#Thanks again for the asks Charlotte. I hope you're well! :)

[tori-artemis]

Thank you, @iamanartichoke for the asks! Writing this all out kind of made my day. 💜💜💜

Alright, so here we go:

9. Worst part of canon:

The fact that nothing ever is fully explored, omg! Like we see Loki being shocked and repulsed when he learns about his heritage, right, we see him almost physically recoil at the sight of his arm turning blue, we see him hesitate right when he's about to reach for Odin, bc he's afraid his touch will hurt him. So we know he has issues with this fact about himself, he's bothered by the fact that he's Jotun, and then several films later and... nothing. This is never really touched on again. Which is a shame, bc there's so much angst and character potential here!

And it keeps happening, like we see Loki fall into the void, we see he's still alive but seemingly roughed up at the end Thor 1, we see him in Avengers looking near-feral and clearly not well, but then those experiences of his are never explored, never even fully acknowledged, and IDK, it just bugs me.

(Also this isn't even necessarily about Ragnarok solely, bc I kinda include The Dark World here too. As much as Tom Hiddleston acted the hell out of his scenes, and he certainly had these things in mind during his performance, and as decent as the writing was overall, the fact that this was never mentioned, or brought up, or Thor never bothered to ask or they never had an argument where this info just spilled out... it just frustrates me, y'know. Like I would've actually enjoyed Dark World a lot more if these things had been explored in a meaningful way, or even just at all, but yeah. I'm not hating on the film, it's not the worst but I'd be lying if I said that I loved, or even really liked it, bc... well yeah.)

10. Worst part of fanon:

That Loki is the liarist liar ever, who ever liared his way into lying? Or that he's Stabby McBackstabber, or Traitor McGee or whatever. Mr "Power Hungry for a Throne" wants his power fixation and is fucking shit up bc he can - and bc he's apparently turned into goddamn Littlefinger from Game of Thrones and he's just climbing that chaos ladder, I guess. Tbf this is more the MCU/marvel fanon/misinterpretation of him, verses Loki fandom fanon in general, but I still see it and it's annoying. I guess if I had to pick fanon from the fandom tho... maybe it's less the fanon and more the extremism of certain fanons? Like - Loki's a good person at heart, he's loyal, he deeply loves and cares for his family (and his people/realm), we all know this, but then when that's the only thing that ever gets applied to his decision making, when you take away his more "unsavory" qualities (particularly his envy and resentment of Thor - understandable as those feelings may be, they're still, well, pretty dark emotions y'know), then you just strip a character of all his nuance and turn him into a one note saint, and those are never fun. He's basically reduced to being just as shallow as Traitor McGee over there, just from an opposite viewpoint. I love him more when he's human and flawed, he doesn't have to be a perfect saint for me to love him as a character.

(Like yes - Loki is perfect, but in that he's perfectly imperfect, if that makes any sense.)

22. Part of canon that you love that everyone else ignores:

I'm not sure tbh? I'm like the last person to give these great meta-insightful answers bc I kinda just get all my information from other meta writers. Like I never actually analyzed any of the Thor films - or any MCU film for that matter, I kinda just watch and enjoy the ride, and it wasn't until I started reading all this great Loki meta on Tumblr that I started to actually think about any of this stuff at all. But I guess if I had to pick something... um something I really liked, in Ragnarok of all things, was how Loki seemed to joke about the more difficult/upsetting aspects of his past (ex: his suicide attempt, and to a lesser degree his Jotun heritage bc I do think he has a lot of unresolved issues when it comes to that). Which is strange bc a lot of fans actually have said they hated that, but for a character known for putting a front and wearing masks I honestly found it pretty in character for him. Like I do think Loki uses humor to downplay his own pain/angst/struggles in general. The comment he says about Frigga (after she was recently murdered mind you) when Thor says "She wouldn't want us to fight" (voice full of pain) and Loki just - tearfully, yet lightheartedly quips back "well she wouldn't exactly be shocked" - it's things like that. And granted, I know those two scenes were very different, and he was with Thor in the latter scene, which also changes everything on how he responds/presents himself etc., but I can't help but see it as another example of Loki using humor to lighten up a conversation/bad memory. (There are probably better examples out there, but I'm too tired to search for any).

Just basically: if anyone would make a sarcastic joke about their own suicide attempt and shrug it off as no big deal... it'd be Loki.

[lady-of-endless]

i was thinking of maybe kid, katakuri and law for the one bed trope! but if you only accept 2 i'll go with kid and katakuri (we don't have enough hcs of this beautiful man)! thank you so much again for your time <3 hope you have an amazing day!

Only one bed trope/ Being forced to share a bed for the first time (Trafalgar D Water Law, Eustass Kid, Charlotte Katakuri)

Author's Note: YES FOR KATAKURI. Thank you so much for requesting him. Let there be only one bed.

Trafalgar D Water Law

- "Why are you looking at me like that?"

The most unaffected looking of all. Only seeming unfazed. He's slightly bothered by the inconvenience. To be clear, not because of you, but more because he's used to sleeping alone at night. There were times in which you napped next to him as he studied and he thinks it should probably be the same thing.

- Law doesn't want to make a big deal out of it but it's something new to him as well. You'll understand this because he's somehow a bit hesitant in his actions and words. He'll pay close attention to your reactions and try to act in tune with you like he's testing the waters without wanting you to notice a change in his attitude.

- He wishes for silence as you lay down to go to sleep but realizes that it feels so damn odd. So please try to say something. You two will conversate for a while, staring at the ceiling, some space between your bodies. Law starts to relax bit by bit and you can hear it in his voice that's becoming more softer.

- He falls asleep the last because of his many thoughts and plans for the next day. However, when he glances over you and notices how peaceful you look, his thoughts go silent. He also feels relieved to have you next to him resting safely for some reason he doesn't want to admit.

- Because you fall asleep before him, Law allows himself to whisper a barely audible goodnight to you.

- As motionless as he is when sleeping, in the morning you'll probably wake up with his head on your shoulder and an arm over your torso. You won't get a reaction from him when he wakes up like that, but be convinced that deep down he starts thinking about how he really had a good sleep next to you.

Eustass Kid

- "Sucks for you to sleep on the floor tonight."

Kid will blurt out casually, at the sight of the single bed in the room. He bets that you think he's joking when in reality he's serious. But it turns out that you're serious too, not laughing or whatever.

- Once he sees you being serious, not having it, and frowning at him, his expression drops as he realizes that you'll probably have to share the bed. Oh shit. Kid freezes for a good minute then he snaps out of it and tries to act cool and unfazed but you can notice a blush on his face. Don't you dare point it out.

- As you both go to bed, he looks so grumpy and annoyed although, he makes sure you have enough space to be comfy and throws the only blanket totally over your body.

- He falls asleep the first. But if not, when Kid thinks you're asleep, he takes a look at your figure next to him and sighs at his impulses. He gives in and scoops closer and wraps his arm around you, doing all of this as gently as he can so it won't wake you up. If you decide to remain silent, that's perfect. If not, he'll quickly argue that you looked cold and shout to stop smirking like an idiot at him.

- This man snores, sorry about that. But give him a gentle push or a tug and the snoring somehow stops. Also, he forgets to wish you goodnight, he just falls asleep so abruptly. You two might talk before sleep and suddenly when you ask him something, he won't respond anymore, not because he doesn't want to but because he already fell asleep.

- In the morning, you'll have to wake him up because he also sleeps very deeply. It's going to be a challenge since he's all over you.

Charlotte Katakuri

- "You will take the bed."

It's the only thing he says at first, calmly, not even considering his comfort for a second or the possibility of you wanting to share a bed with him.

- You'll have to convince him to sleep together in the bed for his good as well and that will take a while. Good luck. However, when he gives in and realizes that he will sleep next to you, something in him warms up.

- Even after that talk, he is still tempted to ask if you're alright with sharing a bed but he stays silent. Mainly because he wants to keep his composure and secondly because he starts to warm up to the idea.

- No blanket? No problem. If you look cold, he'll put his scarf over you and maybe his vest. His body temperature is naturally high. He won't embrace you because he wants to be respectful. (this brings me to the next hc)

- He tries so much to take as little space as he can on the bed but his large frame makes it so very uncomfortable. Doesn't say a word about it, not complaining. It makes you feel a little bad. However, in the morning, you somehow wake up on top of his body, and his arms wrapped around you keeping you there like you're the most precious thing in the world. And you are to him, he just didn't get to tell you that yet.

- He is the type to jolt a bit because of falling asleep too abruptly.

[sumaneun-stars]

'Hold Me'

(smut)

Pairing. Idol!Sunghoon x fem!idol!reader

Genre. Exes to lovers, smut

Warnings. Cursing, Unprotected sex, use of nicknames (good girl, doll etc.), dom!sunghoon, over-stimulation

Synopsis. It had been 5 months since your break-up, and you thought you might've moved on. Except- you discover that your undying feelings for your ex, Park Sunghoon, only grew stronger in that period of time. You fell for him harder once you looked into those hypnotizing eyes again.

A/n. First smut guys! Pretty lame but I hope you like it<3

[5 months ago]

"You're so ungrateful y/n- you know that? I'm busy and have a tight schedule but I still make time for you- it still isn't enough? Don't you have any sense of gratitude?" He exclaimed, his anger boiling and his eyes piercing into you. It was the first time Sunghoon raised his voice at you- and it was scary.

"Fine. Let's break up" you said, coldly.

He became silent, and his eyes asked 'why?'.

"I sound like a burden to you, and you clearly don't have time for me. This doesn't feel like love anymore- so let's end it here" you continued, tears now threatening to fall down your cheeks.

You took your bag which was lying on the couch, and left the apartment. He ran his fingers through his hair- anger, sadness and regret now stabbing him from all directions.

'What have I done?' He asked himself, looking down at the shattered glass on the floor.

[The present]

You tied your shoelaces and wore your jacket. You took your phone out, taking a selfie and posting it on Weverse- adding a caption to please your fans.

Y/nssky: 'Good morning! ☀️'

You put on your mask and stepped out of the apartment.

"Good morning," you said to your driver as you got into the vehicle, giving him a sleepy smile

"Good morning ma'am" he replied.

You put on your airpods, and played one of your calm playlists. You opened the window, leaning on its frame as the breeze hit your face. This was your favorite part of the day- also at night when you finally reunite with your true love: your bed.

You came back to reality once 'hold me' started playing. You skipped it without hesitation. It'd be a good song if it weren't you and your ex who sang it.

You sighed. Your love with Sunghoon was so beautiful- but apparently fate had different plans.

You reminisced about the dance practice you had with him. The way you would pretend to be awkward on camera but would shower him with kisses off camera, and the way the staff would cringe at the sight. It was plastered on your brain. You denied the fact that you missed him- well that was the only way to move on.

"Ma'am we're here. Ma'am?" Your driver shook your shoulders slightly.

"Huh?" You got out of your daze.

"We're here"

"Oh- right. Thank you!" You said as you got out of the car.

You made your way into the building, occasionally greeting idols that passed by.

You went to your office, placing your bag and jacket aside as you took your seat. It wasn't long before your manager, Ms. Kang, approached you with your daily cappuccino and a few documents.

"Thank you," you smiled at her. She would usually smile back and leave the room, except she continued to stand in front of you. She cleared her throat.

"Ms. Kang, is there a problem?" You asked her.

"Not for me, but for you- yes" she said nervously.

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

She took the documents which were in your hands and flipped a few pages. She then turned it and handed it back to you.

"Charlotte Awards is being held tomorrow and you're requested to perform 'Hold Me' with Park Sunghoon of Enhypen" she said in one breath.

You went silent for a second.

"Fuck" you whispered. "You didn't hear that" you added, glaring at Ms. Kang.

"Sure did," she replied with a nod.

"So… that's that. Also you'll be having a practice session with him after lunch at 3pm" she said.

You groaned.

"Awh it's fine ma'am, I'm sure you can do it. Fighting!" She cheered you on, patting your shoulder.

You gave her a soft smile as she left your office.

'What am I gonna do?' You asked yourself, leaning your head back, as you faced the glass wall to look at the view of the city.

— — — — — — — — — — — — —

You took a deep breath as you entered the practice room, where Sunghoon was waiting for you.

There he was, the man who made you go through all stages of grief because of his absence. You were glad you wore a mask, because he did too.

You greeted the crew, which made Sunghoon turn to look at you.

He stood up and approached you.

"Hello," he said coldly.

You replied, drier than the Sahara Desert.

You were scared. You were scared to look into his eyes. You were scared that you'd fall for him, and get your heart broken again.

'Pull yourself together y/n, he's an ass' you thought to yourself.

"Let's start!" A staff member announced.

You both avoided eye contact, and never smiled. You were upset, but it was your fault anyways. You were the one who initialized the breakup. If you didn't, you'd still be in his hold, his love and his care.

You and Sunghoon practiced the dance 3-4 times before ending the session.

"Okay. Wrap it up" you heard from the corner of the room. You shook his cold hands and headed out of the building.

"Wow ma'am I've never seen you that cold to anyone before" Ms. Kang said.

"You've seen it yourself, so don't get into my bad side"

"Oh don't worry" she said with a smile.

You went to sleep that night in hopes that the next day wouldn't come, but sadly, it did.

You looked at yourself in the mirror, your hands trembling.

"Y/n, you're up. Sunghoon will enter from the other side of the stage. Start by holding hands, and don't forget to smile- and have eye contact here and there, especially in the end"

You took a deep breath as you walked to the middle of the stage. You watched him approach you. You remember why you fell for him because gosh was he dreamy.

Sunghoons pov:

She's beautiful. She wore a long pastel green dress, which made her look like those pretty fairies I've only seen in movies. And her eyes, they could make my jaw drop underground. As I reached the center of the stage, she took my trembling hand, with a smile that could light up the whole city.

'His smile' you thought.

'Her smile' he thought.

'Don't fall, it's all an act. He doesn't love me anymore' you reminded yourself.

'Don't fall, it's all an act. She doesn't love me anymore' he reminded himself.

The performance ended, and you could hear the crowd cheering as the curtains closed. It was dull behind the curtains- your hand was still in his. His eyes flickered from your eyes and lips, and so did yours. You both got out of your trance once the next performance was announced. He cleared his throat as he let go of your hand. He left the stage and you did too.

— — — — — — — — — — — — —

Sunghoon couldn't stop thinking about you on his way home.

He sighed as he entered his bedroom, he removed his jacket and laid himself on his stomach on his bed. His mind was only on you. He resisted the urge to move his hips at the thought of you.

"You know what, fuck this" he said as he clicked your private Instagram account.

You couldn't stop thinking about Sunghoon at all. You sat on the couch, watching the muted television. You got out of your daze once you heard a notification from your phone.

mytiramisu sent you a message: 'Come over. Be fast.'

You could've always rejected his request, but there you were in front of his apartment door, in hopes that it would lead you to something different. You rang the bell, your hands shaking.

He let you in, then closed the door, trapping you in as you leaned against the meeting of the door and the wall. He was wearing a faded t-shirt with a wide neck, which exposed his sharp collarbone, and sweatpants made out of thin fabric which made his hardened length visible.

He leaned closer as he brought your hands to feel his bulge.

"Fuck" he said under his breath. "Look what you've done to me"

"Take them off," you told him. He looked at you with lust in his eyes. "Go on"

He then started removing each layer of your clothes, leaving you only in your underwear. He sneaked his arms around your bare waist, carrying you to his bedroom. You started grinding your hips on his lower stomach impatiently.

"Be patient, baby," he said.

He laid you on his bed, towering over you. He then un-buckled your bra, cursing at the sight. Soon enough he tore off the wet piece of fabric which was keeping him away from his desire. You removed his t-shirt, exposing his abs. You almost drooled at the sight of his bare chest.

He took his two middle fingers and started rubbing your already wet clit. You let out a whine, which only made his fingers move faster.

"All this wetness for me, yeah?" He asked you with a devilish smirk.

You whined again, closing your legs out of instinct as he was going too fast.

"Use your words, princess"

"Y- yes hoon" you said.

"That's my girl" he said, putting those two fingers in his mouth as he untied his sweatpants with the other hand. He removed his pants along with his boxers, revealing his huge, throbbing, red cock which was dripping with precum.

"Missed this, didn't you?" He said as he put his tip inside of you. You let out a hysterical moan.

"Didn't you?" He asked firmly, now pushing his whole length inside. You moaned even louder, not being able to form words.

"Answer the question" he ordered as he raised your chin up with his right hand to face him.

"Yes- y- yes hoon I missed it-" you managed to let out.

"Good girl"

He started moving his hips back and forth without a warning. He thrusted into you in a fast pace, your moans now filling the room.

"F- faster" you said.

"Patience, doll" he replied, gripping onto your jaw.

He then connected his lips to yours, giving you a passionate kiss as he unexpectedly took his length out and threw it back in. He kept going faster, each thrust stronger than the previous one.

"Sunghoon- AH-" you screamed as he hit your g-spot.

Your moans only made him faster. He went even deeper, reaching your g-spot everytime as his balls slapped your skin.

You felt the familiar knot in your stomach, and you knew you couldn't hold it for long.

"Hoon- I'm gonna cum-" you said shakily.

He felt his orgasm reaching as well. His thrusts became sloppier as he held your hands.

He threw his lips on yours, sucking on your bottom lip as you reached your orgasm. You moaned hysterically into the kiss as you felt his hot juices on you.

He parted the kiss, leaning his forehead on yours as he looked into your eyes. You held his jaw with your right hand, giving him a soft smile.

"Y/n…" he said, breathily.

"Hmm?" You replied, playing with his hair.

"Please give me a second chance," he said, his eyes now sparkling.

"Hmm I should think about that…" you teased him.

"Y/n I'm sorry for my mistakes, I swear I'll love you better than before" he continued.

"Can I really trust you…" you continued to play with him.

