#(emotions projected would be focus and determination)

[gothamghostwhispers]

With the house cleaned up Artem has their prepped sigils out and the cloth they have tied into their warding is laid out.

They look to the kids that decided to join them and begin explaining the process

“My first step, is to lay the cloth out flat, and with a light layer of chalk I’m going to draw the sigils on so I’ll have a pattern to follow once the sewing starts”

Their hands are very steady, but they still use a protractor, compass, and a ruler to make sure that everything is drawn out exactly right. They’re extra careful to make sure the marks for updating the preexisting wards line up with the old wards perfectly.

“Next is setting things, I like to use embroidery for this, so I can channel my magic directly into my needle and thread, during this part it’s important to focus on the energy and intentions you’re putting into the spell.”

The needle and thread first glow and then begin float, stitching the cloth along the guidelines with speed that would be difficult to achieve without the magic.

Artem watches with complete focus as they mentally maneuver the needle.

With each sigil completed the ground below them briefly glows a larger reflection of the sigil before fading again, signaling that the spell has settled into their web of protections.

[thewulf]

Through the Years || Aaron Hotchner

Summary: Request - Aaron Hotchner x reader, It will be like 2 moments in different years... like the first time little Jack is comfortable enough around reader to call her mom... and the other one teen Jack not taking her grounding while Aaron is away and screamimg at her something like "You are not my mom"... Read Rest Here

A/N: This was tough to write. But overall very sweet. We love a good teenage melton.

Pairing: Aaron Hotchner x Female Reader, Jack Hotchner x Stepmom Reader

Word Count: 2.8k

TW: Yelling, intentional hurt, Jack being mean lol

Year Six: Jack’s Question

The gentle hum of the air conditioner filled the cozy living room as you and Jack sat together on the couch, surrounded by an array of colorful crafting supplies scattered across the coffee table. Glue sticks, markers, and construction paper formed a creative mess as the two of you worked on a project together, a rare moment of tranquility in the chaotic life of an FBI agent's family.

As you guided Jack through the steps of creating a handmade card for his grandmother's birthday, you couldn't help but notice the way he looked up at you with a mixture of admiration and affection. His small hands moved with determination, mirroring your own movements as you carefully cut out paper hearts and glued them onto the card letting him guide how he wanted the card to turn out.

"Y/N?" Jack's voice broke through the soft hum of conversation, tentative and uncertain. He shifted back and forth on the couch letting whatever was on his mind eat away at him for the time being.

As Jack's voice broke through the soft hum of the television on, you turned your attention back to him. He looked so nervous that you could only put the supplies down and focus solely on him. "Yeah, Jack?" you replied, your voice soft and encouraging.

Jack shifted nervously beside you, his brow furrowing as he wrestled with his words. You could see the uncertainty flickering in his eyes, the weight of his question heavy on his young shoulders.

"Can I... can I call you Mom?" His voice was barely above a whisper, filled with hesitation and longing.

Your breath caught in your throat at his words, your heart soaring with joy and disbelief. It was a moment you had dreamed of, hoped for, but never dared to expect. Not so soon anyway. You and Aaron had been seeing each other for just over a year. And yet, here it was, unfolding before you in the most unexpected of moments.

Tears pricked at the corners of your eyes as you gazed at Jack, overwhelmed by the depth of emotion welling up inside you. You wanted to gather him into your arms, to hold him close and never let him go, to shower him with all the love and affection he deserved. But you also knew that this moment was about him, about his courage in voicing his feelings, his desire to forge a deeper connection with you. And so, you swallowed past the lump in your throat, your smile widening with genuine warmth and love.

"Of course, you can, sweetheart," you whispered, your voice trembling with emotion. "I would be honored."

As the words left your lips, a weight seemed to lift from Jack's shoulders, his face breaking into a radiant smile that mirrored your own. In that moment, surrounded by the remnants of your crafting adventure, you felt a profound connection form between you, one that transcended blood ties and was forged by love and mutual respect.

Jack let out a sigh of relief, his smile widening as he leaned into your embrace. "Good, Daddy said I could," he explained, his voice filled with a mix of excitement and validation.

Your heart swelled with warmth at his words, grateful for Aaron's support and understanding. It meant the world to you that he had encouraged Jack to express his feelings, to embrace the bond that had grown between you. "Your daddy is a smart man," you replied, your voice tinged with affection as you ruffled Jack's hair affectionately. "And he's right. You can call me mom whenever you want. You can also call me Y/N. Whatever you want kiddo."

Jack beamed up at you, his eyes sparkling with happiness as he settled back into his seat, a sense of contentment settling over him like a comforting blanket. In that moment, it felt as though the world had shifted, the connection between you and Jack deepening with each passing second. And as you returned to your crafting project, your hearts overflowing with love and gratitude, you knew that this was just the beginning of a beautiful journey together.

Year Fifteen: Teenage Turmoil

The soft glow of the lamp illuminated Aaron Hotchner's cluttered desk as he typed away on his laptop, the faint clicking of keys the only sound in the otherwise quiet house. It was Friday night, the end of a long week, but for Aaron, the work was far from over. His eyes flickered to the clock, noting the late hour. Jack should have been home by now, safely tucked into bed. Anxiety gnawed at him as he tried Jack's number once more, only to be met with the unwelcome sound of voicemail. He would give it until 12:30 then he was going to be calling Penelope to locate his young son. He didn’t want to be overbearing but he couldn’t help it. Not with what he’s seen, what he’s had to deal with.

In the living room, you paced back and forth, your heart pounding with worry. Each passing minute felt like an eternity. With every unanswered call, your concern grew tenfold. The clock on the wall mocked you, its hands moving relentlessly towards midnight. You too knew how dangerous it was out there. But you couldn’t lock the kid in. He’d resent the both of you for the rest of his days if you did that.

Finally, the creak of the front door announced Jack's return. Relief flooded through you, quickly replaced by a surge of frustration as you caught sight of his nonchalant expression. "Jack, do you have any idea what time it is?" you exclaimed, unable to keep the edge from your voice.

Jack's eyes flickered to you, irritation flashing in their depths before he masked it with a careless shrug. "Relax, I lost track of time," he retorted, tossing his jacket aside without any regard for how stressed both you and his father were.

Your temper flared. "You were supposed to be home over an hour ago! Do you have any idea how worried we were?" As Aaron remained in his office, you and Jack were left to confront each other alone, the tension between you palpable.

He shrugged again before attempting to make a break for his room.

"Jack, please," you implored, your voice trembling with concern. "We need to talk about what happened tonight. It's not just about breaking curfew; it's about communication and respect."

Jack's eyes narrowed, his arms crossing defensively over his chest. "I don't need a lecture, Y/N. I'm not a kid anymore."

Your heart sank at his dismissive tone, but you refused to back down. "I know you're growing up, but that doesn't mean you can disregard the rules we've set. They're there for a reason, Jack. We worry about you when you're out late, especially when we can't reach you."

He scoffed, rolling his eyes. "You worry too much. I can take care of myself."

Your frustration bubbled to the surface. Your voice tinged with emotion. "It's not just about taking care of yourself, Jack. There are awful people out there and…”

Jack's demeanor shifted, his expression hardening with defiance. "You're not my mom, Y/N. You don't get to tell me what to do."

His words cut deep, a pang of hurt flashing across your features. "I know I'm not your biological mother, but I love you like you're my own," you admitted, your voice wavering with emotion certainly not expecting the conversation to take such a turn so quickly.

Jack's jaw clenched, his anger simmering beneath the surface. "Yeah, right. You're just trying to control me like everyone else. Well, news flash, it's not gonna work."

Your heart shattered at his harsh words, the weight of his rejection crushing you. "I'm not trying to control you, Jack. I just want what's best for you," you pleaded, tears welling in your eyes despite your best efforts to push them away.

But Jack's frustration boiled over, his voice rising with each word. "Stop pretending like you know what's best for me! You're not my freaking mom! You can't tell me what to do!"

As Jack's explosive words hung in the air, a heavy silence descended upon the room, filling the space with tension and uncertainty. Your heart felt as though it had been squeezed tight in your chest, the sting of Jack's rejection still raw.

A gasp came from your mouth as you tried to form any sort of coherent sentence. "Oh, I'm... I..." you began, your voice faltering as you struggled to find the right words. But your mind was a whirlwind of emotions, and you found yourself at a loss.

Jack's eyes widened, a flicker of realization crossing his features as he took in the impact of his own words. For a moment, he seemed unsure, caught between his anger and the weight of what he had just said. And then, as if sensing the weight of the moment, Aaron appeared in the doorway. His expression a mix of concern and disappointment. His presence seemed to ground the room, his steady gaze sweeping over you and Jack.

"What's going on here?" Aaron's voice was calm but firm, his eyes never leaving yours. He saw the watery tears that threatened to spill over at any second. He heard the tail end of the conversation and knew exactly why you were so devastated. You saw Jack as your own child and for him to say something so deeply hurtful left you reeling.

You struggled to compose yourself, the turmoil of emotions threatening to overwhelm you. "Jack... he... I don’t… I need to go," you managed to say, your voice barely above a whisper. Without waiting for a response, you turned and fled towards the kitchen, unable to even look at your stepson or Aaron in that moment. You felt utterly embarrassed. Like you hadn’t been loving that child for the last ten years of his life. Did he really feel like that or was he just lashing out?

In the living room, Aaron's expression darkened, his jaw clenched with restrained anger as he watched you leave. The weight of Jack's hurtful words hung heavy in the air, casting a shadow over their father-son relationship.

Jack shifted uncomfortably; his eyes fixed on the ground as guilt gnawed at him. "Dad, I didn't mean..."

But Aaron's patience had worn thin with his moody son. "Not now, Jack," he interrupted, his tone stern. "Right now, I need you to think about what you said and why it was completely unacceptable."

Jack swallowed hard, the gravity of his actions sinking in as he met his father's unwavering gaze. "I know, Dad. I messed up," he admitted, his voice tinged with remorse.

Aaron's frustration boiled over, his voice taking on the commanding tone he used when interrogating suspects. "You think you can just say whatever you want and there won't be consequences? You hurt her, Jack. You hurt someone who cares about you deeply, and I won't stand for it."

Jack's eyes widened, the full weight of his actions crashing down on him as he met his father's intense gaze. "I-I'm sorry, Dad. I didn't mean to..."

But Aaron cut him off with a sharp gesture. "Apologies won't cut it this time, Jack. You need to understand the gravity of your words and the impact they have on people." As Aaron continued to reprimand his son, he couldn't shake the worry gnawing at him. He knew he had to find you, to make sure you were alright. With a final stern look at Jack, he turned on his heel and headed towards the kitchen, his footsteps heavy with concern.

As he entered the kitchen, his heart sank at the sight before him. There you were, hunched over on the floor, your shoulders shaking with sobs. Without hesitation, Aaron crossed the room and knelt beside you, gathering you into his arms.

"Hey, hey, it's okay," he murmured softly, his voice a soothing balm against the storm raging within you. "You're alright, I've got you." Aaron felt a pang of anguish as he held you, his heart breaking at the depth of your pain. Gently, he lifted your chin, guiding your tear-filled eyes to meet his own.

"Honey," he whispered, his voice filled with tenderness. "Listen to me. You may not be Jack's biological mother, but you are his mom in every sense of the word."

You shook your head weakly, unable to comprehend his words through the haze of your despair. "But I-I..."

"No buts," Aaron interrupted, his tone firm but gentle. "Every day, in every action, every moment of love and care you've shown him, you've proven yourself to be his mother. You've been there for him, supported him, loved him unconditionally. That's what a mom does. That’s what you are, sweetheart.”

Tears welled in your eyes as his words washed over you, a glimmer of hope piercing through the darkness of your despair. "But Jack said..."

Aaron's expression softened, his thumb gently wiping away your tears. "Jack was angry and confused. He didn't mean what he said. And even if he did, it doesn't change the truth. You are his mother, my love, in every way that matters."

As his words sank in, a sense of warmth enveloped you, the weight of your anguish easing with each beat of your heart. In Aaron's arms, you found solace, reassurance, and a renewed sense of purpose. You leaned against Aaron's chest, letting the last of your tears fall, a sense of peace washed over you. His comforting presence wrapped you up in his warm embrace, grounding you in the certainty that together you’d be just fine. “Thank you.” You whispered as he held you in his embrace.

Aaron held you close, his hold on you a silent promise of unwavering support and love. "Anytime, honey," he murmured, his voice a soothing melody in the midst of chaos. "We'll get through this together."

Just then, the sound of footsteps echoed in the kitchen, and you looked up to see Jack standing in the doorway, tears glistening in his eyes. His expression was wrought with guilt and remorse as he hesitated, unsure of how to approach you.

"Y/N," he began, his voice choked with emotion. "I-I'm so sorry. I didn't mean what I said. I just wanted to hurt you, but I didn't mean it. I didn’t mean it at all, I promise. I need you! You are my mom! Please don't leave me." His words came out quickly as he wiped away his own tears.

Your heart shattered at Jack's raw confession, the depth of his pain washing over you like a tidal wave. Without hesitation, you opened your arms, inviting him into the embrace. Aaron backed off letting the situation between the two most important people in his life play out.

Jack rushed over and threw his larger frame right into your arms You wrapped him up tightly as he let his own cries out. The weight of his own words crashing down on him in the instant he saw how much he had hurt you. He was just a kid, of course you could forgive him. "It's okay, Jack," you whispered, your voice breaking with emotion. "I know you didn't mean it. I love you so much. I'm not going anywhere."

“I can’t lose you too.” He let out a whimpered cry breaking your heart even further.

Tears streamed down your own cheeks as you held Jack close, the weight of his words settling over you. "You’ll never lose me, Jackie," you reassured him, using his old nickname, a sign of the deep love you two shared for each other.  "I'm here for you, always. Always and forever kiddo."

Jack's sobs began to subside as he clung to you, finding exactly what he needed in your embrace. "I love you. I’m so sorry." he whispered again. His voice filled with sincerity.

A small smile tugged at the corners of your lips as you gently pulled away to look into his eyes. "I love you too, Jack. It’s okay. I forgive you." You said again, reassuring him.

He nodded, relief flooding his features as he buried his face in your arms once more, the weight of guilt slowly lifting from his shoulders. "You are one of the best things that's ever happened to me," you continued, your voice filled with warmth and affection. "Other than your father," you added with a playful grin, feeling Jack's chuckle rumble against your side. He gave you one more squeeze before pulling away. The remorse still heavy on his face. Carefully, you brushed the stray tears away from his face showing him the love that the both of you needed.

As Aaron joined you both in the kitchen, his presence a reassuring anchor, you shared a smile, knowing that no matter what life threw your way, you would be okay. For truly these two were the best things that had ever happened to you.

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Request Taglist: @fictionallifestuff

[daretoassume]

77 quotes to change your perspective

carl jung

"if the path before you is clear, you are probably on someone else's."

"until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life, and you will call it fate."

"the world will ask who you are, and if you do not know, the world will tell you."

"it all depends on how we look at things and not how they are in themselves."

"there is no coming to consciousness without pain."

joe dispenza

"can you accept the notion that once you change your internal state, you do not need the external world to provide you with a reason to feel joy, gratitude, appreciation, or any other elevated emotion?"

"if you want a new outcome, you will have to break the habit of being yourself and reinvent a new self."

"if you were to start investing your attention and energy into the unknown, your body would then be able to follow your mind into the unknown—a new experience in your future."

"if you cannot get beyond your stresses, your problems, and your pain, you cannot create a new future where those things do not exist."

"if you focus on the known, you get the known. if you focus on the unknown, you create a possibility."

eckhart tolle

"the primary cause of unhappiness is never the situation but your thoughts about it."

"life is not as serious as the mind makes it out to be."

"you find peace not by rearranging the circumstances of your life but by realizing who you are at the deepest level."

"pleasure is always derived from something outside you, whereas joy arises from within."

"most of the so-called bad things that happen in people's lives are due to unconsciousness. they are self-created, or rather ego-created."

wayne dyer

"when you judge another, you do not define them, you define yourself."

"you are not stuck where you are unless you decide to be."

"begin to see yourself as a soul with a body rather than a body with a soul."

"be miserable. or motivate yourself. whatever has to be done, it is always your choice."

"you are what you choose to be today. not what you have chosen to be before."

louise hay

"every thought we think is creating our future."

"i do not fix problems. i fix my thinking. then problems fix themselves."

"you have been criticizing yourself for years, and it has not worked. try approving of yourself and see what happens."

"there is no written law that says that because you once believed something, you have to continue to believe it forever."

"the more we love ourselves, the less we project our pain onto the world."

jen sincero

"if you are serious about changing your life, you will find a way. if you are not, you will find an excuse."

"your life is your party. you get to choose how you invite people and experiences and things into it."

"you need to go from wanting to change your life to deciding to change your life."

"what you tell yourself on a daily basis is more powerful than you know."

"comparison is the fastest way to take all the fun out of life."

tony robbins

"it is your decisions and not your conditions that determine your destiny."

"you cannot have a plan for your day until you have a plan for your life."

"belief in limits creates limited people."

"the only thing that is keeping you from getting what you want is the story you keep telling yourself."

"if i could uncover what beliefs and values control me, i could literally redesign myself."

marcus aurelius

"the happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts."

"our life is what our thoughts make it."

"the best revenge is not to be like your enemy."

"every living organism is fulfilled when it follows the right path for its own nature."

"today i escaped anxiety. or no, i discarded it because it was within me, in my own perceptions—not outside."

jay shetty

"the more we define ourselves in relation to the people around us, the more lost we are."

"actually, the greatest detachment is being close to everything and not letting it consume and own you."

"it is impossible to build one's own happiness on the unhappiness of others."

"if you are satisfied with who you are, you do not need to prove your worth to anyone else."

"the grass is greener where you water it."

mel robbins

"if you only ever did the things you do not want to do, you would have everything you have ever wanted."

"you are one decision away from a completely different life."

"when it comes to change, goals, and dreams, you have to bet on yourself."

"change your decisions, and you will change your life. and what will change your decisions more than anything? courage."

"if you have the courage to start, you have the courage to succeed."

alan watts

"man suffers only because he takes seriously what the gods made for fun."

"never pretend to a love which you do not actually feel, for love is not ours to command."

"you are under no obligation to be the same person you were 5 minutes ago."

"a person who thinks all the time has nothing to think about except thoughts. so, he loses touch with reality and lives in a world of illusions."

"hurrying and delaying are alike ways of trying to resist the present."

ram dass

"the quieter you become, the more you can hear."

"your problem is you are too busy holding on to your unworthiness."

"i can do nothing for you but work on myself…you can do nothing for me but work on yourself."

"free yourself from the illusion of good and bad days. labeling time makes us nostalgic for the past and demanding the future. there is only here and now. let it be."

"no matter what someone else does to you, never put anyone out of your heart."

lao tzu

"care about what other people think, and you will always be their prisoner."

"the best fighter is never angry."

"respond intelligently even to unintelligent treatment."

"if you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading."

"nature never hurries, yet everything is accomplished."

muhammad ali

"if my mind can conceive it, and my heart can believe it—then i can achieve it."

"do not quit. suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion."

"he who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life."

"i have never let anyone talk me into not believing in myself."

"i am the greatest. i said that even before i knew i was."

steve harvey

"you cannot leave what is important to you up to someone else."

"stop wasting time looking at someone else's reality while doing nothing about yours."

"the dream is free, but the hustle is sold separately."

"your dream has to be bigger than your fear."

"you cannot tell big dreams to small-minded people."

albert einstein

"i am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination. imagination is more important than knowledge. knowledge is limited. imagination encircles the world."

"anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new."

𓍯 entryfromsane004 (extracted from the old blog two years ago)

[bernardsbendystraws]

You Don’t Own Me

SERIES MASTERLIST

Chris Sturniolo lives by his own rules, refusing to be controlled. Some see him as a rebel, a troublemaker—but is that the full truth? Meanwhile, Y/N is focused on making the most of her last year of high school, determined to have a normal teenage experience. But when their worlds collide, they realize they may have more in common than they ever expected.

WARNINGS: COPYRIGHT NOTICE. PLEASE READ AND LOOK UP DEFINITIONS OF WARNINGS FOR FURTHER CLARIFICATION. HUGE TW FOR THIS CHAPTER. CSA (only mentioned, not described), heavy angst, mentions of family death and family issues, fluff, crying, kissing, comfort, cuddling

A/N: J-Dawg has my heart goddamn. Slightly shorter (it's like 7 pages)

With love and big tits, Rose

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Part 28: Aches

She’s home. My mom had gotten back into town yesterday and Baylen told me she knows that I’m aware of everything now—all the lies, all the betrayal, all of the truth. Apparently she wants to talk to me. Now that I know everything, she actually wants to have a conversation. 

The thought of her so willing to finally be honest makes my skin itch with irritation. I can’t believe this—years of everything being fake. What else was a lie? How much has my own mother betrayed me? 

“You look bummed. Not enough bacon this morning?” Chris jokes, plopping on the couch next to me. 

His hand immediately lands on my thigh, instinctively pulling my leg over his lap before starting to massage just above my knee. Touch was something I found myself being more hesitant on, but his touch never made me feel anything but safe and loved. 

I focus on the sensation of his fingers rubbing over my skin, the warmth of his hand radiating over every inch of my body with a smothering comfort. My eyes linger on my leg in his lap, drifting upward as I inch my gaze towards his face, a blush covering my face as I notice how intently he’s staring at me. 

A dry huff hums through my lips at his playful statement. This morning, he had made me plenty of bacon, purposefully luring me out of my bed so I would cuddle on the couch with him. 

And it worked. My nose made my sleepy body walk towards the scent of bacon with a hazy yearning for the food. 

Chris fed me on the couch until we both eventually fell asleep. He seems really tired recently. Part of me has wondered if he’s been able to sleep at night, but another part of me wonders why he hasn’t invited me to sleep in his room. 

It’s been awhile since we had a true sleepover—almost a week. I’d see him for a brief moment before school and then we would hang out afterwards, except when I was working on assignments or my project I still needed to fully complete with Shawn. 

“I can make more if you want,” Chris teases, leaning forward until his nose slightly brushes the tip of my own. 

The corners of my lips twist upward with delight, my eyes narrowing as I feel his breath fan across my face. 

Something about the way he’s looking at me makes me feel alive, completely immersed in the present moment. It’s like my heart is beating for one purpose and one purpose only—to be seen and no pressure for anything else. 

“I’m okay, but thank you.” I mention, my nose wrinkling as he spares me a sympathetic glance. 

A moment passes. I feel his hands freeze while gliding along my calves. My eyes drift up to see his face scrunched with an unreadable emotion.

His hands retract as if he’s been burned. I feel my legs fall as he stands up, clearing his throat and keeping his eyes trained on the ground. 

Something has been different. It feels like everytime we sit long enough in silence, he thinks too much—he thinks about something that makes him pull away. 

“I’m gonna, uh—I’m gonna go to my room,” he says, walking off down the hallway without a second glance.

___

It’s quiet. The night is at an all time silent, the subtle noise of shaking branches and ruffling leaves the only sort of echo. It’s really late. I know I shouldn’t be up, I have school tomorrow, but I couldn’t sleep.

Not after the phone call I got.

It was from my mother. I was startled by my phone ringing after getting ready for bed. She kept asking me to come home so she could explain, she kept begging for me to listen—but, I couldn’t face her. 

I told her to talk. I struggled to comprehend the words, but I heard her loud and clear. 

She didn’t know at first. My mom thought it was so wholesome how much my dad loved me, she thought it was sweet. 

That changed at some point. She realized things were not adding up.

And she ignored it. 

“-I was in shock! I–I loved him, I had his children—I married him. I wanted to believe he was the man I loved and…and he just…wasn’t.”

She was in shock. My own mother couldn’t protect me because she refused to confront reality—she couldn’t take care of me since she didn’t wanna see the truth. 

She cared more for a cowardly, fake man than she did for me—her innocent child. Calling her mom doesn’t even feel right. Part of me is tempted to just label her by her first name—Rylie. 

Rylie is alive. 

My mom is dead. 

I feel a warm hand land on my shoulder. My foggy eyes stay trained in front of me as I feel a body sit next to me on the porch steps. 

“You okay, kid?” Jimmy asks, nudging his shoulder onto mine briefly. 

He means well. I know he has good intentions, but the question hurts. In what world would I be okay?

Shrugging, I let out a sigh, shaking my head. “Not really.” 

I don’t have it in myself to act strong or lie. My heart feels like dead weight in my chest, a numb void that makes everything feel so empty. It’s dark outside, but even the slight vibrance doesn’t seem to look the same anymore. Everything is dull. 

The louder the wind gets, the harder it gets as I try to blink back the heavy tears resting on my waterline. I’ve already cried so much. My eyes feel sore. 

“Haven’t been sleeping good, have you?” he asks. 

