood that Eli wasn’t always okay; he just knew how to deal with what life had given him.

“You don’t see a future with me, do you?” you whispered, voice thick with unshed tears. His arms tightened around you, but his silence broke something in you. Still, you reminded yourself to cherish the present because, as much as it hurt, you understood the complexities of it all.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured, his words soft and full of regret.

...

“Dear Jenkinson, this will be a brief update, yet a necessary one. I’ve bought a cellphone and shall be more present. I still prefer to avoid the daylight; perhaps it’s simply the desire to remain unseen. I enjoy a quiet life—or at least, that’s what I believed. Recently, I’ve noticed a girl at the café near my house, yes, the same place here in Dublin. She comes around midday, doing something on her little black screen, though that detail hardly matters. I simply like knowing she’s there, and that she’ll likely be there tomorrow. I don’t speak to her, and I don’t imagine I will. Is it wrong for me to want to be near her but not seen with her? I mean her no harm, yet my human bears little resemblance to me. I write to you in confidence, as I suspect you’ll advise me to approach her. In any case, it’s a curious feeling, waking with this small excitement, the uncertainty and hope that she’ll be there, sitting in her usual spot.”

You scanned the first letter; they were all unsealed, unhurried in their elegance, as if they weren’t truly hidden from you—yet he kept them private all the same. You didn’t recognize the name, “Jenkinson,” but something in the writing made you imagine an old friend of his. Strange that you hadn’t heard of any friends. He knew all about your life, perhaps because you were far more open than he was. A pang of guilt hit you for reading his words. You’d picked them up from the mailbox by accident, and now you’d leave them where you found them, pretending you hadn’t seen any. Still, a gnawing question lingered in your mind. Eli cared for you, and you’d told yourself you were fine with this arrangement, just living in the moment—but you wanted something more, didn’t you? Eli seemed so sure of what he wanted from the beginning. You’d hoped maybe he’d change, but could you truly resent him? He wrote such beautiful things about you, didn’t he?

Your pulse quickened as you ran your fingers over the heavy paper, catching another letter. “Dear Jenkinson, I had forgotten that humans suffer, not just from their own mental wanderings like us, but from very real, very physical pain. My human has a condition that keeps her days limited, wrapped in intense pain. I’ve been there for her, and you’ll understand the significance of that, won’t you? It’s been a long time since I’ve done anything like this. Anyway, she’s full of a light-heartedness you’d never picture me having. She deserves so much more, you’d like her, but I don’t intend for things to reach that point—” You felt a sting behind your eyes, frustration and a sense of discomfort flaring up. How could he be so dense, filling these white spaces with beautiful words about you while being so unthinking about the future? After all, he’d have a future, regardless of what happened. His nature was certain that there was a tomorrow.

“Dear Jenkinson, I would never hurt her, truly, nor do I feel any inclination to do so, yet there’s something in her calm, gentle scent, and the eyes that makes me wonder what it would be like to bite her. Am I a bad person for thinking this? I know what it’s like—the taste and the quiet satisfaction when it’s with someone we truly appreciate. I don’t think of it as feeding, but rather as a form of cultivation.”

It was sweet, kind of sexy, in its way, yet left you with a hollow ache. Eli had a life, a very long one, yet he’d never shared any of it with you—not his past loves, this friend, or why, of all places, he still stayed in Dublin. You wanted all of him, but a part of him wasn’t there to be yours, was it? The letters lacked dates, having only found their way back to him. Why were you committing yourself to something that felt like it had an expiration date?

[bonebabbles]

Ivypool's Heart: Finished

Just completed reading the new super edition! I'm pleasantly surprised by this one. Overall, this was a very good book, MUCH better than the past 3 which were some of the most boring and unnecessary entries to the entire franchise.

If you were on the fence about this one, I'd recommend it. Just take this warning; it does the Warrior Cats thing where it harps pretty strong on parenthood and nuclear families being a borderline essential part of life, including a ton of bashing on how uniquely horrible this makes the Sisters.

If you can get past that, it's a pretty solid story about grief that makes some really fun additions to the WC lore, including the wildcats, StormClan, and a broad expansion to the afterlife system.

Meandering thoughts below the cut;

One of IPH's biggest flaws is pacing, but it's not nearly as bad as the past 3 SEs.

Not to mention, this is a pretty small SE. If you're ever bored, it won't last long.

Before the book introduces the Wildcats, it REALLY meanders. It'll pick up, but you will have to wade through relatively uninteresting scenes of the cats traveling and talking about their feelings unprompted.

A lot of "quicktime events" happen out of nowhere to fill pages with cats running away from random bullshit.

There's a horse carriage, an apple picker, dogs, weasels, foxes, a storm, traffic, humans, boats, sandwhiches. It's endless. My eyes glazed over during most of these scenes.

