#anyway! so then we performed. it went surprisingly well!

[heavyhitterheaux]

Got Me Thinking

Part 4: If Your Girl Only Knew (Slight NSFW)

Synopsis: Jack invites you to one of his shows, and everyone is excited to see you, especially him. However, he had to warn you that the time had finally come for meeting the infamous Kelsey face to face.

Pairing: Jack Harlow x Reader

Series Masterlist

Please Do Not Repost My Content Anywhere

Ever since that lust filled night when Jack came to visit, you were longing to see him again and be in his presence. During different times of the day, your thoughts would go back to that moment and how much pleasure he had brought you. So much that in more times than you could count, you found yourself having a river form in between your thighs and often found yourself putting your vibrator to good use. That would have to do at least until you saw him again.

Luckily a few weeks later, an opportunity arose when he called you on Facetime and asked you if you would want to come to one of his shows. Surprisingly, you hadn’t seen him perform since the two of you called it quits and thought it was long overdue.

You had kept tabs on him throughout the years and still supported him, but you simply did it from a distance.

“You busy this Friday?” He asked and all you did was eye him.

“Depends on who’s asking.” You answered while eating your chocolate covered strawberries that was from an edible arrangement that Jack had sent to your house earlier.

“Well I’m asking because I have a show I’m performing at in L.A. and I want you there with me.”

“Hmm, I guess I can fit you in my schedule.”

“What do you mean you guess? Stop acting like you don’t want my face buried between your thighs again. And I definitely want to be one of those strawberries right now. Why are you eating it like that? Getting me bricked up and shit.”

“Jackman! Cut it out, he’s downstairs.” You exclaimed while getting up to close your bedroom door.

“Like I give a flying fuck about that. He doesn’t deserve you anyway. Don’t act shy now, or did you forget what happened last night when I called you?”

You instantly got a smirk on your face remembering how Jack asked you to get off in front of him and all you remember was the camera view becoming blurry as he hit his peak and his cum went flying everywhere as he watched you.

“I see your phone survived what you put it through.”

“Look, it was your fault and I’d do it again too with no hesitation.”

“I know you would.”

Jack then got quiet and you looked at him curiously wondering what was on his mind.

“Jackson, why are you so quiet all of a sudden?”

He simply sighed before answering you.

“Kelsey is going to be there too.”

“Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Jack, that’s your wife isn’t it? I would expect her to be with you sometimes.”

“Yes, but….”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll play nice and be on my best behavior and I might give you a private show once you’re done with your own.”

“Oh, do tell.”

“Nope, you just have to be patient and wait and see. But, why am I worried about someone that clearly can’t give you what you want or satisfy you? From what everyone says about her, she obviously doesn’t compare to me.”

“Doesn’t even come close.”

“Isn’t it almost two in the morning over there? And where is she now?”

“It is and I have no idea where the hell she is and I don’t care. Probably out spending all my got damn money.”

You stifled a laugh and he simply shook his head.

“Well Clay does call her the wicked witch of the west for a reason.”

“And now I’ve really started to see why over the last two months.”

“We’ll talk about it later, but for right now you need to go to sleep and get all the rest you can get for Friday.”

“Oh, and why is that?”

“Because you’ll have two performances to put on. One for your fans and the other one is for my eyes only. How do you think Kelsey would feel if we had a few minutes to ourselves after the show?”

“I can arrange it and make it happen and she can get the fuck over it.”

Friday was now here and you were on your way to the venue and made sure to leave a bit early so that being stuck in traffic wouldn’t become an issue. As you were driving, a facetime call came through and you saw it was Clay and quickly answered. You were now suddenly concerned and was hoping that everything was okay with Jack.

“Clay! Hi boo, what’s going on? Everything okay?”

“Please tell me you’re still coming, but hi to you too!”

“What the? What’s wrong?”

“Jack is in a mood again and you can guess why because there is literally only one answer at this point.”

“Oh, goodness.”

“I wish she would have stayed home but NOPE. So here we are and everyone is miserable so PLEASE tell me that you’re almost here. I don’t know how much more of her we can take.”

“Of course I’m still coming and I’m actually almost there. I left a little early because I knew traffic was going to be crazy.”

Just then Urban popped into the frame and was waving at you.

“Y/N!”

“URBANNN!”

“Hurry up and get your ass here. I’ll meet you outside and bring you to where everyone is. But uh, did he warn you about….?”

“Yes, I know.”

“Okay good. Didn’t want you walking into any surprises.”

“I’ll see you two in about ten minutes.” Without another word, you hung up and turned your attention back to the road ahead.

As promised, Urban met you outside and led you backstage where everyone was. As soon as you walked in the room, all attention was on you and Clay was the first one to capture you in a hug.

“We’re saved, we’re saved.” He whispered in your ear and you couldn’t help but laugh. When you looked over at Urban, he was laughing too so he obviously must have heard what Clay said.

“Y/N! Clay, move and stop hogging her!” Ace exclaimed while trying to get in between the two of you.

“Hiii Ace.”

“Hello, Y/N, and we need to talk business. As in business being your older sister.”

“ACE!! Leave the girl alone! She just got here! At least let her settle in before you start harassing her! Hi Y/N, I’m Neelam and I’ve heard such good things about you from Jack. It’s so nice to finally meet you.” So, this was the famous Neelam that everyone talked about.

“It’s so nice to meet you too!” You responded while returning the hug that she was giving you.

You scanned the room and didn’t see Jack or Kelsey so you assumed that they were together and sure enough right on cue, they both entered. Jack was walking in front of her and clearly pissed off about something as she was following behind him like a lost puppy and there was an obvious pout on her face.

“Babe!”

“Kelsey, drop it. I’m done talking about it.”

When Jack looked up and saw you, his grim mood turned the corner for the better and immediately ran over to you and picked you up as you began to laugh.

“Hiii boo. I see you’ve missed me.”

“You have NO idea.” He said loud enough so that only you could hear and squeezed you tighter. 

“When you left, I lost a part of me. It’s still so hard to believe, come back baby please cause weeee belong togetherrrr.” Clay started to sing when the two of you embraced and it was giving everyone in the entire room the hardest time in order not to laugh.

“I just love Mariah Carey. One of my favorites. Yall think she’s going to do a Vegas residency soon?” Clay asked as he was scrolling through his phone.

“I’d definitely come with you if she does.” Urban responded while shrugging and Neelam was eyeing the two of them.

She quickly mouthed ‘Behave’ while trying not to laugh herself.

Once Jack had placed you back on your feet, you suddenly felt a presence next to you and turned around to be face to face with Kelsey herself.

“Babe, who’s this?” She asked Jack and he clearly looked annoyed at the fact that she was even talking to him.

“Y/N, this is Kelsey, Kelsey this is Y/N, we went to high school together. She lives here and I asked her to come.” He answered while not taking his eyes off of you and his left arm was still around your waist which she was quick to notice. 

“It’s so nice to meet you.” You said as you held your hand out towards her, but she examined it before she took it.

“Oh, someone’s jealous.” Clay whispered to Urban and he immediately nodded.

“I didn’t realize you two were so close and had no idea you would be here tonight. I feel that is something important that you should tell your wife, don’t you think, Jackman?”

“Here she goes.” Clay quietly said while keeping his focus on his phone.

“They’ve been a lot closer than she thinks.” Urban muttered next to Clay and they both began to laugh.

“Kelsey, don’t start. So I have to tell you about every single person that I went to high school with and decided to reconnect with them?”

“I didn’t even mean it like that.”

“Well it sounds like you did.”

“Damn, 100 points to Gryffindor. He got her good with that one.” Ace said from behind you as you were simply standing there because it was now awkward.

Kelsey then turned back to you and gave you the fakest smile that she could muster. There was something about you that she couldn’t put her finger on, but she already knew for a fact she didn’t like you.

“It’s nice to meet you too, Y/N.”

“Okay, is she settled in now Neelam? Y/N! Let me at Janelle!” Ace said as he was now at the snack table and all you did was shake your head at him.

The time waiting for Jack’s set was spent with you goofing around with everyone backstage and getting to do a mini photoshoot in the hallway with Urban taking the pictures in order for you to be able to post them on your instagram later.

When you were across the room talking to 2fo with Jack right beside you, Kelsey went and sat next to Clay who had a confused look on his face when he noticed her.

“Uhh? Did you need something Kelsey?” He politely asked as he was silently cursing Urban for leaving him there by himself.

“How does Jack know her?”

“He told you earlier. They went to high school together. Didn’t you hear him?

“And they were just friends?” She asked, trying to find out more information about you.

“Don’t you think that this is a conversation for you and your husband to have?” Clay asked while finally turning to look at her.

“He doesn’t want to tell me anything anymore.”

“Hmm, I wonder why. Evil ass.” Clay muttered to himself so that she wouldn’t be able to hear.

“You still need to ask him and not me.”

“Is there…. Is there something I should be worried about?”

“Meaning what exactly?”

“Jack hasn’t taken his eyes off of her since he saw her when she got here.”

“Well.. they haven’t seen each other in a long time and they were really close.”

“How close?”

“Kelsey, ask my brother.”

“But obviously you know something, but aren’t telling me.”

“Why do I get the feeling that you’re a little jealous? You’re the wife, right? So you shouldn’t have anything to worry about.”

“I’m not jealous! It just seems like everyone adores her and all of the attention has been on her.”

“She’s an amazing person. Always has been. Our parents absolutely love her too.”

“Wait, she knows your parents, too?!”

“Like I said before, they were extremely close.”

Soon there was only about twenty more minutes until it was time for Jack to go on stage and you wanted to give him a small gift since you still hadn’t gotten him anything for his birthday. You knew deep down that he didn’t care and was simply excited to see you, but you still wanted to do something nice for him. As he was about to head to his dressing room, you grabbed his arm to stop him.

“Hey, I have something to give you, but I want it to be when we’re by ourselves.”

“Hmm, is it what I think it is?” He asked as he wiggled his eyebrows and you quickly smacked his arm.

“Behave! And no, but… if we can make our way to your dressing room now, I can give you a good luck kiss and maybe a little more?”

All he did was smirk and start to play with the ends of your hair which Kelsey was very quick to notice and was quick to interrupt.

“Babe, isn’t it time for your good luck kiss since you’re about to hit the stage?”

“Gag me with a spoon.” Quiiso said to 2fo who was trying not to laugh.

“Um, sure in a minute. Let me go get dressed first. And Y/N had something to show me so we’ll be back.”

He put his hand on the small of your back and guided you down the hallway to his dressing room as Kelsey was left sitting there fuming at what just happened.

Once the two of you got to his dressing room, he closed the door behind him and locked it then his lips were instantly on yours.

“Mm, I’ve missed that and this.” He said as his hand went to cup your ass in the skirt that you were wearing.

“You definitely made that clear on our facetime call earlier this week.”

“So, what did you want to give to me? Is it another purple thong? Because at this point I’m about to start collecting them like infinity stones.”

“I literally CANNOT with your ass.” You said while laughing and Jack pulled you closer to him so that he was able to kiss you once more.

“Look, I figured I’d ask and when I collected all of them it would unlock some type of bonus scene.”

“Jackson PLEASE stop talking.” You responded as you continued to laugh.

“What?!  What’d I say?!”

“Anyway, for starters, it’s not a thong because I’m not wearing anything under my outfit at all.” You whispered against his lips and grabbed his hand to place it underneath your skirt.

His fingers grazed against your core and you were getting wetter by the second. He then inserted two of his fingers and slowly moved them before putting them in his mouth and sucking on them. Just like he did the last time the two of you saw each other.

“There’s definitely more where that came from, but we have to save it for later.” He quietly said, but all you did was get on your knees without breaking eye contact with him and started playing with the waistband of his sweatpants.

“You definitely don’t need a good luck kiss from Kelsey, but will good luck head be acceptable?”

All he did was nod his head as you pulled down his sweatpants and boxer briefs and immediately took him in your mouth.

“Ahh shit.”

Jack didn’t want to mess up your hair so he simply pushed it back out of your face as you continued to pleasure him.

“I’m definitely going to need you to sit on my face after this later. FUCK!”

Because you knew that he didn’t have a lot of time, you were trying to move as fast as possible in order to get him to cum and you could tell that it was working seeing as Jack’s eyes were now closed as he threw his head back in pleasure and was trying to lightly force you down on him.

“My girl looks so pretty taking all of me in her mouth. That’s it baby, that’s it. I’m close.”

You hearing him say that he was close made you move even quicker with a sense of urgency because the last thing you wanted was for him to be late for his set.

“Fuck!” Was the last thing you heard as he came in your mouth and you swallowed it without wasting a drop.

When he was finished coming down from his high, he looked down at you and smiled before helping you to your feet and kissing you.

“I want to return the favor.”

“But… we don’t have a lot of time.”

“We have as much time as I say we have. I’m the headliner and calling the damn shots.” Was all he said before leading you to the couch and immediately pulling your shirt down to expose your breasts that he began to play with them, lightly sucking and biting.

“Babe, that’s going to leave a mark.” You whined and he simply shrugged.

“I’m marking my territory.”

He didn’t waste a lot of time before pulling your skirt up to your hips, spreading your legs and diving in head first.

By the time that Jack had gotten dressed and you had given him his gift, which was an exclusive Rolex that was personalized and had his initials on the band inside, he was only a minute late. 

“I’m definitely wearing this onstage. Thank you Buttercup.” He said as he leaned down to kiss you and you were simply admiring his outfit as you helped him put on the watch. 

His outfit was your favorite color.

Green.

“Hmm, you wore this outfit on purpose, didn’t you?” You asked and all he did was smirk.

“What ever do you mean, baby?”

“Such a fucking tease.”

—

As you were in the front and standing off to the side watching Jack perform, Neelam came up to you and smiled. You returned the smile and the two of you watched him in silence before she turned back to you to say something.

“Y/N, I just wanted to tell you how much the people around him see how much happier he’s been since you two reconnected.”

“Well you can thank Clay for that.” You said thinking about when he first asked you.

“I.. look.. Jack is not only my client, but someone who I consider my little brother. He has talked about you non-stop and all I want is for him to be happy and I know that his happiness is wherever you are. Kelsey isn’t good for him and we could all see it from the beginning. He just didn’t want to listen. ”She said, being completely honest.

“That seems to be the running theme of what everyone keeps telling me. He’s definitely important to me and I want the best for him. I just wish sometimes that we never broke up because I always think about how our life might have turned out differently.”

“Well the two of you reconnecting wasn’t by chance and it was definitely meant to happen. I just want you to know that whatever that you two have going on because I know that there is something there because my big sister radar is going off, I support it. I just want him to be happy again. That’s all we literally all want.”

“I wish it was that simple.” You replied while sighing.

“Well, why isn’t it?”

“You said Jack told you a lot about me, but did he mention my husband?”

Neelam looked at you dumbfounded before she responded.

“You act like the word divorce doesn’t exist?”

“And that’s my problem.”

“What is?”

“I love Jack like if he would have asked me to elope when we were eighteen, I would have without a second thought and that is still true as we speak, but I also love my husband as fucked up of a person that he is and I’m having second thoughts about divorcing him.”

Liked by urbanwyatt, jackharlow, neelamthadhani, claybornharlow, thenursecorner, and 450,831 others

anesthesiabae: friends supporting friends

jackharlow love you forever and I will always be proud of you 💖

jackharlow: so happy you came tonight, thank you 😘 claybornharlow: reunited and it feels so good yungskylark: aye! y/n lemme get Janelle's number!!! anesthesiabae: jackharlow any time you need me, I'm here urbanwyatt: mariah carey- anytime you need a friend jackharlow: anesthesiabae so this means I can ask for my hoodie back now right? anesthesiabae: ACE... NO! and jackharlow if I didn't give it back and 12 years have now passed, what makes you think that you'll get it at all? jackharlow: anesthesiabae closed mouths don't get fed, now do they? neelamthadhani: so happy that I finally got to meet you! jackharlowsource: oohh she's pretty! jackharlow spill! who is this pretty lady?!

[kurogane2512]

Ningguang Birthday 2023

Happy birthday to Ningguang!! Not me being one day late to post my waifu's birthday fics once again but ugh exam season. Anyways, I combined all the scenarios shown in her birthday art, comic and mail this year for this fic so hope you guys like it! I will also be doing all Ningguang requests in my inbox today to celebrate her day! <3

Game: Genshin Impact

Characters: Ningguang x fem!reader

Type: Fluff

The Tianquan of Liyue was known for many things, her wealth surpassing all perhaps. The Tianquan of Liyue was known as many things; calculative, materialistic, intelligent among many more. Some would say she had no care for finite possessions for the mora she possessed was infinite; however, she had proved to all she was much more than the exquisite woman she appeared to be. She was Liyue's guiding star and protector, shining down on it as brightly as the Jades she possessed. Yet, a part of her was still unknown to many, not even her closest secretaries knew of it....

"Lady Ningguang, the Yuheng declined your invitation to play Liyue Millennial today." Baiwen informed her lady on one pleasant morning when the Tianquan was surprisingly free of her never-ending duties.

"Oh? Did she state the reason?" Ningguang questioned.

"She said she has some personal matters to attend to and cannot give so much time to the game."

"I see....And what about Captain Beidou? I heard the Crux is currently docked in Liyue."

"Oh, they left last night, Lady Ningguang. We did send the invitation to her but received no reply..."

"Hmph, as expected of her.....And what about the other invitees? I assume everyone denied as well."

"Y-Yes, Lady Ningguang...." Baiwen replied hesitantly.

"Hmm....I didn't expect that new card game to become so popular and make everyone enamored with it. Hehe, it can't be helped, I suppose. Chess mates are becoming hard to find, if only she was here...." Ningguang paused and stared into empty space before sighing, "Is there anything on my schedule today, Baiwen?"

"Yes, Ms Yun Jin asked you to witness her new show today at 1 pm, she also made arrangements for lunch. Everything else was moved to other days to give you time for yourself, milady."

"Hehe, how considerate of you. I understand then, you all are dismissed for the rest of the day as well."

"O-Oh, thank you very much, milady!" Baiwen bowed with a smile and exited Ningguang's office gleefully. Ningguang sighed and rested on her table while pondering deeply, "It has been like this for months now, till when will I keep playing on my own....? What's the point of a 2-person game if there is no partner? Hmph, I'm sure the excitement for that card game will fade away soon and Liyue Millennial will stand the test of time...."

Ningguang squinted her eyes and sat up then walked outside to the external platform of the Jade Chamber, gazing at the scenery in front of her. Her eyes wandered over to the distant sky adorned with fluffy clouds and she suddenly spotted a faint twinkling of a star.

"Heh~ To be able to spot the brightest star on a sunny morning like this....The higher you stand, the closer you are to the sky, after all."

A smile formed on her face as she observed the star before it was no longer visible due to the bright sun illuminating the sky.

"I wonder if I'll spot a shooting star tonight....It would be nice if our very own shooting star came here today but I suppose that's wishful thinking...."

She looked down at the city and decided to take a walk around until it was time for Yun Jin's show. She went through the market and asked for a few things but didn't buy any as there was no requirement and there was nothing new worth investing in. She then reached the venue for Yun Jin's play and watched the stage being set-up before Yun Jin walked out and began her performance.

"This is from the new piece I've been working on. What do you think, Tianquan Ningguang?" Yun Jin asked at the end of her performance.

"Wonderful. It hasn't been long since we last met but you've surpassed yourself once again, Yun Jin." Ningguang replied earnestly.

Yun Jin beamed a smile then moved her gaze to the other people in the audience and was caught by surprise for a moment spotting a familiar figure.

"What would you say?" Yun Jin questioned while looking at a person behind Ningguang.