I shake my head, sighing as I let out a dry huff. “No, not really. I mean…it’s hard…sleeping…” I trial off, my face furrowing with frustration as I hold back depression words. 

It’s hard sleeping because it doesn’t feel safe—especially alone. All I’ve wanted is to feel secure. I know Chris brings that feeling of safety, but he hasn’t even hinted at wanting me to stay in his bed—he’s barely even had us hang out in his room. 

He wants me, he loves me, and he’s there for me—but there’s something holding him back—something making him pull away. I can’t tell what it is. 

My body is impossibly stiff. The warmth of Jimmy’s hand lands on my shoulders, a heavy breath pushing through his lips as I feel something in the pit of my gut start to vibrate with anxiety.

“It…it’s—’s too much,” I cry, a sharp gasp echoing through the air before I feel Jimmy pull me into his arms, petting my head as he lets me cry into his chest. 

I cover my face with my hands, letting him hold me while trying to suck in enough air to feel satisfied. It doesn’t work—not anymore. 

No amount of deep breaths or fresh air would ever heal this feeling. I’m not sure anything would ever make me feel better. It hurts to admit, but it’s true. 

“I know, kid, I know,” he puffs, holding me tighter, his hand cradling the back of my head. 

My shaky breaths calm into tired sighs. I pull away, rubbing my face aggressively as I feel him rub my shoulder reassuringly. It doesn’t ache as much when I’m around someone. At least I don’t have to feel as alone with someone being there. 

“What can I do to help?”

Jimmy’s question lingers in the air like fog. I open my mouth to respond, but my throat closes in on itself. I have no answer. Not one that could possibly make sense.

I hear the porch door creak open. My head doesn’t lift, but Jimmy’s gaze shifts over my shoulder.

There’s a pause, a breath of silence that weighs heavier than the conversation that came before it.

“Hey,” Chris says quietly.

His voice is soft, cautious. I blink, still staring forward, my fingers twitching at the sound.

Jimmy shifts, his hand giving my shoulder one last squeeze before he stands. “I’ll give you two a minute,” he murmurs, and then his footsteps retreat into the house, the door clicking gently behind him.

Chris doesn’t sit right away. I can feel him hovering, unsure.

“I couldn’t sleep either,” he finally says, stepping closer. “Then I noticed you weren’t in the guest room, so I checked outside.”

I don’t say anything, but I tilt my head to glance at him. He’s wearing a hoodie, the strings loosely dangling, hands stuffed into the front pocket. His eyes are glued to the wooden planks beneath our feet.

“I saw you with my dad,” he adds. “Didn’t want to interrupt.”

“I don’t mind,” I whisper.

He looks up at that. His eyes soften, flickering with something deep and sad. “Can I… walk you back in?”

I nod. He offers a hand and I take it, letting him pull me to my feet. We don’t talk as we go inside. The house is dim and still, and everything feels too loud even when it’s silent.

He leads me down the hallway, and instead of stopping at the guest room, he walks past it and opens the door to his own.

I hesitate in the doorway.

He turns, noticing, and rubs the back of his neck. “I, uh… I haven’t asked you to sleep in here lately,” he begins, his voice low. “Not because I didn’t want to. I did—I do.”

I stare at him, my hands fidgeting at my sides.

Chris takes a breath and steps a little closer. “I didn’t want to do anything that might…well, trigger you. After everything, I thought maybe giving you space was safer. But I should’ve asked. I should’ve talked to you about it instead of pulling away.”

My chest tightens. I feel the sting of tears again, but this time it’s different. Not angry, not despairing—just full.

“I understand why you thought that,” I say. “But I don’t need space from you. I need you. You’re…you’re the only place I feel okay right now, Chris. And I know—I know that’s a lot, but…” I trail off, swallowing the lump forming in my throat.

Chris doesn’t wait for me to finish. He steps forward and wraps his arms around me, pulling me into the kind of hug that says everything words can’t.

“I’ve got you,” he whispers into my hair. “You don’t ever have to explain needing me. I’m yours. However you need me.”

I sink into him, burying my face into his chest. I feel his lips press gently to the crown of my head before he walks me toward the bed, pulling the blankets back.

We climb in together, and it’s the first time in days that I feel like I can really breathe.

His arm circles my waist, my back against his chest, and I feel the slow rise and fall of his breathing as it steadies mine.

“I’m not going anywhere,” he murmurs. “You don’t have to be alone anymore.”

I nod, eyes fluttering closed, his voice like a blanket wrapped around my shivering bones.

For the first time in what feels like forever, I let myself fall asleep without any lingering fear. Any and all worries fade as I sink into the overwhelming comfort of his arms cradling me against him. 

I’m hurt—beyond words, beyond tears, and beyond anything imaginable. The feelings in my chest are indescribably painful. It’s like my heart is pulsing in an overbearing way. 

In his arms, it doesn’t feel as intense or intimidating. The familiar pulse against my chest feels like an ache of healing. 

It feels safe to just feel. 

[boy222god]

2hollis as your boyfriend

Note: This is simply an assumption based off of my own understanding of his zodiac sign. DO NOT take this literally. Anyways enjoy <2

1. Getting into the relationship

Slow and steady burn:

Don’t expect him to be overly head over heels in love and crazed. he isn’t the type to rush into anything without taking his time and time is so important to him

For Hollis, it’s knowing the connection is there generally and no mask is covering up who YOU really are

Friends to lovers pathway here but strangers to friends to lovers is there too

To further deepen his curiosity about if he’s into you fully or not, there has to be consistency along with knowing you too have an interest in him since he probably won’t go for someone who only shows surface-level interest or flirts for fun

Earning his trust:

Hollis doesn’t trust easily. he has to know he won’t be posing any risks to himself since being exposed sucks

Would test the waters here and there to secretly watch how you handle things it’s the small stuff that matters and determines how much trust he gives

impressing him:

Feel like he’s into those who are driven by passion so if you have projects, goals, or anything in a creative sense that you put your all into, he’s interested in you

If you’re an artist in the sense of making music like him, there’s an appreciation for how you work and perceive your work to reach perfection. something you two could bond about

Bonus points: sharing a similar career brings you two closer since you’re well aware of how he grinds and the overall functions of music/the music career

Catching his full attention:

Just be yourself, show that you’re full of confidence and have lots of patience towards him since during this stage, he might seem reserved but again he’s trying to get a feel if things are right

Dropping hints?

Flirt but subtle flirting

Teasing, giving compliments, wanting to spend time with you

Again with the slow build but do believe the tension is there and grows more the more he falls for you

If you happen to notice, it’s best to remain from being too pushy so show the same energy back— maintain a balance that’s still at his pace because it’s his way or the highway

Getting together:

After running all his little tests to determine you’re what he wants, this is the time frame where he starts to find any tiny excuse to get you two alone

Texts and/or calls more

Wanting to meet up trying/never missing events that involve you because he wants to make it clear that he cares about you

Letting up more or being clear that he’s fully into you and that he’s serious about wanting to see where things go between you both

Most likely would ask you out during an outing together and he’s sweet about it. def all in for you

2. Already in the relationship

Supportive:

Ensures that any shared goals or personal goals are aligned in a way quite

Literally the kind of boyfriend that helps you with emotional support to help with mapping out things you value the most. he’s just a 100% fanboy/supporter of you

His way of showing love is through actions so trust that you’ll actually see he supports and loves you often in those manners rather than verbal but verbal isn’t entirely cut out

Ambitious but romantic:

Will always focus on his music/career but that doesn’t mean he’ll miss out on time with you so easily date nights are a thing and he makes sure that nothing interrupts you two from enjoying each other’s company

Majority of the dates are something fun, something you both can enjoy and sometimes those dates aren’t always outside. some are at his or your house (shared when the time is right)

During the relationship, understand that he isn’t showcasing it every single moment. Hollis is the kind of person that will post you to let people know you’re still together but he has no desire to let the media/public see everything about you both

Knowing you respect that and even the same gives him ease of mind and makes him warm knowing that such intimate moments are strictly shared between you two and anyone close to you both (close friends and family) who happen to witness it

Challenges?

No couple can avoid it so don’t expect rainbow and sunshine

There will be times when he gets caught up in his work and you might feel you’re competing for his attention during those times, but once you have a sit down about it and explain how you’ve been feeling, he’ll take a step away to re-focus and enjoy the moments in life where work isn’t consuming him

Stubborn as fuck… do not assume this man will change his ways so easily

Your reasonings and perspective have to be logical enough to prove right and maybe then he’ll compromise to agree with you but again, it’s not easy

Isn't into drama/gossip if it doesn't concern him

Occasional struggle with speaking on emotions but gets there eventually

Sweet stuff:

The kind of boyfriend to celebrate your wins. big, small, medium— he’s celebrating it

Pushes you to be your best self and loves when you push him to do the same (although he does that perfectly fine)

Witnessing his goofy side (obviously) that the public doesn’t get to see. This could be a range of cracking jokes, sharing whatever appears on his fyp/timeline, dancing around to songs, even creating silly little songs for you.

An overall ball of sunshine

LOVES gift giving but not so often that you know you’re getting it subtle about it and the gifts are always something you’ve been eyeing because let’s be real— he’s the kind of boyfriend that peeps what you like and makes a mental note about it to get it for you

Entirely loyal to you and protective

Note pt2: First official post. Part 2 of him being your boyfriend coming soon but intimate ver.

© boy222god 2025 all rights reserved - please do not repost my work on other platforms or translate.

[aventurineswife]

Underneath the Broken Pieces

Summary: After accidentally breaking one of Ratio’s prized possessions, the tension between him and you escalates, leading to a week of silence and emotional distance. Despite the fracture in your relationship, you secretly work to fix the broken item. As you become sick from overworking, Ratio steps in to care for you, leading to an emotional reconciliation and an apology from both sides.

Tags: Ratio x Reader, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Reconciliation, Sickness, Apology, Emotional Healing, Relationship Struggles.

Warning: Mild emotional conflict, Themes of frustration and anger, Illness/fever (reader overworking to the point of sickness), Light angst.

A/N: was originally a Wattpad req but why not share share it here 🫶

The warm glow of the lamps flickered in the cozy shared house, casting soft shadows on the bookshelves lining the walls. The faint scent of parchment and ink filled the air as the two of you settled into your evening routine. Ratio, as usual, was absorbed in his research, his violet wavy hair brushing against his face as he poured over ancient texts and data sheets. You, sitting at the other end of the room, worked diligently on a project of your own, though your eyes occasionally wandered toward him.

It was in that moment of distraction when disaster struck.

Your hand brushed against a delicate artifact resting on the desk—an intricate, purple gem-studded sculpture that had been a gift to Ratio. A relic from his early days in the Intelligentsia Guild. Before you even realized it, the sculpture wobbled and crashed to the floor, shattering into pieces.

Your heart stopped. You stared at the shattered remains, horrified. Ratio's prized possession—gone.

The sound of his footsteps approaching sent a chill down your spine. His expression darkened as he saw the destruction.

"You—" His voice was tight with anger, more contained than you expected, but the venom was clear. "You broke it."

"I'm so sorry, Ratio. It was an accident, I didn’t mean to—"

His voice cut through the air, cold and unforgiving. "Accidents? This was something important. This was precious to me. Why are you so careless?"

Your chest tightened at the harshness in his tone. It was a rare sight—Ratio, the brilliant, confident man, was now consumed by frustration. But the sting of his words hit deeper than the guilt you felt for the broken item.

You took a step back, eyes brimming with hurt. "I didn’t do it on purpose, Ratio... I just... I didn’t mean to."

"Obviously," he retorted, his tone biting. "But that doesn’t change the fact that it’s ruined. Irreparable."

The silence that followed was suffocating. You swallowed the lump in your throat, feeling the weight of his disappointment. Your hands clenched into fists at your sides, but no words came. Nothing you could say would erase what had happened, and the sharpness in his eyes made it impossible to apologize any further.

"I need some time alone," Ratio muttered, turning on his heel without another glance in your direction.

And so, the fight had begun.

The days that followed were clouded with tension. You kept your distance, each of you retreating into your own world. The house, once filled with conversation and laughter, now felt cold and distant. No one spoke. No apologies were exchanged. The silence between you two had settled like a heavy fog.

For an entire week, you didn’t speak a word to each other, each lost in your own thoughts. Ratio buried himself in his work, while you tried to focus on your projects, all the while haunted by the knowledge of what you had done.

It was during one of those long, quiet days that you found yourself back in Ratio’s study, where you had originally broken the artifact. His desk was cluttered with papers, but amidst the chaos, the pieces of the shattered sculpture lay in a pile. You couldn’t bear the thought of leaving it in such a state.

Determined, you sat down at the desk, carefully gathering the fragments, your fingers shaking with nerves. It wasn’t much, but you were going to try. You found glue and began piecing the fragments together, meticulously fixing what had been broken.

You didn’t notice him enter until his voice pierced through the quiet room.

"What are you doing?"

You froze, the glue stick hovering just above a fragment. Ratio stood in the doorway, his piercing eyes focused on you, though there was no anger now. Just… quiet curiosity.

"I—I’m fixing it," you replied softly, avoiding his gaze. "I know I can’t make it perfect, but I want to make it right."

He didn’t say anything for a long time, just watching you with an unreadable expression. Slowly, he stepped closer, his gaze softening as he observed your efforts. You continued to work in silence, afraid to look at him but driven by the hope that maybe, just maybe, this would make up for the damage.

The following days were just as quiet, but something shifted. As the work on the sculpture was nearing completion, you found yourself growing weaker. The stress of the broken object, coupled with late nights spent overworking to fix it and to keep busy, was wearing you down.

One night, you finally collapsed on the couch, exhausted and feverish. The sickness had taken hold of you, and you couldn’t summon the energy to even stand.

It wasn’t long before Ratio found you. He stood at the doorway, his eyes scanning your form with concern. He had never seen you like this—pale, trembling, weak.

"You're ill," he stated, more softly than you expected.

You didn’t respond. Your body was too tired to speak, and your head swam with dizziness.

Without another word, Ratio walked over to you. His fingers gently brushed your forehead, his eyes widening slightly at the warmth there. "You’re burning up," he muttered under his breath, clearly frustrated with himself.

He lifted you carefully, carrying you to the bed. His movements were gentle, as though afraid to hurt you. "Rest," he ordered, though his tone had softened considerably. "I’ll take care of everything."

For the next few hours, Ratio fussed over you in a way that was completely foreign to his usual demeanor. He brought you water, checked your temperature, and even tucked you in with a blanket.

It was only when he stood in the doorway, looking down at the sculpture on his desk, that he finally spoke again.

"You fixed it," he said, his voice quieter now, almost regretful.

"I—I didn’t want you to be angry anymore," you whispered, your voice barely audible. "I just… wanted to make it right."

Ratio paused, the weight of your words sinking in. Slowly, he walked back to your bedside, his hand gently brushing your hair back. "I’m sorry," he murmured, the apology sincere and deep. "I shouldn’t have reacted that way. You didn’t deserve that."

A small smile tugged at the corners of your lips as you finally looked up at him. "I’m sorry too, Ratio. I shouldn’t have been careless with your things."

The tension that had hung between you for so long finally began to dissolve. Ratio took your hand in his, squeezing it gently.

"I’m just glad you’re here," he whispered, his voice tender now. "And… thank you. For fixing it. For everything."

You closed your eyes, feeling the warmth of his presence surrounding you, the broken pieces of both the artifact and your relationship finally being healed.

And for the first time in days, you both found peace again.

[cemeteryspider]

Rooted in Love

Gambit! Remy LeBeau x Poison Ivy! Reader

Summary: During the attack on Genosha you took the hit that would have killed Remy, luckily all he had to do was put his trust in Kurt to keep you safe.

Trigger Warnings: Violence, Near Death Experience, Emotional Distress

Word Count: 1127

I allowed myself a breath. My plants surrounded me in my small greenhouse at the X-Mansion. The feeling of vines, stems, roots and lush flowers against my face and arms kept me grounded.

'Just keep breathing'

The pollen tickled the inside of my nose and I breathed it in like my teammates would breathe air.

'Her heart's beating faster, that is a good thing right?'

Your team. Where were you? Where were they?

~~~

Meanwhile, a mind away Remy looked down at your almost lifeless body. Madelyne Pryor projecting positive thoughts into your head to help draw your focus away from the painful injuries inflicted on your body by the sentinels. Magneto was badly injured and Rogue was looking worse for wear.

Neither were in any condition to fly, but still, they focused and aimed to get you to the mainland of Africa. Still, the burn marks on Magneto and Rogue's head wounds were not making good progress in their abilities.

Gambit was losing hope that he would get to see you again. To hear your pretty laughter, see your dazzling eyes, and feel your warm touch.

That's when Kurt appeared next to you, and looked at him. His eyebrows creased, Kurt would not be able to make it to the mainland. He would tire until he sent the two of you into the ocean, but there was something in his eyes.

He was physically hurt, "Trust me, mein Freund", but Kurt's determination was palpable.

"Gambit trusts you", If he said no you would die, if he said yes there was a chance you wouldn't. It wasn't a hard decision.

"Come back to me, cher," He placed a quick kiss on your forehead.

Kurt carried you in his arms and started running. He gained momentum, and he was gone. Quickly, the two of you became a dot in his field of vision, all he could do was pray.

~~~

Salty air entered my nostrils but I could've sworn I was just home, in my greenhouse. I peeled my eyelids open suddenly aware of my location. I was in Nightcrawler's arms crossing the ocean. Kurt looked worse for wear, but as the sleep leaves my eyes I understand that I must look worse.

Stabbing pain started entering my mind as what I could only assume was a telepath's attempt to block the pain wear off. I sucked air in through my teeth sharply, and Kurt looked down at me briefly.

The dark circles and half-lidded eyes gave away the utter exhaustion that must be in his bones. I forced my head to the side to see the sandy coastline of Africa. The trees, flowers, and grass seemed to reach out to you, and again your eyes closed.

~~~

The two of you were so close. Kurt used the last of his strength, but this last push didn't quite make it. You both fell through the air into the cold ocean. The two of you floated just below the surface, and Kurt tried to move his limbs but they just wouldn't seem to move, limbs like lead.

He closed his eyes, understanding that this could be the end. He let two of his friends down, he would let his sister down.

His mind stewed for a moment until he felt a light touch. Algae brushed him up to the surface and the seaweed below him pulled him by his arms to the shore.

When he was close enough he started to army crawl further onto the shore. The local flora pulls your body across the sandy beach, leaves wrapping around your whole body, and soft pink flowers cushioning your head.

When he stopped feeling the waves lap at his feet, he allowed the side of his face to drop into the sand. Exhaustion finally overcame his ability to stay awake.

~~~

When Gambit and Rogue were finally able to get the jet off the ground and to the shore there was a stillness in him. Gambit was never still, and the lack of movement or incessant talking made Rouge twitch with nerves.

Before the plane was even on the ground, Gambit looked about ready to jump out and begin his search. His eyes scan the sandy surface trying to find any sign of you or his fuzzy friend.

"We'll find them, Sugar" Rogue put a gloved hand on his shoulder, and a year ago he would have melted into the touch. Now it just made him want your comfort even more.

"There!," Rogue was pointing to a blue blob on the shore which could only be one person, "Kurt!"

She began to quickly fly over to him, and Gambit was forced to run which was considerably slower than her flight.

"Kurt? Are you okay? Oh my gosh sugar, I can feel your temperature through my gloves," Her hands cupped his face, and he slowly started to come back to the present.

"Rogue? Where's Y/n?," He tried to push himself off the ground but his sister quickly brought him into her arms.

"Don't worry about that right now sugar, we'll find them, I'm gonna get you to the jet first so you can cool down"

With a weak nod, Rogue picked him up in her arms and gently flew them over to the jet.

Gambit scanned the surroundings anxiously. "Where are you, cher? Come on, give Gambit a sign, s'il vous plaît" Almost like magic a trail of pretty pink flowers appeared in front of him, "Well, I'll be damned,” he murmured under his breath.

He followed the trail a little ways into the trees where it was considerably cooler and definitely more green. It wasn't long before the flowers stopped before a giant blooming pink flower. Carefully, he pulled one petal down to take a look inside, and low and behold there you were.

Glistening with morning dew, and the cuts and bruises were nearly gone. The rest of the petals peeled back, allowing him to hold you close in his arms, "God, cher, I thought I lost you."

He placed his face in the crook of your neck allowing himself to just hold you and feel you when he felt your hand gently caress his face.

"Hey, baby," You whispered in a hushed voice, "I'm okay, I promise."

In every retelling of this story, Gambit would never say he cried, but you know he did. Telling the story to the kids at the academy and eventually your own kids, you would mime exaggerated sobs behind the man telling the story. 

And in every single battle you ever fought together, he made sure that you were always by his side. Though he made you promise you wouldn't sacrifice yourself for him again, you knew you would do it again in a heartbeat.

[loveemagicpeace]

🏡Mars in Cancer 🧚🏼‍♂️☕️🧸

Mars in Cancer can amplify your emotional responses and motivations. You may find yourself more driven by your feelings and instincts during this period. Emotional matters become a focal point, and your actions may be more influenced by your inner emotional world. You might feel a stronger urge to protect your loved ones or home. There's a nurturing and defensive quality to Mars in Cancer that can make you more proactive about ensuring the well-being and security of those you care about. Mars in Cancer often brings attention to home life and family matters. This could be a time when you are more actively involved in domestic responsibilities or projects related to your living environment. You might be motivated to make changes or improvements around the home. Mars can bring about emotional conflicts or heightened tensions, especially if you're dealing with unresolved issues from the past. You may find yourself more reactive or defensive during this time. It's important to navigate these conflicts with care and sensitivity. You might also experience internal struggles or conflicts related to your personal security and emotional needs. This can be a period of deep introspection and self-examination. You might feel motivated to engage in activities that nurture and comfort you. It's a good time to take care of your emotional and physical health, perhaps through activities that make you feel secure and cared for. ou might feel inspired to work on home-related creative projects or pursuits that involve expressing your emotions and nurturing your inner world. Mars in Cancer can push you to find comfort and focus more on what you find comfort, meaning, and security in. You will get closer to people who give you care and warmth. And during this time, you can think more about moving or changing your home

Aries rising in your 4th house -your focus will be family. During this time, you can pay more attention to their opinions or what kind of view they have. At the same time, you resist things that you won't like. The relationship with the mother can be more intense and combative. You will feel that the family wants something that you don't. Maybe you will feel that they are asking too much of you. During this time, you can decide to move again and maybe the environment you live in will no longer suit you. You can decide to move to a house or a bigger apartment (or renovate things, especially the kitchen). This house also represents feelings after finished events: so the things you decide to finish during this time will definitely be done and you will be determined. You can also end a love relationship you had or see that the path you are on no longer includes your partner. Above all, during this time, you will be looking for comfort and a safe place in which you will feel safe.

Taurus rising in your 3th house- your focus will be primarily on communication and thinking. Your communication can become more expressive and intense during this time. You can argue more with relatives or with siblings. But you can also hang out with them more during this time. You can travel short distances and have spontaneous, sudden trips, but there can also be some problems or confusion on trips. During this time, you can be more enterprising and brave when it comes to expressing yourself and you won't be afraid to express what you want and you can be sharper with words. This house should also indicate the reason for moving (which means that if you are moving, you may have a solid reason behind it). Long trips of the partner are also included (the partner can travel more during this time). The focus will be on how you perceive the opinions and communication of others, and maybe you will want more than just words and you will want people to do what they said they would.

Gemini rising in your 2nd house-your focus will be mainly on finances, money, comfort, pleasures, food, drink, material things. During this time, you can get more money, but then some problems with it can also appear. Maybe your memory will become better and more transparent, and at the same time you can better remember the actions of other people or correct actions in retrospect. You may lose something, but you also gain something. This house is also connected with inner feelings, which means that you can be more committed to how you feel inside yourself and how you experience something. You can create a new financial plan that you follow. You can also be more arrogant during this time. But you can also be more stressed when it comes to money. You are looking for comfort and where you feel safe (safety will mean a lot to you at this time). Maybe you will give more than you usually do and start investing more in things that mean something to you and have value. Your career path may change, you may travel for work. And if you're traveling long distances, it's a good idea to check your health.

Cancer rising in your 1st house - mars is in your sign, which means that it will bring you many things related to appearance, self-discipline, and expression. During this time, something about you may change (if you have recently gone through difficult periods, this Mars will bring you a lot of courage and strength). Maybe you can start working on yourself more or do sports that will accompany your figure. Your view of the world can become more solid and determined. At the same time, you may become more aggressive or angry than usual. Your body can become stronger. It's good to be careful where you walk or what you do because you can get injured quickly. During this time, you can become more decisive in the decisions you can make. In this house, there are also themes such as: long journeys of children and their religious beliefs, friends of brothers and sisters.

