#How To Increase Your Height At 20

[lustlovehart]

The Water You Drown

Pairing: Shadow! Azul Ashengrotto x Reader x Jade Leech

Summary: Your beloved husband has died, leaving you to be wedded to his friend due to a suspicious contract. No amount of insults seems to deter Jade from wiggling his affections into your every waking moment. In your grief, you miss Azul, but it seems his shadow misses you even more, doing whatever it takes to make you drown with him. [9k words]

Inspired by : @merakiui Shadow Azul & Morros fic!

Warnings: [ Yandere ], Kissing, Implied imprisonment, Contractual marriages, Regency Era, Tentacles, Harm to reader, Violent threats (To Jade), GN!Reader but there are references to pregnancy, All characters in their mid 20’s, Accusations of cheating, Mentions of nsfw, Desperate Reader, Unhealthy behaviors, Made up monster, Overblot Azul, Suggestive at the end, Some angst

You stand atop your once-alive husband, the pristine stone darkening with each raindrop that lands on its surface. Leaning down, your fingers gently trace over the letters with adoration, a sense of grief washing over you.

The rain is cold, but the feeling of mourning has always been even colder.

When you finish grazing the engravement, you draw a heart with your fingertip.

In loving Memory, Azul Ashengrotto, Beloved husband and friend

You slowly stand to your full height, dusting off dirt from your lap, you let the rain hit you, each droplet increasing in strength. Yet, you don’t have the will in you to cover yourself, deeply believing, or rather… hoping, that this rain is Azuls spirit reaching out to you from beyond the grave.

A gentle smile grazes your lips, yes, this must be him. He always insisted you visit the sea with him. You never did agree though, having duties to tend to day in and day out. But, you close your eyes, imagining each assault on your skin to be sea water splashing you.

This visage is broken when the rain suddenly pauses, a gentle hand finding its place on your shoulder. Gentle, yet you can’t help but find this man's touch akin to a rose’s thorn.

“It’s cold, perhaps you should find solace in our house, new Leech?” you don’t open your eyes, continuing to bask in the sound of hushed splashes. You allow for Jade's suggestion to go unanswered, your newly found fiance only laughing at the silence.

A fiance you never wished for. You were thrust into his possession due to Azuls will, a letter stating his last wish to be his right hand taking his place as your lover.

Why would he ever wish for such a thing? You thought he loved you, lavishing you in desires so sought over just to make you happy… Why would he ever promise you to such a… Deceitful man?

Yet, you can’t argue. The contract was composed entirely of Azuls writing, his signature only further instilling this truth.

“No, I should like to stay.” you finally peek through your eyelids, glancing at Jade before turning to his gloved limb, firmly swiping him off you, dusting the area off as if a pest had been there. But that’s not too far from the truth, is it?

“Is that so? But, it is cold. You will garner illness.”

“I said no, forgive me my lord but must you stay here? I wish for mourning towards my husband.”

“Dear, he is not your husband, I am. Surely,” he pauses, another one of his gratingly deep chuckles wafting the clean air, “You cannot be promised to a dead man.”

“He is not dead.” He is, but you won’t give him the satisfaction of giving up your beloved husband.

“I assure you, any man buried in the ground Is considered dead.” Jade continues, his smiling seeming ever continuous like his muscles have contracted to forever hold their shape.

“Ah, so you will be dead very soon, how wondrous!” you promised since Azuls death you would never smile for another man, but promises aren’t as binding as curses are they?

“If it is you who puts me under, I believe I’ll die a happy man.”

“… You have sullied this moment.”

“Don’t worry, I shall love you forevermore, even if you may have been ruined by another man.” his smile still doesn’t falter. If you could, you would jump at the chance to cut up his pretty face.

Alas, such wants can never be fulfilled because if it is true Azul wished for you to be with his… Right-hand man (Though you’re not too sure as Azul would complain about his unique persona day in and out) then… you should wish to be with Jade as well.

Because you love Azul. Ever since you were arranged to marry him. Well, at least you think that’s the case.

You reply to his retort with but a sigh, turning back to look solemnly at the words etched into stone, a cruel reminder of the man you once had.

Jade sticks his arm out, signaling you to interlock yours with his own, but this act is met with a huff. Your shoes click against the pavement as you speed away, uncaring for the rain that falls into your eyes, the liquid only further covering the tears you’ve shed.

It has only been a few months, but you can tell it will feel like centuries.

You endlessly toss and turn in the sheets of your bed, the unnerving hand of the slimy man… no eel. He must be one with how slimy he is curling around your waist. He’s pulling you in with a strength so ironclad you can’t pull away.

It’s unfortunate when you get home from the cemetery, the separate bed you had arranged in a room far far away from Jades, had been mysteriously tossed away. Jade claims a peg must’ve been lost, as when he came home the mattress had been tilted.

It’s a lie, you checked your bedding the morning of and no such thing existed.

”Am I some sort of commodity? Why won’t this man unhand me...?!” You’re sure this leech is awake, you haven’t been whispering any of your words.

You stop fighting his grasp, only loosely relaxing in his hold, yet not at all. Your eyes are fixated on one object, and one object alone.

A shell necklace made of pure gold.

Its light glimmers in the dark, a stark contrast to the everlasting black you find yourself in.

Soft snores finally begin to resonate through your room, a signal to Jade's final slumber. But, you’ve lost all will to escape him, you’re too tired and grieved to do such a thing. It’s only when you blink do you realize you still have tears left to cry.

“Azul…” Your words are hushed, so much so not even a mouse could hear your pleas. “Why must you have gone to sea… Was I not equal to the worth of land you bought?” your fingers reach up to wipe your tears, before pausing.

The necklace is no longer there.

The shock must’ve been the reason you needed to break free from Jade, as the sight immediately has you breaking his arms apart with a newfound determination.

It’s improper to bed out of bed with your sleepwear only, but you do not care, at this point, you’d much be naked than without that necklace.

“Are you looking for something? I believe I had all of Azuls stuff moved to a storage building of mine.” What? How would he even know you were looking for…? It doesn’t matter.

“No, I lost… Never mind go back to sleep you rake.”

“I believe I am plenty married.” He leans up from the bed, the blanket falling off and revealing his bare torso.

“Is that so? I feel horrible for your spouse.”

“Self-pity isn’t good for one’s health.” You scoff at his words before lighting a candle, not daring to answer his obvious jabs at your conscience. You leave the room without a sound, wandering the halls of the newfound house you find yourself in.

Each wall looks the same, obnoxiously elegant. At this rate, you’ll never find the whereabouts of that—

A quick shadow passes your peripherals, a gust of wind blowing your nightwear into the air, and in turn, the light of your candle.

“Who’s there? If it’s you, Floyd, I already told you I don’t want to wed you, and neither did I wish to be wedded to Jade!” No answer, only the sound of slimy liquid splashing.

Slimy liquids?

You turn the corner quickly, not even bracing yourself for whatever possible sight could appear. Yet, your lack of awareness is lucked out, all that’s left is a golden coin, one part of Azul's special collection. There was nothing special about it however, if anything, it is one of the few antiques that are essentially worthless.

But he found riches in the sole pence simply because you picked it up, claiming it to be luck.

You lean down with your fingers, picking the coin up with a certain care. It is still as pretty as the day you found it.

“Mine.” The voice immediately makes your shoulders tense, not daring to look back at its owner. The voice is aquatic, a certain echo sounding like the creature is underwater.

Should you run? Do you run? All these suggestions that should be commands run rampant through your mind, but the feeling of a wet tentacle wrapping its suction cups around your waist halts all ideas.

“Mine. You have something that is mine.” The coin, it must be the coin. You don’t turn your head, keeping your eyes pinned on the imaginary target on your floors. You lift your hand, the pence wedged between your fingers.

“Here, it’s…” you realize something. This piece… Your necklace is gone, who knows where it’s gone? This antique, you must keep it. “Not yours.”

“I wasn’t talking about the coin,” The voice that comes out this time is not nearly as echoed, the sound coming out the clearest it’s ever been. “Angelfish.”

It can’t… not it’s not…! But what if it…?

You look down at the dark shadow matter that holds your waist, a second one coming to wrap around your thighs underneath your nightwear. No… your Azul was never a shadow…!

“My husband was… is human, you can not be him.” The tentacles increase their grip on your skin.

“Don’t say such mean things dear, you’ll hurt my feelings.” It’s only when the feeling of hair tickling your face, and a pair of real hands wrap around your waist in tandem with the tentacles, do you smell something so familiar.

Sea salt.

Your head finally turns around, your eyes making contact with the man you’ve missed so much.

“Azul.” He looks different, no… He is different. There are faint traces of purple on his transparent body. Several tentacles flail about behind him, all seeming to have a mind of their own. But the most noticeable thing is his change in size, he’s practically three times bigger than before.

Yet, you think it’s Azul.

“My, is my charm still as captivating as it was when we wedded?” it takes you a while to register the fact you're feet are no longer touching the ground, your bottom half cold and wet as you sit on his thick tendrils. “I hope so, you’re still just as incomparable.”

You feel yourself struggle in balance with the continuous moving of his muscles, your hands finding refuge on his neck as you hug him tightly, the fear of falling being your sole reason.

“Azul, I do not wish to perish so soon…! Please… please put me down…!”

“So you can return to your new half?” there’s a certain firmness in his voice when he replies, a tone that was previously not there. “Have you moved on so quickly? I am still here and alive if you can’t see.” those words… Does this false image of Azul believe you to be baggage?

“Pardon? I know not what you speak. I have never exchanged whispers with that… that…! Conniving eel!”

“Calm down dear, I know that. You would never.”

“Yes, I would never.” you parrot. But, there’s a certain ache that is realized inside you, taking the form of an even bigger pain when you utter the words you say. “But, I must return soon.”

“You said you wouldn’t.”

“I never said that.” It’s the unfortunate truth, to have to tuck yourself back into the bedside of a man you don’t love. It makes you wonder though, why did he jump to marrying you?

You’re not broke, if you were, your marriage to Azul would’ve never come to be. But, you’re not rich either. If rumors you’ve heard hold truth, Jade was meant to marry someone with far greater wealth than you.

So why…?

“I see,” Azul utters with hushed breath. You sigh with relief, ready to thank him with the happiest of smiles.

“Thank you. Do not worry I shall return Azul—“

“No.”

…

Huh?

Transparent tendrils grow behind him, swiftly making their way towards your face. The suction cups gently graze your cheek before pulling away, confusion evident on your face. His face is dark, not from the shadows that shroud him, the expression on his face.

A blissful smile.

The last thing you feel is the hardwood against your head.

The lone duke reaches to his side, his hands groggily searching for the body of his dearly, though you wouldn’t agree, beloved. His eyes peek open when there’s nothing to grasp.

He wakes to an empty bedside, but he’s more so bothered by the lack of a warm body in his arms. Have you not returned from your midnight excursion? How interesting, he recalls a distant (not at all distant, in truth, only yesterday) memory of your preference to sleep as much as possible.

“Why must you wake me so early? I prefer staying in slumber to never see your horribly handsome face.”

“Oh? You think me handsome?”

“Unfortunately, but it’s all the better when I smuggle that pretty accessory with a pillow.”

“My my, please wait till we have an heir in you.”

“… I despise how you turn my acts of violence into such crude subjects.”

He upturns from the bed, groggily blinking with exhaustion only you’ve been present to witness. It’s one of the few moments he’s unguarded and not accompanied by a cunning smile.

He looks out the window and realizes, it’s still night, but the coming of day emerges with the lightening blue sky. He can’t help but wonder, where are you?

You could be downstairs, preparing food for yourself (You never did enjoy tasking his servants despite their willingness to assist you.), or maybe you’ve taken a stroll in his gardens. No, that’s not it… you claim his mushrooms to be a disturbing sight (He knows you’re only saying that to attack his heart. He sees you secretly tending to the fungi when he does not have the chance.).

Or perhaps you’ve run away. He certainly can’t have that.

He throws the covers off, walking to his closet, and allowing his naked torso to be covered with a dress shirt. He opens his door, a vigor in his lighting. This determination extinguishes when he spots you on the floor, your nightwear disheveled with circular bruises imprinted on your skin.

His lithe frame slows him to reach you in a few steps, scooping your unconscious body into his arms effortlessly. A low whisper sounds from behind him, threatening yet the way the voice trails is akin to a corrupt spirit.

“Jade… You…” He turns, his mismatched eyes locking with the vicinity he heard it from. But there’s nothing to be seen, only a pathetically desolate corner of the room.

At least, that’s what he’ll tell you. He knows he won’t ever mention to you the dark shadow that glares at him from a corner before disappearing.

He can’t help but feel that envied voice sounding much too familiar to his late friend.

It’s been a week since you last saw the shadow that calls itself your Azul.

You’re conflicted on whether he’s telling the truth and he is indeed your late husband who’s come from beyond the grave. He has the coin he’s always treasured. It’s the same one, down to the tiny scratches on its surface.

You know it’s not just your thoughts playing tricks on you either, the dark marks on your thighs and arms are proof enough.

You’re not sure when Jade found you, but you’re sure it’s when he found you, that “Azul” had disappeared. Is he perhaps a creature only you can see? No matter how much you ask Jade about what he saw, he refuses to divulge any details to you.

Goodness, you’ve even stooped to bargaining and begging! Entirely unbefit to someone in your position.

“Please. You must. I beg of you.”

“Your pleas are far sweeter than any wine I’ve tasted.” You wince at his words, stressing your face to not show any signs of distaste.

“… I will willingly stroll the town with you.”

“I see. I agree to your terms.” For once, and the only time, you smile at Jade, taking his hands in yours and lifting them to your cheek with the countenance of a true lover rather than an arranged one.

“So what do you know from the night of? Did you witness it? Hear it? You must tell me!”

“I know nothing. There was only a bug.” You roughly throw his hands away from your body, brushing him off like a leech.

“I wish to be married to the man who was courting me before you. Can I? It must not be too late.” Riddle, a bright suitor. He was kind to you. You like him much more than this man.

“Ah, Rosehearts, a fine choice. Unfortunately, you’re not wealthy enough for his mother, and married, twice.” You slouch back in your chair, a form utterly lacking in grace. All the servants will be sure to whisper of your strained relationship with the Duke.

“At this point, the Leech family will have to use that mad twin of his for an heir, the Floyd mister. Those two will never consummate…”

A sudden clatter of plates catches both of your focus, your heads turning in unison to look at the shattered porcelain on the ground. You’re unsure if Jade catches it, but the faint trace of shadow tells you exactly who caused the ruckus.

“You’re unbearable countenance has left me ill. I’m taking my leave.” For once, Jade doesn’t reply to you with a witty comeback. This shift makes you wonder if you should be more worried about that rather than “Azul”, but you refrain from asking.

You sneak away from Jade's grasp in the night, closing the door with a silence that seems impossible. The lights are the only illumination besides the moon's rays.

“Azul? Are you here? I’m… not mad about last time. Please come out to me.”

Silence.

You clasp your hands, sitting on the cold flooring of the house, a shiver going down your spine. A makeshift protest it is, you will sit here for hours until this thing reveals itself to you.

“You never liked it when I slept. So, I shall dream right here” You feel foolish for this display. Not even so much as a tentacle reaches out to you. Are you doing this for nothing? Is there no point—

A sudden tendril emerges from the wall behind you, finding its place on your waist before the rest of them takes hold of other parts of your body. Your weight is once again lifted in the air, cradled in a heap of muscle.

“Shall I help you wake?”

So his words are lies. This is not the Azul you know and love. Even in moments where he struggled to pass into dreams, he always made an effort to lull you to bed.

…

“Azul… It’s okay. The servants are sleeping, we shouldn't disturb them.” You rub your heavy eyes, and despite their weight, they just can’t allow you to sleep peacefully, even in the comfort of your mattress. You lean up, ready to leave the bed.

“Then I’ll serve you tonight.” your husband's voice is soft as if he isn't nearly as tired as you. No… he’s even more exhausted. He can hide it but you’ve engraved his being into your soul. Azul follows in your wake, the blanket falling down his form as he leans on his elbows.

Plus, he tends to snack late at night when he can’t sleep. The several tiny empty plates tell you all you need to know.

“That’s unneeded.” you place your hand on his chest, tenderly laying him back onto the bedding.

“Most needed.” he grabs your hand and sits back up again. “Seeing you well is a comfort. You want me to sleep as well right? I’ll only do so if you fall first.” truly… your husband is much too clingy.

…

Despite the hue of night outside your window, the harsh hail that drops from the sky reminds you of your entrapment. If you could leave this beast, would you even be able to leave this house?

This version of Azul has closed the distance between you two, his glowing cerulean eyes staring deep into yours. You’d confuse the hand that cups your cheek for Azuls if it wasn’t so cold.

“I was kidding angelfish, I could never allow you to harm yourself in such a way.” You’re able to control your face despite the shock. So then is he your Azul or not? It’s too late when you finally look to the side. Grotesque tentacles surround you from all sides, essentially trapping you to the floor.

But the thought of Azul distracts you from the impending danger. You should care, you really should in the scenario this isn’t your husband. But the tiny sliver of hope that emerges feeds into your delusions.

“Don’t cry.” You didn’t know you were. Azul hushes your sniffles, petting your head as he brings you into his chest. “There will be no tears for you to shed when we leave here.” Neither do you know what he speaks of, but you nod, eager to fall into the arms of your husband.

He lifts your head from his body, the lone smile he reserved for you especially, adorning his shadowed lips. The closer you look at it though, it doesn’t quite reach his eyes, neither do they look genuine.