"As Tianquan Ningguang said, it was really wonderful."

Ningguang's eyes widened hearing the all too familiar voice, she then slowly turned around to see none other than the shooting star she had wished to meet not so long ago.

"Y/n?"

You smiled, "It has been a while since we met, Lady Ningguang and Yun Jin."

Ningguang's heartbeat fastened for a moment before she composed herself and stood up while clearing her throat, "Pleasure to meet you again as well, Y/n. How has your journey been going?"

"It's been good so far. I was missing Liyue hence thought to visit..."

Ningguang smiled at your confession, "My~ Of course, you are always welcome here. Come, have a seat. We were about to order lunch."

You accepted Ningguang's proposal and sat on the table with her and Yun Jin as a feast was being served. Ningguang was not expecting to see you today of all days, she wondered what really was your reason to come. Was it a mere coincidence that you chose to come today of all days or was there something in your mind? However, she realized she didn't care for the reason. 

When she sent invites out to her associates to play chess with her today, she had written one for you as well but refrained from sending it in the end. She knew you were more than enough capable of matching against her in Liyue Millennial, you had done it before. But she didn't know what was in your heart. Ningguang always liked being able to predict the next move of those around her, but you were the most uncertain piece on her board.

"What new region have you visited now, Y/n?"

"Oh, I went to Fontaine from Sumeru. I still have more things to do there but I had to do a few errands at Mondstadt recently then decided to come here too to meet everyone...."

"Hehe~ And here I thought your annual trip to Liyue would always be for Lantern Rite. You surprised me yet again~"

You chuckled softly and continued eating until bidding farewell to Yun Jin and being in the marketplace together with Ningguang.

"Well, I suppose you have to meet your other friends now, Y/n. It was good to see you again and I hope your future travels are as pleasant as ever." Ningguang spoke with courtesy before turning around to walk away but you stopped her.

"U-Uh, Lady Ningguang, if you aren't busy then may I take some more of your time? I wanted to say a few things...."

"Oh? Well, it's your lucky day then as my schedule is free. Come, walk with me. However, there is one condition~"

"W-What might it be....?"

Ningguang sensed your nervousness and chuckled before walking up to you and leaning close to your face, "You will not call me 'Lady Ningguang' for the rest of the day~"

You blushed seeing her up close and nodded, "I understand...."

Ningguang smiled and proceeded to walk and you accompanied her, you looked around the bustling marketplace and tried to start a conversation but were unable to. Ningguang was ethereal in your eyes and you'd always get slightly nervous around her as you didn't want to disappoint her in any way. You knew she held you in high regard and you wanted to maintain that impression.

"Well? What might it be that you wish to converse with me? Are you facing some kind of financial problems? Or perhaps you need help in some kind of business-related commission?"

"N-No, none of that....Well, I am running short on Mora recently but I wouldn't come to you for that."

"Why not? I'd be more than happy to assist you. Of course, I wouldn't just hand you a bag of mora but I can get you sufficient work that pays well. With your skills and caliber, there are a number of high paying jobs suitable for your needs and many would be more than willing to hire you just from hearing your name."

"Haha, I see....I'll keep it in mind for the future."

"Well? You haven't answered my question."

Ningguang stopped walking and turned to face you, slowly becoming suspicious now.

"A-Ah, it was actua—"

"Oh, if it isn't Y/n. How are you doing recently?" a familiar voice called out to you and you turned around to see none other than Keqing waving at you.

"Keqing, long time no see. I'm fine, what about you?"

"I'm the same as ever. I see you already met Ningguang. So, what brings you to Liyue?"

"Nothing much, just thought to meet everyone."

"Haha, that's great. Now that you are here, want to have a duel with me? I recently updated my deck~"

"Oh, right now? You don't have any work to do....?"

"Hah~ The next appointment isn't until 2 hours, I went around asking others if they are up for a match but everyone was already engaged in another and I haven't found any opponent...."

Keqing briefly paused and glanced at Ningguang, "....and a few others don't like playing it anyways."

"I-I see....Well, I don't really have any work right now so—"

"Oh, that's perfect then! Come, there are a few empty tables at Yangshang Teahouse."

You hesitated to reply then looked over at Ningguang, "....Would you like to come along, Ningguang?"

"Oh, don't bother with Ningguang. Genius Invocation TCG is too low for her status~"

"I see..."

Ningguang squinted her eyes at Keqing's remark then glanced at you and saw a pleading look on your face, seemingly indicating that you wanted her to come along. She didn't understand it, why were you so eager to have her there? You could have just left her and went about your merry way.

"As it happens, I'm rather interested in seeing a duel between our Yuheng and the esteemed Hero of Liyue~"

Ningguang mused with a smirk and Keqing sighed then the 3 of you made your way over to Yangshang Teahouse and settled on a faraway table before taking out your decks and setting up a duel. Ningguang noticed that your deck revolved around her card, she was the main damage dealer and all your supports were tailor-made for her. While she felt proud that you had invested in her card, she knew Keqing was quite formidable and her deck was rather advantageous against yours. Still, she was betting on you to win nonetheless. 

The game gradually became more heated as none of you were backing down, even attracting a crowd of on-lookers to the interesting match. Both of you had lost one card each and were close to reaching round 5, Ningguang had already figured out Keqing's strategy by observing her play so far but she was quite stunned by you. She actually couldn't figure out what your play was, she thought of many options seeing your cards but you'd always make an unexpected move and prove her wrong.

"Oi, Lady Yuheng is actually being cornered....Haha, as expected of Liyue's hero!" someone chimed from the crowd, eliciting more similar remarks all around. Ningguang chuckled looking at you, "Always so interesting....If only you showed such keen interest in Liyue Millennial too."

The match finally came to and end as you defeated another card of Keqing and she decided to forfeit as she knew she can't make a comeback with her remaining card. You emerged victorius with a resounding applause from the crowd and appreciation for a good game from Keqing.

"Well played indeed, Y/n. I didn't know you are such a good player in this as well." Ningguang remarked.

"I have played many matches going all around Sumeru, Inazuma and Mondstadt by now. But you flatter me, Ningguang, I still have room for improvement."

"Hehe, that's good to hear. The game has been very popular all over Teyvat, no wonder you were dragged into it as well."

"....Is it true you aren't a fan of it as Keqing said?"

"Well, I wouldn't say that.....I simply find it too simplistic for my tastes. I did enjoy it in the beginning but I don't see myself continuing in the long term, I'd much rather spend time on my chess."

You looked at her with a smile and nodded in understanding when a few more people approached you inviting you to duel with them. You felt overwhelmed with the crowd gathered around you and noticed Ningguang had walked away to give them space. You politely declined everyone saying you had other commitments and caught up with Ningguang.

"N-Ningguang, wait! There was something I wanted to say!"

Ningguang stopped and turned around to look at you when you saw a surprising expression on her face. You didn't ever imagine you'd see the Tianquan of Liyue making this kind of expression; full of loneliness and sadness....

"Ningguang, what's wrong....?"

"Hm? Whatever you might mean, Y/n?" she feigned innocence, swiftly changing her expression back to normal. You knew she was hiding something. You looked up at the sky and saw the sun was slowly setting, the light still spread in the sky but you couldn't wait any longer.

"Ningguang, is it okay if we go to the Jade Chamber? It'll give the best view."

"Best view for what?"

You smiled, "You'll see. Just trust me, will you?"

You extended your hand to her and she hesitated for a moment then took it and you both walked to Yujing Terrace to ascend to the Jade Chamber. By the time you reached, the sky had darkened further which was good news for you. Ningguang was about to take you inside as usual but you stopped her on the external platform and asked her to watch you. Ningguang waited in anticipation and mystery, she had absolutely no idea what you were going to do.

You looked up at the sky and saw stars appearing then took out a launch tube and placed it on the ground before turning around and facing Ningguang. Her heartbeat suddenly fastened as excitement engulfed her thinking of the possibilities of what was going to happen. You then took a deep breath and launched a firework in the sky which burst into a brilliant crimson light illuminating the words- 'Happy Birthday Ningguang'

Ningguang's eyes widened reading the words, did you have this planned all this time? Was this your main reason for coming to Liyue? More fireworks were released in the following minutes, all containing different drawing and words that described her, or at least described her as you thought her to be- beautiful, kind, selfless, elegant, compassionate and many more. She was truly taken aback, it felt like the whole sky belonged to her and was wishing her on her special day. Her surroundings were nothing but the brilliance of these fireworks that you created.

"Ningguang." your sudden voice reached her ears and she moved her gaze towards you. You smiled at her and said, "Happy birthday." A firework burst behind you at the same time with the words, 'I love you' and she was the most surprised now. How were you always capable of catching her off guard was beyond her. Nobody could do this to her, yet here you were. Her heart was beating faster than ever, the fireworks ended long ago but the thumping of her chest still resounded in her whole body.

At last, she calmed down and regained her demeanour with a smile on her face, "Thank you very much, dear Y/n. This was magnificent and that in the end....was that true? Did you mean it?"

You smiled and nodded, "It is....everything was true. Each and every word was from the bottom of my heart, it is what I have felt for you ever since we first met...."

Ningguang smiled as well, "....Was this your real purpose for coming here today?"

"It was....I just wanted to celebrate your birthday. I know this isn't much but—"

"Don't say that. I don't care how much it was, it's the thought and effort that counts and I'm feeling blessed that you did this for me...."

Ningguang walked closer to you and suddenly embraced you, "I love you too, Y/n. Thank you very much for this."

Your eyes widened and you slowly wrapped your arms around her body, "I-It wasn't much...."

Ningguang chuckled, "Would you believe me if I said I had wished to meet you today?"

"What...?"

Ningguang released the hug then looked at the stars in the sky around you, "I wished to see a shooting star today and was reminded of you since you also came in this world as a shooting star, after all. Hehe, it seems I ended up wishing to a shooting star indeed and the Archons heard my wish."

You blushed hearing her words, "I-I see....By the way, the sky is really beautiful from here. The stars seem so close...."

"Mhm, the higher you stand the closer you are to the sky. I did build this Jade Chamber to be the guiding star of Liyue, it is only rightful I should be among them."

You gazed at her as she looked at the stars then were reminded of her expression from earlier, "....Doesn't it get lonely at the top?"

Ningguang was caught by surprise at your words and looked at you in surprise, but by now she had gotten used to your unpredictable nature and simply smiled.

"Well then, wouldn't you stand by my side being Teyvat's very own star?~"

You blushed, "It would be my honor...."

You gazed at each other with a smile and you felt intoxicated, bewitched by her. The night sky around you adorned with stars emphasized Ningguang's beauty even more, her own self twinkling with them. You released your arms from around her and stepped back then took out a Kamera and pointed at her.

"Oh, you would like to capture this moment for me?"

"Yes, I still have some fireworks left too."

"A lovely suggestion. I heard that many people in Fontaine take pictures to celebrate their birthdays nowadays."

"Yes, it is quite crazy over there when it comes to technology...."

You giggled and set up another launch tube by the time Ningguang chose a spot, you then took out 2 Kameras and alternated between them in taking photos of Ningguang with the stars and fireworks.

"My, I didn't think you would have such a collection of different Kameras. It seems you are quite potent when it comes to photography~"

You smiled then finished clicking the pictures and showed to her, "These are really well taken. I'll keep some of them and you'll keep some too, right?~"

"Yes, I'd love to...."

You said in a daze as you watched her stand beside you and happily look at the photos.

"O-Oh, is there something you'd like to do? We still have time left until the day is over, I feel bad that we barely did anything worth a celebration."

Ningguang smiled softly and caressed your cheek, "You made the day special enough for me by coming here and doing all this. But still, if you insist, I do have something in mind~"

She held your hand and pulled you inside the Jade Chamber, taking you downstairs to her office where you saw a game of Liyue Millennial was laid out on the table.

"Did you play with someone today?"

"Oh....well, I invited a few people but everyone refused giving one excuse or the other. Keqing even had the audacity to say she personal matters to attend to then was happily playing that card game with you."

She sighed bitterly and you remembered her distaste for TCG then spoke, "Are you having trouble finding chess mates nowadays due to TCG?"

"....Yes, that is true.  Everyone is quite enamored with it; I even got some complaints saying that chess is too difficult and stressful and that I should simplify its rules."

"I see, that's unfortunate....I would love to play with you from now on. Truth be told, I have gotten quite bored of TCG having played it so much. Not to mention, playing chess with you is an incomparable experience...."

Ningguang blushed at your sudden compliments, "My. You never fail to impress me, give that sweet tongue of yours a rest for some time, would you?~"

"I-I'm sorry but I was just saying the truth...."

"Hehe, well then, would you care to indulge me with a game now?"

"Of course, as you say."

The two of you sat on opposite sides of the table and took out chess pieces to arrange on both of your sides, the rest of the game hadwho already been set hence making it easier and faster to start.

"Hmm, would you mind if we make the game slightly different than usual?" Ningguang suggested.

"Not at all. What shall we do?"

"Every time one of us loses a piece, the other gets to ask a question or order them to do something. How does that sound?~"

You suddenly became nervous of Ningguang's mischievous suggestion accompanied by the smirk on her face, "Uh, are there some things we can't ask or do?"

"Well, I'm open to everything. But if you want to keep some boundaries then I will abide."

You pondered for a moment and thought of certain possibilities causing you to become slightly flustered then nodded, "Okay, I'm fine with everything too."

Ningguang's smirk widened, she knew what was going on in your mind and she would be lying if she said she wasn't thinking the same things. She let you take the first move and you finally began playing, an interesting and heated game of Liyue Millennial ensuing.

"My~ Rarely anyone can match up to me this way and keep me entertained, I knew I was right about her..." Ningguang pondered with a smile.

The game went on for some time until you finally lost your first piece, and the first ever piece in the whole game hence giving Ningguang the first chance to ask something.

"Hmm....well, I'll give an easy one since it's the first loss. Have you had your first kiss yet?"

Your eyes widened in shock, "T-This is easy?!"

You looked at Ningguang's playful expression then replied with a slight blush, "N-No, I haven't...."

Ningguang chuckled in amusement and squinted her eyes looking at you, subconsciously licking her lips then continuing the game. Next was your turn to ask her something as she lost her first piece.

"Um, have you dated anyone before me....?"

"I was confessed to and even offered marriage proposals but I refused all. So, you are my first— in everything~"

You knew what Ningguang implied by that, and you truly hoped it would come true. The game continued more and you continued asking each other questions, some rather intimate but nothing overbearing. Ningguang was winning hence got more chances to tease and fluster you from her questions, also enabling her to know more about your likes and dislikes.

"Hmm, let's change the direction of the questions now. This time, I ask you to take off your shirt~"

"H-Huh?! That's a huge jump all of a sudden!"

Ningguang smirked, "Let me rephrase it then. I order you to take off your shirt~"

You were further shocked and tried to protest but she was unhinged, "Don't forget you agreed to everything, dear Y/n. I don't take lightly to people going back on their words~"

You gulped and eventually nodded then proceeded to slide off your shirt and keep it aside, sitting in front of the Tianquan in just your bra and pants now. Her gaze trailed all over your exposed body, cunningly observing your features as if they were an intricate design carved by the finest of hands. The game then continued and you finally got your chance to make her do something too.

"Uh....t-take off your dress....."

You gathered all your courage to say that, earning a short chuckle from Ningguang who expected this, "How bold of you, dear Y/n~"

"I-It's only fair, right?"

"Hehe, you are correct...." Ningguang stood up and proceeded to untie the strings of her dress, you intently watched her remove her accessories starting from the fur around her neck, down to her finger claws then finally slide down her qipao and standing in her black lace lingerie. Your face heated up as your eyes subconsciously took in her features, her perfect curves and breasts all in front of you to feast on.

"You are staring a bit too much, dear Y/n. Hold in your urges until later tonight, will you?~"

"I-I don't have any urges!" you exclaimed bashfully and looked away while she sat down at her place with a giggle, "How adorable you are...makes me want to have my way with you right here~"

The atmosphere between you two grew tense as the game continued, you were struggling to keep your eyes off Ningguang's body while she was enjoying this little game too much. She was much swifter in stealing glances at you and made it seem she was focused on the game rather that the immoral thoughts she was having.

"The next order I have for you is...." Ningguang trailed off and stood up from her seat then walked towards you, your heartbeat fastening as she came closer. She then straddled your lap facing you and wrapped her arms around your neck, your heart skipping a beat at her action.

"....Kiss me~"

Her thumb brushed across your lower lip and you put your hands on her waist to pull her closer as she leaned in and connected your lips together. Her soft and moist lips gently cuddled with yours, a blissful feeling spreading in your body at the contact. She was everything you needed, only you knew how much you had held back all this time to hold and feel her this way. Without much thinking, you grabbed her tighter and suddenly pushed her to the table making her lie lean on it while you kissed her passionately.

Surprised by your sudden rough movements, she wrapped her legs around your waist and pulled you down to kiss you deeper. Your tongues entangled in a heated manner, heavily breathing into each other's scents. She moaned into the kiss as she felt you rub against her abdomen, her nails digging into your back as you went down to kiss her neck. Your hand slid towards her thigh and caressed her dragon tattoo, a low chuckle leaving her lips sending vibrations in you.

"And here I thought the Hero of Liyue was much more restrained. You knocked off all my pieces in one go, it seems I'm obliged to follow all your orders now~"

You blushed then grinned, "Well, I did knock out my own pieces too so that makes us equal and considering you were already winning earlier...."

Ningguang continued, "....I'm the true winner and get to order you once again? Is that what you want?~"

"If that's what you want to give me as my return gift, I'll gladly accept it~"

"Haha~ A return gift, you say? And here I thought you still had more gifts to give me~"

"You still want more, Tianquan Ningguang? You do realize you'd have to give a fair amount of return gifts then?~"

"And you think I cannot afford that?~"

Ningguang smirked wider and you smiled then snuggled into the crook of her neck, "What do you want me to do, Tianquan Ningguang?~"

"Stay with me on this lonely night and many more lonely nights to come. Be the star that shines beside me and never leaves me alone"

You leaned up and looked into her eyes, "I accept the contract, my Tianquan."

You smiled at each other and passionately kissed once again, her legs tightened around you and you lifted her off the table to carry her to her room and lay her on the bed. The Tianquan spent the night together entangled with her lover, she no longer felt lonely being at the top of the world and knew you would always be by her side in any and everything. She looked into her mirror next morning after a passionate and lustful night and caressed the marks left by you on her neck. Of course, she had to get you back for it. No wonder you were given strange looks by people as you left the Jade Chamber later with a red kiss mark adorning your cheek that she so discreetly made as a goodbye kiss.

[bryce-bucher]

500 CALIBER CONTRACTZ Post #12

Dialogue!!!11:

The main thing I did over the past week or so was put together this dialogue system. The system itself was fairly easily to implement, and I think the only interesting part of the process to share is how I went about making the UI. As per usual, I wanted to have a cool mechanical feeling ui, but at the same time a friend of mine suggested an AOL instant messenger inspired chat window. I loved both of these ideas so I decided to combine them into a screen that pops up and contains the aim-like window. The modeling process for the screen was similar to how I went about making the other two bits of ui that are on screen in the above photos, but I decided to include a VGA port.

VGA PORT:

I didn't originally plan to include a VGA port, but I was in the middle of researching monitors and accidentally left a window open on my computer that just had a big photo of one and I went "wait a minute.". With my final two braincells I suddenly decided to slap together a model for the port which I ended up being proud enough of to, for some reason, make an entire section for it.