I know a lot of people were dreading Ivypool being nasty and unreasonable during this book, but honestly? I was hoping for it and didn't really receive it.

I find her most compelling when she's holding a grudge, acting on her anger, and generally working through messy issues. But aside from her just thinking about being annoyed or angry, she's really not snappy at all.

I feel like there could have been a lot more interesting and organic conflict between Icewing, Dovewing, and Ivypool's personalities instead of boring Quicktime Events. In fact, I felt like Icewing and Dovewing were kind of underutilized.

The conversations often feel quite stiff, especially in the first half. Everyone is very understanding of each other, respect boundaries and knows not to push too far, resolve their personal issues very easily, etc. It's kinda... unnatural.

Personally, I found that disappointing because I WANTED to see the cats actually process their grief over the course of the book. Watch them act out, maybe get in an fight or two and resolve it for the sake of the mission, have them come to a greater understanding of each other, etc.

Because Icewing and Dovewing are both so motherly and gentle and we're in Ivypool's POV, we don't really get to see them process their grief because of that.

They're not TOTALLY neglected though! I just... wanted more from this group.

However. I wanted LESS Rootspring.

I understand he's there to process the loss of Bristlefrost with Ivypool but god, every time he was on screen I wanted to push him aside and talk to Icewing lmao.

Stop trying to sell me "cool, mellowed from grief" Rootspring. He's a silly little hyperactive man and you will never be able to convince me otherwise.

As a silly little hyperactive semi-manthing myself, it would have been a lot more cathartic to see a clown like me going through grief. Not to mention just generally make for better chemistry with the group.

Between Ice and Dove who are already quite chill as characters, Whistle could have used someone more goofy to bounce off of.

I REALLY didn't like the whole implication that Rootspring is going to move on from Bristlefrost and "find a mother" for the kittens he wants so badly, though.

Erins PLEASE remember that adoption exists. He does not need a wife to be a dad. I'm beaming myself directly into your brains and telepathy-ing directions to the nearest cat adoption agency

aaaaaand on that note.... yeah. I did not like the way that this book leaned so hard on the whole "nuclear family" dynamic. Ivypool has had like two major interactions with her husband and one JUST happened in this book.

It especially bugged me that they leaned into Ivypool having been a very active mother, when we saw very little of that in the ACTUAL book. It wasn't even mentioned that Fernsong was allegedly the primary parent of the kittens when they were young.

But... I was able to look past it and just accept the book in a vacuum. There's a lot of good here.

Like the wildcats.

While I'm still wary of these being Scottish Wildcats and reserve my misgivings about the misuse of species that are very unlike domestic cats... I LOOOOVEEE the culture they've set up for them

I LOVEE the way that individual spirits reach out to the kits, guiding them through life

I LOVE the connection to StormClan

I LOVE their idea of the elements and general spirituality

And I LOVED the fact that a big part of Ivypool coming to terms with her grief was the expansion of her worldview. The way that she realized the religion she was raised with is quite small, and that there is an immense beauty in coming to understand other cultures, accept their advice, and see the world as they do.

I just wish the book had been able to tie that to a flaw that Ivypool has expressed since her very introduction back in OotS-- that she's smallminded.

It would have been a FANTASTIC way to really tackle and address that flaw, and pay off literal decades of set up. I really wish she had been messier in this book because of that!

But, digressing.

I'm over the moon that the team's actually playing with the series' spirituality! After such a long time of them outright avoiding some of the weirder elements in the series, like Rock and Midnight, it's exciting that they're finding some freedom in making new magic lore for themselves.

Hopefully, in the next few super editions, we'll be able to get some more insight to StormClan and the Wildcats.

The book really hits its stride in the second half because of this, and the ending chapters are actually fantastic. Some of the best stuff that's come out of the series (on purpose) in a loooong time.

[aeristudios]

Middle Of The Night

𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: ex-boyfriend!San x reader

𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: lil fluff, angst, smut, fwb, pwp

𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: R (18+)

𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: kissing, oral (m and f receiving), unprotected sex, carrying, doggystyle, swallowing, facial, multiple orgasms, reader is stubborn as hell

𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬: 2.4k

𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: You are on an annual girl's trip with one simple rule: no men allowed. But it's the middle of the night, you are lonely and it so happens San is nearby. Maybe you will give into temptation with a chance of being caught, but it'll be well worth it.

𝐀𝐍: I was listening to "Middle Of The Night" by Monsta X and it made me want to write something loosely based off of it. Thank you to @the-boy-meets-evil for taking this up for me at the last night 💞.

