#are kind of..... severely missing the point of the game

[totallywoman]

let’s talk about gale hawthorne. and not in the context of his romantic feelings towards katniss. let’s talk about the fact that he’s characterized as evil more than coin or snow by thg fans and everything we forget about him.

gale grew up in a district where everyone had to constantly avoid starving to death. he was forced to watch children being murdered on television every year, and was exposed to absolutely nothing about the outside world besides captiol propaganda. he did not get a proper education, and was prepared for his whole childhood to follow in his father’s footsteps and work for life in the terrifying, dangerous mines.

then at 14, his father is killed in those neglected, disposable mines. he is automatically put into a parental role to take care of his mother, his little brothers, and his unborn baby sister. he is forced to turn to the woods and the tessera and risk his and his family’s lives to survive. he knows he has a greater chance of going in the hunger games, but he did what he had to do.

he looses his childhood, and has to be the provider for the next several years. but at least he had katniss, who is going through the same thing. at least he can be himself around her. he can express his anger, how much he hates the capitol. he can say things that would get him killed in 12. who’s ever going to hear him?

then, just as he made it through his last reaping, prim is reaped and katniss volunteers. he has to watch his best friend be paraded around the capitol and then thrown into an arena to die. he watches her at the brink of death, and at her lowest points. when she returns, she’s traumatized.

but life goes on for gale, and as an adult, he has the responsibility to work in the same mines that killed his father. instead of feeling free in the woods, he is suffocated deep underground, wrapped around snow’s finger. but there’s talk of rebellion, finally a chance that he can fight back. but his life is in danger. his district is locked down, and any talk of rebellion is controlled.

he then has to watch his best friend go back into the arena, the place that broke her. he has to watch her be tortured yet again by the capitol. he knows in his heart that this time he will never see her again.

and what happens after all of that? his district is bombed. he risks his own life to save as many people as he could. he saves hundreds, but had to watch thousands of his neighbors burn with his own eyes. the guilt he holds that he couldn’t save them all overwhelms him.

we forget all of this when we talk about gale. we forget that he was an angry teenager, who was traumatized and a victim of the capitol’s cruelty. he had a hard time emotionally connecting to anything that is outside his personal family and circle. because he was so inexperienced, uneducated, and filled with rage, he kind of had the attitude that you do what you have to do to fight back. he didn’t understand the price of war. it took someone he loved and cared about to be killed for him to realize the price. we don’t see much of gale after prim’s death. i can only imagine the guilt and trauma that haunts him for life. he’ll see her face in his dreams every night.

the evil ones were the adults (coin) who understood war. the one’s who planned this out their entire lives, the one’s who used this traumatized teenager’s rage to THEIR advantage. they had the absolute power to not utilize his ideas, and to not use them against innocent people for their own power. ultimately THEY were the one to give the okay on those attacks. do i think he should have been more empathetic and cautious of life? 100%. in fact, i think gale is reckless. but i don’t see the teenager who was a traumatized victim of the capitol’s cruelty as evil for having a questionable moral compass.

we are missing the plot here y’all.

[genericdragon]

Noah fence but if you can't handle thinking about the actual story of Mouthwashing and you just want to imagine silly found family scenarios with the crew on the Tulpar then maybe you shouldn't be engaging with HORROR media...... just a thought.

[sysig]

Maybe requestober prompt of soft?

Day 5 - Pile o' plushies

[rain-harmonia]

so I got Baldur’s Gate 3

Meet Caerqiroth! They’re a silver dragonborn, and a tempest cleric devoted to Ilmater.

[coconutcows]

Ironically I caught that fully, and despite the fandom making jokes about it I didn’t realize the Brony ties until I read that clarifying comment, fully forgot they existed.

Personally I also think the reason Jimmy conflates the Baby & Anya with Polle is because I think he blames Pony Express for what he did to Anya, in a “bunch of men on a ship with only one woman and no outlet for over a year what does the company expect?!” kind of way. Blame anyone else rather than take responsibility for his own actions

I find it so funny that the wiki for mouthwashing clarifies that Jimmy's cartoon horse comment to anya Wasn't making a reference to bronies and was, in fact, referring to the Countless Images Of The Mascot Of Pony Express Littered Around The Ship. because I guess some people missed that.

[demilypyro]

I'm interested in the gradual development of Miss Pauling.

Originally an almost incidental character in the Team Fortress 2 comics alone, no official model existed for Miss Pauling for the longest time. Her first appearance was in the WAR comic from 2009, two years after the game's release. She is mentioned by name, but you can tell her character isn't nailed down here yet. They probably aren't even sure if they're going to reuse her at this point. The Administrator herself isn't even fully developed yet.

Despite the tangential nature of her character, she made regular appearances in the TF2 comics, always executing the Administrator's will, though not much was really established about her personality or characteristics beyond being hardworking, extremely competent, and very loyal.

Around this time, the fans started making their own models to use her in fanworks, though with not much to go on in regards to her personality, there weren't many people taking an interest in her. The few times she did appear in fanworks, she was often relegated to just being the token girl character.

In 2013, Valve released Ring of Fired, the first of seven full-length Team Fortress 2 comics that would end up being the main source of character development and plot progression for the universe. And Miss Pauling was there as one of the lead characters, although her characterisation was still rather thin in this first issue.

The big moment here is the Love and War update. In 2014, seven years after the game's launch, the short film Expiration Date was released, the 15 minute video supposedly being a pilot for a potential TF2 tv show. That tv show never happened. However, Miss Pauling was one of the lead characters of the video. It finally gave Miss Pauling an official 3D model, which was notably somewhat different looking from her comic appearances up to this point, as well as a canonical voice.

It also established several defining traits to her character: she was extremely neurotic, kind of awkward, a bit silly, and she had a knack for gallows humor. These traits were heightened with the following Gun Mettle and Jungle Inferno updates, which gave her a bunch of voice lines where she talked to the player characters and let her kookier side show.

These traits would make it back into her characterisation in the comics going forward, finally reaching Maximum Pauling. She became the true Main Character of the TF2 comics, usually being the main perspective character, as well as being the character with the heaviest choices to make as the plot reaches its climax.

While Miss Pauling still to this day doesn't physically appear in the Team Fortress 2 videogame, she has become one of the most important characters of its surrounding universe, and you'd be hard pressed to find a fan who doesn't really like her. It's been fun to watch her develop from an incidental lore character to the unofficial tenth member of the main cast. I'm a huge fan of her.

Okay end of post

[miaoua3]

Ghost of Your Dreams

Pairing: bf!scoups x f!reader

Genre: smut (MDNI), size kink, no protection (don’t be silly wrap the willy), dom!scoups, spanking, choking, spitting, degradation(slight), praise, cosplay! ghost

Description: all it took was one comment of your and here he was, embarrassed and shy but ready to commit to the fullest in order for him to fulfil your fantasy

Note: everyone went berserk last year when i posted on my tiktok as what characters id like to see svt as for halloween and put coups as ghost from cod so naturally i had to bring even more chaos and write a whole fanfic about it…enjoy hehe (post writing edit of the notes: i passionately hate this my bad guys i suck so bad. and again, not proof read so…yeah lmao)

you knew what you were getting into the very minute you first stepped a foot into your boyfriend’s s home and saw a whole professional pc set-up, with headphones and the kind of keyboard that lights up in rainbow light every time you press any key on it. you knew what to expect from him-late night gaming sessions between him and his friends, him yelling whenever he got annoyed, and a whole lot of cursing.

these are just some of the things you knew to expect.

cheol, on the other hand, never even thought what kind of an effect his hobby could have on you. he knew you would be supportive, and that you would probably use his gaming time to do and practice your own hobbies.

but now, several years into the relationship, he never even expected for you to take any special interest in his hobby, never mind for you to make such an…out-of-character comment like you did two weeks ago.

he was just starting a new game, concentrating on the plot and character dialogue so he knew what to do, when he felt you approach him from behind, carefully watching the screen right beside him.

after a few seconds, cheol sees your pretty pointer finger point at one of the characters from the screen and hears your sweet voice ask “who is that?”

cheol looks up at you with his pretty and big boba eyes, a bit of confusion visible in the way his eyebrows furrow.

“his name is simon riley, but they call him ‘ghost’.”

you only hum in response, tilting your head to the side as you carefully watch the character move around the screen. after a few seconds, you deliver a comment that will forever change seungcheol and who he is as a person.

“he’s hot.”

cheol looks at you, both in confusion and in offence, totally blindsided by the two words that have just left your mouth.

“what- why? how? you can’t even see his face because of the mask. plus, you have a boyfriend, miss. how dare you find another man other than me attractive?”

you finally look at the boyfriend in question, only to see his big cherry lips set in pout, making you smile in amusement. you bend down to hug him around his neck, softly kissing his cheek to comfort him. after you see the corner of his mouth twitch in weakness, you answer his questions.

“i don’t know, something about him is attractive, maybe the way he carries himself and the mysteriousness because of the whole mask thing.”, you muse as you go back to watching ghost on the screen.

cheol does the same, the pout still present as he looks at his favourite character, now with a bit of disdain due to your newfound attraction to him.

after a few seconds of silence, you chuckle before you add another comment that will play a big part in both your futures.

“plus, he kind of reminds me of you, baby. with all the dominance, confidence and that deep voice.”, letting another chuckle, you look him directly in the eyes, you faces only inches apart so he can see your eyes clearly as you add “who knows, maybe you should cosplay him sometime. i know i would love to see that.”

you smile at him before you let a brief kiss land on his lips before you part your body away from his and go back to laying on the bed.

you may have said it in the joking manner, but cheol knew. he saw that look in your eyes, the way your pupils were dilated, the way your smile hid something a bit darker, a bit more sinister in the corners of your lips.

he knew that you weren’t joking.

so here he is, two weeks later, on a saturday night, in the full cosplay, waiting for you to get back from work, his blushing and red face hidden behind the balaclava and mask.

he fondles with all the little belts around his body, namely his waist, chest and thighs. a bit uncomfortable, but nothing cheol couldn’t handle.

hey, anything for love, right?

cheol looks around the apartment as if it will give him an answer as to what he should do, what the plan to surprising you is, but to no avail. the nervousness and sort of excitement is getting more and more unbearable the closer your arrival is getting.

finally, he settles on hiding in the bathroom, knowing that your first move will be to check your shared bedroom to see if he’s there, making the bathroom the perfect place to hide, as it is directly across the bedroom and he can then quietly sneak up behind you.

just like he planned, cheol skilfully hides behind the bathroom door, leaving the light off and the door slightly open as to make you think he isn’t inside. he stills his movements the moment he hears the keys jingling behind the entrance door before the door click open.

you drop your keys into the little dish beside the door before hanging your bag and coat on the hanger right beside it. he hears you sigh deeply, probably meaning that you have had a long day and that you need some relaxation.

perfect.

after you take your shoes off, he hears you still for a moment, carefully listening to the sounds in your own home. after a second, he hears you call out “cheol? are you there? i’m home!”

but to no avail. because he doesn’t answer.

right in that moment, cheol's belief that he knows you better than anyone else was solidified.

because just like he predicted, he hears you take a few steps before you lightly open the door of your bedroom, peaking inside to see if your boyfriend is inside.

showtime.

ever so quietly, cheol moves until he’s standing right behind you, his eyes looking at the top of your head. he just had to smirk at your cluelessness, how you are so cutely looking for him while he’s standing directly behind you.

not being able to resist the temptation, cheol leans in until his covered lips are right by your ear before he utters in his deepest voice possible.

“looking for something, m’love?”

you gasp in shock, eyes wide as you quickly turn towards him, stumbling back so much that if it weren’t for his hand catching your arm, you would’ve fallen right onto your ass.

you gape at his tall and darkly clothed silhouette, being somewhere between shocked and in awe of your beautiful muscle-y boyfriend standing in front of you in a costume you never could’ve imagined seeing him in.

the shock lasts all but 5 seconds before the widest smile he has ever seen on you takes over your features, your pupils blown out, so much so that they appear almost completely black.

with excitement you start word-vomiting “oh my god, i can’t believe you really did this. i think this is the best day of my life. oh my god, are you gonna spank me and say that i’ve been a bad girl? or maybe-“

something about the way you look little too excited, like a kid on a christmas morning that can’t wait to open their presents, the way you smiled so wide, maybe even too widely. like cheol just walked right into your trap.

it rubbed him the wrong way, blood boiling slightly.

although that just might be the multiple layers of clothes that he’s wearing.

oh well.

wasting no time, seungcheol suddenly grabs you by your neck and pulls you towards him, making whatever words you wanted to say die on your tongue and a gasp slip out instead.

the moment your body collides with his, he uses his big and broad body to push you against the wall by your bedroom door, harshly.

your body slams against the cold white wall, and cheol has the oh shit- thought for all of half second that he might’ve pushed you too hard and that he might’ve hurt you.

that is before he hears you moan loudly at the action, throwing your head back.

little masochist.

cheol then immediately comes closer to you, crowding your space so much, until the only thing left to focus on is the mask that covers his face. his chest pushes into yours, making it that harder to breathe, and his knee finds its home right between your legs, pushing upwards until he can feel the warmth between your legs on his thigh.

your beautiful and cute eyes are already teary as you look upwards at him, desperation forming on your waterline in the form of tears.

you don’t have to see it to know that cheol is smirking at the effect he has on you, smugness dripping in his voice as he says.

“what do we have here, hm? your pussy already desperate for me, baby? but we haven’t even started.” he pauses for a second to press his covered forehead against yours before he continues “is this all it took to reduce you to what you really are? a desperate, cock-hungry little bitch? so hungry for my cock hm? can’t even wait for it to enter that little pussy of yours, already rubbing yourself on me.”

it is only when his glove-clothed hand suddenly runs over your front, right where your pussy is desperately rubbing on his thigh, that you even notice what you’ve unconsciously started doing, his fingertips digging until he finds the slit of your pussy lips, pressing hard until he reaches your clit, despite two layers of clothes being in his way.

you moan at the contact, hands grabbing at his wrist, somewhere between pushing his hand away and closer to where you need him the most.

seungcheol won’t let you have any control tonight, he wants you to completely surrender to him, to let him use you and move you however he wants, to just accept whatever he gives you with a fucked out smile on your face.

hence why he grabs both your hands into his before slamming them onto the wall above your head, quickly switching his hold onto your wrists.

with a purposefully made angry face, he looks into your teary eyes. something dark and far more sinister than he thought he could ever feel awakens inside of him, the feeling of giddiness overcoming him as he watches your eyelashes get wet by the tears gathering in your eyes, neediness and desperation swimming in them.

with a deep voice overflowing with warning, he says “no touching tonight, are we clear pretty girl? you are at my mercy tonight. everything i want to give you…”, he pause for a few seconds so he can remove the skull mask from his face and reveal the identical balaclava beneath it, before he pushes his face closer until his cloth-covered nose meets your own and continues “…you will take like a good girl i know you are. understood?”

you watch his dark eyes, purposefully covered in black paint, as you process his words. your mouth are agape, shaky breaths leaving the opening until the sound hits cheol’s ears. his free hand that isn’t holding your wrists comes to hold your cheek gently, a touch of love to show you that this isn’t real, that this is just a bit of a fun game to both of you, that he still loves you despite his harsh words.

with wide eyes, you slowly nod your head to his demand, showing him that you understand.

contrary to his tone just a few seconds ago, cheol gently whispers in the little space between you two “use your words baby, i need to hear you say ‘yes’ before we continue.”

you heart squeezes in love that you have for this man. the fact that he basically interrupted his own fantasy in the name of having you consent to him with your own words makes you love him that much more. sure, it may be the bare minimum to the rest of the world, but to you, who never experienced such gentle love by the previous partners? it means the whole world.

with hoarse voice, you whisper “yes. i understand.”

