#also gotta cleanup his skin a bit

[spicyraeman]

got lost in the sauce, my mans 4k now

[avidhorrormoviefan]

wayne mccullough nsfw alphabet!!

i kinda got carried away and just kept adding stuff so haha yeah you’re welcome

alright before we start this off i just wanna say that wayne was so so very awkward during the beginning of your relationship but now he’s loosened up and so comfortable w you

alright here ya go

characters are 18+!!!

smut under cut

A - Aftercare (What they’re like after sex)

- he loovvvees taking care of you after sex. like he always has water on hand ready to give to you if you want it. he’ll get a cloth of you need it. he also just kisses all over your body telling you how much he loves you over and over

B - Body part (Their favorite body part of theirs and also their partners)

- he likes his hands and arms. watching his fingers disappear inside of you over and over again mixed with the sounds that you and your pussy makes drives him up the fucking wall

- he sticks his thumb in your mouth

- when he starts to get tired and his head slumps down into your neck and you see his shoulder n back muscles………

- he loves your whole body, just the fact that he has it all to himself is wild to him

- but he does like your hips and thighs in particular though, like when he eats you out and he can just dig his hands into your skin???

- and also when he can see himself in your stomach phewwwww

- man he’ll just stare at it moving inside of you

- “fuck, is that me?” you look down to where he’s staring, seeing a bulge in your stomach from his dick.

- “yeah-yeah that’s you, wayne…” he does something impulsive and presses his hand flat against it and you moan out unexpectedly.

- “holy fuck…”

C - Cum (Anything to do with cum)

- when you go without a condom (wrap it b4 u tap it) he cums on your stomach or back for “easy cleanup” and totally not bc he loves backshots

- but when you’re sucking him off and he cums and some slips out of the corners of your mouth and down your jaw and throat and seeing that j gets him hard again

D - Dirty secret (A dirty secret of theirs)

- he wants to bend you over a desk or counter don’t ask me how i know

- or doggy??? he wants to see the arch in your back so fuckin bad

E - Experience (How experienced are they? Do they know what they’re doing?)

- he’s only been with you so he doesn’t really have any experience

- you’re his first everything

- it’s kind of self explanatory to him so he knows where everything goes

- he just doesn’t know what to do to add that extra layer of pleasure for you, so he has you touch yourself and puts his hand on top of yours to see what he can do to make you feel sooo good

- and fuck is he good at it

- “like that?” he says innocently as he moves his hands though your folds just right

- “fuck, fuck yeah like that…” you say lulling your head back onto the pillow behind you, moaning out as he does it over and over

F - Favorite position

- anything where he can see your face. he loves when you make faces for him

- he also loves when you make eye contact, it makes it more intimate

G - Goofy (Are they more serious in the moment, or are they humorous, etc)

- he’s rather serious bc it’s such an intimate moment between you two

- buttttt, when you both get real into it yall go hard?? fuuuck he gets into itttt

- “yeah? you like that?”

- he can get goofy though like when he realizes what he’s doing he can laugh a bit maybe

- he can also make fun of your moans, mocking them when he’s more dominant

- “like it so much you’re fuckin droolin, yeah? fuckin whore…”

H - Hair (How well groomed are they, does the carpet match the drapes, etc.)

- he’s not that bad just a bush around the base

- and he doesn’t care about your hair at all, like honestly as long as you’re happy and comfortable so is he

I - Intimacy (How are they during the moment, romantic aspect.)

- oh is he romantic

- sometimes he sets things up w flowers n shit all cheesy but you both love it. it shows he really cares and its so fucking cute

- makes you cum every time is all i gotta say. that’s his main goal, just make you feel good

- there’s nowhere else to put this so i’ll put it here, he puts his hand in the back pocket of your jeans please help me why do i do this to myself

J - Jack off (Masturbation headcanon)

- he was never really the type to jerk off a lot but he did enjoy the few times he was alone

- but now that he has you he doesn’t really have to

- but when you’re not with him for long enough he jerks off but it’s never as good as the real thing with you

K - Kink (One or more of their kinks)

- BLOOD KINK PAIN KINK KNIFE KINK MY GUY IS A MASOCHIST

- ok one by one

- blood kink: he loves seeing either one of you bleeding in bed, he loves the taste, the sound when you wince for him, you bet you’re covered in scars that only he can see. OH MY GOD sometimes he cuts his fingers or thumb n sticks them in your mouth, saliva mixed with either of your blood at this point dripping down the sides of your mouth and down his hand

- knife kink: I MEAN COME ON??

- pain kink: goes w the last two but come onnnn. you see how much he gets beaten up for fun you can’t tell me he doesn’t get off on it a bit

- PULL HIS HAIR TRUSTTTT

- praise + degradation, he wants to be called a good boy what can i say

- choking is a big one, when he’s fucking you missionary and his hand travels from beside your head and onto your throat, he’ll squeeze just enough to feel your pulse

- he can also feel every single sound coming from your throat when he chokes you and he loves it

L - Location (Favorite places to do things)

- fucking anywhere and i mean it. the bed, the floor, the couch, the shower, a bathtub, a car, a fucking alley. anywhere kinda private, he’ll take you wherever

M - Motivation (What turns them on, gets them going)

- always in the mood, he’s a teenage boy, but when you’re in the mood? just pushes him further

- whenever he gets mad though, you’re in for quite the night ahead of you. fuckin pounding into you like nobody’s business and saying the most outrageous stuff in your ear especially after he gets beaten up bad

N - No (Turn offs, things they refuse to do)

- i mean he’s down to try anything once but maybe not pegging

O - Oral (Preference in receiving or giving, skill, etc)

- he loooovvveeeessss oral like omfg

- he’s so good at it lemme tell you

- he really doesn’t have a preference, whatever yall are in the mood to do he’ll do

- he fucks you w his tongue every fucking time

P - Pace (Are they fast and rough? Slow and sensual?)

- depends on how he’s feeling but usually he’s somewhere in the middle

- he’s fast and rough when he’s mad or just feeling more in the fucking mood

- he’s slow when he wants to just be with you in the moment

- you love both sides of him

Q - Quickie (Their opinions on quickies rather than proper sex, how often, etc.)

- he doesn’t mind a quickie here and there but he loves proper sex

- he loves the foreplay leading up to it and the closeness + aftercare, he’s very sentimental

- but a quickies always good for when you’re on the run and have time

R - Risk (Are they game to experiment, do they take risks, etc.)

- down to try anything once 🤷‍♀️

S - Stamina (How many rounds can they go for, how long do they last)

- he can go for a while sometimes three or four if he’s real pent up but usually just one or two

T - Toy (Do they own toys? Do they use them? On a partner or themselves?)

- nope not really but if you have one he’ll sheepishly ask you how it’s used and you’ll show him and it inevitably turns him on and says “fuck that, i can do it much better,” and fucks you much better

U - Unfair (How much they like to tease)

- he likes to tease you just to see how far you’ll let it go, like only circling ur clit and not going anywhere from there.

- sometimes he’ll go into the bathroom w you when he knows there’s nobody else is in there and he’ll kiss your neck and maybe play w your pussy over your clothes and get you all worked up then stop

- “fucking every time?”

- “yeah.”

- off topic but speaking of bathrooms, once when yall were in the bathroom together and someone knocked he yelled “fuckin occupied” while going down on you. hot as fuck.

V - Volume (How loud are they, what sounds they make)

- he’s actually pretty loud

- he’s more of a moaning and grunting kind of guy but sometimes he’ll whimper when he’s trying to be quiet and it’s so nice bc you can hear how much he wants to be loud but doesn’t want to get caught :(

W - Wild card

- he calls you “ma” sometimes, both in and out of bed

- he doesn’t know where it came from but one day he was like “you want anything from the gas station, ma?” and you never questioned it and it stuck

- in bed he’s like “ma, please enough with the teasin”

- “needja bad, ma, please” all whiny n shit too

- shit like that AUHHHHH

- he’s a talker in bed

- “come on, one more f’me.. i know you can do it, baby”

- whenever you say his name in bed it gets him even more worked up

- “fuck wayne, please…” you don’t even know what your asking for at this point, his dick is so far in you and you’ve came already but he’s making you feel so good you just want more.

- and you KNOW his accent gets so much stronger like cmon

- oh and he follows you around like a fuckin dog, and wherever you need him for absolutely anything, he’s always in a 5 foot radius

X - X-Ray (What's hiding under the clothes)

- he’s a good 6-7 inches and does he use it well

- he’s well toned but not buff, he’s got abs and when he noticed you staring he flexes and you get all flustered and he loves it, smirking and laughing a bit when you turn away

- when you’re fucking, his stomach and arms flex and you can see every indent of his abs and biceps

Y - Yearning (How high is their sex drive?)

- again he’s a teenage boy so his sex drive is pretty high

- he wants to be with you 24/7 and when he is he always has a hand on you never letting you go

- when you get in the mood you find him in the house and sit next to him, after a bit maybe move your leg on top of his, and this catches his attention from whatever he was doing. still not fully paying attention to you, you sigh and move to straddle his lap, fully taking his attention

- “what’s up” he laughs a bit

- “haven’t seen ya all day. missed ya” you say playing with his hair on the back of his neck

- “oh yeah?” he smirks, putting his hands on your hips, moving them up to your waist and down your thighs

- “yeah..” he slides his hands up to your waistband and hooks two fingers in them

- you tug on his hair, making his head jerk back and a grunt fall from his lips, smirk still plastered across his face.

- “you gonna do somethin about it?”

- and yall fuck right there on the couch

Z - Zzz (How quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

- he’s pretty good about not falling asleep right away, he wants to take care of you first before thinking about himself.

- you fall asleep in his arms after he gets you two cleaned up and he’s right there after you

——

ty for reading!! this was so much fun to write omgg

i’m probably gonna make a fic out of some of these bc wayne is taking up my every thought help

also happy 2024!

[thotsforvillainrights]

I just gotta say I absolutely love what you did with the blog change, the new banner thingies you do for each character looks really nice!! :D

And might I request just some general smut headcanons for my man's Goto, chrono and chisaki?

(Thank you! Now if only I could stay consistent with updating the masterlist or writing in general. THEN it would be 100% the best haha! Until then, I can only dream. Ramblings aside, I feel like I've done something for Chisaki and Chrono at least once in the past before but I'm too lazy to search the masterlist. So just in case, let's do it again!)

~Muscular/Chisaki/Hari Smut Headcanons~

headcanon|scenario|imagine|match-up|drabble

-This has probably been mentioned in the past but should be brought up again...you have to have a certain type of thick skin to put up with this man. This is regarding the relationship in general. At least as far as LOV asshole status goes, you might have a better chance trying to reason with Shigaraki or Dabi. With Muscular, you absolutely cannot take things to heart. He's gruff...he's a gruff man and that's the best way to describe it with him. Now leading into the smut:

-Being hardheaded and stubborn means he has a certain way he wants to go about things. That means if you ever had any hopes of topping him then you're just shit out of luck. 99.9% of the time during sex he's calling the shots. That other small percentage was the one singular time he let you take over on your anniversary. Even THEN he still ended up leading near the end of things. He just can't help being in control most of the time/all the time. Hopefully that doesn't get to you too much because otherwise it may lead to an unwinnable argument.

-He's a little rougher with the things he does. That bein said, he's not a monster! You don't have to worry about him doing anything despicable like taking things too far when you're not for it, or hurting you during it (on purpose at least). He obviously cares enough to be in a relationship with you so no worries there. Also, he's fine implementing some form of a safeword if you feel you really need it. He's grimey but again, he's not a monster.

-Bravo for getting him to be in a relationship with you in the first place. Bravo for even getting him to notice you long enough to hold a conversation without looking at you in disgust. He's surprised by his own actions and so are you (no more so than Pops. The old man is the most shocked by everything). Anyhow, he cares for you but can tend to be selfish with things. Give him a break as he's still learning how to love and how to go about things in a relationship both sexual and nonsexual.

-Beforehand he's going to obviously request you get cleaned up. Don't try to get him with the "but Kai, we're both just going to get dirty again" speech because it's not going to work unfortunately. It's like a chore but you'll come to find that the headache is worth the reward. Once between the sheets you realize he's learned so much since the last few times. He's sickened by the thought (and embarrassed too) but he's spent some time researching just for you. He applies what he's learned and then proceeds to perfect it bit by bit. He won't let anything he does to you be taken terribly whatsoever. He wants to be able to KNOW he's done a good job pleasing you.

-His pace can tend to be a bit slower sometimes, along the line of making love rather than straight up fucking. However, his tune changes easily based on how the night is going and how badly he wants to finish. Speaking of finishing, don't ask him to finish anywhere but in you or in a condom. Splashing bodily fluids all over the place creates unnecessary mess so unfortunately (if you're into facials) you won't be getting one unless you wear into him for a long while until he breaks. Oh, and expect the cleanup to come afterwards too. A mandatory shower before aftercare cuddles is the main thing to expect. As mentioned beforehand, the headache is worth the reward.

-Talk about fun sex, this is the man to fulfill that. It's rare he can be anything but teasing both in and out of the bedroom. Dating him is like dating a best friend. He's pretty much the best partner of the 3. He's attentive and listens to your needs. Don't get me wrong, he's still a little bit of an ass but a teasing one at that. It may get to be annoying how many times he tires to get into your pants once the two of you start dating but if you let him know the jokes annoy you then he'll try to cool off on them for you. He understands not to push his limits too much when it comes to you.

-A lot of times he'll try to draw a little laughter out of you during sex. That way once you're laughing he can swiftly turn it into moans for him. It's like a challenge for this man almost. The sex blindsides you too. One minute you'll be outside in the backyard chatting and laughing on the picnic blanket and then the next thing you know you're giving him a handy in the shed. Other times you're chilling on the couch playing games or watching a movie before you find yourself on the carpet while he puts his tongue to work. Sometimes you might find yourself walking into it thinking you'll just have a quick shower together before suddenly your back is against the wall while he's plowing into you beneath the warm water flowing from the showerhead. Roll the dice on it.

-Despite this, he's really a great person to date outside of sex. If for whatever reason you were seeking a friends with benefits type of relationship, I can see him falling in love rather quickly. Maybe it happens more quickly than you think.

[jade-parcels]

For the alphabet nsfw. Can I request A, B, C, D and X? For baizhu, diluc and venti please (・∀・)

;)

- NOTSFW!! Minors don’t interact with this post! -

*I’m not taking notsfw alphabet requests anymore!! Just finishing up the ones I haven’t posted yet!!*

Venti:

A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)

Venti doesn’t have any interest in cleaning up, he just wants to lay there with you and bask in that post-sex glow. If you nag him enough, he’ll go get a wet washcloth to clean you both off so you can cuddle without being sticky lmao. He is gentle though, he’s sure to give you lots of praise and kisses! But you can’t be stingy, you gotta give him kisses too ofc :)

B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

Venti is a tits/chest man through and through. He loves burying his face in your chest only to grin up at you mischievously. His favorite part of himself are probably his eyes, he’s always been told he has pretty eyes and he can’t help but agree. His eyes are the only part of his form that are his

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

He looooves coming on your chest and then slowly licking it off of you, letting his hands wander and grope wherever he wants as he does. He’ll make sure to kiss you too so you can have a taste~

D = Dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

As the Anemo archon, Venti can change his physical form whenever he pleases. Sooo…He really wishes he could take on your form and fuck you that way, mimic your expressions and use your voice to moan the same way you do. He just thinks it would be fun and hot. He just doesn’t know how to ask to do something like this, it isn’t exactly normal 0-0

X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)

A solid 5 inches, no curve and no pubes, he doesn’t have any body hair, just smooth skin all over. He could always change forms if you want…or just to see what you can take

Baizhu:

A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)

Very worn out and clingy. He isn’t usually clingy but after sex, he wants to hold you close to cherish that warm, floaty feeling for a little bit longer. He’ll make you come take a bath with him, he can’t stand going to bed sticky! he’ll be a grump the next morning if he wakes up with dried cum on his hands or stomach

B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

Like Venti, Baizhu thinks his best feature is his eyes, he kinda struggles with body image stuff because he’s weak and sickly but one thing he’s always liked are his snakelike eyes. His favorite part of you is your neck/shoulders/collarbone area. He likes kissing at the soft skin there or nuzzling into your neck to breathe in your perfume

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

Baizhu has to deal with bodily fluids of all kinds on a near daily basis so he isn’t the biggest fan of…messes. He prefers coming in you or in your mouth cause that’s less cleanup for him lmao what a jerk

D = Dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

Baizhu isn’t the most ethical doctor in the world, he does sell ‘herbs’ to the Fatui. He is skilled in making all kinds of drugs and that included horny herbal meds. He’s taken them by himself before while you were away on commission runs. He underestimated the strength of them and found himself profusely sweating while humping your pillow. Then he passed out. Baizhu woke up 12 hours later surrounded by your clothes, covered in cum and with the most insane headache he’s ever had in his life. Never again. And he’ll never tell you what went down that day…not like he really knows either, which makes it even scarier

X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)

His is a good 6 and a halfish inches long with a pretty, upward curve. The head of his cock always flushes pink when he’s hard, just give it a kiss. He keeps his pubes nicely trimmed. He’s always clean, he takes bathing seriously 💀

Diluc:

A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)

Very protective, he’ll hold you tight against his sweaty chest and press a kiss to the top of your head before falling asleep. You’ll have to shake him back awake so you two can get cleaned up and even then, once you do, he’ll want to resume this position :) he loves holding you, especially when you’re both nude and he can feel your warm skin against his

B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

Diluc likes his own hands and arms, he’s pretty muscular so he’s allowed to like his figure! And he loves the way his hands look on your waist or around your thighs. His favorite part of you is probably your lips/mouth. He loves kissing you, making you smile, feeling your mouth on his neck and chest. Yeah… ;)

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

His gentlemanly nature wouldn’t lead you to believe he enjoys being messy but he does. He loves fucking you silly, watching his cum ooze out of you. Other than coming inside you, he loves how your face and chest looks glistening with his cum. Diluc’s dirty, repressed fantasies~

D and X -> here

[dkscribe88]

Tavronica Week Prompt 7: AU

And now, for my final entry for this year’s first annual Tavronica week. I decided to set it in modern times. They’re still on Thra and still Gelfling, but they’ve adopted a way of life similar to humans, including going to college and playing sports, such as ice hockey. Tavra is team captain, single, and focused on helping her team win the final game of a tournament against their rivals, lead by Tolyn. Onica is a Psychology student who recently became single and is dragged to the game by her best friend, Tae. Tavra always seemed like she would be a jock if she were real, and the only sport I really ever played was ice hockey, so I decided to write her playing it. I hope you like this last fic. It’s been a blast writing for this event, and I’m proud to say I met my challenge of 7 prompts for 7 days. Can’t wait to do it all again next year! So now, sit back and enjoy my final entry for this year. Beware, it’s the longest one yet.