But you don’t mind. This is your Azul, it must be. No false intimidation of him could ever care for you with such adoration.

He leans in without your notice, his freezing lips only inches away from yours.

“We will leave this horrible house together.” His grip is tight, but does that matter? The ink that bleeds into your skin in all but a warm embrace.

…

Ink?

You’re about to turn your head down to look at the liquid, but before you can a strong grip holds onto your cheeks, squishing The fat together. Azul's forehead is rested on yours, the smile held for you no longer on his face, but rather the one for his clients. A smug smile of scheming.

“I promised I'd help you wake up—”

The sound of doors slamming open immediately draws his attention. He looks between you and the source of the sound, his face contorted with annoyance. His face quickly leans into yours, ready to enact the once-tender act of love. The sight of a light distracts him, a silent tut leaving him before disappearing into the shadows.

Your breaths are heavy at the release of pressure on your face. Your hands can barely hold up your body weight, they’re practically about to give up on themselves.

“Shrimpy? Whatcha doin’ on the floor.” it's been so long since you’ve seen Floyd, that you almost confused him for Jade, save for the unique manner of speech he has. It stands out among those in proper society. But it doesn’t matter.

You jump up from your place on the floor, hugging him with a swiftness you shouldn’t be so eager to do. But truthfully, if this was Jade you’re sure you would’ve hugged him just as tight, which is why it’s for the best it was Floyd and not him. Anyone but him.

“What? You excited to see me? What do yah say to ditchin’ Jade and kissin’ me stead’ yeah?” his firm arm wraps around you, picking you up with ease to spin you around. It may be night but with him around it must be the lightest it could possibly be. “Is what he would’ve said had he been here.” Your arms immediately fall at the tone shift.

You’ve been deceived, this is Jade.

You pinch his cheek from the vulnerable state he saw you in, a part of yourself you refused to ever bless him with. Even then… it’s hard to get out of his hold, he’s practically trying to merge with your own body.

“Do you take pride in watching me panicked? A very unfit trait for a husband…” you grit your teeth, but he continues to hold you like an ever-so-fawning husband. Even the way he grazes your face with the back of his hand is tender. He must be mocking you.

“No… Perhaps. But I do take pride in watching you live.”

“Then pretend I’m dead.”

“Then, I shall be the prince in the story who kisses you awake from that deep slumber.” You’re reaching to tug at the annoying asymmetric strand of hair on his head, but pause when the sight of cerulean eyes stare back at you from the shadows. The corner of the hall is desolate from the light of Jade's lamp, entirely untouched and untainted by its purity.

You’re about to point out the existence of the fiend to Jade but stop just shy when a familiar sight invades Azuls fingers.

The golden conch necklace. Its sheen glows despite the shadows.

The piece is just as beautiful as the day it was gifted to you. The face behind the jewelry, however, is much different. Rather than jovial at his present like before, a shadow overcasts his face, everything invisible except for his lone glowing irises.

“Is something the matter?” Jade tilts his head, his face ready to turn before you stop him. It’s a disgustingly affectionate act to hold his face in your hands, but it’s a must. “Oh my…”

“Let's go to sleep.”

“Are you ill? This is the first you’ve ever been willing. My…” Jade feigns worry as he rests his hand on your forehead. “Well, it’s only standard for me to care for you.” You swat your hand at him in response, yet an ironclad hold doesn’t set you free from him.

“Don’t test it.” He smiles, and you’re sure he’s about to open his mouth and annoy you. Seconds go by in silence, his large frame sticking his elbow out, pleasantly proving you wrong.

You take a single glance back, the octopus of shadows no longer sat in the lonely corner, only empty space. You hope when you turn around Jade and his jovial countenance will be gone from sight. You’re unfortunately proven—

… Right?

You slowly turn your head, looking in every direction for where your husband could’ve possibly disappeared. To no avail, there’s only air where he once occupied.

“Jade?” Since when did the manor become so cold? Your arms rub your skin, finding a way to save your body heat. The lack of response is only a further panic, he never does shut up. But even then, you’re starting to miss the grating silky voice he has.

You step forward, the floor is cooler than it was just a few moments ago. And… It’s wet too; it’s covered in a layer of seawater, bits of seaweed, and small fish floating in the body of liquid.

“… Azul?” there’s a faint hiccup that echoes through the hall, a sound you’re unfamiliar with. Well, sorta. This tone sounds familiar but you’ve…

It sounds like Azul, but you’ve never heard him cry before. Was he ever capable of that? He was more suave when courting you. Even during your marriage.

You drag your feet through the water, your nightwear wetting itself with each movement. You allow the weeping to guide your way, getting closer and closer to its source.

You were right.

You turn the corner and are greeted by the giant octopus, hunched over in a corner. His tentacles wave the water around, causing waves to form; all of them hitting you back with every attempt you make to get closer.

“Azul…! Whatever are you…?!” Despite the dark cloak of shadow covering his face, his eyes peak between the fingers enveloping his face.

“Do you love Jade now?” The hollow tone in his voice conflicts with the looks in his pupils. Pure envy. You don’t answer his question. But, this is entirely your fault. You’re not silent because it’s the truth. You’re quiet because how could this creature with your husband's face think such a thing?

“Azul… That’s not—…!” You’re not given the choice to retort when the feeling of cold-soaked fingers covers your mouth. Even with the distance he didn’t use those tentacles. Though you’re relieved he didn’t; the way they thrash around in the water tells you if he did, you wouldn’t have the chance to reply to him.

You’re ready to claw your upper half away from him, but pause when the sounds of wheezed laughs leave him. Another thing you don’t remember Azul ever doing.

Just further proof, this thing only has his face. No part of your true husband resides in him.

Or… maybe it’s the opposite. Maybe Azul was always like this.

“Ahaa… Ahh…haa…!” His pupils dilate at the last exhale, pulling you into him with a force that crashes your head into his chest, “Even here you fall for him.” His arms wrap around you, the hug much more tender than the suction cups that curl around your bottom half. “It’s okay… I still love you, much more than Jade.”

What is he talking…?

You don’t realize the way the air in your lungs dissipates, the water rising with each second, further engulfing you in his overwhelming obsessions. Not affection, obsession.

Your Azul would never drown you like this.

“…You can’t be Jades if you’re mine first.” It’s too late to get out of his hold now. The sea is much too terrifying when it’s around you. You don’t feel air in your lungs, but you don’t suffocate, if anything, you can’t suffocate. “It’s okay angelfish,” His voice is muffled, fingers steadily crawling up your neck until his finger reaches your lips, resting his forehead on yours, “Your husband shall care for you now, not that eel.”

Tears well in your eyes, but not from the pain. It’s from this thing saying such sweet things to you. You have to keep telling yourself… This man isn’t Azul. It’s not… You have to come to terms…!

Azuls mouth connects to yours, bubbles escaping you from the contact. He continues to exchange his affection into your lips, greedily quaffing your air like it’s his, his to breathe in.

It’s not how your husband kissed you, he kissed you with a gentleness akin to a flower. He’s kissing you as if he intends to swallow you whole, not allowing your love to be anyone elses.

Yet, a moment passes and you’re returning each kiss with a fever.

He’s not Azul. It’s not Azul. It’s not your Azul. Azul. Azul…!

In some miracle, you break your arms out of his tentacle hold, wrapping those freed limbs around him. You don’t notice the way you’re not even breathing anymore, too focused on each lipped exchange you have with Azul.

“Now Jade can’t have you. You’ve been ruined.” You were always ruined, ever since he left. Even now as you act so indulgently with the creature with Azuls face, you’ve been ruined.

But you know Jade wouldn’t care.

“You and Azul acted on your wedding night? Oh, dear… Hm? You thought me to be worried? Oh my, it’s quite the opposite… Why…? Well simply put, I’ll show you how much better I am.”

“We will drown together angelfish.”

It doesn’t matter. This thing is the closest to Azul you’ll ever be again, you have to savor it…—!

A tiny ray of light shines through the murky water, hitting Azul right in the eye. He falls back, clutching his eye, hissing through swollen lips. Your falls back into the water, a moment of stupor clouding your judgment before swimming away. What could’ve done that to him?

And what made you wish to stay?

You turn around, curious about the purification that suddenly hit him, and with it, your common sense. You were… indulging a demon. A shadow.

Your eyes glance at the projection, a window, stunningly showcasing the sun-rise that emerges. Azul continues to hiss, his ghostly form fizzing in the water. In a last-ditch effort, he extends his arm to you, his other limbs seemingly unconscious as they lay still.

But before he reaches you, your eyes flutter shut. Oxygen is no longer your savior, but perhaps a cross might be better.

A hand grabs onto your shoulder.

Your body feels dry, warm if anything. It must be the candles Jade has lit around you. Even then, perhaps you never were in the water to begin with. The sight of a soft blue invades your vision. Right, your shared bedroom with the leech.

“Do be careful, it makes no good for your recovery if you continue to act like a fish out of water.” Jade's body emerges from the door, long legs striding over to take his spot next to your bed.

“Jade…” There’s a certain tenderness in your voice that makes him tense, but he resumes as if it never happened.

“Your voice sounds sweet. Perhaps I should keep you bedridden all the time.” He’s back to being coy. But you don’t have the energy to keep up. He stays silent when you do. He knows something’s wrong with the way your eyes stare longingly, even more so when you take his gloved hand like you would a lover.

He knows there’s something wrong, yet he can’t bring himself to do anything. If he did, you wouldn’t return his affections like you are right now, would you? Plus, why ever would he wish to shorten such a sight, you never let him this close.

You never let him look into your eyes for too long. They’re a beautiful enchanting hue, he wishes you’ll let them see them more often.

On your face of course. Though, if things ever become drastic, a jar wouldn’t be a bad option either.

…

You think you wanna run away. Far from here, you know it will follow through, forevermore you’re sure.

That thing, it dared to take advantage of you and implement fond memories, make you believe it was Azul. Monsters are horrific, but liars are much crueler.

“Jade you have other estates to live in, correct?”

“I do.” He rubs his thumb over your skin.

“Allow us to sanction ourselves there then”

“You can’t flee from a shadow dear.”

“… I… What are you speaking about…? Jade?” He doesn’t reply, only allowing his prophecy to implement itself into your veins. You shake his arm, attempting to make him spill more of his nonsense, but he doesn’t. He only smiles at you before gently taking your hand and placing a kiss on your bare skin.

He leaves the room with more questions asked than answered.

“Jade Leech…!” Your voice comes out gurgled, bubbles popping out rather than air. “…?!”

Salt water stings your vision, but in the tiny blear you have, something odd swims in front of the portrait at your feet. A large painting forcibly commissioned by Jade, where you’re sat on a throne adorned with different seashells and coral. That’s the only good thing about the portrait, for that throne was something of Azuls that you pressured Jade into letting you keep.

Your pupils trail down Jade's figure, reaching his hips, where a shadow covers his legs, making his limbs look to be one long tail.

…

The eel swims away the moment you start analyzing it.

You jump up from the bed, your blanket floating aimlessly in the air as you swim toward the painting, taking hold of the golden frame adorning its edges. Your fingers tighten their grip on the intricate detailing at your newfound findings.

There’s a faint reflection of grey hair in the decor of your chair.

You’re about to punch a hole through the canvas, already working to raise your fist at the cloth. When you finally throw your limb, you’re only stopped by knuckle meeting solid gold.

Limbs wrap around the string of the conch necklace, dark purple, accompanied by the feeling of a cheek nuzzling into your own.

“I found where Jade left this.” Any chance of fleeing is already taken from you, as tentacles grab hold of your legs. When you turn you’re met by Azul, a much softer look than what he had when you last saw him. “Mm, I’m sorry, Angelfish. I didn’t mean it, I would never truly hurt you.”

How is he back again?

You continue to only stare at the beastly version of your husband. No… your ex-husband, for Azul, is no longer in the land of the living.

And this pathetic replication of him will never live up to your true Azul.

“Won’t you forgive me?” he trails kisses up your neck when you fail to smile at him, or even touch him. “I found your gift, I hope you still like it.” He rocks you in the water, a familiar action Azul would do in private.

You reply minimally, only nodding along with whatever nonsense he spouts, all for you to understand the only questions in your mind.

What is this fiend? And how does it continue to appear in your home?

These two questions only continue to eat away at you with each twirl in the water. Truthfully, this seems like a scene you could only dream of, it’s so soft and so pretty. But you can’t bring yourself to enjoy the moment.

Your thoughts stop when you feel The mid-water waltz come to a halt. The grasp on your legs tightens once more, as he dips you down, forehead finding refuge on yours.

“Are you ready to leave now?” You choke on water.

No… No…!

“It seems we are, let's go then, Angelfish.” The cruel copy of Azul smiles lovingly at you while you struggle in his hold, air bubbles popping out your throat as you try to scream underwater.

You’d die… You’d rather die than destroy Azul's love for you by eloping with this evil tempter.

How…? How?! How in bloody hell do you rid yourself of him?!

Shadow-made tendrils begin to make their way across your vision, covering any chance of a plan you have. Despite your struggle, he shushes you like one would comfort a child.

You’re starting to feel your conscience fade away into his palms, your defeat inevitable.

Until you feel your curtains graze your fingers. Your hand weakly grabs a handful of the fabric. Will you even be able to pull this giant thing off? You can barely move…!

Despite your reservations, you try. You feel his thumb trace over your lips, a single tap acting like a kiss.

…

You bite his thumb.

He jumps back, still holding you. But, it’s enough force for you to yank the curtain down, light quickly stabbing its way through the water. The rays puncture his purple skin, his eyes widening as he quickly tries to drag you back into him. In his weakened state, the moment he pulls you close enough, you kick your legs into his stomach, pushing yourself away from him.

“No…! No! You didn’t! [Name]! Come back here! COME BACK!”

You swim as quickly as you can to the door, busting through its hinges. You don’t look back to see if he’s gone or not.

…

That only worked because it was day. You didn’t even know if there was sun.

“Jade…?” you stand up on trembling legs, looking around the vast halls of his estate. “Jade?!” You sound pathetic right now, but you need him.

It’s the only way you won’t die by that thing's hands.

“Jade—?!” your desperation finally begins to seep through, each shout of his name dripping with fear. You’re on the verge of tears with your last ask. “Jade, where the bloody hell are you—?!”

“I’m right here.” your head turns towards his voice. ”My, are you a masochist dear? It does seem like you enjoy pain much more than anyone else in society—” You run up to him, willingly letting yourself envelop him in a hug, pulling his neck towards you as your arms wrap around him.

“Jade… Don’t leave again.” You’ve forgotten his last statement before he left, the rage no longer resides in you for that. For a moment, Jade's hand hovers over you, before he finally allows himself to indulge.

“I do hope this is not another attempt at subduing me with your affection.”

“Are you saying if I tried that it might work?”

“Unfortunately, not might, would.” You don’t reply to him, only tightening your wrap around his figure. You wonder why he doesn’t question the fact you are soaked in salt water.

“When you asked me not to leave you again, I do admit, I thought you would be following me around rather than me pursuing you.” your fingers flip through dust pages as Jade sits at your side. He wouldn't dare to annoy you so heavily this time, for it’s the first time you've let him sit only a few inches away from you. So close he can hear each breath you make.

It’s lovely.

“Well, if you have an issue I can always request Floyd to come over. He looks enough like you that I can pretend he is you.” Jade smiles through his pointed teeth, opening his mouth to retort before you cut him off,” Though, I already like him much more, so I don’t believe I have to.” You don’t look at him, but you smile knowing Jade’s once sadistic smile has become much more strained.

“Was it not you who begged me not to go?” It’s your turn to strain a smile. “It was like a sweet delicacy to my ears, much better than any cries from a brothel.”

“Ha, do you wish me to accompany you to such an obscenity? I do regret to inform you that I am not that kind of spouse.”

“Well then, it’s good I don’t wish to act on such desires, for they’re all reserved for you and you exclusively.“ you roll your eyes at your husband, ready to reply to such a tempting statement. You pause when your eyes scan over the words you’ve been looking for.

Ombre: A shadowed figure that resides with those of the recently grieving. They appear to manifest through the belongings of the departed. There have been some cases where all items are gone but the beast remains. These are especially heinous for they can be entirely regular humans. Though, for a majority, your best chance of purification is to rid yourself of such objects.

…

Your fingers snake around the golden conch at your neck, your eyes furrowing at the writing. For a moment, you look down at the surface, the shine glimmering in the light.

For a moment, only a single moment, you can see Azul in its reflection. A cruel reminder of the love who gave you something so near to your heart.

…

You grab Jade's gloved fingers, mismatched eyes staring intently at the way you take hold of him. His face leans in, his forehead pressed on yours… You bring his hand to your chest, wrapping his fingers around Azuls necklace, tightening his grip. You allow him to continue resting his head on yours.

If you close your eyes, you can pretend he’s Azul. So, you close your eyes.

“Please…” you whisper, soft, so soft not even the dust in the air could hear you, but only Jade. “Azul, save me.”

Jade stays silent at the name you say. His free gloved hand finds itself on your cheek, wiping away the tear that trails down your face. You don’t see him take his thumb and lick the salt from your cries.

“Of course I will, Angelfish.”

Your cries increase with the sound of each crack resonating at your chest. Before you, your beloved parting gift from Azul is but golden shards and memories.

You finally open your eyes, ready to collect each piece to melt and send them far away. You’re met by Jade still pressing himself against you, not Azul.

“This is the part where you tell me I’m heinous, to get off you before I sully your clothes with my slimy countenance.” He hopes you’ll tell him to get off, to leave before the sensation of his supposed heart beating in his chest kills him.