cheol looks at your eyes for a second, looking for doubt and fear, only to find excitement and trust instead. nodding his head, he pushes his balaclava until his lips are freed, and using the newfound freedom to lay a gentle and light kiss to your mouth, letting them linger just for a second before he pushes the balaclava back in place, now fully ready to push you to the point of tears of pleasure.

within a second, that old flame of desire returns to his eyes. for a second you could’ve sworn that his eyes had a tinge of redness in them, almost like they were literally set on fire.

his hand slowly but firmly wraps around your neck, the leather material making the squeaky sound as he repositions his hand so his fingers are only squeezing the sides of your slender neck. the last bit of air leaves your lungs as cheol squeezes your neck, making you feel lightheaded within seconds.

your boyfriend uses your distraction and hazy mind to just observe you-the way your eyes flutter shut and how tears gather at your water line, how your hands try to grasp onto something to no avail because he’s holding the hostage above your head, how your mouth can’t decide if you want to bite your lip and keep the gasps and moans from escaping or opening them as wide as possible and letting all those pretty sounds flow like a river straight out.

he watches how your hair is already messy, a complete opposite to how you usually style it for work. then to how your pretty neck bobs in an effort to take in more air. the way his black leather glove wraps prettily around it.

his eyes fall onto your chest, and the way your button up shirt gives him a peak of your cleavage, as well as the necklace with his initials engraved on the back of the pendant hanging from the chain. the way your chest raise and fall at rapid speed, the way your tits move with every exhale.

his pupils follow the curvature of your waist, and the way your pants hug your hips-the hips he loves to hold, grab, squeeze and use as his anchor while he’s fucking you from behind.

lastly, cheol observes the movement of your hips, how you slowly roll your hips in slow and small circles on his leg that is pushed between your legs in an effort to relieve the uncomfortable tingle on your clit, the warmth from between your legs making his mouth water in need to taste you, in need to have your tight pussy wrap around his cock.

fuck, he needs to fuck you. right now.

his head drops beside yours, a groan hitting the shell of your ear before he demands “take your pants off, need to have that needy pussy around my cock right now.”

no sooner than when his hand lets go of your hands that were hanging above your head that you immediately got to work, unzipping your pants and missing the zipper a few times. the minute it was unzipped enough, you pulled your pants down, along with your panties, before you kicked them to the side.

while you were preoccupied by taking your pants off, cheol did the same to his. well, he couldn’t really take them off due to insane amount of tiny belts hugging his big thighs. instead, he just unzipped them and pulled them down just enough to free his aching cock from his boxers, precum leaking from the tip the moment it bounces upon being taken out.

your eyes immediately get drawn to the sight, how big he looks, the tip the slight pinkish colour due to lack of stimulation.

but it’s not just his dick-cheol as a whole, right at this moment, looks like something straight out of your wet dreams, like a desire or a kink you can’t talk about, keeping it locked inside a box instead, hidden deeply inside your closet.

the black balaclava with the skull printed on it hugging his head and currently hiding his beautiful face, the black turtleneck that is covered with the fake black military vest, with tons of tiny pockets. the way his big biceps bulge out, protruding even with the longs sleeves trying to keep them hidden.

the black leather gloves that are trying to keep his pants below his cock, kind of frustratedly fumbling with the material because it’s not obeying to his orders. the black pants that hug his legs, the black boots-simply everything.

it makes your whole body feel hot, so hot like somebody poured hot lava all over it.

fuck, i need to suck him off dry right. now.

just as cheol was about to grab you, you let your knees drop, kind of painfully hitting the floor, and as gently as possible due to the hunger grabbing his dick.

cheol confusedly looks down at you, mouth open to say “wha-“ but gets cut off with a moan the moment your warm mouth wraps around his cock.

normally, you would go slow, paying attention to his tip for a minute or so before trying to swallow his whole length.

normally. but not now.

the moment you open your mouth and lean in towards his dick, you start bobbing your head up and down his cock, you hand working on the base that you can’t reach with your mouth just yet. you other hand pulls on his pants, trying to keep them in place while you suck his length.

feeling overwhelmed by your sudden actions, cheol gasps a moan and slams a hand onto the wall to keep him balanced, knees buckling due to the sheer force of your movements.

your mouth haven’t even been around his dick for a minute and he can already feel his balls ready to burst, breathing deep and looking towards to the ceiling (or the heavens, whichever way you want to interpret it), praying that he doesn’t cum so quickly.

you continue with your movements, tongue wrapping around and licking his cock as you drag your mouth back before you suck his length back in, his tip hitting the back of your throat.

cheol watches you in awe and fascination, the way your eyebrows furrow not in concentration, but due to the neediness to have yourself choking on his big cock, moaning every few seconds in pure enjoyment.

never thought sucking a dick could be so good and so…sexually full filling.

you look up through your eyelashes at your boyfriend. even with the balaclava you can tell that his mouth is opened, letting those beautiful and loud moans flow freely out of them, that his eyebrows are furrowed because he’s trying to contain himself and not fuck your face.

which is exactly what you want.

you pull away, both to let yourself and himself breathe, though you keep the eye contact going.

and cheol sees it. that look in your eyes that is begging him to fuck your mouth.

how could he ever deny his baby anything?

just as you were about to go back to sucking his dick, cheol grabs your hair and pulls you away, and keeps pulling on it, making you move your body with it. he only stops once your whole body is back to leaning against the wall, legs kind of awkwardly bent before you readjust them.

your glossy eyes look up at him, needy and demanding for him to fuck your mouth, now.

tapping your cheek with two fingers, he's only able to rasp out "open your mouth."

your lips fall open without a second thought, poking your tongue out as you wait for him to give it to you hard and fast, just like how you like it.

cheol wishes that he could take a mental picture of you like this-eyes glossy, face littered with sweat and mouth calling his name. this right here, how you like right now.

this is everything cheol has ever dreamt about.

ever so slowly, cheol pushes his pelvis foward, his cock held tightly in his hand as he guides it straight to your mouth. he smears the head a bit on your tongue, letting you taste him yet again, but immediately pulling away once you try closing your mouth around it, a sound of disapprovement escaping his lips. once you look at him confusedly, eyebrows furrowed, he's adds "don't move. let me fuck that pretty mouth of yours like i know you want me to, like a good slut i know you are. just relax and enjoy, hm?"

you nod your head quickly before opening your mouth again, an amused chuckle echoing in cheol’s mouth.

very carefully, cheol pushes his cock back into your mouth. his eyes are fully trained to follow your every move, eyes cloudy with desire as he watches you close your mouth around his girth, pretty eyes looking right back into his. he continues pushing his pelvis until he feels the back of your throat close against the head, pearly precum falling down your throat, before he pulls back.

he continues repeatedly doing this a few times, getting you used to the motion and pace, before he speeds up slightly.

your fists are clenched against your thighs, desperate to touch him but resisting the urge to touch him, to pull him closer until you feel yourself choking on his thick cock. instead, you focus that energy to let all the little sounds that you know cheol definitely loves, your humming and moaning creating vibrations on his length.

cheol moans right back, throwing his head back every so often because it just feels so good. the warmth of your mouth as he rocks his hips, the way you try swirling your tongue around the head, the way you’re looking at him, like he’s the only man ever for you.

it all messes with his head.

naturally, he loses himself in the pleasure, unconsciously speeding up his movement until his cock is repeatedly hitting the back of your throat, choking sounds hitting the shell of his ear every time he pushes his cock back in.

after another few minutes of him fucking your pretty mouth, of him letting little comments like “fuck, just like that pretty girl” and “yeah chock on my cock, just like that”, cheol feels himself being so so close, almost a second away from cumming. and although he would like nothing more to paint your pretty face with his cum, to smear it around, almost like he’s marking his territory, to see tears spill from your eyes and mix with his fluids, he would much rather cum inside of you. now.

harshly, he pulls all the way out, hissing once the cold air meets his wet length, before grabbing your jaw harshly with one hand. using that hold, he quickly picks you up, dragging you up to meet him.

you gasp at the action and the way it cuts your airway off, hands quickly grabbing his forearm as he drags you to your feet.

the moment you are close enough, he pulls his balaclava all the way off and clashes your mouths together, tongue swirling around your own, stealing yet another breath away from you.

just as quickly as he kissed you, he pulls away, lips swollen from both the kiss and biting on his lips while fucking your mouth, eyes dark and cloudy like a stormy night.

you’re still gasping because he still has a hold on your cheeks with one hand, nails digging into your skin in a painful yet delicious way, your own hand squeezing his wrist in indecisiveness, unsure if you want him to squeeze it even more or to let you breathe.

pushing his forehead against your own, you can clearly see him struggling to control himself by the way he’s harshly breathing. in a dangerously low and warning tone, he just says “i’m gonna fuck you so hard, just like you want me to. gonna fuck you like a slut i know you are. gonna make you beg me to let you cum. now jump.” before he bends down and grabs you by your legs, picking you up like you weigh nothing and wrapping your legs around his waist.

your heart jumps to your throat in excitement, everything about this so new and so unfamiliar-the face fucking, the cosplay, the degradation. you previously told him it was something you’d like to try, just to see if you would like it more than when he praises you and worships you, and although you like how every time he called you ‘slut’ a shiver went down your back, his praise and calling you his love and baby while he’s fucking you will always be number one place.

cheol quickly grabs his dick and slaps it a few times against your clit before he pushes it inside of you, gliding much easier due to your arousal. you both moan loudly at the contact, cheols eyebrows furrowing almost like he’s in pain. his eyes focused entirely on how your pussy is swallowing his big cock.

you feel heat on your cheeks at the sound your cunt makes every time cheol pushes back inside you and pulls back, it’s all wet and loud, and it makes you want to hide your face in embarrassment. you can’t remember the last you were this aroused, so much so that the slick was staining cheol’s pants that were still just pushed right under his dick.

in the matter of seconds, cheol starts fucking you hard and fast, your loud moans echoing in the hallway, probably making it a show for the neighbours to hear. head thrown back against the wall, you focus on gripping cheol’s shoulders like your life depends on it.

his hands are harshly gripping your thighs, both to hold you up and keep you in place so you don’t slip due to sheer force of his movements, but also because he adores your thighs-if it were up to him, his face would be permanently squished between them while eating you out, all day, every day.

you can quickly tell that neither of you will last much longer, the long foreplay already getting you close to the finish line. for yourself you can tell by that funny feeling in your tummy and in the quiver of your legs that are wrapped around cheol’s hips. for cheol, you can tell by how his movements have lost the rhythm, only focusing on fucking you as fast as possible, desperate to cum inside of you and make you cum on his dick.

cheol presses his sweaty forehead against your own, his glassy eyes looking directly into your own. despite how dirty this all feels, you can still feel love pouring from his eyes into your own. you feel his adoration for you, you feel that his heart is beating for you and for you only. al of that is enough to make the knot inside of your tummy slowly start to unravel, your pussy squeezing around cheol’s dick stronger than ever before.

at the feeling of you milking him dry, he moans loudly, his movements sloppier than ever, holding out his orgasm and stopping himself from cumming just so you can cum together with him.

“that’s it, baby, cum around me. take it, take what’s yours. lemme feel that pussy-“

the rest of his words don’t register in your brain because cheol lets go one of your thighs so he can rub your clit, thumb pressing harshly into it as he moves it side to side in quick movements, and in a few seconds you are cumming.

cheol moans as he feels you cumming around him, his own finish following your own immediately. he tries to ride your orgasms as long as possible, but then he feels liquid drench his pants, only to see you squirting on him, his brain short-circuiting at the sensation.

he successful holds you up through your orgasms despite his legs shaking like crazy from how hard he has come. using the fact that you are leaning on the wall, cheol pushes you further into it in the name of getting closer to you, dropping his forehead onto your shoulder as he feels the last of your orgasm drenching him, his own dick pulsating almost painfully inside of you.

for a minute or so, you two just stand there, hugging each other as you breathe heavily, trying desperately to regain your vision. you pat his hair slowly, just like how he likes it. cheol, in return, hugs you impossibly close to himself, whispering beautiful nothings into your ear like “good girl” and “i love you so much baby”, just how you like it.

after another moment or so, he finally pulls back, his big brown eyes looking you over to see if everything is good, only to be met with your spent but satisfied expression, eyes unfocused as you try to look back into him.

he uses one hand to slowly move your hair away from your face, grimacing a little at the feeling of sweat that sticks to his hand as he wipes your forehead.

he watches you for a few seconds, eyes so gentle and full of love, he can’t resist kissing you slowly, his lips a bit chapped from continuously biting it, but still somehow so soft.

you close your eyes and just enjoy the feeling of his love, arms lazily wrapped around his shoulders, fingers twirling his hair at the back of his head.

he slowly pulls away, eyes searching your own. once he sees you finally being able to focus on him, the first thing he says to you is

“i love you so much baby.”

and for some reason, probably due to all the adrenaline and because of how gentle he is being, you feel your eyes prickling with tears, quickly hiding your face in his shoulder and hugging him closer than ever, seeking out his comfort.

cheol tries prying a bit worriedly, gently asking things like ‘what’s wrong baby? hm? tell me so i can make it better’ but all you have strength for is to whisper quietly to him “i love you too. so much…bedroom, please.”

cheol gets the hint, quickly pulling out of you so he can carry you to your bedroom so he can cuddle you and take care of you, lips kissing your temple as he kicks the door open and walks to your bed.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

you stir awake, eyes blurry as you try to find your boyfriend.

only to see his side of the bed empty.

you quickly get up in panic, still a bit needy and in need of his touch, looking around with furrowed eyebrows.

only to see the bathroom door open, cheol standing in front of the mirror as he’s trying to take off the black paint from his eye area, softly and quietly cursing at how stubborn the paint is, only smudging around instead of getting off his face.

you immediately stop panicking, observing his half naked form, his soft muscles and little tummy getting all of your attention.

he’s so effortlessly beautiful, it makes you wonder how he is even yours. he’s just standing there, only in his black towel, yet he looks like a god, wet hair falling into his eyes as he’s still trying to take the makeup off, pouting at how unsuccessful he is at getting it off.

slowly, you get out of the bed and walk towards him, arms immediately wrapping around his waist from behind the moment you are close enough to him, nuzzling your face into the soft skin of his back.

he smells fresh, like his body gel. luckily your boyfriend isn’t one of those people who uses 36 in 1 shower gels, instead of opting for the regular one, this time having grabbed the one that smells like…cucumbers maybe? nevertheless, he’s clean and smells great, and you enjoy every second of it.

cheol drops one hand across your own that are rubbing his tummy, still trying to take the paint off.

you watch him across his shoulder, smiling in amusement for a few second before you use your hands to slowly turn him around so he’s facing you.

he immediately starts pouting at you, hands quickly finding your waist under his shirt that is hanging from your frame.

in whiny voice, he starts complaining “it won’t come off baby. what am i supposed to do? i have an important meeting tomorrow morning.”

you smile as you take the cotton pad from his hand and take your own micellar water, dabbing the pad a bit with it before you gently start rubbing his eyes.

you feel his thumbs rubbing slow circles on your hip bones in comfort, enjoying the sensation and his touch to the fullest.

“you need to use a micellar water that has some oil in it as well, so the oil can break off the paint particles. your micellar water isn’t strong enough for it apparently.”

cheol just hums in response, fully taking advantage of you taking care of him, eyes closed in enjoyment.

after a minute or so, you pull your hands away to see if everything has come off successfully, nodding your head as you see his open eyes clear of paint. you tell him that he can wash his face now, but before you can pull away and let him get back to it, cheol uses his hold on your hips to pull you into a hug. his lips immediately find yours, tongue slowly entering your mouth so he can deepen the kiss. you kiss him right back, melting in his arms because of how gently he’s kissing you.

your hands rub his chest as he’s kissing you, his own hands travelling up your back, pulling your (his) shirt with it, cold air greeting your ass that is only in a pair of panties.

slowly pulling away, cheol again looks at you with those eyes, making you feel something catch in your throat at the look he’s giving you.

smiling gently, he bends down a little so he can kiss your forehead, the whole action performed slowly and gently.

pulling away yet again, he smiles again as he uses one hand to cup your cheek, thumb slowly rubbing your skin as he looks at you.

seconds go buy as he just watches you before he lightly says in the little space between you “i am so in love with you. you don’t even know it but you own my whole being. i want to give you the world. i want to spend eternity with you, if you would let me.” he pauses so he can push his forehead against your own. almost inaudibly, he adds “in this world, it’s just you and me, love. i don’t need anybody else as long as i have you.”

and as you kiss him to shut him up before he says something else and makes you cry yet again, you think to yourself.

if only you knew, choi seungcheol. if only you knew.