The roar of the crowd was deafeningly loud throughout the halls of Ha’rar State University’s hockey stadium. Flooded with fans of both the home team, the Ha’rar State University Fighting Paladins, and visiting rivals, the Sami Thicket University Landstriders; the atmosphere was tense. It was the finals of a two-day tournament. Both top seeded teams played two games the day before, easily routing their opponents. Their head-to-head battle had always been assured, the latter two games merely a formality. Both teams stared daggers at each other whenever the Paladins locked eyes with a Landstrider. There’s bad blood between these rivals, the wound freshly opened after what had transpired a few hours before…

-------

Earlier in the day, the home team had arrived two hours before they were to hit the ice, hoping to do some warmup exercises in their locker room before suiting up, only to discover that the whole place had been destroyed. Bags had been dumped out, equipment strewn randomly throughout the room, and jerseys were being soaked by the showers. Their hockey sticks were no longer in the racks, and no one would have found them, had the team not experienced this sort of attack before. The Paladin’s team captain, defenseman Tavra just sighed before casting her gaze upwards, confirming that the sticks were indeed glued to ceiling.

“Sheesh, they could’ve at least come up with a more original way of wrecking our stuff. C’mon guys, cleanup positions. Ready? Go!” The team quickly got to work straightening things, accomplishing their tasks efficiently, having done so many times before. They kept a scraper and a bottle of nail polish remover taped under one of the benches for occasions such as this, which easily dissolved the super glue. It took a little longer to get everything back in order this time though, as the Landstriders had taken the time to remove the tape from their sticks before gluing them. It was a tedious task, retaping everything, but Tavra and her crew knew everything needed to be perfect, or they wouldn’t stand a chance. STU’s captain, Tolyn the Terrible, did his best to crush anyone that stood in his way, using any means necessary. The Landstriders led the league in both penalties and player ejections. They’d already given four different Gelfling concussions, ending the player’s seasons early, and in one case, ending it for good, the injury so severe it caused brain damage, forcing the player off the team and out of school altogether.

Forty minutes later, the locker room was back in usable condition. Tavra took her place in front of her team.

“Alright! Everyone get in line for warmups. First, we stretch, then after that 20 jumping jacks. When I say go. Ready? GO!”

-------

Meanwhile, at the campus dorm rooms…

“C’mon, Onica! It’ll be fun, I promise. The game is going to be great and there’s gonna be a sick afterparty, with lots of hot gelfs for us to hit on, so let’s go, please? You need a new girlfriend, or at least someone to take your mind off Effiny and I need to get my flirt on. It’ll be good for you to get out.” Tae had been trying to convince her friend to attend the game with her for the last few hours, not wanting to go by herself.

“But I’ve got that test coming up for my Developmental Psychology class and I haven’t even studied for it yet.” Tae rolled her eyes.

“You’ve never had to study for any of your Psych classes before. You know every bit of that material frontwards and backwards, sideways, diagonal and upside down. If that’s your best excuse my victory is assured.”

“But I won’t even be able to get into the afterparty. You have to know someone on the team to attend and I don’t, so I see no reason to go.” Tae refused to give up.

“That doesn’t matter! I told you, I know the goalie. Zili promised that if we showed up, she’d get us in. Zili’s a bit weird, which she claims is a common trait amongst goalies, but she’s also true to her word. Please, I don’t want to go alone.” Tae had been nice so far, but it was time to pull out her secret weapon. She kneeled down next to Onica’s chair, lower lip jutting out in a pout, eyes turned up in a begging fashion, glistening with small tears in their corners. Onica had to give her style points for being able to cry on demand. She tried to turn away, but there was no escaping the power of the fizzgig pout. Unable to fend off the adorably cute assault any further, Onica let out a groan.

“Ugghhh! Okay, fine! I’ll go. But you owe me. More than one.”

“Yes!” Tae jumped up, giving her roommate and best friend a hug. “Thank you so much, Oni! There’s this new guy on the team, Galen, and Zili’s promised to help me get a chance to talk to him. Oh, I can’t wait for you to see him, he’s so dreamy. He’s tall, and Sifa, like us, with some Spriton and Vapra mixed in. He’s got beautiful tanned skin and dark hair with little bits of silver here and there, ooh-hoo-hoo just the thought of him makes me quiver!” Onica gave her friend a look of disbelief and slight disgust.

“Sounds like a creep if you ask me.”

“No! No, he’s not, actually. Zili said he’s really kind and soft spoken most of the time. When he does talk, he’s so deep, and he’s got a great sense of humor, too.” Onica smiled at her then, reassured of Tae’s choice to pursue this guy.

“I can’t wait to meet him, then. I hope you find happiness this time Tae. I’d hate for you to be stuck with someone who doesn’t appreciate you.” Onica’s face turned slightly sullen, then. Tae put a hand on her shoulder.

“Are you talking about Effiny? Onica, that girl has serious issues with where her priorities lie. She didn’t know what she had, being with you. But soon, Onica, someone will come along who loves you for you, I’m sure of it. Who knows, maybe you’ll meet them tonight. So, come on. To the game!” Tae jumped into a pose, pointing dramatically towards the door. Onica gave a small laugh, before getting up and ready for the night’s activities.

The two young women made it to their seats as the two teams warmed up on the ice, each circling around their zone, while some fired pucks at the goalie, who easily blocked them all, giving Zili a confidence boost to start off with. Tavra was gliding along on her skate’s edges, keeping an eye on her own players, looking for signs that each was ready, and smirking when she found they were. She got in line to shoot then, firing right from the line in a slapshot, typical of her defensive position. She’d placed a spin on the puck, causing it to look as if it were warping in the air as it curved toward Zili’s glove side. Tavra nearly got it in, but at the last second, Zili’s eagle eyes tracked it and she caught it neatly in her mitt.

“Nice try, Captain! Maybe next time, yeah?” Zili teased her. Tavra smacked her stick against the goalie’s pads affectionately before gliding off to the back of the line, only to freeze as a sinister gaze met her own.

“Tolyn,” she whispered bitterly. The big jerk was Spriton, tall and strong, or in Tolyn’s case brutish. The sound of ice being carved sounded from behind her, letting Tavra know her two assistant captains had her back.

“That guy almost makes me ashamed to be Spriton.” Kylan muttered, glaring with all he had at the man, who only sneered back.

“Don’t let him get to you Kylan. I’ll make sure he doesn’t hurt you this time. I’d never hear the end of it from my brother if I did.”

“You’re damn right about that, Naia.” Another player had joined the assistant captains.

“Speak of the devil. Hey, Gurjin. You ready to rumble?” Naia asked her brother.

“Oh, you know it. Gotta get revenge for them breaking my poor Ky Guy’s arm.” Suddenly, the scoring siren went off, signaling the players to leave the ice as it’s resurfaced in preparation for the game’s start. The Paladin’s gathered once more into their locker room. Tavra, Kylan and Naia stood up front as everyone else kneeled, waiting to hear some inspiring words from their captain.

“Ok, we’ve got a tough game ahead of ourselves here, people. We know just as much as anyone else that the Landstriders don’t fight fair. Expect attacks from all sides and keep your guard up. Their goalie is weak on their stick side, so do your best to aim at the space between the arm and torso, as well as high on her right side. Stay away from that glove hand, it’s too good. Now raise your swords, gelfs…” Everyone’s sticks rose in the air. “Brave paladins of HSU, are you ready to defend yourselves, your honor, and your school?” The team let out their best roars of approval. “Are we ready to face the beasts in battle, skate blades sharpened, sticks taped?” Another roar resounded throughout the room. The coach signaled for the group to head out for introductions.

“Ok gelfs, charge!” The Paladins stormed out of the locker room, cheering wildly, though it was completely drowned out by the outrageously raucous crowd. The visiting team was just getting finished with their introduction.

“And, at center, the Landstrider’s leading scorer and captain of the team, number 66, Tolyn!” Loud boos overwhelmed any cheers there might have been for the Spriton center, causing him to shake his stick angrily at his many detractors.

“And now, the roster of our very own home team, the Ha’rar State University Fighting Paladins!” The crowd cheered loudly in response. “For the tertiary line, at left wing it’s number 86, Mira!” A thin Vapra girl quickly skated out on the ice, waving to her fans. “On right wing we’ve got number 18, Deet!” A Grottan girl and Rian’s girlfriend skated over to bump gloves with Mira. “And at center, number 8, the incomparable Rian!” The Stonewood skated out strong, charming all the ladies as he waved to the crowd. “For our secondary offensive line, we’ve got our newest player, number 45, Galen!” A Spriton, taller than both Kylan and Tolyn skated reservedly onto the ice. “Coming in on right wing like a thief in the night, it’s number 13, Periss!” The youngest of the team, a Dousan boy with a rakish attitude glided out, taking bows and throwing kisses as he went. “And, at center, number 7, Bold Gurjin!” The great oaf was light as a feather as he slid past his teammates, giving Kylan’s helmet an affectionate smack as he passed him. “And now for our secondary defenseman. On the right, give it up for number 3, Brea!” Tavra’s younger, bookish sister skated calmly into place, absorbing any information she could about her enemies. “And on the left, it’s number 69, ladies let out a cheer for Rek’yr!” The tattoo-faced man skated grandly into place, blowing kisses to his many lady followers, who screamed in response, one of them fainting.

“And now, everybody give it up for our starting roster. On left wing, we’ve got number 4, the mysterious and shadowy Amri!” Amri had already snuck into his place in line at this point. “On right wing, number 32, our ever-melodious Kylan!” The lanky Spriton skated calmly into place, doing his best not to be intimidated at the sight of Tolyn pretending to slash his throat, the universal bully sign for ‘you’re dead meat’. “And at center, number 17, it’s Fierce Naia!” Naia charged onto the ice, letting out a growling war cry as she bumped gloves with all her teammates, nearly knocking some of them over in her zeal. “And starting for the defense, we’ve got number 49, Ellis!” A Vapra senior a few years older than Tavra skated out. “And don’t forget his partner, your favorite player and mine, that devastating lavender tornado, the Tremendous Tavra!” The crowd got even louder somehow as Tavra regally entered the rink, smiling at her comrades and looking disdainfully over at her opponents. “And last, but certainly not least, that eccentric and crazy girl you know and love, the goalie, number 00, Zili!” Zili skated out powerfully in her heavy goalie pads, ready to protect and defend her net with all she had.

“Whoo! Yeaaayuhh, let’s do this!” Zili riled up the crowd even more, forcing the officials to wait several minutes until things died down to start. The Skarith Land’s flag was lowered down over the rink by wires, as the country’s national anthem played. Once it was over, the teams headed for their respective benches while the captains of each team came and shook hands. Tavra took her hand out of her glove, offering it to Tolyn, who merely scoffed at it and took off to his own bench. Tavra looked at Kylan and Naia.

“Well, you can’t say I didn’t try.” The three skated over to their team, who were being given a last-minute pep talk by Coach Madso.

“Alright, lads and lassies, get out there and follow the plan. Don’t let them goad you into penalties we can’t afford. Stay onside, and for Thra’s sake, protect each other. We don’t need anymore broken arms, right Kylan?”

“Y-Yes sir!”

“OK!” Tavra barked. “Sticks in!” Everyone gathered in a circle, sticks placed in the middle, pointed downward. “Paladins on three! One, two, three-”

“PALADINS!” With that, the other lines went to the bench and the starters to their places. The referee checked to make sure each goalie was ready, and the centers faced off. The puck is dropped, and the game begins!

-------

It’s late in the third period. Both teams are exhausted from holding each other to a standstill. Neither had scored so far, and the crowd was getting restless with tension. Back and forth across the ice they raced. Naia had the puck on a small breakaway, Kylan assisting her as they passed the flat black object between each other, desperate to keep it away from the Landstriders. Suddenly, Kylan got pinned to the boards as he tried to dig the puck out from the edge of the rink. The enemy player’s skate kept blocking his stick and he couldn’t twist his body the right way to get it. What Kylan didn’t see was that across the rink, Tolyn had locked onto him. He charged, barreling straight at the unwary Spriton. But just as he was about to slam the music major into the boards, something tripped him from behind. He landed flat on his face, sliding hard into the boards from his momentum. A whistle was sounded, stopping play.

“Number 17, Paladins, two minutes, tripping.” It didn’t matter that Naia had stopped Tolyn from breaking Kylan’s clavicle, she got stuck with the penalty. Now they were one gelf down, on a powerplay in the Landstrider’s favor, at the very end of the game. They only needed to last two minutes, but with Tolyn lurking out on the ice, it might as well have been two trine. Coach Madso called timeout, gathering his brave Paladins to his benchside.

“Alright my soldiers, this is what we’re gonna do. We’re gonna hold the line as best we can. I need Gurjin on right, Deet, you’re on center. Use any tricks you’ve got to be in front of that net. Tavra, Brea, you’re in at D. Tavra, you’ve got the fast slapshot. Everyone else, get the puck into the Landstrider zone, and then get it to Tavra. She and Deet will do the rest. Are we clear?” Everyone nodded. “Good. Paladins on three. One, two, three-”

“PALADINS!” The selected players went to their spots. Deet took the faceoff. When the puck dropped, Tolyn made to tackle the small Grottan to the ground, but when he aimed high, she went low, ducking beneath his arms and skating away with the puck. Gurjin plowed through his opponent, flanking Deet on the right. Tavra and Brea trailed behind, stopping just inside the Landstrider blue line. They skated circles in place, watching the puck bounce back and forth between Gurjin and Deet, trying to thwart their attackers and draw them away from the net so Tavra could get a clear shot. The clock began to wind down. The two-minute penalty passed and Naia quickly skated to the bench, where she was replaced by Amri, who drove hard into the occupied zone to help Gurjin and Deet. Deet passed to Gurjin, who was immediately dogged by Tolyn and his right wing, Lun. Pinned against the boards, all Gurjin could do was kick his leg, which he did, successfully knocking the puck along the boards and over to Amri, who slipped and slid around his attacker like a snake through wet grass. His ears perked as he heard Coach Madso cry out.

“Hey! Get it to Tavra! She’s open! Ten seconds left! Make the pass, Amri!” Amri whipped around, searching for his teammate. Tavra was in shotgun position, ready to take aim as soon as she’s given ammo. Amri flicked the puck over to her. She barely stopped it before pulling her stick back and firing it hard through the air and over the center of the ice. The goalie reached for it…It’s…It’s…CLANG! It’s deflected! But what’s this? SMACK!

The crowd waited with bated breath. Tavra stared forward, dropping to her knees.

Wee-Ooh! The scoring siren finally sounded. It’s good! Deet had indeed been waiting, and when the puck glanced off the post, she was right there with the rebound. Her teammates suddenly surrounded her, giving a group hug and patting her hard on the back, screaming they’d won. Tavra, still on her knees, looked upward, not trusting the scoreboard. It was 1-0 Home, and the clock had one tenth of a second left. The following faceoff was just a formality, as the clock ran out and the siren sounded once more, signaling the end of the game, and of the tournament. Trophies were handed out in a ceremony before everyone started to head home. But, just before the team left the ice, Gurjin shouted to the crowd:

“Victory party at Gyr Hall!” Cheers were heard as they departed to the locker room to shower and change before heading to the party. Tavra took her time cleaning up, in no rush for the festivities. All she wanted was to enjoy the energy rush she’d gotten from a game well-played. But, as team captain, she was obligated to go, at least, that’s what Naia and Gurjin said. Kylan gave her an out, but he was quickly overruled by Rian and Deet, so Tavra had no choice. She would socialize, whether she wanted to or not.

-------

“Tae, do we have to go to this thing? All that crowd noise gave me a headache.” It was Onica’s last-ditch effort to escape the party. Tae just rolled her eyes.

“You’re fine. Don’t be such a drama queen. Besides, Zili knows we’re here, we can’t just walk out on her. There she is, Zili! Over here, girl!” After meeting up with the goaltender, who was just as weird as Onica had heard, Zili escorted them over to Gyr Hall and the party held within. The voices of others were all that was heard within the crowded dorm hall. The music was still being set up, but Gurjin kept interfering to flirt with Kylan, who was in charge of tunes. Zili moved passed them, searching for the boy Tae wanted to meet with. Galen was finally spotted talking to Amri, joining them when Zili called him away.

“Alrighty. Galen, this is Tae. Tae, Galen. Ok, let’s see some love sparks fly. Go on, you two. Scoot!” The two walked off, Tae apologizing to Onica for leaving her there with her eyes. Onica sighed lightly, she knew this would happen. She opted to plop down on a vacant couch, people watching to pass the time. Twenty minutes went by, during which Onica grabbed herself a beer from a nearby cooler. She sipped the bitter liquid slowly, not desiring a buzz, but merely drinking it as something to do. Just as she’d talked herself into grabbing one more, there was shouting coming from the front street. Changing her mind on the drink, the redhead decided to see what was going on.

A tall Gelfling of Spriton descent stood in front of a group of students, some of which Onica recognized as being part of the Landstrider’s roster. They’d had their helmets off when receiving their second-place trophy.

I guess that means the one in front is Tolyn. Not the most attractive of team captains, is he…Onica thought, watching the scene unfold. More shouting was then heard coming from the dorm’s side entrance, before a group of Paladins emerged, a beautiful silver and lavender haired woman at their head. And that must be Tavra. What an attractive Silverling. Perhaps Tae was right. Maybe I should find someone else. Tavra stepped right up in Tolyn’s face, not backing down.

“This is a private engagement, my good Landstriders. Please leave, before things get ugly.” The cracking of knuckles reinforced her words, Naia’s fists providing the sound effect. Tolyn just gave a cocky grin.

“Aww…is the big, brave Paladin afraid one of us Landstriders are gonna hurt one of her friends again? By the way, Ky, how’s the arm?” Kylan grabbed his forearm, defensively pulling it to his chest.

“I-It’s fine.” Gurjin stepped in front of his boyfriend.

“Leave him be, Tolyn. You touch him, and I won’t stop at just your arm.” Kylan grabbed Gurjin before he did something foolish, attempting to calm him down. Tolyn just scoffed.

“Tch! You need to keep a better leash on your Drenchen mutt, Tavra. Kylan betrayed his own, so he’s fair game to us.”

“Oh, my Thra, he changed schools! There’s no betrayal in that. STU didn’t have a music program, so he switched. You can’t fault him for that.” Naia jumped in, standing next to her brother and further blocking Kylan from Tolyn’s wrath.

“I take back what I said,” Tolyn paused. “It looks like you’ve got two Drenchen dogs you need to teach discipline to. You really got your work cut out for you, don’t ya, Katavra.” Tavra flinched at the use of her full name. Only her mother called her that, and when it happened, it wasn’t going to be good. Tavra stared at Tolyn coldly.

“Just leave, Tolyn. You’ve had your fun. Enough is enough.” Tavra turned, attempting to end the incident, but Tolyn wasn’t of the mind to leave. Onica watched as he snuck up behind her back.

“Oh, no. H-Hey! Tavra, look out!” Onica’s warning came too little too late, as Tolyn turned Tavra by her shoulder, only to haul back and hit her right on the jaw with a sickening crack. The poor woman was knocked off her feet, saved from hitting the ground by Gurjin, as Naia charged forward with the rest of the team in retaliation. A fight broke out, the Paladins easily outwitting and out-brawling their opponents, only to chase after them as they tried to retreat. Gurjin had left Tavra with Onica, who had approached to see if she could help. The Drenchen charged into the melee, flinging Landstriders left and right. Brea came over to where her sister lay with a washcloth and ice, handing them to Onica before grabbing her phone to call campus police. The Sifa placed the ice gently to Tavra’s already swelling jaw. The dazed Silverling gazed up at her, a strange smile spread across her face.