“I’ll move when you do, Jade.” his inhale gets caught in his throat. The feeling of consuming you whole embeds itself into him, hands reaching out to wrap themselves around you.

They stop when he sees the way you look at the broken necklace.

…

Jade removes himself from your comfort, grabbing a pot and delicately plucking each one from your skin.

“It seems it’s time to gift Floyd. I’m sure he’ll be overjoyed at the knowledge it’s from you.” you look down at the broken conch once more, before nodding.

You turn back and forth in your bed, Jade sleeping peacefully right next to you despite your unrest. You’ve ridden yourself of almost every single gift and belonging you’ve still retained of Azuls.

Except one.

The damned antique coin of Azuls.

You throw the covers off, taking candlelight in hand. Truly… where could it have gone? You glance back at Jade, still slumbering completely fine in your bed.

It’s when you think back to your first meeting with that thing, do you remember where it is.

In the darkest corner of Jade’s estate.

The only good thing is that it’s a mere few feet away from your bedroom. You turn towards your doors, your forehead resting on its wood. The flame from the candle you hold flickers, a symbol of your wavering fear.

If you don’t get that coin, who knows when that ombre will decide to reappear again?

Your hands linger on the doorknob, a moment of hesitation striking you. You push through this fear, turning the handle and swinging the door open, the force blowing your clothes.

The false Azul is at the end of the hallway.

You shut the door swiftly, the slam resonating through your ears as you barricade the door with your body.

“Bloody hell— Jade! Jade wake up—!” you’re no longer met with the sight of your bed, neither Jade. Only a curtainless window allowing the light of the moon in,

And your dead husband's shadow.

“I love you.” its face no longer holds remnants of the love it showed before, completely expressionless as it looks down at you. The light from the moon backdrops it, the only light coming from its body being its eyes.

Its entirely shadow, the only part of Azul left in it being his eyes, and that hoarse voice.

“You…! You’re not Azul… Stop defacing him!”

The shadow moves its tentacles, scooting closer to your form. You can see a glint on its face, tear streaks.

“Do you love Jade now? Is that why you don’t love me anymore, Angelfish?” it slowly inches forward, and you bury yourself even further into the wood. You’re about to reply to such an accusation before spying on a familiar glint buried in the coral on its shoulder.

Azuls antique coin. You need it.

“… I could never love Jade.” you move off the door, “If… If you’re really my Azul, please,” you slowly walk to the shadow, putting on your best face, “proof to me that you're the man I love.”

It sits on the floor, opening its arms like Azul once did when he wanted you to sit with him, “that’s one thing… What else, Azul?” you walk over to it, placating it as you sit in its lap.

You slowly inch your arms up its torso, waiting for its next move.

“Angelfish, tell me if there’s anything you want, I shall get you it with a snap of my finger.” its arms wrap around your waist, pulling you into it. “After all, I'd do anything if it meant your happiness.” You successfully wrap your arms around its neck, plucking the coin from its shoulder.

“I wish for a puppy. Those little things are truly adorable.”

“Ah, they quite are aren’t they?” its fingers playfully trace up your spine, its face adorning the smile it must’ve practiced dozens of times. “Do you know what I wish for my love?“ you prepare yourself to rip from his hold and make a dash for the window.

There’s a river near this window, if you throw this coin there, the current can carry it away.

“What Azul?”

“For you to stop believing me to be so foolish.” Its smile quickly falls, throwing you to the door, far from your current objective. You grip the coin so hard, you fear it will embed itself into your palm, but it's better than losing it. ”Truly, am I that hideous the idea of leaving with me is unfathomable?!” its tentacles wave around the room in a rampage. You stand up, ready to run to the door with whatever it takes.

“No…! You have my Azuls face…!” You run through the swing of each appendage. “You could never be ugly in my eyes because of it!” You’re only a few feet away from the window, mere feet from removing this falsified version of Azul.

You’re met with the feeling of a slimy body blocking your path, a suffocating hug halting your path.

No…! No!

“It doesn’t matter if you hate me, I’ll always love you.” you’re so close… So close! “It doesn’t matter anymore, you’ll find your love for me again when we leave this place.”

Love.

“We’re leaving now, no matter what you convince me with—” You bury your lips into its own, those eyes widening at the feeling. You back it up with each exchange of your lips, caging it between you and the window. It’s too caught up in the way you kiss it, to notice your arm raising the coin.

It looks down at you when you part for air, staring deeply into your eyes, a trail of black ink connecting your lips.

It finally notices when you smile at it, a smile filled with the purest of love, for a man in your past.

“I love you, Azul.” you chuck the coin into the river, the water dragging it far into the ocean.

“No—!”

You watch as its form disperses into a cloud of black dust, the last action it takes is to reach out for you.

For a moment, you see its face take on the true appearance of your husband, smiling at you.

The wind drags the ebony sand out the window, leaving you stranded in your room alone.

“Azul…”

…

The light peaks through the tree's leaves, shining on Azul as he checks his books.

“My, it seems my husband is having an affair with money…! How cruel, and you always told me I mattered much more.” you laugh at your words as Azul rolls his eyes at you, opening his mouth as you feed him.

“Yes Angel, it’s because you matter much more to me that I do this, how else will I keep you happy?” He pushes up his glasses as you wrap yourself around his arm, resting your cheek on his shoulder.

“Hmm… Perhaps take me out more often?”

“Oh? Is three outings a sennight not enough for you? Greedy greedy.” he tuts at you as you laugh.

“I’m greedy? Seems quite hypocritical from a businessman, hm?” he smiles at you before planting a kiss on your temple.

“Yes, greedy for you.” he shuts his book as he turns to face you. “When I die, I'm sure I'll be desperate for you even after death.” his hands hold your face in his palms.

“Don’t say such things! You’re going to send yourself to an early grave…!” he doesn't answer, only smiling at you.

…

You look down at Azuls grave, placing a bouquet of irises on his tomb.

“See you soon Azul.”

You turn back to Jade, his arm sticking out to guide you back home. He smiles when you take hold of him, talking about your day.

You knock down the books on the table as Jade places you on his desk, his lips bite marks into your neck.

“I won’t be able to return to society if you keep this up, Leech.” His hands trace up your sides as he removes his teeth from your neck, licking a stripe up your skin before burying his lips into your own. He’s so greedy with each kiss like he’s attempting to consume your love all for himself.

What’s left of it anyway.

“Perhaps that’s what I want, yes? To have you all by yourself in this home…” A string of saliva connects you two at the moment. When he thinks you’ve breathed enough, he traces his canines on your lip, biting the plush skin before reconnecting yourselves. You fall against his desk, his gloved hand wrapping your leg around his.

“Possessive, I don’t like that in men, unfortunately.” he laughs at your words, rubbing circles into your hips.

“Yes, then perhaps I should drop dead—”

“Jaaade.” you both stand up at the call, Floyd wandering the halls aimlessly.

Jade sighs, extending his arm to guide you out of the room and see his brother until he gazes at the current state you’re in. Messied hair, swollen lips, and ruined nightwear, you smile messily at him,

“… I shall see to Floyd, stay in here.” he turns toe and walks toward the doors, your smile falling as you look at him.

He doesn’t think you’ve noticed, but you can see the way his body grows wispy in the light. You’ve seen the way he grows bigger at night.

You’ve noticed that Jade Leech has never been the man he says he is, for he is anything but a man.

You should’ve known when the first moment you met him was through the remnants of Azuls shadow.

A/n: I hope everyone enjoyed this!!! So far I think this is my favorite fic i’ve written (≧◡≦) ♡. Honestly, I thought about having Floyd make an appearance, but I thought it would be funnier if Jade stop him from ever seeing you because he gets jealous you like him more LMAO.

It’s not explicitly stated there because I wanted reader to be in the complete dark about the contract, but the reason he had you wed Jade after his death is simply because he loves you so much, the idea of you forever being alone because of him hurts. So, he signed the contract with Jade to ensure someone will love you in his absence 😁😁😁

Plus, He noticed the way he gave you googly eyes whenever you were around and was like “really? In front of me?”

Poor Floyd curses the fact he didn’t make his lovey dovey eyes as strong as Jades ever since your remarriage, should’ve been him 😞.

[nsharks]

bleeding blue | apocalypse au

part twenty-three —other parts

pairing: Simon “Ghost” Riley x fem!reader words: 4k tags: death. blood. cannibalism mention. zombies of course. AFAB reader. single dad ghost. there will be sex but it isn’t here yet. slow burn!!! enemies to lovers. summary: After losing your companions, you run into a skull-masked man and his daughter. They are your last hope for survival. a/n: ily

In a split second, the ground seems to open up and you sink down, down, down into a memory brimming with death. Stark white snow surrounds you, soaked with blood beneath your feet. You hear the screams of your sister and Paul. A wall of grey descends over them. There are many, too many. All you can do is—

"Fucking run! Come on, before they smell us!"

Kyle tugs your arm and rips you back to the present. You trap the terror, throw the bow on your back, and sprint. Which way did you even come from? The meadow feels bigger than before. He seems to know so you follow him, fighting through head-high rue.

It doesn't seem like the Greys have taken notice to you yet given the absence of hungered screeches, but you can hear the uneven footsteps continuing behind you. You try to look back at them, but all you can make out through the plants are flashes of grey and green and amber sunlight. You don't slow down. You need to increase the gap so they can't get close enough to scent you.

"She's right over there," Kyle urges.

The tall grasses turn into pine needle covered ground. You make it back to Cherry, who must notice the shift in the air as she whinnies against the rope. Kyle slinks his rifle on his back, unties her with nimble fingers, and without warning, grabs you by the waist and tosses you onto the saddle. You grip her mane to steady yourself. He swings a leg over behind you, then thrashes the reins. She breaks into a gallop, weaving through the trees. 

You look back again once she's gained some distance. They have trampled through the meadow, consuming it, and you realize with a sinking pit that without a horse, you wouldn't have been quick enough to get away. From this height, you can now see just how far back the crowd extends, to the point that they swallow the horizon. 

If they continue this way, they'll reach the camp. 

A barbed fence and trench won't stop them.

You look back ahead of you, the forest passing as a blur in your peripherals. 

"We have to get back and tell them. There's too many," you speak into the whipping breeze. "There is no month."

He tightens an arm around your middle and mutters gravely in your ear. "No, there isn't."

It feels like hours before you make it back, though the sun has yet to fully set. Blood orange streaks the sky. They must be preparing dinner. No one is outside. Cherry slides to a halt in front of the trench and Kyle helps you down with a firm hold, as if he is worried you'll be unsteady, but you brush his hand off and race inside.

You enter with such urgency that all eyes snap to you. Ghost is crouched in front of the fireplace. Price and Nereida are curled on the couch, legs entangled, as he strokes her long, black hair. Blue and Ari are looking through a magazine splayed on the table.

"Greys," you announce, looking around. You land on dark eyes that widen as they take you in. "They're here. They're coming."

"We saw them by the hundreds about 20 kilometers south. Too many for us to handle. We have to move, Price," Kyle says.

Ghost rises. You close the distance and stare up at him with unwavering conviction, ignoring the nausea that has been churning in your gut since the moment you witnessed them. 

"Ghost, we're not fucking around. I saw them. A horde. Bigger than the one that destroyed my camp. We have to get out of here. We don't have the time to wait around until they—"

"I heard you." His eyes sweep over the length of you. "You're alright?"

"Yes," you dismiss quickly. "They didn't get to us. But if we didn't have Cherry..." 

You trail off.

Price stands. "20 kilometers, Simon. They can close that distance in a matter of hours. We move now."

You see a war dance in Ghost's eyes as he releases your shoulder and nods firmly at his old captain. The stiffness in his shoulders and the hard set of his jaw show his realization that the battle he’s been fighting to grapple for more time is unwinnable.

"Dad?" Blue's voice is small from the table. 

He looks at her. "Kid, go get your things. Everything I've told you to bring if we ever had to leave."

"Where—where are we going?"

Price answers. "We start with moving a safe distance away. South, past Loughborough, like I showed you, Simon. Get your map. Gather everything we talked about. Only the necessities that we can fit in the truck."

Then, everyone moves.

A pot abandoned over the crackling embers. 

The magazine left on the table.

You rummage for your things.

Ghost throws a military-grade backpack at you.

"Use this."

You fight trembling fingers to unzip it. You don't own much. Even after cramming all your vials and pill bottles, gauze, knives, and clothes in it, there's space. He fills the rest with food from the pantry. Canned beans, fish, soup, peanut butter. A few packages with bold letters: MRE. Military ready-to-eats. 

Minutes race, and you're back outside. Moonlight floods the sky. Time feels like an enemy. How far away are they now? You swing around back to the truck. Kyle and Price have already loaded guns, food, and the deflated raft around Ghost's kayak. Blue watches them finish packing. She has a backpack of her own and Grim in her hands. Her eyes are red.

Ghost comes out with two heavily stuffed bags of his own. 

"You can't take him."

Blue tightens her hold on Grim. "I'll hold him the whole way."

"You can't."

"I can. I'm not—I'm not leaving him. He'll die."

"Say goodbye to him and get in the truck."

The look he gives her is final.

She knows it.

She kneels down and releases the rabbit.

He lingers by her feet.

Tears flow. 

"You have to stay here, okay? I'm—I'm sorry."

Kyle and Ari give their farewell to Cherry. He removes the saddle. You are tempted to thank her for saving your life, but before you can, Kyle strikes her rear and sends her running toward the north. You hope she can get out of here. 

You, Blue, and Nereida sit in the backseats. Kyle and Ari sit out on the truck bed, while Ghost drives and Price holds the map. Faded headlights cut through the night as the engine coughs to life. The silhouette of the camp outside the window is the last glimpse you steal as Ghost drives through the trees.

There isn't much talking except for Price telling him where to go. When Price unfolds the map, a small paper falls out. Ghost quickly snatches it and stuffs it in his pocket. Blue trembles beside you, but she's silent. You switch between playing with the plastic bracelet on your wrist and reopening the scab on your finger to keep your mind busy. You can't think about the what-if's—not now.

The bumpy ride softens once Ghost makes it to the road. You squint your eyes to read the roadsigns as they pass, but they're faded and it's dark. All you can make out is the letter M: motorway. It must be the M1. You crossed it on the way to the village, but this time Ghost follows it south, opposite of Manchester. 

Not even half an hour into the drive, Ghost swears under his breath. He slows down to a near-stop, causing your forehead to almost slam into the headrest. Your heart stutters when you look out the windshield. A group of Greys, not as large as the one you witnessed, but still sizable, lingers in the middle of the road. The headlights draw their shadows against the concrete—dark, spidery fingers. 

"Go around them," Price directs. "Keep some distance."

Ghost veers the truck left onto the grassy side of the motorway. The ride turns rough again and you notice Blue pressing her knuckles into your thigh. You let her. You watch the group pass through the window—maybe twenty or thirty of them. They are moving in the direction of the woods. Drawn to the terribly strong scent of the mass already congregated in there. 

When the truck fully passes them, your mind drifts. You think of small things. The growing cabbages Blue planted. If they will survive, or be trampled. Ghost's books. The shed you used to sleep. The violets by the pond, in full bloom, soon to be crushed and matted to the ground.

Ghost won't be driving all through the night. 

Price claims it would be a waste of fuel, since they haven't decided upon the safest route to continue further south towards the channel yet. One step at a time. Instead, after passing signs for Loughborough and circling around the quaint, broken town-scape, Ghost drives down a gravel road that leads to a quiet, overgrown ranch. There is a broken barn and eroded fence posts, but mostly grass. At least, that is what you make out in the dark. It should be far enough from the horde to be a safe place for sleep. 

They have two tents with them. Kyle hops out of the truck bed and sets them up with Ari, Price shining a flashlight for their eyes. Sleeping bags are thrown in. 

Nereida touches her husband's cheek. 

"Are you going to sleep any?"

"Not tonight. We'll keep watch." He kisses her knuckles.

Nereida and Ari end up in one tent for the night, and you and Blue take the other. The three men will stay awake, watching over the supplies and keeping an eye out for signs of Greys. You have the stubborn itch to stay up with them—be a fourth set of eyes—but you will yourself to leave your bow at the foot of the tent and bend down to slip inside with Blue. You help her into the sleeping bag since she has never used one before. She curls up inside it.

You are barely inside your own when she whispers, "Twix?"

"Yeah?"

"I don't like this."

"I don't, either."

Moonlight breaches the nylon walls. You can make out the shape of her nose, the glisten in her eyes.

"Are we going to go back?"

"I don't—I don't think so."

Luckily, it's left at that. She doesn't know about her dad's plan for Switzerland yet. Or maybe she is starting to put the pieces together. She doesn't ask. 

You turn on your side to look at her better. You reach a hand out of the sleeping bag to stroke her hair. "I'm sorry. I'm...I'm so sorry about Grim. He'll be okay, alright? He's a smart guy. Learned from you all these years."

"I hope so," she says, quiet. "I don't even have any pictures to remember him by."

"You have your memories of him. All of the small things. Hold tight to those and you'll never forget him, okay?"

"Okay." She shivers. It's cold now without the sun. For a few silent minutes, she simply cries. You stroke her hair, from scalp to ends, and count in your head. It does some to ground you. To ignore the fresh images seared into your eyelids. By the time you reach 248, she wipes her eyes roughly and says your name again. Her teeth are gritted, to keep her warm, or to stop from crying too loud. 

"Yeah?"

"Are you having sex with my dad?"

The question makes your fingers pause in their ministrations.

Something clenches at the pit of your stomach.

"I, um—no. No, of course not."

A shaky breath. 

"You would tell me, right? If you were."

