#Zoey Wrestles With Words

[momochizoey]

Thank you for tagging me @celinou !!

1. How many works do you have on AO3? 

I've got 12 on my AO3! 9 ATLA/TLOK fics, and 3 Wednesday fics.

2. What's your total AO3 word count? 

46,759 words in total! Most of it is one shots so that tracks tbh, though I'm actually pretty impressed with how much that actually is, especially cause it doesn't count how much I've written for WIPs.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos? 

#1) Scrapped Scenes, a Wenclair fic, at 1,632 kudos (which is frankly insane, I hadn't realized it got that much)

#2) Crying Wolf, another Wenclair fic, at 759 kudos

#3) And Iphigenia Felt Rage, a Yuezula fic, at 225 kudos

#4) The Future Looks Brighter Together, a Sokkla fic, at 163 kudos

And at #5) Yours In Body And Soul, another Sokkla fic, at 154 kudos

I'm not surprised the two Wenclair fics are on top by such a wide margin, I wrote those when the show had only just come out so the fandom was at its peak. Very glad that many people liked what I wrote though! Since most of the other fandoms I've written for (on ao3 or here) are a lot less active, it was a new experience!

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not? 

I usually do, but I do have to admit I've been struggling a bit with it recently 😅. I read them all, and I'm so grateful for them, but especially on fics that I had huge plans for still, and which are in no way close to progressing, I have this feeling like I should have a new chapter to offer when I do answer them. I'm blaming it on my social anxiety 😬

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Ooh, that's a hard one cause I definitely tend to go in a more fluffy, feel-good direction. But I'd have to say it's Keep Your Fire On A Leash (Let The Ashes Bring You Peace). It's a June/Azula oneshot, mainly focused on Azula dealing with the pyromania she developed in captivity (as a need to reclaim complete control over at least this aspect of her life). She tries to manage it a little by working in pottery, where continuous, constant temperature control is crucial to porcelain quality, but it's not perfect. It's not angsty per-se, but it's definitely more ambiguously neutral.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? 

Oooh, I'd say it's a toss up between two of my fics:

The first is Not Alone, a TyZula band AU fic about Azula recovering from bottom surgery. I wrote it while I myself was still recovering from bottom surgery, and I wanted to explore a facet of trans characters journeys that isn't often discussed? It's a bit more niche, and I only recently made it open to anyone, not just ao3 users, so it's one of my less popular fics for sure, but it's very hopeful portrayal of a trans experience.

And the second is Yours In Body And Soul, a Sokkla soulmates AU, where soulmates bodyswap at night when either of them has had a bad day, in order to try to cheer them up. I got the idea from a korrasami fic called Paralyzed I read a while back, and changed the mechanics a little bit to make it work. It's definitely a more traditional happy ending, romantic getting together included (up to a point, they are still kids in the timeline so just an excited hug).

8. Do you get hate on fics? 

I don't! Sometimes people disagree on one interpretation of something, but never disrespectful or anything, so I'm pretty happy!

9. Do you write smut? 

I've tried it before in private, got some good feedback. But no, never anything that I'd share.

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've ever written? 

I'm not sure if ATLA/TLOK counts😂. I've had some ideas for crossovers though, and written a few draft snippets, I think it was a TLT/ATLA one, an ATLA/Shang-Chi, and a Naruto/ATLA one that I've actually posted a few snippets from on here if I remember correctly.

That last one was a Sakura reincarnated into Azula idea, to explore some interesting anti-imperialist ideals, because that's actually a blind spot Sakura has as well with Konoha. It's easy for her to fall into the same ideological fallacies as before, especially with the significantly lower usage of child soldiers in the Fire Nation making it seem like the epitome of peace and human rights to her. Like looking at the same problem in a different font, at a slightly different angle, it gives Sakura an opportunity for growth by maybe showing her some of the issues she had been ignoring or missing in Konoha, shaking some of her loyalty.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? 

Nope, not as far as I'm aware!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? 

Also nope, theoretically I could translate it in Dutch, but I'm a lot better at expressing myself in English I think, and almost every Dutch person can read English (especially on ao3), so I don't think it would add much. Maybe one day though!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? 

I haven't, though it seems like it'd be very cool, I'd definitely be open to it!

14. What's your all time favorite ship? 

God, don't make me choose 😭😭 I guess it's probably Chasefield? I'm such a sucker for those two it's unreal. Otherwise maybe Yuezula, Maizula or Sokkla? They each have such interesting possible dynamics, in such varying ways.

15. What's a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will? 

Again, that's a tough one cause I'm afraid I have a lot. I still have several half-written chapters of Getting Family Approval In Six Fool-Proof Steps (Cue The Fools, Sokka And Azula), as well as the start of a longer fic that continues on from And Iphigenia Felt Rage that I've fully outlined and would love to write someday but can't be sure I ever will. There's also Indelible Mark which I've been blocked on forever. As for WIPs that haven't even been partially published yet, I've got 11k for a Chasefield fic I've posted a scene or two for on here called Muse on My Mind, that I wish I could finish but I'm not confident I can manage any time soon. I've also got the start and the outline of a TLT griddlehark fic, where I'm absolutely in love with the premise and the twist I'm building it on, but which, again, I've not progressed much with in a good 6 months. There's a few others, but these are the ones I'd really like to finish at some point.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic? 

I love reading it, writing it I could do Dutch or Google translate a different language, but much preferably I'd be able to check it with someone who actually speaks the language for accuracy. Best to use some of the more advanced ao3 html uses to make a translation appear when you hover over it though, unless not understanding it is an important part of the reading experience, in which case people can look it up later if they want to.

19. First fandom you wrote for? 

My very first fic was actually a The 100 song fic based on an opera song, which is too embarrassing so I won't share where it is🤐 I was like 17 so it's too embarrassing.

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

Tbh, it's either Muse on My Mind (the chasefield fic I mentioned that isn't posted anywhere except for 1 or 2 scenes on Tumblr), which is super fun because it's playing with the perspective of a character that just straight up doesn't understand half the plot happening in the background that is hinted at for the reader who does know. Oblivious characters too caught up in their own shit to pay attention are so so so much fun to write, especially when you have fun with it, implying things but never outright confirming it!

Otherwise it's Haunted By Runaway Ghosts. That one is a Sokkla fic that explores their past through flashbacks while Zuko and Katara are both grappling with the discovery of their niece and nephew they had no idea existed (or could exist). Which, not to brag, but from a technical standpoint I really think that one is probably one of the most skilled fics I've written and published, and it was so much fun to write and puzzle it all together; the slow build up and explanations slowly coming together to form the bigger picture, the hidden ties between locations in the show and events in the story and how they fit into each other perfectly - genuinely a joy to write (and if people are interested in reading it please do, imo it's on par with And Iphigenia Felt Rage, if in a pretty different style, definitely something I'd love for more people to enjoy the way I did writing it).

Thanks again for tagging me @celinou, this was very fun to do! I see you've already tagged @sourrind, who I'd have tagged as well, so next I'll tag @dawnsiren @ly0nstea and @likeadragonfruit , and of course whoever else wants to do it!

[livfastdieyoung69]

It is currently 4:08 am and I can't get cody rhodes out of my mind😔✊️

Truly a struggle

Anyway reader x cody because love him

Maybe something with Brock again because he's always causing issues for some reason... maybe something with Brock saying some really messy shit abt reader during a promo and Cody going feral as he should and reader having to physically pull him back with a quick little it's fine😨😨 don't get injured again kinda thing something more fluffy after because cody can never catch a break😭

GUITLY CONSCIOUS

(Cody Rhodes x gn!reader)

“In the packed MVP Arena, here in Albany, New York and now on the road to Money in the Bank, we welcome you to Monday, Night, Raw!”

After the quick introduction, the fallout of Night of Champions begins, Seth Rollins beginning the night as well as a surprise visit from AJ Styles, and the Judgement Day. Ricochet wins his spot in the Money in the Bank match, Trish and Zoey have a quick segment, followed up by Indus Sheer and Jinder Mahal beating two locals. Imperium and Alpha Academy have a match, followed shortly by a Women’s Championship Match, Ronda and Shayna unfortunately winning and by disqualification Dolph Ziggler wins a match against JD McDonagh.

And finally, well into the night, Cody’s music hits. The crowd cheers just as loud as they always do for the man, even at the sight of no wrestling gear and a sling around his broken arm. Their cheers die down for a moment, before becoming even louder the second he starts talking, his promo skills shining bright and loud as he yells brave and rage-filled words against Brock.

“….if I am standing in a ring, I am standing there ready to fight you, Brock Lesnar!” The pitched screeching of Brock Lesnar’s theme song cut him off, followed by the surprise of the fans and even Cody himself. The Beast stepped out and into the arena, his own attire casual as well. This was nothing new. Sometimes, Brock would come out in tight-ass jeans and a cowboy hat for no good reason. But this time, he had a mic.

“Now..now, Cody, I don’t think that’s true. I don’t think any of that’s true. In fact, I think if we were to have another match, your little bitch would run right back out here and I’d have to break their arm too.” He spoke slowly, walking to the ring and making circles around it as he did so.

The crowd booed at the harsh words, especially the ones against Y/N. The boo’s didn’t last very long, as they once again rallied into cheers as Cody seemed to forget he had a mic and instead moved to yell at Brock over the ropes, giving the announcement table a front row seat to his anger.

Brock only laughed in his face at the threats, moving closer to the ring and continuing his harassment of words against Cody’s partner, forcing Cody to start clambering through the ropes, ready to attack. He never made it to Brock though, as Y/N came rushing out into the arena.

They quickly dived into the ring, rushing over to Cody, giving him a soft tug causing him to stumble back into the ring and right against Y/N’s chest. Cody attempted to pull away, still yelling over at Brock, but his lover held him tightly around his waist.

“Don’t you ever talk about Y/N! I’ll rip your tongue straight out, you son of a bitch, don’t you ever let their name leave your mouth!” Brock continued laughing back into the face of the man as his partner dragged him over to the other side of the ring, moving away from the announcers table and starting to walk up the ramp, making Cody try and force his way away from Y/N once again, but was once again unsuccessful. The pair stayed inside on the ring for a while before they were given the okay that Brock wasn’t near the gorilla or their locker room.

They walked quickly in silence, Cody radiating with an unseen anger from beside Y/N, his hand coming up to rub his face almost as if it would wipe the irritation away. With the chance of Cody possibly running to attempt an attack of Brock or take his anger out on an unexpected victim, even if the latter wasn’t likely, Y/N kept a hand on his back, bunched up into his suit jacket until they reached the small locker room. An awkward silence quickly filled the room as Cody moved to sit down, his love standing above him.

“You know I wouldn’t have done that if your arm wasn’t hurt, right?” They were given no response, Cody doing nothing but keeping his eyes on the ground, elbows placed on his spread knees and hands clasped together. Y/N moved to sit next to them after the silence continued, a sigh moving past their lips in disappointment but also understanding why Cody was so mad.

“Do you see this? Hm?” Y/N touched Cody’s casted arm gently as they asked, and though he still remained in silence their grasp was comforting. He looked over to them, blue eyes shining and wet with shame. “This means that you’re hurt. It’s my job to make sure you don’t get hurt, and you already are, so I’m going to do whatever it takes to make sure you don’t get hurt more, even if it means you’re angry at me.”

Unable to find the words, Cody stayed silent, and instead let out a soft breath, eyebrows moving to furrow together over soft eyes. Noticing his increasing guilt, Y/N moved in closer.

“C’mere, baby.” They barely had to speak before Cody was moving into their hold with such force they fell back onto the small couch, the large man toppling over on them and blond, short hair tickling their chin as his face shoved into the space between their neck and the back of the couch.

“M’sorry.” Finally able to find some words, he muttered it into their neck, for some reason ashamed of his actions.

“I’m not mad, Codes. Could never be mad at you, never ever, I just need you to be safe. You did nothing wrong at all.” Y/N’s hand moved up to his hair while they spoke comfortingly, their tone holding nothing but love and endearance. Cody let out another sigh, his working arm moving behind Y/N to grasp around their waist while the other layer over top of them.

“Codes. Baby, look at me, please.” Their voice, still sugar-sweet, induced Cody to look up at them through adoringly long black eyelashes much to the contrast of his striking hair, diamond eyes shining from Y/N’s praise.

“I’m not mad. Okay?” The sweet, sweet boy responded with a nod and the mouthing of an okay, eyes clamping closed again. The pair returned to a silence, this time comforting and loving, Y/N’s hand running through Cody’s hair almost sending him to sleep.

“Wanna go home, sweetheart?” Cody responded with another nod. “Yeah? Okay.” Though they both agreed, neither moved from the grimy couch, Cody refusing to give up his spot on top of them and Y/N not wanting to make him get up. Instead, they continued their cuddle session, enjoying the softness they each pulled out of each other.

I kinda popped off on this one seeing Cody at summerslam ignited something in me

Sometimes i just wanna love on someone and it definitely shined through in this one oopsies

[south-of-heaven]

Damage Ctrl x reader

Damage Ctrl getting protective over reader

Thanks to you || Damage CTRL x Reader

Summary: Your girlfriends do not like the way Trish and Zoey have cornered you backstage.

The backstage area was usually bustling with activity, but today it felt even more chaotic. You were making your way down the hallway when you suddenly found yourself cornered by none other than Trish Stratus and her associate, Zoey Stark. Trish had a smug grin on her face, clearly relishing the opportunity to assert her dominance.

"Look who we have here," Trish purred, her tone dripping with condescension. "Isn't it Damage Ctrl's little pet? How quaint."

Your heart raced, a mix of nerves and anger coursing through you. You knew you had your girlfriends, Bayley, Iyo, and Dakota, watching your back, but the situation was still tense.

Trish's lackey, Zoey, chimed in with a mocking laugh. "Yeah, what's it like being surrounded by actual talent? Must be scary knowing we could take you down at any given moment."

Before you could even respond, a fierce voice cut through the air like a storm. "Get away from them!"

The weight of the words had barely settled when the protective force that was Bayley, Iyo, and Dakota came into view. Bayley's eyes were blazing with a fiery determination, Iyo's stance exuded unwavering strength, and Dakota's expression held a promise of swift justice.

Trish's confident demeanor faltered as she faced the united front of your girlfriends. Zoey, too, seemed to shrink under the intense gazes.

"What's the matter, Trish? Picking on someone actually talented getting to you?" Bayley's voice was laced with a challenging edge.

Iyo stepped forward, her presence commanding attention. "You know, for someone who claims to have built the foundation of women's wrestling, you sure are intimidated by new talent."

Dakota's arms were crossed, her aura radiating a fierce protectiveness. "So, why don't you take your attitude and find someone else to bother?"

Trish and Zoey exchanged uneasy glances, clearly taken aback by the strong front your girlfriends were putting up. In the face of their collective strength, Trish's smugness crumbled.

"We were just having a little fun," Trish said cockily, attempting to salvage her pride.

Bayley's eyes narrowed, her expression unyielding. "Well, unless you want to try another type of fun I say you two find something better to do?"

With a final, disdainful look, Trish and Zoey retreated, leaving you standing there with your girlfriends. The tense air gradually eased, replaced by a sense of camaraderie and safety.

Iyo turned to you, a reassuring smile on her lips. "Are you okay?"

You nodded, your heart still racing but comforted by their presence. "Yeah, thanks to you three."

Bayley stepped forward, her arms enveloping you in a comforting embrace. "We've got your back, always."

Dakota added with a grin, "Nobody messes with our partner and gets away with it."

As you were surrounded by their unwavering support, you felt a rush of gratitude. It was in moments like these that you realized how lucky you were to have Bayley, Iyo, and Dakota by your side. Their fierce protectiveness was a testament to their love for you, and you couldn't help but smile, feeling stronger and more loved than ever before.

[celestial-thoughts]

august 14, 2023 - weekly women’s pro wrestling news roundup: week of august 7-13, 2023

this week's news roundup includes:

News & results from last week’s editions of Monday Night Raw, NXT, and Friday Night SmackDown.

News & results from last week's editions of WWE Main Event and NXT Level Up.

News & results from last week’s editions of AEW Dynamite, AEW Rampage, and AEW Collision.

Other updates and news from last week.

Pro Wrestling Illustrated's weekly top 10 recap.

Things to look forward to in women’s wrestling this week!

spoilers below the cut for shows/events listed above!

Notable news & results from TV last week:

Monday Night Raw (8/7):

Raquel Rodriguez was shown in the trainer's room with Indi Hartwell and Candice LeRae, as the trainer informed Adam Pearce that Raquel still wasn't medically cleared.

Becky Lynch came out to the ring and talked about her match next week with Trish Stratus, before being interrupted by Zoey Stark. As the two exchanged words, Shayna Baszler came out. She said that she had driven Ronda out of WWE, which prompted the crowd to begin chanting "Thank you Shayna." Zoey got in Shayna's face, before a match between the two was made official.

Shayna Baszler defeated Zoey Stark. Despite having a broken thumb, black eye, and injured elbow, Shayna managed to put Zoey down for the three count after using Piper's Pit. match length-11:50.

Shayna Baszler interrupted Becky Lynch during a backstage interview, saying that she had a long list of scores to settle, and that she would come for Becky soon enough.

Michael Cole confirmed on commentary that Sonya Deville has suffered a torn ACL, and that she will be out indefinitely.

As Women's World Champion Rhea Ripley was entering with The Judgment Day for the main event, she was attacked by Raquel, Candice, and Indi. The women brawled, before security finally managed to separate them.

NXT (8/8):

Blair Davenport defeated Kelani Jordan. Kelani argued with Dana Brooke after the match. match length-3:35.

Kiana James defeated Ivy Nile. match length-7:45.

Following the main event match, Women's World Champion Rhea Ripley was attacked by Lyra Valkyria.

AEW Dynamite (8/9):

A four way match for the AEW Women's World Championship at AEW All In was announced, along with a tournament to determine who would compete in that match. Former champion Toni Storm received a bye, automatically qualifying her for the title match.

Hikaru Shida defeated Anna Jay to retain the AEW Women's World Championship. By retaining the title, Shida locked in her spot at AEW All In, where she will defend her title the four way match. match length-8:48.

WWE Main Event (8/10):

Nikki Cross defeated Tegan Nox. match length-7:39.