“Hmm…I must be dead…” Onica looked at her oddly.

“What makes you say that?”

“I’ve got a beautiful, red-haired angel taking care of me. If this isn’t paradise, I don’t know what is.” Onica chuckled at the rather forward-speaking Vapra.

“Well, I’m afraid this isn’t paradise, but if you’d like, I can care for you a little while longer.” Tavra smiled at her, before suddenly pulling her in for a dazed and clumsy kiss. Onica pulled back, blushing wildly.

“I’d really like that. My name is Tavra. And what is the name of the gorgeous angel that’s caring for me, if you don’t mind my asking.” Onica blushed even further, beguiled by the Vapra girl’s charms.

“I’m-uh…I-I’m Onica.” Tavra took her hand, holding it up to her lips for a kiss nearly missing it because of her dizziness.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, my dear lady Onica. I hope we can get to know each other better, that is, once my jaw stops hurting so much. *Groan* Coach is going to be so mad at me if I can’t practice tomorrow.” Onica placed a gentle hand to the uninjured side of Tavra’s face.

“Lucky for you, my hobbies include learning traditional Sifa herbal Less side effects than regular medications. And I guarantee you’ll be up and skating by tomorrow. Now, let’s get you up and into bed.” Onica helped Tavra to her feet, the Vapra swinging an arm around the other girl’s shoulders.

“You’ve known me less than ten minutes, and already you’re trying to get me into bed. My, my, don’t you work fast.” Onica rolled her eyes, but still laughed quietly.

I think I’m beginning to like this girl. With that last, lingering thought, the two walked unsteadily into the dorm, and into a wonderful new relationship.

-DK

[usaginotwst]

The Best Things Happen While You’re Dancing | Jamil Viper

Pairing: Jamil x OC

Words: 1976

Rating: G - General

you can also read it on AO3! 

Boisterous music filled the air in the gymnasium and reverberated off the walls. A distinct beat and record scratch caught Adele’s ear as she entered through the large, heavy doors. The familiar plastic smell of sports equipment and sweat welcomed her like an awkward acquaintance.

“Hip hop?” Grim seemed to scrunch up his little nose in question from his perch on her shoulder as they neared the court.

“Maybe a warmup?” Adele shared thoughtfully as she spotted the basketball club towards the middle of the floor. Though…they didn’t look like they were playing their sport.

Jamil’s body popped on beat in a hypnotic, almost robotic fashion before he stopped, wiped the sweat from his brow and motioned for Ace and Floyd. “So, if you just trust yourself and plant your feet, you won’t fall.”

All 6 feet and 2 inches of Floyd attempted to follow Jamil’s instructions, his body missing the timing just so. He landed, popping and locking his body the way Jamil showed him, but only laughed as he started to stumble. Ace stood by and continued to watch as he chugged from a water bottle. His eyes drifted across the empty gymnasium until he spotted Adele.

“Oi, space case!” Ace called her over. She waved and began her approach. “What’re you doing here?”

Adele blinked once and then twice before she remembered the book she clutched to her chest. Extending her arm, she offered it. “You left your textbook at Ramshackle.”

“Oh shit,” Ace took it from her and sighed with relief. “I actually need this for next period, thanks. Trein would’ve totally chewed me out.”

“Rainbowfish!” Floyd called, running full speed towards the two and shoving Ace to the side in his pursuit. Grim got out of dodge as fast as he could, the flames of his ears rising as he all but hissed at the sudden intrusion. Grim quickly climbed to the top of a stack of workout mats and curled up, muttered in annoyance.

Slick with sweat, Floyd wrapped both arms around Adele and brought her to his chest. She grimaced at the feeling of sweat through the fabric of her blouse and the twang of the stink of teenage boy engulfing her.

“Please, Floyd,” a light laugh left her lips, “you’re drenched!”

“Aww, c’mon~!” Floyd whined. He started to sway them both back and forth. Ace simply laughed at her, showing no signs of helping.

“Gross,” Jamil sighed. At least he was bothering her instead of him for the moment.

Waving him off, Floyd rested his chin atop her dark hair. “Sea Snake is teaching us how to dance like him today!”

“Oh, that’s wonderful!” Adele beamed at the Scarabia vice dorm head from under Floyd’s chin. “I had no idea you were such a great dancer, Jamil!”

“Yes well.” Heat tinted Jamil’s cheeks and ears. “We can’t break dance or play basketball if you’re holding onto Adele, Floyd. I guess we’re done for today.”

“You’re no fun.” Floyd huffed and spun Adele out of his arms. Dizzily, she stumbled into Ace, who righted her with a light slap on her back.

“Say, Rainbowfish,” Floyd turned his intense gaze on her once more. “You’re a good dancer too, why don’t you show us that dance that you were trying to teach me the other day at the lounge?”

Adele’s eyebrows knitted together in remembrance before the thought came back. “Oh, well, I don’t exactly have any tap shoes, Floyd, I can’t-,”

“No, no, the other one!” Floyd waved her on, bordering irritation that she was being so dense.

“Well, I’d need a partner.”

“Okay so take Sea Snake,” Floyd pushed the shorter teen towards her. He stumbled forward with a harsh look in his eyes.

“What?” Jamil looked back at him and shook his head. “I don’t know what dance she’s talking about and -,”

“C’mon, Sea Snake, it’ll be fun!” Floyd whined.

Adele offered Jamil a smile and her hand. “Come to think of it, I haven’t had a good partner in ages.”

“Besides, it’s something Kalim can’t do.” Ace’s knowing smirk kicked Jamil’s pride.

Kalim could dance, sure, but the merchant’s prodigal son’s knowledge didn’t extend far. This would be another addition to the myriad skills Jamil possessed that surpass Kalim’s. So, with a smirk of his own Jamil agreed. In one swift movement, he gently took Adele’s outstretched hand and his spot on the gym-turned-dancefloor.

“You’ll need to stay on the balls of your feet,” Adele explained, gently counting as she began to move. She counted her tah-ri-ple steps in time as the balls of her feet squeaked against the polished grain of the gym floor.

Step by slow step Jamil followed Adele’s directions, noting the way she twisted and turned. Her skirt flounced and lifted as she spun, drawing his eye to the slope of her long legs as she showed him a particular move.

“Jamil?” Her soft voice brought him out of his reverie to lock eyes with her. The slight chill of embarrassment twinged his gut as he waved her away. She nodded with a gentle smile and began to move again, counting her steps lightly. Mentally checking himself, Jamil’s eyes darted back to the movement of her feet.

After a quick water break and a refresher, Ace found a song with similar enough cadence and rhythm to the ones from Adele’s world. Adele’s heart constricted in her chest at the memory of all the songs she would possibly never hear again.

“Alright, you’ve got the moves and the music, let’s go!” Floyd called from the sidelines, shaking her from her trance. Jamil stood in front of her, his face unreadable as he went over the steps in his head.

“Don’t think too much about it, just feel the music,” She offers as they joined hands and the music started. Using her weight as leverage, he leaned back and they both began to move their feet this way and that in time to the upbeat tune playing from Ace’s speakers.

It was awkward and slow at first, Jamil being so used to the heavy weight in his heels required to move his body the way he normally did, but soon he could see how Adele had been right. The music spurred his movements on, suddenly feeling light on his feet as they came up to tempo.

Once he was comfortable enough to trust his feet not to get away from him, Jamil spared a glance at his dance partner. A smile graced her features as she lolled her head back and relished in the music. Her usual headband had fallen from its perch, forgotten somewhere on the ground around them. Jamil watched as she kicked her legs on time and twisted to the beat. A carefree laugh ripped from Adele’s throat, a raucous, extremely teenaged sound that was foreign to Jamil and their audience. It was as if she had been born to dance like this.

Suddenly her head snapped back up, her violet eyes glittering with mirth, “Do you want to try a spin now?” She asked.

Jamil nodded as if compelled by the eager flush on her face. However ready Jamil thought he was, it took him by surprise as she gently pulled him in closer by their conjoined hands and spun him around. A deep red flush dusted his cheeks, and a shiver ran up his spin as her hands ghosted the ridges of his shoulder blades.

Carmine eyes met lavender as she twirled around him. Weaving in and out of his arms, leaving him hot and cold with her touch, Adele conducted magic in time with the downbeat. His skin tingled where her featherlight fingertips grazed him and he very quickly decided that partner dancing was something he could get used to.

Lost in their own little world, the dance continued until the song ended. Both panting from exertion, Adele and Jamil never broke eye contact. They both began at the same time, speaking over one another.

“That was-,”

“That was incredible!” Adele gushed, grabbing the sides of her skirt and pulling it up as she recreated a movement. “When you did this with your feet, that was amazing, Jamil! I didn’t teach you that!”

“Well, I just…felt the music.” He shrugged, trying to avoid her adoring gaze.

“I’ve never had a dance partner like you before!” Adele beamed at him and Jamil stood up a bit straighter at the compliment.

“Thank you. It was fun.” He offered and risked meeting her eyes. Once again, he was captivated by the life inside that was never apparent until now. Curiosity and tenderness, though he’d never admit it, lead his gaze to linger longer than was appropriate.

“Gross, break it up.” Ace came up, throwing towels at each of them to wipe the sweat quickly cooling from their brows. He offered Adele her headband with an incredulous expression. She had never looked at Deuce or him like that, and they were her best friends!

What gives? Ace thinks in annoyance.

“So, it goes like this?” Floyd caught Adele’s attention from Ace and tried to mimic her previous movements. She nodded along in time to his feet with a smile.

“You’re doing great,” She encouraged him while clapping along. “Would you care to be my partner next time, Floyd?”

“Why wait?” Floyd moved to scoop her off of her feet, but Ace had the tail of his shirt in a vice grip, stopping the older teen just short of reaching her.

“C’mon, we gotta cleanup so we can get to class on time.” Ace spoke with a sour tone.

“There’s always next time, Floyd!” Adele assured him. Ace tsked and tossed another towel her way, covering her head.

“Go take a shower before you stink up your potions class!” He stuck his tongue out at her and she laughed as she removed the towel, and the world came back into view.

“Alright, alright, I’m going.” She shook her head good-naturedly. Ace headed towards the locker room with Floyd bounding after him after shooting her a toothy smile and a wave, leaving her alone with Jamil.

Before she could leave, Jamil spoke up.

“Thank you for teaching me today.” His voice was even as he spoke. If she hadn’t just been dancing with him, Adele wouldn’t have believed he had just exerted any effort at all. A small smile graced his lips, lighting up his face. “It was nice learning something new.”

“You really like to dance, don’t you?” She asked fondly.

Jamil hadn’t thought too much of the reason, but somewhere along his childhood, dancing had become his release. Frustration at his position, anger at Kalim, and everything in between could be solved by moving his body in time to the beat of some song on the radio. The feeling of his muscles straining under him as he pushed himself to the limit every time kept him coming back like an addict.

As his eyes drifted over her face, he took in her dark bangs matted to her face with sweat, her lips parted just so with the rise and fall of her chest as she worked on regulating her breathing. The image burned itself onto his eyes and he blinked a couple of times to shake himself free.

“Yeah.” He replied lamely.

“I do too,” She beamed at him. “You know, a famous author from my world once wrote, ‘To be fond of dancing was a certain step towards falling in love.’”

Jamil’s heart thudded so loudly in his chest that he worried she’d be able to hear it as she scooped up the sleeping Grim and said her goodbyes. He groaned and brought the heels of his palms to his eyes. He rubbed profusely and sighed. This was just another feeling he would have to sort out through his usual, rhythmic coping mechanism.

[unfolded73]

Profane Art (1/1) - schitt’s creek ff

Jake, Patrick, and David have a threesome, and David gets introspective about the symbolism of jewelry. (That’s right. I said what I said.) 

Rated Explicit, 1667 words. (ao3)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jewelry had always served as powerful symbols in David’s life. Not all jewelry, of course. Not most of the vast collection of jewels in his mother’s dressing room as he grew up. Not the pacifier necklaces of his teens, or the ring with the black stone that he wore on his pinky when he was twenty until he lost it down a New York sewer grate. But the sight of that golden sideways A, nestled between his sister’s collarbones, would always trigger just a tiny bit of relief that Alexis was safe and sound. His parents’ wedding rings that by now had worn permanent grooves into their skin, maybe into the bones underneath, giving him one tiny reason to continue to believe in life-long love when everything else in his life told him it was a fantasy. The four silver rings that he’d been wearing on the day that his life imploded, when he boarded the bus that took him into exile in the town he apparently owned. Those were a symbol of his downfall, of his unwillingness to give up his fashion sense in a world of cat sweatshirts, of who he was and who he would be again.

Now those rings sat carefully nestled in a ring box in his underwear drawer, replaced by their golden counterparts. The gold rings were a message that he could have all of it — he could be himself, but he could also have this: a life in this town and with this man who made him happy. This man who made him feel safe.

And of course, there was his own wedding ring, the partner to the one on Patrick’s finger. David preferred to take his off when he showered and before he went to bed, a habit he’d developed long ago with the other rings he wore. Patrick almost never took his wedding ring off, though. He slept in it and showered in it and did yard work in it, and David should have been annoyed at the way it had gotten scratched up by years of baseball bat handles and hedge clippers, but he wasn’t. He liked it. The scratches were symbols of their time together. They were badges of the success of their marriage.

He also really liked the sight of Patrick’s ringed hand against his skin. He liked it when Patrick grabbed his hand and laced their fingers together as they walked from the store to the café. He liked it when they sat on the porch in the evenings, watching the sun set, and Patrick put his hand on David’s bare knee. He loved it when Patrick’s hand trailed down his chest, the gold ring against the dark of his hair. Secretly, he wished he could install a discrete photographer in their bedroom so that he could see it in other ways. He wanted to see Patrick gripping his ass with that hand, or see Patrick’s ringed finger on his shoulder while he fucked David hard from behind. He wanted to see the gold buried in the black of the hair on his head while Patrick buried himself in David’s mouth. It would be a gorgeous and profane art exhibit only for them. (It’s possible he’d spent a significant amount of time thinking about how he’d arrange the photos. It’s possible he’d sketched it in a journal, just for fun.)

So given all of that, perhaps it was surprising or perhaps it wasn’t surprising at all to realize how hot it was to see his husband’s hand on the body of another man.

This wasn’t the first time they’d fooled around with Jake together since they’d been married. But it was the first time David had been so transfixed by the vision of Patrick’s wedding ring in this context. Maybe it was the edible David had ingested an hour ago. Right now, for instance, he was staring at Patrick’s left hand gripping into the skin of Jake’s ass while Jake filled Patrick’s mouth with his cock. Jake stood at the foot of the bed, Patrick on his knees, and David lay back on the pillows and watched. He touched himself slowly, without any urgency, and waited his turn. The sight before his eyes was an art exhibit all on its own.

Jake pulled out, a trail of Patrick’s saliva like a single spider web catching the light for a second and then disappearing.

“You’re very good at that,” Jake said to Patrick, his voice a pleasant rumble. “Gotta stop if I’m gonna be able to fuck your husband, though.”

David squirmed, his hand drifting down to feel the plug in his ass. Oh right, he remembered. That’s what they’d discussed before they came over. That’s what he’d prepared for.

Jake was following the script, already rolling a condom on as Patrick collapsed next to David on the bed. They kissed lazily, Patrick’s mouth wet and lips swollen, tasting of another man’s cock. David bit his lip almost hard enough to break the skin and groaned. Fuck, he was so turned on.

Patrick pulled away, his gaze heavy-lidded with arousal, and put a pillow under David’s hips. He eased the plug out and David whined at the loss. But then Jake was there and he didn’t waste any time filling David back up again with his gorgeous cock. David let his head fall back, a moan ripped from his throat as sparks raced up his spine.

“Good, baby?” Patrick asked, leaning over to nip at David’s throat.

“So good.” Jake was fucking him now, short and powerful thrusts that lit him up from the inside.

Patrick kissed him and then shifted back on the bed, sitting on his heels and just watching for several seconds like he was looking at porn, transfixed by the sight of Jake’s cock moving in and out of David. Perhaps David wasn’t the only one who wished he could see them from angles he usually didn’t get to see.

Then Patrick shook himself and picked up the lube that Jake had dropped on the bed, squeezing some out on his fingers. “You still want this?” he asked Jake.

“Fuck, yeah,” Jake grunted, his hands gripping tight to David’s thighs.

This part David couldn’t see, sadly, but he could tell the minute Patrick brushed Jake’s prostate with his fingers. Jake made a noise like he’d been punched in the gut and thrust even harder. David felt the top of his head touch the headboard, and he reached back and braced his hand against it. With his other hand he jacked himself, trying to time it right — he didn’t want to come too soon but he didn’t want to lose his momentum. He wanted to come while Jake was fucking him. Wanted that desperate, out-of-control orgasm that was like falling down a mountain.

His eyes had slipped closed, and David forced them open just in time to see Patrick slip a hand around Jake’s torso to brace himself as he continued fingering him with the other. David’s eyes honed in on that wedding ring again as Patrick’s blunt fingers spread across Jake’s chest.

“Come on, David,” Jake panted. “I’m almost there. Come on.”

David moved his hand on his own cock faster, his eyes on the gold of that ring. His husband, the man he’d loved for almost a decade now. Trusting and confident and open for adventure.

He was close now, god he was close, and he met every thrust of Jake’s with his own, fucking himself on that cock, feeling bare and spread open, exposed, observed, sliding down a hill too steep to get any purchase. Faster and faster and hotter and…

The pulsing of David’s muscles around Jake’s cock matched the pulse of his cock in his hand, the wet streaks painting his belly and chest. Jake grunted and then stilled, attractive while coming like he was attractive doing anything, the bastard.

“Come here,” David said to Patrick, “let me suck you off.” Jake faded into the background and then it was just the two of them. Patrick straddled him on the bed and sighed in relief as David enveloped his cock with his mouth. It didn’t take long. Patrick was close, and it couldn’t have been more than a minute of shallow thrusts before he was coming down David’s throat.

The three of them piled together in the bed after, but David was already feeling antsy and ready to go home to his own bed, with the sheets and pillows and mattress firmness just exactly the way he liked them.

“Do you want to stick around and watch a movie?” Jake asked.

“Nah, I think we’ll head home,” Patrick answered. “We’ve gotta get an early start tomorrow.”

“Suit yourself,” Jake said. “My door’s always open for you guys.”

Patrick laughed. “Yeah.” Open invitation aside, it wasn’t ever going to be something they made a habit of. Jake was a drug best taken in small doses and rarely.

David felt Patrick poking him in the arm. “Come on, hon. Don’t fall asleep.”

“I’m not asleep,” David said, levering himself up, collecting his clothes, and heading to the bathroom to do an abbreviated cleanup before he could get home to his own shower, which was also exactly the way he liked it. When he emerged, Patrick was dressed, standing there and talking to Jake about a table he’d crafted. He needed to get his husband out of here fast before Jake turned him into a woodworker. Patrick had way too many hobbies as it was.

Patrick was running his hand admiringly over the smooth cherry wood as he talked, his wedding ring glinting in the low light.

