almotairy

[plazaservicedapartment]

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[aryawartapackers-blog]

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[spokaneasphaltpaving99]

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[stanneshousekeeping]

In the bustling city of London, where every moment is precious, maintaining the pristine condition of serviced apartments is paramount. At St. Anne's Housekeeping, we understand the significance of a seamlessly clean living space.

[sweetbillwriting]

In The Dead of Night

NINE

Characters: AU Eric played by Bill Skarsgård from The Crow (2024)

Setting: This story is set in A WHOLE OTHER WORLD than the movie. Shelley isn't a part of this story. Eric will be different from the movie, especially because I haven't seen the movie.

Warnings: 18+, NSFW, heavy themes.

Notes: I have STILL not seen the movie because it hasn't premiered here yet!

“I just think about him a lot. I'm sorry, I don't have the right to do that; I haven't even met him; I just believe I would have really liked him…”

I sat opposite Lotti by her little table with Eric's photo albums in front of us. Sneakily, I had put back the photos I've stolen because I didn't need them anymore.

I shouldn't have been there; I was lying to her in the most awful way, but I also went behind Eric's back to find out things he didn't want to tell me. I had the answers right there, and my curiosity took over.

“You know, I think he would have liked you too. You have a curiosity he would have liked. You feel comfortable with yourself, but with optimism and creativity. He would have liked that,” Lotti said with a smile. She had a good day today and talked about Eric with a smile. I smiled back at her by her words, but the warmth in my chest was from the memory of hearing Eric say “I love you” to me. He had said it that morning on the phone. I would go to him later that night; he worked late that Saturday, so I didn't have a reason to go to him that early, but I had a key to his apartment, so I didn't need to wait for him.

“Can't you tell me more about him? Why do you think he started to take drugs?”

Lotti looked out through the window and smiled sadly. It felt like she had a need to talk about everything, and I was right; my simple question made her tell me stories I never thought I would hear.

×××

Lotti looked at the little boy in the playroom, through the plexiglas. He wore a striped long-sleeved shirt in green shades and red sweatpants. The clothes were a bit big and looked well-used, probably from other kids social services had rescued from dysfunctional homes. He was two years old but lacked the chubby cheeks other two-year-olds would have but also was disinterested in the toys surrounding him. A white rabbit stuffy lay just in front of him, but he didn't give it a look; he just looked around. A young social worker sat by his side and looked at him with wonder. He looked like a doll with his big green eyes, and he sat just as still with his small hands resting on his thighs.

“He can't stand up yet or crawl, so that's probably why he doesn't play,” said the social worker next to Lotti and her husband Eric. They nodded a little even if something else felt wrong.

“Why can't he do that? Does he have a disability?” Eric asked the social worker and looked at baby Eric again. He hadn't moved an inch.

“No, no. He's healthy. Just a little underweight and some rashes. Ehm… We believe he hasn't left the crib very often. Most of his time had probably been spent alone in the bed-”

“What? Has his mother left him in the crib?” Lotti looked between the social worker and the boy, upset.

"Yes, but that is nothing that will shape him. He's so young, so that's nothing you’ll need to worry about.”

The social worker said it with assurance, even if there wasn't any research on the subject in the 90s.

Lotti nodded but felt a lump in her throat.

"His mother is sentenced to six months in prison for drug trafficking, but we believe she needs help with the boy after that too. She must make changes to be able to get him back.”

Lotti was sure. She didn't need to know any more. She wouldn't leave that boy to his destiny. They had room for one more child in their home, and Eric, her husband, earned enough money as a seller in the technology field. It was a business growing every day, and his salary went up with it. He looked at Lotti with a calming smile. He knew his wife had already made a decision, and he felt the same. They could give the boy the security he never had. He looked at the papers, seeing the boy’s name, the surname they shared. It felt like a sign. He wasn't the religious type, but Eric was a family name, a name passed on with love and respect.

The social secretary opened the door to the room baby Eric was in, and the married couple saw him look towards it with a fast movement. They walked in slowly to him, afraid that their presence would scare him, but he sat the same way and looked at them with big eyes. Carefully, Eric lifted up the boy in his arms, and Lotti moved close to them. His eyes shifted from side to side, looking at them. He looked sad but with a calm curiosity.

“Hey Eric, hey sweetie…” said Lotti. He looked at her the same way, but his eyes gave away so many emotions. Lotti dragged a finger over her cheek, wiping away a tear. For her, it was impossible to think that the boy's mom didn't want to take care of him; he had an aura—a much stronger aura than other kids his age had. It was just something with him. Lotti looked at her husband, who had pulled the boy closer to his chest. Both could feel it in their bones, and they could see in the other's eyes they felt the same thing. This boy was theirs. This boy was theirs, and they would do everything in their power for him to only be theirs and save him from his mother and all the darkness.

×××

Little Eric stood on a chair by the sink next to Lotti. He was quite short for his four years but had a personality bigger than other boys his age, and so lovable Lotti could see how others envied her. He stood and washed the dishes with her and laughed while playing with the bubbles. He always wanted to be close to them, always wanting to help.

“You're so good at this, Eric!” Said Lotti with a laugh when he gave her a completely clean glass. Eric laughed again so she could see the deep dimple in his cheek. She kissed it hard and dragged her fingers through his messy hair. In just a few hours, he would go to his biological mother and then come back to them as a shell again. He never told them what happened at his mother's, and that was what made it harder for them to do something. There was no proof the bruises on his little body were from something else than rough playing, but Lotti knew her boy so well, his games well, and it wasn't bruises from the playground.

Lotti woke up from her thoughts when she heard her other son in the living room. He was playing video games and made sound effects for the game. Eric looked towards the living room, and when Lotti did it too, he waved with his little hand, showing that he wanted them to look at what Robin was doing. He always wanted skin-to-skin contact, so Lotti pulled him up on her hip and carried him out to the living room. Robin gave them a bit of an irritated look but wiped it away when his mom dragged her fingers through his hair.

“Are you winning?”

“Yes!” He screamed proudly, and Lotti giggled at him. She looked at Eric, who didn't seem to find the game amusing, and instead looked out from the living room's big window.

“It's sunny…” he said with a small voice. Lotti often got the feeling he didn't dare to use his full voice, and he almost whispered when he talked.

“Do you want to go out? Should we go out and draw a little?”

Eric nodded and dragged his hand over her neck. He was soon five years old but felt both younger and older at the same time.

They moved out to the back of the house, in the early spring sun. She could see Robin through the window and, at the same time, make the last few hours of Eric's time there the best she could. He sat in her lap, drawing whales and colorful birds. He was great at it and could disappear into it completely, but not today. She knew he knew what would happen soon. How they would put him in the car and drive him to the social service office, where his biological mom would get him. She knew he would cry in panic and how the social worker would need to pull him away from her neck. She knew Linda would look smug when she left with their son, not because he wanted her more, just that she was his mom, whatever they said. She didn't need Eric's love; she just wanted to win.

Lotti knew she would cry the rest of the day and think about what Eric did at his mom's place. She wondered in what state he would come home in. Eric hugged her hand hard in his and looked up at her with his big soulful eyes. They were shining with tears.

“I love you, mommy…”

It was a plea, a cry for help, but she couldn't do anything. She took a deep breath so she wouldn't start crying and hugged his little body against hers.

“I love you too, Eric. My baby, my son... I love you most in the entire world.”

×××

It was the third meeting they have had with Eric's school that year. Becoming a teenager was not easy for him, and it revealed sides in him they hadn't noticed before.

He had been such a calm child, and after he stopped seeing his mother, he also started to feel safe and comfortable in his own skin, but instead of those sides growing in him, other things took over.

While some teenagers became a bit moody, he got depressed and had a hard time getting up from bed in the mornings. When he finally was in school, he couldn't concentrate and did things you should absolutely not do in a classroom. Playing with a lighter and burning things up was his favorite, painting on the walls another. Even if all his teachers saw that he was a nice boy with serious problems, they kicked him out of the classroom, and Eric found himself chain smoking and listening to music that matched his mood. He was lonely. Extremely lonely, so when the wrong sort of people stretched a hand out to him, he was quick with taking it.

“We haven't seen Eric for a week now. If it continues like this, we're forced to call social service,” said the principal and leaned against his desk. Lotti looked at her husband and sighed deeply. It was always heartbreaking to hear about how Eric slowly destroyed his life. She knew it wasn't his fault. His biological mother had probably taken substances while pregnant; he had trauma since his childhood with her, and on top of that, he had such severe panic attacks that he had cried for death.

“Eric is a lovely young man and is really appreciated as a person-”

“So why don't you help him more? The only thing you do is throw him out of the classroom! Why should he go to school when no one wants him here?” Lotti said, upset. The principal gave her husband a look, like he thought he should calm his wife down, but Eric felt the same thing and looked at the principal with an angry look.

“We must think about the other students... You haven't thought about maybe taking Eric to a doctor? To get some help with his... problems?”

Lotti looked down at her hands and sighed deeply. She knew they probably needed to do that, but pulling him away to a doctor felt awful. He didn't need that on top of everything else.

×××

Robin always came home from school alone, even if they had told him to drive his brother home. They had given him a new metallic red Mercedes, and it’d been clear that he would give Eric a ride home. Robin always said Eric wanted to go home by himself, and their parents didn't know what to think. Eric liked being alone, but it was a long way home. Lotti looked at Robin disappear to his bedroom with two girls laughing while she sat down by the window. She worried the whole day for Eric and how the medications would affect him. He was such a sweet boy, and she didn't want to destroy that with all the pills he had been prescribed.

She smiled a little when she saw him come walking. He looked like a black raincloud in his black zip hoodie, black jeans, black hair, and black eyeliner around his eyes. He carried his khaki backpack on one shoulder, full of pins from different bands and motifs made to provoke. Still, the kids on the street jump around him. Eric smiled a little while they tried to impress him with their skateboards and MP3 players. Lotti got warm in her chest. It was just something really special with him, and everyone liked him.

“Hey mom!” He shouted when he came in through the door.

"Hey, honey,” answered Lotti and walked out to the hallway to meet him. He had pulled off his hoodie and surprised her with a yellow t-shirt, a sex pistol t-shirt, and he had put his converse neatly on the shoe rack.

He gave her a hug, like he always did when he came home and Lotti took his hand. They needed to talk but were interrupted by Robin's laugh. He came down with his two girlfriends, and Lotti let go of Eric's hand to not embarrass him in front of the older girls. They giggled when they saw him, and he got red in the cheeks and ears.

