#at this point as well] and when she came back she brought me a variety of rainbow-colored pride bracelets and a necklace and a shirt

[batsinurbelfrey]

.

[rinbowaman]

so i had a thought when i read your new heelel scenario while jungwon and realena were in earth with helan how would helan react if someone tried to approach his mom and flirt with her would he tell his dad so they can both deal with it ?

oh yooooo...Helan....is a crazy little boy. He's just as obsessive and possessive like his daddy. He takes after heelel so much, so now you not only have a yandere husband, but you have a yandere child. Obviously helan loves you in a manner that is not romantic, just really clingy, loves and is obsessed with his mommy, and being the son of the devil.......boy might get a little demonic and violent, just like Heelel. Here's how i foresee that scenario going down....

"Look away...."

Warnings: some gore, demon child, demon spawn, obsessive and possessive love, hints of non/dub con smut towards the end.

"Mommy can we go here?" Helan asks as he holds onto your hand, skipping along as he points towards a candy store.

"Sure baby." you softly respond. Today, you decided to take Helan to Earth and roam against the mortals. Despite Helan being a child, there were some qualities about him that was far advanced, which is why it surprised you when your husband admitted for you and Helan to go to Earth alone, considering that Heeseung would never let you out of his sight. Even when at times, where he couldn't be with you, which wasn't often, he'd normally have one of his brothers to keep an eye on you. Yet here he was, allowing the task of your own child to hold the responsibility in keeping you safe....or from running off.

You really didn't have any inclinations in running away, there was no purpose. Your husband knew all and would find you in a heartbeat, no doubt admitting a series of punishments for straying once he caught you. Besides....it's not like you really could live and go back to your normal life, you were immortal, had a child, and did end up falling in love with your husband.....more than you would have ever thought.

"Mommy? Can I get some candy?" Helan asks, and you nodded in response as you smile down at your loving little boy. He grins and releases your hand, straying off to pick out his favorites while you stayed nearby.

Watching as Helan picked out a variety of sweet treats, you sensed the presence of two large males as they breached closely from behind. Turning around in a snap, you looked at them rather harshly as you tried to signal for them to keep their distance. Yet, to your dismay, they did not take the hint.

"Wow......where do they make women like you at?"

"Dude, she's a hottie with a body."

"You here alone? Oh...you got a kid with you. Damn.....so someone took you off the market? Well thats cool....i mean....if its all good with you, I wont tell."

"Yeah, neither will I."

Both men displayed total ignorance and lack of humility as they came up with their presumptuous attitude in thinking that you would ever consider cheating on your husband. Not only did you learn to love Heeseung...or rather...you fell into the force of loving him as he kept you, you also knew that aside from that.......in the chance where you were not in love and had wanted to stray away, there was absolutely no way that he wouldn't find out, since....you were married to the Devil.

"Please stop. I have my child with me, leave us alone."

"Damn....her voice is sexy. Bet you can sound real good in bed."

What was with these guys? The audacity of these two sauntering up with such an obnoxious attitude. It was sickening. Rolling your eyes, you turn away to focus on Helan, when suddenly you felt a hand on your shoulder.

"hey, don't turn away. Come talk to us. Wanna go out tonight?"

"You like to party? We know of a place where we can take you."

Now, you felt confident in handling these two idiots on your own, after all, you were well adjusted to becoming immortal and had gained strength, precision, finesse, and supernatural powers that the Devil breathed into you when he brought you back to life. However, before you were able to discreetly handle the situation, you watched as Helan shoots up and places himself in between you and the two brutes.

"You should look away." Helan merely states. His child like voice was somewhat eerie and his eyes grew wide with the sadistic glare of rage and jealousy.

"Oh what's this? little boy, doesn't your sexy mom teach you to not get into the way of adults when they're talking?"

Smirking, Helan reaches up and takes the man hand. Confused, the man merely laughs out nervously. "What are you up to little kid?"

Just then, you watched as your little boy rips the mans fingers off. Grabbing a bunch with his teeth, he tears them off the palm and smiles as he lets each one fall out and on to the floor. The man screams out and panics, bumping into each sweet stand and knocking down myriads of candy onto the floor.

"Fuck!!!! What the fuck!!!!! My fingers!!!!" the man screams. The other man to his side stood in shock, rendering himself to become easy prey as Helan jumps up in a levitating state and slashes the man's throat with protruding claws, nearly decapitating him. You were stunned as you heard the store clerks panicking and calling the police, claiming that a murderous child was rampaging causing mayhem....much as you hated to admit it, it was true. Your son, a side of him that you've never seen, was tearing flesh, causing a fountain of blood to splatter all over as he leaps from one body to the other.

"H-Helan!! That's enough!" you panicked as you stuttered out your words, completely shocked and scared yourself. Though, despite him being chaotic, he minded you well as he immediately stopped and ran over to you with his arms high, signifying that he wanted to be held by you.

"C...c-come to mommy...come here." leaning down, you pick him up and held him close as you turned over to see the store clerks screaming and cursing as they demanded you to take your child and leave. At a loss for words, you started to head for the exit when Helan tells you to "Wait mommy." Stopping in your tracks at the deep childish tone he emitted, he taps your arms to signal for you to put him down. Once his feet hit the ground, he goes over and picks out a couple of candies, before walking over to the front counter where the clerks all backed away in great fear as they watched the little boy, covered in blood, reach up and place some money on the edge of the counter, barely reaching. "Here." Helan's high pitch and cherub like voice emits as he smiles gleefully while holding onto his candy. "Thank you!" he calls out as he waves at the clerks while running back over to you.

Taking you by the hand, he looks up at you with his face displaying a rather eerie smile...once again.

"Time to go home...mommy."

Nodding rather nervously, he pick him up and felt his small arms wrap around your neck and hair as he leans his head against your shoulder, and begins sucking his thumb, taking in the delightful taste of blood that coated it. Walking out, the moment your foot hits the pavement outside, you summoned the powers to transport you and your son back to Hell, where he jovially runs up to his father.

Sitting on the throne, casually relaxed, Heeseung smirks as he watches his darling, little baby boy run up to him with the candy pieces in his hands, his entire body covered with blood.

"Did you have fun?" Heeseung deeply chuckles out as he picks the boy up and sits him on his lap.

"Uh huh!" Helan smiles and responds.

"Did you take care of mommy for daddy?" Heeseung softly speaks as he brushes his fingers through the boy's hair.

"Yes daddy, i did." with his high pitch coming back, Helan speaks with an innocent tone.

"Good boy. Time for bed." Tucking Helan in, he closes the curtains around his small crib to seclude his sights from everything else.

Turning back to you, Heeseung walks over and wiht one hand, he caresses your waist while the other softly cradles your cheek. Noting the look of fear in your eyes, he coos you.

"Shhh......its okay baby. He just loves his mommy so much. Nothing wrong with that." he speaks against your forehead. Nodding, you return the embrace, still nervous and uneasy from the brutal display that just occurred. No wonder Heeseung was okay with you going to earth by yourself with Helan, he knew that your son, who took after him, would do the job in his stead when it came to protecting you.....or keeping you in check.

"you'll get used to it baby." heeseung darkly emits as he stares at you with soulless eyes, a sadistic glare as he bites down his lip and smirks out a lustful smile.

".....how?" you asked earnestly.

Rubbing your stomach with the back of his palm, he looks down before leaning in and brushing his lips against yours. "you didn't think helan was going to be an only child, did you?"

Slightly shaking your head, you faintly pull yourself away as you gathered the hint of where Heeseung was going with his words. You were still too shocked and nervous to think about sex, let alone doing it. Yet your husband was adamant about it.

"Come here......lets fuck until the new moon comes in."

[xirex]

JULIA ✮ RELATIONSHIPS ?!

! CHAN . . . CHANLIA / 2LETTE

her contact name : juju 🩷

his contact name : channie 🤍

her father omg. the moment he saw 10-year-old julia in a training room was the moment he knew he had to protect her. julia had just come from australia at that time and having chan, someone who could understand exactly how she was struggling as a foreigner, really helped her in the long run. chan would always be with the girl, to the point where he was helping her get ready for school in the morning and even pick her up in the afternoon. julia relies on chan a lot for a variety of things; whether it be helping her create a song to taste-testing her food to make sure it's perfect. chan can basically read the girl like an open book. he can tell when she isn't feeling well or when she's really excited to do something, even before she can at times. don't get me wrong, julia does mess with chan a lot, but behind those teasing words and smirk, she knows she has someone who will always care for her, at her highest of highs and lowest of lows.

viral moments : julia feeling sick during a tour stop & chan giving her one GLANCE and immediately rushing over and asking if she's alright // chan moving over to let julia pick something out in a game first // chan sitting next to her while they were eating on a vlive & when she was talking, randomly patting her head

'2lette' came from fans. more of an inside joke; chan's shaving brand is gillette and julia says she'd use that brand if she ever had to

? LEE KNOW . . . JUHO / PABOZ

her contact name : child ☝

his contact name : lee knows nothing 🤓

she was so scared of him when they first met. like he just. looked scary. she got to know him a lot better over the time they spent preparing for debut and they became extremely close. julia looks up to him a lot, and similar to chan, she's like his daughter. they bond over their skill in dance— it was what brought them together in the first place. she also trusts his judgement; whenever julia feels like she needs guidance or another opinion on something she'll go to minho and ask for his perspective. he's the one who can talk her into doing things and it literally always works; usually whenever she's sick he and chan team up to get her to lay down. lee know is like julia's mother and chan's the father !!! he does spend a lot of time teasing her though. over her height, her saying something funnily, her tripping, etc. everything she does is funny to him ? but its okay, it's all in love ofc !!

viral moments : in skz code 08, julia holding onto minho the entire time they were on the mission (poor minho .. two scaredy cats at his side) // julia being frustrated over not wanting to do something, minho stopping her to try and persuade her & julia immediately agreeing after // minho saving a take-out box of food he didn't like knowing julia would probably eat it

'paboz' came from the members in an early skz code ep

! CHANGBIN . . . BINLIA / SYOTDARIZ

her contact name : lee money

his contact name : gym rat 🌵

MY SUNSHINE AND SUNSHINE PROTECTOR DUO I CANNOT. whenever she's running around playing with one of the boys or just by herself he'll be like standing in the back with the most proud smile ever. they enjoy teasing each other, and will take up any opportunity possible to; at restaurants, during filming, etc. when changbin's on "watch the maknaes" duty and sees julia about to do something he's run towards her, pull her away, smack her head, and then go back to what he was doing before.. it's happened on camera too many times. he also helps julia during song recording because she tends to mess up or misread certain korean bits. her #1 fanboy !! whenever she has an idea for a song he'll just sit and listen attentively and even help her tweak the lyrics. changbin tries his best to understand julia's struggle as the only girl and just wants the best for her in the long run

viral moments : julia on a vlive gushing over how much changbin's helped her improve her korean over the years // changbin being so patient with julia while trying to teach her how to do something // binlia seeing each other for the first time after months and hugging so tightly

syotdari / 숏다리 = short legs, they're the shortest two in the group

? HYUNJIN . . . JUJIN / BATTERIES

her contact name : llama?

his contact name : samsamsam 😯

two human batteries that never die out. julia highly influences hyunjin into doing silly shit, like pranking the members, teasing them, just causing chaos anywhere and everywhere.. it's a little crazy. they're both extroverts when together, minho and chan see them fooling around in their nightmares i swear. back to the calmer side; they love to draw and paint together. julia has a lot of the paintings they've made together hung up in her room. hyunjin was the one to talk her through panic attacks (and still is!!) when they were frequent and that was one of the only times they would actually be quiet together. whenever julia feels like she needs to take a break or just have time to breathe while on stage, hyunjin would immediately be at her side making sure she's alright. hyunjin's probably the one who talks her into doing things that she probably shouldn't be doing in newer places. they also go live together so often, and half of those lives are just filled with them dancing or teasing each other.

viral moments : on a tour stop, hyunjin running around with julia on his back // yet another tour video, julia stepping off to the side breathing heavily & hyunjin immediately going over and passing her a water bottle // on a v-live hyunjin & julia painting together, julia showing hyunjin her canvas and him cooing and saying it looks great

'batteries' comes from the two being known as human batteries when together.

! HAN . . . LIASUNG / NINIZ

her contact name : 땅콩 [ peanut ]

his contact name : my hannie 🤍

you thought jujin was bad? these two are worse. they'll take any possible opportunity to argue with each other. most times it's just to mess with the older members, but they do enjoy teasing each other. in fact, you can usually tell something's up with one or the other when they go more than an hour without saying some kind of belittling comment to eo. however, despite all of this, they're insanely close. whenever another one of the hyungs isn't there to help, they'll usually go to eo during panic attacks. they also share the same fear of heights; when skz has to do something that's relatively high up, liasung will be clinging to eo for dear life. they're like the twins of skz—both the fans and the boys themselves call the pair that. they're always together; on stage, at the dorms, even in variety shows or random vlogs. so many random 1 am bubble updates from them going on late-night walks or convenience store runs.

viral moments : them teasing eo and then 5 seconds later going "i love you~ every second // liasung absolutely dominating in a game of bowling on a show // during a fansign, julia stealing han's hat and after trying to get it back a bunch of times, he just lets her have it

'niniz' came out of nowhere. a member used it to refer to the pair and it just stuck.

? FELIX . . . LIXIA / SUNSHINEZ

her contact name : tiny lee 🌟

his contact name : bokkie 🌞

MY SUNSHINE BABIESSS !!!! the two that will make you smile the moment you see them together. they love eo so much it's just so fluffy and sweet. felix is another member you'll always see julia with because they love to be around each other. julia even admitted she spends more time in jeongin's / felix's rooms because they're so comfortable with eo. julia and felix always talk in english to each other out of habit; when they met, they immediately started to converse in english rather than korean. julia's the person who influences felix to take up his interests, like baking for example! julia also has a lot of matching items with felix, whether it be clothes, jewelry, even phone charms or cases. they both just have so much love to give and it's so evident in the way they treat each other and the members. these two have so many concert / fansign videos of them just hugging or playing with eo; felix likes to let julia play around as much as possible since she's been a trainee since she was a kid and didn't really have a childhood.

viral moments : felix and julia going into a haunted house together and not coming out for another 45 minutes // julia facetiming felix in the middle of his live // felix posting a video on bubble of julia just sitting on their counter eating leftover cookie dough mix

'sunshinez' comes from them being known as the sunshine duo.

! SEUNGMIN . . . JUMIN / STYLISTS

her contact name : tiger 🐯

his contact name : minnie mouse

julia see julia do with seungmin istg. so many clips of him randomly doing something and julia immediately copying him. he's like a little devil on her shoulder. seungmin's fooling around? oh, julia's probably with him. they're always teaming up to tease the members at any given chance, basically chan & minho's worst nightmare. seungmin knows how to get under her skin, and vice versa. they enjoy styling the members together and have been appointed at the two stylists of skz. two people who enjoy showing their affection through big small actions rather than words, which is why they're so close. seungmin's helped her perfect her vocal abilities over the years, and when she got moved to vocalracha, he was the most excited because they'd get to work together more often. when julia falls asleep backstage, she's usually laying on seungmin's shoulder or seungmin's going over and laying a blanket on her or fixing her hair / posture.

viral moments : in the xmas skz code, seungmin randomly flying a paper airplane and julia doing the same soon after // seungmin uploading pics of julia sleeping on him while he's just doing a peace sign // seungmin & julia being on a team tgt and not being able to finish their mission bcz they spent the entire time messing around

'stylists' comes from the two being known as skz's stylists

? I.N . . . INLIA / TWIN FLAMES

her contact name : nyangie 🐱

his contact name : INNIEEEEEEEEE 🩵

MY POOKIES HELLO. the twin flames of skz. julia's like jeongin's little sister please. they've been close ever since the survival show, like their friendship is natural. julia spends so much time with jeongin, more than any other member. they're extremely clingy with each other, like two little kids. they show their love for each other by being clingy & constantly playing around with eo. constant stealing from eo; jeongin could have a sweatshirt one day and the next, it'll be gone & vice versa. they're each other's hype person!! julia enjoys cheering him on in an annoying voice just to mess with him. no doubt the closest duo of stray kids, literally nothing could come between them. another member she has a lot of matching items with. the main reason julia spends a lot of time with him / in his room is because they're always assigned to be together anyway; hotel roommates, game partners, even being sent away by the members to go fetch something from the shops. if one's smiling and laughing, the other is too. jeongin always serves her first, and even hand feeds her food if she asks him. also!! they're so attentive to each other. never a moment were they aren't listening to eo so well and lovingly I CANT.

viral moments : mt skz code, they were in the pool and just started to try and drown eo ?? (affectionate) // in a fansign, jeongin received two animal headbands, so he reached over to put one on julia's head // julia and jeongin in the background of a member's vlog trying to fight ?? hug ?? they were doing something.

'twin flames' comes from them being known as the twin flames / platonic soulmates of skz.

xia's message . . . this took .. so long .. taglist . . . open!

[latelyanobsession]

Strap In

summary billy’s had his eyes on you for quite some time, but you couldn’t care less. he’s made multiple attempts to catch your attention only to hit a brick wall each time. tonight there’s a big bash at Loch Nora just before spring break ends. is tonight his night, or should he tap out now?

warnings underage drinking, cursing, cat and mouse games

word count 1,046

note in fulfillment of a reader request. took a little bit for me to get some muse worked out for this... but hopefully i worked it out ok. i recognize i took this in a bit of a different direction, but it felt appropriate. the prompt - “I was wondering whether you would be up to write a oneshot where Billy meets f!reader on a party, they r both kinda drunk, but he has been trying to get with her since like months but she always rejected him. But now she finally cracks and gives in and they make out n stuff. And if possible could u make Billy like reaaally flirty and kinda whipped for the reader, bc she is really cocky and gives him all the sass.”

As always any feedback is much appreciated. Thanks for reading!

The music was deafening. Bodies were everywhere. Teens spilling out in every direction onto the lawn and the whole thing was threatening to erupt into a full blown block party.

Nobody was really sure where it had all started. Flyers were fluttering around the school halls all last week. 

Paper airplanes tumbling into the applesauce at your lunch table. Leaflets crammed by the fistful through the slots in people’s lockers. Stuffed so thick that the doors jammed. 

No one knew where they came from, but one thing was certain. The invites were clear. Everyone who’s anyone was gonna be there. Even the wannabes and posers were hopeful of being noticed if they attended.

Being held at one of the largest homes in Loch Nora, it wasn’t clear whom the home belonged to, but nobody really cared as the music cranked louder and the drinks began to pour. 

Such questions were the furthest things from anyone’s mind. Including yours.

You were in your element.

Standing near the speakers with your friends, you swayed your hips in time to the beat. 

A second drink already in hand, a nice buzz humming its way through your veins and warming you up from head to toe.

The night was young and full of possibilities.

Shifting tracks, the beat dropped.

You waved to some newcomers, throwing a wink at an old flame, and another at a potential one for the end of the night.

Bringing the cup to your lips you frowned. 

Empty.

“I’ll be back!” you shouted in your friend’s ear, tilting your cup upside down. 

Fidgeting with the cup in your hand you headed into the kitchen looking for something new to try. The liquor cabinet had been busted open and the variety was endless.

No more spritzers or wine coolers.

Fingering your way along the bottles you eyed the selection.

“Eeny... meeny... miny.” your fingertips dancing back and forth between the coconut rum and lemon vodka. 

“Moe.” you smiled happily at the bottle you had chosen, as a hand wrapped around yours.

“Well, well...” he drawled, pulling his hand from atop yours and tracing it up your arm.

“I was wonderin when you’d turn up.” he slid in close.

You snorted smugly, shrugging him off.

Spinning the cap off the bottle, you carelessly flicked it away.

“I was getting bored without you...” he teased.

“Honey, it’s never a party without me.” you smugly replied, pouring yourself a generous serving, putting the bottle back on the counter and looking for a mixer to add.

“Been here long?” he asked.

“Who wants to know?” you quipped, adding a splash of fruit juice into your cup with some seltzer water.

You brought it to your mouth to taste, smacking your lips in satisfaction.

“Well I for one...” he smirked, pulling the cup from your hand and taking a long drink.

“and for another...” he leaned in attempting to kiss you.

You turned your head, grabbing your cup back and waving at another friend. Or at least someone who looked like her.

“Really smooth...” you taunted, “but points for trying.”

You patted his chest sympathetically before walking away.

Yelling, and crushing cups as you reunited with your friends.

Billy was going to have to try harder than that.

The night went on. And you were feeling more wild by the minute. You had to get some air.

Your head was starting to swim a bit, and you knew from past experience at Tina’s Christmas party that it was time to slow down. Or you would be in for a rough night and a rougher morning.

Coming out to the back porch you found an empty lounge chair, messily throwing yourself into it.

Giggling happily, looking out at your classmates in the yard.

“Down already?” a voice called from beside you.

Blinking owlishly, you looked around.

“Oh! Hey Billy!” you smiled dumbly. “Nah. Just pacing myself”

You slumped down in the chair. Nearly sliding out entirely. Laughing.

He rolled his eyes.

Coming over, he helped you back upright, seating himself next to you.

“I think you’ve had too much.” he stated.

“N’ I think you haven’t had enough!” you replied, poking his chest.

He smiled, a small exhale of a laugh leaving him. “Yeh, alright.”

Making sure you weren’t going to topple over he went to leave.

You grabbed his hand.

“Y’know what?” a great look of concern was in your eyes, as you laced your fingers with his.

“What?” he waited.

“I think it’s stupid that I’ve been so mean to you this whole time. Reeeeaaal stupid.” You leaned on him.