“Ready to go?” Patrick asked David as he approached. He reached out with that same hand and cupped it around David’s neck, pulling him close for a kiss.

“What’s that smirk for, David?” Jake asked after they pulled apart.

David chuckled. “I was just wondering… Are you any good with a camera, Jake?”

[doctorgerth]

Contest Winner (Third Place)

Winner: @arkanfire

Prize Choice: Full NSFW Alphabet with any character

Description: Full NSFW Alphabet with Eustass Kid; female mentions and pronouns

Rating: 100% filth

Warnings: extra extra smutty, like, all the smut

Note: Sorry to post these prizes out of order! I have the one shot for second place winner a little over half way done, it’s just taking a bit longer because it is a one shot. I went ahead and worked on this today and it didn’t take very long so I wanted to go ahead and post it! Hat, I really hope you enjoy this, my love! It was really fun to write! I need a shower now... x 

Full NSFW Alphabet (Eustass Kid)

A = Aftercare (What they're like after sex)

- Depending on if it's a one night stand or someone he truly loves, aftercare can actually vary

- With one night stands, he's pretty quick to tell them to get out, or quick to leave if he's at their place; he has no interest in cuddling or exchanging in pillow talk with someone he's never going to see again, let alone someone he doesn't really give two shits about

- With someone he loves, he's of course more inclined to stay; he's still not very cuddly as he usually gets really hot to the touch after his sessions so he'll ask his partner to stay on their side of the bed for a moment until he cools down

- he'll either grab a glass of water or perhaps some whiskey, and probably some food as well, not caring if he's walking around the place completely naked; if he's feeling particularly generous he'll ask them if they want anything while he rummages through the kitchen

- once he's ready, he'll allow his partner to cuddle him, usually he'll just lie on his back and let them cuddle up on his chest

- he doesn't really participate in much pillow talk as he's pretty quick to fall asleep after

- he'll pretty much always be honest and tell them if their session was good or bad, no matter who his partner was for the night

- cleanup is a bit messy as he usually leaves to clean himself off, measly throwing a towel or shirt or whatever at his partner to clean themselves

B = Bodypart (Their favorite body part of their's and also their partner's)

- he's of course mega proud about his cock, is anyone surprised?

- he's conquered many ladies with it, made quite a few cum all over it, what's not to be proud of?

- it fuels his ego immensely when a woman praises his cock, god he can't get enough of that

- he's also quite proud of his torso, how broad and toned it is; it's usually what wins the ladies over initially

- as for his favorite part on a woman? definitely the ass, everyone knows Kid is an ass man

C = Cum (Anything to do with cum basically)

- Kid's cum is a bit on the thicker side, really really sticky

- It's not the best tasting cum by any means, but it's not the worst

- Kid usually prefers to cum on his partner's ass or in their mouth, but he's really not picky as seeing his partner drenched in his cum is gonna excite him either way

- He actually has pretty good aim too, he's not really clumsy when shooting his seed, if you tell him not to get it in your hair he's pretty good at following your orders

- If his partner asks him to cum inside, he's honestly really turned on but also really terrified as he doesn't want any kids right now

- unless it's with a partner he really trusts, he'll usually just ignore them, pretending he didn't hear their request and jizz literally anywhere else

- his pull out game is immaculate; no babies for Eustass  

D = Dirty Secret (Pretty self-explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

- It's not much of a secret but it is dirty nonetheless: Kid loves anal sex

- Penetration, rimming, anything that can be done to the booty he's gonna do it because he just absolutely loves it

- The extra tightness, the view of the ass, the naughty sensation of doing anal just really turns him on so much

- He doesn't care how taboo it is, it's a thrill to him and he's gonna keep doing it

E = Experience (How experienced are they? Do they know what they're doing?)

- Kid has a great amount of experience, but not nearly as much as he likes to put off

- He's had a handful of one night stands, some really great, some absolutely shitty, but by now he definitely knows his way around a woman

- He likes to be in control 99% of the time, so he'd of course need to know what he's doing in order to be the leader

- There's some gray areas where he's a bit unsure, so his partner needs to be able to explain it to him well to his understanding or he's not interested; sex isn't meant for trial and error, he's going to fuck you like he knows how to

F = Favorite Position (This goes without saying)

- Literally any variation of Doggy Style

- it brings forth a sort of primal desire in his being when he gets to fuck someone from behind; there's so much power, so much carnal energy from taking a woman from behind

- bending a girl over and just pounding into them is definitely his favorite way to have sex; he'll usually grab fistfuls of their hair, or smack their ass until his hand prints are littered on their skin

- he's an ass man, so he needs to see that ass when he's fucking

- Reverse Cowgirl (in the rare instances he lets his woman top)

- Kid isn't totally against a woman topping him, if she knows what she's doing and just how he likes it, he'll let her take control

- it's just such a rare occasion for a woman to keep up with his pace while riding him, plus he gets frustrated with all the teasing so he usually throws them off and goes back to taking the reigns

G = Goofy (Are they more serious in the moment, or are they more humorous)

- If you ever laughed at Kid while having sex with him, he'd get instantly pissy and probably storm out; the mood is just ruined for him in general

- Sex is no laughing matter; it's time for him to make the both of you feel good, chase after your respective highs, what's so funny about it? Are you saying he's doing so poorly he's making you laugh at him? No one laughs at Kid!

- He takes it way too personally honestly, and gets real butt hurt about it, so laughing during sex is a no go

H = Hair (How well groomed are they, does the carpet match the drapes, etc.)

- The carpet definitely matches the drapes

- His dark red pubes are insanely curly

- He honestly gets really frustrated with the shaving, he cuts himself like every time due to his impatience, so he doesn't really shave all too often

- He trims his hairs down when they get too wild for his liking, but that's about it

I = Intimacy (How are they during the moment, romantic aspect)

- Romantic? Yeah right

- Sex isn't romantic to him, he doesn't get the whole "emotional connection" that comes with it, so he doesn't see sex as a big deal really

- It's just two people trying to gain physical pleasure

- I can see him having "romantic" sex with the absolute love of his life if she asks him to, and obviously sex with someone he loves does mean something to him, but other than that, he's not very intimate in the bedroom  

J = Jack Off (Masturbation headcanon)

- Kid has been whacking it since the age he first learned how to

- His masturbation habits may be a bit over the average Joe's, but he needs to release his anger and stress somehow

- He literally has no shame in where he masturbates, when the urge arises, he's gotta do it then and there; he'll usually just sneak off to the nearest private room

- Needless to say, Killer and the rest of the crew have walked in on him plenty of times

- If possible, he'd like to stare at some suggestive magazines or maybe a picture of his lover (if he had one), but his mind and hand really do all the work themselves

- Just like with sex, he curses a lot during the process and he's a bit loud when he cums

- He'll usually just jizz into his hand or a spare shirt or sock; the floor of his bedroom is full of cum clothes, smh

K = Kink (One or more of their kinks)

- Humiliation Play

- calling his partner a whore or a slut or whatever other degrading name really gets him going; the way they react to it, whether they moan in delight or growl in annoyance will always turn him on

- don't ever try to humiliate Kid in bed though, he'll get ticked off easily; he expects you to praise him, telling him how good he's fucking you

- Pain

- Kid is always a bit rough when it comes to sexy times; the pain felt or inflicted just sends an adrenaline rush through his body that ignites the sexual fires inside his veins, making for some intense, rowdy sex

- Choking, gagging, spanking, hair pulling, biting, etc. are all things he enjoys in the bedroom

- He's even okay with his partner slapping him around a bit, it doesn't ever hurt him, but it stings just enough to fuel that rush

L = Location (Favorite places to do the do)

- Kid could really care less where he has sex just as long as he's getting some

- From the most private quarters to the more public areas, he's gonna take his partner when he's in the mood (also with consent bc Kid believes in consent gdi)

- I'd say some of his favorite places are the bedroom, his study, public restrooms, and alleys

M = Motivation (What turns them on, gets them going)

- The adrenaline after a fight always manages to make blood rush down to his member

- That victory after defeating someone/something or even the energy after a fight with his partner always makes him hot and heavy, eager to get nasty with them

- Seeing his partner either flustered from his teasing or pissed off from his antics also makes it easy to pop a boner

- Revealing clothing is a bit more difficult, as yes he enjoys seeing the more risque side of his partner, but he's also pissed to see them flaunting their stuff for everybody to see

- Either way, it's motivation nonetheless, whether it's motivation to praise their sexy body or motivation to punish them for being so scandalous; they're gonna end up having sex either way

- Public teasing is also another way to get him in the mood

- But let's be real, this boy is practically always in the mood

N = NO (Something they won't do, turn offs)

- Cuckolding or threesomes with another guy

- No other man is ever going to have the chance to fuck his woman, that is not okay in his books; his lover is his and only he can make them scream in pleasure

- Being submissive

- Kid doesn't have a single submissive bone in his body so don't expect him to bend for you

- Although he can appreciate a woman taking charge every now and then, he has to have the ability to regain control whenever he wants, so he's not really interested in being cuffed or tied up

O = Oral (Preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

- Kid actually has a pretty short tongue, his clit game is ridiculous but as for eating out? it's not his best work really

- Due to this, plus his own selfish ways, he much prefers receiving than giving

- That won't stop him from asking his lover to come sit on his face though

- 69ing is probably his favorite way to do during oral, that or having his lover on their knees for him, sucking him off

- He loves some good face fucking, so be prepared for him to grab you by the hair and pound his dick into your mouth

- He won't deny that he loves the feeling of someone gagging on his cock, it makes him feel massive and he just basks in the feeling of them practically choking on his member

- Cumming in his partner's mouth is one of his fav ways to blow a load

- He finds it hot as hell if they swallow; watching them clean up and swallow his mess is always a gateway to some intense fucking

P = Pace (Are they fast and rough? Slow and sensual? etc.)

- Slow and sensual are words that just don't belong in Kid's sexual dictionary

- His pace is 99.9999% always going to be rough, relentless, and animalistic as that's just in his nature

- He needs a strong woman that can take his eager pace as he's never going to go easy on them

- His pace is roughest during quickies or when his partner has been teasing and tormenting him all day

Q = Quickie (Their opinions on quickies rather than proper sex, how often, etc.)

- Quickies are definitely a thing with Kid, though they're not preferred like you would think

- Kid likes to give his all in everything he does, sex included, and you can't really do that with quickies so they're not his preference

- But he's definitely not opposed to them either, if a quickie is all he can get right now, it's a hell of a lot better than nothing so he'll take it

- Quickies are usually the roughest sex you'll get from Kid; as he usually just completely skips any kind of foreplay and jumps straight into pounding into you like a wild animal

- Up against the wall quickies are his favorite  

R = Risk (Are they game to experiment, do they take risks, etc.)

- Kid isn't really into experimenting; he's had his rounds, he knows what he likes and he knows what he's good at

- His sexual ways are enough to satisfy him, so he won't settle with a partner who expects more out of him

- I can see him willing to experiment with a partner he truly loves and trusts, but he'll probably complain the whole time lmao; and there's just certain things he'll definitely say no to, like pegging or golden showers or just weird things

- As for the taking risks, the idea of getting caught by someone while doing the do is a major turn on for him, so I'd say he enjoys taking those kinds of risks

S = Stamina (How many rounds can they go for, how long do they last)

- On a good day, Kid could probably go about 3 or 4 rounds

- Usually though, he makes his sessions long enough for them to be absolutely exhausted after, so just one more round to seal the deal is usual his go to

- Kid has impeccable stamina, and can last for a pretty long time to no one's surprise

- He knows when to quit it though as he can tell when his partner is getting exhausted; so typically, he'll go for however long his partner will allow him

- That's not to say it's impossible to make him cum because there are quite a few talents that can make him bust easily

- Blowjobs are an easy way to make him nut, especially if you can manage to deepthroat his cock; the sensation of someone gagging on his cock always brings him right to the edge

- Strict attention on his head will always make him cum quicker than usual as it's just so sensitive

- Kid never really lasts long during anal sex either as the extra tightness around his dick is just too much to handle

T = Toy (Do they own toys? Do they use them? On a partner or themselves?)

- Toys with Kid are a no go

- He owns a fleshlight, thanks to a gag gift from Heat, and he used it once but it wasn't nearly as good as his hand so it just kinda sits in his drawer

- If he can't bring himself pleasure from his own personal skill then there's something wrong

- With a partner, the same rule applies; if he can't make them scream his name and cum all over him with his own body and skills then he's not doing a great job

- He firmly believes they don't need toys to have good sex

- The furthest I can see him going are small toys he makes himself like maybe nipple clamps or something idk

U = Unfair (How much they like to tease)

- Kid isn't much of tease during sex as he likes to get straight to the point usually

- Most of the teasing happens beforehand like when Kid is trying to insinuate he's in the mood and he's trying to test to see if his partner is in the mood as well

- A lot of his teasing happens in public, whether it be groping, toying with her lady bits under a table, or slamming her against the wall and grinding his member against her, then just casually walking away

- He definitely knows what he's doing when teasing, as his actions pretty much always lead to a sexually frustrated partner that is more than eager for him when they get a chance to sneak away, begging him to fuck her

- He'll appreciate a partner who reciprocates this form of teasing but he doesn't like a teaser in the bedroom; he's way too impatient for that

- If you want really frustrated Kid sex (which hey you just might) then tease the hell out of him and he'll show you no mercy

V = Volume (How loud they are, what sounds they make)

- Kid is loud as fuck and he kinda hates it about himself because he of course wants to hear the moans from his partner rather than his own

- But between the cursing and the spanking and the grunts and the "Who's fucking you so good?" kind of chants, anyone within ear shot is gonna know what's going

- His voice is low, but he's just a naturally loud and boisterous man so of course his groans of pleasure are gonna be loud, like distant roars of rolling thunder

- He tends to curse and grunt a bit louder once reaching climax

W = Wild Card (Random headcanon)

- Kid finds it absolutely sexy to see his lipstick smeared all over his partner

- If the situation allows, he'll sneak away to apply some more on (he's always got it on him) just so he can smear the lipstick all over his partner's body, littering her skin with his red marks

- He might look a little ridiculous with smeared lipstick on his face, but he could care less as the markings on her body truly make her look divine

X = X-Ray (Let's see what's going on in those pants)

- His dick is pale just like the rest of him, but with a big, blush pink tip that's really sensitive

- I'd say he's about average size (for his height), probably about 6 inches or a lil less than that

- What he lacks in length he makes up for in girth; his dick is thicc af, and he's quite proud of the way he stretches women so well, but it's a bit painful for virgins or anal sex tbh

-  It has a couple of prominent veins, but other than that, it's really smooth

- slight curve upward

- more of a shower than a grower

- his balls are about average in comparison to his penis size (they're also really sensitive)

Y = Yearning (How high is their sex drive?)

- Way too fucking high lemme tell ya

- This man is a literal walking sex machine, ready to shove his dick into something literally any second of the day

- He's got so much built up anger and stress he needs to release, so he's like horny 100% of the time

- He honestly needs a partner that is ready to get it anytime and anywhere

Z = ZZZ (How quickly they fall asleep afterwords)

- Because his sessions are long and intense he's pretty quick to fall asleep after due to overexertion and the blissful feeling of coming down from his high

- He's pretty good about cleaning up before falling asleep, but honestly sometimes he just crashes right after rolling off of them

- He hardly cares about getting dressed before crashing, as I said before he gets really warm after sex, so he'll allow himself to cool off before rolling over and pulling his partner into him

- If he's staying with a stranger (very very rare) he'll just roll away from them and start snoring immediately

- With a loved one, he'll try his best to stay awake, talking about whatever they want, but sleep ultimately takes him within five minutes after sex

[ladyintheattic]

yo i’ve been writing alot this month and all i can think of is my poor pre-heartbreak sidestep dealing with the fact she actually has friends haha

_______________ ship: none (barely implied chargestep) words: 1,541 tags: f!sidestep, pre-heartbreak, pre-psycopathor battle, canon typical violence tw: trauma?? possibly ptsd stuff?? ————————–

It was a mistake. You messed up. Misstepped.

The man was probably drunk. Seemed like an alright guy, if your careful scan of all the bar’s patronages upon your entering can be trusted. If it can be trusted. He must have been tripping, falling over his laces, grabbed for your elbow, wanting to be steady, wanting the room to stop spinning.

You bet it spun worse when you flipped him, throwing him over your shoulder into another patron’s table, cracking it in two. You hadn’t meant to; it had been instinct. Reflex.

Your heart stops, your mind finally catching up with your body. The table had hardly finished breaking into splinters before you felt someone’s hand gather up your collar, yanking you upwards, upwards into the face of a man twice your size. The drunk man has a friend. Your feet dangle inches off the floor, and you taste his breath as he snarls at you, his face too close. You also taste ozone.

Ortega’s fist is a blur, and so’s your new enemy’s head. You hear Anathema yelling on your right, and you wonder for a split second if you can somehow stop this imbroglio: halt the ensuing chaos. A foolish thought. You’ve messed up. You’ve messed up, and now you have to pay for it.

Mistakes are not to be tolerated.

You tug your bandana over your nose, hearing the man’s head make a painful sound as it collides with the bar. Chairs scraping the floor as others stand, every muscle in every body in the filthy old bar tense and ready to fight. They don’t know what they’re in for: who they’re looking at. Or maybe they do, and are just too excited or stupid to understand how outmatched they are.

“Come and get it, pendejos.” Ortega’s grinning, but it’s not the same gleeful one he normally wears to bar-fights. He’s usually the one who picks them, so often you swear it’s damn near a hobby or a pastime for him. This grin is wrong, manic. Angry.

They do. They do ‘come and get it’. The noise is overwhelming: fists everywhere, chairs flying, bottles breaking against skulls, screams as Anathema’s acid eats through someone’s skin. Reflexes kicking in once more, you find yourself landing hits; surface-reading the minds of your combatants just fast enough for you to dodge, block, dance around the damage. You’re good at this, at fighting multiple opponents, it’s what you’ve trained for, but even you would’ve ended up a bloody smear on the floor without the Rangers’ help.

You make out the solid presence of Steel behind you as your kick sends someone somersaulting over another table. Ortega on your left, Anathema on your right. You’re boxed in. Defended.

Protected.

The crack of wood against body startles you out of your reflections. To the far left, past a pile of chairs and bodies, you catch the last moments of a man crumbling, collapsing onto the cold floor, the remains of a table laying in pieces all around him. Ortega’s work no doubt.

You freeze. Everyone freezes. The room is silent but for the odd shuffle of nervous feet or the huffing of a particularly heavy breather nearby. It seems Ortega’s last act of brutality sent them back to their senses. You’re still not sure if you’re back to yours.

Almost before your mind can catch up with this second wave of shifting mood, Steel steps out form behind you, fists already unclenched and a face passive, but firm. “Everyone stay put,” he pulls his badge from his pocket and nudges Ortega to do the same. Anathema follows. “We need to sort this out.” His eyes flick to Ortega’s a for a split moment. “Officially this time.”

You can’t help it:  you feel yourself slinking back behind Steel and Ortega’s taller, more noticeable forms. It’s no good. Face still covered, you still feel the heat of the stares, hot like high-powered laser pistols. Your skin crawls, prickling like needles. You don’t produce a badge like your compatriots, you can’t, and you can feel the whole crowd taking note if it. Fuck.