He scoffed. "You're saying that you didn't miss these lips at least once?" he asked cockliy.

You giggled. "Of course I did, silly" you said, giving him a peck on the lips.

"So is that a yes?" He asked.

"Is it though…" you said.

"Oh come on y/n"

"Alright alright" you said as you pulled him down to lay beside you.

You buried your face in his chest as he held you in his arms.

"I love you" you said, your voice muffled.

"I love you too," he replied, smiling warmly.

End.

[doe-eyed-fool]

Fear Of The Known

Lucifer x Fem!Angel!Reader

|Chapter Four|

Y/n couldn't seem to rid herself of that off feeling. Something wasn't right, and it was making her anxious. But was there really anything to get worked up over? Not really. And yet, the feeling remained.

She decided later that day, she would go and visit Michael again to calm her nerves. On the way, she had ran into Adam. At his side, like always, was Lute.

"Well if it isn't the mystical babe!" Adam smirks. "Where are you heading off to, sweet thing?" Y/n inwardly cringes. While keeping a proper attitude, she responds. "Hello Adam, I'm on my way to visit Michael."

"Psh, you two are totally fucking aren't you?"

"Is there something I can help you with?" Y/n says, choosing to ignore what he said.

"Didn't deny it." Adam mutters as he elbows Lute. Lute keeps her harden expression, her arms folded behind her back. Adam continues. "Nah, I don't need anything from you. Unless you're looking for a good time, if you know what I mean." He grins mischievously.

"No, thank you." Y/n says curtly. "How was your meeting with Sera?"

"Boring as shit." Adam answers simply. "I see. I assume everything is fine then? There wasn't anything strange that came up during the meeting?" Asked Y/n.

"That's between me and Sera, babe." Adam says, clearly bored with this conversation too.

"Alright. Well then." Y/n walked past him. "Pleasure talking with you, Adam, Lute." Lute said nothing, other than nodding her head.

"Oh trust me, the pleasure's all mine." Adam says, Y/n could practically feel his eyes on her rear. She rolled her eyes and speed up her walk slightly.

Y/n finally made it to Michael's home. She entered and made her way further inside. Normally, she would have needed Michael to portal her to where he was, due to how large his home was. But Y/n grew accustomed to the place over the years, she could easily find him now.

Michael was in the study, passing the time by reading. His head perked up when he heard Y/n approaching. "Y/n." He greets her with a smile. "What brings you by?" He asks, closing the book and setting it aside.

"I wanted to see you. I'm...a bit frazzled at the moment." Y/n answers, feeling somewhat selfish. Though, Michael was always open whenever she needed to talk with him. "What's happened?" He asks, concerned.

"Sera is acting off. Or at least it feels that way. I told her of a vision I had, and she barely question it. Normally the questioning would be non-stop until she's satisfied. But, she didn't seem concerned at all." Y/n explains.

"Is there a reason to be concerned?" Asked Michael. "Charlotte Morningstar will be meeting with Heaven soon." Said Y/n, causing Michael's brows to raise. "What for?" He asked.

"I'm not sure. But whatever it is, Sera didn't seem too concerned. But maybe she was, from how she basically rushed me out the door. She said she needed to speak with Adam about it."

"Is there nothing else you can see from that point?"

Y/n shook her head. "I can only see so far into the future. As time passes, the path will reveal itself further. We can only wait for now."

"I see." Said Michael. "Do you sense any ill intent from Charlotte?"

"No. Nothing like that. You've heard me talk about her. She's so...not demon like at all, despite where she comes from." Y/n crosses her arms. "It makes me think, could there really be demons down there who are like her? Is there any good in the hearts of sinners?"

"That I don't know, Y/n." Said Michael. "But if this Charlotte girl is only good that's down there, well then...That gives me hope that Lucifer has done something to influence that kind of mindset from her."

That made Y/n smile slightly. "You think so?" Michael smiles as well. "I do. And hey, maybe Sera's finally giving you a break. Take advantage of that while you can."

Y/n sighs. "Maybe I will. I might just be overthinking all of this. I'm sure everything's fine."

Everything was not fine. A truly awful vision came to Y/n one week after talking with Sera. Y/n was rushing to find the head Seraphim, desperate to tell her what she's seen.

And even more desperate for answers...

Once she arrived at Sera's residence, and knocked on the door quickly with shaky hands. Unfortunately it was not Sera who answered, but Emily.

"Hi, Y/n! What brings you by?"

Y/n tried her best to conceal her panic as she spoke. "I must speak with Sera right away. It's urgent." Emily's smile dropped as she grew concerned. "Is something wrong?" She asks.

"I...I don't know yet." Y/n lied, wanting to spare Emily's feelings. Emily agreed to let her see Sera, welcoming her in. Emily lead Y/n to Sera's office.

"Ah, Y/n. How can I help you?" Asked Sera. Y/n furrowed her brows, but she kept a calm tone as she spoke. "I need to speak with you Sera. I had another vision."

Sera looked to Emily. "Emily?" Emily nods before leaving the room to give them privacy. Sera folded her hands. "What's happened?"

"I am in disbelief Sera." Y/n began, her voice dipping as anger finally settled in. "How could you? How could you allow for something so cruel to happen?"

Sera narrows her eyes. "What are you saying?"

"The exterminations." Sera's eyes widened. "You allowed Adam and his angels to down to Hell and murder thousands of people! How could you, Sera?"

Sera's expression hardened. "Those people are dangerous. I did what was best for everyone in Heaven. They were uprising."

"Uprising? Sera, nothing in my visions warned of any sort of uprising!"

"Perhaps that is because I took charge. Hell's population is growing too large. One way or another, it was going to become a serious problem." Sera stood from her desk and turned her back to Y/n. "I for one am not going to sit by and do nothing, and just allow Heaven to fall into harms way."

Y/n was seething with anger. "I didn't allow Lucifer to bring harm to Heaven! Don't you dare insist I would ever allow anything to bring harm to us!"

Sera turned to face you, her eyes sharp with anger. "You had the chance to warn us about Lucifer's revolt and you did nothing!" Before Y/n could get the chance to argue back, Sera spoke again.

"We have souls to protect here, and I can not have any more mistakes that will put those souls at risk. And Heaven is safe, because of the tough choices I had to make. And if a few demons must die for the sake of everyone in Heaven's safety, then so be it."

"There are human souls down there Sera!" Y/n exclaimed.

Sera narrows her eyes and turns away from you again. "They were human, once. And they had their chance."

Y/n could have stormed out right then, but that was not the only vision she saw.

"Well. Because of your little exterminations, Adam will be killed."

Sera sharply turns her head over her shoulder. "What?"

"In six months, Adam will go down to Heaven for the extermination, but he will not return." Y/n glares at Sera. "So. Are you willing to send Adam to his death, Sera?"

Sera returns the glare, she looks away from Y/n again. "If you have nothing else to say, then you may leave."

Oh, Y/n had plenty more to say. But she would not waste her breath on someone like her any further. Clearly, Sera was in no mood to negotiate.

And she never will be.

So, Y/n turns and walks out of her office. She stormed past Emily, ignoring her as she tried to ask what was wrong. Y/n went back to her home, still furious, but trying to calm herself.

How could Sera have kept this a secret for so long? She's been lying to everyone, even Emily. Well, Y/n most certainly wasn't going to let her get away with this.

This extermination plot of hers is over, and Y/n was going to make sure of that.

As soon as she reach for the door, it swung open. And in walked Adam and Lute.

"Hey babe. Heard you and Sera had quite the argument." A wicked grin formed on Adam's face. "She sent me over to keep the peace."

Y/n took a step back as Adam approached her. Lute smirked as she shut the door and locked it.

"So. How about we settle it, right now?" Adam chuckles darkly.

Tags-

@bloody-delusion-expert

@simbalioness

[pattypanini]

Lay All Your Love On Me

Chapter 9-Double Dip

Josh Kiszka x Reader and Jake Kiszka x Reader

Word Count: 9,206 (we got carried away with this one <3)

TAGLIST

AN: Hi everyone! Here is the ninth chapter of Lay All Your Love On Me from me and @mar-rein12! We are soooo proud of this chapter and slightly scared for you guys. We are going to add a poll after this because we want to know when you guys would like us to post because as college students this gets very busy. We hope you enjoy the ninth chapter, Double Dip

Warnings: 18+, SMUTTTTTT, Unprotected sex, BDSM JOSH!!!!, DOM/SUB, Kinks, Choking, Impact play, Restraints, Spanking with object, Praise kink, Degrading kink, Dirty talk, Alcohol, Choking (not in the hot way, on drink), Fluff.

Y/n's POV

As you’re heating up your leftover pasta, you zone out thinking about last night. You couldn’t believe that had actually happened, but you didn’t regret it a single bit. You probably wouldn’t have even believed it happened, if it weren’t for Josh’s name under your recent calls.

Charlotte had only gotten back to the dorm around 1 today, and thank god for that because if she had seen or heard what you were doing last night you most definitely would never be able to look her in the eyes again.

You whip open the microwave door and snatch up your pasta, following with you dropping it after realizing how hot it is. Taking a seat at the dining table, you notice that Josh still hasn’t reached out today. After over analyzing the situation you immediately come to the conclusion that you must’ve done something wrong.

You stab at your food with your fork, anxiously. You glance over at the clock hanging on the wall, 3 o’clock. You let out a sigh. He should have texted by now. You take a small bite of your food and decide you were going to text him.

You didn’t want to come off as pushy or antsy, but you needed to know that everything was okay between the two of you.

As you pull out your phone to formulate your message, a notification pops up.

3:03pm Josh: Hey beautiful! I hope you slept well last night after our call😏 Wanna hear about the date I planned for us tonight?

It’s like he can read your mind.

3:04pm y/n: Yesss

3:06pm Josh: Well first I wanna ask something, would you like to try a little something different tonight.

3:07pm y/n: What is it?

3:09pm Josh: I was thinking about being a little bit more dominant and you be more submissive, let me take control. A friend of mine was talking about a BDSM test, idk if you ever heard about that, but it got me interested. And they say to do it with people you're comfortable with so I figured we could try it together, if you want.

Oh. That wasn’t what you were expecting to hear, but you’d be lying if you had said you weren’t intrigued.

3:10pm y/n: I’m down for anything Josh, you know that. And yes I have heard about it, but haven't really done anything though. So how do you wanna do this?

3:11pm Josh: Okay great, well first off we need safety words. Red means stop everything, yellow means stop momentarily or slow down, and green is good, understand?

3:12pm y/n: Yes.

3:15pm Josh: Amazing. So I’m gonna say it once and only once. I’m picking you up at 6 on the dot, we have reservations at 6:30 at The Earle. I want you to wear a tight black dress, the one that you wore for your New Year's post. Also a pair of black lace panties. I want your hair loosely curled and natural makeup. Pack an overnight bag with whatever you want. I’ll see you tonight mama.

3:17pm y/n: Damn, controlling much?

3:18pm Josh: Do you not like this, all you have to do is say red baby.

3:19pm y/n: No I like it, I like this dominant side of you.

3:21pm Josh: Perfect mama, I’ll see you tonight then.

3:22pm y/n: Can’t wait, Joshy.

You relax for a little while before you start to get ready. You slip on your tight black dress and the black lace panties he requested. You take a seat at your vanity doing some light, natural makeup and slide on your black heels. Lastly, you curl your hair, being sure to brush through it lightly to soften the curls up.

As you comb through your hair your mind is going wild, one because of the BDSM stuff. It was stuff you had seen in the media and were interested in it. A lot of the guys at Michigan weren’t into that kind of thing, most of them are pretty vanilla. Plus it was with Josh, someone you trusted. The main thing making your mind go crazy was the fact that you were going on a real date with Josh. You would have never expected things to lead to it after friendzoning him. But maybe feelings were coming back, or never left at all?

You glance at the clock after regaining consciousness, 5:57pm. How could it possibly be that time already?

With a few sprays of perfume, you grab your purse, overnight bag, and walk out the door to wait for him. To your surprise he wasn’t there yet, he’s usually pretty early for stuff. But as the clock hits 6 you see a black SUV pull up in front of your dorm as if you summoned him.

As he steps out of the Black G Wagon, daddy’s money surely, he makes his way to your side and opens the passenger door for you after taking your bags.

“Thanks Josh.” He lends you a hand, helping you into the car. He makes his way back to his side and puts your stuff in the back seat, and hops back into his.

He puts on his sunglasses before leaning over to you and placing a kiss on your cheek. You can’t help but blush at his subtable gesture of intimacy.

“You smell delectable y/n, makes me wanna take you right here in the back of the car.”

Your eyes open wide, “Oh, thank you!” You blush and a nervous laugh bubbles out. Why did you say it like that? You start to lean back towards the door, Josh mirroring you with a confused look, studying your body.

“Y/n, I need you to calm down okay? It's just me, we're gonna get a nice dinner, we're just adding a little bit of fun to it. Despite me being the ‘dominant’ one, you have full control of the situation.” Josh attempts to calm you down, as you take a deep breath trying to steady your anxiousness. He put his hand on your shoulder, rubbing it softly with his thumb.

He looked pretty delectable himself. He was wearing a dark green matching suit with a black collared shirt underneath, leaving a few buttons at the top open revealing a silver chain.

He brings his hands to the wheel after putting the vehicle into drive and begins to navigate you towards the restaurant, resting his right hand on your thigh, squeezing it lightly every once and a while. “I know, I know. It’s just… I’ve never tried anything like this before and I don’t want to make a fool of myself.”

“Y/n, you could never make a fool of yourself, we're going to learn together. It’s my first time trying this stuff out too, I’m here for you and don’t ever want to make you feel uncomfortable. Your safety and comfortability is my top priority.” He reassures you, rubbing his thumbs back at forth on the top of your thigh.

You place your hand on top of his, giving him a gentle squeeze and a sweet smile. “Thanks Josh and I appreciate you for setting all this up, it was very sweet of you.”

“Anything for you mama” You feel the blush creeping up to your cheeks again. “ Also, we are almost there. It's a pretty short drive.” You both sit in comfortable silence for the next few minutes, until he pulls into the restaurant parking lot. “We're here, I wanted to get here early because they are weird about people being late.

You look at the clock. 6:11, oh. “Will they let us in early?”

“No they’re a bunch of assholes, you have to be there perfectly on time, can’t be early or late.”

You sat there not knowing what to do. I mean you could sit here without saying anything to each other but that didn’t seem like a fun option. But then a better option came to mind.

“Hey Josh, do you wanna do something fun?”

“Like, go to the backseat for fun, or something else.” His eyebrows shot up.

“Not backseat fun, that’s for later.” You say with a hint of sarcasm, knowing it's not actually sarcastic. “I mean like taking that BDSM test you were talking about, and maybe the rice purity test.”

“Are you sure you wanna expose yourself like that?” Leaning back in his seat more, getting comfortable.

“I mean I don’t care, I’m comfortable with you and would share whatever. I��m doing it more because I’m nosy and wanna know about your past.” You say reaching forward, fixing the collar of his shirt.

He looks down at your hand, sliding his tongue across his teeth, trying to conceal his smile. “Okay baby, whatever you want.” He pulls out his phone from his pocket, you pulling yours out of your purse.

You pull up the Rice Purity website and begin to check off the boxes, flying through it since you’ve done it with your friends many times before.

“Okay I’m done with the Rice Purity test, are we sharing our results yet?”

“No, do the other test then we can go over them.”

You nod your head and go on to the next test. This one was much longer, and had much more vulgar questions. Some that you agreed with strongly, some you were shading, and some that you had never heard of before, but wondered if you’d like it?

After a very long time of taking the test and waiting for Josh to finish he looks up from his screen.

“Okay y/n I’m done.”

“Yay so we can go over them now?”

“Hmmm no. It’s 6:28, so it’s time to go in. Looks like someone’s going to have to ponder my results until after dinner.” He gives you a fake smile quickly running around to your side and giving you a helping hand out of the car. He gives a quick kiss to your hand and shuts the car door.

He guides you to the entrance with his hand resting on your lower back. Opening the door for you, you're met with a lowly lit restaurant with lots of low toned chatter and a piano playing in the background

“Josh Kiszka, table for two.”

The hostess looks down to the planner and crosses off his name before grabbing menus and leading you to a table.

You're brought to a very nice area where the live music is playing. Josh pulls out your seat for you letting you sit down before pushing you back in. You could really get used to this pampered lifestyle.

“You’re such a gentleman Josh.”

“Just trying to treat you the way you should be mama. Nothing less than perfect for you, especially for how hard you’ve been working in the show.” He grabs his menu and begins to look it over.

“You have been working hard too, how can I repay you?”

“Oh trust me you’ll be repaying me tonight in bed.” He says with a smirk.

Your eyes shoot open and before you're able to say anything else the waiter approaches your table.

“Hello everyone, my name is Matthew. I'll be your server for today. Can I start you off with any drinks?”

“Yeah I’ll have a Moscow Mule and she’ll have a Dirty Martini. Thank you sir.”

He jots down the drink orders and hastily walks to the kitchen. It was a very busy night, lots of older couples, probably due to the fact that college students don’t typically have the money for a place like this. You took a look at the menu before you came and saw the expensive menu items. It was filled with lots of good seafood and many other options. You liked coming to restaurants prepared, having your meal planned out, and a backup option just in case.

You were planning on getting the scallops, but the steak also looked good from seeing them pass by with other waiters.

“What are you thinking of getting Josh?”

He sits leaning back in his chair, concentrating on the menu and slowly looks up to you. He looks so good.

“I usually get the same thing every time. The Beef Bourguignon.”

“Sounds fancy Josh, I think I’m going to have the scallops.” You smile looking deep into his eyes.

“You look so amazing tonight mama. The way you look under this lighting is driving me crazy.” He gives you a cute, little smirk.

Before you could say anything back, the waiter came over with your drinks. “Here you go sir, and for you ma'am, a dirty martini.”