Sorry if any of the above sentences read horribly. I am going to need a third braincell if you want this stuff to be coherent. Anyway, Blender is so cool. Using the array modifier to make all these lil squares for the holes in the port is just such a satisfying process. I've come to really like makin pre-rendered assets like this.

New Movez:

This is actually a pretty big inclusion, and I probably should've ranked it in my mind above the VGA port. I added some new movement options to the game!

Firstly, I added this melee move where you swing the back of the sniper forwards to propel yourself a bit. It is mainly useful as a bunnyhop that allows you to conserve momentum.

Next up I added this kick that happens if you melee while in the air. It's basically just the one from mario64. It lets you gain a little bit more height and distance. It also becomes way more effective if you have a lot of momentum. A good tool for correcting jumps and reaching new heights.

Finally, we have the big schmovement slide. This slide gives you a huge burst of speed that you can jump out of in order to send your self flyin. Surprisingly, it didn't really break any of the level design and ended up being a really fun addition imo. In order to perform it, you have to do a ground pound and then melee as you hit the ground. Also, I feel like I basically stole this from pseudoregalia. Played through that recently and it has been a good source of inspiration.

Nova!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:

This is a cameo skin I've been really excited to finally make myself put in the game. Anodyne 2 is a really important game to me, and I love it much. I'm really happy tha folks at analgesic let me put her in here, and I'm p happy with how her model came together. If you haven't peeped the Anodyne games I highly recommend them. The first one was a major inspiration for parts of Fatum Betula.

Conclusion:

Lately I've been playing this game way too much. It has made it impossible for me to tell if it is fun or well designed. Some problems cropped up during playtesting that ima need to address, and I hope that it all comes together into something that one could say is "fun and cool". I think takin this weekend off is gonna do my brain good. Oh yeah also I feel like I should advertise that I'm still doing commissions if anyone is interested. Anyway, have a good 1 and enjoy urself.

[the-west-meadow]

hi! i’m not sure if you have anymore request slots open (if you don’t just ignore this) but could you write a roman roy x reader with the prompt “you’re an asshole, you know that?”

i’m obsessed with your roman fics!!

one more just for fun :) I'll open these again in a little while. in the meantime, more Roman dysfunction!

Roman Roy x Reader

prompt: you're an asshole, you know that?

It had been Roman’s idea. Invite Siobhan and Tom over for dinner, impress them with how mature and normal you both were. Roman finally had something he could be proud of: you. And he wanted to show it off.

But Tom couldn’t make it. Sick with a cold, or perhaps just unable to be around Shiv in public at the moment. So Shiv showed up alone in a pale pink pantsuit and the three of you proceeded to drink into the night. 

The Roy siblings held their liquor surprisingly well. Shiv didn’t even blush. The only thing different about Roman was how his hair became increasingly disheveled as the night went on. You sat at the head of the table, getting more and more tipsy, endlessly amused by their banter. 

“And what about you?” Shiv said, turning to you. “I heard you’re the only reason Roman was able to seal the deal with Matsson.”

“Oh, come on,” Roman said. “That’s bullshit. You know that was all me.”

“Hold on,” you interjected. “We double-teamed him, Roman. Did you block that out or what?”

“It was my deal. Dad trusted me to do it. And I fucking did it.”

“So you didn’t have any help?” Shiv chided. “None whatsoever?”

“If you count standing there looking pretty, then sure, Y/N contributed.”

You felt the sting of his words through your buzz. 

“That’s bullshit,” you murmured, stirring the toothpick in your martini glass. 

“You want credit for helping? Okay, fine.” He stood up, performing a theatrical bow. “My deepest appreciation for charming Matsson with your wiles.”

“Fuck off, Roman,” you snapped. 

“You know,” Roman went on, “He only listened to what you had to say because he wanted to fuck you.”

You stood up, staring him down. You saw him cower slightly under your gaze.

“Fuck you,” you hissed, then stalked out of the room.

Shiv looked at Roman and blinked.

“Wow. Great job,” she said.

Roman collapsed back into his chair, sulking.

“You’re an asshole, you know that?” Shiv continued.

“Yeah, so what. I guess it’s the Dad in me.”

“You’re going to lose Y/N at this rate.”

“Maybe I don’t give a shit.”

“Then you’re an idiot and an asshole. Go back there and apologize. I’ll wait.”

Roman stood with a dramatic sigh. “Don’t make me do it.”

“I’m not making you do anything. It’s in your own best interest.”

He shuffled out of the room, towards the bedroom. He tried the door, which was unlocked, and slowly crept inside. 

You were curled in a chair by the window, gazing out at the city. The room was otherwise dark. Roman collapsed onto the edge of the bed and lie back. 

“Fuck,” he sighed. “I’m sorry, I guess.”

“Yeah, but you meant what you said.” 

“Did I?”

“And you were right. Lukas probably only heard me out because he wanted to fuck me. And you were jealous.”

Roman went silent for a long moment.

“Sorry, I’m not capable of jealousy.”

“Bullshit, Roman.”

“Seriously, I don’t care if guys look at you like that. It doesn’t bother me at all to think of Matsson imagining you naked. Maybe I get off on it.”

You looked at him, unable to tell for once if he was being serious or not.

“It’s okay to be jealous.”

“Nope. Not jealous. If I was jealous it would mean I had feelings. Which I don’t.”

You sighed. “Do you think you’ll ever tell me what you really feel?”

“Probably not.” There was a long pause, then he went on in a softer voice. “I don’t really know what the fuck I’m feeling, anyway.”

“You don’t have to know,” you said. “But that’s a start.”

He got up suddenly, then sat down at your feet with his arms around his knees.

“Sorry,” he mumbled.

You put your hands on his head, further disheveling his floppy hair. 

“It’s okay.”

Without another word, you both stood up and went back to join Shiv, who had made herself another cocktail. She watched the two of you enter the room with an amused grin.

“So?”

“Y/N made me talk about my feelings.”

“What’s the verdict?” Shiv said.

“I don’t have any and I hate you both.”

You shoved him lightly as he sat down. He dipped his fingers in his drink and flicked them at you, spraying your face. You rounded on him but stopped. His eyes crinkled with a mischievous grin that melted your heart. Beneath the table, you felt his foot hesitantly touch yours. He glanced at you with a tentative smile. 

Shiv sighed and shook her head, tossing back the rest of her drink.

“You guys are perfect for each other.”

[littlemisslipbalm]

Karaoke Nights at the Hooded Crow

Jake Kiszka x fem!reader

Absolutely impossible decisions were made in regard to this cover photo wow...jake is just so beautiful anywayssss my return to posting fics is a piece I realized was good enough and complete enough to finish and I haven't worked on in months so enjoy! Maybe eventually I'll work up a part 2 and then wait months to post that...anyway theres a potential for a josh moment in this let me know what y'all think hmmm...

Word Count: 8.4k | Warnings: swearing, drinking, angst, and some smut 18+ (just fingering?)

-

Josh found himself alone at this dive karaoke bar for a multitude of reasons. And he could count on his hand all the ones that made this Jake’s fault. 

Jake had insisted that the band do another outing to a bar for photographs, he had hated the ones from when they went to billiards and Josh had missed those anyway. This was supposed to make up for it. But then Jake had come down with food poisoning a half hour ago and Josh was already there. Sam and Danny had bailed once they heard Jake wasn’t going to make it. 

Why hadn’t Josh been late like the rest of the band? He had to walk because his car was in the shop and had left early to give himself ample time. And why –? Because of Jake. He had borrowed Josh’s car to take a quick camping trip up in the mountains the other week and an engine light had popped up when he returned it to Josh. So since Josh was already there and had no car to drive him home easily, he decided he might as well stay for a drink before walking the 25 minutes back to his home. 

That’s how he ended up with a beer in his hand watching drunken strangers absolutely demolish beloved karaoke classics. And he meant demolish in the worst sense possible. That is, until, one girl bounced up to the stage, a blue mini bucket of alcohol in her hand. She wore a pair of purple plaid pants that buttoned in the front and a matching yellow tank top, with black platform boots that made her seem taller than she really was. Her hair was in braids that swung hypnotically as she walked onto the shitty scuffed up raised edge that the bar called a stage. 

She grinned at a table that had people that were presumably her friends. She and them were the youngest people there besides Josh it seemed. After another long sip from the blue bucket, she placed it on the patched up stool that adorned the stage for people to sit on if they wished. She grabbed the mic from its stand and switched it between her hands a few times before looking out at the measly crowd. 

“How’re we doin’ tonight?!” 

There was a surprisingly large roar of response for how little people were there. Josh looked around the room and saw that most of the bar had livened up at her presence on the stage. If he had to guess, she was a regular. 

“Beautiful, my darlin’s, really. It’s good to see all my friends after such a long week,” She beams as she truly smiles at the majority of the crowd. Her eyes must roam past Josh quickly because he barely feels her gaze on his, but she certainly notices him. He doesn’t exactly fit in. “And any new friends, welcome to the best night of singing you’ll hear in all of Nashville.” 

The crowd laughs boisterously, with some hollers of agreement and Josh swears she just winked at him.  

A guitar riff begins to play softly and then louder, an unfamiliar song to Josh, but the girl nods her head along and smiles to herself before turning on her heels and walking to the back of the stage. 

“I take my time,” She begins to sing, “to walk a straight and narrow line.” Her body follows a straight line as she walks back to the front. She grins, “My mind’s a haze and I am stuck in just one place.” 

She continues to act out the song, performing it with vigor as her melodic voice belts the lyrics loudly. “No I can barely move, no I can’t get away… Well my vanilla shoes, they won’t let me escape!” 

She belts the chorus almost at a level that Josh might and he’s blown away, jaw slightly slack as his eyes track her every movement. She winks again and this time it’s not to Josh and his head is quick to look for the recipient, before realizing he needed to chill. 

For the second verse, she drops to her knees and Josh is in awe that she wanted more than just her shoes to touch the gross floor. Before he knew it she was back to the chorus and then the song was finishing up with a run of ‘la da da da, da da da’ that the bar joined in on and she was grinning from ear to ear singing it right into the faces of the tables closest to the stage. 

The song finished and she applauded the crowd as they applauded her. She laughed and then scooped up her drink and took another sip before returning to her friends’ table. 

Josh wanted to go talk to her but he wasn’t sure what he’d say. For once, he was at a loss for words. He didn’t want to just approach her and compliment her singing ability, that felt weird for a karaoke bar, but it was true. She was incredible, much too good just to be singing a single song at a random bar on the outskirts of Nashville once a week. 

Before he could make up his mind on what to say to her without looking like an idiot or worse, an asshole, he looked back to the table he had seen her walk over to when the song finished and saw that she was nowhere to be seen. Gone. His first instinct was to look around the rest of the room, look down the rest of the bar top and see if she was waiting for another drink…No such luck. Josh waited for another hour of wretched singing in hopes that she would pop back up, but she had seemingly left without her friends who still sat there laughing and drinking the night away.

Josh managed to drag Jake back to the bar the next Friday. The same bar where he’d seen that girl perform flawlessly. He was still in awe of how good she was just to be doing karaoke, even in Nashville. She was an incredible singer and performer yet it didn’t seem like she was trying to make it in Nashville, she was just there having a good time with her friends. Maybe she was just visiting but Josh had a hard time believing that any tourist would end up there on purpose and the way the crowd responded to her gave away her loyalty to this haunt. So he was left to hope that she was a regular who came in like clockwork and she would be there again tonight. 

At around 10:30, Josh was starting to get nervous that he was wrong and she wasn’t a local or she didn’t come every week on the same day and Jake was starting to get antsy no matter how many Jack Daniels neat Josh supplied him. But at 10:35, Josh was no longer worried, nervous still…maybe. 

She trounced up to the stage once more in a similar fashion as last week. An easy smile on her face and slightly droopy eyes from alcohol mixed with something else. She cleared her throat before pointing at the two girls at the high top table she had just thrown her jacket at. Josh couldn’t remember whether they were the same people as last week or not. 

Josh wondered briefly if she’d sing a similar song or if it’d be completely different. 

He didn’t have to wonder for very long because she pointed her finger next to the dj, subtly and steadily cueing for him to play the song now that she was settled on the shoddy stage. 

A bluegrass song began to sound and after one strum of the recording of the guitar she began to sing. Another song Josh didn’t seem to know, which puzzled him, but also delighted him at her thought-provoking nature. 

“C’mon down to where them tracks cross High Street, we’re gonna watch the whole world go insane.” 

She sang along to the words without looking at the monitor again, clearly knowing the song. Last week she had belted the lyrics with strength, this week, she was still strong, but she let a bit of a twang enter her voice and Josh wondered if it was just part of her performing the song because it sounded so authentic.

“Laugh if you want, really is kind of funny,” She regards the crowd after singing the chorus once more, “’cause the world is a car and you're the crash test dummy!” She points her finger and since Jake and Josh were seated at a hightop this week, about centered with the stage, it felt like she was pointing right at them. 

When she caught Josh’s eye for the third time in a row, Jake also leaned forward at her performance, whispering, ‘is that?’and Josh nodded before he could finish. Her eyes shifted to Jake and they widened a little bit. The twins noticed since they were watching so intently but before Jake could widen his smile or even half-smirk, her eyes had moved on and he was left feeling a little perplexed. 

The song was longer than the last one she had sung, but her energy was a little different. Not less, but shifted. She hadn’t greeted the audience and maybe it was because she had seemed late, given that she had run in and thrown her jacket on the table as if this was always her time. She also seemed more intoxicated than last week, but so was Josh so he couldn’t be sure. 

Afterwards she goes to the table with her jacket and as much as Jake and Josh want to go talk to her, someone comes up to them and interrupts. They ask for a picture and talk with the twins for a while, since the guys were nice and didn’t want to be rude to a fan. But when they look back up, she’s gone. Again. Her jacket was no longer on the high top where the two girls sat and Josh shook his head in dismay. Jake still looked around hopefully, making them sit there for another half hour in hopes that she would return. But as Josh had learned last week, she wouldn’t return for another week. 

The third week, Josh and Jake convinced Sam and Danny to come as well, hoping to see her once more. Entranced by the mysterious singer who was performing for free here, they implored their bandmates that this performance was worth the seedy location. Plus, the ambiance was starting to grow on Josh now that it was his third time visiting the establishment. Jake was happy to return as well, even brushing his hair for the occasion. 

Jake and Danny started with beers while Sam ordered a Topo-Chico seltzer and Josh got a Salty Dog, feeling the need for something stronger than a beer tonight. By around everyone’s third drink, it strikes the 10 o’clock hour. Then like clockwork at 10:34 she stumbles in and walks to the stage throwing her jacket at the bar today and grins at the bartender and gives him a two handed thumbs up and then a salute to the dj. Once again, she didn’t have a drink in hand, but she was clearly intoxicated. 

“Hello friends,” She smiles at the crowd, “Did ya’ miss me?” 

The hollers follow and she does a little bow as if she lived to serve this dive crowd. 

A familiar tune begins to play shortly after, the salute to the dj seemed to have been an indicator to begin the music. The four men look at one another before looking back to the stage to find her staring straight at their table. She salutes them as well and begins to perform a song that Josh, as well as the rest of the band, was almost painfully familiar with. Mountain of the Sun by Greta Van Fleet.

“The sun shines brighter from above and you’re the one that I love,” She sings, almost mimicking the way Josh sings it on the recording, “Climb the mountain even higher, kiss the sun and fight the fire!” 

She grins and gets the crowd ready for the chorus, acting out the words like always. 

“I’ll make you mine, you’re my sunshine,” She belts it and lets her voice sound a bit whiny as she hits different dips in the words. 

During the guitar solo, she does an air guitar and plays it superbly. Afterwards, Jake raises his hands over his head and claps loudly, bringing her attention back to their table. He was a little drunk by then but appreciated her attention to actually trying to make the chords on the imaginary guitar. 

The song comes to a close with an uproar of applause and shouting, a lot of it came from Sam and Danny who were truly blown away by her ability to hit Josh’s notes. She bows once more and moves to leave the stage with a slight wobble to her feet, the same platform boots she had worn the past two weeks as well. She makes a bee line for the bar, but Josh is one step ahead, waiting by her jacket for her. 

“Can I buy you a drink?” He tilts his head with his inquiry. 

“I’d never say no to a free drink.” She laughs. 

Josh laughs as well and asks what she’s having, she tells him a beer is fine. The speed of her blinking up close shows she’s plenty liquered up. He insists about what kind she might want. She waves him off saying any IPA is fine. Josh suppressed his chuckle, thinking of a conversation – an argument – he’d had with his two brothers about how pretentious it was of them to only drink IPAs. 

“Want to come sit with me and my brothers?” Josh asks once they both have fresh drinks in their hands. 

She gestures for him to lead the way and he smiles. At the table, Jake, Sam and Danny busy themselves with a random conversation in an attempt to seem like they weren’t watching their entire interaction at the bar. The smile she gives them is knowing though and they drop the pretense. 

“Hello,” She starts.

“You’re very talented,” Danny blurts out. 

She falters at the flattery and blushes a little, looking away from the table of men she had been so sure she was going to keep on their toes. 

“Thanks,” She mumbles and takes a sip of her drink. “What do I owe the pleasure of your band stalking me?” 

“Stalking?” Jake questions with a little laugh, embarrassed almost, his own cheeks pinking. 

She arches her brow at him. “Maybe not all of you, but I’ve seen you,” She directs her eyes at Josh as she speaks, “For the last three weeks. It’s why I dedicated my song this week to y’all.” 

“We appreciate it,” Sam speaks up. “How’d you know we’d all be here?” 

“I didn’t,” She laughs, like it was just a joke for herself. “Hell, if none of you had been here, I still would have done it. I love that song.” 

“What are you doing at a bar like this just singing karaoke with a voice like that?” Josh asks, tilting his head again. His hand fiddled with the little straw in his drink. 

“It’s just for fun,” She swigs her beer again and shrugs. “I like to come out here and act like a rockstar but I’d hate to actually be one…No offense.” 

“None taken,” Jake responds for all of them and her eyes flash to him, holding his gaze longer than she had before. 

She was between Josh and Sam with Jake and Danny across from her. They didn’t need to introduce themselves, she clearly knew who they were, but they wanted to know her. 

“So do you have a name, Ms. Insanely Talented But It’s Just For Fun?” Sam inquires, since everyone was wondering.

She laughs and smiles sweetly at him, tearing her eyes away from Jake’s. It was interesting to her how they all (except Danny) practically had the same eyes since they were siblings yet they looked so different surrounded by their features and the way they held themselves. 

“That’s it, how’d you guess?” 

They all laugh and then look at her seriously and she gives them her name. 

“Lovely name for a lovely girl,” Josh muses. 

Her eyes flash to his face now, “I figured your twin would be the charmer, but it also makes sense that you’d use that on a girl.” 

The rest of the guys laughed and Josh’s jaw dropped a little as he sputtered an apology, trying to tell her that it wasn’t supposed to be a flirtation, just something he would say to anyone. She clapped him on the shoulder and shook it a little, “It’s alright, kid.” 

She talks the night away with them. For once not absconding out of the bar the second her song was over. They learn a lot about her and she tells them it was nice to meet them. Jake offers to give her a lift home but she declines. 

“I’m an avid pedestrian,” She insists when he tells her that he worries for her safety. “Plus, I live just around the corner.” 

“Then let me walk you just around the corner,” He supplies, a pleading look on his face. He had been entranced with her since last week and after tonight he desperately wanted to get her number. To see her again not inside this dingy bar. But he didn’t want to ask in front of the rest of the band, it felt immature and like they’d mock him for it. 

She rolled her eyes, but secretly found it sweet. Letting him walk her home wouldn’t hurt. 