“Hey Eric,” said one of the girls, and the both of them giggled. Robin rolled his eyes.

“Don't forget to come home for dinner,” said Lotti to her oldest son while her younger son stood looking down on the floor.

“Yeah, yeah!” He answered and opened the door for the girls. Just before he closed it, both Lotti and Eric heard one of the girls say, excited:

“Your brother is so fucking cute!”

Lotti looked at her youngest son, who smiled embarrassed but tried to hide it from his mother. She smiled at him, amused. It was true; he was cute, and she knew he would be more than that one day. She wished she didn't need to have the talk she needed to have with him—let him bask in the girl’s words—but instead she needed to take him to the kitchen, where his medications stood in a row.

“So this is for your ADD, this is the antidepressants, these you can take if you have anxiety, these are for the OCD…” Lotti looked at a note while pointing at the medications in front of them. Eric looked at the medications and dragged his hand over a bruise on his neck he had told his parents was from his karate training. He saw something else than his mom did while looking at the pills.

“You can have them here in the kitchen, in a cabinet-”

Eric gave her a disliking look.

“Robin's friends are always here digging around; can't I just have it in my room?” He said and continued to drag his hand over the bruise. Lotti looked at her son. He was a trustworthy young man, and she trusted him with her life.

“Okay, but you must take them every day.”

Eric nodded, taking the medications in his hands, and walked up the stairs. He would take them every day, but also take more and more for every day.

×××

“That doctor… I can't understand why he felt it was a good idea to give a fourteen-year-old so many medications… But also…” Lotti sighed and looked down at the pictures of Eric. “I can't understand how I thought it was a good idea for him to take care of it all himself. I forgot he wasn't my own flesh and blood so many times…”

I sat in silence for a while, until Lotti sighed.

“But what happened then? I guess you noticed he had taken them all?”

Lotti nodded.

“Yes, and we didn't get him any more medications. He tried to tell us he wouldn't do it again, but we weren't that stupid this time. Then I kinda... Forgot about it all?” Lotti looked shameful. “You must understand, Eric was such a lovely young man with me and others around; I kind of forgot he actually didn't feel well, or maybe I didn't want to believe so? He was just sweet all the time, so we didn't notice he fixed his own drugs instead.”

“Like what?”

“First I think it was weed, then he started with ecstasy and amphetamine... I don't really know when he started to take opiates.”

It was all so sad. They had wanted to give him everything, but his background caught up with him. He had inherited the addiction gene and was also traumatized by abuse. He didn't have a chance. His anxiety had taken over his life, and he still was fighting so hard.

I looked at Lotti while she dried her tears with her floral napkin. I wanted to tell her that the person she loves the most was alive and quite happy, but I didn't dare. I didn't know how that would affect her, and I didn't want to create fights with either Robin or Eric. It was both their choice, and I wanted to give them both respect.

“Did he take drugs all the time after that?”

Lotti looked up at me again and made a loud exhalation. It probably took all her power to talk about Eric, but she continued anyway.

“No, he had a girlfriend that got him to stop, Felice, but when the relationship started to go south, he also felt a need for drugs. And then… With Simone, everything got so much worse.” I looked at Lotti with big eyes. I could feel a stir of anger in my stomach when I thought about Simone, but also jealousy, it was hard thinking about Eric with another woman.

“She broke his heart. Eric was a sensitive boy—so sensitive, and she didn't take his mental health problems seriously. She didn't understand where his addiction came from, so she broke up with him. The next I hear...” Lotti took a break and swallowed hard. “The next…” She swallowed hard again, but the tears had gathered in her eyes and would spill over even if she did everything in her power not to cry. I took her hand in mine, and she let herself cry silently.

“He had overdosed. Heroine. My boy… My little boy…” she cried. My heart beated hard in my chest, and my throat burned like I had swallowed a match. It was awful that she believed he was dead.

“When was this?” I asked carefully.

“Soon three years ago.”

I nodded slowly. It must have been around the same time she had been through her accident, so it was easy to fool her, but that was also what made it even worse. She had also lost her husband around the same time. Why did they do this to Lotti?

×××

The full moon looked at us while we made out. Big and round, it stared at us just like in my dreams, but this time we weren't alone. We sat outside on a cold autumn night after having danced at The Pulse. Four of his friends sat and looked at us while we made out on a teeter-totter on the playground. We had run around there like two kids while his friends passed around a joint.

I had his bomber jacket on top of my own coat while he just wore an oversized t-shirt with a big picture of Courtney Love in a thin neglige. Even if he had so few clothes on, I put my cold hands on his stomach to touch his skin and muscles.

“He's just skinny!” Shouted Jackie towards us, and both me and Eric looked at him amused. Eric dragged me closer to him so he could stuff his nose in my hair and breathe in, and I dragged my hands to his naked back.

“Should we go home?” He whispered, and I nodded. I wanted him to myself now.

“Do you know she stalked you?” Shouted Jackie just as loudly as he had done before. Eric looked at him with a smirk, like it was a bad joke. I, on the other hand, gave Jackie a worried look and swallowed hard.

“Yeah, she had seen you around and begged me for your address. It wasn't a coincidence you met her outside the store.”

Eric looked at me with a confused smirk. He didn't seem to believe Jackie, and neither would I, if it hadn’t been about me.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. We're going home now,” said Eric, who helped me off the teeter before he stood up himself. While doing that, his sleeve rode up, and I could see the aggressively purple bruise on his upper arm. I saw that Nick looked at it too, but I looked away when he looked at me.

“It's nice seeing you together. Seeing you with a girl. It suits you,” said Nick in a brotherly way, but there was a hint of worry there too. Eric lit up and pulled me close to him. He looked at me with big eyes.

“Yeah. It feels like a dream sometimes.” He didn't let me go with his eyes while his friends started to ‘oh and ah’ and whistle as a joke. Eric smirked at them but then lifted me up easily so I had my legs around his waist.

“Let's go home.”

×××

It was all so good between us, except when his anxiety crept on him in the night, like something heavy lay on his chest, and he couldn't get it away. I could see him touch his neck, like that was the solution. I dragged his hand away and let him lay against my chest and breathe deeply.

“Tell me. What do you think about?”

Eric laid quiet, like he expected the question to disappear if he just ignored it.

“Talk to me, please.”

“I don't know,” he said lowly. “Just shit. Old memories.”

“What kind of memories?” I wanted him to tell me about his childhood with his own words, but he was quiet again.

“It can help to talk about it.”

“I don't know what to say,” he said and shrugged his shoulders. “It's just bullshit things.” 

He was just the same as he was when he was four years old. I wondered if he had told anyone what had actually happened to him as a child. I dragged my fingers through his hair until he suddenly talked with a whisper, like he didn't dare to say it out loud.

“It was my own fault... I should have said something, but... I guess I was ashamed."

“You don't need to be ashamed; it wasn't your fault.” 

My comment could reveal I knew more than I should, but he didn't say anything about it; he just sighed deeply and laid a hand over his face. 

“Eric? You were a child; it's okay to talk about it. You don't have any responsibility for this.” 

He nodded a little but didn't remove his hand, so I moved him away from my chest and laid down so our faces were at the same height. 

I waited for him to say something, and at last he did. 

“I had the best parents... My foster parents. I love…” he swallowed hard and looked down at the sheets. “They were the best, but my biological mother... Eh fuck,” he sat up in bed and laid his hands over his face. I didn't move, hoping he would lay down when he was ready. 

“She was just fucked up.” He shrugged his shoulders like that was all. 

“Fucked up, how?” I asked and dragged my hand over his naked back. Eric put his hands on his head and dragged them back to his neck in an uncomfortable manner. 

“Eh fuck Della, I don't want to talk about this.” 

I nodded a little and pulled lightly on his forearm. 

“Okay, of course. Come now, baby, let's sleep…”  

He laid down on my chest again, and I hugged his head in my arms. I was disappointed he didn't want to tell me, and at the same time, I worried so much about him. It wasn't healthy to carry around such things in his chest without processing them. I also felt the bad conscience grow in my tummy. I knew so much about him but pretended to know nothing so he would tell me more. 

Eric fell asleep after having listened to my heart for a couple minutes; he didn't seem to notice it beating harder with anxiety. I was his girlfriend, but the only thing I did was lie. I wanted to be honest; I wanted our relationship to be true, but for that to happen, I needed to tell him I had stalked him, I had fooled his mom and brother, and I had lied to him. He would never forgive me for that. 

I pressed my cheek against the top of his head and breathed in his minty shampoo. I tried to calm myself with deep breaths, but my tears slipped down in his black hair and disappeared. I wished it could be as easy for my lies to disappear. 

 ××× 

I could see that all of my girlfriends looked at Eric with big eyes, even my sister, Desiree. 

We were out dancing at a club, celebrating Halloween, and getting tipsy on tequila shots. Eric was one of the few guys in the club that had some sort of Halloween costume. He had let me do his makeup, and we matched each other, with black tears streaming down our cheeks, and he also had my black lipstick on. He did what he wanted and didn't even think about how people would react. 

“I think you need a glass of water!” He said to me over the music and laughed at my disoriented look. “I’ll get one for you!”

Eric stood up and walked away to the bar. He towered over most people, and it made it easy for me to see where he went. I looked at my friends who also looked after him. He wore a dark gray tank top in a loose model that showed off his arms and muscular chest. He paired it with bleached jeans that sat baggy on his long legs. 

“He's hot as fuck!” Nessa said to me loudly over the music even if her boyfriend sat next to her. I giggled and laid my head against the couch. I was a bit too drunk, but I had the luxury to know I had a boyfriend who would be able to carry me home. 

“He is, but... He looks like a player! Are you sure he is a good guy?” asked Desiree and looked at me seriously. 

“He's not a player! I promise. Don't you notice how shy he is?” 

Eric had said hello to everyone but kept mostly quiet while we talked. He just nodded a little with a smile when he agreed with something. 

“Are you sure he's shy? It can just be a way to win you over,” said Nessa's boyfriend and took a sip of his beer. I gave him an irritated, pointed look.

“You think he has played shy for three months? He's shy! Even if he looks like a bad boy!” I said with a drunken giggle. Desiree shook her head amused and also giggled. We fell quiet when Eric came back, carrying a glass of water for me and a beer for himself. In my toxication, I crawled into his lap with a giggle and kissed his face several times. I was so proud to have such a hot, sweet boyfriend. I could see jealous eyes on us. Eric smirked at me but then pressed his lips against mine. 