Friday Night SmackDown (8/11):

Asuka vs. Charlotte Flair ended in a no contest. During the match, WWE Women's Champion Iyo Sky came down the ramp, accompanied by her Damage CTRL teammates Bayley and Dakota Kai. Iyo hit both Asuka and Charlotte with a dropkick off the top rope, forcing the official to call the match a no contest. After the bell rang, Iyo and Bayley beat up both Asuka and Charlotte, while Dakota watched from the ramp. match length-9:01.

NXT Level Up (8/11):

Fallon Henley defeated Izzy Dame. match length-4:31.

AEW Rampage (8/11):

Saraya defeated Skye Blue. With this win, Saraya secured her spot in the four way match for the AEW Women's World Championship at AEW All In at Wembley Stadium in London. match length-9:23.

AEW Collision (8/12):

Mercedes Martinez & Diamante defeated TBS Champion Kris Statlander & Willow Nightingale. match length-8:46.

Other news & updates from last week:

TMZ reported on Monday afternoon that Sonya Deville sustained a torn ACL last Friday on SmackDown.

On Wednesday, Women's World Champion Rhea Ripley announced her engagement to fellow pro wrestler Buddy Matthews.

Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter gave the SummerSlam WWE Women's Championship triple threat match a rating of 3.5 stars. The MMA Rules match between Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler received 1.5 stars.

Pro Wrestling Illustrated top 10 rankings recap:

Evaluation period: August 4-10, 2023. Published on August 11, 2023. Note: my recap of PWI's top 10 tag teams of the week will only cover the women's tag teams listed in the rankings for the week (PWI includes both men's and women's tag teams in their rankings). PWI lists their criteria for rankings as the following: championships held/defended, win-loss record, push, and technical ability.

PWI's Women's Wrestling top 10:

1: Iyo Sky (WWE) 2: Hikaru Shida (AEW) 3: Bianca Belair (WWE) 4: Tam Nakano (Stardom) 5: Mirai (Stardom) 6: Asuka (WWE) 7: Athena (ROH) 8: Alex Windsor (Freelancer) 9: Shayna Baszler (WWE) 10: Tiffany Stratton (WWE)

PWI's Tag Team Wrestling top 10:

No women's tag teams in the top 10 this week.

Things to look forward to this week:

Tonight on Monday Night Raw, Becky Lynch finally gets her hands on WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus, with Zoey Stark banned from ringside.

Tomorrow night on NXT, Dana Brooke goes one on one with Blair Davenport.

This Wednesday on AEW Dynamite, Dr. Britt Bake, D.M.D. takes on The Bunny, with the final spot in the AEW Women's World Championship match at AEW All In on the line.

Current Women's Champions in WWE & AEW:

WWE: - Women's World Championship: Rhea Ripley - WWE Women's Championship: Iyo Sky - NXT Women's Championship: Tiffany Stratton - WWE Women's Tag Team Championship: Chelsea Green & Sonya Deville

AEW: - AEW Women's World Championship: Hikaru Shida - TBS Championship: Kris Statlander

[houseofripley]

Save A Horse Ride A Cowgirl

Rhea Ripley x Fem!Reader

WARNINGS: SMUT 18+, Cunnilingus, Strap-On, Riding, Orgasm Denial, Fingering (for like 2 seconds. don’t blink), Light Degradation, Spanking, Backshots, Lil bit of a mommy kink.

WORD COUNT: 2,736

A/N: -panting and out of breath- honey! it took me 800 hours but your oneshot is finished!

seriously tho sorry for the mid! writers block was beating my ass during this for no reason

Survivor Series, the day the wrestling community waited months for. You were sat at the edge of the bed in your hotel room, staring into the loud TV, waiting for your girlfriend to make her appearance for her match against Zoey Stark. 

You were supposed to be there but of course Rhea’s magment had fucked up their dates, leaving you without a pass to the event.

It killed both of you knowing you wouldn’t be backstage to cheer on Rhea. 

Anytime a pay-per-view even came around you’d clear your entire schedule just to support and help Rhea prepare. She took such good care of you it was the least you could do. Although you couldn’t physically be at the arena you still flew out to Chicago to at least be able to spend a little bit of time with Rhea.

You were pulled away from your train of thought as Rhea’s music soon started blaring through the stadium, “And her opponent, representing The Judgment Day, she is the women's world champion, Rhea Ripley!” The announcer yelled out as Rhea made her entrance, wearing what was possibly the sexiest gear she has ever worn.

“Holy shit-” You mumbled to yourself, leaning forward trying to get a closer look. Rhea looked insane. Her hair was in a faux mohawk, stripes of eyeliner ran over her eyes in a lighting strike pattern, black lipstick was smudged onto her right cheek. 

Rhea’s eyes never broke contact with the camera lens as she made her way down the ramp, she knew you'd be right on the receiving end of her gaze.

Once Rhea made her way into the ring you were able to catch a good glimpse at her gear. She sported a black vest over a black and white plunge top that was split down the middle, her shorts following the same theme while her boots displayed a cow print. But the bread and butter of this outfit was the black assless chaps. 

This outfit had to have been the reason Rhea was so protective over her suitcase these past few days. 

You sat eagerly watching the match, which was short yet action packed. Rhea had thrown Zoey around like she was nothing the entire match, your mind couldn't help but wonder what it’d look like if Rhea had manhandled you in the same way.

Rhea had retained her title with ease, barely breaking a sweat during the length of her match. You were quick to pick up your phone and congratulate her,

Y: YOU DID IT LOVEEEE!!!! and you looked good as hell while doing it….

Rhea replied about ten minutes later with a full body mirror selfie to show off her look, this time with an addition of a black cowboy hat and her hair out of the faux mohawk.

R: thank you baby, my hair wouldn’t fit in my hat so we had to ditch that plan :/ 

Y:  god damn! ditch wrestling and become a cowboy! 

Y: it’s so unfair i don’t get to see you like that rn urghhh

R: i know baby, i promise i’ll make it up to you tonight. look, i gotta go do a few things, i’ll see you in an hour or two okay?

Y: you better…now shoo and don’t keep me waiting for you all night

You huffed as you dropped your phone down onto your lap. The wait for Rhea had officially begun. 

There was one match left before the main war games match. Knowing Rhea would make an appearance in that last match you decided to rile her up a bit beforehand. 

You made your way to your suitcase and began searching for the new lingerie set you had bought just days ago while Rhea was training. You pulled out a bra made of intricate lacing along with the matching crotchless panties and garter belt. 

Once you had slipped into the lace you stationed yourself in front of the mirror. You used your free hand to grope your breast as you snapped a photo and sent it to Rhea.

Y: excited to see mami on my screen.

R: naughty girl…

R: are you really trying to get yourself into trouble right now?

Y: well i just figured since mami sent me such a sexy pic earlier i’d return the favor. i can send another one if you'd like…

You didn’t give Rhea the opportunity to reply before you snapped another picture, this time slightly rotating to your side to catch the curvature of your ass.

Seen at 9:36 pm.

You stared at your phone waiting for her reply but attention was pulled away as you heard The Judgment Day being announced, Rhea was nowhere to be seen as they made their entrance. You pouted as you laid down in the bed, your knees slightly spread as you watched in anticipation for Rhea’s appearance.

After a long match, intense and still no reply Rhea finally arrived at the end of the match, she came barreling down the ramp, this time wearing her cowboy hat with Priest’s MITB briefcase clenched in her hands.

You quickly took the opportunity to send Rhea a picture of your hand resting in between your thighs as she paraded on the screen in front of you. 

Y: just remembered a quote, something about save a horse, ride a cowgirl…

Another waiting game began. As much as you loved seeing Rhea clearly flustered on the screen you couldn’t wait for her to get to the locker room and see the message you left for her.

After a failed cash-in and two surprise returns from Randy Orton and CM Punk the main event finally came to a close, meaning Rhea was finally able to return to her phone. You picked up your phone to view your previous message exchanges with Rhea.

A text bubble appeared, indicating Rhea was on the other side drafting up her response. You chewed down on your cheek eagerly watching your phone. 

The text bubble disappeared.

Seen at 10:24pm.

You whined to yourself, a wetness growing between your legs. You attempted to make multiple calls to Rhea, only for each and every one of them to be ignored. You slumped into the bed, giving up on making contact with the woman.

Just moments later a banner popped up at the top of your phone,

R: face down ass up. you have two minutes.

Rhea had finally given you the attention you were craving. You needed her touch badly, so you gladly obeyed her demands getting into position in the center of the bed. Your face sunk into your pillow while your bare cunt peeked through the gap of your crotchless panties as you took in the sensation of the crisp hotel air that kissed your wetness.

You soon heard the quiet unlatching of the door followed by shuffling fabric. You peeked over to see Rhea, in that damn cowboy hat, discarding her streetwear to reveal the gear you’d been fawning over all night.

Rhea’s gaze was fixed on your arching back as she crept her way towards you. 

“Such a little slut for me,” Rhea husked, her weight sinking onto the bed as you waved your ass in the air. She took a moment to admire the sight of your wet cunt glistening in the dimmed light. 

“Just the thought of Mami has you all worked up.” Rhea relished, her hands skimming over the delicate skin of your ass before dropping a slap down onto you, causing a muffled yelp to leave your mouth.

Rhea moved her pointer finger to your heat and began to trace the skin around your wetness. Her finger took its time inching towards your hole before being pushed into you at a painfully slow pace, making you whine out into your pillow“Mami, please.” 

“What a needy girl.” Rhea taunted, watching you squirm against her finger, “Such a wreck already...” She hummed in response to your whining when she pulled her finger out of you. 

Both Rhea’s hands took ahold of your ass cheeks giving them a squeeze before she brought her face just centimeters from your aching heat. Shivers snuck up your spine as her heavy breaths brushed against your wetness. Her lips wrapped around you, her tongue beginning to draw circles perimitering your clit.

Rhea then pulled back and spat onto your cunt causing a high pitched ‘fuck’ to leave your mouth. She hummed to herself in satisfaction while she took you back into her mouth. Her hands still clenched to your ass as she began devouring you, acting as if she was having her final meal. 

All you could do was cling to the bedsheets and cry out into your pillow as Rhea took as much of you as she could in her mouth, her tongue piercing reaching brand new places. Due to your current position the tip of Rhea’s nose was repeatedly brushing against your entrance, adding fuel to the fire that was burning inside you.

“Gonna cum, Mami!” You pulled your head up from your pillow and moaned out. 

You could feel Rhea scoff against you before prying herself off your cunt, “No you’re not,” She groused, withdrawing all touch from you. “Such a spoiled girl, thinking you get to cum after teasing me when I’m working.”

“Please Mami! I’ll do anything- Just touch me, let me cum.” You pleaded, turning your head to look back at her with scrunched brows.

“You can beg all you want…but we both know that you won't cum until I say so.” Rhea’s tone was smug as she stood up from the bed. “Now…stay there and don’t even think about moving.” She growled on, making her way into the bathroom before closing the door behind her. 

You humphed to yourself, letting your head fall down to your pillow. It took everything in you to restrain your hands from touching yourself, but you knew if Rhea ever caught you pleasuring yourself she would push you to your breaking point. 

Several minutes had passed, your orgasm that was once near had seemingly wandered off. Your eyes were focused on the bathroom door as the knob rotated and Rhea emerged. Her shorts had disappeared and been replaced with a black strap-on…yet her chaps were still on. The sight alone had you arching your back as she lurched towards you.

“Look at you…all ready for Mami’s cock.” She murmured, crawling up behind you. She spat onto the silicon and slowly began jerking herself off, spreading her saliva over the toy before prodding at your slick coated entrance.

“Mami-” You purred out as the tip of Rhea’s toy pressed into your needy hole. Your walls were soon engulfing the entirety of her length. 

You had little to no time to adjust to her girth before she started ripping into you, leaving you at a loss for words. One of her hands was clamped to your hip while the other delivered a sharp slap to your ass before grabbing a fistful of your hair. “This is what you wanted isn’t it-” She groaned out while your cunt pulsed around her toy. “Sending me pictures of you whoring around the room, you were just begging to be ruined.”

The only sounds leaving your mouth were jumbled vowels mixed in with moans, she had you completely unable to form a sentence. You were powerless as Rhea pulled you up by your arms, bringing your back to press against her chest. 

You threw your head back against her shoulder as her hand trailed down to your clit, massaging quick circles against your swollen bud while continuing her merciless strokes.

“Don’t even think about it.” She whispered as you squirmed against her, letting out constant whines. Her free hand reached to wrap around your throat as you began rolling your hips back against Rhea. “Already fucking yourself against Mami’s cock?” She harshly questioned, her fingers adding more pressure against your clit, forcing a scream to come from your mouth.

“Such a slut.” Rhea lowly stated, letting go of the hold she had on you before pushing you back down to the bed. Her thrusts came to a halt as you rocked yourself on her cock. Her hand dropped a bitter spank on your skin, signaling for you to quicken your pace.

Rhea allowed you to fuck yourself on her strap while she caught her breath and admired the view she had of you. But your motions were abruptly cut off by Rhea’s hands firmly gripping your hips. You whimpered as she pulled herself out of you, leaving you empty.

Rhea flipped you onto your back before pulling you to sit upright. “You wanna ride Mami’s cock don’t you,” Her hoarse voice spoke, her hand moving to place her hat onto your head. You nodded, looking up to her with needy eyes while shifting to sit on your knees. “Use your words, princess.” She warned as her fingers gripped your jaw, taking control over you.

“Please, I've been waiting all night, Mami.” You swallowed, your breath shaking in anticipation as your hips wiggled with excitement.

“That’s it, good girl.” She hummed in approval, dropping the grip she had on your jaw. She brought herself to the head of the bed, resting her back on the headboard. You crawled up to her lap and situated your entrance to hover over Rhea’s tip. 

Your hands clutched Rhea’s shoulders as you began sinking yourself onto her length while moaning her name. As your hips started gradually bouncing, Rhea’s hands found themselves resting against your waist.

Meanwhile the pairs of your lips collided into a sloppy kiss. You whined into Rhea’s mouth, the piercing on her tongue brushing against your lip as her hands trailed to cup your breasts. Your eyes were glued shut as swayed yourself up and down Rhea’s length.

The overwhelming sense of pleasure was already washing over you. The combination of Rhea’s lips wandering to your neck, her digits toying with your nipples, and her cock being swallowed by your insides had your stomach contracting. 

Your pace picked up in speed as you tightened yourself around Rhea’s girth. As you focused on the movements in your hips Rhea’s attention was centered around your neck and collarbones, working on scattering reddish-purple marks against your skin. 

“Please-Can’t hold on any longer.” You pleaded with the woman through whimpers, your nails beginning to sink deeper into her shoulders. 

Rhea pulled herself from your neck, her hands moved to force your hips all the way to the base of her length. “Just one more minute, can you do that for me?” She questioned, her hands guiding you to rock back and forth.

“Y-Yes Mami,” You whimpered out at the sensation of your clit rocking against the leather band at the base of Rhea’s strap.

As the end of the excruciating sixty seconds neared your motions got sloppier with each motion. Rhea was sure guests in the other rooms  could hear your moans but you didn’t care, your mind was only focusing on not cumming at the exact moment.

“Open your eyes, pretty girl.” Rhea’s accent was thick as she spoke. “I want you to look at me while you cum all over my cock.” She added on while her fingers softly danced around your jawline.

Your eyes darted open once you heard Rhea finally give you permission to release yourself. Your vision was blurred by tears as you stared into Rhea’s oceanic blues. “Fuck-Oh! Mami!” You had barely managed to choke out, just seconds away from your climax. 

“C’mon,” Was the last thing you hear Rhea egg on before your orgasm flooded over you, leaving you crying out moans. Rhea’s hands moved to stabilize your twitching and shaking lower half. Quiet praises left your girlfriend's mouth as she helped you come down from your high. Your swollen lips placed a gentle peck against Rhea’s cheek as insignificant tears fell from your eyes.

“You okay, Princess? I didn’t hurt you did I?” Rhea’s gaze softened while her hands hurried to cup your face. 

You shook your head, giving her a weak smile, “Mm-mm, just felt really good…” You quietly replied as your arms wrapped behind Rhea’s neck. You gave Rhea a gentle smooch as she carefully pulled you off her length, the once black strap was now covered with scattered strings of whiteness.

“Alright, let’s get you cleaned up, pretty girl.”

[trendagon]

Shocking Showdowns and Unbelievable Twists: WWE Payback 2023 Delivers Epic Moments You Won't Believe!

WWE Payback 2023 delivered a night of unforgettable wrestling action, with surprises, championship matches, and intense rivalries taking center stage. Let's dive into the highlights of this thrilling event.

Becky Lynch vs. Trish Stratus

The night kicked off with a high-energy showdown between Becky Lynch and Trish Stratus. Stratus initially attempted an early escape, but Lynch countered with a takedown, setting the tone for a competitive match. The action included suplexes, a spinebuster, and even an attempt by Stratus to exit the cage. Zoey Stark made a surprise appearance, adding an unexpected twist to the match. In the end, Lynch secured the win with an avalanche Manhandle Slam, keeping the audience on the edge of their seats.

Result: Becky Lynch def. Trish Stratus

John Cena's Return

John Cena made a triumphant return to WWE, addressing the crowd and engaging in a heated exchange with The Miz. The Miz accused Cena of pandering to the audience, leading to an impromptu match with LA Knight.

LA Knight vs. The Miz with Special Guest Referee John Cena

The match between LA Knight and The Miz was a rollercoaster of action, with Miz attempting to flee early on, only to be chased down by Knight. The ring was the battleground for this intense encounter, featuring impactful moves and near-falls. In the end, LA Knight emerged victorious with the Blunt Force Trauma.

Result: LA Knight def. The Miz

United States Championship Match

Rey Mysterio defended his United States Championship against Austin Theory. The match was filled with fast-paced exchanges and high-flying maneuvers. After a series of back-and-forth moments, Rey Mysterio secured the win with a crafty roll-up, retaining his championship.

Result: Rey Mysterio def. Austin Theory to retain the United States Championship

Becky Lynch and Tiffany Stratton's Confrontation

Becky Lynch had a backstage encounter with NXT Women's Champion Tiffany Stratton, leading to a tense exchange of words. Stratton apologized for mistakenly referring to Lynch as a former NXT Women's Champion, acknowledging Becky's impressive career.