[girlgenius1111]

homesick

barcelona femeni x reader r is having a difficult time settling in with her new team in Barcelona. making friends with her teammates and being so far away from home is proving to be much more difficult than she expected. luckily, there are a lot of people around to help her. if she just lets them. angst to fluff <3 —

—

There was something you learned long ago, having moved across the world at such a young age for your career. Being alone sucked. But what was worse? Being surrounded by people and still feeling completely alone. 

There was a level of disconnect between you and your teammates, something you didn’t blame them for. You were younger than the majority, only just 19. Spanish wasn’t your first language, though you had a good handle on it, you missed some of the nuances that came with being completely fluent in a language. Being introverted didn’t really help your case, because even the teammates closer in age to you were loud and outgoing, for the most part. 

You were living your dream, thousands of miles away from home and from everyone you knew. You weren’t stupid or ungrateful enough to regret moving to Barcelona, but that didn’t make the day to day easier. It felt like your teammates didn’t like you, it was taking so long for you to adapt to the playing style of the team, and as every day passed, you felt worse and worse. 

Why couldn’t you just figure it out? Why couldn’t you talk more, contribute to conversations? And when you did talk, why did you have to overthink every word you said? Why hadn’t you adjusted yet? Why did you long for a home across the world when you were living out the opportunity of a lifetime? 

It didn’t matter that the coaching staff had been nothing but kind and encouraging, promising that it took time to get into the flow of the game, that everyone had to adjust. It didn’t matter that your teammates really seemed to be trying with you, it still felt like they were just being polite.

When it came down to it, you were doing your best, yet you were still struggling. You were all alone, with no clue how to pull yourself out of the slump you’d fallen into. 

—

The first time Ingrid and Frido realized something might be going on with you was after a solid win away. Both of them made a point to get to know the new players, especially the non-spanish ones. They remembered what it was like arriving in Barcelona, not speaking a word of Spanish and trying to integrate into the team. And they hadn’t been nearly as young as you were now. They looked out for you, the quiet anxious girl that no one seemed to know very well. They made sure you were eating enough, made sure you called your mother and told the physios if you had any soreness anywhere. 

Despite the win by several goals, you didn’t seem content. The team was lighthearted and carefree, and while you normally joined in with a small smile on your face, the only time you really let yourself be pulled into the team atmosphere being when the team was celebrating, this time you didn’t. You took a seat towards the front of the bus, curling up against the window and putting your headphones on. 

It had been obvious to pretty much everyone that you were having a tough time adjusting, really feeling like the team was your team. It wasn’t for lack of trying on their part. The younger girls would try to pull you into conversations, but you always pulled back after a few minutes, your face going red after you’d spoken like you thought you’d say something wrong. You were playing well, considering you’d only been with the team for a few months, but you didn’t seem happy with your performance. Whenever anyone gave you a compliment, you politely thanked them, but it was clear you didn’t believe what they were telling you. When Ingrid and Frido, or any of the older girls for that matter, tried to check in on you, you were quick to assure them you were fine. 

It had seemed pretty routine, though, up until this point. Everyone struggled when they joined Barça. They assumed you were just adjusting, but that you were having an entire crisis of confidence in yourself on top of terrible aching homesickness that lived in the back of your mind every minute of every day. 

But something seemed wrong today. You weren’t just quiet, you were morose. Staring out the window with no music playing through your headphones, looking dangerously close to tears. It didn’t make sense to Ingrid or Frido, or any of the captains that also had their eye on you, because you’d had a good game. 

Sure, you’d missed a few chances, but you’d also scored. Just looking at you, though, it seemed like you’d had the worst game of your life. 

The chances you’d missed were playing on a loop in your brain. You’d been good at trying to keep yourself from dwelling on how much you were struggling until this point. Perhaps it was just too much today, or perhaps it was because you knew you were missing a family dinner that evening for your cousin’s birthday. Whatever it was, everything suddenly felt irreparably terrible. 

You’d never make friends. You’d never integrate into the team. You’d never be the player you knew you could be. You’d be sent back home a failure, disappointing anyone who had ever believed in you. Your thoughts were a downward spiral as the bus started moving, so much so that you didn’t even realize you’d stopped moving until Ingrid was tapping you on the shoulder and telling you that you’d arrived back in the parking lot.

“Hey, you okay?” She asked gently. The Norwegian didn’t miss the way you whipped your head around, as if scared for anyone to think you weren’t okay. Luckily the rest of the bus was mostly empty, aside from Patri trying to drag a half asleep Claudia out of her seat. 

“I’m fine!” You replied quickly, rising to your feet and slinging your bag over your shoulder. “I’m fine. Sorry, I just spaced out.”

Ingrid didn’t move for a moment, blocking your exit entirely. She studied you, green eyes piercing right through your very soul. 

“You don’t seem–”

“I’m okay, really.” You interrupted, inching closer until Ingrid got the message and moved out of your way with a sigh. “I’m tired, I want to get home.” 

And with that, you made your escape, slipping past your teammate and rushing off the bus. To be fair, you were tired. Exhausted, actually. But you needed to be home within the next hour because your mother was going to call, and if you talked to her around anyone else, they’d see you cry after you hung up. The tears were inevitable, but you didn't have to let anyone see them. 

—

Though you were unaware, you were somewhat of a topic of conversation among the older girls on the team in the days following that away match. Ingrid had filled in the captains, and there were more eyes on you at training. They saw things they’d missed before, mostly just the way you seemed tense all the time, the absurdly high standard you held yourself to. No one thought you were just adjusting, anymore. No, something deeper was going on, something that had you falling apart at the seams. The issue they found themselves facing was one that plagued you as well. Because you weren’t particularly close with anyone on the team, no one had any idea how to figure out what was wrong. 

Ingrid had tried, to no avail. Alexia, with her stern captain voice and then the next day, with a softer approach. Esmee had tapped in then with Frido, but still. Nothing. 

You insisted you were fine. Seemed guilty that anyone was even taking the time to ask you if you were okay, and then more guilty because they were making an effort and you had no idea how to respond. Your instinct was to shy away from anything your teammates offered but you weren’t sure why when you so deeply craved friendship. 

Something you couldn’t escape, though, was team bonding. It was unspoken that events like this were mandatory, and normally you wouldn’t necessarily mind going. They were fun evenings, even if you felt like you basically watched them from the sidelines. Now, though, when it felt like everyone on the team was watching you, waiting for something, though you weren’t sure what… you’d never wanted to attend less. 

In fact, you found yourself quite nervous as the evening approached. Training had been normal, or what passed for normal now with everyone seemingly watching your every move. At least 6 people had reminded you about dinner that evening; you couldn’t even pretend you forgot. 

So, there you were. Squished in between Jana and Ona at the table of everyone’s favorite sushi place. It was a social overload, with everyone talking all at once. But you were doing fine, mostly. Jana and Ona both seemed to be making conscious efforts to bring you into conversations, which you pretended you didn’t notice. As the evening went on, it only got better. You relaxed more, letting yourself fall into conversation with Caro across the table. You felt you were being more.. you than you’d ever been in front of the team. 

The admittedly long list of people Ingrid and Frido had recruited to keep an eye on you were all very thrilled to see you getting on so well. You laughed at Pina’s jokes, started speaking not just when you were spoken to. There was light in your eyes, joy on your face. And now that your teammates had seen you like this, how you should be most of the time, they couldn’t help but feel guilty for not noticing how unwell you were before. 

But still. Progress was progress. And the evening could definitely be considered progress. 

Until you glanced down at your phone, and saw a missed call from your Mom. It was well past the time you normally spoke to her, and you hadn’t realized. You were supposed to call her an hour ago, like you did every day, but you’d forgotten. 

A million thoughts ran through your head in just a few short seconds, the most prominent of which being that you hadn’t forgotten or missed a call from your Mom since being here. Maybe it was pathetic, but talking to her was one of the only things that made you feel completely at ease in this new city. For a reason you couldn’t wholly justify, tears burned your eyes. 

You’d forgotten to call. You’d missed her call.

A level of guilt you’d never before experienced overwhelmed you, because you’d basically ignored your Mom, and you’d never been more aware of how terrified you were to forget where you came from, forget your family and your friends, than you were in that moment. 

Perhaps that was why you were terrified to let your guard down around your teammates; because settling in felt like forgetting, and forgetting didn’t seem fair. You barely registered mumbling something about needing to leave before your chair was scraping on the floor and you were out of there as fast as you could be. 

You wanted to go home. Not the home in Barcelona, the apartment that didn’t quite feel like yours. But the home you’d grown up in. It was funny, because you’d spent so many years wanting to get out of there, and here you were. Living your dream, but you couldn’t stop thinking about home. It didn’t matter that you used to fight with your parents all the time, or that your siblings never left you alone. You’d take any amount of yelling, any amount of annoyance if you could just go home. 

Much to your dismay, the door to the restaurant had barely shut behind you before you heard it swinging open again. There were fast footsteps, even as you sped up and tried to hurry to your car. Then, a hand wrapping around your wrist and softly tugging. 

“Chica, wait a minute,” Jana called. You stopped, not turning around until Jana practically did it for you. Her face was full of concern and sympathy and it made your stomach twist. “Is everything okay?” 

“Yeah.” You tried to sound casual, calm, but your voice cracked. “Everything’s fine.”

Jana looked doubtfully at you, her fingers raking through her dark hair as she considered your words that were a complete contradiction to your appearance. You didn’t look fine at all. You looked like you were barely holding it together, and Jana wasn’t sure what had happened. Just moments ago, everything had been fine. 

“If everything is fine, why are you rushing out like there’s a fire or something?” 

You opened your mouth, trying to come up with an excuse. There were a million possibilities; your head hurt, you’d forgotten to blow out a candle, you’d forgotten a meeting with your agent. Anything. Anything would have been better than the truth, but for some reason, the truth seemed to be forcing its way out. 

 “I… I was supposed to call my Mom but I forgot.” You choked out. 

Jana’s confusion didn’t fade, but she took a step closer, placing a comforting hand on your arm. “Can’t you call her later?”

You shook your head rapidly, a few tears springing free and trailing down your cheeks. A gust of wind blew, a chill running down your spine, and for some reason, you thought about the big oak tree in your front yard at home. How the leaves would rustle in the wind when you used to climb up the trunk, and you’d feel so at peace, even 15 feet off the ground. Your chest ached, deeply. Painfully. 

“No. I call her every day at the same time, so I have to call. I have to call.” You mumbled, waiting for Jana to laugh or tease you or something, though she’d never do that and you knew it. She didn’t even push, didn’t suggest you text your Mom to explain you were busy and say you’d call her later. Instead, Jana stepped even closer, her hands finding both of your shoulders.

“You miss her?” Jana asked gently. Her voice held an empathy and concern that shouldn't have surprised you. Everyone knew Jana was kind, but you were always surprised by how purely good someone so young was. 

Biting your lip, you nodded, more tears escaping. 

Jana gave you a somewhat sad smile before pulling you into a hug, squeezing tight and pressing a kiss to the side of your head. 

“I bet it’s so hard being so far away.” 

“Yeah. It is.” You paused, hesitating. Something about standing there with Jana felt like you could say anything, could be honest and it would be okay. “It’s really lonely sometimes.” 

Jana’s heart broke at the fractured sound of your voice, the way you clung onto her like you weren’t sure you’d stay standing if she let go. She hugged you tighter for a moment, before pulling back and giving you a reassuring smile. 

“I bet it is. I’m sorry we haven’t tried harder to help you settle in.” 

At this you shrugged, pretending her words didn’t hold any weight. 

“ Okay, chica. Go home, call your Mama. You’ll feel better tomorrow, and if you need anything, you call me, okay? Anything.”

You appreciated the offer more than you could articulate. Jana wasn’t judging you for being homesick, didn’t feel like you were taking your spot with the team for granted. She hadn’t questioned the validity of the reason you were so upset. She was being a friend. 

“Thank you, Jana. Really.” 

“Of course!” Jana replied easily, giving your hand one last squeeze. “I’ll tell Ale you had a headache, and I’ll see you tomorrow at training.” 

You nodded, smiling gratefully at the defender. 

As you got into the car and started your journey home, you were more sure than ever that you’d been the problem the whole time. Resisting and pulling away from something you weren’t sure you could have, yet your teammates kept reaching out anyway. So afraid of rejection and being disliked that you didn’t let anyone get to know you in the first place. 

—

Jana did not tell Ale you had a headache. No, she went back inside, mind racing with ways she could possibly help you, and was promptly ambushed by Ingrid, Frido, and Alexia. All three women were taller than her, suddenly staring down at her with half concerned, half frantic looks on their faces. 

“Did you catch her?” Ingrid questioned. 

Jana sighed, nodding her head. “Yeah. She had to go, she… forgot about something.” 

“What? What did she forget?” Alexia wondered. 

Jana hesitated. She wasn’t sure what the right thing to do here was. She did know, though, that Alexia always seemed to be able to help solve her problems. And Frido and Ingrid were so concerned. Jana didn’t want to break your trust, but she didn’t know how else to help you. 

And more than anything, she really just wanted to help you. 

—

Something was different the next day at training. 

It began as soon as you walked into the locker room. Loud voices had echoed down the hall, all of them falling silent as you walked through the door. Countless pairs of eyes were on you, the room falling quieter than you’d ever heard it. A very heavy moment passed, before Alexia cleared her throat, and everyone fell back into their conversations. You couldn’t help but feel, though, that they’d been talking about you.  

That feeling only intensified as you slipped into your training kit, pulling your top over your head to find Kika and Ona standing on either side of you. Though you often found it hard to break into conversations, there was no time that this rang truer than morning training sessions. You weren’t a morning person, and your brain simply refused to keep up with the fast paced spanish like it normally could. As a result, the time you spoke the least to your teammates was when you arrived in the morning. 

“Hi?” 

“Do you have plans after training?” Kika asked, a soft smile on her face. One that was almost too kind. Too… searching. 

“I-”

“Wait! No! Ingrid and I were going to ask her to get coffee with us!” Frido cut in, appearing behind Kika and throwing an arm around the younger girl’s shoulders. 

“Well you should have asked first,” Kika smirked, shoving the blonde away from her. 

Ona nodded her head. “We’re going to lunch, you can see her tomorrow.” 

You looked between the three of them, confusion evident on your face. None of them had ever made this much of an effort with you before, and it was suspicious to say the least. Also suspicious was the way half the team seemed to be stealing glances at you, waiting for you to agree to lunch or coffee or whatever you were about to be roped into.

You thought about earlier, how they’d all stopped talking when you walked in. You felt like there was some joke you weren’t in on, and it occurred to you that maybe… maybe the joke was you. The pieces didn’t exactly match up, yet you could feel the paranoia creeping in, the anxiety making your chest tighten. 

“I… I have plans this afternoon, but another time.” You stuttered, giving your teammates a half smile as you turned back to your cubby and worked on pulling your hair up. It wasn’t exactly a lie; you’d planned to go to a cafe and read that afternoon. You’d had a rather long and tearful call with your Mom the night before, and she’s suggested you try to get out of the house today, to get your mind off things. 