“What's your training routine?” Paulina's boyfriend asked suddenly. I had seen him looking at Eric a lot, but I hadn't put so much thought into what it meant, but now I knew. I looked at Eric, who played with my short leather skirt with an uncomfortable expression. He was probably not so comfortable answering that because he trained a bit too much. It was sometimes many hours a day. 

“No, you don't really know, right? You just work out when you want to,” I said so he wouldn't need to answer the question. He looked at me with big eyes, then smiled. 

“Yeah, it's not scheduled, so I don't know,” said he with a shoulder shrug.

××× 

We became even more intoxicated, except Eric, who drank as much as the other guys but was completely unfazed. We were outside of the club, ready to go to the next destination, but we needed to wait on Nessa, who puked in an alley with Desiree as help. Paulina and Amanda looked between me and Eric, leaning against the building further away, closer to the alley. 

“He's super hot... Isn't that hard? I don't mean this in a bad way, but... He's a really hot guy, while you're more... Cute?” said Amanda.

I scoffed and looked at Eric, who had pulled up his tank top to show his abs for the men around him. It was silly behavior and probably nothing they would have done if they weren't drunk. 

“You mean I'm not hot enough for him?” 

“I don't mean it like that! Just that you maybe don't match?” 

I shook my head in disbelief but also wondered how she would continue the conversation, but instead both of my friends just looked at him when he laughed showing off his abs. I was so proud of him. So, so proud of that amazing human, but now I felt worried and jealous. Because of Demi's reaction to him, I had started to believe I was the only one seeing his beauty, but I was so wrong; even the guys stood and gawked at his body. I had been naive, and now I got worried some other girl was around the corner, prepared to steal my man. 

I left Paulina and Amanda without saying anything and walked up to my tall boyfriend. He was the tallest in the group. He was the fittest in the group. The hottest of them too. I wasn't the hottest of my friends; I wasn't even the tallest. 

“I'm tired,” I whined and pushed my face against his chest, acting like I was more drunk than I was. Eric looked down at me with a silly smile and put my hair behind my ear with soft fingers. 

“Do you want to go home?” He asked and lifted my chin so he could look me in the eyes. I pouted and nodded like a sour five-year-old. He played with my pouting underlip with his thumb in a teasing way and made the same face himself. 

“Then we go home, yeah?” 

I nodded but lifted my arms, and he lifted me up like it was obvious what I wanted. I could see my girlfriends look at me with some sort of envy. Maybe they just wanted their boyfriends to be more like Eric, or they wanted him. I didn't care, the only thing I knew was that I would never let him go. He was mine. 

××× 

How we ended up on the floor I couldn't remember. I could only remember what I saw right then and there. Eric had my naked leg in a tight grip, slung over his shoulder, while snapping his hips fast. His girthy cock pushed into me fast and hard and I could hear myself moaning in a pathetic way; sometimes I even mixed in his name, something I've never done with any guy before. When I looked up at him, I could see his dark gaze and open mouth. I could see a sweaty chest and abs and a v-line carved with the sharpest knife. He kissed my calf while slapping his hips against mine. He let me often lay down because I couldn't match his strength and stamina, but he didn't complain; it felt more like he fucked me even harder because he wanted to tease me.

“Can I come inside of you?” He said it between his pants, and I just nodded. He had learned he didn't need to do much to get me to come when he had transformed me into a pile of just lifeless body parts, he just pressed down with two fingers over my clit, like it was a button, and rubbed it a few times, then I came together with him. 

××× 

I really needed to start to work out again. Even if I hadn't really done any heavy lifting, I had pain in my thighs the next morning. I was happy my parents had been nice and had taken Odin for a night; in exchange, they could meet my boyfriend. I looked at my boyfriend snoring loudly with an open mouth. He always snored loudly when he had been drinking alcohol. Sometimes he even woke me up. I was nervous about bringing him to my parents. I knew he would be the best boy but I didn't know if my parents would be as well behaved. I don’t even think they had seen someone with as many tattoos as Eric. They would probably be uncomfortable but I hoped they at least would be nice. 

I laid my nose against his neck even if he was snoring and slung a leg over his hip. I just wanted to be close, and I hoped the sight of my pussy so close to his cock would make him perk up when he was awake. I smirked to myself, lost in filthy thoughts, so I didn't even hear the entrance door open. 

If I knew, I would have jumped up and closed the door to the bedroom. If I knew that Robin had taken his own key to surprise me early in the morning, I would have suggested Eric should take a run in my neighborhood. The last thing I would do was lay naked with his brother, who started to get hard in his sleep. 

I thought I heard the sound of keys but waved it away as nothing. Instead, I dug down my nose even further down in Eric's neck and let my pussy push against his hardened cock. I knew it was okay I did that; he just likes being woken up with sex.

“What the fuck?” I heard Robin say behind me in such a confused voice that I didn't even recognize his voice. I turned to the door and met his blue eyes that looked at us upset. First I couldn't move, even if he could see so much of our naked bodies, and when I started to realize what was actually happening, I moved away from Eric and covered us both up with covers. 

“Oh my god, oh my god... Robin, it wasn't meant…” I whined and put my hands over my face in shame. 

“You're fucking with him??” Said Robin, upset and waved with his arms, so he accidentally waved down a vase standing on my vanity table. It was crushed into hundreds of small pieces, but it also crushed Eric's sleep, and he looked up, confused. He sat up, exposing his whole naked torso, and it made Robin look away, like he thought the view was disgusting. Eric looked at Robin in silence than at me in confusion. 

“What, what, what is this?” He stuttered. His big green eyes were full of worry but also hurt. He already knew I had done something stupid that would break his trust in just as many pieces as the vase. 

×

[larryfanfiction]

Omegaverse AU

Ω Alone and Back Again by LadyLondonderry @londonfoginacup (4k, T)

Harry Styles has very few enemies, and even fewer friends. On the outskirts of the village, past the stream but before the river, sits a small one-room cottage, cool in the summers but draughty in the winters. In that one room cottage sits a cooking pot over a fire, a smaller selection of woodworking tools, and a nest of furs that is the pride and joy of one lonely omega. Or, what does one do when a feral alpha shows up in town ready to be executed?

Ω Just Two Stars Passing By by QuickedWeen @becomeawendybird (5k, E)

Harry blew up on TikTok and became a fashion commentator during the pandemic. Now, all of a sudden, big channels are asking him to cover their red carpets and premieres. Somehow he ends up covering arrival fashion for the 2024 Euros, and somehow Louis Tomlinson already knows his name.

Ω keep feeding my soul, and i’ll fall apart by boyfriendstages @boyfriendstages (5k, E)

Harry realizes he’s gone into heat early in the middle of performing Medicine, and promptly has his Alpha casually cross the world to help him through it.

Ω Necessities of Nesting by haztobegood @haztobegood (5k, G)

“I know this is a sensitive topic and you probably don’t want to talk about your nest with me. But I have a friend that teaches nesting classes. Maybe they could help.” “So you agree: my nest sucks and I’m a shit omega.”

Ω Let the Feeling Last by allwaswell16 @allwaswell16 (5k, T)

Omega Harry thinks the alpha at the grocery store buying a cart full of vegetables must be an amazing chef. He doesn't know that Alpha Louis is feeding all those vegetables to his pet pig.

Ω never just the tip by journeytothepast @suckerforhome (6k, E)

Harry believes alphas can't control themselves. Louis proves him wrong.

Ω Runaway Bride by IceQueenRia (12k+ WIP, E)

Forced into an arranged marriage, Prince Harry flees his kingdom on the morning of his wedding. Parading as a commoner, Harry travels alone, eventually finding himself in an enemy’s kingdom. Suffering an injury while coming to the rescue of some of the kingdom’s orphans, Harry is welcomed into the castle and finds himself face-to-face with Prince Louis himself, praying that he won’t be recognised as a member of royalty.

Ω feed a fever, starve a heart by InsightfulInsomniac @insightfulinsomniac (12k, E)

When Louis turns twenty-one, he receives a call from the National Secondary Gender Services alerting him to prepare for his first rut. Everyone presents two to three days after their twenty-first birthday, and all heats and ruts require medical supervision just in case one thing goes wrong: Rut fever. Most people don’t find their soulmates before they present, especially since soulmate identification can only come through pheromones released after presentation. But if a first rut or heat begins without the person’s soulmate present, so does dangerous rut fever. Louis is certain his first rut will be normal. He hasn’t seen the only person he ever had a crush on in childhood in nearly three years, and besides, they were only ever best friends. Everything will be fine… right?

Ω Lost But Won by 2tiedships2 @2tiedships2 (16k, NR)

When Harry loses his passport after a weekend trip to see Niall, the inconvenience of being stranded in America becomes a little more bearable after meeting Louis. Or a lot more bearable.

Ω The Wilds series by jaerie @jaerie (21k, E)

The creatures that Louis observed every day weren't exactly human, but yet they were. Researchers had plucked some of them from their secluded island and transplanted them into an enclosure against their will like a bunch of zoo animals. Louis didn't think they were. But he was only paid to do the yardwork, he didn't have any say about the wilds that lived there. That was until an unfortunate accident changed his life forever and made one wild in particular his top priority.

Ω Unbonded by jacaranda_bloom @jacaranda-bloom (24k, E)

“Look,” Louis says firmly. “Last time I checked, I’m still the pack leader, so you damn well better listen to me. It was Harry who worked out what I’d been poisoned with, then nursed me back to health. And it was Harry who thwarted the plan for my second assassination attempt by literally throwing himself in front of an arrow intended for me, nearly dying in the process, which is why we’re even having this argument in the first place. So if you think I’m going to set foot outside of this hut until he’s fully healed, you’ve all seriously misread the situation, and even more importantly, you’ve all seriously misread me.” OR the one where Harry is an omega who has been cast out from his pack, Louis is the alpha leader of the pack where Harry finds a new home, Liam is an alpha with heart of gold, and Niall is a cook who can't seem to stop setting himself on fire.

Ω As Fox As Lion by Riczekkraczek (25k+ WIP, M)

“The lion cannot protect himself from traps, and the fox cannot defend himself from wolves. One must therefore be a fox to recognize traps, and a lion to frighten wolves.”― Niccolò Machiavelli, The Prince Harry Styles is a liberal omega in the world where omegas are not treated in the best way. And somehow he get mated with an alpha who is in fact a very conservative minister. So of course such a pair have to make a lot of problems. Problems that have to be solved. But did anyone marked that Harry and Louis hate each other?