It’s 2:06 a.m., and you can’t sleep. Your body is restless, your mind thinking of a million things per second, your heart beating fast as you hold your phone. You send him a four-worded text message, knowing it’s not a good idea. But your body wants what it wants. Can you come over? You set your phone down, pacing back and forth in your room for the weekend as you await his response. When it comes to love and stupidity, it goes hand in hand for you. San isn’t the guy that you can be with long-term. You’ve been there, done that many times, yet when it’s late and you feel lonely, he’s the first person you call. Your phone buzzes a few minutes later, and you eagerly read his response. You don’t need to ask. I’m on my way.

A smile spreads across your face, and you hurry into the shower, scrubbing yourself clean with your favorite scrub that smells like brown sugar and vanilla. You hastily dry and lotion yourself, throwing on a pair of jogging shorts and a white T-shirt. San was only thirty minutes away; you didn’t want to keep him waiting. You’ve done this song and dance enough times that you don’t need to get all fancy just to see him. He’s always liked you however you want to be. This is supposed to be a girl’s only week with your best friends from high school. You take an annual trip with each other every year, making a pact to travel the world together before you settle down and get married. You took care of the travel arrangements, Shayla was in charge of the food, and Gia took care of the entertainment. You might have booked this place because you knew he would be nearby on business, but you will never admit to that… out loud anyway.  You peek out of your room, listening to hear if anyone else is awake; the only thing heard is the wind chimes swaying on the balcony. Thankfully, the rooms are nowhere near each other, so you can sneak San in without being caught. Carefully closing the door, you plop on the bed, waiting for the minutes to go by. You purse your lips together, trying to suppress your silly grin but failing miserably. He gets you excited like no one else can, and every time you want to leave him alone, one of you ends up reaching out to the other. You wouldn’t know what to categorize your relationship besides friendly exes with benefits. It’s complicated. 

Your phone buzzes in your palm, and you swipe up your screen, sitting up quickly. I’m outside. 

The anticipation of seeing him gives you chills all over. You sneak out to your balcony, looking over the ledge and seeing him park his car. He steps out with a white tank and grey jogging shorts, looking comfortable in black slides as you two make eye contact. His soft smile and awkward wave bring you back to the first time you met, rubbing shoulders with one another on a train headed to the city. “Hey,” you whisper. “I gotta sneak you in because it's girls' week.” San chuckles, knowing all too well what girls' week entails and how your best friends would have your hide if they knew he was here. You quietly leave the balcony and your room, tip-toeing down the hallway until you reach the door, letting him in quickly.  “Hi,” his murmur melts you like butter. “I missed you.”

“I know you did,” you taunt, touching his lips. 

Kissing him was like a forbidden sin, something you knew you shouldn’t be doing, but the instant gratification you felt was well worth it. Walking backward to your room, you clumsily open the door, falling on top of each other in the bed. Your hands caress each other’s bodies as you explore one another, taking off every article of your clothing. You look at him, remembering a deep affection you once had for each other that could’ve been great. A past that seemed so long ago, but here you are, entangled in bed with him.

“Is that a hot tub?”

You nod, following his gaze to the balcony, looking at the private hot tub that came with the master suite.

“Do you want to get in?”

You hop out of bed, naked and thankful that you forgot to turn it off. You slowly exit the sliding door, dipping your toe into the tub first before going right in. You feel San entering behind you, holding your waist as you guide him to the middle. The heat from the tub was no match for what you two felt for each other, the hellfire passion taking over your bodies. He grabs a handful of your ass, his slender fingers sliding to your front until they settle on your clit.

“You’re going to have a hard time being quiet tonight,” he says lickerishly.

“Oh yeah?” you smirk. “Show me.”

San groans and lifts you out of the tub, setting you on the edge. He opens your legs wide, wasting no time as he goes in on your hot sex, hungrily lapping at your sweet heat. You bite your lip as a weak way to muffle yourself, your hands grasping his hair tightly. He makes you feel so filthy and sexy, willing to risk getting you caught with his head in between your legs. He sucks harder on your clit, your arousal dripping from the corner of his mouth, and you can longer hold back. You call his name repeatedly as you ride his face, your release coming hot and heavy. 