You didn’t think about the fact that she would absolutely tell you to go spend time with your teammates if the opportunity presented itself. While you normally would have been excited about the opportunity to spend time with some of them, something felt so off about this. Artificial. 

“Okay! Tomorrow then.” Kika declared, squeezing your shoulder and walking off. 

You sat on the bench to put your boots on, pretending you didn’t notice Frido and Ona still lingering by you. Pretended you didn’t notice that Patri was speaking quietly to Pina and Vicky, their eyes all trained on you. Pretended you couldn’t tell that something was going on, and it most definitely had something to do with you. 

—

Everyone was watching you. Everyone was talking to each other and looking at you, checking in with you, asking about your morning, what you’d had for breakfast, what your plans were for the afternoon. It was too much, too suddenly.

Your mind kept flitting to the moment you’d walked into the locker room earlier, the almost guilty looks on everyone’s faces as they all stopped talking. They’d been talking about you, you were sure of it now. And whatever they’d been saying, they didn’t want you to hear. 

As training dragged on, and the attention on you didn’t waver for a second, you began to spiral. 

Were they… making fun of you? Logically, you knew the chances of that were very low, but your anxiety was drowning out the logic quickly. 

Maybe they really didn’t like you, had all been discussing it when you’d walked in. Maybe the guilt had kicked in, then, and they were trying to overcompensate. 

It felt suffocating, the weight of everyone’s attention, the pressure to perform perfectly in training and answer everyone's constant questions. It was odd, that for so many weeks now you’d just been wishing for your teammates to notice you, to make an effort but now that it was happening, you were terrified. It couldn’t be genuine, couldn’t be real. They just felt bad for not liking you, probably. Or maybe one of the captains was making them be nice to you. 

It was as if your body was rejecting the attention, your panic building and building until it was all you could do to run through the drills and not collapse onto the ground. 

There was only an hour or so left of training, but you weren’t sure you could make it. Every one of your senses felt heightened. Every voice and glance in your direction felt like an attack on your nervous system and you wanted more than anything for everyone to just stop. 

Stop whatever they were doing, whether that be a joke or pity or something else. Stop looking at you, stop talking to you with an undertone of pity and concern. You just needed it all to stop. 

“Are you alright?” 

You nearly jumped out of your skin, the water bottle you were clutching tight in your hands falling to the ground. Ingrid had wandered over during a water break, and you’d been too caught up in the spiral of your own thoughts to notice. The brunette was gazing at you, her cheeks flushed from the heat but her green eyes clear and full of worry. 

“Ye-yeah, I’m fine.” You replied, willing Ingrid to go away before anyone looked over and noticed what she was clearly seeing; you were very far from okay. It was too late for that, though, Irene appearing on your other side, her hand pressing to your forehead as she studied your face. It felt so similar to when your Mom would check you for a fever, you choked on your own breath, pain ripping through you. 

“You look unwell, are you having a bit of heat stroke? Sit down, let me–” Irene was talking, but you barely heard any of it.

“–I’m fine, I just need… need to go. I have to go, I’m sorry.” 

You wrenched yourself away from Ingrid and Irene’s hands, nearly tripping over your own feet in your haste to get away. The shared locker room was probably the least logical place to go to escape your teammates, yet that was where you found yourself, mind in overdrive as you began to pace back and forth. 

You didn’t want to be the butt of the joke or the group charity project. You didn’t want people to pity you, you didn’t want to be coddled or watched over. You just wanted to be normal, like the rest of your teammates. 

You couldn’t do this any longer. It was too hard, being here was too hard. You wanted to go home, more than anything in the world. You wanted your Mom, your dog, your bedroom, and the safety of being with the people you loved. 

Hands found your shoulders, interrupting your pacing. You looked up, tears streaming down your face, finding Alexia looking at you with so much concern, it made your stomach twist. 

“What’s going on, chica?” Alexia asked gently. 

You broke, a small whimper falling from your lips as you exhaled, everything you were feeling and thinking coming pouring out of you like a tidal wave you couldn’t control. 

“I-everyone is being so weird and you were all talking about me this morning and no one will leave me alone and you’re all staring at me and I don’t know what I did wrong, I don’t know what to do, I just want to go home. I just want to go home, I can’t do this anymore,” 

Strong arms were wrapping around your trembling form a half a second later, and as much you’d deny it happened to anyone who asked afterwards, you found yourself sobbing into your captain’s training kit. Alexia shushed you gently, steady even as you fell apart. 

“It’s okay, chica. You’re okay. Just let it out.” Alexia murmured, carefully steering you over to the bench and guiding you to sit down on it. Her arms didn’t release you, not as you sat down and not for the next few minutes as you cried yourself out. Eventually, you pulled it together enough to lean away from your captain and wipe at your face with your shirt. 

Wordlessly, Alexia handed you a water bottle, one hand still resting on your back. The touch felt remarkably comforting, and you already felt better, already realized you’d let your anxiety get the better of you and overreacted. But then, Alexia broke the silence. 

“We were.” She admitted, reaching out to help you unscrew the cap of the water bottle when your hands proved to be shaking too hard to do so yourself. You looked at her questioningly, and she sighed, a guilty look flashing across her face. “We were talking about you when you walked in.”

Your stomach dropped, the color draining out of your face. You’d hoped that you were just being crazy and anxious and paranoid, but no, they did hate you, they all hated you and–

“Nothing bad, though. We were just worried. Jana… Jana told me what happened yesterday, and I just wanted to make sure you were okay, that you had the support you needed. I didn’t want you to feel alone.” 

The words were everything you should have wanted to hear, yet you couldn’t move past the first thing she’d said. Jana had told her what you’d said. 

“I realize we haven’t made enough of an effort to incorporate you into the team, and that is our fault. It’s always hard when someone first gets here, and we thought you were just adjusting, we didn’t realize you were having such a hard time.” 

If you’d known Alexia better, you’d have realized she was rambling, scrambling to try to justify everyone’s actions. As it was, you didn’t even really process what she was saying, feeling humiliation wash over you instead. 

It had been pity that fueled them, yet still, they’d made an effort. You couldn’t decide if that made it better or not. You couldn’t decide how you felt about any of this. 

“It’s normal to feel homesick, chica. Very normal. You are so far from everything you have ever known, of course that is going to be hard. We should have noticed, and we should have done more to help you adjust.” 

She was speaking so earnestly, you couldn’t help but thaw a little. 

“I’m not… I’m not some pathetic person everyone needs to feel bad for and–”

“No. No one sees you like that.” Alexia insisted. “You are our teammate, and we take care of our own. We should have been doing more for you.” 

At this, you averted your eyes, shrugging and inhaling deeply. She wasn’t… wrong. And she spoke with such conviction that you kind of believed her, that your teammates really cared about you, and didn't just feel bad for you. 

“You are so mature, I forget how young you are sometimes. But us especially, the captains, we should have been looking out for you. I’m sorry about that, chica. Can you forgive me?” 

And, well, what were you supposed to say to that? 

“Yeah.” You agreed, clearing your throat when the word came out raspy and broken. “Yeah, I can.” 

Alexia studied you for a moment, a contemplative expression on her face. “You forgive too easily.” She said finally. “But I am glad, because Jana has been having a nervous breakdown about telling us what you said, even though she was just worried. I can’t take another Jana breakdown, chica, I really cannot.” 

You laughed at this, a genuine laugh that made your captain grin and ruffle your hair. 

Alexia stood, extending her hand out to you. “Back to training? Or do you need the afternoon?” 

Her voice was free of any judgment, and you could tell that whichever option you chose would genuinely be okay. But you also knew yourself, and if you left now, you’d just be more nervous tomorrow to come in. Putting off the anxiety inducing situation would only make it worse. So though you’d run off in tears like a child, you nodded, grabbing Alexia’s hand and standing up. 

“As long as everyone stops staring at me.” 

“Done.” 

— 

It wasn’t a quick fix, by any means. But it was the little things that changed, and those seemed to make the biggest difference. It began that very day, when you walked back out to the pitch with Alexia. Everyone was staring, but trying to pretend they weren’t, until Alexia whistled and raised her voice. 

“Oye! Be normal. Now.” She shouted. It was as if a switch flipped, and the general energy within the team relaxed instantly. You hadn’t been the only one tense, you realized. 

Later, Jana caught you as you were heading back into the locker room, looking genuinely distressed. 

“I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything to anyone about what you told me, I just–”

“It’s okay.” You interrupted. You figured there wasn’t a better place to start with fitting in better than forgiving. “You were just worried, Ale told me.” 

Relief broke out across Jana’s face and she exhaled sharply, yanking you into a tight hug. 

“Thank you, chica.” 

With Jana forgiven, with the team acting more normally, you could actually enjoy watching your teammates fall over themselves to do something with you. Whether it was driving you to training, or getting lunch or coffee with you. Making christmas cookies or going on a hike. 

The offers didn’t feel empty anymore. They hadn’t been, the whole time, but only now could you see that. Your teammates wanted to get to know you, you just had to let them. And as you let them, as your teammates became friends, your homesickness faded. Not entirely, of course not. There were still moments you wanted nothing more than to get on a plane and fly home and never look back. There were still moments you cried, still days that felt heavy and terrifying. But you weren’t alone in these moments anymore; or really, you’d never been. 

It was a funny thing, how two problems you’d kept separate in your head were really so intertwined. There wasn’t as much room to be homesick when you were having fun with your friends. And even when you were still homesick, there was always someone there ready to listen and give you a hug. Always. And you found that made all the difference in the world. 

—

hope you enjoyed :)

also i feel like im missing something from this but i can't put my finger on what it is? so... making the very rare statement that i would not be opposed to one shot requests in this universe :)

[starcurtain]

Potential Phaidei Crumbs

Some more possible Phaidei crumbs that I've been thinking about and haven't seen people discussing yet:

First, in the very first scene with Mydei, there's this one odd line. It's a tiny thing, but nothing in a character's first appearance is accidental, so...

Mydei starts griping, telling Phainon that the people of Castrum Kremnos as a whole will not accept him. Presumably he actually means this in a general sense, aka "The Kremnoans won't accept any other hero; Kremnos won't become allies with anyone."

However, something I haven't seen many people note is that Mydei's very next line is:

"As the successor of Kremnos, I am not able to act independently on such matters."

This is a weird statement, right?

Saying "I am not able to act independently" basically implies that there is a desire to choose differently than his people. It's not "I would never act differently than my people demand." It's not even "I don't want to act independently"--it's "I am not able to." Wording the statement this way actively suggests that Mydei has a different stance than Kremnos itself--that if he had the power to act independently, he might make a different determination than his people expect.

Or, in more direct words: He would accept Phainon if he had the choice.

The dev team is very careful about the first impression that characters make in their debut appearances in the game. Choosing to deliberately reveal to us that Mydei has a different opinion of Phainon than the rest of the Kremnoans might is a strong signal for Mydei's characterization--deep down, he is very different from other Kremnoans--but, even more importantly, it tells us instantly that Mydei thinks more highly of Phainon than other people from Kremnos do. (Even if he also thinks Phainon is a mannerless heathen who lacks hospitality lol.)

Okay, okay, but that's just one little line. There's another thing I wanted to point out too, and that's actually Miss Castorice...

I've seen a lot of people suggesting Mydei/Castorice, Phainon/Castorice, and even Mydei/Castorice/Phainon, but for all the fandom's shipping (and everyone should feel free to ship what they love; your ship is valid, fam!), I actually kind of think that...

Castorice is a bit of a Mydei/Phainon shipper herself.

Although Castorice is of course just a good person who is doing what she can to help Okhema, she also is quick to assist Phainon specifically to save Mydei, quick to try to keep Phainon calm because that's what will help him get to Mydei quicker, and she just brings Mydei up out of the blue to Phainon several times throughout the story.

It's Castorice who halts Phainon's ascension ceremony to ask where Mydei is, because she expected him to be there for Phainon.

It seems to be a given for Castorice that if Phainon needs him, in Phainon's most important hour, Mydei should obviously be with him. She knew Mydei would come.

Even before that, when Phainon was feeling down, Castorice admits she doesn't know how to comfort Phainon herself, and instead... brings up Mydei to comfort Phainon???

Girl thought Quick, how can I raise Phainon's self-esteem? and Mydei's nickname for Phainon was the first thing that seems to have come to mind. 😂

She really said "You're not lame, Phainon; Mydei thinks you're a hero!"

Okay, being more serious--even putting shipping aside entirely, it's just overall clear that Castorice perceives the close comradeship between Phainon and Mydei (probably moreso than Phainon himself) and understands how important having that close friendship is to Phainon, who seems to have nothing else left outside of the Chrysos Heirs at all.

She seems to be able to tell how much Phainon needs people in his life who believe in and can stand beside him, and seems to have clocked that Mydei is definitely one such person. The game tells us players clearly that Castorice is an incredibly perceptive person who is sensitive to the feelings of others, and part of that includes her continuing to verbally recognize, throughout 3.0, the support Phainon gains from his close connection to Mydei.

I think this is just another cool touch--but also maybe another subtle nod from the devs. Castorice won't even let Phainon have a single scene where Mydei isn't mentioned lol.

And finally, one last crumb based on a pet theory...

"As I've Written"

We don't yet know who is responsible for actually writing the character profiles in the "As I've Written" book--although the rewards section is called "Author's Recompense" and the player get rewards for "composing sagas," alongside the interact button being "Write Story," there's actually an entire achievement teasing the fact that the Trailblazer doesn't know who actually wrote the book:

It's not remotely written in a style the Trailblazer would write in, and it also contains information the Trailblazer (at least currently) has no way of knowing at all, like the details of Castorice's backstory.

At this point, the real author could be anyone. But I feel like there's a few things pointing in favor of the idea that the real author might be Phainon. It could also be Anaxa or Cyrene or even Mem too, but hear me out...

First, the book's design is reminiscent of Phainon: the book features prominent sun/moon symbols, has the same blue-white-gold color palette, and even the design at the bottom of the book resembles the design along the front of Phainon's coat:

The book also seems to be strongly foreshadowing that someone is going to lose their way, step onto a dark path, or end up making a terrible mistake.

In Tribbie's chapter:

In Aglaea's:

And of course in Phainon's chapter, where the foreshadowing is strongest:

If this "one who has lost their direction" and "lost themself," the "flawed hero," are all references to Phainon, then the book over and over again seems to be--for the player--foreshadowing Phainon's downfall. Or, from the other perspective: This is a record written by someone who has witnessed (or experienced) the downfall and knows what is coming.

There's also the fact that while Phainon's chapter is written in third person, the narrator occasionally slips in some hints that they know what's going on in Phainon's mind:

And there's also this moment from Mydei's chapter:

We already know that this is not how Mydei behaves around people he doesn't know. When Mydei isn't familiar with a person, he doesn't banter with them--he doesn't even bother with them. He barely speaks directly to the Trailblazer the entire 3.0 plot, for example! He doesn't remotely seem like the type of person to sit down at a table and drink with someone he doesn't know.

We also know that he's already scolded Phainon several times for trying to act like an expert in Kremnoan legends:

(Thank Streetwise Rhapsody from Youtube for these screencaps because I forgot to screencap it myself lol.)

And the icing on the cake:

The exact phrase "amateur historian" again.

To me, this all but confirms that the "true" author of the "As I've Written" chronicle is probably Phainon, which finally brings me to the actual Phaidei crumb I wanted to discuss all along:

Mydei's story is listed as chapter 10 of the book. Yet for some reason --even though we get the book only after completing nearly the entire 3.0 questline, when the player has definitely met Aglaea, Castorice, and Tribbie already--Mydei's story comes first.

While Castorice, Tribbie, Phainon, and Aglaea all share the same memory crystal, Mydei has his own separate memory crystal, not shared with any other character, and it is given to the player first, before anyone else:

Phainon really said "My man is more important than the rest of us combined."