[justenjoythegossip]

THE ONE WHERE HE SAID HER NAME

For people who aren’t aware, Chris was just interviewed on Access Hollywood where he is promoting his dog food brand and talking about his wife’s connection and relationship with “their” beloved dog. Go Portugal! 

First remark, she will no longer be known as Voldemort as it’s the first time since the start of this shitshow that he has ever said her name. Good for her and shame on him. 

Second remark, his background has been blurred for more… privacy (sarcastic coughs).

Apart from those 2 new elements, it’s pretty much the same old stuff. Let’s dig. 

THE TIMING OF THE INTERVIEW

This interview takes place at a time where Chris is gaining a lot of momentum. He just made a very talked about cameo in a huge Marvel hit. As a positive sign, he is gaining followers again, which at least looks organic whether they are real or bots or a combination of both. He is working hard, doing stunts with ASP, in order to look deserving of the Spirit of Service award he is going to receive on September 11th which, by the way, coincides with the one-year anniversary of his wedding. 

This interview is about promoting his dog food brand and their partnership with a giant retail store. Because obviously why not ride this wave of publicity, make more bucks and get more attention? Especially after that planned story on his Insta about his Deadpool cameo and the variety article that suspiciously followed so quickly after it. 

Not coincidentally, this date was supposed to be the one when a BUA was to be announced, as Team PR blogs were insisting. (By the way, that fact alone should enrage Chris’ fans as his team clearly looks in cahoots with them, as many suspected.) 

TEAM PR AND THEIR LASTEST DECEPTION

Team PR blogs have been claiming the contract expired on July 26th, that the BUA was imminent and was to happen before the end of July.

They were clearly lying like they have been lying since the start of this shitshow. Particularly about the ending which was supposed to happen after the Ghosted premiere, after the Peter Holmes interview, after he came back to Insta, after theForbes article, after the papwalk in December… …during the shooting of the Materialists… 

The fact people actually gave credence to their most recent claims is not a testament to their “cunning” manipulation techniques or people’s gullibility but to how much this fandom wants this shitshow to be over. 

As you noticed, one key and vicious member of Team PR was explaining yesterday that Chris’ wearing the ring meant nothing and “was insignificant”. How hypocritical, isn’t it?  When Team PR, Team Real & Team Middle have all been talking & trolling about the precious for months. 

Notice how those Team PR blogs are now deflecting once more with silly diversions such as dog behavior or how allegedly his family will suffer for it (oh please), or play the victim card as they are allegedly receiving threats and hate messages. All of this is meant to distract from the fact that they lied once more. And they did it for several reasons, the most important being... 

ANOTHER CLASSIC BAIT & SWITCH FOR ADDED SHOCK VALUE

We have seen this movie before and repeatedly, haven’t we? The pattern is so similar to what we have witnessed in February with the ski trip. 

And even recently, with all the time she was seen spending in her home country without him (the concert, the birthday), her furnishing an apartment in Portugal, his wearing and hiding the ring every chance he got, and more importantly the stunt at the walk of fame of Kevin Feige where she was seen to be a no show so ostentatiously… Look at how staged that was, and you will realize what the purpose for it was. 

So, what they did was to try to breadcrumb a separation once again, to build up the fans’ anticipation before pulling the rug out from under them in order to add shock value. 

Well done! But FYI the aftereffect might prove very counterproductive for Chris, as his complicity looks more and more obvious and his playing the victim card looks more and more infuriating. 

CHRIS’ COMPLICITY

Chris claimed in his SMA interview how much he hates any forms of manipulation. He should have added that he was fine with it as long as he was the one doing the manipulating.  Indeed, his complicity is absolutely undeniable. 

I have written a post about this topic, if you want to check it out. 

Let’s add to this his recent shenanigans and more precisely what he did with the precious ring. I won’t go too far back and will just use 2 recent examples. 

Do people remember the Jinx commercial where he uses his pinkie to “hide” the ring as he gives food to Dodger? What he is actually doing here is to draw more attention to the ring and promote his relationship with Alba, he also looks ashamed to gain sympathy from his fans and manages to feed the discourse (real or not?) in the process. 

Isn’t it exactly what he did again for that walk of fame ceremony where he allegedly arrived without the ring (like he would forget to wear it) and then get photographed with it from every angle while his wife was a no-show?

Now let’s move on to the most interesting aspects of it all: the brand deal.

THE BRAND DEALS CONNECTED TO THIS SHITWHOW

First observation. You can see the similarity to the interview he did on The View sponsored by Jinx when he came back to Insta just in time for the Black Friday. 

I am not privy to any private information and haven’t seen the contracts but it’s safe to assume that certain businesses of his are directly connected to this shitshow for the simple reason that they have been getting an incommensurable amount of “free” publicity from many prestigious publications & media outlets. 

And by the way, it started before Alba even entered the scene. We can safely deduce Chris had already cashed in on those checks (“free” publicity) and this shitshow was also used as a payment for it. 

Because clearly, dog food and a civil engagement platform are not the “sexiest” businesses. And, the amount of media coverage those companies have been getting seems totally disproportionate compared to Chris’ status and the marketability of those businesses.

Compare this to the media coverage his fellow Avengers have been getting, like Jeremy Renner’s cigar and alcohol businesses, or Scarlett’s The Outset. 

Obviously, Chris gets to promote his businesses Jinx or ASP when he talks or breadcrumbs his relationship to Alba because this is far more selling and salacious for the media and the public. 

Sidenote, now observe the media coverage his commercial for a much “sexier” brand like Audi got, a commercial where he did not have to wear the ring by the way. 

So if you guys are enraged by this shitshow and how it is conducted, not looking at this train wreck won’t change a thing or the timeline but what might have an impact is to boycott the protagonists and the brands that are playing and manipulating you. 

THE ENDING OF THE SHITSHOW

Clearly this shitshow is long-term and won’t be ending anytime soon. And the reason for that is simple. The optics of this relationship aren’t great as he looks like her old uncle and the power imbalance is all over the place. He HAS to stay married to her for a while to give value to this relationship. 

Because clearly, he looks like another Hollywood cliché going through a midlife crisis. The only thing that could salvage a part of his public persona is to make this marriage last so that he doesn’t look like a “one-dollar Leo but without the talent”. 

In fact, it will likely last for much longer and might even escalate (DM is breadcrumbing baby rumors) because one thing appears crystal clear at this point: this marriage seems to be much more than a rebrand and a publicity stunt.

WHAT MIGHT BE COMING NEXT?

There is a rumor that Chris might be selling his LA home after he just sold his Concord house. Not so long ago it was the one in Vermont.

Like some Team PR blogs rightfully said, it was purposefully leaked to the fandom after the house had already been sold. It was a great and very smart PR move. Suddenly, Chris seemed like he was at a crossroads, like it was a new start where anything is possible. 

But as you guys noticed, the background was purposefully blurry for this interview, which gives the illusion he is private when he is really not, also puts emphasis on the crazy fan narrative (Chris has to hide to protect his family from his crazy fans) and more importantly helps to present any fabricated life he wants to the general public. It is a white canvas so to speak. 

[melliotwrites]

YouTube Premiere Announcement!

The people have spoken! The YouTube Premiere of the Ghost Story concert will be this Wednesday, 7/24 at 8 PM EST on the Melliot YouTube channel!

Two love stories between Chinese American and Polish American men haunt the same Montana ranch house — one century apart. As past and present intertwine, the lovers confront long-held fears in their quest to determine if they love one another for the right reasons.

GHOST STORY is a new musical exploring queer interethnic intimacies between working-class immigrants in the early Mountain West, as well as the complicated racial past of modern gay relationships. Through a story about love, culture, and identity, the show asks: In making meaning from the overwhelming tragedies of queer history, how do we balance seeking truth and beauty?

FAQs below the cut:

Where do I watch this?

On the Melliot YouTube channel! We'll announce the link here once YouTube generates one, but you'll probably just be able to find it there if you check it around that time as well.

Will it be subtitled?

Yes!

I can't make the premiere :( Can I watch it afterwards?

Yes! The current plan is to leave the video up on the Melliot YouTube channel after the premiere for you to watch at your leisure. If you're liveblogging/posting about it after the show, we are asking folks to use the tag #ghost story spoilers for the first 48 hours after the premiere so people who can't make the premiere can avoid getting spoiled if they don't want to be!

What's the difference between a concert vs a staged reading vs a production?

This is a concert of songs and some scenes! We only had 1 hour of time to present, and the musical itself runs about 1:45, so we had to summarize some songs and scenes instead of performing them, but you should be able to follow the plot from the performance.

The Princeton video of Adamandi is a full production (with lights, costumes, staging, sound, a band, etc.) Princes was a staged reading (with blocking and costumes, but actors are holding scripts and there is only a piano and drums.) The video of Ghost Story will be a concert/reading (with actors at music stands, a piano, and stage directions read out loud instead of actually performed.) We hope to use this video is part of our materials towards getting a full production of Ghost Story someday!

Can I listen to Ghost Story on Spotify/Apple Music/my streaming service of choice?

Yes! There is a live album picked from the concert recordings that will be dropping at 8 PM EST on Wednesday. Presave it here!

[stormblessed95]

https://x.com/kmgoogiemini/status/1750998991217590499?s=46

How do these people lie so much and honestly believe their ship is real Stormy? How many things are even correct here? As far as i can tell the only correct thing is that Jk said Tae listened to Seven first. Everything else is either a straight up lie, mistranslation or something taken out of context. These are the things that taekookers believe to be true and somehow jikookers are the jokers?

Let's just do some super quick fact checks and correcting misinformation with links to proof to backup all my sources here:

"Jungkook said I want to join the special forces"

True! (comes from the last live before military service)

"Jungkook said Taehyung is my safe space"

False! Jungkook said that Tae was his common ground (comes from festa 2020 profiles is where they mistranslated that one from)

"Jungkook said my relationship with Taehyung is not for the cameras"

False! Made up by shippers in 2014, Proof here

"Jungkook said that the first person to hear the song Seven was Taehyung"

True! From Seven Spotify Interview

"Jungkook is the first person to hear Taehyungs album and record it in his house"

True! JK was the first to hear some of Tae's songs. And Tae did record A singular song at JKs house/studio. The whole album though wasn't mentioned specifically (but that might still be true) and only one song was recorded at JKs place I believe. Comes from JKs live and Tae's You Quiz interview

"Jungkook has a song he always sings to Taehyung"

False! I think they just made that up. I did a little searching anyway, lol but yeah no....

