#Business Invitee

[ermmdoitforfun]

𝑯𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒚 𝑷𝒂𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒕 𝑷𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒌

— 𝑪𝒐𝒍𝒃𝒚 𝒑𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒀/𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒉𝒆𝒓, 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒊𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒈𝒐 𝒘𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒈.

⋆☆　 colby brock x fem!reader

⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆　warning : 18+ , p in v , dirty talk , make out session , Colby being possessive , dominant Colby , a lil bit of angst if u take a peek , and etc. ( loll let me know if I miss anything! )

•❣•୨୧　wc : 3.1k

-ˋˏ authors note : my first smut story, MINORS DO NOT INTERACT !!! if you're a minor I'll block you! Anyways enjoy!

"What's up guys, it's Colby Brock!" The familiar greeting burst forth from the screen, filled with the kind of energy that only a Friday evening could inspire. It was pizza night at Sam's apartment, a cherished tradition among friends, where laughter and a bunch of catch ups with one another were shared. Among the invitees were Colby and Y/n, though the gathering was small, it was brimming with camaraderie. But that morning, a spark of mischief ignited in Colby’s mind. Why not spice up the evening with a prank on his unsuspecting girlfriend? With a cheeky grin, he leaned closer to the camera, the glint in his eyes revealing his playful intentions. "So, as you can tell from the title, I'm going to be pranking my beautiful girlfriend, Y/n." His voice was laced with excitement, "Currently, she's in Sam's apartment with our friends, completely unaware of my prank." Colby’s fingers danced over the small packets he had procured from the pharmacy earlier that day, "The plan is simple: pour this into her drink and watch the magic happen. We have no idea how she’ll react, but the package claims it’ll take about 30 minutes to 2 hours to kick in." A chuckle escaped him. "Anyways, I should get going before she starts to get suspicious." With that, he wrapped up the recording, weaving the perfect facade of a casual vlog.

Colby walked into Sam's apartment, the lively chatter of friends filling the air like music. He greeted the newcomers with a warm smile, his eyes scanning the room until they landed on Y/n. She was laughing, her head thrown back in delight at something Tara had said, and for a moment, the world around him faded away. Their eyes met, and in that instant, Y/n set her drink down, her movements fluid as she made her way to him, a radiant smile lighting up her face. "Hi," she greeted, her voice soft yet inviting. "Hello," Colby replied, a smirk playing on his lips as he leaned down to press a gentle kiss on her temple, savoring the warmth of her presence. "Where were you?" Y/n asked, standing before him, a playful glint in her eyes. "I went to change; I was feeling a bit overheated," Colby replied, his tone casual as he tried to keep his prank under wraps. Y/n chuckled, her eyes sparkling with mischief as she reached for a slice of pizza, her favorite way to show she cared. "I made sure Sam ordered stuffed crust for you," she said, handing him the paper plate with a proud smile. "Thank you," Colby responded, leaning in to give her a small peck on the lips, which made her smile widen even more. He made his way to the couch in the corner, patting his thigh invitingly for Y/n to join him. Without hesitation, she took the offer, settling comfortably as she watched their friends talk and laugh.

As time flew by, Colby finished eating, nudging Y/n to toss the paper plate into the trashcan. While they were busy chatting with their friends, he discreetly pulled out his phone to film behind Y/n, who was animatedly talking with Kat and Tara. "I know, cause yesterday Colby and I went to the store and tried looking for those chips, but they ran out," Y/n said, laughter bubbling in her voice. "It was devastating for Colby. He was sulking the whole way back home." Tara and Kat burst into laughter. "Sounds like he spent too much time with Sam. Sam is like that, I swear on my life. We came home like a week ago from Vegas, and tell me why Sam got so mad 'cause CVS didn't have the chips he wanted," Kat chimed in, her eyes sparkling with amusement as Tara and Y/n joined in the laughter. "Baby, can you grab me more fruit punch?" Y/n turned around and asked Colby, her smile brightening the room. "Of course," he replied, mirroring her smile as he leaned in to give her a soft peck on the lips. Gently tapping her waist to signal he was getting up, he made his way to the drink table, Setting his phone down, Colby grinned mischievously. "Okay, Y/n is busy talking to Kat and Tara, so I'm going to hurry up and pour these two packs of honey into her drink." He chuckled softly just as Jake strolled by. "Brotherr, what are you doing?" Jake dragged the words out, a smirk creeping onto his face. "Shhh, I'm pranking Y/n," Colby whispered, laughter bubbling up as Jake joined in. "Kevin!" Jake called out, and Kevin quickly approached, his eyes wide with surprise. "Oh my god... Oh my god!" he exclaimed, laughter spilling from him as he took in the scene. "Shhh, he's pranking his girlfriend," Jake hushed Kevin, but the two couldn't contain their giggles. With all the commotion, Sam made his way over, glancing at what Colby was holding before stepping back in mock horror. "Brother, you're doing her so dirty." Colby couldn't help but laugh at Sam's reaction. "Is it really that bad?" Colby questioned, Sam shook his head, a disgusted look on his face. "I'm going to be hearing it all night now!" he joked, dramatically faking a cry. "Oh shut up, we're not that loud," Colby rolled his eyes, stirring Y/n's drink with a hint of mischief. The sweet aroma of honey wafted through the air as he finished up the prank. "I'm gonna go give this to her and let's just hope she doesn't taste the sweetness of it," he replied, a smirk spreading across his face as he made his way back to the couch. As he approached, he tapped Y/n's knee gently, handing her the drink as he settled down beside her. "Did you put more sugar in here?" Y/n questioned, her brow slightly furrowed with curiosity. "Maybe a little since you told me this morning that your blood sugar was running low," Colby replied, a warmth spreading through him as her eyes lit up with affection. She leaned in, giving him a few pecks on the lips, her gratitude evident. "Thank you!" she exclaimed, her smile brightening the room before she took a big sip of the drink. Colby watched in surprise, not expecting her to gulp down the entire cup in one go. His phone was already in hand, ready to capture the moment. "She drank it all, guys," he said, eyes wide with disbelief as he turned the camera to show off the empty cup. "Now, let's just wait and see how she is."

A few hours went by, and it was currently 8:30. Colby started to notice how Y/n had grown increasingly silent, not uttering a single word. She was twitching slightly, rubbing his arms absentmindedly and showering him with small pecks on his shoulder, his jaw, cheek, and finally, his lips. Colby couldn’t help but laugh at her actions, realizing just how quickly the drink was affecting her small body. "Baby, can we go home?" Y/n questioned, her tone more pleading than he expected. "Are you tired?" Colby asked, raising an eyebrow. "Yeah, I have work tomorrow," she replied, though he knew she didn’t actually have any obligations. "Okay, let's get going," he said, standing up and making his way toward Sam and the other guys. He said his goodbyes, explaining that Y/n was tired and had work the next day. Y/n waved goodbye to everyone, her hand slipping into Colby's as they walked out together, heading toward their apartment. "Ima go shower, and I'll be with you in the room," Y/n spoke as she entered the apartment with him, her voice light but filled with a hint of excitement. She made her way into the shared bathroom, the door clicking softly behind her as she quickly turned on the water, steam beginning to fill the small space. Meanwhile, Colby began setting up the cameras, one in the living room and the other in their shared bedroom. He meticulously adjusted the angles, ensuring everything was just right. Once satisfied, he stepped back and addressed the camera. "Okay, so Y/n is taking a shower right now. I'm going to be in the living room watching TV, waiting for her to come out and hang out with me," he said, a playful grin on his face. "Wish me good luck!" With that, he retreated to the couch, slipping into only his grey sweats, feeling relaxed yet eager for Y/n's return. As 15 minutes flew by, Colby found himself scrolling through Instagram, the TV playing a familiar episode of Stitch in the background. Just then, the bathroom door creaked open, and Y/n emerged, clad only in her underwear with his oversized shirt draped over her. The sight made his heart skip a beat as she made her way to sit next to him. "Hi beautiful," he says as he opens his arms wide, pulling her into his lap with a warm embrace. "Hi, handsome," Y/n whispers, her voice soft and sweet, before pressing a gentle peck on his lips. The atmosphere between them is charged, and the couple continues exchanging light kisses, each one lingering a bit longer than the last. Suddenly, Colby smashes his lips onto hers, igniting a spark that sends waves of tension soaring between them. Y/n, lost in the moment, doesn’t quite realize the subtle way her body begins to grind against him, but Colby notices every little movement. A chuckle escapes him as he lifts her shirt slightly, his fingers grazing her sides, the warmth of her skin igniting a fire within him as they delve deeper into their make-out session. "I need you," she whines, her voice filled with a mix of desire and urgency. Colby grunts in response, but the playful side of him takes over. "Mmmm, maybe not today," he teases, pulling back just enough to make her stop her gentle movements against his pelvis, leaving a tantalizing pause in the air.

Y/n's eyes, brimming with a desperate plea, locked onto Colby's. "Pleaseeee, I need you so bad," she whined, the word stretching out with a palpable longing. The air crackled with unspoken tension, a desire hanging heavy between them. Colby met her gaze, his expression softening slightly before hardening into a resolute seriousness. "Baby, I know, but not today," he responded, the firmness in his voice a clear indication that his decision was final, at least for now. The weight of his words settled in the space, leaving Y/n to grapple with disappointment and the unspoken reasons behind his refusal. Y/n, feeling frustrated and helpless, hopped off of Colby's lap, and took a seat next to him on the couch. She let out a sigh of irritation, her mood souring as she tried to get some assistance from her boyfriend. "Can you at least help me? It's like biting my fucking pussy lips!" she exclaimed, her patience wearing thin. Colby, however, seemed unphased by Y/n's pleas for help. "You can do it yourself, doll," he said, attempting to brush her off. But Y/n was determined. "But it's not as good as how you do it," she replied, pouting. She couldn't help but feel disappointed—Colby always seemed to make even the simplest tasks seem effortless, and she just couldn't seem to catch a break. "Please, can you help me get this heat out," Y/n begged, her voice trembling with sadness and pain. "I need you badly."

Colby couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt as he looked at Y/n's pleading eyes. He knew she was struggling, and he wanted to help her, but he had to go along with his plan. "Baby. I'm sorry, I can't. My jaw hurts." His silence stretched, each second amplifying the tension in the room. He replied with hesitation, the words catching in his throat, "No, it's... it's not like that." Her question hung in the air, laced with hurt and disbelief. "Is it because you're fucking another girl?" she asked, her voice cracking, the accusation barely a whisper. Tears welled in her eyes, blurring her vision as she looked at him, a silent plea for reassurance. Seeing her pain, Colby's immediate reaction was to deflect, a nervous instinct to grab the camera. "Baby, baby, it's just a prank, it's just a prank," he repeated, the words ringing hollow against the backdrop of her distress. But Y/n just stared at him, the tears continuing to stream down her face, a mixture of hurt and annoyance in her gaze. "I'm sorry," he mumbled, the apology sounding inadequate even to his own ears. Colby held Y/n close, whispering soothing words into her ear as he tried to comfort her after her jealousy and insecurities had been stirred up. He could feel her heart racing against his chest and her body trembling in his arms. He knew how much she struggled with trust issues, and he hated that he had unintentionally caused her pain.

As they stood there, Y/n's body pressed against his, Colby couldn't help but notice the way her wet clothes clung to her skin. He could feel the heat radiating off of her and the dampness of her clothing against his own. "Can you help me now?" Y/n asked softly, her voice barely above a whisper. Colby looked down at her, seeing the blush creeping up her cheeks and the longing in her eyes. He knew what she was asking for, and he was more than happy to oblige. Colby leaned down and captured Y/n's lips in a deep, passionate kiss. His hands roamed over her body, feeling the curves and contours of her form through the wet fabric of her clothes. Y/n responded eagerly, her own hands reaching up to tangle in his hair. As they kissed, Colby's fingers found the waistband of Y/n's undergarment. He slipped his hand inside, feeling the heat and wetness of her arousal through the thin material of her underwear. Y/n gasped at the contact, her body trembling even more. Colby broke the kiss, his lips trailing down Y/n's neck as his fingers slipped beneath the waistband of her underwear. He could feel the slickness of her arousal coating his fingers as he explored her most intimate of places. Y/n moaned softly, her head falling back as she gave herself over to the pleasure. Colby continued to touch and explore Y/n's body, his fingers slipping and sliding through her wetness as he brought her closer and closer to the edge. She writhed and moaned in his arms, her body trembling with need. Finally, with one last thrust of Colby's fingers, Y/n cried out as she reached her peak. Colby held her close, whispering words of love and devotion as she came down from her high. He knew that he would never tire of this, of the way Y/n responded to his touch, of the way she gave herself to him so completely.