He looked at you, mildly amused.

“Mean to me?” he probed.

“Yeah!” you piped up, “I mean I like you! I just don’t have any guts at all! So I’m mean to you!”

You regarded him with sorrowful eyes, “how stupid is that!?”

“Real stupid...” he replied.

“I know!” you shouted in agreement.

He laughed. “So ya like me huh?”

“Oh yeh!” you nodded.

“How much?” he prompted. He knew he shouldn’t put too much credence into this whole conversation, but he just couldn’t help himself.

“This much!” you mused, cupping his face and kissing him.

Billy froze. He didn’t expect that.

He’d been the one coming after you for weeks on end. Not the other way around.

And now here you were, drunk as a skunk, laying one on him.

There was an internal struggle going on in Billy’s mind. 

Don’t take advantage dipshit.... but she’s gonna forget this by morning. Well maybe...

You were truly causing a panic within him.

Very hesitantly he kissed you back. Gently, with no intent.

He pulled away. You whined in disappointment.

You looked at him questioningly.

His cheeks were flushed, as he avoided your eyes.

“I can’t do this... not when you’re... like this.” He rose from his seat, rubbing the back of his neck.

This was a mistake.

“I’ll see ya tomorrow...” he went to walk off.

“Billy?” you looked up at him.

“Yeah?” he breathed.

“You better ask me out tomorrow...” you warned.

He laughed.

“I’ll be sure to remind you...” he chuckled.

Finding an abandoned pack of cigarettes and lighter someone else had left behind, you lit one.

“You better strap in...” you exhaled, smirking.

He matched your expression. “Ditto.”

[twostepstyless]

Stuffing the Turkey

Fic Advent Calendar Day 15

Advent Calendar Masterlist

Main Masterlist

Authors Note: Harry and Y/N host an annual friendsmas but there's one guest missing this year and Y/N is already stressing about hosting Christmas Day for their families this year.

As always, reblogs, likes and feedback of any variety is always encouraged and forever appreciated - G <3

Word Count: 2.3k

SFW

———

The saying goes, ‘if you can’t take the heat then get out of the kitchen,’ but that can be hard to do when you’re supposed to be in the kitchen preparing a meal for what was supposed to be eleven people, but Harry just dropped the bomb that it was actually going to be twelve people. He decided to tell her that this morning, not last week when he found about the additional person, who was apparently his mate Johnny’s new girlfriend. What is it with men and not seeing any rush in passing on information? Harry and Y/N were one wrong look or one more reproachful comment away from a full-blown argument at this point. 'Friendsmas' started on their second Christmas as a couple. Members of their individual friend group had met and gotten along extraordinarily well over the 18 months or so they had been together at the time and so came the idea to host a Christmas dinner and bring all their friends together for an evening and the tradition stuck. 

This was the fifth year of Friendsmas. The cast of visitors rotated year to year, additional people brought in from making friends while working, friends from elsewhere who happened to be passing through London before Christmas, some people skipped a year for other commitments, some friends from their hometowns who came down for the event especially. No matter who was coming, they usually had a house full of people. Regular attendees included Mitch and Sarah who spent some time in the U.K. with her family before Christmas so always popped in for the free meal, and to see Harry in his frilly apron. Y/N’s childhood best friend, Audrey, also attended every single year. Well, apart from this year, she told Y/N a few weeks ago that she had a work deadline and unavoidable meeting the day of the dinner and to say that Y/N was devastated was an understatement. Y/N wouldn’t even be travelling to her hometown over Christmas this year, so she didn’t know when she’d get to see Audrey next. Her missing Audrey didn’t disguise how fuming she was at Harry though. 

“I don’t even know if we have enough to feed an extra person,” Y/N sighed, exasperated. 

“Don’t start with that, y’know we have more than enough, we’re usually eating leftovers until Christmas,” Harry shot back while stirring the soup they had simmering away on the stove top, “Christ, y’could’ve chopped the veg a little smaller, love, it’s taking ages to soften,” Harry said, he thought innocently but it sounded as if he was criticising her work, while peering into the bubbling pot. 

Y/N’s head snapped round to glare at the back of his head, “I’d have liked to have even seen you pick up a knife to chop the veg, love.”

“Eh, excuse me, I sorted out all the main course options, did I not?” Harry abandoned the simmering soup to turn around, looking comical with his hands on his hips clad in his red gingham apron that was decorated with frills and ruffles. 

“Oh please, you took everything out the packaging and stuck it in the oven and the slow cooker,” Y/N rolled her eyes, going back to her task of slicing carrots and parsnips to go with the main course. 

“I had my hand up that turkey’s arsehole, stuffing it for you because it makes you feel sick, I don’t even eat turkey and I still done it, so don’t give me that,” Harry retorted, he watched her back as he saw her head bow down and heard a sigh escape her lips, “want t’tell me the real reason you’re all grumpy, hm?” 

“M’not grumpy,” Y/N turned in her seat to look at him, sounding very grumpy. He walked over to where she was sat preparing the vegetables at the table in the kitchen and he perched on the edge of the table.

“Sure, you’re not,” he said sarcastically, before his tone softened when he saw her expression, she looked weary, for lack of a better word. “Hey, c’mon pretty, what’s wrong?”

“I’m just stressed about the dinner,” Y/N muttered, dropping the paring knife she was using onto the cutting board and began playing with a loose thread on her jumper, avoiding his gaze, embarrassed she had been quite rude to him. 

“Why? This is not our first rodeo with having everyone round for this dinner, we’ve been doing it five years now, I think we’ve got it down to a fine art by now,” Harry looked bemused, they really did have a good system going for preparing for tonight, but one thing after another seemed to irritate each other and cause things to go wrong. 

“It’s not this dinner I’m stressed about,” she whispered. 

Harry placed his hand under chin and moved her head, so she was finally looking at him, “explain please,” he gently coaxed. 

“Christmas Day dinner,” Y/N stated, as Harry’s eyes searched hers, “it’s just we’re having both our families here for the first time for Christmas day and I know we usually help out if we’re at m’parents or your mums, but we’re doing everything this year, and tonight jus’ feels like a practice run and we keep arguing and making mistakes and what if we ruin everyone’s Christmas and I don’t want us to fight on Christmas either,” Y/N spilled out, chin quivering with emotion as her lips settled in a downturned expression. 

“Okay, first of all,” Harry said as he crouched down in front of her, so he was perched just under her eyeline, as he held onto her clasped hands that were sat in her lap, “we’re not arguing, have we said some comments that have annoyed the other? Yeah, but m’not angry or upset with you and we’re not going to argue on Christmas either,” Harry said with a sort of finality in his voice, as Y/N nodded, she knew it was just her mind racing away on her that was causing all these thoughts. “Secondly, nothing has went wrong today, we’ve went a long way for a short cut, but nearly everything is prepped, it’s just the case of putting it in the oven at the right time, isn’t it?” his thumbs rubbed slow circles onto her hands. 

“Yeah,” Y/N looked around their busy kitchen, as much as they had had their moments today, Harry was right, everything was ready, just about, Y/N was in the process of finishing up the vegetables and everything they could have done was finished. 

“Right see, we’ve got it down to an art, and on Christmas Day, we’re just going to do an exact repeat of what we did today, it’ll all be muscle memory,” he reassured her before a grin took over his face, “and it’s our family. D’you really think they’d sit by and let us do everything, my mum will have her hand up that turkey before she’s even taken her coat off,” Harry laughed. 

“I’m being mental, aren’t I?” Y/N asked.

“Not mental, y’just care about making it perfect for everyone,” he smiled, pressing up on his feet to give her a soft kiss she happily returned, “an’ m’sorry for not telling you about us having an extra guest until this morning, I just didn’t think.” 

“No, you’re right, we always have a tonne of extra food, we could have four extra people show up and still have leftovers, think I just woke up stressed and took it out on you, I’m sorry,” she broke one of her hands free to run it through his hair that he had left loose and wild on top of his head, “and thank you,” she trailed off. 

“S’okay, m’heart,” he forgave her, “why are y’saying thank you?” he quizzed. 

“Thank you for sticking your hand up the turkey to stuff it ‘cause y’know it makes me feel gross, even though I accused you of not doing anything,” she smiled softly. 

“I’d stick my hand up a hundred turkeys if you needed me too,” Harry chuckled, “now why don’t y’go get washed up and changed for people coming, I’ll finish these up,” he nodded to the half-prepared tray of vegetables.

“Are you sure?” 

“Absolutely, go get even prettier, though I’m still not sure that’s physically possible,” Harry flirted before pulling her to her feet and sending her on her way out of the kitchen with a pat to her bum. 

*** 

The dining table was lit by the soft light of the dinner candles that were in the centre of the table and decorated other surfaces around the room, the glow making the glassware sparkle and cutlery gleam in the light. The couple had gotten their posh crockery, cutlery, and glassware out for their soiree, and had the table decorated with heavy cloths, ornate napkin rings and a Christmas cracker placed at every setting. The room was buzzing with chatter and laughter, as they all shared a drink before their meal, taking the time to catch up with all their guests. There was still one seat empty though, Johnny’s new girlfriends place. Y/N thought it was strange that he showed up without her but no one else seemed to voice it, so she paid it no mind. Harry had donned his frilly apron again, this time over his cream suit he wore for the evening, rather than the ratty t-shirt and sweatpants look he wore earlier. He was popping in and out the room as he made sure everything was coming along for their first course as he forced Y/N to sit down and have a glass of wine with everyone before she got up to help him. As she was hearing a story from one of Harry’s friends from home about their staff Christmas night out where the boss got so drunk, they had to send a companywide apology email the next morning, the doorbell rang. 

“Y/N/N, can you get the door, love, I’m just starting to plate up,” Harry called through from the kitchen. 

“Got it! Johnny, it must be your missus, y’want to come get the door?” Y/N asked leaning over the table to catch his attention. 

“No, it’s okay Y/N, I’ll be here,” Johnny said, there was a hint of something strange in his tone and in the expression on his fence as Y/N looked confused before leaving the room to get the door when the bell rang again. 

“Weird,” she muttered under her breath before her hand grasped the door handle and twisted, opening the heavy, wooden door. 

There was a woman, her back turned to Y/N, she had a thick, woollen, pink coat on, and her hair fell down her back. Very familiar hair at that, “hi, welcome, come on i-” Y/N cut herself off as the woman turned round. “Audrey?” Y/N gasped, as her best friend twisted round to face her with a grin so wide that it could split the sky in two graced her face. 

“The one and only, in the flesh. Hiya babes,” Audrey held her arms out to her sides as if to present herself before Y/N flung herself out the front door into her friends awaiting embrace. 

“What in the fuck are you doing here?” Y/N squealed, bouncing the two women up and down as she kept her grip around her friend’s middle. She broke away, eyeing her friend with the same earth-shattering smile. 

“Ask y’fella,” Audrey nodded behind Y/N as Y/N unlatched herself from Audrey to turn round to see Harry leaning against the open doorway, arms crossed, tea towel slung over his shoulder, a fond smile on his face, that made his dimple appear, etched onto his face as he watched the two friends reunite. “I genuinely wasn’t going to make it, Harry called me last week to double check, but he phoned about two minutes after I got an email saying the meeting was cancelled and the deadline pushed to the new year. Mr. Man over there snapped his fingers and here I am, and I’m bloody starving, hope you’ve got enough,” Audrey said, sarcastic in her last sentence, knowing they always made far too much. 

“Look at you two scheming behind m’back,” Y/N’s eyes flitted between Audrey and Harry as she led Audrey into the house, taking her coat off her to put away. 

“Happy I didn’t tell you about our extra guest, now?” Harry whispered in Y/N’s ear as Audrey knelt to pet Harry and Y/N’s dog, Vinnie, who was loving all the extra attention from the guests in their home, he had only just removed himself from lying under the dining table so he could meet the new visitor at the door. 

“Best surprise,” Y/N reached up to kiss his lips briefly, “thank you, that’s you got all the brownie points today, got m’best friend here and had your hand up the turkey’s arsehole, y’like Prince Charming,” she giggled against his lips before kissing him again. 

“Shall we get this thing going, first course is ready, m’love,” Harry broke away as he began to walk back to the kitchen with her following to help him. 

“Let’s do it,” Y/N said confidently, “Audrey, go take a seat, y’next to me and H,” she smiled at her friend before pausing, “wait, y’not actually Harry’s mate Johnny’s missus, are you?”

“Never even met the fella, but by the end of the night and a few glasses of the good stuff,” she raised the glass of wine Harry had given her up to Y/N as she stood in the doorway of the dining room, “who knows?” she shrugged with a wink before disappearing into the rabble of their friends that filled their dining room as their laughter filled the room and coloured their home with joy. 

———

Advent Calendar Masterlist

Main Masterlist

[misty-moth]

Fashionably late Rio fic for his birthday

૮ ꈍﻌ ꈍა♥~(˘ ε˘ )

This takes place when he had only recently met Mc and was therefore a very grumpy puppy 😅 I shall write sweet/precious Rio at some point, but that day is not today

Divider

Rio’s pov, Rio x mc (she/her pronouns), ~640 words, fluffyyyyy~

The eerie quiet at breakfast was my first sign. A worrisome sign. An accurate sign.

“Hey Rio, when’s your birthday?” I was steadily growing accustomed to my new roommate, and I could tell that she had been silently debating asking me something this morning… but why this?

“You know I don't remember my name, right?” Just like I knew that snapping at her wouldn’t dissuade her.

“Well, it would feel weird if we never celebrated it. It doesn’t have to be a grand event, even, just the basics!” She beamed at me, her smile always a little too bright. “Maybe we could go with the day we found you?”

“I'd rather not celebrate or concentrate on that day. It isn’t exactly a great first memory,” I grumbled, doing my damnedest to only let grumpiness show.

“Hmm…” her morning’s look of pondering returned. I swear you could read every thought crossing her mind, and it never failed to make me frustrated… and nervous.

“Give me a week. How does Friday for your birthday sound?”