Leo rising in your 12th house - your focus will be on the subconscious, spirituality, unexpected and unpredictable things can happen at this time. You can spend your time more alone and isolated from others. During this time, you can also dream more and have more intuitive dreams than usual. Mars in the 12th House is about focusing on the subconscious mind and hidden aspects of yourself. This transit can bring up unresolved fears, suppressed emotions, or feelings that are usually hidden beneath the surface. You may become more aware of emotional issues that need resolution, which could lead to periods of introspection. Mars transiting through this spiritual house can heighten sensitivity to your environment and emotions, making you more intuitive but also more prone to absorbing other people's energies. You may need time alone to recharge or understand what's happening internally. You may feel drawn to exploring deeper aspects of your psyche, your dreams, or your connection to the divine. It can be an ideal time for spiritual practices, self-reflection, or understanding your higher purpose.

Virgo rising in your 11th house-your focus is on interests, dreams, friends. Maybe during this time you can quarrel with friends and people around you. You become more driven for your dreams and ideas. You start to limit things that are related to you and the people around you. Maybe you will search more for your belonging and who you belong to. You can also become more passionate about social networks and more committed to such things. The way you spend money or what you spend it on can change. Maybe you invest more in what you think is worth investing. Topics: agreements with foreigners in foreign lands, long journeys of loved ones, relationship to entertainment of the spouse, health of uncles and aunts on the mother's side.

Libra rising in your 10th house-your focus will be on your career, visibility and building relationships you have. During this time, you can decide what path you want to take further in your career or what it means to you. The father can play an important role at this time and maybe some things related to him (you can also fight with him earlier). This is the house of destiny, which means that Mars in Cancer can bring you fateful and exciting moments during this period, people who will stay with you in your life. During this time, you can develop your ambitions and goals more. You can get a better opportunity. Even long trips due to money matters are included here, maybe you decide to travel just to get money. And you also earn more money than you expected. You attract more karmic relationships and potential ones. A relationship that may already be ongoing can play an important role in your life and is a relationship that you will begin to build on and invest in more.

Scorpio rising in your 9th house-during this time you can travel more or delve deeper into the things you believe in. You have a greater drive to do something or go somewhere. Spontaneous things can happen to you and you make more spontaneous decisions when it comes to decisions. You can graduate and devote yourself more to studies and things related to learning. Maybe your focus will be more on learning and finding comfort in what you believe and what you don't. You will feel more committed to what you believe in and go deeper into it. During this time you can have more spiritual experiences (perhaps you go somewhere where it will be more spiritual or meet people who are more subject to it). You will begin to think more deeply about what others believe and what you believe and how it manifests itself. The topics here can also be: the key method of a person's consciousness, psychic experiences, potential cause of financial problems, care or neglect of property, a mental spouse (if you have one, it may be very important to you how he thinks/perceives the world, but if you don't have one, these important topics that will prevail), decisions reached in disputes (if you had a dispute with someone, now a decision will be made on how to proceed). Pleasures in love relationships.

Sagittarius rising in your 8th house-your focus is on deeper things, investments, intimacy, other people's money, everything you share with others, secrets. During this time, you can get money from others, start investing more in things that you see will work better in the long run, and you may be inclined to search for the truth more. Maybe you finish something you've been wanting to do for a long time. You can feel stronger and more stable. You have more experience with the astral world and you begin to delve into something deeper. When it comes to intimacy, you will be looking for a partner who will give you some sense of care and inner satisfaction.

Capricorn rising in your 7th house- your focus will be on the relationship (if you're not in it yet, you definitely will be now, especially when it's the last eclipse, which can change everything). You will focus on a relationship with one person and start building a long-term relationship, maybe during this time you will express your wishes more about what you want and what you don't want. What is worth investing in and what is not. You will invest in the relationship and spend more time with this person. You will begin to get to know the person and his characteristics (how he works). You can also sacrifice more and give more than usual. You and your partner can also go through long challenges that will make you stronger. During this time, you can more clearly notice the differences between you and others (you will be more focused on what suits you and what doesn't). That's why you can fight with someone several times and you can also feel more intensity with your partner than otherwise and you start to set your boundaries more decisively. You can achieve something that you have wanted to achieve for a long time now. You can attract more competitors and at the same time you can become more recognizable among people. You can travel short distances for fun. If you're in a romantic relationship, this could be a time when sexual chemistry and passion intensify. You may also feel more driven to make important decisions regarding the future of your relationship, whether that's committing more deeply or setting boundaries where needed.

Aquarius rising in your 6th house- your focus will be on work, health, hygiene, body. Maybe during this time you start working more on your diet and start eating differently. You will have greater focus on your routine and work. During this time, you can buy a pet or spend more time with them in general. You will feel more organized and have a really great focus on what you do during the day itself. You will take more care of your body and health. It is important to watch what you are doing, because during this time you can also be prone to accidents. If you have a partner, you can see more things during this time, which limits being with him. Maybe during this time you realize that your two routines are different. This house also holds: business in other countries, responsibilities to work, practicality, diet. How you dress and what it means to you.

Pisces rising in your 5th house-your focus will be on romance, children, creativity, sports, gambling. During this time, you will be more focused on your happiness and pleasure, so your actions during this time may be more selfish than usual. You can meet someone, or you can continue the romance that you have and it starts to develop and continue even more. During this time, you can also spend more time with your partner and maybe get to know his better friends. You will become more passionate and driven about your hobbies and the things you create. You may feel more passionate about what you do. Maybe you start a sport that you haven't played so far, you do things more impulsively. You can also get some income from property or real estate. You can publish more and share your work with others.

-Rebekah🍓☕️🧸

[mikaylathenerd5]

Game Day Heat + One Shot

Masterlist Summary: Joe Anoa’i, WWE’s Tribal Chief and a Georgia Tech football legend, shares a thrilling game day at Bobby Dodd Stadium with his girlfriend, Isla Navarro, a cybersecurity specialist and fellow Tech alum who once dreamed of him from afar. The electric atmosphere of the Yellow Jackets’ victory fuels their passion, setting the stage for a night of intense connection in Joe’s luxurious Midtown condo. As their shared history deepens their bond, Joe’s wrestling-honed stamina and Isla’s admiration for her campus icon lead to a fiery, emotional evening that blurs the line between fantasy and reality. Will their love shine as brightly as the Atlanta skyline? Warnings: This one-shot contains mature themes. Please read at your own discretion. Explicit sexual content (graphic descriptions of sex, including oral and penetrative), Light BDSM (light bondage, spanking, Daddy kink), Squirting, Emotional vulnerability, Alcohol consumption (wine), Mature language (profanity, explicit dialogue), Brief mention of an age gap, Voyeuristic elements (implied) Authors Note: Might have gotten carried away lol but hope you enjoy. Trying something different for once. This can be read as a standalone from the book series. But as always, feel free to leave a comment 💛🖤💛🖤 Word Count: 5.7k words

Bobby Dodd Stadium, Atlanta, GA

The air at Bobby Dodd Stadium crackled with raw energy, the stands a vibrant sea of gold and white, the scent of grilled hot dogs, spilled beer, and fresh-cut grass hanging heavy in the September breeze. The crowd roared as the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets sealed a victory with a last-second touchdown, the stadium lights casting a golden glow over the field, the atmosphere electric with triumph, the distant hum of Atlanta traffic a faint undercurrent to the cheers. Joe Anoa’i sat in the alumni section, his massive frame filling out a fitted Georgia Tech hoodie, the fabric stretched tight over his broad shoulders, his tattooed arm wrapped possessively around his girlfriend, Isla Navarro. The game-day intensity stirred a fire in Joe—he’d been a star defensive tackle for Tech years ago, his name still a legend among fans, his legacy etched into the turf below. Now, as the Tribal Chief of WWE, Joe was known for his unmatched stamina in the ring, dominating matches with a relentless endurance that left opponents exhausted and fans in awe—a trait that carried over into every aspect of his life, especially with Isla, who’d admired him from afar during her college days. Isla, who’d attended Tech much later, pressed herself against his side, her gold Tech T-shirt clinging to her curves, the soft cotton catching the light, her dark hair tumbling in waves over her shoulder, her eyes bright with joy as she cheered, her voice hoarse from shouting, her laughter a melody that warmed Joe’s chest.

Isla had always respected Joe’s legacy at Tech, the stories of his unyielding spirit on the field a quiet inspiration during her own student days, though they’d never met back then. As a computer science major, she’d been deeply immersed in her studies, often camped out in the Clough Undergraduate Learning Commons with her laptop open, debugging code or working through complex data structures, her determination to excel in her field driving her through late nights and endless cups of coffee. But even amidst her rigorous academic schedule, she couldn’t help but overhear the whispered legends of Joe Anoa’i—the star defensive tackle who’d graduated years before her time, his name a symbol of grit and glory on the field. She’d catch snippets of his games playing on a loop in the student lounge nearby, her eyes occasionally flickering to the screen, a small smile tugging at her lips as she imagined what it would be like to meet the man behind the myth, though her focus always snapped back to her coding projects, her dreams of a future in cybersecurity taking precedence. Now, as his girlfriend, she felt a deep thrill watching the game with him, the reality of being in his arms a dream she’d never thought would come true, his warmth a steady anchor amidst the chaos, his scent—a heady mix of cedarwood cologne, leather, and the faint musk of sweat—wrapping around her like a lover’s embrace. Joe’s hand rested on her thigh, his calloused fingers tracing slow, deliberate patterns on her skin through her jeans, each touch a spark that set her nerves alight, his grip possessive yet tender, a silent promise of the night ahead. “You’re a fuckin’ vision in gold, baby,” he murmured in her ear, his deep voice a low growl, the sound vibrating through her, making a sharp pulse flare deep in her belly. Isla blushed, her cheeks warming under his gaze, her voice teasing as she leaned closer, her lips brushing his ear, the scent of her jasmine perfume mingling with the stadium air, “Wait ‘til you see what I’ve got for you after the game, Daddy—your college crush has a surprise.”

Joe’s eyes darkened, a storm of desire brewing in their depths, his grip tightening on her thigh, the pressure sending a jolt of heat to her core, his dick twitching in his jeans at the nickname. “You’re playin’ with fire, baby—gonna make Daddy burn for you,” he growled, his voice rough with need, his lips grazing her earlobe, the heat of his words sending a shiver down her spine, her panties already damp with anticipation. “I can’t wait to get you alone, Isla—gonna make you scream for me,” he added, his voice a low rumble, the promise making her walls flutter with need, her heart racing with anticipation, knowing his stamina would ensure a night of relentless pleasure. The crowd’s final cheer marked the Yellow Jackets’ win, the victory fueling their adrenaline as they left the stadium hand in hand, the Atlanta skyline shimmering against the night sky, a glittering backdrop to the fire building between them.

They arrived at the luxurious condo Joe had rented for the weekend, a sleek penthouse in Midtown with floor-to-ceiling windows that framed the city’s twinkling lights, a modern kitchen with gleaming marble counters, and a spacious bedroom with a king-sized bed draped in crisp white sheets, the scent of fresh linen mingling with the faint musk of their anticipation. Isla insisted on cooking dinner, her way of grounding herself after the game’s intensity, and Joe couldn’t tear his eyes away as she moved around the kitchen, her hips swaying with a natural rhythm as she prepared a creamy pasta dish, the scent of garlic, basil, and parmesan filling the air, the sizzle of the pan a soft counterpoint to the pounding of his heart. “You need me, baby?” he asked, his voice a low rumble, his eyes tracing the curve of her ass in her jeans, the way her T-shirt hugged her waist, his dick already half-hard at the sight of her, his mind racing with thoughts of how his stamina would let him take her apart piece by piece, over and over, until she was a trembling mess beneath him.

“I’ve got it,” Isla replied with a playful smile, glancing over her shoulder at him, her eyes glinting with mischief, her dark hair catching the kitchen’s warm light. “Pour us some wine and relax—I’ve got a surprise for you after dinner,” she teased, her voice soft but charged with promise, making Joe’s anticipation spike, his dick throbbing in his jeans. “You’re killin’ me, Isla—better make it quick,” he growled, pouring two glasses of deep red wine, the liquid catching the light like molten rubies, his voice rough with need, his heart pounding with the thought of what was to come, his stamina already fueling his impatience to have her.

Dinner was a slow burn of desire, their attraction a tangible force, every glance a flame, every brush of their fingers a spark that set their skin ablaze. They sat close at the sleek dining table, the creamy pasta dish steaming between them, the scent of garlic and parmesan mingling with the rich aroma of the wine, the distant hum of Atlanta traffic filtering through the windows, a reminder of the city’s pulse outside their intimate bubble. Isla’s mind drifted to her college days, how she’d been so focused on her computer science studies at Georgia Tech, her nights consumed by coding assignments and algorithm design, her determination to build a career in cybersecurity driving her forward. Back then, Joe was a distant legend, his name a whisper on campus, his football highlights occasionally playing in the background of the Clough Commons while she debugged code nearby, her focus unwavering even as her heart fluttered at the thought of the man who’d once dominated the field. She’d allow herself a fleeting daydream—imagining meeting the campus icon who’d graduated long before her time—before diving back into her projects, her ambition always taking the lead. Now, here she was, living a fantasy she’d once thought impossible, sharing a meal with the man who’d been a distant inspiration, their shared history as Tech alums deepening the moment. Joe twirled a forkful of pasta, the creamy sauce clinging to the noodles, and held it up to Isla’s lips, his eyes locked on hers, a playful smirk tugging at his mouth. “Taste it for me, baby—wanna see those pretty lips around this,” he murmured, his voice a low rumble, the words dripping with flirtation, making Isla’s cheeks flush, a sharp pulse flaring deep in her belly. She leaned forward, her lips parting as she took the bite, the creamy sauce coating her tongue, a soft moan escaping her as she savored the flavor, her eyes fluttering closed for a moment, the sound making Joe’s dick throb, his heart racing with desire.

“So good, Daddy—you’ve gotta try it,” Isla purred, her voice soft but teasing as she twirled a forkful of pasta, the sauce glistening on the noodles, and held it up to Joe’s mouth, her eyes glinting with mischief, her lips curving into a playful smile. “You’re hackin’ my heart with every bite, baby,” she teased, a nod to her computer science background and her current cybersecurity work, the playful comment making Joe chuckle, his deep laugh sending a shiver through her. Joe leaned in, his lips brushing her fingers as he took the bite, the creamy sauce bursting with flavor on his tongue, the heat of her touch sending a jolt of pleasure through him, his eyes darkening with need. “Fuck, baby—you’re makin’ dinner dangerous,” he growled, his voice rough with desire, the taste of the pasta mingling with the taste of her skin, the intimacy of the moment making his dick strain against his jeans, his anticipation building with every second.

Joe’s expression softened for a moment, a rare vulnerability flickering in his eyes as he set down his fork, his voice quieter, almost hesitant. “You know, Isla, last week’s match… the pressure of bein’ the Tribal Chief, it’s heavy sometimes. Everyone expects me to be unbreakable, but I feel it, you know?” he admitted, his fingers tracing the rim of his wine glass, the confession a glimpse into the man behind the legend. Isla’s heart swelled, her hand reaching across the table to cover his, her touch warm and steady. “You’re more than the Tribal Chief to me, Joe—you’re my safe space, my everything. And if anyone tries to break you, I’ll hack their whole system ‘til they’re begging for mercy,” she said with a playful wink, her computer science expertise and cybersecurity career shining through, her words a mix of support and fierce loyalty that made Joe’s chest tighten with love. “Fuck, baby—you’re my rock,” he murmured, his voice thick with emotion, his hand squeezing hers, the moment deepening their connection, the intimacy of their shared meal a quiet prelude to the fire waiting to ignite.

They continued feeding each other, their movements slow and deliberate, each bite a shared act of intimacy, the creamy sauce a sensual contrast to the heat building between them, their laughter and teasing words a soft counterpoint to the pounding of their hearts, the tension a living thing in the air. Joe’s gaze lingered on Isla’s lips as she sipped her wine, the way her throat moved as she swallowed, the soft curve of her neck a canvas for his mouth, the sight making his dick throb even harder. “You’re too fuckin’ beautiful, baby—I’m dyin’ to taste you,” he growled, his voice low and rough, the words making a sharp pulse flare deep in Isla’s belly, her skin flushing under his attention, the ache between her thighs a desperate throb. “Patience, Daddy—you’ll get everything you want,” she replied, her voice soft but teasing, her eyes locked on his, the promise in her gaze making his heart race, his dick straining against his jeans even more, the intimacy of their shared meal only heightening the fire between them, his stamina ensuring he’d make good on every promise he whispered.

After clearing the dishes, Isla excused herself to “freshen up,” leaving Joe on the couch, the leather cool against his skin, his anticipation a wildfire in his veins, his dick straining against his jeans, the taste of the creamy pasta and Isla’s skin lingering on his tongue, sharp and sweet. She returned a few minutes later, and Joe’s breath caught in his throat, his heart pounding like a war drum. Isla stood in the doorway, wearing his old Georgia Tech football jersey—number 96, the yellow-and-white fabric hanging loose on her smaller frame, the hem brushing the tops of her thighs, the faded letters a testament to his past glory, a symbol of the legacy she’d always admired, the rough texture of the fabric a tactile reminder of their shared history. Beneath it, a black lace lingerie set peeked out—a bra that pushed up her breasts, making them spill over the top, the lace intricate against her skin, a delicate contrast to her curves, and a thong that framed her thick ass, the thin straps digging into her hips, the lace barely covering her pussy, her skin glowing in the soft light of the condo, her curves a vision of temptation, her eyes locked on his, a silent invitation.

“Fuck, Isla—you look like a goddamn dream in my jersey,” Joe growled, his voice thick with lust, his dick hardening instantly as he stood, closing the distance between them in two long strides, his movements predatory, his eyes raking over her body like a man possessed. “You’re Daddy’s perfect girl, huh? Gonna make you feel so fuckin’ good tonight,” he added, his voice a low rumble, the words sending a shiver down her spine, a sharp pulse flaring deep in her belly, knowing his stamina would ensure he’d keep going until she was utterly spent. His hands grabbed her hips, pulling her against him, the hard length of his erection pressing through his jeans, the heat of him searing through her, his fingers digging into her soft flesh, the jersey rough against his palms, the lace of her thong a teasing contrast, the scent of her jasmine perfume mixing with the musk of her arousal, a heady combination that made his head spin. “I love being yours, Daddy—I’ve always wanted this,” Isla moaned softly, her hands sliding up his chest, her nails scraping lightly over his hoodie, the fabric catching on her fingertips, her voice breathy with need, the admission making Joe’s heart race, his dick throbbing with the depth of his desire for her.

He backed her against the kitchen counter, the cool marble pressing against the backs of her thighs, a sharp contrast to the heat of his body, his hands roaming her curves, lifting the jersey to reveal the black lace lingerie, his fingers tracing the edge of her thong, the lace delicate against her skin, before yanking it to the side, teasing her clit with slow, deliberate circles, the pad of his thumb rough against her sensitive bud, the sensation sending a jolt of pleasure through her, her walls fluttering with need, her juices already soaking the lace, the counter slick beneath her. “You’re so fuckin’ wet for me, baby—already drippin’ for Daddy,” Joe growled, his voice rough with desire, the words making a sharp pulse flare deep in Isla’s belly, her thighs trembling with anticipation. “Please, Daddy—I need you so bad,” Isla moaned, her hands gripping the counter, her knuckles whitening, her voice desperate, the ache between her thighs a desperate throb, the scent of her arousal filling the air, a sweet musk that drove Joe wild.

He dropped to his knees, his hands spreading her thighs wide, the muscles in her legs quivering under his touch, his hot breath fanning over her pussy, making her shiver with anticipation, the heat of his gaze searing her skin as he looked up at her, his eyes dark with hunger. “Gonna make you come so hard, baby—gonna taste every fuckin’ drop,” he murmured, his voice a low rumble, the words sending a shiver down her spine, her clit pulsing in anticipation. His tongue darted out, licking a slow, deliberate stripe up her slit, the taste of her arousal bursting on his tongue like the sweetest nectar, a low groan rumbling in his chest as he savored her, the vibrations sending shivers through her body, her clit pulsing under his touch. “Fuck, you taste like heaven, Isla—sweeter than any win in the ring,” he growled, his voice muffled against her, the praise tying his wrestling persona to their intimacy, making her heart race, her walls fluttering with need.

He sucked her clit into his mouth, his lips wrapping around the sensitive bud, his tongue flicking it in a slow, torturous rhythm, the wet sounds of his mouth on her pussy filling the kitchen, a symphony of desire that mingled with her desperate moans, the counter cold against her ass, the jersey slipping off one shoulder, revealing the black lace bra, her breasts heaving with every ragged breath, the lace stretched tight across her skin, her nipples hard against the fabric. “Joe, fuck—oh my God, that feels incredible!” Isla cried, her voice raw, her thighs trembling as he worked her, his tongue relentless, his hands holding her hips to keep her in place, his fingers digging into her soft flesh, leaving faint marks that made her feel claimed, desired. His tongue dipped inside her, tasting her deeper, the wet heat of her pussy enveloping his tongue, the slickness of her arousal coating his lips, his chin, the taste of her driving him to the edge, his dick throbbing in his jeans, the pressure almost painful.

His fingers slid inside her, curling against that spot that made her vision blur, the stretch of his thick fingers making her walls flutter, the burn of it sending a wave of pleasure through her, her juices dripping down his hand, the counter slick beneath her, the scent of her arousal overwhelming, a heady mix that made his head spin. “You’re so tight, baby—gonna make you squirt for Daddy, aren’t you?” he growled, his voice rough with need, the words making a sharp pulse flare deep in Isla’s belly, her body trembling on the edge. “Yes, Daddy—please, I’m so close!” she pleaded, her voice desperate, the pressure in her core building to a breaking point, her thighs quaking with the intensity of the pleasure.

He worked her slowly, his tongue circling her clit faster, his fingers pumping in and out, the wet squelching sounds driving her wild, her thighs trembling, her core tightening with every flick of his tongue, every thrust of his fingers, the pleasure building to a breaking point, her body trembling on the edge. Isla’s orgasm hit her like a tidal wave, her walls fluttering around his fingers, her juices squirting out in a gush, soaking Joe’s face, dripping down his chin and onto his chest, the wet heat of her release making a mess of the counter beneath her, the marble slick with her cum, the scent of her arousal a testament to the intensity of her climax. “Fuck, yes, baby—that’s it, squirt for Daddy,” Joe groaned, pulling back to watch her, his lips glistening with her cum, his eyes dark with hunger as he licked his lips, drinking in every drop, his voice raw with need.

Her body shook, her thighs quaking with aftershocks, her hands gripping the counter as she rode out the waves of pleasure, the sensation so intense she felt tears spill down her cheeks, her clit pulsing with aftershocks, her voice a broken sob as she moaned, “Daddy, fuck—it’s too much!” Joe stood, his chest slick with her juices, his dick rock-hard in his jeans, the pressure unbearable as he stripped them off, his massive length springing free, the head swollen and leaking precum, veins bulging along the shaft, the sight making a sharp pulse flare deep in Isla’s belly, her core aching to be filled, her body trembling with need. “You ready for me, baby? Ready for Daddy to fill you up?” he growled, his voice rough with desire, the words making her walls flutter, her arousal dripping down her thighs. “Please, Daddy—I need you inside me, need you to fuck me,” Isla pleaded, her voice desperate, her hands reaching for him, her body aching for his touch, knowing his stamina would push her to her limits.

He teased her with the head of his dick, rubbing it against her clit, the wet heat of her pussy making him groan, the sensation of her slickness against his sensitive tip sending a jolt of pleasure through him, his balls tightening, his heart pounding with the need to be inside her. “Fuck, baby—you’re so ready for me, so fuckin’ perfect,” he growled, his voice a low rumble, the praise making Isla’s heart race, a sharp pulse flaring deep in her belly. He pushed into her slowly, stretching her tight pussy around his girth, the burn of the stretch making Isla gasp, her nails digging into his shoulders, the pain mixing with pleasure as her walls adjusted to his size, the fullness of him overwhelming, her inner muscles quivering around him, the heat of her body searing through him. “Daddy, fuck—you’re so big, it’s so much!” she cried, her voice breaking, the sensation of his thick length filling her driving her to the edge, her heart racing with the depth of her love for him.

Joe groaned, his hands gripping her hips, his fingers leaving faint bruises as he started moving, his movements slow and deliberate, savoring every inch of her, the counter creaking beneath them, the cool marble a sharp contrast to the heat of their bodies, the jersey rough against his skin, the lace of her bra teasing his chest. “You feel incredible, baby—so tight for Daddy,” he growled, his voice rough with desire, the words making Isla’s walls flutter, the pleasure building with every slow, deep thrust. Each thrust was deliberate, his dick hitting that spot inside her that made her see stars, the pressure building in her core, her juices dripping down his thighs, the counter slick beneath her, the scent of their arousal a heady mix that filled the air, the slow drag of his dick against her walls sending waves of pleasure through her, the friction making her clit pulse, her body trembling with the intensity of it, her heart racing with the depth of her love for him.

