#austin & elsie

[burninlovebutler]

26 - NYE pt. 2 - Say It Again** // Forever Winter Series

pairing: austin x fem!oc | word count: 6.8k-ish

warnings: smut, alcohol, mentions of substance abuse, mutual masturbation, use of toys, crying, fluffy?? sad fluffy?? (u know the deal), slight sub/dom undertones if u squint, aftercare, please don't hate me, 18+, MDNI

summary: After Austin’s encounter with Elsie in a side room and his new year’s kiss with his date, he spots Elsie making a speedy escape. Plagued with guilt of his actions, he runs to catch her but finds her in a… compromising position.

previous chapter -> 25 - NYE - Til You Come Back For More

see masterlist - for chapter log & all other fics

We go 'round again, we jump back in bed That's what you do when you love somebody

These bad omens, I look right through them That's what you do when you love somebody

I died when you left that night for the thousandth time 'Cause you love somebody else

-AUSTIN-

Aspen pulled away from our new year’s kiss with the biggest drunken grin. The taste of her vanilla lip gloss and straight tequila coated my lips. I kissed her again for good measure, pulling her waist against mine. “You look stunnin’ tonight babe.” Cupping her cheeks, “Just like a little sparkly firework.”

She blushed a bit and nudged my arm, “Oh shut up.”

I contemplated sweeping Aspen off into a bathroom to get the feeling of Elsie off me, but I couldn’t do another fuck in a bathroom.

The roar of the new year faded back into standard party noise and Aspen hauled me to the kitchen for fresh drinks. She was talking to me, but my focus was on the door down the hall that I left a desperate Elsie behind. She still hadn’t come out yet, which I figured she would’ve rushed out to get her New Year’s kiss from Nox.

It was only when Aspen handed me a new drink that I saw Elsie creep out from behind the wooden door. Slow at first then quickly zipping through the bustling crowd. Condensation from the red cup collected around my fingertips as I squeezed it between my fingers. My predisposed path I expected her to take was wrong, instead of going to find Nox, she escaped to the loft elevator.

Odd.

Guilt began to spread through my veins as quickly as the alcohol. I hadn’t exactly been nice in that room with her. Maybe it was too much. Maybe I took it too far. I never meant to make her upset – at least not enough to leave a party.

I then diverted my attention to tracking Nox, between the many other Elon Musk wannabe’s it wasn’t the easiest mission. I finally spotted him in a corner with some girl, a blonde girl.

A girl that looked pretty similar to the blonde I saw at the bistro weeks ago. The girl that ‘wasn’t there’.

Okay so – either she’s upset because of me or because of Nox – or I’m fucking seeing shit again.

Either way I needed to find her.

“Hey darlin’.” Curling my arm around Aspen, “I think I’m gonna head home.”

“Aw,” The edges of her plump lips downturned for a just a moment, “Well that’s okay, I kinda wanted to go to the club and cash in on lonely partiers.”

A smile tugged across my face, that was exactly why this was working. No strings, just fun.

“Why don’t you wanna stay and party?” She dropped a maraschino cherry in her mouth then plucking the stem out.

“I just don’t think I’m feelin’ all that well.”

She twirled the cherry stem between her thin fingers. “Aw,” She pushed out her bottom lip, “I can help, you want a bump?”

It took a good pause for me to contemplate the answer to that but ultimately decided against it, coke wasn’t something I wanted to make a habit of. I had too many fixes to juggle already.

“Nah I’m okay, but thanks for offerin’.” Picking her chin up, her brown eyes sparkling up at me. I’d be lying if I said she wasn’t gorgeous. She looked like if you put old Hollywood Marilyn Monroe into a present-day high-end escort. The type of escort that only the 1% hire, the Jeff Bezoz type of escort. Her features soft like a girl next door but her body like – a Playboy bunny. That’s exactly what she looked like, a Playboy bunny. The sex appeal, charm and the cheerfulness of a Playboy bunny.

I pressed a kiss on her full lips but before I could pull away, she hooked her finger into my shirt pocket. Her eyes met mine again, plopping the cherry stem in her mouth and within seconds plucking a newly formed knot from her extended tongue. Her fingers rotated it in my eyeline before dropping it in the pocket, her bedroom eyes locked on me the entire time. “Consider that a rain check for the other ways I could make you feel better.” She swiped the excess cherry juice from her thumb across her tongue then cleaned it off with a pop.

Navigating through shitfaced New Yorkers on New Years was hard enough on its own but the urgency of finding Elsie and the concoction of chemicals in my system made it quite a trying journey.

Finally reaching her door, I gave my signature knock.

No answer.

Knock again.

No answer.

With a slight turn of the knob, the door pushed open. “Els?” I called quietly. Tiptoeing around the empty apartment before hearing small noises from behind her cracked bedroom door. When I stepped closer, they sounded like whimpers.

Fuck. The last fucking thing I wanted to do was make her cry.

I knocked gently against the door frame, “Els?”

No answer, so I decided to just open the door. We had keys to each other’s places it wasn’t like we never just showed up.

A loud shriek came from her lips, her bare legs clamping around her hand.

“I-“ Eyes widening at the absolute opposite of what I thought was going on. Her dress bunched up at her hips, her hand between her thighs.

“What are you doing here!” Using her free hand to chuck a pillow at me that I promptly dodged. I’d never seen her cheeks so red.

“I thought you were sad!” I defended, putting both hands up as if I were under arrest.

“Why the fuck would I be sad!”

“Well I-“

“Get out!” Chucking another pillow at me.

Then it occurred to me, and maybe it was selfish, but the sight of her like that burned something vicious down my body. “Wait,” A slight curl at the corner of my lips, “Is this because of me?”

“What?”

“Is what you’re doing because of me?” I questioned, backing against the door clicking it closed.

“What are you doing, can you please just fucking leave.” Her voice was so flustered, it was almost endearing.

“Hm.” I stepped over to her, only causing her to clamp her legs more and slink further away from me. “Well, don’t stop on my account.”

I sat on the edge just below where her legs were bent. I loved having her be putty in my hands, I loved making her squirm and writhe and beg. Green eyes just blinked at me, even I could see the confusion behind them, the conflict. The visual struggle made me second guess my own actions. “I’m sorry I walked in on you. I’ll leave if you want me to.” Dropping the teasing tone.

“It’s okay um- just what are you doing here.” Well, she didn’t throw me out, maybe I was onto something after all.

“I saw you leave the party, I thought you were sad. But now I see you were just hor-“

“Sh!” Her free hand pressed a finger to my lips. She eyed me like if I was about to pull some rabbit out of a hat, like I was hiding something she was searching for.  In the slowest motion she unfolded her legs, keeping her hand over her core.

God she was gonna send me into a frenzy.

“Need some help?” I couldn’t help but offer.

Her middle and ring fingers drew up her slit landing at her clit but didn’t move. I could already feel my blood rushing to my hips. All I wanted to do was finish what I started at the party.

Adjusting to be between her legs, I pressed my coordinating fingers into hers then guiding them in slow circles.

“Wha-“ She began to protest.

“I can’t touch you remember?” I reminded. She dropped her head as my hand took control of the motions on herself.

“Fuck.”

“Now I’m gonna ask again.” Speeding up just enough to be noticeable, “Were you touching yourself because of me?” Her eyes widened, that was he rabbit she was waiting for - the ‘mean’ me she was yelling about at the party, the me that made her weak.

Her lack of a response caused a pause in my motions. Leaning forward placing a kiss at her bent knee, “Now what did we talk about words?”

Her already desperate eyes scrunched closed in defeat. It was those tiny moments of defeat that fueled me to push her further and further.

“Yes – Yes it was because of fucking you.” The angst in her voice indicated that she didn’t want to give in, but she was. She was pissed that I was right, that I saw right through her.

“Hm. You’re getting better.” My fingertips moving again, now in circle-8’s.

A low moan poured from her mouth. As rock hard I was or as much I wanted to be buried inside her or how I wanted to hear her choke on me, any of it didn’t distract from this. For me, sometimes this was even better than any of those. Being an orchestrator of a beautiful woman’s demise? A puppet master for a blinding spiral? Well that’s better than any orgasm I could ever have.

“Tell me darlin’, you got any toys in that drawer?” Her eyes shooting open again, more pink flooding into her cheeks.

“I- uh- no, I don’t.” Her words barely coming out past her stutters.

“Well, then you don’t mind if I double check?” My tone innocent, teasing. I went to open her wooden bedside table drawer when she caught my arm.

“No, no I don’t think you need to double check.” Panic clear in her voice.

“Mhm.” A swift tug at the drawer before she could protest further. Her hands immediately covering her face from pure embarrassment.

I was in utter shock when the opened drawer revealed a rather large collection of toys. Though, I suppose when you’re with a partner who doesn’t satisfy you, you need to find ways to find relief. Each toy she owned was smaller than me, but I chose the closest one to my size and girth.

When I returned to her, she had clamped her legs together again and was still covering her face. “Well, that wasn’t very nice to lie to me.”

“Shut up.” She fussed.

“Oh, don’t be like that.” My index tracing up the side of her thigh, “C’mon open up for me will ya?”

“No, you’re being mean.” She grumbled still hidden behind her humiliation.

“I think you like it when I’m mean,” The throbbing in my jeans was beginning to become painful, threatening to take complete control. “Let me make you feel good baby.” My hand curving round her full thigh, indicating to let me spread them. She paused then obliged, slowly opening her legs for me.

You know how when you’re really craving a favorite meal and then you finally get it and all you want to do is devour it in the most depraved way? That’s exactly how I felt the minute I saw her glistening heat.

“Alright darlin’ here’s what I’m gonna need you to do for me,” Gently bringing her fingers back to her swollen bundle, “I need you to keep doin’ what you were doin’ before, I’ll take care of the rest alright?” The utterly taken aback look on her face swirled both fear and excitement. Her dainty fingers began moving in circles once more.

Her eyes tracking me as I let a drip of spit land on the silicone member and massaging it in to lubricate before I brought it to her. Before I could even line up to her entrance she opposed, “I want yours”

Those were not words I thought would come from her mouth, in that moment but it only made me strain in my pants more, it took the last bit of self-restraint to reply, “You know I can’t do that.”

“Why not.”

“Because you won’t answer me.” Stating the obvious.

“About what?”

“You know what. The reason you’re in this mess.”

“Aust please,” Looking up with pleading eyes, “I need you.”

“Answer it, why were you so upset at the party?”

“I told you I don’t have an answer.” She repeated, quite brave of her to be defiant in this compromising position.

“Well then I can’t fuck you.” The words physically pained me.

She groaned in frustration, “Fine but…” Contemplating, gears churning while her vision traced from my face down to the bulge in my pants, “Well, if I have to touch myself, then so do you.” She said matter-of-factly.

Now it was me who was taken aback, not expecting that either. “Is that really what you want?” Confirming the fucked-up compromise.

She nodded pathetically, “Please? I need to see your cock.”