She waves the rest of them a farewell as they get into their shared cars or rideshares home. Josh winks at Jake and Jake just shakes his head shyly. 

She really did live just around the corner, but Jake manages to ask her a few questions before they reach the entrance to her apartment complex. 

“The song you sang last week,” Jake starts and she looks at him with interest. “I’ve been listening to the Devil Makes Three since then. They’re fantastic.” 

“You really think so?” She responds excitedly. “They’re like my favorite band,” She pauses and adds a little sardonically, “After Greta Van Fleet, of course.”

“Ha ha,” Jake shakes his head at her and his hair falls from behind his ears in a way she wants to push it back behind them. She liked his little ears. “But seriously, they’re really fucking good, I can’t believe I’ve never heard of them before.” 

“Yeah, I heard you guys were real pretentious about music. Figures you wouldn’t have that good of taste,” She goads him again and Jake laughs a little.

“You’re a funny girl, honey,” He says and she quirks her head at the pet name, the alcohol from earlier had metabolized and she was mostly just tipsy from the few beers she had with them. 

“So I’ve been told.” 

She pauses and Jake feels it, stopping with her. They had arrived at her apartment. It was time. 

“Could I get your number? As much as I enjoy hearing you sing and that shitty bar you hide out in, I’d like to see you in the light of day, somewhere not so…charming.” 

She raises her brows at his request, a bit of a smirk twisting onto her face. It masked her trepidation in the same way she’d been handling all of tonight. Coolly, but a little unlike her usual self. She wasn’t sure how she was doing what she was doing, but she had managed to charm an entire famous rock band and apparently one of them specifically. She was in awe, but in the moment she was rolling with it by exuding complete confidence. Normally, she was skittish, like a small woodland creature. At the bar she was cool so she had met them in that persona, that setting, allowing her to play it cool, teasing men she thought were beyond talented. 

“Sure, but isn’t it just so much more fun that you only know me there? I’ve got this whole life outside of it and so do you, yet we convene there and it made you want to know me more. Are you sure you would notice me walking down the street?” 

The smile that graces Jake’s face is almost in disbelief and it was so big he felt his cheeks hurt a little but he didn’t care. 

“Of course that’s your response.” 

She smiles genuinely, the smirky flirtation falling away as her giddy shyness creeps up. The reality of the situation dawned on her with Jake’s strong cheekbones and brows, his big brown eyes, soft-looking hair, parted lips puffing out breath into the cold night air all staring back at her. 

After exchanging numbers, she tells him to let her know where he wants to convene with her outside of the bar and he promises he will. Holding to his word, he texts her when he gets back to his own home, letting her know he got home safe at her request as well as an implorment to go out with him tomorrow. 

She finds herself at coffee shops and record stores, small gigs of big bands, nice dinners, quiet walks and of course the dive bar every Friday with Jake and his bandmates. It shouldn’t have been that easy. It shouldn’t have been a rockstar finding a girl in the last place he might have found anyone of interest. She thought she shouldn’t have wowed him the way she did. After every date, every day, every night, she went home and asked herself what it was about her that Jake found so intriguing for the last month. He had stolen a few chaste kisses here and there, but he didn’t press for more and neither did she. She couldn’t understand it. She wasn’t used to easy. It almost felt like Jake just wanted a companion not a lover. A friend but nothing more, which she didn’t necessarily mind. She just wanted to know why. 

On the third week of them going to karaoke together, Jake took her hand in his and asked if she wanted to do a song together. She had laughed and agreed when she realized he was serious. 

“What do you want to sing?” Jake asked.

“We should probably do a duet, right?” 

“Only if that’s what you want.” 

Her head tilts and she smiles up at him. He returns it with a small one. His brothers watched on as they conversed quietly with one another. 

“What’s the verdict?” Josh asks when he sees them nod at one another, her smile more giddy than his. 

“Don’t go breaking my heart, Elton John and Kiki Dee,” She beams and then gives Jake a little wink who chuckles. 

“Well isn’t that sickeningly sweet?” Sam interjects and she rolls her eyes at him. 

She had gotten to know the rest of them relatively well since their first official meeting all those weeks ago. Sam was the younger brother she never had but always wanted. He had learned he could never best her after their first real conversation, but that didn’t mean he didn’t still attempt to goad her. 

The first conversation consisted of them talking about their homestates, something normal for people who’ve just met to talk about she guessed. 

“So you’re from California,” Sam stated when she and him had been left to their own devices one night when Danny was stuck at the bar waiting to be served and the twins were talking to the act who had just finished up at a more private, nicer club in the heart of Nashville. 

“Yeah.” 

“That’s pretty cool,” Sam continues. 

“Yeah,” She says again, her lips curling at the sides, and he rolls his eyes and huffs a slightly annoyed breath. In the beginning she had been wary of them all, not sure if Jake was going to keep her around for very long or what was going on. Not that the last part had changed, but she was less wary of them all now. 

“I’ve been a few times.” 

“Like Los Angeles?” She replies. 

Sam hums in affirmation, taking a swig of a glass beer bottle and swallowing, looking like he’s ready to launch into discussing Los Angeles now, finally finding a common ground they could discuss. 

“Oh, I’m not from there,” She stops him. “And honestly? You haven’t really been to California, if you’ve just been there.” 

He gives her a bit of a glare and she laughs, unfazed. She went on to school him on the brilliance of California outside of Los Angeles and outside of any city in the state actually. He was left with a bit of wonderment for her ability to describe the California coastline and the different national parks that littered the state. After that, he liked her a lot more. He didn’t just see her as some random talented chick that he was confused as to why his older brother kept bringing around. He understood. She was fascinating. 

She didn’t know that, but whatever that special charm was that she held was maybe the reason Jake kept her around. And why he took it slow with her. Because he couldn’t quite puzzle her out yet. As much as they hung out, he still felt like he barely knew her. He’d ask a question and while she’d answer it, he’d be left with a hundred more in its place. All begging to be asked. 

She puts their names down for Don’t Go Breaking My Heart with the DJ, Jason, who was a good friend of hers. He laughed at her when she blushed about Jake singing with her. Jake and Josh watched on, the conversation she and the DJ were having unknown to them.

“Any progress?” Josh inquires. 

Jake chuckles and ducks his head, gazing into his glass, “Not even a little.” 

“I told you, weeks ago. She’s an enigma. Did she ever explain why she always would tear into here at the last moment before her song and then run off?” 

Jake shrugged and swirled his glass, taking a sip while keeping his eyes on her talking with the DJ. “Just said she was committed to coming here every Friday so even if she has other stuff going on she’ll still figure out a way to get here in time for the 10:35 slot. We just happened to catch her on the nights where she was otherwise preoccupied.”

“That is…” Josh trails off, watching her turn towards them with a dazzling smile directed at Jake. “Confounding.” He sighs and Jake looks from her back to his brother, for the first time wondering if her voice wasn’t the only thing that had brought Josh back to the bar time and time again. 

She looked at Josh and gave him the same smile, but shortly turned her attention towards Jake once again. The way the light shown on Jake made her never want to take her eyes off of him. It wasn’t exactly radiant on him the way it was with Josh, it was quieter but just as, if not more, meaningful to her. The light brightened his soft brown hair that flowed over his shoulders and whispered around his neck. It darkened the circles around his eyes and gave them a serious somber look, but it bounced off his perfect smile that offset the brooding eyes, making it impossible not to wonder more about him. Even if Jake confused her, she loved the absolute mystery of him. 

At 10:35, hand in hand, the odd couple made their way up to the stage. There were extra hollers tonight when the regulars saw she was bringing a partner with her onto the stage. It didn’t help that Sam and Danny were yelling at the top of their lungs and Josh was whistling as well. Jake gave them the finger, but she just grinned. This stage felt like home. Every. Single. Time. 

“Hey y’all…This is Jake, be nice to him, it’s his first time up on the big stage.”

She winked at Jake when he laughed wholeheartedly. It bubbled out of his chest and he couldn’t stop himself from kissing her cheek, she pushed at his chest in a playful way, loving the feeling of his soft lips on her. The poppy beat came in when she nodded at Jason. She wiggled her hips a little and Jake grinned down at her. 

“Don’t go breakin’ my heart,” Jake start, his voice strong and smooth but tinged with slight nerves.. 

“I couldn’t if I tried,” She smiles up at him, the pair staring into each other's eyes already. 

“Oh honey, if I get restless?” Jake smiles and widens his eyes, trying his best to play it up for her. 

“Baby,” She pushes his shoulder a little harder this time. “You’re not that kind.” She walks away from him and then flips around getting ready to sing the chorus. 

He twirls her around, deciding to bust out the dance moves he knew best. Her giggles sound through the mic and for once she gets lost in the feeling rather than the song. Jake’s hands in hers and the way he’s looking at her distracts her from singing all of the words. She falters on a few lyrics, but all she does is smile wider. 

He asks to kiss her when the song fades out and she blushes slightly but nods her head with a cheeky bite of her lip. The kiss is filled with more passion than she’d ever felt with Jake, more passion than she’d ever felt with anyone, to be honest. His hands clutched at the small of her waist, hugging her hips and legs as close to him as possible. She feels the tips of her boots bump his. His lips chasing hers and leaning her back ever so slightly as he pressed into her. She feels his lips move against hers and she feels hungry to kiss him back just as hard. Her hands slide from his shoulders and into his hair, toying with the ends for a few moments before the whistles of the crowd get so loud she remembers where they are and she pulls back. Breathless. 

“Where’ve you been keeping that?” 

“In my back pocket,” Jake winks and wraps an arm around her waist, this time leading her off the stage and back to their table where the boys had two drinks waiting for them. 

The kiss leaves her perplexed and wanting more. The rest of the night, Jake’s hand is hot on her hip, hugging her close to him. A physical reminder of his presence in her life. That kiss made her want more than just this limbo state that Jake was keeping her in. Was she his lover or his friend? Was she just a companion to keep around so he wasn’t lonely or did he actually want her, desire her? 

Jake couldn’t discern the look in her eyes for the rest of the night. They were bright and wide, but he could tell she wasn’t fully paying attention to any of the conversations, even the ones that she led. He’d see her eyes wandering around the room, behind the heads of his bandmates. Her mind was beyond the bar and he didn’t understand why. He’d squeeze his hand at her side to bring her back to him and she’d look at him for a moment with a soft smile on her lips before nodding at whoever was talking, pretending like she knew exactly what they were saying. 

Did she want to be with him or somewhere else? Someone else? Was what he gave her not enough to hold her attention? Was he her lover or her friend? Did she want a companion or did she desire him? 

In that kiss, Jake had given his all, begging with his lips for her to understand how much he wanted her. In that moment it felt like she wanted him too, but he couldn’t be sure because since then she’d been miles away. 

After saying their goodbyes to Josh, Sam and Danny, Jake walks her home like usual. But unlike usual, she insists that Jake come upstairs while he normally declines, citing various reasons for why he can’t stay. 

Once upstairs, she starts to make them tea and Jake wanders around her apartment, a mix of dark and light, of bright colors and deep browns. It could be classic but it holds a certain touch for the current style landscape that would never fit in the 60s or 70s. Jake’s fingers drift over the covers of the books that line the walls. Eyes over the prints and paintings. She tells him he can continue to snoop in her room if he wants when she walks out with a real tea set and two types of tea for him to choose from. She kneels on her rug, beside the coffee table and nods for him to sit. 

“Why do you always decline coming upstairs, Jake?” She asks. Simple enough. 

He begins setting up his tea and shakes his head with uncertainty. “I don’t know. I don’t want to rush anything.” 

“And look, you’re upstairs and I haven’t jumped you…The invitation wasn’t supposed to imply sex. I like hanging out with you. I always want to spend more time with you.” 

Jake nods, “Me too.” 

She takes a sip of her tea. The silence is deafening but she can’t bear to try and pick out a record right now. Her fingers were shaking just trying to make the tea. Jake still made her nervous. She was terrified that the truth might hurt her, but the uncertainty was eating away at her. She needed to know. 

“But,” She starts after a sigh. “Do you ever want to?” She trails off. “With me. Because I’m okay if you just want me as a companion, a bit of a friend but a little closer, that’s good and fine. I just want it to be clear…what we are.” 

Jake smiles down at his cup. “Do I want to?” He repeats. “Christ, honey, I fucking would love to, but I don’t understand you. We’ve been hanging out for, what, a month, but it feels like I still barely know you. And a companion? We’re dating, aren’t we?” 

“Dating?” 

“Yeah, at least that’s what I thought I was doing. Taking you out, introducing you to my friends. You know, the things couples do.” He messes with his lower lip and she knows it's a nervous habit of his. Her hands rest her mug on the table and reach for his hands, he relents. 

“You didn’t say they were dates so I didn’t want to assume anything,” She wraps her hands around his, looking up at him from her seat on the floor as he leans over his knees, sitting on the worn leather couch. “I didn’t think you actually would want to date me.” 

His deep brown eyes widen in surprise, his voice sounds hoarse. “Why would you say that?”

“Cause guys like you don’t date me. I’m nobody compared to the people you and the guys hang out with. We live in different social stratospheres. You’re in a famous band, your dream, and I’m still running errands for the position I want to have someday even though it’s not the career I actually want. We don’t make sense.” 

“Hey,” It’s Jake’s turn to grip her hands harder, tugging her body slightly closer to him. “Sure we make sense. As long as we both want this, it makes more sense than a lot of the fucked up shit in our world. Is that why you don’t want me to meet your friends or know more about you? Because you think it will put me off?” 

She nods and looks away, feeling on the verge of crying. 

“Don’t ever be ashamed of yourself, honey. I really like you, for all of you even if I haven’t seen it all yet. I want to know it all. You challenge me and I want to know it all.” He repeats his want to her and she looks back to him with a watery smile. 

“Jake…” 

“Yes.” 

“I was in a really bad place before I met you and this last month has been the best month I’ve had in awhile. So thank you, I’ll try to let you in more.” 

He grins down at her when she laughs at the tear that falls down her cheek. His hand leaves hers to have his thumb swipe it away. His caress gentle as ever. 

“C’mere,” He grabs her waist and pulls her onto the couch with him, cradling her in his lap. He pets at her hair with one hand while the other stays at her waist, giving it a soothing rub. He nuzzles his nose against her ear and whispers, “Never wonder if I want you, honey. I want it all.” 

She keens into his touch, feeling comforted by his warmth now. They sit in silence while her breathing evens out. Jake is patient with her as she presses closer to him, one of her hands resting on his chest and her other encircling around his shoulders, hugging him at a bit of an angle. Her face tucked into the soft but burning skin of his neck. He was so soft and smooth everywhere. She wanted to run her hands over every inch of him, mapping it into her memory. 

Jake speaks up after a reasonable amount of time, maybe it was 10 minutes, maybe it was 30, it didn’t matter. “You really thought I was just keeping you around for? Companionship?” 

He tilts his head to look at her and she lifts her face from its home against him. “Yeah?” 

“Oh honey,” He chuckles, and she raises her eyebrows at him. “I’ve literally got a built in life long companion already. Josh is by my side constantly, which I actually love. But what I want to do with you, what I hope to do with you, is something my twin brother can’t really provide.” 

She grins and feels her heart flutter slightly erratically. She felt an odd desire to consume Jake or maybe this moment. It was too soon to say he loved her but she felt loved in this moment. She felt so safe. She wanted to stay in his arms forever, feel his heart beating steadily in his chest. She wanted to grow into love with him because it seemed like it was possible with him. He was the first man she’d ever let herself imagine a future where things worked out. 

His eyes were steady on hers. He was no longer wondering what she was thinking or why she was miles away. He saw that she was present with him, her gaze matching his in adoration. His hair cascaded around his shoulders and she twisted her hands in it, breathing in the scent that was becoming recognizable as Jake to her. He winked at her when the staring got long and intense. She giggled at him, causing him to smile shyly. 

“You’re kind of like all I’ve ever wanted,” She mumbles as she presses herself further into him. Her nose bumping his before she placed a gentle kiss against his soft lips. 

When she pulls back, Jake hums, his hand on her waist pressing her back into him, not ready for the kiss to finish. After a more prolonged making out with one another, she pulls back breathless and laughs at Jake’s expression. Hungry. Needy. 

“Honey,” He sighs and runs a hand through his hair that had been significantly tossled by her insistent fingers, running and twisting through the tresses, entranced by the softness of it. “Please let me love on you just a little tonight?” 

“How could I say no to that?”

“Good,” Jake smiles again and she wants to make him smile for the rest of her life. He nuzzles his nose against her cheek and places a kiss to it and then her other cheek, her nose, eyelids, forehead and lips. She laughs with each one, wrapping her arms tighter around his back, bringing them closer and arching her back slightly as he leans her back. 

Her laughter soon turns to heavy breathing, a bit of yelping in surprise and finally a long unfiltered moan. Jake’s kisses had moved to her jaw and neck, suctioning and licking insistently at her skin. She held onto him harshly, fearful that if she let go she’d fall down with how he had her leaned back. 

She felt his smile against her skin when she moaned. He rasps against her skin, “C’mon let me hear you, honey. You make such pretty sounds on stage, I bet you sound even better like this.” 

She whimpers in response, pushing her hips against Jake’s lap, starting to feel the burning in between her legs. “Jake,” She sighs when he chuckles and sucks on her skin at the base of her neck and her collarbone. 

“Do you want more, honey? Just tell me, I’ll give you whatever you want. Just tell me and it’s yours.” His eyes are wild as he pulls back from her and stares into her face. His cheeks flushed as he took a deep breath, attempting to minimize how out of breath he was just from kissing her. 

“I want you to touch me…” She pets over his ruffled hair, adoring the way he looked at her with such intensity. 

He squeezes her shoulder and waist where he was holding her, “Was I not just touching you?” 

She rolls her eyes and wiggles her hips, “C’mon rockstar, you know what I mean.” 

If more lights were on, she would’ve seen the bright red that Jake’s blush turned at her words. “Yeah, okay,” He stutters a little. 

She smiles at his uncertainty, only slightly confused that he wasn’t super confident in this situation. He seemed like the kind of guy where sex would barely faze him, but it seemed that intimacy meant more to him than she might have thought. 

He shifts their positions on the couch, draping her over the cushions so that she could lie back. She fiddles with the buttons on Jake’s shirt as he moves them and he nods at her silent question. She tells him to do the same and he begins to work on the few buttons on her pink striped dress shirt as well. Shirtless, now, leaves both of them gaping at one another. She smiles shyly up at him and Jake dips down to give her a quick kiss. She giggles and runs her hands up his soft naked chest. His hair drapes over her shoulders when he lowers over her again. She reaches a hand up to touch his hair now, conflicted on where she wanted her hands to be on him. She wanted to touch everything. 

He sighed as her hand ran over his scalp and she felt him nudge against her clothed center. 

“Jake,” She sighs, “I want your fingers.” 

“Okay, honey,” He nods and trails them down her torso to the button on her pants. His lips follow the path, kissing as he goes. 

He looks up at her when he successfully undoes the pants and pulls them down, leaving her in a cornflower cotton thong and her black lace bra. One of his long slender fingers dances lightly over her clothed mound and her hips stutter as she tries to refrain from whimpering once more. It had been so long since someone else had touched her here and she was over the moon that it was Jake. 

He taps at her legs and she opens them wider for him. His hand trails down to travel down her slit, still teasing her over her panties. He presses his middle finger against her entrance and pulls back up to her clit that now felt like it was on fire. She was breathing heavily, her chest heaving with Jake’s watchful eyes going between her face, her chest and her pussy. 

“Fuck, honey,” He breaths. “You really need this, huh?” 

“Yes, Jake, please just take them off.” 