"Yes, of course," you whisper. "Get some sleep, alright?" You give a final stroke to her hair and turn away, flat on your back. 

Sleep is difficult, but the three shadows outside the tent offer a thread of comfort, so you will your eyes to shutter. You dream of an endless meadow. The tall plants turn to hungry mouths. By the time dawn arrives, you awaken, and feel disoriented. You sit upright, looking around and wondering how you got here. You aren't in Ghost's room, in his bed, with his warm body close by. Your toes are numb. You see Blue's face slackened with fatigue, half covered by the sleeping bag, her body snuggled close to yours, and everything comes back to you in flashes. The Greys in the meadow. The quick evacuation. Pulling over for the night. It sinks in. Your stomach howls, but you ignore it, 

There are murmured voices outside.

You carefully unzip the entrance and slip outside so as not to wake Blue. The sky is a muted purple. Price, Kyle, and Ghost are by the truck bed. Price has the map in his hands, and Ghost is showing him two bright red jerry cans. 

"That's it?"

"That's it, plus what's already in the tank."

"And it's full?"

"Bit less than full now."

With everyone else still asleep, you hesitate to make your presence known. You feel like you'd be intruding. But the thought recoils quickly. The more stubborn part of your brain bares its teeth. You have a right to be apart of the conversation. You want to know what is happening. What they plan. 

As you make your way over, chilled arms crossed tight beneath your breasts, it is Kyle who notices you first. His eyes soften. Then Price—his brown eyes lift from the map as he regards you.

"Twix." He greets and you think it is the first he has said your name. Ghost is the one you fail to look at but you feel his stare. "Sleep alright?"

"Just fine." Your eyes flick to the map, noticing new marks that weren't there the last time you looked it over. "Have you guys..." As the words leave your lips, the confidence in your chest falters. You clear your throat in attempt to recapture your resolve. "Have you decided where we are going next? I mean—Switzerland is still the plan, right?"

Price's eyes sweep over you once, twice, before moving to Ghost, brow ticking as if in question. This irritates you—as if he is asking Ghost whether or not he should tell you, and you have to bite your cheek to fight a scowl. 

There is a subtle nod from Ghost that you think you might imagine, but Price looks back at you. "Switzerland is still the plan. We need to get here first—" he taps a finger on the map at the edge of England,"—to the Strait of Dover. The narrowest part of the channel. The biggest question is how. Going through London is the quickest way."

"But London is bound to be teeming with Greys," you frown.

"Precisely."

Kyle threads a hand through his hair, visibly concerned. "But going around it means more fuel."

"Well, how much do we have?" you ask, finally glancing at Ghost. You are scared of the answer.

He lifts the two cans up. "About 43 liters, plus the 30 already in the truck."

You feel relieved. "That's actually decent."

Kyle shakes his head. "Decent, yeah. But we're bound to have to end up taking side streets and stopping here and there for shit that's on the road, which wastes fuel. It's not a perfect drive."

"Well," your eyes move over the truck, then back to Price, "Can't we just go the long way, see how far the truck gets us, then do the rest on foot?"

"Are you willing to carry the kayak, Twix?" Price asks.

You flush. "I mean, it's not impossible is it?"

Ghost sets the cans down. "It's too much to carry. We can't go on foot for very far with the kayak, and we need it."

Because the raft is for six people. Not just that, you realize, as you take in just how much is filling the truck bed. All of the supplies have to make it across the water, too. It doesn't matter if six people can get in the raft if the supplies add to the weight limit like an extra person. 

Somewhere in your thinking a hand brushes over your bicep and you flinch. "Cold?"

It's Kyle. Without your response, he chucks off his jacket and places it over your shoulders. You mutter a quiet thanks and slip your hands through the sleeves. 

You don't know why, but your gaze shifts to Ghost, though you are only met with an unreadable expression before his attention refocuses on the map. He moves a gloved finger over it, landing on Colchester.

"Then we take a longer route on the water. If we avoid London and travel on the east side, we save fuel making it to the coast. The trip across will be longer than the Strait of Dover, but I'd rather take that risk than go through London. It's a fucking death trap there."

"That's a possibility," Price nods slowly, mewling it over. He rubs his beard. "Leaving from the Colchester coastline would mean maybe eight or ten hours to get across, which we can manage—with the right weather." 

"Colchester, then," Kyle says. He seems more keen to this idea, shoulders loosening. "We can take the A14 towards Kettering. Can't be more than an hour or two from here. And then the A11. It should avoid the worst of it."

Price nods and folds the map up. "We keeping moving, then. The longer we stay in one spot, the more risk." He lays a hand on Ghost's shoulder. "This was the right choice, Simon."

Ghost simply nods.

The plan seems solid enough. Drive to the channel and get across. It is the water that makes you the most uneasy, and traveling through France where no one here is as familiar with the landscape as they are England. You've tried to recall what you heard from the radios way back at the start. You know Paris, a major city, succumbed quickly. But what about the rest of it? 

You wonder if Ghost is as scared as you are to be ripped from the small semblance of safety he has had for over five years now. If he is, it doesn't show. He is back to clinical. A lieutenant. Not the man you've grown far too comfortable throwing attitude at.

When Kyle and Price leave to make a small fire with gathered kindling, he tosses the jerry cans back in the truck and grabs your arm before you can walk away.

"How is she?" he asks.

Blue, he means.

You look back at the tent. "She's doing alright, I think. Scared. But she understands." You wet your lips. "She doesn't know, does she? About us heading for Switzerland with them."

"I haven't had the chance to talk to her yet."

You nod, teeth grazing your bottom lip. "Thank you... for letting me be apart of that conversation. I know that I—I don't have as much value here as everyone else, but I am still worth keeping around. I am ready to help. Just tell me what to do, Ghost, and I'll do it. You know I will. I am stronger than I was before, thanks to you."

Ghost's head tilts downward as a breath of silence passes between you.

He doesn't comment on anything you've just said. He takes hold of one your hands. You are confused before he pries it open, grabbing your thumb and inspecting it like a slide under a microscope. The nick from when you cut your hair. The scab you've failed to let take.

"Stop picking at it, unless you want an infection."

"I can't help it sometimes."

He drops your hand. The warmth fizzles. "You still have antiseptic?"

You nod. 

"Good. Use it only for yourself. Understood?" 

"Yeah," you breathe, and wonder with a furrowed brow why he is bringing this up now. There is no chance to ask when he grabs the lapel of the jacket on your shoulders and begins to force it off. 

"Give this back to Kyle. You have your own."

Breakfast consists of jerky, beans, and water that Price and Kyle tapped from a tree. A spile. Of course, they have one. You try not to feel spiteful of how competent they are—prepared. Just like Ghost. If only Paul had such things at his disposal. Maybe he could've devised a stronger Plan B. Maybe they would've been able to get away with you that first time around.

Ghost explains to Blue the plan. That there is no going back, not now or ever. That there will be a new home for them, a safer one where they will never have to flee, far away in another country where other people have made a community, where she could have more friends. It is all wishful thinking, of course, but he has to sell it to her as something certain.

You overhear bits of the conversation as you force yourself to eat. She sounds sad and distant. Detached. Like she hears what he is saying but doesn't really hear it. Still, she isn't crying anymore. When they are done talking, she eats her breakfast in small bites beside Ari. 

By high morning, the air heats up, and you don't need a jacket at all. It is time to move onward. Kyle and Ghost take the tents down. Nereida whispers something to her husband and then disappears behind a tree somewhere. When she returns, she taps your shoulder.

"My period just came," she says, shaking her head. "Quite the timing, huh?"

Oh. "I'm sorry, that sucks. You have little towels and stuff for it?"

She nods. "Yes, luckily. Remember the rosemary I found? I use that to help fight the odor so Greys can't smell it as well. Let me know if you ever need any." You take a mental note. "You know, I was hoping getting my tubes tied would stop things like this. All it did was make it more irregular."

Your brows furrow. "Wait—you mean, you did that before the spread?"

She smiles lightly. "I never wanted to be pregnant. Really makes things less stressful now."

That makes sense, then. That her and Price don't have to worry. The question has popped into your brain a few times now, against your will, whenever you caught sight of them kissing and touching. They seem far too intimate, even in those small moments, to not be having sex in private. 

Just before taking off, you unpack your supplies and wrap up your thumb with some ointment. More than anything you want to crawl under a blanket and hide, preferably back on Ghost's warm bed. But as you crawl back into the truck, that vision fades further behind you, and you will yourself to focus on the road ahead, to keep moving. 

[jakeswifeyyy]

Jungwon smut pls:)

OK guys hear me out I can't be the only one heavy on the jungwon x making out agenda like this man is just so good at it.

Pairings:Bf! jungwon x Gf! reader.

Warnings:Making out,cunnilingus,cum eating,use of aphrodisiac chocolates,like if I forgot anything.

Bf!Jungwon,who both of you were a very shy couple,furthest point of intimacy attained was kissing,never any tongue involved,not than any was inexperienced and He did watch some porn videos for research purposes wanting to make his girl feel good.

Bf!Jungwon who heard about some aphrodisiac chocolates online and bought them not letting you know what it was as he gave it to you,because he knew both of you wanted to progress further in intimacy but both too shy,feeling bad he decided to sit down with you and tell you about it to which you happily agreed.

Bf!Jungwon,who was now staring straight into you,gaze dark with lust as you shyed away from his gaze but no he wasn't having it,beckoning you to move closer before crashing his lips onto yours ,he was always a gentleman this time manners being kicked out the door but you loved him this way.

Bf!Jungwon whom you were now sitting on his lap ,20 minutes later as the effects of the chocolate,aggressively making out,sloppy messy kisses,but neither caring just wanting to feel more of the other up,taking off his glasses,he looked so hot in that moment as he was a complete 180 degree flip of his usual self,groping your ass and tits occasionally.

Bf!Jungwon,who carried you to the bed stripping you both off of your clothing as you traced your hands all over his muscular chest,holding your hand,both your confidence boosted a hundred times more,he guided it to his clothed hard in grinding against your hand as he bit his lip moaning at the contact while you stared up at him innocently.

Bf!Jungwon who takes his time to taste every inch of your skin making sure to mark you,to remind all those boys who drooled like puppies after you,you were taken.

Bf!Jungwon who loves hearing your pretty moans as he ate you out and you bucked up into his face ,using his head as leverage to guide him,using him but he wasn't complaining,he infact loved that.

Bf!Jungwon who told you to take off his briefs,audibly gasping at his size as he smirked,he had a lengthy veiny cock and he knew it and new just how to use It.

Bf!Jungwon who has you screaming his name out for the neighbours to know,both of you not in your right minds to give a fuck at the moment,they saw you as the quiet innocent kids,how would they know.

Bf!Jungwon who starts rubbing your clit in fast circles when you tell him you're close,as he pounds into you,deep,slow strokes,grinding against you causing friction on your clit with every time he bottomed out as you shamelessly groaned your name.

Bf!Jungwon who keeps making you cum nearly 5 more times that night ,the chocolate increasing boh your sex drives to heights not known by both of you,but as they say you live and you learn.

Bf!Jungwon who goes down on you again wanting to taste your cum mixed together with his ,shamelessly lapping at your cunt,your entrance slowly leaking both your cum as he greedily gulped it all down before coming back up to kiss you because you begged for a taste too,scooping it up with 2 fingers before shoving it in your mouth,watching you suck on his fingers containing himself not to fuck you again ,make you cum for the 6th time.

Bf!Jungwon who is big on aftercare getting a wet towel and cleaning up your mess from between your legs and changing the now soaked sheets,before getting you in his t-shirt as he cleaned up and wore some sweatpants cuddling in with you as you lazily made out.

Bf!Jungwon who was shy again the next morning back to his usual self as you teased him.

[babydoll372]

Subby Nerd Natasha and professor R !!!!Where Nat is a HUGE teachers pet and she wants R's approval so badly she'll do anything to get praise out of R. She also get really shy whenever her professor is around but R notices it so R just might corrupt her >:) like having Nat eating her professor out underneath the desk or have Nat strapwarm while she tries to memorize her flashcards but fails so she gets edged.

Teacher’s Pet

Pairings: Natasha Romanoff x Professor!Reader

Word count: 1141

Warnings: age gap (Natasha is 20-21 and reader is in her late 30’s-40’s), smut, oral (R receiving), public sex (kinda), caught in the act, jealousy, very short smut tbh, apologies I feel like this one’s bad I’ll repay it soon

“I’m sorry Wanda, I just don’t think me and you meeting outside of class to discuss your grades is quite appropriate. I’m really sorry, honey, why don’t we talk about it over email?” The brunette’s eyes saddened as she nodded, apologizing for even suggesting the idea while you shook it off. Truthfully, she was cute. Her dark mascara and eyeliner framed her emerald eyes, and she was just around your height when you had high heels on. She had a beautiful body too, one that anyone would be more than willing to entertain. Her only flaw? She wasn’t Natasha Romanoff, your most dedicated student.

Natasha lingered behind Wanda with a scowl, glaring at her as she walked out with a glooming attitude before returning her attention to you. You waited for the door to close before sighing and meeting Natasha’s gaze, bringing her hands up to your lips to kiss.

“I’m sorry, sweetie. You know I wouldn’t entertain that.” She rested her head on your chest, her arms wrapping around your waist with a deep breath.

“I don’t want her near you, Professor. She’s been copying off of my work too, did you know that? And she’s been talking to one of the boys about skipping with him.” She reported instantly, her desire to get the woman in a great deal of consequences too large for her to hold back. You hummed, raising an eyebrow as your hand gently ran through her soft locks.

“Oh really? I didn’t realize she was such a bad girl, maybe I’ll have to have a talk with her.” Natasha nodded and pulled back for a moment to look up at you. You cupped her cheek, stroking the soft skin and offering a kind smile.

“My sweet pet, you’re always such a good girl for me.” You watched her skin redden as she shrugged, playing off the compliment as if she didn’t mind. In reality, she cared a lot more than she tried to show, and she was aching for your affection and approval.

“Thank you, Professor.” She shyly whispered, and you chuckled as you kissed her forehead. 

“Wanda Maximoff could never come in comparison to you, baby girl.” 

—

Natasha giggled to herself as her finger toyed with your clit, her lip being bit instinctively. She glanced up at you as your fingers weaved softly through her hair. She teasingly ran her tongue along the sensitive bud, making you suppress a moan as your head lolled back. Your thighs naturally spread wider to allow her more freedom, and took it gracefully. 

“Mm, you like that? You like being a good little pet for me?” She nodded against you, her eyes fluttering shut while her hands squeezed your plush, supple skin. Suddenly you heard a knock on the door and your gaze quickly shifted upward, a shaky sigh quietly escaping your lips as one of your students slowly opened the door and inched her head in. 

“Yes, Ms. Maximoff?” You bit your finger subtly, giving Wanda a small smile despite her classmate increasing her pace at the sound.

“How are you today, Professor? I hope well!” She started while placing a paper bag on your desk, and you could see the outlining of a muffin through the confinements. 

“Wanda, I-“ You were cut off when you felt Natasha’s tongue protruding your hole as she gently circled your clit. “I don’t really believe it’s appropriate for you to bring me these things.” Your words were rushed out, and you could almost hear the sound of your hole clenching dramatically under the woman’s touch. 

“It’s just a muffin, Professor. Maybe we can talk about my grades while you eat?” She took the seat opposite of your desk as you subtly rolled your eyes. She was sweet, she really was, but you couldn’t even stand to look at her when you had Natasha greedily eating you out without her knowledge. 

“Look, I’m quite busy-“

“Please, Professor…I just want to talk to you. Is that not allowed?” Your fingers clenched the edge of the desk tighter, your legs closing in around the redhead's face yet still allowing her to breathe. She looked up at you with a deep, mischievous grin, and you had to bite back a remark as you quickly began typing your log in to the computer before Wanda’s grades suddenly appeared.

“You have a seventy-eight in my class, I can assure you, t-that’s fine.” Your chest rose quicker and quicker, your face heating a deep shade. Wanda giggled at the scene, naively believing it was because of her own doing and not realizing the girl she mocked on a regular basis was quietly whimpering at the taste of your juices and the smearing along her chin. Your clit was swollen, practically the same shade as your cheeks, and Natasha was pressing tiny peppers to the hard bud, watching it thrust towards her mindlessly. 

Wanda arose from her seat, pushing in her chair slowly and taking sultry steps towards your side of the desk. Your eyes shot wide as your posture straightened.

“Wanda, I- I think you’re quite alright over there-“

“Oh, don’t be so lame. C’mon, you know what I want, and I can tell from that blush that you want it too.” She now stood next to you, tilting your chin to the side and smirking at your open lips, yet her brows furrowed when she watched your eyes drop and a deep moan elicited from your chest. You mumbled curses under your breath, lowering your head in shame. You couldn’t face the student after this, the embarrassment already felt too heavy, even in your deep state of arousal as Natasha hollowed her lips around your clit and eagerly licked you clean, glancing up at Wanda and watching as her eyes fell to meet hers. She giggled around you as she watched the realization dawn upon her, and the vibrations only caused another whine to quietly escape your lips.

“I’m sorry, Wanda, I don’t think Professor Y/L/N isn’t really all that interested!” She said after letting go of you with a loud pop, her face now poking out of the wooden desk you had tried hiding yourself under. The college student glanced between you and Natasha before bolting out of the room, her head hung low similarly to yours. 

“Baby, you are fucking crazy, you know that?” It came out low and raspy as you helped her stand up, yet pulling her face down to kiss her and moaning softly at the taste of your juices upon her sweet lips.