Tribbie is chapter 1. Phainon is chapter 7. Aglaea is chapter 9. But for some reason, we jumped all three of those characters to present chapter 10 first. Theoretically you could say that it's because we went to Castrum Kremnos and fought Nikador? But, story-wise, was Mydei the most important? The Trailblazer met Phainon and Tribbie first, got to actually play Aglaea for a sequence of this story, and traveled alone with Castorice. Mydei is the character the Trailblazer actually had the least connection to in the whole 3.0 storyline, so it doesn't seem that the story is truly what determined the order characters' chapters were given to us.

At the end of the day, in a book that seems it could be written by Phainon (from the future? the past?), Mydei was given special treatment and came before anyone else.

I'm just sayin'... the devs don't do things on accident.

[cy-cyborg]

I'm begging dragonage fans to do a tiny bit of research about arm amputees before loudly shouting their opinions on the inquisitor returning in the next game Please lol.

Apparently, it was confirmed that the inquisitor, your chatacter from the last game (who looses their arm in the final cutscene of the DLC), will return in Veilguard as a customisable character, similar to Hawke, and they will play an active roll in the story. This has caused a lot of people to start speculating on how they'll handle the inquisitor's missing hand, with most people agreeing they'll have to have a prosthetic to be an active part of the story. Which, while I do think this is the rought bioware will take, isn't true, and a part of me really hopes they leave the inquisitor without a prosthetic arm like in the end of Tresspasser

Partially because we already have a companion with a prosthetic (neve) and it would be nice to see some diversity in how amputation is depicted in such a mainstream game, but also because you dont need a prosthetic to fight as any of the main 3 classes from inquisition.

Mage:

mages just need a staff, the game shows them as 2 handed weapons but it's totally beleiveable that it would be usable 1-handed (Neve also uses a dagger-like weapon in the trailer, you can make a "staff" in inquisition that functions more like an energy sword, and the Mage in the chargers uses a staff resembling a bow, so I think it's more that they just need a focus, the shape doesn't matter as much). A knight enchanter may struggle more 1 handed, but I wouldn't write it off as an option with some modifications made to their main staff.

Warrior:

the easiest to justify, because there are several cases of arm amputees fighting with a sword and sheild in history, and while many did have prosthetics, most weren't functional (meaning they were mainly for aesthetic purposes and didn't actually aid the fighter in any way. There were exceptions, like Götz of the iron hand, who's prosthetic was functional, but most were not). The inquisitor looses their arm just above the wrist*, so they still have most of their forearm. Most sheilds strap to the forearm, so it wouldn't take much adjustment to make that work, and you can use the other hand for the weapon. Obviously, two-handed weapons will probably be off the table, though, lol.

*edit to say, as several people pointed out, i got that wrong, my bad 😅. The inquisitors arm is actually amputated through the elbow, the screenshots i was looking at just weren't very clear and it has been a while since i got to trespasser lol. It would still entirely possible to strap a shield to the upper arm though, with some pretty minor adjustments to the existing straps on standard (as in, those used by non-disabled warriors) tall shields, so the point still stands.

Rogue

this is the one people tend to be the loudest about and the one I understand the most. Obviously duel-weilding daggers won't work (unless you give them something like the hidden blades in assassin's creed on their stump side, I guess) but using a single dagger still would, and is a perfectly reasonable approach, given that's how most irl people used daggers. Archery, though, absolutely can work without a prosthetic, despite what people think. Dragonage has crossbows, not something like Bianca (rip) but a small, single-handed crossbow is an option. Even ignoring that though, amputee archery is a thing irl, and not every arm amputee uses prosthetics for it. The bows are modified to be held in one hand and drawn with the mouth using a kind of pully-system built into the bow that I could very easily see being modified into some dwarven-style contraption in game (some double arm amputees use their feet to draw regular bows, but I don't think that would be pheasable in combat).

Like I said, I think bioware will probably go with a prosthetic, but i hope that they don't. Or at the very least, show them with it sometimes and without it other times (the same goes for Neve, no one wears their prosthetic 24/7, I'd love to see them both take them off around the home base, even just occasionally). A lot of arm amputees in particular prefer to go without one, and arm prosthetics in media are some of the worst offenders of the "perfect prosthetic"/"miracle cure prosthetic" tropes. It doesn't count as "diversity" or disability representation if it doesn't actually change anything other than the look of the chatacter, and im really, really desperate for some actually decent amputee representation in games.

[ikyunho]

[13:00] Choi Soobin ~ TXT

Pairing: Hot nerd streamer!Soobin x gn!Reader

Warnings: Soobin is kind of oblivious idk, kissing, reader wears lipstick, both of their asses are lovesick, Yeonjun mention, for the sake of the story he's a Pokémon fan, a bit suggestive?, mild jealousy

Soobin is gorgeous and anyone with eyes would be able to see it. He, however, thinks the opposite. A video game freak with dozens of binders filled with nothing but Pokémon cards, action figures and comic books littering his bedroom. You wouldn't have it any other way. Seeing Soobin geek out over the littlest things was absolutely adorable. Your heart swelled every time he found something in a game that reminded him of you.

Soobin was streaming Stardew Valley, running around his town doing whatever, avidly avoiding the mines. Locked away in his gaming room, he clicked away at his keyboard, headphones on and blocking out the sounds of the house including the door opening.

You made it routine to check in on him every so often while he was streaming. Whether that was bringing him a glass of water, something to eat, or even just to make sure he was okay, you poked your head into the room almost like clockwork.

A small smile crept its way on your face when you saw how concentrated he looked watering the flowers in front of his house. The focused pout on his face was enough to make you melt.

Soobin was utterly adorable, you were hopelessly in love, and so were his fans.

You had no issue seeing Soobin's fans gush over him as he played the games they requested. The problem was that everyone could see how beautiful your boyfriend was, and they were not afraid to point it out in the chat.

While Soobin was on hour who knows what of his stream, you opted to have it open on your phone, occasionally reading some of the chats the views sent. Soon enough, your eyes landed on several commenting on his looks and how they wish he would date them.

Jealousy was a disease, and you had caught it, hoping to infect his viewers next.

After shutting off your phone you set it down on the kitchen counter, quickly yet quietly walking to his gaming room. A knock is all it took for Soobin to take his headphones off of one of his ears, telling you to come in.

Soobin was confused because you don't typically make yourself known, choosing to go about his streams in silence.

"Need something, Angel?" He asked slightly worried, turning his chair away from to microphone and towards the door.

"Yeah, sorry, help me get something from the cabinet?" Your question came out more as a command, not entirely caring.

"Of course. Just one second," Soobin responded as he turned back to turn off his camera and mute his microphone, the game quickly going to the idle screen.

The second he stood from his chair your arms were around his neck pulling him into a rushed kiss. Soobin's hands found your waist as the frame of his glasses bumped against your eyebrow.

Soobin pulled back even more confused than before. "What was that about?" He questioned slightly breathless.

The look on his face had you sick to your stomach, you could not physically get enough of him. Slowly your hands traveled from the nape of his neck to creeping up the bottom of his shirt. Your fingers ghosted over the skin of his waist and stomach making him shutter.

"Just missed you. You've been in here almost all day, but I'll let you finish up," You responded with a shrug, fingers still gripping at his waist, nails scratching softly every so often.

Soobin sighed in response, a blush covering his pale skin from the tips of his ears to the base of his neck.

With a final kiss to his cheek you left the room, feeling a sense of accomplishment seeing the tinge of pink from your lipstick stained on his cheeks and the corners of his mouth.

Soobin sat back at his PC, camera and microphone back on.

"Sorry chat, had to get something," He mumbled, shaking the mouse to wake up his computer.

His phone lit up with a notification from Yeonjun, one of his closest friends.

It was a text message that read:

Yeonjun: looking great Soobie, pink truly is your color. Just next time keep the lipstick on your lips, not your cheeks :)

[nxuvillette]

hi um this is my first ever ask and i was wondering if you write for kazuha hhahsgkka if you do, could you write nsfw hcs for kazuha w a reader whos bold in public but gets really shy in bed ?

hope ur doing ok !

“KEEP THAT SAME ENERGY IN BED.”

HAVING SEX WITH KAZUHA

synopsis : kazuha noticed how bold you had suddenly become during the day, but he wondered if that behavior would remain the same if he acted on his fantasies.

❥ - including : kaedehara kazuha

❥ - a/n : so sorry this took a bit of time ! i was working the whole weekend, but i do hope you enjoy :>

content warnings : nsfw [18+], fem!reader, minors + ageless + blank blogs dni, choking, dirty talk, degradation, spitting, creampie, use of pet names (my love , baby), mentions of after care.

it had honestly been a fun game for you to mess around with your boyfriend, kazuha.

the two of you finally had some free time from your taxing jobs to spend some time with one another. you both missed each other’s presence more than anything else, so you decided to spend your day walking around the city of inazuma to mingle with different people or taste the plethora of foods that were offered to you from the vendors. 

you entered various shops looking at the most breathtaking kimonos that were designed by the women selling them. kazuha suggested at one point to try one of them on to see if you wanted to purchase the clothing for a special event, and that’s when you started making your move on your boyfriend. you slightly giggled and asked if he wanted to take a peek under the fabric to see what was beneath it. 

kazuha’s cheeks turned pink, but nonetheless he kept his cool to avoid any unwanted attention.

you thought his reaction was quite cute, so you decided to continue on with your games. in all honesty, you wanted to see how long you could keep up with the front. kazuha already knew what kind of person you were in bed. you would soak your panties the second his fingers made contact with your skin, so that kind of behavior you were emitting was a bit unusual to the man. regardless, he played along.

the rest of the day moved forward quite quickly. 

you had messed around with kazuha several other times throughout the day. your hands would wander a little too close to where his crotch was, or you would suddenly become very clingy randomly. to any outsider, they’d think you both were a happy couple who were holding each other from having such a long day of exploring, but it was the exact opposite. 

once you returned home, kazuha had completely pounced on you like a lion waiting on a rabbit to eat. he pushed you onto the mattress and wasted no time pulling your shirt down to reveal your breasts that he loved so dearly. you weren’t expecting such a reaction out of your lover. he was fumbling with your top and was almost in a trance trying to get you naked. the shyness you had once hid from him all day with the facade you put on was cracking like glass, and he was well aware of that.

“k-kazuha! wait, i–“

“ah? is your little act over with? you were practically slutting yourself out for me earlier, and now you’re shy? mmm.. no, baby, i’m not gonna let that slide.” he cut you off, making your face burn with embarrassment.

you couldn’t reply, because the moment kazuha’s hand disappeared down your panties, you lost your thoughts. his fingers circled around your clit. your body felt so warm. kazuha was one of the only men who has pleased you properly. he knows all of your weak spots and how to make you fall to your knees within minutes. he really got you there, and there was no way you were going to run away from him. not after all of that teasing. 

he paused his movements on your cunt, taking his hands to pull his pants down. his cock was painfully hard and his tip was already leaking precum from how turned on he was. he turned his attention to your own shorts and he didn’t hesitate pulling them down your legs along with your underwear, tossing them elsewhere in the room. he practically salivated at your messy pussy that was all out for him. fuck, he was so damn lucky to have someone as beautiful as you laying before him. 

he didn’t want to waste anymore time. he pulled your body closer and plunged his cock into your hole, making your fingers curl around the sheets. both of you groaned in pleasure at the sensations you were feeling. kazuha’s cock reached areas inside you that you weren’t aware of. 

once he fully bottomed out, kazuha unleashed a relentless pace against your cunt. your gummy walls wrapped around him so nicely and perfectly it was almost like you were made for him. “ah! kazuha!” you moaned, making eye contact with him.

his hand attached itself to your throat, tightening his hold on you to the point where you struggled to take in air. “you like being treated like a slut, huh, my love? you’re so dirty..” he cooed, releasing some of his pressure he had on your neck.

your hands flew up to grasp his shoulders while his cock bullied your aching hole. a few hair strands began to loosen from the ponytail that held it back. he looked so good. there was sweat glistening on his body and a slight pink tint was dusted on his cheeks from how aroused he was in the moment. there was nothing better than the view right in front of you. 

you were taken by surprise when kazuha’s thumb came to your lips, prying them apart so your mouth was now open. he swallowed for a moment before a drop of his own saliva dribbled into your mouth. you blinked when his spit reached your tongue, spreading its warmth all over it. “don’t swallow until you cum, got it?” he looked down at you with seriousness in his expression.

you immediately nodded at his request and held his spit on your tongue. you could feel your body inching closer to its high. there was this white hot pleasure that kept igniting whenever kazuha’s cock kissed at your g-spot. it was clouding your judgment and your body felt amazing. you didn’t want it to end, but you were also chasing after that release you desired so badly. 

kazuha gritted his teeth when he felt your cunt clamp down around his dick. his hips suddenly stuttered. he couldn’t believe you came that quickly. he knew it didn’t take a lot for you to become so wound up, but this was quite a shock. “yeah, that’s it, baby. you’re doing so good for me.. take me in. take all of me inside you!” he threw his head back as he thrusted into you continuously.

once you swallowed, you let out cries of pleasure. your pussy felt so tired and sore. yet, kazuha kept up his assault on you. he was so close. he couldn’t help but start letting out noises as well. “kazuha! yes, right there!” you whined, locking your ankles around his torso.

with one final thrust, he finally peaked and released himself inside of you. he couldn’t help but immediately start kissing you as he rode out his orgasm. the kisses you shared were sloppy and quite messy. smacking sounds could be heard if someone else listened in. 

kazuha pulled himself out of you and laid down beside you on the bed. his arm went to circle around your waist. you could feel his heart beating against his chest as you placed your head against him. he still smelled as good as he did when you first met him during the day. 

he surely hoped you’d try some games again with him some time.

© NXUVILLETTE ┆ all rights reserved, do not repost, translate, or claim as your own.

[blanchetteminxia]

the stadium roared. the crowd was a cacophony of cheers, jeers, and the rhythmic thumping of drums. sae itoshi, ever the consummate professional, remained focused. his. senses. were. fine-tuned.

he could hear the precise click of his cleats on the manicured grass, the whistle of the wind as the ball soared through the air, the synchronized chants of the ultras. what he did not expect to hear was you.

you were supposed to be the epitome of meekness. shy. reserved. the kind of girl who spoke in whispers and blushed at a strong breeze. you were, in his estimation, a calming presence in his otherwise chaotic world. a quiet harbor in the storm of his existence.

and then he heard it.

it started subtly enough. a slightly louder cheer than usual. he almost dismissed it as the general excitement of the game. but then it escalated.

"SAE! DO YOU SEE THIS?!"

Sae's head snapped up, his eyes scanning the crowd. Was that...? No, it couldn't be.

"YOUR PASSING IS DIVINE INTERVENTION!"

his eyebrow twitched. he was starting to recognize the... timbre.

"THAT’S THE FATHER OF MY UNBORN CHILDREN!"

okay, there was no mistaking it now. that was your voice.

sae's gaze landed on your section of the stands. you were... transformed. gone was the quiet, demure girl he was courting. in her place was a woman possessed.

you were standing, jumping, waving your arms with the ferocity of a conductor leading a heavy metal orchestra. your face was flushed, your eyes blazing with an intensity he'd never seen before. and you were... screaming.

sae's mind, usually a well-organized database of football strategies and opponent weaknesses, short-circuited. he saw you sandwiched between two equally... enthusiastic women. one was holding up a sign that read "SAE, OUR CHILDREN MISS YOU," and the other was yelling something about the structural integrity of her lower extremities.

and you were right there with them, a tiny, ferocious general in this army of passionate (and slightly unhinged) fans.

he watched, dumbfounded, as you launched into a detailed critique of the opposing team's defense, your voice surprisingly loud and carrying across the stadium with alarming clarity.