I didn’t need much convincing after that, undoing my zipper and tugging both jeans and boxers down letting my member spring free. I eyed her core before slipping two fingers slowly into her, causing a gasp. I moved them back and forth to get just enough of her juices to use as my own lube. She watched my every movement, from her to myself, then watching as my fingers wrapped around the head of my length and began to slowly bob up and down. I couldn’t help letting out a low groan as I was finally getting the relief I so desperately needed all night.

“Is this what you wanted?” Bringing my grip lower on myself and noticing her index and middle fingers beginning to work on herself again, “To watch me fuck myself?”

“Yes,” She nodded watching my hand as if she was in a trance, “Do you… do that to the thought of me?”

Suddenly that question that I kept asking her now spun on me seemed significantly crueller. Letting out another low grunt when I finally reaching the base of my length, “Of course, how could I not think about being deep in your throat again?”

A tiny proud curve tugged at her lips, “You think about being inside me?”

My hand now gaining a rhythm on my pulsing cock, “Fuck – yes.” I glided the head of the toy up and down her glistening slit, before gently sliding it inside her with my free hand. “Just like that.”

She sucked in a sharp breath the moment the toy filled her, but it wasn’t enough, “Please, fuck me.” She pleaded once more.

If I had to tell her ‘no’ one more time, I didn’t know well I’d be able to deliver it. My actions continued, now matching my hand in time with the silicone slipping in and out of her dripping heat. She must’ve caught on since her index and middle fingers also paced with rhythm.

“Does that feel good baby? Being filled up?” My actions sped up marginally. Using that word both turned me on and twisted my stomach in knots. The knots only tightened when I felt myself press a gentle kiss to her inner thigh, breaking the ‘no touching’ rule. Even though we were engaged in some filthy action, the kiss felt so intimate. Probably one of the worst ways I could’ve touched her.

It earned me a pitched whimper, “Yes.” Her hips ever so slightly lifting and rotated on the fake dick.

Watching her soaked cunt getting fucked by something that wasn’t me only made me insatiable, I needed her in my mouth. My hand moved from my member using two fingers to spread her even more. I wanted to devour her but all I was allowed to do was watch. Whines rolled from her lips basically fucking herself with the way she rutted her hips on the toy.

“Please Austin, I need your cock – I need to feel you.” Her voice even weaker than before, “I wanna cum on you please.” As she begged her thrusts became more erratic, causing the grip on my length to follow suit.

Her digits took over my work sliding down between her folds and spread them wide for me, riding both fingers across her lips. She was trying to torture, make me give in. And I wanted to, god I fucking wanted to, so fucking bad.

I returned grasp to my throbbing cock and my eyes never once left her pussy. “I can’t, you know I can’t.” My stare still on her core as if I were hypnotized. I watched the blue toy drawing in and out of her, her walls gripping onto it. All I could do was imagine it was me inside her. It took every ounce of self-control to keep me from doing just that.

A weak moan fell as she circled her swollen clit again, “Are you close?”

I thought about it for a moment, but my pulsing head answered for me, “Yes.”

Tugging at her bottom lip seeming almost embarrassed of what she was about to say, “I want you to cum on me.” Rose blush tinted her cheeks.

“What?” Propping an eyebrow and stifling another moan as my hand wrapped around myself never took a break.

“I want you over me – and I want you to cum on me.” She clarified, “No touching.”

My view moved to her face to verify what she had just said, “You sure?”

“Mhm.” Nodding pathetically, “Please Aus? I wanna be covered in your cum.”

She didn’t need to ask any more for me to be between her legs, it took every ounce of restraint to not just slide right into her exposed and begging core. I stole the opportunity to take in the full sight of her, desperate, wet, pathetic, plump lips raw from biting down any noises she didn’t want escaping. The silky emerald dress beautifully draped off every curve of body, accentuating her full hourglass figure. She looked angelic, only illuminated by a singular bedside lamp and the glows from the city. Breathtaking and fragile like one of those sculptures where you can see every wrinkle of the dress. Had I never noticed her beauty in that way? Or had I just been lying the entire time - had I always looked at her that way?

I knew I couldn’t touch her, but I couldn’t resist from trailing my fingertips up her thighs to her hips, pushing the slinky dress material up a bit. “I don’t think you want me making a mess on this pretty dress baby.”

Every time I fucking said the term of endearment, I wanted to punch myself, but I wanted to keep using it.

She blinked up at me, showing the most hesitation I’d seen from her all night. “I um, I don’t wanna do that.”

Furling my brows up at her, “This has to be like $200 dress you really want me ruining it?”

“$500.” Correcting me but kept her focus on the side of the bed, chewing on her bottom lip. “It’s okay I’ll get it dry cleaned or something.”

Out of every fucking weird thing that led up to that moment tonight, that was the most puzzling one. There was something wrong and as a man of course it took me longer than it should’ve to figure it out.

Smoothing my hand up over hip beneath the dress, “You don’t have to hide from me.” Her cheeks prickled pink, “I’ve seen you without a shirt on before.”

“Yeah, but,” Running her tongue between pressed lips, “Never like this. I never do… this without a shirt on.”

“What do you mean?” It only got more perplexing, “You don’t have sex without a shirt on?”

“We’re not having sex.” She was quick to correct me, however her point was debatable. “But, no… ehm, he doesn’t like seeing me like that… when we’re, ya know.”

Nox continued to shock me because like, what the fuck? Why would you want her to hide? If it were me the dress would’ve been on the floor before we even left the party.

I wasn’t prepared to handle her statement, well I wasn’t really prepared to handle any of it.

“I’m not him.” I reminded her, “And I want to see you.”

She just stared at me when I figured maybe I should reframe my words.

Fingers molding around her hips gently, “I want to see you. I’m not lying about that. But more than that, I want you to be comfortable.” I reassured, “So, if me ruining your expensive dress is what will make you most comfortable then, I’m okay with that.”

She took a minute to process my words before replying with a soft, “Thank you.” Her tone was more appreciative than it should’ve been, like no one had ever taken time to prioritize her comfort.

“I want to…I just,” Eyes faltering once more, “I don’t think I can.”

I nodded, “Okay. That’s okay.”

She looked so relieved, making me sadder than it should’ve. It made me wonder the sort of backlash she was used to when saying no.

“Do you want to continue?” Making sure we were still on the same page, “It’s okay if you don’t.” Her hazy greens met mine though I couldn’t tell what they were thinking. I squeezed her hip again softly, “I won’t be upset, I promise.”

She pulled herself together, “I want to.” Giving me a little smile, as if my basic human decency had given her a green light. “No touching.”

Normally I hated those words, but this felt more like a victory. Not a sexual one, but some sort of a victory, nonetheless.

I gave her a small chuckle, “Okay, you got it. No touching.”

In that moment it felt like something began to weave together. Every other time us as friends and us as… whatever this was, were completely different, completely separate. But in that tiny fleeting exchange, it seemed to be both versions of us meshed.

The way her eyes blinked up at me, a soft sage suggested she might have felt the same sensation. If I didn’t know better, she was telepathically telling me to lean down and kiss her – it had to be her though right? It wasn’t be me. For whatever reason the thought of kissing her was the line – because of course us literally fucking ourselves to each other wasn’t the line. You kiss one-night stands, I kissed Aspen, I even fucked her, and it meant nothing to me. But Els would be different, I just knew it. And as much as I did want to sleep with her, that would be different too.

Her hands trickling down her body snapped me out of my thoughts. Fingers beginning to work on herself again in circles, not taking long for tiny whimpers to escape.

“You okay?” Her voice quiet, insecure, “If you really want me take it off-“

“No, no,” Stopping her free hand that already tugged the dress up slightly, “You look perfect just like this.”

Soft lips curled up, “Thanks Austie.”

It was no ‘baby’ but it was close.

“If you want to…you could take yours off.” I never saw her like this, shy, embarrassed, apprehensive, vulnerable. I loved it.

It caused a small laugh, “Is that what you want?”

“Mhm.” A little nod then tugged at the hem of my shirt.

Using just the collar to swiftly slip my black tee off, I watched her gaze rake down my body now fully bare in front of her. She brought dainty fingertips just hovering over my chest, tracing each accentuated ab. I knew I wasn’t nearly as muscular as Nox so, I wasn’t quite sure if her regard was one of comparison.

Her floating touch never making contact with me until finally reaching the wrist that held my member, fingers gently landing on my wrist bone. Even just the tips of her fingers on my wrist sent shockwaves through me and directly into my cock.

“Continue?” Her sight timidly reaching mine once more.

Using one hand to prop myself over her and the other started working on my length again. She reached down past her right hand and took over the toy to fuck herself under me.

I held myself up, my forehead pressed against hers – the only part of us that touched. Our focus never leaving each other’s eyes, our staggered breathing matched in time, watching the descent in the other’s face.

“Fuck I wish it was you around my cock.” The hand at work on myself speeding up at the thought of any part of her, even just her hand on me pushed me further.

“I know,” Her clouded wide eyes looking up at me so innocently, so pure. “I wish it was you inside me.”

Her fingers accelerated as well as moving the toy in and out of herself. Knowing that my cock was just inches away from being inside her drove me insane. I wanted to bury myself in her and fuck her senseless. She deserved it from how frustrated she made me.

Our working hands were so close to each other, in some twisted way we were fucking each other - her rhythm with the toy matched exactly the speed that my hips rolled into my hand.

The gentleness towards her from just before was slipping out of my grasp. “I don’t think you want that baby.” My head falling into the small of her neck.

“What, why?” She squeaked. “I do.”

“No, because you’ve driven me fucking insane. I’d make you pay. You’re lucky I can’t fuck you the way I want.” The thrusts into my grip sped up as they would if I was fucking her.

Her breath hitched clearly not expecting that answer. From earlier at the party, I figured her voice would fail her again, but she surprised me, “Maybe I’d like that.” The artificial tool catching up to my pace.

“Really?” Breathing into her neck from how her words fueled me, “You’d like it if I fucked you senseless? You’d like it if I used you as my own personal fuck doll?” Those were things I absolutely never imagined saying to her, especially not like this but the bourbon burned in my blood and I had little filter. From how silent she went, I thought for sure that had been too much.

“Yes.” She shyly answered through a stifled moan, “I’d like to be that for you.”

“Oh yeah?” My hand now catching up with her faster speed. God all I wanted was to sink my teeth into her, mark her, leave her covered in remnants of me. “What if I wanted to hurt you?”

Her silence even louder, I hoped she knew what I meant or that I didn’t just ruin everything. “I think I’d like that too.”

“Fuck baby.” I breathed out and failing at keeping a groan from escaping into her neck. My climax was approaching. As much as I wanted to finally come, I didn’t want this moment to end. It was the closest we’d ever gotten. “How about if I wanted to fill you up with my cum, would you like that too?”

“Yes.” No hesitation on that one. “I wish you’d do that right now.”

“Fuck,” I grunted when her reply caused my cock to twitch in my hand, “You’re gonna make me come if you keep talking like that.”

“I want you to cover me remember? I want your cum all over me, all over my dress.” Her fingers stumbling on her clit and the toy erratic. “Aus I’m so close, I’m so close.” Voice strained through her rapid breathing.