“You’re takin’ Daddy’s spear so good, Isla—look at you, my perfect girl,” he growled, his voice a low rumble, referencing his signature wrestling move, the words tying his Tribal Chief persona to their intimacy, his eyes locked on hers, watching every flicker of pleasure on her face, her lips parted, her cheeks flushed, the raw attraction between them a living flame. “Daddy, fuck—it’s so good, don’t stop!” Isla moaned, her voice raw, her thighs quaking as the pleasure built, her inner muscles quivering around him, the sensation of his thick length stretching her, filling her, driving her to the edge, her body trembling with need. He turned her over, her breasts pressing against the counter, the cool marble a shock against her heated skin, her ass raised, the jersey hiked up around her waist, her thong pulled down to her thighs, the lace stretched tight against her skin.

He entered her from behind, the angle allowing him to go even deeper, her pussy stretching around him, the burn making her sob, the sensation of his dick hitting that spot inside her making her vision blur, her ass jiggling with every movement, the counter slick with her juices, the scent of their arousal overwhelming, the roughness of his thrusts making her body tremble with need, the jersey a reminder of their shared history, the lace of her thong digging into her thighs, the sensation of his hands on her hips, his fingers digging into her soft flesh, leaving faint bruises, making her feel claimed, desired. “Fuck, Isla—your ass looks so good like this, bouncin’ for Daddy,” he growled, smacking her ass, the sound echoing in the condo, the sting making her moan louder, her walls fluttering around him, the roughness making her body tremble with need. “Daddy, fuck—I’m so close again, please let me come!” Isla pleaded, her voice breaking, the pressure in her core building to a breaking point, her body trembling on the edge.

“Hold on, baby—Daddy’s gonna make you come so hard,” he growled, his voice rough with need, the words making Isla’s heart race, her clit pulsing with anticipation. He moved slowly, drawing out the pleasure, the slow drag of his dick against her walls sending waves of pleasure through her, the friction making her clit pulse, the pressure in her core building to a breaking point, her body trembling on the edge. Isla’s orgasm hit her hard, her inner muscles quivering around him, her juices gushing as she came, the wet heat soaking the counter, her body trembling, her voice a broken sob, “Daddy, yes!” the pleasure so intense she felt her entire body ignite, her heart pounding with the depth of her love for him.

Joe moved through her orgasm, his thrusts slow and deep, drawing out her pleasure, a low growl rumbling in his chest, “That’s it, baby—come for Daddy, let me feel you,” his voice raw with need, his dick throbbing inside her, the pressure in his balls building, his heart pounding with the depth of his desire for her. His stamina, honed from years of dominating in the wrestling ring, kept him going, his movements relentless as he pushed her through her climax, his own need building but his control unwavering, determined to make her come again before he let himself go. He carried her to the bedroom, the transition swift as he laid her on the king-sized bed, the white sheets cool against her heated skin, the Atlanta skyline glittering through the floor-to-ceiling windows, a silent witness to their passion. “I’m not done with you yet, baby—gonna love you even more,” he murmured, his voice a low rumble, the promise making a sharp pulse flare deep in Isla’s belly, her body trembling with anticipation, knowing his stamina meant he could keep going for hours if he wanted to.

He pressed her against the floor-to-ceiling windows, the cool glass a sharp contrast to the heat of their bodies, the smooth surface fogging with her breath as she moaned, the city lights casting a soft glow on their intertwined forms, the distant hum of Atlanta traffic a faint reminder of the world beyond their bubble. “Look at the city watchin’ us, baby—everyone down there wishin’ they were me,” he growled, his voice rough with desire, the voyeuristic thrill making Isla’s walls flutter, the sensation of his dick hitting that spot inside her making her vision blur, her breasts pressed against the glass, the jersey slipping down her back, revealing the black lace bra, the fabric stretched tight across her breasts. “Daddy, fuck—it’s so intense, I can’t—” Isla sobbed, her voice raw, the pleasure overwhelming her, her body trembling with the intensity of it, the city below a glittering witness to their passion.

“You’re relentless, Daddy—just like in the ring!” Isla moaned, her voice breathy, the comment tying Joe’s stamina to his wrestling persona, making him growl with pride, his thrusts deep and controlled, his body showing no signs of slowing down even after pushing Isla through multiple orgasms, his wrestling-honed endurance making him a relentless lover, determined to give her every ounce of pleasure she could take. He pulled out briefly, turning her to face him, his eyes locked on hers, the love and desire in his gaze making her heart race, the heat of their connection burning through every touch. “You’re my fuckin’ everything, Isla—I love you so much,” he growled, his voice rough with emotion, his hands sliding up to cup her face, his thumbs brushing her cheeks, the tenderness in his touch making her heart swell, her voice soft but intense as she moaned, “I love you too, Daddy—I’m yours, forever.”

He carried her to the bathroom, the steam from the hot shower already filling the air, the scent of lavender body wash mingling with their arousal, the soft patter of the water a soothing backdrop as he set her down, the jersey still clinging to her sweaty skin. “Time to get you clean, baby—but Daddy’s gonna make you dirty again,” he growled, his voice a low rumble, the promise making a sharp pulse flare deep in Isla’s belly, her body trembling with anticipation. He tugged the jersey off her, using the faded fabric to tie her hands behind her back, the rough material biting into her wrists, the light bondage adding a thrilling edge as he pinned her against the shower wall, the hot water cascading down their bodies, steam enveloping them in a warm cocoon. “You’re mine to take, baby—Daddy’s jersey looks better like this,” he growled, his voice rough with desire, the words making Isla’s walls flutter, her body trembling with need.

He entered her again, the angle allowing him to go even deeper, her pussy stretching around him, the burn making her sob, the sensation of his dick hitting that spot inside her making her vision blur, her juices mixing with the water, the shower floor slick beneath them, the steam amplifying the scent of their arousal, the roughness of his thrusts making her body tremble with need, the jersey binding her wrists a reminder of their shared history, the lace of her bra teasing her skin, the hot water adding a new sensory layer that made every touch feel electric. “Daddy, fuck—I’m gonna come again!” Isla sobbed, her voice raw, the pleasure overwhelming her, her body trembling on the edge, the relentless pace of Joe’s thrusts pushing her to her limits, his stamina ensuring he could keep her on the edge as long as he wanted.

“Hold on, baby—Daddy wants to feel you come with me,” he growled, his voice a low rumble, the words making Isla’s heart race, her clit pulsing with anticipation. He untied her hands, turning her to face him, her legs spread wide, her pussy glistening with her cum, the water soaking them both, the jersey discarded on the shower floor, her breasts heaving with every ragged breath. He entered her again, lifting her legs over his shoulders, the angle allowing him to go even deeper, her pussy stretching around him, the burn making her sob, the sensation of his dick hitting that spot inside her making her vision blur, her juices dripping down his thighs, the shower a mess beneath them, the slow drag of his dick against her walls sending waves of pleasure through her, the friction making her clit pulse, the pressure in her core building to a breaking point, her body trembling on the edge, his eyes locked on hers, the love and desire in his gaze making her heart race, the heat of their connection burning through every touch.

Isla’s hands gripped his shoulders, her nails digging into his skin, her voice raw with desperation as she felt the telltale signs of Joe’s impending release—his thrusts growing erratic, his dick pulsing inside her, his breaths coming in ragged gasps. Sensing his need for acknowledgment as the Tribal Chief, she locked eyes with him, her voice a desperate, reverent whisper, “Acknowledge me as yours, Daddy—my Tribal Chief deserves it!” Her words echoed his WWE persona’s commanding catchphrase, a powerful nod to his dominance in the ring and in their intimacy, her walls fluttering around him in submission, the acknowledgment pushing Joe to the brink, his heart pounding with the intensity of her words, the heat of her reverence amplifying his pleasure. Joe’s eyes darkened, her acknowledgment shattering his control after holding back for so long, his stamina giving way to the overwhelming need to release. “Fuck, baby—you’re mine, always,” he groaned, his voice rough with need as he came hard, his dick pulsing violently inside her, his hot cum filling her up in thick, forceful spurts, dripping down her thighs as he moved through his orgasm, the intensity heightened by Isla’s acknowledgment, his thrusts slow and deep, his cum mixing with her juices and the water, the shower floor slick beneath them, the sensation of his release making her walls flutter, her own orgasm hitting her at the same time, her juices gushing as she came, the wet heat soaking them both, her body trembling, her voice a broken sob, “Daddy, yes—I love you!” the pleasure so intense she felt her entire body ignite, her heart pounding with the depth of her love for him.

Joe gently pulled out, his cum dripping from her pussy, the shower floor a mess with their combined juices, the water washing away the evidence of their passion as he pulled her into his arms, their bodies slick with sweat and water, their breathing heavy, the steam a warm cocoon around them. Even after such an intense session, Joe’s stamina was evident in the way his hands still roamed her body, his touch possessive and hungry, as if he could go another round without breaking a sweat, a testament to the endurance that made him a legend in the ring and an unstoppable force in bed. Isla nestled against his chest, her fingers tracing the tattoos on his arm, her voice soft as she murmured, “I’ve got a big deadline at work next week—some new encryption project. But nights like this… they make everything worth it.” Joe kissed the top of her head, his voice a low rumble as he replied, “You’re gonna kill it, baby—just like you do with me.” He paused, his gaze drifting to the jersey on the shower floor, a soft smile tugging at his lips. “Today at the game… seein’ you cheer in the stands, wearin’ my colors—it felt like a full-circle moment, you know? Like I was back on that field, but this time, I had you.” His words tied their intimacy to the shared joy of the game-day victory, a final emotional beat that left a warm, lingering glow, the Atlanta skyline still glittering through the window, a silent witness to their love. “I can’t wait for more days like this, Daddy—I’m yours to love,” Isla whispered, her voice charged with desire and devotion, her heart swelling with the depth of her love for him. They stood there, tangled in each other, the afterglow a warm cocoon around them, their attraction still simmering beneath the surface, the roughness of their encounter balanced by the love in their touches, their breaths mingling as they held each other close, the jersey a symbol of their shared history, the lace of her lingerie a reminder of the fire between them, the soft patter of the shower a soothing lullaby to their perfect night.

Can’t get enough of Joe and Isla’s fiery romance? 🔥💛 Their journey continues in my book series Open Arms, packed with more steamy moments, heartfelt connections, and the love story you’ll be obsessed with! Dive into the full series on my masterlist here. Want to stay updated on their story? Comment below or message me to be added to the Open Arms taglist—I’d love to have you along for the ride! 💖

[cinnamoonblue]

Chapter IV | Sweater Weather

Summary: You moved to one of the biggest cities in the world - Grand Line to pursue filmmaking career. Soon enough your path will cross with the vocalist of upcoming band called “The Neighbourhood”. At first you decided to be just friends - because it would be easier, but sadly as everything in life sometimes by taking the easy path we regret a lot of things.

Main characters: Portgas D Ace x Reader (female)

Supporting characters: Nami, Usopp, Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, Law, Deuce, Shanks, Buggy, Sabo, Eustass Kid, Koala, Marco, Robin (more to be add)

Description: Modern AU | Musician Ace

WARNINGS: ALL CHARACTERS ARE AGED UP this story will contain descriptions of violence, 18+ only, contains explicit sexual themes and content, explicit language, use of alcohol, use of cannabis, use of nicotine/cigarettes, angst, hurt/no comfort, hurt/comfort, implied injury, family trauma, slow burn, destructive behavior, toxic behavior, illegal activities, NSFW, conflicted feelings, loneliness, pain, conflicted relationship, emotional distress, jealousy, suggestive themes, violence, substance use, mentions of death, mentions of suicide, mentions of depression, mentions of loosing a loved one, mentions of violence, PLEASE PAY ATTENTION TO THE WARNINGS

Word Count: 15,2K

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NOTE: I’ve planned to write this chapter even longer, but then I decided that it would be pointless as most of the things would be repetitive. Here are the descriptions of some filmmaking terms, so when you are reading you know what the characters are talking about: D.O.P - Director of Photography/Cinematographer, the person who works closely with the director, and the person who determines the framing of the shots and capturing the scenes AC - First Assistant Camera, the person who is responsible for the focus of the camera and the lenses Call Sheet - The daily schedule, filled with all the information needed for the actors and the crew about when, where and what will be filmed Storyboard - Visual representation of a film sequence and breaking down the actions into individual panels, sketching out how the video will unfold shot by shot I hope that all of this Filmmaking things are not boring you, but I feel like if I don’t write them down the story will feel super fake and the logic will be missing and it won’t be clear why certain things are described a certain way, if you get what I mean 😅 Anyway I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as the previous ones, or even more hehe… also … there are some major foreshadowing in this chapter 👀 hihi enjoy ♡

It has been two weeks since the Halloween party, which I try not to think about much. Nami was quite upset with me the first few days after it, as I left without saying goodbye and because I wasn’t answering the next day. I wasn’t in the mood to talk about the party with anyone. When we met on Monday in lectures, I lied to her and Usopp that I felt super sick and because of it I left without saying anything not wanting to ruin their funny, and they bought it. Everything was fine, until I saw Ace once at the coffee shop, luckily for me he had his back facing me, so he didn’t see me. I recognised him by his orange beanie, but I quickly left as I wasn’t ready to see him again. Still, almost everyday I caught myself thinking about him at least once, going back to the moment we “shared” at the party. He had his ways to get under someone’s skin, I gave him that. We have barely spoken or knew each other, yet I couldn’t shake him off my thoughts. The way his actions and words were so contradicting. I still remember the burning feeling he left inside of me by just barely touching my skin, I can only imagine what it could have been if he had kissed me. Or maybe I totally misread the situation, but I would never know.  

The only thing keeping me from thinking of him was the fact that I was extremely busy with the upcoming short-cut projects at university. I was stuck writing and rewriting my script, not being satisfied with it fully, and we must submit our final draft by the end of this week. Because of that we didn’t have any classes this week and I haven’t gotten out at all. Nami and Usopp texted me a few times to join them outside for a drink, even Luffy texted me to hang out, but I turned them all down, as my main focus right now was submitting my final draft.

Today I had consultation with one of my teachers regarding my script, as I wanted a second opinion if the story and the actions were clear. My meeting was scheduled at 2PM, so I got plenty of time as I woke up quite early, not being able to sleep in the past few days. I decided to get dress and grab a coffee from my favorite coffee shop. I put a pair of dark baggy jeans and just a basic grey cotton t-shirt, not feeling like dressing myself up today, as stress was taking over me. I didn’t even bother to put makeup or anything, I just put my jacket on, grabbed my bag over the shoulder and headphones and left. As I was on my way to the coffee shop when the next song that started to play from my headphones was Ace’s song. I had saved them all on my playlist; aside from Ace’s confusing behaviour at least his band’s music was good.

Touch my neck and I'll touch yours You in those little high-waisted shorts, oh

The song started to bring memories from the party, especially when the choirs hit.

'Cause it's too cold for you here and now So let me hold both your hands in the holes of my sweater

I wasn’t in the mood for this, so I quickly changed the song.

“Fucking Ace.” I cursed under my breath.

The sky was cloudy today, and I didn’t check the weather app, and it seemed like it was going to rain. Soon drops of rain started to pour from the sky and I started to run towards the cafe. My jacket didn’t have a hood, and my hair got wet and messy by the time I reached it. It was quite busy when I got inside, and my usual seat was taken so I went to wait on the queue before I sit somewhere.

“One black coffee, please” I ordered to the barista. My card declined as I was trying to pay. “Oh, I’m so sorry, give me a second.” I apologised to them, as I probably ran out of money, and I had to transfer from my savings.

“I will pay for her and make them two.” This smooth, low voice that I would recognise from miles away said behind me.

“Ace” I turned around immediately facing him. He just winked at me, paying for the coffees. The barista handed us the coffees and we thanked him.

“Thanks for the coffee.” I glanced at Ace and went to find a place to sit, leaving him by himself. I found a small table at the back of the shop. I sat down and pulled my laptop from my bag, trying to calm myself down. Of course, off all possible days I met him today. As the day couldn’t get any more stressful for me it had to serve me Ace on top.

“Mind if I take a seat?” Ace stood next to me, waiting for my respond. He had this little smug smirk on his face, and that slightly irritated me.

“Sure.” I gave him a short response. He sat down across from me, leaning his back on the wall, resting one of his arms on the back of the chair and the other on the table, his whole body facing away from me. I took a quick look at him. He was wearing baggy jeans with an oversized grey hoodie, which was wet from the rain, and his red bead neckless hanged around his neck as always.

“We are matching today.” He pointed out, tilting his head towards me. I looked down at myself and realised that we were wearing matching outfits. I gave him a simple nod, looking away from him back to my computer. “You look tired.” He said taking look at my tired face.

“I am tired.” I sighed.

“Is everything okay? Are you okay, doll?” His voice had a hint of concern.

“Don’t call me that.” I snapped at him.

“Why are you so moody? Someone stepped on your tail this morning... doll?” He mocked me. I shoot him a glance from behind my laptop not in the mood for jokes. “You look cute when mad, you know.” He chuckled at me, the smirk not leaving his face.

“What do you want Ace?” I raised my eyebrow at him.

“Nothing, just to sit and chitchat with a friend.” His answer pissed me off, like he forgot what happened two weeks ago.

“Ace...” I took a breath calming myself down before continuing. “I don’t want to be rude, but I’m under a lot of stress right now, so if you want to sit here – sit but I’m not in the mood for a chitchat.” I didn’t want to be mean at him, but also, I couldn’t hide my irritation right now. He just nodded and sipped from his coffee. We were sitting in silence – me on my laptop, writing and rewriting whatever felt right or not, and Ace was just scrolling on his phone. I took a sip from my coffee and couldn’t help but wrinkled my nose and furrowed my eyebrows as always. I heard Ace chuckle under his breath.

“What?” I asked Ace.

“Nothing.” He shrugged, his smug smile not leaving his lips.

“You are laughing at me, aren’t you?” I nagged.

“Please, doll explain this: why drinking coffee if you hate it?” He turned his body to face me, putting both of his forearms on the table, holding his coffee cup.

“Because if I drink something that I like I will get addicted to it and then I will want to drink it all the time – that’s why.” I responded.

“How may coffees you drink a day?” He had this mischievous spark in his eyes.

“Depends on the day, but sometimes two or three.”

“Doll, I think you are already addicted.” I rolled my eyes at his comment.

“Stop calling me ‘doll’, Ace.” What was with this pet name, he hasn’t stopped calling me ‘doll’ since Halloween.

“Why? You don’t like it?” He teased me.

“You call all your friends ‘doll’?” I teased him back.

“No, only you.” His voice was low, almost like a whisper, eyes glued on mine half lidded as always. Instead of a smirk he had this little smile playing on his lips. I broke the eye contact looking back at my laptop, starting to type on the keyboard again.

“What are you writing there?” He leaned on his hand, his voice soft.

“My script for the short-cuts.” My respond short, eyes not leaving the computer as I was re-reading the script, checking for mistakes or if I need to add extra remarks.

“Is that why you are so stressed?” He straitened up his posture, studying my face as he was sipping from his coffee. I simply nodded in response. “What is it about?” He asked and I looked at him hesitating if I should tell him.

“It’s about a man, who fell in love with this woman from the moment he saw her, but so did his best friend.” I chuckled feeling a little embraced telling Ace the plot of my script. “But his best friend hit on her first, so they started to date, and the whole scene is about them announcing their engagement and the man – the main character, gets lost in his thoughts of ‘what if’. ‘What if’ he did a move on her first, and they were the one dating and he knows how he would have treated her better ect.” I was babbling as Ace was just looking at me, taking every word, I said. “And then the ‘what if’ moment gets interrupted by his girlfriend who shakes him off the thoughts asking him what’s wrong and why he doesn’t congratulate them, and he quickly brushes it off and congratulates them only to whisper to his best friend's now fiancé that it should have been him.” I took a deep breath and raised my eyebrows in anticipation for Ace’s opinion on the script.

“Can I read it?” His voice and eyes sparkled with interest, so I turned my laptop and handed it to him. His face was unreadable while he was reading it until he handed me the laptop back.

“Well... what do you think?” I felt my confidence leaving me, as he wasn’t saying anything.

“I think that I don’t know much about scripts, nothing at all actually, but...” He paused for a second. “I can’t wait to see your film, doll. I really liked it.” Ace leaned on the back of the chair; arms crossed around his chest as he smiled at me.

“What? You mean that? You really liked the script?” My eyes widened of surprise hearing his response. “Like, you really, really mean that?”

“Yes, doll I do.” He chuckled. “Have more fait in yourself.” I didn’t know how to respond to this. I've heard this a lot – be more confident, have more fait in yourself, yet the ‘imposter’ syndrome could never leave me.

“Thank you, Ace. This means a lot.” I smiled at him.

“Nothing to thank me about.” He raised his cup of coffee to his lips and before he took a sip he added. “And if it sucked, I was going to tell you.” I playfully rolled my eyes at him.

“I rewrote it like a hundred times. I have a consultation with my teacher at 2PM, because we are submitting them tomorrow, so I hope he likes it, and I don’t need to rewrite again.” I closed my laptop and put it back in my bag. Ace looked at his phone to check the time.

“You still have some time, like almost two hours.” We stayed in silence for a moment, I was avoiding his gaze, as my shyness started to take over me, the memories of the party surfacing on my mind.

“How are your ears, by the way? I forgot to ask you at the party.” The mockery in his voice was so clear.

"My ears?" I didn't understand what he meant my that.

"Yeah, that video with you and Usopp." A big grin spread across his face when he.

“No, no, no don’t remind me.” I got all flushed as I covered my face with my hands, embarrassed of the accident with the microphone and Usopp. Ace laughed at my reaction.

“I love that video, I made Nami sent it to me.”

“What? No! No, no, no!” ‘Nami how could you?’ I was thinking to myself, why would she do that, why would Ace want that video. “Please, Ace delete it.” I begged him. “It’s not even that funny.”

“Yeah, it’s not funny – it’s hilarious.” He snorted, clearly enjoying mocking me like this. I shook my head giving up, my face still covered with the palms of my hand, as I knew that he wouldn’t delete it. “Hey, look at me.” I looked up only to see my shocked face zoomed on his phone screen as a screenshot.

“Ace!” I squealed, reaching with my hand to snatch his phone away to delete the picture but he quickly pulled it away. “Aceee.” I stomped my food like a little kid.

“Easy, doll. Going through someone’s phone is not polite, you know that?” He snapped his index finger hitting me on my forehead, laughing at my reaction, as I pouted.

“You are so mean.” I told him. “What are your plans for the day?” I leaned on my chair, mimicking his posture.

“Go to the studio, play a little with the guys, then talk with our manager about some marketing stuffs and deals – nothing interesting.” Ace shrugged; he didn’t sound very enthusiastic.

We stayed for an hour more – talking and laughing. It was so easy to be myself around him, yet sometimes I caught myself getting a little tensed when he smirked at me or made some teasing comments. I wanted to ask him what exactly happened with him at the party two weeks ago, but I didn’t want to ruin the moment we were having. Even thought we had four years difference I couldn’t really feel it as Ace was still carrying this very boyish energy in him. I got to learn a little bit more about him, and what he likes and dislikes. When it was time for me to head to university he suggested to walk with me to there since he still had some time before him and the guys meet.

The weather outside was still the same but at least it wasn’t raining. We were walking next to each other, almost no distance between our bodies. He was telling me more about his brothers, and things they did as kids.

“So, wait, wait.” I interrupted him. “You are telling me that your aunt Dadan didn’t have any money for your vocal lessons, but the moment Sabo said that he wants to learn how to play drums she immediately signed him up?” I was in disbelief.

“Yea, he is her favourite, as he is you know – blue eyed, blonde, cute.” He mocked her voice as he was describing Sabo. “Then you have Luffy, and last one is me – the black sheep.” He winked with a mischievous smirk.

“Why are you the black sheep?” That piqued my curiosity.

“Our friendship is way too fresh for this conversation, doll.” He bumped me with his elbow on the side, chuckling. I laughed it off, not wanting to push his boundaries.

“Okay one very, very important question before I go.” We were almost to the university when I stopped him before we part our ways. I stood in front of him, with the most serious look on my face, looking straight at his eyes as I pointed my finger at him and spoke. “Which is your all-time favourite movie?”

“Hm...” Ace frowned his eyebrows, thinking for a moment. “I’m not sure, I have to think about it, doll.” He smiled at me.

“I will be waiting for your answer.” I turned around and started to walk towards the school gates.

“Hey, doll.” Ace called after me. “You never gave me your number.”

“Not until you tell me your favourite movie.” I yelled behind my back, waving him goodbye as I entered the gates. My cheeks flaming hot, my heart was bumping fast, and for the rest of the day I don’t think that I would be able to take off the smile from my face. Maybe just being friends wouldn’t hurt, I’m sure I could put my little crush aside and before I know it, we would have this amazing friendship. Some people are better left as friends – and if Ace and I are one of them, so let it be it.