Colby, with a mischievous glint in his eye, pulled his boxers down, revealing his growing arousal. He began to stroke himself gently, building up anticipation for what was to come. With a sly smile, he positioned himself at Y/n's entrance, teasing her with small little pushes. Once he felt ready, Colby plunged himself inside of her, causing both of them to let out a moan of pleasure. The sound of skin slapping against skin filled the living room, accompanied by the grunts and moans of their passionate lovemaking. Colby began to thrust harder and faster, causing Y/n to cry out in ecstasy. She wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him deeper inside of her. "Oh fuck! C-Colby! Oh yes right there ughhh right there!" She screamed, unable to contain her pleasure any longer. Colby reached down to play with Y/n's swollen clit, causing her to scream out even louder. "Oh fuckkkkk." She dragged out the word, lost in the sudden amount of pleasure she was feeling. Her body trembled beneath him, on the verge of an explosive orgasm. The room is filled with the sounds of pleasure and ecstasy as Colby and his partner reach the pinnacle of their lovemaking. She cries out in orgasmic bliss, unable to contain her excitement as she finally reaches her climax. Her body shudders and trembles with the intensity of her release, and Colby can't help but watch in awe as she experiences the height of her pleasure. Colby isn't far behind, his own body tensing and releasing as he reaches his own orgasm. With a few final thrusts, he pulls out and releases on top of her stomach, groaning in pleasure as he does so. He tries to catch his breath, his body spent and satisfied from their lovemaking. The two of them lay there, basking in the afterglow of their passion. Their bodies are slick with sweat, and their hearts race as they come down from their high.

"What did you prank me with?" Y/n asked, still catching her breath. "I poured, uh, two packs of honey packets into your fruit punch." Colby replied, a chuckle escaping his lips as he observed Y/n's bewildered expression. "You didn't! No wonder I was feeling all...weird!" Y/n scoffed, trying to regain her composure. Colby winked, "Hey, at least I ensured you had a good time tonight." Y/n rolled her eyes playfully, shoving him lightly. "I'm exhausted. Let's just sleep," she mumbled, attempting to stand, but immediately collapsing back onto the couch. A surprised look crossed her face as Colby burst into laughter. "Guess I wore you out a little too much," he smirked, rising to gather their clothes. He then carefully scooped Y/n into his arms, carrying her to the bedroom. After a quick clean-up, he gently laid her down on the bed, snuggling close. "Goodnight. I love you," Y/n murmured sleepily. Colby smiled, kissing her forehead. "I love you too, princess." He closed his eyes, soon drifting into a peaceful slumber alongside her.

[lilhughesy]

°•*⁀➷ YOU & RUT — umich hockey au thoughts

what being friends with rutger mcgroarty looks like ->

what being friends with rutger mcgroarty is like ->

- you guys met during his freshman year after ethan and mark introduced you two during frosh week where the hockey house was hosting a party

- anddd you guys clicked immediately

- mainly because both of you are bubbly and chatty and have very similar personalities

- besides you’ve already were friends with luke, mark, ethan, mackie, and dukers so what’s another few friends who happen to be hockey boys?

- is always texting you and on all different apps too (messages, instagram, snapchat, tiktok)

- spams you with memes, tiktoks, reels

- like he seriously does not shut up

notifications: rut (14 unread messages)

“did you see what i sent you on ig?”

“wdym you haven’t seen it”

“go look rn”

“also stop sending me your 5 minute vlogs on snap, i never watch them because they’re SO LONG!!!”

“did you laugh at the tiktok”

- while you definitely do more of the chatting in person, a girl loves to yap!

- will sit on top of you when there’s no other seats available and you definitely fighting for your life to push him off

- rut is always teasing you about the guys you like

- will never fail to bring them up

“didn’t that guy you used to like come here often?”

“i thought you didn’t like to wear that colour… wait isn’t that HIS favourite colour?!”

- even though he teases you about the guys you like, he is protective of you and doesn’t want to see you get hurt

- rut will come hang out with you even if there’s no plan, he’ll happily just lay in your bed while you’re cleaning your room or folding laundry or prepping your notes for lecture

- the two of you definitely go get ice cream together without telling the others

“it’s a best friend thing! you guys aren’t invited”

- he will most definitely be the first one at your dorm if something were to happen

“hey i heard what happened? are you okay? i brought snacks and we can watch tv together to get your mind off of it!”

- will steal your food on purpose because he knows it annoys you, and he will act innocent when you ask him about it

“i honestly have no idea what you’re talking about! why would i steal your food when i have my own plate?”

“NO! i did NOT just take fries off your plate!! you didn’t see ANYTHING!”

- rut asks you on the daily basis if you’re coming to the party on the weekend and he will continue to ask you until you eventually cave in

- likes when you come to games but understands when you can’t make it because he knows you’re busy with school work

- which he never does… so he copies your notes

- rut is such a smiley boy! you rarely will see him upset, he constantly happy and smiling and laughing about something

- he loves when you, luca, and himself hang out together because it usually means chaos

- oh and luca is one of the few rare invitees to ice cream runs

- definitely takes it personally if you watch another episode to your show without him

[covid-safer-hotties]

Also preserved on our archive

By Jonathan Howard

It doesn’t bode well for the future that leaders of major American institutions say naked emperors are wearing beautiful clothes.

We need to make every effort to get people who disagree, even sharply, in dialogue with one another. In a previous article, I wrote an open letter to the Stanford President, Jonathan Levin, regarding a conference at his university, Pandemic Policy: Planning the Future, Assessing the Past. As SBM readers know, this conference featured doctors who mostly didn’t treat COVID patients, but instead spread misinformation about it and tried to purposefully infect people with it. My letter predicted that the conference would be a giant exercise in deliberate amnesia. As such, I encouraged President Levin to reject censorship and simply play videos of the speakers from the first two years of the pandemic.

Sadly, President Levin embraced censorship. Instead of honestly informing the conference attendees about the speakers, he whitewashed their pandemic record with the following speech:

Good morning and welcome to everyone. I appreciate the opportunity to be here.

Now, you might wonder: Why is Jon Levin opening this conference on pandemic policy? You might say, Jon is no public health expert. And I might say: Well, I did run a business school during the COVID pandemic, so I have some experience making pandemic policy decisions. They also say you learn most by making mistakes. So I think there are probably a thousand Stanford MBAs who are willing to argue that I’m basically a world expert.

However, that’s not why I’m here.

When I was invited to participate in this event a few months ago, it was with the understanding that the goal was to bring together people with different perspectives, engage in a day of discussion, and in that way, try to repair some of the rifts that opened during COVID.

That struck me as a valuable goal, and the sort of goal we should aim for at Stanford. So I agreed to give a few brief remarks to that effect.

What followed was disappointing. When I was invited, I asked around and indeed the organizers were talking to some well-known people with quite different views who were likely to speak. However, it was not so straightforward. Some invitees weren’t able to make it, or withdrew, or didn’t want to participate in an event with other speakers whose views and behavior they found attacking or abhorrent.

When an initial and partial agenda was posted, it was immediately perceived as one-sided, and as I’m sure you all noticed became the subject of op-eds and social media posts.

Ironically, instead of repairing rifts as intended and perhaps spurring fresh thinking, the process seemed to reopen old and existing divisions.

As an observer and as the leader of this university, I found the episode dispiriting, in a way that goes beyond the specifics of this particular event.

We have many issues today at Stanford, and on other campuses, where views are divided, and in some cases, like this one, where feelings are raw.

Yet I believe we need to make every effort to get people who disagree, even sharply, in dialogue with one another. I believe it’s essential for us to do that as members of the faculty and university leaders – not just because it’s a way to advance knowledge, but because we need to model that behavior if we want to expect it from our students. And in today’s world, we absolutely need to ask and expect our students to be able to engage with, listen to, and debate with people with whom they disagree. My view is that we need to err on the side of talking to one another.

So I hope today’s conference will come off in a way that involves just that – thoughtful and robust discussion across different perspectives. I hope it yields some important insights about future pandemic policy – we certainly need that. Perhaps it does even bridge a few divides among those in the room.

And I hope even more that all of you will join in the larger project of trying to make Stanford and other campuses forums for the type of robust and thoughtful discussion that is at the heart of universities when we’re at our best.

I wouldn’t have been have afraid to mentioned that many of these doctors predicted COVID would kill less than 50,000 Americans and that the mass infection of unvaccinated youth would lead to herd immunity in 3-6 months.

We’ve had more flu deaths among children this year than COVID deaths. With President Levin’s admonition to “listen to” people in mind, let’s revisit just one of the videos I presented to him. In this video, from November 2020 Dr. Jay Bhattacharya said “we’ve had more flu deaths among children this year than COVID deaths”.

The first reported COVID death in the US was on 2/28/2020. By the time Dr. Bhattacharya recorded that video, COVID had killed at least 133 children according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. During that same time frame, the flu killed 9 children. The next year, just 1 child died of the flu while COVID killed several hundred children. Currently, the CDC reports 1,935 COVID deaths and 438 flu deaths amongst children since the start of the pandemic, though obviously children should be vaccinated against both viruses.

Yet, according to President Levin, its fine for people to have “different views” on this topic. He feels “we need to make every effort to get people who disagree, even sharply, in dialogue with one another.” Sounding more like a college freshman than a university President, President Levin feels everything is a matter of opinion and what really matters is that no one get their feelings hurts. In President Levin’s telling, it’s not wrong for Dr. Bhattacharya to say that 9 is larger than 133, however it is wrong for people like me to say this isn’t a “different view” and it shouldn’t be a topic of “dialogue”.

I supposed I’ll be accused of silencing debate and discussion, but 133 is larger than 9. This wouldn’t have been controversial in 2019. When someone spreads dangerous, blatant misinformation, honest brokers call it out, even if the person spreading the misinformation has fancy credentials and can speak in scientific jargon. It’s not that hard. President Levin, however, expects us all to be open to the possibility that 9 is larger 133, and it doesn’t bode well for the future that leaders of major American institutions say naked emperors are wearing beautiful clothes.

[goooofy-goooober1121]

The Discomforts of A Gilded Cage

"And I like large parties. They're so intimate. At small parties there isn't any privacy." Synopsis: Kalim's parties are more than just parties to him.

Characters: Kalim Al-Asim, Jamil Viper (slight mentions), Nondescript Partygoers

Tags: Kalim and his backstory, talks of trauma, mentions of kidnapping, poisonings, assassinations, loneliness; infantilization and yearning for independence.

WC: 1K

Ask Box is Open!

Narrative Version of This Post

Read below the cut!

One would know if they saw him. His voice would call out to them first, a recitation of their name that he had locked away deep in his heart; and if his voice did not reach their ears first, the tinkling and jingling of his golden trinkets would alert them to his impending arrival. He greets others the way he greets the world: with outstretched arms in a great big ‘hello’ and a gigawatt smile as blinding as sparkling diamonds beneath a shining sun. It would not matter how many times he had spoken to his selected subject-- if they had even spoken at all.

Kalim Al-Asim did not forget names, nor people, and much less the breathless invitation perfectly and excitedly delivered to his sudden new friend. His words flower at the edges, lifting in elation as if tied at the corners with helium balloons. I’m having a party, he says, and I’d love for you to come!

His message would be widespread amongst his peers in a matter of hours, either from his own mouth or through invitees inviting others. His parties were nothing short of magnificent and electric--- ragers, as described by some, so much so that even residents of the island that Night Raven College was situated upon would hurry to the school’s gates for the simple chance of infiltrating the campus and attending a Scarabian celebration. 

There was never a proper reason for Kalim’s parties, not really; whims were what created the evening revelries, for the most part. Tonight, though, he is especially proud to host his classmates. His dorm members had scored especially high on midterms this semester, and what sort of Housewarden would he be if he did not boast to the world how amazing Scarabia was? 

The music blares. The evening had come faster than he had expected. Kalim had busied himself with assisting Jamil with the preparations for the party; he was not, however, allowed in the kitchen. You can’t be trusted with knives, Jamil had reasoned. 