Undisputed Tag Team Championship Match

Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens defended their Undisputed Tag Team Championship against The Judgment Day, leading to a chaotic brawl. The match ventured into the crowd and saw various weapons being used. In the end, Judgment Day emerged as the new champion, thanks to Dominik Mysterio's involvement.

Result: The Judgment Day def. Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens to become the new Undisputed Tag Team Champions

Grayson Waller's Talk Show Segment

Grayson Waller hosted a talk show segment with guest Cody Rhodes, which took an unexpected turn when Jey Uso was announced as the newest addition to RAW.

Women's World Championship Match

Rhea Ripley defended her Women's World Championship against Raquel Rodriguez. The match featured intense back-and-forth action, with both competitors showcasing their strength and resilience. Rhea Ripley managed to secure the victory with a well-executed riptide.

Result: Rhea Ripley def. Raquel Rodriguez to retain the Women's World Championship

Seth Rollins vs. Shinsuke Nakamura - World Heavyweight Championship Match

The World Heavyweight Championship match between Seth Rollins and Shinsuke Nakamura delivered a spectacular conclusion to the event. The match included high-impact moves, submission attempts, and dramatic near-falls. Rollins ultimately retained his championship after hitting the stomp on Nakamura, securing the victory in a hard-fought battle.

Result: Seth Rollins def. Shinsuke Nakamura to retain the World Heavyweight Championship

WWE Payback 2023 was a night filled with surprises, hard-hitting action, and memorable moments that left fans eagerly anticipating the future of WWE. As storylines continue to evolve and rivalries intensify, the WWE Universe is in for an exciting ride.

Read More Here

[ellis-in-name]

Chapter 11: The Aftermath is the Beginning of War

Read on AO3

Author note: Sorry about last week and not posting the chapter! I am waist deep into exams and studying and this is one of the first hours I have had to myself in a week!

“Miss Valory!” I sat up and began to panic. Where am I? Nothing is familiar, It’s too bright to be my home, this bed isn’t mine. Where is Miss-

              “Kid, calm down, you’re at our campsite.” Alfred's head poked through the thick curtain that acted as a door to the tent. He had a small smile of compassion as he looked at my panicked face. “Come on, get dressed. You’ve been asleep for two days. You need to get some food before you start flopping around like a dying fish.”

              With a small chuckle at his joke, I slipped out of bed, and stumbled as my legs threatened to give out from beneath me. A wave of nausea forced me to grip the metal support pole of the tent just to keep myself from falling over. Wow, I really have been asleep for some time. I thought to myself as the nausea passed.

I found a set of padded leather clothes next to my bed. The leather was sturdy, yet as I picked it up, I knew it would not hinder my movements in a fight. “What’s with the get up?” I called out, but no one answered me. I slipped into the clothes with a little difficulty, only to realize that the front opened like a vest after I had wrestled the armor over my head. Surprisingly, I found that the armor fit perfectly. I stepped out of the tent and squinted against the blinding midday light that filtered through the top of the cavern. As my eyes adjusted to the light, I found all of Corindell bustling.

Carts of metal spears are traveling back and forth along a rocky trail that led in and out of the city. Large, mounted ballistae were being assembled at the highest cliffs that overlooked the cavern village. Shouting and thwacks of wood echoed in the distance. I looked around the small circular camp of Abby’s family and quickly noticed my scythe leaning against the tent I had been sleeping in. Next to the scythe, my cloak was neatly folded. What the heck is going on? I thought with bewilderment as I lifted the cloak to put it on.

              “Hey! Don’t put that on yet!” I turned around as I heard the familiar voices speaking in unison. The twins were walking by as they hauled a bundle of spears over their shoulders.

“Go see Albert, you need to be fitted with armor.” Zoey demanded, and Alice nodded in confirmation as they continued past my tent.

              “Wait, where is-” My words are cut off by Albert’s deep voice booming across the campsite.

              “Don’t worry, I am right here kid.” Albert said as his muscled body stepped out of a large tent in the back. “Come on, I have a nice set of light armor made for you.”

              “Wait, Albert! What is going on?” I asked.

              “All of Corindell is preparing for a siege.” Albert replied, handing me a black metal chest plate. “I understand if you feel like that armor will slow you down, but it is far better than being impaled. I won’t let anyone in my family die.”

              “Thank you, but I don’t want-” I began to reply, but Abby’s voice interrupted me.

              “To fight? Well suck it up. You’re going to have to. If you refuse, then hand over that separate personality I know you have hidden away.” She demanded, pushing me from behind. I stumbled forward and bumped into a thick wall of muscle as I hit Albert. “We need all the able-bodied people we have.”

              “But-”

              “No buts. You are fighting Calian. You are one of the best fighters we have right now, so you don’t get a choice.”

              “But Abby, I just want to-”

              “You just want to what, run? We all do Calian. Hell, that twins were crying themselves to sleep last night, but they’re still here. Man up and deal with it.”

              “I just want to see Miss Valory! Or will I have to slaughter you all and pave a path of blood to get there! I will not hesitate to kill you and the enemy alike if I-” I took a deep breath and slapped myself across the face as some semblance of common sense returned. “Sorry about that. I just want to see Miss Valory. After that, I will make a decision.” I told Abby and strapped the chest piece on.

              “That… is agreeable.” Abby replied slowly, “Just don’t kill your own teammates.”

              In reply, I just chuckled to myself and waved my hand dismissively. “Calian, you jerk, you reply to your leader when she speaks to you!” Abby ranted behind me. I ignored her and threw my cloak around my shoulders. I gripped my scythe in my hands, and with a deep breath brought it to a rest on my shoulder. I got further from the camp Abby called out again.

              “Stay safe! And come back here when you’re done!”

              As soon as I was out of sight, I broke into a run towards the infirmary tent. Upon entering I quickly found Miss Valory. I sat down beside her bed and looked at her. Her face looked better, there wasn’t burnt skin or any sign of blistering. Although, her breathing was shallow, and a cold sweat covered her forehead. As I looked at my adoptive mother, a familiar voice broke my troubled thoughts.

              “I was wondering when you would come by to see her.” I turned in my seat and saw Michael walking up to Miss Valory’s bed and stopped next to me. He gave a quiet smile as he looked at Valory. “Mind if I take a seat?”

              “Yeah,” I replied quietly, and made room for another chair.

“Well, I’m sorry that Valory got hurt Calian, we can happily say she is recovering well, however it seems that she is in a coma of some sort.”

              “What do you mean?” I asked as my voice filled with dread.

              “Well, even though she is healed, she won't wake up Calian. It’s been two days since Ash attacked, and we have heard or seen any signs of life from her other that that shallow breath and the occasional mutter or scream.” Michael whispered. “And now with this new looming threat of Ash’s attack, well, I’m afraid no one will survive.”

              I put a comforting hand on Michael’s shoulder and forced a smile onto my face. “Michael, I barely know you, I don’t really know anyone in Corindell, however I am going to help in the fight that comes. You have my word.” I said. And You’ll probably get us killed in the process.

              “Th- That’s Great! Amazing! Absolutely amazing! Wonderful news Calian!” He yelled with frustration and sarcasm as he threw his hands into the air. “A pacifist promises to fight an army! How hypocritical!” Michael’s fist began to ball up to hit me in anger. I watched calmly as his fist came closer to my face and released control to the darkness.

              In a flash, my hand whipped around and grabbed the incoming fist and twists Michaels arm around. His face scrunched up with both shock and pain as I dragged him out of his chair and into a choke hold across my lap. Before I did any more damage, I wrestled control back and released Michael.

              “I have a friend that is… proficient in killing people. I promise we will get through this.” I told him as he gasped for air on the floor and walked out of the infirmary.

“I have to fight for her, so she won’t be heartbroken when she wakes up.”

“And I have to fight in your place, so we don’t die. You aren’t actually fighting idiot. I am.”

              “Whatever, it really doesn’t matter.”

              “It does to me. Because it's something I can irritate you with.”

              I rolled my eyes and told the voice to shut up as I walked into the camp. Abby had a smile that was irritating to look at, then again she was simply irritating as a person usually...

              “Well, it’s about time you got back slow poke.” Abby called out as I walked into camp. “Here, take these out to the outer rim, and once you're done with that, help Albert with crafting weapons.” She told me, dropping an arm full of spears into my arms. “Thank you for doing it for me, I’m just dead tired.” Abby said. She made a show of wiping non-existent sweat from her face and fell to the ground.

              “Whatever your majesty.” I grumbled and walked off without giving Abby another glance. I thought her pouting, but it was probably just in my head.

“Look at you, being a lady killer. I mean, I didn’t think you had it in you Calian.”

“God, will you just be quiet Zaron!”

“Zaron? Is that the name I’m being given? I like it. By the way, God doesn’t exist sweetie. I ended his poor-”

“Stop talking.”

“Fine. Be that way. Jerk.”

As I turned my attention away from the happenings in my head, I realized I was about to run into someone else carrying spears. In a flash of panic, I lost control and Zaron forced me to step aside out of the way without hesitation. As Zaron began to drop the spears and grab one, I wrestled back control with a sigh. The other guy gave me a weird look as I picked up fallen spears and all I could offer was a pathetic smile.

. The process continued for the rest of the day. I returned to camp; I left camp with a new assignment. Finally, after an entire day of loading and unloading, moving and repositioning, Abby told me I could stop.

              “Alright Calian, dinner's almost ready, we can all stop for the day.” Her face was alight with another oddly irritating smile. I watched as the twins collapsed to the ground around the fire and began griping and gossiping to no one in particular. The hammering of iron stopped as Albert came out from his own tent, and he wiped his drenched face with a spare rag.

              “Woah! Look at the big cluster of muscle!” Craig called as he arrived in camp. He ran over to Albert and began poking the mass of muscles around his midsection.

              “Quit it.” Albert growled and threw Craig over his shoulder. “Or I’ll break your legs.”

              The twins began laughing as Albert set Craig down next to them like a doll and took a seat next to him.

              “Wait, aren't we supposed to eat in the dining hall?” I asked, but the twins shook their heads.

              “Not during war time,” Alice started, followed by Zoey.

              “We eat with our family to build a ‘stronger bond’ according to Michael. But I think it's so no one sees his nerves when he sits in front of us all.”

              “Ha, you’re probably right.” I replied as I sat down with the others. After a couple minutes everyone was laughing as they shared jokes and stories of adventures that probably never happened.

              “Hey, Calian, you haven’t shared a story yet, why don’t you give one?” Abby asked, looking at me across the fire. Yet another irritating smile. Then it hit me, they were irritating because you couldn’t ignore it, nor resist smiling back.

              “Oh, well, I don’t really have one.” I mumbled but then my mind shifted to Zaron “But I do have a story.” I continued.

              “Um, Calian, you, ok?” Zoey asked, “You sounded really creepy and demented.” I smiled.

              “I’m perfectly fine sweety,” I replied, and reached across the fire, singeing my arm a bit, and caressed her face. “You would make such a tasty morsel… boy I wish I could eat you…” I said. Zoey’s eyes were wide with shock, and then I was pulled back to my side of the fire by Abby.

              “Calian, the heck does you think you’re doing?” Abby growled as her nails dug painfully into my shoulders.

              “Hahahaha, like Calian would have the courage to do anything like that. It’s just so much fun messing with you people!” I rose from my seat and pushed Abby’s hands off of me. “See, you all think dear sweet Calian is inside this head, when it’s actually me. Zaron as Calian has named me.”

              “Well, Zaron,” Albert said awkwardly, “You said you had a story to share?”

              “Oh boy, right to the point big guy!” I gave an extravagant twirl and took Abby’s hand, pulling her close as if I were going to dance with her. “I like your girly, your reactions are priceless.” I whispered as Abby blushed furiously and pushed me away.

“Th-the story! J-jerk!” Abby demanded as she moved to the other side of the fire.

“Oh fine,” I grumbled as dropped back to my seat. “Well, what do you want to know about me? I think just about anything would suffice for your desperately wanted story.”

              “You… don’t seem all that bad.” Zoey asked slowly.

              “Yeah, I mean, you haven’t tried to kill us! You’ve been actually kinda funny.” Alice said and elbowed Abby.

              “Hahaha, you are so stupid. If I wanted, you all would be dead where you stand. I am everything Calian isn’t. Anger, hate, lust, and in some cases humor. I haven’t killed you because you all might be useful in the future. Meat shields should the need arise.”

              “Gee… Thanks. I guess.” Craig said. “So, Zaron, if you like death so much, why don’t you just take control permanently? Not that I want you too!”

              “Listen to yourself. Have you ever had someone else in your head? Even now Calian’s pathetically trying to get me to give over control. After an hour that gets annoying, and you have to give up. Now. The questionnaires over.” I said, but Abby stopped me.

“I-is Calian aware of everything that you do?” She asked nervously.

“Ha, yes, he is. Every little detail.” I said with a grin and control was returned to me.

              I felt my eyes refocus and I looked around the campfire at raised eyebrows. “What just happened exactly?” I asked, and the entire group burst out laughing.

              “Kid, your sociopathic murder buddy just showed his beautiful face.” Albert explained with a chuckle.

              “Oh god, please tell me he didn’t kill anyone.” I groaned.

              “That jerk said you remembered everything!” Abby screamed as she blushed furiously. I gave her a questioning look and she waved her hand. “Now, I think we have had enough excitement for one night, it’s bedtime.” She said quickly.

              I stood up to leave to go to my cliff side cabin, but Abby stopped me. “Where are you going?”

              “To my cabin?”

              “There isn’t a need for that Calian. You are part of the family now, so you live with us whether you like it or not.”

“Wait, I have to live with you?” I asked, Good lord anyone but her! She’ll drive me insane!

“Yes, you have to live with us.” She put on another of those irritating smiles and let out a long sigh.

“Come on! It’ll be fun!” The twin cried in unison.

“We’re going to be fighting together, so we might as well know each other.” Craig told me with a chuckle. “And you should know that Abby can’t be refused by now.”

“I am aware of that right now Craig. Fine, I’ll stay.” This response brought around a multitude of cheers from the group.

“Yay! We must throw a party now!” Zoey called out. “Calian finally accepted a living arrangement with us!”

“Not without me sis! I get the fire going again!” Alice retorted.

“Sounds fun! I’ll get some fireworks!” Craig said with a grin.

“Girls, go to bed.” Albert grumbled, hitting the twins lightly on the head. “And Craig, you should know better than to set off fireworks in war time. That’s asking for trouble.”

“I am going to go insane by the end of this, aren't I?” I asked myself as I walked toward the tent I had woken up in.

“Don’t worry it comes with being in the family.” Abby commented, patting my back.

“Besides, you already here the voices in your head!” Zoey called from her tent.

“So, you’re already insane in our books!” Alice followed with a laugh.

“Good night Calian, sleep good.” Abby said over the giggling twins.

The following days carried on slowly as work had to be done. Fortifications built; weapons readied; And comatose patients to take care of. Miss Valory never woke up. And all too soon, the attack Ash had promised came with an explosive start.

[darklydeliciousdesires]

Verboten - Chapter Fourteen.

Previous chapters - One  Two  Three  Four  Five  Six  Seven  Eight  Nine  Ten  Eleven  Twelve  Thirteen

Visuals - The Verboten cast of characters post

Words - 2,360

Warnings - SO.MUCH.ANGST

Tag list - In the comments! To be added/removed, please DM me :)

Chapter playlist - Portishead - SOS

Sitting down, he steeled himself for what he was likely to hear, his mind running scenarios as she turned, resting her hand on his forearm.  

“I’ve been fucking horrible to be around, haven’t I?” Wow. She was actually admitting to it. That shocked him. He nodded, Ella continuing. “I’ve just been so frustrated, Tyler, but it hasn’t been with anything you’ve said or done. Every little reaction I’ve had, flying off the handle with you, pushing you away, it’s been me, my stuff, because of what I’ve been feeling.

“I didn’t know how to put it in words, that for some inexplicable reason, I began to feel differently about you after Lani’s birth when I had no reason to. I didn’t want to either, I still don’t, you’re my husband and I love you, for Christ's sake! I did though, and I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I've been reading into it, and I think I might need some therapy, that apparently women can go off the rails a little after suffering a traumatic birth. It isn’t post-natal depression, but some think a form of PTSD, which would make us a fine pair.”

He couldn’t help but softly laugh though his nose, taking her hand and squeezing it. Finally, she was opening up. He was so thrilled to hear it that anything else flitted right out of his mind.  

“I want to work on things, I do. I was just scared and had these feelings of wanting to be left alone because I didn’t know why I was feeling the way I was. I tried to make it all your fault, because I couldn’t admit it all lay with me, even told Cait that, too. I don’t want to be this miserable bitch any longer who won’t leave the house and go on a date with her husband, though. I don’t want to make you as unhappy as I have. I want us to be us again, but I might need help and time.”  

He nodded, smiling, but inside, when his brain re-engaged, he felt a cold dread run through him. The only thing that had made him want out of his marriage was the belief he’d lost the wife he thought he once knew. Now she was coming back, where did that leave him and Zoey, who he felt something very, very real for?  

‘Oh god. Oh, fucking god.’

“Are you alright?”  

Shaking himself, he concentrated on her, as he should have been doing this whole time and not running away between the legs of her sister. “Yeah, yeah I’m great. It’s just such a surprise to hear you come out with all of this. I honestly thought we couldn’t recover.”  

“Well, I think we should be realistic. We might not be able to, I don’t expect everything to change overnight, but I want to try. I want to make an effort before I lose you.” Cupping his face in her hands, she leaned forward and kissed him, a soft kiss firstly, deepening a moment later. He couldn’t remember the last time they’d kissed one another like that. “A day at a time, yeah?”

“Yeah, a day at a time.” Relaxing back, he wrapped his arm around her, Ella resting her head against his chest, everything the picture of serenity. Inside, though, Tyler was tumultuous. All of a sudden, what had been a no-brainer until he’d entered his home was now something he had to wrestle with hard. He had to choose between them.  

Was there a choice, though?  