So incredibly easy to read while impossibly difficult to understand.

~~~

So I guess today is my birthday.

“Here, Rio! I asked the baker ahead of time to make a variety of treats to try!”

“Thank you…” honestly, everything she had ever chosen to eat ended up being delicious. She was fairly accurate in finding things I like far faster than I did, though that may be because I wasn’t trying.

“I got you a gift, too,” she smiled a little shyly as she rummaged in her bag.

“You already gave me a name and a birthday,” I was starting to worry as she brought out a sizable bundle.

“It’s a new coat! I figured you could use a nice one while it’s still so rainy,” she held it out to me firmly, but her cheeks were tinged red.

“Mr. Akatsuki gave me the coat I’m wearing now. Does he need it back?”

She frowned. “Well, no. That’s yours, too. And it looks great on you, but I think this color really suits you.”

“Well…” her hand hadn’t wavered, but I watched her eyebrows crease. “Thank you. But I’m wearing a coat now, so—“

“Then I’ll trade you! Try this on!” Now that she mentioned it, she wasn’t wearing a coat and today was hardly a day to go without. It seems she’s getting accustomed to her new roommate, too.

Well played.

I shrugged out of the dark blue coat her boss had lended— err, given me, and I handed it over to exchange. The coat she handed me was a warmer brown, small detailing of orange and gold accenting the pockets and collar. Even trusting her choices on things I’d like, this was a tough sell.

I slowly put it on before glancing up to ask why the bright colors, but I froze.

Her eyes were already on mine, her blush far darker than last I saw it, and she was swathed in… my coat. She looked like she was suppressing a smile, though I wish she wouldn’t…

I was suddenly feeling too warm, though it was coming from deep within my chest. I also felt it rising to my cheeks.

Her brow began to furrow again, getting even further away from the smile I—

“What is it?” Ugh, why do I sound so tense?

“If you want this one back, it’s okay.” She was smiling the wrong smile.

I shook my head firmly. “Keep it.”

Her eyes widened. “Rio, this is yours, too. You don't have to choose.”

“You asked for a trade and I agreed to it. It was a verbal agreement, but an agreement no less. If that doesn’t cut it, consider it my one birthday wish.” She looked ready to argue, so I softly interjected with the truth. “It looks great on you, too.”

Her final gift to me was easily my favorite: her too-bright smile.

The inspo for this came from wondering if he celebrated his birthday twice a year after he gets his memory back. He still prefers “Rio” so I can see him preferring MC’s given birthday, too 🥹

Writing Masterlist

[foulfirerebel]

True Weiss has tried to figure out “what comes next” but she can only even ask that question now that Salem got rid of Jacques, had Salem not targeted atlas he’d still be in charge,

As for the white fang, they haven’t actually progressed,

They stopped Adam and put ghira in charge again, basically resetting things back to how they where before sienna took over as in, the times Blake expressly told us weren’t working

Okay. I suppose this won't convince you of anything, but I'll take this one step at a time.

"True Weiss has tried to figure out “what comes next” but she can only even ask that question now that Salem got rid of Jacques, had Salem not targeted atlas he’d still be in charge."

Salem was going to target Atlas regardless, so that point is moot. Secondly, Ironwood already threatened Jacques that if he stepped out of line or got on his bad side he'd depose him in Volume 4. And to round things out, Salem's faction only gave Jacques enough rope to hang himself with given that his abusive behavior would've come to light eventually.

How do we know this? Willow planted cameras all over the mansion in case she ever needed to leave or bring things to the authorities, she only gets the courage to do so because WEISS came back and HELPED start the investigation AND also figured something was up.

The idea that Salem somehow helped things along is ridiculous, given that her motive and strategy is always divide and conquer WHICH WAS WORKING had Team RWBY not investigated into things further circa V7.

In short, Jacques already had plenty of enemies, Salem doesn't deserve any credit for his takedown, as he would've been brought down eventually.

~

"They stopped Adam and put Ghira in charge again, basically resetting things back to how they where before sienna took over as in, the times Blake expressly told us weren’t working."

As for the White Fang, yes they have progressed. They aren't at a "back to square one" situation just because Ghira took charge. Ghira himself says as much in V5, that Blake taught him the value of forgiveness with Illia and something that he should've realized regarding Sienna. Plus, Sienna and Ghira weren't enemies. Ghira even calls Sienna reasonable in V4 and respects that she's fighting for the Faunus, even if they disagree on methods.

Plus, the Faunus KNOW they cannot stay out of the literal fight for the world's sake otherwise things will stay stagnant and get WORSE for the Faunus. That's why they stopped Adam's militant group from literally ATTACKING ANOTHER SCHOOL.

You really think that letting Adam run rampant was going to change anything? That's letting a violent terrorist basically be the only face of resistance against oppression, and guess what? Normal people don't like that. There's propaganda at play when it comes to fighting oppression, sure, but there NEEDS to be a pushback when things go too far from within the movement before said extremism becomes its face.

Also, I'm sorry but where did Ghira say they were going to go back to square one? All they said was there was work to be done, and they all fought off Adam's White Fang when they tried to literally assassinate the Belladonna's and blow Haven up. Tell me, truly, how were either of those two actions Adam's faction took going to help Faunus at all?

Adam needed to be stopped before he further went rampant and tarnished people's legacies and names. Because when all you have is a violent extremist representing you, that's all people see. You need to have a variety of tactics and people to encourage betterness in society and people.

And standing on the sidelines wasn't working, clearly. Also, the reason why progress is slow on that front is because comms are still down. They stopped the White Fang and saved Haven from destruction, sure, but that's one Kingdom. There is work to be done across the world and that's going to take time.

Time they won't have if Salem isn't defeated.

~

And before you try me with the whole "Well, why didn't our heroes try anything against Ironwood or Atlas or Jacques?" Because:

They have no authority to make any moves. Blake has pull in the Faunus circles, sure, but outside Menagerie she's effectively nobody. With the communications still down, they can't effectively organize. Likewise, our heroes aren't in any position of power and don't have any real sway over people that Atlas or Mantle would recognize.

To add to the above, Weiss had her inheritence to the Schnee fortune and name stripped in V4. There goes any kind of pull over anyone in Atlas that they may recognize.

Also. People may not know Weiss has changed. They may still associate her with Jacques and her pompous attitude.

When our heroes DO have pull over people, they are refugees abandoned by Atlas who have nowhere to go now and require aid from the Faunus in the Crater. That's working alongside Robyn Hill's Happy Huntresses, who people are far more willing to hear out.

They barely got into Mantle before being arrested. They were forced into stealing an airship in V6 due to Cordo not listening to them. They stopped a whole pack of Sabyrs when they first came in, and got arrested afterward.

They need to work WITH Ironwood in order to figure out what to do about the oncoming threat of Salem. Had they refused, as Ironwood cleanly demonstrated at the end of V7, he can trump charges up and have them all placed under arrest as he attemped to black bag Robyn Hill too.

In the meantime, they do try to sway his opinion. They do push him away from martial law, they adamantly suggest working with Robyn Hill and the Happy Huntresses, and they're the ones that oust Jacques and get the evidence he's working with Watts.

Further, their plan actually works. It's only a stroke of bad luck in V8 that prevented everyone from evacuating safely and Ironwood's continued insistence on fascist bullshit.

To tie that back to point 1 as a final comment: Jacques is a businessman whom holds a lot of cards in Atlas. Taking him down isn't as simple as killing him, because then the assassin looks the part of the villain unless they bring proof of villainy to people that are willing to properly assess the evidence.

Which they did in V7.

Salem isn't an agent of change, she's a force of destruction and domination that seeks only the world's end. As people like @matrixdragon, @citadelofmythoughts, and others have said: our heroes have multitasked on this front, hence why they repeatedly tried brokering peace between Mantle and Atlas, stopping Adam's attack, etc.

Just because they are trying to focus on the literal end of the world doesn't mean they don't keep things like this in mind.

If they didn't, then maybe you'd be correct. But they did. So you're not.

Good day to you.

[stilemawillow]

MTIJ | Ch.30 City of Dumbassery, Here I Come

|mtij masterlist|

pairing: levi ackerman x reader

word count: 13k

summary: a girl with a variety of hidden complexes has to live with a french asshole for nine months. easy? on the surface. problematic? definitely. romantic? not too much, or at least they’d make it a point to say so everytime when asked. the end? please, their dynamic isn’t as simple as that.

warnings: nsfw content; mentions of nudity; virginity loss; oral sex (f! receiving); protected sex; explicit sexual content; reader discretion advised

A hundred-dollar question: where do people go to blow off steam when their interns weren’t back back from their vacation yet? First and foremost, never City of Dumbassery as it’s not a place for relaxation. I might’ve been its main population these days, but I fancied myself a rational person capable of making the right choices when needed. Pretend you’re not looking at my romantic history. The right choice, however, wasn’t always right in the heat of the moment, only in perspective, so we begin this scene with me, seated on Erwin Smith’s couch with Hanji Zoe and a cup of coffee.

For more information on the right-est choice I made as of late, keep watching. Or as asshole-me insists on promoting: Come see the prequel to the biggest fuck-up of this girl’s life. I, though oblivious to its imminent eventuation at the point where we start, had a vague notion of what I wanted the next few days to look like. Let’s just say, humourlessly enough, that my wildest dreams came nowhere close to the reality that would take place.

“I’m sorry about last time, (Y/N). I didn’t know about you and Eren.” Hanji’s contrite apology made my smile widen as I lifted the cup of coffee to my lips. Dismissing the fact she brought the topic right back with the intention to make amends, Hanji was a good person and clearly sincere in her ways of regarding me. Kindness was one thing, but this woman’s pure cordiality was admirable.

“It’s not a problem. I could tell it wasn’t your intention to hurt me.” The corner of my mouth twitched in self-reproach at the manipulative bullshit I let slip. Instantly, I corrected: “Not that I was hurt.” If it’d been Annie, she wouldn’t straight-up laughed. Had it been Levi, he would’ve stared at me like I was dumb for thinking him dumb enough to buy it. But this was Hanji and she just smiled reassuringly.

“You can share if you want to. That’s what I’m here for with all my friends,” she offered. It sounded tempting but I couldn’t allow myself that kind of openness yet. Annie was, as always, the only person who knew the full story in all its repulsive glory but if I wanted to preserve (Levi’s privacy) my reputation, I couldn’t tell the whole thing here. The whole thing – look at me dodging the serious parts in an attempt to make myself feel better. I couldn’t tell Hanji about my intoxicated attempt to sleep with her friend, who gave dubious if any consent. Sounded appropriately disgusting like this.

“Mike and Erwin seem like they lead pretty decent lives, though.” Redirecting the topic, ignoring everything weird, dismissing all as a dirty scheme meant to humiliate me – a methodical step-by-step guide on how to be a paranoid bitch. It would’ve been my equivalent of the Bible if I weren’t an atheist. Even if I regularly used OMG, if I had to pick a fictional character to believe was real, at least I’d pick one from a book with a legit author – something by King, Thackeray, Hemingway, Tolkien, Orwell or Hawthorne. Following that train of thought, I might as well start worshipping Mickey Mouse – it’d do me more good than the big guy with the beard who loves me but would make me suffer for all eternity for stepping out of line once. I did it a lot.

“It wasn’t always like that. Not to mention Levi was stuck in the gutter a month back.” Hanji’s words snapped me out of my daze. “I know I told you to wait for him, but I don’t trust him, so make sure you keep this conversation a secret,” she warned while leaning forward as if afraid the walls would hear. The suspense, though exaggerated and a bit comical, made me put down my coffee. “So, you know how Petra is mentioned here and there?” I nodded. “She was Levi’s fiancé. She died in a car crash last October.” I knew I should’ve reacted appropriately but I couldn’t force it quickly enough. Hanji noticed. “You don’t look shocked.”

“No, but I am surprised. A lot of things make sense now. I’m sorry for your loss.” I hastened to make a recovery to lessen the doubt along the planes of her face. A pang tugged on my heart. When I considered the alternate reality where Petra hadn’t died, the notion of Levi not arriving for his internship was incomprehensible. He’d be studying hard at home and married. No rings, no chaos, no cheating for me – yes, good, but no company around the house either, no distraction and no comfort.

“You haven’t done anything to apologise for it,” Hanji said. “Anyways. Shorty was in a really bad place the months after. Working himself to the bone, no sleep, no food, no nothing. He just had to be doing something. The one good thing that came out of it was his weekly visits to his mother.” A small pause, a moment of consideration for her and an odd feeling of fascination for me. I was soaking it up like a sponge because I was seeing, at last, his angle. “Maybe it hit him that if death came for Petra, it could come for Kuchel, too. I can’t know for sure. All I know is he exhausted himself to the point he collapsed. Unconscious for three whole days. Isabel told him he’d gotten the internship when he woke up.”

“So he used it as an escape,” I finished. It was a logical conclusion. Hanji nodded. Avoiding pain wasn’t the way but he’d been desperate to get away and the internship had been the perfect opportunity. He’d grabbed his bags, boarded the plane and then… well, had to deal with me. Not a warm welcome by any means. He hadn’t even had the energy to get angry or look like he felt anything. I hadn’t known, hadn’t cared enough to see. It made me uncomfortable to realise it.

“Flew over a whole ocean and kept working,” Hanji proceeded. “He wanted something to distract himself with. When he ran out of work because he did overtime, he started calling home more often. Vague details were all he gave, but I got the feeling he had something else to work on.” Hanji’s words made a lopsided smile kiss my lips. He’d wanted to busy himself with my well-being, but I’d taken it the wrong way, as I often did. Nowadays the matter was often used against him but never by him – wasn’t that funny?

“Becoming the spoiled brat’s babysitter,” I filled in kindly, but Hanji’s disapproving frown meant to reproach along with the eloquent gesture of her crossing her arms. I didn’t regret the way I worded it. Eren, Annie, Mikasa and my mother had often tried to make me rethink my ways, but results were yet to manifest. This story, with me as the shitty protagonist most likely to be insufferable contrary to sympathy-inducing, portrayed reality as I saw it – and reality often neglected character development.

“He never called you either, but he did mention taking care of you had the same effect as working, if not better. I felt he might find himself a friend, so I supported him. I think I made the right choice. You have a lot in common,” Hanji declared. It struck a cord – did we really? Our arguments were fire lashing out at ice – not something that happened with people got along. Levi was hard to anger whereas I had a short fuse – everything was a personal insult. No easier target than a conceited paranoid.

“On the topic of that,” I piped. “How do you forget somebody?” The question was light-hearted. I decided to dismiss the whole story so I could ponder it later. Hanji’s brows furrowed as she smiled sympathetically. She couldn’t imagine the situation well enough. The question was I over Eren? had kept at a safe distance from my mind during my birthday vacation and the beginning of August only to assault it now with pitiless ire.

Things kept coming back when I least needed them. Thoughts of the twinkle in his teal eyes or the crooked smile he always wore before a kiss, the sound of his voice – the softness he’d told me he loved me with the first time, the haunting quiver in it when we were breaking up. I woke up at night with the howl of planes taking off and landing. On some mornings, I woke up, hoping to hear a knock at the door and see his face. Would he be more tan? Would his eyes be the same? Would his hair be styled differently? Would he have grown taller?

But, (Y/N), a voice would say in my head, people don’t grow taller just like that, it’s physically impossible.

Eren can, I’d argue, because Eren is my boyfriend and he can do anything if he puts his mind to it.

But Eren wasn’t my boyfriend and he wasn’t a miracle-maker. I’d sit in bed and argue with myself that Eren would come back, that I wanted the best for him and that wasn’t me, that we were done, but that he’d still come back. He never did. A small desperate part of me still hoped for the door to open – any door. Erwin Smith’s apartment’s front door right now, even. I could almost hear his footsteps going up the stairs. I swore I could. I turned to Hanji, a naïve question – can’t you? – flickering in my orbs. She didn’t catch it.

“I’m not an expert,” she said instead. “But Levi can be of help. His coping mechanisms aren’t the best example to follow, but he has a good head on his shoulders. He just doesn’t listen to it.” She might’ve thought, with how desperate I looked, that I might cry. She didn’t know pride would rather have me rip out of my tear ducts before that happened. I didn’t cry often or in many people’s presence. That wasn’t to say I didn’t like Hanji. But Annie and, unfortunately, Levi were the exceptions here. The latter was a mystery, probably my attempt to play a damsel in distress to ask for attention. Attention and help and fucking, might as well – a kiss. Couldn’t he just kiss me sometimes without me having to be in the middle of a mood?

“Yeah, well, I wouldn’t copy those coping mechanisms even if I wanted to. Work, sex and alcohol are never a good mix.” I let out an awkward string of laughter, weirded out by my abrupt disconnection from the conversation and how it turned my thoughts against me. I didn’t miss him that much. Also, he was coming home tomorrow. I had nothing to play the desperate whore for. There was the blondie. That wasn’t jealousy, though. I’d say it was my wish to prove myself better.

“Sex?” Hanji echoed with a conflicted expression.

“Sex with my father’s secretary. I think it was around May. He stormed out after calling her and came back drunk in the middle of the night,” I explained. The brown-haired woman took a second to process the story, then burst out in incredulous laughter. My brows twitched. “What’s so funny?” Was it something else or was I just weird for not thinking my father’s intern and secretary fucking the joke of the century?

“I remember him telling me about that,” she started, voice hinting at a new bout of cackling. “He went to her place for paperwork and she had her boyfriend over. They kept offering him drinks and he agreed to shut them up. Crossed the line at some point. He even got lost on his way back to the house.” I wanted to face-palm using the table and, hopefully, get myself into a coma. Was there a person on this Earth denser than me or was I a phenomenal idiot?

“Oh, God,” I muttered in a wheeze. “I’m so stupid.” Embarrassment and shame painted the tips of my ears bright crimson as I clenched my fists. Hanji patted my shoulder.

“You’re not stupid. I would’ve thought the same if I had no context. Levi would never just have a one-night stand, though. Not the type of person for it. He claims it’s the wrongest way to get over something.” Her brown eyes, previously fixed on me, were now directed at the coffee table. “Might work for you, but he most certainly hates it.” A snort was drawn from her lips as she withdrew her hand from my shoulder. I tried not to think about it, but it was inevitable. Hitch’s party, him refusing, refusing, refusing, because it would be “just like that” and “just like that” was a solution for neither of us.

“I’ll consider it,” I joked. “I was busy up until recently, but maybe university won’t be enough to distract me.” I smiled as Hanji chuckled, patting my back.

“Another boyfriend should do the trick in that case,” she said.

But I don’t want another boyfriend, I wanted to counter. I want your grumpy short friend. The thought froze me up. Asshole-me joined Hanji’s hearty chuckle. Bold of me to think it. Terrible of me to think it. Wrong of me to think it. It was complicated. If romance was not involved here, it was undeniable at this point. I could almost feel it written in capital letters on my forehead.

ATTRACTED TO LEVI ACKERMAN. VERY.

“I’m not ready for the commitment.” Was the only comment to exit my mouth due to the sudden discomfort nestling in the crevice of my ribcage. “I think,” I added awkwardly, reluctant regarding a relationship but very opinionated on the topic of engaging my father’s intern in something inappropriate that would make our relations twice as complicated as they were.

“A friend with benefits then?” Hanji’s mind-reading abilities amazed. I realised it suddenly – that it was natural, this attraction of mine, no matter how humiliating and inconvenient. It wasn’t weird and maybe it wasn’t all that wrong. It was a guy who was three years older than me who lived with me that I considered unreachable. The forbidden fruit, so to say. He was handsome, mysterious and had abs. Natural to be attracted to that. Natural to be attracted to it when I saw it every day and it saw me every day and most times it treated me with passive kindness. So there’d be no harm, I assumed, in initiating something a smidge bigger. What was stopping me? I didn’t have a boyfriend, I wouldn’t feel guilty and I wasn’t insecure because, hey, he’d kissed me last time. Obviously, I wasn’t nasty.

“Update from a virgin to a slut then?” I smirked, a decision born. Hanji’s mouth clamped shut shamefully and I laughed. “I’m kidding, calm down. It was just a joke.” I patted her back. The ring on my finger was cool to the couch and soothing. My resolve, for once, was there. I had a goal. A simple one at that – nothing dangerous. Two words: kiss Levi. I would do it because there was nothing to stop me. I mean, what was the worst that could happen?

…

Imagine an elegant expensive kitchen armed with all kinds of top-quality appliances. Paradise for all little housewives who greet their husbands with a warm meal. I wasn’t that type and the fact I spent four hours cooking more food than a family of six could eat didn’t make me one either. Judging was futile because I took care of that myself during the whole process. Currently, the fruit of my effort sat in front of me – a full three-course meal with different forks to go with the high-class atmosphere. I was far from a successor of Gordon Ramsay, but I outdid myself this time. Why? Last-minute anxiety maybe. Or fear. I needed a distraction because the thought of Eren wouldn’t stop pestering me. Added to that was the fact my father could walk in without Levi. Asshole-me didn’t help.

Bet on the outcome now! A once-in-a-lifetime offer that provides an endless amount of entertainment for the whole family! Fifty bucks says a discount version of William will use the vanishing potion and fly back to France! The other side of the bet? Sorry, I don’t know her. With such a commentator, it was early to skip the food and go straight to consuming my fingernails. Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock. Place your bets right now, your bets need to go in the ballot box, quickly fill out the slips and put them in! Will he go or yes? And what’s the sweat for, princess? Don’t we like watching history repeat itself? I love it. So bet, bet, bet, bet! Come on, faster! If I had a penny for each time your father’s intern left you in the summer, I’d have two pennies. Which isn’t a lot, but it’s hilarious it happened twice!

The jingle of keys pulled the plug on asshole-me’s voice. I’d waited a whole hour now and my head snapped up so fast I heard my neck pop. The front door opened and my heart flinched when my father walked in, dressed in one of those hideous Hawaiian shirts they sold in souvenir shops and flaunting on his nose and cheekbones a really bad case of sunburn. He’d say the sun was harsh in Minnesota. I’d pretend not to hear because believing was impossible. He slipped out of his sandals and I clasped my hands together in excitement.

“Dad, finally! I was starting to think I’d have to reheat everything,” I said. He turned to face the fake exasperation masking the genuine joy I felt at his return. A doubtful smile tugged at the corner of his mouth and my eyes were frantically bouncing from him to the open door. Panic began to well up in my mind. Asshole-me was diligently digging a hole for it, to fit as much as possible.

“A pretty big feast you have there.” Rolland Raven took off the sunglasses he was wearing to eye the food a bit better. I cracked a smile I hoped wouldn’t seem constipated. My thought process was starting to lag due to overload when I heard a faint curse. Next thing, Levi’s pale figure, wearing a ridiculous straw hat. My heart dropped like a stone, plugged the pit of panic and made asshole-me yelp when it nearly crushed her fingers. I felt like stumbling back into my chair and never getting up.

“I guessed you might be hungry after the flight. You don’t have to eat all of it,” I said. It was then a pair of graphite hues shot up to my face. It felt like each muscle in it strained almost to the point of tearing. My father took a seat at the counter while the intern opted to drop off his luggage upstairs and change clothes. I stared after him a second too long while he was climbing the stairs.