“Thank you so much.” You give a polite smile and take a sip of your drink.

“Would you like more time to think over your order, or do we think you’re ready?”

“I think we’re ready. I’ll have the Beef Bourguignon and she will have the Scallops.”

“Sounds good, it's not too often I see men order for their girlfriends anymore. What a good boyfriend” Matt points out, while snatching up the menus.

“Oh, well he’s a great friend, not boyfriend but..yeah he’s great.” You feel the heat rise in your cheeks, no doubt looking like a freshly picked tomato.

Josh gives you a smile, not one of real kindness, but one that tells you you’ve fucked up.

“I’m sure he is. I’ll go put that order in.” As Matt walks away, your eyes follow his trail, you are scared to look back at Josh. When you shift your eyes to him, you’re met with a surprisingly pleasant look.

“Are you still too scared to just admit you like me mama? I know you do, or are you just trying to seem available to Mr. Matthew over there.” He reaches over the table to hold your hands between his.

“I…I wasn’t trying to, I just got caught off guard. I didn’t mean to…” You’re quick to defend yourself.

“I’m only kidding y/n, I’m just trying to get you riled up.” He squeezes your hands softly before bridging them to his mouth and kissing them. You take a few more sips of your drink and Josh notices it beginning to get low. “Do you want more darling? Or maybe a bottle of wine for us?”

“Up to you Josh, I thought you were ‘in charge’ for the night.”

He smirks to you, biting the inside of his cheek. “We’re taking this slow baby, but someone seems eager to be dominated, what a slut.” You can’t help but smile at his remarks. You did want to be dominated, badly. Before you could agree to his comment Matthew comes over to the table with another dirty martini.

“This is for you, I noticed you were getting low and don’t worry it’s on me.” Matt smiles at you with his bright white teeth, gently setting the glass onto the polished wood table.

“Oh my, thank you Matthew.” You accept his gesture and take the drink.

“Oh please, you can call me Matt miss…” You watch as his gaze lingers a little longer than it should’ve.

“Y/n.” You say noticing his hand was reached out for a hand shake.

“Well I’m going to check on your food. It should be out at any moment.” He smiles before noticing Josh’s near empty glass, and continuing to walk away.

Josh scoffs and shakes his head. It definitely was a little rude of him to do all that.

You notice that Matt had not gotten too far away, when he turns around you signal him to come back over.

“Hi Matt, I know you noticed but my date is running low so I’d appreciate it if you did your job and got him some more.” You shoot him a condescending smile, your tone laced with venom.

Matt’s eyes almost pop out of his head. “On it miss.” He turns back to the kitchen before anything else could be said. He’d do anything for a god damn tip.

You turn back to Josh to see him smiling ear to ear.

“That was the sexiest fucking thing you’ve ever done y/n. Such a good girl obeying and serving me.”

“Anything for you Joshy.” You bat your eyelashes at him.

“But you were still flirty with him before, so that’s a strike for later mama.” He teasingly raises his eyebrows at you, making you wonder what exactly he has in store.

As you wait a little longer for your food, due to the fact that it was busy tonight at the restaurant, you talk about how awful this week coming up would be during practice. Coleman was always so stressed the closer it got to the show. And although you still had a month-ish before the actual show, it was getting closer to hell week which was when you would run through the show full out all day and night. Coleman’s big on total perfection and mastery, to ensure the show goes exactly to plan.

When the food and Josh’s drink finally came out you wasted no time to dig in, in a classy way of course. It was very rare for you to indulge in quality food since all you ever ate was dining hall food and never went home for homemade meals. When you saw they served scallops on the menu, you knew right away that was what you were getting. You love seafood so much, it reminds you of your childhood, when your Aunt Jen would take you out to your favorite seafood restaurant for your birthday every year. You missed her deeply, ever since you broke contact with your mom, you drifted with her as well.

You jab your fork into one of tender scallops, popping the entire thing in your mouth. You savor the rich, nutty flavor knowing that tomorrow morning you’ll be right back to the regularly scheduled meals.

“Wanna hear a funny story?” Josh asks, shoving a large forkful of noodles into his mouth.

“Hit me with it,” you reply, still chewing on your scallop.

“To preface, I was still in high school when this happened, so you can’t hold it against me,” He smirks, pointing at you with a raised brow.

You giggle at his dramatics,”Okay…”.

“Promise you won’t?” He presses, holding out his pinky finger to you.

You interlock your pinky with his, “Promise.”

“Good. Jake, Sam, and I had the house to ourselves one weekend because our parents went on an anniversary trip. So… you know, we threw a big party. Jake and I were Sophomores, not very experienced with alcohol for one. Two, we didn’t have that many friends so the friends we did have invited a ton of people we didn’t even know. So, our house was practically filled with complete strangers.” Josh took a big gulp of his drink, followed by another forkful of beef.

“Rebels,” you mutter, a chuckle bubbling out.

“That's for sure. We crashed on the chaise chairs that surrounded our pool that night. Woke up to the house a total mess, someone had even broken one of the lamps in our living room. And, boy, it was not a cheap one either. But that's besides the point, I woke up and immediately needed to shit, you know… as one does. I was still kinda drunk, I definitely wasn't sober, so I was a little slower than usual.”

“Oh no…” A wide smile spreads across your face, as you tilt your glass up to your mouth, you take a hefty swig.

“I shit my pants. 16 year old boy, shit… in his pants,” A boisterous laugh leaves his lips, recalling the moment.

You swallow your drink, the same time a cackle escapes from your throat. You begin aggressively coughing on your beverage, you watch through your teary eyes, as Matthew comes running up to you. But you couldn’t quite read the expression on his face, your tears blurring your vision.

“Y/n, are you okay?” You can hear Josh ask.

You try to clear your throat to answer, when you feel strong arms wrap around your torso. Matt comes up behind attempting to perform the heimlich maneuver on you. You come to your senses with one final cough, your vision returning back to normal.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Josh’s eyebrows are knitted, a lilt to his voice.

“I was trying to help her!” Matt backs away with his hands up defensively. “I’m sorry,” he turns to apologize to you and walks back towards the kitchen.

“It’s okay!” You yell after him, facing Josh again, anger written all over his pretty face. He can’t seriously be mad that the waiter touched me to give the heimlich? “Josh, is everything okay?” You widen your eyes at him.

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that? You’re the one that started choking!” He says in a surprisingly defensive tone.

“Why are you getting snappy at me? I didn’t try to choke?!” You bite back.

“Mm, yeah, sure. You also didn’t tell him to get off of you now did you, hm?” He fires at you, his lips pull into a thin, straight line.

“Are you actually serious?” You start, wanting to say more but held back to prevent a possible argument/

“Yeah I’m serious. You probably loved having his hands all over you didn’t you?”

You stare at him, not knowing what the fuck to say to that. This has to be a joke.

“That’s what I fucking thought, thats another strike mama.” He warns you.

So this is what it’s all about. Just nitpicking so he can be more dominant. You wanted to be mad, but you couldn't, you were kind of aroused.

You might be sick. Sick for thinking angry Josh was hot. Sick for wanting to make him even more irritated, to get more strikes, even though you have no idea what it entails. Sick for yearning to grab his hand, leave the restaurant, and fuck in the backseat of his car.

You let out a quiet whimper at the authority in his words, but not without him noticing.

“What was that mama?” He raises one of his thick, well-groomed eyebrows at you.

“Hm?” You think acting stupid might make him forget or possibly make him think he made it up in his own brain.

“Oh baby, I’m not stupid. You like it when I talk down to you, like a little brat.” Another mouthful of beef is forced into his mouth.

“Who says?” You challenge, wanting to see how far you can push him before he falls off the edge.

“Don’t act like you didn’t just outwardly moan at me talking to you,” What a cocky bastard.

“I didn’t. I think you’re making things up Josh,” You swirl your drink around in your cup, giving him the stupidest look ever.

He narrows his eyes at you.“Don’t think so mama, and plus it's not good to lie. That’ll be another strike.” He drops his fork down onto his plate.

Your eyes are bulging out of your head, mouth gaping. “Don’t look at me like that darling, or else I won't be able to wait until we get back to my apartment and I’ll put that mouth to use right now. A gaping mouth is good for many things, not just you pretending to be surprised while hiding the fact that your extremely turned on. I bet those panties of yours are soaked right”

“Who says we have to wait? I want you right now Josh.” You instinctively rub your thighs together desperate for any kind of friction. You've been struggling with your impatience for him all evening, ever since he brought up his little idea.

“Now, where’s the fun in that? The build up is one of the best parts,” he gives you a sweet smile flashing his gorgeously white teeth at you.

You roll your eyes at him, “ I suppose.” Your foot stretches out, brushing up and down his ankle with your high heel.

“Keep being a fucking brat and see what happens, but its obvious that being punished is what you want. Such a dirty whore.” He takes a sip from his drink reacting like he just told you the weather for the day. It seems only you had a reaction to what he said and thankfully the music was loud enough or else you would be getting a couple more stares.

Your face must have been concerned because immediately Josh’s demeanor softens. “Baby are you not liking this, I told you all you have to do is say the word.”

“No no no. I’m loving this, maybe a little too much. I’m just so taken aback, I’ve never seen this side of you and I’m really loving it.”

He smirks, probably feeling good about himself after you just exposed yourself, probably a little too much.

After Josh pays the bill and you convince Josh to give Matt more than a few dollars tip because of his jealousy, you prepare to leave and head back to his apartment.

“Okay I know you want to get into the action immediately but I want to take you somewhere else, if you don’t mind.” He smiles, reaching out to hold your hands between his.

“I don’t mind at all.” You scooch out of your chair, grab your purse, and follow Josh out of the restaurant. After a short 5 minute drive you show up to an ice cream parlor that you had never been to before.

“How have I never known about this place?”

“You must be living under a rock y/n. I loved this place as a kid, our dad would take us all the time.” You felt a little overdressed for an ice cream parlor, but being here with Josh made the outside world irrelevant. After looking over the many flavors you opt on a mint chocolate chip scoop in a cup and Josh chooses his regular, a double scoop of cherry vanilla in a waffle bowl.

He brings you over to a small table in the corner, letting you have the booth side. After indulging in your ice cream for a few minutes and realizing it was the best ice cream you had ever had, Josh breaks the silence.

“So do you want to go over our test results?”

Your eyes almost fall out of your head. “Here? Josh, we're in public!”

“Anddddd…” He says, waiting for your response. “It’s not like there is anyone around.”

Besides the family on the other side of the room and the old couple ordering, the place was empty.

You giggle before pulling your phone out of your purse. You find your results and wait for him to begin.

“Okay so, what did the innocent y/n get on her rice purity score?” Making sure he emphasizes the innocent.

“No way man, you first.” You say pulling your phone closer to your chest.

“Fine. I got a 46.” He says dryly, waiting for your response.

“Oh my god, you're such a slut Josh.” Not being able to contain your laughter.

“So I got lower than you?”

You wince a little, realizing you’ll now have to expose yourself. “If we're talking golf then sure.” He can’t help but let his jaw drop a little. “How about a 23.”

His mouth turns into a huge open mouth smile. “I can’t believe that, show me.” You flip around your phone sharing the evidence.

“Are you going to call me a slut now or something?” Half being serious, half joking.

“Y/n, I don’t think you're a slut. Seriously. I said those things before because I was jealous of what I couldn’t have. That number means nothing to me, unless you chose one of the last two options, then it matters.” You can’t help but laugh, one at the joke, and two at the fact that he sees you for more than your sexual history.

“That means a lot Josh, thank you. And it means even more knowing how jealous you were.” You giggle, taking a spoon of ice cream into your mouth.

“Why not just get the cherry flavored ice cream? The vanilla probably just makes it more bland.”

His head cocks to the side giving you a look that makes you feel like you're missing something. He begins to scoop up a good amount onto his spoon, making sure to get a big cherry in it. He brings the spoon to your mouth, normally you would be cringed out over something like this but it was different. You allowed him to feed you the icecream and to your surprise it was amazing.

You cover your mouth making sure that you lick the remnants off your lips. “That's so good Josh, I’ll have to get that next time.”

“So there will be a next time?” He says scoops up some ice cream for himself.

“I mean, I had fun tonight. Even without a label I like hanging out with you and going out.”

“Right, and one may even call those hangouts a date, don’t you think?” He says, cocking his eyebrow up at you.

“I guess one could call them that. No matter what they're called I love being around you Josh. At practice, your apartment, out somewhere. It doesn’t matter. And to me it doesn’t matter what we are either, does it matter to you?”

He sits there for a second thinking about the bomb you just dropped on him.

“If you would have asked me that a little bit ago I would have said it did matter. But whether or not we're more than friends, I enjoy your company and I think for now that’s all that matters.”

Wow, this was a whole new side of Josh. Such a sweet and tender side that you could really come to love. Love. That word had never been in the equation. You push your many thoughts aside in your head, enjoying the present moment with Josh.

As you continue your simple banter you finish your ice cream filling so full from all the food from tonight. The way his face looked under the light could put you in a trance, you barely could pay attention to anything he was saying.

“… it was so crazy. Like who pulls up to a wedding in a tracker themed party bus?”

You snap back into realty to hear the last bit of his story. “That is so crazy.”

He smiles at you, the moment was so pure. “Anyways, wanna go back and let me fuck the shit out of you.”

Now that was the Josh you were used to. “Been waiting all night for you to ask.”

—

When arriving at his apartment, you imagined it would be like the movies. When they are stumbling into each other, hungrily trying to peel off each other's clothing, wanting nothing but one another. But despite Josh’s words fucking wasn’t the first thing to happen.

You both walk in hand and hand and he lets you use the bathroom to change into something more comfortable. Normally you would wear a giant t-shirt and shorts but wanted to dress a little nicer. Which sounds silly considering you would be going to bed. You wore a plum silk tank and flowy pants that fit perfectly on your body.

After returning from the bathroom Josh was sprawled out on the couch waiting for you. He had a tight t-shirt on, his muscles underneath pulling at the fabric. His bottom half, dressed in red flannel pajama pants. Your mouth waters at the sight, your hand quickly moving towards your mouth to wipe it. He pats the spot on the couch next to him, “Come take a seat mama, lets watch our show.”

“Community? But I thought we were gonna-”

“Patience darling, all in good time. Don’t you wanna relax with me?”

Without a second thought you come over to take a seat next to him but are grabbed and forced to sit in between his legs, letting your back lay against his chest. The episodes went by while light chatter filled the air. His fingers made it to your head at some point and never left as he played with your hair, lightly twirling and braiding it in some sorts. As you were going into the third episode of the night, you remembered the BDSM test that never got revealed from earlier.

“Hey Joshy?”

“Yeah.” He says drying, trying to pay attention to the episode.

“We still never went over the BDSM test.”

He sat up now giving you his full attention. “You're right, let me go grab my phone and some snacks and I’ll be right back. I have a feeling this is going to be entertaining.” He smiles moving around you to get up. You giggle and reach for your phone. When unlocking it, it opens right to your messages and Jake's name is very clearly near the top. Before he got back, you quickly deleted the messages and turned on do not disturb. You felt guilty having to hide it, but you didn’t want this to ruin the night.

Josh walks back into the living room with a bag of premade popcorn and his phone in the other hand. He reclaims his seat, offering you the bag. “ What results are you expecting from me?” He pops a handful of popcorn into his mouth.

You turn your body so you are now facing him between his legs. “Hm… I don't know. From everything I’ve learned about you here lately, I’d say maybe age play or brat.” You chuckle at him, grabbing your own handful of the salty snack.

Fear and confusion washes over his face. “Excuse me? What the fuck?” You can’t help but laugh at his reaction.

“I’m joking, Josh calm down. What is your top 5 on the list?”

He scans over his phone before beginning to read. “Okay so number one, I have dominant, of course. Number two brat tamer, three rigger, four degrader, and five masochists.” Damn. You didn’t know what to expect but it wasn’t that. “Was that what you were expecting?”

“Um… no, not really. I thought you were going to be pretty vanilla” You can feel your cheeks flush, embarrassment beginning to take over your body.

“Wow, I’m kinda offended. Your turn now.” He says with a cheesy smile.

“One is switch, number two degradee-”

“Switch?” Josh proclaims as he interrupts you, his eyebrows raising in shock.

You jokingly roll your eyes and continue sharing your results. “Number two degradee, number 3 brat, number four rope bunny, and five is primal prey.”

You were waiting for a witty response but he was speechless. You don’t know what he was expecting. “Josh, are you good?”

“Yeah it's just interesting to hear. But it's good to know you were turned on all the times I would call you a slut. ” He shoots a wink at you.

“You’re lucky that I find you attractive, or else I would have slapped you across the face.” You give him a little smile.

“Oh! So, you dooo find me attractive?” He says running a hand through his curly hair.

“You really needed me to tell you to know that?” You play at him.

“I thought we were ‘friends’ though? Being attracted to me makes me think we're not just friends y/n.” He places a hand on your thigh, squeezing it gently. A sharp shiver travels up your spine at his hand placement.

“I mean we're friends with benefits if that's how you wanna put it.” You give a poor attempt at trying to appease him, knowing you both wanted much more than to be just “friends with benefits”.

“Yeah but I think deep down you know you want me to be more than that, y/n.” He begins to move his body, hovering above deathly close to your face. “What do you want from me y/n? Is it just the sex, because I can give that to you. I’ll fuck you just how I’m going to fuck you tonight. But I know deep down you want me. Maybe you're just too scared to admit it, but I need you. I need you so fucking bad y/n, in more ways than one.” Your hands meet his hips, fingers playing with the waistband of his pajama pants.

“Let me take you to bed mama, and by the end of the night I want an answer. I can’t be teased any longer knowing if I can have you or not.” He whispers seductively into your ear. You can feel the pool forming in your panties just from his voice alone.