“You’re mine, okay? I really hope that taught her a lesson.” She said with a tiny grin, almost too shy to reveal her victory.

“What? That you’re a teacher's pet?”

“That I’m your only teacher’s pet, and she’ll never get a piece of you, Professor.” 

[multi-fandom-imagine]

❥Sᥕᥱᥲt, bᥲbყ, sᥕᥱᥲt || Stanley Pines ||

A/n: Here it is, the winner of the poll!

Warnings: being filmed, P in V, teasing, cream pie, older!man x younger!reader { reader late 20's - late 30's }, spanking, creampie, dirty talk

Stan couldn't help but feel a rush of pleasure hit him as you gave him that smile he loved so much. You wanted to...make a porno? With him? This felt too good to be true, honestly the man had to pinch himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming, how in the world could he ever say no to you?

His eyes were glued to your form, from how you set up the camera to how you stripped yourself free of your clothes, your body laying back on the bed as you parted your legs for the man, for the camera.

"Fuck me Stan."

Stanley's breath caught in his throat at your wanton display. The way you looked at him, eyes smoldering with arousal, sent a sharp thrill of desire straight to his core.

Growling low in his throat, he closed the distance between you both, his hands fumbling with his own clothing as he captured your lips in a searing kiss. His calloused hands roamed hungrily over your bare skin, fingers tracing the gentle curves of your body.

Breaking the kiss, Stan gazed down at you with eyes darkened by unbridled lust. "As the lady wishes," he rasped, voice rough with need.

Now naked, Stan kept his gaze focused on you. You were so beautiful.

Shaking his head, a smirk formed on his lips as he positioned himself at your slick entrance, slowly sinking into your welcoming heat. A guttural groan escaped him as your walls clenched around his throbbing length. Stan stilled for a moment, savoring the exquisite sensation, before beginning to move - his powerful thrusts slow and measured at first, but steadily building in intensity.

Leaning down, he pressed hot, open-mouthed kisses along the column of your neck, occasionally nipping at the sensitive skin. His rough hands gripped your hips, holding you steady as he drove into you with steadily increasing fervor.

"Oooh dollface," he growled, words punctuated by the slap of flesh on flesh. "You feel so damn good..."

Letting out a cry, your nails dragged across his back as you then draped one of your legs across his hips, your breasts bouncing with each of his thrusts.

"Harder...Stan...fuck...."soft cries leaving your lips.

Stanley's powerful hips snapped forward, driving into your heated depths with unyielding force. Your cries of pleasure only spurred him on, igniting a primal need to give you every ounce of ecstasy he could muster.

Calloused palms gripped your shapely thighs, holding you in place as he pistoned into you relentlessly. The sound of their bodies colliding filled the air, mingling with your breathless moans, your mind fogging forgetting for a moment you two were being filmed.

Shifting his angle slightly, Stan angled his hips to hit that sweet spot deep within you, drawing forth a shuddering gasp. He repeated the motion, reveling in the way your walls clenched around him in response.

Leaning in, he captured your lips in a searing kiss, swallowing your cries. His tongue tangled with yours in a sensual dance, matching the pulsing rhythm of his hips.

Pulling back, Stan gazed down at you with unbridled lust. "That's it, darlin'," he rasped, voice thick with need. "Scream for me. Let the whole damn world know who's making you feel this good."

He emphasized his words with a particularly hard, deep thrust, intent on pushing you over the edge.

Stifling a cry against his lips, you did your best to match your lovers thrusts as your gaze then drifted to the camera that was capturing your most intimate moment together.

Stanley's virile form moved with an animalistic grace as he drove into your willing body. Your breathless cries only fueled his primal need, every fiber of his being focused on bringing you to the heights of ecstasy.

The camera's red light blinked steadily, immortalizing their ardent coupling. Your gaze flickered towards it, eyes hooded with unbridled desire. The knowledge that you would be able to relive this moment whenever Stanley was away only heightened the raw sensuality of your tryst.

Stan's calloused palms caressed and gripped your trembling form, guiding your hips to meet each of his powerful thrusts. His touch was firm yet reverent, conveying the depth of his affection even as he indulged your every carnal whim.

Leaning in, he captured your lips in a searing kiss, swallowing your soft mewls of pleasure. Stan's tongue tangled with yours in a sensual dance, mirroring the pulsing rhythm of his hips.

"That's it, darlin'," he rasped, voice thick with need. "Lemme hear how good I'm makin' you feel."

"Stanley." Your voice was desperate now, you did your best to cling to him. Your hold wavering, leg slipping off his hips from his powerful thrusts.

"I'm so close." You whined. The familiar heat coiling in your belly though all it took was a particular thrust from Stan that had you seeing starts. His name torn from your lips as her pussy clenched tightly around his cock.

Your legs now wrapped firmly around his hips to prevent him from pulling out. You wanted to feel all of him, you wanted to capture it all.

Stanley felt a surge of primal satisfaction as your desperate cries filled the air. The way your body clung to him, the exquisite sensation of your walls pulsing around his throbbing length - it was enough to drive any man to the brink of madness.

Gripping your hips firmly, he angled his thrusts to hit that sensitive spot deep within you again and again drawing forth another guttural moan. Stan's calloused palms caressed the soft curves of your trembling form, his touch reverent yet possessive, his hand moving up to give your breast a squeeze, thumb gliding across your nipple.

"That's it, darlin'," he rasped, voice thick with need. "Let go for me. I wanna feel you come undone."

Leaning in, he captured your lips in a searing kiss, swallowing your cries of ecstasy. Stan's hips pistoned forward relentlessly, chasing his own release even as he sought to push you over the edge.

The camera's red light blinked steadily, capturing every moment of their ardent coupling. Stan knew this footage would be a treasured memento.

With a final, earth-shattering thrust, he felt your walls clench around him in a vice-like grip. Your back arched as you shattered, your scream of euphoria muffled by his searing kiss. Stan's own climax followed shortly after, a guttural groan rumbling in his chest as he spilled himself within your pulsing heat.

Collapsing against you, he nuzzled into the crook of your neck, placing gentle kisses along the sensitive skin. His grip on your hips loosened, calloused palms caressing you in a soothing manner.

"Damn, sweetheart," he murmured, voice thick with satisfaction. "That was one hell of a show."

"You're so sexy....hmmm I love you.." You did your best to return this kisses as you melted into his touch. Your fingers slowly running down his back showing off your own affection but thats when you remembered the camera.

"And you, my dear, are a vision," he murmured against her mouth, voice low and rough with lingering desire. "Driving me wild, as always."

With a lazy smile, you returned the kiss then sat up to grab the camera panning it down your body, letting it film to her slit feeling his cum slowly dripped out.

"You really filled me, didn't you Stanley."

Stanley's heart swelled with affection as you melted into his touch, your fingers tracing delicate patterns along the burn mark on his back. The adoration shining in your eyes made his pulse quicken, and he couldn't resist capturing your lips in another searing kiss.

Gazing down at you with hooded eyes, Stan watched hungrily as you angled the camera to capture the sight of his release seeping from your slick folds. A rumbling groan escaped him at the erotic display a surge of pride hitting him, he couldn't resist giving your backside a playful squeeze.

"Mmm, you're damn right I did," he purred, gaze drinking in the enticing sight. "Filled you up good and proper, just like you wanted."

Dipping his head, Stan placed a trail of hot, open-mouthed kisses along your neck, savoring the lingering taste of their ardent coupling. His touch was possessive yet reverent, conveying the depth of his affection.

"This is one show I'll be eager to replay," he purred, nuzzling against your skin. "Though nothing compares to the real thing, darlin'."

Giving him another kiss, you let your fingers run through his silver hair. "My handsome silver fox, hmm I love you Stan."

Stanley's heart swelled with affection as Brooke's soft lips met his own in a tender kiss. The warmth and adoration in her voice made his chest ache in the most wonderful way.

"And I love you, darlin'," he murmured "Ain't no one else who can get me goin' like you can."

Pulling you close, Stan nuzzled against your neck, placing a trail of gentle kisses along the sensitive area. A satisfied rumble reverberated in his chest as he reveled in the afterglow of your love making.

"Mmm, you really know how to show this old dog a good time," he purred, voice laced with contentment. "Ain't no doubt in my mind, that was one for the record books."

Stan then brushed a stray lock of your hair from your face. "You're one in a million, sweetheart. My one and only."

Gazing softening, you gave him another soft kiss turning the camera off as you let it fall to the floor as your arms wrapped around his neck.

"I love you Stanley Pines."

[omnifuneral]

I don't really know who this post is "for", but this morning I've been listening to a couple records from right around the height of the "autotune war" of the late 2000s and I have some thoughts.

I was in school for music production right around the time all that was reaching something of a head. 808s and Heartbreak had a death grip on the zeitgeist, Jay-Z released that (corny at the time, ridiculous in retrospect, like most of his mid-to-late career work) "Death of Autotune" song, and even pretty normal people had Very Strong Opinions on something they didn't really understand.

One problem with the discussion was that two VERY different things were happening in popular music at the same time, both of which could reasonably be referred to as "autotune", because they WERE both using the same tooling:

Autotune as an artistic decision - think Kanye, Cher, T-Pain, your favorite rapper today if you're not a total cornball. Natural progression from Moroder's vocoder or Frampton's talkbox, really, but Black people were doing it With Computer now so it was Bad

Autotune designed to be invisible - this is more broadly called "pitch correction" in the industry and is a universal feature of pretty much all pop records made in the last 20 years, but is a LOT better now than it was back then... listen to the 2007 A7X self-titled record or some early Katy Perry if you want to hear how uncanny this could sound at the time. More objectionable sounding IMO, but harder to hear, and it all kind of got lumped together in the public consciousness around really stale, lame, point-missing conversations about "talent" and "authenticity"

Anyway, if this all seems quaint and a little weird to have gotten so worked up about in retrospect, that's because it is. Within a few years, "artistic" autotune was so ubiquitous it became impossible to imagine pop or hip-hop without it, and the tools and techniques for "transparent" pitch correction had gotten so much better that nobody except your real Rick Beato-tier production nerds (myself included) would ever hear it. By 2012 or 2013 the only people still bitching at all were, well, boomers.

The reason I bothered typing all this out, besides the fact that I find this stuff interesting, is that it's basically how I see artistic uses of generative AI shaking out in the next decade or so. There will almost certainly be an increasing bifurcation between uses of AI tools that are obviously AI - indeed, where the AI-ness is part of the point - and works of art where some generative tools were used somewhere in the process more or less transparently. Lots of people will stay very angry about the whole thing for quite some time, and (knowingly or not) conflate the two very different processes when discussing them. Both streams will evolve rapidly both in terms of tool quality and technique refinement, and eventually both totally AI-generated art, or music, or whatever and "traditional" works that employ contemporary tooling will exist side by side in a world where the vast majority of normal people are (mostly) done bitching about it.

Or... I could be totally wrong about everything. Whatever. The future is unwritten.

Either way, I hope you're having a great weekend. ✌️

[artificial-transmutations]

Transformation Letter: Mikey

Hi, I'm Mikey. I'd like to transformed into a more masculine guy, not an object. I'm a 20 year old bi guy from England, 177cm tall with fairly pale white skin, average build (not muscular but not exactly twinkish), short brown hair and not much facial hair to speak of.

A new transformation letter! There's no harm in wishing to be a bit manlier, right?

You have heard the rumors about these special transformation letters and decided to give it a try. Sure, there were reports of twisting wishes and not getting *exactly* what you asked for, but those were probably just exaggerations. It's the internet, after all.

So, you quickly summarized who you were and what you wanted to become - "more masculine" should suffice - and sent the letter.

You were just on your way home a good one and a half week later when you suddenly felt strange. The first thing that was almost immediately noticeable was your height, which increased quite a few centimeters, to a good 1,85 meters. That wasn't too bad for your trousers, they were only noticeably too short now, but your shirt and jacket were almost uncomfortable now. You looked around, and, after making sure nobody was there to see you, slipped out of both.

You can hardly believe what you are seeing! It worked! Where before you were a normal guy, you now looked down at a somewhat defined body! A visible six-pack and the subtle bulges of muscle on your arms and chest gave you a lean build. As you touch your face, you notice a difference there, too. Some stubble has formed on your chin, and your jaw has rearranged somewhat, becoming a bit more masculine. Looking further down, you see another new bulge that you didn't have before - at least not this big. Apparently, your privates have grown as well, making you well-endowed down there. When you took a careful sniff, you noticed a faint but manly musky smell emanating from you, especially your exposed armpits. Not really intense but enough to add to your newfound masculine charisma.

Giving your cock a squeeze, you began to hurry home. You could hardly wait to see the full story!

You made your way home quickly. However, as you are just entering the apartment, the feeling from before returned, stronger now. You watched your torso stack on more muscle, now growing into a clearly muscular and fit form. Your biceps strained the skin on your arms, and you can even see some veins popping up on it. As soon as you let out a "Woah", you recognized that your voice, too, has changed. It was a much lower tone than before, enough to send shivers down the spines of other men. On your even more defined abs and your juicy pecs, you could see a light coating of hair. Not enough to be clearly visible on a picture, but definitely there - everywhere actually. The little hairs looked shaved, and you briefly wondered how they would have looked if you let them grow out. The thought was thrilling, and you felt your cock chub up. When you looked down, however, the bulge it formed in your pants is almost obscene. You were a long way from being fully hard and yet, it looked like a pair of socks stuffed into your underwear. Apparently, you also had grown another few centimeters, since your pants were riding even higher now.

Finally finding a mirror, you were almost shocked to see your face. Your eyebrows have grown bushier, and your eyes had gained a new, almost predatory quality. The musk you now exude made you irresistible, filled with raw sexual energy.

You like this, you concluded. Perhaps it was even a bit much, but it's still manageable. You were definitely manly now.

Just as you were thinking that thought, another rush of transformation set it. Your arms ballooned out with more and more muscle, making you look like a bodybuilder - or a steroid junkie. The veins on your arms were clearly visible now. At the same time, your body hair growth accelerated again. The new coating of hair was now clearly visible, even though you somehow knew that you had just shaved a few hours ago. You had to shave twice a day now, body and face, to keep it at decent level and not look like a cave man in the matter of hours. Your stomach turned into a cobblestone washboard, displaying at least an eight-pack. You were beginning to have trouble judging that however, since it was getting more and more difficult to see past your shelf of pectoral muscles that sat on your chest like a piece of plate armor.

Your shoulders had broadened incredibly wide and the combination of that and your heavily muscled arms disallowed for any reaching around your back now. At the same time, your pants started to feel really constricting. Not just the front, but the whole length was stuffed to the brim with muscled legs that yearned to be free.

With some difficulties, you peeled out of the tight fabric, standing only in your underwear in front of the mirror now. Your once wide and comfortable briefs were little more than a poser now - stretched by your wider muscled hips and filled with your manly bulge so much that it didn't even touch your hairy legs anymore. Your voice has turned into a very low growl now, almost more animalistic than manly. Your musk has grown so strong, it fills any room you walk into, a raw, primal scent that has men weak in the knees.

This is entirely too much. You needed to call someone to reverse this madness! How are you supposed to continue living your live like that? Before you could react properly however, you felt the next wave of change approaching, sending you deeper into manliness still, never stopping...

Oh dear, seems like Mikey got more than he asked for. Will he ever stop growing?

[sunsets12]

If I may ask, in your head what’s the height difference between Percy and Finnick in the story. The reason I ask is because there’s no definitive answer from what I’m seeing some people are claiming/ head cannoning that Finnick is 6’3 or even 6’5. Or what even is Percy’s height that you envisioned?

The true reason of heart that I am curious of this information is so I can properly envision the hand holding. You don’t understand how many time reread those two sections and let out various noises . I’m totally dealing this so normally, very maturely if I might add.

For the 72th hunger games, I can already tell that their dependency with each other is going drastically increase. The codependency is going to go wild ~

Percy, my dude Cupid’s arrow true aimed your ass. I can’t wait to see the moment that Finnick has feeling for Percy. Trust that I will go feral when that happens :)

Thanks for chapter 24 update :)

Fun little fact, you made my day since it was my birthday when you updated even though you were unhappy with this chapter please take pride in that you managed to make this the derange reader happy ~~~

Lol this is one of those asks that you probably didn't expect me to have a lot of thoughts on, but I have a lot of thoughts on it.

Okay so, when I think about PJO character's heights, I like to think that all the demigods are like... stupidly tall. They're descended from gods who are 20 feet or something in their actual form, so it makes sense to me that their kids would all be tall. Now, this isn't canon because I'm pretty sure multiple demigod characters are described as short in the books, but I like to headcanon it anyway because it's a nice extra (and subtle) touch to show they aren't fully human. So, in my little non-canon fanfic, there aren't really any demigods shorter than like 5'8, and even that is *short* for them. Most demigods average like 5'11 to 6'0 for women and 6'2 to 6'3 for men. With that being said I don't remember Percy ever being described as particularly tall in the books? (I might be wrong on that though.) So, in my mind he's about 6'2. Maybe 6'3, which is normal for a healthy demigod his age :)

On the other hand, Hunger Games characters from the districts are, on the whole, food insecure. Katniss even talks about how her growth was stunted because of malnourishment. However, she contrasts this with the career kids who are bigger and stronger because they are better fed. Additionally, I can imagine that for a male tribute, like Finnick who presumably relied a lot on his strength to win, he must be pretty tall + strong. Plus, I think Katniss actually calls him tall in the books. (Once again, I don't have the books on me, so this is just my memory and I might be wrong). Anyway, I picture him as being around 6'1.