“I want you to cum for me like a good girl, okay?” He commands, slipping two digits inside your wet cunt. “Can you do that for me?” You nod quickly, your body tingling and legs shaking as he thrusts his fingers deep inside you. “I need to hear you say it.” He grunts. “Say you will.” San returns his lips to your throbbing clit, flattening his tongue against it, a trick he knew would make you undone. “Yes!” You cry out. “I will.” Your entire body shook from your release, your hand covering your mouth to hide your screams. San groans in your center, licking you clean until you can’t take anymore. Slowly rising, he kisses you passionately, your taste on his lips. “Told you,” he teases. You roll your eyes, pushing him off you and dipping back into the water. The combination of coming down from your high and the tub's heat leaves you dazed and thirsty. You tell him you will be back, drying your body off quickly before returning to your room. You throw on a T-shirt and sneak into the kitchen. Rummaging through the fridge, you settle on two light beers, surreptitiously shutting the door. However, to your surprise, you didn’t expect Gia to be right behind you, bumping into her. “Can’t sleep?” Gia yawns, stretching her arms out of her robe. “Y-yeah,” you stumble over your words. “Just grabbing a couple of beers to get me tired.” Before she could speak, you bolt out of the kitchen and into your room, locking the door this time. Exhaling deeply, you turn and find yourself facing San: wet, naked, and fully hard. He shouldn’t have caught you off guard, taking your breath away at the mere sight of him. It’s nothing you haven’t seen before, and you’d think you would be used to it, but the sweet spot between your legs says otherwise. “You had me worried you ran away.” You shake your head, setting one beer down on the dresser while opening the other. You take a couple of gulps before he takes it away, replacing the bottle on your lips with his kiss. His hands slide underneath your shirt, squeezing your breasts and rubbing your nipples. Your back is now against the wall, your body completely at his mercy. “Hey,” Gia’s voice booms through the door. You gasp in shock, and San stifles a giggle, with you hovering his mouth with your hand to keep him quiet. 

“Y-yeah,” you croak. You see the door knob rattle, and you were sure your heart would drop to your ass at any moment, but you remembered that you locked the door. You sigh in relief, watching San stroke his cock in front of you. “I was going to watch Angel on TV and make some popcorn. Do you want to join me?” You would’ve answered no immediately had San not lifted your leg and slid his tip inside you. “Do you want to join her?” He whispers in your ear. “Do you wanna watch tv, or do you want to cum for the second time tonight?” San suddenly thrusts into you, making you sigh out loud. Your hand holds onto the dresser for balance, his pumps getting deeper and making you cream. He is sick for this. ‘You better say something before she gets suspicious.” You are temporarily snapped out of esctasyland, clearing your throat to sound as normal as possible. “N-no,” you fight to speak without moaning. “I’m gonna drink and turn on some sleep waves on the speaker. Have fun!.”

“Alright,” Gia responds. “I’ll see you in the morning. Good night.”

He wastes no time, lifting your other leg and pumping into you harder and deeper, your nails digging into his back. Your hips move in sync with his, your tight cunt tightening around his fat cock. You could kill him right now for almost getting you caught, but you’d rather fuck him instead.

“Keep fucking me like this,” you grit your teeth. “I need your fat dick inside of me.”

“With pleasure.”

He slips out of you, carrying you to the bed and setting you on the mattress. Before you could react, he has your head deep into the pillows, taking you from behind with your hands pinned behind your back. Thanks to the excellent quality pillows, your moans are muffled, but the headboard banging against the wall is not so kind. This is why you can’t leave San alone; he opens you up and makes you want to live a little. There is no bullshit with him, and everything is on the surface. It’s one of the reasons you fell in love with him, with his fantastic dick being too addictive to let go. He fills you with an insatiable lust that can be filled by anyone else, not that you haven’t tried filling that void. 

“Oh fuck,” he breathes. “I’m close, baby.” Your nails dig into your blanket, your release coming quicker than you realized. A deep, body-shuttering tingle turned into shockwaves, your orgasm coming through hard. Tears of joy stain your face and pillowcase, your legs shaking uncontrollably. All you could do was whimper in the pillows, entirely at San’s mercy once again. “I’m gonna cum,” his throaty warning barely audible. “Come here.” He steps back, vigorously stroking as you plop off the bed and kneel before him. He grits his teeth as his load comes hot and heavy, coating your face and tongue. Watching him utterly helpless because of what you do to him fills you with deep satisfaction. His eyebrows furrow focused on serving your mouth with him, and you happily suck him until his legs shudder. Exhaling deeply, he pulls you up and kisses you affectionately, a lingering touch on your lips that you will remember for a long time. You wish you could say something to him at this moment. You want to pour your heart and tell San that you still have feelings for him. You want to quit this cat-and-mouse game with him and be with him for real now. No more games or sneaking in in the middle of the night. Maybe post-nut clarity will hit you later, and you’ll regret it, but at least he’ll know, right? “How long will you be in town?” San asks as he slips on his boxers. “A week,” you answer slowly. “Why, what’s up?” “Just wondering if I need to be on standby in case you text again.” You cut your eyes playfully, rummaging through your drawer and finding a pair of underwear and a facial towel. You clean off your face and prepare for a shower, but you notice he is about to leave. Usually, when you are together, he stays the night and, call it a force of habit, but deep inside, you want that again. If only you could put your pride aside and tell him how you feel. “Hey,” you saunter over to him. “Maybe at the end of the week, I could stay a couple of days, and we could hang out?” Your nervousness eats at you from the inside, but you power through. “That’s if you don’t have plans or anything, of course.” San ties the drawstring on his shorts as he contemplates your proposal. You already feel like an idiot, suggesting something more when he doesn’t respond right away. You have a virtual egg on your face now, and you just want to crawl into bed and hide until he leaves. “Yeah,” he finally answers. “I would like that. But you’re coming to me this time.”