Now that Ella admitted her part of the faults in her marriage, the choice was obvious to him. Stay with the woman he was married to. But Zoey. Zoey! What he felt for her wasn’t love, he knew that, but it was strong, she’d made him feel happy, wanted and alive again in place of feeling neglected within the loveless wreck of a marriage he’d found himself growing furtherly disillusioned with over the last ten months. Then there was the sexual connection too, the fact that carnally, they were a perfect match.

Could he just give that up?  

He had to. He knew that he did, but this time, letting go would be even harder than trying to resist her in the first place, as he should have four months ago. He couldn’t have felt worse if he’d tried, lying there, dick sore from fucking Zoey on and off for two hours and now, with Ella against his chest, returned to him.  

“Are you okay? Your heart’s going really quick.” Of course, it was. He felt like he was about to pass out with the sudden tonne of stress. ‘You’ve only yourself to blame, fuckin’ idiot!’

“I’m fine, darlin’. Actually, I think I’m gonna head to bed early.”  

“Alright, I’ll be up after this has finished.” Returning her attentions to the TV, she looked a lot less burdened than she had, while in the meantime, Tyler felt like he’s suddenly had a grand piano strapped to his back.  

Lying in bed, the trepidation over what was to come begin to eat away at him, his heartbeat escalating, driving him into the bedside table drawer in search of the anti-anxiety medication he knew he had in there still, but had stopped taking on account of him no longer suffering PTSD induced panic attacks. It was a few years old, but it might still somewhat work.  

Dry swallowing the pills, he lay back again, his mind racing a mile a minute. He was getting back exactly what he wanted, his wife how he remembered, the woman he’d fallen in love with and married after only thirteen weeks, but now he had to give up the person who had truly made him feel alive again after Ella’s many and bitterly cold rejections over the last ten months.

Lying there, he imagined all the times he’d lain there in bed with Zoey, just talking to her, discovering things he didn’t know, feeling tingly in his chest with happiness to have someone there who he could enjoy that kind of intimacy with again, something sex had nothing to do with. But then...the sex. God, the sex he shared with her. It made him feel cold in the pit of his stomach, having to admit she was much better at it than her sister, and Ella was by no means lousy.  

It was the connection he shared with Zoey, though, one he sorely wished was the same with his wife, that extra spark that existed between them, the fact she got off on a lot of things her sister wasn’t aroused by as well. What could he do, though? Walk out on ten years for his wife’s sister?  

He’d been realising that was where he was heading before, except he wouldn’t have gone straight to Zoey. He would have insisted on a period of transition so he could have got adjusted to being separated and made the kids his number one focus, but now, it was Zoey he realised he had to leave behind, so all of this was entirely moot.  

Could he just walk away from her, though?  

Sever all ties?  

Act like the last near four months had meant nothing to him, when eventually, it all actually truly had?  

Even the bed didn’t feel comfortable to him, Ella’s choice of raw organic cotton sheets that kept you cool but were a little scratchy nowhere near as nice as whatever bed linens Zoey chose. Uncomfortable. It was the perfect adjective to describe his current state.  

He was still awake when Ella climbed into bed just under an hour later, reaching out to rest her hand on his shoulder. “Can I come in for a cuddle?”

“You don’t have to ask.” Turning onto his back, wrapped his arm around her as she got comfortable in the dip between his chest and shoulder, kissing just above his tattoo. “Does it feel okay, or are you forcing yourself to do this?”

“I feel a little disconnected still, but hopefully a little more of this rather than running away from you, and I might feel a little closer to normality.”  

He thought that having his wife back in his arms would have a profound effect on his happiness, that he’d feel something lovely bloom through all the anger and frustration. It didn’t, though. As he lay there, he felt like something was missing.  

‘You need to just get your focus back on your marriage, that’s all it is. Give Ella your time, be present, be the kind of husband she deserves.’

He knew right then that what he had with Zoey had finally reached its expiration date, but the thought of telling her filled him with apprehension. The conflict he felt inside was monumental.  

Because of this, he had a restless night of sleep, waking up grumpy, tired and not prepared to go and do an early shift. At least he’d be home by early evening, though, early enough to actually eat dinner with his kids for once. He tried to focus on that, on being there with his family and taking the first tentative steps to rebuild his relationship with Ella, yet trying to shake what he had to do on Wednesday when the day itself arrived, when he’d also next planned to see Zoey, was easier said than done.

It hung over him like a fog that wouldn’t retreat, breaking things off with her. He knew why, too. Because there was a big part of him that didn’t want to, but the larger part of him truly did want to fix things with his wife, get out of this before anyone got hurt, and continue attempting to strive for normality. But fuck, he could feel it in his chest, an actual pulling sensation at having to end it.  

“Hon, you’re miles away.”

“What?”

“I asked if you could pick me up some of those beer traps on your way home later. The bloody slugs have been at my lettuces again,” Ella asked, walking back in from the garden. “Oh shit, you can’t. You’re on late. Sorry, I forgot.”

“Get ‘em off Amazon? If you’re in all day then they’ll likely be here before I will,” he suggested, Ella making an ‘aha!’ face, pulling her phone from her pocket.  

“Never let it be said you’re just a pretty face, Tyler Rake. And I like this, by the way, the longer beard. It’s sexy.” He smiled fleetingly, granting her a kiss before continuing to stand on the back porch, looking out over the sun filled garden, feeling the exact opposite of the weather. His stomach turned unpleasantly and his heart skipped a beat sadly when he thought about it, having to let Zoey go.  

“What choice have you got, though?” He muttered aloud, draining his coffee and setting about his first task that morning, cleaning the child toy debris from the lawn before mowing it. He wasn’t about to repeat the roller skate incident that had cost him his last lawnmower blade.  

The fog hung over him, becoming thicker and thicker throughout the day and evening, making him feel sick and rotten inside by the time he got to Zoey’s apartment, just standing outside of her front door while trying to gather himself before finally, he knocked.  

“Hey, come in. You’re earlier than I expected,” she welcomed him with, giving him a huge kiss. As soon as her lips hit his, the fog vanished. The tingly feeling in his chest returned. Everything was okay.  

Except it wasn’t.  

“Tyler, what’s up? You look...off.” Cocking her head to the side as she wrapped her arms around his neck, she looked so lovely to him, resting his forehead to hers and sighing.  

“I can’t stay tonight,” he began.

“That’s okay, I didn’t expect you to be able to.”

“No, I mean, I can’t stay at all. I’m sorry, Zoey, but you and me, we have to stop. I need to call time on it.” His words made something icy and unpleasant run through her, like a cold, spiny eel swimming down into her stomach, coiling around, prickling her soft insides. Here was reality, and it was sharp. “When I got home on Sunday night, Ella and I sat and talked. She completely acknowledged the way she’d been behaving and apologised for it, said she wanted to seek help for what was obviously wrong and work on our marriage.”

“Oh.” The word fell from her lips on the cusp of a sob, Zoey swallowing hard.  

“I’m so sorry, Zo. This changes everything, even though there’s a part of me that doesn’t want to, the part of me that wants to stay with you. I have a loyalty to my wife first, the woman I made vows to, who I broke a pretty fuckin’ big one to. I can’t do it anymore. I need to be a hundred percent in working things out with her, so we have to end this.”

She took a deep breath, her entire body feeling stiff, yet light, the cold sharpness still chilling and spiking within her belly, Tyler wrapping her up in a hug and holding her tightly. All she wanted in that moment was for him to never let her go.

“I’m sorry. You still mean the world to me. Please, don’t think this is easy for me, because it isn’t. It's hell, having to stop.” He kissed her forehead, looking down at her sadly, stroking her cheeks with his thumbs.  

“I understand.” She whispered, holding back her tears with every little ounce of strength she had left.  

“I’ll see you soon. You take care, yeah? Fuck, this is horrid. I don’t want to go, but I have to.” Kissing her lips one last time, he turned, a huge lump forming in his throat as he made a quick exit, Zoey feeling like she was moving weightlessly after him, her hands pressing against the door that closed behind him.

“Then stay. If you don’t want to go, stay.”  

Those were her last whispered words before her legs buckled and she crumpled into a heap, crying her heart out.  

[pricemarshfield]

cooler than me

A Zoey/MC/Poppy/Veronica/Chloe smut-with-feelings fic, requested by @hizzieluthor​. Chapter 9/10. Rated E; minors DNI. Read on AO3 here, or the full fic here.

Prompt: MC/Zoey/Poppy/Veronica/Chloe, all doms except sub!MC. If you’d like to be tagged for the finale, say so in the tags or a reblog or in a DM and I’ll make sure to tag you!

-

"Babe," Zoey says, a little disbelieving, a lot pitying.

"I know," Bea groans, head in her hands. "I don't know how it happened either, if it helps?"

Confessing that you've caught feelings for Belvoire's head bitch? (Sorry. Former head bitch.) Embarrassing, but doable. Confessing it to your girlfriend? Decidedly harder, but still super feasible. Confessing that now you don't even really want to bring the real fight to her, even after she literally asked you to?

Bea would 100% take getting kicked by a horse again. She'd broken a rib, but that seems a small price to pay.

"I mean, I do," Zoey says, and when Bea looks up questioningly, Zoey cups her face and says, "That bleeding heart of yours. One of the things I love about you, boo."

Bea's heart crawls into her throat. "Um--"

"Ugh, don't make a thing of it, I didn't mean to say that," Zoey says, abruptly focusing on the lunch in front of her. (Of course they're having emotional talk at Spicey's. It's their place, basically.) "Seriously. Don't mention it."

Bea wants to do more than mention it, but the moment feels fragile enough just talking about Poppy without talking about the L-word. Still, she grabs Zoey's hand and squeezes it, a little reassurance before they move on. "If you're sure. And to be clear, I'm not saying I won't bring the fight to her. I just..." She sighs. "I don't want to hurt her. And I don't think she wants to hurt me." Like that.

"I think you're giving her too much credit," Zoey mutters in a low voice, then shakes her head. "Not trying to be an asshole. I know we talked about this, I really am fine with it, I just don't like her."

"First day we met, you told me you hated her and loved seeing her--what was it? Caked up face crinkle up whenever someone stands up to her?"

Zoey snorts. "And I stand by that."

"I don't want to do anything if it makes you--" Uncomfortable's not right. Upset? Disappointed in Bea? "If you really aren't alright with it, we'll keep it to scenes. I can wrestle my heart into control."

"I never want you to have to do that," Zoey says, squeezing Bea's hand back. "I'm not disappointed in you or anything. But we've got to bring the fight to her, or it's all been for nothing, and frankly? That's embarrassing for both of us."

"Yeah, you're right," Bea says. "Like always, of course."

"Glad to have someone recognize my genius," Zoey says with a little smile.

Bea frowns--there's an undercurrent of something there, not directed at her. "Did you music thing not go well?"

"Oh, no," Zoey says. "It went...fine. Just--family stuff."

"Uh, do you want to ta--"

"Not really," Zoey says, stabbing at her burrito bowl rather aggressively. "Not 'cause I don't trust you or anything! I do. Just gotta process it, figure out where my head's at."

"Okay," Bea says, bites back the instinctive love ya that would have too much weight, considering. "So! What's our game plan?"

"I don't know, distract her with sex and steal the box?"

Bea's cheeks warm. "Zoey!"

"Just a thought," Zoey says with a smirk up at her. "Also, can I have my hand back? Wanna check something."

Bea drops Zoey's hand. "Maybe I should just sneak in. No one would be surprised to see me there. Plus I could get V to help me."

"Poppy's definitely got Hayley or Ohio snitching for her at this point, though," Zoey points out. "Especially after you agreed to give her a real fight."

"Ughhhhh," Bea says, because that definitely sounds like something Poppy would do. "I hate this."

"I know," Zoey says, less pitying and more fond. "My idea's always still on the table."

It feels like a bad idea. It's definitely not something Poppy's above doing--she hadn't slept with Bea without prepping the hog calling video well in advance, after all--but is it something Bea's willing to sink low enough to do?

"I can't do that alone," Bea says.

"Send you into the lion's den alone?" Zoey says. "Never."

-

Bea doesn't know the specifics of what Zoey has planned, beyond that there is a plan. Not about the subterfuge--that, Bea knows, has planned down to where she's gonna look for the code, what she'll do if Poppy wakes up, several ideas about what could be in there.

Zoey's been scheming, with Poppy, about some scene. That's the premise, at least, for getting into Poppy's room and wearing her out without surprising her. But Zoey does actually have a plan, point-blank refused to tell Bea about it.

"I want you to enjoy yourself, and you're aleady too in your own head about this," Zoey says. Bea grumbles, knowing she's right and that she wants to know anyway. Time seems to drag on slowly for the week or so that she's got to wait for Zoey and Poppy's schedule to line up, Poppy busy with her shelter and whatever the hell else she does, Zoey working on her music and applying for a ton of internships.

But then the night arrives.

She's wearing her same lingerie--it ain't broke, and she does look good in red--and the dress she'd gotten to go, like, totally undercover in Zeta, because it makes her boobs look great and also because it kind of feels like everyone's looking at her all day, and blending into Zeta can't hurt.

Even if she's way more recognizable now. Even if everyone's expecting her there. Sort of the point of the subterfuge.

Zoey escorts her, uber-casual about the whole thing, winking at Veronica as they pass her (hey, what) on the way up to Poppy's room. Chloe, walking into her own room, waves at Bea with a little shy smile that's oddly sweet. She waves back, trying not to feel like the whole thing is an out of body experience.

"Hey," Zoey says, quietly. "We've got this."

Bea nods, not sure if she agrees. Zoey grabs her hand and squeezes it, and Bea squeezes back hard enough that Zoey winces. "Sorry."

"It's fine," Zoey says. "Seriously. We've got this. We're gonna be fine."

Ugh. Bea knows she's right, but her heart's beating way too hard and way too fast as she opens the door to Poppy's room anyway.

"Come in," Poppy calls, imperious as she was in the first days. Bea has no idea if it's her fronting because of Zoey's presence here or part of the scene, trying to be ready for anything as she walks in. Poppy's sitting at her vanity, but she's not doing her makeup or anything, just looking at them in the mirror.

"Farmsville," Poppy says with a little sigh. "New Money."

"Poppy," Bea says.

"Bitch," Zoey says. Bea'd swear Poppy's smirk twitches towards an actual smile, but she's a little distracted by the sound of Zoey locking the door behind them. "Door's locked."

"Good," Poppy says, and turns, the full force of her attention on Bea. As always, it's a little disconcerting. Now, though, it also puts a little nervous twist in her gut. She's being an asshole, she's taking advantage, she's-- "Strip."

Bea does, Zoey only reaching out to help her when the zipper gets stuck. She hesitates once she's got the dress off, hand fidgeting at the waist of her lingerie. Poppy just arches an eyebrow at her, and she lifts it up over her head, in just her underwear.

"That's fine," Poppy says, whether because she can read Bea's nervousness or some other reason, Bea doesn't know. She walks up to Bea, until she's looking up at her, just slightly. (She hadn't taken her heels off, so even with Poppy's stilettos, she's got the height advantage right now.) "Get on the bed."

Bea does. Neither of them have touched her yet, or even really made a move to, just watching her scramble onto the covers and turn around to face them. Zoey walks right up to her, close enough that their knees brush. Poppy climbs behind her on the bed instead; she can feel the mattress bend towards her, just slightly.

She's not sure when the scene's supposed to start, if Poppy's gonna say something cutting or Zoey's gonna pull out a toy, but she's not expecting the gentleness with which Poppy's arms come around Bea's waist, pulling her into--a hug, almost, the soft silk of her blouse against Bea's back more soft than sensual.

"I--" She cuts herself off, since she's not sure what she'd say or if she's allowed to talk.

Poppy presses a kiss to the base of her neck, and Bea shivers. Zoey's eyes are warm rather than dark, pupils just a little wide rather than fully blown so that her eye looks black. She leans down to kiss Bea; Bea, of course, kisses her back. For a few long minutes, that's really all it is--Poppy leaving little chaste kisses on her neck, definitely leaving pastel pink lipstick marks but no bruises, Zoey kissing Bea, Bea more emotionally overwhelmed than anything else.

When Poppy's hands move up to cup Bea's breast, it's almost a surprise, the shift. Zoey doesn't let up on kissing her, hands braced on either side of Bea on the mattress. Poppy's still being gentle, especially by their standards, but the pressure's getting to her. Zoey eventually pulls back to leave kisses along her neck, warmer and wetter the lower she goes, until she's got her mouth over Poppy's hand where it rests on Bea--

Yeah, okay, that's the hottest thing Bea's ever seen, probably. No one could fault her the little helpless whimper that escapes. She doesn't even feel too embarrassed about it, because Poppy groans, low and under her breath, when she does. Zoey pulls back with a smirk and kisses Bea again, and Poppy's next kiss to Bea's neck is more of a bite.

Zoey pushes Bea back, against Poppy who goes willingly against the mattress until it's Zoey straddling Bea lying against Poppy who feels like she's against the headboard. They keep drawing her in, with Zoey's warm mouth and Poppy's warmer hands soft and slow and gentle and not at all what they're usually like.

Part of her wants to ask. This doesn't feel like a scene. But it's nice? Zoey being sweet and soft is nothing new; that's their thing. But Poppy? For her to be nice is already rare enough; for her to let Zoey see it is a gesture of trust that Bea hadn't realized existed between them. (Probably doesn't, is just doing it for Bea, which--really doesn't help.)

Bea and Poppy are pressed hip-to-hip, Poppy still wearing her weird gold-beige skirt thing, but Bea's attention is mostly focused on Zoey. Very much not in line with their plan, and she's tensing up without meaning to at the (self-inflicted) reminder of her own ulterior motives.

Poppy nips at her neck again, a demand for her focus. "You can't enjoy being the center of attention for once?"

Bea laughs, mostly into Zoey's mouth; Zoey pulls back to let her respond. She can turn her head just enough to see Poppy's eyes, pupils blown so wide the brown looks almost black, even in the bright light of the room. "Aren't I always? You're certainly obsessed with me--"

"Please," Poppy says dismissively, but one hand slides into her underwear in one smooth movement, so she can't mean it too sarcastically. "In your dreams."