"WHO ARE THESE EXTRAS AND WHY ARE THEY BLOCKING MY GLORIOUS KING!"

sae stumbled, nearly losing possession of the ball. his teammates stared at him, concern etched on their faces. the opposing team looked equally bewildered, their concentration broken by the sheer... force of your cheering.

for the rest of the game, sae was... distracted. he kept glancing at you, his mind struggling to reconcile the image of the quiet girl he knew with the banshee-like creature in the stands. he made several uncharacteristic mistakes, his passes going astray, his tackles mistimed.

the opposing team scored. their captain pointed in your general direction and gave you a thumbs up. sae wanted to disappear.

by the time the final whistle blew, sae was a broken man. he trudged off the field, the cheers of the crowd fading into a distant buzz. he spotted you waiting for him near the players' tunnel, your face glowing with triumph.

"hey,…”  he croaked, his voice barely a whisper. "what... what was that?"

you beamed at him, your usual shyness returning as quickly as it had vanished. "oh, sae! did you see me? i was really getting into it! those girls were amazing! i think i made some new friends!"

sae stared at you, his brain refusing to process the words. he opened his mouth to speak, but all that came out was a strangled, "yeah.. that was… new”

you tilted your head, confused. "oh yea.. when you're on the field, i just... i get a little passionate."

a little passionate.

sae replayed the events of the last ninety minutes in his head. the screaming, the yelling, the detailed anatomical commentary from your fellow fans...

somehow, he finds this new side of you amusing. so much so that now, four years later, he finds himself smiling as he hears your screams from the bleachers.

he has never felt so lucky to have such a devoted cheerleader.

[bucketbueckers]

I'D RATHER PRETEND

extra 4: forget

wc: 6.3k

synopsis: the four times tess and paige forgot they were on different wnba teams

notes: i think i would be a terrible ex bc every time i say im done w this series i end up coming back 😟 i went ahead and combined both of the ideas i linked in the poll since they were so close sooooo everybody is winning i think! also i will be moving all of the irp extras to the irp masterlist instead of clogging my main one so do not be alarmed if you can't find them. uhh thats all but as always i hope y'all enjoy 🫶

i. firsts

JUNE 6, 2025

For all intents and purposes, today was just another game.

It was an away game, which Tess always enjoyed – it was the competitor in her who thrived off of the home team crowd’s jeers, their disappointed groans when the game was tight and one of their star players missed a shot. It’s the kind of pressure that she craves. You walk into hostile territory, not even as the underdog, but something a little more intense than that. Something more personal. Hundreds of people fill the stands and all they know is that their team will beat yours. Tess could always be found in that sort of quiet that fills the arena when she’s made her point, when her wrist is bent from a deep three that she knows is going in – that shell-shocked, stunned, dominant silence that surges through her veins like electricity. That’s what basketball is to her.

Besides being a Commissioner’s Cup game, the second of Tess’s season, Tess was committed to treating this game just as any other. They’d steamrolled the Mercury only a few days ago so she was in high spirits going into this game. 

…Which just so happened to be their first game against the Dallas Wings. Her first game against Paige.

She’d heard it all from the media throughout the season, even if they’d never said it to her face directly. How are you planning on navigating these games against your significant other? Will you play the game any differently? Is this personal to you? And even the ever elusive, Are you planning on throwing away your season to improve Paige’s stats and her Rookie of the Year campaign — which, what the fuck?

The point is – this has been the most anticipated game since the beginning of the season. While the Wings and the Sparks have both lost a few games each (losing was something that Tess and Paige weren’t quite used to – KP pulled her aside in the locker room after her first of the season, shrugged, and simply said, “Shit happens. Just make sure you have toilet paper,” and to this day, Tess really isn’t sure what that’s supposed to mean). Despite the culture shock, Tess and Paige were both on tears — averaging about twenty points a game each. Paige led her in assists, although they tied in rebounds and Tess led in stocks. Analysts claimed they’d be the deadliest backcourt the WNBA has ever seen if only they were on the same team. They had a few more years to go, but Tess did have to admit their games were near perfect complements of each other. 

For as long as she’s been playing collegiate basketball and now, the few short weeks she’s been playing professional basketball, she’s gotten a lot better at tuning out the media noise. While this is a huge game for a lot of reasons – the narrative, the cup game, the first she’s played against Paige as professional athletes, Tess knew better than anyone else that she needed to keep her cool and treat it like she would any other game, even if she and Paige haven’t seen each other since their post draft “vacation” (if you could call it that – Paige was in between several interviews, show appearances, a victory rally, although Tess appreciated that she was just as committed to taking the time off together as she was).

So what if this was the first time seeing her girlfriend in person in almost a month? Tess and Paige were grown adults with grown adult jobs. They could handle the distance. They’re professionals. Which is why Tess is going to not geek out about it.

“Girl,” Rickea deadpans, causing Tess to look up from where she’s currently lacing up her sneakers in the Wings’ visitor locker room. “You need to get it together.”

Tess frowns, genuinely confused. “I’m tying my shoes and minding my business!” she exclaims. “What do you want from me?”

Kelsey snorts, sliding the Sparks warm-up sweatshirt over her frame. “You’ve been smiling all day,” she says. “It’s actually terrifying. Like you were even smiling while tying your shoes. Who does that?”

Tess, conveniently, focuses on her other shoe, making sure the laces are tightened to her liking. “I have plenty of things to be happy about in my life,” she defends. She can hear Cam laugh from the other side of the locker room, turning to Azurá and whispering something about here we go again. “My cousin’s pregnant again. Did I tell you guys that?”

The entire locker room chimes in with a chorus of groans – because truthfully, Tess hasn’t shut up about it. “So that’s really fun! I’m trying to talk her into naming her daughter after me. Tess Kennedy Jr.”

“What if she has a son?” Rickea asks, clearly entertaining this ridiculous conversation.

Tess wrinkles her nose. “She won’t. There’s no space in my family for a man.” Then, she remembers the topic of their conversation, trying her best to steer her teammates away from the conclusion they are most definitely making about her pregame mood. “Then, when we played the Mercury, I set a new career high. Very happy about that, too.” Rickea hums, gassing her up, much to Kelsey’s amusement. “What else?” Tess exaggeratedly taps her chin.

“Keep your secrets,” Kelsey goads, squeezing her shoulder. “Whenever you wanna admit it to yourself, just know that we know. And so will the cameras. So don’t look too in love with the enemy.”

Tess rolls her eyes despite the flush on her cheeks. “You guys have no faith in me,” she says glumly.

“I have faith in you,” Cam says brightly. “We’re happy that you’re happy. Just remember to have some dignity when you walk out.”

“Cameron.”

Cam’s laughter echoes in the locker room as she leaves. Still, Tess grins, satisfied with the tightness of her laces, and follows them out for warm-ups. She can handle this.

Tess, in fact, was not handling it.

Well – she was, but she didn’t want to. She’s not sure what Paige did to her to turn her into the kind of person who stares longingly across the court during warm-ups. Her brain knows that she and Paige have done this long distance thing long enough to deal with it, but having Paige so close to her seems to override that logic. A month isn’t even the longest period of time they’ve gone without seeing each other, but Tess just misses her, as trivial as it is.

She tries, though. She knows there were things they could get away with in college, but she has to remind herself that while she’s just playing basketball, this is her job now. There are a lot of things the media won’t let slide – she could already see the headlines that would tear the both of them down for distracting each other. Tess keeps her focus on her warm ups, listening to the trainers coach them through the exercises and Rickea’s endless complaining about the fact she left her favorite moisturizer at her apartment. It keeps her mind off of Paige for a few blissful moments until Paige jogs by, heading back into the tunnel, and she throws a disarming smile over her shoulder which erases all of the progress she’d made during warm-ups.

Despite the difficulty, Tess makes it through warm-ups in one piece, feeling ready for the game ahead. Everyone lines up for the ensuing tip off. That’s when she locks in fully, the responsibility and vigor of the game taking over. Paige is laser focused too, both of them worried more about the game in front of them, and they’re hardly one-on-one unless their respective teammates call for a switch.

The first switch happens five minutes into the first quarter — the Wings hold a solid six point lead, courtesy of Paige’s signature midrange pull ups. Kelsey is guarding Paige, but NaLyssa sets a screen for Paige. The Sparks had run this play enough in practice so Tess finds herself glued to Paige, effectively stopping the jumper that Tess knew she was squaring her feet for.

“You avoiding me?” Tess asks Paige, knowing her girlfriend can’t resist the opportunity to chirp when presented with the opportunity.

Paige grins through the sheen of sweat glistening on her temples and Tess knows she’s got her — hook, line, and sinker. She keeps the ball close to her person, knowing better than anyone else that Tess is one of the best defenders in the league, second to the bigs. “Nah,” she goads, dribbling the ball calmly between her legs. Her eyes dart around like she’s looking for an opening in the defense, which Tess doesn’t miss. “Figured I’d let you try to defend someone a little more your speed.”

“Scared you can’t keep up?”

“Come on, baby,” Paige coos. “Don’t make me do this to you on national television.”

Tess just smiles at her. She anticipates the pass before Paige even moves and she launches in the air, deflecting it back towards the logo. Kelsey manages to catch the rebound and Tess is already barreling down the court, Paige hot on her heels. Kelsey passes it low to get around Dijonai and Tess scoops it up, laying it in easily with her right hand, knowing that Paige was on her left. It was a pattern she’d picked up not only from watching her in film, but also training with her over the summer before their super senior seasons. Paige is probably the only thing she’s a master in.

Tess can’t help but feel a little proud of herself, glancing back to smile smugly at her girlfriend, who shakes her head with a flicker of impressed amusement in her eyes. Paige, seemingly forgetting that they’re supposed to be on opposite teams, gives Tess a friendly pat on the ass as Tess backpedals for defense. It catches her a little off guard but the game is moving too fast for her to dwell on it.

She refocuses, knowing they’ve already goofed off enough, and settles in for another three and a half quarters of rigorous basketball.

The Wings, ultimately, end up taking the win at the end of the game. Losing is one thing but losing to Paige is another. Tess had played her game, but basketball was a team sport for a reason. There were a lot of things they still had to work on if they wanted to make a dent in the playoffs this season. Similarly, the Wings had some things to work on, but they were just the better team that night.

Tess is still nursing the butthurt feeling when Paige finds her after the game, a radiant smile on her face. Truly, losing this game wasn’t the end of the world, a fact Tess was still trying to make peace with.

“Does this mean I’m on the couch tonight?” Paige asks a little coyly, which makes Tess roll her eyes as she pulls her girlfriend in for a tight hug. She doesn’t say anything, just sinking into Paige’s embrace with a deep sigh, tucking her face into the crook of her neck as her eyes slip shut. Paige is still damp with sweat, smelling something like adrenaline and victory, but Tess doesn’t care. She missed her girlfriend. A lot. Probably concerningly so. She’s sure that feeling wouldn’t ever go away — she’d just get better at dealing with it.

“Hey,” Paige murmurs, her voice softening a little, no trace of her previous tease. “You okay?”

Tess nods slightly, making a concerted effort to pull away. “Yeah,” she says, finally allowing that lovestruck smile to appear on her face, the one that she’d hidden for the better part of the game. “Just miss you. LA is an adjustment.”

The crease in Paige’s brows relax and the blonde smiles a little. “You’re happy though?” she asks, just to confirm, but she knows better. She and Tess have spent enough time on the phone at night to know about every little thought that went through their heads.

“I am,” Tess promises, grinning when Paige’s smile brightens. “But I’m happier now.”

Unable to resist, Paige asks, “Even when you lose to me?”

Tess scoffs, pulling away fully as Paige laughs. “You’re such an asshole,” she complains, but Paige doesn’t let her get too far before she links their fingers together. Begrudgingly, Tess admits, “I don’t think I can ever lose when it comes to you. Not in a way that matters.”

“The distance really has turned you into a lover girl,” Paige teases.

Tess raises a brow. “Says the girl who slapped my ass like we were teammates after I embarrassed her on TV.”

Paige at least has the decency to look a little caught. “I kinda forgot we weren’t just playing one on one,” she confesses sheepishly, which makes Tess laugh. “Didn’t even see your fuck ass purple jersey. Just my girlfriend doing something cool.”

“You’re lucky I love you,” Tess states. “Do you know what I have to hear in the locker room now?”

Paige sighs a little, kissing her teeth. “Trust, I’mma be hearing the same. Rike’s gonna laugh at me for the next week.” She doesn’t look too bothered though; instead, she nudges Tess with a coy grin. “The price we pay for love, right?”

Tess returns the grin, reaching out with her free hand to tug lightly at the hem of Paige’s Wings jersey. “Think you love me enough for a Bueckers-Kennedy jersey swap? Unless you’re too cool for my fuck ass purple jersey.”

“I am feeling charitable today,” Paige muses, but the excited expression on her face betrays her feigned nonchalance. She procures two sharpies from the scorer’s table, hands one to Tess, and pulls off her jersey. Tess tries not to stare too hard at Paige’s figure, but she knows she’ll be trending on Twitter after the clips surface. She can’t find it in herself to mind.

Bracing the jersey over her hand, she signs her name on the 2, and in the 5 she writes, “6.6.25 — long way from 2.8.21, but playing against you for the first time is always a date to remember. To my #5, I love you endlessly and I’m so proud of you.”

She finishes the same time Paige does and they swap their jerseys. Tess laughs in delight when she reads Paige’s message to her — the way she’s dotted her I with a lopsided little heart and how she scribbled in a tiny 2 next to the 5 on her jersey so it looks like 25. “6/6/25 — our first professional game against each other. Here’s to many more. I can’t wait for the first game we play with each other. I love you, #25. There’s no one else I want to do this with.”

“Looks like the distance turned you into a lover girl, too,” Tess jokes.

Paige wrinkles her nose, but the love and affection on her face is evident as she slips Tess’s jersey over her frame, looking far too proud. “Unlike you, I’m not ashamed to admit that,” Paige says, watching Tess do the same. The colors on their jerseys and their shorts don’t exactly match, but neither of them care. “I like this on you.” She tugs a little on the hem to be annoying and Tess swats her hand away. Paige grins.

“You mean it?” Tess asks instead of feeding into Paige’s ego. “You wanna be on the same team in the future?”

Paige’s face softens as she reaches for Tess’s hand. “Course I do. I know we haven’t been doing this very long, but you know I’m crazy about you. I can’t see myself settling down without you.”

Despite herself, Tess smiles, her expression far too tender to be standing in the middle of a basketball court with dozens of reporters milling about. She doesn’t care — as far as she’s concerned, she and Paige are the only ones in the room right now. “I feel the same,” she admits, taking in Paige’s beaming smile. “Just don’t think you can win a championship before me, though.”

Paige scoffs, but there’s no malice behind it, only amusement. “Wouldn’t dream of it,” she assures her, wrapping her arms around Tess’s waist and pulling her in to press a chaste, innocent kiss to her lips. “We’re 1-0 professionally right now. Think you can keep up?”

Tess laughs, knowing that at the end of the day, she truly doesn’t care about the win record. The distance is hard but it’s times like these that make up for it, when she’s reminded that she has everything she could ever need right in front of her. “You know I can,” she says confidently, and Paige’s grin is full of challenge.

“Then it’s game on.”

ii. i’m not arguing with a woman with pretty blue eyes (whatever you say beautiful)

JULY 2026

The All-Star break had been kind to Tess and Paige.

It was the first time in a while they’d been able to spend so much uninterrupted time together all season – the Wings and the Sparks had obviously been scheduled to play together, but in between flight times and team obligations, they were unable to spend a whole lot of time together before and after their games. With the All-Star game, which they were both (obviously) selected to play in, they both flew in the day before any of the festivities and were able to spend all of Thursday together. On Friday, they were basically attached at the hip for the Skills Challenge and the Three Point Contest (Paige shamelessly cheered for Tess, for the record). And on Saturday, they were on the same team for the All-Star Game. Tess wasn’t sure who allowed that to happen considering the two of them dominated from start to finish, but she sure wasn’t complaining.