Ace was watching (Y/N) leave and as she disappeared from his sight, he laughed to himself. She was very interesting person. The way she changed her moods so fast, the way her eyes sparked when she talked about things she loved or was excited about, the way when even without saying anything her face betrays her and says it all – she was very fun to hang around. (Y/N) crossed his mind a few times in past two weeks, part of him regrating not taking his chance with her at the party, but then that was for the best. She was a nice girl and a friend of his friends, and he didn’t want to hurt her or give her some empty promises that he couldn’t keep. The least you two could of do was to try being friends, after all better friends than strangers. And she was quite young, Ace remember how he used to behave in his early 20s. The last thing on his mind was to keep someone for a longer than a month, when the world offered him so much; it should be the same with her – after all she was such a catch for the eye. Even today, all tired with sleepy bags under her eyes and messy hair, she was still very cute to look at. Ace wasn’t stupid he did feel the attraction they shared towards one another, but he was doing her a big-time favour by setting their boundaries straight. Although teasing from time to time wouldn’t hurt, she was such a tease herself, which was making it so hard for him.

Ace got to the building where the studio was located. The building was old and had five stores. The studio the guys were renting there was on the second floor. Before going up Ace wanted to light a cigarette or two. He leaned on the staircase and lit up one. ‘Favourite movie, hm...’ he was thinking about an answer he could give you of a movie that he really liked and could say that resonated with him.

“Yo, Ace.” He tilted his head to the side and saw Law walking towards him. They gave each other a quick bump on the shoulders. Ace pulled out his cigarettes from his pocket offering Law one, but he refused.

“What’s up with you? You seem moody.” Ace asked him, as Law seemed not to be in the mood. Law and Ace had been best friends since high school. They met after Ace was kicked out in 9th grade, from the one where him and Sabo were attending together. The first day Ace and Law met, they didn’t really like each other or spoke. It wasn’t until one day when Law was getting beaten up by some 11th graders bullies, and Ace jumped to help him, only for them to end up with detention. Since then, their friendship started. No one else but Law knew off Ace’s darkest secrets, and vice versa; even Sabo and Luffy didn’t know as much about Ace as Law knew. They both could easily read the other like an open book. Which was why Ace could tell something was disturbing Law.

“Nothing.” Law replied, but Ace wasn’t falling for that.

“Come on, bro. If you don’t tell me then who?” Ace took another cigarette lighting it up. He looked at Law again, raising his eyebrows questioningly if he was sure that he didn’t want to smoke one. Law sighed annoyed and took one, lighting it fast and taking long puff from it.

“So?” Ace waited for his respond, but he thought he already knew the reason behind it.

“Robin.” Law glanced at Ace knowing that he got the whole picture already. Ace snorted, shaking his head knowing that he guessed right.

“What did you do this time?” He looked at his friend frustrated face, knowing that it was probably him that messed up something again. Robin and Law were an on and off thing, that only Ace knew about, and it has been two years since this was happening.

“Why do you assume that I did something immediately?” He snapped at Ace, which only confirmed that he did in fact did something that lead to them fighting again. If Law was in a bad mood because of Robin then it meant that he fucked up, if he was going mad, almost insane then Robin did something. That has happened only once and it was when she wanted to end everything with him, and Ace swore that for the tenth years of him and Law being friends, he had never seen Law losing his mind the way he did that night.

“Fine.” Law said after a while. “You remember the chick from the Halloween party? Well, somehow Robin found out that I slept with her, so she is nagging on me now, how for a thousand time I broke our agreement.” He threw the finished cigarette on the ground, stomping it frustrated.

“Why do you even have this agreement in the first place?” Ace got annoyed as this wasn’t the first time this happened; since Robin and Law started seeing each other, they decided that they didn’t want anything serious, but if something was happening between them, they must not sleep with other people.

“I don’t know man, I just don’t want to go through this again.” Law exhaled. “Plus, we haven’t done anything in a month and so, so.. I thought to myself why not, you know.” He shrugged, the sound of regret could be heard in his voice.  

“Did she tell you how she found out?”

“No, no idea. But there was this chick that walked on me at the party, but I was wearing the mask, so I doubt it that it was her. Even thought she looked familiar.” Ace didn’t say anything, he knew that (Y/N) walked on Law, but he decided to keep this information to himself, after all he doubt that she knew Robin.

“What are you planning to do then?” Ace threw his finished cigarette and nodded to Law to get going inside.

“Find a way to fix it.” Law murmured as they were going up the stairs.

The apartment where the studio was, was quite small a one room apartment but very practical. The whole space was turned into one big, isolated sound room. Thanks to Deuce and some of his connections the guys were able to rent it for themselves only for a very nice price. Going in Ace and Law were met with Deuce and Sabo, who were here since the morning. The guys greeted each other and started to chitchat as they were waiting for their manager. Some time passed and he finally came.

“Yo, what’s up Marco?” Sabo was the first one to greet him. Marco was a man in his mid-thirties, blond hair styled in a very interesting mullet style. He had been recently become the guys’ manager, as he had been in the music industry for the past ten years now. It happened after they were performing in some underground night club, and by chance Marco happened to be there that same night. After they were done with their set, he went to speak with them and gave his business card to get in touch with him.

“Same as usual, how are things with you boys?” Marco smiled at them as he pushed his glasses up adjusting them.

“Same as usual here.” Deuce replied, the rest of the boys agreeing.

“I don’t have much time today so I will get straight to business.” Marco clapped with his hands. “We can not afford to postpone this anymore so it’s time for you to finally decide which will be your debut single from the EP and we need to film a music video for it, as soon as possible.”

“Easy answer – ‘Sweater Weather’” Ace said not waiting for the rest of the guys to have a word.

“Are you all on the same page for this?” Marco glanced at the other guys to make sure that they all agreed with Ace’s choice of song.

“I think we all agree, it is our most streamed song.” Deuce said, Law and Sabo agreeing with the choice that Ace made as well.

“Okay, that was faster than I expected.” Marco chuckled. “I was thinking between ‘Sweater Weather’ or ‘Cry Baby’, so I agree with your choice guys. Now for the video, I already have some directors in mind. The first one is Ja-“

“We already have.” Ace interrupted him.

“What do you mean we already have?” Sabo looked at his brother confused, they have never talked about filming a video, let alone them already having the crew for it.

“Yes, Ace; what do you mean by this?” Marco asked, as confused as the rest of the guys.

“I have already spoken with some people, and they are down to film our first video. That’s it. No need to search for director or crew, we already have.”

“And they are?” Marco raised his eyebrow waiting for Ace to give him more clear answer.

“Luffy's friends.” Ace shrugged.

“You must be kidding me?” Sabo quickly snapped at him. Ace just shook his head, looking at his brother questioningly. “Ace, we need professional director and crew, not some kids who barely started to do this.”

“They are not kids, and I’m sure they will do pretty well. Plus, you don’t seem to call Usopp a kid when he is producing music for us, do you?” Ace snapped back at his brother.

“Because he has the talent for it, but he said it himself he is not such a good director.” Sabo tried to reason his brother. “Also have you asked him?”

“No, I haven’t.” Everyone whined annoyed with Ace. “But I will. And also, I didn’t say that Usopp will be the director.” All eyes were again on Ace.

“Who will be then Ace?” Sabo hissed, waiting to hear whatever his brother had come up with.

“(Y/N).” Ace shortly answered.

“Who?” Law and Deuce asked at the same time, the name sounded familiar, but they couldn’t put the face to the name.

“You are kidding me, right? Is she even good? Have you seen any of her work at lease?” At this point Sabo started to have a headache. He knew who his brother was referring to. Sabo also saw the way Ace and this (Y/N) girl behaved around each other at the party, so it better not be what he thought it was.

 “Yea, she is pretty good.” Ace quickly lied. He had never seen any of her work, he was taking a big risk suggesting that, he wasn’t even sure what gotten into him to even suggest it. But something in his gut was telling him that it would work, that it would be worth taking the risk.

“Ace, I swear to Go-“ Sabo got interrupted.

“Guys, guys.” Marco raised his voice. “This is serious, this would be your first video ever, it must be professional, and very well made, not some school project. I don’t care how good these kids are or not, we are hiring you professionals.” The rest of the guys agreed with Marco, but not Ace.

“Listen, I know that this sounds crazy but trust me on this one. Plus, if its turs out bad then we can go for a professional, okay?” Ace tried to fight back.

“Ace this will be waisted time, why don’t you understand this?” Marco took off his glasses massaging his eyes, Ace was the hardest to work with.

“Yeah! Ace this will cost double.” Sabo stood up and looked at Ace, crossing his arms over his chest.

“It won’t, believe me because it will turn out good, I have a good feeling for this.” Ace also stood up getting closer to his brother. “Come on, trust me on this one, when have I ever let you down?”

“How do you guys feel about this?” Sabo turned toward Law and Deuce.

“As long as its turs out good I don’t care who will film it.” Deuce said, as he only cared for the final product.

“How are you sure that they will even agree to do it Ace?” Law asked.

“I have a feeling, okay.” Ace snapped. “Look I will ask them, we meet with them and if our ideas don’t match, we don’t hire them for it, and we go with whoever Marco has in mind.”

 “Okay, this works for me.” Law sighed, not at all in the mood to argue today.

“Ace..” Sabo hissed his finger pointed at his brother. “You- you better be right or else I will beat the shit out of you for this.” He turned around and angrily sat on the couch.

“Um guys, it’s me who has the final word here, remember?” Marco looked at all off them in disbelief.

“Marco, you make sure to speak with the right people to make this viral, we fix the rest.” Ace patted him on the shoulder and left without saying anything more.

“He is unbelievable to work with.” Marco threw his hands in the air looking at the rest of the guys who weren’t paying him much attention as well.

“Hey, Usopp. What’s up my man?” Ace said over the phone. It was around 6PM when he got home and decided to speak with Usopp, about the video.

“Chillin’ with Kaya at home, you?”

“Just got home and wanted to speak with you.”

“’bout what?” Usopp asked. Ace was close to all Luffy’s friends, Usopp was even one of them that he could call his own friend.

“How do you feel about you and your friends from uni, filming our first music video?” Ace got straight to the point.

“Ace, we are still learning, plus I’m not the best director.” Usopp was more than surprised by Ace’s proposition.

“I know, I know, but think about it wouldn’t that be a great opportunity for you and your friends?”

“It would definitely be, but again we barely started I don’t know how we would manage to do something as big as a music video for you guys. Plus, it will be your debut video why don’t you go for professionals, you surely ain’t that broke.” Usopp joked.

“It’s not about money.” Ace quickly responded. “I just want you guys to do it.”

“I don’t know Ace. I really don’t think that this is a good idea.” Usopp hesitate.

“You don’t need to be the director, someone else can be.” Ace was quick to add.

“(Y/N) is good, but I doubt that she will be down for it.” That was exactly what Ace needed to hear.

“Do you mind giving me her number, so I can speak with her?”

“Yeah, sure. But good luck, again I don’t think she will agree. But I will send you, her number.” Usopp huffed, knowing that (Y/N) would not agree, but still it wouldn’t hurt if Ace wanted to try. Before they hung up Ace thanked Usopp and waited for him to send the number.

My consultation went pretty fast, as my directing teacher was super pleased with my script, he gave me some advice on what I could possibly change to make it easier to film after, but other than this it went well. Before I got home, I stopped by our chill area as I saw some of my classmates. We talked for a bit, exchanging some ideas and jokes here and there. It was nice to know that I wasn’t the only one being so overly stressed for the short-cuts.

I got home and prepared myself something to eat. After it I sat down to make some last changes on the script before I submitted it. I sighed in relief, knowing that I was halfway done with this assignment, and all we have left was to film and then edit it. I was just hoping that the actors I have assigned for my movie would do their roles good.

I laid down on my coach trying to find something interesting to watch. I wasn’t sure what I was in a mood for. While searching for something to watch I could feel that my fatigue started to take over, as my eyes were slowly starting to close. I had fallen asleep when I heard my phone ringing. I looked at the screen and it was unknown number, usually I never pick up if I didn’t know who was calling. I looked at the time and it was almost 8PM. Exactly before whoever was calling hung up, I picked up the phone.

“What’s Eating Gilbert Grape” The voice on the other end said.

“What? I’m sorry who is calling?” I sat on the couch, rubbing my eyes.

“The answer that I couldn’t give you earlier, doll. ‘What’s Eating Gilbert Grape’ – that’s my favourite movie, or at least one I can say that I really liked.”

“Ace? How- How did you get my number?” I was fully awake now; how did he find my number.

“I have my ways.” He chuckled.

“Creep.” I snorted.

“Are you happy with my answer?”

“Surprised. But not a bad choice at all.”

“What are you doing, doll?” I could feel his smirk over the phone.

“Nothing, I had fallen asleep on the couch, you?”

“Oh, sorry for waking you up then.”

“It’s okay. Now how did you get my number?” I was curious to know how or who gave it to him.

“I told you; I have my ways.” His tone was so teasing. “But I’m actually calling for business not for chitchat.” Now that piqued my interest.

“What business?”

“How do you feel about directing a music video?” I was taken aback hearing this.

“Um, I have never done it so, I’m not really sure how I would feel. Why?” I was confused by this sudden question.

“I want you to direct our first music video.” Ace blurted out.

“What?” I shouted not expecting this at all.

“Please, don’t shout in my ears.” Ace laughed at my reaction.

“I’m sorry. But seriously, are you insane? I’m so new to all of this, like the whole filmmaking thing, and music videos are slightly different to shoot than films, so I can’t Ace, I’m sorry I-I can’t take such responsibility.” I quickly said, turning down his offer even thought it would have been such a great opportunity, but he must contact someone professional.

“Come on, doll. I believe in you, I’m sure you will come up with something great.” He chuckled, not giving up.

“Listen, Ace...” I took a deep breath. “I’m so flattered that you believe so much in me, but I’m not that good.”

“Please.”

“Ace.” I sighed.

“Please, doll. We don’t want something over the top, we need super simple video, so we can put out there, plus we will pay you. So, please consider it and give me a call back tomorrow, okay?”

“I don’t think that my mind will change but sure.”

“Thank you, doll. I will be waiting for your final decision.” He said before hung up.

I sighed once again, but this time loudly. Why? Why he wants me to do this? He hasn’t even seen my work, why he trusted me so much to a point where he wants me to direct his band’s first ever video. It’s not that it would be that hard, it’s more the fact that with this video they are establishing themselves officially as a band, and their overall look. The offer really piqued my interest, and my mind started to think about a possible video idea, but I forgot to ask him which song they were planning to film it for. I grabbed my phone and saved his number, before I texted him.

“Which song will be the video for?”

He replied shortly after: “Sweater Weather”

I opened Spotify and went to their profile. It was their most streamed song, so it was logical that they chose it for their debut music video. I played the song and started to create a storyboard in my mind. Ace didn’t give me much information, so I if I agree to do this, I have a lot of questions for him. Do they have a crew already, or I will have to think of someone to help me? Do they have something in mind that they will want us to recreate in the video? When do they want to film it? And so many more questions popped up in my head.

“Oh, Ace....” I sighed to myself.

“So, you gave him my number?” I turned to Usopp when we finished with our class for the day.

“Yeah, he called me and asked me if we want to shoot their video, but I turned him down, as I’m not very good with directing, but they he told me that it can always be someone else, and I mentioned you and he wanted to speak with you... so... what are you down for it?” Usopp looked at me, trying to read my face.

“Well, that’s the thing. Part of me wants to, but another one tells me that I lack the skills.”

“You know,” Nami interrupted our conversation. “Dave from year two has done some music videos before, why don’t you guys speak with him, he might help you.” She suggested.

“This is a very good idea, Nami. I didn’t know that.” I hugged her. “But, yeah I’m down only if you guys are?” I looked at them both.

“Oh, no. I have too many things to do because of the short-cuts, and my group sucks guys, so I’m out.” Nami quickly turned me down.

“I can be your D.O.P, but I will need a first assistant camera.” Usopp said.

“We can ask Dave, if he is up for it, he can help us.” I smiled at Usopp, happy that he was down for the job. “Otherwise, it will be just you and I.”

“I’m actually surprised that you are planning to do it.” Usopp was right, I was surprised by myself as well, Nami also agreed with him.

“I know, but I have an idea that I think it will match their band’s vibe very good, and it won’t be hard to film at all so I think it would turn out pretty well, if they like my idea as well.” Nami and Usopp were both aware that I was not the most confident person when it came to how talented and good I was with filmmaking. Even thought both had told me millions of times that I should believe in myself and my skills more, sometimes it was really hard, yet I was always down for a challenge.

“Does any of you have Dave’s insta or something, so I can text him?” I pulled out my phone opening Instagram, to search his name.

“Yeah, here.” Usopp showed me his phone so I can copy Dave’s username. I followed and texted him. It didn’t take him long to respond, saying that we can meet somewhere later and talk about it. We agreed on meeting for a drink around 7PM, so I had quite some time until then.

“Usopp, will you come as well?” I asked him before we say goodbye.

“Nah, I won’t be able to, Kaya and I already have plans.” He hugged me and Nami goodbye. “But keep me updated.” He said before he left.

“What are you doing tonight?” I asked Nami as we were walking towards the metro station.

“Going out with Luffy and Vivi, if you wanna join after you finish your meeting with Dave.”

“I will think about it, as I will have to speak with Ace after it.” I didn’t want to promise anything for later, as I might be too tired to go out. Nami smirked.

“What?” I looked at her suspiciously, as her smirk was quite mischievous.

“Mmm, nothing.” She just glanced at me, her smirk growing.

“You don’t get to tell me, nothing with this smug smile growing on your face.” I nagged her.

“Well... Ace, hu?” Her eyebrows wiggled playfully. “Did you two know each other before? I remember Usopp mentioning something.” She pushed me a little with her elbow.

“Oh no, no, nothing like this.” I brushed it off quick. “We met accidently that’s all, it was even that Friday when they were preforming at my uncle’s bar, so it was pure coincidence.”

“But Sabo told me he saw you going somewhere with him at the party two weeks ago, and then you left without saying anything and you weren’t speaking with us much after that...” She looked at me, trying to study my face if I was lying to her. “Did something happen? You know I will not tell anyone. I’m just concern and Ace... well, Ace is Ace.”  She chuckled.

“No, I swear nothing happened. We just talked for a bit inside and then we went somewhere, and I decided to go home.” I didn’t really lie to her, because all of this did happen, I just didn’t mention any details.  

“Okay, I believe you if you say so.” Nami wasn’t fully convinced but decided to let it go. “But don’t fall for Ace or anything like that.” She added. “He is an amazing person, no doubt about that, but he is a womanizer, so for your own sake don’t cross this lines.” Her warning was valid, and this wasn’t the first time I heard this, but Ace and I already set that boundary anyway, so I didn’t need to hear it again.

“Don’t worry I don’t see him that way.” Now this time I lied, but my little crush on Ace was something Nami didn’t need to know.

I started to get ready around 5PM. I decided to wear something casually just a pair of flared dark blue jeans, with a black off shoulder blouse with a belt around the waist. I added some silver earing and quickly fixed my hair and makeup before checking the clock and to see what time it was. It was almost six, so I took my purse, put my black kitten heels and coat on, and left.

It took me around forty-five minutes to reach the place where we agreed to meet. It was a very nice and cozy jazz bar. I’ve never been to this place before, but just from the looks of it, it seemed like a place I wouldn’t mind coming to again. I looked around and I saw Dave sitting on a small table for two. I waved at him as he saw me.

“Hey, Dave thank you so much for meeting me.” I smiled at him as I was sitting down.

“No worries, the pleasure is mine.” He smiled back. “What would you like to drink?” Dave was super nice, I have spoken with him only twice so far and only in university, so I felt a little awkward right now.

“Just a glass of sparkling wine would be perfect.” I told him and he went to order for us. Dave was also a nice-looking guy. His hair was dark brown and full of curls, his jawline was sharp, and his beard was nicely shaved in a goatee style. He was dressed in a relaxed fit short sleaved black shirt and some linen white pants; he also had an earing on his left ear. Dave came back and handed me my drink with a smile. He sat back on his chair and we both shared an awkward laughed.  

“So, music video, hu?” He said, flashing me another of his charming smiles.

“Yes, I got the offer last night, and I still haven’t accepted it, as it’s the band’s debut video, so I’m quite unsure if I should take the risk, you know?” I took a sip of the wine, glancing away from Dave.

“I know the feeling, don’t worry about it.” He reassured me. “Which band are you talking about?”

“‘The Neighbourhood’, you know them?” Dave shook his head. “Oh, you need to check them out, they are pretty good and growing popularity quite fast.”

“I will take your word on that.” He chuckled. “So how did they end up asking you to direct their video?”

“I’m a friend with the vocalist, and he really wants me to do it, as quote-unquote ‘he believes that I would do an amazing job’.” I waved my hands around in a question marks.

“That’s good, if you ask me - take the opportunity. Plus, I have heard that you are one of the tops of your class, and that you have quite a different vision from the rest so go for it.” Dave encouraged me. 

“Yeah, ‘different’.” I shook my hands to my head, but Dave just looked at me confused, not getting the reference so I just brushed it off. “Um, I was wondering... would you like to help us? It will be just Usopp and I, and we will really appreciate it if we have a AC.” I bit my lip, looking at Dave from under my lashes.

“Well, depends on when you guys are filming, but sure.” He nodded, a coy smile forming on his lips. “But wouldn’t it be better if I’m your D.O.P as I have more experience with the camera than Usopp?” He made a very good point.

“Yes actually, you are right, we should do this instead.” I eagerly nodded as he also had experience with music videos. “And as for when we are shooting, I have no idea, I will call Ace later and hopefully he will give me more info.”

“That’s the lead singer, I guess?” Dave asked, hit of curiosity in his voice. I nodded with a smile in response.

“Now tell me more about your experience with music videos.” I playfully nagged him, as I was interested to know more about how things work with music videos. Dave started to tell me how even before he attended university, he had already done some music videos. Most of his friends were apparently musicians, and as amateurs they couldn’t afford to pay a professional photographer, so knowing about Dave passion with the camera they would always go to him. Time passed quite fast as we were talking, but we got interrupted by my phone, as I received some message.

“Don’t tell me you forgot about me, doll.” I read the message. I cursed myself as I totally forgot to text Ace today, but I wanted to speak with Dave first before I confirmed anything.

“Will you, please, excuse me for a second.” I told Dave, standing quickly from my chair and went outside to call Ace. The phone rang a few times before he picked up.

“Hey, doll.” His low raspy voice filled my ear.

“H-hey Ace. I’m so, so sorry for not calling earlier, I just wanted to check with a classmate from year two if he can help Usopp and me with the video.” I blurted out quickly as I felt embarrassed for making him wait for so long.

“So, I take this, as a ‘yes’ then?” His voice still low.

“Yes, I would love to film your video, Ace.” I whispered, my heart was beating fast against my chest, like I was making a deal with the devil or something close to this. The feeling hit me like a sudden wave, I couldn’t even explain it.

“Glad to hear this.” He whispered back. “What are you doing by the way?”

“I’m out with the classmate I told you about.” I cleared my throat.

“Date?” He teased me.

“No, no. We are talking about the video mostly.” I quickly explained myself. Ace laughed at my response. “What are you doing?” The question slipped my lips before I could stop myself.

“Chillin’ at home.” He hummed.

“Nice.”

“Mmm... if the date is bad I can always safe you, you know?” He joked.

“It’s not a date.” I whined at his comment.

“Sure, sure.” He mocked me again. “Well, wanna meet tomorrow with me and the guys to speak about the video?”

“Yes, this would be actually amazing if we can do this as soon as possible.”

“You got it. Send me your address I will come and pick you up.” A little smile twitched on my lips as he didn’t ask, he just stated it. “Bye, doll.” He quickly ended the call.

I slowly moved my phone from my ear, I could feel my cheeks burning and I quickly shook the feeling away. Opening my messages, I texted Ace my address and got inside the bar. Dave smiled at me as I sat down.

“So, what were we talking about?” I smiled back.

I woke up around 9AM the next morning, as Ace was going to pick me around 10:30. I was tired as I stayed until late last night, creating a storyboard with pictures so they could easily understand what my idea was. I got up, brushed my teeth and made myself a quick breakfast before I got ready. After I did my makeup, I looked around my closet wondering what I should wear today. I set my mind on a flared jeans again and just a simple cropped white t-shirt. My phone vibrated, notifying me that I have a message.

“Here.” It was short and simple; I caught myself smiling at it. I quickly put on my snickers and jacket on, before grabbing my backpack with my laptop in it. I ran down the stairs and when I opened the building’s entranced door, I saw Ace leaned on a motorcycle. He was smoking a cigarette, head tilted on the side. Dressed in all black with a black leather jacket on. He quickly turned around when he heard the front door closing, blowing the smoke away and throwing the cigarette on the ground. When I stood in front of him, he straightened his posture, looking down on me he winked.