"Whatever you say," Bea says, breathless. Zoey kisses her again, and Bea, whose hands have been at her side not really doing much for most of this, loop around her neck and pull her closer. She hums happily into Bea's mouth, and Poppy's hand continues to work, slow but focused.

Zoey pulls away from kissing Bea, who pouts until Poppy presses a kiss almost on her cheek (Bea's heart stops, but whatever), prompting her to turn and kiss Poppy instead. With her head turned, Zoey has more space to let her lips trail along Bea's jaw, nipping at the place behind her ear that always makes her melt. Bea gasps into Poppy's mouth, and she can feel both of them smirking.

It's Poppy who pulls back to say, "Not that I'm fond of sharing, outside of this--" It's said casually, but with emphasis, accompanied by Poppy poking at Zoey in a way that seems designed to annoy rather than really piss off. "But. If the rest of campus could see you now."

Bea shivers, a little. "I--"

Zoey interrupts her, and oh, this is the plan. Nothing physical, just words to rile her up until she's totally out of her mind. Not quite what they're doing here, but she'll take it? "Can you imagine if the nerds saw it?"

"Like you?" Poppy says with an eyeroll. (Bea's got her eyes closed at one particularly rough thrust of Poppy's second finger joining her first, but she's sure of it.)

Zoey huffs out a sigh. "I'm talking about Emi, Daisy, Begonia. I'm mid-ranks, you moron."

"I could bring you up," Poppy says, which would be charitable if she wasn't absolutely saying it to piss Zoey off, or something? Bea can't really follow the logic.

"Hm," Zoey says, as if she's considering it, which has to be part of the plan. If Zoey wanted to move up in the rankings, Poppy offering to help would drive her to say fuck Bea's bid for the throne, it's Zoey's time. (She'd absolutely let her. Poppy, no chance in hell she'd give up the throne, but Zoey would barely have to ask.) "What's the catch?"

Poppy grabs Bea's hair and yanks it back, a sudden spark of pain she hadn't expected at all, more surprising than sexy even though the hiss out of her mouth is not borne of pain alone. "You wouldn't part with her, I assume."

"Right here," Bea says. They both ignore her.

"No," Zoey says, fingers tapping on Bea's thigh. "You'd have to really make it worth my while."

"How about..." Poppy goes quiet for a second; Bea can picture her cat-that-got-the-cream smile easily. "Look through that drawer there. If I can get Bea to come before you find something you want to use, I'll get you into the top fifty. If not, I get Bea all night."

Literally right here, but also pretty down, even if the guilt absolutely is dragging her mood down. If Zoey got Poppy to think this plan was all about sex, it's kind of brilliant and daring and evil genius of her, but Bea's never been good at the ruthless side of power.

"Deal," Zoey says. "Hold out for me, babe?"

"Su--"

Poppy's got them flipped as soon as Zoey pulls back to go look at Poppy's dresser, and probably to ignore the toys completely. She's also got her face at Bea's thighs, pulling down her underwear with her teeth--

Bea groans, and forces herself to keep looking at Poppy, even though it's super not gonna help with buying Zoey enough time to snoop. She needs to make sure she can grab her attention back if she starts to get suspicious.

But she doesn't. Poppy's singularly focused and good at what she does, and Bea's gripping the sheets so hard she's practically white-knuckled until Zoey comes back to the bed with an unassuming vibe and a smirk that doesn't really meet her eyes.

"Damn," Poppy says, seemingly actually disappointed, and Bea comes as soon as she's not holding herself back. "Ha."

"I still won," Zoey says.

"You know everything I said was just part of the scene," Poppy snaps, immediately.

"Obviously," Zoey says. "Bea, you good to come home?"

"Nnh," Bea says. "I mean, if I have to."

There's a long beat, where Zoey looks her down and nods, though whatever she's responding to, Bea hasn't pieced together. "Would you rather stay here?"

"The bed's so comfy," Bea says in agreement.

Poppy scoffs. "This is just passable. I should take you somewhere nice one day."

"Okay," Bea says, as though Poppy will want to talk to her after she wins at the gala. It's nice to live in the fantasy, though.

"I actually have to go," Zoey says, almost apologetically. "Lunch tomorrow?"

Bea nods and blows her a kiss. Zoey doesn't mime catching it or anything, but she smiles at her, genuine, before she leaves.

Poppy elbows her immediately. "You should return the favor now."

Bea does. Uncharacteristically, Poppy's actually tired after, climbing into bed as soon as she's changed out of clothes and into these absurdly soft pajamas that Bea can't help but nuzzle into.

As soon as Bea thinks she's asleep, breathing slow and steady, she whispers a quiet sorry into the crook of her neck. She's not sure if she's apologizing for the underhandedness or for having enough feelings about it that she can't do what Poppy asked.

Poppy doesn't react or stir, so Bea falls asleep, hoping for a lot of things she's not gonna get.

[forever-rogue]

Hearth & Home

A/N: Hello friends and mainly my secret santa @marvel-and-mischief​! Zoey, this is this for you and I hope you enjoy! It was so nice getting to know you and you are such a sweet, kind person. It’s not much, but I hope it brings a smile to your face and I hope you have a fantastic Christmas! Lots of love and hugs! 

(disclaimer - this is my first time writing for Pero, please be gentle!)

Pairing: Pero Tovar x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 3.2k

Warnings: none

MASTERLIST

»»————-　♡　————-««

Snow was falling outside the window gently, coming down in soft, fat flakes. The ground was coated in it already, creating slick icy walkways and dusting the gardens you had so lovingly tended to in the spring and summer. The sudden cold front had come unexpectedly, neither of you had much time to prepare, so you decided to let it be. If come the new year and spring, the flowers decided not to make an appearance again, you would simply have to plant new ones. Things always worked out how they were supposed, even if it wasn’t the most conventional of ways. But you already knew that and had known that more some time. 

Your husband was proof of that in himself. 

Speaking of which, you paused as you were in the middle of washing the pots and pans, shaking the warm, soapy water from your hands as you looked outside and spied Pero tending to the animals. The sheep and goats followed him closely on his heels, which he always insisted he hated, but you knew he secretly enjoyed. He had a soft, gentle soul, even if the exterior did not match that whatsoever. A walking contradiction, a balance of rough and soft, but he was your everything. 

Almost as if he could sense your eyes on him, Pero stopped petting the sheep at his side and turned to look in the window, a small smile stretching across his features, highlighting the singular dimple you loved you so much. Cocking an eyebrow in amusement, he waved at you as you responded in kind, feeling a flush of warmth wash over you. You’d called him your husband for several years now, but sometimes even the simplest of looks caused the heat to pool low in your belly and make you feel like a maiden again. 

Before you got too wrapped up in your little daydream fantasies, you turned back to your dishes, grabbing a cloth to dry them. You enjoyed days like this, the ones that brought a chill and allowed you to light candles all over your small home, along with a big fire in the main living area. There was something so welcoming and cozy about it, that it caused your heart to settle and feel warmth and content. On top of all that, it gave Pero an excuse to remain at home as well, instead of going into town to work at the blacksmith shop. No one was going to need any sort of armor or equipment in this weather. 

“Mi Sol,” the sound of his warm, gruff voice caught your attention as you turned to find him coming inside, taking off his overcoat and hanging in near the door. You stopped what you were doing and walked over to him, grinning at him as you brushed some of the slowly dissipating flakes out of his dark curls. He made a small, contented sound in the back of his throat as he keened into your touch. 

“Pero, you must be freezing,” you touched his cheeks, flushed red from the cold along with his nose. Before he could argue or contest what you were saying, you pressed your lips to his. Despite being slightly dry and chapped from the wind and chill, his kiss was still soft and gentle. His hand went to the back of your neck as he held you close, taking his gentle time to kiss you. When you pulled back, your hands went to the lapel of his shirt as you pulled him further inside towards the hearth where the fire was merrily crackling away, “relax and get warm, my love. I’ll go and get you a sweater.”

“Thank you,” he nodded softly as he took a seat near the fire, letting out a long sigh as he relaxed and let himself comfortable. He was not a young man anymore, after long days of working his bones ached, particularly his back, and the cold weather wasn’t helping. Luckily he didn’t even have to say anything, you just knew. You knew you and you helped him without needing to be asked, causing a warmth to wash over him. He was not a man of many words of openly gentle displays of affection, but you never doubted his love or devotion to you. 

Nor he with you. You easily had the choice of many men to agree to have as a husband, but you had chosen him. He hadn’t even been an option, not truly, but you still chose him; you were a steadfast, stubborn little thing, he had always claimed and you had definitely proven that to him and everyone when your engagement was to be announced to the public, and you shocked everyone and chose him. It hadn’t been an easy thing; not by any means.

Choosing Pero meant losing your family and everything you had known. The reckless mercenary and the lady of polite, gentile society - a juxtaposition in every way. You were meant to marry a man of wealth and taste - culture, everyone liked to call it. But you had known in your heart since your little love affair had started with Pero that he was the one for you and there was no one else. For a few while he had wondered if you would end up regretting your decision or loathing him, but you never did, you never once had even a single regret over choosing Pero. When it came down to you, you would have chosen him again and again, every single time. 

Love was the end, you always insisted, despite what the world seemed to think. 

You gruff, stoic mercenary agreed, even if he didn’t verbalize the statement.

“Here you are,” you returned quietly, warm padded feet shuffling quietly along the wooden floor. Pero pulled his gaze away from the fire and turned to you, a smile slowly covering his face. Pressing a kiss to the tip of his nose, you held out the sweater to him before moving to grab some more blankets for the two of you. Pero was silent, uncharacteristically so for him, as he watched you. Turning slowly, you met his dark eyes and gave him a curious look, “Pero? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” he promised as you lit a few more candles near the heath before joining him and sitting down on the soft couch, pulling the blanket over the two of you. Placing his arm around you, he held you close, breathing in the quiet comfort your presence provided, “are you happy?”

“Am I happy?” you repeated as you pulled gave, a puzzled expression crossing your features. You had no idea where this was suddenly coming from, but you reached up and put a hand on his cheek, “of course I’m happy, my love. I am very happy. I hope nothing in my actions has done anything to cause you to believe otherwise.”

“Of course not,” he huffed lightly, studying you with a quiet intensity that made you want pull him into you then and there, to become whole and one with him. Taking your hand from his cheek, he brought it to his lips, pressing a light kiss to your knuckles, “sometimes I just wonder if this is enough for you. If I am enough for you.”

“You are many things, husband, including a silly man,” you laughed at him, setting his soul at ease as he relaxed at your words of reassurance, “I am happy, nothing could make me happier. And you? You are everything. I don’t want anyone - I could not even dream of it.”

“Not even-”

“Not even some governor, or lord, or anyone could make me as happy as you do,” you closed the small distance between your bodies, practically crawling into his lap, “Pero, I chose you then and I still choose you and I would always choose you. Is that understood?”

“Yes,” any remainder of the tough exterior and façade he had melted away at your words. He held you close, pausing for just a moment before you decided to take matters into your own and kissed him. You were fully seated in his lap at his lap at this point, his large hands finding purchase on your waist as your arms wrapped around his neck. It wasn’t often that the two of you that were able to enjoy the quiet silence of a winter’s afternoon or to take such solace in one another, knowing that neither of you had any duties to attend to you. Pero pulled back after a few moments, his hands wandering up your body and pausing and your face, “I know I do not say often, mi sol, but I do love you very much. You make me happier than I could have ever dreamed.”

“I know it to be true, sweet husband,” you beamed at him, shining as bright as the sun on a mid-summer’s day. He’d given you the surprisingly tender nickname shortly after you’d met by chance at the farmer’s market one early spring afternoon several years ago. You’d brightened his day and instilled a sense of hope into his heart, he had told you, just like the sun - mi sol, “you don’t always have to say it. I know you mean it.”

You nuzzled your nose against his, admiring his quiet beauty for a few moments, pressing your lips against his cheeks, forehead, nose, and stopping at his lips before wrestling him down on the couch so he was flat on his back. 

“I love you,” you whispered softly before moving to straddle his waist, “now let me show you how much.”

»»————-　♡　————-««

“It looks like the snow is starting to let up,” you commented as you opened the door to look outside, pulling your coat tighter around you. Gone was the harsh snowfall from the evening before, leaving everything covered in glittering white powder, but with a less harsh chill settling over everything. Pero came up behind you, wrapping an arm around your waist before pressing a soft kiss to the crown of your head, “it looks beautiful out there.”

“Almost as beautiful as you,” he commented as you playful sighed at him, “what do you say we go out and look for some holly and ivy today? We can decorate for the holiday properly.”

“Do you mean it?” you asked, eyes wide with excitement as you turned to him. He nodded as he moved to go and fetch your thick woolen outer coats and boots, “everything will look so lovely and festive! It is almost time to welcome the end of the year and halfway point of the winter.”

“Then we shall plan a big feast and everything to celebrate,” he grinned softly as your heart melted. He wasn’t normally a big fan of festivities, always going along with what you wanted to do, but never really having a preference one way or another. But this year, something in him had shifted and he seemed even more in the holiday spirit than he normally was….not that you were complaining at all. You loved to see him happy and smiling; despite all of his time with you and resigning himself to a quiet life, you knew things from his past life often still haunted him. 

“I think that will be lovely,” you agreed as he held out your coat for you to slip into, followed up by him draping a warm scarf around your neck to keep you warm and toasty. You couldn’t help but grin as you buttoned up his coat, slapping his hands out of the way as you grabbed a scarf for him. He remained silent, watching you with reverence as fretted over him. When you were done, you took a step back and admired the handsome view that he provided, “there. All warm, Pero?”

“Wonderful,” he agreed as you opened the door again and stepped outside, holding your hand out for him to take. He wasted no time in enveloping your hand with his much larger one, smiling to himself as you swung your clasped hands together. He liked this - your humble little life, and getting to spend his days with you. It was nothing grand or overwhelming, but none of that mattered; all that mattered was you and love you shared. 

“Pero?” you paused when you noticed that he was lagging behind, “what’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” he insisted as he caught up to you, pressing a kiss to the side of your head, “nothing at all.”

»»————-　♡　————-««

Humming under your breath, you finished setting up the rest of holly and ivy along the hearth, taking a moment to admire how it looked all around your small home. Even the small staircase leading to the second floor was covered with candles and greenery, casting a soft gentle glow around the whole place. It was nothing over the top or grandiose, but it was still beautiful and warm, and you loved it more than anything. 

Standing on the stool under the doorway separating the kitchen from the living area, you carefully tacked up the mistletoe you had found. It was more for a small laugh, a fun little folly one of your friends had told you about, but you had still wanted to surprise Pero. 

Just as you finished tacking it up, the front door opened and Pero came inside, immediately shaking out his hair to get the remainder of the snowflakes out. You were so startled by his sudden appearance that you stumbled slightly and almost fell off of the stool. Pero, ever the fighter and quick on his feet, was faster and at your side in just a second, catching you in his strong arms before anything could happen.

“Hello,” you grinned at him as he held you in his arms, a look of concern momentarily crossing his features. When he saw that you were okay, he relaxed, the rapid beating of his heart already slowing down as he set you on your feet. You leaned up and kissed his cheek, “thank you my love. You’re always my hero.”

“Are you alright, mi sol?” his hand found your face as he gave you the once over you and you nodded, “what were you even doing?”

“I was just putting up some mistletoe,” you pointed to the top of the doorway, watching as a look of confusion crossed your husband’s features. He reached up and touched it, giving it the once over as  he brushed his fingers over the lush, dark green sprigs. 

“Isn’t this poisonous?” he cocked an eyebrow as you nodded, “then why one earth…”

“It’s not for eating or anything,” you stated the obvious with a small laugh, “it’s for decoration. And besides, there’s a sort of tradition about it that I heard…”

“Pray tell, what could this so-called little tradition be?” he asked you as you pulled him closer by the lapels of his coat. He made a small sound of surprise as you let your lips linger near his.

“If two people are caught under it,” you explained, “you are supposed to kiss, and it is to bring good luck if you do and then bad luck if you fail to do so.”

“Ahh,” he laughed lightly as you nodded, “what an odd little thing. I’ve never heard of it before.”

“I hadn’t either,” you admitted, “another one of the ladies in the village told me about it today and gifted the mistletoe to us. I figured it might seem silly, but there’s not harm in trying, right? Besides that, I don’t quite fancy setting ourselves up with bad luck.”

“I definitely do not want to do that either,” his lips brushed yours as they quirked up in a small smile, “what do you propose we do about it?”

“I think you should kiss me, dear husband,” you suggested with coaxing, eager eyes, “and if it should please you, you can do even more than that.”

“I would not be opposed to either,” he put his hand on either side of your face as he offered you a gentle peck, leaving you hanging on for more, “how lucky I am to call you my wife, mi sol.”

“I love you, Pero,” you promised him, “you and only you.”

“And I you.”

“But now I really do need you to do something for me.”

“Anything.”

“Kiss me,” you insisted, “and then some.”

“As you wish.”

»»————-　♡　————-««

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[momochizoey]

January 2nd

Twenty minutes.

That's how long Sakura had been waiting at the restaurant. 

She sighed. ‘I can't say I'm surprised,’ she thought. After all, she had been surprised her date had said yes in the first place, being as out of her league as they were. 

She herself had only just attained Chuunin status three days ago, and, riding on the high of her achievement, she’d decided to shoot her shot with the distractingly attractive proctor of the first and second exams. 

Whether she was just humoring her, or genuinely impressed by her performance, Sakura couldn’t tell, but the oldest of the Sand Siblings had looked her up and down and quirked her lips. “Sure. Tuesday, 7 PM, at the Flowering Cactus. Wear something nice.”

So here she was, sitting at the fancy table at 7:20, debating whether she should admit defeat and head back to her hotel yet. The longer she waited, the worse her sensei’s teasing would-

“Sorry I’m late,” said Temari as she slid into the booth across from her. “Would you believe me if I said it was my brother’s fault?”

Sakura grinned, relieved. “Knowing your brothers, yes I would.”

[julies-butterflies]

“I can tell you’re upset. Do you need anything right now?” for (platonic) Alex and Reggie?

cuddle dialogue prompts  ( accepting!! )                                        ( read on ao3! )

Alex’s friends don’t come over to his house anymore.