The dark tone in his voice excites you despite the aching pain in your thighs. Noticing he is ready to leave, you peek out of your door, listening to see if Gia is still up. You can hear growls and shouting from the TV, and you motion for him to creep down the hallway, just passing the living room. Your adrenaline pumps as you get closer to the front door, determined to not get caught as you sneak out of the house. The slight summer breeze is refreshing, and the smell of rain is imminent. You gaze at San one more time, walking him to his car, trying hard to ignore the pit you will feel in your heart for missing him. “Call me if you want to do that, okay?” San murmurs. “I would love to have you to myself for two days.” “Okay.”

He kisses you goodbye, his hands cupping your face. It was the sweetest kiss you’ve ever had, your stomach filled with more butterflies than before. It took for the summer breeze to pick up for you to break you two apart, bringing you back to Earth. All you could do was smile as he drove away, going in the opposite direction he came. You aren’t sure what the future will hold for you two, but you are glad you kept your feelings to yourself for tonight. 

[tiredofthehumanlife]

New year, New career, New part

Barbie Dolls: boss!regulus x gn! secretary! reader

Word: 2.3k

Summary: office au, Black Brothers Publishing, you're an author, um um um read part one it'll make sense

Warnings: mention of Regulus' head between your thighs, allusions to autistic regulus, Christmas work party doesn't say you celebrate but you did go to the party so, background wolfstar, hunger games reference it's really hard to spot like impossible like so hard, you're very forward :p, Remus and reader are little bitches, Remus calls you a bastard jokingly

part one

It’d been months after Regulus found your little side project. It transformed, from your side project to your full-term task. Regulus even made you take two weeks off to work on it. It was paid leave that left you wanting more. If you could spend another two weeks staring at your screen in utter turmoil you’d do it again definitely.

It took less time than you had thought it would. You expected this stupid story to take over the next four years of your life. You had it knocked out in a handful of months. Of course, Regulus was breathing down your neck the whole time, watching over your shoulder and humming when you wrote a sentence he liked. Which was frequent. You’d shoo him away with your hands before being able to get back to work. 

Your finished manuscript was now in the hands of your publisher, aka your rather hot boss and his brother.  Regulus was so much more than a boss to you and you hated yourself for it.

You wanted to see him out of his suit and in pajamas. You wanted him standing behind you in the kitchen, nursing his favorite tea as he continued to explain the historical context of his favorite book. You wanted him to lean against the counter next to you as you washed the dishes. You wanted Regulus’ coat hung up next to your door. You wanted his lips on your neck. You wanted his white button-up piled on top of his pants on your bedroom floor. You wanted his head squeezed between your thighs. You wanted his gray eyes looking up at you as he pulled another orgasm out of you. 

A heavy stack of papers thunked onto your desk, making you gasp and pull your head out of your daydream. You looked up at the culprit finding Remus. His warm brown eyes were a stark contrast from the ones you were picturing in your mind. He gave you an awkward smile, quirking an eyebrow up. 

“Alright?” Remus asked. You nodded, looking at your screen properly. You had been staring at the same short email for ten minutes now. You looked back at Remus, trying to shake off his knowing smile. 

“What are you thinking about?” You glared at Remus, picking at the stack of papers. Remus snorted. 

“You are one lost cause. You know this is inappropriate workplace behavior. You could get reported to HR for this.” Remus said. You sent Remus another glare. 

“Hey Remus, could you tell me what you were up to at our last Christmas party? The balcony?” Remus stiffened at the memory, his shoulders pulling towards his ears. 

Regulus had felt stuffy in the tight room with too many coworkers shoved inside. The Christmas party was on the second floor, far too temptingly close to the exit in your opinion. 

You didn’t bother wasting time, grabbing him by the elbow and walking him out the door. You took him outside into the chill weather. Regulus sucked the cold air into his lungs, his shoulders already relaxing. Regulus sighed and pressed his forehead into your shoulder. A very cat way to say thank you. You hummed and slipped your arm through his. Your elbows were interlocked. It was a lovely night for a promenade in the small garden outside the office. 

The more steps you took in the soft grass, the more Regulus relaxed. He turned from you, breaking your arms apart. He stood in front of you, staring at the ground. You were facing the building. Regulus sucked in a deep breath, pulling his eyes away from the grass to you. 

“There’s something I need to tell you. I have been harboring this for a while, but I didn’t want to say anything. I didn’t want to say something to make you uncomfortable. I don’t know if I could find a secretary like you.” You smiled at him, feeling flattered. You didn’t have a clue what he was going to say. You seemed pretty in the know when it came to him.