I nodded, then bring my forehead to hers again, I wanted to watch her unravel. “C’mon baby, you can come, give in to me. Pretend that’s my tongue on you, pretend it’s my cock inside you.” On the precipice of my own demise.

“Fuck,” She started before full euphoria hit her, “Fuck fuck fuck Austin!” Her back arching away from the bed as she let out the loudest moans I’d ever heard – full of curses and my name.

As she came, I soon followed, fucking my fist as hard as I’d be fucking her. Vivid buzzing filled my hips then spilled from my member, coating her silk dress in milky stripes. Our moans swirling and filling the room. It was watching her completely and totally collapse under me that sent me over the edge. Her eyes stayed locked with mine almost the entire time, only breaking contact when they rolled back in the height of her orgasm.

Eyes fluttered closed while we rode out our highs, heavy staggered breathing in time with each other. Her expression grew progressively bashful, blushing covered her cheeks. A heaviness dropped into my stomach resembling restraint.

Restraint from what?

It wasn’t my body.

Eerily similar to when you can’t wait to spoil the surprise of a birthday gift. A budding secret threatening to escape from your lips at any moment.

I went to pull away to clean the mess we’d made but she caught my arm curling her own around mine. “Please.” A low whisper.

I had no idea exactly what she was begging for but I knew it wasn’t for another finish line.

“I can clean you up-”

“No, I need you please” She didn’t look up at me and I swore I heard her voice crack.

“How? How do you need me?” Replying in a hush close to hers.

Hesitated, “I don’t know.”

“What’s wrong?” Running through any possible mistakes I had made, maybe I should’ve resisted my own urges for her sake.

“I, just- I just need you.” Her tone now clearly a cracking dam of restrained tears.

I would’ve had a hand hold her cheek if one wasn’t supporting me and the other wasn’t covered in cum. So, I did the closest thing and nudged her nose.

“How baby? How do you need me?”

Her gaze diverted and clearing her throat, “I- this way, this. I need you to fuck me.” She lied, it was a shit attempt at the truth.

Well now I was completely puzzled, not following a single damn mixed signal. “I don’t think that’s it Els. What is it?”

And in just the second after I used her name tears seeped out. She quickly brought her free arm up to wipe the tears off with her palm, clearly attempting to halt it from accelerating. My brows furled at the sight below me, those were not the kind of tears I normally caused during sex.

“Please, please,” She pled desperately, “Can we do it again please? I need you to do it again.”

“Whoa, what is going on?” Going to pull away but her grip on my arm kept me locked. “Are you upset about this? Did I do something wrong?” I questioned, the only things that seemed like valid reasons. “Did I say something?”

The cries worsened, face reddening under the palm that frantically worked to clean her now flowing tears.

“Is that it? Did I say something wrong?” I mean, I had said plenty to her tonight between the party and here. “What was it?”

Finally letting go of my arm to cover her face in folded arms, now completely sobbing, sharp inhales, and her chest heaving.

“C’mon baby, can you please tell me what it is? I’m sorry for anything.” I didn’t know her cries could get any worse but now she could barely get a full breath in.

She visibly attempted to tame the tears enough to speak, “That.” She said simply.

“I- what?” Before the pieces fell together in a way I didn’t expect – I didn’t expect it to hurt so much either. “’Baby’?”

She fell apart again nodding beneath her arms.

“Oh, um, I’m sorry. Is it too much? Do you not like it? I can stop.”

She stilled, seemingly processing how to respond, maybe she didn’t even know. “Please just fuck me? Or something?” Her breathing steading just marginally enough to speak, “I don’t even have to cum just – something, anything.”

“Els, I’m not gonna – do anything – when you’re like this. You’re literally sobbing.” I felt like I was in some sort of twilight zone, like I was missing some key element. She just told me I did something wrong and now she’s begging me to fuck her?

‘I don’t even have to come’?

“I’m gonna need you to tell me what’s really wrong because, well, I can’t just sit here and watch you cry?”

She just kept, wailing. Pure, unbridled wails.

“I mean, if this is really about me saying ba-“

“Please Austin please.”

I had never heard someone begging for sex in such a sad way. It made absolutely no sense. “Elsie, I really don’t know what you want right now. I’m sorry for saying or doing whatever I did. But I need you to tell me what this is about, please.” All I wanted to do was make it better, hold her, stop her tears, whatever she needed, I wanted to give.

She took a long pause.

“If you fuck me, you’ll say it again.”

I took an equally as long pause just trying to wrap my head around her delicate words, “Okay, now you’ve really lost me.”

She turned her face completely away from me even though she was still hidden behind her arms. In a feeble voice, “I need you to fuck me, because you’ll say it again.”

Huh?

“Say what again Els?”

Another pause with struggling inhales, “‘Baby’.”

Not what I was expecting but it was more confusing than anything else she could’ve said. “You only call me that when you want me.” Her words sliced through any fluff, any of the bullshit layers we had laid.

Well, duh. What, was I going to call her baby in front of her boyfriend? Or when we’re watching movies?

“Well – I mean – you know.” Stumped on what exactly was the correct response. “I, well, I just, you know.” Fumbling again, like I was trying to play football with a oil-coated ball.

“See?”

“I well, uh,” What was I supposed to say? You have a fucking boyfriend? I shouldn’t be saying it in the first place. “I just didn’t know you liked it.”

“I know.” As to confirm my thoughts of how it wasn’t right, of how it didn’t make sense for me to say it and how she shouldn’t like it.

“Well, I’m not saying it to like- coerce you into anything. It’s not just because I want to, ya know, do what we did.”

“It’s not?” A sniffle as her weeping slowly began to decline. She knew I couldn’t answer it, I shouldn’t answer it. “I just- I don’t know,” Timidly pulling from her arms now looking up at me teary eyed, “I just like hearing it, I guess.”

Before I could even stop myself, “You like hearing it, or you like to hear me say it?”

Her watery greens rounded but just nodded, so feeble it was barely noticeable.

“Okay,” Finally regaining some control over the situation and realizing that I was still completely fucking nude, “How about this, I clean you up and get you into some comfy clothes?”

With a sniffle she gave me a silent ‘okay’.

“Uh, before I do anything, should I be worried about, ehm… him coming home?”

I fully expected her to shoot up in a panic, but she just shook her head, “No, he texted me he’s not coming home. He’s crashing there.”

Mhm, it had nothing to do with the girl he was with, right?

“Okay.” I made my way out of the mess of sheets and to her bathroom, cleaning myself off and slipping back into my boxers. Then brought a towel to the bed and climbed back in. I kneeled in front of her legs that had clamped back together, not moving any other way.

Trailing my hand up her leg, “C’mon baby, open up for me.”

Immediately I saw a slight glimmer in her now mostly dry eyes and then complied to me, timidly spreading open.

Any other time the sight of her still dripping and the toy still deep inside her would’ve stirred me again, but right now my priority was taking care of her.

I gently pulled the silicone from her core, coming out with a pop which caused her to blush all over again.

“Is it okay that I’m doing this?” I confirmed before actually touching her.

“Mhm.” Now hiding behind her hands again.

I brought the towel to her messy center and softly moved it down between her lips, making sure she was thoroughly cleaned up. “Does that feel okay?”

“Mhm.”

Then going to the dress, wiping off the excess of me that hadn’t yet dried onto the fabric. I tugged a bit on the scrunched dress at her hips, “You wanna take this off? I can get you some PJs and leave the room if you want?”

“Hmm,” She thought, “You can stay but, you have to close your eyes.”

“Okay.” I agreed quietly, pulling off the bed and going to her drawers. From the many drunken nights there I knew exactly which drawer held her PJs, second drawer on the left. I picked out an oversized shirt, one that seemed quite familiar, probably one that she stole from me and then paired with some fleece shorts. I set them on the bed and sat next to them on the edge facing the wall and shutting my eyes. “Alright, I’m not looking.”

I heard her shuffle around the bed struggling through the thick duvet, then an audible struggle and a defeated sigh. “I need help.”

I let out a quiet chuckle, “Of course you do.” I kept my eyes shut but motioned her to come towards me. “C’mere, I’ll keep ‘em closed.”

“Hmph.” She exhaled hard and shuffled her way over to me, the dress rippling across the wooden floor, “Okay, here.”

I nodded even though she couldn’t see me. My hands reached out blindly and met her full hips first, then wandered up her curves on a discovery mission. It was the first time my hands felt her this way without it being fueled by desires. A heavy knot fell into the pit of my belly, but it wasn’t sexual. I didn’t know what it was. It mimicked the feeling of picking up a product in a florescent lit mall, something you felt the instant need for, something perfect for you. Then you look at the price tag and the realization that it is completely out of your budget. Not that she was an object to me, god no. She was anything but an object to me. But she was out of my reach, something I couldn’t afford.

I wanted more than I could handle.

This intimate plight over her body outside of the sexual lens gave me a new view of her physique. The sightless wandering heightened my ability to discern parts of her figure I’d somehow missed, like the extra around her midsection. The part no doubt was what Nox ridiculed and made her embarrassed of, the part that she would stop in mirrors to body-check. The parts she frowned at, pulled baggy clothes over, the parts she hid. And yet they were the parts of her that drove me crazy.

My hands fumbled to find the zipper, causing her to let out a giggle. “C’mon now Aus, it’s not that hard.” A smile crept across my face and I chuckled back, finally finding the zipper and running both index fingers up the length of it. I kept a hand anchored to her side as I delicately unzipped the satin dress.

It was those moments, the giggles in between, it felt like us, normal us. Us meshed between those mistakes. Us meshed over intimate names and forbidden actions. Could we be us while touching the way that we do?

“Thanks.” She replied quietly, stepping forward and slipping the dress off. I could hear the rustling of her changing into the pajamas then pulling herself into bed. “You can open now.”

I let my eyelids open after what felt like an eternity. My gaze fell on her wrapped in her white duvet and gave her a tiny grin, “Ya know, I think you look better like that.”

Red peaked in her cheeks, “Shut up.” Then looking over at me with big eyes and I already knew what was coming, “I’m cold.”

I nodded and climbed across the king-sized mattress and met her under the covers, spooning her from behind. Out of pure reflex I wrapped an arm around her and out of sheer stupidity my hand found hers, intertwining between her fingers. A loud silence fell upon the room, like an elephant had suddenly made an appearance.

After a long bit of stillness came a barely audible, “Aus.”

And suddenly it felt like I was a little kid being caught in something against the rules, “Yeah?” I responded, nervous of what would follow.

She let a long pause pass, “What is this?” Her voice held a slight shake, sadness tainted through every word. “What are we doing?”

And just like that, she broke every silence compromise, every rule, shattering the close call clause. It dawned on me that I didn’t know the answer to that question. What were we doing? What did I want? What did I think would come from this? What ghost was I chasing and why?

“I-I,” I let out a sigh, “I don’t know.”

Her body wouldn’t have been more still, even her knuckles froze in time, “Do um- Do you like it?”

At first thought I questioned it, but how could I not? How could I possibly deny that?

“I think so - I think that’s quite obvious.” I answered simply. “You?”