“You’ve never waited for me after a business trip before.” (E/c) clashed with (e/c) as my father began picking his food and digging in with more enthusiasm than I’d expected. Levi had mentioned the almightly Raven had complained about the poor quality on the trip compared to what he had at home, but it was still a compliment to witness it manifested.

“I usually have things to do when you’re on business trips, father. This summer I needed a source of entertainment.” I rolled my eyes, letting them scan the interior during the roundabout lie. Lucky enough, they caught the exact moment Levi was leaving his room, tugging down his shirt. A glimpse of fit abdominals. A vague tan line. The food on the counter became a tad bit less appetising.

“Don’t you have Eren Jaeger to help with that?” My father’s question made my attention snap back in place just in time for Levi not to catch me staring. He took a seat at the far end of the counter but I was too preoccupied with a small freak-out fit to dwell on it.

“About that,” I squeaked out with a constipated expression, prompting both men’s attention to turn from half-hearted to wholly undivided. Amazing. I couldn’t have done a better job at it if I’d begun yodelling out of the blue. “Eren broke up with me two months ago.” The key to not sounding like a squeaky toy was to not meet anybody’s gaze. My father was blinking like something had gotten in his eye and Levi’s jaw clenched at the discomfort he was subjected to.

“And I wasn’t notified of that because?” Rolland Raven, among many a quality, was a proud man who, in spite of his profession, could never act quite as predictably as I wished him to. This was no exception because I didn’t have time to open my mouth before he silenced me with a hand in the air. “No, forget I asked. I need to have a serious talk with him. Maybe make him pay back all the dates you’ve handled with interest. We can make a fortune.” The devious plan was voiced in his typical cold-blooded businessman manner. I waved my hands around in discomfort.

“Hold your horses, father. You’re not the one who got dumped. Eren ended the whole thing because he went to study in Germany,” I explained but it wouldn’t satisfy my father, who only glared while putting a fork-full of potatoes in his mouth. Levi tried to become fully invisible. I thought if things got too heated for him, he might make a dash for his room with the dish.

“Unreasonable as can be. If he loved you as much as he had the balls to claim in front of me, he could’ve thought of an alternative that didn’t include breaking your heart. Because of something as insignificant as distance, too.” My father leaned back in his chair with folded arms. He forgot all about food so he could glare at me.

“4898 miles to be exact,” I murmured pitifully. Both men shot me an incredulous look, to which I switched on defence mode. “I did my research. I wasn’t crying the whole time.” Subconsciously copying my father’s position, I reclined in my chair and crossed my arms, glaring like a child prior to giving a sigh and smiling weakly. “I gave it a lot of thought and he did the right thing. So can you be the one to tell mom later?” The last inquiry seemed to surprise him, maybe because it was expected of me to share more with my mother and thus already have her know the super secret information I was handing him.

“I’ll try not to cry as I do.” A nod and a similar weak smile. “You did well not to tell me immediately.” He returned to normal – calculating and sharp, looking for weaknesses and thinking in numbers. Levi’s lack of shock went unnoticed, which I was secretly thankful for. The raven was looking at me playing with the silver band around my finger to soothe my nerves.

“Because you would’ve gone to the airport to kick him to the curb like a good father?” I smirked, a pointed look aimed at the dark-haired businessman, who only snorted in return prior to redirecting his attention back to the food.

“… maybe.” A small pause betraying care, an awkward glance in his intern’s direction conveying mild panic as a result of his feelings showing and a fake clearing of the throat to show discomfiture. He changed the topic immediately. “Have I told you you’ve become a better cook than your mother?” (E/c) clashed with (e/c) and I knew he could see I was holding back laughter by the way the corner of his mouth twitched downwards in displeasure.

“You have now. Congratulations on successfully dodging the topic,” I announced with a complacent grin as he scoffed, ignoring the embarrassment so he could go back to eating. Levi’s gaze was relentless but, once having resolved the current minor conflict, I felt too ashamed to return it. I couldn’t be speaking of Eren, thinking of Levi and acting like a professional whore. It went against my moral code. I wished it was as stable as my pride. Somewhere in my head, asshole-me was drafting an advertisement for the future demise of both.

The following day was unexpectedly laid back in terms of emotions – the process of waking up and going to work was starting to become mechanical. I disliked that I was turning into a nine-to-five zombie, but Melinda’s cross remarks did nothing to hinder my placidity and Adam’s request for a date was, surprisingly, accepted with a pinch of reluctance. It was time for something new, I defended when asshole-me breached the topic of my change of heart. I couldn’t go a whole life without clashing with a man who wasn’t Eren. To forget him, I actually needed to accept that. Because knowing he wouldn’t come back and I didn’t want to get back together was different from realising I couldn’t stay in the comfort zone of being endlessly attached to him and using it as an excuse to never move on.

I felt a smile light up my face the moment I saw Levi in front of the TV with a cup of tea in his hand. Unfortunately, I couldn’t use him to move on – it was the conclusion I drew from the quiet happiness gripping my heart at the sight of him beckoning me over. Everything I’d done had been quite enough. I wouldn’t turn him into a tool as well. So I settled on the couch and we led a half-assed conversation about the movie playing until my parents barged in, beaming and formal. Going for a date at a restaurant – yeah, no, I knew where they were going after. I smiled as we sent them off, and then the ebony-haired intern began choosing the movie we’d be watching and I worked on the snacks downstairs.

Accepted a date, claimed you won’t use him and now you’re pondering the kiss you’ll initiate. You know you’re fucked in the head, correct? Asshole-me piped mockingly, making me huff. I knew I was fucked in the head because she was there. Also, kissing Levi and using Levi were two different things. Different for him how? It’s kissing. It wasn’t. It would be exploring this time – not thinking about being distracted but feeling it for what it was. Jesus, that’s such a weak excuse. I felt she might be face-palming. Seriously, what’s wrong with you? You spent so much time telling your best friend you don’t like him, then you miss Eren, then you “date” Adam, then you grab your friend-zoned intern and decide you’ll be kissing him again – after you established you’re fucking inferior to the blondie who’s clearly hitting on him or clearly intent on doing it too. Can you not follow the timeline?

“Princess, why does Natalie tell me you’ve filled out all the forms related to the company’s income during our vacation?” Levi lowered the phone from his ear. The call had ended a second ago and he was glaring at me doubtfully. I was busy watching the movie – hopefully, excuse enough for scarce to no eye contact. I opened the pack of Doritos I’d dug up from my secret stash in the garage and warily eyed the pale intern’s expression.

“Because the forms were in the office downstairs and I figured they’d get in the way of our movie marathon, asshole. I haven’t messed them up.” My scoff was promptly returned to sender as Levi shoved his phone back in his pocket and clicked his tongue in exasperation. Another three minutes passed before I spoke up: “By the way, I need advice.” The room was dimly lit and the raven’s sharp gaze was on my temple.

“Will you have it in mind when you get back on your bullshit?” The inquiry was flat and doubtful. I tried to nod but it came out looking like a cringe and a shrug. His lips pursed in exhaustion. “Spill,” he ordered coldly, making me pout.

“How do I forget Eren?” Squeaky was the best I could do after becoming tense again. Nervousness was gnawing at the feeble stem of courage I’d managed to grow and my hopes for this to go as smoothly as a chat about the weather were stuck in an elevator on the top floor of a skyscraper. Even overthinking was useless here.

“Easy,” he said. Again, there was that breach of grammar. “Find somebody new. Judging by how much you’re smiling these days, you might as well be done with that.” The suspicious mockery made me snort.

“Don’t you think I might be happy to have you and dad back home?” I asked pointedly.

“No,” he countered with a defiant click of his tongue. What he said next sounded like an extract from a Jorge Bucay book. Something about self-love maybe. “Before you get with Rivers, however, you have to accept that Jaeger is now your ex. He’s part of the past and the past doesn’t hold power over the future if you don’t let it.” I bit back laughter to not offend him.

“Such a poet you are,” I huffed half-heartedly. “And how do I stop loving him?” Seriousness stood perched on my right shoulder, but the Doritos between us kept decreasing and I felt the soothing coolness of the ring on my finger. Our gazes locked and I stared, just because I could, because he was back, because he acted normally. And why wouldn’t he? Our circumstances surely weren’t enough to alter his demeanour.

“You don’t. You never will and you should get used to it.” His answer cut deep and I realised it might’ve confused me but I was too captivated by his eyes to process it. He forced himself to explain: “We never stop loving somebody once we’ve fallen for them. We just fall harder for another person.” It was as romantic as it was businessman-like. A bit too… systematic somehow.

Line up, line up! Asshole-me encouraged. I imagined a big queue in front of an entrance door with a sign bearing my name above it. Number 12, pass through, but beware – number 10 wasn’t careful with his words and number 11 made no effort to change that! The asshole side of me clearly fancied the idea. For all waiting, the Eren Jaeger mural is on the left and the guy on the right is the one you’ll never be! Keep trying but keep this face in mind – Levi Ackerman is hiding in a lot of the corners you’ll visit! He’s an invaluable guest at this establishment! Oh! Is it time for the next one already? Hurry up, number 13! Don’t hold up the queue, who knows how much capacity we have left. And so on until the last victim had walked in. It made my nose scrunch up.

“Does that mean you still haven’t gotten over Petra?” I piped curiously, bright eyes observing closely the intern’s reaction. The movie was no longer as interesting. Everything I could focus on was the furrow between Levi’s brows and the flat unperturbed look in his eyes. He grabbed a Dorito from the pack. I moved my hand away just in time to avoid a clash.

“It means I haven’t fallen in love with the next in line,” he said, reinforcing the notion of a queue. “I’m used to the fact she’d dead. Filling out every report in the world won’t bring her back,” he paused briefly and gulped, “so I go on with my life.” The explanation was simple but relatively quiet, like he was trying to say the words while not exactly aiming to have me hear them. His gaze was staring at the screen ahead as I looked down, trying to come up with a good one-liner to put him out of his discomfort.

“I feel like we’re becoming pensive,” I started with a lopsided smirk, “so let me pull a Reverse Uno card on this mood by saying I’ve reached a milestone in my life.” Licking the Dorito dust off my fingers, I puffed out my chest proudly, making the intern put a hand to his mouth. Maybe he’d bitten back a smile behind it. “I won’t get fined for driving without supervision now. Not to mention, I can have sex.” Waving an index finger in front of his face, I didn’t react when he grabbed it without warning.

“I don’t see what stopped you before,” he stated nonchalantly. I shrugged, concluding I hadn’t exactly shared with him details about my childish vow.

“There was this really religious teacher at school when I was ten – she scarred all her classes by giving them unsolicited Sex Education lectures mixed with Bible verse. Got fired because children complained to their parents, but she did a good one on me before that,” I explained with a smile, yanking my finger from his hold. “Since sex was for sinners – both began with the letter s, she explained to us – and I didn’t want to be a sinner because it meant… well, a bad person, I told myself I’d have sex only after turning eighteen, regardless of the temptation. So I held out. Proud of myself for that.” My complacent smile made him snort. He might’ve glanced at my lips right after.

“I’m sure there’s been a lot of temptation for you, princess,” he drawled in a deep sarcastic voice, moving the empty bag of Doritos away before wiping his fingers with as I processed the retort. I sat still, pouting for a fraction of a second, when it hit me this was my chance. The signal was there – shining in bright green, if I wasn’t color-blind – and it was time for me to grasp the opportunity.

“More than you can imagine, asshole,” I said with a scoff, not parting my eyes from his profile to observe his reaction. We cast aside the fact he could’ve poked fun at me being the furthest thing from a believer, yet such a big aspect of my life had been altered by a religious teacher. The tip of his nose twitched when he snorted in dismissal, not daring to meet my eye all of a sudden.

“The mood has been brightened. What do we do now?” He turned to face me, curious but hesitant, and I felt a surge of courage at the sight of the indecisiveness dawdling about in his grey eyes. The blue specks were calling me – count us, (Y/N), count us – and I concluded this would be the one time I initiated anything between us. It was stressful and scary, but it was Levi, so want overpowered fear, resulting in something we’d have a hard time sorting out our feelings on.

“Watch the movie you so diligently picked for us maybe?” But actions contradicted words because I was leaning in and he could see it. For two whole seconds, there was no movement on his end. Panic was about to make me pull back, pin it to something else, anything else, when his hand lifted, slender fingers gently tucking my hair behind my ear. This was it. It would happen. I was exploring what it’d be like without the guilt of purposefully seeking distraction.

It was slow – the first kiss – his lips barely landing on top of mine so we could taste the water even when we knew it was lukewarm. The movie was like white noise – I could catch fragments of dialogue and the screen illuminated Levi’s profile the few times my lids fluttered open. His hold on the side of my face was gentle, granting permission for me to pull back at any point. I didn’t know what he was thinking. I knew I was barely thinking and it felt nice, for my head to be so blissfully empty. It was all sensations and when he dragged his tongue over my bottom lip, my mouth opened to allow access for further exploration. The kiss deepened and I tried to push closer into him.

“Get on top,” he muttered into my mouth. His right hand dipped to grab my leg. I might’ve flushed bright red, but I still complied, slowly straddling him and letting his hands guide me to where he found it most comfortable. I was terribly aware of what I sat on. It might’ve been terribly aware of me, too.

It was slow and fast at the same time. We weren’t breaking the kiss but some moments of it – like his hand brushing my side and making me cover in goosebumps – were fleeting like blinks while others – like the weird scorching thing in my whole torso – felt endless. It was indescribable to a point, the heat of the moment but the moment was long and the pace was changing slightly the more it went on. It hadn’t been him either. It was him responding to me, because I couldn’t for the life not hold him tightly and subconsciously look for more. We were glued together and his fingers had tentatively pushed up my shirt at the back so they could trail up and down the curve of my spine.

My head was tilted, fingers tangled in his hair and heavy huffs escaping my nostrils. He smelled like lavender and rain and cologne, and my fucking conditioner I’d told him a thousand times to stop using because it was expensive. I didn’t bother scolding him about it now. My desperate want turned the kisses hungrier and there was this point – I might’ve wiggled slightly to find an even closer spot – but he stiffened and grabbed the back of my head, growing twice as persistent and passionate. Weird, using that word about him. It hit me the forbidden part of male anatomy I was seated on top of had risen to attention. It made me wonder if it had happened before and that, in turn, was simultaneously embarrassing and flattering. He was attracted to me, too. Duh. We were literally making out on my bed.

When more began translating as more of everything instead of more of this particular thing, he seemed to sense the shift. His hands guided me off his lap and back on the bed. My head was resting against the pillow and my head was empty, lids fluttering open to drink the sight of him the first time he broke the kiss – pale but handsome, tired but caring, bored but clearly moved by the happening. It was a miracle. I’d been begging for this statue to show me anything in the beginning of his internship. I hadn’t known it could show me this – it looked like a godsend. My heart was going a hundred miles per hour, my breath was unsteady and my body felt hot all over.

It didn’t matter where he kissed – my lips, my neck, my chest, my shoulders – I just wanted him to keep kissing me. Temptation had seldom been this strong and the vow was no longer active, it was fulfilled – an electrifying realisation. I didn’t need to have him stop. What my sinner’s hands did the moment that resolution snapped in place was to grab the hem of his shirt and, with pointed urgent eyes, plead with him to take it off. He hesitated for exactly one second, then complied, like he’d complied with everything else without having me say it. He was kneeling between my legs, arms going over his head so the piece of clothing could be discarded. His chest and abdomen flexed, the biceps, the triceps, all the other names of muscles I’d had to read about but hadn’t memorised. Adonis in the flesh. Fuck me for drooling. Oh.

If I could paint, I’d paint him. If I could sing, I’d write a song. If I had a taser, I’d tase myself out of being so cringe-worthy in admiring the body of a man. But when that body pressed against mine, everything became a bit too hot – literally and metaphorically – so I decided the next step was to cool down by taking off my own clothes. First the shirt, then the pants he helped out with. I almost laughed when they tangled at my ankles and he had to tug them off with an irritated frown. Here it was, having my father’s intern see my bra again. This time I didn’t mind.

“Frills? Seriously?” Well, now I minded.

“Do we have an issue?” I snapped with a pointed look. It didn’t help he was towering over me, sizing up my underwear with eyes that spoke simultaneously of him being amused and him being something else. I wondered if he was still hard. I hadn’t touched there once.

“It’s almost cute,” he mocked flatly. He didn’t reach to take it off – he just leaned down to mollify me with a kiss. It worked. I was carried off into wanting more again. The weight of him on top of me grounded the body and made the soul soar. It was a cringe comparison but whatever, it was true. I realised, right about the time I tugged on the waistband of his sweatpants and his brows flashed in unrestrained surprise, that I was an eighteen-year-old doing exactly what was expected of every single eighteen-year-old on the planet – sneaking a boy into my room while my parents were out.

This here was a boy I trusted and a boy I was halfway convinced was more of a man than a boy, mostly when it came to observing how he casually sat up and removed his sweatpants with precision contrary to clumsiness. My eyes flickered down to his boxers. Still hard alright. There was a rush of excitement and shame all at once when I realised it. A bit too late to stop and pin this a mere heat-of-the-momet make-out session. It was the real deal. Happening. Live. In my room. On a late August evening. Goodness gracious.

It took me a second to process it and he might’ve sensed that I’d grown a bit rigid despite remaining just as active. He didn’t advance the happening, petting my hair and kissing me, and trailing lower, but only as low as he’d gone before, finding the rest a sort of forbidden land. Didn’t even take off the bra with the frills he mocked me for. What a gentleman. He was kissing the curve of my breast and I was wondering how in the fucking hell I’d deserved this.

“We don’t have to,” he warned at some point. “If you don’t want to. Saying no is allowed.” He kissed me and it was intoxicating, but also the last snapped nerve. I arched my back off the bed, elbows bending so my hands could reach for my bra clip. The shoulder straps went loose and Levi paused for a moment to process what the act meant.

“I won’t say it,” I muttered with determination, eyes locked with his. Pride was strong within me even now and, having the wordless consent, he gently took off the bra before paying some attention to newfound territory. It was like being examined in a lab. Again, my boobs weren’t perfect. It was genetics and fate, and whatever else. In being embarrassed about him staring at my chest, I was graced by the thought I hadn’t shaved anywhere. Double embarrassed. Wasn’t it only right that the first time would come with presentability? There go the Raven teachings.

And the word nipple is somewhat lame – I’ve heard it from native and non-native speakers of English both – but there is no other word. So when his tongue rolled around my nipple, I forgot I hadn’t shaved and drew such a sharp breath I almost choked. My chest was heaving and he was thumbing my other nipple. I thought we’d get straight to it and was mistaken. He knew better, it seemed, because a virgin needed the bare minimum of this much and more foreplay to truly relax. It hit me for a fraction that this was actual foreplay while I was staring at the ceiling between trying not to make any sounds. I was like a dead fish, just letting him do things to me. More responsive than a dead fish but awfully inexperienced in any case. It made me feel just a bit guilty. My one saving grace was the fact his erection kept brushing against my leg – and if that was there, then it meant he wasn’t dissatisfied.

It was a black spot for a while because I couldn’t pinpoint between the overwhelming build-up of nice but not nice enough where exactly Levi was kissing or sucking or nipping or touching. Now it would be my thigh, now leaving a hickey on my shoulder, now trailing kisses over my jaw and down my neck, now caressing my side, now trailing a finger down to my navel, now my boob, intermission, the other boob – and the whole time there was that thing in my abdomen, the same one I’d felt with Eren, the hot knot begging for attention.

This was a new person and I hadn’t thought it’d come with a new person, but it was there alongside a brand new dynamic which wasn’t hurried or harsh or overtly passionate like I’d been used to. The pace was decent and steady and passion here didn’t amount to bruises – or at least not explicitly so. The new person made it thrilling, overwhelming. The new person made it a brand new experience. And when the brand new person’s hand gently dipped to touch the part where my legs met, I shivered all over, heart and lady boner flinching at once. Levi, with his obstinacy, refused to ask permission vocally. I still nodded, spreading my legs a bit wider. Slowly, like my panties weren’t in the way, he kissed from my knee to the base of my inner thigh, nipped slightly and made me yelp, and muffled something like a chuckle against the plush of my leg.

I didn’t know what he was thinking. I knew his fingers pressing against the spot where wetness had accumulated made my mouth gape slightly. I craned my neck and closed my eyes. There was embarrassment holding hands with excitement, with pleasure breathing down their necks. Nothing quite mattered. I breathed out like I’d been holding my breath for fourteen minutes when the raven’s fingers gently dragged back and forth against my core and then he might’ve been impatient, because he tugged my underwear out of the way, down my legs, past the knees and the ankles, dropping it with the rest of our clothes and the empty Dorito bag on the floor. It was a whole mess, this thing. I wanted it.

“The house is empty, princess,” he said while leaning down to kiss below my navel.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked, almost out of breath in spite of my lungs functioning perfectly. His fingers were ghosting on the side of where I wanted him to touch. His mouth dragged lower. There was the jab of shame about not being shaved again. It hadn’t sent him to his feet and out of the room, so it was probably fine. A man wasn’t afraid to fight the jungle, I’d heard a few times before.

“That you can make noise without being scared,” he responded casually. I snorted and decided inwardly that I wouldn’t be making any noise whatsoever, just to spite him. It did feel good, though, so I doubted I could actually hold back effectively. As though to challenge the unsaid decision, Levi cut the suspense short. When his tongue rested where only one other had before, I came close to whining. My hand shot down to paw at his hair and he hummed against my clit. The vibrations of it made me writhe slightly.

He licked and sucked – nipped twice, which made me yelp both times – and did all sorts of other magic. Added to the title of mind-reader would now be the rank of mage. Then, there was this point when I could feel his fingers prodding at my entrance – a gentle warning of what was to come. First it was one. My mouth gaped and there was a slight flash of something like pain. More like discomfort. Now this was brand new wherever I looked at it from. Remember, my vow had its doors but none had included penetration. Officially the furthest I’d gone with somebody. Goodbye, hymen. You served us well.

He waited. Waited almost a full minute and distracted me with his tongue before I rolled my hips to give him the green light. Slow pumps. It was still uncomfortable, but the friction wasn’t painful. Just uncomfortable and new and I didn’t like change, but when this one found with its finger one particular spot sold off as the Bermuda Triangle for men to find, I might’ve liked this particular change. First, it made me moan. Second, the more he kept reaching that spot – because it was impossible to miss I liked it – the closer I was to coming. There were sloppy sounds and a second finger inserting itself in me, and my voice bouncing off the walls before dropping to the floor in a hush.