It was kind of your job to know everything there was to know about Regulus Black. You knew the temperature he liked his tea at and what it felt like on your wrist. You knew his favorite breakfast. You knew his email by heart. You knew his favorite restaurants. You knew his attitude towards certain people. You knew when he needed to leave a party just by a look, like you did with this one. 

You watched his face carefully, trying to read it. Something new was there, one you couldn’t recognize at all. The flurry of movement above his head caught your attention. You saw the balcony door to the second floor swing open, two bodies slipping through it.

The door was forgotten at the party, the stuck-up coworker who lost a bet dressed as Santa was much more worthy of their attention. You watched the two people on the balcony, Regulus’ words slipping away from your consciousness.

One of the people swung black hair over their shoulder. The second person seemed to take that as a taunt, invading the first person’s personal space. The second captured the first in a heated kiss. The second pushed the first against the metal railing of the office. Their black hair cascaded down their back like an inky waterfall as they tilted their head back. The second dipped their head down, dragging their lips down the first’s jugular.

You stared at the blurry face of the first, feeling recognition pull at your brain. Their mouth dropped open, and your eyes still trained on them. You took in the dark sweater of the second, the black and shiny material of the first’s shirt. You glanced down recognizing the earthy pants Remus seemed to bathe in. He never took them off. You sucked in a breath, your hand flying out and pointing over Regulus’ shoulder at the balcony. 

“Is that Remus and Sirius?” Regulus turned staring at the two. Sirius lifted his head, pulling Remus back to kiss his lips again. Regulus turned back towards you and rubbed his eyes. He nodded. 

“Yes, though I wish it wasn’t,” Regulus muttered. You pushed past Regulus, stalking towards the balcony. You screamed Remus’ name, the vowels scratching the back of your throat. They pulled apart, Sirius slipping back behind Remus. Remus leaned over the railing, waving at you. You waved back at him, staring at him in awe. 

“I expect my favorite breakfast sandwich on my desk next Monday from you Remus.”  You yelled, watching as Remus nodded. He buried his head in his hands and shook his hair out. You heard an agreement muttered from him, turning back to look at Regulus. Regulus joined you at your side, staring at you with sad eyes. 

“Did you hear anything I said?” Regulus asked. Your face warmed as you realized you’d been too caught in your own mind to hear a single thing that came from Regulus’ mouth. Regulus must’ve understood what your face meant, grimacing and nodding. He slipped his arm through yours again and pulled you back towards the front door. 

“That’s alright it was nothing important.” Regulus whispered, switching the topic of conversation as fast as he could. 

“Right, well let’s not bring up the balcony. I thought I paid that off with that sandwich.” Remus said, tapping the top of the papers. You shook your head. 

“Not at all, favorite co-worker. You know it’s inappropriate work behavior. You could get reported to HR for something like that.” You said, grinning up at him pridefully. Remus groaned, hating that you could twist his words like that. Regulus’ door opened, and the two business associates he was meeting with trailed out of his office like petrified zombies. You and Remus turned and stared as the two of them slowly made their way towards the elevator. 

“Some days I wonder what he does to them in there,” Remus whispered. You nodded. You opened your mouth to respond only to pause when Regulus' voice called you into his office. Your smile fell and you stared up at Remus from your desk chair. He flared his teeth in discomfort. 

“Sounds like you’re next on the chopping block.” You stood, ignoring Remus’ words. You walked to Regulus’ office door, slipping inside and turning around to close it. You stared at Remus through the crack as you slowly closed it, a silent scream for help. Remus raised three fingers to his mouth, gently kissing his fingerprints. He turned his hand, holding it in the air and gripping his shirt in utter sadness. Your eye twitched as you closed the door, spinning around to face Regulus.

Regulus was down to his white button-up, pulling at his tie. He sipped his mug and glanced over the edge at you. The image of his eyes in your daydream washed over you, a small smile pulling at your lips. 

“You know, sometimes when your associates leave I wonder if you tortured them while they were here.” You said as you walked to the side of his desk. You looked down at the paperwork in front of him, stealing a glance at the level of tea in his cup. Your hand rested on the back of his chair. Regulus set his mug down, using his now free hand to point at one of the two chairs on the other side of his desk. 

“Take a seat, would you?” Regulus said. You felt uneasy, the only people who sat there were the people he discussed business with. You hummed, like this was nothing, and took a seat in the chair he had pointed to. You rubbed your hands down the tops of your thighs, pretending you were just smoothing the fabric. 

“Before I start, I would like to say: your book will be published no matter the direction this discussion goes. If by the end of this, you choose not to speak to me, you will be in contact with Sirius.” Regulus said. You scoffed out a laugh. 

“Please, Regulus, as if there was something you could tell me that would make me cut contact with you.” you chuckled at the thought. Regulus looked away from your eyes for a brief moment, looking back just as fast. 