“I think so.” She copied, her hand giving mine a gentle squeeze. I knew it was the champagne in her system talking, she’d never be brave enough to say any of that sober. That begged the question, did she mean it? And possibly, more importantly, would she remember? Would she remember my answers in the morning? Did I want her to?

I rested my forehead against her shoulder and placed a gentle kiss on her fabric covered skin.

“What does that mean?” She inquired another impossible and prohibited question.

I decided to act dense, the last thing I needed to do was misconstrue what she was insinuating, “What do you mean?”

“Like… for us. What does that mean for us?” I could practically hear her wincing from her own questions, bracing for impact.

“I’m…I’m not sure.” I answered honestly. I didn’t. She had Nox and now I had Aspen. “We’re friends… I guess.” The truth never tasted so vile in my mouth, it was like saying the sky was green.

She ever so slightly curled away from me, her face nuzzled into her pillow and from her lips came an even more vile truth. A truth so loud, so violent that rattled every molecule in my carcass. A verity that would obliterate every rule and null every close call clause.

“Friends don’t do the things we do Aus.”

Next Chapter -> 27 - The First Close Call

Forever Winter Spotify Playlist -> ❄️

Thank you for every like, reblog or comment, it means the world to me truly. I love hearing your thoughts and I'm glad you're liking my little story 💗

taglist: @cryingabtab @slowsweetlove @purejasmine @feverdreamcaoilainn @coloradohighs @iluvnerds69 @denised916 @julie181 @navsblog @centaine @golden-kiwis @michellelv (if you'd like to be added pls comment 💗)

[island-in-ignorance]

Read one (1) cowboy romance and now am CONVINCED I could learn to line dance.

Where would I even use this skill? I live in the middle of California.

[bookthorns]

FEBRUARY WRAP UP | 35 books! 📚💕 small town romances, mysteries + rereads

Hey friends, welcome to or welcome back to my blog! can you believe it’s time to talk about February?! January was the longest month known to man, but February blew through like it was nothing! I’m so serious, how is a whole month over already and I feel like I have nothing to show for it… except for this wrap up. This month I did A LOT of reading and listened to a lot of Taylor Swift (I also…

[mouseymilkovich]

meet mouse !

picrew one | picrew two | dividers used here (except my mdni banner) all by cafekitsune

hi !! my name is mouse (you can also call me em or elsie)

✮ i'm nonbinary, i use they/them & she/her pronouns (see below for boundaries regarding gendered terms) ✮ pansexual + currently single ✮ i'm 25 years old, my birthday is 06/19 ✮ gemini ☀️ ⋆ virgo 🌙 ⋆ scorpio ↥ ✮ canadian & jewish ✮ i have dyslexia, and i've been told by nearly every person i know that i'm autistic lmao ✮ i've been writing since i was like 11 but still consider myself an amateur ✮ tip the mouse ✮ my pinterest ✮ my emoji anons

gendered terms (green = okay, blue = maybe, orange = friends only, red = no)

sis or sister ⋆ bro or brother ⋆ sibling ⋆ mom ⋆ dad ⋆ parent ⋆ dude ⋆ gf or girlfriend ⋆ bf or boyfriend ⋆ wife or wifey ⋆ husband or hubby ⋆ girl ⋆ boy ⋆ woman ⋆ man ⋆ princess ⋆ prince ⋆ queen ⋆ king ⋆ hero ⋆ heroine ⋆ lady ⋆ lord ⋆ gentleman ⋆ miss/ms or ma'am ⋆ mr/mister or sir ⋆ mx ⋆ m'theydy ⋆ fem compliments ⋆ masc compliments ⋆ (my) dear ⋆ (my) darling ⋆ (my) love ⋆ (my) angel

my tags

#mouse talks ⋆ #mouse writes ⋆ #ask mouse ⋆ #mouse recs ⋆ #mouse's ocs ⋆ #polls with mouse ⋆ #mootie patooties 🫶

specific rec tags → #the good shit [fics] ⋆ #short n sweet [blurbs] ⋆ #use our imagination [au's]

more things i like btc !!

everything is in alphabetical order (bold = fave)

shows

a series of unfortunate events ⋆ andi mack ⋆ boy meets world ⋆ cheers ⋆ degrassi (all iterations) ⋆ euphoria ⋆ family ties ⋆ frasier ⋆ ginny & georgia ⋆ girl meets world ⋆ gossip girl ⋆ gotham ⋆ gravity falls ⋆ king of the hill ⋆ letterkenny ⋆ shameless (us) ⋆ south park ⋆ steven universe ⋆ stranger things ⋆ that 70s show ⋆ that 90s show ⋆ the bear ⋆ three’s company

movies

are you there, god? it’s me, margaret ⋆ austin powers trilogy ⋆ barbie ⋆ barbie animated movies ⋆ bodies bodies bodies ⋆ bottoms ⋆ do revenge ⋆ doctor sleep ⋆ encanto ⋆ fear street trilogy ⋆ fighting with my family ⋆ five nights at freddy’s ⋆ halloweentown (all 4) ⋆ hocus pocus (both) ⋆ honey bee ⋆ it (both chapters) ⋆ lisa frankenstein ⋆ maxxxine ⋆ midsommar ⋆ pearl ⋆ shiva baby ⋆ tangled ⋆ the hunger games series ⋆ the iron claw ⋆ the mcu (generally) ⋆ the shining ⋆ the wolf of wall street ⋆ x

music

as it is ⋆ badflower ⋆ billie eilish ⋆ charli xcx ⋆ dodie ⋆ fall out boy ⋆ halsey ⋆ jessie paege ⋆ marina ⋆ olivia rodrigo ⋆ sabrina carpenter ⋆ state champs ⋆ the last dinner party ⋆ troye sivan ⋆ waterparks

podcasts

distractible

[feelinghaunted]

names masterlist.

here’s a masterlist of popular names from each state in the united states. names will be separated by state and by gender, and there will be 5 of the most popular names from each state. i put all of the names on one line to avoid having this end up being too long, and i also included district of columbia. thus, there’s a total of 510 names. if you found this at all helpful, please reblog / like.

ALABAMA.

male.  /  william.  john.  james.  noah.  elijah.  female.  /   olivia.  ava.  amelia.  charlotte.  emma.

ALASKA.

male.  /   oliver.  liam.  wyatt.  lucas.  theodore. female.  /   hazel.  aurora.  eleanor.  evelyn.  isla.

ARIZONA.

male.  /   mateo.  sebastian.  benjamin.  julian.  santiago. female.  /   sophia.  camila.  isabella.  mia.  luna.

ARKANSAS.

male.  /   asher.  hudson.  grayson.  luke.  waylon. female.  /   paisley.  harper.  ella.  elizabeth.  willow.

CALIFORNIA.

male.  /   alexander.  daniel.  ethan.  ezekiel.  aiden. female.  /   gianna.  emily.  mila.  aria.  natalia.

COLORADO.

male.  /   henry.  jack.  owen.  jackson.  ezra. female.  /   avery.  abigail.  scarlett.  nora.  lily.

CONNECTICUT.

male.  /   joseph.  luca.  jacob.  logan.  mason. female.  /   madison.  grace.  penelope.  riley.  hailey.

DELAWARE.

male.  /   michael.  levi.  david.  cameron.  caleb. female.  /   layla.  leilani.  nova.  hannah.  kinsley.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. 

male.  /   charles.  leo.  samuel.  dylan.  miles. female.  /   maya.  zoe.  naomi.  chloe.  margaret.

FLORIDA.

male.  /   matthew.  gabriel.  jayden.  anthony.  josiah. female.  /  victoria.  valentina.  leah.  ellie.  gabriella.

GEORGIA.

male.  /   carter.  christopher.  thomas.  legend.  joshua.

female.  /  serenity.  skylar.  caroline.  autumn.  willow.

HAWAII.

male.  /   kai.  isaac.  maverick.  isaiah.  elias. female.  /   kaia.  kiana.  elena.  ayla.  leia.

IDAHO.

male.  /   lincoln.  declan.  everett.  calvin.  brooks. female.  /   violet.  oakley.  ruby.  alice.  claire.

ILLINOIS.

male.  /   nolan.  leonardo.  nathan.  ryan.  adam. female.  /   eliana.  lilian.  lucy.  addison.  delilah.

INDIANA.

male.  /   easton.  cooper.  colton.  weston.  emmett. female.  /   everleigh.  ivy.  josephine.  lydia.  stella.

IOWA.

male.  /   ryker.  bennett.  beau.  beckett.  harrison. female.  /   cora.  quinn.  clara.  hadley.  vivian.

KANSAS.

male.  /   silas.  jameson.  andrew.  rhett.  eli. female.  /   emery.  kennedy.  piper.  eloise.  sloane.

KENTUCKY.

male.  /   carson.  sawyer.  kingston.  braxton.  hunter. female.  /   raelynn.  audrey.  emersyn.  sadie.  josie.

LOUISIANA.

male.  /   christian.  wesley.  jace.  amir.  brennan. female.  /   aubree.  demi.  londyn.  remi.  mary.

MAINE.

male.  /   parker.  bentley.  river.  connor.  robert. female.  /   maeve.  magnolia.  freya.  adeline.  madelyn.

MARYLAND.

male.  /   axel.  aaron.  chase.  kayden.  austin. female.  /   genesis.  bella.  brielle.  mackenzie.  ariana.

MASSACHUSETTS.

male.  /   maxwell.  landon.  cole.  rowan.  george. female.  /   sophie.  anna.  julia.  cecilia.  eva.

MICHIGAN.

male.  /   roman.  ali.  blake.  milo.  august. female.  /   brooklyn.  peyton.  savannah.  nevaeh.  melody.

MINNESOTA.

male.  /   arlo.  graham.  louis.  archer.  otto. female.  /   amira.  elsie.  lennon.  wren.  june.

MISSISSIPPI.

male.  /   bryson.  walker.  kyrie.  dawson.  kash. female.  /   harmony.  journee.  summer.  oaklynn.  kylie.

MISSOURI.

male.  /   jeremiah.  dean.  tucker.  jasper.  xavier. female.  /   reagan.  ember.  brynlee.  iris.  amara.

MONTANA.

male.  /   bodhi.  colt.  stetson.  knox.  arthur. female.  /   finley.  aspen.  eliza.  harlow.  jane.

NEBRASKA.

male.  /   barrett.  lane.  ian.  camden.  hayes. female.  /   maria.  eden.  reese.  sutton.  jade.

NEVADA.

male.  /   gael.  emiliano.  ivan.  lorenzo.  ace. female.  /   athena.  ximena.  selena.  alaia.  allison.

NEW HAMPSHIRE.

male.  /   evan.  finnegan.  brayden.  gavin.  max. female.  /   fiona.  rose.  genevieve.  vera.  rosalie.

NEW JERSEY.

male.  /   nicholas.  dominic.  vincent.  zachary.  thiago. female.  /   esther.  sara.  miriam.  rachel.  rivka.

NEW MEXICO.

male.  /   jose.  giovanni.  damian.  angel.  diego. female.  /   ariella.  xiomara.  kaylani.  catalina.  andrea.