So Kalim had decided to decorate the venue. Vibrant streamers, balloons, confetti-- crimson, golden, verdant and cerulean, rainbow-- sprouted like flowers in a field along the moldings and tables. Tables were draped in the finest cloths, vibrant in Scarabian scarlet, and the drinks-- wine, juice, soda, champagne-- were extensive. Each partygoer could take a bottle and there would still be plenty to spare. 

And now, as laughter melds with the music, as bodies fall into improvised dances, as the scent of alcohol and spiced meals fills the air, Kalim’s chest swells with pride.

I did that.

There were not many moments where Kalim could say that. In fact, he couldn’t recall the last time he did something for himself. The heir to a wealthy family, servants had fussed over him since the moment he opened his ruby-red eyes. Jamil had been one of them; his closest friend, appointed to him by duty and tradition.

Kalim understood why. He was a boy born with a target on his back. By the time he could count to one-hundred, he had undergone countless kidnappings and attempted assassinations, sometimes by his own siblings; poison in his candied dates, coconut juice forced down his throat in the belief that it would counteract any toxicities in his body-- there was nothing that frightened Kalim anymore. There hadn’t been for a long time.

There is a fine line between innocence and incompetence. How could he not fall between either? He had never been allowed to do so much as learn to cook for himself. His closest friend, his brother in everything but blood, had not become his companion by Kalim’s social skills, but by obligation and tradition. 

Kalim understood more than what others thought he did. He was no idiot. But what good is skill when skill is not fostered? What good is intelligence in the face of infantilization? 

Someone stumbles by him. Kalim gives him a smile. Deep in his belly, he feels warm when the stranger smiles back. 

A moment of connection; he revels in it, internalizes it. Kalim knew he couldn’t trust just anyone. It was why so many of his nights were spent alone, locked in a gilded cage, why his parents were so strict about who he could and could not be alone with, and why, as a child, he became accustomed to the danger of being himself. 

It should have depressed him. It should have sucked the life out of his spirit, withered the laughter in his lungs--- but it didn’t. It wouldn’t, because if there was one thing the kidnappings and attempted homicides had taught him, it was how much Kalim adored being alive. To survive such horrible things at such a young age, over and over again until he’d lost count--- that had to count for something, didn’t it? 

The memories of it all were painful. They stuck to him like superglue. He would be lying if he said there weren't times where he would wake up in the dead of night from night terrors, or moments when he questioned why he had made it so far--- but what good was surviving if he allowed it all to weigh him like stones tied to his ankles, pulling him down into a deep, dark sea?

And so he smiles. He laughs. The beat of the drum through the speakers trembles all of Scarabia; for a moment, Kalim isn’t sure where it ends and where his heartbeat begins. His warm hands take those of another’s--- Jamil's, he realizes, past the fizzy haze of champagne in his system--- and drags him to the dance floor.

At home, those around him would act so dreadfully formal. Nobody would dance the way they do around him, fearing impropriety around an heir; never would he have shared the same food as his companions, and never would he have drank from the same bottle. 

At home, he would be Kalim Al-Asim, admired yet never loved. Revered yet never regarded. Never alone, yet forever lonely.

But this isn’t home. Tonight, he feels the warmth of camaraderie. Tonight, his heart is full. Tonight, he sings, he drinks, and he dances as if tomorrow he will meet his untimely end. 

Because tonight, Kalim is just Kalim. 

He is loved.

He is kindred. 

He is alive. 

[stevenbasic]

Growing into the Job, Post 443: Gala, p1

The string quartet had just come back from their first break when Abby Solowicki, sales rep for Evolution Pharm, watched him trying to step unnoticed into the huge, crowded atrium. Sneaking, slinking, skulking - those would probably have been more appropriate ways to describe it. 

At first she could barely believe her eyes. Yes, she’d read the Evolution reports and still frequently talked to Subject MM-1A under the veiled charade of friendship, but to see it in person was striking. The guy was so farking small. This was the same physician she’d met with?  The one she helped convince to allow the Product study to set up in his practice? He’d absolutely Shrunk with a capital ‘S’. He might be small enough, actually, that he might be able to hide himself behind that potted plant he quickly seemed to be gunning for.

Right behind him, though, was Lexi Samuels. Lexi was a good friend of Abby’s. She’d transferred here from Evolution’s Marketing department and was made into - like Abby - an Agent. It looked like she was not about to let him sneak, slink or skulk in without a little fanfare. 

“Ladies..!!” Lexi announced, over the first few bars of Mendelsohn’s (Fanny’s, not Felix’s) String Quartet #1, “the man you’ve all been waiting for!!!”

Already Lexi’s hand was on his right shoulder and Katie O’Rouke - who’d come in right behind her through the inauspicious side door that led to the old geriatrics practice - had her hand on his left. Flashbulbs went off immediately; this place was heavy with press. Abby hadn’t seen Katie in a while; the blonde had put on at least four inches and though she’d had implants before, her chest was now undoubtedly even bigger. Both her and Lexi looked gorgeous in their red dresses, and - with him now down to almost 4’6”, they towered over him by more than a foot-and-a-half in their heels as he cowered away from all the press of people and attention of the cameras, and backed into them. 

Truth be told though, Abby knew, more than half the crowd was beneficiaries of Program (like herself, even if to just a small extent), MM-1A’s pheromonal influence (like Katie), or in some way both (Lexi). So, just about everyone here was preternaturally impressive and unnaturally tall.

Well, nearly everyone. There were a smattering of hapless males, most on the arm of a woman. They were still, for now, at their given heights. A shame really, but at least they were made to look smaller by the tall women surrounding them. Even the ones that were still taller than their escorts seemed pale, confused and out of their element. The poor pathetic creatures looked like wilted flowers among the resplendent bounty of their partners. Likewise, aside from the Program and Product girls, there were still some “naturals”, invitees from the outside: women from the mayor’s office, female business leaders, etc. They were all done up in their party best and had been successful, to varying degrees, in not being completely overshadowed, no small feat among the Enhanced. In fact, Abby prided herself on her appearance and hadn’t had much more than the smallest dose of Program; there was a general policy at Evolution that its employees were not to be put on the full regimen. Though she had been given her dose above board, she knew many had dabbled in “Program Lite”, as they liked to call it, sneaking in a couple diluted doses swiped from the clinic in the rear building. The administrative agents planted here, too, had been given some limited access to Program so they - like Abby - would be mostly resistant to MM-1A’s influences. And then there were those like Bianca Beres from Development, or the other ladies that had just come in from Coronado: full Program and with the towering, hyper-feminine figures to prove it. 

Anyway, all eyes - enhanced or not - shot to Dr. J as he was presented to the crowd by Lexi and Katie. MM-1A - or, “Tits”, Abby’s playful nickname for her asset - hadn’t arrived yet. She’d told Abby that - ever the bimbo - she was still busy finishing up her hair. Abby, though, understood Monroe well enough by this point to guess that the girl likely wanted to make a dramatic entrance herself, and she wanted him to see the fanfare. Otherwise Dr. J could very well have made his appearance carried on her hip. 

In the end, Abby felt proud as she stood in the heart of the breathtaking atrium, a towering sanctuary dedicated to the evolution of the female race. Every inch of the grand space exuded a sense of pride and accomplishment, and Abby couldn't help but feel it wash over her. The soaring entrance, during the day bathed in natural light but now lit elegantly by the soft glow of sconces and subtle fixtures, served as a majestic gateway into this architectural marvel. It called to mind a Greek or Roman temple, modernized for a new age, w. The centerpiece of the space, of course, was the awe-inspiring thirty-five-foot-tall statue looming over them all. symbolizing the indomitable spirit of women and completing the effect. The colossus, sculpted with intricate detail in a synthetic, adaptive material which mimicked marble in appearance, depicted a powerful, ideally feminine figure, shapely to the extreme. It stood with one arm outstretched with courage and grace to point toward the far horizon. The statue, emblematic in so many ways, was a testament to the countless women who had not only fought tirelessly for equality, justice, and empowerment, but now strived for something beyond mere parity, goals even more profound: primacy, superiority, dominion. Towering high, it served as a constant reminder to anyone standing below it of the unwavering determination and resilience of women throughout history, as well as a promise of their ascendancy in the future. As Abby gazed at the statue, she couldn't help but feel a sense of connection to all the women who had come before her, and to those who would come after. In that moment, she knew that the facility, and very soon others like it, would be a beacon of hope and inspiration for generations to come. 

And if the stories she heard were true, the males that worked and lived in the basement here had started to come up to jerk off to it at night, in tribute to their Office Manager. Melissa, it seemed, was developing a following. 

Abby felt at home among this gathering of powerful women. Though she knew it was a team effort, she knew she had a key part in turning the sad little geriatrics practice into the facility it was today, and she had done her job well.  Her assignment had been to befriend Melissa, and over the course of many months gain her trust. That had allowed her the inroad to Far Horizons, under the guise of a Sales Rep, and the rest was history. The “research study”, now in the directorial hands of Gianna, had blossomed and allowed for the sham, fast-track FDA approval and, well…all this. New clinics were soon to be popping up in the Midwest, across the country and, if plans went well, around the world. She understood that there were tensions behind the scenes, that many thought the Product might be turning out to be too effective. Abby knew that rather than merely being a stepping stone in establishing a hierarchy for the new world, some feared they were creating women that could start ascending in similar ways to MM-1A, and scarier still that Monroe might have influence over some sort of new pantheon. A race of goddesses might sound great on paper, but it could prove hard to manage a world whose top deity had the IQ and education of a Hooters waitress. 

Speaking of, now was a good time. Before Melissa arrived and claimed him, Abby wanted a moment to catch up with the doctor, see how he was doing. Other girls were already starting to descend on him, from across the room. So now was her chance…

======================================

thanks to Elephantporn for the image of Abby

[rraaaannnn]

Lakers lover

third point of view

You are standing outside the party that your college held on the occasion of the victory of the famous basketball team. The team leader wanted to raise the morale of his team, which was ranked among the best teams at the college level, and celebrate its achievements, and you were one of the party’s invitees.

You were expelled after you quarreled with someone at the party. There was no reason in particular. You were angry and took your anger out on a random person. Now you have to wait for your friends to finish their fun and go out to you, but it seems that they do not go out because they are having the most fun.

''Trouble maker, I was wondering what new trouble you're going to cause to get kicked out of the party.'' The voice of the most popular woman on the basketball team, the voice of the woman who made all the college students fall in love with her, the voice of the woman who won her team championships, the voice of the woman you recently broke up with.

Huh yunjin

Now you are sitting on the sidewalk with Yunjin next to you

''So what was the reason for your quarrel this time?''

''Go talk to your friends, I don't want to talk to you.'' You say while resting your face on your hands and looking at the trees on the other side of the street

''I don't want to talk to them, I want to talk to you'' Now Yunjin rests her face on her hands, but her eyes look at you from the side

“Now you have time for me” You raise your eyebrows while your eyes look at her from the side. Now you are interacting with each other, and this is a habit you acquired from each other.

''You know I always have time for you'' Yunjin says while leaning herself next to you until you feel her shoulder touching yours. She was doing this carefully in case you would reject the touch.

“If you had time for me, I wouldn't have broken up with you in the first place.” Now you return your eyes to the trees

''You insist it's a breakup…''

''Do you think I was joking when I broke up with you?''

''You're the one who said with your mouth that it's not a breakup'' You can tell from Yunjin's tone of voice, that she is now furrowing her brows in confusion

''Yes, I told you it wasn't a breakup because you didn't have time for me anyway, so this wasn't considered a breakup for you.''

''Y/N, come on, you know…I've had a busy schedule ever since I became a basketball player.'' Yunjin says indignantly

''Yes, I'm just making it easier for you.'' You say you are bored of the same conversation that always happens between you

''This is annoying'' Yunjin now stands on her feet and hits the ground, turning back to face you and pointing her finger at you accusingly.

''You're mean!''

''You stupid'' You say while looking at her calmly, ready to respond to the insult she will throw at you

''annoying"

''red flag'' You know that Yunjin isn't like that, but since you broke up with her, you've been calling her that

''you're mine''

Very smooth, she knows how to play with your heart

''And you-Do you think I'll fall for this?''

Yunjin sighs

''So how long will it take?''

''It won't end'' You say as you stand up and look at her boredly

Your exchange of glances is interrupted by a call from Yunjin's phone. One of Yunjin's friends tells her that she has to come because the coach wants to give a thank you speech that will not leave her name out.