I might’ve said his name, actually, I might’ve half-screamed it. The orgasm hit me like a brick dropping straight on my genitals and he kept flicking his tongue slower and slower until I’d ridden it out in full. How considerate. When his fingers came out, there was a spot of blood. My mouth clamped shut in shame. He reached over to clean them with a wet wipe – then he cleaned me, too, because obviously he could see things that were invisible to me. There was slick on his chin and I glared half-heartedly when his eyes twinkled in amusement at me.

“Well, that’s done,” I muttered while he leaned over with the intention to kiss me again. “Wipe your mouth, asshole.” I put a hand to his chest to prevent my own pussy juices from coming in contact with my face. For a clean-freak, he sure didn’t seem to be in a hurry to get them off.

“You don’t want to see how tasty it is?” He was mocking me. I was red and hot all over still, a bit like a deflated balloon being refilled with exasperation contrary to air. No longer a virgin, as far as doctors would care. Still kind of in the middle, considering typical hetero interactions included something more than fingers.

“God, no!” I tried to push at his jaw and he almost chuckled when the pussy juice got on my fingers and I flicked my wrist frantically to get it off.

“It was god, yes a second ago,” he drawled pointedly. I burned bright red under his gaze, naked and not a hymen-bearer and kind of lost as to what came next. I pouted, swatted his shoulder and pretended to be very disgusted when he kissed me, making it open-mouted and sloppy for the sake of spiting me. In truth, it didn’t taste like much. Tasted weird, unlike food and drink. Well, that’s bodily fluids for you.

Remember the right-est choice I made as of late? Here it comes. The kiss guided his fingers down to my clit again and mine – to the band of his boxers. A tug and a snap, and he asked me three whole fucking times if I was sure. Not verbally, of course. It was just the particular way he stopped between each step to make sure, to look at me straight in the eye and have me nod my consent back to him. Like I’d change my mind that fast. God’s sake – if I would’ve said no, I would’ve said it before we’d kissed. But this wasn’t something he would do under normal circumstances – not a matter of alcohol, guilt or duty. It was free will and choice. Mine might’ve been made sometime last month, right around my birthday.

The boxers were gone. I blinked at it. A penis in textbooks, a dick in colloquial speech, a cock in smut books, a member in tame erotica. Length, girth, meat sword, love machine – could go on forever. We sat staring at it like it was an alien and while I was bashful, I was also bad with measurements without the aid of a ruler, hence why I safely concluded that I could stack about four donuts on it and put the zipper on it. There was that thing – precum, was it? – leaking from the tip. In all honesty, no I didn’t want to lick it off. Same went for sperm. In the history of mankind, I’d done the gracious thing and sucked off my boyfriend exactly once – the rest had been handjobs because blowjobs came with terrible pains in the jaw, a cramping of the tongue, a crap salty taste and the awkward detail of looking like an unattractive fish during the act. So, no, I didn’t volunteer to show off how bad I was at it.

“Condoms, shit.” It flew out of my mouth unintentionally. Levi’s face scrunched up. We were both visited by the bitter realisation that going further was not an option anymore, unless he wanted to don on a sock. Then the solution came to me. “Keep it up, I’ll be back in a minute,” I mumbled hurriedly, jumping off the bed and rushing butt-naked out of the room so I could go to my parents’ bedroom. Yeah, no, such was the reality of things. I tried to keep my conscience untainted while rummaging through the wardrobe. The hidden box of condoms in the back by the shoes was the saving grace. I wouldn’t speak of this to a living soul that wasn’t Annie Leonheardt ever.

The moment I returned to the room with the box held proudly over my head, Levi snorted. He laid me on the bed again and the mood returned, which was weird because I’d pinned him the type of experience one moment of interruption and consider it all ruined. Not that I’d thought about him during sex or having sex. I hadn’t. I promise. I was thinking it now, when I was about to have it with him. The kisses eased the natural awkwardness and by the time he was putting it in, I was a desperate mess again. Sweat stuck to skin and my breath got stuck in my throat when he pushed it in. I blanked, gaped like I’d received a headshot and felt him stand still to let me adjust. There was, again, mild discomfort. Fingers couldn’t compare to a dick.

I gave it half a minute and told him to move. The first thrust had me whining into his mouth. It was good. It was good, progressively becoming better and better and better, a surprise arriving with each snap of his hips. My father’s intern having sex with me, my father’s intern, my father’s intern, my intern, my Levi. The first five minutes were full of careful slow strokes to let the awkwardness dissipate and for me to get used to it. I won’t call myself anything but I’ll say I got used to it a bit too fast for comfort. So it went. Losing my virginity to my father’s intern.

“Faster, can you--- a bit faster?” The words were choked out and you’d wonder why I would ask for faster when slow was doing a good job of making my chest heave like I was running a marathon, but it was maddening and addictive.

“I can for you, princess.” It was a rasp against the side of my neck and I was blanking because the voice, paired with the hands, with the scent, with the sensation of being full and empty, then full and empty again was so mind-numbing I could melt on the spot and stay there forever. So slow and careful turned into fast and considerate. There was no harshness in him even when he kneaded my boobs or licked stripes down the length of my throat, no harshness whatsoever when he gripped my thighs or my sides. It was tight, but pleasant, egging me on further.

I bit down on the pillow when he found the spot. I bit his finger, too. I bit his shoulder and I bit my own hand to keep my voice down because how was something on this Earth allowed to be so nice? Fuck. He murmured at me to moan if I felt like it. There was a smug undertone. And when he reached between us to roll circles around my clit, I didn’t moan – I was a banshee impersonator, neck craning, back arching, toes curling, all that jazz. I came with a crash and a bang, and it might’ve been an hour by now, or maybe more, but the neighbourhood was asleep and I was wide awake, trying to wake them up, too.

A five-minute break of kisses served as an intermission to avoid me becoming overstimulated but Levi was still hard and still quite energetic in spite of the fact he’d been fucking me for an overall of thirty minutes without stopping or having his pace hitch. Round two started fast and I had my legs up, knees on the sides of my head. It was hot, seeing him through that kind of frame. Just one bead of sweat on his temple – not sticky all over, unlike me. Why was I the one becoming exhausted anyway? I was being a pillow princess. His eyes were gorgeous and his lips were slightly swollen.

“Please, don’t stop,” I whined at some point. He didn’t seem to have any prospects of stopping anyway, but I couldn’t help it. He huffed, chest heaving with lust and I knew it wasn’t easy to be the one doing all the work, so I mentally gave credit where credit was due. “Oh--- Levi, God!” He seemed like he wanted to laugh and my ring glimmered in the dark against his cheek while I tried to pull him down for a kiss which was simply impossible in our current position. He switched it five minutes later. It was not an understatement to claim I was seeing stars and everything was nice and nothing was awkward and this was the most handsome man with the most stamina on this land.

I lost my voice at some point, or I thought I did because my third orgasm couldn’t make me bite down on the pillow fast enough to muffle the literal holler that left my lungs. His name, by the way. If that hadn’t woken the neighbours, I wasn’t sure anything would. I was recuperating and he was trailing gentle pecks along my neck, still not finished. Was sex always this physically draining? My mind might’ve blanked during the third round and we were in missionary again because I insisted that I be able to kiss him any time I wished to. His hand was holding my wrist captive and the other was massaging my breast and it was all a giant whirlpool of pleasure and heat and fluids – the nasty and the nice in one, but I couldn’t care less about the nasty.

He came with a growl, biting down on my shoulder to muffle something that sounded like my name as his pace hitched and turned sloppy for the first time in what felt like hours. He slumped down on top of me and I was breathing more heavily than him, calmed by the weight. I was blinking at the ceiling and my heart was doing somersaults in my ribcage. He went to shower after a minute of rest, I called him out for being a clean freak and it just so happened that my perception of time wasn’t all too warped because checking my phone made me realise we’d had sex for about three hours, foreplay included. I slipped into the shirt he’d tossed on the floor, wiped myself and very considerately ignored the soreness in my hips while changing the sheets.

To my biggest surprise, he returned to my room in a new pair of boxers with his hair wet. There was no invitation. He joined me on the clean bed and wrapped his arms around me. This might’ve been aftercare. When our gazes locked, I didn’t dare avert my eyes in bashfulness. It was surreal and I wanted to memorise it. Then he asked me again – as voicelessly as the first time and the following ten – and I answered positively by flashing him the biggest smile I could muster. No words were exchanged. Levi rolled his eyes and I tucked myself under his chin, legs tangling with his. I was knocked out cold. I wouldn’t hasten to write this off as a happy ending but I wouldn’t immediately turn it angsty either. I explored. It was nice. I don’t think I regretted it for a second.

Waking up was a surreal experience because it included the added luxury of being bathed in sunlight with a warm arm draped around my midriff and a pale sunlit face inches from mine. A spot of purple in the crook of his neck and a few red crescents on his shoulder. Perhaps one or two leftover scratches on his back. I blinked at the sight incredulously, gradually coming to and realising what this position meant – prompted by last night’s three different ones, too.

It happened! Asshole-me hollered in my head, nearly hysteric, slamming a pan into a bell and making the echo of the toll ring painfully against the confines of my skull. You ruined it all! It was like an automatic switch – suddenly, the neutral was the bad and I had complicated it with my impulsiveness, my stupid hormones. I imagined four months of awkwardness and the wish to have more but being completely incapable of asking for fear it would mean feelings. I pictured a tense atmosphere, uncomfortable interactions, embarrassing thoughts, lame excuses. A friendship built with struggle and just barely reinforced annihilated to smithereens by my dumb ass.

I cringed, removing my hand from Levi’s chest to slap myself across the face for being horrible again – not in using him but in indulging my own selfishness. His eyelids fluttered open before the admonishment transpired and I was staring straight into the melted silver which had the tendency to read my thoughts. The current self-reprimanding cacophony would entertain him.

“… should make you coffee,” he mumbled half-coherently, making me blink wondrously at his hazy composure. This is normal, his eyes whispered, lips pressing nonchalantly to my forehead before he got up, so there’s no need to be so shocked. The trip down the stairs was silent. I had left scratches. More than two.

Currently, we were in the kitchen, sitting around the counter with our mandatory morning drinks. Unsaid words hung from the ceiling like dangling cobwebs. Levi, who’d needed a moment to retrieve his memories in full, was stiff and uncertain, and in spite of that visibly calmer than me. I could feel my face heating up as I thought of what to say. This wasn’t normal, even if both of us upon our respective awakening had pinned it such. It was something we had to discuss but how were we supposed to discuss sex when we sometimes fought over food? Deciding what to do seemed impossible.

“Are we going to talk about the elephant in the room?” The raven, of course, was the one who broke the silence while I was slurping on my coffee, gaze averted and heart beating erratically. “Princess, I’m afraid this is something important,” he said in the face of my silence. His piercing glare was on my temple but I wouldn’t turn, keeping my fingers glued to my cup and my mind grounded in panic. “Need I remind you exactly what happened?” Levi pressed additionally, husky voice raising in audible urgency. I felt completely and utterly naked – dressed in only his shirt and my own underwear.

“We had sex, that’s what happened.” I shrugged, mind preoccupied with the strange feeling eating its way into it. Deep into my stomach, up to my lungs, through the chambers of the heart, in the windpipe – but not painfully. “There’s nothing more to it.” The nonchalant statement didn’t get a warm welcome. That much was to be expected. The attractive intern was frowning, rubbing his temples with a frustrated sigh. I tried not to look at his fingers.

And I’m trying to do just that, asshole-me scoffed pointedly. There’s something different about them when they’ve been inside you last night, yeah? A good type of different. Imagine it. My shoulders tensed as I chased her around in my head with a frying pan. Levi ran a hand through his ebony locks. Wow, is that the sex hair? And I pursed my lips in displeasure, knowing the struggles of the current moment and choosing in spite of them to secretly a wish for a second time. No harm, you know, no harm whatsoever in wanting to fuck your father’s goddamn intern, yeah? No? Can you hear it? Does it sound like a good sentence? Does it?

“Where exactly does your lacking virginity fit into your nothing more to it?” His retort made me cringe, well aware of the virginity ace hidden up his imaginary sleeve. It was a bit harder to argue with him when he was half-naked, letting me see the spots I’d bitten and kissed. The situation: we’d had sex. My side: I had nothing against him being my first because I trusted him and he’d been experienced and careful enough to make it nice. The actual problem: he was my father’s intern.

The abstract part: intimacy often came with, well… intimacy. Casual sex had the advantage of not seeing your partner again afterwards and in our case, we’d had casual sex with somebody we saw daily. Future speculation: tension due to this adventure would brew either discord or twice the ferocity in repeating the adventure. A possible solution: talking about feelings. Additional issue: Levi and I talking about feelings? Not in this day and age. Not in this life either. Telling him he made me feel warm and appreciated? Impossible. Honesty in the face of something embarrassing? Sorry, I don’t know her. She must be really lame.

“Everywhere, because I don’t care for it. It might add complexity to your situation, but it doesn’t play a big role in mine.” Dismissing the whole of it and pinning it on him was wrong. My nonchalance was false. Maybe it was what made him take a deep breath prior to speaking up again, his tea untouched.

“You’re supposed to be freaking out, princess.” His eyes were on mine and asshole-me was screaming: Come on, do it! Just kiss him and make things worse! Go right ahead! I averted my gaze with a snort. He’d used my nickname last night. Added a shade of meaning to it. I tried to get a grip as my rational side reasoned with the situation. This had been a one-time thing – or at least for him. Following that train of thought, wanting more was useless.

“You think I’m not?” It was high-pitched and ludicrous. Memories were surfacing and it was somewhat unpleasant to think they wouldn’t repeat. Levi kissing me in the dark, almost saying my name, clearing the hair from my sweaty forehead, biting my neck as he came, smiling against my lips as I tugged on his hair and tried not to moan, holding me close afterwards, not once saying the wrong thing. “I’m freaking out. You just don’t see it.” My downcast gaze was thoughtful and the air was becoming heavier with something I couldn’t identify. I could feel him staring and it bugged me not to know what he was thinking. “What?” I snapped, refraining from playing with my ring.

“What do you want to do now?” He asked flatly, eyes pinning me in place. “Do you want me to pretend this didn’t happen or do you want us to keep going?” It was ridiculous hearing him say it because, usually, he wouldn’t. I blinked, thinking I’d misheard.

“Keep going as in keep having sex?” I echoed to make sure I’d understood. It might’ve gone out a bit more shocked than expected, which made him sigh.

“I was listing options. In the end, it all comes down to what you want.” The flat voice made me realise I knew what I wanted well enough to have chosen during the conversation with Hanji three days ago or maybe even before I’d had the courage to admit it to myself.

“I don’t know what I want,” I lied with a pointed look, vehement embarrassment clawing up my throat and scratching at the back of it. I could say I wanted to keep going – his offer meant he might be willing – but his response was a fifty-fifty on whether he was sexually frustrated or would rather stick to decorum while living in the same house as the girl he was fucking and her father. I couldn’t turn the question on him because it was mean. I couldn’t call it a mistake because that would be another lie. I was tired of lying when it didn’t go to protect my pride.

“You don’t?” He quirked a thin brow mockingly, feigning the surprise he didn’t feel. “Or you just don’t want to admit your favour the more embarrassing option?” I sat motionless, knowing this wasn’t what I should’ve been doing – considering it. Maybe this was a test he had for me – to see if I’d be dumb or act like a reasonable adult. But (there came that stupid word again) if Hanji had been right, this wasn’t a random hook-up, which meant there might be something and---

Are you seriously considering a relationship with somebody who’s leaving in less than four months? Asshole-me interjected, making me sigh in defeat. Doesn’t fuck randomly, okay, fine, but this is an exception. How in the fucking hell would he grow to like you? You know that’s impossible. Methinks he went along with it because you clearly wanted it. Think about it, he does all sorts of bullshit for you. So what sounds more plausible? Him being himself or him liking you? The former, of course, but I couldn’t admit it. Like I couldn’t admit he was right to say I favoured the more embarrassing option.

“Even if it was like that,” I chose to return the favour and be doubtful, “I’m not inclined to think your morals would let you humour me.” My chin was tipped upwards while Levi shook his head and finally took a sip from his tea. The ghost of a smirk in the corner of his mouth disarmed.

“I have little to nothing against it. But,” (that fucking word again) the firmness of his voice was the only thing keeping my chest from swelling, “it doesn’t sound like an ideal course of action when you’ve almost got yourself a new boyfriend,” he reasoned calmly, somber responsibility lacing his tone.

“It’s not cheating if we’re not official,” I protested instantly, furrowed brows and a pout. He snorted.

“That’s not what I meant, princess.” My lips pursed at the jolt the nickname gave me. “I don’t want sex clouding your judgement. I get Rivers isn’t your boyfriend, but you shouldn’t exclude him as a possibility just because you’ve started thinking you have feelings for me.”

“Besides being a poet, you’ve turned into a psychologist, too,” I exclaimed with a genuinely cheerful chuckle that made him quirk a brow. Something in my throat shrivelled up. “Don’t dwell on my feelings too much, asshole,” I reassured. “I like this because it’s something new, not because I’m head over heels in love with you.” I was still chuckling as he sipped on his tea and fixed me with one of those firm looks that had the ability to bend the knees. The effect was doubled in intensity this morning.

“Make your choice then,” he said boredly, not wishing to be too imperious, seeing as the situation wasn’t taking place in a formal setting where he was the boss and I was the indecisive underling. I might as well have been, with how hot my ears got while I held his gaze, brave and stupid in the face of somebody who read me better than I sometimes read myself.

“I’m not saying it out loud,” I muttered, bashful. The ebony-haired intern watched me struggle before tilting his head to the side with a fake air of oblivion.

“Then I won’t know what you want,” he said innocently, attempting to mock my shyness and what was more – succeeding. I burned bright red, feeling heat creep up my neck and my glare was pointed and uncontrolled. It couldn’t pass as mere annoyance because Levi was hitting a nerve.

“I didn’t see you having a hard time knowing everything I wanted last night, but okay.” There was more spite than sass in the sentence, which only further conveyed my inability to stay nonchalant – something that clearly amused him. “I want us to… keep going. Satisfied?” Crossed arms, downcast gaze and a childish pout. I was the live embodiment of the word petulance and Levi wasn’t done having fun with it.

“Not as satisfied as I clearly left you.” He was smirking and I glared at him, furious and not knowing where the blood would go when there was no space left in my head. I hopped off my chair, turning my back to him and hearing how he moved to stand behind me. A well-meaning hand landed on my shoulder. “It was a joke, princess, there’s no need for the cold shoulder.” His tone was flat and disinterested, but there was a pacifying sliver. He might’ve been trying to make peace but I wouldn’t have it after all the embarrassment he put me through – just to have a good private laugh, too!

“Un-fucking-bearable, that’s what you are,” I hissed, brushing his hand off my shoulder and heading to the staircase in order to escape. He gave chase and set on ignoring the usual code that forbade touchy-touchy when unneeded. The pure and unfiltered imagination one must have in order to picture a shirtless Greek God chasing after a poorly dressed eighteen-year-old spoiled brat was too ambitious a requirement for anybody to fulfil. Turn to mythology for that, but it’s inappropriate there and this one meant well.

“I’ll stop embarrassing you if that’s what you want.” His hands were on my shoulders. He turned me around and I didn’t look at him, much less respond. He could sense I was ashamed. His hands slowly trailed down over my arms to hold my wrists in a grip I could, with effort, free myself from. “Does the mere mention of sex with no context whatsoever embarrass you, princess?” He knew it did, leaning forward with twinkling eyes and a complacent half-smile. “Your face is red.”

“And you’re a fucking genius, congratulations,” I spat with sarcastic disgruntlement. He pulled me forward so that I bumped into his chest. My shoulders jumped in surprise. I didn’t want to look him in the eye but the sight of the marks I’d left on him were no less embarrassing to behold. My heart sped up and I was pouting, flush against him with nowhere to go.

“It speaks,” he whispered by my ear. His hands retraced their steps over my arms and shoulders, gently gliding against the sides of my neck until they held my face. “Does it want to go up to my room?” Blue specks in a pool of melted silver. The question was genuine, in spite of being masked with slight mockery. The adult of us two. I tried to stay mad, but it was impossible. I promised the blue specks I’d count them later and then we were kissing. It was a funny picture – the whole of this situation – ridiculous but somehow not fictional. It was him lifting me off the floor and me wrapping my legs around him. It was him making step after step, steady and careful not to drop me while I snickered into his mouth. It was me being a literal koala and then it was us, hearing the jingle of keys.

“Shit,” I cursed, parting from him with a smack. He let go and I could catch only a glimpse of the panic on his face before I was running up the stairs. I’d barely closed the door behind us when I heard my mother greeting the empty kitchen downstairs. While I breathed out in relief, Levi was already heading to the balcony. It occurred to me that there was a pack of condoms on my nightstand and they were stolen. I’d need to make a trip to the pharmacy and replace the box. Talk about inconvenient. “Careful now,” I piped while the intern was preparing to make the jump, “we don’t want you to fall.” He gave me a half-hearted glare but said nothing.

When he was gone, I plopped down on my bed and grinned incredulously at the ceiling. This “secret sex” thing we were about to dive into wasn’t how I’d imagined the weeks prior to my first year in university, but oh, well. Expect the unexpected and if unable to – just accept it. This officially marked the beginning of my longest stay in City of Dumbassery. It was surprising, however, that I wasn’t alone in there. Twice as surprising that I’d be stuck with my father’s intern. Whom I was having sex with. Amazing. Spectacular. Asshole-me would have my ass for that.

tag list: @unloved-cadillac ; @donaldthrts

[ladespeinada]

having finished watching the bear in the early hours of the morning, i have some thoughts rattling around in my head that i need to jot down because they keep distracting me from work, lmao. spoilers under the cut 

→ i had fun! it was emotional! it was stressful! i was entertained and then i had to suppress the feelings of familial relatability brought up in ep. 6!  → MARCUS!!! TINA!!! NAT!!! EBRA!!! RICHIEEEEEEE!!!!! All going through their own shit, changing, emotional, relentless, scared, nervous. I especially loved Richie this season and he had a speech in ep. 1 that broke my heart ("I'm 45, I've been here a long time, you feel me? I mean, you know what the fuck you're doing, you know. You love all this shit. It's fun for you. I don't have that. I'm afraid imma wake up and you guys are all just gonna cut—just drop this ass.")

→ Sydney, light of my life. Her fierce ambition, so obvious and strong in S1, got tempered by doubt and distrust in her partner, by the gradual recognition that she is doing so much, too much, by herself. I don’t think it bodes well that the last shots we get of her, she’s ralphing after opening night service—after an intense kitchen set-up that tests her limits and shows who she can and cannot trust. (Giving Carmy in NY, throwing up before service vibes). And honestly? I wouldn't be mad if she really, really starts doubting her partnership with Carmy and just dips. 

→ Anyway, I came back to add that Sydney, despite her doubts and not-unfounded fears, is such a positive source for those around her. We saw it in S1, when she gave Marcus a confidence boost, when Tina sought her approval after initially being very hesitant about her. And that faith in others just increased in this season, and god, to be around someone like that, who lifts others up no matter what, is so rare. I love her so much. (And her carrying around that book the whole season! Just holding onto courage and confidence, letting it shape her leadership.) 