It’s a weird change, because they used to. Bobby’s garage has always been home base, but the boys used to go over to Luke’s or Alex’s just as often; and when things at Luke’s started to get weird, tense, like a powder keg on the verge of erupting, Alex’s doors were always open. His parents were friendly, if a bit overbearing. They didn’t even seem to mind the mess his friends brought with them, or the noise, or the inevitable chaos; they just liked seeing Alex hang out with other “boys his age”. Their cabinets were always well-stocked with Girl Scout cookies, and Alex’s little sister (the aforementioned Girl Scout) was a pest, in a way he didn’t really mind. 

The guys seemed to...  like it at his house, for some reason — and yeah, that filled his chest with bubbles and made him feel like coming off the high of a drum solo. Alex liked to be liked. He liked that his place could be somewhere his friends felt safe... even if they all conscientiously toned down the casual physical affection when Alex’s parents were around.

Ever since he came out, though... things have changed.

Everything’s changed, and his friends not coming over anymore is the least of it.

The biggest change is, he’s no longer welcome at church. Pastor Hamilton made that very clear with his final sermon — a fire and brimstone rant against the ‘sins of sodomy and perversion’. Alex sat there for an hour, boiling in his own skin, as the eyes of the rest of his congregation bore into him. He couldn’t get out of the building fast enough... and after that, swore never to go back. He wouldn’t be welcome, anyways.

There was no chance of his parents missing the yearly church retreat, though — and Christina has been looking forward to a camping trip for ages, so Alex doesn’t resent how eagerly she clambered in the family station wagon. She barely waved goodbye, too busy cramming her bags in the trunk; his parents, predictably, didn’t say anything at all. They trust Alex not to burn the house down in their absence, at least, so he’ll consider that a compliment.

Alex almost wishes he was bothered. If he were — if such blatant rejection from his family actually stung, if he could stew in his own hurt feelings and resent how quickly they pulled out of the driveway — then maybe it would actually matter. (Maybe it’d mean he’s a good son after all.) 

Alex is a lot of things, though, but he’s never been good at lying to himself.

An entire weekend home alone, with no one but the dogs to keep him company? Honestly, it sounds like heaven.

By nine o’clock at night, he’s well and truly deep in this teenage rebellion thing. He’s got Sixteen Candles queued up on the DVR, has his legs up on the sofa, a bowl of popcorn in his lap, and an entire bottle of Fanta threatening to stain his mother’s precious white carpet. There’s something to be said for living on the edge; he relishes every second of doing something forbidden, fueled by the thought of his parents’ faces if they could see him. Just imagining their horror is sweet; almost as sweet as Molly Ringwald’s bubblegum-pop fashion statements. 

The night stretches before him like a promise, calm and comfortable. He’s free to be himself in his own home. It shouldn’t feel as amazing as it does, because it shouldn’t be a novelty... but considering nowadays, Alex feels more like an intruder, he’ll take what he can get.

His first sign of anything amiss is the sound of barking from the front hall. Alex sits up, dislodging the bowl of popcorn from his lap. He scrambles to catch it before it can go everywhere. After a few more seconds of fumbling, he pauses the movie, and springs to his feet.

“You guys! I swear —“

As he trudges into the foyer, he’s thoroughly unsurprised at what he finds. Zoey, giant maniac that she is, is literally bouncing off the front door. She hits, rebounds, and is immediately back at it, scratching at the wood and barking her head off. A few steps behind her, Cooper hovers, his tail hung low. When he spots Alex, he lets out a relieved whine, and paces a circle around the foyer. Alex — who gets it, really, weird noises at the door are even more nerve-wracking than surprise phone calls — gives him a soothing scratch on the head. Cooper glues himself to his side, and Alex keeps one hand on his collar as he steps towards the door.

“Someone out there, girl?”

Zoey hurls herself bodily against the front door. She hits like a wrecking ball. From the other side, Alex hears a noise — somewhere between a gasp and a  “Whoa!”

He knows for a fact he didn’t order pizza; the neighbors are the “keep to yourselves” types; and the Jehovah’s Witnesses are like reverse vampires, never seen outside of daylight hours. There shouldn’t be  anyone at the door. A shiver of anxiety runs down Alex’s neck… but it’s drowned out by irritation at just how loud Zoey’s being. “Hey, hey,” Alex exclaims, hauling her back as she makes another jump towards the door. “Cut it out! Get outta here!”

He’s too busy wrestling with the dogs to be nervous when he throws the door open. (Worst case scenario, he can just let go of their collars, and sic them; let the dogs drown any potential burglars to death in kisses.) The face that greets him on the other side is… unexpected.

“Heya!” Reggie pulls his hand back from the doorknob, and offers a tiny wave. “What’s up, man?”

Zoey answers the question with a running leap.

Reggie’s ready for her. He hits the deck, arms open wide — and when she barrels him over, his whoop of delight rings through the quiet neighborhood. Alex grits his teeth, glancing anxiously around the street. His neighbors mind their own business, but that doesn’t mean they want to be disturbed in the middle of the night; this isn’t Reggie’s neighborhood, where sirens and bonfires are raging at all hours. Of course, though, Reggie has no concept of quiet… and he loses all self-control whenever dogs are involved. He’s too busy rolling around on the porch, ambushed by two giant golden retrievers, to notice anything else.

Alex leans against the doorframe, taps his feet, and sighs. He’s just starting to examine the calluses on his palms when Reggie finally emerges from the literal dogpile. “I know it’s late — I woulda called first, but — aaah, Zoey, that tickles!”

His screeches ring out like sirens, and Alex’s neighbors are  definitely going to call the cops if this keeps up. Alex has to cut in. Wrestling one dog back inside, and then the other, he hauls Reggie to his feet just as swiftly. “Come in then, quick,” he mutters. “Did you come here exclusively to steal my dogs?”

“Alex, I swear, you’re the one I wanted to see the most. Stealing your dogs is just... a fun side quest.” Reggie strides in like he owns the place. As the door closes behind him, he glances around the foyer. “Home alone, huh?”

“Yeah,” Alex replies. “It’s been fun.”

“I bet.” Reggie dodges another jump from Zoey, nearly tripping over Cooper. The dogs both recognize him, even though it’s been ages since he was last here;  animals and Reggie get along like pizza and pepperoni. If he really wanted to steal the Mercers’ dogs, it wouldn’t be a challenge. Thankfully, Reggie’s parents have a hard and fast “no pets” rule, and stick to it. (Reggie was able to hide an injured squirrel in his closet for a whole  three weeks  before anyone caught on — after it got loose, chewed through the wires of the family TV, and wreaked havoc in the kitchen. His parents still don’t know how it got in the house, but Reggie spent weeks mourning the loss of his “Beloved Frank”.)

As Reggie hits the ground on his knees, enthusiastically petting both dogs at once, Alex tucks his hands into his pockets. He’s not used to feeling nervous around his best friends… but suddenly, he’s on unstable ground, unsure of what to do. It’s just Reggie… but it’s Reggie in his house, where Alex’s friends, Alex’s life, are no longer welcome. It’s just Reggie showing up in the middle of the night, without any warning… and he’s acting fine, sure, but this also isn’t like him. Alex’s instincts are thrumming with a sense of wrong, wrong. He can’t help frowning as he steps back, watching his friend play.

Reggie feels his gaze. He ignores it.

“Who’s a good girl? Oh, yeah, you’re the  best  girl, yeah —“

Alex clears his throat. Reggie ignores that, too.

“Come on, Cooper, gimme a kiss — there you go! Did ya miss your old pal Reggie? I missed you!”

Enough is enough. Alex turns to the switch on the wall. The foyer is suddenly flooded with bright light, sparkling through the crystal fixtures overhead. Reggie falls back and blinks rapidly, entire face scrunching up against the glare. When his eyes adjust, he finds Alex crouched at his side.

“Not to be all ‘what are you doing in my house, Reg’, but…” Alex reaches over and pats Cooper’s head. “What are you doing here?”

Reggie’s blank stare lingers on him for a beat too long— a quarter of a second, but still, it’s the only giveaway Alex needs. 

“Just visiting! I knew you were home alone… figured you might want some company.” His friend grins, like everything’s normal, just another wild antic in the life of Reggie… but Alex knows better.

“Okay, that’s real generous, but…”

He drags the word out for a few seconds too long. Somehow, his brain gets stalled on Reggie’s face; the strain at the edges of his smile, the dark circles under his eyes. His eyes are a little puffy — he’s been crying. He holds onto Zoey, not just like he’s happy to see her, but like he needs her — needs something soft and comforting to ground him.

Reggie rode his bike all the way to Alex’s house in the middle of the night. He wouldn’t have done that without a good reason.

Alex sighs, and scratches behind Cooper’s ears. When he looks back up at Reggie, his smile is small, but Reggie’s clearly reassured by it nonetheless. “Yeah, you’re right. Things were getting pretty lonely around here.” Alex nudges his shoulder. “You feel like some popcorn?”

Reggie bounds to his feet. “Always!”

“We can finish watching the best John Hughes movie, and then I’ll generously  give you next pick…”

Reggie’s no fan of the classic 80s teen romances, but he’ll suffer through them for Alex’s sake. Alex, in return, has seen Star Wars fourteen times.  He honestly couldn’t care less about defending the galaxy, or whatever Mark Hamill’s trying to do with the long stick and the gross robes… but it makes Reggie happy, and for that, it’s worth it.

So he’s surprised when, instead of insisting on  A New Hope, Reggie buries his face in Alex’s most comfortable blanket, and murmurs something Alex barely catches.

“What?” Reggie doesn’t answer. “Dude, you’ve got to speak up, I can’t — did I not tell you to keep the popcorn in your mouth?” He snatches a few kernels out of Reggie’s lap before they can fall into the cushions and get lost forever. When he looks up again, Reggie’s cheeks are bright red. Alex nudges him in the shoulder again, prompting him to speak up.

“It’s just — uhh—“ Reggie shrugs. “Don’t really feel like Star Wars tonight.”

Alex’s brows shoot up. “Oh… kay. What do you want to watch, then?”

Reggie clears his throat, and studiously doesn’t look Alex in the eye. “Could we watch the Wizard of Oz maybe?”

Alex stares at him; after a few seconds, he snorts. Reggie’s head snaps toward him, indignant in a second.

“It’s a classic, okay? Iconic cinema! You can’t get any better than Judy Garland, and tell me the Wicked Witch didn’t scare your pants off as a kid! And, and, and the flying monkeys are crazy cool, and—“

“You’re such a dork,” Alex scoffs. 

Reggie’s cheeks flood with heat; he looks down again, picking the blankets with his chewed-up fingernails. “Am not,” he mutters — and that’s Alex’s third clue something’s really up.

Second clue: Reggie will never pass up a chance to watch Star Wars. It’s always his top pick… so, for him to choose a kid’s movie instead, he must need something familiar. Something comforting. Something where the ending is a foregone conclusion.

And a Reggie who doesn’t bounce back from Alex’s sharp edged comments like a rubber-band ball is clearly in one heck of a bad way.

Alex’s smile slowly fades. He leans forward on the couch, elbows on his knees, and studies Reggie sideways. When his friend refuses to look up, he nudges their knees together. When he still avoids him — as stubborn as Cooper at the groomers, god  — Alex inches closer to him, pressing their shoulders together.

“Okay,” he says, “what’s up?”

Reggie finally looks up at him, but it’s no victory. His eyes are wide and guilty. “Wh— what?”

“What’s going on, Reg?”

Reggie shrinks back from him… but there’s nowhere to go. Caught between Alex’s body and the couch, he settles for burrowing further into the blanket. He looks like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar… who’s expecting to get spanked for it.

“Nothing,” he mutters. “Nothing, man.” The way he hunches in on himself gives the game away, even if his miserable face didn’t. Alex’s stomach twists. “I just wanted to hang out, I just thought — didn’t want you to be lonely, I mean, it gets quiet here, in a big house all alone, and I know you get nervous, so I just thought maybe, but if you want me to go I’ll g—"

“Reggie.”

His voice breaks through the tidal wave of thought, somehow. Reggie goes still and silent, frowning down at his lap. When Alex lays a hand on his shoulder, he reluctantly looks at him.

“I can tell you’re upset, that’s all,” Alex says… and, as a flicker of something absolutely exhausted passes through Reggie’s eyes, the decision is made for him. “I’m not gonna press. I don’t need you to tell me anything, Reg, but I don’t want you to go.” He pauses, considers, and rubs his hand over Reggie’s shoulder. “Do you need anything?”

“I—“ Reggie exhales a shuddering breath, and shakes his head. “No. I’m, uhh, I’m… good.”

It’s hardly convincing… but Alex suspects it's the best he’s going to get.

Which is okay, because Reggie’s right here. They have the entire house to themselves for the night… and Alex has the Wizard of Oz on cassette tape.

Alex’s house can be a safe place, just for tonight, and that seems like what Reggie needs most of all.

Alex digs the movie out of their cabinet, and pops it in the VCR. As he sits down on the couch once again, curling up at Reggie’s side, he considers his mother’s suede couches — the pride and joy of their living room, which she dotes over and vacuums religiously every Tuesday. The Mercers have a lot of house rules, but Rule Number Two (after No Gays Allowed!) is Don’t Mess Up The Couch.

Alex glances at Reggie, raises his brows, and taps the leather couch three times in quick succession.

“Zoey! Cooper! Up!”

They don’t even have time to brace themselves. All at once, Alex and Reggie are buried under twin lumps of golden fur… and Reggie’s laughter might be the sweetest sound Alex has ever heard.

As the movie starts, and the dogs settle down — Cooper with his head in Alex’s lap, Zoey flopped practically on top of Reggie — a quiet contentment settles between them. The anxiety humming underneath Reggie’s skin quiets so much that Alex can’t hear it anymore… and, in turn, Alex’s own nerves find some peace.

“I’m glad you’re here, Reg,” he says softly, tucking an arm around Reggie’s shoulders. 

“I’m glad you are, too,” Reggie murmurs,.

It might not be exactly what he needs — him, and dogs, and cozy blankets and comfort movies — but as Reggie curls into him with a sigh, Alex hopes it’s enough.

[k-llama-llama]

Here When You Need

BTS AU: 8th member

Sumi x BTS

Changkyun comes through for Sumi

A/N: this is directly after the last Sumi post, so still the day that shit hit the fan.

Check out my PATREON (patreon.com/kllamallama) for exclusive content. This post was available a month ago for those on my patreon.

Requests are OPEN.

Masterlist and other Follow Me links in bio!

Sumi took another sip of her tea, staring out the window. It was raining, which just made it feel like the universe was laughing at her. Her tea had long since gone cold, but she wasn’t moving. She’s made the tea to attempt to calm her thoughts, but it wasn’t helping her wrestle her feelings away.

She could hear her phone from where she’d dropped it in the kitchen, vibrating with what had to be the hundredth call of the evening.

She didn’t want to hear what any of them had to say. 

It was her own fault. She was so stupid and horrible that she’d made the people she loved most in the world feel like they had to keep a secret from her. And she didn’t want to hear them try to make her feel better.

Someone knocked on her door.

She didn’t move.

The beeping of her pinpad filled her ears, and she didn’t turn, just watched the reflection in the window as Changkyun burst through the door. His hair was wet and sticking to his head, water rolling off of his coat as he flung it to the floor.

He glanced frantically around the apartment, stopping in his tracks when he finally spotted her by the window.

He breathed a sigh of relief. “You’re okay.”

Sumi just shrugged, not turning to look at him.

“Soo? You can talk to me.” He walked over, coming to kneel next to her chair. He reached a hand out for her tea. “This is cold, let me make you a new one.”

“Did you know?” Sumi said quietly.

He knew what she was talking about, and set her mug on the floor before he took her hands in both of his. “No. I promise I didn’t. Zoey told me when she got home.”

“Hm.” Sumi nodded, looking down at their hands.

“Taehyung called her. He said you guys fought and that you weren’t answering your phone. They’re all worried.”

“I told them I was going to my apartment.” 

“They knew you were upset. Zoey’s upset too.” He lifted one hand to her cheek. “Come on, talk to me.”

Sumi’s lip quivered. “I just don’t know what to do.”

Changkyun reached up, wiping away a tear. “I know. I’m sorry this happened.”

That was all it took for the floodgates to open, and she started sobbing. She buried her face in his shoulder, clinging to his shirt as she let it all out.

He rubbed her back, pulling her close and waiting for her to be ready to speak.

“I’m....I’m the worst person ever.” She said quietly, her voice muffled.

Changkyun gave a little laugh. “No you’re not. I wouldn’t date the worst person ever.”

“No, I am.” She pulled back, looking him in the eye. “I’ve been so controlling and awful that they couldn’t trust me.”

Changkyun opened his mouth.

“Don’t lie, you know it’s true.” Sumi sniffled.

“Look, you’ve always treated Jungkook like your little brother. And maybe sometimes you were a bit much. But that didn’t give him the right to keep a secret from you.”

“They all did. None of them trusted me. Not even Zoey.”

He didn’t know what to say to that, and instead wiped away some of the mascara from under her eyes. “What happened to your lip?” He asked quietly. “You get in a street fight?”

Sumi snorted, a tiny smile breaking onto her face. “I don’t even know what happened.”

“Whoever it was, I’ll beat them up.” He promised.

“It was probably me.”

“Well, then I guess I have to beat you up.” He winked. “Or I can just kiss it better.”

“That one please.”

He smiled, leaning forward to kiss her pouting lips. “That better?”

“Not really. Everyone I love still hates me.”

“That’s not true.” Changkyun insisted. “They don’t hate you, they just....” He searched for the right words. “They made a mistake. They made a judgement based on-”

“Based on how horrible I’ve been.”

“You made a mistake too.” Changkyun smiled.

“You really think it’s that simple?” Sumi asked. Her arms were around his neck, clinging onto him.

He sighed. “I don’t know. I know that Zoey is a mess right now, because I really think she thought she was doing the right thing. And I know that your boys love you. And I know that I love you, so I’m trying to be impartial but I was trying not to yell at Zoey when I left to find you.”

“Don’t yell at Zoey.” She mumbled.

“I know, that’s your job.” He rubbed her waist. “But your boys love you. And....while I don’t think Jungkook made a good choice, he loves you to. Heck, I’m pretty sure he’s been in love with you for years.”