''I'll go…'' Yunjin says as she frowns at the thought that she's leaving you here

''It's nothing new,'' you say as your eyes roll and your hands fold

Yunjin looks at you while she wants to fix things between you, but she feels helpless, then an idea comes to her head.

She approaches and with a smirk she imitates you and fold her hands but lowers her head slightly to keep up with your height.

''I can let you enter the party again.'' Yunjin looks at you with a wide smile now.

You cross your arms and move closer to her ''really how?''

''Just stay close to me…'' Don't even take a few seconds to admire her confidently smiling lips. Her hand holds yours tightly and walks away while you walk behind her without separating your hands.

And you actually enter the party again without anyone stopping you, because no one can stop Yunjin, especially if this matter concerns you.

Yunjin in the middle of a coach's speech. After you entered the party safely and made sure that no one would kick you out, you try to go drinking with your friends, but Yunjin's hand does not let go of you, but grows stronger without hurting your hand.

''One of the rules of staying at a party is not to let go of my hand.'' She approaches your ear without looking into your eyes, just to make you hear her.

There is no escape, you continue the party with your hand in Yunjin's hand and her other hand holding her drink

You try to take a drink from the bartender so you move away a little, and Yunjin feels you drift away from her hand so she takes you back until she feels your shoulders and hers pressing against each other hard, you turn your face to hers to see her drinking as she winks at you.

She continues her conversation with one of her team members as if she had done nothing to you. You feel as if Yunjin is the ruler of the butterflies in your stomach. She can move them as she wants wherever she wants, but you remember that you broke up with her to give her a lesson, since she became a basketball player and she was busy. While you were the person who was frustrated if you went to the bathroom for a minute, she also gained popularity among people and became everyone's crush, while you were known to be the most jealous person.

''I want some drinks,'' you says out loud while you can feel her laughing out loud and then drinking

She can't finish her drink because a hand snatches it from her hand. She smiles at you as you finish her drink completely. Your lack of balance and preoccupation with finishing her drink makes Yunjin use the opportunity to get closer to her until she feels your stomach touching her abs.

''Do you like it?'' She smiles her playful smile

''What kind of drink tastes good?'' you ask her while pretending that you don't care how close she is

''Soju with Redbull, a squeeze of lemon, leftover of my lipstick, that's why it's sweet.'' You can't stop your face from smiling.

Her words, her actions, the way she don't give up on you, the way she will say the smoothest things

''I see you haven't lost your rizz skills, have you been practicing them on others?'' you said while narrowing your eyes at her.

''I can't think of saying it to anyone but you.'' The looks and tension are indescribable

You move away from her, you can see her eyes following you, but her hand does not leave your hand no matter what happens. You approach her again, loud music, but you are close to each other, even your ears are close.

''Do you want to know why you got into a fight and got kicked out?'' you say as you take another drink, looking at Yunjin and she nods as her eyes look at every part of your face.

''She said she wants to go out with you…and that she can seduce you.''

''Troublemaker, if you're jealous , why don't you stay with me?'' She smiles at every word she says

''Do you want me to prove them wrong, and that you belong to me?''

''Please be a scientist and prove your theory. I like it when you prove things,Yn'' Yunjin looks at your lips as if she knows what you're going to do.

A few seconds and the tension disappears, and your lips mix together. The taste of previous drinks appears in your kiss. Longing, jealousy, love, heat, add to the kiss.

Yunjin pulls you closer from your waist, you're a little drunk, but the kiss makes you more drunk.

You move away first, Yunjin pressing your foreheads against each other

“I hope you keep proving people wrong,” Yunjin says, panting a little

You feel a little dizzy from the drinks you drank, and kissing Yunjin also has a special effect ''I want to get out of this place''

You go out together, Yunjin still holding your hand, as you walk quietly by the trees, the night breeze soothing the air.

''Yn…'' Yunjin says stroking her hand, humming softly to her

''I got you a ticket to watch the Lakers game.'' She's looking at you softly now

''Is this really what you're saying to me after what happened a little while ago and the kiss we shared?'' you say after she stops.

''I'm sorry-I was suggesting this as a date to spend more time with you. I didn't mean to upset you. I know how you really hate me being busy, but I really want to attend the match…with you.'' Suddenly the loser Yunjin came back again.

''Yunjin, of course I'll go to the game with you, I know how important this is to you, even if you're right about being busy with me, you're a Lakers lover.''

Yunjin's face lights up. 'Does this mean we're good? I can kiss you whenever I want and call you Babe?'

You smiles while pinching her cheeks, “You are such a cutie, I will definitely come back to you.”

Yunjin hugs her tightly

''Oh how I miss you!'' Yunjin says over your shoulder

''Just so you know, I still don't like everyone crushing on you.''

''Don't worry, I'm your lover''

[dreamsfromthesandman]

IM BACKKKKK!!!!! So sorry it took so long. Time is a finicky beeotch these days. Without further ado—

Not my gif. Sorry may be kinda short but more parts to come.

My Big Fat Wedding

“Dylan! I’m home!” Y/N shouted as she walked through the front door. She was with her mom and aunts in preparation for her and Dylan’s upcoming wedding.

“Hey, how’d it go?” Dylan padded through the living room, leaving a smooch on your cheek as he walked by.

“Ugh! It’s too much. Too many aunts. Too many traditions. Too many invitee’s.” You went on. It’s not that you didn’t love your family. Its just that they were loud, in everyone’s business, and they wanted the wedding their way. Y/N already broke tradition by living with Dylan before marriage. The traditions are so old school but that’s the way your family is. One aunt wanted you to wear this family heirloom whole another wanted to take you shopping. Your mom just wanted you to be happy but insisted on certain centerpieces. It’s turning out to be a family party instead of your and Dylan’s wedding.

“Does your mom still insist on the centerpieces?” Dylan asked. He wasn’t a fan of them but didn’t want to disappoint his mother in law.

“Oh, absolutely. Aunt Beth wants me to wear the heirloom still.”

“The one with the long sleeves and high neck with no skin showing at all?”

“That’s the one. And aunt Marge wants to take me shopping for a wedding dress but I can only get a certain style.”

“Hmm. Or you could just come naked,” he stated in a deep voice that only meant one thing. He nuzzled your neck and peppered kisses along your collarbone.

“Dylan, would you stop? I’m having a existential crisis,” you laughed. His beard was tickling you.

“Hey. I could let your aunt know that I actually like the heirloom and she would and you wear it.”

Y/N stood in shock, mouth agape, “you wouldn’t dare.”

“I would,too.” He quipped. You knew he was only teasing but you could envision yourself with no skin showing on your summer day wedding and being absolutely drenched in sweat.

Later on— 2 weeks before the wedding

“Mom, I don’t know. Aunt Marge bought this dress, and while it’s not like the heirloom, I feel like I will suffocate in it.”

“Well, honey, you know the tradition. Not to much skin and aunt Marge said it’s absolutely gorgeous. Plus the alterations are pretty much done. Sweetheart, everyone will see a stunning bride,” Y/N’s mom stated. Y/N knew she was done talking about it.

“Thanks mom, you know—“ she was cut off by her mother screaming at her father at the family grocery store. The grocery store has been in the family for generations and Y/N worked there part time.

“cosa diavolo stai facendo?!” Her mother shouted. Italian for what the hell are you doing, Y/N was sure her father was climbing the shelves trying to stock them.

“mamma stai ascoltando?” Y/N asked, Italian for mom are you listening as she knew that her mom has long forgotten about their phone call.

“That was sexy,” Dylan overheard your Italian. Y/N didn’t speak it often unless she was talking with family as sometimes they would forget their English and Italian was easier for them. Being bi-lingual, it was sometimes hard to keep up with both languages especially if Dylan was around. He was Italian and knows Italian, but he didn’t practice enough. Y/N waived him off as she was attempted to get her mothers attention again.

“Mamma?”

“ti richiamerò,” and she hung up.

“Ugh, of course,” putting the phone down on the counter.

“I could hear her all the at over here,” Dylan motioned as he was on the couch, “is she calling you back later?”

“Yeah, dad was doing something he wasn’t supposed to be.”

“You speaking Italian is such a turn on babe.”

“Maybe if you practiced more we could do our vows in Italian,” you spat.

“Hey— what does that mean? conosco l'italiano,” Dylan said.

“You barely know Italian,” you stated, “ I’m sorry babe. I’m just frustrated.”

“What if we eloped?” He stated.

“Eloped? You want me to be murdered by my traditional loving family?” Y/N asked incredulously. If they found out, they would most definitely start shouting.

“amore mio,” Dylan stated, “ I love you so much. If this is causing so much stress, we can just elope and then pretend to get married on our wedding day.”

Y/N pondered the thought. It would be so much easier to elope and pretend but being dishonest would kill you on the inside. The phone rang before you could answer Dylan. Swiping the answer button you immediately heard your aunt Marge screaming.

“Y/N? It’s your aunt Marge,” she shouted.

“Hi, aunt Marge, I know, I have called ID.”

“Well, darling, I wanted to say I have your dress. Just picked it up from the alterations. You need to come try it on asap.” Y/N could tell she was driving. The horns honking at her horrible driving could only mean that she is narrowly missing other cars or people.

“These people out here don’t know how to drive,” she stated.

“Well, you know how it is.”

“When do you want to come over to try it?” She shouted again.

“Damn, I can hear her,” Dylan whispered. He was thanking his lucky stars his family wasn’t like yours. While he loved them, sometimes they are way to over the top.

Putting a hand over the speaker y/n cussed out Dylan in the most loving way.

“I’ll come over this weekend.”

“Perfect! See you then.” And she hung up.

“Does your family say goodbye or just hang up on you?”

“They just hang up.”

“Have you thought about what I said?” He asked.

“Yes I have. Maybe we should?”

Dylan sat up on the couch a little bit more, “you want to? Right now?”

“Right now? Like at the courthouse?”

It was a thought but not one Y/N thought she wanted. Eloping was one thing the courthouse was another. People would find out in this town and then her family would get wind.

“No, silly. Cmon, I’ll pull some strings and we will be back by morning,” he stated, taking his phone out of his pocket. Being a movie star had its perks you supposed. Especially with him getting more roles he had some money. Not enough to quit working but enough to love comfortably. Y/N couldn’t help but be at ease for once about this wedding.

Three hours, a white dress, a tuxedo, and a plane ride later both stood at the little chapel in Las Vegas. Y/N just stood there in her dress, looking at the handsome Dylan in awe. She couldn’t believe she was going to elope with Mr. O’Brien.

“Are we going to go in?” Dylan asked with hesitation, he felt her nervousness.

“I don’t know,” Y/N breathed, “what if someone finds out?”

“Baby, no one will find out. I love you.”

“If you promise, then we can do it.”

“I promise, no one will know but us,” he affirmed giving a soft kiss on the lips. His were warm and soft, like pillows.

A smile played on Y/Ns lips as she stood there, thinking about what she was about to do. What they were about to do. They held hands and walked inside the little chapel.

————————————————————————

Part 2?? Lemme know what yall think

[verdantcrimson]

Let's Play and Learn

Writer: Yuumasu

Season: Autumn

TL: verdantcrimson

(Unproofread)

Mitsuru: We’re heeere~! It’s the amusement park, the amusement park!

Tomoya: Hold on, Mitsuru. You aren’t a little kid anymore, don’t get all worked up about it. 

Mitsuru: Why not, why not? Everyone can have fun at an amusement park!

Mitsuru: I’ve been looking forward to this for looong time, so I’m gonna have as much fun as I can! YAHOO!

Tomoya: Wai- Don’t drag me by the arm, listen to me!

Souma: …… Today, Tenma seems more excitable than usual.

Hajime: Heheh. It’s been a while since all us four Ra*bits have gone on an outing like this.

Hajime: I think it’s because everyone from AKATSUKI is with us. Right, Nii-chan?

Nazuna: Yup. Hajime-chin, you can spend your time however you like too, kay? Relaxation is important.

Hajime: Okay!

Hajime: … Ah, Tomoya-kun and Mitsuru-kun are waving me over. It looks like they’re taking pictures with the mascots.

Kuro: Hey, Kanzaki. You go and take a picture too.

Souma: I as well?

Kuro: You’re the eldest amongst the students. That makes you their ‘big brother’. Keep an eye on the little ones and make sure they don’t tire themselves out.