He nods with a bite of his lip and concentrates on his fingers curling around the blue fabric at her hips and pulling down. The cool air that floods the hot flesh that was just exposed is enough to offer some respite from this exquisite torture. For good measure, as if he knew, Jake leans down and blows more air on her pussy, spreading the lips to really make her squirm. 

“You look good enough to eat,” He mutters before swiping a finger through her folds, a noncommittal swirl around her clit before pulling away. It’s enough to make her whimper, she was so sensitive. 

“Your cunt is so fucking wet,” Jake sounds overcome with surprise and happiness. He runs his fingers along her slit once more and brings the fingers to his lips. “Like fuckin’ honey, I knew it.” 

She surpresses a smile and bucks her hips involuntarily. Jake continues to babble, in disbelief that she was this wet just from him kissing her and how sweet she tasted. 

When his fingers finally enter her, she cries out. A hand reaches out to grip Jake’s jaw, bringing his lips back to hers as he begins to pump into her cunt. His pink lips move against hers as he tries to keep his pace steady, but greedily he wants to see her fall apart around his fingers. He wants to see her face when he makes her cum so that he can memorize it. Conjure it up when he’s away from her and has his hand around his cock, imagine he’s fully inside her, bringing her this pleasure. 

His hand has sped up and she’s staring at him with a slack jawed expression. His fingers thrust into her with a wet sound as her juices soak his hand and her pussy. “Does it feel good, honey?” 

“So good, Jake. So fucking good. Keep going.” 

His thumb begins to circle her clit and she begins to moan louder. It slips against the nub, flooded with her slick. Her hips move with his hand and he grins down at her and she can’t take her eyes off his face, how happy he looks. 

“Will you cum for me, darling? I want to see you cum pretty with my hand in your cunt.” His fingers are massaging inside her walls and they both feel them tighten. His dirty words sent her over the edge. A mix of profanities fall from her mouth as her hips begin to shake and buck on their own volition. Her orgasm flows through her and Jake watches after giving her a hard kiss. Her chest rolling and her knees trying to close but his arms keep them open as he pumps her through it. 

After she comes down, Jake gently removes his hand from her and sticks his fingers in his mouth before wiping them on his jeans. She watches him with wide eyes and closes them when he runs his clean hand over her hair. “You are perfect,” He whispers. 

“So are you,” She replies with a slight laugh. “Can I?”

She nods at his bulge, but he shakes his head no. 

“Another time, honey. I wanted to do this without getting anything in return.”

“But, Jake, it must hurt a little? And I want to…” Her hand moves to flutter over it but he pushes it away and grabs her hand instead. 

“I promise I’m fine, but if you insist, I’m also not against getting off.” 

They laugh together before she languidly removes her hand from his, unzips his pants and pulls his cock out from beneath the boxers it was straining against. Her eyes flit between her movements and Jake’s face. He huffs out a breath of anticipation. Her light touch on him feeling like so much after getting so worked up over her noises and taste. 

His brows furrow as her hand begins to pump his length and he’s trying to contain himself, embarrassed by how quickly he’s ready to cum. She must sense his unease. 

“Just let go if you’re ready, Jake. I can imagine you’ve been wound up for a while. It’s hot that you’re already close.” 

“Yeah,” He huffed a laugh, his voice raspy. “I’ve imagined this for a month now and it’s just, fuck. It feels so good.” 

She smiles at him and leans over his tip before he can protest. Her lips envelop his head and suck it into her mouth, swirling her tongue around it gently, coaxing him to cum in her mouth while her hand continues to rub over his shaft. The wet soft suction of her mouth sends him over the edge he’d been trying to stay on top of, but he can’t stop himself from cumming down her throat. She hums in admiration as the warmth fills her throat and Jake throws his head back in exhaustion. His hair splays around him on the couch as his eyes tilt close for a moment as his chest heaves, attempting to calm himself. He couldn’t believe she’d just swallowed his load like that, no hesitation with no request. 

She tucks his softening cock back into his boxers delicately after cleaning him up and crawls up and cuddles into his side. He smiles with a sigh, his eyes peeking open slightly to look at her. Her hand runs up and down his chest, stroking the softness and cherishing his warmth. She smiles when he notices his gaze. 

“That was nice,” She suggests  in a whisper. 

“More than nice, honey. I think we’re going to continue doing that for a long, long time.” 

She giggles and tucks her head into the crook of his neck, placing a chaste kiss against the slightly clammy skin. 

“Okay, Jakey.” 

They settle into a soft silence. Content with one another. Jake strokes over her arm and hair while she remains hugged to his chest. Loving his warmth and firmness against her. 

-

should there be a part 2, lmk what you think inbox is open and reblogs (w comments and concerns, esp) are always welcome

[markerofthemidnight]

MALKUTH HEADCANONS I REQUIRE

The reason why she only refers to employees by their ID is because employees die so often in her department that she’s stopped bothering to learn their names. Anyways

I imagine she admires Chesed’s work ethic, but still doesn’t lead her department in the same way he does because she thinks, with how forgetful and clumsy she is, she’d probably never be able to just juggle so many different tasks like he does (especially when half of those tasks are supposed to be done by the employees…)

She did, however, tried to get herself hooked on coffee like him, thinking it would improve her performance, but eventually decided that it wasn’t for her (which, given Roland’s reaction to it in LoR, is probably less out of personal taste and more out of how Chesed brews coffee…)

However! Where there’s a will, there’s a way, and Malkuth doesn’t give in so easily! So instead, she settled for blue WellCheers cans, which actually did the job surprisingly well…

…until an incident where she suddenly went missing overnight after an employee failed to notice the can they were delivering to her was opened.

The employee was fired, Malkuth herself was replaced, and now giving WellCheers cans to her is one of Lob Corp’s many weirdly specific rules.

Another weirdly specific rule is ‘do not let Malkuth read Dream of a Black Swan’s profile’.

Elijah isn’t too uncommon a name, but I think we can all imagine how freaky it would be to read about such horrible things happening to someone who literally shares the same name as you.

On the whole, she doesn’t allow herself to get much free time. She’s always itching for something to do, and on the very rare occasion that she checks off everything she needs to do in her notebook… she’ll just find something worth her time!

Thus, you know the story of those random days in the company where she starts randomly storming in and out of various departments asking if she can be assistance with her typical cheery attitude, but a hint of desperation behind it.

Various employees have compared her to the Queen of Hatred when she gets like this.

[mari-lair]

Actors AU where Teru plays a handsome hero, Aoi is the cute love interest, and Akane is the evil villain. It’s supposed to be a simple series for a small studio’s debut but Akane, who is overall a good actor to work with, keeps getting this soft look in his eyes when Aoi is in the same scene as him for more than one minute and keeps failing not to look bothered when the ‘hero’ and the ‘maiden’ hold hands in his presence, which doesn’t work with his given character. And why is Teru being so cruel when he teases Akane about it? The hero is supposed to be just and kind! More than half of their banters end up improvised and the production crew wants to die.

The studio budget is too tight to keep retaking scenes or to re-cast Teru as a villain and Akane as a hero in the middle of a season, so they launch the episodes with all it unscripted changes and undertones. People noticed the villain’s ‘soft spot’ for the maiden very easily, and people eat up the ‘one-sided impossible romance’ aspect, but the most popular ship with audiences is easily the villain with the unheroic hero, in love with their banter, which had more focus than the cute civilian girl.

It got so popular the crew goes “Fuck it, we already failed at making a stereotypical story anyways, and the next episode air on pride month, so we can make the villain get hurt so the hero can carry him. We can make them bond” much to Akane’s terror. Not that he ever back out, he has the duty to fulfill his contract, and he is not a coward! He also can’t handle the ‘I am better than you’ way Teru smirk.

They don’t really have a solid idea as to how Akane gets badly hurt at first, but Aoi suggests the debut of a powerful villainess that forces the two to form a temporary alliance, offering herself for the role, since her maiden character doesn’t appear all that much. Having the new antagonist looks similar to the love interest creates spice, so the studio accept to at least try her suggestion, wondering how Akane’s inability to not swoon over Aoi would affect his performance in this scenario: It works surprisingly well, makes for a lot of drama and misunderstandings, both the villain and the hero thinking this new person is their love interest that went to the dark side.

Teru and Akane grow closer outside the set too, and Aoi is delighted to finally have an opportunity to really show her acting skills. There is a rise in popularity for their shown after the villainess debut and their little fanbase is going crazy. Forget the cute maiden! Akane and Teru are being more shipped than ever, but they are no longer crushing the competition, both the villain and the hero are paired with this manipulative, beautiful, and mysterious villainess just as much, their dynamic just as full of chemistry and angst potential.

(Part 2: here)

[ghostxrose]

Of Monsters and Men | Bakugo Katsuki x OC

Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five | Part Six | Part Seven |

Tags/Warnings ~ Fem!OC, angst, hurt/comfort, eventual fluff, enemies to lovers, potentially triggering content, universe-typical violence, Enji Todoroki (yes, that is a warning, he's trash), character death, (more tags to be added as story develops <3)

Note ~ Loveliiiieeessss!! Let me know what you think of the story so far!! If I'm being totally open with yall this story is my passion project and I'm a bit hyper-focused on it.. but if yall have any xReader ideas/requests don't be afraid to hit that ask button! Obviously, I love writing for Katsuki, but I'm also comfortable writing for Izuku, Shota, possibly Hawks.. If you have a request just send it in and I'll let ya know if I feel I can accomplish writing something up to your expectations! Enough of my rambles, enjoy the read! <3

Enji had managed to keep up his neutral facade despite the bubble of pride that had welled up inside of him at the sight of his daughter piloting his old Jaeger. He even congratulated himself for being correct in his assumption that Azusa and Bakugo would Drift well together. Watching the two exercise perfect control over Bravo Inferno and perform little tricks was admittedly quite entertaining. That was until his bubble of pride was harshly burst by the sound of the system’s AI telling Loccent that the pilots had gone out of alignment.

He watched with masked panic as Iida and Aizawa tried to get the two pilots stabilized again. Fear and embarrassment flooded him when he watched the arms of Bravo Inferno rise, the Jaeger’s palms beginning to glow molten red. Rangers and techs hurried out of the Loccent Command Center as seasoned Rangers cleared the observation platforms just outside.

“Pull the main power line!” Enji had shouted to Aizawa before he could even think about what else to do.