“That’s not true.”

“Soo, you were literally that kid’s whole world. And he probably felt like by dating, he would grow up. It was stupid, and I guess you need to let him explain it himself. But I don’t think he would ever want to hurt you.”

“But he did. And it’s-”

“It’s not your fault.” Changkyun insisted. “It was...a miscommunication on all sides.”

Sumi leaned back so she could study his face as she asked the question. “You really don’t think that I deserved this?”

“Of course not. You’re a little....I’m going to say extra loving but I think involved might be a better word, but you mean well. And I don’t think anything gets solved by keeping secrets. And if you talk it out, I think it will all be okay.”

Sumi looked down. “I don’t know if I can go back there right now.”

“That’s okay.” Changkyun promised. “I’ll call and let them know you’re okay, and you can take all of the time you need.”

“Thank you.”

Changkyun grabbed her mug, standing up. “Now, I’m going to go make you another tea, and call Zoey and Taehyung to let them know you’re okay.”

“Make sure to tell Zoey she’s a real bitch for me.” Sumi grinned at him.

“Um, I’ll leave that to you.” He winced. “And I’ll get you some ice for your lip too.”

“Can you stay the night?” She asked, reaching an arm out towards him.

“I was planning on it.” He winked. “I’ll order food.”

“What kind of food?”

“Lots. And we’ll eat it in the bathtub or something, to be extra scandalous.” He turned to walk away.

“Kyun?”

“Yeah?” He looked back.

“I love you. And I’m so lucky to have you.”

“I love you too.” He smiled at her. “Which is why I’m not going to stop until I see you smile.”

“That’s going to take a lot of food. I’ll probably be fat by the end of it.”

“Good. That’s the goal.” He walked away. “And can you start watching TV or something instead of the rain?”

“I thought you liked it when I was dramatic.”

“Sure, but not boring.” He called. “”I’m not going to feed you if you’re boring.”

[celestial-thoughts]

may 29, 2023 - weekly women's pro wrestling news roundup: week of may 22-28, 2023

this week's news roundup includes:

News & results from last week's editions of Monday Night Raw, NXT, and Friday Night SmackDown.

News & results from from WWE Night of Champions and NXT Battleground.

News & results from AEW Double or Nothing.

Updates on injuries and other news.

Notes from the media call for NXT Battleground (led by Shawn Michaels).

Things to look forward to in women's wrestling this week!

spoilers below the cut for shows/events listed above!

Notable news & results from TV last week:

Monday Night Raw (5/22):

Zoey Stark defeated Candice LeRae. Nikki Cross may have accidentally cost Candice the match. match length-2:30.

SmackDown Women's Champion Rhea Ripley issued a challenge to Natalya for Night of Champions.

Raquel Rodriguez defeated Sonya Deville. After the match, Sonya and Chelsea Green attacked Raquel, until Shotzi came to her aid. It was later revealed that Shotzi will be Raquel's tag team partner next week in the match to crown the new women's tag team champions. match length-1:55.

Becky Lynch & WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus signed the contract for their match at Night of Champions, making the match official.

NXT (5/23):

NXT Women's Championship Tournament Semifinals: Lyra Valkyria defeated Cora Jade. Lyra advances to the finals at NXT Battleground. She will face the winner of Roxanne Perez vs. Tiffany Stratton. match length-3:41.

After Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne had some harsh words for each other, the third match in the trilogy between the former best friends was made official for next week on NXT: a weaponized steel cage match.

NXT Women's Championship Tournament Semifinals: Tiffany Stratton defeated Roxanne Perez. Tiffany advances to the finals at NXT Battleground. She will face Lyra Valkyria. match length-9:39.

After the match, Roxanne was taken out by someone in a black hoodie.

SmackDown (5/26):

Raquel Rodriguez & Shotzi defeated Bayley & Iyo Sky of Damage CTRL. Raquel pinned Bayley after a miscommunication between Bayley and Iyo. match length-9:06.

Bianca cut a promo, where she talked about how she respected this new side of Asuka, but how she wasn't happy with Asuka interrupting her celebration a few weeks ago and misting her twice. Asuka came out and attacked Bianca from behind, before officials separated the two.

Notable news & results from PPVs last week:

Night of Champions (5/27):

Trish Stratus defeated Becky Lynch. This was the first time Trish had a one on one match since 2019. She was victorious after an assist from Zoey Stark, who aligned herself with the hall of famer. match length-14:50.

Asuka defeated Bianca Belair to become the new Raw Women's Champion. With this title win, Asuka is now a 3 time Raw Women's Champion. This victory also marks Asuka's 6th singles title win in WWE, and her 9th title win in WWE overall. match length-15:00.

Rhea Ripley defeated Natalya to retain the SmackDown Women’s Championship. This victory marks Rhea's second successful title defense as SmackDown Women's Champion. match length-1:10.

NXT Battleground (5/28):

Tiffany Stratton defeated Lyra Valkyria to become the new NXT Women's Champion in the finals of the NXT Women's Championship Tournament. This is Tiffany's first championship win in her wrestling career. match length-16:01.

AEW Double or Nothing (5/28):

Toni Storm defeated Jamie Hayter to become the new AEW Women’s World Champion. With this win, Toni becomes the first ever two time AEW Women's World Champion. match length-3:05.

Jade Cargill defeated Taya Valkyrie to retain the TBS Championship. This victory marks Jade's 25th successful defense of the title since defeating Ruby Soho to become the inaugural champion. She is still undefeated, and extends her spotless record to 60-0. match length-8:45.

After the match, Jade issued an open challenge for the belt, which led to...

Kris Statlander defeated Jade Cargill to become the new TBS Champion. Kris has been sidelined since September of 2022 when she suffered a torn ACL. She returned tonight to end Jade's undefeated streak, and her victory marks the first time the TBS Championship has ever changed hands. match length-0:50.

Other news & updates from last week:

Dakota Kai underwent surgery for her torn ACL on Tuesday, May 23. She is expected to be out of action for 8-9 months as she recovers from the surgery. It's worth noting that the 6-9 month recovery time previously reported for her injury is highly optimistic, and a torn ACL can sometimes take up to a year to recover from.

It is also worth mentioning that WWE has yet to release any sort of statement regarding Dakota's injury, and has not made any comments on her status beyond passing remarks made by commentators on Raw and SmackDown last week.

On Tuesday, May 23, PWInsider reported that the shoulder injury sustained by Liv Morgan is potentially a torn rotator cuff. It is unclear whether or not she will need surgery, but either way she will be out for a period of time. WWE sources told Fightful that they expect Liv to be sidelined at least through the summer (reported by Fightful Select on Friday, May 26).

Also reported by Fightful Select, Jamie Hayter's injuries are legitimate, and she has been battling them for the better part of a month. There was some concern that she would not be medically cleared to compete at Double or Nothing.

New Japan Pro Wrestling released a statement on Thursday, May 25, confirming that Mercedes Mone (fka Sasha Banks) sustained an ankle injury during the main event of NJPW Resurgence on Sunday, May 21.

During the AEW Double or Nothing media call on Thursday, May 25, Tony Khan said that he believes that Stardom could help AEW, and could potentially end up appearing on Forbidden Door.

While she hasn't been featured on WWE TV in quite some time, Tegan Nox has been working matches on WWE Main Event the past couple of weeks. Notably, she has been playing a heel (or at least heel-leaning) role in these recent appearances.

Trinity (fka Naomi) had her first PPV match with Impact Wrestling this past Friday, May 26 at Under Siege, where she defeated Gisele Shaw.

As announced on Sunday, May 28 during NXT Battleground, the next NXT premium live event will be NXT: The Great American Bash, which will take place on Sunday, July 30.

Tay Melo announced that she and Sammy Guevara are expecting their first child.

At the AEW Double or Nothing media scrum, new AEW Women’s World Champion Toni Storm talked about how winning the title felt more special this time around, as it was for the undisputed title rather than an interim championship.

Also at the media scrum, new TBS Champion Kris Statlander talked about how she kept her return under wraps because she wanted it to be a special moment.

NXT Battleground media call notes:

There's interest in bringing Blair Davenport over to NXT in an official capacity, and NXT has reached out to her. But Michaels said that it's up to Davenport to make the decision about if and when she wants to make the jump on a full-time basis.

HBK noted that there were plans for Indi Hartwell at NXT Battleground prior to her injury and main roster call up. He mentioned that they were excited to see her capture the moment at Stand & Deliver and had hoped for a potentially long reign, but NXT was thrown a curveball when she got injured, and then she was drafted to Raw.

When asked about adding a second women's singles title to NXT, HBK said that he's super proud of the NXT women's division. He isn't sure how a second singles title for the women's division would fit into the brand, but he does play around with the idea. He mentioned that the NXT women's locker room is very young right now, and he doesn't know if there are people prepared to take on that role if a secondary title were to be created.

When asked for an update on the NXT Women's Tag Team Titles, Michaels says they hope to have Isla and Alba in NXT, but he believes their focus is on the main roster right now. He does believe they will come back to NXT to defend the titles sometime.

Speaking on the NXT Women's Championship tournament finals, HBK said that Lyra and Tiffany come from different backgrounds. He mentioned the prominent success that Lyra had in NXT UK, and said that her transition to the states has been fantastic to see. He also mentioned that Tiffany has been getting better and better with each match.

Michaels gave credit to Sara Amato for her work with the NXT women's division at the PC. He also said that he believes NXT has the strongest women's division in the country.

notes via @/itsellajay on twitter, who covered the call for Fightful.

Things to look forward to this week:

After being vacated a couple of weeks ago, new WWE Women's Tag Team Champions will be crowned tonight, May 29, on Raw. The teams of Raquel Rodriguez & Shotzi, Ronda Rousey & Shayna Baszler, Bayley & Iyo Sky, and Sonya Deville & Chelsea Green will compete in a fatal four way match for the vacant titles.

Also on Raw tonight, qualifying matches for the Money in the Bank ladder matches begin. Reminder: Money in the Bank takes place on Saturday, July 1 at the O2 Arena in London.

On NXT tomorrow night, May 30, Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne go one on one for a third time. And this time, it's a weaponized steel cage match.

Also on NXT tomorrow, the identity of the person who has been attacking various members of the NXT women’s division will be revealed. This mystery attacker most recently took out Roxanne Perez on last week’s NXT after Perez was defeated by Tiffany Stratton in the semifinals of the NXT Women’s Championship tournament.

This week on AEW Dynamite, Britt Baker & Adam Cole will team up to take on Saraya & Chris Jericho.

The first women's Money in the Bank qualifying match on the SmackDown side will take place this Friday, June 2. LWO member Zelina Vega will go one on one with Lacey Evans, with a spot in the ladder match on the line.

[wrestlingisfake]

NXT Fake Rankings, 8/7/2021

Last night saw another wave of releases in WWE, which drew attention to a report that WWE is overhauling NXT with "a focus on younger talents." With that in mind, I'm going to list the ages of the current NXT roster (as best as I could determine), so we can try to get a sense of what "a focus on younger talents" means.

One other note: For this list, the final word on who is on the NXT roster is WWE's own website, which fails to reflect a lot of recent debuts and reported trades. (Top Dolla and Mandy Rose aren't listed as NXT performers, but Veer/Rinku still is.) Anyone who isn't listed on the official roster, but has wrestled on NXT or 205 Live in the past 30 days, will be noted in italics.

Men's singles division - heels

Kyle O'Reilly (34)

Dexter Lumis (37)

Cameron Grimes (27)

Kushida (38) (NXT cruiserweight champion)

Drake Maverick (38)

Men's singles division - heels

Karrion Kross (36) (NXT men's champion)

Adam Cole (32)

Johnny Gargano (33)

LA Knight (38) ("million dollar champion")

Santos Escobar (37)

Ridge Holland (33)

Roderick Strong (38)

Austin Theory (24)

Unranked: Andre Chase (32), Carmelo Hayes (27), Duke Hudson (32), Grayson Waller (31), Guru Raaj (26?), Ikemen Jiro (28), Joe Gacy (33), Josh Briggs (?), Odyssey Jones (27), Trey Baxter (24)

We can begin to see NXT's age issue right here. All of the top male wrestlers are over 30, except Grimes and Theory, who are both playing lackeys right now. A lot of these guys are over 35, which isn't old, but doesn't fit the narrative of NXT being the future. Guys like Lumis, Kushida, Maverick, Knight, Escobar, and Strong are not here because they're being groomed for the main roster. They're here because they'd be misfits on the main roster.

I am not saying the over-35 crowd on NXT is going to be released. (The 2021 releases have been remarkably difficult to predict.) But if the reports are true, and WWE wants to refocus NXT on youth, then I would expect an "up or out" mentality, where the older talent is moved to Raw or Smackdown to sink or swim.

Most of the twenty-somethings here are new to the roster, slotted into the Breakout Tournament or backfilling the 205 Live mainstays who got cut. And even then, it seems only one of those newcomers (Baxter) is under 25. Chances are he'll be 30 before he gets a real push on the main roster. WWE's process makes it very hard to promote someone like Jungle Boy, which has been a huge opening for AEW.

Men's tag team division - babyfaces

Top Dolla (31) & Ashante Adonis (31)

Timothy Thatcher (38) & Tommaso Ciampa (36)

Men's tag team division - heels

Pete Dunne (27) & Oney Lorcan (35)

Raul Mendoza (29) & Joaquin Wilde (34)

Fabian Aichner (31) & Marcel Barthel (31)

Grizzled Young Veterans - Zack Gibson (30) & James Drake (28)

Aichner and Barthel are still listed on WWE.com as NXT UK guys, even though they've wrestled exclusively in Florida for over a year.

This division is a bit lopsided due to the champions, Wes Lee and Nash Carter, being out of action lately. In the meantime, the main storylines have been Isaiah Scott & Dolla & Adonis vs. Santos Escobar & Mendoza & Wilde and Thatcher & Ciampa vs. Lorcan & Dunne & Ridge Holland. It doesn't even seem like anyone's even pursuing the tag title, so maybe it's just as well that the champions have been absent.

Going back to the age thing, Ciampa, Thatcher, and Lorcan are all in that range where WWE may be re-evaluating what they're doing here, or at least what they're doing in the minor league. I know Ciampa talked a lot about preferring to spend his career in NXT, but a lot has gone down since then, and that goal may not be plausible except as a player/coach.

Women's singles division - babyfaces

Raquel Gonzalez (30) (NXT women's champion)

Ember Moon (32)

Sarray (25)

Women's singles division - heels

Dakota Kai (33)

Xia Li (33)

Unranked: Aliyah (26), Gigi Dolin (24), Jacy Jayne (?)

Women's tag team division - babyfaces

Kayden Carter (33) & Kacy Catanzaro (31)

Women's tag team division - heels

Franky Monet (37) & Jessi Kamea (32)

For a long time it was rare to see women wrestlers make it in WWE past age 30, so it's been good to see the company move away from that with women like Franky Monet and Mercedes Martinez. Then again, Martinez just got cut yesterday. Ever since WWE brought back John Laurinitis (who infamously scouted female talent by perusing lingerie catalogs), there's been a lot of concern that the "divas revolution"/"women's revolution" is getting rolled back. And it's telling that the NXT women who've been getting dark match tryouts have tended to be under 30.

No TV matches in 30 days

Boa (26?)

Brian Kendrick (42)

Candice LeRae (35)

Indi Hartwell (24)

Io Shirai (31) (NXT tag team champion)

Isaiah Scott (30) (NXT North American champion)

Nash Carter (27) (NXT men's tag team champion)

Samoa Joe (42)

Saurav (37)

Wes Lee (26) (NXT men's tag team champion)

Zoey Stark (27) (NXT women's tag team champion)

For whatever reason major NXT acts like LeRae & Hartwell, Lee & Carter, Scott, and Shirai & Stark have not been in the ring lately. It could just be a timing issue. Although I think it's striking that almost all of NXT's champions have not wrestled at all in the past 30 days.

Samoa Joe, of course, has been brought back to build up a big grudge match with NXT's top champion, Karrion Kross. Given that Kross has been called up to Raw, where there is no interest in presenting him as an unstoppable badass, it's almost guaranteed that a 42-year-old is going to win the NXT title from a 36-year-old who already couldn't last two minutes with 43-year-old Jeff Hardy. So if NXT is going to refocus on younger talent, I think we can expect some drastic, monumental changes, going all the way to the top.

It's baffling to me that Kendrick and Saurav have survived the past 18 months of cuts. Not that I want them to be cut, of course. But they're both never used and getting up there in years, which is a bad combination in this company. I keep thinking Kendrick must have become an agent or a producer or something, but I've never seen anyone report that.

Inactive

Danny Burch (39) (right shoulder - separation)

Nobody ever reported that Burch needed surgery for his shoulder, so I'm optimistic that he'll be back before too long. Of course, nowadays even being injured isn't enough to protect people from getting released.

[hereidinathoreauwrites]

Chapters: 2/5 Fandom: Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist (TV) Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Zoey Clarke/Joan Characters: Zoey Clarke, Joan (Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist) Additional Tags: it's the headcannon fic!, your #2 choice, two people start having sex for fun and oops they're in love, Women Loving Women, Developing Relationship, Boss/Employee Relationship, Bisexual Female Character, joan's pov, so I wouldn't have to deal with songs, Lesbian Sex, Fluff and Smut, Vaginal Fingering, Cunnilingus, Cuddling & Snuggling, Post-Coital Cuddling, From Sex to Love, Sex Toys, Bad Dirty Talk, zoey has a lot of emotions, but she doesn't want to talk about them, Joan is concerned but doesn't know how to ask

Ch 2: Make It Hurt So Good.

Rated M

Joan’s back hit the mattress and she couldn’t help growling softly.

 Finally.

Zoey hovered over her, lips on her shoulder, fingers trailing along Joan’s thigh.

Joan’s breath caught at the action. She’d obsessed all evening; unsure how Millennials did hook-ups (was there wine? food? or just sex and vapes?).

But the second Zoey showed up, she realized it didn’t matter.

This wasn’t a date. It was just sex. No expectations. No obligation.

Zoey had certainly wasted no time in jumping right to it. If there was one thing Millennials could be counted on for, it was non-commitment. And Zoey was clearly putting no thought into any kind of relationship. Joan loved it.