Souma: I am their ‘big brother’, you say?

Souma: Leave it to me! ♪ I shall go forth, as an elder!

Keito: —Considering what you came here to accomplish, shouldn’t you be the one interacting with the kids, Kiryu?

Kuro: Uhhh…… That’s, well, I’ll get around to it eventually…

Nazuna: Ahaha! At that rate, you won’t make any progress at all, y’know~?

Keito: I agree. By the way, Nito was the one who came up with the plan for today, correct?

Nazuna: Ah, yeah. I happened to bump into Kuro-chin at the office last week, and he told me his thoughts on ‘Bogie Time’.

Nazuna: He also asked me: “How do you react entertainingly on shows like that?”

Nazuna: I gave him some advice on a few things, but ‘reacting’ isn’t a skill you can just get by listening to someone tell you how to do it, right?

Nazuna: We decided to train somewhere far removed enough from day to day life to put it into practice— Hence the special training at the amusement park.

Nazuna: Then we figured two guys hanging out on their own would be lonely, so we decided to invite our pals along! ♪ 

Keito: I can understand that much, however… Other four invitees aside, why call me? I’m not exactly the kind of person that would jump for joy at the prospect of going to an amusement park.

Kuro: With everyone else taggin’ along, wouldn’t you feel sad bein’ the only one left out?

Kuro: I didn’t want to make you feel bad, or have ya thinkin’ that I didn’t call ‘cause you’re too busy with work or somethin’.

Kuro: Havin’ ya here would make me happier too, Hasumi. Guys like us don’t tend to come to places like these often, right?

Kuro: I’m lookin’ forward to seein’ an unexpected side of ya. ♪

Keito: So, you’re expecting me to make a fool of myself? You have terrible taste. 

Keito: … But well, like you said earlier. Kanzaki seems to be happy about this.

Keito: I suppose you’ll need a reliable adult around. Don’t you appreciate that, Kiryu?

Kuro: ‘Course. I’m always appreciative of ya, Hasumi danna……♪

Keito: Hmph… Now that I’m here, I’ll make certain you accomplish your goals.

Keito: According to the pamphlet, the attractions that would be best for training your reactions are…… The haunted house, log flume, rollercoaster, as well as the—

Kuro: Ugh. Could we skip the rollercoaster and other swingy stuff? You already know I’m not a rides guy.

Nazuna: Then, how about this one? It’s an attraction where you can have fun talking to the crew.

Nazuna: Since you can’t predict what people are going to say next, it’ll be perfect for upgrading your adlib power. ♪

Souma: …… One and all, how long do you intend to keep conversing for?

Souma: T’would be a shame to waste away our time for naught. I wish for our senpai to enjoy the amusement park alongside us as well.

Kuro: Whoops. Sorry Kanzaki.

Kuro: You’re right. Even if I’m avoidin’ the rides, I’m sure I’ll be able to learn somethin’ from all the other attractions.

Kuro: Alright, shall we go and have some fun together? ♪

[A few hours later]

Nazuna: … Oh, I’ve got a call from Hajime-chin.

Nazuna: Hello? Were you able to buy the churros?

Nazuna: Uhuh. Yup, yup. …… Got it, you can take your time. Seeya.

Nazuna: Turns out the line ended up being surprisingly long, so it’ll take them some time to get back.

Kuro: I see. Honestly, that’s kind of a relief. They were constantly draggin’ me all over the place.

Keito: Yes. The amount of walking around they did was quite surprising.

Nazuna: Both of you look exhausted~. Feels like you’re two dads on vacation! ♪

Nazuna: But I’m impressed, ‘cause Kuro-chin still seriously practiced his reaction expressions.

Kuro: ‘Course I’d take it seriously. Otherwise there’d be no point in comin’ here.

Keito: Even so, doesn’t embarrassment tend to win out for most? You put in so much effort to act horrified at the haunted house, that you managed to horrify the ghosts—

Keito: And when you asked the mascot character for an autograph, It was like you were threatening him. You took it so seriously that it was almost comical. In some ways, this has been a learning experience for me as well.

Kuro: Haha. Comical, huh? Can’t tell if I’m bein’ praised or degraded here.

Kuro: So now, let’s have a look what other attractions there are……

Mitsuru: —Then, how’s this?

Nazuna: Oh, you guys are back. …Hm? What’s that?

Mitsuru: A horned headband! It glows in the dark! I bought one for everyone so we could remember our amusement park trip! ☆

Kuro: You want me to wear that and walk around? Nah, I couldn’t. I mean, obviously…… It just wouldn’t suit me.

Mitsuru: Eeeh? I expected a happier reaction! You might have to wear even sillier outfits when you go on variety shows, don’tcha think?

Mitsuru: If wearing a headband makes you feel embarrassed, you’re not gonna be able to do anything!

Kuro: But…

Mitsuru: Now’s my chance!

Kuro: Yipes. Close call… I almost got a headband put on me.

Mitsuru: You dodged!? If you had stayed put for just a little longer, I would’ve had it! Bummer!

Nazuna: ……Oh. Kuro-chin, Kuro-chin, wouldn’t this also work as training your reaction skills?

Kuro: Huuh? Whaddya mean?

Nazuna: Liiike this! —Hiiyah! ☆

Kuro: Woah! Nito, not you too!

Nazuna: Darn it~! Tomoya-chin, Hajime-chin, come on! Let’s join forces and put this headband on him!

Tomoya & Hajime: Got it! 

Kuro: Hey now, how’s a 4v1 even fair…?

Souma: Indeed, it seems as though Kiryu-dono is also enjoying himself whilst frolicking around in such a manner. I shall cheer for you as well…♪

Kuro: I don’t need you cheerin’, help m—

Kuro: …No. I ain’t gonna make a peep. If I start complainin’ now, I’ll lose my dignity as a man.

Kuro: Bring it, rabbits. I’ll take ya all on…!

Souma: Hehe. As one would expect of Kiryu-dono, he fights a solitary battle. ♪

Souma: ……By the by, Hasumi-dono. In this particular circumstance, what exactly would qualify Kiryu-dono as the victor?

Keito: No clue.

[somedaylazysomeday]

Good Intentions Part Nineteen

Another event, another fancy outfit, and a surprise.

Silco x fem!reader

Rating: Explicit. Minors, please do not interact.

Word Count: 4,800

Warnings: Ongoing references to sex as a form of payment, references to poverty, mentions of pollution and addiction, mentions of alcohol, fingering, unprotected sex, intercrural sex

Previous | Next | Masterlist

---

There were many parts about running a charitable outreach that surprised you. From the sheer amount of paperwork to the fact that too many donations could be a bad thing, this life was full of unexpected twists. 

The twist that occupied your mind the most at the current moment was how you were expected to have outfits for formal occasions. A lot of your life was spent doing dirty work or cleaning up messes - literal and figurative. That didn’t translate well to high heels and tailored outfits. 

But special occasions required appropriate outfits, and the grand opening of Jazper’s apartment complex was a very special occasion indeed.

The complex - one Jazper had named Stonesea - was beautiful. You had toured the apartments and found them spacious and well-designed. There were rooms for meetings and community gatherings both inside the building and out, on screened-in balconies overlooking the Lanes. 

The massive structure was built in a square, surrounding a protected courtyard. Jazper had explained that he brought in a botanist from Piltover to design the courtyard's gardens. They had worked together to curate a selection of plants that purified the air and dirt without requiring a lot of sunlight. 

The majority of the day’s celebration was to take place in that courtyard. At the moment, the crowd was standing outside of Stonesea, waiting for Jazper to cut the ribbon bound across the front entrance. But when everyone did enter, the courtyard was stocked and staffed, ready to serve a light lunch to all invitees and new residents. 

At first, you had been wary, concerned that the people there would close themselves away and become a shut-in society, frightened of the Undercity outside. But Jazper had considered that as well. One day a week, on a rotating day, local shop owners would be invited into the courtyard for a small specialty market. Or on days when the air was clean, they could hold the market on the street outside. 

Not every apartment had been filled, but the building was rapidly working toward full occupancy. Many of the residents were people who had either been through the Haven or knew people who had been. All of them were aware that there was a zero-tolerance policy toward Shimmer possession or use inside Stonesea. 

You and Jazper both knew that the Shimmer ban was unlikely to be enforced. There wasn’t much he could do about a resident using Shimmer, not unless they damaged the property or harmed another resident. But it was the appearance of the ban that was the most important. 

A year ago, openly refusing to allow anyone to use Shimmer on the property would be seen as an act of outright aggression against Silco. Stonesea would have been avoided by anyone with half a brain, fearing the repercussions that the chem baron would bring down on Jazper and his business. 

The Undercity was changing, though. You had to admit that Silco had played the game masterfully. Most of the work had been done by you and others like you, but he was seen as indulging the small neighborhood around the Haven, and even people who worked for him thought Silco only let you continue your work because the futility of it amused him. 

In any case, residents seemed to take their promise to avoid Shimmer seriously. And that, more than anything, gave you hope. If enough people made a pact to keep Stonesea Shimmer-free, it would reduce the chances of anyone bringing the drug in. If there were enough people who decided to keep Shimmer use out of the neighborhood, maybe it could stand even without Silco’s manipulation of the drug market. 

Not that you had any plans of ending your deal. No, Silco had dropped several hints that your deal would not be broken without bloodshed and death. That probably should have bothered you more, but all you could really think about was that you had an excuse to keep being around him. 

And that bothered you. 

You let yourself be distracted from your snarled thoughts by a technician walking across the front of Stonesea and testing the microphone that had been set up there. Electronics tended to suffer in the Undercity’s atmosphere, but it seemed to be working when he beckoned across the space. 

Jazper half-jogged over to the microphone and was met with a smattering of applause. You cheered as loud as you could, and were rewarded with a beaming smile from him. “Hello, everyone! Thanks for coming to the grand opening of Stonesea. I’ve had the pleasure of opening several buildings, but this is the first one I’ve made in– in this area.” 

You grimaced at the slip - Piltover architects, like anything else from Piltover - weren’t especially welcomed in the Undercity. But no one seemed to take offense, letting Jazper continue his speech. 

“I hope to bring comforts and useful amenities to the people who choose to make Stonesea their home,” Jazper continued. “And I hope to be as helpful to the neighborhood as you all have been to me. I will proudly say that this is the most excited I’ve been about an apartment complex since my first one. I can’t wait to show you all what we’ve been working on.” 

Jazper accepted an oversized pair of scissors from the same technician who had set up the microphone. “Welcome to Stonesea.” 

He sliced through the ribbon in a decisive snip, gesturing people inside before the halves had fluttered to a rest against the sides of the entranceway. The technician scarcely managed to snatch the microphone and stand out of the way before people began to pour into the building. 

You let the rest of the crowd go first. You had seen Stonesea in various stages of being built and finished, so it only seemed right to let other people see it before you did. When you trailed in at the back of the group, you couldn’t help but smile. The courtyard looked stunning, of course. It always did. The air felt fresher, though you were mostly certain that was a trick of the mind. 

No, you couldn’t help melting a bit at the reaction of the Undercity residents. The crowd had been made up of local business owners and a few of Jazper’s associates, but it also held a considerable number of ordinary people. Some of them were the future Stonesea residents, but others had heard the promise of a free lunch or were simply curious. They stared around in open-mouthed awe, more than one stroking the leaves of the foliage with something approaching reverence. 

Jazper told you that Stonesea was designed at roughly the same level of decoration as his Piltover apartment complexes were, just with different materials to lower cost and protect against the dangerous air of the Lanes. But as far as the residents were concerned, it could be the finest place they had ever been, on par with a Piltover mansion. 

It reminded you what you were working toward, and you were filled with a quiet contentment as you wandered around talking to people. 

When Jazper tapped you on the shoulder, you turned around and immediately offered your beaming congratulations. “It’s perfect, Jazper! I’ve already heard half a dozen people talk about applying to live here. With the amenities and the rent cap, you’ve built the perfect place for the Lanes.” 

“Thank you, thank you,” Jazper said, offering a playful half-bow. “But maybe you should save some of those congratulations for yourself. Or at least for both of us.” 

“I’m… sorry?” you asked, at a loss for what that could mean. 

“If you’ll follow me to the Innovation meeting room?” Jazper requested, holding out an arm as he indicated for you to lead the way. 