Aizawa was on the task in an instant, pulling at the large cable with all of his might. Finally, with one last grunt of effort, he pulled the plug from the control panel. Enji looked out to the Jaeger, watching with hidden relief as it began powering down. That’s when the anger began settling into his bones.

~~~~~~~~~~

“This is exactly why I wanted to pilot by myself! If she hadn’t gone out of alignment first, then none of that other shit would have happened! You’ve seen my damn sim scores, you know that I would never fuck up like that if it was just me in that Jae-”

“That’s enough, Ranger!” Enji’s sharp tone effectively cuts Bakugo off from his ranting. “You know damn well that you cannot pilot a Jaeger by yourself, no matter how good your simulation scores are-”

Bakugo exasperatedly cuts Enji off, acting like a petulant child, “You’ve done it before! You brought Mighty Endeavor back on your own-”

“Because my co-pilot died! Yes, I finished off that Kaiju and dragged my Jaeger back to the Shatterdome by myself, but I had to because my co-pilot was dead in his harness right next to me.” Enji bites out, anger twisting his features as he steps closer to Bakugo whose mouth is clamped shut with eyes averted to the floor.

“And do you know what happened after I got back from piloting that Jaeger by myself?” Enji asks half rhetorically, but he pauses and waits for an answer anyway, and Bakugo shakes his head.

“I became so sick from the radiation that I was bedridden. My body burned like I was on fire and I could barely keep conscious. For three fucking days, I was like that.” Enji grits out before he releases a tired sigh and partially turns away from Bakugo. “We still do not have the technology to run single-pilot Jaegers, and I refuse to purposefully put any Ranger through what I went through. Marshal Aizawa and I will talk about what happened today and decide what to do about your co-pilot pairing. You are dismissed, Ranger.”

Bakugo bows slightly and, surprisingly enough, leaves without another word. Enji takes a moment to recollect himself, trying to calm the anger racing through his veins, but then there’s a knock at his office door. Crossing his arms to hide his clenched fists, Enji tells the Ranger at his door to come in. The metal door squeaks as it opens and closes, Azusa walking into the office. She doesn’t sit but rather comes to stand a couple of feet in front of Enji. Her face is neutral, but her eyes hold a bit of anxiety among the rage and her anger only aids in fueling Enji’s own.

“Marshal Todoroki, I-” Azusa begins, but Enji doesn’t let her get very far with her sentence.

“What the fuck happened out there, Azusa?!” Enji starts, immediately letting his anger boil over as he lays into her. “You know, one look at your simulation scores would lead anyone to believe that you would be a strong candidate for becoming a pilot! But what I saw happen out there was pathetic and embarrassing! Who would have thought that the Marshal’s daughter would pull a fucking stunt like that causing another Ranger to fail! You let your co-pilot down today, Azusa! You let me down! You were an embarrassment to every single one of the Rangers observing!”

By this point, Enji is too caught up in his anger to even realize that Azusa has started silently crying in front of him. He can’t stop himself from yelling, can’t stop himself from spitting venomous comment after venomous comment. Deep down, very deep down, he knows that she didn’t do anything substantially wrong, but his pride and his ego won’t let him quiet down.

“What you displayed out there today was that you are no better than the Rangers that just got dropped here from boot camp! No child of mine would have made such an embarrassment out of the Todoroki name like that! You almost caused hundreds of deaths and millions of dollars in damages! Do you realize that?!” Enji spits, his shouting echoing off of the walls of his office as Azusa cowers in front of him.

What Enji says next slips too fast from his mouth to stop in time and he regrets them as soon as the words are spoken, “Toya would be incredibly disappointed in you! You don’t even deserve to pilot Bravo Inferno!”

A sharp gasp knocks some reality back into Enji along with the weight of the words he just shouted into his daughter’s face, and he looks down at her. Horrified shock fills her features as much as it does his, but sharing his shock is immense guilt. Enji is at a loss for words as he tries to think of how to take back or amend what just flew from his mouth. Floundering, he just stares at Azusa’s tear-soaked face, her hurt practically palpable in the air around them.

“Azusa, I-I didn’t mea-”

“Don’t.” She states quietly, making Enji’s words die in his throat. “I-I understood you loud and clear, M-Marshal. Permission to be dismissed, Sir?” Her voice is strained as she speaks and she’s just barely able to stand up straight and look Enji in the eye. All Enji can do is nod since the lump in his throat won’t let him speak.

He watches helplessly as she flees from the room, the door slamming shut behind her. Stunned by his own behavior, Enji slowly moves around his desk to sit down. Leaning forward to rest his elbows on the desk, he buries his face in his hands. He doesn’t know how he’s even going to attempt to fix this kind of fuck up. He isn’t sure that Rei will be able to soothe over the hurt that he’s caused. She may not even be willing to offer him advice on the situation, not that he would blame her.

Enji spends more than a few minutes recollecting himself before calling Aizawa to his office. He’s exhausted now, all of his anger replaced by insurmountable guilt. He let his ego, his pride over his esteemed reputation, win just like so many other times in the past. Enji is the one who let Toya down today, not Azusa, and he fears that he really won’t be able to get his daughter back now.

Knocking pulls Enji out of his spiraling thoughts and he clears his throat before telling Aizawa to enter.

Aizawa enters the room quietly, closing the door behind him before he makes his way over to the chair in front of Enji’s desk. Aizawa just stares at the man for a few moments before letting out his famous tired sigh.

“What happened today was nobody’s fault, Enji. We both know that the chances of something like that happening during a team’s first Drift is highly possible. I’m just surprised that it didn’t happen with more of the other teams.” Aizawa says as he leans back in the chair, tipping his head back and closing his eyes.

At Enji’s silence, Aizawa decides to move the conversation forward himself, “So did either of them request a different co-pilot? I’m sure we can switch the teams around, make it work.”

“No,” Enji utters exhaustively, deciding to end his silent brooding. “Bakugo just requested, yet again, to pilot by himself but I sorted that out already. We’ll keep Azu- Ranger Todoroki and Ranger Bakugo as co-pilots for Bravo Inferno, but we won’t send them out on any deployments until they go through a few more trial Drifts.” He states as he clasps his hands and rests his chin on them.

Aizawa straightens up in his seat, raising a questioning eyebrow at him, “I know that I kind of just advocated for them, but are you sure you don’t want to try putting them with other Rangers? I witnessed, just as you did, that they have the potential to work well together, but if they go out of alignment again and neither of them can bring the other back.. They won’t make it out in the field like that, Enji.”

“That’s why we’ll have them run through a few more trial Drifts. If this was a one-off type of situation, then they’ll be just fine. And if it happens again, we’ll either see if they can bring each other out of it or we’ll pair them off with other pilots.” Enji firmly states with a bit of frustration.

Aizawa relents with a sigh, scrubbing a hand over his face, “Fine. I’ll have their Jaeger sent to one of the Bays with less foot traffic so that when they try again tomorrow there’s less of a chance for catastrophe if something goes wrong again.” He says as he types out the message on his tablet, then sends it to the crew in the Shatterdome.

Aizawa then looks up at Enji, the man being able to read him like a book after working with him for so long, “So how hard were you on her?” His tone is knowing but free of any real judgment.

“Too hard.” Enji admits reluctantly before continuing, “I said things that I shouldn’t have.. I wouldn’t blame her if she honest to god hates me now.” He finishes quietly.

“Well, I don’t know shit about parenting, so it’s up to you to figure out how to fix it, but do you want me to go talk to her?” Aizawa offers with tired nonchalance.

The perpetually exhausted man has worked with Enji for so long that Azusa along with her siblings sees Aizawa as family, or a mentor at the very least. Azusa has always gone to Aizawa if she needed to talk through some stuff, especially after Toya’s passing. So, Enji ponders the offer for a minute, thinking that it may help Azusa to have someone to talk to after what all just went down.

“It’s up to you, Shota,” Enji says with a long sigh. “She may not want to talk to anyone right now.” He says with defeat, leaning back in his chair and rubbing his hands over his face.

“Well, I’ll try stopping by her bunk, knock a few times, and if she doesn’t answer then I’ll leave her be,” Aizawa says as he stands up, wincing a bit when his knees crack loudly. “Try not to spend all day cooped up in here, Enji. Go get something to eat, scare the new Rangers, just anything to get you out of this office.”

Aizawa’s attempt at humor doesn’t do much to pull Enji out of his self-loathing, but he appreciates it all the same, “See you later, Shota.”

Shota leaves with a half-assed wave and Enji is left alone with his thoughts, once again. He thinks about stopping by the family bunker to see Rei, hoping that Azusa hasn’t talked to her yet so that he can have a few moments of peace with his wife before he tells her himself about just how badly he messed up this time.

Note ~ Lemme know if there are any tags I should add! I love and appreciate you, Lovelies! <3

Taglist ~ @tomiokasecretlover

[romeoandjulietyouwish]

sleepless nights

read on ao3

“We don’t gotta go,” Soda said for the hundredth time as he shoved clothes into his bag. “I can tell them I can’t make it.” 

Soda was invited to perform at a rodeo in Wyoming, they were putting him up in a motel and everything. Darry was going with him to make sure everything went smooth and in case Soda got hurt. Pony wanted to go so bad, but he had a test in math class that Friday and then a really important track meet over the weekend. 

Pony rolled his eyes from where he sat on their bed, “You gotta go, Soda. I’ll be fine by myself.” Soda gave him a look. “What?”

Soda went back to packing, “You know what. The nightmares have been real bad lately, Pone.” Pony looked down at his crossed legs and shrugged. “You know they have been.”

“I guess. But I’ll be fine.”

“No, you won’t.” Darry appeared in the doorway, he was tucking his shirt into his jeans. “Two-Bit is gonna stay with you while we’re gone.”

“I don’t need a babysitter,” Pony snapped. “I’m fourteen, Darry, I can stay by myself.”

Darry stayed calm and just crossed his arms, “Never said you couldn’t. He’s not gonna be here all the time, just at night.” 

Pony opened his mouth to protest, but Soda said, “It’ll make me feel a lot better about leaving you. It’s just three nights, honey.” And when Pony still didn’t look convinced, he added a soft, “Please?”

“Fine,” Pony huffed. 

The two of them left Friday morning. Darry and Soda threw their bags in the back of the truck. They both gave Pony a long hug, Soda kissing his head and told him to behave. Pony flipped him off for that, behind Darry’s back. 

“The number for the motel is on the counter,” Darry told him seriously. “If you need anything, call us. Got it?”

Pony nodded. Darry squeezed his shoulder one last time before hopping in the driver’s side. Soda waves the whole time until they’re out of view. 

The first night went fine. Two-Bit teased him as expected, but was surprisingly caring in asking if he needed anything before crashing in Soda’s old room. Thankfully, Pony’s dreams were free of nightmares, though his sleep was still fitful. 

He talked to Sodapop on Saturday, his brother almost tripped over his words in his excitement as he told him about the first day at the rodeo. Pony couldn’t help but grin. 

“How did you sleep?” Soda asked.

Pony rolled his eyes, “Soda, I’m fine.”

Soda was quiet for a moment, assessing if he was telling the truth. Finally he said, “Okay. You’ll tell me if you’re not?”

“Yeah,” Pony lied.

Saturday night went much the same as Friday. Two-Bit brought them dinner from the burger place by the DX, Johnny crashed on the couch, and they watched TV until Pony nearly fell asleep on Johnny. He slept fitfully, but it was nothing that a little coffee in the morning didn’t fix.

Sunday was when things went wrong. Two-Bit came stumbling into the house well after dark. Pony shot to his feet at the distressed look on Two’s face. Dally, who was lounging on the couch, didn’t seem to care, he just kept smoking his cigarette.

Two-Bit ran a hand through his hair, “Pony, I’m sorry, I can’t stay tonight. My sister’s sick and neither of my parents are picking up the phone.”

Pony shook his head, “It’s fine. I don’t really need a babysitter anyway.”

Two-Bit raised his eyebrows and looked at Dally, “Dal, could you spend the night? Soda doesn’t want Pony in the house by himself.”

Dally took a long drag on his cigarette and blew out the smoke. “Sure. Probably was gonna crash on the couch anyway. Buck changed the locks on me.”

Two-Bit snorted, “About time.” He thanked Dally, ruffled Pony’s hair and darted out just as quick as he arrived. 

Ponyboy woke up with a shrill scream, kicking at the blankets that encased him. He was covered in sweat. His throat ached as another scream ripped itself out of his throat.

Someone grabbed his wrists, Soda would never do that. Pony fought back, thrashing and yanking and trying to get away from whoever was in front of him. His mind was panicked. Every inch of his body was pin pricked with goose flesh.

“Pony!” Someone thumped him on the back of the head, hard. 

He blinked once and then twice. 

Dally was in front of him. He sat on the edge of the bed, still holding one of Pony’s wrists in his hand. 

“Dally?”

Dallas rolled his eyes and let his hand drop. Pony pulled his legs to his chest self consciously. His hands shook and tears welled in his eyes. He didn’t know what to do.

Usually, Soda would be hugging him by now. He’d whisper soft words of comfort and run his fingers through his hair. Soda would promise him that the nightmares weren’t real. Darry would sit down on the edge of the bed and rub his back, asking if he was alright. Neither of his brothers would leave him until he could breathe slowly.

Pony pressed his lips together as a sob started to build in his chest. 

“Kid,” Dally sighed. He reached out and grabbed Pony by the back of the neck and pulled him towards him. “You’re a goddamn shit show.”

Despite the fact that part of him thought Dally hated him, Pony couldn’t resist the embrace. He fell forward into Dally. He smelled like cigarettes and metal, it wasn’t at all like Soda’s shampoo or Darry’s aftershave, but it was comforting all the same. 

Dally pulled back sooner than Pony needed, but he hadn’t expected a hug in the first place. Dally sighed, “I’m going to call your brothers.”

“Dally-” But he was already moving out of the bedroom. Ponyboy scrambled to follow him. “You don’t need to call them.”

“You’re still shaking,” Dally said. He leaned down and dialed the phone. While they waited, Pony shifted uncomfortably. He felt so much like a kid, his arms wrapped around himself and tears drying on his cheeks. 

“Hey, Soda,” Dally greeted. “Yeah, it’s Dally. The kid had a nightmare, he’s freaking the fuck out.” Dally turned to Pony and offered him the phone.

Pony took it and pressed it to his ear as he curled up in the arm chair, “Soda?” His voice cracked. 

“Hey, honey,” Soda murmured. Pony almost started crying all over again at the sound of his brother’s voice. “Can you take some deep breaths?”

Pony nodded even though Soda couldn’t see him. If Soda were there, he’d put a hand on Pony’s chest. As he inhaled shakily, Dally ducked into the kitchen. He breathed into the receiver for a few moments, until Soda said, “You’re doing great, Pone. Do you remember the nightmare?”

“No, but it was real bad,” Pony told him. 

“I know,” Soda said. “Just keep breathing. That’s all you gotta do right now.” There was a bit of shuffling on the other line. “Darry wants to talk to you, okay?”

“Yeah,” Pony whispered. 

Darry’s voice greeted him a moment later, “Hey, little buddy. You alright?”

Pony swallowed, “I think so. Soda helped.”

“Good, good. Is Dal still there?” At the same time, Dally came back into the living room with a glass of water. He set it on the table next to the phone. 

“He’s right here. Can I talk to him for a second? I promise you can have the phone right back, okay, honey?” Darry’s voice was so gentle, Pony couldn’t remember the last time he heard him sound like that. 

Pony nodded and then offered the phone to Dally. The greaser took it with a sigh, crossing his arms as he listened. Ponyboy couldn’t make out what Darry was saying, but Dally rolled his eyes. 

“Cool your jets, Superman,” Dally said. “The kid is fine.” Pony looked down at his legs, obviously Dally and Darry were talking about him but it felt strange to only be privy to one half of the conversation. “Really?” Dally pinched the bridge of his nose. “Do I gotta?” A pause. “Alright, fine. Here’s Pony.”

And the phone was thrust back to him. He clutched it to his ear with both hands. “Darry?”

“Right here,” Darry said softly. “Soda is too. How are you feeling?”

And because Pony was still shaky from the dream and he wanted his brothers so badly, he murmured, “I wish you were here.”

“Me too,” Soda told him. “But we’ll be back tomorrow afternoon. Dal is going to stay with you until then. Do you think you can get back to sleep?”

“I can try.”

“Good. I love you so much, Pony.” 

“Get some sleep,” Darry added. “You can call us again if you need to.” Pony told them he would, even though he knew it wasn’t true. 

Once the phone was put back, Pony looked up at Dally nervously. Dally wasn’t the kind to be kind or gentle, not with anyone but Johnny. He had hard lines on his forehead that never went away. 

“Come on, back to bed,” Dally commanded. Pony nodded and rose from the chair, as he walked back to the bedroom, Dally sauntered after him. He watched Pony get back into bed, leaning against the dresser. 

Curled on his side, Pony looked right back at him, “What are you doing?”

Dally crossed his arms, “Superman wanted me to stay in the room until you fall asleep.”

Pony huffed, “Well I ain’t gonna be able to fall asleep with you standing over me like that.”

Dally rolled his eyes, “You sure are mouthy at 2 am.” 

But he sat down on the floor and leaned against the wall next to the bed. It wasn’t the same as Soda holding him in his arms and stroking his hair, but he could hear Dally breathing and that helped. 

So with Dally sitting as a sentinel beside him, Pony let his eyes slip closed. 

He woke when the sun started to rise, casting warm light through the bedroom. He burrowed into his blankets as he blinked his eyes open. The first thing he saw was Dally. He was fast asleep, still leaning against that wall. His arms were crossed and his head tipped back. He didn’t look peaceful, but probably about as close to peaceful as Dallas Winston could get.

With a small smile, Pony snuggled back into his blankets for a few more minutes of sleep.

[clippy]

How did you become so interested in iasw? I’m genuinely curious and I would love to learn more about it! Also, what’s so special about… 𝐓 𝐇 𝐄 𝐂 𝐋 𝐎 𝐂 𝐊 .

Would you believe me if I said it was literally an accident LOL...

Like okay. I grew up going to WDW and Disneyland (as well as other theme parks but those were the main two; my dad grew up going to WDW so the obsession has spanned generations I guess lmao) small world was always a must-do, but my main theme park interests as a kid lied within everything Epcot-related (and it still does)

Anyway, my last trip to WDW prior to getting the Disney parks as a special interest was in 2014. I went with my high school band and it was kind of a whole thing (high school drama shit + spring break week + having to do performances in band) so we didn't get the most park time possible. We wound up skipping small world which makes me Wonder if this interest would have been kick started sooner if we didn't skip it. But anyway. Fast forward to 2018. I am visiting my friend (and now roommate) who is watching a bunch of animatronic and theme park videos and I, a clueless man, decided to watch with her and it literally awoke a sleeper cell in my brain or something because I've been *nonstop* obsessed ever since 🧍

Like literally during that session of watching videos I designed my objecthead version of Clockboy. My life has not known peace ever sense, and tbh has drastically been altered (I'll get into that later)

But yeah the Autism(TM) made me have an insatiable hunger for knowledge about everything small world-related... I still don't know EVERYTHING about it, as there are lots of variations and history, etc. involving the installments of the attraction outside of Disneyland, but my main focus is the original world's fair & Disneyland version of the attraction (since they're the same thing... Mostly) as well as IASW facades in general...

There are tons of people who have equally as niche interests within the attraction's history which I think is SO cool. Like the fact that this nearly 60 year old ride has enough meat on its bones to have whole sub-groups of what people like about it is endearing

The history about it is what has drawn me into it (aside from the funny clock) because it almost didn't happen! There was a near missed connection between a Pepsi exec and Walt Disney himself that, had that not happened, we wouldn't have gotten the ride at all. I don't want to relay the entire history here (the Imagineering Story & Behind the Attraction episodes about the world's fair attractions get into it, as well as a plethora of YouTube videos documenting the ride), but that story about the beginnings of it is so dear to me, and I can't explain why.

But anyway, since my primary focus is the original attraction and facades, I've done some reading about imagineers Mary Blair and Rolly Crump, who have become two of my favorite visual artists and large inspirations for me. Crump has a few books and interviews out that have been interesting to read, but admittedly I've had a hard time finding firsthand accounts from Blair herself. I'm sure some art out there but finding them has been tricky since I don't get a lot of time to do research in general (the stuff by Crump was all found on accident, and he also had the benefit of being alive until 2023 so getting firsthand accounts from him was easier)

Otherwise I am just... Constantly googling stuff and looking for old pictures and merchandise related to IASW. It gets me a lot of answers, surprisingly. I go to Disneyland at least once a month to go ride it and visit my boy.

Still not entirely sure WHY my brain fixated on IASW and the clock specifically, but that's just the hand I was dealt I guess 🤷 don't get me wrong, I still love Epcot stuff and have other silly theme park guys I love (RX-24.... 🥺) but the small world clock has such a stronghold on my brain and I genuinely don't think he's leaving any time soon LOL

It's so funny to me because 6 years ago, I would never have guessed this would have been my next special interest. I was working at a job I liked decently enough. I was still dropped out of school and had no urge to go back, and I was considering moving to Seattle... But now I work in a theme park doing a job I never saw myself having (which is fine, I like my job!), I'm back in school (pursuing a degree I hope I can spin into a career in theme park design 🤞), and I live in California now. Wild how that happens.

The small world clock may not be special to most people (I mean, a lot of people DO like him, I see tons of people taking photos in front of small world with him as the backdrop!) but he is extremely special to me. I treasure him so so so much, and do genuinely think my life has been better with him in it... It's silly that a funny clock face has done So Much to my brain and life but :'-) I love him so it's okay!

Anyway sorry that this is long and sappy LOL, you happened to ask this close to the 6 year anniversary of me getting into small world (it's on March 31 to be exact 😊) so it made me reflect a bit lol

TL;DR sources for more IASW info:

The Imagineering Story Episode 1: The Happiest Place on Earth (1964-1965 New York World's Fair stuff is about 35 min in) -- on Disney+

Behind the Attraction Episode 8: "it's a small world" -- on Disney+

"it's kind of a cute story" by Rolly Crump (interviews; written down by Jeff Heimbuch)

Defunctland's 1964-1965 NYWF video talks about it a decent amount if I remember right

any pictorial souvenir guides about the attraction (currently, and slowly, working on scanning mine in, and will share them once I do, but they're up on eBay a lot if you collect that sort of thing)

Sorry I don't have 🏴‍☠️ links for the D+ stuff or the book but I currently don't have the spoons to search for them

[horrormoviemonstermakeout]

MONSTER RATING: Godzilla (Shin Godzilla)

Shin Godzilla is a new spin on Godzilla from Japanese directors Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi, and it fucking rules. Look, I love most of the Godzilla movies, even though it went from a metaphor to the horrors of war and the nuclear bomb to basically just kaiju WWE, Godzilla was meant to be a terrifying monster. Shin Godzilla seeks to rectify it with this new incarnation - a mutilated, radiation-scarred amalgamation of tumorous, charred flesh.

Shin Godzilla follows the members of the Japanese government as they attempt to weave their way through the bureaucratic and social nightmare of a 400 foot tall irradiated monster seeking to destroy one of the most densely populated cities in the world. It’s a fairly interesting concept - it’s less a typical kaiju story and more of someone going “Okay, seriously, what if Godzilla actually existed in real life, what would happen?” I’ve been known to enjoy ridiculous hypotheticals and I, for one, am glad that Shin Godzilla follows through with it and still manages to make it interesting. The wonderful performances really sell that these people are responsible for the lives of several million citizens and that they are utterly aware of how limited their powers are. These are people trying to do the best they can to not let this be the worst humanitarian disaster on the face of the planet.

The movie’s cast is huge, I could swear they have enough actors to replicate the Japanese government one-to-one, which makes it a little difficult to pick out who our main protagonists are. The one we focus on the most is Rando Yaguchi (Hiroki Hasegawa), Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary, our main protagonist with his friend Hideki Akasaka (Yutaka Takenouchi), the Prime Minister's aide, and Kayoco Anne Patterson (Satomi Ishihara), the US President’s envoy. As Godzilla grows more and more dangerous - with mutations that threaten to obliterate Tokyo, if not all of Japan - they must organize as many people as they can muster in order to devise a plan to stop Godzilla in its tracks. All the while attempting to placate the US, who is more than eager to destroy Godzilla, along with all of Tokyo, with nuclear force.

I know political commentary is not usually what people come to Godzilla for, but the “what if”-esque nature of this movie lends itself to it surprisingly well. Godzilla is treated both as a force of nature, much like an earthquake or hurricane, that appears randomly to cause arbitrary death and destruction, and a hostile entity that has to be combatted. It’s shockingly realistic for a disaster movie, we see how the government is stretched thin trying to handle evacuation, military deployment, trying to seek reason in a country with an itchy trigger finger resting on the nuke button - it gets tense watching them despair and panic, doing everything they can to minimize the loss of human life.

No punches are pulled at the expense of America, of course. Our response is immediate military deployment, with little to no regard for collateral damage or civilian casualties. Props to the movie for accuracy, even if attempts to fight Godzilla with raw military power are futile. Gunfire, cannonfire, missiles, everything seems to bounce off its burnt exterior without so much as a scratch. The only thing that manages to pierce its skin are the missiles dropped from American B-52 bombers. In response, Godzilla discharges dozens of laser beams from his back, destroying the bombers and reducing the metropolitan area to a burning, irradiated wasteland. Even if the missiles did succeed, the movie is quick to point out that the carpet bombing would’ve annihilated Tokyo anyways. When conventional weaponry doesn’t work, the US immediately plans to destroy both Godzilla and Tokyo through use of a nuclear bomb. Every character is justifiably horrified at this.

Godzilla in this movie is a being of ultimate violence, absolutely nothing can trump it. When there’s a weapon it can’t shrug off, it evolves to surpass it. More importantly though, he’s basically a wild animal trapped in a corner. Of course it’s going to lash out, you’re provoking the god of violence and he’s scared shitless. He is the ultimate hubris punisher, a being that exists to humble humanity and say “Your violence will only be met with destruction.” The calls for violence against it are noticeable once you pick it up, even in the beginning when it’s a large, unknown, whale-like creature in the Tokyo bay, the government officials are already calling for its extermination. The only way he is defeated is through scientific research and understanding, a blood coagulant that is developed only through study of its molecular structure and behavior. The movie’s big message is “Violence will only ever beget greater violence, it’s only through cooperation and understanding that humanity can survive,” and it’s using the American proclivity towards violence as the cudgel for this metaphor, which is great.

We talked a lot about what he represents, but let's get literal for a moment. Let's talk about the big man himself.

- MONSTER RATING - GODZILLA -

CREEPINESS: 7/10 - Classically, Godzilla is just one big dinosaur, and like, conceptually it’s pretty terrifying. He’s a giant monster that’s almost impossible to fight and can kill thousands of people pretty easily, though a lot of the older movies have added a bit of narm to him. For a lot of people, Godzilla is more a goofy rubber monster than something horrifying.

Shin Godzilla is horrifying. His design makes it look like he’s one-half dead, useless flesh and the other half painful, tumorous overgrowth, with the exterior of thick, folded over, burnt skin and dull red light faintly glowing from where it’s thinnest. Raw, exposed flesh that’s visible from the parts that aren’t covered in charred skin. The shriveled, contorted arms that seemed to have lost functionality. The several overlapping teeth that seem to just grow randomly from in and around its mouth. This beast is a product of radiation and every single part of it seems to yearn for a swift release. Existence for Shin Godzilla seems to be one of endless pain, as its tumor-ridden body continues to survive despite it threatening to fall apart.

Though what makes him even scarier than his design is that the movie portrays him like the personification of natural disaster. It cannot be reasoned with, it cannot be stopped, and the more you try to stop him, the more death and destruction he will cause. Even then, nothing humanity can do can actually stop it, it’s more powerful than any weapon on Earth, and its existence only signifies inevitable annihilation. Humans are no longer on top, and they’re no longer safe either. 

The ONLY thing that stops Godzilla from being truly terrifying is - and I’m sorry to say this - the eyes. Big, googly-eyed peepers that don’t suggest any form of brain activity in that skull. A lot of people seem to think it’s first appearance in the film, when it’s younger and less developed, is actually pretty cute in an ugly pug sort of way. The googly eyes carry on even to hid final form, which makes him look unfortunately goofy with his beady little eyes. I understand the movie is trying to go with the glassy, dead-eyed fish appearance to make it look even more like a walking corpse, but it doesn’t really stick. Otherwise, the design is phenomenal.

WETNESS: 6/10 - Surprisingly not as wet as you'D think for a giant fish. His final form makes him look like he survived an hour in the incinerator. The dry, black, cracked skin with a faint red glowing underneath conveying the unbridled nuclear heat stored inside. Though he loses his wetness as he evolves, his first appearance is wet as HELL.

Godzilla is a fish that’s become irradiated, and you can certainly tell that when he first appears. His skin is still green and not yet covered in burnt flesh, though with some parts that are just exposed musculature, as if its rapid growth is literally ripping him apart. As he crawls through the streets of Tokyo, blood spills out of his gills with every breath. This is the midpoint between what it once was and what it will become and it looks utterly painful. If his final form is nuclear incineration, his first form is nuclear disintegration. His cells are just barely holding together as he’s forcefully evolved into a being of destruction.

DATEABILITY: 8/10 - Let me give you a quote from the director of the 1954 Godzilla film, Ishir⁠ō Honda:

“Monsters are tragic beings. They are born too tall, too strong, too heavy. They are not evil by choice. That is their tragedy. They do not attack people because they want to, but because of their size and strength, mankind has no other choice but to defend himself.”

You’re a fish in the ocean, and by happenstance you accidentally find yourself in a nuclear waste dumping ground. The radiation mutates you. Slowly, painfully, you grow larger. Your fins are replaced with distortions of limbs, blood spills out of your gills, and you have no idea what is causing the pain you feel. Soon enough, you start surpassing buildings in size, and in a blind, pained stupor you find yourself in a city. Your body is too huge and unwieldy, as you move the infrastructure around you turns to rubble, and hundreds die in your wake. In response, humans have no choice but to try and kill you. You never chose this, you never even realized what was happening, but now you’ve become a god of death, the only thing you will ever cause is misery and disaster. You are utterly alone, because you’ve become built for violence, and violence will be the only thing you’ll know for the rest of your life.

Godzilla is all alone in this world, and no one can possibly understand them. He might be a terrifying destructive god on the outside but on the inside they’re angry and terrified. Can you imagine suddenly mutating into a gigantic monster, whose existence can only destroy? How alienating it must be that you cannot coexist with the life around you, that the only thing that can follow you is unmitigated death. No one will try to understand you, let alone sympathize with you, because you will only ever be a threat and nothing more. It’s fascinating that the song that plays when Godzilla unleashes his nuclear beams, “Who Will Know,” is one that’s sympathetic to him.

“If I die in this world / Who will know something of me? / I am lost, no one knows / There’s no trace of my yearning.”

Godzilla in this movie, despite his city-destroying size and power, is still the scared little guppy he once was. He doesn’t know any better, he doesn’t even know why this is happening to him in the first place. What he needs most of all is someone next to him, to see him for what he is, and to love and care for him despite his irradiated and monstrous appearance. Someone to quell the fiery radioactive fear in his heart, and show him the love he needs in a world that only seeks his death.

FINAL RATING: A GIANT TUMOR WORTH LOVING / 10

[mikrokoskooks]

Hey could you please do something with joon and appendicitis!! i love your works so much! <3

Of course and Ty xx I really love yours too you are so good at writing!!! :)

Tw:Emeto, hospitals mentions of vom!t

Around 2000 and something words might be my longest fic ever haha.

Namjoon's POV

"Hey, Hyung are you alright back there, you've been quiet today," Jungkook says from his seat next to me in the car.

"Yeah, I'm fine, just tired" Of course, I'm not actually tired I just don't want to worry Jungkook or the others.

I've been feeling a bit odd lately, and little things keep happening that are making me worry about my health.

Like the last couple of days, I have completely lost my appetite and had these weird cramps in my tummy that come and go. Usually, I'd be stubborn and not tell the others how I feel but something deep down's telling me to say something.

"Actually,  I-" Is all I manage to say before being cut off by Jimin,

"Guys. I don't feel very well"

Oh no.

"Why what's wrong?" Hoseok asks from the steering wheel

"I think I'm car sick" He moans placing a hand on his tummy.

I look over at Jimin and he truly looks awful he's gone all pale and his bangs are stuck to his forehead by sweat. I don't know what's up with him but it doesn't look good. "Here take this," Yoongi says passing him an emesis bag. Jimin and some of the other members get motion sick so we always have some on hand.

While Jimin is breathing heavily into the bag the pain and burning in my stomach grows quickly and I start to feel a bit queasy myself. Jimin lets out a few fairly quiet hiccups but a particularly loud one causes him to throw up quite aggressively into the blue bag.

Taehyung rubs his aching stomach while Jin and Yoongi pat his back, Soon enough Jungkook's unbuckled his seat belt and went to Jimin as well. I don't blame them cause Jimin is clearly unwell I just wish I had said I felt ill earlier so someone could look after me like that.

You know what, I don't even think Jimin's motion sick he's never gotten it this bad before it has to be something else. Like food poisoning?