You moan lightly into his ear, as he scoops you up off the couch. He carries you down the hallway bridal style, pushing his bedroom door open with his foot, stumbling inside. He walks over, throwing your body down onto the bed.

“Strip.” He commands at you as he walks over to the closest.

“You too.”

He whips his head around. “Are you back talking? I know you're not stupid, don’t play with me. That's another strike mama.” You notice that he’s not empty handed anymore. He grips the thick black leather belt he was wearing earlier, walking right back over to you. You can’t help but let your eyes widen at the sight.

“Don’t act scared now, we both saw those results. Do you remember the colors?” He asks softly, taking off his shirt in the process leaving him in only his pants.

“Yes Josh.” You rip your pajamas off quickly, leaving you sitting completely bare on his bed.

“Good girl baby. Have you ever done this before?” He asks, sitting beside you then lifting you to be bent over his lap.

“No.” You say timidly.

“I strongly disbelieve that, but we’ll just take your word on it.” You feel the cool leather beginning to brush over your bare ass. “What color are you right now?”

“Green, very much green.” You quickly spit out, eager for his touch.

“Good, now I want you to count with me since you were a very bad girl. Can you do that mama?”

You can count to 5. “Yes Josh.”

“Sir, you call me sir.” He says sternly.

“Yes sir.” You say pathetically.

Without any warning you feel a hard slap on your ass. “Fuck” You recoil at the feeling.

He leans down to whisper into your ear, “That didn’t sound like a one to me, how about we try that again.” Again, the belt goes flying through the air landing another harsh crack against your ass cheek. “…One.”

“Good girl. Only four more to go.” He taunts you, but you can’t say it doesn’t turn you on even more.

Crack!

“Two”, you squeak out, your eyes shut tight. Your hands travel to his thigh gripping firmly onto his thigh as he lands a third hit to your ass. “Fuck, three…”.

“Fuck three!” He mimics you in a high pitch moan. “You hear how pathetic you sound?”

No way.

“As much as you're acting like you hate this, I know you like it. Such a fucking whore. You’re so wet right now, I can feel you soaking through my pants.”

With another whip of the belt your hands can’t help but clutch onto his bicep. “Four.” Your voice, no doubt, sounds so small. The final strike is the worst. It stings the hardest out of them all and you could barely get your words out. “…five. Fuck Josh.” Your eyes begin to water as you feel a few drops roll down your cheeks.

“Good girl baby. So glad to know you're not incompetent and can count. Now get up.”

As you struggle to get up from his lap you couldn’t help but also feel the pool between your legs, coating the insides of your thighs. He pulls his pants and boxers off at the same time, revealing his hardened cock.

“You see that mirror over there baby.” He points to the mirror centered in front of his bed. You nod not being able to get any words out. “First, you are going to get yourself on that bed, and then I am going to leash you, and your going to watch me fuck you like the whore you are. Got it?”

It was almost embarrassing how fast you got onto the bed. You stayed there on your hands and knees facing the mirror, watching him slowly make his way around to the back of you. He begins to put the belt around your throat.

“I’m not going to tighten it all the way, I don't need you dying on me. Lift your hand up if you need me to stop okay?”

“Yes sir.”

“Good baby.” He begins to line himself up with your core slowly pushing himself into you. His grip on the belt tightens, pulling your head up.

“Oh God, you fill me up so well Josh,” You choke out. He yanks the belt back a little more and slowly starts to thrust in and out of you.

“That I do, mama. You’re so fucking tight holy shit.” He begins to press into you harder. “Look at yourself, so beautiful.”

You look up into the mirror, making eye contact with him, and can’t help but moan at the obscene sight before you, your head falling down towards the bed, but Josh wasn’t having any of that. He lets go of the belt and grabs a chunk of your hair and pulls you back up. “I said, you are going to watch me fuck you. What's so hard to understand, you dumb bitch.”

He lets go of your hair and grabs the belt again, pounding into you harder and harder. Your tears pick up even more, rolling down your cheeks. “What a poor baby, do you feel so good?” Josh reaches around to your face, wiping the tears off your cheek, smearing your mascara in the process.

You were so incredibly turned on you couldn’t help but tighten around his cock as you begin to feel an orgasm creeping up on you.

“FUCK Y/N.” He pulls the belt hard, pulling you up to his chest. “Don’t do that shit or else you’ll get another strike.”

It’s almost like he’s begging for it. Without a second thought you squeeze around him again.

“FUCK.” Disregarding the belt, he slams you face first into the bed, grabbing your hips with both hands to give him more leverage. You feel heat radiating off your ass as Josh fucks his pelvis into the same spots he abused earlier with the belt.

“You can’t take this pussy Josh,” You clench around his dick again and this time he’s had it.

“I’ve had it with your shit, y/n.” His grip tightens around your hips, yanking you back to meet his thrusts harder. You feel his tip brush against your cervix, bringing you even closer to the edge. You knew you wouldn’t last much longer. “Josh I’m gonna cum.”

“What a surprise. I don’t care, because we're not done til I say we are.” His thrust never soften or stagger. He continues to assault your pussy.

“Josh I’m cumming oh my god.” You feel a wash of pleasure go over your body, but the thrusts don't stop. “Oh Josh stop, it's too much.”

“I don’t care. You're gonna take it.” He begins to get sloppy, knowing that he’s close to climax. “What color are you, baby?”

“Green.. Fuck Josh.” You see him smirk in the mirror knowing this is exactly what he wanted to happen. The pain of the overstimulation begins to turn into pleasure once more.

“Oh baby, your pussy feels so good. I’m going to cum so hard inside you, get you pregnant so no one else can have you.” His head tilts back, mouth wide open.

Holy fuck. You would be lying if that didn’t take you back a little, but it just turned you on that much more. Before you can get a word out you feel a shot of warm cum fill your pussy.

“Oh fuck mama. You feel so good, too fucking good.”

When he finally comes down he flips you onto your stomach, releasing your neck from the belt, trailing it down your body. “You think you can give me one more baby.” You feel the cool belt drag over your wet folds, along with a few light slaps.

He was going to be the death of you.

Not being able to help yourself you begin to grind up against the belt. He takes your hands above your head and begins to tie your hands together and wrap the belt around his bed frame. You feel his cum leaking out, as he leans his face down in between your legs. “Are you gonna stay still for me mama, be a good girl?”

You nod, feeling like you were on an entirely other planet with all the different sensations going through your body at the moment. He reaches up and slaps your face and grabs your neck. “Answer me y/n.”

“Yes Josh, I mean yes sir.” His hand releases and he makes his way back down between your legs. “I’m going to suck my cum out of you baby.”

With that, his head disappears between your thighs, licking a stripe through your folds. His face reappears and he sticks his tongue out for you, presenting his cum to you. He leans up, planting a quick kiss on your lips, followed by a deeper one licking into your mouth. You hum in pleasure of his taste on your tongue.

“Taste good, baby?” He gives you the prettiest smile.

“Mmm, so good,” You moan arching your chest against his. He smirks, going back down to eye level with your cunt. He begins with quick circles on your clit with his tongue. “I love your tongue, sir. Always making me feel so good.”

He doesn’t respond as he speeds up his licks, making you squirm beneath him. He pins your hips down with his arm, “ Stop fucking moving, or do I need to tie your legs down as well?”

You liked the idea, but needed to cum again. You shook your head furiously and kept your legs still.

He keeps lapping up your juices, bringing you closer and closer.

“I'm so close.” This feeling was different, much more powerful, but certainly not foreign. You feel little spurts coming out, and Josh picks up on it immediately.

“Soak my face, mama. Drown me.” His tongue attacks on your clit faster until you let go.

Josh’s mouth opens wide, desperately trying to catch every drop of your juices. It was a sight you never wanted to forget. He swallows it down and looks up at you, his face completely covered in your cum.

“You’re so fucking hot babe.” He reached up to release your wrists from the restraints. As your arms come down and hit the bed, pins and needles wash over them after being suspended in the air for so long.

You laid there silently in his chest for a while until you broke the silence. “Josh, did you mean what you said about getting me pregnant?”

“No, I don’t think getting you pregnant is a smart idea for either of us. But having you to myself was true. I need you badly y/n, and I hope I’ll have an answer soon on whether you want me too.”

“How about we go out to the living room, watch community and cuddle for a little, my head isn’t the clearest after all of that.” You offer, Josh can’t help but let out a chuckle before getting up to collect your clothing off the floor. He helps you back into your pajamas and then puts on his own.

You look in the mirror to see your mascara smudged and hair all knotted and messy. You don’t bother fixing it much because it was only you two there tonight. You rub the mascara away a little, still leaving you with makeshift eyeliner on your waterline.

You follow Josh out of his room and drag your feet back over to the living room. When you make it there you are met with a familiar face sitting at the couch on his laptop.

“Finally you’re done, I was gonna go back to my room but didn’t wanna have to hear her moaning. So fucking loud, by the way, what were you doing to her Josh?” With that he closes his laptop and saunters back to his room, closing the door behind him. You couldn’t dare look him in his eyes as he walked by. You can’t imagine how either of them feel at the moment.

You were a little embarrassed to learn that Jake had been sitting here, listening to your sounds of pleasure. Yet, some part of you was completely turned on by the fact he was able to hear everything. Every little moan, whimper, and whine, all caused by his brother.

You take a deep breath and sit back down next to Josh, and cuddle into his side. You look up at him and smile. “Ignore him, y/n. He’s probably just going to use that imagery to jerk off because he doesn’t get any.” You awkwardly laugh. Yep, definitely not getting any. You internally cringe.

You immediately forget about it though as Josh pulls you impossibly closer. You wrap your arms around his torso and snuggle your head into his chest.

“Hey Mama, look here for me,” Josh says to you. You look up again, into his beautiful coffee irises. He wipes under your eyes with his thumbs, swiping away the remaining smeared mascara. “There you go, sweetheart.” He seals his act of affection with a sugary, sweet forehead kiss.

You blush under his touch, grabbing his hand interlacing your fingers with his. You bring his hand up to your lips, reciprocating the kiss across his knuckles. You hear a little giggle leave his lips. “Wanna watch Community now?”

“Yeah… yeah we can, right after this”, He takes your face in his hands, bringing his lips to yours. You make a move to deepen it by slipping your tongue into his mouth. It wasn’t like the makeouts you had before, this one was tender and passionate. Your hands reach for his face, slipping them up into his loose curls. His roaming across your back, not going any farther than your waist band.

He pulls away for a moment, “You can’t do this to me and not be mine y/n. I need you to figure this out for my sanity.” His eyes, large and pouty. “I don’t think I could ever get over you, whether we become a thing or not.”

You realize the game you were playing is not something you can carry out any longer. You were never tied down to one person, but Josh was different. The way he made you feel could never compare to the many other guys you’ve been with. Your fling with Jake though had to be put to an end or else you could never make this work out with Josh.

“I can’t make that decision right now. I want you too, badly. I just need time to sort some things out, and tie together loose ends with some people.” Making it as vague as possible to not lead him to think it could be Jake. “I want to take things seriously and not lead people to think I’m going to be open for anything.”

Josh stares at you, half happy, half still frustrated that he didn’t get his way. “I understand babe, this isn’t the way for me to do it either. I want to make it official official. Not just force you into it on my couch. I’ll give you some time, but I know it's coming.” He sends a bright smile to you, finishing it off with a deep kiss.

You break away again, “Josh, I’ve never felt this way before, I was so confused for the longest time.” You grab onto his face gently rubbing your thumbs across his soft cheeks. He nuzzles his face into your hands.

“Same, Mama,” your lips reconnect and let them do the talking. You push him down to lay flat on his back, he looks back up at you with innocent eyes.

You resituate yourself to sit on his lower abdomen, and begin to grind lightly against his soft dick.

He grabs a hold of your hips and stills you, “Can’t we have a sweet moment y/n.” He says in a sarcastic tone, smirking up at you. “Or is fucking always on the mind.”

You act like you have to think about that for a moment, “Mmmm… maybe?” you chuckle leaning back in for the kiss.

“As much as I’d love a round two, Jake is home now. Can’t we just enjoy this moment together.” He says as he pulls you in for another quick kiss. “Maybe, when he’s asleep though…” He adds, with a dorky wink. You playfully shove his shoulder and then relax your head back onto his chest.

He reaches for the remote, turning on Community. After a few episodes, you both doze off, only waking up when Jake slams his bedroom door to go out to the kitchen. Josh not waking even once. You awaken again by another slam of the door, what the fuck is he doing? You look over at Josh, to see him still peacefully sleeping like a baby. What time is it even?

You quickly turn your phone over to check the time, still in a half-asleep daze. 2:15am. Definitely not a time to be slamming doors.

You see a new notification under your messages, Jake. You swore you deleted him from your messages earlier. You click on his name anyway to see what he could possibly have to say.

2:14am Jake: I know he’s asleep. Come to the bathroom now.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

@demonrat444 @gvfstuddedmajesty @jordie-gvf @jazzyfigz @slut4lando @gvfmarge @peaceloveunitygvf @jjwasneverhere @areuirish @mar-rein12 @woyayaofdreams @freyjalw @musicspeak @jennabobenasblog @do-it-jakey-baby @dannys-dream @terry-66

[baseballbitch116]

However Long It Takes - Chapter Three

Klaus Mikaelson x oc slow burn series

Charlotte Fell was so apprehensive about going to this Mikaelson ball. Why did Klaus even invite her? Well, there's only one way to find out...

Word Count: 2280

Warnings: Brief mention of violence

Masterlist | However Long It Takes Masterlist

Chapter Three - The Ball

You arrived alone at the ball at 7:15, hesitating before going in. You were meeting the others there, Elena had already arrived with the Salvatore's and Caroline. With a long exhale, you walked inside the large mansion and took in your surroundings. Music was playing and there were people everywhere. You didn't recognize most people, and soon realized that most of them were human. So a large portion of the town was invited... But did they all receive a note or dress? Probably not, but suddenly your importance seemed to lessen. You fiddled with your fingers as you slowly entered further into the mansion, looking for a familiar face.

The first face you recognized, however, was none other than Klaus himself. You locked eyes from across the room, where he stood chatting up the mayor. His face fell into a more serious look, but not angry. He left the mayor's side and approached you, and you physically felt your stomach twist and your heart drop. He stopped less than three feet in front of you, just a few inches taller than you in your heels and he smiled what may have been the first genuine smile you've seen thus far. "Good evening," he greets you in a solemn, deep voice. You open your mouth to respond, but words fail you.

"I... need a drink." you mutter and hurry away. You feel embarrassed, wondering why you even came to this stupid ball in the first place.

The next fifteen minutes dragged on until everyone was gathered to the main room and the entire Mikaelson family stood over everyone on the stairs. You made eye contact with Klaus, who stood near Elijah as he spoke.

He held a drink and looked solemn and serious, but his gaze was locked on you. Elijah asked that everyone find a partner and go to the ballroom, and you watched as Klaus downed his drink and headed right in your direction. Oh crap. You started walking toward the ballroom, hoping to observe and not participate, but Klaus catches you and stands in front of you.

"May I?" he asks, offering you his hand. You look at his large hand then back to his eyes, before giving in and nodding, hesitantly placing your smaller hand into his palm. He grins and begins guiding you into the ballroom. Something about holding Klaus's hand and being led by him... felt both the most safe and most in danger you have ever felt. You felt like no one in this room could hurt you... but also knew that he was the most dangerous one in here.

The Ed Sheeran song began and he stood beside you, taking the lead in the waltz. Neither of you speak, but he is watching you as you dance. You follow his lead and then he spins you and you face him, placing your other hand on his right shoulder and he cups your smaller gloved right hand in his own. He continues to look into your eyes, his face only inches away now, and you feel small under his intense gaze. And yet, you can't bring yourself to break his eye contact. His other hand is on your back, and you feel it slide a little lower from your shoulder blade to closer to your waist. The feeling of his fingers touching your body sends shivers down your spine, something you wonder if he felt.

"I'm glad you came," he finally says something, and you look down toward your feet to cover the small smile that forms on your lips. You don't respond, unsure of what to say. When you finally meet his eye again, he is smirking. He knows what he is doing. "You look ravishing in that dress." Your stomach turns with anxiety at his compliment and word choice, a blush warming your cheeks.

"Thank you," is all you say, once again being failed by your words.

"You know, you're quite the dancer." he remarks, and you are rather surprised. You didn't feel like a very good dancer, it was not something you particularly enjoyed. But right now, dancing with him... This was enjoyable.

"Well, I was in the Miss Mystic pageant last year. Against my will." you inform him, and he grins.

"I know." You look up at him in surprise. How did he know that? Has he been asking people about you? Your eyes drop from his intense blue ones down to his full pink lips twisted upward in a grin. He is blatantly flirting with you. Why?

The dance ended and he let go of you, but you looked at each other for a moment longer. "Come with me," he says, and he starts guiding you out of the ballroom.

He slowly leads you further away from the party and you grow anxious, both from fear and interest. He opens a door and steps aside, holding it open for you. You hesitantly walk in, looking around. It is some kind of art room, full of paintings, drawings, sketches. "What is all this?" you ask, taking it all in.

"My collection. Or some of it, at least." he allows the door to close behind himself and you are now alone together. You swallow a gulp and focus your eyes on the painting hanging in front of you. You can feel his eyes on you, but don't dare turn around to look. You notice how the sketches seem like they were done here, not a piece of a collection from another artist.

"Wait, are these yours?" you are stunned that he would have a hobby like this, given his reputation. He comes to stand by your side and nods, his face the most calm and serious you've seen.

"Yeah. Um, some of my landscapes are hanging in various places, not that anyone would notice." he trails off, almost seeming vulnerable. This is the first thing he's ever said to you that didn't sound arrogant, and you could feel something in his demeanor that had shifted. You ducked your head to hide the shy smile that formed on your lips and continued scanning his work.