Fortunately, you knew Stonesea’s layout well enough to do exactly that. You arrived at the meeting room in record time - your eagerness to know what Jazper had meant made you walk even faster than usual. 

When you were in the room with the door closed behind you, Jazper turned to you with boyish excitement. “Do you know where you’re standing right now?” 

You tilted your head slightly. “The Innovation meeting room.” 

“No! Well, yes, but the important thing is what will be happening here in only a month.” Jazper’s eyes sparkled as you leaned in as if to encourage him. “In one month, Stonesea will host the very first meeting of the Undercity Innovation Committee, right here in the Innovation room.” 

“The Undercity Innovation Committee?” you repeated slowly, trying to guess at the purpose behind the too-pleasant name. “What is that?” 

“That is a group of like-minded business owners who are finally becoming aware of the untapped market of the Undercity,” Jazper told you. “Limited to those who have businesses or organizations in the Undercity and operate them with an eye toward improving the lives of Undercity citizens.” 

“Those will be small meetings,” you said with a smirk. It disappeared when Jazper’s grin widened. “Unless-?” 

“Yes!” Jazper was positively beaming. “After seeing how fast Stonesea filled and the tax breaks the city gave us for building here, I have a few colleagues who have bought buildings in the Lanes. They’re all set to break ground on new businesses within the next month.” 

Your jaw was starting to ache with the breadth of your smile. “That’s- Jazper, that’s incredible! What kind of businesses?” 

“They span a few different industries,” he explained. “One will be a grocer, hiring people for shipping, transport, and store staffing. There will be another apartment complex mirroring Stonesea’s business model, which will offer housing and train staff. A mechanic’s shop, looking to train a group of apprentices on repairing most common appliances and sending them to fix things across both cities-” 

You laughed loudly enough to interrupt Jazper, but he didn’t seem to mind. “That will be… I can’t even begin to think about how many lives that will change. Jazper! I don’t want to get too eager, but it’s starting to feel like we can really do this! We can change the Undercity!” 

“I know,” he said, resting a hand on your shoulder. “I’m trying not to get excited too soon, but it finally seems like we’re getting somewhere. It’s exciting! And, of course, everyone wants for you to be part of the Undercity Innovation Committee.” 

“Me?” you asked, trying to blink away the tears that rose. “The Haven isn’t a business, not really…” 

“But it’s what started all of this,” Jazper countered. “Having proof that there were some Undercity citizens not addicted to Shimmer was what gave me the confidence to start working on Stonesea. If anyone deserves a place on the committee, it’s you.” 

You nodded shakily, not trusting your voice enough to say anything aloud. Jazper seemed to understand, offering a sympathetic smile and nodding toward the door. “Come on, let's go enjoy the party.” 

And you did, eating and chatting and basking in the growing feeling of community until you had to leave. Unfortunately, your next meeting with Silco had fallen on that day. 

If you were being honest, that made you slightly nervous. If you and Jazper could sense the tide turning against a Shimmer-obsessed society, surely Silco could, too. He had told you openly that his funding came from sources other than Shimmer sales, but you suspected that he couldn't be happy about the changes. 

Still, he would be even less happy if you missed your appointment, so you made your way to The Last Drop in the early afternoon. The building was as empty as you had expected it to be, and you went directly upstairs to Silco's office. 

“Hello, pet,” was the greeting you received. Other than the nickname, it was as mildly pleasant as you would have expected with any business associate, and it put you more at ease.

“Hello,” you greeted in return. After a moment observing his desk, you asked, “Paperwork?” 

Silco glanced from you to the haphazard scatter of papers across his desk. A wry look crossed his face. “Indeed. It is never ending, as you well know.” 

You nodded in commiseration, though you were seized by a sense of strangeness. You and Silco did many things together, but exchanging pleasantries was not among them. 

“Fortunately, I have far more pleasant activities with which to distract myself,” Silco said, replacing his pen in its holder. “You're looking well, my little philanthropist. Special occasion?” 

You had changed out of your celebration outfit, but he could apparently still see the care you had taken with your appearance that morning. You lifted one shoulder in a shrug you hoped came off as carefree. “Just trying something different.” 

He gave an enigmatic hum at that, but didn't reply. Instead, he swiveled in his chair, looking up at the window behind his desk. “Join me.” 

It was a request rather than an order, and that enticed you to comply from sheer curiosity. When you got to the window, standing beside his chair, you didn’t see anything you hadn’t expected to. The street outside held a few people, but not many. The neon signs across the way were unlit, and the gray stone of the Undercity stretched away in every direction. 

But the look on Silco’s face was almost blissful, so you looked again. 

The people on the street weren’t rushing nervously, they were greeting each other and falling into occasional conversations. The signs were dark because the sky was lighter than it typically was, murky sunlight illuminating the Lanes. From The Last Drop, you could see a lot of the surrounding neighborhood and were struck by the idea of Silco’s watchful eye keeping guard on his people. 

“It’s wonderful,” you admitted, surprised that you honestly thought it was. 

“It is,” Silco agreed. “I wish everyone could see Zaun as I do. As we do. I well remember our conversation about it being unfinished. We have far to travel if we are to build the Zaun our people deserve, but I believe it is important to appreciate the wonderful moments.”

“Our people?” you repeated before you could fight the question back. 

Silco gave you a sidelong look, seeming more than a little amused by your question. “Yes, our people. Do you think I have missed the work you have done for Zaun?” 

Guilt twisted in your stomach. “I don’t-”

“And I am hardly the only one to see it,” Silco interrupted. “Is that not why Jazper invited you to the grand opening of his venture?” 

“Stonesea is close to the Haven,” you pointed out. “It would be awkward if he didn’t invite me.” 

“Perhaps,” he agreed, shifting his weight. That tiny motion closed the gap between you, pressing his arm against yours. “But he shared the news of Zaun’s upcoming growth with you. Surely that implies more than a professional courtesy.” 

You turned to him, eyebrows flying upward. “You know?” 

Silco smiled. “Of course. I know every important development in Zaun, and especially those that impact this neighborhood. Did you think I would overlook it?” 

“I- You never-” You took a quick breath the reset your snarled thoughts. “I was unaware you were so well-informed.”

He chuckled. “Then your subtlety was an attempt to hide the new businesses coming to the Lanes? My dear, you are vastly entertaining when you underestimate me.” 

You rolled your eyes. “Yet I consistently underestimate your ego.” 

“Mmm, foolish,” Silco agreed, leaning over to nose along the line of your jaw. It made you shiver, but he only pressed closer. “An ego fit for a king. You would do well to keep up.” 

Your mouth opened and you started to ask how he meant it - was Silco telling you to remember that his ego was a force to be reckoned with, or did he want you to grow a similar ego? - but his lips pressed to the side of your neck, followed by the sharp sting of his teeth. With your mouth already open, you had no hope of containing the gasp that escaped you. 

Silco’s mouth stayed on your neck even as he began to nudge you, guiding you steadily toward the window. You went willingly enough, letting his pose you with your hands braced against the window - one on the frame and the other on the window itself. When he had you where he wanted you, he turned his attention to other things, stripping you of your clothing with quick, efficient movements. 

“Look at it, pet,” Silco purred in your ear. He pressed himself to your back, and you could feel every bit of him against your bare curves. His hands slipped around you, one cradling your breast while the other worked steadily down your stomach and toward your mound. “Look at Zaun. We have far to go, but look what we have built so far.” 

“I’m not sure-” 

That was as far as you got before Silco’s fingers delved between your legs, parting your folds and stroking between them with steady, inexorable motions. You gaped at the window, staring blankly at the street beyond the glass panes as your world narrowed to one of feelings rather than sight. 

“No matter,” Silco continued. “I am certain enough for the both of us.” 

You had lost the thread of the conversation, but you didn’t mind - especially when one of Silco’s long fingers steadily worked its way inside of you. His thumb strummed at your clit, his other hand playing between your breasts as you tried to guess at where the sensations would stem from next. It was difficult, which kept you poised on the edge of uncertainty. All you could do was feel. 

There was no way to track the passing time, but you were grinding against Silco’s hand by the time he finally drew away from you. If he had told you that you were dripping onto the floor, you wouldn’t have been surprised. 

You whined as his hands disappeared from you entirely. Silco tutted behind you. “Patience, lovely, patience. Take in the wonders of Zaun from your vantage point while you wait. I will not be long.”

The glass panes of the window were fogged, outlining the shape of your palm and spread fingers. “Silco, please. Whatever you’re doing, hurry.” 

“‘Whatever I am doing’,” Silco repeated, tone full of teasing that you were too keyed-up to appreciate. “With minor effort, I am certain you could work out what I am doing.”

It was true - you could hear the rustle of clothing and myriad other sounds of a person getting undressed. “I was commenting on how long it’s taking. Even you don’t have that many buttons on your clothes.” 

Silco chuckled. “Untrue. I have articles of clothing with more fastenings than you could imagine. I simply did not realize that ease of access would be such a vital part of choosing my outfit for the day.” 

“Never-” You had to stop and swallow before your tongue would cooperate enough to form words. “Never thought I would be able to accuse you of not planning ahead.”

Silco hummed at that. “You must rob me of my ability to think clearly.” 

You would have rolled your eyes at the overly complimentary nature of that comment, but Silco plastered himself against your back. His pelvis pressed flush against your ass. You could feel his length pressing against you, perfectly aligned with you.

Whatever he said, it was obvious that Silco was the one who kept you from thinking clearly, not the other way around. 

You canted your hips and pressed yourself backward toward him. With the angle you had chosen, he could feel every drop that his earlier ministrations had wreaked on you. 

Silco's jaw clenched - you could hear his teeth clicking together beside your ear. You grinned as you amended your earlier opinion - maybe you and Silco wrecked each other's concentration. That made you feel better, even if it seemed bad for the safety of the Undercity. 

“Are you ready, pet?” Silco asked, his voice filled with more grit than you could remember hearing it hold. 

You laughed, glancing back over your shoulder to find him looking almost irritated. “Are you serious? Can you not feel the answer?” 

“My good manners are wasted on you,” Silco lamented. 

Your mouth was opening around a sarcastic reply when Silco pulled his hips back the slightest bit. The small movement notched the head of him at your entrance, and he thrust forward in the next second. He rammed into you at top speed, not giving you any chance of adjusting to the intrusion. 

With your lips already parted, you had no chance of holding back the desperate sound that he pushed out of you. It bounced off the window, echoing back loud and strangely flat. You could clearly hear Silco’s chuckle, likely because he was standing with the sharp point of his chin hooked over your shoulder. 

“Good girl, letting me hear you so clearly,” he commented. “I think we can keep it going, hmm?” 

The instant his hands closed around your hips, Silco was pushing further into you. Your stance widened, both to keep your balance and to give him better access to you. It would have been easier to lean forward into the window - that would have left him plenty of space. But with the way his grip was biting into your skin, you had a feeling he wasn’t going to let you go that far. 

A cruel little punch of his hips made him bottom out inside of you, and you felt the length of him buried in your heat so deeply that you would almost swear he was a part of you. 

You gasped, pulling one hand away from the window grame. Your intention had been to place it against your lower belly, to see if you could feel him from outside of your body. Before you could pull away from the frame, Silco’s hand lashed out, grabbing yours and pressing it back where it had been.

“Stay still,” he ordered, voice like velvet. “You are utter perfection here, like this.” 

You nodded, but he didn’t move his hand. Instead, it stayed covering yours as he began to move. That first time he withdrew from the depths of you sent shivers over your entire body, and your eyes fluttered shut with the feeling. 

“I know, pet - it is overwhelming.” Silco kissed the side of your neck, the quick flash of his tongue against your skin making you suck in a breath. “Yet I cannot help but admire the view.” 

You managed to open your eyes just enough to see the window in front of you beyond the reflections of Silco’s office. It was an enthralling view…. But you also realized that the gray light falling through the glass panes illuminated your body, gilding it enough to be visible from Silco’s perspective. 

Even as you watched, Silco moved his hand from your hip, stroking it downward from between your breasts to the apex of your thighs. He parted you deftly as you watched breathlessly in the reflection of the scene. He found your clit with ease, giving it a leisurely stroke as your head tipped back to rest on his shoulder.

When those fingers left you, they simply drifted backward to tease along your folds. The stimulation there was nice, but the pleasure was muted and tickling. It was only when you shifted your weight unhappily that you realized Silco was teasing the base of his own cock. 