“Right, I wanted to tell you this much sooner, however, I wanted to make sure your book was completely in the works before I did. I couldn’t let your work go unnoticed all because of my feelings.” Regulus said, sighing and leaning back in his chair. You scooted forward to the edge of your seat, feeling your heartbeat in your stomach. Regulus rested his arms on his desk. 

“What are you on about?” You whispered, feeling like you’d say far too much if you were louder. Regulus’s lips quirked up, a tiny smile. Or maybe it was a grimace, oh it was hard to tell with him. Regulus stared at you a moment, taking in your face. You raise a brow in expectation. 

“I’m in love with you.” The air was sucked out of Regulus’ office, your lungs deflating. You stared at him as your brain racked through what you should do. You thought of how you wanted him. You wanted his clothes in your hamper. You wanted his tea in your cupboard. You wanted his books on your shelf. You wanted his proof of residence over every bit of your house. You were in love with him, too. You slowly sat back in your chair, feeling your lungs fill again. 

“How cliche, Mr. Black.” You said, a smile pulling at your lips. Regulus squinted at you. He furrowed his eyebrows and scooted his chair closer to the desk. 

“Is that your reaction? I tell you I love you and you joke?” Regulus asked. You shook your head, plucking a pen off his desk to fiddle with. 

“Regulus, I love you. I have for a long time. Dinner?” You asked, clicking the pen and smiling at Regulus. Regulus’ mouth fell open in confusion, mind reeling. 

“Dinner?” He repeated, staring at you like you grew a second head. 

“This Friday? How’s 7 for you?” You asked, watching him. Regulus closed his mouth, looking around his desk like he could find something to explain this all. He looked up to you and nodded. 

“Yes. That- yes. Yes, I can do that.” Regulus stuttered, looking away from his desk. You smiled and dropped his pen back onto his desk. You stood and turned back towards the door. 

“You have a meeting in ten. I’ll add our date to your schedule.” You said, pulling open the door. Remus was sitting at your desk, clicking at your computer with your mouse. 

“Yes, thank you!” Regulus replied after you, trying to reach your ears before you closed the door on him. Remus stood from your desk, staring at you. You settled into your seat, closing out the snake game he was playing. 

“You look quite happy. Enjoy torture, do you?” Remus asked, leaning over the edge of your desk. 

“Mayhaps. I’ve found myself a date this Friday.” You said, pulling open Regulus’ schedule. Remus froze, staring at you with his jaw dropped in shock. 

“You little scandalous bastard.” Remus said, watching over your shoulder to watch you type in ‘date night’ into Regulus’ schedule. You gave him a one-shouldered shrug. 

“I’m merely one-upping you, Remus. You might want to catch up. Here pretty soon I’ll have him in my bed and you’ll still be filing out his paperwork.” You said, flashing him a cocky smile and turning back to your emails. Remus closed his mouth, slowly straightening his back and squaring his shoulders. 

“Is that a challenge?” Remus asked. You shrugged. 

“Perchance.” Remus smiled, a wave of stubbornness washing over him. He stepped away from your desk, flinging a pen at you. 

“You’re on.” You shrugged, you were likely to win. You knew Regulus terribly well and while he was patient you knew how to press his buttons. Remus left towards the direction of his desk waiting in front of Sirius’ office. 

[dazedantics]

"Hey, Todoroki, there's this coffee shop nearby I've been wanting to go to. Come with me?"

The dual haired boy looked up from his phone.

You leaned over him, hands propping yourself up against the back of the couch. You had dressed out of your sweats and baggy shirt into an outfit more suitable for an outing.

"Seems like you'd go even if I said no." He said sitting up.

"Of course. You think I need you to have fun?"

He hummed then looked back down at his phone. "Then have fun."

"Todoroki." You deadpanned.

When he didn't respond, you sighed and jumped over the couch to sit next to him. "C'mon dude, you know I'm just joking. I need you there for emotional support, I can't place my order myself. Who do you think I am?"

He slumped into the armrest, lifting a slippered foot onto your lap, keeping his eyes connected to his screen. "Then you should go alone. Learn how to do things yourself for once."

You glared at him then pushed leg off you.

"You're so rude. C'mon, please, Todoroki? I promise to get you a drink too. You just ... you'll be physically paying for it. But it'll be my money, swear."

He checked the time for a moment before standing up, headed for his room to change. "Fine. But you come with me to my family dinner next week."

You recoiled at the thought of the tensely awkward situation that would be a Todoroki family dinner.

He made it obvious enough how broken his family's relations were, but pile that on top of you stuck for hours in the same room as the father who greatly disapproved of your friendship with his propitious son?

An absolute nightmare to ensue.

"Yeesh, I think I'd be better off going on my own."