It was the first time she’d played a game with Paige. Like, ever. At the All-Star game in 2025, they were on separate teams and they honestly spent the entire time talking shit to each other, much to the chagrin of their respective teammates, who accused them of flirting the entire time. It was most definitely not flirting – Tess at least had the decency to know her and Paige’s actual flirting was not court appropriate, but that’s neither here nor there. The point is that Tess enjoyed playing with Paige. Maybe a little too much because there’s still a lot of time before free agency and she’s honestly not sure if a team could afford them both.

It was back to business following the All-Star break. Tess’s first game back with the Sparks was against the Mercury, who, bless them, were still rebuilding, and got steamrolled by them. Her second game back, however, was at home versus the Wings.

To be honest, she and Paige had gotten a lot better at handling the pre-game emotions. Sure, this game was different considering they’d spent the entirety of the All-Star break together so they weren’t down horrendous like they usually were, but missing each other was something that became easier with time.

Still, during warmups, they shared matching smiles and Paige even wandered over to wish her well. “Good luck scoring without my passes,” she said, which just made Tess roll her eyes.

“You have terrible ball security,” Tess responded, which made Paige’s eye twitch. “Let’s hope you shoot better than you take care of the ball.”

They stared at each other for a minute before giggling like they weren’t pushing 25. Then, they launched into the handshake they’d perfected halfway through their rookie seasons, and the game was underway.

For the most part, it was a typical Sparks vs. Wings game. Tess and Paige always seemed to play their best when it was against each other, which led to exciting match-ups and close games. Tess and Paige usually weren’t each other’s defensive assignments, but when they were, the entire arena seemed to hold its breath – watching the both of them go head to head was like watching two titans clash. They knew each other’s moves, tells, and weaknesses, and usually, it always ended with one of them having to pass the ball to someone else.

Halftime comes and goes and the third quarter begins with the two teams tied. And that’s when Tess’s muscle memory kicks in. She has the ball at the top of the key, scanning for an opening in the defense. Dijonai is stuck to her side – probably one of her toughest defensive match-ups on the Wings with the exception of Paige, and the Wings are playing lockdown coverage. Paige is to her right, locked up with Kelsey, and Kelsey breaks away from her to receive the ball.

Tess and Paige ran this specific play numerous times during the All-Star game. She just needs to kick it out to Kelsey, who’s making the cut, but Tess is thinking too hard about how she was passing the ball to Paige that she accidentally passes to the blonde, instead of Kelsey fucking Plum, her actual teammate. Paige recovers quickly from her confusion and takes it across the court for the easiest layup of her life.

Tess is sure she’s never been more embarrassed in her life. She watches her coach rub her temples in exasperation while the Sparks fans groan. But her coach isn’t calling for a timeout or calling Odyssey over to sub in for her, so she dutifully ignores the blush on her cheeks and tries to lock back in.

Paige is defending her while Kelsey directs traffic, but before she can get too far away, Paige grins mischievously at her, chirping, “Look at you racking up assists all point guard-y and shit. Look for the purple jerseys next time though, a’ight?”

(If Tess drains a three over Paige’s outstretched hand in response, well…that’s no one’s business but her own.)

iii. The Foul (tess and paige’s version)

SEPTEMBER 2027

Tess doesn’t think it’s in her nature to be petty.

At least, she’s not consciously petty. As in – it’s not the front she puts out to the world. Like the time she was feeling a type of way about Maddy Siegrist being weird in Paige’s Instagram comment section and she was being passive aggressive about the entire situation – Tess knew Maddy wasn’t even being weird. She was just upset that she and Paige were moving so far away from each other and regressed into an old version of herself that she didn’t particularly like.

Tess doesn’t like being petty. Or passive aggressive. But sometimes shit just happens and it’s so much easier to retreat into herself and to be silent (for the most part) because as much as she hates it, she feels things too strongly and can’t put her emotions into words in a constructive manner without exploding first. She hates hurting people – especially Paige, and she hates that it’s just so easy to hurt her, too.

The situation wasn’t even anything that deep. Tess knew that, but she’s not sure if her heart does. With the WNBA playoffs approaching, every top team in the league was working harder than ever to secure their seeding. Coach Roberts was working the Sparks to the bone and more often than not, Tess would drag her feet home and collapse into bed the minute she got in. Games were grueling, travel felt harder, and it’s at this point in the season where Tess has to treat herself with a little bit more kindness because it’s so easy for her to catastrophize.

It was nearing 10pm. Tess had just gotten home from an away game versus the Aces. Her body hurt – she took a hard foul from Deja Kelly (at least she got the free throws), she was exhausted, and most of all, she just wanted to hear Paige’s voice. Much like the Sparks, the Wings were at the top of the rankings and were fighting to secure their seeding. She knew Paige was working hard on and off the court. During times like these, it just means that they spend less time on the phone together – mostly because their practice schedules are so rigorous, they’re travelling, time zones suck, and when they do find themselves on FaceTime at night, one of them falls asleep fifteen minutes in.

But now? Tess is at her wits end. She just needs one thing and she’ll be fine. She’s sure there’s someone out there who will say that she has terrible emotional regulation, but all things considered, she really is fine. She has her friends and her teammates whom she relies on and her psychologist. Despite that, she’s just a little lonely in a way only Paige can fix and the exhaustion from the season just makes it worse. She glances down at her phone, taking in the lack of notifications.

Frowning, she opens her message thread with Paige, reading Paige’s last message to her from about an hour ago.

Just landed back in Dallas My phone is almost dead but I’ll try to FT when I’m home I love you 🫶

Tess had responded the same and Paige reacted to her message with the heart emoji. She checks her location, seeing that Paige is at her apartment. Tess knows she’s asleep – she knows this week has been rough on her in between training, playing, and travelling, and as much as Tess hates herself for feeling this way, she can’t help the way the disappointment blooms in her chest like a wildfire. It’s not Paige’s fault – it’s not either of their faults.

She shuts her phone off, plugging it into the charger and leaving it on the nightstand. She rolls onto her side, stretching out in a bed that’s far too big for one person as she pulls one of her pillows to her chest. Early in the morning, she’d be flying out to Dallas for their last game of the regular season against the Wings, and not even that knowledge can keep the frown off of her face.

With that said, Tess would, once again, like to reiterate that it’s not in her nature to be petty. And, truly, the subsequent silent treatment is more for Paige’s benefit than her own. Tess knows herself well enough to realize that when she’s in a terrible mood, speaking usually makes things worse. When she wakes up that morning, she finds an apology from Paige for missing their FaceTime. The worst part is that Paige is genuinely remorseful but Tess is just too stubborn to stop being upset about it.

When they make it to the Wings arena, they dress for warm-ups and head out. Tess is one of the last to leave the locker room, which is unusual for her, but when she makes it into the tunnel, she finds Paige waiting for her, a bouquet of flowers in hand. It makes her soften slightly, feeling a whole lot of guilt for being butthurt over something small, but part of her isn’t ready to let go of her anger.

“Hey,” Paige says, smiling gently like she knows she’s in the doghouse. It would make Tess mad all over again if she wasn’t aware of just how much Paige knew her – Tess knows that Paige knows she’s a little upset, but she’s more upset at herself for feeling upset right now. It’s a weird emotional balance Tess has never been good at explaining. The best thing about Paige is that she’s never needed her to. “I’m sorry for missing our call. I know you’re having a rough week.”

Tess offers a tentative smile, the sight of Paige doing wonders for her tired eyes. “It’s not an excuse to be butthurt. I know you’re not doing any better than me. I’m sorry too.” She takes the flowers from Paige’s outstretched hand, allowing her to pull her into a tight hug, one that she sinks into gratefully.

“I’m not,” Paige agrees with a forlorn sigh. “I passed out in my airport clothes last night. Now I got germs and pathogens and shit on my sheets.”

That makes Tess laugh, her chest feeling loose for the first time in a few weeks. It’s enough to remind her that this – being able to melt into Paige’s arms – is truly all she needed. Her bad mood dissolves, but she can’t bask for too long as Cam’s calling her from the end of the hall. Regretfully, they break away, but Paige presses a gentle kiss to her lips, one that makes her forget what she was moody about in the first place.

The game itself is different. Sparks versus Wings games always are. Maybe it has something to do with how Tess is playing against Paige again or how she’s playing with a smile on her face for the first time in weeks. Whatever the reason, Tess plays with a different kind of fire, a physicality that she doesn’t usually play with. Every time she’s defending Paige, they’re both grinning like they don’t have a shot clock ticking down or a seeding on the line, but the issue comes late in the fourth quarter.

The game is tied – as it always is – and Tess has possession of the ball with Paige sticking close by for defense. Cam steps in for a screen, but Paige doesn’t bite. Instead, in a rare move for the blonde, she accidentally barrels into Tess, who’s already off-balance from an uncharacteristic step-off. Tess lands flat on her ass while the ref calls the foul on Paige, who again, seems remorseful, but there’s a lingering, mischievous amusement in her gaze.

Paige steps behind her, arms wrapping around Tess’s waist and helping pull her up while she pushes herself to her feet. Paige is absolutely fucking shameless – her hands pressed tight to her stomach and her body pressing into Tess’s back like they’re in a dark corner of the club instead of in the middle of the court in a sold out arena. Tess turns on her heel, raising one brow in near disbelief at her girlfriend, who grins like she hasn’t done anything wrong, her hands in the air.

“You’re actually unbelievable,” Tess says, shaking her head, but she can’t keep the smile off her face.

“Was just tryna help you up,” Paige argues, still looking smug as ever, but she backs away, calling, “I’ll make it up to you!”

Tess rolls her eyes, a blush on her cheeks but her grin lingers. The ref passes the ball off to Kelsey to inbound and just like that – the game’s back underway, and all Tess can really do is smile.

iv. she wanted some of my deliciousness

OCTOBER 2028

Of course the first year the Sparks make it to the WNBA Championship, they’re up against the Wings.

Tess can’t even be surprised about it. Every championship she plays in always seems to have Paige on the other end of it, but honestly, she likes it this way. The games against Paige are always nail biters. They were the two people in the league who hated losing the most.

Knowing that, Tess really should have expected for the WNBA Championship to go to a game seven. Tess and the Sparks won the first match, then the Wings won the second and the third. The Sparks bounced back with the fourth and the fifth – both incredibly hard fought games for Tess, and then the Wings tied the series on the sixth game.

Tess has played against this Wings roster numerous times. She knows their strengths, their weaknesses, their physicality. But she honestly wasn’t prepared for how grueling a seven game, winner takes all series against them would be. Nobody made it more difficult for her than Paige did. She was on one from game one through game six, never once faltering, but Tess was never one to back down.

Game seven was different – for both of them. Paige was locked in from the get-go, banking in contested shots like it was effortless, directing traffic like she knew every one of the Sparks’ plays before Kelsey even called for them. She was a menace on defense, her expression one of pure fire, grit, and determination. More than anything, there was a simmering frustration. Tess could see that she was picking up the slack where her teammates were falling short. They were missing costly shots, forcing uncharacteristic passes that transformed into turnovers.

It all culminated late in the fourth quarter – the Sparks held a slim four point lead, one that Paige had cut from nine herself after a deep three and a contested midrange jumper. Tess was guarding her, her Coach having made the adjustment after she realized that Paige was taking the game into her own hands. Paige is at the top of the key, dribbling the ball and waiting for the perfect opening as her offense shifts. She steps forward, pressing Tess, but in her haste to set a screen, one of Paige’s teammates bumps harshly into Tess, sending her right into Paige’s body and knocking her down.

And somehow, in the haze of confusion, the foul is called on Tess instead of Maddy fucking Siegrist, and she’s pushing herself to her feet to plead her case to the ref when Paige starts chirping like it wasn’t her teammate’s fault.

“What the fuck was that?” Paige exclaims, her frustration and exhaustion bubbling over. Tess just blinks at her, the Wings staring at Paige hesitantly, unsure of if she’s actually pissed or if this was just a Tess and Paige thing that’s not actually that serious. They’re competitors – they argue and fight on the court, but off of it, it’s like it’s never happened. She waves her arms, gesturing widely in a way that reminds Tess of her father when he’s heated, and all she can do is raise a brow because there’s no way Paige is actually crashing out at her right now. “That’s a fucking flagrant, Tess, what the f–”

Tired of hearing her complain, Tess leans forward to plant a kiss right on Paige’s lips, shutting her up while the refs step in, pushing them away from each other. Paige just blinks in confusion while Tess grins smugly, always wanting to recreate that Diana Taurasi and Seimone Augustus clip but never having the optimal opportunity for it. “You can apologize to me later!” Tess calls, letting Cameron drag her away from the scene. “Coach, please tell me you’re challenging that call?”

Her coach does challenge it, the refs giving the personal foul to Maddy instead, as it should be. Tess watches Paige from across the court, her expression softening with guilt as she watches the replay.

(For the record, Paige does apologize later, after the celebrations and Tess has taken sufficient pictures with the championship trophy. And, she supposes, Paige makes up for it with interest a month later in Italy when she proposes, and Tess finds that she likes this ring a whole lot more than the one she’d won.)

v. bonus: the one time tess and paige remembered they were on the same team

MAY 2029

The last time Tess had ever played in what felt like a monumental preseason game, it was her first preseason game in the WNBA as a Los Angeles Spark. They’re preseason for a reason – the stats don’t count and they’re just a good way of seeing how your team stacks up against other people in the league.

But this game? This one is different.

She’s dressed head to toe in the Valkyries purple uniform, BUECKERS-KENNEDY stitched proudly on the back. To her right, Paige, wearing a matching uniform, last name on the back and all, stretches her legs out one last time before tip-off against Tess’s old team, the Sparks. And, to be honest, Tess can’t believe that they’re here, together, on the same team after so many years of being competitors. She can’t believe the Valkyries actually signed the both of them, that the team has welcomed the both of them in with open arms, but this opportunity feels more like a blessing than anything else. It feels like a Welcome to the first day of your future.

Tess and Paige had bought a house in the Bay. They would settle down here, retire as Golden State Valkyries. They both knew they’d end up coaching somewhere along the line. They knew they’d raise their children here when the time came. Right now, it just feels like the perfect prelude to forever, the perfect capstone to an arduous journey. While the hard part of it is over, Tess knows that the rest of her life will be an adventure as long as Paige is in it.

Paige catches her wrist, smiling softly at her when she startles. “You good?” she asks gently. There were still a few moments until tipoff, but the fact that Paige is taking the time now to check in with Tess makes her feel warm all over.

“Yeah,” Tess responds, unable to stop the smile from spreading across her face. “I’m perfect.” Paige’s eyes search hers, knowing instinctively that Tess wants to say more but granting her the time to find her words. “I’m just happy we get to do this together,” she admits. “You’re the only one I want to do this with.”

Paige’s grin turns a little tender, affection shining in her gaze. “How’s forever sound?”

Tess’s smile widens. “Perfect.”

They line up for tip-off, taking their respective places. Before the ref walks over with the ball, Paige calls out to her, “Remember to write this on your jersey, too. May 4th, 2029. Just another first game, yeah?” Tess is sure she looks a little strange – smiling before the game’s even started, but she can’t find it in herself to mind too much.

Paige assists her on her first three as a Valkyrie. It’s a little full circle, she thinks, for her first points to be scored with her wife. For Paige’s first assist to be to her. It’s every bit as monumental as she’d expected.

And, sure, it’s just a preseason match-up, but Tess finds that she really likes hearing, “Bueckers-Kennedy to Bueckers-Kennedy for three…it’s good!”

[ladythornofrivia]

THE WINNER TAKES IT ALL, THE LOSER HAS TO FALL ||

Coriolanus Snow x Volunteered Tribute!Reader

summary: reader takes lucy gray’s place for the Hunger Games, and Coriolanus underestimated the reader.

warning: death, stalking, manipulation, violence, mdni, blood, bloodlust, reader’s a skilled tribute

a/n: hi guys! i’m back. here for part one of coriolanus snow and reader. i read the ballad of songbirds and snakes.