The selfishness of that should have irritated you - or at least exasperated you - but you found it intensely compelling instead. To be used for his pleasure was a humbling thing, but you found that your walls gripped him a little tighter. 

Silco hissed at the contraction of your body around him. “Are you close, dearest?” 

You thought about that for a moment. You were, in fact, so you nodded, leaving the rest of the explanation to fade into the recesses of your pleasure-soaked brain. 

“Good.” Silco’s voice was slightly unsteady, and you didn’t think it was due only to the harsh desperation of his thrusting. “Let’s get you over the edge.” 

His fingertips teased back up, traveling over folds and tracing the lips of you until he found that utterly devastating cluster of nerves. Rather than continue his teasing, Silco stroked your clit mercilessly. You were left gasping and twisting in his arms, sobbing out your pleasure before you even knew that your orgasm was getting closer. 

Silco continued to push in and out of you, his fingers toying with your clit until you were standing slack in his arms. When he did release you, it was only to alter your stance until your feet were closer together. A few strokes in your sensitive channel, then he withdrew with a sharp groan. 

It took a moment to process what he was doing, but you eventually caught on - Silco was pressing his throbbing length in the scant gap he had created between your thighs. 

He fucked into that tight space furiously, tipping you forward with it. Your hands against the window and his arm looped around your waist were the only things keeping you standing when he grunted, thrusting forward with all of his strength. 

Hot cum dripped down your inner thighs a moment later, and you could only be grateful that Silco had removed your pants entirely instead of leaving them to shackle your ankles. 

You slumped against the window, uncaring at the moment that you were naked as you stood watching the not-empty street. You had long since noticed that everyone was too scared of Silco to stare up at his window, so there was a reasonable chance for privacy. In any case, there were good odds that you wouldn’t make it anywhere else in the office. Even the thick slide of Silco’s softening cock out from between your thighs left your knees trembling. 

“Give me a moment to catch my breath and I’ll help you clean up.” 

The offer made you feel a little better - at least you weren’t the only one who had been affected by your session. 

By the time your heart rate and breathing had slowed to a normal pace, a soft handkerchief was smoothing wetness from the insides of your thighs. You were still facing away from Silco, which was the only reason you managed to force the question from your lips: 

“How much of that did you mean?” 

Silco didn’t ask you to elaborate. Instead, the silence turned thoughtful as he wiped the last traces of himself from your skin. “I’ve never considered myself royalty. A leader of Zaun, perhaps, but nothing so authoritarian as a king.” 

“Glad to hear it.” You glanced around, quickly locating your clothes in a neat little stack. 

With a chuckle, Silco asked, “And what does that mean, pet? You think I would be a poor king?” 

“I don’t think Zaun needs a king.” You stopped short, startled at how natural that had felt to say. When had you started thinking of the Undercity as ‘Zaun’? Or was that true at all? It could have been a slip after hearing Silco say it so often. More importantly, when did you start thinking about what would be best for a potential country that didn’t yet exist - that might never exist?

Silco hummed understandingly. “And that is why I believe you could also be another leader for Zaun. You have shown a remarkable understanding for what she needs.” 

“I don’t agree with that,” you told him, dressing yourself with motions that felt stiff and unnatural. 

“Perhaps not,” he conceded, “but that doesn’t mean it is untrue. You care for Zaun - it is evident in how you care for her people at their most desperate. In our first session, you argued with a dangerous man to help a random addict living on the street. If I am not mistaken, you offered him your own lunch.” 

“Maybe I just knew I didn’t like you.” You tossed the insult out with bated breath, but Silco only smirked. 

“You had not yet seen me. You simply could not bear the idea of leaving someone homeless and helpless, at the mercy of the streets.” His smirk softened into something that was almost a smile. “Do not be offended, pet. It was a sign of your dedication to the people of Zaun, proven later when you made a deal with me on their behalf.” 

It wasn’t quite an accurate portrayal of events, but you didn’t want to argue with him. Not when he was implying that your meeting and eventual deal had been on purpose. Besides, you were fully dressed and had other places to be. 

Well, you didn’t, but you would find or invent them. 

“Speaking of our deal,” you redirected, “I’ll see you in two weeks.” 

“Of course, pet,” Silco agreed, inclining his head. “As always, I look forward to it.”

---

Author's Note - And we're back! Thank you all for your patience during my Fanfic February hiatus.

Good news: I reread this story from the beginning and was able to plot out the rest of it. I know myself well enough not to reveal my estimate of how many chapters are left because then I'll write dramatically too much and mess up my count. Suffice it to say that we still have plenty of story left, but I hope to post a chapter a month until it's over. No more hiatuses.

As always, I would adore your feedback. Thank you for reading and I'll see you next month!

[eeveleon]

For the kiss prompt: can you please do Shikatema #9?

wow yes of course i can do this prompt for you!! thank you for the ask :DDD

Kiss Prompt #9: ...in public (catch the full version of this on AO3 as part of shikatemamonth24 ;))

Temari was almost too comfortable to move. 

They were lying on top of the covers, her back to his chest, Shikamaru’s arms around her waist.

She hadn’t let him use the blanket because then he would fall asleep immediately, and they had to get up to go soon. Not that it had helped much - from the sound of his breathing, she was pretty sure he was fast asleep.

Temari elbowed his stomach. “You have five minutes to get up.” 

“That’s five minutes of more sleep I could have gotten before you so kindly decided to wake me.”

“Four minutes.” She elbowed him again, harder.

He grumbled, tightening his grip around her and pushing his face deeper into her hair. 

He had been that way since they left the Hokage Tower, practically booking it to his apartment to collapse in his extra-plush bed. And stretched out next to Shikamaru, Temari could practically feel the tension and soreness melt away from her shoulders and neck. Who knew that even after years of carrying a giant fan on her back, an office desk could still cause a whole different kind of ache. 

Though Temari wasn't exactly upset about the extra minutes of rest. She would need her energy for a dinner later with the entire Konoha Rookie class.

Behind her, Shikamaru finally got up with a loud groan. Unlike her, he had immediately stripped himself of his jounin fatigues and now had to shake them out from their pile on the floor.

She slid off the bed. “If it’s just dinner, why are you getting dressed in your uniform?” She asked, picking a stray thread off his shoulder. 

Shikamaru finished adjusting his flak vest. “It’s a drag, but I can get called away anytime. It’s happened before.”

Temari leaned against his dresser, silently watching him check the pockets of his vest and pouch. She felt a surge of pride as he made sure his uniform was neat and proper. Shikamaru had definitely come a long way from the lazy fourteen-year-old who never washed his chuunin vest. He had a much more important role in the village now, and the care he was putting into his appearance, even for the off chance that he was summoned, showed that he knew it and was taking responsibility for it. 

It was so hot, she was having trouble keeping her hands to herself. 

Temari wiped her hands on her thighs. “Do they know I’m coming?” She asked, trying to distract herself.

“I let Chouji and Naruto know, so I’m sure they told the others.” 

She nodded, even though he still wasn’t looking at her. “Do they know... anything else?”

His eyes, dark and unfathomable, pierced through hers in the mirror. “You know they don’t. No one does.”

Temari only nodded, and again busied her hands by reapplying her lipstick and tightening her pigtails. If they didn’t leave now, they were definitely going to be late. 

Shikamaru seemed to read her mind, because he pulled her away from the dresser, looking her up and down. 

“You look good.” He said, his hand trailing up her arm. 

Temari huffed, looking away. “So do you.”

He leaned in, thoughts on something other than dinner, and his breath skimmed over her cheeks before she stopped him, her hand over his mouth.

“But unfortunately for you, my lipstick stains and we’re supposed to see your friends in ten minutes.”

He sighed, an exaggeratedly forlorn look crossing his face. “Troublesome….”

---

They got to the restaurant the same time as half of the other invitees, and in the flurry of greetings, no one noticed that they arrived together, standing a little closer than professional.

Chouji was friends with the owner - a distant relative - and the restaurant had arranged a long table near the far side for their large group. They were all quickly seated, and the waiter took down their flurry of food and drink orders with great experience.

The night went smoothly, until about halfway through.

“Nara-san!”

Temari looked up from her dinner to see a uniformed Chuunin rush into the restaurant. He stopped next to her boyfriend and handed him a folded piece of paper. 

“Thank you.” Shikamaru said as he quickly read it. 

He took out a pencil and added his own part to the message, then turned to give it back to the Chuunin. “Take this to the guards at the northern gate. Let them know I’ll be sending more orders soon.”

Temari really liked watching him get into his Commander-mode. His voice would lose its lethargic drawl and his eyes became sharper and more focused. It was so attractive every time - she didn’t think she would ever get tired of it. 

“Yes, sir!” 

The Chuunin shot out the door, back to his post. Shikamaru took a last swig of his drink. “Sorry, guys. Gotta go.” He apologized with a shrug.

He was met with half-hearted groans and complaints from his friends. They were used to his frequent summonings interrupting their hang-outs. 

Temari watched as he took out more than enough cash to cover his and another’s meal. She almost rolled her eyes.

Shikamaru stood up and leaned over, a hand on the back of her chair. “I’ll see you later.” He murmured, and Temari instinctively turned her head to meet him in a quick, soft kiss. 

“Bye.” She gave him a small smile as he squeezed her shoulder lightly. 

She watched him leave before going back to her food. He already paid, so at least one of them should finish eating. 

Temari then became aware of the overwhelming silence at the table. She looked up to see all of Konoha’s brightest generation staring at her. Feeling suddenly self-conscious - and missing the usual presence at her side - she asked carefully. “...What?”

No one said anything at first, until Kiba let out a slow whistle, and Temari noticed smiling and snickering start around the table. “What?” She asked again, more annoyed. 

Tenten leaned forward. “You just kissed Shikamaru.” She stated pragmatically. 

Temari scowled at her, about to reject her ridiculous claim, until the realization hit. Her grip on her chopsticks loosened, and she felt her face heat up. 

She and Shikamaru had kissed each other - on the lips - in front of everyone.

Ino burst out into laughter. “Of all the ways to slip up! And you two are supposed to be the smart ones here.”

So much for being lowkey. 

[littlest-w01f]

Acotargiftexchange Masterlist

For @acotargiftexchange

And for my lovely recipient @cinmawrites

ACOTAR MASTERLIST

Summary:

After interning at Starfall Publishing House for the last year, Feyre Archeron was set for a job straight out of college. A future in business wasn't something Feyre had planned, but it paid well, and it did help that her boss at Starfall Publishing House was a sight for sore eyes.

After a referral through his cousin, Rhysand has had his eyes set on the new intern since the moment she started working.

Part one - Crushing

Part Two - Double Life

Part Three - Window Shopping

Part Four - Artistic

Part Five - Invitees

Part Six - Ballroom

Part Seven - Playful

Moodboards

Hope you enjoy @cinmawrites <33

[mariacallous]

Guests are paying millions of dollars to dine and meet with President Donald Trump at special events held at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida.

Business leaders can secure a one-on-one meeting with the president at Mar-a-Lago for $5 million, according to sources with direct knowledge of the meetings. At a so-called candlelight dinner held as recently as this past Saturday, prospective Mar-a-Lago guests were asked to spend $1 million to reserve a seat, according to an invitation obtained by WIRED.

“You are invited to a candlelight dinner featuring special guest President Donald J. Trump,” the invitation reads, under a “MAGA INC.” header. MAGA Inc., or Make America Great Again Inc., is a super PAC that supported Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign. “Additional details provided upon RSVP. RSVPs will be accommodated on a first come, first serve basis. Space is very limited. $1,000,000 per person.”

Invitees were asked to RSVP to Meredith O’Rourke, who served as national finance director and senior adviser at Donald J. Trump for President 2024, a campaign committee, and who is the owner of The O’Rourke Group, which O’Rourke describes on her LinkedIn page as a “Republican political fundraiser.” Invitees were also directed to email Abby Mathis, the finance coordinator at MAGA Inc. Mathis was previously a staff assistant for Senator Tommy Tuberville of Alabama—a former Auburn University football coach—and also served as an intern at the White House office of the staff secretary, according to LegiStorm, a research organization that posts information on politicians and their staffers.

O’Rourke and Mathis did not immediately respond to a request for comment, nor did the White House.