Steel has already moved into action, Ortega at his hip, standing at the bar talking to the barkeep, who is also probably the owner, and probably wanting to keep this whole Rangers incident as off-the-books as possible; Ranger fights in your pub can’t be good for business. You wonder if they will oblige him. You wonder if they’ll clean this up. Clean up your blunder. You doubt it.

“This will not do.” A cold sweat breaks out over your brow. A mistake. An error. A mess. The Directive will not stand of it. Many more of these, and you will be up for some reeducation. Up for poking, prodding, cutting. Cutting away. Changing you.

“Your performance was… less than adequate. You make mistakes like this out there… well, we can’t have that.” No movement. Hardly even breathing. You know better than to try and excuse it or explain yourself. Or attempt to apologize. Apologies don’t happen here. Being sorry isn’t encouraged. After all, tools can’t be sorry.

“Never. Again. Do you understand, Unit B74-”

Hand on your shoulder, you nearly jump, nearly attempt the same over-the-shoulder move you had implemented on the stumbling drunk man. You’re glad you don’t, although you feel your heart in your throat. It’s Anathema, looking at you with an odd, pinched look across her features. “You alright Becky?” She tugs gently on your bandana, though not enough to pull it down, she knows better. “Are you hurt?”

“I understa- I mean. Yeah I’m. Fine.” The cracks in your voice surprise you, as does the hammering of your heartbeat in your ears.

“You look really pale,” her hands find yours as she attempts to lead you to one of the few upright chairs. “And you’re shaking.”

“I’m fine.” You pull your hands from hers; you can’t sit down yet. Too much adrenaline still pumps through your veins. Too much fear. No one had a camera on did they? No one pulled out their phone and started recording the fight for some soon-to-be-chain-email, right? Did anyone note your face? Would any of them recognize you if they say you on the street now? What about the bar’s security cameras? What if someone-

“You’re not fine,” startling again, you feel her sharp gaze looking your face over despite most of it still being covered. “You look like you’re about to pass out.”

“I-”

“Beck!” Ortega is at your side, his arm gently brushing against you. You can practically feel the effort he’s exerting to keep his hand out of yours. “We think we’ve got all this sorted out,” his mouth spreads into an all-too-familiar smug smile. “The Rangers gotta shell out a bit of cash for the chairs and tables, but other than that it’s like nothing even happened here.”

You’re frozen again. Wait, so the Rangers are going to waste money on this? Is that even allowed: you aren’t even a Ranger, and only debuted as Sidestep a few months ago. It’s not like you’re particularly valuable to them, at least not yet.

“But… Can you? Do that?”

“Of course!” He raises his hand to his chest in mock indignation. “I’m the marshal, and I’ve had a few more bar-fights than you I’ll bet. Not the first time Wei’s had to deal with cleanup either.” He winks past you, at Steel, who only gives an annoyed grunt in return.

“Yeah, but-” You stop yourself. Why are you arguing with them? Probably because you don’t believe it; when you do things wrong you get punished for them, not just by the Directive, but also by life in general. Life doesn’t work like this, at least not for you.

No one has ever done something like this for you… but then again, you’ve never had friends that would jump headlong into a bar-fight for you either. Never had friends before.

“It’s really okay Becky,” Anathema nods over to Steel. “We saw the whole thing. We know how it is: sometimes you get jumpy, instincts kick in and, well, this is usually the result.” She shrugs, as though she were talking about breaking a mug or slipping on ice. As though it was fine, expected, normal.

“I was getting tired of this dive-bar anyway,” Ortega claps and hand on your shoulder, almost knocking you over for how faint you feel. “And it’s still pretty early, so lets try the next place! I heard one opened last week a few blocks down!

Nod. You’re trying to nod, or smile under the bandana, or do anything. You can’t. You’re body is still waiting. Waiting for the punishment. The fear still hasn’t run its coarse, but something new is blooming in your chest. You can’t name the feeling, or even describe it.

All you know is that you want to cry.

“Th… Thank you, guys.” You swallow hard. “And… sorry. About the mess.”

“Don’t worry about it,” he gives you a light shake and a wink before letting your shoulder free, heading for his jacket he has slung over the bar. “We’re a team nowadays aren’t we?”

Finally. Finally, you smile. “If you say so, old man.”

[theunholygrails]

Workout

You’re a secretary of sorts who still finds time to squeeze in some exercise with the Falcon himself.

Sam Wilson x reader

Warnings: nsfw

Masterlist

The elevator slid shut and granted you a bit of solitude, even quieter than your empty office at that time of night. You blew out a deep breath, releasing a week’s worth of stress from helping save the world from behind a desk and preparing for some stress-relieving cardio. The Avengers compound gym was open to all employees, not just the superheroes.

You were bent over tightening your shoelaces when the elevator dinged at the next floor down and whoever it was paused in the doorway. You loved how your ass looked in your leggings and they were probably getting an eyeful of it.

“Desk girl? That you?”

You knew that voice and that nickname and straightened with a smile. “In the flesh, bird-brain. Anything I can do for you?”

“Tell me what you’re still doing here and in…this.” Sam Wilson casually waved a hand at your outfit as he made his way next to you.

“C’mon now, you’ve never seen workout clothes before? What does Nat wear when you spar?”

His arms crossed, making the muscles strain against his sleeves. “I’m used to all that, but you’re usually Agent-No-Nonsense in blazers and whatnot. Not that this is a bad look for ya,” he added with a smirk.

“Well, thanks and no thanks, pencil skirts don’t cut it for every second of the day.” You ghosted a wink and led the way out of the elevator.

But as soon as you set down your gym bag, you whirled around with a hip cocked out. “What about you, Sam, what are you still doing here? Don’t you have a new bar to show Cap or a woman to woo? You’re usually a hard man to find on Friday nights.”

“And who says those things aren’t still gonna happen? The night is young.” After a deliberate raise of your eyebrows, he continued, “Alright, you got me. I had some leads to follow up with and now I’ve gotta get my workout in.”

You weren’t unhappy with the company.

Only the dumbbell section of the gym was disorganized and that was probably accounted for by Clint not giving a shit. As you and Sam tidied up, you let your gaze sweep over him more than once. Maybe he didn’t have any special serum coursing through his veins but he still had a delicious swagger that you drank in discreetly.

Or so you thought. He swiveled and caught your eyes knowingly.

“Can I help you? You need a spotter for something?”

If he was gonna ignore the tension, then so were you. “If you’d like to spot me running then be my guest. I won’t be here long anyway, usually cut it short on Fridays.”

He shrugged, then turned to stretching his arms. “You got a boyfriend waiting up on you?”

Oh, this was too good. His nonchalance would’ve slipped past anyone else but you could tell he was eager for the answer. The two of you had been flirting long enough that you’d also wondered if he had someone at home and now seemed like a good time to put everything on the table. Plus, you were going through a dry spell and quenching it with Sam Wilson was the best-case scenario.

With the fate of the night sealed in your mind, you pulled a long stretch through your hamstrings, offering another great profile of your ass. “No, nobody’s at home.”

“Me neither,” Sam offered willingly.

“It’s hard to keep someone around for more than one night with the whole Avengers gig, am I right?”

“You got that right.” He paused, letting the charming gap in his teeth break through a grin. “Never heard you talk like that, and I’ve heard you say a lotta shit under your breath.”

It was your turn to shrug. “We’re friends, Sam, I figured I could be honest.”

“So be honest with me again, you ever keep any of the superheroes around for a night?”

You laughed but sobered up when it was clear he wasn’t joking. “No, I stick to normal ones.”

“I’m pretty normal.” Sam’s eyes searched yours for a reaction.

You hadn’t even started your warmup but your chest was heated and you blamed something in the weekend air for making this so easy. “That’s true. I mean, we’re both here for a workout, so…”

You faded out and continued stretching, leaving Sam with a curious look on his face. Gesturing widely, he said, “Just so I’m not making any assumptions –”

“Yeah, Sam, I’m throwing it out there if you wanna fuck.” You perched invitingly on a nearby table.

He peeled off his sweatshirt as he crossed the distance between you and suddenly he was pushed between your legs, his nose resting next to yours and saying breathily, “I think I’ll take you up on that one, baby.”

Your hands roamed for a few moments, testing the waters before letting the tsunami wave crash. Locking your fingers behind his neck, you crushed him impossibly close, meeting his open mouth with your own. There was a minty spice on his tongue that you immediately craved more of and his chest rumbled with a laugh as you dipped your own eager tongue around his.

“Alright, I get it,” he let his lips graze to your jaw and down your neck, “you’ve been gunning for me for awhile.”

You stifled the impatient moan in your throat. “Look who’s talking. So why are you dragging it out?”

“That’s how I roll.”

The click of the air conditioner turning on across the gym came in time with the click of your tongue as you chided his stationary hands. You guided them up your waist with a bit of resistance as he insisted on taking it slow and then his caressing kickstarted pressure between your legs, right where his bulge sat dangerously in front of your core.

Without warning Sam laid you back on the table, his biceps coming to rest on either side of your head, and you moaned at the friction his strong body was now providing. Your lips found his neck this time, kissing and sucking and tugging and he uttered a few beautiful sighs here and there.

“New favorite workout,” he muttered as he reached to pull off his t-shirt.

“Tell me about it.”

You tore at your own shirt, too, and then couldn’t pull Sam back onto you fast enough. Each feverish kiss was more desperate than the last and you only broke away to gasp when he squeezed through your thick sports bra. You arched into his touch, aching for more and smiling into another kiss when you received it. Together you rid yourselves of the last pesky pieces of clothes.

“God, you’re beautiful,” he breathed when you were bared to him, raising a heat in your chest and between your legs.

You moaned your thanks against his mouth but it came out strangled as the cool metal of the table made contact with your skin.

“Sorry about that. Let’s move.” Before you had a chance to comply, Sam had swept you to a more cushioned table nearby and you perched once again with him between your legs.

You draped your arms over his muscled shoulders and drawled, “You’re pretty handsome yourself, by the way.”

“Who knew normal people could be so hot?”

He captured your laugh in a kiss and his arms now willingly curved around your back to pull you flush against his chest. You wanted to stay in this moment forever, with Sam lighting up every inch of your skin, but he dialed it up another notch by slipping a hand down to toy with your clit.

Your hips jutted into his touch and he smiled against your mouth, proud that he was the one making your body react like this. Once your slick coated his fingers, he adjusted to line himself up.

“You alright?”

“Yeah, Sam. Please,” you gasped through the desperation of wanting him inside you.

Loud moans filled the air with his first thrust into you. He filled you perfectly, like everything you’d dreamed of, and your grip on his shoulders only tightened with each fervent thrust. His forehead was rested to yours and he kissed you haphazardly while his arms anchored you against him.

“I’m right here, baby. You feel so good.”

He was expertly working you over and you could only pant in response. The rhythm of his hips had that delicious tension building in your lower belly and you were losing focus on anything but Sam and his body intertwined with yours. You kissed him hard, drawing a deep chuckle from his throat.

“You gonna come for me?”

Your witty comeback faltered on your tongue as the climax took you unexpectedly, sending blinding pleasure to your every nerve. Sam’s face fell to the crook of your neck as he came right after, hips stuttering through the finish. Everything slowed down and eventually you pulled back to look at each other, matching smirks gracing your lips.

“Not bad for a desk girl.”

“Not bad for a bird-brain.”

“A bird-brained gentleman,” he countered. To prove his point, he helped you off the table and gathered your strewn clothes first before finding his own.

After checking each other out for months on end, sneaking glances while you redressed felt natural. Your skin was still warm from his touch and to make sure it stayed that way, you grabbed the front of his shirt and stole another kiss as soon as he was close enough.

Sam cleared his throat when you finally pulled away but couldn’t hide his smile. “Any chance you’d wanna make this last more than one night?”

“Great minds think alike.”

He was about to kiss you again when the elevator opened and Clint strolled in. He glanced around, clocking your closeness to Sam without a second thought, and headed back to the weights section.

“Thanks for racking these for me, guys. I was gonna clean ‘em up sooner or later.”

“Speaking of cleanup,” Sam confessed as he shouldered his gym bag, “you might wanna wait until this place is wiped down tomorrow before you touch anything.”

His words didn’t register until you and Sam were safely on the elevator. Just as the doors were closing, Clint’s disgusted cry rang out.

“Oh come on!”

[lestered]

until you come back home summary: it’s 2009, distance sucks, and phil’s probably (definitely) in love.

words: 2234 rating: explicit pairing: dan howell/phil lester tags: 2009, long distance, smut, pining written for @phandomficfests “dates” flash fest 

read on ao3

“Dan… Dan, I’m so close, I’m gonna fucking—”

He can’t even finish his sentence; it ends in a choked-out moan as he rubs his own thumb firmly over the tip of his lubed-up cock. He’s really great at getting himself off these days. He has to be—he’s gotta tide himself over somehow while Dan’s not here, which is far more often than he’d like. Dan’s even better at getting him off, he knows that, but he kills the thought of it before it goes too far. The last thing he needs is to start pining while he’s trying to jerk off.

“Mm, I know.” He hears Dan, breathy and quiet and distant, urging him on from 300 miles away. “Do it. Cum for me.” He recognizes the strangled, desperate edge to his voice, and knows that Dan’s close to cumming too. With his eyes closed, he can almost make himself believe that he’s right here with him. Except if that were the case, he’d be fucking Dan’s mouth right now instead of his own hand. Dan’s perfect, perfect mouth—all soft and wet and warm and always so fucking eager to please. He wants it so bad.

He tells him as much. “I wish you could suck me off right now.”

“Fuck.” He hears Dan stifle a groan. “Me too. I want you. So much.”

He’s never gonna get used to that, he reckons—Dan wanting him. Dan, the most wonderful person in the world in every way, actually wanting him, feels too good to be real. That’s another thought he has to kill, before it kills his hard-on first.

He squeezes the base of his cock before he opens his eyes, so that what he has waiting for him doesn’t make him instantly cum on sight. It almost does anyway.

Because Dan’s entire naked body is on display for him, all long and lean and perfect. With his legs spread shamelessly wide, his chest rising and falling fast and unevenly, his head resting against the wall behind him and his eyes half-lidded and his bottom lip caught between his teeth, one hand flying over his cock and the other fisted in his bedsheets.

“You’re so fucking hot.” He murmurs, surprising even himself with how deep and gravelly his voice can get when he’s this turned on. That’s the effect that Dan has on him. Apparently he has that effect on Dan, too, because he lets out a low whine and looks at him pleadingly.

“Fuck, keep going.” Dan tells him, and he pumps his cock slowly a couple times, as if that’ll make him last longer. He can already tell that it won’t, but it was worth a shot. He speeds up again, and Dan sighs in satisfaction. “Yeah, like that. Don’t stop. Wanna watch you cum.”

Phil’s not one to deny Dan anything that he wants, so he stops trying to delay the inevitable. He shuts his eyes again and lets his head fall back against his shoulders and strokes himself the way that he knows he likes best, the way Dan does it, alternating speeds and pressures and an occasional twist. He imagines Dan’s hands and mouth all over him, listens to Dan’s little noises through his laptop speakers and pictures himself fucking them out of him, remembers his tightness and warmth and the way he clings to him, remembers how it feels to hold him close and bury himself deep inside. He feels that familiar heat pooling in the pit of his stomach, feels his balls draw up tight, bites back what would otherwise be an embarrassingly loud moan.

“Fuck, Phil.” Dan whispers. “Fuck. Cum for me. Please.”

That please goes straight to his cock and sends him over the edge and he cums hard, thick white spurts spilling over his fist and onto his lower belly. He strokes himself all the way through it, sloppily, even manages a couple squeezes at the tip to make sure he’s got it all out before he has to fully collapse. His arms fall limply at his sides as his entire body slumps against the wall, and he allows himself a couple moments to bask in the dull, full-body pulsating of the aftershocks before he opens his eyes. Thankfully, just in time to see Dan’s toes curl and his hand movements go jerky and erratic and his lips mouth what looks like a stream of fuck, fuckfuckfuck before he cums too, with a whimper that gets caught in his throat and his eyes fluttering shut.

He waits patiently for Dan to ride it out. It’s one of his favorite sights. He can practically feel it—Dan’s hot, heavy breaths, the way his heart races, the way he shudders in Phil’s arms and the way his chest heaves against his own, the way that he finishes completely limp and boneless. The image in front of him, and even moreso the memory of what it’s like in person, is almost enough to get him hard again. Almost. It’s a good thing he’s not built for that.

They do that thing they always do when Dan comes down from it and opens his eyes—the bashful gazes and tired smiles and that look that says you’re amazing, thanks for making me cum, before they separately go about their hasty cleanup processes. Then, once they both have their bottles of lube stashed away and their soiled tissues chucked in the bin and their pants tugged back on, they settle back down, laptops positioned by their heads while they lay on their sides and snuggle into their respective pillows since they can’t snuggle into each other.

“That was good.” Phil murmurs after a few quiet moments.

Dan snorts, and it’s somehow adorable. “I’d say better than good.” Phil can tell from his tone that he’s still in that faraway, blissed-out, post-orgasm phase, and he feels a tiny surge of pride at having put him in that state. There’s another brief silence before Dan speaks up again, softer this time. “I miss you.”

“I miss you too.” Phil answers automatically. “So much. All the time.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. Obviously.” He raises his eyebrows tiredly. “Is it not obvious?”

“Mm, a bit.” Dan smirks. “Pretty sure I miss you more, though.”

“God, babe. ‘m too tired to play the ‘miss you more’ game.” He groans and stretches his arms out over his head, and when he looks back, Dan’s gaze has gone completely soft. “What?”

“Nothing.” Dan shrugs, and burrows further into his pillow. “I like when you call me babe.”

“I like when you call me babe, too.” Phil sighs. “It makes this whole thing feel more real.”

Dan furrows his brow, a cute little wrinkle forming in the middle of his forehead. “What d’you mean, more real?”

He bites his lip, drawing in a sharp breath through his nose. “I dunno how to explain it. I guess you just feel too good to be true, sometimes. Or at least, you liking me feels too good to be true. Especially when you’re so far away. It’s easy to convince myself that you’re just, like, something I dreamed up as some kind of coping mechanism for being stuck here, alone at my parents’ house with no direction or idea whatsoever for what I’m supposed to do with the rest of my life.”

It’s meant as a joke, but the way Dan’s expression changes tells him that maybe he’s gotten a bit too real with it. “I’m real.” Dan whispers. “Promise. Besides, if one of us is too good to be true, it’s definitely you.”

Coming from anyone else, it’d sound like just another line, but the sincerity in Dan’s eyes lets him know that he really believes it. He loves Dan’s eyes. His pretty brown eyes, so soft and expressive, so warm and beautiful, just like everything else about him. His shitty webcam doesn’t do them any justice, but looking into them right now, he still feels like his heart could absolutely burst.