NEW YORK.

male.  /   moshe.  abraham.  jonathan.  chaim.  jordan. female.  /   chaya.  alaia.  chana.  sienna.  juliette.

NORTH CAROLINA.

male.  /   micah.  brantley.  tristan.  tyler.  nathaniel. female.  /   kaylee.  alexa.  taylor.  katherine.  bailey.

NORTH DAKOTA.

male.  /   bridger.  daxton.  briggs.  cohen.  paul. female.  /   sylvie.  presley.  alivia.  brynlee.  ada.

OHIO.

male.  /   kevin.  timothy.  brody.  brandon.  grant. female.  /   morgan.  paige.  jenna.  annabelle.  lyla.

OKLAHOMA.

male.  /   malachi.  ryder.  zayden.  maddox.  abel. female.  /   faith.  samantha.  jasmine.  trinity.  alexis.

OREGON.

male.  /   elliot.  jude.  leon.  atlas.  travis. female.  /   juniper.  sydney.  melanie.  charlie.  daisy.

PENNSYLVANIA.

male.  /   sean.  brady.  jason.  colin.  hayden. female.  /   callie.  molly.  teagan.  brianna.  lauren.

RHODE ISLAND.

male.  /   zion.  nico.  enzo.  amari.  theo. female.  /   vivienne.  anastasia.  melody.  valerie.  sage.

SOUTH CAROLINA.

male.  /   kyrie.  king.  ashton.  jayceon.  jaden. female.  /   kendall.  paris.  mariah.  makayla.  saylor.

SOUTH DAKOTA.

male.  /   beckham.  finn.  nash.  holden.  knox. female.  /   thea.  hattie.  octavia.  haisley.  mckenna.

TENNESSEE.

male.  /   justin.  seth.  steven.  kenneth.  mark. female.  /   arabella.  alexandria.  amber.  laura.  amanda.

TEXAS.

male.  /   andres.  matias.  adriel.  victor.  alan. female.  /   arabella.  lucia.  alina.  kimberly.  ariel.

UTAH.

male.  /   nixon.  jett.  peter.  victor.  jonah. female.  /   navy.  adelaide.  millie.  olive.  holland.

VERMONT.

male.  /   griffin.  eric.  felix.  forrest.  spencer. female.  /   aurelia.  bristol.  lila.  phoebe.  mae.

VIRGINIA.

male.  /   bryce.  patrick.  brian.  richard.  kyle. female.  /   katelyn.  cheyenne.  jessica.  aniyah.  michelle.

WASHINGTON.

male.  /   dakota.  jeremy.  derek.  garrett.  jeffrey. female.  /   georgia.  stephanie.  nicole.  alyssa.  jocelyn.

WEST VIRGINIA.

male.  /   trenton.  chandler.  drew.  clayton.  scott. female.  /   destiny.  rebecca.  angelina.  caitlyn.  chelsea.

WISCONSIN.

male.  /   jared.  mitchell.  alec.  brett.  douglas. female.  /   meghan.  christina.  marissa.  danielle.  cassandra.

WYOMING.

male.  /   odin.  zane.  agustus.  talon.  porter. female.  /   maggie.  gracelynn.  willa.  adelina.  tatum.

[clover-midori]

so uhh I had an idea for a Gameria but I have no idea how forums work

so I decided I’d talk about it on TUMBLR

everyone, prepare to eat your greens, as here comes the opening of

PAPA’S BOWLERIA

story:

Iggy, Tohru, or Custom Worker is on fall break and heads to Mintport (which is based on Dallas by the way, albeit the coastal location) to enjoy the main attractions there. A few weeks have passed, and they’re ready to head back to Starlight City/Burgerburgh. Unfortunately, with extreme winter weather raging near, and freakishly early for the time, their flight home is canceled, and there likely won’t be any other flights cheap enough.

Iggy/Tohru/CW leaves the airport, with no hotel to stay at. Fortunately, close to downtown’s Basil Park, is Papa's Bowleria, open for Christmas, and with lots of tourists stranded like them, Papa Louie is looking for extra hands. Left with no choice, Iggy/Tohru/CW walks in, immediately looking for the man himself.

Fortunately, he IS there, but because there’s so many stranded people in Mintport, Papa Louie will have to work with helping them instead. As such, he gives you/know/who the job, with the promises of essential amenities until they can finally catch a flight home, which happens at Rank 60 as usual.

At Papa's Bowleria, you serve Buddha bowls (those cool instagram protein bowls), albeit called Papa Bowls, and flavored lemonades. You choose the base (rice, quinoa, whatever), the toppings, and the meat, and also the lemonade (size, amount of ice, added flavor).

Tutorial customer: Fernanda

Post-tutorial customer: Rudy

Holidays are in ranking order:

October: Halloween (Rank 6, Austin)

November: Thanksgiving (Rank 11, Sienna)

December: Christmas (Rank 16, Santa)

January: New Year (Rank 21, Allan)

February: Mardi Gras (Rank 26, Olivia)

March: Comet Con (Rank 31, Jakey)

April: Cherry Blossom Festival (Rank 36, Yuko)

May: FurryFair (Rank 41, Wylan B) (YES, A FURRY CONVENTION. I came up with this idea since the Furry Fiesta was happening nearby. I was in Dallas at the time of typing this.)

June: Summer Luau (Rank 46, Kahuna)

July: Starlight Jubilee (Rank 51, Boomer)

August: Grōōvstock (Rank 56, Zoe)

September: Maple Mornings (Rank 60, Johnny)

Closers:

Jojo (Sunday)

Elsie (Monday)

Mousse (Tuesday)

The Dynamoe (Wednesday)

Quinn (Thursday)

C.J Friskins (Friday)

Rhonda (Saturday)

new customers:

Elsie (closer)

edgelord and Desmond’s brother

Jakey (customer)

iggy’s boyfriend born in frostfield, and yes that is a custom mouth I drew

Nate (customer)

he is nick’s brother

there’s probably more customers but I’m tired

[artzychic27]

DuPont Cheer Squad headcanons?

When DuPont finally got a cheer team and coach, every rich girl looking for her fifteen minutes of popularity went to tryouts doing basic ass backflips

That is not what Elsy Vestures (Bragging rights to the person who can figure out the reference of her name) is looking for

So, she kicks every single one of them out of the gym and threatens their social lives if they even think about coming back… (This should be a MASSIVE clue to her name, guys. Come on)

She’s looking for raw talent and finds it in the most unlikely of places

Nathaniel K.

“Doesn’t look like much, looks like the wind could knock him over. Hell, I kinda want to knock him over just for that hair.”

Nathaniel: Who the hell put my sketchbook on the basketball hoop?! Huh?!… Alright. Alix, launch me.

Alix: On it.

*Nathaniel gets a running start, runs, and Alix gives him a leg up. He grabs his sketchbook and ends with a tuck and roll*

She wants him

Cosette B.

“I can smell the sad home life on this one. Copes by making lame Bi puns. What have you got for me, kid?”

While not looking where they were going, Cosette tripped and nearly fell down the stairs, only to catch themself and perform a graceful front handspring

They belong to Elsy now

Jean D.

“Obviously a theater kid if that sweater has anything to say about it. Looks kinda familiar, though, and I hate remembering faces. Where have you been?”

After some endless scrolling, Elsy discovers that Jean was once a cheerleader at their old school and lead their team to three championships

“Mine!”

Austin A.

“Prissy bleached walking one dimensional valley girl alert. But I sense something in you, blondie, so wow me. Do a flawless flip for no reason, or something.”

Austin A: Ugh! You guys got the banner crooked! *Gets a running start, jumps, fixes the banner in mid air, and lands with a front flip* Better. Next time, don’t fuck up!

“Aw. It’s like looking in a tiny mirror.”

A. Spinelli

“Heh. Nice tough guy, routine, but I can smell your fear a mile away, punk. What are you trying to hide?”

During study hall, Elsy follows Spinelli into the auditorium where she finds him dancing to some music on his headphones… And it’s not terrible

That’s one of the best compliments she’s ever given someone

Ismael P.

*Sips coffee* “This shit sucks. Make this quick for me. What are you? A breakdancer? You do parkour? What?”

Ismael grinds down the stair rail on his skateboard, and midway, does an aerial flip, then a handspring on the end of the rail before he could face plant on it, and lands on his skateboard

Suddenly, the coffee’s beginning to taste much better

Juleka C.

“… Why did I go to this girl again? She’s just… She’s just listening to guitar music, what am I supposed to-“

Then Juleka comes up with lyrics on the spot, and they’re perfect

What’s a cheer squad without any actually good cheers?

Denice C./Ivan B.

“God, the things I could do with those biceps. But, I prefer to strike fear in the hearts of many the natural way. Besides that, they’re perfect! I need someone to throw red and Goldie locks.”

Elsy is even more on board when she sees Denise chuck an Akuma across the courtyard, and Ivan holds them overhead to keep them from getting away

She’s gonna have to order sleeveless uniforms. Once those two flex, there go the sleeves

Nino L.

“Gimme something, music man. What can I get from you? What do you have to offer besides the one pair of shoes at this shitty school that don’t make me have to hurl?”

Elsy finds Nino at one of his deejay gigs, and without yelling into the microphone, he projects his voice loud enough so that even those in the far back can hear

Elsy lost a bit of her hearing, but it was worth it

So, after threatening the principal with some incriminating photos, Elsy calls the students into the gym where she announces that she wants them on the cheer squad

Cosette: I beg your pardon?

Nathaniel: Ha! No!

Ivan: Nope.

Denise: Not in a million years.

Nino: No.

Spinelli: Not happening.

Austin A: Never.

Ismael: I can’t see that happening.

Juleka: You’ve got the wrong girl.

Jean: YES!

But, she’s able to convince them all to come to practice for a week and see what they think. Then, they’ll cheer at an upcoming basketball game and give her their answers afterward

Surprisingly, they enjoy it, and even more surprising to them, they’re actually good. Jean already knew he had skills, though

With their first appearance came some popularity, mostly from the athletes who thought they could swipe Denise, Nathaniel, and Jean

They know Zoé will punt them, Myléne will turn feral, Rose will hold a unicorn knife to their throats, and Alya will torture them online

So, they go for them, only to find Marc, Austin T, and Simon waiting for them with baseball bats

Marc: *Sharpening his cleats* You better start running.