It was a little scary actually, the shift that had taken place in the red-headed coder. From the second Joan had opened the door, guiding Zoey inside, the younger woman had been all business; immediately dropping her coat to reveal a skimpy black dress. Well, skimpy by Zoey’s standards. It honestly would have been the kind of thing Joan would have worn to a funeral.

“Bedroom?” Zoey had asked, a curious lack of trepidation in her voice.

Joan had only been able to gesture. Sure, she’d dressed up slightly as well (this sleek red number hadn’t fit her since her honeymoon) and had plenty of comments in mind. But the sight of Zoey in a dress like that was reminding her libido that satiation couldn’t be far.

They'd barely entered the bedroom before Zoey had stretched up to kiss her, hands already roaming.

Now Zoey was on top of her, all nimble fingers and hot lips.

Joan pursed her lips, already squirming. God, she needed this so badly!

But something was still niggling at the back of her mind; something that the last rational part of her could not ignore no matter how turned on she was.

Joan pulled herself back from Zoey’s incessant kissing. “Zoey…Zoey wait.”

The younger woman paused and pulled back slightly. Joan didn’t let her go far. She didn’t want Zoey to think she was having second thoughts.

“I’m so glad that you agreed to this…” Joan started, trying to wrestle the words out of her lust-fogged brain, “but I’m a woman of integrity and still in a position of power over you…”

Zoey tilted her head to the side. “What are you getting at?”

Joan sat up just enough that she could look the coder in the eye. “Zoey, I want to make sure things are clear between us: this isn’t a relationship.”

Zoey nodded, almost impatiently. “Fine with me.”

Joan absorbed her flippant tone, noting it for future dissection. “There’s no danger of retribution from me or any expectation of perks.” She assured her subordinate. Joan grimaced. “And we’re not going the 50 shades route with this…no contracts, no NDAs…I trust you to keep this between us.”

“Of course.”

“And if you ever want out, just say the word and we stop. No hard feelings, no change in our work relationship.” Joan smiled at her. “Okay?” She wanted Zoey to feel comfortable doing this. But a small part of her wondered if giving her that out was going to come back to bite her.

Zoey smiled back. “I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t down for whatever you wanted.” She assured Joan.

Joan reached out and rubbed Zoey’s shoulder, working the sleeve down slightly. “Careful, I’ll use those words against you…”

Zoey countered by leaning down and whispering in Joan’s ear. “I’m counting on it.”

Joan shuddered. God, how long had it been since someone had talked dirty to her? Too long if her reaction was anything to go by. That or just the idea of Zoey having a dirty side was way too hot.

“Now…” Zoey continued, arms sliding around Joan. “Can we cease with the talking?”

“Fine by me.”

Zoey smirked at her and pressed her lips against Joan’s. Her arms took position on either side of Joan’s hips and she slowly pressed her back onto the bed.

Joan’s hands drifted, wandering down slim hips to Zoey’s rear. Zoey let out a tiny moan.

All of Joan’s insides flared with sudden warmth.

Damn. How had she never noticed how attractive Zoey was before?

Probably because of the age difference. And her tendency to keep the younger woman at a distance prior to her divorce. She’d assumed that a distant but firm direction was what the timid woman needed to succeed at SPRQ Point.

 Maybe I was wrong.

“Hang on there tiger…” She caught Zoey’s hands as they brushed at her chest. Slowly, she eased them back into a sitting position. “Now clearly, you’re ready to go. And I definitely am. But just one more thing?”

“What?” Zoey asked, clearly starting to get a little miffed at the interruptions.

Thoughts of continuing to deny Zoey her pleasure and watching her get frustrated crossed Joan’s mind. But she wasn’t in the mood for patience.

“Do you want to use a safe word?” Joan asked her, “I have a pretty open mind but if you don’t want to do something I ask for, you can use it too.”

Zoey considered for a moment. “How about…Rolling Stones?”

“That’s two words…” Joan pointed out.

Zoey fingered the zipper at the back of Joan’s dress. “Is that a problem?” She teased the zipper down slightly.

“Nope.”

“Good.” Zoey gave Joan a look. “Now can we please keep going?”

Joan scoffed. “Where was this side of you at work?”

Zoey stiffened slightly, her fingers briefly curling away from Joan. “Do you mind if we…?”

“Right. Oops! No work talk.” Joan bit her tongue to keep herself from asking more questions about Zoey’s behavior. Despite her libido, she couldn’t contain her curiosity. “Don’t let me stop you. Carry on.”

Zoey reached for Joan’s leg, running her hand up the long slit in the dress. Her lips found Joan’s throat, sending little pulses of pleasure all through her. Before she quite knew what was happening, Joan found the dress slipping from her shoulders.

She smirked at the cute little flush on Zoey’s face as her skin was revealed.

“You like what you see?”

Zoey nodded, her mouth apparently having stopped working at the sight of her boss in matching lace underwear. Joan felt a flare of satisfaction that even with her years on Zoey, she could render her speechless just by showing off her body. Guess all those Pilates classes and dawn swims in the Bay had paid off.

She arched her back, noting with pride how the coder visibly swallowed.

Joan was about to start teasing Zoey for her inaction when the younger woman suddenly surged forward. She practically tackled Joan back onto the bed, hands already cupping her breasts. Joan gasped as eager fingers brushed her nipples through the fabric.

Fumbling around her hips, Joan managed to wrestle the dress the rest of the way off, tossing it aside. Zoey straddled her, their lips connecting again.

This time, Joan moaned into the kiss as Zoey’s hips made contact with her very sensitive lower half. She could already feel her own wetness pooling between her thighs.

Impatience gripped her as Zoey continued to fondle her chest. Now was not the time for foreplay…she just needed a release.

Growling, Joan broke the kiss and caught Zoey’s hands, dragging them away from trying to wrestle her bra off.

“No time for that.” Joan shifted, pulling Zoey’s hands further down her body.

Zoey’s eyes widened. “W…wow. Already?”

Joan rolled her eyes. “I’ve been horny for a week.” She forced Zoey’s hand down. “Safe words are still an option. But please just fuck me.”

She smirked as the coder flushed at her language. “Yes, ma’am.” Zoey’s fingers tugged at her panties, gently sliding them off her thighs. “Anything in particular you want?”

“Literally anything will get me off right now…” Joan growled, already squirming. Her libido was piqued and she didn’t want to talk anymore.

Zoey faltered, seeming paralyzed. For a moment, Joan feared she’d finally pushed Zoey too far and that the woman was going to back out and insist they never spoke of this again.

She was too turned on for that outcome.

Joan wrapped her legs around Zoey’s waist and pulled her close. “Please Zoey? I’m dying here.” She hated how desperate she sounded. But until she got what she wanted, she didn’t care. Joan let her legs fall open.

Zoey stared for awhile, so long that Joan almost popped her head up to check on her. But just as she did, a tentative finger entered her.

Joan gasped, body already taut. “Jeez, give a woman a warning!”

“Sorry!”

Joan squeezed her knees shut, trapping Zoey’s hand. “Stop apologizing.” Her hips were already grinding, desperate for any kind of friction.

Zoey obliged, adding a second finger as her thrusts became more confident.

It was glorious. It was just what she’d craved. But she still wasn’t there. Joan huffed in annoyance, hands flailing as she tried to figure out just what was missing to push her over the edge. She brushed at her own breasts, whimpering as the edge dulled.

Zoey leaned down, breath hot on her cheek. “Joan? What do you need?” She asked, fingers never slowing.

“nggh! More!” Joan panted. She dug her nails into Zoey’s shoulder. God, she needed it to hurt…!

For a moment, Zoey’s eyes slid to the side, her gaze unfocusing like she was seeing something in her own head. But just as Joan thought about reaching out to her, Zoey snapped out of it and redoubled her efforts.

Now it hurt.

Joan arched her back, relishing the pain. A long, low moan built in her throat.

Encouraged by her sounds, Zoey nipped her neck.

The unexpected action had Joan’s legs twitching. “More!” She gasped, voice failing.

Zoey obliged, shifting her hand slightly so her mouth could continue its work. She left tiny, prickling bites all across Joan’s chest and shoulders, tongue tracing gently after them.

Joan was rapidly nearing the release she craved, clenching down on Zoey’s fingers and fisting her hand in Zoey’s hair.

Just a little further… The edge was so close again…she could taste it!

Zoey’s lips found her bra and she bit down on Joan’s erect nipple through the fabric.

Joan let out a scream that vaguely sounded like Zoey’s name as she finally hit that spot.

The long-awaited orgasm tore through her with a vengeance: making every muscle in her body ripple and her breath catch. Her heart thudded loudly in her ears and the only coherent thought she had was Zoey, Zoey, Zoey!

The pleasure built, flooding her stomach and chest, making her melt into the bed.

She came down slowly, still panting, head slowly catching up to her body. Zoey was still gently thrusting, guiding her back down off her high.

Joan collapsed back on her pillow, mildly surprised at the dampness beneath her head. Her muscles were trembling like she'd just run a marathon. God, when was the last time sex had been such a satisfying workout?

A soft moan escaped her as Zoey slowly pulled her fingers free. Zoey made a soft sound as well, sounding vaguely like a word Joan couldn’t make out.

As her heart finally slowed, Joan raised herself up on her arms. Rather than exhaust her, her orgasm had pumped her full of the kind of energy she hadn’t felt in almost a decade: the urge for more sexual exploration and the possibility of another such high.

To her surprise, Zoey was standing up, one shoe already on and clearly looking for the other.

“You don’t have to go yet…” Joan called, her voice still hoarse.

Zoey froze, shoulders tensing. “Wh…really?”

Joan crawled up to her, already tugging at Zoey’s zipper. She smirked playfully. “You get a turn too…”

Zoey inhaled as the black dress slid from her body. “Are…are you sure?” She didn’t look reluctant; it was more like surprise.

Joan frowned. Perhaps she hadn’t made it clear enough that she wanted Zoey to get something out of whatever this was too? “We’re already violating HR, Zoey…” She pulled the coder down. “you may as well get to reap some of the reward as well.”

Zoey still seemed uncertain, fidgeting her hands in her lap. Joan leaned back slightly. “We don't have to of course, I’m perfectly content to just receive and let you go on your way…”

But Zoey looked up and Joan’s teasing comment died in her throat.

The coder nodded, face set like she’d finally decided something. “Okay.” She lay back and spread her legs.

Joan almost laughed. Not out of callousness. More from the idea that such a teasing statement had had such an instant effect on Zoey.

It was…incredibly hot.

She crawled over Zoey’s prone body, fingers tracing exposed skin. She noted what spots Zoey reacted to and which ones she didn’t. She played with the coder’s bra briefly, hands remembering the feel of breasts and the satisfaction of feeling a nipple pebble instantly against her touch. But her own bra was still on and Zoey was squirming so she decided to abandon that journey.

She trailed her fingers down Zoey’s chest and stomach, noting just how young and lithe she was. Zoey still had her youth and Joan couldn’t help but envy her for it.

Joan hooked her fingers through Zoey’s panties as she went, pulling them off without fanfare. They felt damp in her hand. She smirked. “Someone’s already a little excited.” She purred, twirling the panties around her finger before letting them fall.

Zoey blushed, the color traveling all over her exposed skin. Joan felt her eyes widen.

Damn.

She’d really been missing out on just how cute Zoey Clarke could be.

Joan made a path down Zoey’s body, lazily tracing her thigh. Her fingers and wrist complained as she made a brief pass at the younger woman’s clit. She frowned as Zoey twitched, flexing her over-worked fingers.

“Why’d you stop?” Zoey asked, knees coming together slightly as she looked up. The younger woman looked pained, and more than a little put-out.

Joan considered the impatient coder, a small part of her enjoying that she could make her squirm. Her fingers may be out of commission at the moment. But that wasn’t going to stop her.

“Mouth okay?” Joan asked, as casually as if she were asking Zoey about having pickles on a sandwich.

Zoey made a choking sound. Joan paused, hand resting comfortably on Zoey’s thigh, waiting to hear their safe words.

“Y…yes…” Zoey breathed. “Please.” She rubbed her knees together briefly before opening up to Joan.

Joan was astounded at the level of trust Zoey had for her. But she wasn’t complaining. She knelt between Zoey’s legs, pulling the shorter woman’s knees over her shoulders. Licking her lips, she eased herself into Zoey.

She hadn’t ate a girl out in decades. But if Zoey’s sounds were anything to go by, Joan knew she still had her college silver tongue.

It helped that Zoey was clearly already very turned on; a fact Joan’s tongue very much relished. She tasted musky and slippery in the best way. Biting back a smile, Joan let her tongue explore, her hands supporting Zoey’s rear as her hips arched.

When Zoey let out a keening wail, Joan knew she was close. She nipped the inside of Zoey’s thigh and dove back in. Zoey responded immediately, knees clenching against Joan's head.

She couldn’t help slipping a single finger inside and curling it back towards her. Her tongue swirled around the coder’s clit.

The younger woman’s legs jerked and before Joan quite knew what was happening, she was falling apart around her. Zoey’s orgasm was short and almost violent, her body twisting this way and that as she grunted through the release. It was over just as suddenly as it began, Zoey falling limp.

A little startled, Joan lapped at Zoey’s core a few more times, making certain that she was done. Then she gently withdrew her finger and sat up, wiping her mouth.

She flinched.

Zoey was crying. It was barely noticeable, but her cheeks were wet and her panting breaths seemed a little too watery for post-orgasm.

“Zoey?” Joan stroked her shoulder, trying to bring the younger woman back to her from her high. “Zoey, did I hurt you?”

“N…no…No.” Zoey tried to smile at her but it looked pained. “You…wasn’t you…” But she still rolled away and stood in one smooth motion, refusing to look at Joan. Still nude, she stumbled towards the bathroom and closed herself away.

Joan sat back on the bed, licking the last traces of Zoey from her mouth. While she knew she didn't need to care, her chest twisted at the thought that she’d accidentally done something to hurt the younger woman.

 What was that about?

But before she could come up with any theories, Zoey emerged. Joan sat up straight, sudden apprehension flooding through her.

“Zoey…I…”

“You didn’t do anything wrong, Joan.” Zoey assured her, her smile seeming more genuine now. “I just…that was more than I expected.”

“But you’re okay?” Joan clarified, leaning forward. Her concern for the coder was a surprise. But she really did care to know if she was actually okay or just faking.

Zoey shifted, looking nervous. “yeah…”

“Zoey…?” Joan couldn’t help but feel a little guilty. It was just supposed to be sex; she hadn’t meant to push Zoey that far.

“Would you mind if we…cuddled?” Zoey asked, glancing up at Joan with a faint pinkish tinge to her cheeks. “Just for a little while? Then I’ll get out of your hair…”

Joan briefly considered using their safe words. Charlie had never been big on cuddling and she herself wasn’t really a fan. She never knew where to put her arms and had never been able to get comfortable with any of her previous partners. Besides, cuddling post-sex felt a little…too intimate. That was the kind of thing sappy teenagers did.

But after what Zoey had done for her, and after the unexpected roller-coaster she’d put the coder through, why not?

She laid back and beckoned. Zoey’s face lit up. She crawled up beside her and laid her head on Joan’s shoulder. Her face was still damp.

Joan found a semi-comfortable position for her arm around Zoey’s back and held her close. The younger woman sighed into the embrace, arms wrapped around Joan’s waist. It was the closest they’d ever been.

While Zoey closed her eyes and rocked slightly, Joan found herself unable to think about sleep. She stared at the younger woman in her arms.

Zoey was so warm…

To Joan’s surprise, the next day at work was like any other. Well, minus the slight limp in her walk and bites across her chest. And sure, Zoey’s smile was a little brighter than usual but otherwise, they remained exactly as they had been: friendly but no further.

Zoey didn’t even shoot her secret looks across the office, instead remaining focused on her team and their project.

Joan was impressed. She hadn’t realized that the younger woman was so good at compartmentalizing. Definitely a point in her favor.

She imagined that if she’d done the same with any of the guys at the office, they’d be stuck to her side like glue as often as possible, flexing their testosterone. Or worse, slowly falling for her.

But Zoey clearly wasn’t. She still popped in on Joan a few times a day but always for work-related concerns. Her smile never showed anything more than her usual cheery demeanor and platonic fondness.

Joan sat back in her chair as she watched Zoey pack up to leave for the day. The coder was chatting with her friend Max and actually smiling.

She shifted, feeling the small, delicate hickeys from last night protest against her high-collared blouse. Zoey had left the previous night without fanfare; eventually pulling away from their embrace and dressing in front of the mirror as Joan called her a car.

They hadn’t even kissed good night; settling for a simple wave as Zoey descended to the waiting vehicle.

Joan smiled.

It was uncomplicated. Simple. Just sex and a body next to hers. Clearly, Zoey wasn’t going to let this get complicated. If they continued, that is. They hadn’t discussed anything more.

As she watched, Zoey left Max at the elevator, turning back for something. But instead of heading for her desk, she made for Joan’s office.

Joan fumbled to look busy, like she hadn’t just been watching Zoey leave.

“Yes?” She inquired as Zoey stepped into her office. She tapped aimlessly at her tablet screen.

“I just wanted to confirm our engineering-hardware briefing tomorrow?” Zoey was still all business, plugging something into her watch. “Is 11:15 good?”

Joan nodded, still pretending to work. “Works for me.”

Zoey nodded. “Great! I’ll let the team know.” She fidgeted, pulling the strap of her bag closer. “Oh and…one more thing?”

Joan glanced up. “Hmm?”

Zoey was watching her clock, patiently waiting for it to jump from 5:00 to 5:01.

She turned back to Joan. “Last night was really fun. Would you like to do it again sometime?” She said all this in a rush, like she’d been holding it in all day.

Joan perked up, already nodding. “Yes. Tomorrow?”

Zoey’s whole face lit up in a brilliant smile. “My place? I know it’s a bit far for you but you could…stay the night? If it’s easier?” She shook her head. “No pressure.”

Joan wasn’t super thrilled at the idea of spending a night in whatever downtown slum Zoey probably rented. But the woman had been remarkably professional and accommodating about their hookup. And she much preferred Zoey’s warmth to a vibrator so…

Joan shrugged. “Sure. Why not?”