I definitely think Percy is the taller one, but not by a lot. And the only character I can picture being 6'5 is, like, Frank lol. (Okay, side note, I looked it up and apparently Frank is 6'5-6'6 according to the percy jackson wiki)

And happy late birthday!

[sunkissedlouis]

Hi! I don't know if you already have a tutorial but would you mind sharing your gif making process? Thank you!

hiiii anon!

thank you for sending this in :) it's my first time getting a tutorial request hehe i tried to explain each step i do as best as i can.

i'll put the gif making process and tutorial under the cut bc it's image + text heavy

before starting, i'd just like to share what i use in creating gifs:

i'm on mac (i used to do them on windows... the ps steps are the same if you're using one)

i'm currently using photoshop 2022

i use 9xbuddy or video downloadhelper extension on firefox mainly for downloading videos

best quality to download for hq gifs is ideally 1080p and above. (although you can get away with 720p for smaller gif sizes)

i use mplayer-osx extended to get the screencaps/frames for my gifs (if i'm not doing the import option in photoshop)

for this tutorial, i'm using the latam highlights video from louis' ig reels to make today's gif. on to the tutorial / process!

please click the screenshots i've included below and zoom in on the texts on them to see them clearly (apologies for the quality!)

IMPORT YOUR FRAMES. once you've downloaded your video, open photoshop and click FILE > IMPORT > VIDEO FRAMES TO LAYERS

SELECT THE PART YOU WANT TO GIF. the shorter, the better because you want to keep it crisp and keep the file under 10mb when you save it after all the layers. here are the settings i use:

toggle the smaller arrows under the bar to select the parts you want to gif. once you have your frames loaded, it should show you a timeline table at the bottom and their corresponding layers on the right side. (if you can't see the timeline, go to WINDOW > click TIMELINE)

3. DELETE EXTRA LAYERS, CROP PARTS YOU WANT TO FOCUS ON, AND RESIZE.

after cropping the parts of the gifs, resize them according to the tumblr sizing to prevent your gifs from looking blurry once you upload them. you can use this size guide for your reference :) the gif's height can be any size as far as i know. go to IMAGE > IMAGE SIZE > INPUT THE SIZE. for this gif, we'll do 540 x 540

4. CHANGE GIF SPEED and CONVERT TO SMART OBJECT

once you've selected all frames

set the delay to 0.07. this is usually the natural, normal speed for gifs on here. it depends on the number of frames you have but i usually do .07 or .05 (sometimes .08 haha)

with all your timeline frames still selected, then select all the layers on the right side. go to SELECT > ALL LAYERS

then convert them to smart object so we can edit all the layers all at once. go to LAYER > SMART OBJECTS > CONVERT TO SMART OBJECT

5. SHARPEN (one of my fave parts!)

this is the basic one that most users use:

STEP 1: go to FILTER > SHARPEN > SMART SHARPEN

radius usually goes from 0.3-0.4

STEP 2: Repeat STEP 1, but this time change the settings to:

you can stop here but i like my gifs crispier and to have more texture! i use the sharpening settings from this tutorial or these sharpening action packs from user brainwasheds. i highly recommend these! i mix and match the settings when i'm not happy with how they look on my gifs. but for this gif we'll use the sharpening settings from this tutorial.

in addition to the settings from that tutorial, i also added FILTER > OTHER > HIGH PASS at 3.4 radius, then set the opacity to 60-80

then lastly add FILTER > ADD NOISE > NOISE at gaussian setting with 1.5 amount, then set opacity to 20-30

6. BRIGHTENING, COLORING, BALANCING, ADDING TEXTURE

now for the fun part!

STEP 1: BRIGHTEN UP THE GIF this is my go-to way to increase the brightness. go to LAYER > NEW ADJUSTMENT LAYER > BRIGHTNESS / CONTRAST then change its blending mode from NORMAL to SCREEN

you now have a very bright, highly saturated gif but we'll fix that lol

STEP 2: ADD CONTRAST BY FIXING THE BLACKS AND WHITES add a new adjustment layer > LEVELS

i usually play around with these. middle and black arrows add shadows and contrast while the white arrows add highlights/brightness to the gifs.

these are my settings! these are not definite bc it varies depending on what you're working on, so adjust them accordingly. next, add another adjustment layer > CURVES

i usually zoom in to locate the darkest / black area using the black dropper. then once that's done, do the same and locate the brightest/white area. this adds further contrast to your gif that wasn't done in the previous step.

STEP 3: COLORING (my fave part!!!) add a new adjustment layer > SELECTIVE COLOR this is the part where i like to neutralize the skin color when it gets too yellow or red, make the colors pop, and sometimes change them too. louis' skin was looking too red heavy, so i wanted to reduce that! i start with balancing out the skin color with REDS & YELLOWS.

these are my settings for this gif! adjust them and observe the changes it makes on the person's skin. if you know color theory, it's helpful to see how it affects the colors on your gifs. putting the arrows more on the left side, adds more 'cool' tones, whilst putting the arrows to the right side, adds more 'warm' tones.

i like to deepen the blacks on my gifs further so, go to selective color's BLACKS and on the black scale, add more to the right! for this one, i added +10

add a new SELECTIVE COLOR adjustment layer. for this one, we'll make the surrounding colors pop more!

for these settings, i made the leaves more vivid while the teal(?) wall, i adjusted them made it more blue.

next, add a new adjustment layer > COLOR BALANCE this is where you can make further adjustments on the overall colors of your gif. you can also change the color tone of your gifs here if you want to make it more 'cool' tone or 'warm' tone looking.

earlier's color theory applies here as well!

6.5. OPTIONAL STEP: ADD TEXTURE/OVERLAYS after the last step, you can save your gif as is but again, i like adding textures to my gifs so we'll add one. i use the textures/overlays that i got from here :)

i like to use film, grainy textures! add the texture you want on top of all the layers.

then change the blending mode to LIGHTEN or SCREEN. adjust the opacity to 20-40%. for this gif i used screen with 40%.

7. EXPORT AND SAVE YOUR GIF time to save your gif! click FILE > EXPORT > SAVE FOR WEB

this is my default setting for my gifs. i also tick the interlaced option sometimes.

here's the finished gif:

there you go anon! :) if you have any more questions, just lmk or you can directly dm me off-anon if you want.

i also get inspo, guides, and other tutorials over at @usergif

[magickman1234]

Your Feedee Boyfriend’s Secret Plot

You’ve been with your boyfriend on and off in college as friends with benefits. Life let you both know you liked fat people but the feedism part came together after this. You were desperate to fatten him and he was a natural glutton. You got back in contact with him after his time in grad school gave him time again. You’ve been a chunky curvy girl and he loved that but at some point while excited after a party you started feeding him. The sex was transcendent and you two got him from a burly fat boy to a hog of a man. You put on some weight and accidentally got like visibly fatter, like not just extra curvy or thick but fat. You noticed he looked at you different with a glint in his eyes you’d never seen. He ate well so you thought it was that.

It crept up on you slow and kind. Your insecurities as the 30 spread turned into the late thirties extra spread. You developed a lower back issue and he got you a comfortable chair while you cooked for you. He insisted on letting you sit while he grabs your favorites at the couples night buffet you take him to. You notice the booths there seemed to be shrinking. You asked and your kindly admits he’s so big he had to scoot the table towards you. He does it with a distracting jiggle of his gut and your on fire between your thighs too much to notice how big they feel is not your imagination. When you notice space in the car making out or in the theatres or your couch he whispers an evil truth: “Look what you did to me.” You don’t realize what’s happening because at first your metabolism kept up like when you were in your twenties. That dreamy stuffed gut delirium sex finished with you rubbing your own bloated tummy that by morning is down to a chunky curvy girl scale. At this later time you can’t but your body’s last moments of metabolism abandons you after gifting you that 10 pound increase you get while keeping up with a fat boy in your 20s. You state at 10-15 mitre then boom that shoots toward 20-30. Your belly starts to not shrink back. Your middle starts to insist on staying just stuck out more and more.

Right when you realize it on his birthday after eating your favorite cookies as you cook more that he’s eaten now. He’s fattening you up! His real birthday wish is to fatten you up. You blush as he catches you discovering this and swoops in with a pinch of fat off your hip that’s slipped loose from your well beyond tight pajamas.

“Oh it’s cute you truly thought those were for me…look at you so programmed I’ve turned you into your own feeder,” he grins. “But truly you’ve earned it, what’s good for the hog is good for the sow?”

He pokes you nose up and you snort like you’ve made him snort. Your body quivers for joy as you eat several of the chocolate almond mess you love! Omg wait he made this recipe for you early on! How long has he been planning this? Why are you so happpppyy!?! The deep need as a fat girl to just cut loose eat and eat get fatter no matter whatever devour sweets or any food hits her interest.

Truly your a switch with more dom but something about going full submissive for a weekend or two hits you hard. He’s got a cruel multitudes of your favorites plus his so he eats while you eat until your trying and loosing that battle to keep up with him. Your figure gives out rapidly on these retreats. The rest of the week back to being a feeder and him the feedee but you can’t help up eat too, more and more. It’s just normalized now.

It hits you your in free fall now an near equal with him now. Your noticing everyone look at you like they do him. In fact a slight difference in height and more of a rapid belly gainer as you got within fifty pounds of him you have the bigger belly more eyes are on you. Your boyfriend has muscle so no matter how he eats his legs are ripped and arms too with flabby upper limbs but you are so much fatter looking. You realize being the smaller fatty in a fat couple had unconsciously been your pride more than you realized. You realize you’ve both lost any pretense of dom or sub or feeder or feedee. You both just sit on the couch eating all night but you’re eating two desserts each night! Oh god when your dom you demand it now. He doesn’t have to tease you. Just sitting you feel your side of the couch sinks much lower and your cushion needs to be flipped to keep it from getting too uncomfortable. The lack of control you realize is not from him but from control of your appetite, gluttony, and greed. Your ravening and helpless to desire for food. Once you make it past him in weight you’ll realize it’s easier to be in charge when you out weigh him.

[lemonylioness]

A Work of Art

Madara x Reader - University AU - An aspiring artist gets their first nude model

Content warnings: dub con, D/s dynamics, edging, public sex, mild bondage, dacryphilia, multiple orgasms, orgasm control, squirting, creampie, aftercare

4.8k

So honestly, this is only marked for Madara, because he is my favorite. When writing this, I felt it could fit a lot of our older “Daddy” type characters and I kept it intentionally vague (except for a line or two) so feel free to imagine your favorite dominating you. Madara, Hashirama, Tobirama, Jiraiya, Kakashi, Kakuzu, Geto, Toji, Nanami… Honestly the list goes on… Enjoy~

“Alright, class, for this week’s project, we will be using posed nude models to complete studies of the human body and to grow your knowledge of anatomy. You will create a painting in either oil or acrylic medium on canvases or boards. I want the completed project to be at least 10” x 20”,” the art professor wrote on the chalkboard as he spoke, writing down the same requirements for the project as he was speaking, “Be respectful of our models as they are volunteers, older students and professors who graciously donated their time for your practice. Once they come in, stay seated, they will come to you. The model you get is the model you get. No swapping and no complaining.” He turned and snapped a finger at the student closest to the classroom door, “Let them in and remember, we are grateful for their time.”

The student pulled open the door and a line of robed men and women came into the spacious classroom, a mix of body types, heights, and hair colors ranging from white to blonde to brown to the deepest black, splitting off and sitting by whoever caught their eye and immediately the volume of sound in the room increased as strangers got to know each other and robes were discarded. You were tucked back into a corner by the large window. It was your favorite place to paint as it had a view that overlooked the university campus and had a perfectly warm sunbeam for most of the class time. Rearranging your paint brushes on your work table nervously, you worked not to catch anyone’s eye, a deep blush coloring your face at all of the exposed skin. This was way outside your comfort zone, but you loved art and this was a part of it. Out of the corner of your eye, you watched as the pairs settled, leaving only one model left, who was standing at the front of the room with the professor, his broad back to the class as they spoke. You recognized him as one of the professors on campus, possibly teaching history or something like that, his wild black hair tamed back into a ponytail and his large hands moving through the air as he gesticulated to whatever he was saying that you couldn’t hear.

Suddenly, he turned, looking in the direction the professor was pointing which was straight at you, making you duck behind your canvas as your blush turned a blazing red. When you peeked out again, you were immediately ensnared in his dark eyes, his expression changing to something like hunger as he started toward your little corner. Dropping your eyes, you fiddled with the brushes again, unexpected heat flooding your body from just his look. You felt like a trapped rabbit as the predator stalked silently towards your hiding place and it was taking everything you had not to break and run.

“Where would you like me to be?” The model’s smooth voice brushed past your ear from way too close and you jumped, not expecting him so close so soon.

“R-right th-there is perfect,” you stumbled over your words as you indicated the stool set up in front of your easel, making use of the sunbeam that glittered across the floor. More blood suffused through your face and neck as you tried to ignore how much of your personal space this man was in, “You can use the stool if you want… Or whatever you’d like…”

He chuckled as if he knew exactly how nervous he was making you before stepping around your body and canvas. Taking off his robe, he asked, “how would you like me to pose for you?”

“Oh… Ah… Um…” Your brain was short circuiting as your eyes roamed over his muscular frame, “h-however is most comfortable for you… I’m not picky.” Clearly comfortable with being naked in front of an audience, he started arranging himself on the stool after a sly smile in your direction, finally settling on facing you with his feet propped on the foot rest bar and legs spread apart, showing his manhood as well as the curls of hair above it. He sat up straight, arching his back slightly as he positioned his arms above his head, elbows bent and hands tucked behind his neck. It was a very casual pose that showed everything. Muscles rippled as you watched him flex for you, his eyes on your face, waiting for your reaction. Gathering yourself, you tried your best to keep any evidence of the heat you were feeling from your face, though you couldn’t deny the way your core ached and dampened just from his gaze alone.

There was no doubt about it, he was very attractive and he knew it too. It was like he was preening as more and more of the class looked your way. Hiding behind your canvas, you tried to stay out of the line of sight of everyone as you wet your brush and got started on your piece. At least here, you could avoid not only the jealous looks of your classmates, but also your model’s laser focus. Taking a deep breath and steeling yourself against another flush of heat, you let your mind wander back over his perfectly sculpted muscles, the gorgeous dark hair both on his head and the dusky thatch between his legs, under which was perched his nicely formed penis and scrotum. You had seen naked men before, you certainly were not a virgin, however none of them had looked like this. Or had his eyes. It was his eyes that drew you in the most. Deep and intelligent, it was like they could see right through you, like he could read your mind and everything you thought with just a look. It was just so intense, like he had stolen his eyes right off of the cover of a romance novel.

Taking another calming breath, you picked up your paint palette and looked out from behind your canvas to make sure your model wasn’t just a figment of an overactive imagination. His eyes immediately locked onto yours again and he smirked.

“Ready to get started?” he purred, flexing fully once more. Swallowing hard, you nodded and started your sketch, praying to whatever higher power that you were going to survive this week without melting into a little puddle. It was going to be a long project.

—

The art room was empty except for yourself and your model. The other students had long since called it quits for the day and shuffled on to other pursuits. He was no longer in his pose as you had finished your bare bones sketch and wouldn’t need him until it came time to set the lighting and color. For now, you were slowly adding detail from memory avoiding looking at him as much as possible. He was currently chewing on his lip and staring out the window, still perched on the stool, still unbelievably attractive, and still making heat flood your body every time you forgot yourself and stared at him for too long. The silence in the room was overbearing and making things worse for you as there was nothing that could be used as a distraction. Maybe it was time to call it a day. You certainly could use the break to get rid of the nagging ache between your thighs, your dorm room sounding better all the time for some privacy. Your panties had to be soaked after all.

Finally setting down your paint brush, you stretched and stepped back away from the easel, catching his attention, “Are we done?” He stood up and stepped over to look at the canvas, immediately invading your personal space again and standing way too close.

“Well no… I mean, I’m taking a break for a moment… But you certainly don’t have to stick around… I can wait until tomorrow for the parts I’ll need you for, but for now I just want to step away for a moment or two,” you stepped back away from him, turning to your work table to hide the arousal you were sure was stamped all over your face. He was so warm and you couldn’t handle his presence when it was so close to you. He also smelled really good and your hands itched to see if his skin was really as silky as it looked. You needed to get a hold of yourself. He was turning your brain to mush and he wasn’t really even doing anything.

Gathering your paint brushes, you moved to take them to the sink, when suddenly a strong arm had you trapped against the table, his firm, bare chest pressed against your back as he caged you in place, “you do look a little tired, taking a break is smart. I’ll stay here with you.”

Even though his voice was soothing, you tensed as his breath fanned across your neck. “I should leave,” you struggled to speak normally, hoping he couldn’t hear the beginning of the needy whine in your voice, “and let you get dressed and back to whatever you need to do… I’ve got a few things to take care of and I’ve held you here long enough…” Your voice faltered as his lips pressed just under your ear.

“Don’t go,” his tone left little room for argument and he pressed closer, his body solid against yours and making you shiver.

“I-I… W-we can’t… You’re a professor and someone could come in at any time… We don’t even know each other’s names…” You argued weakly, the ache was becoming unbearable and you were pretty sure he knew.

“There’s nothing for you to worry about, just relax,” his mouth trailed up and down the tensed muscle of your neck, one of his hands moving to press against your stomach to keep you in place when you tried to turn to face him, “No, kitten, stay where you are. Forget about everything, the project, your worries, your inhibitions. Just focus on me. Focus on how this makes you feel. I won’t let anything bad happen. Understood?”

A soft moan left your lips as you felt his teeth nip your skin before you let out a breathy, “Y-yes…”

A deep rumble powered through his chest at your acquiescence, “yes what?”