→ I'm so happy Natalie wasn’t relegated to glimpses this time around. She's present and focused and involved in dismantling her family’s trauma and history, and I love that for her. I also love her and Syd's relationship (them almost being synchronised in saying Carmy Problem) and her interactions with Fak, lmao. 

→ Tina at culinary school! Tina with reservations about her place but thriving and finding inspiration. There's a moment where some of the people in her class all go out, and they invite her, and when she meets them at the bar, they've all got a nasty judgemental face (it's def an age thing) but then she EATS THEM UP at karaoke with a beautiful song in English & Spanish, TINA TE ADORO. 

→ I immediately re-watched Marcus's episode and I want a spin-off series where he stages at different world-renowned bakeries and lives his best patissier life. 

→ That Variety piece that said Carmy was the least interesting character in this show was RIGHT ("It’s no coincidence that these weaker points tend to involve Carmy, a character perfectly rendered by White who’s still the least interesting part of his own show.") 

→ Speaking of: the romance between Carmy and Claire (which we all unfortunately saw happening after the trailer, and is fucking annoying, and yes part of it is because I love Syd & Carmy together, but also because the showrunners pledged no romance in the show which would have been fine, too) is BORING. So boring. I know Claire is going to get a lot of hate and honestly, it's barely fair because she's just not developed as a character at all. Beyond being someone Carmy knew in his past, and who is now stealing his time and energy away from the restaurant, there's not much to her. She's written with so little dimension, and exists purely to be Carmy's lil girlfriend and it's disappointing. She could have at least been fucking interesting. 

→ Carmy's so angry around the time of the opening, and he projects it onto everyone else, and it's really his own fault that he's not aware of what's happening in the restaurant.  → Okay so another thing—Sydney talks about how much she wants a Michelin star, how it’ll make The Bear a true destination spot. And rudely, Carmy goes, “you really want one of these bullshit stars?” to which Syd says yes, I really do, and this fucking dickhead tells her: “you’re gonna to have to care about everything, more than anything” AND HE STILL LET HER DOWN!!!!!!!! The more I think about it, the more upset I get. 

→ Also, Michael doesn't haunt the narrative the way he did last season—his presence is so faint. There's moments, of course, but it just feels like something is missing or off. I had expected some sort of sentiment to come to the surface towards the end of the season at least, some sense of acknowledgement that maybe he would have loved The Bear, or hated it, or something, from literally anyone—Carmy, Nat, Richie, someone—but nope, nothing besides the cannoli.

→ Episode 6, man. Episode fucking six. Natalie Berzatto, you deserve peace. 

→ Anyway, overall there’s a sort of bite missing in this season. The looming threat of Cicero has been softened a lot and yes, obviously internal workings at The Bear are the new obstacles but it doesn’t feel quite the same. Maybe it's a lack of tension, or a lack of anxiety? I don't know how else to explain it.

[paintato]

The snood.

I don’t know a lot of peoples views on the snood. Maybe everyone just sees it as what it was presented as. A birthday present. But does anyone actually know what a snood is?

Yes it is a article of clothing.

But, wild turkeys have a snood as well.

A wild turkeys snood functions in sexual selection. Female turkeys choose whom they will mate with based on a variety of factors.

Enids snood is big, and brightly colored. Wednesdays was the same a tad smaller, but dark in color.

When a turkey is ready to find a mate, their snood(typically only seen in males but whatever) will be brilliantly colored. It remains that way throughout the whole courting process.

Enids snood. Big and fluffy. Bright as fuck. It was pink. Showing that she would like a mate. Werewolf stuff to, at least in most books and such that you read about werewolves finding a mate is a very important part of their lives. At this point in time Enid and Wednesday had already been through a lot together.

Now Wednesdays wasn’t bright as hell, which Enid knows she wouldn’t enjoy so she made it black which suits Wednesday and her whole aesthetic.

An aggressive, angry bird will have a smaller bold colored snood. What color is bolder then black? Which suits the tiny ball of anger and death that is Wednesday.

I don’t know whether Enid knew this, or if the writers just went with it because the word was funny and would be something that Enid would enjoy.

But then we look at Wednesdays reaction to it. 

Wednesday is a very well read person, her interests span a wide range of subjects. Who is to say she doesn’t have some knowledge of turkeys? Her family hunts, no doubt.

Enid presents her with a snood that suits her color tastes and personality, while Enids matching snood is bright bold and very hard to miss.

She asks first, “What is it exactly?” The look of oh god what is this pastel wolf giving me now, what is this even suppose to be? She see a weird ass scarf at first maybe.

But then Enid says it’s a snood and her expression changes, from oh god to... did she really.. just give me a snood? Does she even know what that is?

Then Enid reveals she has one as well, and the expression shifts again. Mouth even opens a bit like she can’t quite believe this is going on? 

Wedneday calls it unique that it can’t be worn to something like class. This is Wedneday, everything else that Enid has worn, or that she dislikes she says is straight out. She doesn’t beat around the bush, she softens the blow for Enid yes but not like this. 

She then proceeds to say they should wait for a more special occasion, like a funeral. 

Enids is obviously like, “What the fuck? Really?”

But if you stop and think about it for a second, what is a funeral to an Addams, but a celebration? It’s a special thing for them. Like Christmas and Halloween. 

Not to mention, she says this to Enid, begging the question, she plans to take Enid to a funeral at some point? While they are both wearing the snoods?

yes she takes it with her to the weathervane and ‘forgets’ it. 

It makes its way back to her, yes. And Enid even gets her to wear it when they are going ‘hang out’ as Wedneday led her to believe.

To which we circle back to Wednesday. Who has lived her whole life up to this point not doing the things she most defiantly does not want to do regardless of what people say. 

If she really didn’t want to wear the snood. She wouldn’t of worn it. But she did for Enid.

But then again, it may just be a simple birthday present and I read way to deep into it. 

@vaniloqu3nce Mentioned they liked the snoods when it came to Wednesday when I asked them about prompts they recommended, which brought about this information in my head.

And so now I share it with you all. Do with this what you will.

[t-h-i-n-g]

off topic

(gifs not mine credits to owner)

nancy wheeler x fem!reader

word count: 2k

Summary: Studying with Nancy late at night when suddenly you both get distracted. friends to lovers.

Warnings: none, unless smooching is one.

Masterlist

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

Only the sound of a radio playing was heard throughout the room. You and Nancy both laid on her bed. She was on her stomach flipping through the pages of a textbook while you laid sprawled out on your back. Your forearm resting over your eyes to block out the light from her lamp. You turned your head and peaked an eye out from your shield.

The clock read 10:42. Which in your opinion was too late to even be thinking about books, words, and chemistry terms. Sighing you went back to your original position. Accidentally laying your other hand on top of some cards.

 How Nancy was still going was well beyond your knowledge. The fact it was Monday too. How could she have this much energy? You were absolutely beat from staying up late the night before and being handed an ass-load of homework at 9:00 in the morning was not helping the case. But you promised Nancy you would stay over to study for the Chemistry test that was coming up. So, after school you headed to her house. No way you were passing up the opportunity to spend time with her. Not that she needed to know that.

 She practically forced you to do your homework before doing anything else. With a groan you obliged and were able to accomplish it within an hour. Then followed flashcards, followed by highlighting notes, then there came writing the terms down, memorizing them some more, followed by even more flashcards. The only brief break that you got was dinner. However,  only the food was enjoyable for the fact Mike’s mouth kept blabbering the whole time. At one point a chunk of something was spat on your face. You grimaced at the memory. After that delightful experience was even more studying, memorizing, and remembering.

Nancy allowed you to take a break some time around 10:20ish. Well it’s not like you couldn’t have stopped before. She just finally noticed how your head was bobbing slightly as your eyes closed slowly before snapping open again. That's when she spoke up and stated she could do some independent work while you took some time to rest. 

You denied stating you were fine. She quirked an eyebrow at you as a stare off began. Her glaring while you squinted back. You broke first. Now here you were waiting for her to finally give in ang get some proper shut eye. All of her rustling with the paper and the capping and uncapping of pens, markers, and any other writing tool in existence was not allowing you to fall into the deep deep heaven of sleep. She’d have to give in soon though, not?

Nancy flipped through the glossy papers of her textbook. Seeing if she missed anything. Her eyes turned to her notebook. Grabbing it and uncapping her pen to underline a certain sentence that was deemed to be important. She capped it and looked back to the textbook. She glanced over a couple pages again before deciding she had everything that was needed written down. Closing the book Nancy brought her attention back to her notebook once again. Looking over all the terms and notes highlighted with a variety of colors. 

Her attention grew thin however as she saw you out of the corner of her eye. Peering over in your direction Nancy took in the position you were in. Not completely sure if you were passed out or not. She watched as your chest slowly rose and fell, your knee slightly bent at an awkward angle as to not fall on her, a hand over your eyes while the other laid next to your body on top of a few flashcards that were previously set down. She eyed the flashcards before moving her eyes back to you.

“Y/n,” Nancy spoke softly.  She got a hum in response. There was a brief pause as she chewed on the tip of her pen. “Would it be okay if you quizzed me with the flash cards again.” Instantly she got a groan in response. “Just for a little bit!-” 

“Nance you got the test in the bag. It’s on Thursday anyway there’s still plenty of time to go over whatever it is that you're oh so worried about,” you stated, taking your arm away from your eyes to look down at her.

“I know, I just want to make sure I have most of it down,” she defended weakly.

“You literally do. I bet I could ask you every question in those cards and you wouldn't even have to hesitate to answer.” Grabbing some of the for emphasis, you playfully threw them at her.

“Then go through all of them and we’ll see,” she remarked with raised brows, smiling lightly. You bit your lip, she got you there. Her eyes briefly went down to follow the motion. Singing in defeat you held out your hand. She grabbed the cards and placed them in your palm. Fingers brushing against one another longer than they should have. Moving the cards to your other hand and you brought your free one to rest on your stomach.

“I’ll go through them once, then we’re done and going to bed, alright? It’s getting late anyways,” you mumbled the last part as you looked at the first term. Nancy got up to sit crisscross next to you. Hands moving to her lap. You took a second to look at her attire. She must have changed when you were taking your break. She was now in a matching set of baby blue pajama top and bottoms. Clearing your throat you brought your attention back to the card, noting to yourself the tension that was slowly rising in the room. “Are two atoms of the same element identical?” Without a beat she answered, looking down.

“No, two atoms of the same element can be different if their electrons are in different states.” Nodding your head you dropped the card through your fingers. Her eyes fell on your open hand.

“Does an atom have color?” you question. There was a pause this time. “C’mon, Nance you know this one. Last time you got it right-” your heart skipped a beat, feeling fingers intertwine with yours. Gazing up at Nancy with furrowed brows in hoping for an answer to her actions. Her eyes met yours, biting her lip trying to keep her smile at bay at the fact you didn’t pull away.

“Sorry what was the question,” she asked innocently. 

“Does… an atom have color?” You brought your hand connected with her back down onto your stomach. Causing her to move closer, her knee resting lightly on your thigh.

“When light is present, an atom can be described as having color.” Smiling, you nodded your head again, dropping the card.

“What is the shape of an electro-” weight shifted as you were cut off by lips meeting yours. Your body froze as the flashcards fell from your hold. Pulling away your eyes blew wide, “Woah-” Nancy flew back. A panicking expression crossing her features.

“Shit! I’m so sorry I was totally reading this all wrong,” she scolded herself, getting off the bed. She placed her head in her hands, “I thought with the hand thing you felt the same way. Well it’s not like we haven't held hands before I don’t know why I thought this time was different. I just- thought there was maybe a chance that maybe-” Your mouth opened and closed silently. Not fully processing what the hell had just happened as Nancy continued to ramble. 

Finally getting your thoughts straight you spoke up, “Hold on, let’s just pause for a moment, okay?” you rushed, sitting up to move to the side of the bed. Her hands slowly came down from her face. Revealing her eyes glazed over. They fell on you as your hand was held out for her to grab. Hesitantly she moved to take it. You brought her closer, standing her between your legs and moving to hold her other hand as well. “What were you saying Nance, get a chance to what-” you were cut off once again.

“I shouldn’t have been that forward. I should have made sure you felt the same before I did anything. And you obviously don’t so we can just forget about all this. But how could you? It's not like everyday your best friend kisses you. It’s okay if you don’t want to be anymore too if that’s what you want whatever you want-” 

“Who said I didn’t feel the same?” You question, stopping her rant. She pauses.

“What?”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to pull away. I just wasn’t expecting that was all. I mean it’s like you said, not everyday your best friend that you’ve liked as more than a best friend for a while, decides to kiss you-”

“You like me as more than a best friend?” Nancy questioned, slightly exasperated.

“Sh, can I please finish what I want to say?” you ask with a laugh. Once she calms down you continue, “Yes, to answer your question I do like you more than a friend. I was just shocked by the fact you kissed me practically out of nowhere.”

“It wasn’t out of nowhere,” Nancy mumbled, “We were having a moment.” You let out another laugh.

“Really? Me trying to help you with studying, after you asked, and trying to get through it. When suddenly, woah! Pucker up buttercup, cause Nancy Wheeler is directing the smooch train and it’s coming to your mouth.” It was Nancy’s turn to get into a fit of chuckles.

“I told you I felt different this time,” she defended weakly, taking one of her hands to wipe her eyes then bringing it back to yours. You pulled her down to you. Her forehead resting on yours

“Well maybe a bit of a heads up would be nice,” you stated with a smile. She peered down at you mirroring the smile with a sniffle. Once again silence throughout the room was heard, only the radio in the background as the two of you took one another in. Finally speaking you began to ask, “Now, if I give you a heads up will that be alrigh-” but once again you were cut off. Nancy attached her lips to yours, pushing you back onto the bed, she followed suit. Placing herself on top of you. Her hands cupped your face as yours settled on her waist. Breathing through your nose she brought your face impossibly closer. 

Finally pulling away, breathing heavily the both of you smiling like absolute idiots.

“So how long is a while?” Nancy asked curiously. You let out a snort.

“That’s what you're wondering right now, “ you laughed.

“Yes,” she exclaimed, “ I wanna know. How long?” You bit your lip, admiring how her hair framed her face.

“Since we went to the movies in March during Sophomore year.” Her jaw dropped.

“You’re joking.” You shook your head. “That was so long ago!”

“When did you realize,” you questioned back. She hesitated before responding.

“The pool party at Steve’s,” she said, sitting back on your lap. You sat up as well, moving your hands to her hips as hers fell to your shoulders. “It just felt different the way I looked at you and at Steve. I think I did spend the night with Steve that night because I didn’t want it to be true. I just didn’t think there was a possibility that I fell for you,” you frowned slightly, “At the time I mean,” she quickly stated, “I just tired to force myself to like Steve. Then I kinda just began to accept that I didn’t feel for him what he for me and called it quits with him when I realized he just wasn’t the one I wanted. There was something for him at first if there wasn’t I wouldn’t have got with him in the first place, but I think it was just in the heat of the moment. With you it just wasn't going away and over the past couple of weeks I realized you might have felt the same as I did. That’s why I acted tonight.”

“Well, I’m glad you did,” You hummed, moving to place a light kiss on her jaw line. You rested your head on her shoulder. “We sure got off topic from chemistry, huh?” Nancy laughed again, taking your head in her hands once more, lovingly staring into your eyes.

“Yeah, but I think this was a better topic,” she whispered, closing the gap between you.

[duckapus]

You Witness a Weeb's Revival

Welony grinned as her two favorite lackeys entered the room while in the middle of their latest argument, “well well well, look who’s finally home.”

Predictably, Kohga immediately stopped what he was doing to grovel, “forgive our tardiness, my Dark Mistress! We would have arrived sooner, but he caused our mission to take longer than expected!”

“Wha-me?! I did most of the work! Do you know how hard it is to search an entire exploded island, even with the water-breathing powers my mask gave me? You barely even got out of the boat!”

“I told you, I’m a weak swimmer! It comes from living in the desert!”

“Enough!” as amusing as they were, she had work to do, “it doesn’t matter how long it took as long as you got what we need. So did you?”

Byte smirked and gave a sweeping gesture towards the door with his right hand, “one mangled chameleon corpse, as requested.”

Right on cue, a quartet of Yiga Footsoldiers wheeled in a large cart that held a horrific, twisted mass of metal, glass, and charred, shattered, bleached bone. Though it was unrecognizable and very, very dead, Welony could feel the hatred and malice emanating from it.

“Oh yes, this will do nicely. Prepare the ritual!”

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

In a few minutes, the entire Clan had assembled at a large altar, and were creating a massive pile of assorted anime merchandise, boxes full of printed out fanfics, and even actual dvds and manga collections, along with some Mighty Bananas because of course they would. Set between the pile and a podium at the front of the altar was the corpse that Kohga and Byte had brought in, surrounded by candles lit with purple flames.

After the pile had reached a size Welony was satisfied with, she held up her hand, “Arrange the sacrifices!”

At that, three teletubbies, dressed as Sasuke, Hatsune Miku, and a catgirl maid, were led out while bound in ominously glowing chains and set around the pile at roughly the points of an equilateral triangle.

“And now, for the final piece,” this, she would do herself.

She floated up to the peak of the pile, placing one last item; an unopened physical copy of the Collector’s Edition of Kevin’s School, then went to the podium, where Master Kohga stood on her right side and Byte on her left.

“Now, let us begin.”

On cue, a Yiga Clan member who was quite conspicuously a default TF2 Pyro with a Yiga mask glued to their gas mask hefted their flamethrower and set the pile of offerings ablaze. Two of the teletubbies started screaming in agony, while the catgirl maid one was seemingly unphased.

“This is fine.”

As the offerings burned, the assembled Yiga Clan Members circled the fire and began to chant in order to strengthen their dark mistress’s already formidable powers.

“Fruit Salad, Yummy Yummy. Fruit Salad, Yummy Yummy…”

And so it went as Welony began to glow an ominous red, raising her hands to the corpse and pouring her power into it.

“HEAR ME VENGEFUL SPIRIT! I HAVE OPENED A CHANNEL TO THE LIVING REALM! RETURN TO YOUR EARTHLY VESSEL AND SERVE ME, AND YOU SHALL HAVE YOUR REVENGE!”

In answer to her calls, the corpse rose into the air, and both it and the bonfire were quickly engulfed in blinding white light. Catgirl teletubby was still unconcerned despite being reduced to a flaming skeleton in a cute dress at this point.

“I am okay with the events that are transpiring.”

Eventually it was too much and the group shielded their eyes from the glow, which then died down as quickly as it came. And when they did look, they saw that both the corpse and the offerings had been replaced by a hulking, skeletal figure.

It was clear from the body shape and pixelated art style that this had, at one point, been Francis. However, he was now several times his original size and just as picked clean of flesh as he had been moments ago. He was augmented with a variety of mechanical components, most prominently a wide array of different weapons mounted on his arms and tail, a vacuum tube running from the back of his head to the inside of his left hand, and two parallel rows of Splatoon-style Ink Tanks running down his spine. Both his eye sockets and a pulsing orb in his ribcage glowed dark purple. A Zelda-style Boss Caption appeared before him.

The Incel’s Vengeance

Stal-Zuccer

He leered down at the watermelon girl who had summoned him, and for a moment it looked as though he might attack her…before he ultimately kneeled, “SEN…PAI…”

Welony’s mouth stretched into a wide, sadistic grin, “Boys, how do you feel about a trip to the Splatlands?”

Kohga erupted into evil laughter, while Byte simply smirked, “I’ll pack my bags.”

[thesunrisesss]

Have you seen the prequel movie? If yes🌹>>>

A. In your opinion, please rate TBOSAS movie with 1-10 scale.

(1 = I hate it, 10 = I love it.)

Things that you like :

Things that you don't like :

B. For people who also read the novel.

Your opinions about the difference between the book and the movie :

Thank you 🎼

@curiousnonny

Thank you so much for the ask!! Yes, I have seen the movie (twice lol). On a scale of 1-10, I'd rate TBOSAS as a 9, because a 10 to me would be a 1 to 1 recreation of the book. Compared to the rest of the film adaptations we have, this is the best one by far. I'll start off by breaking down the things that I liked most about the movie.

Let's start off first and foremost, Francis Lawerence was determined to fit everything cleanly into one movie. While most of us know that there was more than enough material to warrant two movies, if that happened, I believe that it would have suffered the same fate as Mockingjay Pt. 1 & 2. This is what he said during an interview that I think sums this idea up well:

"In an episode of television, if you have a cliffhanger, you have to wait a week or you could just binge it and then you can see the next episode. But making people wait a year, I think, came across as disingenuous, even though it wasn’t. Our intentions were not to be disingenuous." - Variety

So, would it have made more money in the long run? Sure. But would it make the fans happy? Probably not. Both he and Suzanne aren't just in it for the money. They want to both make something they're proud of, and something they know the fans will enjoy and I think that really shows.

Another great example of how they listen to the opinions of their fans is shown in their casting choices.

Back in 2012 when the movies first started being released, there was a lot of public outcry about not giving accurate representation to the characters in the books.

Listen, as much as I love JLaw, her personality, her acting ability, and the beautiful way she brought Katniss to life, she doesn’t look like Katniss as was described in the book. Suzanne is very intentional with the information she gives us. Katniss is a hunter, living in the Appalachian area, and has "straight black hair, olive skin, and grey eyes"; Katniss is coded as Native. Jennifer is not.

This can also be expanded into the representation of District 12 as a whole. While we're watching the events of the Reaping take place, nearly everyone in that crowd is white. If most of the people living in the district live in the Seam and look like Katniss, then where are they? Why do they all look like merchant children?

So, with that all being said, I am very glad that this time around they had a more diverse cast.

Here are the things that I picked up on myself: Clemensia is Asian, Coral was queer-coded, Bobbin was missing an arm, Tanner was missing an eye, Wovey had down syndrome and, Tigris is played by a trans actress (and was a huge fan of the original series growing up). I'm aware that there is probably a lot more I missed out on, but those are just the ones I picked up on on my own.

Another bit I loved was the character outfit choices.

Snow wore different colored roses to signify his mindset at different points in time. He wore a red rose during the reaping ceremony, red roses signifying passion and pride as he thinks he’s about to win the Plinth prize. When we see him at the train station he gives Lucy Gray a white rose, which signifies loyalty, purity, and innocence, as are his views towards her and the Games thus far. Then, during the start of the games he wears a yellow rose, which signifies friendship and luck, which represents how he feels about Lucy Gray.

Another thing that really stood out to me was the choice of character design. Of course, most of the attention is going to the Academy uniforms, and Lucy Gray’s reaping dress, but there’s so much more that we can pick up on if we look closely.