The invitation specifically states that “Donald J. Trump is appearing at this event only as a featured speaker, and is not asking for funds or donations.” The event occurred at 7 pm on March 1 and was listed on the president’s official schedule as the “MAGA INC. Candlelight Finance Dinner.” This is the only event by that name on Trump’s official schedule since he took office.

Michael Solakiewicz, a pro-Trump digital creator, posted photographs of the event on Instagram. WIRED has also viewed photographs and videos of Elon Musk with his son X at Mar-a-Lago the following day during a charity event hosted by a group called Wine Women & Shoes that also featured Trump.

“It’s everyone else who missed the boat,” a Trumpworld source with knowledge of the meetings says, referring to latecomers to the Trump agenda. The source pointed specifically to the tech sector, where executives have scrambled to show fealty to the new administration. While X owner Elon Musk notably spent at least $260 million to elect Trump, other tech companies and executives collectively donated millions to Trump’s inauguration fund: Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Amazon executive chairman Jeff Bezos, Meta, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Uber, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, Apple CEO Tim Cook, and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman all donated $1 million each.

The $5 million one-on-one meetings have become a “hot ticket” in the business community, says a source familiar with them.

It’s unclear where the money is going and what it will be used for, but one source with direct knowledge of the dinners said “it’s all going to the library,” as in the presidential library that will ostensibly be built once Trump leaves office. MAGA Inc spent over $450 million to elect Trump in 2024, though Trump is not legally permitted to run for a third presidential term in 2028.

So-called candlelight dinners offering access to the president are known to have been held prior to Trump’s inauguration, but have not previously been reported to have occurred while he is in office. (Trump did, however, appear at a number of other fundraising events during his first term.) Most recently, The Washington Post reported that such candlelight dinners were held on December 19 and January 19—the night before Trump’s presidential inauguration—for the cost of $1 million per attendee. Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner attended the January 19 event. In the lead-up to Trump’s 2016 inauguration, donors who spent seven figures could secure eight tickets to a candlelight dinner, according to a Washington Post report at the time.

While previous second-term presidents have held fundraisers for their parties, the nature, timing, location, and price tag of Trump’s dinner all raise flags for experts.

“I can’t recall a sitting president in the first weeks of his administration asking for millions of dollars in fundraising,” says Don Moynihan, a professor of public policy at the University of Michigan. “The concern is less about fundraising and more about access and influence … People hoping to get favorable treatment view it in their interest to donate money to Trump.”

“Part of what is worrying,” Moynihan adds, “is the lack of ethical guardrails in the current Trump administration, where there doesn’t seem to be a clear line between Trump’s businesses and the presidency.”

[giveamadeuschohisownmovie]

Pitch for a “The Dark Pictures Anthology” game:

1) The title

“The Thrill of the Hunt”

2) Prologue

1920, British-controlled India. Jaspreet Singh and Sameer Patel, Indian rebels who fought against the British Empire (the false protagonists of the prologue), have been captured by the British Army. Although they’ve been sentenced to execution, they learn that they are actually being transferred to the Kingsley Gentlemen’s Society. From what we can tell of the Society, it’s run by the rich and powerful of British society.

Jaspreet and Sameer then learn the reason why they’ve been transferred. Today is the day of “The Hunt” where the Society members work together to take down the prey in the designated game preserve. And Jaspreet and Sameer are the game.

Since this is the prologue, Jaspreet and Sameer unfortunately end up being killed by the Society.

3) Main story

Present day, Falkland Islands. Five strangers have been brought to the mansion of the Kingsley Gentlemen’s Society. Four of the strangers are there after being invited by the Society while the fifth is there because they are dating one of the Society members. For the invitees, they all have the same goal; join the Society and cement their status as part of the upper class.

But, just like with Sameer and Jaspreet, that’s not the case at all. Today is, once again, the day of “The Hunt”. Since the 1920s, the Society has gotten bored of hunting down people who have already been sentenced to death. To get an extra thrill, the Society now targets the hopeful and wealthy.

In the main villain’s words, “it is far more satisfying to tear down people who are happy and actually have something to lose since you know that it is you who caused their despair”.

As the players, it is up to you to determine if the five strangers can work together as a team to either escape or destroy the Kingsley Gentlemen’s Society. Or end up becoming just another trophy on their shelves…

4) Playable cast

a. Desmond Johnson (ADVENTUROUS, RATIONAL): A highly successful American lawyer whose dream is to become a Supreme Court Justice one day. Desmond becomes the de facto leader of the group. He is played by the celebrity guest actor, Michael B. Jordan.

b. Faye Simmons (NAIVE, INQUISITIVE): A biologist from London who was dating one of the Society members. Much to her horror, she learns that the reason why the Society member wanted to date her was so that he could lure her in and force her to participate in The Hunt.

c. Hiroki Akashi (STERN, OVERBEARING): A high-ranking shareholder of a Japanese corporation. Despite coming off as a little vain and arrogant, he does show a willingness to work with the group since he wants to make it home to his children.

d. Omar al-Ghazi (PARANOID, AMBITIOUS): A Saudi Arabian oil tycoon who has trouble trusting other people. His behavior is a result of numerous business deals that went wrong due to people betraying him, as well as his family becoming estranged to him. Despite this, Omar does take pride in his ambitious nature, even if he ended up alienating his loved ones.

e. Adrianna Reyes (ABRASIVE, LONELY): A Mexican billionaire businesswoman who is currently dealing with a scandal. She reveals to the group that even though she’s married, she had an affair with an unnamed Senator in the Mexican Senate. The reason for the affair was that her current marriage is loveless, only done for political reasons.

5) Bonus poll

[circlejourney]

How I plan my writing, and then write it: Part 1 of 2

So, ignore the image for now (but not really). I thought it would be funny to start with this visualisation. This chart is specifically about 2 of my stories: Revolving Door and Of the Dragon of the Stars. Both of these novels are in the scale of 300k words or more, so naturally, the ideation and writing process are a bit of a Mess. But before actually going into detail about this "clusterfuck" genre of novel, let me talk at length about my process for shorter novels first.

A few things make Eagles and Swans (the one about an orphaned rebel and the unrest in her country as a banished goddess awakens) and Offshore (the one about two sailors making their last attempt at the most coveted offshore racing trophy in the world) much tamer than the earlier two. First, they follow the points-of-view of just 1-2 characters. Second, they each take place within the confines of a single country / polity, for the most part. Third, the plot events are conveyed in chronological order.

Each important POV character effectively adds an additional story that's being written in parallel. Juggling multiple characters arcs, ordering nonlinear timelines in a way that conveys info in an effective order, AND developing an expansive world, all balloon the story scope. So, thank goodness for stories that require none of the above.

Overall process

I write in three passes, as signified by the three shades of grey in the chart above:

a brief bullet-point outline of the whole story + character summaries

a detailed outline that fleshes out the first outline into a series of chapter hooks / summaries.

the actual novel, first draft.

editing - improving flow and coherence, fixing "telling not showing" etc.

Each stage takes what was in the previous stage and fleshes it out with more detail and more attention to the eventual audience.

Barebones outline

The first pass, for me, is a "thin" outline of major events and major characters' emotional states. It isn't subdivided into sections yet—what I'm really aiming to do is lay out the shape of the story and the rough order of events. A little sample:

Anqien and Jinai prepare for the race in a month's time, the Niro Helfi Race. We are introduced to it through a conversation between the two and/or maybe training or an event for invitees? This race is the biggest in the business! It's a 2000km route in 3 legs Establish that the two MCs are very (almost scarily) skilled, world-class sailors, and simply seem to be underperforming due to unaddressed issues. Internal conflicts established. General structure: ABAB with sailing/non-sailing content

For E&S I actually did this in calendar format, so that I could track the progress of the plot against their school calendar (as well as ensuring that enough time passed between plot events to make it feel like things were developing in the background).

Chapter outline

In the second pass, the outline above gets fleshed out into a backbone of distinct chapters. Not ALL the chapters, only the chapters that need to happen.

At this point I describe 1-2 important events per chapter (except the really important chapters, which get more detailed outlines). What's more important are the characters' takeaways at the end of each chapter - what they learn, or how their feelings evolve. Example (mild spoilers for Offshore):

A bad training day (idk they fall off the yacht from 5m in the air or damage some gear?), we get to see Jinai's stress and resignation and Anqien trying to be positive but visibly affected. The coach gives them an earful about recovery from mistakes They later discuss this and Jinai admits her biggest flaw is giving up too easily. Slice-of-life kind of scene where they go do something stupid/reckless to unwind, and maybe get in trouble

Idea bank

In parallel, I maintain a bank of loose plot points that I would LIKE to include, except I'm not sure where yet. In Offshore, I called them "filler episodes":

Episode: A bit of background about what they do between training Episode: A joyride in a boat. they hire a motorboat from the local boating club and are a nuisance in the rich people area and then head out maybe way too far into the open sea.

In E&S, I maintained a bank of "Chekhov's Guns" that I might bring back later in the plot to create a sense of setup/payoff.

Ruth’s key: unlocks anything, currently lives with Tante. Hyder’s power: to disguise anyone as anyone else. Tante’s knife skills: he’d win any knife duel. And he’s got lots of knives. Tanio’s inventory of inventions: there’s bound to be some stuff there that she can use. Tanio’s meat grinder: grinds meat. Hollia’s job and possessions: an aviary full of birds of all species, including eagles, swans and chickens.

When I come to a point in the novel where I think "something needs to happen here that ISN'T the next groundbreaking plot development," I can quickly whip out one of these concepts.

And now, the actual writing

So now I've got a backbone and a bank of modular content, I come to the moment I've been waiting for. It's worth noting that sometimes the outlining continues to happen even when I start to write, but I do really like to have a finished outline before I start writing the actual prose.

A lot of things happen during the course of writing that I absolutely did not plan for, simply because it's where the story takes me—what instinct tells me would work in the moment. The writing process always surprises me like that, and it's a constant reflexive loop of checking in with what sort of scene/chapter I think would make a good follow-up to the current one, how far to take a scene before closing it off, etc.

The outline is like a leash that keeps the story from flying off course and also a scaffold for when I don't know what to do next. I can check what plot point I need to build towards and then start steering the plot gently in that direction. Then the editing pass is when I'll revisit with a critical eye and link ideas together in a coherent flow, look for the most impactful stopping point for each chapter and prune it, etc.

And longer novels?

So my process for longer stories like RD and OTDOTS is really...an expanded version of the above. Except that the detailed outline can often have multiple levels of subdivision (by volume/story arc -> by location if there are events happening simultaneously in different places -> by chapter), and the planning tends to be more regimental since there's a greater need for the story to feel tight and economical, to maintain momentum.

But there's another post's worth of rambling in that topic, and that's exactly what I'm gonna do at this juncture: put that in its own post.

[not-so-allegiant-general]

Part 5 Invitees for @kyluxwedding

Part 1|Part 2|Part 3|Part 4

Ren laid down next to Hux on the bed. Redhead was looking at the celling. Ren recognized this mood... Hux was exhausted, to tired to sleep, to tired to not sleep.

"Armitage. "Hux just rolled closer to him " You should rest tomorrow."

"I am still working on the invitees list."

"Ah yes. The list of the most awful politicians in the Galaxy you mean." Hux sighed and wanted to move away but Ren held him "Sorry. But... Don't you think you should invite someone who's presence have a meaning for you? Not just people you want to impress?"

"Like who?" He said, his face looked like the slight suggestion that he have friends offended him.

"Like... Mitaka. You didn't see him since you gave him his own ship. He deserves an invitation not an order to attend or holonet transmission. He is your friend."

"Is he?" Kylo sighed heavily.

"And Phasma."

"Hm." Was the only answer Kylo got. "What about you?"

"Oh i am inviting knights."

"All of them?..."

"Yes. All of them." Kylo shook his head in disbelief. Hux closed his eyes and Ren thought he fell asleep.

" I will invite Mitaka and Phasma. And Opan." Kylo furrowed his brows."What? He killed quite a lot of people for me. "

"Tell me you are not planning to poison any of those politicians on our wedding day." Hux smiled amused.

"Why don't we combine business and pleasure?"

"I am afraid to ask but.. Do you consider poisoning someone business and our wedding pleasure or the other way?"

"Oh darling. Does it really matters?" Hux kissed him. Kylo would be worried, but he loved this man too much not to be amused.

[snapdragoned]

Basil has a busy afternoon socializing! Invitees include Abigail, Ruth, and Hamlet Hawkins' boyfriend Tucker.