“Ready to go, doll?” He smirked at me, handing me a black helmet. I took it and looked at it, then the Kawasaki motorcycle behind him. It was all black and scary looking. I looked back at Ace and shook my head with a scary look in my eyes, handing him the helmet back. He hearty laughed at my reaction.

“Come on, don’t be a baby.” He nodded me to get on it, as he put the helmet on my head. “I got you, doll. Nothing to be scared off.” Ace reassured me as he got on it and waited for me to do the same.

“Ace, I swear to God, if you had told me, you were picking me on this thing I would have never agreed.” He laughed again at my comment as I was shaky getting on it.

“Hold on me tight.” He grabbed my hands and wrapped them around his torso. My poor heart was going to explode. Not only I have to be on this scary thing but on top of it I had to be this close to Ace. “Lean your body on my back.” He looked at me over his shoulder before putting his helmet. I just nodded in response, too scared to speak. Ace turned his bike on and the engine rumbled. I tightened my hold around Ace. I could feel him laughing as his body trembled in my arms. Then he took off. As he was driving, I started to think to myself how much the motorcycle suits him. With getting to know him more and more with every passing day him owning a bike was making a perfect sense. It was as wild and free as his spirit.

Twenty long minutes, we finally arrived where their studio was. Ace parked the motorbike and took off his helmet. He looked at me over his shoulder and chuckled.

“You know, you can let go of me now.” He teased me. I immediately released my grip and took of the helmet. “So how was your first every ride?” The smirk on his face growing bigger, as he saw my flushed and scared face.

“I made it alive, so I give it eight out of ten.” I quickly got off from it.

“Eight out of ten? What should I do to earn the other two stars?” He chuckled, his smile big.

“You drove too fast.” I crossed my arms across my chest.

“I drove fast?” His eyes widen in amusement. “Doll, I swear I have never, ever, driven my bike as slow as I did today.” His whole face was in disbelief.

“Next time even slower.” I pointed my finger at him.

“So, there will be next time?” He teased me with a smirk. I rolled my eyes at him, but I couldn’t hide the little smile that played on my lips.

Ace got off the bike and nodded me to follow him. We entered the building and went to the second floor. Ace opened the door to their studio for me, and I thanked him. Inside Sabo, his girlfriend Koala, and Law were already there.

“Hey you two.” Koala welcomed us with a smile. “Nice to meet you again (Y/N).” She came to hug me. Sabo nodded at me, and Law’s eye widen when he saw me, and I quickly looked away. It was nice to know at least that it was him and not Ace that night at the party.

“Where is Deuce?” Ace asked.

“He is coming, caught in traffic, Marco as well.” Sabo explained. “So, you will be our director?” I could feel the hint of doubt in his voice, and I understood why he would doubt me in a first place. I barely started to study; I was an armature with a capital ‘A’.

“A-as long as you like my idea – y-yeah.” I awkwardly shrugged.

“Well, better be good then.” His tone was quite serious and a little harsh.

“Sabo.” Ace snapped at him, glancing at his brother warningly. Sabo just huffed and looked at me again.

“Sorry (Y/N), I just want the video to be perfect.” His tone was a little softer now. I lowered my gaze to the ground and just nodded.

“You want to drink something?” Koala asked me nicely. I thanked her but denied her offer.

After ten minutes, Deuce and Marco walked in. Deuce greeted me, and Marco introduced himself to me with a handshake.   

“So, you are the director that Ace is putting all his trust for the video on?” Marco patted me on the shoulder with a smile. I glanced at Ace, but he quickly avoided my gaze.

“I guess, I am.” I cleared my throat. “Let me take my laptop, so I can show you the plan that I made yesterday, you can disagree with everything or add things to it as well.” I felt my heart beating fast again, my anxiety starting to built up. I pulled my laptop from my bag and held it in my left hand towards them. “Please let me know if you can’t see something or if it’s not clear enough.” I took a deep breath and started to explain my idea for the video. “The video will be shot in a greyscale, mostly medium shots, with some close ups here and there. The vibe of the whole video should represent the general vibe of the EP itself, so taking the things you guys sing about in the song and the album in general, I suggest that we take some shots of them all together driving around Grand Line coats line in a vintage car, then walking around at a funfair, lounging in an apartment and walking along a beach.” I added at the end that if they were satisfied with the idea, we must shoot next Monday and Tuesday as we would need sunny weather. I patiently waited for their reaction. I looked at Ace, who was leaned on the wall, arms crossed over his chest, he just nodded at me and wink. I heard clapping and turned my head to see who it was.

“Bravo.” Sabo clapped standing up from the sofa. “I love it. And I’m surprised. Wow.” He had a big grin across his face.

“I like it, too.” Law said, nodding at me granting me his approval.

“Same, here.” Deuce added. Koala gave me the thumbs up with a big smile across her face.

“I like the idea as well, but I would like to add one small detail.” Marco said clapping his hands, looking at the guys. “It is romantic song after all, so we need to see some romance. So, I would like to suggest that we hire a model, and we have some scene with her and Ace.” Marco looked at me with raised eyebrows, expecting to hear my opinion on it.

“Y-yeah, o-of course.” I chuckled, nodding my head slightly. “As long as Ace feels comfortable with it, we can include it.” We all looked at Ace.

“Why me, tho?” He raised his eyebrow toward Marco. “Can’t Sabo do it with Koala? This will save us time and money.” He pointed out.

“Because you are the lead singer in the group Ace, and as one, the main focus is on you.” Marco explained short and clearly.

“Ha, Ace, since when you mind making out with models?” Deuce mocked Ace.

“I don’t, I’m just thinking if we are doing this on Monday and Tuesday, how we gonna find a girl so fast?” Ace rolled his eyes.

“Like you don’t know a hundred pretty girls.” Law snorted at him. Ace laughed at him and told Law to shut up. Marco interrupted them.

“Guys if you can’t find a girl, this is why I’m here for.”

“What you gonna dress up as a girl and make out with Ace?” Sabo joked and everyone burst out laughing at Marco.

“Of course not, but I can always contact a model agency.” Marco huffed, as much as these guys were talented, they were as much as hard to work with as well. “So, we make it possible, right?” He turned to look at me. I just nodded at him. “Perfect, I will contact you for the payment later and you sent me an email with what you would need for the set and what we should rent and whatsoever.” He handed me his business card and bit us all goodbye.

“Have you guys ever been in a video or something before?” I asked them as I was putting my laptop inside my bag. They all said ‘no’. “Well, better prepare as it will feel strange to see yourself on the screen.” I laughed a little.

“Have you done it yourself?” Deuce asked me.

“Yeah, and I hate it, that is why I prefer to be behind the camera.” I have always felt bad for the actors, as I knew it wasn’t easy at all for them to look at themselves on the big screen. I have done it a few times and I hated the feeling of seeing myself. The difference between a phone camera versus film camera was so big people had no idea. Even my father, till this day doesn’t feel comfortable to see himself, and he is pretty self-obsessed person. “Well, I will have to contact Usopp and Dave and let them know that we are doing it this Monday and Tuesday, I will have to go now as I will need to find locations where we could film without a problem.” I announced as I grabbed my bag and bit everyone goodbye.

“Wait, I will come with you.” Ace came after me.

“No need, I can do it alone.” I reassure him.

“I didn’t ask, doll.” He winked at me, closing the door behind us.

We arrived at the west coastline beach after almost forty-minute ride. We got of his bike and Ace smirked when he locked at me.

“How was the ride this time?” Ace teased me.

“Honestly this time you could have driven faster.” I teased him as well.

“You little...” He hissed at me, biting the inside of his cheek as he shook his head.

“Hop, hop, we don’t have all day mister.” I clapped my hands and made him follow me. I started to take some pictures of where would be best for us to stand and shoot them driving by as we had to be careful with how fast they should move. Ace was quite polite to write down every note for me, and things that we would need. Then we went to look around at the funfair.

“Do you wanna get on one of the rides?” Ace whispered in my ear as I was taking pictures making mental notes to myself.

“Oh, I would love to, but now we have to work, so some other time.” I moved my head slightly as I answered him, not realising how close he was standing to me, only for our faces to end up millimetres apart. We both took a step away from the other quickly. Ace cleared his throat telling me that I was right, and we should focus on work.

Time passed so fast and before we know it the sun was setting. It was beautiful, the sky was coloured in light pink and purple, the waves were crashing softly, as today it wasn’t windy at all. Some people were sitting on the beach, others were running around or playing with there kids or dogs. It almost felt like a summer day even thought it wasn’t. We were walking on the beach, shoes in one hand as we were talking about random stuffs, it was so easy to open and speak with Ace. The comfort I felt around him was so strange and nice at the same time, something that I have never experienced with another person before.

“And how are you and Shanks related?” Ace asked, his eyes not leaving my face.

“Well, we are not blood related, let me clarify this first.” I waved my hands around. “But him and my dad have been like brothers since they were kids, so yeah. Ever since I can remember Shanks has been part of my life...” I paused for a second, swallowing the bitterness in my voice. “Especially after my mother left me and my dad, he literally became my second dad.” I exhaled the breath that I didn’t even realise I was holding.

“I’m sorry to hear this, doll.” Ace gave me a soft look, as he ruffed my hair. I pouted at him as I tried to fix it, and he chuckled. “Look at least, you grew up with a father that from what you’ve told me so far, loves you unconditionally.” His voice was so gentle when he told me this.

“Yes, I am lucky to have a father like him.” I smiled thinking of my dad.

“But... I don’t know if I should ask this or how...” Ace paused for a second, gathering his thoughts. “Why she left...?” He glanced at me, to make sure that he didn’t overstep some boundary. “Actually, don’t answer this forget about it.” He brushed it off quickly.

“No, it’s okay.” I shrugged, I felt like I could open about it to him. “She never wanted to be a mother in a first place, so after she gave birth to me, she got in a very deep postpartum depression, and it did take a big tool on her.” I paused for a minute. “My dad tried everything to help her, but she refused, and she turned to hard drugs, so... yeah my mother is a junkie.” I breath out, looking at Ace who was listening to me, but his gaze was lowered to the sand. “When I was around five, she just left a note that she doesn’t want to hear or see us anymore, and since then I have no idea where she is. My dad still cares for her, and I never really understood why, especially after all she put him through. I found a few years ago that he is her emergency contact, and I got mad about it, as she doesn’t deserve him. Last year she tried to contact me, but cut her off fast...” I bit on my lip, looking at the sand as Ace and I were walking in a silence for a moment. “But yeah, this is the short version.” I clapped my hands, dropping one of my shoes and picked it up. “Your turn now. I’m curious to know how you are all brothers, yet your last names are all different” I pushed Ace’s shoulder a little bit, causing him to chuckle.

“Well, we are not blood related at all.” Ace laughed when he saw my reaction.

“Wait, what? Even with Luffy? You two are like twins.” I couldn’t believe what I’ve heard.

“Yeah, I know it’s scary how much we look alike, but no, not related at all.”

“I’m really curious now, but if you don’t feel like speaking about it’s okay.”

“Nah, it’s fine. I can share a little bit.” Ace poked my side, and I giggled. He cleared his throat before he spoke. “My mom died when I was born, and my father has been killed a little before my mom gave birth to me, so I know nothing about my parents.” I saw his jaw clenching hard as the tone of his voice changed as well. “Then her sister, my aunt Dadan, took me and raised me.” He snorted, his tone sounded lightly but his face was giving him away. Sadness and pain were written all over it.  “Then she applied for a foster parent, and that is how Sabo came to the picture. As you know he is her favourite.” Ace looked at me tossing his hair aside the same way Sabo does all the time, and I couldn’t help but laughed. “Then the most annoying, gut wrenching, cry baby ever came into our home aka Luffy. God, I hated him from the bottom of my hear at first.” The way Ace was telling his story was heartbreaking, as he was trying to turn it into comedy so bad. My heart was aching for him. “Then some things happened and as of today, I can really say that Luffy is the only person I’m willing to give my life for.” The smile he had on his face when he was talking about Luffy was so pure and honest.

“I don’t know Luffy very well, but he does look like quite the pure soul.” I smiled at Ace as he nodded.

“You should definitely get to know him; he is the best.” Ace eagerly said his mood totally changed now. I felt my stomach growing and Ace looked at me. “Someone’s hungry, eh.”

“Yeah, I have only eaten a breakfast today.” I chuckled.

“I know a very nice Italian place here, wanna go and try it?”

“You don’t need to ask me twice.” We both shared a laughed and started to walk toward the restaurant.

The drive to my place took us almost an hour. A long and a very scary hour, as I had to ride on the back of Ace’s motorbike for a third time today. When he finally stopped in front of my place I relaxed on his body. We stayed like this for a minute – my hands wrapped around his torso and as I was leaned on him, and he had his hands on my knees. He was he first one to take of his helmet, running his hand around his messy hair. I pulled away from him, taking my helmet off as well. Ace looked over his shoulders at me.

“You had fun today, doll?” His eyes half lidded; he seemed a little tired.

 “I did.” I smiled at him, getting off from the bike. He nodded with a smile at my response. “We see on Monday then. Thank you for the rides, and the dinner by the way.” I added, but Ace brushed me off.

“Please, that’s nothing.” He winked at me, pinching my cheek. I scrunched my nose at him, and he laughed at me. “Well, see you on Monday, doll.” He went to put back his helmet before I stopped him.

“Wait, Ace.” I grabbed his hand, as he lowered it and looked at me, raising his eyebrow. “You were the only one who didn’t say anything about the video idea... did you not like it?” My hand still on his, he just gave it a little squeeze and smiled at me.

“I loved it, doll.” Then he went on and put his helmet on. “Now go home.” He ordered me. I nodded and turned around to go. As I opened the front door, I waved at him one more time, as he was waiting for me get in safe, before he drove off.

I woke up at 6AM on Monday, as we were going to our first location at 8AM. Yesterday Usopp, Dave and I spent the whole day making the floorplan and the storyboard based on the pictures I took on Saturday at the locations. I sent the call sheet and a list of things we need for the shooting. Marco surprised me so much by how fast he arranged and found everything that we would need for the shoot. I quickly dressed myself in a pair of baggy jeans and oversized hoodie. I put some day cream and mascara on as I didn’t have much time to get ready, and received a text from Usopp that him and Dave were downstairs. We were going with Dave’s car as the west coastline was an hour drive away. I quickly put my sneakers on and left. Usopp and Dave greeted me when I opened the passenger door.

“Ready to film your first music video?” Dave charmingly smiled at me. I nodded with a smile. “Good, we got you some coffee.” Dave said, and Usopp handed me one, him sitting on the backseat.

“Are you guys ready? It’s going to be a long day.” I took a sip of my coffee, hating the taste of it as always. They both nodded and we drove off. Usopp was in charge of the music in the car, so we had a fun ride. We arrived on time and started to unload the equipment Marco rented for us, as he wanted the best quality for the video. Law and Deuce were the first ones to arrive. I spoke with them on the side while Usopp and Dave were fixing the camera.

“Do you know when Ace and Sabo are coming?” I asked them, as I wanted everything to go according to the time schedule.

“Yea, they will be here soon.” Law replied.

“They had to go and take the car that Marco rented for today.” Deuce explained to me. While we waited for them, I explained a little bit to Law and Deuce what I would need them to do while we film. After fifteen minutes we heard a honk. We all turned around and saw Ace and Sabo driving slowly towards us in a very nice 1969 Mercedes-Benz. Sabo was the one behind the wheel, and Ace was chilling on the passenger seat. They parked and got out of the car.

“Yo, what’s up people, you liking my ride?” Sabo pointed at the car. “I will be the one driving it, keep this in mind.” He squinted his eyes at Law and Deuce giving them a warning look. “How is the director doing?” He gave me a hug which surprised me.

“I’m doing good, thanks. You, Sabo?” He gave me the thumbs up and went to speak with Usopp and Dave. “Hey, Ace.” I waved at him as he was standing next to the car, smoking a cigarette.

“Hey, (Y/N).” He gave me a little smile, but I tilted my head and raised my eyebrow at him. What happened with ‘doll’? I walked up and stood in front of him.

“Are you okay?” I was concerned, was he in a bad mood or something. Ace looked at me confused, moving his head on the side blowing the smoke away.

“Yeah? Why?” He chuckled. I blinked a few times and shook my head.

“Nothing, just... just checking on you.” I murmured. “Are you excited to start shooting?” I bounced on my heels, as I waved my hands in the air. Ace laughed at me as he took another puff of his cigarette.

“I think you are the most excited among all of us.” He smiled at me.

“(Y/N)! Can you come, please?” Dave shouted, him and Usopp needing me to help them. I mouthed a quick ‘sorry’ to Ace and went to check on them.

After twenty minutes we were ready to start shooting. I explained to the guys what I would need them to do for the first scene we were shooting and they all nodded understanding my instructions.

“Oh, and one last thing when we shoot a take, I will be most likely first check with Dave and then with you guys and it’s technical stuffs, so don’t think you are doing a bad job, okay.” I gave them the thumbs up, and we were ready to start. The first scene we were shooting was of them driving down the street, we shoot it from five different angles, and we were switching between medium to medium close-up shots. It took us around an hour and a half to be done with this. Then we drove besides them in the same speed so we could catch a better close-ups of them in the car. We finished around lunch time, so we decided to take an hour break. I wasn’t hungry, as when I’m working, I get too focused on the task that I skip meals, so instead I wanted to go and take some shoots of the buildings around us and the palms.

“You guys go, and remember we will meet at the funfair entrance, okay?” I said as I picked the camera stand under my arm and the camera case I was holding in my other hand.

“Don’t tell me you are not going to eat.” Ace scolded me.

“I want to take some shoots of the buildings around, so we don’t waste time later and I’m not hungry, so you go guys.” I reassure him. He was going to protest when Dave interrupted him.

“I will come with you (Y/N). I don’t want you to carry all of this by yourself.” He came next to me and took everything from my hands.

“Are you sure, Dave?” I didn’t want to take from his time of the break as he was already doing too much by helping me and Usopp.

“Of course, I am. Come on, I’m following you.” He gave me a coy smile and I nodded. I waved the guys goodbye for now, everyone else waved too, except Ace. He side-eyed me and shook his head before following the guys. I frowned confused as of why he did this. I nodded to Dave to follow me, and we started to walk. The hour went fast, but luckily thanks to Dave’s experience we captured everything I had in mind. Dave was fun to hang around with. We were laughing and joking the entire time.

“So, you want me to handheld the camera when we shoot at the funfair?” He asked me again, making sure that he understood correctly.

“Yes, exactly.” We went back to his car to leave the camera stand as we wouldn’t need it anymore.

“Have I done something bad to you?” He joked with me, and I giggled at his expression. Doing a handheld shoot was probably the worst thing for the cinematographer. I messed around with him and squeezed his bicep.

“Nah, Dave, I think you can handle it perfectly.” I winked at him, and we both laughed. We started to walk towards the funfair where we were meeting the guys next. When we reached the entrance, everyone was already there. “Hello, again guys. Hopefully you had a nice break, as now we are back to work” I gave them a big smile, Sabo and Deuce cheered, Law just nodded, and Ace’s face was unreadable. I cleared my throat and explained to them that right now they just need to have fun, and we will try our best to capture everything that we would need for later when editing. Usopp and Dave were switching every few minutes, so their hands didn’t get too tired. I was having quite lot of fun with them and so did the guys, at least it seemed like it. Ace and I locked gazes a few times, but he was the one who broke it first every time. Was he mad at me for something? I tried to shake this feeling away and focus on my main priority right now.

 “And it’s a wrap.” I shouted and everyone clapped.

“Uh, I hate you (Y/N).” Dave smirked at me as he took off the camera from his shoulder and gave it to me so I can check the last footage we shoot. I stuck my tongue out at him, and he chuckled at me. Usopp came next to me to check the footage as well.

“Do you guys want to see it?” I looked at them four, but they shook their heads.

“We want to wait and see the finished material.” Sabo exclaimed.

“Okay, then we see you all tomorrow at...” I turned to Usopp as he knew the call sheet better than me.

“3PM, the attic apartment Marco rented for the day. You have the address on the call sheet. Also, Ace should I contact the girl that’s coming tomorrow and give her the info, or you will do it?” I have totally forgot about this part, a little pang of jealousy grew inside of me, but then I remind myself ‘no lines to be crossed’.

“I will be picking her up, so I will take care of this.” I bit the inside of my cheek when he said that. I gave him a quick glance and I saw a little smirk playing on his lips.

“By the way, who did you ask?” Law raised his eyebrow at Ace with curiosity.

“Samantha.”

“Wasn’t she pissed at you for ditching her at the Halloween party?” Sabo mocked his brother.

“Not anymore.” Ace snorted. I cleared my throat and turned to the guys who were messing with each other.

“Well, then guys.” I clapped my hands and put my fake smile on. “Thank you for today and see you tomorrow then.” I avoided looking at Ace while waiting for Usopp and Dave to put everything back in the case. Once they were ready, we all said goodbye and went back to Dave’s car.

“That was fun, can’t wait for tomorrow.” Usopp exclaimed once we were in the car.

“Yeah, these guys are fun to work with.” Dave agreed with him. “Hey, are you okay? You seem a little down.” Dave observed my face. I recomposed myself and smiled at him.

“Yes, yes, I am. Just a little tired.” He patted my back gently, believing what I told him. We drove off and I leaned on my head on the window. Tomorrow was going to be an even longer and tiresome day. I closed my eyes for a second and I fell asleep in the car.

“Everything set up?” I asked Usopp and Dave.

“Yes, it’s all done.” Dave nodded at me. I breath out as I looked at the band.

“Where is Ace?” One thing I would never tolerate was someone being late on set, without notifying anyone. And Ace was almost forty minutes late.

“He is coming, maybe he is in traffic or something.” Sabo tried to defend his brother.

“You know what guys, lets start shooting.” I clapped my hands. “Which one of you wants to be filmed first as we will roll some close-ups?”

“I can do it.” Sabo volunteered. I nodded and gave them some instructions as it would be easier if they interacted between each other even though the camera would be focused mostly on Sabo.

An hour later Ace finally showed up with his arm wrapped around the shoulders of the girl, which I guess was named Samantha.

“Sorry guys for being late.” He bit us a quick apology. I didn’t even look at him as I was so pissed. “This is Samantha, and she will be helping us for today so be nice.” She giggled at his introduction, and she waved everyone ‘hello’. Usopp and Dave greeted her, as they introduced themselves by shaking hands with her. She came to me reached her hand for a handshake. We shook hands and I bit her a quick ‘hello’.

“At least, you aren’t the only girl now.” She smiled at me; I nodded at her and returned the smile. She was beautiful – tall, blonde, with a very nice body; she was like a real-life Barbie. I cleared my throat.

“Well now that everyone is here, we need to take a master-shot of you guys, then some medium and the last thing we will do is the close-up of Ace and his scene with Samanta, clear?” My tone was quite serious.

“Can’t we take mine and Samantha’s first?” Ace asked me and I finally glanced at him. He had this smug look on his face, that pissed me off even more, but I kept my composure and answered him with a smile.

“No, Ace we can’t. Why we can’t, you may wonder? Because we waited for you for almost two hours, so now you will have to wait, am I clear?” The smile might have been on my face, but my tone was sharp and clear that he shouldn’t mess with me right now. He just smirked and nodded, not saying anything further. “Then let’s start rolling.” I clapped and explained what they should do now for the master. Two hours later we were done with it and only Ace and Samantha’s scenes were left to shoot.

“Thank you, guys so much. It was so nice to work with you. We don’t need you in the rest of the pictures but it’s up to you if you want to stay here or go and do whatever you want.” I spoke to Sabo, Law and Deuce.  Sabo came and hugged me as he thanked me and said he can’t wait to see the final result. Deuce did the same, and Law just high-fived me. They bit goodbye to the rest and left.

“So, according to the story board we have two close-ups left and one medium close-up of the two of them.” Dave came to me and spoke over my shoulder. I looked up at him and nodded. “Which one should we take first? Hers or his?”

“Let’s take hers first.” I nodded at him. “Hey, Samantha.” I called her, as she was standing in front of Ace, as they were obviously flirting with each other. She turned to face me, looking at me a little confused. “Sorry for interrupting your conversation, but we need to take some shots of you alone, so I will need you to stand next by the window and then on the couch.” She quickly did as I told her to, and we started to roll. It didn’t take us long to shoot her angles only around twenty minutes. I thanked her, and then turned to Ace. He was looking at me, face unreadable again. I clenched my jaw as today he was really walking on my nerves.

“It’s your turn Ace.” I called him. He pushed himself from the wall and came closer to me.

“So, what do you need from me, director?” His tone was light, but his face was like a stone. I bit the inside of my cheek before answering him.