It was mentioned a TikTok, going over Tigris’s outfits, that the designer intentionally gave all of her outfits some kind of unfinished hem, as if she was still a work in progress. (I can’t find the original TikTok anywhere, I believe it was posted by Lionsgate, but it’s no longer there)

And Dr. Gaul’s outfits are phenomenal. I would say my piece about it here, but Leftie said it so much better than I could say it myself, so I will link it for you here: TikTok

Then, when it comes to the tributes, each tribute looked like they were all coming from the poor districts, but they all had something unique about them. Coral had a fish on her flannel representing District 4, fishing, Wovey had an outfit covered in buttons on her shoulders, and had a heart made of buttons on her pants representing District 8, textiles, 

There are also many things I liked about the little callbacks to the original trilogy, but don't have enough to say on it to write them their own paragraphs, so I will list them below.

The long shot on the bow and arrows on the Cornucopia, sitting and waiting to be used, because no one there is ready to take the first shot.

Lucky canceling his dinner reservations. “Two and a highchair”, I wonder who that highchair is for.

The mention of Katniss and being too early in the season. Need I say more?

I think these were all great choices because anyone who has been a fan of the series will know what they were trying to tell us, but it also blends in so well with the rest of the movie. I have no doubt in my mind that those who watched this movie as their first introduction to the series didn’t think any of those moments were out of place.

Now we’ll move on to the things I didn’t like, and honestly, I’m glad to say I don’t have many, so I will list them below:

Why is District 12 still so white? If the Seam is a large part of the population then why is everyone so gosh darn pale? Where are the people living in the Seam that all looked like Katniss and Lucy Gray??

Where is Clemmy?? I really wanted to see her act like a snake.

Where is Ma Plinth? She is such a huge character in the book and yet we don’t even see her face in the movie.

The interview between Lucky and Lucy Gray while at the zoo felt too fast, could I tell you how to do it better? No. But I do think that the pacing of it was a bit weird.

I really wish we saw a mockingjay pin somewhere, that would have been a nice call back.

The overall pace of the first half of the movie. They did really well getting in the stuff they did, but so much happened in the books that it felt like we were jumping around quite a bit trying to show us all the things that were necessary for the story.

Lack of Snow's inner dialogue. I understand why it wasn't included, but it really adds so much depth to his character that without it he just appears...normal. (Listen you can think Tom is hot all you want, but babe, respectfully, if you still think Snow is smashable after the movie ends I will personally give you my therapist's contact info)

For those who didn’t read the book, but watched the movie, I will leave you with this.

Snow is a sociopath. He doesn’t care about anyone but himself. He is hot and evil. That’s how it's supposed to be.

No, Snow and Sejanus didn’t kiss in the book either, I’m sorry.

Read the books. It brings so much more light and depth into the characters that you literally cannot do in any movie.

Listen to the audiobook. If you think reading the book will bring the characters to life, then this will make them feel like you know them personally. It's voiced by Santino Fontana (aka Hans from Frozen) and he adds so much to the story, minus the singing. You would think they would let a man who can sing sing the songs, but they don’t. I think it’s cause they’re scared of the edits we would create. (Btw, don’t support amazon by listening to it on audible. You can listen to it for free by either supporting your local library by using Libby or by listening to it on youtube)

Lastly, I’ll leave you with some things I'm hoping we will get to see at some point in the future.

Another book. I really hope Suzanne comes back with another addition to the series at some point. I know she only writes when she has something to say, so if she does, I'm really excited to see what she might come up with.

A TV series adaptation. Diverse and inclusive cast. One episode per chapter. One season per book. One bonus season where each episode goes over the games of previous victors. I would love to see Mags, Haymitch, Johanna, and Finnick’s games.

The extended cut. There is a 3hr 40min cut of the movie that we almost got, but didn’t, and I need to see it. There's currently a live change.org petition urging Lionsgate to release it. As of writing this, it has just over 12k signatures. If you're interested you can sign it here.

More interviews with Suzanne. Even if she doesn’t write any more books I really just want to hear more about what goes on in her head.

More people joining the HG community. It’s been a special interest of mine ever since the movies were first announced, so I’m super happy that it’s picking up steam and getting attention again!

[broadcsts]

—  🎬  just  announced,  EMIRI ASLAN has  been  cast  as  hayley marshall  in  the  upcoming  the vampire diaries reboot.  the  twenty seven  year  old  is  trending  as  people  are  debating  if  smoke dancing around a street light at 3 am, one leg hanging out the window while gazing at the moon, strong smell of perfume as you walk pass; hand raking through your hair in a calming motion   that  they  are  known  for  is  enough  to  make  them  as  good  as  original.  a  quick  google  search  shows  that  their  fans  call  them  intelligent,  but  internet  trolls  think  they’re  more  compulsive.  i  guess  their  newest  interview  for  variety  where  they  talk  about  the guy she left at the altar will  let  people  to  know  them  better. 

hey GUYSSSS. its me meli hi. emiri's bio is a lot longer than i thought it would be???? but i think it leaves plenty of room for plots! so please plot with my babies i BEG.

november 14, 1999. EMIRI ASLAN was born to local hardware store owner emre aslan and his wife asli aslan. adding to their family of 3 -- which also included emiri's older brother aydin -- they resided in a small seaside town on the east coast. emre and asli came to america from turkey back in the 80s in hopes to live the whole 'american dream'. at first, they were met with a lot of prejudice and ignorance while they lived in charlotte -- but soon they found their community in a smaller town nearby and had since lived in peace with everyone around them. asli worked at the local hospital in the NICU and emre started his hardware store.

(tw: car crash, death) the aslan's were very beloved by everyone around them. emiri and aydin were the best of friends when they were little. as close of siblings as they could be. but, when asli had passed unexpectedly in a car crash, everything started to change. emre started to become distant from his kids. and it was obvious to everyone around them. but in asli's memory, everyone had rallied around them to help emre with his two kiddos (who were only 3 and 10 at the time of her death). unfortunately, only so much can be done for a checked-out parent. aydin started to act out. he couldn't process his emotions on anything going on and it was all too much for him. emiri just became quiet. everyone was doing the best they could, but none of them could handle asli being gone.

(tw: drinking, drugs) 2005 - 2016. as emiri got older, she broke out of her shell again. she started to become the same outgoing little girl she once was. she had gotten her light back. she was doing well in school, she found a passion in theater and film -- and she was more or less popular with kids her age. a very charismatic personality. but her dad slipped into a depression that he never got back out of. and her brother went down an even darker road. her dad and brother had both started drinking and fighting when both of them were home. at some point emiri just stopped going home. staying with friends or neighbors when she could.

(tw: burglary) until one night right before she turned 17. she was home and her dad stumbled in the door. he had been kicked out of a local bar and brought home by another guy who had just gotten there. she wasn't sure who he was so she went to bed and didn't think to intrude on what her dad had going on. her brother was already passed out in the basement so she knew there wasn't going to be any fighting that night. however, later that evening (around 3 am) she was woken up by the sound of a window breaking. at first, she didn't know what it was. but then she heard footsteps. thinking quickly, she hid under her bed.

she remembers seeing 3 sets of boots running through the house. but all she could do was watch helplessly, hoping her brother and father wouldn't wake up for it. there were sounds of breaking glass, rustling; papers being thrown for a few hours but she was never sure if they left or not -- so she stayed there until the next morning before she went to check what had happened. she found her father still passed out on the couch and her brother in the basement. but the whole house was trashed.

after that day, she refused to go back. she grabbed what she could and moved in with a friend a few blocks away. her father didn't fight it. he knew, deep down, this was for the best. her brother ran away after that, though she never knew why. her father started getting clean himself and eventually emiri started to see a positive change.

2017 - 2020. right before graduation, she decided to leave. emiri had big dreams and she was set on actually following through with them. getting to LA was hard enough. but actually being able to support herself while she was there was proving to be harder. she started going to open casting calls basically from day one and her charm got her pretty far. she was what older people would call 'scrappy'. but she also had to do a lot of things she wasn't proud of. including flirting with a local known screen writer. he was up-and-coming and she just wanted nothing more than to be known. after a 6 month fling, he proposed. she loved him too, she thought, by then. she thought she could see a future for the two of them. this was her new life. he was helping her get auditions and even providing for her. he truly loved her. she was safe.

october 9th, 2020. wedding day. it was supposed to be something small. no one from her past was invited, but a few friends she met in LA came in support. it was in a small wooded clearing, almost like a fairytale. gold and white everywhere. but as she stood at the beginning of the aisle looking down at the man waiting for her, she didn't feel like it was right. she didn't end up getting married that day. she wasn't ready and she didn't really think she was in love with him the way he deserved. so, she turned back around and left. by this time she had been in a couple big projects so the wedding was for sure being whispered about. rumors in tabloids swirled but emiri's ex fiance shut everything down. he never said anything bad about her or their breakup and wished her the best. and emiri was left with the guilt and a feeling that she lost something big.

2021 - now. it took her a while, but emiri got back into acting. she started building her portfolio -- even agreeing to work with her ex again a few times before she stepped back from movies for a while and had great success in TV. currently, she was just announced for the role of Hayley Marshall in The Vampire Diaries remake.

[yourthoughtsjim]

A Frosty Surprise

Cisco x reader x Frost, afab/femme

Warnings: Daddy kink, Mommy kink, fingering, oral (r giving), breeding mention, overstimulation

Words: 4.1K+

It had been months since you and Cisco started dating. Although, it felt like ages. There were moments where you caught yourself staring at him during team debriefings. 

All of the rest of the team would tease you two. Harry especially, he'd make comments on how you two rivaled the love of the Scarlet Speedster and Lady Flash themselves. 

Frost wasn't too far behind him either. Except her comments were of the, less than savory variety. She'd come into the cortex boasting about how she knew exactly what you liked after overhearing you and Cisco. 

Barry was the only one who really kept his remarks to himself. However, you knew that the protector of Central City had some comments by the way he would give you knowing looks whenever you two would be late for work. 

"So, on the agenda today, we need to find a way to get Amunet back in her cell." Barry spoke amongst the team. 

Cisco had be frantically going over surveillance footage of the night she escaped. "Those cells are supposed to he meta proof, I still don't understand how she got out." He states. 

"Yes, but are they *human* proof? She could've used the same trick Barry used when he and Oliver got all… Quantum Leap on us." You pipe up. 

"God, you're so sexy when you talk movie reference to me." Cisco comments. 

"Alright, you two lovebirds knock it off, we have a serious problem on our hands. Amunet is one of the most dangerous metas we've faced. It's such a shame to see her lose all of the progress she made." Caitlin interjects. 

You knew she was right. You're attention is brought back to the matter at hand. "Well, we know she used to hang around with Goldface. In fact, if my research proves me right, they were dating at one point." You state. A shocked look came from the rest of Team Flash. 

"Yeah, I know, I thought it was weird too." You pause. "The last place Goldface was seen was at Jitters. Thank you metahuman alert app." You finish. 

A smile from Cisco was received. He was always so proud of the app he created. Even after all these years. 

"Alright, everyone suit up." Barry states clapping his hands together. 

All of you, minus Barry, went to the locker room put in place for situations like these. Putting the combination into yours, you look at your shimmering silver outfit. It matched your powerset. 

That powerset being electro-kinesis. You could control the electricity around you. Which made for some cool tricks you and Barry could pull off. His lightning bolts didn't hurt you one bit. 

One by one, you put each article of clothing on. You always finished with the necklace however. It channeled your powers almost to a tee. It was what Cisco designed it for after all. 

Seeing a blue glow from behind you, you knew your boyfriend had opened a breach to Goldface's location. 

Stepping out of the portal, the meta criminal's back in faced towards you. "Hey, Goldie! We gotta talk." You yell. 

"They grow up so fast." Frost, who was to the right of you, commented. 

"You really need to move out. Frost is a bad influence on you." Cisco half-jokes. 

Barry rolls his eyes. "We need information on Ammunet's whereabouts." 

"Wow, brought the whole gang, well, minus Scooby." Goldface lets out a small chuckle. 

"We don't want to fight, but if it comes down to it, we will." Cisco states. 

"You're out of luck. I just so happen to be in a fighting mood right now." He states grabbing his chain made of gold. 

The first person he attempted to hit was Frost but you stood in the way and grabbed it. He hissed in a pain as you sent electric shocks down the lasso of truth knockoff. 

Barry sped around you, getting ready to toss you a lightning bolt. Frost had formed a nice sheen of ice under Goldface. 

When the lightning bolt was ready, you grab it slice through Goldface's heel. He couldn't gain control with the ice beneath him. 

As he stared up, the four of you surrounded him. "Now, information, and maybe we'll think about letting you go." Cisco says while pointing a fist at him. 

Defeated, he finally answers. "Last time I saw her was her club. About a week ago. That's all I know." 

Barry quickly meta-cuffed him and sped him to the pipeline while the three of you made it to Amunet's not so secret club. 

"Frosty! It's been a minute, hasn't it?" A woman's voice ran through your ears from behind. "Oh and you brought… friends. Ah! Vibey and Sparky! The newest meta couple. I could catch a pretty penny for you two."

"Cut the crap, Amunet. Why have you fallen back into your old ways after all of the help we've given you?" Frost demanded. 

"As it turns out, Elsa, being a hero doesn't pay well. If at all, so I decided to rally up what was left of my crew."

Then you hear an all too familiar jingle of metal. Turning around you yell for Frost's attention. Luckily she froze the piece of metal without breaking eye contact with Amunet. 

Amunet looks between you and Cisco and smirks. Crossing her body diagonally, she send shards of metal towards you. 

You dodge out of the way but not before one makes a gash in your arm. That set you off. "Oh, sweetheart, you think a little cut is going to stop me from hauling your ass back to the pipeline?" You retort. 

Your eyes glow silver as you knock all of the power out in the building. This gave Cisco enough time to activate his night vision on the goggles he always wore. 

He could see her in near perfect detail. All it took was a few seconds and a bright stream of blue came out of his fist. He quickly knocks her to the ground right as Barry showed up. With a whoosh, he places some meta-cuffs on her. 

Picking her up, he makes comments that this time she won't get away. 

Now, you were back at S.T.A.R Labs where the four of you were back in your comfy clothes. Not that your super suit was uncomfortable, Cisco makes sure that each suit he produces is as comfortable as possible.

"Where we headed tonight?" Frost asks. 

Sometimes you, Cisco and Frost would hangout after a battle. It was either at you and Frost's place or Cisco's. 

After contemplating for a few moments, the three of you decided at you and Frost's place. 

Heading into the apartment you, Frost and by extension Caitlin, shared, you plop down on the couch. "Fuck, I'm sore." You comment. 

"It's probably that wound you didn't take care of." Caitlin, who now took over the body, comments while she gets out a first aid kit. 

"I told you, I'm fine. Tis but a flesh wound." You reference Monty Python to get a laugh out of Cisco. You were successful.

Rolling her eyes, she attends to the injury on your arm. Searing pain was sent through your body when she wipes around the cut. Then she spreads some iodine on it. More searing pain happened. 

You were lucky Cisco was there to hold your hand during the process. You don't know how you got through most things without him. 

After she wraps a bandage around you, she gives it a soft pat and kiss. "Make sure she takes care of it and cleans it when I'm not around." The doctor instructs. 

"Don't worry, I won't." Cisco stated.

"You did a good job, princess. Both in the field and getting taken care of." He whispers on your ear. 

"Thank you." You respond with a voice crack. He always did have his ways of affecting you. Whether that be him purposely fiddling with something in his hands, or whispering praises in your ear. 

It was like the first day you met him all over again. When you joined the team after your parents kicked you out for fear of 'safety'. You were scared on the corner of the street when Barry found you and brought you back to the team. 

Of course, the first person who caught your eye was Cisco. The handsome long haired nerd you would one day become an item with. 

It hadn't taken long before you fell head over heels for the man. Watching him work really calmed your nerves after your first day on the field. Even back then he always made sure to praise you for doing well. 

Another thing you loved about Cisco was his dedication to the ones he loved most. Whether that be Barry or Frost or even you. He made a point to show just how much he cared about, not only his team, but his family. 

The three of you had beers in your hands, shooting shit about past battles. 

"Yeah, when Oliver showed up to the battle between Barry and Eobard, I almost spat my drink out." Cisco remarked. 

"Too bad I was still dormant in Caity, it would've been great to join in." Frost takes a swig from the bottle. 

"I'm actually shocked you didn't show up earlier, especially after the whole kidnapping thing." Cisco states. 

The ice meta just shrugged her shoulders while leaning back in the couch. Now, you had always found Frost attractive but seeing her like this. Her legs spread apart with her arm over the back of the couch, sent a heat down to your core. 

You ignore it for the time being. You had other things to talk about. "Oh, did you see that Hartley gained control of his parents company?" You inquire. 

"No way! I for sure thought that case was going to bomb." Frost piped up. 

"Yeah! It shocked me too."

"And nothing shocks my babygirl." Cisco put his arm around you, careful not to put too much pressure on the wound. 

You knew he was making a joke based on your powers so you just rolled your eyes. "Oh come on! That was a good one and you know it." The meta exclaimed. 

"I guess the vibes didn't sit well with that one." You remark. 

A playful smack to your thigh was the only response you got. 

Cisco had been teasing you all night, rubbing your thigh and your shoulders with that gentle touch he knew you liked. It really worked you up. 

Taking the last swig of your third beer, you then grab Cisco's hand and lead him to the bedroom. Frost gave her two cents with a comment on using protection. Even though you had been sterile for a long time now. 

It wasn't even two seconds within you closing the door that you two had started tearing each other's clothes off. The kiss that you pulled your boyfriend into was deep and passionate. It was almost like you hadn't seen him in ages. 

He broke the kiss by tossing you on the bed. Climbing over you, he teases your slit with his fingers. "Go on, pretty girl, tell Daddy what you want." He knew you too well.

"Mm, what Daddy to finger me while he rubs my clit." You respond. 

He took the request to heart and in no time you were being stimulated just the way you liked it. 

A few moments of this went by. He would switch from fingering you to rubbing your clit with gentle touches. "You know, princess, I noticed the way you were staring at Frost earlier. I bet you want her so badly, don't you?" He teased. "Why don't I call her in here. Have her help me make you feel good."

Your face ran red hot. The thought of your roommate seeing you like this sent your mind crazy.

"Hey Frost! Come in here for a little while." He yelled. 

It was like she was waiting for this day because she was in the room faster than you can say "Run Barry run."

"I knew she'd be hot but not this hot. God, she sounds so pretty moaning." She comments, making her way to the side of the bed. 

She stands there for a few moments. Admiring how you reacted to Cisco's touches. She got to wondering how wet you had gotten. She reaches her hand out to your cunt. "Can I?" She asks. 

Cisco pulled away. "Be my guest. She's drenched." Frost took the space up between your legs. 

You felt cold fingers slide into your cunt, making you shiver. "S-So cold." You whimper. 

"Oh, sweet little princess. Mommy's got so many surprises for you. Just be patient." She speaks in a soft voice. A softer voice than she normally does.

Her fingers continue to slide in and out of you with ease. Cisco really opened you up for her. It's pretty clear he had been planning this for some time now. 

The brown haired boy fisted his cock ever so slightly at the show in front of him. He loved how pretty you looked with her fingers deep in your pretty cunt. 

A high pitched whine left your throat. She had found your g-spot and she took to abusing it. Reaching up she pinches a nipple between her thumb and index finger. Then she lets her powers activate. The cold felt so good against your heated body. 

Her thumb pressed against your clit, making small but fast circles. Then she takes the hand she was previously using to play with your nipple and lets cold pass along your thigh. You arch your back. 

"Good girl." Frost praises. Considering her demeanor on the field and in the lab, you'd never consider her the praising type. 

She continues abusing the spongey spot inside you, making you whimper and whine. 

"M-Mommy…" You trail off. 

"Yes, pretty girl?" She whispered in your ear. 

"You're making me feel so good. Make me cum, please."

She gains a smirk on her face as she speeds up. "Oh, don't worry, I will. Mommy's got to prepare you for Daddy after all." She looks to Cisco. 

The whole situation was better than you could ever imagine. Again, your back arches. The grip you had on the sheets turned your knuckles white. 

You squealed when she let her fingers grow colder inside you. "You like Mommy being cold inside you, don't you?" She teases. 

"Mhm!" You continue to squeal.

"Gonna cum!" You say as the coil that had been tightening finally snapped. Your right leg shifted upwards on the bed. 

Frost pulled her fingers out and held them up. A smile of glee appeared on her face and her eyes glowed a bright white. It was then Cisco stopped stroking his cock and came over. 

Then he took the silver haired woman's fingers in his mouth. Releasing the final digit with a pop, he looks to you. "Delicious as always, princess." He comments. 

Cisco took Frost's place in between your legs and rubbed the tip of his cock across your sensitive clit. You squirm, trying to get him to fuck you. 

All he did was run his tip up and down your soaked slit. He wanted to get you to beg. Show Frost how pretty you truly sound. 

More teasing and you couldn't take it anymore, in a desperate tone, "Daddy, please fuck me."

"Oh, come on, you can beg better than that. I know you can."

"Please, Daddy, please. Fuck me. Full of your cock and cum. Breed me, like you always do. Please!" You shout. 

That's when he finally slid his cock into you, stretching you perfectly. "There we go, you fit around me exactly right, like a little glove for Daddy's cock." He comments. 

You couldn't look at Frost. Cisco had other plans, however. Gently taking your chin in his hand, he places your gaze on your friend and teammate. She smiles as she slides a hand down her pants and past her panties. 

You then hear a moan come from her. "My little girl looks so good taking my cock, doesn't she?" Cisco questioned. 

Another moan came out of Frost. "Yes she does. So fucking pretty." 

Cisco wanted to show Frost a new usage of his powers he recently discovered. So, he hovers he unoccupied hand over your clit. You then feel strong vibrations, making you mewl. 

The way you felt during this felt like you were on cloud nine. Having your roommate watch you get fucked made your cunt clench around your Daddy. 

"Aw, it looks like someone is enjoying being watched. Isn't that right, sweetheart?" Cisco asks. 

"L-Love being watched. Love Mommy watch how I g-get fucked." You say, staring directly in Frost's bright eyes. 

That only encouraged her to speed up finger fucking herself. You could hear how wet she was at the sight of you. She was almost as wet as you were. 

Cisco pressed against your lower abdomen but didn't let up his powers. He could feel the bulge from *his* cock coming in and out. He always did love that.

Your thighs shook when you felt him hit your cervix. It wasn't long before you were begging him to let you cum. 