"These are incredible," you mutter, really impressed. After a short pause, you hear clinking glasses and it sounds like someone is about to give a speech. "Should probably get back," you remark, and he opens the door for you. You shyly smile at him and walk out, then follow him back to the main area.

~~~

He went off to be with his family as Elijah toasted and everyone shared a drink. You tried to stop looking at him or for him, to find something else to occupy your mind. You went over to grab a refreshment from one of the waiters and ended up beside Rebekah Mikaelson. You'd seen her a few times before, but never really spoken to her. She looks over at you from where she stood, looks you up and down, but says nothing. You are intimidated by her immense beauty, and the dark green ball gown she is wearing makes her even more stunning than normal.

"I love your dress," you finally say something after casually sipping on your champagne. She looks back to you, a look of surprise on her face. She looks like she is trying to read your mind, like she doesn't believe you're truly complimenting her.

"Thank you," she finally responds after what felt like an eternity. "I like yours." she exchanges the compliment, and you blush. You don't dare mention who gave you the dress.

"Thank you. I don't think I've ever worn anything this nice before." you remark, chuckling. "I don't feel myself." she smiles and shrugs.

"It suits you," is all she says, and you return the smile.

"Do you like this sort of thing? Balls?" you make small talk, finding yourself pleasantly enjoying her company.

"I do. I always have. We used to attend so many, a few centuries ago, when they were common. I do miss that." she explains. You are envious that she has lived through so many eras. You'd love to hear her stories.

"What was your favorite time period?" you ask, taking a step closer, intrigued. She seems pleased by your interest and takes a moment to think.

"They all had their good and bad, but I greatly appreciated the 20's." You could absolutely see her rocking out in the 20's Great Gatsby style. "Excuse me, my brother is looking for me." Rebekah leaves her glass with the waiter and heads over to Elijah. You decide to head outside for some fresh air, feeling overwhelmed by all of the different emotions you have been feeling tonight. You take a side door and end up on a back patio of some sort, where a horse is settled in an enclosed area. You are immediately excited and cautiously walk over to the large animal. You pet its mane and take in its beauty, admiring the elegant stallion.

"You like horses?" A voice you now recognize as Klaus asks, and you turn to look over your shoulder, watching him walk over to you. You smile softly and nod, returning your gaze to the beautiful creature.

"Always have. They're so majestic... intelligent. I've always wanted one." You look over to see him smiling as he listens. "So why did you invite me anyway?" you finally get the courage to ask.

"I fancy you," he responds blatantly, without any hesitation. Your eyes go wide and you stare at him, waiting for him to laugh or do something to show that he was not serious. "Is that so hard to believe?" he asks when you say nothing. His expression is soft and solemn, he looks very genuine. "Yes," is all you can muster up to respond.

"Why? You are... – you're beautiful. You're strong, you're full of life..." he trails off. "I enjoy you." he grins, but it is not his usual arrogant grin – this is sincere, kind.

"I... thank you," you stutter, tucking the loose hair behind your ear. He continues to grin at you for a long moment, making you anxious under his gaze. He is intense, unlike anyone you have ever met before. He's not a shy little boy who dances around his feelings or tries to play it cool. He's honest, which caught you off guard, given his reputation for being merciless and cruel. Maybe this was one big joke? But what would be the point of that? Neither of you speak for a minute or two, but it is not awkward. You enjoy the peace of the wind blowing in the trees and the sound of glasses and chattering off in the distance.

"Ya know uh, horses are the opposite of people... They're loyal," he starts, chuckling in an ironic sort of way, before continuing. "My father hunted me for a thousand years and the closest he ever came was the day he killed my favorite horse... He severed its neck with a sword, as a warning." he explained. You watched him speak as he looked at the horse, listening intently. He finally meets your eye again, searching your expression like he was trying to decipher what you were thinking.

"I'm sorry," you say softly, reaching out and touching his forearm. He looks down at your hand briefly then back to your eyes, and his blue ones look sorrowful. His father really did a number on him... Maybe he's not so evil after all. Maybe he's just... broken.

~~~

You called it a night shortly thereafter, growing exhausted from all of the overwhelming emotions of the evening. You said a polite goodbye to Klaus before you left and thanked Elijah, then Matt drove you home. You made small talk about the evening, trying to leave out the parts that included Klaus and you noticed he tried not to mention how he was Rebekah's date. You let it be, respecting his privacy as he did yours. You practically threw yourself into your bed after getting out of your gown. You were emotionally exhausted, and the heels you wore didn't help with your physical exhaustion. Curling up into your blankets, your mind wandered, replaying the events of the evening. No matter how hard you tried, the only thing you could really think about was Klaus. The way you danced together, how his hand felt on your back. What he told you about his father... Why was he so different with you than everyone else? Elena and her friends hated him, but you couldn't really see why. Of course, you know that he tried to kill her and he did kill her aunt. Yes, those were horrible and unforgivable. But you'd never know he was like that based off of how he has been interacting with you.

–

You awoke the next morning to the sound of a knock at your front door. You trudged out of bed and rushed to get it, but no one was there. All you found was a folded piece of paper. Another invitation? You took it inside and went back to bed before unfolding it. A gasp escapes your lips as you stare at the beautiful sketch of yourself standing beside the horse from last night. The sketch was amazing, it looked just like you. There was nothing written on either side, but you knew exactly who this was from. This was the most romantic thing anyone had ever done for you, by far.