~~~

When we get back to the dorm Jimin could barely stand up straight from all the vomiting he'd done. All of the others minus me had to hold him up so he didn't fall flat on his (cute) face.

I go into the kitchen and return to the living room with an empty yogurt pot. "Minnie you were eating this earlier right?"

Jimin slowly nods his head, "It's gone off I think it's given you food poisoning," Namjoon says

"It did taste kinda funny.."

"Then why'd you eat it silly, Jin asks half-jokingly before sweetly saying, it's okay anyways we'll help you get better yeah"

See, food poisoning. No motion sickness.

~~~

It's a week later and Jimin is better after he got sick the first time it took him until yesterday to get better. He really had it bad. I, surprisingly feel completely better too. I've managed to get my appetite back and my stomach cramp still come and go but less often than before.

I haven't bothered to tell the others how I felt before because it was never truly the right time with Jimin being sick and all. I was sure it would go on its own and it did so I've nothing to worry about. Plus, we've got a performance on the tonight show with Jimmy Fallon, and I'ts not like my stomach gonna randomly flare up again, is it?

I've jinxed it

As soon as we pull up at the venue I feel my stomach cramp aggressively and gurgle just like it normally does. Unfortunately, it's so much shaper and louder than usual it causes me to groan suddenly, earning me six pairs of concerned eyes staring at me. This time it radiates to his side.

"Namjoon are you okay, Was that your stomach?"

" Yeah, I don't.. feel that well" I blurt out

"Why, what's wrong namjoon-ah?" Seokjin asks me.

"My stomach.. hurts" I whine weakly leaning my head onto the window.

Since the van is now parked Seokjin unbuckles his seatbelt and rests a hand on my forehead "There's no temperature. Have you eaten anything that might be causing this?"

I shake my head, "It's alright though, I can manage" I try to say it as confidently as possible, but there's still a clear whine in my voice.

The car is silent for a minute before Hoseok speaks up, "Okay, If you're sure Joon but if it starts to hurt more tell us ok?"

"Okay"

~~~

As we enter the building the show's staff greet us with warm smiles and waves before leading us off to Jimmy Fallon. We don't have to walk too far as he's at the end of the corridor, but the journey still gets me out of breath. My stomach's probably to blame for that.

When we make it to the end of the not-so-far corridor I feel exhausted, My stomach ache has gotten ten times worse and I could feel my lunch trying to make a reappearance. I'm starting to rethink the performance tonight.

We'd been on the show before so when Jimmy turns around he's thrilled to see us again. He smiles and welcomes us back and then starts to pull everyone into a hug. That's one thing I've always liked about Jimmy he treats us like family. He doesn't just ignore us until we perform he cares about our feelings.

Speaking of feelings, before my hug, Jimmy looks at me worriedly and asks me something. "Hey are you okay buddy, you don't look so good."

"Ah yeah, I've  just got a stomach ache."

I can hear the genuine concern In Jimmy's voice.

"Oh, are you alright to perform? You can rest if you need to."

"I'll be fine I have a very strong immune system you know," Namjoon says making a muscle gesture trying to lighten the mood.

Jimmy chuckles before going over to me a pulling me into another warm gentle hug as he lets go he whispers, "I hope you feel better soon" to me. I say thank you and then we get led to our dressing room.

The first thing others do when they get in is eat some of the food the show had provided. Now despite how good all the food looked, I decide not to eat any. Instead I go to get my makeup and hair done and then go on my phone.

Now, of all the brilliant things I could look up on the internet, I'm stuck looking up pressure points for nausea. Yes, I could just a someone for an anti-nausea pill but then they'd worry and stop me from performing.

Just as I'm about to try the point Jimin comes to check up on me, "Hi hyung, how are you feeling?"

I contemplate telling him the truth but I opt not to instead "I'm fine Jimin"

"Are you sure? You really don't look well"

I tell him I'm fine again and this time he doesn't pry anymore. I glance over at the fast food the others are eating, maybe eating would make my stomach feel less like it's... slowly curdling.

As I walk over to the table a plethora of scents waft up my nose. Now on any other day, I would have loved the smell of McDonald's and KFC frolicking in my nostrils but today my body was just not having it.

Taehyung's POV

I look up to see Namjoon walking to our table, I guess he's feeling slightly better. Before I can open my mouth to ask he makes a 180-degree turn and grabbed a plastic bag from one of the chairs. At first, I thought he was going to use it as a rubbish bag or something but then I heard him gag and my mind was changed.

Normal POV

Namjoon suddenly gags into the plastic bag, his stomach is in knots and he can feel acid moving up his throat. He gags again bringing up a large wave of sick, he barely gets a break before more vomit hits the bag.

Yoongi, Jungkook, and Taehyung all make their way over to Namjoon, they pat his back and mumble sweet nothings into his ear. The vomiting continues for another 5 minutes before the vocalist's stomach lets up. The other Jin and Hoseok watch from afar while Jimin goes to get the staff.

"You okay?" Jungkook asks "Well obviously you're not but..." he trails off. Namjoon shakes his head, "I feel sick. My tummy hurts" he moans grabbing his side. You know stuff is serious when Namjoon says tummy instead of stomach. He drops down to his knees starting to puke into the bag again.

"How long has it been hurting you?" Taehyung asks patting his back. "Two days before Jimin got sick but it wasn't this bad just on and off," Namjoon says through gritted teeth. Taehyung and Jungkook look shocked "Hyung!?" They say in unison "Why didn't u say anything?"

"Didn't... feel, that bad then" he mutters. Jimin soon comes back in with the staff and the company doctor is shocked to see how namjoon looks and it's certainly not good. The doctor checks over the youngest rapper checking his breathing and his temperature.

"39 degrees" the doctor starts tutting "that's not good where abouts does it hurt?" He asks staring at namjoon with urgency.

"It was the middles but but now it's my right side" He says keeping one hand on his abdomen and the other to point. "From what I've seen and what you've told me, it looks like Appendicitis."

The members gasp and one of the staff members whispers an 'Oh my God'. Namjoon just sits there in shock and disbelief. He opens his mouth to speak but all that comes out is a pained groan.

The doctor speaks up,"I think it would be best if you go to the hospital for surgery instantly, you can't preform tonight."

The others seem a bit sad about the news but the understand that it's definitely better for Namjoon to get surgery than to suffer. "B-but I have to perform... I" Namjoon tries to argue but stops half way swallowing thickly.

"No Namjoon." Hoseok says sternly, Jin nods and says "Your health is way more important go get your appendix out."

"Oh um okay" Namjoon says grimacing as the doctor helps him up. "What about the show" "Joon we'll be fine, we're just dancing you know, go." Yoongi comforts he himself knows the severity of appendicitis.

In the end Namjoon stops trying to find reasons to stay and gives into missing the show. He sits in the back of the doctors car and closes his eyes briefly. His stomach is really aching now and he's starting to worry.

"I won't die... will I?" The rapper mumbles. "Of course not Namjoon, don't be silly. You'll be just fine I promise" he says smiling sympatheticly. "Okay" he whispers feeling a bit more safe.

The doctor helps Joon out of the car and leads him into the ER. He explains to another doctor what's going on with Namjoon and he prepares him for surgery.