He did, he always did. He always wanted to see how your face contorted when you released on his cock. He also loved the way the first tear sprung from your eye after you came a couple of times. 

He never let the tears stay long, though. He wiped them away with his thumb. "It's okay, Daddy and Mommy are here, pretty kitty." Frost states. You hadn't even noticed how she was now sitting on the bed next to you, or how she was bare now. 

You couldn't help but stare at her tits and how perfect they looked. Along with those gorgeous thighs. Your mind ran rampant on how good it would feel to grind on them. 

She lets you lean your head against her while Cisco chased his own high. "You know, maybe you should make her a collar instead of a necklace to go along with her super suit. Have our names engraved on the inside. So, that even when she's in battle, she knows who she belongs to." Frost comments. 

"That's a really good idea, maybe I'll do that." Cisco responds. 

You were to intrigued by that. So intrigued that you let out small whimpers. 

An idea pops into Frost's head. "Come on, princess. Suck on Mommy's tit while you get fucked." She maneuvers to give you access. 

Taking her nipple in your mouth, you swirl your tongue around it gently. "Good girl." Frost commented. 

By the time you were done, her tit was covered in your saliva. It looked so pretty. The area around her nipple was also bruised slightly. 

"Daddy's gonna cum now, honey. Fill you up just how you like it." He commented. 

Then you feel warmth spread throughout your cunt. He didn't stop though. He wanted to fuck as much cum as deep as he could go into your cunt. 

He pulls out. He could *see* how you spasmed. How your little hole looked so empty without him. 

"Eat Frost out while I fuck you again." He commanded. His voice stern. 

You get on all fours in front of her cunt that she had just seconds ago, pulled her fingers away from. Timidly, you give her slit a few kitten licks. 

Then as you feel Cisco enter you from behind, you're pushed deeper into her. Your tongue was as deep in her cunt as it could possible go. Which she liked. 

You thought she tasted so good. It also felt like this was a treat for you. A treat for all the years you helped her with whatever problems she had or helping her out in a battle. 

Your hand rested on her hip before it traveled so you could rub her clit. After all, you wanted to make her feel as good as she made you feel. 

It seemed to work as you felt her thighs shake slightly. Her breathing was also a tad raggedy and out of sync. 

Her hand was on the back on your neck. It wasn't long before you felt cold. It made you whine into her. You look up and see a smile plastered on her face. 

Cisco's hand snaked around to your front and let his powers activate over your clit again. This time you *screamed* into your Mommy's pussy. 

"I love that she's so reactive. I always have." Cisco pointed out. 

You started grinding against him. Wanting to get him as deep as you could in you. 

"I'm gonna cum!" Frost exclaimed. 

She came so hard, she coated your face as she squirted. You lapped up whatever you could and swallowed. She took great joy in that. She shifted so she could pull you up into a kiss. 

The kiss lasted a few moments. Long enough for Cisco to cum in you again. He pulled you away from Frost and pressed you up against his chest so he too could kiss you. He stayed inside you, however. 

Finally you got to catch your breath as you inhaled deeply after the kiss was broken. "D-Daddy… Mommy…" You whined. 

"You did so well, princess. Mommy and Daddy are very proud of you." Frost comments as Cisco pulled out of you. 

You didn't want to be done, you wanted one more. You wanted them to make you cum one more time. 

"One more, please. Wanna cum one more time." You speak in a weak voice. 

Running a hand through your hair, Frost turns you around and has you sit in her lap. She then spreads your legs by putting one over each of her own. As she trailed up your thighs, you saw clouds of steam. The cold made you shiver. 

She stops right where you needed her the most. "I'm not going to be the only one touching you, baby. Daddy is too." She whispered in your ear. 

Cisco knelt between your legs and stuck two fingers in your fucked out pussy. Frost took no time to started rubbing your clit vigorously. You'd be squirming if it weren't for the tight grip Frost's arm had around your waist. 

"S-Shit!" You shouted. 

"Mhm, tell us how it feels to be touched by the both of us." Cisco commanded. 

"F-Feels so fucking good. Wanna be touched like this all t-the time!" 

The two metas looked at each other and smiled. They then talked about how good you would be. How they'd fuck you every day, no matter where they were. In the time vault or in Caitlin's lab. 

The squelching noises coming from you rang in your ears. You don't think you've ever been this wet before. 

Being shared like this made you feel special. Made you feel like you were the prettiest girl in the whole multiverse. 

Frost's other hand came up from your waist and started kneading your tit. All of the sensations you were feeling had you panting with your tongue hanging out, drool coating your stomach. 

"Please…" You pleaded. 

"Please, *what*, kitten?" Cisco inquired. 

"Cum, please, wanna." 

"Go on, pretty little girl." Cisco cooed. 

And with that, you raveled once again. Your chest was shaky as you came down from your high. "Good girl. So very, *very* good." Frost praised. 

You were left feeling empty once again, but this time you didn't feel like you needed to be filled again. 

Cisco had gotten up to get you a glass of water and a snack while Frost embraced you and gave you all the praises she could.

After you had finished your snack, you had gotten up to take a shower. When you got out, you had seen that Cisco left fresh out of the dryer pajama's. Of course they were the matching ones HR had gotten all of you for Christmas the year he spent on your earth. 

Seeing the two had left the room, you figured they'd be on the couch. You were right. They had left you a spot in the middle. 

You also took note of how they were wearing the pajama's that matched yours. A soft smile fell on your face when you laid across them with your head on your boyfriend's lap and your legs on your, what was now girlfriend's, own lap. 

The three of you spent the rest of the evening enjoying movies and TV shows. You even begged to watch your favorite movie. Which of course they were happy to indulge you.

[le-amewzing]

PTO

These two have been on my mind for a long time, so I'm happy to have found the inspo to write them! -w-

Fic: "PTO" [FFN] [AO3]

Pairings/Characters: established!Masako Araki/Alexandra Garcia, Himuro Tatsuya

Rating: light T

Words: ~3,310

Summary: There are a variety of things spinning around in her American girlfriend's head. Still, Masako can't stay annoyed when Alex's zigzagging train of thought leads her…here.

      "Ah, Coach… There's someone here to see you."

      Masako exhaled and, with some concerted effort, dragged her eyes from the scene on the court, where Murasakibara set a poor example for the first years by milling about while he didn't have the ball in his possession. She glanced at her team's new captain—and did a double-take at that practiced smile. "Himuro…"

      Almost imperceptibly, the beauty-marked teen's smile widened. The only giveaway was the twitch of said beauty mark.

      Masako's grip tightened on the hilt of her shinai, which rested against her right shoulder at the moment. Himuro's smile was all the warning she'd get, even as she turned her head and—

      "YAHOO~ Masako~"

      Unfortunately, everyone's attention diverted from basketball practice at Yosen that evening once their blond, foreign guest came prancing indoors. But Masako didn't let her players dawdle for long, swinging her bamboo sword around to smack the tip against the floor with a resolute THWACK that brought them back to their senses. Several of the first years literally jumped at the noise, but the second and third years got right back on track. And all without their coach needing to utter a word.

      Which was good, considering Masako would need to reserve her energy for the blonde sidling up to her now. "Are you surprised to see me?" she asked the jet-haired coach.

      Masako sighed as the other woman gave Himuro a gigantic hug. "Alex, are you even here to see me? Or are you here to see one of your protégés?"

      "Ah, but that's the brilliance of Yosen—two birds, one stone!" Alex chirped. She pouted when Himuro unhooked her arms from his neck. "Tatsuya…!"

      "Not in the middle of practice, Alex," he said, tiredness leaking into that smile as he stuck to Japanese with his mentor. Masako had noted him doing that more since Alex first turned up in Japan last year, during the rare instances she traveled up north…around the same time the former professional player began flirting with the Yosen coach, actually.

      Masako narrowed her eyes at the sly fellow.

      Himuro, for his part, ducked her stare and shrugged away from Alex. "We can always catch up later," he promised the taller woman, and he jogged to Murasakibara's side before Alex could protest.

      Alex's pout lingered for a few more seconds. But then she turned towards Masako. "So, Masako—"

      "Himuro's right. Not in the middle of practice." She faced forward and tried to give her students her full attention, but it wasn't long before Masako darted her dark eyes up and to her left. "You know better than to interrupt."

      Alex grinned. "…maybe. But someone keeps her shinai instead of her phone glued to her hand."

      "No phones at practice—for both student and coach alike."

      The American heaved a sigh. "Then what point is there in texting you that I might drop by?" She lifted her left hand, noted how red her bare fingers were, and rubbed her hands together and blew on them for warmth. She shoved her hands back into her coat pockets after and fought back a shiver. "Ahhh, Akita is so cold…!"

      Masako shook her head at the sight. "Of course Akita's cold. It's November, in the snowiest region of Japan. This is the polar opposite of California and you're not dressed for the climate."

      Alex glanced at her long coat over her jeans. She at least had her coat zipped up all the way today, but Masako would bet a full tank of gas for her motorcycle that the blonde had only a t-shirt on underneath. Alex chuckled and shrugged it off. "Well, I might not be dressed for the climate, but that just means you can warm me up later…"

      Masako ignored her flirty words and glanced at how things transpired on the court. Himuro had them going through passing drills, so she decided it was all right to move her attention elsewhere…such as turning around to the benches along the wall by the doors connecting the gym to the general arts building. She rested her shinai against the wall for a second while she rummaged in her bag. Once she found her prize, Masako grabbed the shinai and marched wordlessly back to Alex on the sidelines. She thrust the small item at the blonde.

      "A hand warmer…?" Alex blinked. Then she shook off her surprise and kneaded the pack to activate it. Alex held the gift between her chilly hands and bumped shoulders with Masako, half leaning on the shorter woman. "Aww, you do care."

      At that, Masako grimaced. She didn't like being doubted same as she didn't like having to repeat herself to her team.

      "But, hey, that whole you-warming-me-up thing wasn't a joke, just so you know." Alex tucked the hand warmer into her left pocket for now and linked her right arm with Masako's. She continued while they watched over practice together, "I actually came in person because I thought a surprise might better convince you."

      "Liu, good connection!" Masako called out to the third year. "Murasakibara, watch the space around you…!" She gritted her teeth, half in annoyance that her Kiseki player clung to old habits and half with trepidation over her girlfriend's words, but— "All right, I'll ask: Of what do you need to convince me?"

      Alex's grip on her arm tightened by a hair. "Well, you're as stubborn as they come. So…" She cocked her head Masako's way. "Take some time off," she coaxed.

      Annoyance, anxiety, anger—none of that came to mind. Instead, Masako offered up a flat expression and an immediate, "No."

      "What? Why?!"

      "Why do you have to ask, why?!" Masako gestured with her shinai to her students. "It should be obvious!"

      "Masako-chan…!" Alex tried, tacking on the honorific and drawing it out in a cutesy pitch.

      But the jet-haired coach would have none of it. She pulled her arm free with a huff. Once more, she gestured to practice. "We may be winding down, but we've still another twenty minutes of practice left. You've got a hand warmer and you've said your hellos, so you can leave now, Alex."

      Alex blubbered, though, in response, and Himuro hustled over to the pair. If her incoherence were words, then he understood the matter and glanced as his coach.

      "You can see her out, Himuro."

      But he gave her a timid smile this time, as well as a one-armed shrug. "I will, but, Coach…taking time off might not be that bad?"

      "Do you want to end practice today with laps?"

      He paled but pushed on. "All I mean to say is, breaks can be good things. Especially for people who go…above and beyond," Himuro finished, though that pause clearly felt like a delay while he searched for a polite way to rephrase "overboard."

      Masako narrowed her eyes at him for the second time that day. "Direct that advice only towards those who actually go overboard." She let her eyes wander towards their second-year center.

      But Himuro needn't look to know who she meant, and he nodded in agreement. Instead, he focused on Alex and ushered his mentor back through the outside doors through which she'd come, and finally practice was peaceful once more.

      Alex's interruption seemed like a fever dream when practice wrapped. Masako left the boys to clean up, entrusting Himuro to lock up behind them, and she returned to the faculty room to catch up on odds and ends.

      There wasn't anything pressing waiting for her at her desk. As the P.E. teacher, she had a handful of get-out-of-class excuses to sort through, but too many of the reasons were rehearsed or reused these days, even for this time of year, so the task was a breeze to complete. There were a few reports due soon…and meetings to schedule…but those either needed input from other teachers or simply could wait, so Masako packed up.

      She went past the gym on her way to the employee lot and double-checked that Himuro had locked the doors. A firm tug confirmed it, so Masako hurried to her car.

      They hadn't had a good, proper snowfall yet, so nothing much had built up, but it was cold, and Masako relished the warmth once her car had the chance to heat up after a few minutes of running the engine. She pulled out of the lot and took the right to head home, but she caught the first red outside the school. Not the worst thing in the world, since she had the heat on full blast.

      On the passenger seat, her phone chirped with a new text.

      Masako glanced at her purse and how her phone lay partway out the opening… …well, this light was a long one, so it couldn't hurt to check, right? Still, Masako checked the surrounding, nonexistent traffic before picking up her phone and reading Alex's message:

-HEY! U should b done by now~ If u r, then I'm nearby at Ichiyan's

      Oh. Alex was at the ramen shop close by? Masako wondered why it surprised her so much…although, given the way Alex popped around Japan, checking in on Himuro and on Kagami or following up on interesting games and upcoming star players or even traveling for themed cafés for her favorite anime, Masako actually knew precisely why she was so stunned. Alexandra Garcia wasn't someone who liked to sit still for very long.

      Masako didn't bother replying to the text, knowing Alex would see she'd read it. Besides, Ichiyan's was a ten-ish-minute walk in good weather and quick drive in the scant traffic she had at the moment. Barely three minutes after seeing Alex's text, Masako rolled up on the little hut just as Alex exited the shop, takeout in hand. "We're not eating here?" she asked when Alex climbed into the passenger seat.

      Alex leaned across the console and planted a lingering kiss on her lips—warm and salty, like the ramen she'd just finished—before settling back and buckling up. "Masako, it's cozy in there, but their walls are still thin as hell. I got double, though, and it'll still be plenty hot back at your place."

      Masako briefly touched her bottom lip before blinking herself free from her stupor and getting them back on the road. She found it in her to smirk at the mention of her apartment. "I take it that means you're staying over?"

      "I have an invitation with no expiration date," Alex quipped, and her grin stretched from ear to ear, which Masako glimpsed out of the corner of her eye when they paused at a crossing.

      Yosen's coach shook her head but didn't deny the fact. "I'm guessing you stopped in Tokyo first?"

      "Mm. To see Taiga, yes, as well as check in with Seirin…" Alex stared out the window. "They let me study their practice for a while, and it got me thinking, so I dropped in on some practice matches Shutoku had, too."

      "Shutoku?"

      "Yeah. That Midorima kid who's Taiga's age. He and Seirin's Hyuuga…they're both shooting guards, same as Tatsuya."

      Well, that wasn't news to Masako. But she frowned when Alex huffed.

      "Tatsuya—is good. But Hyuuga's disciplined in his own way. And then Midorima—"

      "You don't even have to finish that thought. Training them or going up against them—the Generation of Miracles more than lives up to that moniker." They arrived at Masako's apartment complex, and the coach turned into her spot alongside the left side of the small building. She cut the engine and gave Alex a sly look. "But if you come up with some idea of special training for Himuro like what you gave Kagami last year, I wouldn't turn it away."

      Alex blinked and burst out laughing. "Ahhh, Masako…!" She swiped at her eyes. "While I do think Tatsuya's between a rock and a hard place—well, I'll think about it. Tatsuya's stubborn, so he'd also have to accept me training him."

      Damn. She hadn't thought of that.

      Alex hummed to herself as they got out of the car and headed inside. Her voice reverberated in the stairwell, though, causing Masako to shush her, but that only sent Alex chuckling again. She kept at Masako's heels as the shorter woman unlocked her apartment door on the third floor.

      "I know you like a challenge, but does the idea of trying to coach Himuro right now really amuse you that much?"

      "Oh, I stopped thinking about that five minutes ago. Even if I whipped up a training menu for him, the Winter Cup's too close."

      Masako shrugged out of her coat and blazer and hung her outerwear and Alex's up. They both changed into slippers and Masako undid the first few buttons on her Oxford. "Then what?"

      Alex placed their takeout on the nearest counter and took a second to tie up her hair. Then she slipped her arms around Masako's waist from behind, sighing contently as she pressed against the shorter woman's back. "Thinking about Akita. And Tokyo. And California. Shinkansen—and wishing we had that in America."

      It wasn't too difficult to follow her line of thought, given all the travel Alex did. Masako shuffled (hard to do little else with her girlfriend attached to her back) into her living room to tidy up a bit, and her eyes glanced at the small messenger bag that lived to the right of her TV stand. The bag was one of Alex's "go bags," something she liked to leave in the places she frequented most.

      "…although I will say, shopping in Akihabara is almost like coming home," Alex said. She laughed.

      Masako snapped out of her thoughts. Wait, how had they gone from travel to the shopping district? "You don't have any bags with you, though…"

      "Yeah, I left my haul at Taiga's place. I'll take care of the shipping another time or have Taiga do it for me." She squeezed Masako's midsection. "I did have a train to catch, after all."

      Masako half smiled and pecked her cheek, but then she disentangled herself from the blonde's embrace and went into her kitchenette to grab spare napkins at the very least. She checked the takeout and found it'd kept its temperature, and the shop had thrown in chopsticks, so they could dig in. "If you'd waited a bit, you'd be here closer to the Winter Cup, though."

      "Hmm… I've never been skiing in Akita? Or snowboarding."

      She stared at Alex with one eyebrow quirked. "And you think I have?"

      "Potential date idea, Masako."

      "More like something to add to a bucket list."

      "Ohhh! A bucket list! That's a good idea. Hey, hey, what else is on your list? Me, I wanna climb Mount Everest, I think… Go fishing in Thailand…" She tapped the end of her chopsticks against her chin. "Hmm, maybe pet cheetahs, but I think you can do that at a zoo in Australia, probably not on a safari…"

      The more outlandish Alex's items became, the easier it was for Masako to picture them. The younger woman hadn't been allowed to stay a professional player in WNBA, but she'd kept her physique intact and, on the rare occasion, even coaxed a rare one-on-one match from Masako. So an Alex weathering blustery conditions up a mountain's peak or fishing in clear waters or finding herself at home petting domesticated wild animals—yeah, it all sounded very much like the Alexandra Garcia she knew and loved.

      "…and…well, less a bucket list item—"

      Masako slurped some noodles and lifted her head. When Alex didn't continue, she lowered her chopsticks. "If not a bucket list item, then—?"

      Alex reached across the kitchen counter, where they stood on opposite sides, and lightly placed her fingers on Masako's wrist, her thumb tracing a tiny circle along the bone. "Masako, come with me to New York City."

      Her eyes widened as she stared at the taller woman. Even though Alex had told her earlier to take time off, this time the invitation hit differently. "…what?"

      Alex's smile was small but no less bright than usual. "It would be my treat. But." She took a breath and ran her free hand through her fringe. "I've been back and forth between here and home a lot since last winter, setting up Kiyoshi with the right doctors and accompanying Taiga and some of the Seirin seniors to visit him… But I don't have only L.A. contacts. I have NYC ones, too. And going back to California wasn't only about helping Taiga's senpai get treatment." Alex paused and something flashed in her eyes, an odd mix of envy and pride, perhaps, as she continued, "Part of it was to introduce Taiga to a few scouts. And, yeah, there are some people from New York who want to meet him and didn't get to last time, so I'll be chaperoning a bit, but my ideal plan to spend my time isn't all business."

      Masako jolted when Alex paused a second time for emphasis, because this pause came with a subtle squeeze, and Alex stroked the underside of her wrist, as well. Masako jerked her hand away on impulse, but Alex caught her fingers before the other woman was out of reach.

      "I actually really want to see the city lights with you, Masako." Her teal eyes softened behind her pink frames. That look was akin to a nonverbal, "So say 'yeah,' for me?"

      The jet-haired woman's mouth popped open in a small "o" and she licked her lips while she tried to sort her thoughts as the last few minutes replayed, back and forth, in her mind. Still, no matter how well she tried to situate herself when faced with Alex's true surprise, Masako came up dumbfounded. So, she settled for her argument from earlier. "What—What about my coaching? I can't just up and leave, Alex."

      "And Taiga wouldn't leave Tetsuya and Seirin for long unless absolutely necessary. But the Winter Cup's more than a week away. So don't worry. We'll go on holiday. Just—a long weekend. What do you say?"

      What was there to say? A tiny part of her, the part that enjoyed waving her shinai around at school, was doubtful about the logistics. And yet…

      If their schedules could work out… And Alex—her lackadaisical Alex!—was putting her heart into arranging this right before crunch time. Then…

      "…I wonder what New York's lights look like in person, too," Masako answered, entwining her fingers with Alex's.

      Alex's entire face lit up. She tugged Masako to the side, away from the counter and closer, pulling Masako flush against her and indulging in another kiss. But this time, Alex pushed her glasses up into her hair and deepened the kiss.

      Butterflies stirred in her stomach—both at having Alex so close in so long and at the idea of them being in New York City soon—so Masako let go of Alex's hand and hooked her arms around the other woman's neck instead.

      But that was a different kind of invitation for Alex. She had one hand sinking fingers into Masako's hair while the other undid the buttons of Masako's shirt from the bottom, tugging the blouse free and fussing with the fasteners on her pants, too—

      Masako broke the kiss and clonked her forehead against Alex's, stalling that hand. "Alex. Dinner will go cold."

      She received a whimper in reply.

      Yet Masako held firm, and she kissed the sore spot on Alex's forehead. "I simply want to eat with you. Then I'll make good on the me-warming-you-up thing you suggested earlier this evening," she added, hating how badly her cheeks burned as she echoed the blonde's sentiments.

      Alex gaped at Masako.

      (Needless to say, it was the fastest either of them ever had wolfed down ramen in their lives.)

Done for the 5, 10, 20, 50, 70, 100 Fandoms Challenge as well as the If You Dare Challenge (for prompt #933: New York) in the HPFC forum on FFN, as well as for minifemslashfeb 2023 (scenario 4: "One more word on this topic and I'll kill you"—*lol* it was implied) on tumblr. So! I'm slowly writing more for KnB. While I enjoy the femslash ships for it, I haven't written any of them, so that changes now. The title, btw, is a bit of a twofer: PTO being paid time off (a vacation!) or place, time, occasion (tho usually the order there is TPO for time, place, occasion XD). Alex is especially bad at TPO, tho, wanting to be smoochy wherever and whenever, *lol*, but I think Masako would adapt to her without real trouble; Masako's good at training the unruly types, after all. XDDD Let's see… Little mentions of fav charries and implications of Muramuro/Murahimu and Kagakuro for me, *lol*. Also, just, Himuro being a sort of matchmaker and wingman btwn Alex and Masako? I can't get enough of this idea. ;D I'm also here for Alex throwing around her moolah and whisking Masako off to wherever they wanna go. They deserve it. Ahhhh, this A/N is just me dithering about Garciraki and is gonna get worse if I don't stop here, so.

Thanks for reading, and feel free to leave an anon/unsigned review via the FFN link or comment via the AO3 link at the top of the post, especially if you enjoyed this! Check out my other KnB fics if you liked this, too!

~mew