There will be no Plinth prize for the Hunger Games, according to Sejanus Plinth, who everyone assumed is Coriolanus’s friend. Coriolanus anticipated the prize for him to enter the university. As Dr. Volumnia Gaul announced for the 10th annual Hunger Games, she declared that she won’t be around forever. Meaning the new gamemaker must take her place, meaning the Hunger Games will continue on, for who knows how long. As for Casca Highbottom, he wished for the Games cease to exist, drinking morphling from a little trinket.

Casca Highbottom warned to not cheat, but something inside of him said he doesn’t want to have the Hunger Games every year.

Putting the spectacle on, he read off the paper contained the list of the tributes and the mentors by the Reaping Ceremony began. Students cheered and congratulated the mentors, depending what kind of tribute the mentors were getting.

Arachne Crane’s smug worn when she got a different district.

“Oh, you’ll be happy about this, Miss Crane,” Casca began, standing up, “The runt girl. District 12.” Then he had his eyes fixed on Coriolanus, as Casca Highbottom said, “She belongs to Coriolanus Snow.”

Coriolanus darted his pale blue eyes up to the screen, to see a selected tribute.

+++

You were nothing compared to Lucy Gray, the songbird from District 12. She’s part of he Covey, traveling from place to place, singing her songs and writing music is all she could do. She had charm and class, and you had none.

A special songbird, singing with her guitar and her special charm exuding her aura for all to see and to be swayed by her. She’s the perfect. But you were nobody. You were born from District 7, lumber, somehow you moved here in District 12, the sector of coal mines and soot. Everyone was unclean.

During the day of the Reaping, everyone stood still, awaiting for the mayor’s words. Until he came up to the mic and announced, “Lucy Gray Baird”.

Several gasps entered, immediately looking at Lucy Gray. Watching afar, you knew she’s not a fighter. She has extreme charm, but she’s not a great asset to the Games.

Reluctantly, Lucy Gray went out and approached the stage. The cameras panned on her as she strode.

Before even stepping onto the stage, you intervened. “Lucy Gray!”

All eyes were on you. And the cameras panned onto you quick—a girl in a crimson dress—red amongst the blues and grays.

Meanwhile the Capitol students in the academy, whispered.

On the screen, you appeared in a red dress with a bow behind your hair, flowing in the wind as you approached Lucy Gray but the Peacekeepers stopped you with the rifles pointed at you.

Lucy Gray’s eyes widened in shock, telling you, “No, (Y/N). No.”

“Lucy Gray,” you shouted, but then the Peacekeepers seized and blocked you, tackling you on the ground as you shouted, “I VOLUNTEER! I VOLUNTEER!”

As you stand up, you pushed the guards aside. “I VOLUNTEER AS TRIBUTE!”

Their hearts stopped. The Reaping went silent as a grave, but the shock on their faces was haunting.

Meanwhile the Capitol, the students in the Academy murmured in an agitated anticipation as Coriolanus got his interest piqued. Not in years during the annual Games ever volunteered in the previous years. This has to be the first.

“Is she crazy?”

“She’s willing to take Lucy Gray’s place?”

“This is the first time I heard of volunteering.”

“She must be out of her mind. Suicidal much?”

“Either she’s crazy or brave. Or both.”

Coriolanus’s heart stopped, too, feeling like the world has ended on his part.

She…volunteered, he thought.

On the screen, you’ve been let go off and embraced Lucy Gray.

“See? I’m fine. We’re both fine,” you said, not minding the cameras. “You’re gonna be okay. Take care of yourself, okay?” you said with a bright smile, patting her shoulders.

Lucy Gray liked your bright smile, but her tears were dripping up close. She can’t cry, not in front of the cameras. You knew that she’s a strong soul to provide comfort within District 12 with her songs with The Covey.

She can’t go.

“Take care of my friend,” she whispered, quivering a little, she eyed on the stage regarding to address on watching her friend, Jessup Diggs.

You nodded with determination fired within you.

“Everything will be okay,” you mouthed as the Peacekeepers escorted you with brute force up on the stage. As you look back, Lucy Gray mourned, but she wasn’t showing it as she’s placed back into the row, safe and sound.

There, you met the Mayor, who was discontented at your sudden volunteer. So does the Mayor’s daughter, Mayfair. As for Lucy Gray’s ex-boyfriend, Billy Taupe, was shocked at the revelation, a changed course in destiny.

“What’s your name,” Mayor Lipp asked, he stepped back for you to take the stage.

“(Y/N). (Y/N) (L/N).”

Mayor Lipp is still displeased. His fists clenched at the folded paper—the once was once called now has taken its place to a different direction.

The crowd now knew your name. You weren’t just some nobody anymore. You’re the person who’s brave enough—or stupidly reckless—to volunteer in taking Lucy Gray’s place.

Meanwhile in the Capitol, in the grand ceremony in the Heavensbee Hall, everyone spoke of your name.

Nothing like the tributes since the first Games. Something stirred inside Coriolanus, and it made him felt…honorable and important. You made him powerful within an instant. He needed a strong presence and a strong conviction, and you were just a perfect tribute.

Maybe the Games won’t be terrible, after all.

As you turned around, Mayor Lipp still gave you a death glare before being escorted by the Peacekeepers. And there, you met a certain tribute named Jessup Diggs. Your head dipped into a bow, and gave him a brief handshake.

“It’s nice to meet you, Jessup,” you said with a gentle smile.

Something’s never been seen before from a tribute. Not only she’s brave, but graceful.

Something out of the ordinary.

The students gossiped again. It was out of nowhere, and changing, as if your presence was welcoming and inviting.

Coriolanus was overwhelmed with a newly presence you’ve brought onto the stage. A duality. Again, is what he needed from his tribute. But you exceeded from his negative expectations. Perhaps this could be his chance to win the Games, and restore his family name to a proper glory. A proper welcome, a proper reputation and money.

Meanwhile, Casca Highbottom wasn’t pleased at your rebellious nature on taking someone’s place, but there were no rules on regarding to the Games. His gloomy eyes darted in subtle anger towards Coriolanus. Coriolanus knew he hated everyone, and despised Coriolanus the most. For what reason, he never knew why Casca despised Coriolanus. The minimal effort of glare told all stories.

Coriolanus, on the other hand, was enamored with the idea of winning the Games, as you were waving at the cameras farewell.

+++

After encountering with Casca Highbottom’s veil threats, Coriolanus spoke to Tigris.

“She’s friendly. She seems healthy. But she looks weak,” he said, pacing the room.

“Coryo, it’s not just about winning,” Tigris protested.

“Everything’s about winning,” he said. “She may wave and gave a handshake in front of the crowd, but she won’t win with friendliness in the arena.”

Tigris shook her head. “She’s brave. Braver than I thought. She took someone’s place.”

Coriolanus did not like her statement. “If there’s something I could pull out of her, maybe there’s a chance to have a great advantage.”

“I wouldn’t be friendly to you, if I was her. I wouldn’t do anything at all. Unless I could trust you.”

“She’s from the District, Tigris. She knows were against her, and her against us. How am I supposed to get her trust?”

“Imagine if it was your name that they pulled and you have been ripped from your home. I just want to know if somebody still cared about me out here. Don’t discount her just because she’s from District, Coryo,” she said to him dearly. “Who knows you might get along with her. And who knows she might bring the best in both of you and herself. She needed strength and confidence, especially from a mentor.”

The next day, Coriolanus examined the white rose in his hand as he waited at the train station.

By the time, it arrived, he has searched for you. And when you got down with the help from Jessup, you spotted Coriolanus and gave him a kind smile, watched as he extended the white rose towards you.

“Welcome to the Capitol,” he greeted.

You looked at the white rose before taking it. “Thank you, for your kind welcome, sir.”

His brow flicked.

“Please, call me Coriolanus,” he said. “No need for formalities.”

You nodded. “Thank you for the rose, Coriolanus.”

Then you offered a handshake. To his shock, he complied.

And nodded.

Then you both stood still, hands still folding with each other.

“Um, what are you doing here exactly?” you said, looking at his fancy school attire.

“I’m here to welcome you,” he answered.

You giggled. “I can see that. But then it feels like you’re here for some reason.”

“I shouldn’t, but I’m your mentor,” he said.

You whistled. “Quite a rebel, huh?”

Coriolanus cringed at the word “rebel”, a poisonous word and threat in the Capitol. He’d to think himself as a good and well-behaved top academic student who likes to seize the opportunity.

“I’m only doing my best to take care of you.”

Another tribute screeched, not wanting to participate in the Games, but everyone knows it’s already too late, still whining like a child.

“Thank you so much, Coriolanus. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” your smile shone brighter as the Peacekeeper escorted you to the truck with other tributes.

Soon, Coriolanus followed you inside the truck, and soon got attacked by Reaper. “I’ll kill you right now,” he threatened.

“He’ll do it,” Dill said, coughing. “Reaper killed a Peacekeeper back in 11.”

“Quiet, Dill,” Reaper warned.

The others were ganging up on him, after being shoved onto the wall.

“Do you guys have a death wish or something? If you kill him, Capitol will do worse than the Games. Don’t you want to at least think about that?”

“Nobody has to know,” the tribute told you.

“Killing my mentor would be a bad idea, dumbass,” you said to them, annoyed. “Unless you’re looking for a worst aftermath, then be my guest.”

The tributes were shocked at your profanity, but others begrudgingly released Coriolanus.

Coriolanus straightened his attire.

“How come you get a mender?” Coral said.

“Mentor,” Coriolanus corrected. “You each get one.”

“And we’ll just trust you on that,” she dared.

“I’m just here to help you,” he said.

“How come this lady in red have a special treatment? The other menders weren’t here.”

You looked at Coriolanus. “None of them are inspired, my guess.”

Then you winked at Coriolanus.

And he smirked at your confidence.

Then the truck tipped over and the tributes slipped down, while Coriolanus took your waist and stayed intact, trying not to let go of the rope. Then his hand slipped, and slid, rolling off with the rest and they were trapped in the Capitol Zoo.

Taglist: @onyxblackwinchester @kittendoll05 @xcharlottemikaelsonx @paninisstuff @angeljcca @marvelescvpe @heavenly1927 @snh96 @httpsmenace @domithebomi @moonseye @faesspace @liannafae @buccini555 @watercolorskyy @taangie @qardasngan @jolixtreesunn @screaming-potato @momowhoo @saturnssrings @dani5216 @crymeariversworld @elaratyrell @fun-loving-peach @jmliebert @ilikechocolatemilkh @20thcentwriter @sepherinaspoppies @venmondiese @snowprincesa1 @1800-fight-me @fan-goddess @persephonerinyes @anukulee @viktoriaashleyyx @lcolumbia1988 @ilikemintpeassss-blog @arcielee @hippiedippiekitty @bellaisasleep @lokiofasgard12 @barnes70stark @vipervixxen @f1girlieee @namelesslosers @darylandbethfanforever9 @dixie-elocin @lionneee @peculiarlyayse

[woso-dreamzzz]

Injured: Before III

Ingrid Engen x Child!Reader

Summary: You really like Ingrid

You're kind of small.

That's the first thing Ingrid thought when she saw you from a distance.

She hadn't been at Barcelona long, hadn't fully settled in so everything was still new to her.

Everyone knew that Alexia Putellas had a child but Ingrid had never expected you to be so tiny.

Tiny and reserved and very shy.

She gets a few little waves from you across the car park when she and Frido pull up at the same time as Alexia and Jenni.

You never approach. You never say anything but you always wave, hidden behind Jenni or Alexia's legs. You always seem nervous when you do it but you never miss a day.

It's during an away game that you speak your first words to her.

It's late, very late and the whole team is spread out at the reception of the hotel as the staff try to sort out everybody's room with the severely understaffed hotel workers that are trying to pull up all the booking information on a buffering internet connection.

Alexia is up by the reception desk as well, practically pulling out her hair because she's so stressed over it.

Ingrid sits with Frido, Mapi and Aitana on the plush armchairs nearer the door. Mariona has found herself a piano, which she plays beautifully and Jenni is walking back and forth between the door and the desk with you standing on her feet.

You're Alexia's daughter but it's so clear that Jenni just adores you.

You adore her too.

"Jenni!" Alexia calls," Did you see where I put that folder of papers?"

Jenni drops your hands and gently shuffles you off her feet to approach Alexia.

You stand in the middle of the hall by yourself for a moment before Mapi calls you over.

You pad towards the group cautiously.

You know Mapi and Aitana but Frido and Ingrid are still very new people to you.

Mapi lifts you up onto her lap.

The flight was an evening one and you're still little so slept on the way over.

You're dressed up snugly in a pair of fuzzy train pyjamas that Ingrid's sure Alexia and Jenni must have picked up from the boy's section because she's never seen ones quite like it for girls before.

You're clutching a stuffed train as well, some character from the kid's show where the trains have faces. You have little figures of them too because Ingrid's seen you play with them at training but she supposes you haven't brought as many for this away game.

"Do you like trains?" She asks, pointing a little bit at your toy.

You tug it closer to you, like you're scared she's going to take it but she doesn't. You nod your head, running a finger over one of the felt wheels.

"Love trains," You whisper.

It's the first words you ever say to her.

They're short and barely audible but you do say them and you look like you want to say more but a huge yawn forces its way through your body and Alexia appears behind you.

"You're so sleepy, bambi," She coos at you, taking you from Mapi easily and letting you rest your head on her shoulder," Come on. Our room's ready. Let's get you back to bed."

You grumble a little. "In bed with you?"

Alexia smiles. "Yes. In bed with me."

"Good."

You approach Ingrid again the next day before the match in the changing room.

Jenni is with you this time, hand on your shoulder and gently pushing you forward.

"Go on," She coaxes," You can tell her. Ingrid, y/n has something to tell you."

You take a big deep breath. You look Ingrid in the eyes before deciding that's much too scary and you look away.

"Like your hair," You say," Is very pretty."

Ingrid smiles. "Thank you. I like your hair too."

"Mami did it," You say," Like yours because I wanted it like that."

You hide behind Jenni after that, your social battery truly drained.

The game, like practically every other, is a win. A very good win and everyone is jubilant at dinner.

You're in your train pyjamas again, sitting on top of the table with Alexia gently feeding you cake.

Somehow, Ingrid has found herself at this table with Mapi.

Jenni is leaning back on her chair despite Alexia telling her to stop it, balancing on the back two legs.

Alexia is focused on feeding your cake mainly, tucked right up into the table so she's as close to you as possible.

Ingrid remains impressed with Alexia on and off the pitch. On the pitch she's flawless, perfect but off of it, she's so attentive to you. The love she has for you is so palpable as she guides the spoon into your mouth for another bite of cake.

"You're getting messy," Alexia coos at you, tickling your tummy as you giggle.

"Nooo!

"Yes! Yes you are!"

"Nooo!"

Alexia tickles your tummy again before wiping your face with a napkin.

"Now, who do you want to read your bedtime story? Me or Jenni?"

You look around the room as Jenni reaches over to the back to Alexia's chair to grab the book from her bag.

"Er...Ingrid!"

Ingrid lowers her fork back onto her plate as you turn your body around to point at her.

"Huh?"

"You want Ingrid to read your story?" Alexia checks and you nod.

"Ingrid with the pretty hair!"

"Ingrid with the pretty hair," Alexia laughs," You'll have to ask Ingrid. She can say no."

"No," Ingrid says," It's fine. I can read her story."

You practically crawl your way over the table and Jenni throws Ingrid the book.

Ingrid places you on her lap and you easily rest against her.

"Is a train book," You tell her," 'Cause I love trains."

Ingrid smiles.

"Jenni read, Mami read. Now Ingrid read."

"It would be my pleasure."