This ⬆️with Nathaniel, Austin A, and Denise

Denise in a cheer skirt is not good for Simon’s health

Spinelli wears his fingerless gloves with his uniform

Reshma knitted Ismael a red and white cardigan to look like the jackets that come with the uniform

The Akuma class expects Juleka, Nathaniel, and Ivan to be a lot more bubbly, but they’re still the same antisocial bunch they know and love

Nino has full custody of the megaphone

Austin A requested a pink hair tie and sneakers instead of red

Jean has an HBIC crop top

They have sleepovers on the Liberty and watch every Bring It On movie

Cosette and Nathaniel dye the streamers of everyone’s pom poms, and Cosette does everyone’s eye makeup, and Nathaniel does any face paint for competitions

[randomestfandoms-ocs]

Because they’re them, new ideas for crossovers for Richie and Simon? 🥺

my precious boys

Richie

Amanda Weston

Annabel Harkness

Antoinette Kensington

Asia Bardot

Bekah Chamberlain

Blythe Langford

Brady Mariano

Bridget Hearst

Brielle & Brooks Livingston & Austin Geller

Carlie Hayden

Chelsea Geller

Cherry Gilmore

Dani Gilmore-Danes

Eleanor Gilmore

Elsie Lyons

Evan Mariano

Freya Morgan

Heather Belleville

Holland Bass

Jacqueline Grant

Jane Forester

Jocelyn Gilmore

Kaitlyn Lister

Kathryn Gilmore

Kaylee Hayden

Lili Gilmore

Loretta Mariano

Marley Tinsdale

Meredith Astor

Paige Huntzberger

Pippi Gilmore

Romy Danes

Sage Hall

Sam Gleason

Sara Topaz

Sienna Elliot

Verity Huntzberger

Virginia Gilmore

Viviana Lozano

Simon

Avery Stiles

Bekah Chamberlain (poly with Jess?)

Brady Mariano

Char Howard-Danes

Dani Gilmore-Danes

Delilah Bloom

Eliya Rygalski

Evan Mariano

Freya Morgan

Gabi Mariano

Heather Belleville

Holland Bass

Hyacinth Nelson? (If he goes to California with Jess)

Ilsa Gilmore-Danes

Jacqueline Grant

Jane Forester

Kaitlyn Lister (x Jess?)

Kathryn (ft his dads)

Kaylee Hayden

Kippi Doose

Laney (ft his dads)

Lia Belleville

Loretta Mariano

Lucas Gilmore

Marley Tinsdale

McKenna Doose

Pippi Gilmore

Romy Danes

Sage Hall

Sam Gleason

Sara Topaz

[ band verse? ]

Vicki St James

Verity Huntzberger

Willow Dell (ft. Squad)

[sleekervae]

Past Lives [1.5]

Masterlist

A/N: Hi babies! This chapter's going to be a little shorter, serving as more of a drabble, but we're getting more intimacy, more fluff, and all the feels.

Warnings: fluff, angst, generic mentioning of smut

-

Christmas had come and gone in the sheer blink of an eye. And while Jade was dreading the return to Toronto winters, seeing her family again made up for it. And while her mother was grateful to have Jade home again, she made it clear she wasn't here to just lounge around. The first thing Jade and Mason did was shovel the walkway, grumbling to each other as the tiny ice flakes floated down over their heads to ruin what progress they had made.

Her old house was full, her mother had invited some of the relatives over, little cousins were running around the Christmas tree while Mason had taken to teaching them how to make wreaths out of popsicle sticks. Jade had taken to baking the kourabiedes and vasilopita while her mother prepared a delicious feast of lamb and potatoes.

The house was chaotic, loud with raucous laughter of older uncles telling stories and aunties gathering around the piano to sing old carols. The kitchen was blistering hot, but given the three feet of snow that awaited outside, Jade didn't mind. She had missed her family so much.

Christmas in South Carolina looked a little different for Austin. He and his dad had packed a couple bags to go visit his sister and her husband, who by now had carved out a comfortable environment for themselves on the East Coast. Regardless to say the family was elated to have Austin back after so long, and while it still took a little while for Austin to adjust to being back with his family, the intimate Christmas celebrations were just what he'd needed.

Austin sat amongst his family in the living room, the fireplace crackling away comfortable while they watched Miracle on 34th Street. It was snowing on Christmas Night, not harshly but it was enough for the neighbourhood kids to rejoice in. He was startled when his phone buzzed under his leg, curious to see Jade had sent him a photo. She was sitting by a window, frost crackling across the glass as the snow was obviously sitting very high, about four or five feet off the ground. She was pulling a face, somewhat exasperated somewhat amused, completely adorable.

Snowed in?

He'd texted her

Not yet, getting close. How's the snow over there?

She replied a minute later.

Smiling coyly, Austin reached over to take a picture of the snow outside the window. There was just over a foot and a half. He sent it to her, sniggering to himself as she responded with a middle finger emoji.

His father snuck a glance at him from his seat, curious but didn't press on about what was so important on that phone. But he knew, he'd seen that smile on Austin's face before, and without uttering a word, he sat back in his chair without another word, giddy.

Two weeks into the new year, Jade had the video shoot for Masochist. She wasn't sure what sort of deal Elsie had struck with whatever organization, but she managed to book out a beautiful cathedral in just shy of Little Tokyo. The strobes were being propped up, the stage was being set and the cameras and sound calibrated. Her and her bandmates were being worked on my their make up artists, chatting amongst each other about their holidays plans, light gossip, and whatever adventures they would get up to in the coming year.

Jade meanwhile was sat in her chair, dressed in tight leather pants, a white tank top and a sleek leather harness that was strapped snugly around her shoulders and waist. Dark shadows were dusted around and below her eyes and her hair was perfectly messy, she appeared as though she was ready to lead the revolution. She was reading the email Cam had forwarded to her; an invite to The Batman's premier at the beginning of March; Masochist was to be released just before the premiere date.

It would be her first public appearance in years -- her first formal one, anyway, and walking a carpet had always been a tense subject for her. Call it stage fright, call it crippling anxiety, but standing out on a pedestal, seeing flashes as opposed to faces and her own name ricochet violently in her ears was hell. No matter how often she'd beg and bargain with her management, it was slated in fine print to whatever contracts she had signed -- she had to go out there. She knew Cam felt bad for pushing them on her, but he too was binded to his job.

At least when she had to do these walks, she had Victor with her. With his hand on her hip, blue steeling for the camera; he was a nobody, and he loved the carpet moments. Thirty minutes felt like an eternity, but at least Jade had comfort that the spotlight wasn't entirely on her.

This time would be different, however.

Jade swiped the email away, a wild thought entered her brain as she opened her contacts. Maybe if she asked Austin to go? No, no, that wasn't their deal. Oh, but if she could only... wishful thinking albeit.

"Miss Theodore?" a PA approached her suddenly, a clipboard in his hand and a pager on his belt. Were pagers still a thing? "We're all ready for you,"

"Thank you," she smiled at him.

As she started walking towards the set, she had a sudden realization, her phone feeling as though it would burn in her pocket. Maybe Chris would go with her? He was a mogul in the industry, he probably wouldn't mind at all?

Austin couldn't help but wipe his clammy hand on his pants pocket, third time in, what -- fifteen minutes? The drive over to her place was frustratingly long, car horns blaring, grid lock backing up at an all time high. They were only half way through January, why were there so many people out and about?

Whilst he'd been sitting in traffic, the pet shelter on the boulevard had caught his attention. It was an independent shelter from the SPCA, colourful posters with adorable cartoon animals were plastered across the windows. Right in his line of sight was a bunny, grey, floppy ears, and a big smile. He wondered if Jade had known about this shelter, perhaps this was where she could find herself a lovely little rabbit?

He strolled up the stairs to her door, taking a deep breath in and out. Why was he so nervous? They were only going out to see a movie, the kind of platonic stuff friends always did together. But then he hadn't seen her since before Christmas, sure he'd talked to her plenty, but just being around her was like being around a flickering ball of energy, always renewing him in the most curious ways.

He rang the doorbell, ten seconds, twenty seconds, he straightened his posture as he heard shuffling suddenly. The door suddenly whipped open, revealing Jade -- dressed, but clearly flustered.

"Hey," she gasped.

"Hi," he smiled.

She glanced momentarily at her watch, "Fuck, I thought you were coming at seven, I'm sorry," she stepped aside to let him in.

"It's all good," he assured her. She was dressed in a white ribbed dress, figure hugging and falling just past her knees with white converse; one eye had eyeliner drawn on, "They always show twenty minutes worth of previews, anyway,"

"I know, still," she huffed, starting back for her room, "Make yourself comfortable, I'll be ten minutes,"

Austin couldn't help it as the corner of his lips curled, he called her back, "You look beautiful,"

Even in the dim lighting of her living room, he could pick off how Jade's face flushed, her bashful smile adorable, "Thanks. You look... decent," she teased back. Of course she was kidding, he always looked amazing to her.

Her baby grand sat in the corner, papers still littered across the top. Austin couldn't help but have his interest peaked as he skimmed the words on the open page. He felt his breath catch in his throat.

"Just put your hands around my throat Ain't been to heaven but I'm close Your love is a murder"

She was writing about him again, whether he'd ask or she'd admit it, he was feeling confident about that. At the top of the page she had messily scribbled Little Death. He was curious, to say the least, but he wouldn't broach the topic.

This was their first attempt at a non-sexual date. Ever since the two of them had started sleeping together, there was no way of keeping them dressed and appropriately distanced for more than half an hour. The whole point of "friends with benefits" was also playing up the "friends" bit. Though given the way they were dressed, anyone would pick off that they were on a date.

The first time they'd tried, he took her to a drive-in movie. Of course they were confined to the privacy of his car. One of his hands had slipped under her skirt. Oopsie. 

The second time they had tried for a cute walk along the beach. Which is a little uncomfortable for December in LA. At two am. Of course Jade had stuck to Austin's side and of course she had stared at the city lights as he hugged her from behind. For bodyheat reasons, of course. Of course they ended up at his place, getting a hot bath – and an unspecified number of orgasms. 

The third time she had invited him at her place for a hot chocolate and a film. They decided to watch The Dreamers. How could they not be affected by the sexual tension between Theo, Isabelle, and Matthew? It would have been an insult to their brains and their sex appeal if it didn’t turn into fucking. 

Maybe the fourth time it will work, Austin told himself. 

But tonight Jade had made a pact with him. No fucking. No foreplay, no dirty talking, no double entendres, no play on words and slips of tongue. So how was he supposed to keep his composure after reading that, knowing what she was doing in her music. One the one hand he was a little self conscious, on the other he couldn't help but be excited.

Not even ten minutes later Jade had emerged from her room one ankle locked behind the other. She saw he was looking at her music, though she didn't disturb him at first. He didn't back away, didn't appear uncomfortable or turned off. He only turned when he felt her gaze on him. She had on an oversized beige blazer thrown over her dress, her hair was tied back, her face fresh and flushed. She looked incredible.

"I'm ready,"

From the moment they left the house, it was the hardest fucking thing. No pun intended.

The King's Man was playing, there wasn't a lot of double entendres for them to play with. The theatre was crowded with people so they had to be on their best behaviour. She couldn't help but watch the way he sucked the butter off of his finger when he ate his popcorn. The sound he'd made was more or less the same sound he made when he ate her out.

In retaliation, she had found herself involuntarily teasing him with the way she was eating her chocolate bar, taking a bite too big and swiping some smudged chocolate off of her lip with her thumb. Again, she hadn't meant to.

His hand was on her knee. 

The heel of her shoe slid up his calf. 

They had opted to share a milkshake. 

Of course he saw the vanilla milk stain her lips. 

Of course he fixed his pants discretely. 