The last thing Namjoon remebes is being pushed on a gurney and then his vision goes black.

~~~

When he wakes up he's in a bright room that smells like roses and cleaning products. He tries to sit up but moans slightly at the soreness he does feels better though.

"Hi Namjoon, How u feeling?" The company doctor asks seeing he's awake "Better but also kinda sore" Namjoon replies. "That's normal to happen" Namjoon looks up at the clock the boys performance time.

"Can I go back now, I think I could make the performance" The doctor chuckles and shakes his head "No Namjoon you can't u need to rest, you can watch the show though."

The rapper nods and they turn on the room's TV. The show goes well and Namjoon smiles proudly those are his boys. Even if he can't be there with then on stage he still feels as though they're there with him in the hospital and later on they do.

Giving him hugs and hair ruffles and a Get well soon message from Jimmy Fallon. He really has the best members namjoon thinks to himself.

Sorry if the endings a bit bad my brain kinda gave up.

[kaelio]

"armand's relationship with marius is very very complicated and very very interesting but for virtually none of the reasons the fandom pays the remotest attention to" care to elaborate

I could go on and on about it for a hundred pages. I will try to do it in 99.

Okay, okay. So in my mind, their… deal?... is a great example of one of Rice’s sincerely compelling characteristics as a storyteller. People (and people includes me) gnash their teeth about how a considerable number of things that happen in the series are not cleanly thematic or just utterly defy any coherent thematic reading. I always have to be careful of pretending I have any idea what ever went on in her head, but I think this was intentional. And the reason I say that is… let me put it this way. A poor student loves a T/F quiz. Even if you know nothing, the center of your statistical distribution is 50%. The likelihood you will get 100% right is vanishingly small. But it is equal to your odds of randomly getting 0%. (They use this in Spider-Verse if you’ve seen it, but virtually every statistics course will point it out.) Rice did this so consistently, I don’t think it is accidental, because you’d accidentally map to normal narrative convention sometimes just randomly if you were proceeding mindlessly. Her books reject the patterns you are culturally conditioned to recognize in fictional works.

We see this often in scenarios where you’re like…. Okay. Who’s most to blame here, and because of what specific decisions deriving from what specific thought patterns, and what’s the failure point, and who’s lying, and why are they lying, or who’s mistaken, or who has a different interpretation, or is every single person here wrong and why and how could it have been avoided and could it have been avoided, etc. And this is surprisingly realistic; this is the journey you’re likely to take if you read books about history (and why the alt-history genre* appeals to a certain kind of person). What happens to the Roman Empire if Germanicus succeeds Augustus? There will be a lot of different suggestions and none of them will be testable. They’re thought experiments. However, good alt-history recognizes that there will still be unfair, seemingly random events because that’s what actual history is like. (James Clavell actually did grasp this pretty well if you’ve ever read Gai-Jin.)

[*Note: Not really a genre I’m into because I’ve still got straightforward nonfiction to read, but it’s out there.]

Okay, on to vampires!

Anyway, I say that because let’s work backwards on this one. We meet Armand in IWTV. He says vampires should be made from love (sure) although he loves killing them (okay) and loves torturing presumably innocent humans before killing them in mock-performances (of course). Interesting guy! He’s great. Armand is fantastic. So, this is our Armand. In the second book, TVL, we learn a bit more about him and particularly his cult years in the Cimetière des Innocents. Also a time when he is up to some various naughty shenanigans. In the Devil’s Minion chapter of Queen of the Damned we learn he loves stalking and physical violence and being a freak and amassing conspicuous wealth and yadda yadda. Man, isn’t he just delightful? Sorry, I’m just taking a moment to relish this dude. He’s old, he’s powerful, he’s rich, and until Daniel he hasn’t let a single mortal know his name and through that point, there’s no reason to assume he gives one flying fuck about them. I love it!

But. If we think about Marius, what he values, what his preoccupations are, what his (stated but dubious) goals and intentions are, and whether this would have been his, uh, preferred outcome in having made another vampire. Well, no. Something did not go right here. From his point of view. Now, that’s distinct, of course, from hating Armand. Obviously he doesn’t. (“What about the Sybelle and Benjamin thing?” You could unpack that scene for a million years but no matter what Armand says, there’s no hateful rationale that makes sense, Marius’ rebuttal at least makes sense from his point of view [although, like, hello Armand, Marius is not emotionally doing so fucking good at this point in the canon] and Armand gets over it in like 20 minutes. “That shouldn’t have happened.” Okay! It did though. Armand isn’t sure why Marius did it, there’s room for disagreement on who’s telling the truth about their motivations, and there’s even a pretty strong argument based on the canonical outcome it was the correct thing to do so uh. Thanks Rice!)

But like, okay. That’s the point when we have to start going back (with the assistance of TVA and B&G) and try to use them to address some questions. And some of these questions can only be answered by YOU, yes you, the reader-you, because this is going to depend on what your values are, as well as how likely you think certain outcomes were, or how much you believe either of these people. And of course, we also have the immensely fun dimension that TVA is primarily Armand recounting events to David for Benjamin and Sybelle, and B&G is primarily Marius describing things to Thorne. And unlike IWTV and TLV, their motivations for telling ‘their story’ are totally different and neither is intended as a rebuttal to the other. TVA and B&G have some overlapping parts (though both are far from exclusively about that and don’t cover the same time periods as much as people might expect), and those parts have some contradictions, and the nature of those contradictions is again different than say IWTV/TVL.

So here’s some questions:

1.       Should Armand have ever been made a vampire?

2.       How well did Armand understand what he sought in the Blood?

3.       Were Armand’s issues addressable as a mortal? Or, frankly, as an immortal?

4.       Which of Armand’s issues precede coming to Venice and to what extent did his lifestyle in Venice help or hurt him?

5.       What obligations did Marius have? He suuuure failed at least some of them! Which ones should he have expected to go badly and which turned out badly for reasons that he had no capacity to predict?

6.       Should Marius have at least asked Mael to do it instead when he stopped by? (Hey, he might have!) And if Mael had done so, what would this have changed? Vis a vis Marius and Mael, would this have potentially helped them bury the hatchet?

7.       To what extent was Marius genuinely conflicted about bringing Armand into the Blood? To what extent is Marius describing himself as certain and Armand describing him as a mess a function of Marius’ rather complicated self-image with respect to how much he knows what he's doing and how much he's secretly winging it? (And, quite often, whiffing it?)

8.       What is likely to have happened if Armand is graduated out of working for Marius?

9.       How would things have gone if they had not been interrupted by Santino? How would things have gone if Armand had never fucked around with Harlech?

10.   To what extent was this outcome influenced by Marius’ self-destructive obsession with serving The Parents?

11.   To what extent would Armand’s pushback on Marius’ perspective (which is explicitly welcomed) have been good for frankly both of them?

12.   So many more, I could keep doing this.  

The books are just not going to fucking tell you. And you don’t really know, because again, these books—very weird to say this—actually operate on real-world logic, where sometimes shit just happens.

I think it’s totally plausible that their relationship, long-term, is way worse actually if Santino never shows up to fuck it up in the immediate-term. But maybe not!! Maybe Armand finds the human heart he scoffs about. I don’t think so. But it could have happened! Or maybe Armand convinces Marius to chill the hell out on principles that aren’t working and never worked and they’re happier as worse people. Fucking maybe!! But you have to be comfortable looking at a mess like this and going “my take is…” instead of assuming you know what the canon outcome would have been, because who ever accurately predicted the trajectory of a Rice novel when they first read it? I mean c’mon. No way. Any more than you could predict the life of Santa Anna if you didn’t have the benefit of historical retrospect.

It does bug me though, to worry about like, cataloguing the sins of the characters rather than ponder the questions. Because the sins of the characters are both overwhelming and not real and don’t matter except as to how they inform these questions. Does Armand lose interest in vampirism if he’s not getting fucked up on mouthfuls of the Blood? How would Marius ultimately have reflected on his own behavior if he had let Armand die? But instead you have people pretending that like, rescuing a dying enslaved person from a basement is technically “abduction” and it’s like…. Is that what we’re doing? Is that interesting to you? These characters are doing actually terrible things, we don’t have to resort to that kind of nonsense do we? There are way more complex, way juicier shitty, bonkers decisions people are making here. And lying about.

One question I love thinking about though is like, okay. Armand is weirdly chill with Santino! (Who, as a guy who loved his finery, which was explicitly verboten by the standards of the Children of Satan, was sort of a half-assed adherent even at the time he attacked Marius’ palazzo and burned him to a fucking crisp and killed all the apprentices and then press-ganged Armand into serving at the Paris coven.) Super interesting. Marius, meanwhile, is super not chill about Santino, ultimately. But to what extent does Marius resent Armand for not resenting Santino? Now that’s a-spicy meat-ball!

[meilas]

Socks' Ultimate Phantoms list

Phantoms

Franc D'Ambrosio - Yes. Brings all the sad noises and I am here for it. Nice voice. Excellent acting and facial expressions. Very expressive eyes. Is a cinnamon roll irl. Gary Mauer - Best voice ever. 10/10 would believe this man was an angel. Greg Mills - Looks like a cinnamon roll, will kill you. I never thought tongue action could be sexy but here we are. Ted Keegan - Looks like a cinnamon roll, is a cinnamon roll. Surprisingly sexy. Killian Donnelly - Looks like a cinnamon roll. I can't explain why I like him, but I do. Christopher Carl - I've only heard audio of him but I like him based on how he sobbed on the golden angel. Jeremy Stolle - Nice voice. Acting is too subtle. Peter Karrie - I love how he takes certain notes up a step, just to show that he can. Slightly nasally, but tolerable. Davis Gaines - tbh all I remember really is him slowly rocking his hips while he was sprawled on the portcullis and I now judge all phantoms on a metric of how good their pants look. 9/10 his pants. Peter Joback - I absolutely hated him when he sang in English. I liked him a little better when he did the show in Swedish. James Hume - Unmemorable. Michael Nicholson - Excellent acting choices. Was thinking about him for two weeks after watching. I just really like the production in German, okay? Earl Carpenter - Better in his earlier runs. Good acting choices. Simon Pryce - Very deep voice. Stands nicely. Scott Davies - He looked like fun and I wanted to like him. Noped out of that one pretty quick. Too much vibrato. Anthony Crivello - From the Vegas boot! I actually don't remember too much about him. But I know I liked the boot! Ben Crawford - Tended to have really weird pronunciation toward the end of his run. He was decent when I saw him right after the Broadway reopening. The most remarkable thing he did was to belly slide all the way across the stage during STYDI. Other than that, I recall nothing specific. Thiago Arancam - Remarkable only in the fact that he is boring. Uwe Kroger - The boob-stroking guy. I remember nothing else. Cooper Grodin - Entertaining in the fact that his acting is so wooden. Nice voice when he's not doing blocking at the same time. Good pants. It helps that he never skips leg day. Laird Mackintosh - I think he was good? I honestly don't remember. Geronimo Rauch - I remember I liked him! Norm Lewis - Nice voice, a little boring. Sorry Norm. John Owen-Jones - Hands. Michael Crawford - Absolutely not. I do not understand what anyone sees in him. His voice sounds like it's about to snap any second, and he is very unsexy. David Shannon - Yes. Absolutely yes. Excellent acting choices and nice voice. Does sad very well. Deserved better. Saulo Vasconcelos - All I can recall is @wheel-of-fish spamming the chat with "hands" all night and that's all anyone really needs to know about his Phantom. Ethan Freeman - Looks like a goddamn stick insect during Final Lair and I am here for it. Looks like Tony Shaloub. Bronson Norris Murphy - Technically only was the Phantom in Love Never Dies. RIP. He deserved better. Anyway. His voice is a little deeper than Franc's or Gary's. I wish he had gotten a chance to play the Phantom in POTO proper. I am very curious as to how he would have played it. Looks like a cinnamon roll, is a burnt cinnamon roll. Ramin Karimloo - He was my intro to POTO on stage. I liked his performance enough that I went looking for more clips of the musical, and found the Saturday Streams. Eiji Akutagawa - Ah yes. The self-groping Phantom. That's all I can remember about him. Josh Piterman - Does sad very well. Gerard Butler - My first-first Phantom. I still like him. There's something about his voice that I do actually like, and it annoys me very much when people go "he can't sing" yes he can, everyone has the ability to sing. Just shut up and let me enjoy what I like in peace. Hugh Panaro - Great voice, excellent acting. Funny. Fun to watch. Reminds me of Franc, in that they're both innocent/childish. Hugh is more childish and angry. Looks like he could kill you, and he might, it depends on his mood.

PART TWO

[thewritingsandwich]

The Chiming Lady - Part 3

A Lockwood & Co. Fan Fiction

Other Parts: 1 2 3 4 5

Summary: The agents of Lockwood & Co. are invited to the Halloween-Party of a former client.

A/N: I originally wrote this for @ savelockwoodnco on instagram's filler episode theme. But I'm a month too late... anyways this takes place after 'The Empty Grave' but there are no major spoilers for it. Originally I wrote it in german, but I translated it for the internet with the help of DeepL.

Tag List: @ahead-fullofdreams

Warnings: Mentions of injuries, brief mentions of su***de and mu**er

Norridge Mansion was surrounded by a dense pine forest, in the darkness of which I could make out all sorts of things. It was a clear night and the stars were already visible in the sky.

An avenue of bare trees led to the old mansion and ended at a dried-up well, its white colour completely weathered - as was the rest of the house.

The house was one of many mansions I have seen in my life, even though I probably couldn't even afford to spend one night in them. Behind the house loomed a large tower, which was probably connected to the house. The large bell hanging at the top of the tower could be seen from afar.

In addition to the limousine we stepped out of, there were other cars in front of the property. Both expensive vintage cars and the familiar night taxis in which the drivers sat. Old music was blaring from the house itself, encouraging us to dance the night away.

We climbed the grand staircase leading up to the house and were greeted with an unexpected warmth (most of the big houses we visited were freezing cold, you know). Just beyond the front door was the decked out and decorated foyer. There were pumpkins, fake ghosts, green witches, zombies and other typical Halloween imagery everywhere. I overheard George comparing Lockwood to one of the pumpkins.

Thanks to the music, we were quickly able to find the location where the party was taking place. The large ballroom was decorated similarly to the foyer. Apparently, the party was already well underway, as some "monsters" and other costumes could already be found on the dance floor.

At the sides were white-covered tables with all kinds of finger food and sweets.

"Ready to mingle with the crowd?" asked Lockwood, while George was already on his way to the buffet. "We should also find Mrs Pearson to thank her for the invitation. But otherwise... have fun."

Lockwood also made his way to the buffet, with Holly and I running after him. You should know that my party experience is quite limited.

I looked further around the large room and spotted a gallery on the 2nd floor with some vampires and 20s flapper girls. There was also a live band, which explained why the singers sounded the same for all the songs.

Armed with some small cakes, I went to the wall of the hall with Holly and watched the action. George and Lockwood also joined us.

"Shall we dance?" asked Holly. Surprisingly, Lockwood and George joined her, but I kindly declined. I didn't feel well enough yet to shake a leg without worrying. So for now, I just watched Lockwood, George and Holly dance together. Lockwood's clothes clung to his body as he performed light dance moves that resembled his fencing moves. Despite the red make-up on his face, he still looked as charming and handsome as ever. Lockwood and Holly initiated a few conversations with other guests while George danced his heart out.

I, on the other hand, was still too caught up in the memories of other Halloween evenings. Or the lack of them. I kept thinking about where I would be if I hadn't ended up at Lockwood & Co. or hadn't become an agent. About all the experiences and moments that I didn't have because of the problem. Where would I be if the problem didn't exist? I would still be at school; having to think about my professional life; going out with friends; still living in the North of England; not having lost Norrie; never having met Lockwood. I would be a different person and sometimes, even though I didn't know any different, I couldn't help but mourn that Lucy. All the experiences and memories I couldn't make.

Tears welled up in my eyes, so I moved away from the dancing crowd. I stepped out of the ballroom into a slightly lit corridor, where there were some bookshelves and pictures hanging on the walls.

I wasn't too far away from the ballroom, so I could still hear the music muted a little. But in addition to the lively jazz music, something else could be heard in the darkness of the night. A bell. It had to be the bell from the tower, but something about it made me think that the bell had been silent for years.

I finally stopped in front of a portrait of two boys. They were obviously twins and their black hair was neatly gelled. Judging by their clothes, the portrait was probably from the 60s. Next to the oil painting, there were other photographs that also showed the two brothers. But at one point, the pictures only showed one brother. The apparent nanny, who could also be seen in some of the pictures, also disappeared. I walked down the corridor to see if the boy and the young woman ever reappeared, but they were simply gone. Looking back, I wasn't particularly interested in the pictures. I guess I was just clinging to some distraction.

"You're Lucy Carlyle, right?" Mrs Pearson stood next to the oil painting a few feet away from me.

"That's right. Sorry, I didn't mean to pry. I just saw the painting and was interested."

Mrs Pearson was a lady of advanced years. She was dressed as the Wicked Witch of the East today. Her normally brown skin was hidden under green paint and a black witch's hat was perched on her grey head. Her costume was great.

"Oh well. No problem. Pictures are hung on the wall for people to look at, aren't they? That's my late husband, Edwin Pearson," she pointed to the boy in the painting who was in all the other pictures, "next to him is his twin brother Kingsley. He unfortunately drowned in an accident in the lake, poor boy. After that the family moved out and never returned until today. However, I couldn't turn down such a good party location."

I listened to her intently before curiosity got the better of me. "What happened to the nanny?" I pointed to one of the pictures of the young woman.

"Edwin never talked about the staff. I know he was brought up by a series of nannies and servants. He was alone with his brother almost every day. Their parents were usually away. But although they were a big part of his childhood, he never talked about them. He also never denied the rumours that servants worked themselves to death. But he was just a very quiet man."

"My condolences on the loss of your husband." It was the only thing I could think of to say. I felt silence was inappropriate.

"Thank you. Enjoy the party, Ms Carlyle." Mrs Pearson turned away from me and as quickly as she had disappeared, it briefly gave me the impression that she had just been a ghost.

I looked at the pictures a little longer and at some point closed my eyes and listened. I heard the laughter of children - but also a young woman shouting that "the boys should behave themselves". There was an argument. I wanted to find out more, so I took a step towards the apparent noises. But the voices began to overlap and got louder and louder. I tried to get away. I tried to get out of the ban.

"Luce, are you all right?" It was Lockwood who finally called me back to reality. "I thought you might like some company. Besides, I wanted to see if you were okay." How long had I been standing here? I was still holding a little cake in my hand as I nodded slowly. The music stopped.

"The big crowd didn't do me any good. Besides, the music was too loud."

"Yeah, I can understand that. It's really crowded there. I wanted to ask you something." He was interrupted by the band. But I couldn't hear anything more specific. They were talking - I guessed that something had been announced.

"May I have this dance?" Lockwood finally asked. He held out his hand and I instinctively grabbed it. In the end, it was the light pressure he applied to my hand that brought me completely back to the present.

Hand in hand, we walked towards the music, but stayed outside the hall. Carefully, almost as if I was fragile, he placed his hands on my hips above my belt, while I placed my hands on his shoulders. We swayed from right to left to match the music.

His eyes rested on me and I kept mine on him as well. He moved his lips as if he was silently singing along, but I couldn't read what exactly he was saying - let alone hear exactly what the singer was singing.

In this dim light, his eyes seemed almost black and even though blue or green eyes had been romanticised in so many poems and songs, it was this pair of eyes that I could gaze into for perhaps hours. They were captivating and I could read so much into them. I didn't know if I had learnt to read them or if Lockwood allowed me to - whatever it was, I felt so uplifted when I saw them.

I studied his face again. He was still singing along and I saw him studying my face again and again.

"Till the wells run dry / And each mountain disappears / I'll be there for you..." he murmured. I felt him move his right hand away from my hip and place it on my cheek. I looked into his eyes that said, "You can stop me any time you want." But I didn't think about that for a second. Gently, he pulled my head towards his. I drew in air through my nose when our lips were only a few centimetres apart.

 "GHOSTS," someone shouted across the ballroom and the music stopped. "THE HOUSE IS HAUNTED." Immediately Lockwood and I broke apart and for a moment I envied his red make-up. I was certainly as red as a poker as I screamed inside. I almost kissed Lockwood. I almost kissed Lockwood.

[teasinterests]

Bed time.

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Just a quick lil fic since I wanted to pop something out.. I’ve never written for Ibara before so.. ee. 🥹 Anyways I want IbaYuzu to be soft so bad.. I also speed ran proof reading this so.. yk.. apologies for errors if any. 🥹

Characters: Yuzuru Fushimi & Ibara Saegusa

Ler! Yuzuru - Lee! Ibara

CW / TW: Tickles, swearing, and death threats

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“This is just perfect. How the hell does a situation like this even happen?!”

Ibara exclaimed as he dumped his bag to the floor. Plopping down onto his assigned bed as Yuzuru rolled over. Seemingly ignoring the other.

While Eden and Fine were meant to be performing together, it was odd how their rooms ended up the way they were. Four rooms for each pair.. Hiyori and Jun took one, Nagisa and Wataru chose to room together. The duo seemed to get along quite well.. especially after that Artissimo occurrence that pissed Ibara off to no end.. aaand then theres Tori and Eichi. The pink haired idol requesting to stay with Eichi for the night, most likely to get away and have free time from Yuzuru’s helicopter parenting. Though Yuzuru was well aware that the group was currently spending time together within Nagisa and Wataru’s room. As for Yuzuru and Ibara on the other hand? The butler seemed surprisingly tired, though he had offered to carry a multitude of luggage to the rooms..

“I had each room booked accordingly to assigned partners!! Your highness and Jun-shi are of no surprise.. but today of all days Himemiya-shi had to choose to room with Your Eminence!?”

Adjusting his glasses, he gives a huff of annoyance.

“Honestly what is the point of scheduling these types of things if the rooms booked are going to be swapped around?!”

The director continued to talk to himself as he got up and searched for the tv remote. Yuzuru giving a sigh as he rolled back over and sat up. Crossing his legs with a tired expression.

“Are you going to be talking to yourself the entire night?? If you’re that worked up then go talk to them. Though my young master won’t be changing. He requested to stay with Eichi-sama for the night, and we are out of our typical dorms. They’re most likely having fun being able to spend time together.”

Ibara simply gave Yuzuru an annoyed look as he snatched the remote from the table.

“Can’t they spend time together outside of their rooms?! I’d rather stick with your excellency than anything.”

He said with yet another huff.. There he goes, being all pouty and snarky. Though Yuzuru can’t say he isn’t the same way at times when forced away from Tori. On the other hand.. the separation most likely is more healthy for the duos relationship.

“Just go join them in their get together. What’s stopping you?”

Yuzuru pointed out as Ibara plopped back onto the bed.

“Too tired.”

The director responded whilst turning on the television.

“Clearly not tired enough.”

“I’m just turning on the tv. Is that too much for you?”

“You’ve been complaining this entire time, Ibara.”

“So i’m not allowed to give an opinion now? Where are we? Back at camp?”

The two continued to bicker back ‘n fourth. Though the longer it went on, the more Yuzuru felt further annoyed. Getting up from his spot on the bed, he made his way over towards Ibara, whom instantly retreated.

Raising a brow, the butler gave a smirk of amusement.

“I haven’t even done anything and you’re fleeing already?”

“There’s no reason for you to get that close without a physical threat being followed up. I’m more skilled in the further ranged combat.. so if you could stay still and let me perform some target practice that’d be great.~”

Ibara commented, practically threatening to chuck the remote until Yuzuru surprisingly climbed onto the bed.

“Ah- Yuzuru?! Out of all places you decide to kill me?!”

The shorter idol exclaimed as he jumped off the bed. Commencing a chase between the duo. That of which lasted a decent amount of time. Involving in jumping over the beds and various items being thrown. Though eventually Yuzuru had managed to grab Ibara’s ankle just as he scrambled across the mattress of his bed once more.

“GAH-! Let go of me!!”

The director exclaimed as he was drug backwards. Quickly rolling onto his back, making a quick attempt to slap or punch Yuzuru until his wrists were grabbed. The duo holding a firm glare as the butler easily pinned Ibara’s hands on either side of his head.

“You put up a good chase.. haha.. though you still lack that upper body strength.”

Yuzuru commented between soft pants. The two already seeming worn out.

“So what now?” Ibara questions.. “Is this where you finally kill me?~”

Yuzuru stares in turn, though his expression is quick to soften into one of amusement.

“Yes, I am. Once i’m done with you, you’ll be able to sleep more soundly than ever.~”

The butler hummed as Ibara raised a brow in question. Jerking his knee up to hit Yuzuru’s back as the taller idol straddled the others waist.

“Quit fighting or i’ll make this ten times worse.”

Yuzuru stated as he brought his hands back. Cracking his knuckles, then wiggling his fingers down towards the one beneath him. That in which.. Ibara’s mouth immediately ran dry.

“Y-You’re not serious.. we aren’t children anymore!”

“You always got so tuckered out after I tickled you. Maybe it’ll help improve that horrendous upper body strength of yours.~”

Yuzuru hummed before his hands dove down to the Ibaras ribs. Whom of which almost immediately burst into a laugh. Quickly slapping a hand over his mouth as his face ran red. Using his free hand to bat at Yuzuru’s.

“Haha.. you still seem as ticklish as ever, Ibara.~ I thought you would have grown out of that by now? Lets see.. I remember you being quite sensitive… here.~”

The butler smirked as he raised a hand to lightly tickle at Ibara’s neck. The shorter idol instantly bursting into a yelp of surprise, as laughter broke past the dam.

“GAAHAHAHA G-GEHET OHOHOFF MEEHE!!”

Ibara exclaimed between bouts of laughter as Yuzuru brought his free hand up to wiggle his fingers against the exposed side of the director’s neck. Ibara quickly grabbing at Yuzuru’s wrists as he tried scrunching up his shoulders.

“If anyone were to see this i’d be accused of strangulation I feel.. good thing hotel rooms automatically lock. So you won’t have to worry about anyone barging in.~ Though I will stop.. if you promise to quit complaining and lay down..”

Yuzuru explained his compromise, as hands finally left Ibara’s neck to dive into his pits. The director in turn giving another laugh of surprise. Throwing his head back against the mattress as he shoved at Yuzuru’s arms and shook his head a little.

“AHAHALRIGHT AHALRIGHT JUHAHAHAST STAHAHAHAP!!”

The shorter idol exclaimed as Yuzuru leaned down with a smirk.

“Promise?~”

“GAAHAHA PROHOHOMISE!!”

Ibara nearly squealed as Yuzurus hand squeezed at the others side playfully. A small chuckle leaving the taller one as he ceased his tickles. Getting off of Ibara, he scooped the panting Idol up, to dump onto his assigned bed. The director flustered, and pouty, he rubbed at his heated cheeks as Yuzuru practically babied the other, and tucked him in.

“You wont need these-“

“Hey-?!”

Ibara exclaimed as Yuzuru plucked his glasses from his face and set them aside.

“Enough, Ibara. Now get some rest for tomorrow. I’d assume the others are to be thinking the same.”

The taller of the two pointed out as he motioned towards the clock. It was rather late.. and Ibara felt more tuckered out than ever after that fiasco..

watching as Yuzuru shut the tv off, as well as the lights. Ibara grew comfortable within his bed. A yawn escaping him as he nuzzled into the soft pillow..

“Rest well, Ibara..” came the gentle toned comment from Yuzuru, whom he could hear shuffling into bed comfortably, and after a moments pause..

“Good night, Yuzuru..”