“The same as her.” I gave him the shortest answer possible. He nodded and stood next to the window. There was this built-up tension between us, Dave looked at me raising his eyebrow. I shook my head at him like everything was fine, and he slowly nodded. We had to readjust the camera as Ace was quite tall. We started to roll, and I couldn’t take my eyes of the screen. He did look very good in front of the camera; I couldn’t deny him that. The way his hair was falling around his face, his freckles, his dark brow eyes and his full lips, he will definitely sweep away many harts once they become known name. “And cut.” I softly said moving my gaze from the screen to him. Our eyes locked, but I locked away.

“Okay, let’s move to the last scene we have to film and it’s a wrap after it.” I cleared my throat before looking at Samantha waving at her to join. “Now I need you to get closer to each other, and the most important thing is that Samantha feels comfortable with whatever you guys spoke about doing, so the moment you feel slightly uncomfortable we cut on the second, okay?” I locked at her seriously, as I didn’t want to put any woman in a position where she might feel uncomfortable on set.

“Oh, you don’t need to worry (Y/N), I know Ace very well.” She winked at me mischievously. I shared a fake laughed with her, but good thing she didn’t catch it.

“Okay, so whenever you guys are ready, just let us know and we will start to roll.” I stand between Dave and Usopp. “And action.” I called. Samantha went and laid down on the couch, taking Ace’s hand in hers, making him hoover over her. She ran her hands up and down his back, up to his neck, pulling him closer to her. Then she buried her fingers in his hair. She pulled him even closer as she pulled herself up a little. They were inches away from kissing each other, and I bit the inside of my cheek, my hands squeezed in a fist. I couldn’t watch this any further.

“Cut.” I called out. Everyone locked at me confused. “What?” I smiled innocently at them.

“Why did you cut?” Samantha asked me and frowned when Ace pulled up from her. I could see his smug smirk on his face. I moved my attention back to Samantha and with a smile I replied to her.

“Because we have it, it’s perfect, you can check it out if you want.” I suggested looking at the footage again.

“It’s pretty good.” Dave reassured her.

“Well, you are the professionals, so if you say it’s good, I believe you, but still, I want to see.” I moved aside so she could look at the screen. “Oh my, Ace.” She squeaked excitedly, looking at Ace. “We look so hot; you should see that.” Ace made a grimace and shook his head. I covered my mouth to suppress my laughter. Ace saw me and rolled his eyes at me, which lighted up my mood. I calmed myself and announced that we were done.

“It’s a wrap guys.” Dave and Usopp cheered, and Samantha clapped her hands. Ace only nodded. “Thank you so much for the opportunity, Ace.” I was still pissed at him, but at the same time grateful. “I should edit it by Friday and when it’s done, I will send it to Marco.” I told him as we started to pack the equipment.

“No need to thank me, (Y/N).” Ace patted me on the shoulder, before he nodded to Samantha to get going. She wished us good night and they left. The bitter feeling of jealousy came back. I couldn’t deny it, but also there was no point of me being jealous. He was just my friend, a friend who was walking on a thin ice around my nerves, nothing more or less.

“Well-done guys, well-done.” Usopp high-fived me and Dave. “I can’t wait to see how it will turn our after you edit it (Y/N).” He exclaimed excitedly.

“You know if you need help with the editing, you can always call me.” Dave added, coming closer to me.

“I think I will manage, but I will keep this in mind.” I smiled at him. “Let’s pack these faster guys, I’m starving, and I really want to go home.”

I was laying in bed; it was almost midnight, and I couldn’t fall asleep. I was tossing and turning in bed for the past hour and a half. Ace was stuck in my mind, and that scene between him and Samantha. On top of it, the whole ‘Me and Ace know each other good’ was like on repeat in my mind. Knowing that I will have to edit and look at the footage of it was eating me from the inside. And what was with his attitude in the past two days? I swear Ace from Saturday and Ace from the past two days, were two completely different people. My phone vibrated. I grabbed it and I sighed loudly as I read the message on the screen.

“Did someone step on your tail today, doll?”

I hesitated if I should reply. The audacity this man has.

“Yea, someone who was almost two hours late.” I angrily typed and sent. Not even a minute later he replied.

“Sorry, about that doll ;(” I just left him on seen. “I would love to be the first one to see it btw” he sent a second message.

“I will think about that” I replied.

“Don’t be mad at me, doll” I just looked at the message from the notification banner and didn’t even mark it as seen. Also, the ‘doll’ thing was back, not that I wanted him to call me this, especially in front of everyone else, but I kind of got used to him calling me that. I turned on the TV to watch something that would hopefully put me to sleep. ‘Fucking Ace’ I cursed under my breath.

NOTE: Sooo.... I really hope you liked the chapter, and the interactions Ace and Reader had. From now on there will be more and more of it. Also I gave you a little bit of Ace's pov in this chapter, but still there is so much more to reveal of his character, as in general Ace is a very complex persona. Please leave your opinion or text me, as I would love to get to interact with more of you ♡ and a big thank you for all of you who take off your time and read my fanfic, I know it's not the best written one but I appreciate your support with all my hear ♡

writing, format & dividers © cinnamoonblue fanart @a_phu14 on IG ©cinnamoonblue, do not copy or plagiarise my work.

[nonuniverse-tarot]

Recent Thoughts Your Person Has Had Of You

*All my reading are for 18+ regardless of the nature of the reading. If you're below 18, then this reading is not for you. Thank you for understanding*

What the titles says - we'll be looking into their recent thoughts AND as an extra their reaction to those thoughts!

A. B. C.

A.

Their most recent thoughts about you is how much peace you bring them, but it's the thoughts they have of you that bring them peace. With the Prince of Pentacle and the Princes of Cups here (looking at energy not gender so take it how it resonates) it shows me that the two of you haven't been in much contact lately. The Prince has an old radio that he's listening to, but he's disconnected. The Princess has a blindfold on (funny message that popped up but they might see you as their Gojo) and moving along in their path.

They have thought about you a lot and how you two are moving at different paces, not so much different paths. In between these thoughts, they've acknowledged that they don't have what it takes to have you by their side. I'm sensing a - not blockage - but more so closed door they're trying to open up in regarding to their emotions and feelings.

They're motivated to become rich in all aspects. The Ten of Pentacles and the Prince of Wands show their determination to become better and make their dreams/goals a reality for you and them. They daydream a lot about a family with you, whether that's having kids and dog, or just finally being able to be with you.

I feel the need to clarify that they don't jus want to sleep with you. They want the whole love story. I don't feel much sexual energy from them, doesn't mean they don't have those thoughts, it's just that it's not their main focus.

Their reaction to these thoughts was one of motivation. They think of you when they think they deserve a 'treat' or a pick me up when having a bad day. They might get red in the face out of excitement/giddiness so they usually think of you when they're alone. They feel more powerful and with hope for the future.

Song: A Little Messed Up - june

B.

They've seen and feel like you've been working very hard. On what you've been working on depends on the individual. Could be on yourself, work, personal project, or anything else that resonated with you. My hands got super warm with your reading so it could be possible that you've been working with your hands a lot more.

They think of you as knowledgeable and concrete. Stable would be the best way to describe it, but your person thinks of you as concrete, that's the word that continues to pop up. They can't see what you see.

Where is this work of yours going? They assume/know you have a clear image of where this'll take you, but they can't see it. The High Priestess and Sun are how they see you - knowledgeable and bright. To a level where they don't understand your point of view because to them, the two of you are standing on different levels.

Their reaction to these thoughts is wanting to support and help you, but because of the difference of levels that they feel, they don't know how to helps and support you. The Knight of Swords appeared reversed - in this reading to me it indicates that they won't yap about things they have no clue about. They know where they stand and how much knowledge they have, they're not about to give you tips and tricks about things they know nothing about.

Weirdly enough, they do see you above them, but they don't feel inferior. They feel like you're a higher rank, but that they'll reach you one day. I'm getting typical shounen protagonist energy from them, ha! (Side note: what's up with all these anime related messages?)

However, with the Knight of Wands Upright - they will support you and help you in any way that they can, without causing intentional harm in the process.

Song: Wild Ones - Flo Rida feat. Sia

C.

Their most recent thoughts of you is about a fight that the two of you had. Or an issue that you had with them. Let me paint the picture - you were closed off and defensive about something (it'll be different for everyone reading) but it seems like you've already worked out that issue as a couple/team. I am sensing that most people who chose this pile are in a relationship with your person, if not then the two of you or really close.

They're thinking about how great of a time you're having together. It seems like their past relationships/crushes would become rocky or straight up end after an argument or an issue happened. They're honesty happy this worked out so great! You've proven to them that there is a way to fix things.

It could have been a little disagreement that you had with them, but again in past relationships (of your person), that's all it would take for the relationship to end.

I got dizzy reading this pile! This realization hit them like nothing before! Their reaction to these thought's involved a drastic change of how they view all relationships in general. This gave them a lot to reflex on and that for some of those past connections (with family, friends, lovers, etc.) they weren't always to blame for how things ended.

Song: All This Time - Louis Tomlinson

Let me know if it's hard to read because of the color of the text so that I can change it! Thank you for being here 💙💜💙

[angelsfat3]

ꮩ, 你伤了我的心。 ⸻[Everything, my everything...]

Summary: "Even if there is another life, I hope I never cross paths with you. You make me sick." It was what you thought as you listened to him talk to his ex.

Genre: suggestive, fluff, against.

C/w: Heeseung being an jerk, confusion of feelings, cheating(?), story written from third person. ㅤ－ㅤTw: Curses, crying, unrequited love, virginity taken.

A/N: I don't even have words for what I wrote... I shed a tear while writing this. I hope you all like it + When “[...]” appears it is an improved version of “y/n”.

If you are interested in knowing more about this story, please read these two: ⒈ ⒉

＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿

[...] was flipping through a history book, his fingers absentmindedly sliding across the yellowed, image-filled pages, dictating to his partner, Jake, important parts which to write down in the notebook. They were in the library, finishing a project for school. The afternoon sun filtered through the windows, bathing the room in a warm golden glow.

"[...]?" Jake broke the silence, his voice soft but firm. "I think we could use this information for the presentation, I mean, to focus the idea from the beginning and attract everyone's attention."

[...] nodded, not really looking at what Jake was pointing at. His mind was elsewhere, lost in memories and emotions that he still couldn't fully understand.

Ever since he had kissed him, everything felt different. He clearly remembered the moment, two weeks ago, when Heeseung had kissed him passionately, mistaking him for Chloe. Later when he went to his house to apologize, an apology that had been clumsy, and although Heeseung had tried to explain that before Chloe, he had had feelings for [...], words had not been enough to heal the wound he had left.

Just then, a tall, thin girl with wavy blonde hair approached them. It was Minjeong, a mutual acquaintance he had with his former best friend, Heeseung.

"Hey guuuuys," she said with a beaming smile. "I'm hosting a party this weekend. Would you like to come?"

[...] took his eyes off the book, looking up, a little surprised. He hadn't expected an invitation to a party, much less from someone related to Heeseung. He looked at Jake, who looked just as bewildered as he was, but then nodded.

"Sure, Min. We'd love to go," Jake replied, trying to keep his tone enthusiastic.

The rest of the week passed quickly, but not without incident. [...] noticed Heeseung's possessive gaze following him through the school hallways several times. Heeseung had once tried to approach him while he was at his locker, but Jake had appeared just in time, grabbing him by the shoulders and leading him to chemistry class.

"Thanks, Jake," [...] murmured, feeling a mix of relief and frustration. Jake just nodded, his face serious, clearly determined to keep [...] safe from further confusion and pain.

The day of the party arrived. [...] decided to go to his room after school to change. He was looking for a suitable t-shirt when his friend appeared at the door of his room, spreading his arms as soon as [...] opened the door, making him laugh at how he raised his eyebrows in search of his approval—about the look.

"Do you need help?" Jake asked, with a mischievous smile.

[...] nodded and let Jake rummage through his closet. Finally, the brunette took out a dark blue t-shirt, with some letters and a drawing in the middle of it.

"This one would look good on you," Jake said, extending it to him.

"Thank you very much, my moon," [...] said with a smile, noticing the blush on his friend's ears but deciding not to say anything.

Ethan began to take off the shirt he was wearing, and Jake, seeing Ethan's naked torso, couldn't help but blush brightly. He turned around quickly, pretending to search for something else in the closet to avoid looking at him.

"Okaaay, I like what I see," [...] said with a smile, still noticing the blush on his friend's cheeks after he turned around. [...] put on the shirt Jake had picked out for him and looked in the mirror. "I think we're ready."

As they left the dormitories, night began to fall, covering the campus in a blanket of stars. The two walked along the street-lit path, their shadows lengthening behind them. The night breeze was cool and pleasant, and there was a sense of anticipation in the air.

"I hope the party isn't too loud," [...] commented, adjusting the shirt. "At least... I hope she don't make her neighbors call the police again."

"Meeting Minjeong and Karina when they're drunk, it'll be like last time," Jake replied with a smile and a soft laugh. "But maybe it would do us good to relax a little."

They arrived at the bus stop just in time to see their transport approaching. They climbed in and sat together in the back, watching the city lights flash past the window.

"Are you nervous about seeing Heeseung?" Jake asked, breaking the silence. His voice was soft, almost a whisper.

[...] shrugged, looking out the window as he thought about everything that had happened. "I don't know, Jake. Part of me wants to talk to him, but another part of me is afraid of what he might say."

Jake slapped him on the thigh. "I'll be with you. You don't have to face it alone."

The bus stopped near Minjeong's house, and the boys got off, grateful for the warm summer night that enveloped them. As they walked towards the house, they could hear the rumbling of the music and laughter coming from inside.

It was almost 9 p.m. when they arrived at the door of Minjeong's house. The party was already in full swing, with people dancing in the room and groups gathered around the drinks table. The colorful lights illuminated the living room, and the atmosphere was electric.

"[...], Jake!" Minjeong greeted them enthusiastically, opening the door for them. "I'm so glad you guys came!"

Minjeong's smile was contagious, and the boys immediately felt welcome. [...] exchanged glances with Jake, who nodded slightly, as if reminding him that he was there for him.

As they walked deeper into the crowd, [...] couldn't help but look for Heeseung, his emotions constantly shifting between hope and fear. He knew that tonight could change everything, and a part of him was ready to face whatever came, while the other wanted to run away.

The music pulsed around them, and [...] tried to relax, taking a drink Jake offered him and allowing himself, at least for a moment, to enjoy the company of his friends.

To tell the truth, he moved through the party with a naturalness that surprised even himself. At first, he had felt the typical tightness in his chest when arriving at a place full of people, but the atmosphere had enveloped him, helping him relax, just as the brunette said. The loud music encouraged him to move, to greet acquaintances and to let himself be carried away by the moment.

With a drink in hand, [...] approached a group of classmates who were talking about a couple of gossips going on on campus. Their laughter and light jokes alleviated the restlessness that had accompanied him since the beginning of the night. Little by little, he felt more in his element, smiling and laughing with an ease he had forgotten he possessed.

Jake, meanwhile, watched [...] from a couch in the middle of the living room. A part of him was happy to see his friend enjoying himself, but another part, smaller but impossible to ignore, He felt a pang as he saw how others also enjoyed his company.

He settled back on the couch, pretending to be more interested in his drink than [...]'s figure. But his eyes betrayed him, searching for him in the crowd, always aware of where he was and who he was talking to. His feelings for [...] were complicated; he loved him more than a friend, but he was also afraid of ruining what they had by trying something else, given the circumstances.

Jake noticed a change in the atmosphere of the party when he saw Heeseung at the edge of his vision, slowly moving towards [...]. The crowd seemed to open up for him, as if fate itself was conspiring to bring them closer. Heeseung had that inscrutable expression that Jake had come to know well, a mix of regret and determination.

As Heeseung approached, Jake felt his heart race, a mix of worry and jealousy coursing through him. He wanted to protect [...] from any further pain, but he also knew that there were issues between [...] and Heeseung that needed to be resolved. Still, a part of him wished that [...] wouldn't fall back into the arms of Heeseung, who had already caused him so much pain.

Finally, Heeseung reached [...], gently touching his arm to get his attention. [...] turned, and when he saw him, his smile faded a little, replaced by an expression of caution.

"[...], can I talk to you?" Heeseung asked, his voice barely audible over the music making him lean closer to one of [...]'s ears.

[...] hesitated for a moment, his gaze briefly meeting Jake's, who offered him an almost imperceptible nod, a reminder that he was there if he needed him.

"Fine.." [...] finally responded, his voice calm but filled with unresolved emotions. He followed Heeseung to a quieter corner of the house, away from the hustle and bustle of the party.

Jake watched them walk away, a feeling of helplessness settling in his chest. He wanted [...] to be happy, even if it meant letting him go with Heeseung. But, for now, all he could do was wait and be ready to offer his support if things didn't go the way his best friend hoped.

In the secluded corner of the house, Heeseung and [...] faced each other, surrounded by the dim light and the murmur of distant music. The tension between them was palpable, and [...] prepared himself for the conversation he knew he needed to have.

"Heeseung, what do you want?" [...] asked, his arms crossed in a defensive posture.

Heeseung swallowed, his eyes searching [...]'s desperately. "I just want you to know how sorry I am, sweetheart. Everything that happened... was a mistake, and I haven't stopped thinking about it."

"It was a mistake that apparently took you a lot to understand," [...] replied, his voice heavy with sadness. "I don't know if I'm ready to forgive you, or even want to see you."

"I understand," Heeseung nodded, his voice breaking. "But before everything got complicated, you were important to me, more than I wanted to admit. I want to try to fix things, if you let me."

[...] looked at him, his emotions a whirlwind. He remembered all the moments he shared with Heeseung, the good and the bad, and how he had always felt a special connection with him. But he also remembered the pain of hearing Chloe's name leave Heeseung's lips that night.

The way he leaned towards him looking for a trace of her, and the betrayal that had left a scar on his heart.

"I don't know, Heeseung," he finally said, his voice soft but firm. "I can't promise you that I will believe you, that day you made it clear that you are very good at lying."

Heeseung looked at Ethan with a mix of nervousness, fear, and determination. "We can go to a quieter room to talk better, the music is too loud," he suggested, his voice barely audible.

[...] nodded, although something inside him was hesitant. However, his curiosity and the need to close that chapter prompted him to follow Heeseung up the stairs to the second floor of the house. They passed through a narrow hallway before stopping in front of a half-open door. Heeseung gently pushed it away, revealing a small but cozy room.

Inside, the party music was just a distant murmur, providing a much more intimate setting for the conversation to come. Heeseung closed the door behind them and turned to [...], his expression a reflection of the internal struggle he felt.

"Hee, why are we really here?" [...] asked, crossing his arms in a defensive gesture. "Why did you want to talk now?"

Heeseung took a deep breath, his eyes meeting [...]'s with an intensity that made him shudder. "I needed to explain to you, [...]. I needed to tell you why I kissed you that time, and why it meant so much to me... It still sounds like a lie."

[...] kept his gaze fixed on Heeseung, his heart pounding. "Then speak," he said, his voice shaky but firm.

Heeseung took a step forward, the closeness between them increasing the tension in the air. "The first time I kissed you, yes, I did it thinking about Chloe. But the instant our lips touched, I knew there was something more. The way you kissed me, [...], was unlike anything I'd ever felt before. More real, more authentic."

[...] watched him, his expression cautious as he processed each word. "And Chloe?" he asked, remembering the pain of hearing the ex-girlfriend's name.

"Chloe was important to me, but I realized that I was clinging to an idealized image of what we had, of something that will never happen again," Heeseung confessed. "When I kissed you, I realized that what I really wanted was to be with you, [...]. It took me a while to admit it, but in the end, it was you I wanted in the first place."

As Heeseung spoke, he slowly approached [...], his hands rising to rest gently on [...]'s waist. The boy's eyes shone with a mixture of surprise and suppressed excitement, but also with a lingering fear of being hurt again.

In the hallway, just outside the room, Jake stood listening to the conversation, his heart heavy with the mix of emotions that overwhelmed him. He had followed [...] and Heeseung out of an impulse that he couldn't ignore, and now, the words he heard left him on the verge of despair.

Watching Heeseung approach [...], touching him with a familiarity that Jake wanted for himself, was like a stab. Jealousy burned inside him, mixed with deep sadness.

He knew that his love for [...] was stronger than he had admitted, and seeing Heeseung about to kiss [...] again was a painful reminder of his own position, of his cowardice for wanting to wait for "the right moment" to be honest with him.

Jake couldn't take it anymore. When he saw Heeseung lean in to kiss [...], he stepped back, feeling the world around you crumble. He couldn't stand there, watching a moment he wanted more than anything unfold.

As he walked down the stairs, the music and laughter of the party seemed dull compared to the tumult in his chest. Before leaving the house, Minjeong stopped him, grabbing his wrist, noticing his disturbed expression.

"Jake, are you leaving already? It hasn't been long since you and [...] arrived..." Minjeong said, her tone worried.

Jake forced a smile, trying to hide his true feelings. "Yes... I think it's better for me to go. I think a punch made me sick and I feel like vomiting."

Minjeong looked at him with understanding, although without knowing the real reason behind his leaving, Jake wasn't the best at lying. "Well, if you need anything, don't hesitate to call me, okay? I was glad to see you here."

"Thanks, Min," Jake replied, before quickly walking out the front door.

The walk back to [...]'s bedroom was a blur for Jake. Each step seemed heavier than the last, and his mind was a whirlwind of emotions. Upon reaching the bedroom, he had unconsciously fallen into [...]'s bed, the place that offered him a small comfort in the midst of his anguish.

Tears began to fall as he buried his face in [...]'s pillow, allowing the sadness and frustration to release. It was a bitter comfort, knowing that his feelings for [...] were real but not reciprocated in the way he wanted.

Despite everything, Jake hoped that [...] would come back, that he would see what he really meant to him. With that thought, he fell asleep through tears, longing for a future where their love was not a secret, but a shared reality.

On the other hand.

In the room, the air was thick with tension and expectation. Heeseung and [...] were alone, with only the soft hum of the party in the background. The closeness between them seemed to intensify every small gesture, every look.

Heeseung approached slowly, his eyes locked on [...]'s. There was a vulnerability in his expression that the boy had not seen before, as if all the barriers Heeseung had built had vanished in that moment.

"[...]," Heeseung whispered, his voice filled with emotion and regret. "I'm really sorry for everything I put you through."

[...], still feeling the weight of Heeseung's words, found himself torn between the pain of the past and the possibility of a new beginning. His emotions were a whirlwind, but there was a part of him that wanted to let go of the pain and find something real with Heeseung.

Heeseung raised a hand, gently placing his fingers on [...]'s cheek, tracing a tender path along his skin. [...] didn't pull back, instead he closed his eyes for a moment, allowing himself to feel the warmth of Heeseung's touch.

"I've missed you, prince," Heeseung confessed, his words barely a whisper as he leaned forward, almost brushing his lips against each other's.

[...] opened his eyes, finding Heeseung's just inches away. Time seemed to stop as they both immersed themselves in the moment. With silent decision, [...] closed the distance between them, his lips meeting Heeseung's in a slow, gentle kiss.

The kiss was a delicate touch at first, a cautious, fearful exploration. But the built-up tension and unexpressed feelings quickly transformed it into something deeper and more urgent. Heeseung's lips moved against [...]'s with a fervent intensity, as if they were trying to convey everything that words couldn't express.

[...] responded in kind, his hands finding their way to Heeseung's hair, pulling gently, allowing himself to fall into the intimacy of the moment. It was as if every touch, every whisper between them undid the pain of the past, replacing it with something warm and new, something pure.

Heeseung wrapped his arms around [...], pulling him closer, as if afraid the moment would fade. The heat of their bodies melted into a palpable connection, and with each shared kiss, the barrier between them crumbled a little more.

[...] found himself backing away, his legs finding the edge of the bed. They sat, their lips still joined, gently exploring each other's every curve and corner. Heeseung let his hands wander, tracing a path down [...]'s back, exploring the familiarity of the body he had missed so much.

The outside world faded away, leaving only the soft intimacy between them. Heeseung, feeling the weight of the moment, paused, pulling away just enough to look [...] in the eyes.

"Are you sure of this?" Heeseung asked, his voice soft but serious. There was a sincere desire to make sure this was what they both wanted.

[...], breathing slightly hard, nodded, his eyes shining with a mix of determination and longing. "Yes, I'm sure, with you I will always be willing to do anything."

With that permission, Heeseung continued, leaning in to kiss him again, but this time with a tenderness that said more than any passionate statement. His hands moved carefully, gently guiding them to a more comfortable position on the bed.

Clothes were set aside with deliberate care, as if each piece removed was one step closer to the truth of who they were to each other. Their bodies met, skin against skin, sharing warmth and silent promises.

The atmosphere was filled with a mixture of longing and nervousness. While their lips remained united in a deep kiss, [...] felt the outside world fade away, leaving them alone in their little shared universe. A bubble.