Jade could hardly pay attention to the movie and when it was over she realized she had barely picked up what had happened, so lost in her own head. And now they were both standing in front of the elevator.

"Did you like the movie?" he asked her.

"It was great," she replied.

He caught hold of her hand, “See, we’re doing good,” he said with a smile, “We’re doing excellent. Behaving. Platonic. Absolutely nice. Appropriate.”

Jade laughed, she was unsure whether he was trying to convince her or himself.

With a ding the elevator opened. Austin hesitated for a second: he wanted to lead her in with a hand around her waist, but he knew how easy it was for his hand to go waist-hip-ass in a nanosecond, without him even noticing. 

Both in, the doors closed. 

Shit. Austin wasn’t doing good, he realized. Did he really agree to this? Could he really send her home now? No going back at his, watching her take off those dusty sneakers and her figure hugging dress and emerge from it in green lace and silk from that lovely boutique she had confessed to frequenting for her pieces.

She smiled at him politely once he looked at her. They were both waiting for the other one to call the whole plan off so they could just get rid of the tension. 

But he kept staring at her. 

The doors opened. They moved to the parking lot. Climbed into the car. They stared at each other some more. Conversation felt somehow futile. He took the long way to get her home tonight, she didn't protest. He held her hand until they reached her house.

Jade felt her heart freeze as she realized they wouldn’t share the same bed tonight.    

“We’re here," she said. Already. 

“Yup,” he said, trying to be cheerful. 

“So, I’ll see you soon?”

“I’ll text you as soon as I get back home," he assured her. 

“Okay. Then... goodnight," she murmured, stretching to kiss his cheek. 

He half hugged her, “Goodnight.”

She got out of the car, quickly heading inside her house. As soon as she was safe inside, she saw his car leave. 

Undressing and getting ready for bed was torture. She was nervous, upset, lonely and too angry to be horny. 

As Jade got under the covers, she received his text, I’m home. Sleep tight ;)

She replied to him with a thumb-up and a heart, putting down her phone and trying to sleep. More than anything she found herself staring at the ceiling, the melody for Bossa Nova 22 was echoing in her ears.

It took Jade half an hour of nerves and frustration to decide to pick up her phone again, Can’t sleep. Would you come over?

The moment she hit send she felt ridiculous. He was probably already asleep, or it was late enough he probably couldn't be bothered to drag himself out of bed. The not two minutes later her screen lit up, so did her face.

Coming

Twenty minutes later Austin was at her door. Thank God it was late enough he could drive to her place easily.

The moment he laid eyes on her, tired and sad, he simply hugged her close and waddled to her bedroom, helping her to lay down. He took off his sweatpants with sharp tugs, his jumper also coming off quickly to reveal a simple t-shirt. 

He slipped under the comforter beside her. His body felt hot from the heat in his car but it still conserved the cold bite of the winter night. 

"I'm sorry," she chuckled sheepishly.

"Why?" he asked.

"Because I made you drive all the way back here for my needy ass," she grumbled.

Austin simpered, stroking away the loose hairs over her forehead, "Nobody made me do anything, Jade. I’m here now. I’ve got you,”

Jade relaxed at his side.

She fell asleep without a minute’s wait. He fell asleep at her side, hugging her front to his chest and combing her hair. His large hand slipped under her shirt, not seeking anything naughty, only providing a cozy warmth as he rubbed up and down her back. It had been a while since Jade had fallen asleep like this; the biggest emotion coursing through her was safety. The second was... did she dare call it love?

No, affection. She was affectionate for him. That was all, that was what it had to be.

[burninlovebutler]

30 - It's Not Living // Forever Winter Series

pairing: austin butler x fem!oc | word count: 2.3k

summary: austin copes with the weight of his bad decisions with the help of a new vice. while aspen remains blinded by her feelings and her own addiction, she invites nox over for an in-house visit to help curb austin's withdrawals.

warnings/notes: drug use lol, withdrawals, addiction, shitty/angry austin, yelling, austin spiraling, nox, sad but important for plot, 18+ MDNI

see masterlist for chapter log + all other fics 💫

vibes -> fw playlist❄️

-AUSTIN-

I winced when the bright sunshine burned my freshly opened retinas. “Fuck.” I groaned. Once I had gained some more consciousness, I patted around the bed to find it empty. An immediate feeling of relief, then sadness washed over me at the absence. It made me ponder where I stood with Aspen; having her here constantly and being so… needy was suffocating. But on the other hand, it was comforting not being alone. God knows where I’d be without company through this down spiral. It’s not like it was the worst company you could have – she was kind, soft, caring, funny – and the fun we had. Maybe it was just the aftershock from her ‘I love you’ slip.

Suddenly, there was a hunger pain in my stomach and it crept up my ribcage - it climbed up each rib like a ladder until it was curled up in my throat. It wasn’t hunger for food but something else. I pulled myself to the edge of the bed, letting my feet hit the floor and shaking away the gnawing feeling. My nose suddenly scrunched at a familiar sweet scent filling the room. Using both hands to push myself off the mattress, I weakly made my way towards the kitchen.

The minute I rounded the corner I stopped in my tracks. There was Elsie, fluttering around my kitchen. I watched her wavy brown locks bounce as she wiggled a pan then tossed it upwards to flip a pancake in the air.

Pancakes – I knew that I knew that scent, it smelt like home. While having Elsie in my kitchen after everything was jarring, it was also greatly comforting. Maybe this would make everything okay, maybe pancakes could fix this too; they always fixed everything before.

“Els–“ I began but then Aspen abruptly swung the front door open.

“Aspen.” I sighed out, slightly annoyed and anxious.  

She went to the counter and dropped a pile of mail onto the marble. She knitted her brows at my tone, “Yes?”

I gestured my hand over to the kitchen with lifted brows, “Hello?”

She turns to the kitchen and I follow her gaze, we both land on the same thing.

A completely empty black and white kitchen.

“What? I know the muffins aren’t done yet I-” Her voice faltered as she looked back at me, confused. “What’s wrong?”

One thing you could never underestimate is a woman’s intuition – and by the way she looked at me, I knew she knew something was up.

“Oh, oh,” I fake laughed and waved away the question, “Oh nothing.”

She eyed me curiously, “Okay…” Setting her bag on the counter. “Well, I have some bad news – well I have good news and bad news.” She scrunched her face like she was waiting for impact.

“Oh god, what.” I sighed, letting my hands fall to my sides.

“Well… bad news is, that none of the girls at work could get me anything.” She fidgeted with the silver rings wrapped around her boney fingers.

It was too early in the morning for me to be receiving such bad news. “Okay, well what’s the good news?”

She smiled wide, “Nox is coming home sooner than I thought, so he’ll be back and we can re-up then.”

My fingers curled into a tight fist, “How soon.”

The next succession of days blurred together into a fuzzy haze. Aspen had barely left my loft, only for her shifts at the club and to get food. The entire weight of the past two weeks settled an overwhelming ache pulsing in my blood vessels. Between Christmas, the plan with Nox, Aspen, New Years and the morning after, this had been the most unstable I’d felt in a long time. Maybe even since my Dad’s passing – maybe even before Elsie.

Everything was just shitty – and it was because of me.

None of this would’ve happened if I had just kept my hands off of things that didn’t belong to me – if I kept them off my best friend.

If I hadn’t relapsed, I wouldn’t have been cornered with the plan that landed Aspen in my lap in the first place.

The details and the technicalities didn’t matter, I just didn’t want to think. I didn’t want to feel. I didn’t want to let myself dwell on the specifics, on all the ways I fucked up, all the ways I was a shit person. I wanted to forget.

And Aspen helped to do exactly that. When my cock was in her mouth, when she was lighting my blunts, when she was pouring pills in my hand, when she was offering me lines, when she was sharing bottles of alcohol with me, she was doing exactly what Nox had intended her to do – distract me.

It hadn’t even been a week since Aspen’s ‘I love you’ and after I’d already finished the bottle of Percocet she’d given me. The little white pills were meant to be temporary, just to get over the hump of Xanax withdrawals while Nox was away– but as the absence of everything settled, panic began to fill the space. I knew I could handle the Xanax, I knew it like the back of my hand. Since college I’d learned how to deal with it, even when it got bad. But this…this was a beast I was never prepared to battle. 

Xanax felt like a distant memory in the skyline of my mind. The only thing that took up any space in my head were those new pills. They put on little plays in the corners of my mind, they sang melodies into my ears drums. They were all I wanted, all I cared about, all I thought about.

In the midst of my withdrawals, the panic, the guilt from Elsie, and Aspen’s slip, tension was thick in the air between me and Aspen. I tried my best to stay calm, I really fucking did. But this comedown was nothing I’d ever felt before. I was just so ferociously angry all the time, at any and everything. I felt the aching need and the pure rage in my bones; it buried itself into the deepest crevices of my blood marrow.

I knew we’d end up in this situation eventually, where we’d run out and I’d end up in detox agony – or maybe I lied to myself and made the empty goal to not let it get to that point. But there we were.

This particular day, fury was burning holes through my veins, and Aspen’s lack of tidiness was my last straw. I stomped over to the bedroom, “I need you to come with me right now.” 

“What? Why?” She squeaked and the pitch of her voice only amplified the skull splitting migraine I’d felt for the past 3 days.

I didn’t reply and simply pulled her by the cuff of her babypink sweater to the kitchen. “This.” I pointed to the lukewarm milk left on the counter. “How many times have I told you not to fucking leave the milk on the fucking counter.” The harsh words slipped through my lips before I could stop them. There was a tinge of guilt as they left me.

“Austin, what the fuck are you talking about?” She scrunched her brows perplexed. “That’s not even-”

“I’ve told you multiple times to not leave the milk out.” I spat out, repeating myself through gritted teeth, “Now the milk is spoiled.” I felt as though I was talking to a toddler.

She raised her brows in surprise, “I swear I don’t know what you’re talking about, I didn’t leave anything out.” She replied feigning innocence.

I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose between my middle finger and thumb attempting my best to remain calm. “Can you please stop fucking lying? I told you yesterday, literally right here in this very spot, to not leave the milk out.”

“Austin I-I don’t, we just,” She stuttered her way through, taking a step back from me.

“Oh my god Aspen, you can’t even admit to your own mistake?”

“I just, well I, I just don’t-” She faltered.

“Spit it out Aspen, what!”

“I swear I have no idea what you’re talking about,” She paused, “I don’t even drink milk, and,” An even longer pause while her eyes lingered on the half-gallon of dairy on the counter. “Aus, that’s orange juice.”

The room began to spin, and I stumbled back a step, “I uh- Yeah, yeah that’s what I meant, the orange juice.” I cleared my throat, “I told you not to leave out the orange juice.”

“Aus,” She held a breath before exhaling it, “I wasn’t even here yesterday, remember? I was working all day.” She took a step towards me, and going to place the back of her hand on my forehead, “You feelin’ okay?”

Reflexively, I smacked her arm away from me, “No Aspen, I don’t fucking feel good, I’ve been detoxing for the past 3 days. I feel like fucking ass right now.”