"The members said Taekook will never separate"

False! The members made a fortune teller joke where one said "so you guys can never be apart then?" As a silly joke about the color shirts they were wearing. Proof here

"the members said that if you want JK, call Taehyung (and vice versa) because they are always together."

False! The only thing said about JK was that he didn't like answering his phone and basically never did. Everything else was made up. From MBTI labs

"They went together to show the movie and were wearing identical clothes with strong lesbian expressions about their relationship."

(lmfao what) Sort of true.... (?) They did go to the movie premiere together! And Tae wore an Morrissey/Oscar Wilde shirt (openly gay and put on trial for being gay) and JK wore a jacket with scripture about two men being jailed for their practices and one of which many people believe to be gay/queer coded and a shirt with references to Taylor Meed's poetry (openly gay and wrote for a gay newspaper). Idk what the rest of that was about though lol

"Taekook in a luxury hotel dancing RUN BTS together and spending the night!"

True, they were in a luxury hotel and danced RUN BTS!

And also False, they spent the night. No one knows, we just saw them do a TikTok dance. They made the rest up lol maybe they did, maybe they didn't. Can't make facts outta assumptions though!

Taekooks picture from their date that jokers said was OT7 but boom turned out to only be a date

False! Boom.... Was an OT7 dinner.... Lol Proof Here

And Bam that Tae raised and the photos he posted

True since Tae DID post a cute photo of him with baby Bam and made a joke about raising him. As did every BTS member with Yeotan.... Lmfao False due to weird exaggeration though

Taekook and their seven dance together

True! Tae danced Seven with JK on his encore stage!

Jimin said: Tae and JK love forever

True! He wrote their names in a heart in the sand in BV1 and that's the quote he said (sorta)

Jimin said Tae and JK share their music and everything and do not share it with the members.

False! I cannot prove a negative but the lack of proof of this quote anywhere ever should be enough. Lol they made this one up. Should've stuck with the tangible evidence that they shared their music with each other in these latest albums first instead of trying to take it one step too far and starting to lie lol

"they are the two closest members and they have special trips and a lot of real dates and like to spend all their time together and they like to stay up all night and watch the sunrise together and they share everything."

False! Lmao the more you read the more it becomes like fanfiction rather than evidence based facts

"Jungkook said he didn't know Jimin's number and hasn't seen him in weeks and months."

False! JK said he couldn't remember a GC nickname, he also mentioned during a different live that he didn't have Jins number saved. And JK clearly had been seeing Jimin at various points as they were signing up for buddy service in the military which takes a lot of prep time.... Lol but he still never said that, but he did say "I miss you" a lot, but that's not "I haven't seen him in weeks and months" lol Proof about the numbers here

"Jungkook will always choose Taehyung to spend private time with, a true relationship"

False! Wasnt said anywhere by anyone, just an opinion from a shipper lol

"Your ship is 0 without the company and the cameras and this is the truth, and in the solo era Jungkook spends all his time with Taehyung"

False! They spent lots of time together, but this is just a shipper fighting other shippers.... No facts, no ship or friendship in BTS will ever be zero either

And just more of that shipper fighting nonsense to finish it off. Sucks since they started off relatively strong with Taekook appreciation only to just degrade into shipper bullshit.

Anyway, this was fun. I wouldn't mind more true/false games in the future 🤣🤣🤣

[lesbianrobin]

Seeing as it's Black History Month, I'm gonna take a break from your regularly scheduled girlblogging to be a film nerd and beg every single person reading this post to go and watch Within Our Gates (1920).

Within Our Gates is a feature-length silent film written and directed by black filmmaker Oscar Micheaux and it is a miracle that we have it today. The film was believed to be lost for years until a SINGLE surviving print was found in Spain, translated back into English, and recut to match the original as closely as possible. (This is actually not uncommon in the realm of old film a lot of lost films get found in random closets but ANYWAY.) The film tells the story of Sylvia, a southern schoolteacher who travels up north to raise money to keep her school open. It explores how her life and family have been affected by racism, abuse, and sexual violence, as she falls in love, works to save her school, and grapples with her place as a black woman in the antebellum south. If that's not enough to get you interested, the film is also kinda batshit. There are shootouts! Affairs! Someone gets hit by a car! It's wild and dramatic and incredibly engaging.

You've heard of Birth of a Nation, right? Maybe you've even seen it. That insanely racist piece of film history premiered in 1915. Oftentimes people will defend D.W. Griffith and the film itself as being "a product of its time." Well, Within Our Gates premiered in 1920, and it is a product of its time. It depicts white mob violence against black Americans, and how that violence destroys innocent lives and rips families apart. It is written and directed by a black man. All of its lead actors are black. It is an absolutely heart-wrenching, moving, and intelligent film, produced on a shoestring budget, that explores what it meant not only to be a black American in 1920, but what it meant to be a black woman. Different characters have different approaches to coping with racism and strategies for protecting themselves. It's complicated, and upsetting, and one of the most impactful films I've ever seen.

If you can spare an hour and twenty minutes, if you happen to have access to the film through a streaming service (in addition to being FREE ON YOUTUBE, I believe it's on Amazon Prime, Paramount+, MGM+, and some Hulu plans) or an institution (you may have access to Kanopy or a similar platform via your local library or university), it's worth a watch. Play whatever music you want in the background if your version doesn't have any added! Even if you can't watch it for whatever reason, I'd encourage all of you to look into Oscar Micheaux and the history of "race films," films created outside of the Hollywood studio system by and for black Americans.

Don't buy into the false narrative that the only black representation in historical film was minstrelsy and Griffith-style garbage.

[peachjagiya]

https://www.tumblr.com/peachjagiya/745993589731000320/i-just-watched-a-reaction-video-to-tkk-moments?source=share

I watched the reaction and when it got to The Dream Premiere I was like how do you not SEE. They were screaming in our faces. Actually the whole of chap.2 was them screaming in our faces how smitten they are with eachother. How much space they take in eachother's lives despite busy schedules, (spending time before and after trips, hello) The couple vibes they were giving off was so real and it couldn't just be explained away as fan service because most of these moments were during free time. If this was a man and a woman it would not be up for debate. Look at how easily everyone accepted Taennie despite so much wonky and dodgy evidence and there you have Taekook blushing and shyly staring at eachother in HD at The Dream Premiere looking like they coordinated their outfits. Tae was looking at Kookie like he was ready to claim him on the spot, like this man is his whole world. The Kappa sweetheart shirts? Lets be real that was no coincidence and that's the type of stuff couples do in Korea which is why nobody really wants to talk about it lol. But okay, brothers I guess.

I'm intrigued by the planning of the tee. Tell me if I'm working this out wrong but I believe the timezones are too far apart for it to be a spontaneous lol wouldn't it be funny if we did this kind of thing.

JK's call sheet for dressing/glam was 6:30am LA time which is already 10:30pm Seoul time. Bruno Mars had probably already finished?

I'm betting he either showed Tae his costume fittings earlier and Tae wore his or they really sat down and plotted couples outfits. The Celine jacket and padlock MIGHT be a coincidence but Tae was absolutely definitely fully ensconced as Celine boy at that point. The association is clear to me.

I'm not sure how anyone is watching the Dream premiere and thinking it's not a little bit loved up. 😂 I was, I think, barely TKing when I first saw it and I was like WTF IS HAPPENING. Pivotal.

Though in non-shipper defence, it was the fancam of JK stopping, his wide eyes and extreme shyness and Tae reaching for his hand that did it for me. Maybe that's not shown so often in non-shipping spaces?

Also hello to this defiant look Tae gives the staff:

It's giving I am taking my man, try and stop me. 🫠🫠🫠

Thanks anon. Here I got you flowers 🌺🌹💐🌻

[alwayslurkinginthebackground]

Press Play - A "Kissing You" Drabble

Pairing: Frankie Morales & f!reader

Warnings: Sharing of insecurities, blink and you miss it possessive Frankie. Truly this is just a boat load of fluff.

Word Count: 1k

Prompt #62 : Caressing your lover’s cheek

a/n: Not SPECIFICALLY saying that the show mentioned in this is TLOU, but if I happen to reference a highly anticipated show premiering at 9PM with an unnamed actor on the same day that TLOU premieres, then it's just COINCIDENCE. Mostly though this is just a self indulgent piece because I am lucky enough to have friends that put up with my shit but I still question it all the time and I'm so glad I found this community that is equally obsessed and where everything goes. I love y'all. Happy TLOU Day!

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You’ve spent two years waiting for this day. 

When it had initially been announced that your all time favorite actor would be headlining one of the most anticipated shows of the year, you’d been excited. When the first pictures from the set appeared, just pixels really, your excitement had grown to a frenzy. And now? As you scrolled again through Twitter looking at the red carpet interviews and press releases and the first of the reviews as you waited for the premiere itself? Near hysteria.

You’re sitting on the couch, snuggled beneath the blanket, your filled water bottle and a bag of peanut butter M&Ms sitting on the table in front of you. A specifically purchased box of tissues sits next to them - Puffs, without lotion because no one wants lotion in their eyes when they’re already crying. The apartment smells like popcorn, and when Frankie appears a moment later, bowl in hand, he’s quick to settle in next to you, pulling the blanket over both of your laps. 

“Are you ready?” he asks playfully, throwing an arm around your shoulder. You lean into his embrace instinctively, nerves rolling through your belly. It’s a weird mix - anticipation and nervousness because what if it isn’t as good as you hoped.

You check your phone again, just to make sure it isn’t time yet. Five minutes. “I don’t know if I’ll ever truly be ready for this,” you laugh lightly, “but I’m sure everyone else is ready for me to stop talking about it."

Frankie’s head tilts slightly in confusion, eyebrows furrowing as you turn away from him. You queue up the appropriate streaming service in preparation, avoiding his gaze the same way you hope to avoid the conversation you know is now coming. With his free hand, he reaches to cup your cheek, caressing it as he encourages you to look at him. “What do you mean?” 

“I don’t know, it’s just…” you start, struggling to find the right way to answer his question. It’s always been painfully obvious to you that those around you are quick to be annoyed by your obsessions. It comes across as a bit manic, and to the average outsider who couldn’t care less about most of your hyperfixations, you know it can be a bit much. “Sometimes I just feel like I bombard people with constant chatter about things they probably don’t care about. Or I feel guilty because I’m basically forcing you to like the things I like without ever stopping to ask if you actually want to watch the things I do.” 