“Yes Sir,” you blushed with embarrassment as you answered him without hesitation, the words springing from your lips instinctually.

“That’s my good girl,” he purred, his unoccupied hand moving to pull the paint brushes from your grip and setting them aside before he guided your hands up into the air so he could pull off your shirt and bra in quick succession. His mouth moved to your neck again, making your knees weak as kisses and nips heated your skin only to be soothed a minute later by his tongue. You melted back against his hard chest as his teeth caught your ear lobe, tugging as he sucked at the soft flesh. Your acceptance of his ministrations seemed to please him and he pulled you back tighter against his body, one of his hands moving to cup your breast while the other drifted lower to the waistband of your shorts. His fingers were gentle against your skin in contrast to the way his lips and teeth were attacking your neck and shoulders. Your eyes slid closed as another moan left you, the combination of his skillful touch and sinful mouth was getting to be too much.

He seemed to have been waiting for this, taking it as his cue to start taking things further. He squeezed your breast, his thumb tracing around your areola and over your nipple, making the bud tighten into a stiff peak for him to tug on as his other hand slipped into your panties, moving to cup between your legs. His touch was electricity, delivering shocks of pleasure that just seemed to turn you on and on and on. You were more aroused than you had ever been before in your life. Your little cunt wouldn’t stop aching, begging to be filled with something just so you could have an ounce of relief. Your model seemed to be feeling similarly, you could feel his thick, twitching erection pressed firmly against your ass and when you reached back to touch him, he groaned in your ear as his hips bucked slightly.

“That’s right, kitten, go ahead, touch whatever you’d like. I want you and this wet pussy so bad… I can’t believe how ready you are for me…” His voice tightened and he stifled another groan as your fingers wrapped and squeezed around his girthy shaft. You arched against him as he pulled his hand from your shorts so he could undo the button and push them down past your hips, letting them and your panties pool around your feet as his hand went right back to where it was, your legs spreading of their own accord to give him more access. He hissed against your neck before purring in your ear, “So ready… You’ve wanted this for a while haven’t you? My naughty girl. Don’t worry. I’ll take care of you.”

A harsh whine left your throat as his fingers started to probe between your lower lips, “Y-yes S-sir… P-please… I-I need more…” He chuckled as his other hand came up to gently circle around your neck, holding you as still as he could, his arm pressing between your breasts and against your sternum, pinning you to his body.

“Of course, pet, all in good time, just be a good girl for me,” his fingers slid inside of your throbbing heat and curled deliciously causing pleasure to spike through you. Panting from the delightful feelings, your thighs tried to squeeze together as he worked his fingers against your g-spot, the stimulation already overwhelming as his hand tightened around your throat in warning, causing you to freeze. One of his legs came up between yours, his muscular thigh forcing you to keep your legs spread as he pulled your back into a harsher arch, making it difficult for you to do anything except take it as you balanced on your tiptoes. “Relax, kitten, let me pleasure you,” he admonished gently as he continued to massage your spongy spot until you were shaking in his grasp, your hand pumping his hot, silky cock erratically. It was so easy to follow his commands and let him toy with your body that you found yourself going boneless in his arms, letting him have his way as he made pleasure course through every one of your nerves, setting you on fire every time his fingers moved inside of you.

“O-oh, p-please, I’m so close… I’m g-gonna c-cum,” you soon sobbed, your pussy fluttering with your impending climax.

His hand immediately stilled, his fingers sliding out of your core and making you cry out as your orgasm slipped away, tears gathering on your lash line, “shh, pet, I know, I know… But you can’t cum yet… Not yet. You’ll only cum on my cock or not at all.” He wiped your juices across your stomach, letting you whimper quietly as he readjusted your position, pulling your hand from his cock and pushing you down chest first onto the work table, your breasts squished to the cool surface. He nudged your legs apart with his knee so your soft lower lips and fluttering cunt were on full display for him, one of his hands splayed across your back to keep you in place as the other groped the smooth globe of your asscheek. You squirmed underneath his hand, feeling your slick start to ooze from your clenching, empty heat, coating your trembling lips before drooling down your thighs and spattering onto the tile floor between your feet with a soft pap, pap, pap.

He rumbled in approval behind you, “That’s it, now I can see your needy, little hole. Don’t move.” His hand left your body as he stepped away from you, the loss of his heat making goosebumps rise all over your skin as you quickly chilled in the cool air. You couldn’t help the shiver that worked its way up your spine as an anxious ball tightened in your belly, your swollen clit throbbing as your pussy clenched and quivered in anticipation. Suddenly, smooth hands were pulling your arms behind your back, the tie from the robe he had been wearing earlier wrapping and knotting around your wrists to keep them together and in place against your back as he stood behind you once again, his thick cock resting between your ass cheeks, leaking pearls of pre-cum onto your shivering skin as he contemplated his next move.

A whimper fell from your lips as your hips involuntarily bucked back, “Please… P-please… Please…” You weren’t even sure what you were begging for, but you needed something to happen, you couldn’t stand waiting any longer.

He tutted softly, tracing a finger down your spine and making you arch and shudder, more of your slick dripping and pooling on the floor, “Ask appropriately, kitten, use your words… Tell me what you want.”

“P-please, Sir, I want you inside me… I want your cock so bad… I need it. Fuck me! Please!” You begged brokenly, practically sobbing with urgency as you gave into his dominance, letting him have complete control as you laid submissively on the table, your legs shaking.

“That’s my good girl,” he purred, wasting no time shifting behind you and pressing the tip of his cock against your fluttering entrance, getting himself slippery with your juices. Before he thrust into you, he leaned down and his hand circled around your knee, bringing your leg up to rest in a bent position on the table, pushing your hips back flat on the cool surface and opening your cunt up even more for him to look at and touch, his fingers ghosting over your twitching skin and lightly catching on your swollen clit, making you sob and buck again. “Mmm… You’re so perfect… This pussy is so perfect… This is now my property, do you understand that, pet?”

Without waiting for an answer, he groaned as he slowly worked his heavy girth into your sloppy, slobbery hole, the head of his cock popping past the tight ring of muscle and stretching you out in a way you’d never felt before. You moaned pathetically, your hips jerking back and your body threatening to climax just from him barely penetrating your quivering pussy.

“F-fuck, kitten, you’re so tight,” he choked and shuddered behind you, his fingers digging into the plush of your ass as he reeled from how hard you were clamped around just the tip of his length. “That’s it kitten, go ahead, cum for me,” one of his hands reached between your bodies and thumbed at your clit, thrusting shallowly to give you a little friction to help, planning to use your orgasm to slam home. The stimulation quickly sent you over the edge and into a shaking, spasming frenzy. With your arms bound behind your back, you had no way to muffle your cries as your little hole strangled his dick and pleasure whited out your vision. He immediately took advantage of your quivering, cockdrunk body, his hips thrusting forward before the euphoria of your orgasm could fade and sheathing himself in his entirety in your pulsing heat.

The sudden stretch of his heavy girth had you mewling and shuddering, the immediate overstimulation threatening to send you back into orbit. He stood still behind you, giving you time to get used to how his thick cock was stuffing your little hole full. You couldn’t help the way your hips jerked forward, your body shifting further onto the table as you tried to relieve some of the intense pressure overwhelming your senses. Soft whines fell from your lips as your only broken thoughts revolved around how deep his cock felt buried in your guts.

“Look at my dumb little kitten, thinking you can run from my cock,” his hands quickly grabbed your hips, dragging your body back to his as his dick twitched and flexed within you.

“T-too m-much,” you whimpered frantically, “p-please t-too much!”

“Shh, pet, it’s okay, it’s okay,” he cooed gently, pressing closer to your trembling body as he worked to calm you down, “you’re doing so good, kitten, you’re taking me so well and you feel absolutely amazing. Just breathe, sweetheart, I’m about to make you feel so good.”

As your shaking body started to relax, he continued to praise you in hushed tones, one of his hands staying wrapped around your hip as the other moved to grip your arm bindings holding you tightly in place as he started to drag his silky cock through your gummy walls, achingly slow and controlled. He very carefully built his rhythm, his strokes long and languid until you got used to his size and the stretch, your moans and sobs acting as his guide. It wasn’t long before he was pounding into your dribbling cunt, his thick length pressing against every sensitive spot inside of you and making you see stars every time his tip kissed your cervix.

“Ah- Ah- M’gonna… M’gonna…” You struggled to speak as your second orgasm built way more quickly than the first, the knot in your core threatening to snap after only a few seconds of his rough thrusting.

His only answer was his fingers finding your clit, rolling the little bud in tight circles as he kept up the demanding pace. You were almost immediately shoved off the edge of your peak and dropped into a churning sea of ecstasy, your back arching as you wailed your pleasure, your sloppy, little hole strangling his rutting cock.

He groaned loudly, but his pace never faltered, “Ngh, kitten, fuck, you feel so good…” Your response was another cry as again you hit another peak, euphoria tearing through you as he continued to stimulate your sensitive pussy, not giving a bit of respite as he chased his own pleasure. Shudders wracked your body, leaving you a dumb, drooling mess on the table as your cunt gushed around him over and over, soaking you both in your fluids. Big, fat tears traced their way down your cheeks as climax after climax rolled through you, stealing your breath and not allowing you to do anything except lay there and take the cock bullying into your trembling heat.

Panting as his own climax drew near, your model shifted behind you, his rhythm pausing as he wrapped one hand around your throat, lifting you bodily from the table and quietly directing you to place both knees on the surface to get you at the perfect height, his other arm wrapping tightly around your waist to cage you to his chest as he began to sloppily fuck up into you. His crushing grip on your jaw did nothing to muffle your sobbing moans, your straddled legs keeping you spread wide open as his dick pounded into your cervix, making you see stars with every thrust. Pace picking back up, he tilted your head back onto his shoulder so he could look directly at your fucked out face, his own pupils blown wide with lust as he ran his tongue up your cheek, collecting the tears that still streaked down your skin, savoring the taste of your overstimulation.

“You’re doing so good, kitten, give me one more orgasm… We’re almost there… Just one more, pet, that’s my good girl,” he cooed against the shell of your ear, keeping eye contact, and probably very aware that you more than likely couldn’t even understand him with how absolutely obliterated you were. His pace finally broke down into jolting thrusts, each ending with a grind deep into your womb until finally you fell apart again.

Shaking and arched in a silent scream, your soul was evicted from your body with one last earth shattering orgasm. Your pussy clamped down tightly around his cock, milking him for all he was worth as he spilled his hot seed deep into your belly, the liquid heat painting your quivering walls as his dick twitched and flexed. His hips jerked a few more times, drawing out both of your climaxes until at last his softening length slid out of your used, sensitive cunt, spilling the lewd mixture of your fluids into the already messy puddle on the floor.

Carefully, he slowly lowered you to sit down on a clean spot of the floor, snagging his robe to place underneath your body so you weren’t in direct contact with the cold tile. He gently cupped your face, directing your gaze to his so he could judge your condition as he released your arms from the robe tie, making sure you made it back down from your high safely as he rubbed feeling back into wrists and hands. After your color was better and you had caught more of your breath, he left you to grab a few towels to clean up the mess on the floor and between your legs. You squirmed against him as the towel pressed against your sensitive flesh and he chuckled in your ear, holding you close to him as he continued to work, getting you as close to spotless as he could before helping your jellied limbs back into your clothes. Setting you back on the floor, not trusting you to stay in a chair yet, he threw back on the soiled robe, tying it closed so he could step out of the room for a few seconds or minutes, you weren’t really keeping track as you started to doze, exhaustion setting in. Before you knew it though, fingers were tapping against your cheek, bringing you back into consciousness to see your now fully clothed model kneeling in front of you.

“You okay, kitten?” He smiled, his fingers brushing across your skin, “you still look pretty fucked out and like you’re going to need help getting home.”

Your face immediately heated up, startled at the thought of this man, who just pounded the life out of you, escorting you to your dorm room, “N-no! I’ll make it back, thank you, but I’ll be- I am okay.”

Disbelief was written across his face, but he didn’t say anything as he watched you wobble to your feet like a fresh baby deer. That is until you tried to take your first step and all but collapsed into his arms. “Mhm, you’ll definitely make it back on your own,” he teased, pressing a soft kiss to your forehead before scooping you up into his arms and standing to his full height, “I’m getting you home, whether you want me to or not. Though I’m somewhat hurt that you don’t want me to make sure you arrive safely.”

You struggled in his grip, but gave up quite quickly after the stern look he gave you, “It’s not that I don’t want you to… I just don’t want to explain it to my roommate… You know, why a professor is seeing me to my dorm room safely and looking like this…” You indicated your rumpled appearance and wild hair, a fierce blush creeping from your cheeks, down your neck, and blooming across your chest.

He threw back his head with a bark of laughter, “I might have a solution for that. You’ve trusted me thus far… Would you be okay with me taking you to my home instead? I don’t live far and you can rest, shower, and straighten up before facing this roommate of yours.”

“Are you going to fuck me again?” You asked with a squeak, arousal blooming in your core at the thought of being alone in his house with him, though a hint of trepidation joined the mix at the thought of doing all of that again, you were tired and couldn’t really feel your legs as it was.

“If you want me to,” he answered with a grin and started carrying you out of the art room.

“Wait- my stuff!”

He didn’t even pause in his stride, “We’ll be back tomorrow. I’ll let your professor know that your things are there and I doubt anyone will bother with them.”

“B-but,” you started to protest.

At this, he did pause, “There is nothing you can say now that is going to stop me from taking care of you. I want to make sure after all of that, that you are okay. What we did was intense and I don’t want you to experience any sort of drop. I honestly don’t want to let you out of my sight at all. So please, kitten, let me make sure you are okay.”

You closed your mouth and he quietly carried you out of the building and to his car while you thought over his words. You were silent while he buckled you in and started the vehicle, pulling out and beginning the drive away from campus. After a few blocks, you turned and looked at his serious face, getting up the courage to speak.

“What if I want you to fuck me again?”

He only smiled.

[dancingontheblades]

In Part III of The Future of Pairs contains a detailed discussion how gender expectations, power imbalance, age gaps, and cis-heteronormativity negatively impact pairs partnerships and how that could be changed - it's a long but very recommendable reading.

Some excerpts below:

Making skating safe and healthy therefore requires tackling the misogyny and homophobia that lies at the root of the gender imbalance in the sport. Figure skating needs to prioritize education and open discussion about healthy partnerships and the inherent value of all athletes as human beings. The discipline should also question the assumed link between the ideal height and body shape for a pair skater and the skater’s gender. Opening the discipline to teams of any gender would increase opportunities for new partnerships and contribute to a healthier experience for all skaters, including those in traditional female/male partnerships.

On the shortage of men:

The shortage of pair men is, of course, related to the shortage of men in figure skating overall – a phenomenon that is deeply rooted in misogyny and homophobia.  Mary Louise Adams examines the issue in her book Artistic Impressions: Figure Skating, Masculinity, and the Limits of Sport.  “Why do so few men and boys figure skate? Any boy raised in North America could give quick answers to such questions: figure skating is not like other sports. Its costumes and music make it arty and dance-like and therefore more appropriate for girls than boys, just like dance. By virtue of choosing a so-called feminine sport, male figure skaters are often assumed to be effeminate themselves. In a culture in which effeminacy is the primary and most stereotypical signifier of male homosexuality, this means they are also assumed to be gay.”

On the pressure and expectations on women:

Manta was the first female Team USA skater to come out while still an active competitor. She believes the pressure towards conformity has kept queer women closeted, or pushed them out of the sport entirely. “If you want to be a woman in the sport and have a partner who’s a man you need to constantly be proving your worth…So it does make sense that you haven’t had women come out, because you don’t want to create any sort of situation where you are to blame, or you could be the reason to be losing points, or you can be the reason a team’s looked down on.” These pressures create an environment ripe for physical, mental, emotional, and sexual abuse that the ISU and other governing bodies are only starting to deal with. Abusive training environments extend beyond the skaters themselves; coaches also have enormous power over their (often young and isolated) skaters and can make or break careers. The recent cases of Morgan Ciprés and John Coughlin consisted of sexual assaults by male pair skaters that were allegedly covered up by coaches. These men were too valuable to be held accountable for their actions, whereas the women believed they would be punished for rocking the boat.

Former US Champion Ashley Cain is notably tall for a pair skater at 1.67m, and had the same 20 cm height gap with her partner Timothy LeDuc. It’s notable, however, that Cain received criticism for her height, while Han did not. “There were so many negative comments that would then affect the way that I was thinking about myself,” shared Cain. “This is the body that I was born with. I couldn’t change it, I couldn’t get myself shorter…and it’s something that could have fully pushed me out of the sport if like I had listened to what people were saying about me or the way that we looked.”

On education and empowerment:

We can start to address the dark side of pairs by educating all skaters and coaches about the risks of a power imbalance in partnerships. Large age and/or experience gaps are not inherently problematic, so long as the younger and less experienced partner receives the necessary support and respect from the older partner and coaches, and is empowered to demand fair treatment without the fear of retribution.

On opening teams to any gender:

Perhaps the most helpful reform is also one of the most straightforward. The scarcity of male partners could be addressed by allowing – and fully encouraging – teams of any gender. With more options of possible partners, skaters would be more likely to form strong, equal relationships that would allow them to thrive on and off the ice. [...] Gabriella Papadakis also notes the potential for improving the public perception and popularity of the sport. “Although same-sex pairs are not inherently queer (two straight people can skate together in a very straight way, I assure you), they resonate strongly with younger audiences, nearly 30% of whom identify as queer. This inclusivity is a significant step forward for reaching this demographic. And even for the 70% of straight people, seeing mixed-gender couples that reflect more equal and modern partnerships offers a representation that feels authentic and relatable to how male-female relationships are evolving today.”