This is when skyping with Dan gets really hard. He’d thought it was hard back before they’d even met. He’d thought that the hard part was the anticipation of meeting him, the not knowing if Dan felt the same way as Phil did about him, the uncertainty of what they were going to be. Turns out, that was the easy part. The hard part is knowing, now, that Dan wants him. The hard part is knowing how it feels to look into Dan’s eyes in person, knowing how warm his skin is, how silky-smooth his hair feels when he runs his fingers through it, how his lips taste. The hard part is knowing how big and strong his hands are, how amazing he is in bed, what his moans really sound like when he doesn’t have to worry about waking his family up at 4am. The hard part is knowing how safe he feels when they hold each other. The hard part is knowing all of that, and most of the time, not being able to have it.

(The absolute hardest part is knowing that he’s in love, and that he has no idea how or when to say it, but that he can’t possibly say it over a skype call, but he also doesn’t know if he can hold it in much longer.)

“Phil?” Dan’s voice brings him back to reality.

“Right.” He clears his throat a bit. “Sorry.”

Dan pulls his blanket up a bit further over his shoulders and yawns. “You ok?”

“Yeah. Yeah.” He assures him, and shimmies further under his own covers as well. “Just thinking about you. I can’t wait for you to get here.”

Dan smiles, and it reaches his eyes, and Phil feels a very distinct warmth blooming in his chest. Dan smiles a lot, but it’s not always real. He likes making him smile for real. Dan deserves all the happiness and love and everything good in the world, and Phil probably can’t give it all to him, as much as he wants to. But he can at least make him smile.

“I can’t wait either.” He sighs. “One more week.”

“One more week.” Phil repeats. It won’t be as good as spending Christmas with Dan, but he supposes that the days leading up to it will be the next best thing. “It’s supposed to snow, like, a ton. It’ll be pretty.”

“And good for filming Christmas Adventure.” Dan points out.

“That too.” Phil goes quiet again. He knows Dan doesn’t really mind, which is nice. Dan’s one of the very few people that he feels comfortable just sitting in silence with. Fuck, he misses him. Dan’s not even here yet, and Phil’s already thinking about how much it’s gonna hurt to see him leave again. “I kinda hate this.” He mumbles.

Dan seems to read his mind. “The distance?”

Phil nods, and Dan sighs. “Yeah. Me too.”

Now more than ever, he wants to tell Dan that he loves him. He’ll do it this time, he tells himself. When Dan’s here, he’ll tell him. In person. He’ll kiss him and tell him he loves him and pray his heart out that Dan says he loves him too. Something about the way Dan’s looking at him right now tells him that he maybe shouldn’t worry too much about that. But he will anyway.

“It won’t be like this forever.” Is what he says instead. “We’ll be in the same city someday, and then we’ll go on dates all the time, and they’ll be way better than this.”

There’s a glint of amusement in Dan’s eyes. “Oh this is a date, is it?” He asks.

“Isn’t it?” Phil smirks. “What’s a date? Food, sex, talking? We did the sex, we’re doing the talking. You watched me eat half a bag of Haribo earlier. I’d call it a date.”

Dan just laughs, and it turns into another yawn. “You’re an idiot. You’re lucky I like you so much.”

“I like you too.” Phil whispers. “You’re getting sleepy.”

“Yeah.” Dan mumbles, and rubs one of his eyes. “But I wanna keep talking to you.”

He sighs. “I wanna keep talking to you, too. But you’ve got work tomorrow. You don’t wanna be all tired and cranky.”

Dan rolls his eyes before he shuts them. “You make me sound like a fussy toddler.”

“Shh. I already feel old compared to you.”

Dan smirks, and manages to crack one eye open. “Rude. I should be making you feel young again.”

“You do, actually.” Phil says quietly, and Dan’s eye slips shut again. Dan does make him feel young. It’s something about falling in love for the first time. He stares at the screen for a little bit longer, sees Dan’s breaths begin to even out. “Goodnight, Dan.” He whispers.

He’s almost about to close his laptop when he hears Dan’s soft, sleepy voice on the other end. “Stay online, please?”

Phil smiles and nods, even though Dan can’t see. He settles down fully into his bed and turns down the brightness on his screen. I love you is on the tip of his tongue again, but he knows he’ll say it later, at a better time, in a better way.

“Okay.” He whispers instead, and closes his eyes, and lets himself be lulled to sleep by the sound of Dan’s soft, steady breathing.

[noonmutter]

I Want a New Duck

( Immediately following the events laid out here ... )

Inventory day was not Rhodryn’s favorite day, but neither was it her least favorite. Customers could be vile creatures in need of a few days with no tongue, but they could also be bundles of sweetness as capable of brightening one's day as any pastry in the shop, if you let them. But inventory day was quiet, and rewarding, and now that the shop's owner had returned, it was guaranteed to be an easy day in pleasant company, doing little more than looking for places missed in the regular cleanup.

Or it usually was. Today might not be so pleasant, to judge by the rambling voice of her employer drifting back from the storeroom.

"...still too bloody riled. I din't--Darlain said if, if I was fixatin'--this's def'nitely fixatin'--if I was fixatin' an' I'd already run outta mad an' there was nobody around an'--this's def'nitely fixatin'. So I'm fixatin'. That's wrong. Somethin's wrong. Cuz I got played? ... no. Not now, tha's not it. Why th'fuck're you still mad day after, bruv..?"

So the ren’dorei put on her gear with the ingrained stealth of decades of servitude, and listened. She was not particularly intent on spying, but what was there to drown him out in the empty shop when she was scrubbing the floor?

At least he wasn't just babbling in there, to judge by the sound of boxes and bags shuffling back and forth and his boots clicking across the floor. "...so she'n'er guy invite you up, an' that's fine, we're fine, s'great, an' then there's idle dumb chatter an' that's fine too, tell 'em th' dumb stories, good laughs, all's great...when’d we start talkin' about my arse? ...well they liked my arse anyway..."

Everyone likes your arse, idiot; it's a good arse. She worked intently at a particularly stubborn stain in a floorboard under the edge of a cabinet, though she was becoming suspicious that it was not chocolate, as she had always assumed, but something more like blood. What had been going on in this shop lately?

It could very well have been blood! ...up till it finally worked loose enough to peel back, and reveal itself as some form of fossilized berry sauce. At least, it had probably been berries... it was sauce, anyway. Blood didn't... stretch... like that.

"...good a time as any t'mention th' missuses, right, nat'ral part o' th'talkin', chattin' about ev'rythin'...she's gotta rule 'bout married men, fine, 'ear tha' plenty, so nah, ours is open, they like 'earin' stories later anyway, but she's got 'er rule so fine, Iggy's still comin' at me...least I think 'e is, gods only know now--no, no, that's uncharitable..."

Could be meatjuice, that could get a bit stretchy. Should be able to smell - Light's sake, did I really just sniff ancient--

”--still comin’ at me--” Her ears perked up in surprise, and then back down low as she scowled hard. Someone had threatened her boss? And just like that, he had her full attention, halfway through peeling mystery gunk off the floor.

"--'ave t'call it a hamhock? yeah 'e was tryin't'be flat'rin' but hamhock? ... gettin' off-track. 'E 'as a lovely 'amhock of 'is own anyway, tha' wasn't a problem, stop that... wierd word choices are not th' issue, Leon, stop. Stop."

For a little bit, he was quiet, apparently forcing himself to actually take a break from his odd little conversation and do work a bit more efficiently.  The mystery gunk briefly gave off a faint stench of scotch gone horribly awry, but that might've been her mind playing tricks.

Leon was messing with his adding machine by the time he started talking again, so he'd clearly made something resembling progress.

"She's still comin' at me right along with 'im, but she's got rules about married men... din't stop 'er any, did it? But I come at 'er back, I'll be th' prick, won't I... an' dammit Iggy's all about it, too... damn fine kisser fer a clown, tha' man..."

Oh. Not threats. How this man loved to abuse his language's idioms... She relaxed and resumed peeling. It couldn't be scotch, scotch wouldn't peel like this. Unless he'd made a sauce of it...

All this grumbling and anger over flirting? That can't truly be the whole of it…

"...got rules about married men, don't y', but yer fine teasin'em after th' fact...cruel thin', y'were speakin' plain an' I were speakin' plain an' then y'still go go go..."

She sighed silently and rubbed at her forehead with the back of her hand.

You're better than this, Mister Ambroce. Please be better than this.

A brief pause, and then a soft thump, most likely his fist on his desk. "All that an' Iggy too! Again th' guy's a wash! Augh!"

The void elf rose to her feet, took a deep breath, and said, "You are an idiot."

"F--!" There was an awfully loud bang and ruckus in that storeroom. A few seconds later, Leon's head peeked around the doorframe at floor level. Spooked horses looked less rattled than he did in that moment. "...Rhodryn?"

The effect of arching a single brow was magnified when that brow was about three times as long as a human’s and trailed shadows from the tip as it moved. She turned away from him, going to wash her hands. "That sounded painful. Do you need healing?"

"No...no." There was a resigned sigh in his voice. He had very quickly learned not to expect any sort of sympathy from her, not that he'd hoped for it anyway. "Mostly th' chair scuffed up th' wall."

No sympathy, but she did offer a hand up once her hands were no longer sticky. "Good. Did that knock some sense into you, or am I going to have to do it?"

Blinking owlishly up at her, he reached up to take the hand almost on autopilot. "What?... why're you even here?"

"It is inventory day, is it not?"

"I..." Grimacing, Leon got to his feet, and brushed off several large dust bunnies from his shirt. "...Sorry. I thought it was earlier." Because it was either that, or admit he'd forgotten he had a manager again. His memory had been unreliable ever since his brain took a vacation in Kul Tiras.

"I always come in early." She patted his shoulder and went to retrieve her cleaning rag. "However, it sounded like you had distracted yourself, so I will forgive you the oversight."

Around people, she nearly always had a pleasant little smile on an otherwise inexpressive face, which made her difficult to read. Now, though, he heard the grin in her voice as she teased him. Though he'd heard her no-customers-all-day voice before, it was rare. He was even less familiar with her being openly amused at him. A bit of a mental rewind as he rubbed the shoulder that'd been briefly pinned between his chair and the wall reminded him of what had started it. "...an' 'o's an idiot, exactly?"

"You and I are the only two people here, and I was not ranting to a sack of flour about flirting that didn't go my way."

So rare to get Leon to the point of fish-mouthing, and yet look at him go, jaw dropping and closing again with an audible clack. After his skin had already taken on a couple extra shades of red, he looked away and grumbled, "Wasn't rantin'. It's a de-escalation exercise. ...S'posed t'ave a duck."

"You do not have a duck. You have an elf, capable of asking questions, such as, 'What is so wrong with aimless flirting that you are so angry at these people?'"

He almost groaned, but stopped himself at the last moment. As a side note, expressions normally accompanied by the groan of someone who sincerely wished they could disappear through a floor that are not accompanied by a groan are very silly-looking. "Y'were list'nin'."

"It was difficult to not."

Desperate for something to do with his hands and, coincidentally, also wanting to hide his still-flaming face, Leon turned and headed for the pastry cases and the cabinets underneath them, pulling his notepad out of his back pocket. "Aimless flirtin's not a problem."

With a sigh, she returns to her hunt for dirt. "What made you think it was not aimless?"

He knelt in front of the cabinet just as she asked that, and there was a clunk as he accidentally cracked his knuckle on the edge of the door. Really? This was what she wanted to express interest in? "...some people think it's fun t'flirt with a guy t'make 'im look stupid."

"Some people just like to flirt."

"An' that's fine! Flirtin's fun if ev'rybody's clear onnit! But not after y'say it's not gonna 'appen!"

Rho stopped hunting under the tables and stood so she could look at him, head cocked to one side. "That is what I don't understand. She said it was not going to happen - that is what 'rules about married men' means, yes? Would that not make it aimless flirting, with a stated lack of intent to follow through?"

The cabinet door thunked shut. "I put it plain I woulda liked t'roll with 'er, she put it plain she wouldn't be rollin' with me. Keeps right on goin' after me an' not just with words, so does 'er buddy. Y'think that's okay?"

She stared, and then blinked slowly. "I do not flirt, and this conversation makes me more grateful for that choice by the second. Let me make certain I understand. You told her, plainly, that you would like to sleep with her, she told you plainly she would not sleep with you because you are married, yet she and her friend continued to flirt and... prevented you from leaving?"

"What?" Finally, he looked up at her. "No, o' course not."

Rho crossed her arms and drummed her fingers against her cheek, then held out her hand in a ‘stop’ gesture. "Wait. What rules?"

"Wha' d'you mean?"

"Her rules about married men. What are they? I assumed she meant 'no married men,' because that is my rule about married men."

He started to answer, but his face fell just slightly as the words "That's what I figured, yeah" came out of his mouth. Finally, the gears appeared to be turning. "She din't want wives comin' after 'er, she said."

"That is my reasoning, as well. That is not a problem in your situation. Your situation that you are very happy to talk about at length. As such, you would be an exception to that rule."

"Yeah, an' I said tha', an'--" He paused, and slowly looked up at the ceiling. The gears reached full speed, and ground through a particularly stubborn chunk of rust that dislodged with such force that he sighed. He’d gone and made assumptions and hadn’t caught himself and it’d bitten him and he’d totally failed to notice until it was too late. "...first of all, Rhodryn, yer now my duckie. Second of all, please slap me upside th'ead."

Rho blinked again, then crossed the room and slapped him upside the head. "Never call me your duckie again."

He asked her to do it, so while surprised that she did do it, he made no attempt to stop her, only rubbing gently at the spot once she'd done it. "Yes'm."

"Now. How will you set this right?"

"I'm...fuck." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Fuck I'm so bloody stupid... Mngh. Apologize, obviously, but'm not sure 'ow."

"What apology would you have accepted if they had been wrong?"

"That's--well, yeah, that's a trick too, but tha's not what I meant, actually." Walking back into the storeroom for a moment, he brought her a flyer from the Ironforge Craft Fest, where he'd circled 'Sarah Hadley' on the list of entertainers. "Aside from askin' 'er sister, which is grossly inappropriate I'm sure I don't need t'tell you, I'm not sure 'ow t'get in touch."

She took the flyer and stared at the name for a moment, again drumming her fingers on her cheek. "Why is it grossly inappropriate to ask where you should deliver an apology?"

"It's-- Iunno, is it a social etiquette thin' fer elves at all, not goin' through a middleman fer pers'nal matters?"

She peered at him. "Are you speaking of having the sister deliver the apology, while I am speaking of asking the sister for... 'Sarah's' location?"

"No. Just th' latter." For all that Leon was a worldly man, he was frequently painfully Gilnean. Even Vember would’ve been hard-pressed not to laugh at him.

"I see no reason it should be inappropriate, as long as you only tell the sister that you need to deliver an apology, not what it is for." Rho handed the flyer back. "If speaking to her bothers you overmuch, what options do you see other than asking the sister for Sarah's contact information?"

Leaning against the counter, he stared at the flyer and bit his lip.  "...mmf. I spose there's tha'."

"You could wait and hope you see her again. I do not think you would like to let this gnaw at you for that long, though. You could hire someone to find her, but you would have to phrase your explanation very carefully if that is discovered. Or, you could ask the sister, perhaps provide her a token of appreciation for her help, and get this behind you."

"She's gonna punch me." Wry laugh. "Prolly deserve a couple more o' those."

"If you reacted harshly in public, yes, you do deserve a few punches."

"...less 'arshly an' more... um... well, I kin think o' plenty of other less charitable words than tha'.” Childishly, foolishly... was bitchily a word? Bitchily seemed like a good word. “But yeah." Brain finally settled into something resembling a course of action, Leon sighed. “Thank you.”

"Of course." Rhodryn bowed her head slightly, and went back to cleaning, taking the thank-you as a dismissal.

Hours later, as they checked each others’ final counts for accuracy, Leon burst out laughing when he got to the end of her overstock list. ‘One (1) too many romantic fools who have apologies to make.’

( @dwyndel @darbiebot @tirasiansails @tirasiantrouper )

[steves-legs]

“I Swear to God, I’ll Love You Forever” (Tony Stark x Reader OneShot)

**GIF NOT MINE**

Masterlist | Requests

A/N: So I was watching Avengers Assemble last night, and wow this idea came to me. Also loosely based on Pints of Guinness Make You Strong by Against Me! :’-) I died writing this by the way. Don’t come for my neck, I haven’t written in 6 months. Enjoy.

 Song(s): Lullaby / Sia || Pints of Guinness Make You Strong / Against Me!

Warning(s): mentions of possible death, anxiety, mentions of PTSD, reader under severe emotional stress, sad tony, emotions emotions emotions, and TONY FLUFF near the end ig??

 _______________________________

You sat on the main deck of the helicarrier with Hill at your side. You bit your nails nervously, awaiting some form of assurance that your friends were alright. You’d been taken over by Loki just hours ago, and you were a little more than worse for wear. The team had begged you to stay back and of course, you didn’t want them to be worrying about you, so you did. Maria rubbed your shoulder soothingly.

               “They’re going to be alright, Y/N.,” she said although she didn’t sound too sure. Her voice was unsteady despite her stoic expression. You nodded, not even bothering to return the full eye contact. Your attention soon was drawn back to the floor, then your shoes. You worried for your new friends in a way you’d never felt before. You’d known Clint, Tony, and Natasha for years, but somehow you cared for the other Avengers just as much already. If something were to happen to Bruce, Thor, or Steve… You didn’t know what you’d do, especially knowing you’d chosen to sit on the sidelines. And that’s when Fury came stomping out onto the deck, mumbling something about some “stupid-ass decision” Council had elected to make. You’d heard him shout “nuclear strike on the island of Manhattan” and “thousands of people will die”, but that was about it and honestly you were too afraid to ask. Maria gave your shoulder a comforting squeeze before heading directly over to her superior. They talked in hushed voices, concerned looks curtaining both of their faces. Maria glanced back over at you but never returned to your side.

What followed was the most agonizing ten minutes of your life. Radio silence. Then, just as you began to feel hopeful there was no way this day could get any worse, Hill’s voice echoed through the room.

               “Sir, we have a bird in motion! Anyone on the deck, we have a rogue bird! Shut it down! Takeoff is not authorized!” You looked around, panicked, and saw Fury speed out of the room, guns-a-blazin’. You heard multiple loud explosions and gunshots but watched in horror as the jet sped through the clouds anyway.

               “No… No, no, no, no, no…” you exhaled loudly, panic taking over your body. Your heart rate was through the roof and no matter what you did, you couldn’t seem to slow it down. You felt as though the world was spinning around you. As Fury came back in the room, you heard him speaking to Tony.

               “Stark, can you hear me? You got a missile headed straight for the city--” A pause. “—Three minutes… max.” You tried to catch your breath, but you couldn’t help the guilt pulling at your gut.

               Why the hell am I not out there fighting with them? I should be… I shouldn’t be here. This is a coward’s way out. As the news blared on all the computers around you, you felt as if you were falling, falling, falling and you weren’t going to stop anytime soon.

“We have limited information on the team, but what we do know is that billionaire Tony Stark’s iron man……--”

You could feel the room shrinking around you, and if it weren’t for your phone suddenly buzzing in your back pocket, you were positive that you’d be crushed between the walls. You went to check your phone and the name that came up on the phone pulled tears from your eyes. You stood abruptly, answering the phone as fast as you could.

               “Tony… What the hell is going on?!” you shouted into the speaker.

               “I… I’ve got the missile… I’m going through the portal… Y/N… I’m… so sorry.” He said breathlessly, not wasting any time. You could hear the pain in his voice and it made your heart wrench.