You throw your arms against your lap in frustration as if to emphasize your point. The show hasn’t even started yet and you can feel the tears forming in your eyes, a fact that Frankie doesn’t miss as he runs his thumb over your cheekbone to catch them as they fall.

“Querida,” he starts, voice gentle and soothing, “you know I’m not picky about what we watch, and you do not bombard people any more than they bombard you.”

You choke on a sob as you try to respond, “yeah, but no one really cares.” Your brain reminds you that time is still ticking, and you cough as you reach for your phone, checking the time again only for it to remind you that there’s still three minutes left. “Everyone just thinks I’m ridiculous.” 

Suddenly Frankie is holding your face with both of his hands. “You are not ridiculous,” he states sternly, and you’re looking at him now, your eyes locked on his at the seriousness of his voice. “Seeing you light up about something you’re excited about is the most beautiful thing on this planet, and if others can’t appreciate that then fuck them. And I don’t care what it is you’re excited about, even if it’s not something I understand or would ever watch on my own, because all I care about is that you’re happy. Hell, you listen to me talk about flying all day long and you never complain.” 

You shake as your breath leaves your body in quick huffs, and you reach up to hold your hands over his, keeping them firmly locked in place as you lean your head into one of them. “That's different," you insist. "You literally fly helicopters and that’s fucking amazing. This is just a dumb show that happens to star an actor I really like.”

“It is not a dumb show,” he repeats back to you with emphasis. “It’s the biggest fucking show of the year!” That gets you to laugh, and you turn your head slightly to press a kiss to the pad of his thumb. “Sweetheart, believe me when I tell you that I always want you to share your passions with me, because if others can’t appreciate them the way I do, then that’s their loss. So let me ask you again. Are you ready for this?” 

A smile forms on your lips as the excitement takes over in your mind once more, “I’m ready.” 

“Good, because there’s only a minute left.” A glance at the clock on the wall confirms his statement, and he presses a quick kiss to your lips before pulling you against him, settling you so your back is against his firm chest, arms wrapping around your waist. His head rests on your shoulder as you pick up the remote, eager to press play the second the clock strikes nine. 

“And you promise you’re not jealous of my obvious infatuation with a certain actor?” you ask as the last seconds tick down.

His lips ghost behind your ear as he whispers his response. “Never, because only I get to hold you like this. And later?” he continues, tone becoming more possessive, “I’m going to carry you into our bedroom and my name will be the only one on your lips.” It’s a promise you know he’ll keep, and a shiver runs down your spine at the thought. “Now, you’d better hit play before I do it for you, because I can’t wait for this fucking show.”

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[stanneshousekeeping]

When it comes to maintaining a serviced apartment in London to the highest standards, selecting the right cleaning services is crucial. Here's a comprehensive guide to help you make the best choice for your serviced apartment, ensuring it stays immaculate with the help of professionals.

[sassyfrassboss]

List of their wrongdoings from 2017-2019:

Meghan releasing her Vanity Fair cover while Charles was on tour.

Meghan crashing Pippa's wedding with Harry's help.

Meghan talking over Kate and glaring at her at the Fab Four Forum.

Harry demanding "what Meghan wants Meghan gets."

Meghan making Kate and Charlotte cry.

Meghan commenting on Kate's "baby brain."

Meghan being so rude at Prince Charles' birthday garden party they were asked to leave.

Megan insulting the pro-life Irish.

Meghan ignoring a child who was trying to get her attention.

Meghan showing her camisole at Harry's friends wedding for merch money.

Meghan announcing her pregnancy at Eugenie's wedding.

Meghan yelling at the Governor General's wife in Australia.

Meghan making sure to stand apart so she can easily crop the photo later.

Meghan making her staff cry while on tour.

Meghan throwing a cup of hot tea at her assistant.

Meghan leaving the market after 10 minutes because of her own ego.

Meghan failing to properly curtsy the Princess of Tonga.

Meghan refusing to let go of Harry's hand so he can properly greet the Princess of Tonga.

Meghan forgetting and then turning around to curtsy to the King and Queen of Tonga.

Meghan using the AUS tour to make $$$ off of merching. Harry too...

Harry coming back from the tour and bragging to everyone how they are the better royals and everyone is jelly of them.

Meghan crying because she was mad she was not on the main balcony during the Remembrance Day parade.

Meghan starting the Rose and William rumor.

Meghan's $300k baby shower and the cost payers for her security.

Meghan refusing to follow protocol on the Morocco tour and walking ahead of Harry to greet the King.

Meghan refusing the dates offered.

Meghan forgetting to say goodbye to the Prince of Morocco and having to turn around.

Meghan making multiple surprise appearances on days when Kate had important engagements.

Meghan purposely wearing the same color as Kate on such surprise engagements.

Meghan forcing Harry to leave the departing line early of the Commonwealth Service.

Meghan going breaking protocol and going ahead of Harry in the departing line of the Commonwealth Service.

Harry for allowing Meghan to force him to stop talking and leave the guests in the departing line.

Meghan and Harry for being rude to the guests of The Queen.

Harry and Meghan for refusing to use the correct titles for the Wales kids on social media for their birthdays.

Meghan and Harry for lying about the details of Archie's birth making the BRF look like idiots.

Megan and Harry for naming their son Archie and stealing Prince George's nickname.

Meghan for crashing the polo match were she made sure to get in photos with Kate in the kids but refused to have anything to do with them.

Meghan for clearing out an entire section at Wimbledon.

Harry asking the president of Disney for a job for Meghan at the Lion King premiere.

Harry and Meghan for taking tons of private jets in just a matter of days.

Harry and Meghan for refusing to go to Balmoral for the family weekend and instead going to the South of France.

Harry and Meghan using taxpayer money for their lifestyle but refusing to announce Archie's godparents.

Harry and Meghan lying that Archie was too small to go to Balmoral but took him to the South of France.

Harry for lecturing about climate change but using private jets all the time claiming it was for safety reasons.

Meghan for lying to the palace about her Vogue edition.

Meghan leaving the Smartworks event early because of "feed time."

Harry and Meghan turning the SA Tour into a pity party for themselves.

Harry and Meghan for filming a documentary that was supposed to be about the tour and they made it all about themselves.

Harry and Meghan insulting the Muslim family who cooked for them by not eating anything.

Meghan by not dressing appropriately in the mosque.

Meghan complaining that no one had asked her if she was okay and then we later found out she expected special treatment during her pregnancy but afforded none to Kate.

Harry talking about his relationship with William during the SA tour.

Harry and Meghan for suing the UK press.

Harry crying at the Wellchild awards about how lucky he is to have a healthy baby while in front of kids who are dying.

Harry and Meghan for trying to torpedo William and Catherine's Pakistan Tour.

Meghan and Harry for taking attention away from Remembrance with their own plans.

Harry and Meghan for staying in a house owned by a Russian with shady connections.

Harry and Meghan for making Canadians pay for their security.

Harry and Meghan for releasing their Christmas card to overshadow the royals on 12/23.

Meghan for leaking to Omid about Megxit right after Christmas so the focus was on Harry and her the rest of the year.

These are just off the top of my head.

Also does not include all the leaking THEY did against the family or the time the purposely did things to overshadow.

If I have missed something please feel free to add.

[samaraannhan20]