Your heart pounded in your chest as you wondered what this meant. You envisioned Klaus sitting in his drawing room, sketching the details of your face with the intent of surprising you. Butterflies soared through your stomach against your will, feeling yourself swooning over the gesture. It was official now, there was no denying it. You have feelings for Klaus. And from the looks of it... The feeling is mutual.

~~~

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Let me know if you would like to be tagged when the next chapter is posted!

[chronicowboy]

temptation tuesday

tagged by @try-set-me-on-fire (i have such a big fat creative crush on you btw) <333

so i am trying to focus on my original fiction (my queer (mainly wlw) pirate novel, my play called GENDERENVY, my sitcom about my evil hellhound of a dog) for my last summer before i graduate but obviously fic is an unmoving parasite on my brain so you can have a little extract of the fic i most want to write but absolutely cannot continue for some reason:

Somebody sits down beside him. A woman of around his age who is beautiful—no other way to put it—and only vaguely familiar like an itch in the back of his skull. She's short, probably wouldn't even reach his shoulders if they were to stand, pale skin and a freckled face, piercing green eyes and red hair so dark it almost looks purple until the sunlight catches it. She smiles at him when she catches him looking, something searching on her face like she's trying to place him just as much as he's trying to place her.

"Oh, you're Buck, right?" she asks with a dazzling moment of realisation. "Christopher's dad?"

Ah.

"Oh, um, no, not exactly," he mumbles. "I mean, yes, I'm Buck, and I'm here for Christopher." He wrinkles his nose at himself, squinting slightly in the glare of the afternoon sun. "Not, like, here for him here, you know? I'm not, like, kidnapping him. And I'm not-not his dad?" He clears his throat and glances back at the entrance, checking his watch as his leg starts to bounce. "I mean, I'm not his dad. I'm his dad's best friend. And Christopher's best friend too." She tilts her head at him, eyes narrowing with a scrutiny that only makes the words keep coming. "But, uh, not in, like, a no responsibility way. I'm also kind of his guardian? Or, well, not yet. That only ever happens if Eddie dies. Which, um." He swallows loudly, fear bitter as bile and thick as mucus in the back of his throat. "Fingers crossed that that won't happen." There's an awkward laugh as Buck rubs at the back of his neck. "I'm..." He sighs, shoulders drooping. "I'm Christopher's Buck."

When he turns back to her, he's expecting her own awkward smile or amused laugh; that's normally how these things unfold. Although Buck has never quite beefed it that spectacularly before. Instead, when he returns his attention to her, there's a dazed sort of understanding on her face. That's when he sees a glimpse of her with one of Christopher's friends at the last bake sale.

"You're Charlotte's mom, right?" he asks, immediately cursing himself when her cheeks turn red in much the same way he's sure his did at her own assumptions.

(Ass = you and me, Buck thinks.)

"I'm, um, Dina." She introduces herself with a nervous nod, folding her arms over her chest. "Charlotte's mom's best friend," she clarifies with a meaningful look. "And Charlotte's best friend. And, also, a kind of co-parent, I guess?" She bites her lip and looks over at the school doors just like he had. "Legal guardian in the event of Morgan's death too." She nods once again, short and sharp and final, turning to him with something scared and hopeful on her face. "Are you in love with Eddie?"

Before Buck can even splutter in reply, the school bell rings and the doors fly open on a crowd of over-excited children ready to go home and watch TV or play video games until their heads hurt. Buck should probably be looking for Chris, but he can't tear his wide eyes away from Dina's anxious anticipation as she waits for an answer.

"W-what?" he breathes out. For all of these misunderstandings he's been through, even outside of the school, nobody has ever called him out on it before. "I'm not... Why would you... He's not... We're not—"

"Oh, thank God." She sighs happily, a sad grin stretching across her face. "I'm in love with mine too."

tagging my usual lovely legends @shitouttabuck @butchdiaz @diazass @danielsousa @alyxmastershipper if u have anything to share <3

[heymelissachambers]

OKAY I’M SORRY FOR FLOODING THIS QUESTION BOX BUT THIS AU HAS BEEN FLOATING IN MY HEAD WITHOUT PAYING RENT FOR COUPLE WEEKS NOW AND I WANT TO ASK IF THATS OKAY!!!

Okay so in tgwdlm charlotte mentioned that sam was a really shitty singer- in the fic he has done theatre before, but nothing necessarily about musicals. Does Sams (lack of) singing talent play into the fic in any way, or can this version actually sing?

Also if you feel this is a spoilery question for the future of the fic forget it ever asked lmao

sorry again for the copious amount of questions i hope you don’t feel obligated to answer HAVE A MICE DAYYYYY!!!!

omg never apologize for asking questions i love getting them so much!! im so glad you're enjoying this au!!

what charlotte said in tgwdlm is more along the lines of "sam's not a bad singer, he's just a little flat" which im choosing to headcanon as a more recent thing because he hasnt been singing regularly for the last ~12 years (he dropped out of college to become a cop sometime in 2007 and stopped having time for theatre around then).

i think the only time charlotte hears him sing nowadays is in the shower or maybe along to the radio but he's out of practice which is why he sounds a little flat to her.

that's partially why he's started spending nights working on his audition (he actually wasn't lying to charlotte in chapter ten, man really went down to the community center to work on his audition) because he knows he needs to brush up on his singing to have a shot at a role.

whether it's enough to land him a role or not... well, we'll see.

thank you so much for the question!! please feel free to ask more in the future i love them so much!!

[sapphyreopal5]

I’m sorry for being rude in the first ask , you are right maybe I came off hot there and you thought I was attacking your blog.

I’m sorry 😞

My spelling mistakes not only because I don’t know English very well, it’s also because I write fans and angry , I’ll work on that .

Thank you for allowing civil criticism and not blindly follow the actor you favor, like jensen for example, i have no problem calling him out on something that I thought was offensive or tasteless, I don’t see him asa god , but jared’s fans refuse to acknowledge that he is human and does make mistakes and it’s ok .

No they think the best way to defend jared is by going after jensen, like that makes it all right.

Anyway,I’m sorry again and thank you for being class act

Well hello there again Anon, thank you for the apology. As I've said before, I've always been open to discussing criticism and even praise in a civil manner. I am going to have to disagree that Jared stans only go after Jensen to defend him, nor do they all think Jared is a Saint. I don't care for participating in the Jared is better vs Jensen is better social media battle because really, that's an ongoing thing that will just go round and round in a hamster wheel leading no where. I think it's fair like I said Jared felt excluded from TW as it's the so called prequel to the franchise he was a big part of for 15 years along with Jensen. Sure it may have been a business move to do TW but was it a smart one? No, it was poorly executed and also led to a man being struck by lightning who is currently suing Jensen, Danneel and others. Jensen also was rather rude towards those with valid questions about the said prequel. He ended up saying something along the lines of asking people if they were ever fans to begin with when faced with such questions. Plus the whole ignoring the drivers text saying the car was ready at the race track as he talked about at the Charlotte con August 2023, which I actually went to myself. Also, I am gonna say this but Jensen and Misha's YANA in my opinion was 💯 a meek and to ultimately failed attempt to replace Jared's AFK campaign, as it was questionable if Jared was going to leave Supernatural or not. I don't buy the whole "it's clear Jensen didn't want to do it". You're allowed to say no people, you're allowed to say no which Jensen clearly didn't do here....

Jared isn't so innocent either, he too has said and done questionable things. Plenty of people see aware of the public intoxication and assault charges filed against him in October 2019 after he was arrested for such. He had a time in his life where he called out hospitality and customer service departments on social media. One of the waitresses he posted about got death threats. Mind you, I believe she's one of the ones who had her photo included in Jared's post about her "poor service". Now, it's one thing to mention names when making a complaint or bad review. However, to add a photo of the person while doing so is in extremely bad taste. This waitress ended up deleting her online profiles after getting attacked by a lot of Jared fans. He also did this for a man who worked at a Las Vegas casino (included a photo again yes), not sure what exactly happened with him or what the end result is. He also swore to never fly with American Airlines again after a bad experience as well. He even got upset with Verizon Wireless over them requesting to folks a police report for someone making a fraudulent account in his name. He did also insult singer Justin Beiber in the past in multiple posts and Taylor Swift as well, and even wished for Tony Romero to have a career ending injury. I provided some screenshots below that I found throughout various receipts posts. Not gonna lie, this does in a way challenge what his mission with Always Keep Fighting is about. I also am aware of an online bullying video he posted on his Instagram on Oct 10, 2022 I linked to below. I hope this video is a sign he reflected on the errors of his ways from his past behaviors on social media essentially doxxing people.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CjiwgGSLj8A/?igsh=c2VwMWMwMnJhZm8w

I will say on a personal note, I certainly care about this tidbit for multiple reasons, including a personal incident that happened to me in high school. (EDIT: added 30 min after initially posting, personal story): One of the so called "popular girls" in my school answered a series of questions on a Myspace bulletin, one of which was something like "if you were to shoot anyone who would it be and why?" To which she responded my first and last name "because she talks to herself and is annoying", way to spread rumors about me saying false things about me and threatening my life. Needless to say we had an unpleasant confrontation in gym class a few days later and I admittedly told her she's not worth time in prison. She started shaking and said "well geez it was just a joke", "you don't joke about things like killing people D". Interestingly enough, she apparently lost her right leg after falling in her backyard tripping over a rock (multiple surgeries and almost died twice in the process) actually in mid August 2022, the same year Jared got into his car accident back in April 2022. But that can't be a coincidence on her part, they have to be separate things and not karma surely enough right?

Now, I don't hate Jared. In fact, I like Jared overall but I will say he is an impulsive character who has lashed out online at times both BEFORE and AFTER his breakdown in 2015. Rumor has it he went to a facility for a couple weeks to a month or so. I say this did NOT help him in the long run clearly. The people like Gen who probably convinced him to go to said facility have no sense of discernment in determining whether it would actually benefit someone with suicidal ideation and such to go to such a facility. My senses tell me this was greatly detrimental in the long run and clearly had no longer term benefits. To me, the above things I mentioned and other things I mentioned in other posts seems to point to my being right in my assessment here. It seems Jared is still troubled to this day with anxiety and depression 💯

I think he struggles more with anxiety than depression based on what I've read in his chapter in that book Family Don't End with Blood along with how he talks and expresses himself and such. Yes he has symptoms and signs of both but anxiety seems more dominant than depression, which he was initially diagnosed with in 2007. He's often described as a worry wart and cares very much what people think of him. He even used to get anxiety with cons and such when he first started out doing them. Anxiety is characterized more with feelings like fearfulness, paranoia, extreme stress, sense of dead, worry or apprehension, tightness in chest, etc.

I myself was diagnosed with depression in 2006 probably about 14 months before Jared was, as I attempted suicide via overdose at the age of 15 on 9/18/2006, which actually was only a year and 5 days after Supernatural first aired on 9/13/2005. I mention this because Jared described his suicidal ideation during his 2015 breakdown as more or less an intrusive thought and ended up feeling fearful he would do so and didn't want to burden his wife or friend Brian with being the last persons that he spoke to, or his kids being without a dad type of deal. In my case, I was very convinced by my brain that I was better off dead, the world would be better off without me, etc. I still at times am consumed with thoughts about dying and leaving this world behind, this "stupid rock" as I so affectionately call it at times ha ha. Depression is really more or less accompanied by things like disinterest in things, guilt, worthlessness, hopelessness, etc. Both conditions can lead to decrease in energy levels, over- or under- sleeping, irritability or anger, problems concentrating, etc.

They coexist a lot but do you see why I am saying he seems more anxious than depressed? No mental illness, be it anxiety, depression, etc. can excuse his poor behaviors whatsoever, same with Jensen and anyone else. Now Anon, do you see that I have my criticisms of both and also praises of both J2?

Instead of sending me more anonymous asks and risking having more people go after you in reblogs and whatnot, I encourage you to send me a PM. Anything you say to me is between us if that is what you'd like.

[dino-fart]

Hello. I believe I saw requests are open so I was hoping for a Frank Castle fic.

The idea is that the reader works at a coffee shop and Frank goes to visit while under the guise of Pete Castiglione. They form a bond and he visits frequently until one day he stops visiting due to getting scared. He doesn't want to risk getting close to the reader and risk the wrong people finding out about them and hurting the reader. He decides to stay away until one day while doing some work as the Punisher he sees the reader getting mugged. He saves them but they're pretty shaken up. Once the reader gets a look at Frank they immediately recognize him and just pull him into a hug crying their thanks

@logan-strong

Oooo I love it!

You owned a bakery/coffee shop called The Espresso Express, it was a shop near the subway station that grew popular over time. You were putting the icing on the pastries when your barista Isabel walked into the kitchen. "Hey boss, scary is here." Isabel said.

You chuckled softly, "He's not that scary. Grumpy maybe."

"Okay well, grumpy is here and I really don't want to serve him." Isabel said and you sighed.

You walked out of the kitchen to the cashier counter where 'scary' was. You got his usual black coffee in a to-go cup ready then walked over to the cash register. "You're scaring away my employees Castiglione." You teased.

The man chuckled a little and pulled out his wallet, "Guess I have that effect on everyone."

"What are you doing, Pete?"

"Paying for my coffee?" Pete raised a brow.

"You know it's on the house."

"I appreciate it but I don't think it's a good look if I'm the only one who gets free coffee." Pete smiled.

"You're not, the seniors get free coffee too."

"Ah, so I'm in with them, huh?"

"You sure are, old man." You grinned and he laughed softly.

Pete thanked you for the coffee and left the shop. "He totally likes you." Charlotte, the other barista teased.

"Pay attention to the register, Charlotte." You grinned at her.

"Tell him to bring you flowers and his number next time!" Betty, an elderly customer, said.

You shook your head and laughed as you made your way back to the kitchen.

Pete came by two more days before he just disappeared. You were disappointed you didn't see him but you just assumed he was busy.

It was Friday night and closing time. You let your employees leave early and finished cleaning up then headed to the subway station to get home. You stepped into the subway train as it pulled up and sat down to look at your phone. You were too distracted by your phone to notice the three men walking in and glancing at you. The doors closed the train began to move then one of the men moved to sit next to you.

"Sorry to bother you but I was wondering if you could help me with something. I'm looking for this man, have you seen him?" He pulled out his phone and showed you a picture of…Pete?! You looked up at the man, he didn't look like a police officer so you weren't going to answer. Another man moved to sit on the other side of you and you noticed he taking out a gun and setting it on his lap. "Perhaps you can answer us again otherwise you're gonna lose your life and that little coffee shop of yours. Have you seen him?" The same man asked you.

You took a deep breath and nodded, "O-Okay…I see him sometimes at the coffee shop but I haven't seen him in weeks." You hoped the half-lie would satisfy them. The lights of the subway cart you were in went out. You heard a loud bang and screamed at the top of your lungs. You fell off of your seat and crawled backward, you were sure you were shot.

The lights in the tunnel illuminated the graphic scene piece by piece to you. You saw a man in all black and a white skull on his chest beating the life out of the three men. You heard them screaming in pain and the final scene you saw was blood on the floor, on the seats, and on the man's face. You fainted at the sight. You opened your eyes slowly and the first thing you saw dimly lit ceiling.

"Am I…Dead?" You mumbled as you sat up on the couch.

"You almost were, good thing you just fainted and not actually shot." You heard a gruff voice and you turned to your right where the voice was coming from.

You saw the man sitting on the chair across from you and you gasped in surprise. "Pete?"

"It's Frank…" The man revealed.

"Frank Castle…You're-"

"Yeah." He cut you off. You moved to sit on the edge of the couch. "Look I'm sorry I got you in this mess, I thought maybe if I stayed away…You'd be safe." You felt tears form in your eyes and Frank noticed immediately. "It's okay…I've got you." He said softly and moved to sit next to you on the couch. You hugged him tightly and buried your face in his chest.

Frank returned the hug and promised himself he would keep you safe.

Tagging:@deepbatched, @vikingqueen28, @leonkennedyslefthand, @stewardofningishzida, @icytrickster17, @onlinecemetery, @marki-moo0, @absolute-not-original, @creamecafe, @scrubb, @nightingal3-tales, @alliethedaydreamer, @strangesthirdeye, @alexa-33, @zombiedixon89, @sunnsettee, @deliciousfestsalad, @kiaradaniell, @freyafriggafrey, @criticalroleobssedperson, @avengersfan25, @lunamoonbby, @androgynouspersonapricotfan, @foxcantswim, @namorkawaiiwife, @starkiller-queen, @kyuupidwrites, @luciamajer, @renatas10, @ayamenimthiriel, @gaiagurl05, @dipsylou, @pinkthick, @hansai, @andywinter16, @iambored24601, @3-cheese-tortellini, @cumbrbatchbenedict, @ironstrange1991, @aribas-stuff, @rianumochi, @vibaracal, @lostpirateinwonderland

[penelopecolinb]

Hi, nat! I became a big fan of POLIN after watching season 3 of BRIDGERTON, and for the past two months, I've been obsessed with everything about Polin and even reading your fanfiction! I don't read English very well, but with the help of a translator, I've been devouring all of your fics these past few weeks! The way you describe Polin’s relationship, Colin's character, and their intimacy is so sexy and mesmerizing, and I feel like this could only be done by you. I especially love the way you describe Colin's possessiveness and obsession, which is never unpleasant, but rather charming, because it shows his purity towards Penelope...

I have so many questions for you since you write such amazing fiction... I don't want to bother you, but if you have time, I'd love for you to answer them!

1. you wrote a fanfiction of Polin before season 3 was released, and I'm curious what it is about this couple that fascinated you! Are you a fan of the original show?

2. i was wondering how you viewed season 3, because despite the fact that your fic was written before season 3 was released, i felt that the Colin from the show and the Colin from your novel were very similar, especially in terms of Colin being insecure about Pen's love and being afraid that he wouldn't be a better man for her, and trying to hold on to her, even having sex with her right after they got engaged! I know that part 2 left fans disappointed in terms of length and other aspects, but do you think the show satisfied you?

3. last but not least...I was actually going to ask you if you'd be willing to release a new ONE SHOT fic during this Bonus Polin Week! Then I read your most recent one, SPARE HEART, and I found out that you're in a difficult situation to write fics. I'm so sad for you, but I hope your situation will turn out the way you want it to be soon. It's a great pain for me to know that my favorite fanfiction author is in a bad situation!

Your fics have given me so much comfort and strength!!! 🥺 I can't wait until you start posting fanfiction again! And I'm Korean, and I just wanted to let you know that in the Korean online community I'm in, there are a lot of compliments and mentions of your fics!! I love you!!! If I'm approved to join Ao3, I promise to leave comments and kudos on your fics in the future 😘😘

oh god my darling, thank you so so so much for this lovely message, my heart is so full 💖💖

i'll be happy to answer any questions you (or anyone else) might have!

yes, i was a casual viewer of the original series. i got into it even more when queen charlotte came out, and then i just started loving the angst of pen overhearing colin say that shit about never courting her. i went into a deep dive on polin ao3 and never came back!

im hesitant to answer any questions about the show because i dont want to be a hater. i didnt like a lot of the decisions the writers made - not just in part 2, but part 1 too. i think i'll leave it at that. i feel that thinking of the many many things that i wasn't satisfied by really overshadowed the few parts of the series i genuinely liked.

oh, bless your heart. thank you so much for your kind words. i'm trying to finish spare heart at the moment, and then i have a oneshot coming up (but not in polin week) for the polin x care for gaza raffle winner. and after that, i do have a few ideas i wanna start on! so hopefully i will be able to write, but probably not as frequently as i do now.

that is so insane to me, that the polin community in korea have an awareness of my fic and talk about it and really like it 😭😭😭😭😭 thank you for sharing that with me! im so so so glad that my fics have such a broad reach. please pass on my thanks to the lovely korean online community you're in!

i hope you, my lovely friend, have a wonderful, wonderful day!

[ladycamillewrites]

I hope I'm doing this right..

Robert Laing for the drabble request...a bit spicy maybe? Only if you're feeling it.

Thank you. 💚

▪️ Gif drabbles day 4

(18+ suggestive, language ≈600 words)

It's party time

“Laing?” you yelled down from Charlotte's balcony on the 26th floor of the notorious high rise.

Tonight’s party was going to be the event of the month and took place only four stories above in a mere hour. Of course you had already put on some makeup but before you would dedicate your attention to your lavishly filled closet, you needed to make sure your handsome neighbor would be ready as well. 

You leaned over the balustrade, eyes torn open as you could swear you got a glimpse of the doctor's notorious talent lingering between his thighs. Oh, those thighs glistened so deliciously in London's evening sun, every ridge of his thick muscles highlighted by a sinful shadow. 

“Yes, darling?” he smiled sheepishly, watching your jaw being clenched back shut and your natural blush sweetly adding to the makeup. 

“Are you- are” you stammered awkwardly while greedy eyes traveled every define line of his athletic form. God, Laing exuded pure, elegant masculinity it would’ve destroyed your panties if you would be wearing some. 

Those ocean blues stared right back at your propped up cleavage, full on display since the silky, orange bathrobe wasn’t too rich with fabric.

You nearly had to shower again after Robert, allegedly the best lay in the whole building, greedily licked his lips, gaze fixed on your half exposed breasts. 

“You were saying?” he eventually asked, looking directly in your eyes, suave lust sparkled among blue hues. 

“Are you coming to pick us up in thirty minutes?” Charlotte answered for you, joining you on the balcony and taking in the sight of her best one night stand ever.

They were still friends, of course.