               “Tony… Dear god, no. I should’ve never let you talk me into staying. I could’ve been there. You asshole, why’d you talk me out of it!?”

               “Jarvis reminded me that I should probably give you a call. I gotta say, it’s really… really nice to hear your voice right now…” Tony sighed weakly. You could hear the smile in his voice. “J is telling me my power’s getting real low.” The reception cut out a little bit near the end, and you felt like you were being crushed by the weight of every single word Tony said. Maria watched you curiously, worriedly, and Fury headed over to one of the monitors. He looked as though he wanted to give you space.

               “I don’t know what I’ll do if you don’t come back.” You said softly. You heard the breath hitch in his throat.

               “I love you, Y/N. So much. If I don’t come back, I need you to know that, okay? I don’t think I’ve ever loved anyone, and I mean anyone, as much as I do you. And I swear to God, I’ll love you forever.”

               “You really are a dick.”

Tony’s broken-up laugh sent you into a mess of tears. You sniffled slightly.

               “Don’t cry, angel.”

               “I’m gonna punch you in the stomach for telling me at a moment like this.”

               “What better moment to tell the girl I’ve loved for years?” Tony asked, almost nonchalantly. You couldn’t help but crack a smile. You laughed a little, tears streaming down your cheeks. You breathed a little, the static sound becoming louder. You could hear what you guessed was the strange ear-ringing sounds of the portal get louder and louder. Tony grunted in what you knew was excruciating pain.

               “I think it’s time to go…” he said, and you could tell he was panicking, more so than you.

               “Make me proud.” You said. “I’ll love you forever.”

               “I always try. I’ll see you soon, I-- promi—"

And the call dropped. Either the suit had run out of power or Tony had made it through the portal, where cell towers obviously couldn’t reach. Everyone around you cheered; he’d made it through the portal with the missile. But you were thinking of the next few moments… The fall would kill him. Or the portal could close. You dropped your phone, reality suddenly hitting you like a sack of bricks. There was a large chance you’d never see him again. You sat back down, unable to stand any longer. Maria came to your side, almost immediately, and put her arms around your shoulders. You put your head in your hands, waiting until you weren’t crying anymore to wipe your eyes and show your face again. You put on a brave face, turned to Maria, and said, “I have to head to Manhattan. Whether it’s street cleanup, talking to officials, or clearing the Avengers’ names. I have to go.” She nodded, understandingly.

 Weeks Later

               “The Avengers Initiative is a collection of the ablest individuals to defend our planet Earth from imminent global threats. These individuals have come together as a functioning response team to said threats which are too great for humankind to handle. But enough of that, you all look just about ready to fall asleep hearing me explain what you already know. Now, most of you are probably wondering what I’m doing up here, representing the Avengers Initiative. The reason that I’m up here is that I’m fully human. No special suit, no trust fund” –this earned laughter from the crowd—“no shield, special training, or bow and arrow… and certainly no green skin. I went to your average public high school in Queens. I lived there my whole life. I grew up with my mom, my dad, my little brother, and a dog.

“My life was like yours. I hold that chapter of my life near and dear. It’s in my heart and always will be. And although my life has changed drastically since then, I am always looking out for people like me, people like my mother, my father, and my brother. People who aren’t superhuman, specially trained, or billionaires. I believe that with the Avengers on our side, defending our lives, we have no reason to worry. Our lives are in good hands with these people. They love our Earth, they love the streets we walk on just as much as we do… and ultimately, we all have the same goal: global protection. Now that we are all fully aware of extraterrestrial beings, that’s something we need now more than ever. Protection. For our families. For our mothers, fathers, siblings, children, and, yes, our dogs too. It’ll take time, it’ll take getting used to. The truth is, I don’t need each and every one of you to take what I’m saying and accept it, to trust it. It’d be the smart thing to not quite trust us yet… Give us a chance to show you why you can. But these past few weeks, these past events in this city marked the end of an era… and with the end of one era comes the beginning of another. Welcome to the future... A world protected!” You called, raising your hands up. The crowd cheered loudly, excitedly. You’d done your job: clearing the Avengers’ names in the people’s eyes. As you stepped offstage, Happy pushed you in the direction of the BMW awaiting you. You waved at the crowd, smiling, and blowing kisses as you climbed into the backseat of the vehicle. To your total surprise, Tony sat there in the backseat, waiting for you.

“Hey there,” he smiled. You felt your heart skip a beat. You didn’t say a word, just pulled him into a tight hug. You hadn’t seen him since you flew out to Manhattan and discovered that Tony was still alive; Bruce had saved his life. You had a lot of cleanups to do outside of Stark Tower, and Tony had decided to completely remodel, as well as begin working on rebuilding the city. He chuckled softly, returning the hug. “Missed you too, angel. I saw the entire speech. You did amazing… Stellar.”

“I think I might just be spending too much time around you, Mr. Stark.”

“I don’t think that’s a bad thing, Y/L/N.,” he said smiling like an idiot.

You opened your mouth to speak, but before you could get your quip out, Tony grabbed your face in his hands and kissed you softly but passionately.

               “I’ve seriously missed you so, so much.” He said more seriously this time. You knew your cheeks were bright red by how warm your face felt.

               “I missed you too, Tony. But… probably not as much as you seem to have missed me.” You teased, and he feigned offense. He leaned back, hand on his chest, and gasped audibly.

               “And to think, I came all this way for you to just reject me!”

               “You literally had Happy drive you here.”

               “Not my fault you decided to hold your speech in the rubble and ruins of a building we blew up…” Tony said cockily.

               “I wish you were up there with me.” You said. Tony took your hand and squeezed it.

               “I can’t face a crowd of people and talk about how… how that made me feel.” He said, and you could tell he was trying his best to keep his voice steady. You placed your other hand over his and leaned your head on his shoulder.

               “It’s going to be alright, Tony. I promise. That’s never going to happen to you again. And if it does, if everything around you falls apart, I’ll still be here. And if you need proof of that, just look at the past three years. I’ve been here.” You promised. You held up your right pinky in front of the two of you. He locked his left with yours.

               “If you’re wrong, you owe me $10,000. For emotional trauma.” He said, then let your hand go. You smirked.

               “If I’m wrong, I can write you an IOU and a 10-page apology.”

               “Deal.” Tony agreed, then sighed. “Do you swear you’re here to stay? You’re not going to go away?”

               “We did just pinky swear, didn’t we?” you asked. Tony smiled, laying his head on top of yours.

               “I love you forever, Y/N.”

               “I love you too, Tony.”

_______________________

Feel free to lmk how y’all like this! Make sure to like & reblog!

Also, send me some requests here :)

[reformedtsundere]

Coming to Head - Kiribaku Fic

for @heliarashii

Kirishima knows it’s wrong. The way his blood starts to boil up under his skin and the way his shoulders harden with tension instead of his quirk. It was stupid. So fucking stupid. And not manly in the slightest. His crimson eyes slid over to where Bakugou was shifting from foot to foot, then they moved further to the three girls, staring up at him, wide-eyed and giggling. Kirishima could practically see the little hearts popping around their heads as they swooned at “Ground Zero” in his sweaty, hero-y glory. No. It was definitely not manly to get riled up over his pro-hero partner being swarmed by fans. The only thing that seemed to ease the pressure under his skin was the way Bakugou’s shoulders were drawn tight and his foot was tapping, a clear sign to someone who knows the other man, that he's very much annoyed.

It’s only through the years at UA and the three more doing intern work that the blonde firecracker can maintain a baseline facade of indifference. Still, the fact that he’s humored them for this long makes Kirishima’s teeth grind together. He didn’t really have a right to, but Kirishima couldn’t help it as his jaw tightened and he forced his gaze away. Thankfully the police were gone from the scene and clean up crews were almost done. Bakugou and Kirishima have decided a while ago, when they started up their own agency after so many almost missed calls, too many civilians wandering into dangerous areas, too many lives almost lost, they’d monitor the scene until the a-ok had been given from all reinforcements. Never had Kirishima thought it would end up causing him more grief than comfort.

He glared down at the ground when another high-pitched sugary sweet giggle reached his ears. Kirishima was broken from his stupor by a cough. One of the clean-up crew members was in his line of sight as he tipped his head up. His cheeks colored pink, hot with shame, his stomach squirming.

“Uh, sorry, what was that?” He scratched the back of his head, trying to make the coil in his muscles unfurl.

“Cleanups just about done. Just gotta move the trucks if you and Ground Zero wanna head out,” she nodded her head in the direction of Bakugou and shoved her hands in her pockets. Kirishima nodded in response and did his best to slap some kind of “heroic” smile on his still embarrassed face.

“Sounds good! Thanks for all your hard work!” Even to himself, his voice sounds more forced than normal but the worker smiled all the same and wandered back to the sectioned off area. Kirishima let out a breath, deep and slow, before turning around to go to Bakugou. The girls are still there. Kirishima fights off the spike in his blood pressure and digs his, thankfully, blunt nails into his palms. He’s beside the clearly agitated blonde in the span of four large steps.

“Clean up says we’re all good!” Kirishima slaps a large palm down, maybe a bit too hard, on to Bakugou’s shoulder. Even though he doesn’t show it, Kirishima knows that he’s startled the other and feels only a small amount of regret. He does his best to keep his eyes away from the three girls who are still standing there. They aren’t paying him any attention and really, he’s thankful for that, but right now they’re in the way and he just wants to go the fuck home. Bakugou grunts an affirmative sound but Kirishima’s patience has finally run dry. He drags his hand down and wraps his fingers around Bakugou’s elbow, then starts to pull. He turns a sharp smile to the girls. “Sorry ladies, hero business to attend to,” and promptly drags his partner away.

Bakugou doesn’t make too much of a show of resisting, just swears a bit too loud and grinds his heels into the dirt but he doesn’t actually start lighting explosions on to Kirishima’s skin, so it’s a win in that regard at least. They’re halfway down the block and around the corner of the scene when Kirishima finally relaxes his hand and lets the blonde go. The anxious, annoyed energy hasn’t worn off, even though the girls are out of sight and he’s got his friend pretty much to himself again. It’s under his skin like a second layer, squeezing him just on the side of too tight and it makes him itch. It happens more days than he wishes it did and even though he doesn’t want to name those dark emotions swimming in his veins Kirishima knows exactly what they are and why they’re there.

Kirishima walks ahead, leaving Bakugou to sputter behind him and catch up. A silence hangs between them when the other finally catches up with him. He can tell that Bakugou is more annoyed at him now than the girls before but he’s fine with that. At least, in some sick way, Bakugou’s attention is back on him. He can feel the blonde’s stare digging into the side of his head, but he’s still not saying anything, just glaring. They trudge their way back to the agency to change and still Bakugou remains silent, the anger clearly swelling in his chest. No words are exchanged between them when they go to their locker room and change into civilian clothing, nor on the way to their shared apartment. By the way that Bakugou is breathing hard out through his nose and his mouth is pulled down in a deep frown, Kirishima can tell that he’s slipping well past annoyed into getting to pissed off territory. If Kirishima himself were less hot-blooded he might actually feel worried that he’s essentially about to lock himself in a medium-sized apartment with the other boy.

It’s not until they’re finally inside and Kirishima knows he has to break the silence, that he speaks.

“I’m gonna hit the shower and go to bed, paperwork tomorrow and all that.” He’s not looking at Bakugou when the blonde scoffs out a derisive “whatever.” Kirishima knows that the other boy is just lashing out at the attitude he’d given, but still… Shaking it off, Kirishima goes and takes his shower, making sure not to use all the hot water in case Bakugou was wanting to take one as well.

Once he’s dried and changed into his pajamas he goes to his bedroom. The light is on under Bakugou’s door but he doesn’t hear anything from inside. It either means Bakugou has his headphones in, or he himself is getting ready for bed as well. Kirishima feels a moment of hard guilt jolt in his stomach and casts his eyes to the floor. He knows this routine is getting old. He’s not a kid anymore so getting jealous isn’t something he should be doing, especially not with his best friend and partner in justice, but he can’t help it. Kirishima knows it’s beginning to take a larger toll on their relationship but he doesn’t know how to make it stop. All he can do, he supposes, is make breakfast in the morning as an apology and hope that Bakugou sweeps it under the rug like he’s been doing for the last year since it’s started. Kirishima went to his room and closed the door behind himself.

His bedroom was a lot like the dorms at UA, though more grown up if he was being honest. His punching bag was still in the corner but he had fewer posters and an actual adult desk with a little filing area for paperwork. Kirishima looked between the bag and the desk. He wasn’t feeling tired yet and he knows he should get a jump start on tomorrows work, if only to appease Bakugou just a bit more, but he also wanted to beat the anxiety out of his body… Rolling his eyes Kirishima made his way to the desk and plopped down. If his friends could see him then they’d likely laugh at him for being such a model hero, doing his stuff on time, so unlike how he was at UA.

Kirishima is sat at his desk chair, going over field sheets and checking the damage report email he and Bakugou had been sent when his door slammed open. Jumping nearly a foot into the air Kirishima whipped around, Bakugou was standing in his doorway, face pinched in angry, eyes set in his best glare and his fists looked to be popping with explosions. Kirishima was frozen, staring at the blonde in his sweatpants and well-worn sleep shirt, murder in his eyes. He’d be lying if it wasn’t as hot as it was terrifying.

“Uh, hey bro,” Kirishima says weakly, not entirely sure what he’s meant to say when Bakugou is just standing there, shoulder and chest heaving and crimson eyes blazing. The blonde doesn’t respond, just stalks into the room slowly, it makes Kirishima’s gut clench and his skin prickle but he can’t look away. Bakugou is on a warpath and Kirishima knows he can’t do anything to stop him. All he’s capable of is hardening his chest when the other man's hands clench into the front of his shirt and yank him away from the desk before slamming him into the nearby wall. At least Bakugou is considerate enough to make sure it’s the wall without his corkboard and calendar. His face is close enough to Kirishima’s that the redhead can feel the way Bakugou’s sharp exhales fan across his nose and cheeks. Kirishima swallows loud enough that it could be considered a gulp. They stand like that for likely a full minute, Bakugou’s eyes boring into Kirishima’s face, looking for something beyond the dark flush of his cheeks and the wide set of his surprised eyes.

“What is your fucking issue.” Bakugou’s growl isn’t even a question, it’s a demand for answers a long time coming. Really, Kirishima thinks somewhere in the back of his mind, he’s surprised the other has had as much patience as he’s shown, not coming to him sooner. Then again, Bakugou’s never been one to confront potential feelings and he’s not stupid enough to think Bakugou doesn’t have half an idea of what Kirishima’s been thinking or feeling. Bakugou’s never been an idiot. At the same time though, Kirishima isn’t sure he can put himself into the vulnerable, more vulnerable, position that Bakugou is asking of him.

As much as Bakugou’s never been stupid though, Kirishima has never been a coward, not since he’d met the other.

“I don’t like how they swarm you, the… the girls…” Kirishima’s eyes slide to look at the ground, a wash of shame coming over his face. The fingers currently singeing his shirt only clutch tighter and Kirishima braves a glance upward. Bakugou’s eyes look like they’re on fire with the force of his held back anger. As good as Bakugou’s gotten at hiding it, Kirishima has always been able to read the blonde’s expressions with ease.

“Are you fucking serious?” Bakugou’s expression is only growing harder as he presses Kirishima back into the wall. “You’re jealous? That’s your fucking excuse for giving me the cold shoulder? Just because they talk to me instead of you, are shitting me?!” He’s getting progressively louder the more forcefully he pushes Kirishima back, it’s starting to hurt him and if not for the fact it might fuck up his rooms paint as well as his clothing, Kirishima might harden his body against the assault. He’s more focused on diffusing the situation though than his own self-preservation and thus, the truth slips out.

“No, it’s not that, it’s… you pay them attention and I don’t… I don’t like it.” For the briefest of moments he’s shocked Bakugou into stillness, even his breathing seems to have stopped as he stares at Kirishima. They’re cast into silence again and Bakugou’s glare has slipped off in order to be replaced with dawning understanding. Then the glare is back and Kirishima is being slammed into the wall again, but gentler this time. Bakugou doesn’t say anything though, his mouth screwed up in a half grimace, half smirk and there’s still an angry mask over everything that Kirishima is well and truly confused.

“You’re a fucking idiot,” Bakugou breathes out. It sounds like his voice is tight and Kirishima is focused on the tone he’s used when the blonde lurches forward and bites a kiss against Kirishima’s mouth. It hard in the way that really, only Bakugou could deliver, but at the same time, his lips are warm and only a little chapped so there’s an undercut of softness that Kirishima clings to when he instinctively presses back.

Bakugou’s hands unlatch from Kirishima’s shirt, only to slide up and curl around his shoulders. The blonde yanks Kirishima off the wall and against his chest, Kirishima in turn, circles his arms around the other man, one firmly around his waist and the other almost desperately holding onto his back to keep him close. The kiss slows down when they’re chest to chest, pulses beating against one another. Kirishima tilts his head so that they’re noses are more comfortable and it forces his bottom lip between Bakugou’s and makes him shiver. It’s soft and slick, the way their mouths move together in a tandem. One of Bakugou’s hands slide into Kirishima’s hair and the man can’t help but hum into Bakugou’s mouth, his jaw falling open enough for the blonde to prob past his lips with his tongue.

They stay like that for three long minutes, trading kisses and slipping hands into new, unexplored crooks on each other's bodies, until finally, the both of them need more air than the moments between their mouths brushing can give them. Kirishima can’t make himself go far though and brings himself and Bakugou forehead to forehead. His eyes, which had slipped closed the moment Bakugou had cleared the distance between their faces, refuse to open again as he breathes heavily. The fingers Bakugou once had twining through his hair move to his face and cup around his cheek, thumb brushing back and forth underneath Kirishima’s eye. Bakugou uses the hand to push Kirishima away gently and takes his own little half step away.

Kirishima’s eyes flutter openly slowly, still hesitant for a reason he can’t really define. His breath catches when his focus comes back and he looks at Bakugou. The blonde's cheeks are flushed pink and his mouth is shiny and red, the evidence of their intimacy only a moment before. Something in Kirishima’s chest eases and he wonders to himself if he was worried that he had hallucinated the sensation of Bakugou’s lips on his own.

They don’t say anything for a long moment and Kirishima thinks it’s a lot like early that night when they were walking back to the agency, except there isn’t a terrible weight on his shoulders or that telltale tightness underneath his skin. Bakugou has kissed it all away.

“Sorry,” Kirishima croaks out, eyes turning down to the floor, Bakugou forces them up with the hand on his face. The look he’s wearing is a mix between annoyance and passive neutrality. It’s as close to fond as Kirishima’s ever seen him pull off.

“Can’t believe you ever worried about those extras.” Kirishima feels another wash of shame but then Bakugou is pinching his cheek with his thumb and forefinger and it brings Kirishima back from that small cloudy area of doubt. “Stop it,” he remarks and all at once Kirishima’s chest is warm and the tightness that had been there since the cleanup crew had arrived at their last rescue loosened. Bakugou knew him so well.