Austin Butler Fluff ABC’s

Austin Butler Fluff ABC’s A = Admiration (what do they absolutely adore about you?) He loves how excited you get when it comes down to his performances. You’re always super excited, fawning over him, and telling him how good of a job he did or is going to do. His favorite was when you were with him for the night he hosted SNL. everytime he came offstage you were waiting right there for him. He also loves how excited you get when you get to meet other celebrities because of him. You are such a fangirl and always have been, and he especially loves it when you’re excited because of him. B = Body (what is their favorite part of your body?) Austin loves your hips. He has always been into your hips, especially since you are bigger than he is, and he is always telling you how much he loves them. He also loves your eyes. He loves the color and the fact that they actually suck so you have to wear glasses and contacts, because he loves how much your face changes just because of the glasses. C = Cuddling (how do they like to cuddle?) Remember that scene from Elvis, where Priscilla and Elvis are on the couch in his trailer watching the memorial service? Austin loves to cuddle like that. He also likes to wrap his entire body around yours, and hug you like a giant koala bear. Your favorite way to cuddle with him is when you are both on the couch, and he has your body situated in between his legs, with his chin resting on your forehead, or his head nuzzled in your neck. D = Dates (what does their ideal date with you look like?) He is a very shy man, and doesn’t think he is deserving of his fame at all, so his favorite dates with you are simple ones that you spend in the apartment together. His absolute favorite is the night after the two of you got back from the Elvis premieres. You doordashed the groceries that were needed to make chicken alfredo, and the two of you spent the evening cooking together in the kitchen. After dinner you made dessert, and then cuddled on the couch watching movies. You stayed there until you fell asleep and then he carried you up to bed. E = Emotions (how do they express emotion around you?) This man always shows emotion around you. He did become kind of cut off during the filming of Elvis, but as soon as you noticed you told him, and he opened back up again. He is basically an open book, especially when he comes home from press, because his facade is gone because he is so tired. F = Family (do they want one? If they do, when?) He wants a family. He really wants 2 kids, he has no cares about which gender. He wants to start a family as soon as possible, like right after you get married. He has always wanted to be a father, and seeing Ashley with her kids really solidified it. He wants kids soon, partially because he wants them to be close in age to Ashley’s so that they can grow up together. G = Gifts (how do they feel about gift giving? What are their habits when it comes to this?) Austin is such a gift giver. He’s so down to earth, that he doesn’t like that he has all of this money and you don’t, so he always tries to give you huge gifts. One time, about a year after the two of you started dating, your ancient car’s battery died. The next morning, he woke up first, purposefully, and went to a dealership and got you a new car, before calling you to make sure you were up and coming back and surprising you with it. You accepted it as a gift, but only if he agreed to not give you a birthday or Christmas present, and he begrudgingly agreed(but then later that year got you those gifts anyway, because he’s a giver). He won’t let you give him expensive gifts, like he expects himself to be able to give you. He feels that having you in his life is a gift enough, so he will only accept fairly cheap gifts from you. The same year he buys you the car,  you surprise him with a pair of boots, a fairly expensive and antique-like pair, and he tears up when he opens it, knowing it is your way, in your price range, to tell him thank you for the car. H = Holding Hands (when/how do they like to hold hands?) You are quite a bit shorter than him, but he loves holding your hand, because you fully wrap both of your arms around his. He also loves when you hold his hand, and his arm is straightened but yours is bent at the elbow. He really just likes to show you off, so he is always holding onto in some way or another. I = Injury (how would they act if you got hurt?) The man would never leave your side. He would become a permanent part of you, always making sure to be right there when you needed anything. So, imagine, you trip over something on set with Austin one day, and he refuses to leave your side, making Baz give him 2 days off, and then(luckily) Olivia has the next day off, so he makes her stay with you until he can get back that night. Then he starts bringing you to set again, making you stay in his trailer, sending his assistant to bring you food or anything you need. J = Jokes (do they like to joke around with or prank you? how?) This man is such a jokester. He will scare you as you round the corner into a room, just because he knows you scare easily. Sometimes, when he’s been gone for PR or filming for a while, he’ll finish early and surprise you by coming home early(those are your favorite pranks). You show him a lot of tik tok videos, and he retains the prank ones in his deep memory, and will sometimes pull one of the pranks on you. K = Kisses (how do they like to kiss you?) He loves to grab your face in both of his hands and lean down to kiss you He also loves to pick you up and have you wrap your legs around his waist (although this one usually leads to *other* things) You love it when he’s heading out the door and you simply tip your head back over the couch for him to kiss you as he leaves(on the rare occasion you don’t leave with him) He gives you forehead kisses all the time, as a comforting thing. L = Love (how do they show you they love you?) He is huge on physical touch. He hugs you all of the time, and always has an arm wrapped around you He also loves buying you things. He’s always buying you random things that supply your addictions, such as cups, mini brands, Disney Doorables, and squishmallows. M = Memory (favorite memory together?) The shutdown of filming while you were in Australia was amazing for your relationship. You guys had just gotten together a few months prior, and you had just flown to Australia to see him when everything got shut down, and then you got stuck in Australia with him. You guys grew closer together, and the both of you think, but have only told each other, that without that happening you would not have fallen in love and wouldn’t still be together. Baz and Catherine let you help some with costumes and would ask for your opinion on things once things got up and going again. N = Nightmare (what is their worst fear?) This might sound cheesy, but losing you. During the pandemic he was stressed out about Covid, and then being Elvis for so long made him think on the bad side of things. It wasn’t until the Met Gala, when Priscilla told him she could see how in love you were with him, that he finally calmed down. O = Oddity (what is one quirk they have?) Ever since Elvis, sometimes he slips into his Elvis accent, and he doesn’t even notice when he does Since this started happening you have taken to discreetly pulling your phone out to record him while he does it. P = Pet Names (what do they like to call you?) Sweetheart Baby Babes Hun After the Elvis movie he will occasionally call you Satnin Or Mamas, but it’s just part of the Elvis vocabulary sticking with him Q = Quality Time (how do they like to spend time with you?) The two of you love to simply listen to music and sing together You also love to cook meals together Austin’s favorite is when he comes home and you’re stress baking, thinking about one thing or another, and he comes into the kitchen and makes you pause so that he can try to kiss some of the stress out of you. Then for the rest of the steps in baking he holds your hips, and stays close to you, because he knows it comforts you. You also love to watch movies together, sitting on the couch and cuddling while watching them. In a non-dirty way, the two of you love to shower or take baths together. You usually do it when one of you is stressed out, or even both of you. R = Rhythm (what song reminds you of them?) So This is Love- Cinderella Can’t Help Falling in Love - EP King of My Heart- Taylor Swift Everytime- Ariana Grande POV- Ariana Grande S = Secrets (how open are they with you?) This man tells you everything. You know about every audition, what each audition is covering, all of the things that have happened to him in past relationships, how much he misses his mom, and so much more. T = Time (how long did it take you to get together?) Not long. You got together about two weeks after you met, and then you got stuck together in quarantine in Australia U = Upset (how do they act when you’re upset?) He gets you a sweet treat, sets up a movie night, and cuddles you until you tell him what’s wrong, and then he fixes it if it’s something he can fix V = Vaunt (what are they proud of? Do they like to show you off?) He loves showing you off to his family and friends. After being in show business for most of his life, he loves that he found you, as someone who is not in the show business.  He loves telling interviewers small details about your lives together, but he never goes too much into detail about anything because he likes to keep his private life private from the media W = Warrior (how do they feel about you fighting? Would they fight for you, beside you, etc?) This man would do anything to protect you. He loves you with his whole heart, and the last thing he wants to do is lose you, whether that be because of something that you and him disagreed on, the paparazzi getting into your private life, or anything else. X = X-Ray (how well are they able to read you?) After two years together Austin knows you like the back of his hand. If you’re sad, he knows. If you feel even the slightest bit sick, he knows. He has told you before that he can tell how you are feeling before you even wake up. One time, he woke up before you, and he looked at how your eyebrows were bunched in your sleep, and immediately knew that to be a sign of a migraine brewing. He methodically got out of bed, and went to the kitchen to get you a glass of water and some of your migraine medicine. By the time  you woke up, indeed with a splitting migraine,  he had set both of those things on the table next to you, and left you a sweet note that read “stay in bed, I’m in the kitchen making you breakfast”. You flopped back onto your pillows, after quickly swallowing your medicine, and let a goofy smile overtake your face, overcome with love for the man. Y = Yes (how would they propose to you?) He would propose to you after he won the Oscar for Elvis. He would do it in his acceptance speech, as much as he hates putting the spotlight on you, because it’s not something you grew up with, he couldn’t hold it in any longer after he won. Afterwards, when you met him backstage for his photos and to get the Oscar engraved, he would pull a ring out of his pocket, and explain to you that he had been carrying it around for weeks, but no moment had seemed perfect until that moment. Priscilla, Lisa-Marie, Baz, and Catherine also met you guys back there and it was extremely exciting. Afterwards the six of you plus some of the other cast members had a party at your and Austin’s apartment celebrating all of the wins from the night, and the engagement. Z = Zen (what makes them feel calm?) He always calms down when he picks up the guitar and plays it. He picked up the habit while filming Elvis, and it has stuck with him since. Another thing that calms him down is when he lays his head in your lap and you give him a head massage. He loves the feeling of your fingernails scratching his scalp, and it is the first thing that you do for him when he comes home from a long day of PR and work.

[wtfsheikura]

Chapter 4

I GROAN WHEN I OPEN my eyes to the sun streaming through the window.

My head is pounding with a splitting headache from drinking too much whiskey last night. I used to party until dawn, catch a few hours of sleep, and wake up feeling good as new. Now, anytime I have a few drinks, it feels like I've been hit by a dump truck, the effects lingering for hours.

As I shift in bed, I'm aware of a warm body curled up behind me, which is strange since I never invite anyone back to my apartment or hotel room. The women I've slept with know my terms—one night, no strings attached, and no misconceptions of a long-term commitment. And I always leave before they wake up.

When I glance over, my breath catches when I see Y/n lying next to me. Dark tresses fan out across her pillow, her full lips slightly parted while she sleeps soundly.

The last time I saw her before last night was a few weeks after high school graduation. Her parents had just gotten divorced, and she left for college early. Suguru and I took her to the airport, and as much as I hated seeing her go, I told her she would have the adventure of a lifetime.

"Fuck," I mutter.

I'm in the same bed as my best friend's sister, and I can't remember what happened after we left the piano bar last night.

This is bad. Very bad.

I disentangle myself from her, easing her arm from my hip so I can get up. I pause when she stirs, letting out a soft moan, but within seconds her breathing evens out.

I'm relieved to find my phone on the nightstand and unlock it. A cold sweat breaks out across my forehead when I see my screen saver has changed to a photo of Y/n and me sitting in the back of a bright pink Cadillac.

In front of a wedding chapel.

She's wearing a fitted white wedding dress, completed with a short veil and high heels. A small bouquet of daffodils rests on her lap, and she is smiling into the camera. My arms are banded around her waist as I look down at her with affection.

Holy fucking shit.

I wipe my hand across my face, pausing when a cool piece of metal brushes against my skin. The weight on my ring finger registers, and my gaze shifts to the nightstand where the marriage certificate confirms my suspicions—Y/n and I got married.

Memories from last night begin to flash back into my mind. Y/n laughing while browsing a rack of wedding dresses at a boutique located in the Shoppes at Premiere. An officiant dressed as Elvis reading us our vows. Me carrying Y/n across the threshold of our hotel room.

I vaguely remember ordering room service. After our dinner of cheeseburgers, fries, and milkshakes, we watched several reruns of Big Bang Theory in bed, and fell asleep cuddling.

I'm still wearing last night's white button-up shirt and boxer briefs, and I breathe a sigh of relief when I glance over at Y/n and see she's in her bra and panties. The only piece of clothing on the floor appears to be her dress.

The only thing that could have made this situation worse is if we had sex.

I run my fingers through my hair and consider the mess we're in. I've done a lot of stupid shit, but this takes the cake.

Suguru is going to kill me when he finds out, and I don't even want to imagine how Y/n is going to react when she wakes up and realizes she's married to the guy she called a Casanova. I could wake her up to talk about what happened, but I figure it's best to let her sleep.

In the meantime, I'm going to take advantage of Premiere's world-class room service and order some food for us. Hopefully, her favorite breakfast will help ease the shock when she wakes up to this unexpected situation.

"Satoru Gojo, where are you?" Y/n's furious voice carries down the hall.

I don't respond, taking another bite of my acai bowl. There's no predicting what will happen when she finds me, so I might as well enjoy what could very well be my last meal.

The sound of her bare feet against the hardwood floor fills the living room as she storms in. Her hair is gathered on the top of her head in a loose bun, and she's dressed in the same white dress she wore last night.

"Good morning, Y/n. How did you sleep?" I pop a piece of banana into my mouth.

"Cut the shit, Gojo. Care to explain this?" She sticks out her hand, thrusting the massive diamond on her finger into my face.

"It's a ring." Another memory surfaces of me calling in a favor to have the manager of the upscale jewelry store on the second floor of Premiere show us the exclusive collection of rings they keep under lock and key—one of the many perks of my family owning the hotel.

The five-carat pear-shaped diamond set me back two hundred thousand dollars, yet it felt like it was meant to be since it fits her finger perfectly.

I may have gone overboard, but in my buzzed state, I loved the idea of Y/n walking around with a giant rock on her finger, so there was no question who she belonged to. It's not like I can't afford it. Even sober, I find it oddly satisfying.

"Why are you acting so calm?" She throws her hands in the air in frustration. "We got married last night. How could you let that happen?"