“How could I forget, ladies?” Robert's sharp features were contorted in a sly grin, a subtle wink greeting you before he disappeared inside. 

You were panting like a race horse now, the dress choice somehow magically vanished from your list of problems. “You need to let him fuck you, baby. I swear he’s talented” your brunette cousin mused and dragged you back inside. 

“How do I look?” You chirped proudly, spinning as you finally stepped out in the living room where everyone was awaiting you with bottles of white wine clinging impatiently. 

And there he was again, his expensive cologne and the scent of medic disinfectant invaded your sensitive nostrils as the suggestive look on Laing's face suited him exactly like the tailor made dress shirt with that damn grey pants. He oozed graceful dominance, sitting manspread on Charlotte's couch.

“Like a whore” Richard grinned amusedly, earning a chiding scoff from Helen whose baby bump grew and grew. 

“That’s a good thing for a party here, isn’t it?” you tried to defend yourself by beginning sway your hips to the booming music that echoed through the whole building.

“You fucking fire, girl” Charlotte cheered while Helen was strongly disagreeing and halfway bound in an argument with her protesting husband. He was devouring your curves like a sex-starved teenager but you only cared about one man’s opinion.

“What do you say, Doctor Laing, huh?” you cooed stepping closer between his thick thighs. The Brit loved your angelic voice especially if it delivered his name so wantonly.

A greedy scrunch of his nose flashed while he took his time to let those narrowed steel blues take in every inch of you. Turned on but dominantly composed. As always when he wasn’t drunk and having fun.

“Fuck, what a sight to see. If you don’t hide well at that party I’m afraid I’ll come for you and fuck you against the next wall”.

Was it a cold threat or a heavenly promise in his gravelly whisper? 

You were soon to find out…

-♠️-

Taglist @holdmytesseract @silverfire475 @muddyorbs @ijuststareatstuffhereok89 @vbecker10 @mochie85 @toozmanykids @xorpsbane @loz-3 @yukio369 @lokisgoodgirl @mischief2sarawr

[check-ur-squad]

im back again to ask something ajdkkc

anywho, i finally got vanessa thread of fate and im confused on who should i kick out of my team and whom to keep. here's my team just in case you're curious. (and the characters i have)

i reallyyyy need a healer on the team tho otherwise my team would be doomed 😭

Hi dude!! Hope you've been well.

Getting into it, both Vanessa and Zora operate the best on "Mono" teams. For Vanessa, that might look like her, party Mimosa, Mereoleona as a tank/DPS (or Patri), and Charlotte. For Zora, that's likely going to be him, ceremony Luck, Charmy/Kahono/Gauche if you can swing it, and William. The Mono meta is going to continue for a few seasons more, and then we're going to have Valkyrie Noelle introduced, which will disturb that meta by adding two new types to the game (purple (chaos) and yellow (harmony)).

Why is this the case? Well, currently the structure of the game is such that each type has a special strategy.

Blue has counterattack.

Green has SP regeneration/skill spamming (Ceremony Charlotte, Party Mimosa, and Fate Vanessa ALL regenerate SP)

Red has burn stacking --> more damage/blasta + witch queen combo.

Now, these strategies are by no means ubiquitous. Mereo also has burn stacking --> damage, and she's green. Yami and Noelle [Swimsuit] have counterattack, and they're red. However, most SUPPORT units in their types have passives that only activate if everyone in that team is only one color. Those support units include: Party Mimosa, Zora, Vanessa [Fate], Charlotte [Academy], Sally to some extent, Charlotte [Ceremony], Witch Queen, and more.

Zora in a mono blue team gives himself a +15 SPD boost at the start of a round. That's INSANE, and it makes him the fastest character in the game, but only if he's in that type of team. Otherwise, he has a regular debuffer speed of around 112-114. You can play him however you want, but you will be working at a disadvantage to people who are using him in mono (at least, in the arena), because that's just kind of how the game works.

It looks like you've got a lot of well-built units. As it stands, however, there's no reason to have both Zora and Noelle on a team -- their skills are essentially the same, and Zora's benefit is that he basically turns any attacker INTO Noelle through DEF stacking, damage reflection, and damage reduction.

Langris is frankly a shit DPS, even though Fate Vanessa resolves his Skill Points problem to some extent (I'm sorry to langris fans but he's not lore-accurate. forget eating my brain out of my head, the most he's ever done is lightly blow on me. im talking like 1k damage) so if I had a recommendation, I would swap Noelle out for another DPS character and Mereo for Vanessa. You could also swap Charmy for Vanessa and Magna for Noelle and run a burn/stun/taunt team of sorts, but I would personally play around until you find what's fun for you and then go with that.

Thanks for asking! Please feel free to continue to do so :D I'll do my best to help!

[seas-storyarchive]

actual dad beat actual dad. This au is Little Number.

"Alastor!" Charlie hugged Alastor after their big musical number, relieved he was okay. "Thank goodness you're okay!" She said before letting go of the man.

"Ya man. Where you been?" Angel asked from the bar, a concoction of something Husker had mixed in his hand.

"Oh, you chums know.." he trailed off, hoping to save face. Hopefully.

"Pfft. We thought you died." Husker said as he began cleaning a glass.

"Come again, dear Husker?" Alastor's eyes became radio dials as he widened them and his smile before tilting his head.

"N- nothin'!" Husker busied himself quickly with making that glass spotless.

"Oi! Calm down you lot." Cherri said, before taking a drink from her glass. "He's back, so what's it matter?"

"Thank you, Miss Cherri." Alastor said as his eyes went back to normal. "Well, I did vanish after I was hit, cheap shot though chums, rest assured it won't happen again.. I did have a reason," he cleared his throat and tapped the floor three times.

"What do you mean, Alastor?" Vaggie wasn't liking this. Well, she knew that Alastor was a mortal soul. But still, he'd dipped out so early.. what was going on?

"How hurt were you!?" Charlie's concern was his wounds, seeing dried blood on his clothes. Oh, that was bad.

"Charlotte, calm down. I was.." Alastor stopped speaking, from pain but also he waited a moment, "just prepping this little number."

All questions died in the throats of everyone who knew Alastor. What were they looking at? Scratch that- how were they even looking at what was in front of them.

A little girl who was gripping her red dress, smiling shyly, as she looked up at them briefly before looking at her shoes.

"Mon cher, these are my chums. It's alright to introduce yourself." Alastor knelt down, ignoring the pain that erupted through his body. "It just takes a smile." He smiled and pointed to the corners of his mouth.

The girl giggled sweetly with a smile, "okay Papa." She turned to the gathered group with her head and ears held high as she smiled, saying, "hello! My name is Alice."

And, within a few days, they learned she's a menace like her spawn-point. But it's fine, right? They can get redemption for a kid who spawned out of a cannibal overlord, right?

She's technically a human and not a hellborn, being born in hell but from a human soul despite how she looks.

[the-oc-lass]

Nimona OC - Charlotte Swiftheart/Corova

Sorry for missing a post yesterday! I usually write the posts a day in advance and schedule them, but Sunday was really busy for me and it was way too late when I went to bed. But I think I'm through the worst of it this semester, so I just have to get through these next five-ish weeks and then I get a month off for Christmas. Also, by the way, I spent the weekend watching the Netflix show Bodies and I cannot recommend it enough.

Anyway, this will be the last part of the little reunion saga, and then I'll have probably one or two bulleted lists before we get into the movie and I get to do the fun stuff. Woo!

First, Previous, Next

They move along the side street, heading back up toward the main city.

"Sorry I kept you out so late. You won't get in trouble, will you?" she asks. Ambrosius shrugs.

"We didn't miss anything. We can always sneak back in," he says. Charlotte lets out a dramatic gasp.

"The Institute's top knights, sneaking in and out? What would the kingdom say?" she says. She catches a glimpse of Ballister fondly rolling his eyes, while Ambrosius, honest to Gloreth, giggles. Charlotte smiles slightly, then looks ahead again. When they reach the crossroads in the alleyways, she stops and turns to look at them. "I think this is where we part ways again." They both stop and look at her, seeming frozen for a moment.

"We'll see you again, right?" Ambrosius asks. She shrugs and smiles in what she hopes is a casual way.

"I'll be around. You know where to find me if you need me," she says. Ballister tries to smile back at her, but she can see the edge of sadness in it, and Ambrosius still looks heartbroken. She can't say she blames them, though. The last time they said goodbye, they didn't see each other for six years.

"Will you...Are you going to be at the knighting ceremony?" Ballister asks. She gives him a soft, genuine smile.

"I wouldn't miss it for anything." She catches Ambrosius's eye and tilts her head slightly. "I've been waiting for years to watch you two get knighted."

"Even when you were trying to hate us?" Ballister asks. She chuckles softly.

"Yeah. Even then," she says. A few beats of silence pass, and she shifts backward slightly to turn and leave.

"I'm sorry." Her gaze snaps back to Ambrosius. "I need you to know that I'm sorry. I should've never left you alone like that. I should've done more, tried harder. I-"

"Brosi." She takes a few steps foward to take his hands, giving them a firm, grounding squeeze. "You did try. You did everything you could think to do. We were just kids. It wasn't your fault." He's looking down at where she's holding onto his hands, then he takes a shuddering breath before he looks up at her.

"I missed you, Char. Every day, I missed you," he says. She gives his hands another squeeze.

"I missed you too, Ambrosius." She looks over at Ballister. "I'll see you both at the knighting ceremony, okay?" Ballister nods, and Ambrosius swallows slightly before he does as well. She pulls her hands away from Ambrosius and steps back, taking a moment to look at them both for one more second before she turns away.

"Char." She pauses and looks back at Ballister. "What you built back there...All that good you're doing...I'm really proud of you. Your mom would be too." The statement hits her right in the chest, knocking air from her lungs. She swallows, feeling tears begin to well up in her eyes. But she smiles despite them, giving Ballister a look of gratitude.

"Thank you," she says. Ballister smiles back at her, and Ambrosius gives her a sad one as well. She lifts her hand in a wave, and they return it. Then, the three of them turn from each other and walk away. Back where they belong. Them, to their ivory tower, and her, to her small santuary in the shadows.

P.S. Hi there! Made Charlotte in the Sims 4. I like her! Didn't use Ambrosius as a reference, though, so I don't know how much she looks like him. Here she is!

Lovely tagged people:

@ammonitetheseaserpent @perfectkittystranger @derellenbogen

[purplebass]

Ooh okay CONGRATS ON THE MILESTONE GIRL you deserve it! If you're still taking requests, might I ask for a Matthew + Alastair friendship fic of some kind? ❤️

Thanks 💜 I really tried to make it cool and funny and there is also Thomastair at the end. I hope you like it ✨

Read on A03

Desperate Times Call for Desperate Measures

Alastair knew he shouldn’t have asked for Matthew’s help, but he was desperate. As the second anniversary with his beloved Thomas was close, he was out of ideas, something he did not like nor wished on his worst enemy or least favorable acquaintance. Not even on Matthew, decidedly, who he had never once thought as a foe but not as a friend either. 

He checked his pocket watch. The clock had just struck seven in the morning, and he was by the gate of the house he and Thomas had been sharing for five months. He knew that he was the one who was early, and not the other one who was late. 

The evening before they both were at an event at the Townsends, only because their parents had forced them to attend. Matthew’s mother, the Consul, rendered it imperative to go, and so did Gideon Lightwood, who was not blood related to Alastair in any way, yet had been a more fatherly figure to him in the last two years than his father had ever been. Alastair’s heart warmed at the thought, and although he and Thomas hated the Townsends and found them annoying, he convinced him to go for their father’s sake. 

Catherine, whom Alastair concluded was indeed on the list of those he would call boring, spineless and least favorable to become one of his friends, was getting into shadowhunters politics. Charlotte Fairchild was to be her mentor, something she did not enjoy and of which Alastair knew because of his dinners at the Lightwoods. He swore he had never seen Matthew’s mother sigh and shake her head so much during dinner, but he knew her hands were tied. 

After Bridgestock was kicked out as Inquisitor of the London Enclave, all the members decided that it was mandatory to mentor the new shadowhunters who wanted to get into their politics. To train them for their role so they would not resort into threatening other members of their society in order to get what they wanted. Charlotte herself proposed it, and Alastair thought it was a good idea. He knew that the woman was disheartened that her older son Bridgestock treated him as a bargain chip, and she didn’t want that to happen again to someone else with good intentions. As much as Alastair despised Charles Fairchild, he could understand his mother’s worries. 

The other members of the Enclave, including himself and Thomas, voted in favor of this measure, which ended up being approved. Charlotte, Gideon, Will and Tessa, all offered their help as mentors along with some of the other representatives. 

There were two people along with Charles – who wanted to try to get into shadowhunter politics again, much to everyone’s dismay – who wanted to train for shadowhunter roles in London. One of them was the aforementioned boring Catherine Townsend, while the other was a person he had learned to know well during the last few years, Thomas’ cousin Jesse Blackthorn. Catherine expressed her desire to become Consul a few months prior, along with Charles. Meanwhile, Jesse, much to no one’s surprise, wanted to train to become the next head of the London Institute. 

Charlotte chose not to mentor her son because it would have looked like nepotism – wasn’t it, though?. She would’ve gladly trained Jesse along with Gideon, but in hindsight, it was more fitting for him to be mentored by Will and Tessa, with whom he already worked everyday. In the end, it was Gideon who got Charles. Thomas patted his father’s shoulder once he knew, and offered him a genuine smile of understanding. Alastair wasn’t sure which of them had it worse, but probably both. 

This party was to celebrate Catherine’s first six months of training, and of course, they needed to attend to show that the Consul’s family and acquaintances were supporting. Alastair would have rather stayed home with Thomas, but he had a mission to accomplish, and he knew only Matthew could help him. 

He wished to talk to Fairchild directly at the event. It wasn’t like they never talked during events, but it was suspicious. He tried to intercept him when he went to the bathroom at some point, but believed it would be too awkward and stayed rooted to his place, hearing his sister Cordelia drone on the last addition to her and her husband’s house in Curzon Street. He rolled his eyes at that. Who cared about a statue made by a mundane artist when his mind was blank? He needed to find Matthew as soon as possible.

He had no way of tracking him – that would’ve been too much – if not through fire messages. And that also posed to be quite a difficult task. Thomas, who had been incredibly bored by the event, said that he wanted to do something exciting. Thus, even though it wasn’t their night duty to go on patrol, he agreed to go out with him until he had enough. Well, until Thomas, who had been yawning for the whole night, had finally given up on staying outside. If it were for him, he would’ve been in bed two hours prior, and he would’ve asked for Fairchild’s help way earlier. He waited for Thomas to doze off peacefully and sent the message. 

Fairchild. I know you must be surprised by this message, and by the hour on which it finds you, you must think I am either drunk or crazy – or both. Fret not with your speculations, as I will cut to the reason why I willed myself with the task of writing to you this late, and this unexpectedly. I found myself consumed by despair. And by shame. But I know that you are the only one who can help me. It’s been two years since I and Thomas started our relationship. The date is upcoming – in three days – but I still can’t find the perfect gift. I wanted to surprise him with something he may like, and I thought that you – nevermind. Perhaps this is uncharacteristically strange coming from me, but you do understand that desperate times call for desperate measures (and desperate requests for help). Feel free to ignore.

Alastair found himself sighing numerous times as he mulled over the words of the message, but he still sent it. To his shock, the Fairchild boy had replied to him.

Carstairs. You’re right, I’m appalled. It was the last thing I expected to happen on this day. Catherine Townsend sucking  up to my mother at the dinner didn’t faze me one bit, I know the woman is vile and I – I’m sorry, I was just rambling. I just thought of the perfect place where you can go with Thomas. We can go there by car tomorrow morning, but we need to meet up early. I can’t come before 7am, as I need my beauty sleep. You woke me up, but I’m willing to forgive you just because I care for Thomas’ happiness and I think he will be enthusiastically taken aback by where I thought you could take him.

Alastair confirmed that the time was perfect and he would wait outside his house in Cornwall Gardens. All the while he was hiding in the bathroom, because fire messages made too much noise and he didn’t want Thomas to wake. He wondered about the place he wanted to take him but decided he wanted to be surprised. Matthew didn't reply anymore, and he hoped that they had an agreement. Yet, it was half past seven and he couldn't see a hint of the blonde bohemian, and he started thinking that he had stood him up.

Alastair didn’t even know why he was annoyed by Matthew’s tardiness. Was he late? He just said not before seven, he didn't – He saw the Ford Model A approach and he massaged his temples. Calm down, Alastair. Do not lose your cool, he repeated to himself. 

“About time,” Alastair said gruffly, but at least he uncrossed his arms off his chest. 

“Good morning to you too, Alastair,” Matthew cheered from behind the wheel. “Bad night?”

Alastair rolled his eyes. In another time, he would have told him to mind his business. But he wasn’t the same person as he was years ago, nor was Matthew. “I could not sleep,” he sighed, remembering all the tossing and turning about last night. 

Matthew, who Alastair wasn't surprised to see wore a golden waistcoat and jacket that matched the details of his car, simply shrugged. “Yesterday's event at the Townsends upset your stomach too?”

He felt like rolling his eyes again. “If Catherine ever becomes Consul, I hope I'm not in London anymore,” he scoffed. 

“The feeling is mu –” Fairchild stopped abruptly and looked up, and Alastair dreaded that Matthew had seen Thomas through one of the lowest windows of the house. 

He turned quickly, relieved that was not the case, and realized what distracted the other from finishing his sentence. “Something is meowing at your feet,” he commented sourly with a frown. Knowing Matthew, it could have been some new customization of his Ford.

“Yes, I haven't forgotten about you, kitties,” Matthew said instead, and he lowered to pick up a box from the floor of his car. “There, there, here we are,” he cooed. He got out of the vehicle and started walking toward the door of Alastair's house.

“What are you doing?” Alastair frowned, glancing at the kitties before Matthew could advance closer and ring the doorbell. There were two of them: one was a tortoiseshell, while the other was a brown tabby. They were probably strays and not older than a few days. 

“We are going to the countryside, Alastair. As much as they would keep us company and stop us from tearing each other's hair with their fluffy cuteness, I think they should stay home.”

“In case you forgot, this is my home.”

“And it can be a temporary home for the kitties,” he said excitedly, offering Alastair his megawatt smile, even though he knew it wouldn’t help matters. “In case you forgot, I do have a massive and lovely dog in my home.”

“Since he is lovely, surely, he must love cats,” he asserted.

“Absolutely, he does. But you understand that I can't leave Oscar alone with them,” Matthew tried to plead his case. He looked down at the kittens mournfully, and they meowed at him. “They’re tiny little things and they’re defenseless. They’re the equivalent of a newborn baby,” he argued. “Would you leave a newborn baby alone?”

“That’s beside the point,” Alastair objected, but the meowing of the kittens alone was tugging at his heartstrings and he didn’t want to admit it to Fairchild. “There would still be no one to attend to the kitties.”

Matthew shook his head as he stroked one of the kitties’ heads. “They wouldn't be alone. Thomas is inside, I assume.”

“Where do you think –” Alastair closed his eyes for a moment out of exasperation. “We're losing precious time. Moreover, in case you forgot, Thomas must not know of my encounter with you.”

“You're wasting time by dragging the issue out! Just leave the box in a room and close the door. I'll get them when we get back and I'll see if I can find them a house.”

“What if Thomas finds them?” Alastair wondered. “You do know that this house is his as much as it’s mine –”

“You think too much, Alastair,” he raised his eyebrows disapprovingly. “Just leave them in a room that Thomas doesn’t like, then. That’s it, I resolved the problem for you.”

Alastair wanted to argue with Matthew, but he was right. Again. He was dragging the discussion out and he was concerned that Thomas would wake up soon and he would look for him, even though he left him a note apologizing. He needed to do this quickly. He took the box away from Matthew’s hands and he made a mental note of the house. 

He realized that the room Thomas never seemed to enter was Cordelia’s old room. It made sense. Even though Cordelia moved out of the house several years prior, Alastair and Thomas thought that for the moment they wouldn’t turn it into something else. Cordelia (and James) used the room when they stayed there when one of their parties went too far into the night and they didn’t want to walk back home. Lazy, if anyone asked Alastair, but convenient for his immediate scope. He left the box on the other side of her bed, and bolted the door. He then ran out of the house as if it were on fire to meet an excited Matthew already waiting in the driver’s seat.

“You know, it would be ideal to keep conversation while we drive,” Matthew quipped a while after they left London behind. “The road is long.”

Alastair barely glanced at him, his hands gripped the side of his seat tightly. “I have nothing to say,” he retorted, trying not to sound too blunt. 

“You didn’t even ask me where we’re going,” Matthew observed, raising an eyebrow at how his traveling companion sat. “You are not going to fall, trust me.”

“What?” he wondered louder than it was appropriate. “Mind the driving, Fairchild. I don’t want to die young and above all, I’d regret perishing in the countryside.”

Matthew replied with a mirthful laugh, and Alastair glared at him this time. “I apologize, I didn’t mean to taunt you, but you make it so easy,” he shrugged. “What did the countryside ever do to you?”

Alastair managed a smile. He remembered another time, another himself. A younger self who was less carefree than he is now. A young boy who could only find solace in going horse riding in Dartmoor and hunting for blackberries. A boy who rejoiced when they moved there for a while, because the pubs and grocery shops were too far from their house, and his father too lazy to look for his poison. A place where he felt they never stayed enough because of said reason. His father’s love for the bottle overshadowed his affection for his family, and that probably quelled the peacefulness of those memories.

“I used to live in the countryside every once in a while,” he confessed to Matthew. The car wasn’t too fast, and he was trying to appreciate the landscape. It distracted him. “At Cirenworth.”

“Oh, in Devon, I see. Cordelia told me about it,” he nodded. Seeing that the other didn’t answer anymore, he continued. “You don’t sound too happy about it, though? Was this place ugly and water leaked from the pipes, your shirts would get drenched and you had to wear a bathsuit your whole stay so that at least, you’d be prepared to get soaked?”