The boy glared at you.

"Fine, fine. Your family's lovely. Now hurry up."

***

Your walk to the shop was pleasant, both you and Todoroki chatting about prospects of the future and commenting on random things that caught your eye.

And as soon as you entered the building, the small bell above the door drawing attention towards you newcomers, eyes couldn't seem to draw away from you.

Well, not you but Todoroki.

The barista taking your order especially seemed to have trouble focusing.

"Excuse me, we're ready to order now." Todoroki repeated, failing to notice how star struck the girl was looking at him.

"... ah, uh, hi, welcome. I'm Mei. What can I do for you?"

As the boy continued to relay your order and pay, missing the subtle hints the barista threw his way, you watched quietly with a smirk on your face.

Todoroki then gave his name and you chose a seat near the window, sitting across from each other.

You leaned across the table, propping your chin up on your hand, giving him a look.

"Well the atmosphere isn't terrible, so let's hope the coffee is up to standards." He looked at you. "... what?"

"Oh, nothing," you looked away nonchalantly, raising your hand to eye your nails. "Just wondering what it's like being the pretty friend."

He raised a brow. "Are you ... insulting me?"

You sighed, leaning forward again but spoke without the teasing tone. "No. Seriously Todoroki, you're hot. And literally everyone can see it. Why do you think everyone stares everywhere you go?"

He shrugged, folding his hands on the table. "Well of course I'm hot. It's part of my quirk. As for the stares, I'd assume it's cause we go to UA. Most everyone knows us by now."

"... I can't with you sometimes. Anyway, whaddya wanna do after this? I'm fine just walkin' around a little. We can go to the park and just chill there until we have to go back."

"Well, there's an arcade a couple blocks down I've heard Ochaco mention before. It sounded fun."

You brightened up, pointing at Todoroki. "Ah, that's a great idea! Haven't been to one in a while. And now that I think of it, I've never been to one with you. Are ya gonna show me up? Show me your gamer side?"

He looked down at the table in thought. "I don't think I've ever been to one. I never had time to go. So I don't really know what it is."

You patted his hand with a sympathetic smile, his life had been crazy from the get go. As great as he was, you didn't want to imagine being in his shoes.

"Well you're gonna regret ever going with me. I will obliterate you in every game, trust."

He smiled with a brow raised, "you really think you can beat me when you can't even beat me at simple games?"

You frowned, smaking his hand, "Hey. I'll have more experience with these games. And I'm pretty good if I do say so myself."

"You also said that when we played tic-tac-toe. And look who's at 10-0 right now? Not you."

You glared at his smug smile for moment. "I hate you."

"Shouto?" A barista shouted up front.

Todoroki stood, heading over to get your drinks. "You should think of something you're good at so you can finally beat me at something one of these days."

"I think I messed up picking you as my friend. Can I get a refund?"

He shook his head with a small chuckle before leaving.

When he came back, drinks in hand, you happily took your cup from him.

You took a sip, letting out a satisfied "ahhh ...."

"Todoroki, lemme have a sip of yours."

He nodded, sliding his cup over. "Can I try yours?"

"Ew, no, I don't want your cooties." You said passing him your cup anyways.

"... cooties?"

You savored the taste of the cool drink he'd picked and looked down at the container.

It was dewy from the ice inside, chilling your hands as you held it. And just underneath your thumb you could make out a phone number scribbled shakily in black marker.

You adjusted your hold to get a better look.

The number held the name of the barista who took your order beside a little message saying "call me" beside a heart.

You grinned devilishly, pointing at it and turing the cup around so Todoroki could see.

"Ooooh~ I think someone has a crush!"

He shook his head. "No, I didn't get crushed ice."

"No, not, ugh," you groaned handing him his cup back. "I meant Mei. She's flirting with you, she thinks you're cute."

"Mei? Is that-"

"No, the lady who took our order and gave you her number. She wants to go out with you."

He looked over at the girl who was busy talking to other customers.

He turned back to you, passing back your drink. "No, I don't think that was meant for me."

"Really. The lady who didn't even notice me when you walked up meant to give that to someone else? Who then, who? Enlighten me."

He sipped his drink with a shrug.

You sighed and took a sip of your drink as well. "I'd imagine you'd make for an annoying boyfriend. Probably shouldn't call her. She'll be crushed, but, hey, it'll save her a lot of trouble."

"What do you mean imagine? I am your boyfriend."

"No, not like that. Not a friend who is a boy, but a boyfriend. You know the kind that takes their girlfriend out a lot and they smooch and stuff?"

He thought about it for a moment. "Well, we do go out a lot but we don't smooch. Should I start smooching you?"

"... just drink your iced skinny carmel macchiatto with extra carmel."

"Actually it's just an iced coffee."

"I know, Todoroki."

"It tastes good."

"I know."