Heeseung, with an almost reverent tenderness, began to let his lips wander past [...]'s mouth. With each kiss, he traced a slow, passionate path along his jawline and down to his neck. [...] let out a soft sigh, his eyes closing as he surrendered to the new caresses and sensations that Heeseung caused him.

Heeseung's kisses were like delicate flames, lighting up every part of [...]'s body they touched. They ran down his neck, leaving a trail of heat that made [...] shiver. When Heeseung's lips reached his collarbone, [...] let out a small moan, surprised by the intensity of the desire he felt.

Heeseung smiled against his boy's skin, enjoying the power of each touch. "I want you so bad, baby," he whispered, his voice hoarse and charged with emotion. There was a fervor in his words that left the other boy breathless.

[...] opened his eyes, meeting the burning gaze of Heeseung, who was watching him with a mix of adoration and desire. "Me too," [...] replied, his voice barely above a murmur as his heart pounded in his chest.

Carefully, Heeseung continued to explore [...]'s body, his lips leaving a trail of kisses down his chest and stomach. Each touch was a reminder of the deep connection they shared, of how much they had both longed for this moment.

[...] found himself panting, his back arching as the caresses intensified, his breathing quickening as Heeseung continued his stroke. It was a mix of desire and vulnerability, knowing that he was giving up a part of himself that he had never shared with anyone.

When their lips finally met again, it was as if the world had disappeared, leaving only the warmth and passion they shared. [...]'s moans mixed with Heeseung's, creating a soft symphony that filled the room.

As the passion between them grew, [...] allowed himself to get lost in the moment, letting go of all doubts and fears. With each touch, he felt the pain of the past fade away, replaced by a deep, authentic connection.

Heeseung, feeling the boy's complete surrender, hugged him tightly, their bodies fitting perfectly as if they had been made for each other. "You're so... fuck, tight. You're all I need," Heeseung murmured against [...]'s lips, his voice full of sincerity.

[...] looked into his eyes, seeing in them a truth that filled him with hope. "And you are everything I've ever wanted," he replied, allowing their lips to meet once more in a kiss that was both sweet and passionate.

As the night wore on, they gave themselves completely to each other, their bodies and hearts intertwined in an intimate dance that was both a discovery and a reaffirmation of what they truly meant to each other. It was a moment of purity and connection, where passion and love were in perfect harmony.

Thus... in the refuge of that room, Ethan and Heeseung found a new beginning, a place where his fears and doubts faded away, leaving only the promise of what could be.

￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣

The next morning.

Heeseung woke up early, the morning light softly illuminating the room. There was a serenity in the air, a calm respite after the storm of emotions that had occurred the night before. Beside him, [...] was sleeping soundly, face down, with the sheet barely covering his hips. Heeseung smiled as he looked at [...]'s relaxed figure, admiring the curve of his back and the softness of his skin.

Carefully, Heeseung let his fingers roam over [...]'s bare torso, slowly tracing the contours of his skin, remembering how that same skin had felt under his hands the night before. There was a peace in the gesture, a tranquility that made him feel complete, like everything was finally in its place.

[...] began to wake up, his senses taking in Heeseung's gentle caresses. A lazy smile appeared on his lips as he kept his eyes closed, enjoying the warmth and affection emanating from his lover's fingers. He stretched slightly, his muscles relaxing, preparing to turn and meet Heeseung's face.

But just as he was about to do so, a voice interrupted the stillness of the morning. It was Heeseung's voice, speaking in a low tone to someone on the phone. [...]'s curiosity was piqued, and he decided to stay in his position, pretending to be still asleep while listening to the conversation.

"Chloe, you know how much I miss you," Heeseung said, his voice thick with emotion and nostalgia. "You don't know how much I wish things were different."

Heeseung's words fell on [...] like an icy wave. His body, which minutes before had felt warm and relaxed, began to tremble, first with surprise, then with rage. He felt his heart constrict, each word piercing his skin like swords of boiling silver stabbing into his back.

"I went to the party last night expecting to see you... but instead I got a big surprise" Heeseung continued, not realizing the damage he was causing. "I still think about you all the time, you just drive me crazy."

The feeling of betrayal washed over [...], and the pain was so intense he could barely breathe. The night before, the surrender, the vulnerability he'd shared with Heeseung, it all felt like a monumental mistake.

He regretted having slept with him, feeling exposed and cheated. Every word that came out of Heeseung's mouth hit him hard, filling him with a bitterness he had never experienced before.

Tears began to fill his eyes, blurring his vision as he struggled to maintain control and silence. He felt small and dirty, as if everything he had meant to Heeseung the night before was nothing more than a cruel illusion, again he felt like an object, a sexual one. The love he thought he had shared had turned into bitter mockery, and the pain he felt now was indescribable.

[...] could imagine Heeseung's face, smiling into the phone while he was probably looking for a way to hide him. That girl's voice, her laugh, everything about her caused you rejection. Why she? Why couldn't he stop last night? Was there such a need to get excited again?

Finally, he heard the click of the phone being hung up and felt Heeseung roll over in bed, facing away from him. That was his moment. Heartbroken and his emotions overflowing, [...] carefully stood up, trying not to make a sound as he quickly dressed. Every movement was an effort, as if his body was resisting accepting the truth.

He managed to leave the room without being noticed, his hurried steps taking him away from the source of his pain. He ran, not stopping until he reached the safety of his own bedroom.

When he walked in, the first thing he saw was Jake, who was asleep in his bed. But the sound of the door closing woke him up, Jake quickly sat up, his expression changing as he saw the anguish on [...]'s face.

"[...]," Jake said, his voice filled with concern as he stood up to go over to him.

Ethan couldn't take it anymore. He collapsed to the ground, tears flowing uncontrollably as he sobbed with a despair that shook him completely. Jake rushed to his side, kneeling to hug him tightly.

"What happened, my sun?" Jake whispered, wrapping [...] in a warm, protective hug. His lips rested on [...]'s head in a gesture of comfort, gently kissing that area.

[...] clung to Jake, hiding in the shelter of his neck as the tears continued to fall. He felt like his heart was breaking into a thousand pieces, each one a reminder of the unrequited love he had given to Heeseung. The pain was so intense that it seemed like a physical force, a tightness in his chest that left him breathless.

"I loved him more than anything in the world," [...] said between sobs, his voice shaking with pain and rage. "Why did he have to do this to me?" he shouted between cries.

Jake held him tighter, his own emotions stirring at seeing [...] so broken. "I don't know, [...]. I don't know," Jake replied, his voice soft but firm as he tried to offer him much-needed comfort.

[...] sobbed in Jake's arms, his body shaking with each ragged breath. Jake held him firmly, gently stroking his back, trying to calm him down. Time seemed to stand still while [...] vented, but Jake knew they needed to talk about what had happened.

When [...]'s sobs began to subside, Jake pulled back slightly, just enough so he could look him in the eyes. [...]'s were reddened and filled with a sadness so deep it broke his heart.

"[...]," Jake said softly, choosing his words carefully, "what exactly happened?"

[...] inhaled deeply, trying to put the words together as he felt his chest tighten again at the memory. "Last night," he began, his voice shaking a little, "Heeseung and I…we were together. I was so stupid. I thought there was something more, that he really cared about me."

[...]'s words were an echo of his most painful thoughts, and as he spoke, he felt exposed and vulnerable. It was as if every word he said opened an even deeper wound.

Jake felt a pang in his chest as he heard the confession. His heart sank as he imagined [...] and Heeseung together, beyond a relationship or a kiss, together, in bed, sharing sighs and promises. The image filling his mind with a mixture of sadness, jealousy and anger. How could someone be stupid enough to hurt him.

Although he had witnessed their connection at the party, hearing it from [...] was an unexpected blow, a reminder that her own feelings for Ethan were, for now, an unrequited love.

Despite the sadness that washed over him, Jake knew that his pain wasn't what mattered right now. It was [...] who needed comfort, who needed to feel loved and supported. So he suppressed his own feelings and focused on [...], on being the friend he had always been...

"Hey," Jake said, his voice soft and comforting as he placed a hand on [...]'s cheek, wiping away a tear that was still glistening. "You're not stupid. You went with what you felt, and that's brave, not stupid."

[...] looked at Jake, his eyes reflecting a mix of gratitude and pain. "But I was wrong about him, Jake. He used me…he's still in love with Chloe."

Jake nodded, understanding the weight of betrayal [...] felt. "So? Heeseung just doesn't know how to appreciate what's in front of him," Jake said firmly. "But don't let his mistake make you feel less. You are an amazing person, [...]. You deserve someone who values you completely, you deserve to be loved."

Jake continued to caress his arm, his fingers moving in small comforting circles. "I know this hurts now, and it probably will for a while. But I'll be here, by your side, no matter what happens."

[...] nodded slowly, absorbing Jake's words, allowing himself to feel a small relief at his loyalty and unwavering affection. "Thank you, Jakey. I don't know what I would do without you," he murmured, his voice thick with gratitude.

Jake smiled, trying to instill some hope in [...]. "You don't have to worry about that, because I'm not going anywhere. I'm here, I'll always be there for you, my moon."

Ethan leaned into Jake, allowing himself to rest in his embrace, finding comfort in the certainty of his friendship... yeah. He felt that even though his heart was broken, there was a light in the darkness, a hand that held him when he needed it most.

As the sun moved across the sky, filling the room with its warm light, Jake and [...] stood there, side by side. [...]'s wounds would take time to heal, but with Jake by his side, he knew he would find the strength to keep going, one day at a time.

￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣

메모 ! 📌ㅤ⸻ㅤ I won't lie, I was mostly inspired by the song Margaret (lana del rey) and like I said in my other account, I would make you suffer.

아이디어 !ㅤ⸻ㅤI'm very short of ideas lately, so feel free to leave me any requests! <⁠(⁠￣⁠︶⁠￣⁠)⁠>

ㅤㅤ All credits to @angelsfat3 / @foschiamara.

[tornoleander]

Finally Ironed out some ninja designs! I Usually don’t share references but with the behind the scenes stuff I’m doing on my Skybound project I don’t have much else I can share yet.

There is a few headcanon/ Fic stuff in references and powers and the all ninja shot is for first part of Skybound project.

I can share Skybound project Updates! I’m making lots of progress! Trying to focus on p1 stuff so I can put full force into the p2 stuff!

|

V

P1 may be ready Summer? 2025

My Skybound talk Video:

* God I have so much to ramble about just when I think I covered something a new angle gets me

* How TF am I supposed to sanely transition from the wholesome reasons I love this season into the horribly problem stuff. Sigh*

* Actually studying videos covering serious topics to navigate how to word things.

* I have to stop drawing so much art for everything or no one will ever see this video.

* The desire to animate my character lipsinking to me is an evolutionary disadvantage I will resist.

Cannon compliant Animatic:

* Song is Ironed out fought a while adding voice lines and I’m way more excited than I thought I’d be for this animatic because I thought it would be overshadowed by how strongly I feel about the other 2. But damn.

* I’m storyboarding after like my life depends on it rn

* Really trying to capture Nya’s character Ark which sent me right back to the video script because I remembered that one reddit post calling her a bitch and rage wrote for 2 hours.

* I am determined to make people see how good her character arc actually is.

* Throwing Jay shade in this one lol he was kinda awful even with being manipulated.

* Trying to convey clear Ideas and story through art is pain but also addicting.

* This is meant as a leading to both part two animatics, but bbnb Kai is shorter than wytyaa Kai. The difference is significant everything else pre dinner with Nadakhan is the same. The other head cannons are almost aligned as far as I know. It’s JUST Kai. What do I do with him?!? Lmao Might just distance him from the other ninja so you can’t tell how tall he is. Thank goodness he is the most gullible and first to wish it all away

P2 out like December if I’M lucky TT

Even though I should focus on first things first, I can’t help myself. these fics have lived rent free in my brain for like 2 years and despite plans shifting the excitement of drawing the story I read and put to music in my head is a force of nature. Thanks Adhd

Wytyaa:

* I storyboarded about half the scenes I want to. Songs are decided but a few parts I’m waiting for the rest of the story for.

* I think I’m going to mess with color palette. I really want to capture the emotion and intensity. I’m learning the full potential of my art and

* I need Final ch released for maping out the second half.

* BUT I AM NOT READY TO READ IT @mondothebombo And from what you told me I don’t think I’ll be able to finish P1 by then. cries*

* I wanna capture the feeling reading wytyaa.

* May make my wytyaa specific refs so I can make animatic art I can post early.

Bbnb

* It’s all storyboarded and half animated

* Thinking about redoing most the earlier stuff, consistency has been a problem

* Also was to mess with colors, dark backgrounds and intense colors.

* I fought with my ref forever to find good enough lightning scar colors cause figuring out the right amount of contrast is pain.

* So now I want to redraw my bbnb scar references a third time.

* May draw other bbnb specific refs so I can make some art for the animatic I can post here early or on on my old A03 book

If you have Any questions feel free to leave an ask! I answer all eventually sometimes I do save em up though so if I didn’t answer something yet, Sorry I will get to you.

[movingthisblogcelestialtarot11]

Tarot Embodiments 💘🤍🌟

Hi friends! 💗 For those of you learning to read tarot, or wanting to strengthen your understanding of it, here you go! I really hope you enjoy + I appreciate any support given to this blog 🌟🥂 enjoy! I’m wondering if I should make a short on YouTube about how to read tarot! Would ya’ll love that? 🙈💖

💘 Pages- I like to think of Pages as the baby of the court cards. Learning to value its journey, growth, but still nervous about branching out. Seeking information, seeking to grow, gathering ideas, and planning. The planning before the action. Taking mental note. But depending on the Page this channeling of energy can be different!

💗 Page of cups- The sweet, generous, and jovial page. The all encompassing, but still learning to understand how emotions play an important role in situations/connections/oneself. Starting to gain a perspective that invites sympathy, emotion and understanding. Youthful, dreamy and young in their mindset. Also a messenger.

💗 Page of swords- The studier. The one who inspects parts before putting it together. Reading the manual to understand the point of the object at hand. Tinkering with different parts to see what fits, and gathering information over time to reach a conclusion. But does not have enough information to form on at this moment. Associated with spying, stalking, gathering information, and mental stimulation.

🤍 Page of wands- The pursuit of new ideas. The idea comes fast, excitedly, but lacks planning and execution. Putting together different elements to a situation/story/ narrative to create something passionate. Fleeting interest, lacks long term engagement. Ideas can fall apart and come together. Can represent someone who is exploring their passions, dreams and goals, but needs time. Can indicate someone starting a spiritual journey!

🥂 Page of pentacles- Eye on the prize. Determined, skilled, hopes for long term engagement. Still learning the value of a connection/project/friendship. Someone who is learning what their core values are. Someone who is developing slowly, does not make hasty moves. Can be focused to the point they forget anything else.

The Kings 💗🔮

The Kings are the evolved court cards of all. It represents maturity, development, and a state of security!

🦋 King of cups- Someone who is emotionally aware, conscious and stable. Secure emotionally, fulfilled within oneself, feels comfortable surrounding the home. Is able to give and receive comfortably, and is open to their heart space. Someone with dignity, morals, values that encompass emotion too. Shows acknowledgment for feelings, and can have deep conversation. Someone wealthy in terms of emotional knowledge, and spiritual wealth. Their home carries abundance. Humble, generous, loving, sweet, and nurturing.

🌟 King of wands- Someone who is assertive, passionate, driven. Motivated. Excites easily and makes decisions surrounding their passion. Someone who knows what they want and goes after it confidently, and attracts it. Someone who is impressive, but can have a big ego. Someone who is engaged with spirituality, or has a deep connection to spirituality. Someone who carries spiritual knowledge. Funny, energetic, passionate, charismatic, and bold.

🌹 King of Pentacles: Someone grounded, reserved, committed and confident. Self assured, focus is on material wealth, and sustains long term commitments. Someone who is strong headed, firm, and decisive. Considers the long term and future. Someone wealthy materialistically. Someone devoted to their projects, has a high position in their job, and is the head of a family. Someone who thinks of the future carefully and makes adjustments to align with what they see. Gentle, calm, patient, and supportive.

📌 King of swords- Cerebral, a thinker. Skilled in mental processes and is detached from emotion. Considers emotion, but does not make decisions from that place. Represents someone in their head often, and observing reality, can struggle to interact with it. A planner, someone who considers all options, observant and knowledgeable. Someone philosophical, and approaches from a knowledgeable perspective. A walking library. Someone with a lot to say and doesn’t necessarily say it all. Considerate, respectful, cerebral, an analyzer.

The Queens 🦋💘

Same thing as the Kings, they represent the evolved feminine side of us. The energetic feminine.

🌟 Queen of wands- The bad bitch! She knows she’s all that. Confident, secure, passionate, and harbors knowledge. Sexually tapped in, invigorating, yet caring. Someone who takes care of their health, passions and nurtures their dreams confidently. Their confidence comes from within. Is not afraid to be themselves. Magnetic, and attracts abundance from a mile away. Spiritually tapped in and can be well endowed in the spiritual department. Charismatic, spiritual, hilarious, confident, and intelligent.

💖 Queen of cups- The nurturer, has a wide understanding of emotion and how important stability is. Maintains equilibrium, balance, and peace within herself. Is emotionally passionate, guided and self assured. Validation comes from within. Focus is in the home and creating community, and is seen as warm, inviting, caring. Has boundaries and knows when to set limits. Has a deep connection ti the heart, and spirituality. Caring, supportive, nurturing, and expansive.

💘 Queen of swords- An analyzer, and understands the value of emotion in planning. Does not make the same mistake twice. Set boundaries, communicates effectively, direct and open minded. Does not tolerate bullshit, and is knowledgeable. Has higher insight on situations/oneself. Philosophical, and sees things from a different perspective. Can be seen as detached, nonchalant. Does not let emotion get in the way of doing what’s best for them. A thinker, organizer, committed to oneself, and knows her place/ value.

🥂 Queen of pentacles- Committed, generous, humble, and loving. A giver, and knows what she deserves in return. Focused on material abundance, wealth and finances. Blessed financially. Someone who works hard and has dignity. Disciplined, focused, structured. Reserved, honest, and respectful. Committed to their future, and will make any and all adjustments to create their dream life. Knows her value and worth, and will not accept anything less.

Thank ya’ll for reading! It’s appreciated. Any support given is also appreciated 🤗🌟 hope this was informative!

Paid Readings💘🌹

[elicathebunny]

Is comparison the thief of joy?

How to be comfortable in your own skin and learn healthy competition. (suggestion post)

Comparing yourself or being compared to someone else is not the best feeling. It can make you have low self-esteem and bring up feelings of jealousy or anger. But self-comparison, like others, is only bad when too much of it occurs.

To help you understand my point,

Let me show you an example:

Your friend is doing better than you academically. You may feel pressured to achieve at the same level and constantly compare their grades to yours. Your grades are not bad, but in comparison, they are lower than your friends. This leaves you feeling constantly bad about yourself and possibly having negative feelings towards your friend. This example shows that the person feels unhappy with their grades. Therefore, anyone else succeeding will trigger feelings within them. Not only is it bringing up negative emotions about themselves, but those emotions could possibly be reflected onto their friend. The person isn't even failing academically, but they are blinded by someone else's success, to the point that they cannot see their own progress or achievements.

Shift your mindset on what comparison truly is.

Yes, comparison can be negatively used. But it can be a helpful way to learn and grow.

Here is another example:

Your friend is doing better than you academically. You decide to ask them for help with your work or if they could show you how they study. You also spend extra time looking into other ways you could support yourself academically. You use your friend's achievements as motivation to improve your grades and congratulate them even though they are still achieving higher than you. Your grades may not be the best, but you recognise your efforts made and small progress over time. This example shows the person has used the energy that would have gone into creating negative feelings, into motivation to achieve better despite their friend achieving more than them. They are not upset because they acknowledge THEIR own improvements and focus on THEIR own achievements, not others. The person still congratulates others on their hard work and efforts because they recognise that the progress of others (no matter what big) is not the absence of their own. This means that their relationships are still intact and healthy!

If you are comparing yourself to someone who isn't close to you, then obviously it is a 50/50 chance that they will be willing to help you out. It also depends on what the comparison is about which will determine if you can actually ask for help from said person.

Why are you being compared/ Why are you comparing yourself?

Who are you being compared/ comparing yourself to?

Why are you being compared/ comparing yourself to it?

When did this comparison start and do you know why?

Are you comparing yourself or are you being compared by someone else? (If someone else is comparing you, then it is a projection on their behalf. But if it is you who is doing the comparing, then you have a lot of inner work to do)

Could you actually resolve the comparison issue? (for example: if you are comparing yourself to someone who has better grades, could you improve your own if you actually tried to? Be honest with yourself here) .

What situations trigger you to compare yourself

Now that you know the "whys ", you know where to start your work from. Become aware of when these comparisons take place and try to catch yourself out for it. Don't suppress it but acknowledge it, and move on.

Learning healthy comparison is the way to go. But, knowing that wanting to achieve the same as another person is okay, but letting those emotions come out very strongly and out of hand is not good. Comparing yourself to someone is unfair on yourself because everyone is different and has different starting points. Beating yourself up for not being like someone else is unhealthy. On top of everything else, you don't even know the work the other person put in to get to that point or how long it took. So when your comparing yourself, are you actively trying to do something about it? for example, If you compare yourself to someone with better grades than you, and it's an ongoing thing that you feel bad about your grades. Have you attempted to try to improve your own grades? When I ask this I mean actually properly try for a long enough time that you would see progress, not an! "I tried for a bit and I'm nowhere at their level". If you feel there is something you want to change about yourself/ achieve something you have to try before beating yourself about that thing.

Stop using other people as a kind of milestone. Only celebrating your successes if you are like this person or if you have this thing. Set milestones for yourself that are for you and only for you. It's okay to not be perfect, nobody is perfect. Focus on your strengths and work on yourself to make your own goalposts to reach.

EMBODY YOUR POTENTIAL.

[a-bad-case-of-the-stephs]

Do we ever see Steph in a mentor type roll in the comics? I’m trying to write something for her and I’m not sure how she would act if she had to be a mentor to someone younger. I can’t tell if she’d be good at it or not. Maybe she would in a non traditional way?

Not really, unfortunately.. Funny you ask, as there was an idea for a comic w Steph mentoring a group of young heroes floated a while back that never ended up getting made. However, Steph is pretty consistently portrayed as good with kids! The closest thing to what you’re looking for I can think of is probably Steph’s interactions with Damian in Batgirl 2009! While not quite a mentorship exactly, it might be a good basis for how you might want to write her interacting with a kid she saw as is need of her guidance. Checking it out might be a good idea!!

On my opinion on the type of mentor Steph would be, that’s a great question, I think a lot of it would be a natural product of her own experiences w mentorship.

Steph has had some truly shitty mentor experiences in her past (looking at you Bruce Wayne cough cough), and I think that would make her very cognizant of certain things. For instance, I think she would want to be very open with a mentee, as one of the biggest things used against Steph during both her stints working with Bruce was how much information was kept from her and how far she was held away. We can see some evidence for that openness with how Steph interacts with Wendy Harris (Proxy) during Batgirl 2009, Steph basically tells her everyone’s secret id and backstory with no compunctions. So I think Steph would absolutely be very open with a mentee and would try not to keep secrets from them. On the other hand, one of Steph’s flaws is she is kind of a secretive person, she’s introspective and she likes to figure stuff out by herself, so I can see this being an internal conflict for her, where she is very willing to tell a mentee important secret info, but still holds more emotional stuff close to chest.

Another thing abt how I think she’d act as a mentor, Steph is extremely dedicated and determined, and tends to see things in a black and white sort of ‘giving up is weakness’ kind of way? I think she’d have to balance her 1) incredibly determination and focus causing her to want to push her mentee to be the best they can and 2) Steph’s (again) terrible experiences being mentored by Bruce making her not want to push too hard / berate / not provide enough verbal encouragement to her mentee. It’d be a balance, but she’d probably end up being super encouraging and verbally affirming to a mentee while holding them to a pretty high standard.

Just generally, when it comes to Steph interacting with kids, she has had a pretty regular habit of projecting her own experiences and traumas onto them. Not a bad thing per se, just she seems to tend to see her younger self in abused kids particularly and it engenders her to be protective of them.

If you want to take that to explore a flaw Steph might have as a mentor, you could write her projecting her own past difficulties or past feelings onto her mentee in a way that isn’t helpful or accurate.

All in all, I think Steph could be a great mentor! She gets along well with children and is stubborn when it comes to making friends and forming bonds, and has experienced pretty much the worst case scenario mentorship wise (dropped by BOP, dropped by Batman. Twice. Being insulted/used as a tool/held at arms length etc etc) which has pretty much given her a valuable perspective on exactly what NOT to do! However, those very same experiences might also hinder Steph’s abilities as a mentor. She might fixate on screwing up with them like she was screwed over, or project herself onto them. No matter what, I think she’d try very very hard to be present as a mentor and would want to be there for her mentee no matter what. Hope this was helpful, thank you for the ask, and good luck with your writing!!