Alastair pinched the bridge of his nose. “You always come up with the most absurd scenarios, Fairchild,” he shook his head. “I am afraid to ruin your fantasy, but no. On the other hand, Devon is an outstanding location and so is Cirenworth. It is immersed in nature and there are many paths that lead to the beach. It is quiet and no one bothers you and you have plenty of space to train in the moor. It was the best place I’ve ever lived.”

“Seems like the perfect place for relaxing,” Matthew assumed, keeping his eyes on the road. They had just passed a sign and he realized they were closer to their location than he thought. “Have you been there recently? To visit your mother and little brother?”

“I’ve been there a few weeks ago,” he confessed. “We had a picnic in the rose garden by the house with Thomas.”

He recalled the memory fondly. His mother and Risa prepared a picnic in the extensive garden at Cirenworth. Zachary had grown so much in the time he hadn’t seen him, and he dedicated most of the time to playing with him in the grass. Thomas had accompanied him, of course. His younger brother grew attached to his partner, and he demanded to sit him on his shoulder because he was the tallest. 

Alastair had a mini heart attack every time Thomas helped little Zachary on his shoulders. He was protective (even though he knew Thomas would never let him fall) but he was also quite mushy. This was a feeling that he had discovered in these years of being in love with Thomas and being loved back by him. 

“I would love to see that place someday,” Matthew smiled, and even if he was looking ahead of him, Alastair knew that he meant it. In all fairness, he even wondered why his sister had never invited him over. 

“What about you, though?” Alastair found himself wondering. “Is there a place like Cirenworth in your life?”

“I had one, when I was a child,” the blond replied uncharacteristically quietly, not meeting his eyes again. Well, he better watch the road. It was barely visible in between the corn crops on either side of them. Alastair hadn’t dared to ask where they were going and now he regretted it. “Fairchild Manor, in Idris. We used to go there on vacation during the summer. I remember thinking that my parents decided to paint the building in a mellow gold hue to honor my birth, but of course, I was deluding myself,” he laughed bitterly. “Aside from this little childhood embarrassment, I felt like we were truly a family when we were there. An ordinary family. My mother would ignore the shadowhunter business as long as we stayed there, and we would play different games in front of a glass of freshly made tea. My father would ditch the experiments and I would push his chair so we could go on long walks together. I even played with that menace that is Charles –” he rolled his eyes, as if he was incredulous. “Those were good times.”

Alastair listened to Matthew’s story carefully, and he was surprised at how similar their happy place seemed to be. The only striking difference, he was sure, were their fathers. He admired Henry Fairchild. He was often criticized for being a man of science, but it was just shadowhunter society closing itself to modernity again, which wasn’t good. If it hadn’t been for him, they wouldn’t have had things like portals. His father, on the other hand… there was nothing to admire, he concluded. He was better off dead. 

The conversation veered on other topics like the weather and how nice it seemed to be. Matthew asked what Alastair thought of the recent shadowhunter happenings in London and they discussed that for a while. Their earlier conversation broke the ice, despite the day being far from chilly. 

As he descended out of Matthew’s car when they arrived, Alastair found himself sweating in spite of the hat he was wearing and a gentle breeze blowing in their direction. Must be the countryside and its air, he thought. Yet, it was the autumn season, and he realized that he was getting antsy and anxious because he was about to find out what his partner’s close friend had thought for them.

“Please do tell me why, because my curiosity is unending,” Matthew said abruptly as they walked who knew where, as there was literally nobody in the clearing facing them. “You still haven���t asked me where I brought you, Alastair.”

Alastair shrugged, trying not to clench his fists in frustration. “What if I said that I trusted your taste? Would you believe me?”

He snorted in response. “Of course I would,” Matthew smirked. “I know I have impeccable taste.”

“Whatever you say, Fairchild,” he replied sourly. 

Matthew stopped, and so did he. Alastair realized that they were almost in the center of the clearing. There were short trees on every side, and small patches of flowers. It seemed like the best place for a picnic and to have a little privacy, but would Matthew drive that far from London – he still didn’t know where they were, but considering the over two hours of travel, he decided they were a little outside of town – to take him to the perfect place to eat on the grass? He wouldn’t know how to get back there again if he did. 

The blond glanced at the clock in his pocket and turned to Alastair. “They should be here any minute,” he spoke confidently, offering him a smile. 

Alastair wanted to ask him who, when something caught his eye. It was barely midday, but there was a shadow invading the clearing. He knew it couldn’t be a demon – it was broad daylight – but his hand still went on his weapons’ belt, ready to grab his spears to attack. His hand went slack when he noticed the source of the shadow: a big hot air balloon. It wasn’t just a regular hot air balloon. It was also propelled by some kind of magic, he assumed, because of the color of the fire under the rainbow colored tarp.

“You look like you were expecting an ambush,” Matthew observed, glancing at Alastair’s astonished expression. “I know, I was also quite surprised the first time I saw one of these up close. Isn’t it fascinating?”

“What?” Alastair managed to say, his mouth gaped open. “Quite,” he added with a sigh. Damn. 

The colorful air balloon descended into the clearing and gracefully landed not far from the two of them. Three people came out of it with happy smiles, along with the warlock, who Alastair didn’t recognize. Matthew walked to the man as soon as the clients left, but he stood there. Immobile until the other took notice that he hadn’t bothered to catch up to him. He gestured for him to come there, and only then, after taking a long breath of encouragement, did Alastair follow, albeit slowly.

“Frank, let me introduce you to Alastair Carstairs,” Matthew told the purple-haired warlock. “He needs to surprise an important person and he thought that your hot air balloon ride would be the best experience that he could have.”

“Sure, welcome, shadowhunter. Anyone of Mr. Fairchild’s friends is a friend of mine,” Frank said. “I don’t usually let shadowhunters ride my balloon,” he chuckled, “but I am willing to help you since you’re a good friend of this handsome fella,” he winked at Matthew, which made Alastair frown. Maybe Matthew knew this warlock personally.

He glanced at his friend. “Well, thank you very much,” he answered with a clipped tone, trying to be cordial. “About that, can I speak to my friend Matthew for a second?”

The warlock shrugged and went towards a small cabin close to the woods that Alastair hadn’t noticed before. Once he was out of earshot, Matthew asked: “I don’t understand what’s wrong. Is it because he’s a warlock? Because –”

“No, absolutely not,” Alastair quickly said. He never had problems with downworlders, and it annoyed him that the other thought that was the issue. “I didn’t realize you were taking me here,” he sighed, “where are we?”

“That’s because you never asked,” Matthew chided, and he had to give it to him. It was the truth. “We are in Hatfield park, in Hertfordshire. Hatfield House is not far from here. It’s where Queen Elizabeth grew up.”

“Good for her,” he snorted. So they were indeed not far from London. 

“You don’t sound too excited,” Matthew said. “Is it the place? Is there too much green? Is –”

Alastair couldn’t take it anymore. “I’m afraid of the heights,” he confessed, ready to be ridiculed by Matthew. 

“Bloody hell,” he replied with a neutral expression. He seemed to be genuinely understanding. “I didn’t know.”

“You couldn’t have known,” Alastair frowned, gazing away. The warlock sat on a chair and was sunbathing. “If I’d only asked,” he clenched his fists. He was angry at himself. “Guess it can’t be helped now. I’ll have to think about something else before Friday.”

“Don’t be hard too on yourself, Alastair,” Matthew tried to console him, something he didn’t expect. “I can tell Frank that regrettably, you have changed your mind, and you wish to go back to London. Simple as that. Trust me, he’s not going to hold it over your head or curse you.”

“Warlocks can’t curse people,” Alastair remarked, tilting his head in the direction of the man. 

“Not the warlocks you know,” he winked with a smile, but Alastair raised his eyebrows. “Fine, fine, you’re right! Must you always be so fussy?”

Alastair shrugged, and Matthew took it as a sign that he wasn’t going to answer and started walking in the opposite direction, where Frank was probably asleep by now. He came back a couple of minutes later saying that the warlock was nonchalant about their decision not to go on with the balloon ride, and to come back if they changed their minds. 

Alastair didn’t talk all the way back to Matthew’s car. He was thinking about the hot air balloon, and how Thomas would react if he took him there. He would love it, he told himself. He would absolutely adore it and talk about it non stop for months. He reckoned Thomas mentioned balloons more than once, when they saw a photograph of one in The Star. He always meant to take him on a ride, but he wasn’t sure he could overcome his fear of the heights. 

He was still thinking about this when they got back to the car, hands clenched into fists on his lap and his eyes fixated on nowhere precisely. He was thrown back to reality after Matthew groaned, which reminded him that they still hadn’t left. He wondered how much time had he stared into space. 

“If you fixed your hair, I think I’m ready to go back to London,” Alastair muttered. 

“I have bad news and good news,” Matthew sighed, his hands crossed on the steering wheel. “Which one do you want to know first?”

“Is this a game? Because I don’t think we have time for those, Fairchild. You better start the car or we won’t even get to London in time for dinner.”

“Well, congratulations! I’m afraid that is the piece of bad news I was going to deliver, but you’re good at guessing,” he chuckled, even if there was nothing to laugh about. Alastair raised an eyebrow, and he continued. “The car won’t start.”

“Say that again,” Alastair said, aggravated. 

“The car is out of fuel. It won’t start. Look,” he turned the keys into the ignition, but no sound could be heard from the vehicle. Instead of the usual purr of the engine, there was utter silence. 

“Out of fuel? Didn’t you get some before leaving?” Alastair tried not to get too agitated.

“I didn’t think I would need more. I thought it would last,” he shook his head in frustration. “Look, I apologize. There’s nothing we can do but wait. I’ve already called for help.”

Alastair scoffed, and crossed his arms on his chest. “Well, whoever you called better come here soon. I can’t lose more time, I’m already running out of time. I shouldn’t have –” but he bit his lip and he didn’t finish. He wasn’t even angry, but he was a little anxious.

“Asked for my help?” Matthew dared to ask. “Kind of odd, I must say, but I thought someday it might have happened,” he clenched his jaw. “And not because I am a connoisseur of the best entertaining experiences Edwardian society has to offer. We both love Thomas, and we both care for him. You want to make him happy, and so do I. Shouldn’t that be the end goal?”

“It should,” he admitted. “And he is. I’m not being cordial towards you just because you’re one of Tom’s best friends,” he said, and Matthew raised an eyebrow. Alastair ignored him. “I do not harbor any animosity towards you because of the car, in case you’re wondering. I’m just angry at myself.”

“Since we’ll be spending a few hours together before help gets here…” he left the sentence hanging. “I have a fine ear that is very willing to listen, in case you need to vent,” Matthew smiled. 

Alastair thought about it for a few seconds. He had already shown Matthew his vulnerable side when he desperately asked for help the night before. He also confessed his fear of the heights, which only Thomas knew about. Telling him more wouldn’t be too confidential, would it? It wouldn’t mean they would become friends. 

“Do you ever want to,” Alastair began, “make someone happy but you know what’s standing between your happiness and them is you?” He said bitterly. “This hot air balloon idea you had, Fairchild, was thoughtful. Thomas had expressed the desire to go on one casually in conversation, but I never dared to follow because of my little fear.”

Matthew’s mouth gaped open in disbelief, but it was quickly replaced by a warm smile. “I do know that feeling very well, yes,” he gazed up at the sky, as if he was longing to fix that but could not. “To be honest with you, Thomas also expressed the desire in conversation with me as well, when I told him that I knew a warlock that had a balloon business,” he pointed out. “This is why I brought you here in the lively Hertfordshire,” he cocked his head. “And yes, I also had selfish reasons. I wanted to ride the hot air balloon myself, but alas, I also abhor heights,” he scoffed. “I was hoping you’d force me to ride, even just to see my face turn green like the countryside,” he added, and Alastair started chuckling. “You see, acrophobia is not that uncommon! Even dashing men like me have fears.”

Alastair tried to rein his giggles. It was unlike him to laugh so freely in front of people in general, if they weren’t Thomas or his family. But laughing was freeing, and it made him feel better. He should do it more. “I never thought I’d laugh about that with you, but thanks.”

“Well, there is a first time for everything,” Matthew grinned. “And thanks for what? You’ll have to find something new for Thomas.”

“You still tried to help me,” he said. “Even though it backfired. I appreciate the effort.”

The sound of wheels on the soil alerted them that whoever Matthew had called to take them back and also bring fuel for the car was closer and approaching. Alastair didn’t know how much time had passed ever since they sat waiting. Matthew kept talking about random stuff – some of it eccentric nonsense – and Alastair listened to him. There was nothing better to do, he told himself, and Fairchild’s stories were amusing. Time had to pass. 

They got off the Ford to meet their savior. Alastair thought it would be James, because he was Matthew’s parabatai, but instead –

“Thomas, my dear,” Matthew spoke before Alastair could, and walked briskly to his friend. “Why are you here? It was Jesse I sent a fire message to!”

Thomas glanced at Matthew briefly, and acknowledged Alastair. He frowned, not used to the sight of his boyfriend with one of his best friends. He seemed surprised, but his eyes didn’t betray much emotion. “I was with Jesse when he read the message and I offered to come instead. He and father had to go out together. Is there something wrong with me being here?” he asked the blond, but he knew the question was directed at him.

“What about James?” Matthew inquired, which was weird. He knew James wouldn’t be in town today, but Matthew had to know that too, since he sent the message to Jesse first. He was catching himself in his lie, but Thomas ignored that.

“James went to see that mundane sport with Cordelia – what’s the name again? Ah, polo, it was polo.” Thomas replied curtly, not breaking eye contact with Alastair. “Whereas I was free. I had to go to buy groceries with someone this morning, but when I woke up, the bed was cold and empty.” 

“Alright, alright, Thomas,” he patted his arm. “I’ll leave you two alone and get the fuel.”

Thomas waited for Matthew to go back to the carriage with which he had arrived, to start speaking. “Why were you two together?”

“He was going to the countryside,” Alastair looked away and sighed. “And I asked him to go with him. He knows a lot of places. Also, I thought I left you a note before I left.”

“You only enjoy the countryside where Cirenworth is,” Thomas replied, rolling his eyes with a grin. He wasn’t definitely angry, just puzzled. And teasing.

“Hamsar-am,” Alastair said. “You know me too well,” he snorted, managing a smile reserved only for his lover. “But I can’t tell you.”

“And I don’t want you to tell me,” he answered with a smile. “I was just messing with you. About the note, too. Which, by the way, was so sweet,” he licked his lips and stroked the side of Alstair’s neck, lingering on his shoulder blade. “We still have to go grocery shopping, though.”

“I would never forget about grocery shopping,” he fixed his gaze on Thomas’ lips and then his hazel eyes, which reminded him of nuts. He loved nuts. “We can go tomorrow morning, since this day is done.”

Thomas nodded, but something caught his eye behind Alastair. “Oh, man. Is that a hot air balloon?” he exclaimed, his hazel eyes filled with excitement.

“Majestic, isn’t it?” 

“And it’s descending down there. Can we please take a look, Alastair? I want to see one up close!” He was giddy. 

Thomas got excited even for the little things like this balloon and seeing him so happy always put Alastair in a good mood. Thomas took his hand and he dragged him to the field where he and Matthew had been a few hours prior. A group of werewolves had just enjoyed their balloon ride, as Frank the warlock was just wishing them goodbye.

“Do you think we can ride it?” Thomas asked, his eyes beamed at the balloon. He didn’t wait for his reply and went to the warlock directly. “Good morning, sir. Do you offer balloon rides?”

Frank turned with a smirk, and eyed Alastair and then Thomas. “Oh, there’s a third shadowhunter. A friend of Mr. Fairchild too, I suppose? Have you changed your mind, then?”

Thomas glanced at Alastair, and he sighed. “Excuse us,” he told Frank, and pulled his puzzled boyfriend away from the warlock until they were far enough. It looked like deja vu. “I asked Matthew to help me last night,” he took a pause, “about your anniversary gift. And he took me here, to a faraway place, because he thought you would like riding a hot air balloon. And he was right,” he managed a tight smile. “You know I’m afraid of the heights,” Alastair muttered. “But he didn’t know that, and now I have to think about something new.”

“Oh, if we are coming clean now, I also asked your mother about your gift,” he scratched the back of his head and looked away, his cheeks assuming the rosy color of shyness. “She told me you love khoresht-e ghormeh sabzi and that is a dish that is usually made during festivities. But you know I can’t cook, for the love of the Angel,” he chuckled, and Alastair raised his eyebrows. One time, Thomas managed to burn a hard boiled egg, but he was getting better. 

“We aren’t perfect,” he said.

“No one is,” Thomas said softly, grabbing his hand. “That is what makes us special. Being afraid of the heights won’t make me love you any less.”

“I’m deeply sorry about that. Perhaps I should try to get past my fear and ride the damn balloon with you, but I don’t think I can.”

“I don’t think I can cook a decent meal either, so I think we are fine,” Thomas smiled. “It isn’t the end of the world. And you shouldn’t if you don’t want to.”

“Are you really sure about that?”

“Positive,” Thomas kissed his cheek. “How about we go back? There is something back home that you need to see.”

“Alright, I’ll be leaving. I left Oscar with the doorman and I need to go back to my apartment,” Matthew announced after he accompanied Thomas and Alastair to Cornwall Gardens. 

Alastair proposed they rode in the Lightwood carriage, but Thomas insisted they went in the car so Matthew wouldn’t have to ride alone. There was barely space for two in the Ford, so the ride back wasn’t comfortable. Alastair’s only joy was that thanks to the lack of space, he had to lean on Thomas, which he didn’t seem to mind. 

Alastair raised his eyebrows at Matthew, who, on the other hand, seemed to have forgotten about the box he had left this morning in Cordelia’s old room. Matthew blinked, probably to make him understand he remembered, but Thomas spoke first.

“No, Math, wait,” Thomas said. “Come, and see what I found too. Perhaps you can help us, since you know so many people.”

Thomas entered the house first, followed by Alastair and Matthew. The two exchanged a quick glance – Alastair was glaring at him, Matthew just shrugged –  as Thomas led them into the living room. Alastair exhaled a much held breath but it was short lived when he heard a noise coming from the wooden table. Meowing. Meowing and a bad smell which he possibly identified as animal droppings. Alastair wanted to run, to fly, to hide, but that was also his home, and he couldn’t.

“Are those… kittens?” Matthew chanced, feigning surprise, when Thomas showed the box to them. “How adorable!”

“As you can see, they are indeed. Two strays,” Thomas took the tortoiseshell in his arms and started petting it. Alastair wanted to die. The image of Thomas with a kitty was too much to bear, but he also didn’t know how to explain why the cats were there, if he ever asked. Which, of course, he did. “I have no idea how they got here, though. I was about to leave for my parents’ house when I heard some noise coming from Cordelia’s room, and I found them.”

“How odd. I wonder how they got there. They mustn’t have possibly crawled so young, and carried the box with them,” Matthew observed, and Alastair would’ve rolled his eyes higher than the ceiling if he could. He never met someone who was able to craft such lies and make them believable in the span of a few seconds. Thomas also made a face.

“Come on, stop joking,” Alastair interjected, looking at Matthew briefly. “I brought the cats here, Tom. They are Matthew’s. But I suppose you already know that, since it would have been quite impossible for them to get in on their own.”

“I knew it,” Thomas said. “Cordelia’s room, really? You know that I never go there. If they hadn’t meowed, I couldn’t have found them.”

“That was the aim, Thomas,” Matthew replied. “I only asked Alastair to leave them here because we couldn’t have possibly taken them to Hertfordshire. I would have brought them to my apartment once we returned.”

“Who said they are going back?” Thomas inquired. “Do you stake a claim on the kitties, Math?”

“I – don’t think so,” Matthew revealed. “I can’t keep them. I don’t intend to turn my home into an animal house. Oscar is enough for me. I planned to take them to the London Institute, since they would have the space to thrive. Even though I don’t think Uncle Will loves cats that much. Maybe, if I asked Jesse, he could convince him –” Alastair cleared his throat. “Sorry, I was rambling. Anyway, no, Tom. I do not stake any claim on these little cuties. Feel free to keep them or give them up for adoption. Just find them a good family who won’t throw them away.”

“Good, because I think I’ve just found them a family,” he confessed happily, eyeying Alastair, whose heart started beating faster in his chest. “What do you say, Alastair? Do you think you can accept these two kitties into our house?”

Alastair felt his cheeks burning. He couldn’t contain his own happiness when Thomas openly talked about them as a family in front of a crowd (there was only Matthew there with them, but still). “There is enough space for two kitties here, that’s for sure,” he grinned, his eyes only for his boyfriend.

“Then they are officially ours,” he looked down at the kitty. 

They ended up naming the two cats Ra and Horus like two of the most important Egyptian gods. This put Alastair in a good mood, and he decided to leave the hot air balloon fiasco behind him. And so did Thomas with the Persian dish.

“I will cook khoresht-e ghormeh sabzi the day after tomorrow,” Alastair announced that evening, when they were on the rug playing with the kitties. “Since it is going to be an important day for us and you’re not going to make that for me.”

“I planned to ask Risa,” Thomas confessed. “But no, I don’t think I can. I will ask somebody to go on the balloon ride with me.”

“Fair enough. My fear shouldn’t stop you from doing these activities, but for the love of the Angel, be careful,” he warned.

“Yes,” he nodded. “Let’s say Ra and Horus are our gifts, what’s that sound?”

“Good,” Alastair smiled, and he couldn’t help but kiss his boyfriend on the rug, the cat making meows of protest. “Let’s hope they don’t develop an Aedipus complex,” he added, and Thomas couldn’t help but laugh.

Fairchild. We decided that the cats, now officially named Ra and Horus, will be our anniversary gift to each other. Just wanted to let you know for no other reason than to thank you. I thought keeping them here was a bad idea, but it turned out better than expected. Thomas says to come with Oscar if you want them to meet so they can be friends. And next time we go to Cirenworth, you could come with him to visit. You don’t have to respond to this message.

Matthew received the fire message right when he was lounging on his bed with Oscar and smiled. Were they friends now? He didn’t know. He just knew that, in spite of everything, he had enjoyed spending a day with Alastair Carstairs and to his surprise, he thought they also had things in common. He would definitely bring Oscar to Cornwall Gardens to become Ra and Horus’ friend and would gladly accept an invitation to Cirenworth. 

Who said that cats and dogs couldn’t be friends?