"Me?" I point at my chest. "You were happy to go along with it. I recall you were adamant that we—and I quote—find the perfect dress for the best night of my life. That detail must have slipped your mind," I taunt her. "I appreciated the ego boost. It's not every day a pretty woman says getting married to me is the best thing to happen to her."

In fact, it's the last thing I expected to hear in my lifetime, considering I swore I'd never settle down.

"The four tequila shots might have impaired my decision-making skills, but unfortunately, not my memory." She grumbles. "I have a low tolerance for alcohol."

"That would have been helpful information to have last night." On the bright side, she remembers what happened.

She bites down on her lower lip as she paces the room.

I rise from the couch and move in front of her.

"Take a deep breath," I say, placing my hands on her shoulders. "It's going to be okay."

I'm intrigued by the enigmatic woman before me, curious about what brought about her transformation. Above all, I want a glimpse of my Everly because I'm sure she's still in there somewhere.

"How can you say that?" she protests. "We're practically strangers, and now we're legally bound together. I don't even know what kind of car you drive, your favorite food, or if you were lying about your relationship status. Those are all things I should know about a person before I agree to date them, let alone marry them."

God, she's adorable when she overthinks.

"I own a Audi e-Tron GT that I store in my parents' garage. When I'm in London, I walk to work since my apartment is close to the office. My favorite meal is my mom's homemade Kikufuku and anything sweet, but I'm a fan of everything she cooks," I say, ticking each item off on my fingers. "And I didn't lie about my relationship status. I'm as single as a person can get."

At least I was until last night.

She sighs. "Thank god. The last thing I need is to be the other woman this time."

This time?

I decide against asking her to elaborate, given the predicament we're in.

"Why don't you have some breakfast before it gets cold?" I usher her over to the couch and gesture to the dining cart. "I ordered French toast topped with whipped cream, sliced banana, and extra syrup—just the way you like it."

She blinks back at me. "Let me get this straight." She puts her hands on her hips. "You woke up to find out that we were married, and instead of coming up with a solution, you ordered breakfast?"

"You could just say thank-you."

"Why would I do that?" she retorts.

"Just in case your tastes have changed, I also ordered scrambled eggs, Belgian waffles, and an acai bowl with berries. I've never had a wife, so hopefully you'll cut me some slack if I do this all wrong," I joke, hoping to lighten the mood.

She stares ahead with a vacant expression, and after several seconds, she shakes her head like she's coming out of a trance.

"We. Got. Married. How can you be concerned about food right now?" She waves frantically at the food cart. "You should be finding the quickest way to get out of this, not concerned about what kind of fruit I like with my French toast."

I've done a lot of reckless things in my adult life. Like when I decided on a whim to spend a month off the grid in India. Or when I spent a night partying in Los Angeles with the Sovereign Kings, a world-famous rock band, and woke up the next morning in Japan. Before yesterday, my most impulsive decision was buying a private jet because I hated asking Tomoe for permission to use the shared Gojo Holdings' plane. Those things pale in comparison to getting hitched to my best friend's sister.

"You're right, I'm sorry." I gesture for her to sit. This time, she gives in, sinking into the couch. "What do you think we should do?" I ask, hoping she has a plan because I haven't thought that far ahead yet.

"We'll go back to London and have our lawyers draw up the paperwork for an annulment. It should be straightforward, and this will be a distant memory by next week," Y/n exclaims as she claps her hands together.

She's a little too enthusiastic for my liking. My stomach churns at the idea of pretending this never happened. Suddenly, the few hours we spent together feels insufficient.

"Sounds like a great plan, but we have a big problem," I tell her.

"Bigger than marrying someone in Vegas who you haven't seen in fourteen years?" she challenges.

I chuckle at her seriousness. "If you were to ask my mom, the answer would be yes. I'm supposed to be in Aspen Grove for family photos this afternoon, and she'll never forgive me if I'm not there."

My mom has been looking forward to having new family photos taken for a while. She doesn't think she sees me and my siblings enough and will find any excuse to get us together.

Akira is the only one who lives in Aspen Grove, preferring to give his daughter, Mia, a sense of normalcy. Tomoe and I have apartments in the city, located on the top floors of the Gojo Holdings headquarters we renovated three years ago. However, I've spent most of my time in London for the past nine months.

My sister Ari, and her boyfriend, Rin, have a massive apartment in New York that spans the entire ninetieth floor of a skyscraper and offers a breathtaking view of Central Park.

"What do your family photos have to do with me?" Y/n asks.

"We're married. I'm not letting you out of my sight until we figure this out."

"You cannot be serious," Y/n huffs in annoyance. "Go to Aspen Grove, and when you get back to London, we'll take care of this."

"I don't think so, wifey." The new term of endearment rolls off my tongue. "We're sticking together until we get the annulment."

Her dark eyes widen. "Don't call me that."

"Why not? According to the state of Nevada, you're my wife until we dissolve this marriage." I can't help but egg her on. "Is there a reason you don't want to go to Aspen Grove?"

"No." Her gaze shifts to the ground. "I just haven't been there in a while."

"It'll only be for a few hours, and then we can go back to London," I promise.

She gives me a skeptical look. "Fine, but we fly back tonight. I have to catch up on a lot of work before Monday morning."

I'm still baffled that she's working for F/n. He never passed up the chance to tell her and Suguru how disappointed he was in them when we were kids.

I had the displeasure of meeting with him in New York last week, and it solidified my opinion that he's a vindictive son of a bitch. My brothers and I spent three hours with him, and he didn't bring up Y/n once, which is odd since she plays a significant role in his business.

"That shouldn't be a problem. Family photos shouldn't take more than a couple of hours. Plenty of time for the pilot to refuel before we take off."

Unless my mom decides to intervene when she learns the truth about our marriage. Given her track record of meddling in my siblings' personal lives I wouldn't put it past her.

My phone buzzes again, likely the hundredth text I’ve gotten in the past ten minutes.

With a brisk pace, I move up the walkway to my parents’ modest two-story Cape-style home.

I’m halfway up the steps when Y/n places her hand on my arm to stop me.

“Is everything okay?” I ask.

“I just got an urgent email from an important client dealing with a crisis. I need to call him,” she says.

“Yeah, sure.” I do my best to conceal my disappointment. “Just come inside when you’re finished.”

“You’re going to tell your family the truth about what happened between us, right?”

“Yeah, of course.”

I was hoping she’d be there when I broke the news about our impromptu marriage and annulment. My mom has always considered Y/n part of our family. I can only imagine her reaction when she finds out that Y/n is her daughter-in-law and in the same conversation that we’re dissolving our marriage.

My pulse is racing when I step inside the house. I’m not expecting to find my mom and siblings hovering in the entryway, all wearing looks of sheer panic. I’m bombarded with questions from all directions as soon as they see me.

“Where have you been?” Ari demands, pointing at the clock on the wall. “We’ve tried calling you a dozen times, but it kept going to voicemail.”

“You’re late,” my mom says, echoing my sister’s frustrations. She places her hands on her hips like she used to do when she would scold me as a kid. “You know how important this photoshoot is. I was worried sick when we couldn’t reach you.”

“You were supposed to fly back last night,” Tomoe says, studying me suspiciously.

Nothing gets past him. Luckily, he doesn’t bring up the fact that I was supposed to call him after my meeting with the board. I completely forgot about it when I ran into Y/n. He must have called the chairman for an update. I’m not looking forward to him losing his shit when he finds out what I’ve done.

“Yeah, well, something held me up in Vegas… or should I say, someone.” I keep my reply vague because it’s hard to find the right words to explain that I got married in Las Vegas to Y/n Geto, of all people.

“What are you talking—” Ari cuts herself off as she points to the ring on my finger. “What is that?” she asks with a gasp.

Oh shit.

“My wedding ring,” I answer truthfully. In the mad dash to make our flight, I forgot to take it off.

“I’m sorry, your what?” Ari screeches.

“I got married.” I do my best to downplay the announcement. “My wife is on a call but she’ll come inside as soon as she’s finished. Is it alright if we wait for her, Mom?”

She gapes at me in shock, clearly taken aback by my announcement.

“Your wife?” Ari laughs. “Very funny, Satoru. Who put you up to this?” She turns her glacier stare on Rin. “Was it you?”

He holds his hands up in defense. “I know better than to play practical jokes on you, little vixen.”

“What about you two?” She glares at Tomoe and Akira. “Because this joke is even less funny than the time you had Rin arrested.”

When Ari brought Rin to Aspen Grove for the first time and pretended they were dating, Tomoe was suspicious. After some recon, we found out that Rin was Ari’s boss who had been tormenting her for years. We decided to prank him to teach him a lesson for messing with our sister. It’s the best practical joke we’ve ever pulled off, although I don’t think Rin would agree.

Akira holds up his hands in defense. “It wasn’t me.”

Tomoe shakes his head. “I had nothing to do with this.”

I make the mistake of stealing another glance at my mom. Her expression radiates pure happiness, and I can’t bring myself to tell her the full truth, at least not yet.

“I’m serious, Ari,” I say with a straight face. “We got hitched in Vegas last night and came straight to Aspen Grove to share the good news with our families.”

It occurs to me that Y/n hasn’t asked to see her mom while we’re in town. Suguru doesn’t have contact with her, but according to him, Y/n does. So I wonder why she doesn’t come to visit.

“You got married and didn’t invite your own mother? Shame on you,” my mom interjects, smacking me upside the head.

“I’m sorry,” I say with a sheepish grin.

She seems more upset that I didn’t tell her than at hearing the news that I got hitched. She’s probably just grateful that she didn’t have to play matchmaker like she did for Ari and Akira, which explains why she looks so happy right now.

Mom might deny it, but she’s made it her mission to intervene with my siblings’ love lives, and Ari and Akira have both found their better halves thanks to her. I can work with this reaction—that is until I have to break the news about the annulment.

Everyone’s attention goes to the front door when it creaks open, and Y/n steps inside.

“Oh, speaking of my wife,” I say, a smile spreading across my face.

I don’t think I’ll ever get over how much I like calling her that.

Tomoe and Akira exchange a confused glance when they see Y/n and take in the giant diamond on her ring finger. I mentally pat myself on the back for choosing that one—no chance anyone will miss it, even if this whole thing is over by Monday.

“Oh, Y/n,” my mother exclaims. “Welcome to the family, sweetie.” She pulls her into a hug, and Y/n shoots me a glare.

I smirk back at her, giving her a thumbs-up.

She’s going to make me pay for this stunt later, but I might as well enjoy the ride while I can.

I just realize that I've been spelling Gojo name wrong....