“Kay,” Kirishima replied, lips pulling into a grin he didn’t even want to keep off of his face, regardless of how he knew it might embarrass the other man. He wanted to say that he was sorry again, for the way he let his anxiety and random moments of jealousy pull them apart at the edges but he doesn’t, he knows that Bakugou wouldn’t like it. Instead, he wraps his arms around the other and lays his head against Bakugou’s shoulder, the blonde lets him.

The stand together like that for a long time, till the exhaustion of the day, both emotionally and physically has taken its toll. Kirishima can feel his eyes growing heavier, the longer he uses Bakugou as a standing pillow and can feel the tendrils of sleep creeping over his brain. Bakugou must feel it too, in some way, maybe through the fact Kirishima leans on him even heavier than before, and leads the redhead to his bed, shuffling along carefully as to not dislodge him. Bakugou, once they reach the bed, removes his arms from around Kirishima’s waist and in turn, Kirishima detaches himself from Bakugou. Before the explosive hero departs completely from the room he draws Kirishima in close, one more, and presses another kiss to his mouth, gentler than the first, a reassurance that it wasn’t just the heat of an argument that had sparked the prior intimacy. Kirishima smiles up at him dumbly from his bed while he leaves, closing the bedroom door behind himself. The cast of dim light from the living room allows him to catch Bakugou’s flushing cheeks, however.

In the morning they’ll have to talk. It might not be easy, neither is very good with feelings apparently. But Kirishima will still make his apology breakfast and Bakugou will eat it without complaining and maybe… maybe things will turn out just fine.

[justlookfrightened]

The Mayor of Halloween Town

This is filling an anonymous prompt for Bitty dressing up as Jack Skellington, and Jack’s reaction.

Bitty pulled the garment bag out of his closet and considered.

He’d brought this with him specifically for Halloween. He’d done the puck bunny thing last year – speaking of terrible life choices. He wasn’t sure who took the pictures that ended up on the Swallow’s website, but he’d had people making rabbit ears at him for weeks.

The year before that he’d been Mrs. Lovett because pies, but this year, he wanted something not so … feminine, maybe, not that anyone would consider Mrs. Lovett a sex symbol or anything.

But this year, he was the captain of this team, and the Halloween kegster came just after the season started, and he needed something that would demonstrate that he was in charge. Or at least not make him seem cute.

On a visit home before returning for the school year (and wasn’t that a change: his parents’ home was now a place he visited), he’d spent an afternoon helping Mama organize the attic, moving some of his old things out of his parents’ way and making room for Mama’s new sewing machine in the guest room.

That was what gave him the idea, really. The old things in the attic, both the collection of Halloween Town figurines and the rack with his old figure skating costumes.

There was the tiny statue of Jack Skellington, the leader of Halloween Town. And there was the black coat he’d bought for his last costume – he’d planned to skate to Phantom – but, well, that skate never happened.

The coat had been a bit big then, and it was more than a bit snug now, but that would work for what he wanted. He still had black tights that fit, and a dance belt. He could do this: Not a burly monster or a bedraggled zombie, but the spritely skeleton who was clearly in charge of the holiday.

With the bag stashed in the closet, Bitty had gone along with it when the frogs started talking about a Halloween kegster. The new baby tadpoles (what do you call a frog before it’s a tadpole?) had been around for two months, and they were ready to be exposed to the drunken debauchery of a real Haus party. As long as Bitty could make sure they ate enough and drank enough water.

Ollie and Wicks were eager to prove their version of tub juice was just as revoltingly strong as Ransom and Holster’s, and the rest of the boys were itching for some fun.

But when Dex and Nursey came up with the idea of a Haunted Haus kegster, Bitty had wanted to talk them out of it. First, because he wasn’t sure tub juice and jump scares were entirely compatible; second, because he didn’t want people losing it in his kitchen, and there was no way on God’s green earth that any of the boys would allow guests upstairs during a kegster, and a haunted Haus meant people would have to go somewhere; and third, because he wanted to be Jack Skellington, and that just wasn’t scary enough for a haunted house. Or maybe that was first.

But that was a selfish reason, so he agreed to the Haunted Haus party. All the haunting would be on the ground floor of the Haus, and guests would be escorted from the end of the spooky pathway through the kitchen and out to the back porch, where they could get more drinks (“Dude, everyone has to drink before they go in,” Wicks had insisted. “That’s not safe,” Bitty countered. “Not everyone can have alcohol, or wants to.” “They can drink water for all I care,” Ollie declared. “They just have to drink.”)

With Bitty on board, the new Haus mates started planning in earnest. Nursey called on his theater friends to offer props, Dex planned for creepy creaking doors and caskets, ghosts and spiders dropping suddenly from the ceiling, and bursts of mist and cool air. Nursey was creating and a soundtrack of screams and moans (“Sweet!” Wicks said. “That’ll reduce some inhibitions.”)

Even Chowder got into it, talking about the vintage goalie mask he could wear to portray a terrifying serial killer.

“He’ll have to wear it to scare anyone,” Bitty told Jack over Skype that night. “Chowder can’t be frightening unless he has a goalie mask on. Kind of eerie how that happens.”

“So what are you going to be?” Jack said. “How will I recognize you when I come up?”

“You’re not seriously going to come, are you?” Bitty said. “I mean, I know we talked about spending Halloween together since you don’t have a game, but it’s going to be a fright show up here. Literally.”

“It’ll be fine,” Jack said. “I’ll wear a costume. You won’t have to stay all night, right?”

“No, and we don’t practice until the next afternoon,” Bitty said. “I’m thinking of making my escape to Providence and let the boys handle the cleanup. I’m not sure I really want to do a haunted Haus anyway.”

“Not a fan, eh?” Jack said. “You don’t like being scared like that? We can go through together if you want.”

“You think I’m gonna want to cling my big strong boyfriend?” Bitty said, managing to hold it a moment before snorting. “Jack, honey, I’m always happy to get close to you, but I don’t think anything these guys come up with will scare me. Especially since we all are gonna have to help set it up.”

“Guess I’ll see you there then, bud,” Jack said. “Maybe I can cling to you.”

When the call ended, Bitty breathed a sigh of relief. He’d managed to distract Jack from pursuing his question about Bitty’s costume, and Bitty wanted it to be a surprise. He’d promised Jack he wouldn’t show as much skin as he had last year (“If you’re dressed like that, lapinou, I won’t be able to leave your room without everyone at the party knowing how I feel about you”), but he wanted the costume to be a surprise.

******************************

Jack waited until 9:30 to leave for the Haus. He’d promised himself he’d wait until 10, knowing kegsters didn’t really get going much before then and his arrival would be less likely to cause a stir if everyone was past their first cup of tub juice, but Bitty was there, so that was where he wanted to be.

He checked himself out in the mirror: plaid flannel shirt with the sleeves rolled up, cowboy hat, bandanna that he could pull over his face if he needed to. He couldn’t do much about the jeans – they were one of his two regular pairs, since he had to have them specially tailored. Even if they didn’t look like he’d been riding the range, Bitty assured him they showed off his, uh, assets, to their best advantage. A costume store gun belt with plastic six-shooters completed the look.

It was Halloween, but it was also a Monday night, so traffic from Providence to Samwell was light and Jack had parked his car down the block and was making his way to the Haus by 10:15.

It seemed like most of Samwell’s student body was headed toward the Haus, with costumes ranging from zombies and witches to firefighters and cheerleaders.

He was just heading toward the front porch when he heard someone say, “Well, get an eyeful of you, Jack. I gotta say, that’s a good look for you. Helps make Halloween the wonderful holiday it is.”

Jack looked around to see who was talking to him. He thought he looked pretty good – better than with the lame cat ears from last year – but that was a little over the top. But no one seemed to have even noticed he was there. The guy talking was on the porch steps, addressing someone in the shadows of the hanging spiderweb.

Must be another Jack, then.

Then Jack heard Bitty’s warm laugh.

“So that means I’d best be happy with Halloween and not take over Christmas, too?” he said. “You’re too kind. I see you have your drink; step right in and see the frights! Don’t worry, there’s plenty of cookies and snacks to revive you at the end.”

Bitty had stepped into the light and was holding the door open for the guy, who was in a traditional Dracula outfit.

“How about a bite out of your neck?” Dracula said. “I vant to suck your –”

“Oh, there’ll be plenty of people back there to try that line on,” Bitty said. “But the only way to get to the party is through the Haus. Good luck! Try not to scream!”

And with Bitty’s hand firmly at his back, the guy was through the door and Jack could take a long look at his boyfriend, whose body somehow looked longer and leaner that usual. He was wearing a black suit – sort of. The jacket was nearly form-fitting, with tails in the back and a tie that looked like a bat. If the jacket was nearly form-fitting, the pants were – well, Jack couldn’t see any underwear lines under the glare of the porch lights, but the bulge at his groin was clearly apparent.

Jack forced his eyes back up. Bitty’s hair was slicked back and his face was white, with his features made up to look like black sutures. And the guy had called him Jack. Must be some character – not Jack Sparrow, although that look would be good on Bitty too, he thought.

“Howdy, partner,” Jack said, stepping into the light.

Bitty turned and caught sight of him.

“Jack! You make a great cowboy! Haus rules are that you have to have a drink to go in, but it doesn’t have to be whatever excuse for tub juice these boys have put together. There’s beer, or water.”

“Mmm, much like the vampire, I’d rather have you.”

Bitty made a face that made the drawn-in mouth twist. “Heard that, did you?”

“You did an admirable job of sending him to the demons,” Jack said. “You are something in that. Do you have to stay here?”

“Not really,” Bitty said, slipping his phone from a pocket Jack hadn’t noticed. “I’m the captain, remember? Let me get one of the tadpoles to take over the door. Then I will escort you through the haunted Haus with no interruptions.”

“You’re sure about that?” Jack asked skeptically.

“You forget, I am the mayor of Halloween Town,” Bitty pronounced.

“Really?” Jack asked.

“Jack, you don’t know who I am?”

“You’re the mayor of Halloween Town.”

“Jack! I’m Jack Skellington! From Nightmare Before Christmas? You must have seen it.”

“Skellington? Like a skeleton? That’s why you look so thin?”

“And move so gracefully,” Bitty said, pirouetting on the threshold as Tango arrived.

“The door is yours, my good man.”

Jack crowded up behind Eric as they entered the darkened living room.

“I don’t doubt the moves,” he said. “But I know there’s more than skin and bones under that suit. Let’s get through this as fast as we can and hit the trail, eh?”

“Sure thing, partner,” Bitty said. “Let’s see if those guns of yours fire anything but blanks.”

Then he giggled, and Jack laughed, and he was having the best Halloween of his life.

[eorumverba]

"yeah i wanna make you cum but i also gotta check in on that mental health and see how your day was ok like what u need to talk about?? u can tell me while i go down on u"

Jonghyun doesn’t get it until Taemin shifts again and looks up through his lashes at him. “What, you gonna show me how much you missed me?”

“Missed you,” Taemin’s voice is quiet, and Jonghyun pulls him closer, nosing against him to kiss his temple.

“You were only gone for a little bit, Taeminnie. And I visited you too. Went to your concert and everything.”

“Still.” Taemin sounds like he’s pouting, so Jonghyun takes one of his hands in his so he can play with their twined fingers. Taemin melts into him and swings his leg over Jonghyun’s, pressing his cold nose into Jonghyun’s neck and kissing at the mole at the dip between his collarbones.

“Still what, Taeminnie?”

“Missed you.”

Jonghyun doesn’t get it until Taemin shifts again and looks up through his lashes at him. “What, you gonna show me how much you missed me?”

Taemin nods, and his lips brush against Jonghyun’s skin. They’re just as soft and plush as ever, and even though he must be exhausted, Taemin insistently tugs at Jonghyun’s shirt until Jonghyun takes the bait and tugs his shirt off before laying back down and letting Taemin press a row of kisses down the length of his chest until his cheek is against Jonghyun’s thigh.

He rests there for a moment, just breathing, and when his eyes slip shut, Jonghyun can’t help laughing. “Are you sure you want to do this now, love? You seem…a bit sleepy.”

“Mm, I wanna.” Taemin lifts his head and blinks blearily up at Jonghyun before resting his head down against his thigh again. “Wanna.”

“You can, love.” Jonghyun’s heart swells with adoration and he reaches down to stroke at Taemin’s hair, soft and gentle and…kind of hoping that Taemin will fall asleep from the gesture.

But he doesn’t; all Taemin does is shake Jonghyun’s hand off and sit up again before shaking his own head enough to wake himself up again. “Missed you, Jonghyunnie.”

Another burst of adoration and Jonghyun sits up as well, pressing kisses first to Taemin’s cheeks and then another lingering one to his mouth. “Missed you too, Taeminnie. Love you.”

“You’re always so cute when you’re sleepy like this.”

“M’not sleepy.” Taemin’s sulking now, and Jonghyun kisses his pouty lips again before running his fingers through Taemin’s hair again and letting his hand pass down to his cheek.

“Not sleepy, huh?”

Taemin shakes his head against Jonghyun’s hand before pulling away and shuffling back down so his head is on Jonghyun’s thigh again. “Jonghyunnie, wanna.”

“Wanna what?”

“Wanna.”

“Okay, okay. But if you fall asleep on my dick, I will take pictures.”

Taemin makes a face before grumbling as he sits up again, just enough to slip Jonghyun’s pants down, barely to his thighs. Jonghyun is barely half hard, but he gets all the way there under Taemin’s soft hand and quiet voice.

“Gonna, okay?”

“It’s still so cute that you get so flustered about telling me what you’re gonna do to me? It’s a blowjob, Taeminnie. Can you say that?”

Taemin pouts again and shakes his head before dipping his head down and mouthing at the base of Jonghyun’s cock. He’s not being as eager as he usually is, but Jonghyun doesn’t mind, because Taemin’s mouth is still so good. “Taeminnie, your mouth.”

A quiet giggle and then Taemin makes his way up to the tip before shifting again, brows furrowed. “Sleepy, but…” And before Jonghyun can ask ‘before what’, Taemin presses a soft kiss to the tip of Jonghyun’s cock before sliding halfway down, blinking quickly when he stops and slowly comes back up again.

“Can you go all the way or no, love?”

Taemin takes a moment to consider, then nods. “Don’t wanna though. I’d hate to, y’know, fall asleep on your dick.”

“Oh, hush.”

Taemin smiles up at him before shifting again to get more comfortable; he’s soon fisting Jonghyun’s cock with his free hand while tonguing at the sides and tip of Jonghyun’s cock - it’s lazy and slow and Jonghyun’s heart suddenly pounds in his chest. “Tae, love you.”

It’s something they’ve said before - all the time, in fact, but it still makes Taemin look up with surprise in his eyes. He doesn’t say anything, but he does twist to kiss Jonghyun’s inner thigh, lips lingering and soft. He goes back to mouthing at Jonghyun’s balls before pulling away enough to ask, “How was your day?”

And Jonghyun is…so thrown off by the question that he lets out a startled laugh; Taemin’s never been subtle, and this is so like him that he’s surprised at himself for being surprised. “It was good…Minho and I went on a run and then I took Roo for a walk…came back and wrote some lyrics while I waited for your plane to come in. And well…you know the rest.”

Taemin hums and nods, kisses just the tip of Jonghyun’s cock again before asking, “Feel okay? Your message last night worried me.”

“Just…missed you. That’s all, really. Got lonely and sad - you know how I am.”

“I definitely do. It’d be cute if you weren’t so clingy.” Taemin’s just teasing, Jonghyun knows, and like usual, his jokes aren’t even funny, but Jonghyun still can’t help laughing.

“Why are you asking me all of this while you’re sucking me off?”

A shrug, and again, Jonghyun isn’t surprised. “You’re adorable, Taeminnie.  Love you lots.”

“Love you too, Jonghyunnie.” He’s teasing again, and Jonghyun rolls his eyes, leans forward to give Taemin a kiss that is mostly nipping teeth and his own grin against Taemin’s. After a moment, Taemin’s hand starts up its stroking again, and the kiss turns lingering and soft.

“You should hurry up and come. I’m getting tired.”

Jonghyun snorts and pinches Taemin’s nipples just for the way it makes him yelp, mumbles, “Hurry up and make me then.”

“Would if I weren’t so sleepy…you know I would.”

“Excuses, excuses. You must not’ve missed me that much then.”

“You know I did! Missed you lots and lots, Jonghyunnie. I’d like…you know. Ride you. If I weren’t so sleepy.”

“I mean…you still can.”

Taemin snorts and rolls his eyes. “No, Jonghyunnie.” And even though his words are harsh, he’s laughing, fond amusement crinkling up the corners of his eyes. He does move to straddle Jonghyun though, and he leans down to kiss the beauty mark in the dip of his chest.

“I won’t take pictures of you?” Jonghyun tries. He’s grinning, and Taemin laughs again as Jonghyun’s hands smooth up his thighs.

“Don’t wanna clean up, that’s all. Think we’re out of condoms too. Forgot to text you that.”

“What, you used the rest?”

“There were like…two left when I left for Japan. You can fuck my thighs if you want though. That’s easy cleanup.”

“Don’t wanna move though…you passed your sleepiness to me.”

Taemin’s pout returns at Jonghyun’s words. “Rude. Do you wanna keep going then?”

“Do you?”

“I mean…you’re not that hard anymore.”

“I mean,” Jonghyun mimics, “can you blame me? This conversation isn’t that sexy, Tae.”

“We’ve…had worse. Remember that time when we got high and-”

Jonghyun is between giggles when he says, “Oh my god, shut up. Get off of me, oh my god, I hate you.”

“You love me.” Instead of obeying, Taemin flops down on top Jonghyun, giggling in between the kisses he presses to Jonghyun’s forehead, cheeks, nose, lips, chin. And then he gets an idea, and he quickly moves down enough and blows a loud raspberry on Jonghyun’s stomach, just for the way it makes him giggle and squirm and plead for Taemin to stop. And Taemin doesn’t, not until Jonghyun is crying from laughter and red in the face, squirming uselessly under Taemin’s raspberries and tickling fingers.

“Fine, fine I love you, just stop tickling me oh my god-”

Taemin waits just a little longer before obeying - he kisses the smile from Jonghyun’s lips and then lays next to him, perfectly content to feel the warmth of Jonghyun’s body and hear the stuttering of his breath as he tries to even out his breathing. “I love you.”

“You’re being so embarrassing today.”

“I missed you, aren’t I allowed to miss my boyfriend? My favorite boyfriend?”

“Your only boyfriend.”

“Mm…I dunno about that-” Taemin breaks off into laughter when Jonghyun huffs in mock annoyance. “Love you, Jonghyunnie.”

“Go to sleep, brat.”

“Not until you tell me you love me too.”

“Good night, Taeminnie.”

Even though Jonghyun’s rolled over, Taemin can tell that he’s smiling, and he melts into Taemin’s embrace. And it feels softer now, soft enough for him to kiss the curve of Jonghyun’s neck and mumble, “I really did miss you. Missed sleeping without you. And I’m glad that you’re okay.”

Quiet for a beat, and then Jonghyun rolls over. “I missed you too, Taeminnie. But you’re back now, that’s what’s important.”

A kiss, two, three. Taemin doesn’t say anything in response to that, but he doesn’t have to - Jonghyun knows what he means to say. “Night night, Jonghyunnie.”

“Good night, love.”