[freeonlineworkouts]

Full Body dumbbell Workout

Here’s a full-body dumbbell workout that targets all major muscle groups. This routine is perfect for building strength, improving muscle tone, and boosting overall fitness. Perform this workout 2–3 times per week, allowing at least one day of rest between sessions.

Warm-Up (5–10 minutes)

Jumping Jacks: 2 minutes

Arm Circles: 1 minute forward, 1 minute backward

Bodyweight Squats: 1 minute

Dynamic Stretches: Focus on legs, shoulders, and back.

Workout Structure

Perform 3 sets of each exercise.

Rest for 30–60 seconds between sets.

Adjust the weight of the dumbbells to match your fitness level (challenging but manageable).

1. Dumbbell Squats

Target: Quads, glutes, hamstrings, core.

How to:

Hold dumbbells at your sides or at shoulder height.

Lower into a squat, keeping your chest up and knees aligned with your toes.

Push through your heels to return to standing.

Reps: 10–12

2. Dumbbell Bench Press (or Floor Press)

Target: Chest, shoulders, triceps.

How to:

Lie on a bench or the floor with dumbbells in hand.

Press the dumbbells upward until your arms are fully extended.

Lower the dumbbells back to chest level.

Reps: 8–10

3. Dumbbell Bent-Over Rows

Target: Upper back, lats, biceps.

How to:

Bend at the hips with a flat back, holding dumbbells in front of you.

Pull the dumbbells toward your torso, squeezing your shoulder blades together.

Lower the dumbbells back to the starting position.

Reps: 10–12

4. Dumbbell Romanian Deadlifts

Target: Hamstrings, glutes, lower back.

How to:

Stand with dumbbells in front of your thighs.

Hinge at the hips, lowering the dumbbells while keeping your back flat.

Return to standing by squeezing your glutes.

Reps: 8–10

5. Dumbbell Shoulder Press

Target: Shoulders, triceps.

How to:

Hold dumbbells at shoulder height with palms facing forward.

Press the dumbbells overhead until your arms are fully extended.

Lower the dumbbells back to shoulder height.

Reps: 8–10

6. Dumbbell Lunges

Target: Quads, glutes, hamstrings.

How to:

Hold dumbbells at your sides.

Step forward with one leg and lower your hips until both knees are at 90 degrees.

Push through your front heel to return to standing.

Alternate legs with each rep.

Reps: 10–12 (per leg)

7. Dumbbell Bicep Curls

Target: Biceps.

How to:

Hold dumbbells with palms facing forward.

Curl the dumbbells toward your shoulders, keeping your elbows close to your body.

Lower the dumbbells back to the starting position.

Reps: 10–12

8. Dumbbell Tricep Kickbacks

Target: Triceps.

How to:

Bend at the hips with dumbbells in hand and elbows bent at 90 degrees.

Extend your arms backward, squeezing your triceps at the top.

Return to the starting position.

Reps: 10–12

9. Dumbbell Russian Twists

Target: Core, obliques.

How to:

Sit on the floor with knees bent and feet off the ground.

Hold a dumbbell with both hands and twist your torso side to side.

Reps: 20 twists (10 per side)

10. Dumbbell Calf Raises

Target: Calves.

How to:

Hold dumbbells at your sides.

Rise onto your toes, squeezing your calves at the top.

Lower back down slowly.

Reps: 15–20

Cool-Down (5–10 minutes)

Stretching: Focus on major muscle groups (hamstrings, quads, shoulders, back).

Deep Breathing: Relax and lower your heart rate.

Tips for Success

Progressive Overload: Gradually increase the weight or reps over time.

Form First: Prioritize proper form to avoid injury.

Hydration: Drink water before, during, and after your workout.

Rest: Allow at least 48 hours of recovery before repeating the workout.

This full-body dumbbell workout is efficient, effective, and can be done at home or in the gym. Let me know if you’d like a customized version! 💪

[delusionalmultifandomwriter]

Grabby Hands (fluff)

Requested?: No

words: 1194

One Shot: Damian gets overwhelmed at a gala and Jason is willing to save him.

overwhelmed!Damian Wayne & bigbrother!Jason Todd

I have no idea what i am compensating with this but enjoy (Im very nervous to post this but yolo (im dying inside))

Damian Wayne hated his father's galas with a passion. Not for the same reason as Bruce though. Bruce hated the fakeness of these events. For Damian the lights were too bright, the people too many and too intense and every interaction too unpredictable.

His father made sure to introduce him to these kind of attention as early as possible. The excitement over Bruce Wayne's biological son was ginormous and Gotham was crazy to finally be introduced to the 10-year-old.

Damian hated the attention. The journalists. The flashing lights and the never ending paranoia that every false step would end up being abused on Twitter or in the next edition of the Gotham Times or Gotham Gazette. You never know.

Secretly, Damian looked up at Dick for his ability to easily handle these social events, as much as he hated them himself. It was like a skill. A skill that he couldn't seem to figure out. He always got stressed before the events which only increased over the course of the evening.

Most of the times, he managed to work through these events and then would hide in his room for three days until the noises were back to normal and he could talk to someone again without snapping at anyone or going non-verbal again.

Today's gala was different. Bad. Very bad to be exact. Damian had forgotten the reason for this event. It took place at Wayne Manor so Bruce must have had serious reasons to host it but Damians brain was empty tonight.

The suit was too itchy. Why do they make suits out of wrong material? The tie was too tight. Breathing, he needed oyxgen! Damian fumble around with his tie a little.

"Misses Davenport, this is my son Damian." Damians gaze shot up. Right in front off him stood an elder women with a babyblue and silver-sparkly dress. A silver tiara throned on her grey perm. She was far past her best ages. She smelled like old lady.

He couldn't remember who the women that his father just introduced him to was. Where did she come from? With who was she here? How was he supposed to talk to her?

Damian forced himself to smile at her. He had practiced this smile in front of the mirror a million times after his father told him to not look so grumpy when they were in public all the time.

"Oh, aren't you the sweetest." The women cooed, her voice was too high-pitched. She ruffled Damian's hair. He wanted to wince, his skin was sensitive, she needed to stop touching him!

Halfway through the gala, Damian wanted to scream and cry. The lights made his eyes burn and all these voices seemed to flood over him. After he had spent 15 minutes in the bathroom, he had followed Jason around for the last half an hour like a stray kitten to avoid getting caught up in a one-to-one conversation.

While Jason was caught up in a conversation with god knows who, Damian's gaze wandered off into the distance. The dark night was nice. He wanted to wander off into the dark and curl up somewhere nice and silent. Wander off to a quiet place where he could cuddle Titus and Alfred the Cat and just be. He wondered if someone would noticed if he would disappear from this event to spend some times with his pets. Maybe a short visit to Batcow was just what he needed...

"Hey Shorty. Sup?" Damian snapped out of the very comfortable train of thoughts about his pets. Jason was standing right in front of him and looking down at him.

Damian looked at him puzzled. After a few moments, he opened his mouth but his throat was shut tight. Luckily Jason just continued talking without waiting for his answer. "You've been rocking on your toes and staring off into the distance for the last 20 minutes. What's wrong with you?" Jason asked. Suddenly he squad down to Damian's height.

Damian tried to say something but the noises were back and the bright light was replacing the darkness he was craving. The words got stuck in his throat together with a desperate sob. At this point he was done. His brain was cooked, his skin was burning.

Withdrawal.

Damian extended his hands a little and made weak grabby hands towards Jason. Jason rolled his eyes but proceeded to pick Damian up. "Told B you couldn't take 'dis shit again." Damian heard Jason murmur while he hid his face into the older boys neck to block out the light.

Damian felt Jason walking, he was embarassed but at the same time he was finally out of responsibility and able to relax a little. He stiffened up a little as he heard a high pitched voice.

"Ohh, poor boy. What happened?" The women in the blue dress, Damian was able to recogize a light Gotham accent in her voice now. "Oh, it is already way past his bedtime. He is very tired." Jason chuckled, it was obviousy fake. Other than Damian, the elder woman didn't seem to recognize the fakeness because she dropped the conversation immediatly.

Damian felt Jason walking for a while before he headed up some stairs. The noises started to subside in the distance. Suddenly, the chilly temperature of the garden disappeared and it got significantly warmer. Jason had carried him into the manor and was now heading upstairs again, probably carrying Damian into his room.

"Im gonna kill you, Todd." Damian grumbled into Jasons neck while he fumbled with his tie to loosen it a little.

Jason chuckled, Damian could feel his chest vibrating against his smaller body. "Sure thing, babybird, kill me all you want. You were the one making grabby hands." Damian growled embarassed and buried his face deeper into Jason's shoulder.

Jason opened Damian's bedroom door with his elbow and pushed it open with his hip. He set the smaller boy down on the queen size bed and Damian curled up immediatly. It was dark, the only light came from the moon shining through the half-opened curtains. The event taking place in the garden was barely audible from here.

Damian immediatly wanted to doze off when something soft hit his face. He blinked drowsily, Jason had thrown his pyjamas in his face. "Change." He ordered while he was already heading back out to the door. "Need something else?" He asked while he turned around again.

Damian looked at his pyjamas for a few moments before he looked up. "Cat." He said finally. Jason gave him a smirk but nodded. "I'll go find your feline friend, you change." Before Damian could answer someting, Jason had closed the door.

The younger boy slowly started to open his tie and the buttons of his jacket. After what seemed like eternity, Damian had changed into his pyjamas and his gala clothes laid forgotton on the floor. His skin slowly stopped burning when it touched the cool sheets and when his head touched his pillow, he sighed deeply.

Damian Wayne hated his father's galas with a passion. But at least there were people to understand his grabby hands.

-----

Same thing on Ao3:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/55397962

[sngl-led-auto-lights]

Why don’t governments ban white headlights for cars and bikes as the vehicle moving in the opposite direction finds it difficult to drive due to the upcoming vehicle with white headlights?

Governments won’t ban white headlights outright because color temperature itself isn’t the primary cause of glare – instead, regulations focus on beam intensity, alignment, and technology to balance visibility and safety. Here’s why bans aren’t the solution, and how modern standards address glare:

Why white light isn’t banned

Human vision science:

White light (4,000-6,500K) simulates daylight, which improves object recognition and reduces eye fatigue compared to yellow light (3,000K).

Example: EU regulations mandate white headlights (≥ 4,000K) for better peripheral vision.

Efficiency: White LED/HID produces 3-5 times more usable light than halogen lamps at lower energy consumption.

Regulatory standards: Global regulations (e.g., UNECE, FMVSS) allow white headlights, but strictly limit glare through:

Beam cutoff angle (e.g., low beam must remain below the horizon).

Maximum intensity cap (e.g. EU low beam max intensity capped at 1,500 lumens).

The real culprits of glare

Problem Cause Solution Misaligned beam Crash, accident or improper installation Alignment check mandatory during inspection. Aftermarket kit too bright Illegal for 10,000K LED/HID lamps exceeding 2,5000 lumens Fines for non-compliant bulbs (e.g. US DOT fines up to $1,000). Dirty/cloudy lenses Scattered light from oxidized plastics Enforcement of lens clarity standards (e.g. UK MOT test). Tall vehicles (SUV/trucks) beam directly into the rearview mirror, beam angle can be adjusted based on height.

How regulations address glare without banning white light

Adaptive headlights (ADB/AHS):

Use cameras/sensors to dim the portion of the beam that could dazzle oncoming vehicles (e.g. Mercedes’ digital lighting system). Auto-leveling:

Headlights adjust tilt based on vehicle load/terrain (mandatory for HID/LED headlights in the EU since 2006). Color temperature cap:

Some countries limit bulb color temperature to ≤6500K (e.g., India’s ARAI regulations) to avoid bluish glare. Tighter enforcement:

US: NHTSA tests for “blinding glare” in FMVSS 108.

EU: UNECE R112 mandates “sharp-cutoff” low beams.

Why banning white light is counterproductive

Safety tradeoff: Yellow light (3000K) reduces glare but reduces visibility by 20-30%, increasing nighttime collision risk.

Technology neutrality: Regulations focus on performance, not color. Banning white light would stifle innovations like laser headlights.

Real data: IIHS study shows that well-designed LED headlights can reduce nighttime crashes by 19%—glare problems stem from misuse, not the technology itself.

What drivers can do

Report illegal lights: Submit photos/videos of vehicles with glaring headlights to police (cite specific law, e.g., California’s CVC §25950).

Choose compliant bulbs: Look for DOT/ECE markings (e.g., OSRAM Night Breaker 200%: 4200K, ECE certified).

Adjust beams: Use a 25-foot wall to set low beams 2-4 inches lower than headlights.

The future: Smarter headlights Matrix LEDs (Audi, BMW): Black out individual pixels to avoid dazzling drivers.

V2X communications: Cars signal each other to pre-dim beams.

Summary: Glare issues can be solved with smart design and execution, not color bans. If your government lacks glare regulations, advocate for adoption of UNECE/FMVSS standards. Better engineering, not less light, is the solution. 🔧💡

[revelation-empyrean]

#REVELATIONEmpyrean2025: Start!

( Mr. Reca, Aventurine, Venti, Dr. Ratio, Shenhe, Raiden Mei )

The warm lights of The Empyrean's lobby descend upon your group as you gather around the center. They seem brighter without the shadow of a crowd, intense in the emptiness of the grand space. There are no bellboys rushing to get your bags or receptionists handing you your keys. Instead, you are all personally greeted by the hotel's general manager, a woman named Aethel. "Dear guests, I hope you'll forgive the current state of service. As you may see, our staff—" her dark-red lips tighten into something between a grimace and a smile, "—have had their numbers drastically reduced. Our operations shall continue as normal, however, and you all have unrestricted access to the hotel's amenities free of charge. You should also be pleased to know that the mixer scheduled for the end of this week will continue as planned." She goes up to each of you and presses a golden card into your hands. Reading the text embossed on it reveals it is an access pass. Turning to the back, you will find Aethel's contact information, as well as the location of her office. "Before the party starts, I recommend mingling with your fellow guests. The Empyrean's clientele is comprised of some of the most powerful people in the planet. If you want to build your reputation, or if you perhaps have questions you'd like to direct to the Empyrean elite—" she says this almost pointedly, "—now is your opportunity to do just that."

Go on and mingle!

Aethel is not joking when she talks about the other guests—they are at the height of Empyrea's elite, rivaled only by Ernest Cranebill himself. They turn their noses up at your little group of tourists, thinking you must be beneath them. But you have the power to change this: you can increase your Reputation.

Reputation will be scored individually, but the total Reputation of the entire group affects how the party will go. The party will start at Friday, 6/13 12PM EST. High Reputation means people are more likely to approach you, talk with you, and generally tolerate your poking around. Low Reputation… well, it might get you kicked out. Reputation can be increased by 1) having positive interactions with NPCs or 2) winning mini-games. It can also decrease by doing the inverse. 

As a group, you all currently have 60/120 Reputation, with each person starting at 10/20 Reputation. It is highly recommended that you create a group document or a tracker for your Reputation.

So, where can I go?

CASINO: Yes, the casino in Empyrea's basement is still open, though the poker and blackjack tables have closed. Still, you can find a strange man sitting by one of them, swirling a glass of whisky and playing around with a set of dice. He's clearly not one of those billionaire-types, but he does claim to know who's behind the disappearances. It could be worth speaking to him—you just have to win a game of dice, first. (±5 Reputation) GOLF: Attached to the resort is a small golf course. Where the hotel itself is empty, the fairway is bustling with people eager to play. Your access pass grants you a membership to the clubhouse, as well as a set of clubs to use for yourself. Why don't you impress these fools with your baller skills? (±5 Reputation) BUFFET: Disappearances be damned, The Empyrean can cook up a breakfast buffet! The smaller guest list means you find seats for yourselves with relative ease, though find it difficult to enjoy your meal. You see, a young married couple are right behind you, and they are bickering loudly. Before you can decide whether or not you want to be involved, the husband walks up to you and demands you pick a side. You can mediate their, or you could end up kickstarting a divorce, and maybe a food fight alongside that... (±5 Reputation) WORK: Not really wanting to talk to those uppity rich people? You can opt to follow Aethel around instead, helping out with the various affairs of the hotel. She is, of course, still a valid pin within this social network, and getting close with her can prove useful in ways that might surprise you. Be ready to earn that relationship, though. (±5 Reputation)

ETC:

How do the prompts work? Just like any other prompt-based thread! Simply choose a partner (or multiple, if you'd like) and go off to fulfill your desired prompt. Mod Mik will be providing the NPCs via replies on this blog. Note as well that some prompts come with a mini-game attached.

Can I take on multiple prompts at once? Yes, but you have a limit of two, and you cannot do multiple prompts with the same person: you must have at least one unique partner each time.

Do I have to finish the threads involving the prompt before the party starts? You are encouraged to finish it before the party, as finishing it by then means you can earn the Reputation associated with it. You can respond to them by the time the party begins, but it will not be considered finished nor would it count towards your Reputation.

Can multiple people do the same prompt? Only if all of the other prompts are taken by at least 2 people.

Can I only do the prompts listed above? Nope! You are free to start non-prompt threads with your teammates, send asks, or otherwise interact as usual!

How do I interact with NPCs? Via threads or asks sent to this blog! Aethel is your attendant and so is available for interactions even outside the prompts, but NPCs specific to certain locations and activities are limited only to the people threading.