“Babe, I’m sorry. I couldn’t get anything from anyone.” Her tone was sad, like she knew she was disappointing me. “But Nox will be home in two days, so he’ll be able to come over.” She crossed the space between us and gently tucked some of my overgrown blonde hair behind my ear, “Okay? We just gotta make it two more days okay?”

Just two more days. 

My front door jiggled open with the shuffle of two people coming through the door.

“Aus, we’re here.” Aspen called, the chill of winter hanging in her voice.

I spent the day in bed watching the ceiling and trying to smoke enough weed to stave off how miserable I felt. There was a brief moment of silence before her words had fully processed in my slowed mind. I closed my eyes and took a sharp inhale, both to prepare myself but also to gather enough strength to unglue from the engulfing mattress.

A rather unsettling feeling swirled in my stomach when my eyes landed on Nox in my kitchen. However, when I remembered that he didn’t come empty handed, there was an immediate wash of relief. Out of all the people in the world, my best friend’s shitty boyfriend shouldn’t be someone I got excited about seeing.

“There’s my man!” Nox beamed his signature disturbing grin. He threw an arm around my shoulders tugging me close in some fucked up half bro hug. The weight of his arm on my shoulders felt like sandbags. He pulled away and briefly inspected me, no doubt getting joy out of my bloodshot eyes lined with dark circles and pale broken out skin. “God you’ve never looked better.” His sarcasm sounded so genuine, maybe it wasn’t a lie that I never looked better to him.

Like straight out of a movie scene, he plopped down what looked like a high-end lawyer’s suitcase, unclasping each side of the locks before pulling up the lid. Inside was an addict’s candy land, the variety of substances seemed to hold anything you could possibly ever imagine. “So what’s it gonna be Butler? Take your pick.”

The air in the room became dense, like I was inside the walls of a cinder block. My eyes drifted between him and the full inventory.

I was really doing this. This was really happening.

“I uh-“ Running my tongue between my lips, then turned to Aspen. “What do you want babe?” Maybe if I gave her the responsibility, I would somehow make myself less accountable for our decisions.

She let out a small giggle then proceeded to point out the usual suspects. Pills, green, and powder. I gave Nox a nod confirming the decision and a smile curled across his lips, “Perfect!”

When Nox began gathering the products, I realized Aspen had made a mistake. It was the pure desperation that forced my hand to latch onto his wrist, shock flashed over his face before my eyes met his. “Not that one.” I stated lowly and he furrowed his brows in confusion. “I– We want Oxy.” 

It took a brief moment for Nox to put together the pieces but when he did, a sinister beam spread across his face, “Well, well, quite an upgrade we’ve made huh?” 

I crossed my arms, retracting into myself, “Can we just have some fucking Oxy.” I snapped, the anger bubbling up in me again. I was so close to tasting relief and he was just fucking around. 

He scoffed and shook his head, plucking a pill bottle from the case, holding it up and giving it a shake in my eyeline, “I wouldn’t be so hasty with your words with someone who’s holding your fix.” 

My brows lowered and my eyes felt like laser beams, but he was right, I couldn’t do much more than that. He held my salvation in his grimey tattooed hands.

“That’s what I thought.” He set down the bottle on the table. “I don’t have pure oxy, only Percocets.” He stated as he plucked the other parts of our order from his briefcase and set them aside in one little pile of substances. I nodded in acceptance.

Out of reflex, or maybe kindness, Aspen went to grab her wallet to pay but my hand landed on her arm. “You don’t need to.” I said simply.

Nox glanced over at Aspen with a crooked grin, “Don’t worry darlin’, your boyfriend and I got a little deal, you’re covered.”

“Oh.” She replied softly, retracting her hands back into herself and looked down at her fidgeting hands. 

After Nox packed his pharmacy up, he wrapped an arm around my shoulders, “Good doin’ business with ya Butler.” He leaned into me, near my ear whispering, “And if you don't wanna lose your supply chain, don’t ever talk to me like that again, got it?” He landed a heavy pat on my back, knocking all the wind out of me.

Before the front door closed behind him, the pill bottle was twisted open and there was already a pill down my throat. 

I felt the torment of a comedown like that and I didn’t plan to feel it again.

Next Chapter -> 31 - Mr. Percocet

Thank you for every like, reblog or comment, it means the world to me truly. I love hearing your thoughts and I'm glad you're liking my little story 💗

Sorry this update is so late 😅 and perhaps not the most interesting/fun but it is important to the plot! More eventful chapters are coming next 💗

Tag list: @cryingabtab @slowsweetlove @feverdreamcaoilainn @denised916 @julie181 @navsblog @michellelv @suspiciouselvis @presleysdarling @eddiesgorlie @ranaissingle @malachimochi @purejasmine @coloradohighs @fxckingfantasy @elvispedro

(if you'd like to be added pls comment 💗)

[sexcromancy]

Ali girls ranked.

Bee. my Woman. she and Levi are my only real AHU scoot over let me in. if I saw them on Austin-area tinder looking for a third I'd lose my mind. god. sorry lol anyway

Mallory. my baby girlllll

Hannah. I made a whole post yesterday

Rue. freaky avoidant woman with food issues and dog motif. god. so for me

Elsie. ribbon ropes queen of the AHU

Misery. comedienne and a freak. adore

Mara. not much for me here. but her incredibly vague "EPA job" does make me laugh

Olive. it's not her fault she's 23

Sadie. I'm sorry girl but it does nothing for me

Ali guys ranked.

Nolan. winner of the sweetie pie Olympics. I adore him I wish I could pinch his cheeks

Levi. ummmm . I said it all with bee. sexy Jewish man.

Eli. haha. well of course I know him he's me

Lowe. freak on a leash.

Jack. the scene where he gets mad at Elsie bc he thinks shes intentionally manipulating him, which she is, and it's working. wowza

Ian. turbovirgin sweetheart with han solo dad backstory. serve

Liam. in my professional opinion the platonic ideal of Aliguy. like absolute base model

Adam. go girl give us nothing

Erik. meet me in the pit blonde man

[alldancersaretalented]

Tigr Icons

Sophia Schiano (DancePlex -> ??)

Balbina Cueva (Ale Mancilla Dance Studio)

Madden Zook (Artflux)

Quincy Hadlock (Artistic Dance Project)

Andrez Jimenez (Artistic Edge Dance)

Alexis Austin (Brava Dance Center)

Caroline Medley (BPMDC)

Brooklyn Medley (BPMDC)

Savy Luechtefeld (Caroline Collective)

Cydney Abbott (CDC)

Grayson Niemcyzk (CDC)

Zac Gibson (Can Dance)

Caleb Livingston (Center Stage Dance Studio)

Amaya Weeks (Club)

Elsie Sandall (Club)

Ashton Wullbrandt (Club)

Lauryn Aniyah (Collective Phoenix)

Karson Koller (Collective Phoenix)

Morgan Wendt (Complexity Dance)

Kate Baker (CSPAS)

Violet Schwarz (CSPAS)

Brooklyn Ward (CSPAS)

Kylie Lawrence (CSPAS)

Stella Hafen (CSPAS)

Richie Ford (Coastal Dance Works)

Jakey McCullough (DH Dance Company)

Alana Gordon (Dance Connection)

Paige Kim (Dance Enthusiasm)

Aracely Lee (Dance Deluxe)

Gage Davis (Dance Deluxe)

Antonia Zanin (Dance Edge)

Haven Greene (DC Dance Factory)

Hannah Fogel (Dance Institute)

Zachary Roy (Dance Town)

Rylie Bordon (Dance Unlimited)

Addilynn Sullivan (Dance Unlimited Boise)

Cameron Janson (DDPC)

Kennedie Caldwell (Denise Wall)

Talia Mempin (Elements Elite)

Jack Schofield (Elite Academy for Dance)

Mya Lanigan (Evolve Dance Complex)

Gavin Morales (Evolve Dance Company)

Coltrane Vodicka (Evoke Dance Movement)

Addi Perrotto (Expressenz)

Brynn Jones (Expressenz)

Kate Jarboe (Expressenz)

Bella Aren (Focal Point)

Regina Espejo (Gaby Pinzon Dance)

Madelyn Duncan (GCDA Dance)

Sophie Flowers (HDC Studio)

Emory Pettit (Impact Elite)

Levi Caicco (In Motion Dance)

Blais Lingle (JD Charleston)

Phoebe McNamara (Just Elite Dance)

Taya Osso (Katies Dance Connection)

Finley Aldridge (Kim Massey)

Pierson Aldridge (Kim Massey)

Bella Charnstrom (Larkin)

Cameron Kennedy (LD Dancer)

Cha Cha Shen (Mather)

Helena Olaerts (Mather)

Cova Card (MVMT)

Canaan Blasit (MVMT)

Erika Del Mazo (New Era ADF)

Emma Bassel (New Level)

Desa Jankes (New Level)

Katie Dong (Nor Cal)

Mika Takase (Nor Cal)

Channing Embry (NSDPAC)

Matthew Conway (NSDPAC)

AvaLeigh Mackaron (NSDPAC)

Madeleine Shen (Northpointe)

Sophia SantaMaria (OCPAA)

Khloe Kwon (Pave)

Addyson Paul (Pave)

Camila Cuevas (PEDC)

Izzy Pascuale (Performance Edge 2)

Lincoln Russo (Poiroir Productions)

Stella Eberts (Project 21)

Richie Granese (Project 21)

Olivia Toneguzzo (Pulse Dance Centre)

Kaylin Gabosh (Revolution Dance)

Elena Markonidis (Rhythm Dance Co)

Ansley Matchack (Sceniccity Dance)

Dylan Custodio (Stars)

Hugo Silva (Stars)

Anita Rodriguez (Stars)

Camila Giraldo (Stars)

Skyla Lucena (Stars)

Santiago Sosa (Stars)

Alonzo Dock (Stars Elite Training)

Vera Souvannavong (Studio4Talent)

Samantha Sweetman (Studio4Talent)

Kloie Goodman (Synergy Academy)

Josh Lundy (Studio 413)

Peyton Nowacki (Studio 702)

Norah Johnson (Studio7TalentCenter)

Annabella Grace (Studio L Hoboken)

Avery Nicole (TDA Prep)

Katherine Khait (Techniques Dance)

Lakota Loya (The Right Combination Dance)

Rissa Laugana (The Rock)

Addison Price (The Rock)

Tiara Sherman (The Rock)

Caitlyn Paik (TTP Dance Pilates)

Kelsey Suka (Utah Dance Institute)

Kennedy Anderson (Vision Dance Alliance)

Rudie Bolton(Weissman)

Reagan Hess (WFDC)

Kaylin Marie (Your Haven)

Blake Metcalf (Xtreme)

[grotesquehorse]

1, 6, 16 for BOOKS!!

1. How many books did you read this year?

i'm at 317 in my spreadsheet !!! but i still have time.

6. Was there anything you meant to read, but never got to?

i don't plan what i read (besides book club) but HOLLY. i need to read the roughest draft. i need to do it. emily wibberley and austin siegemund-broka i trust them with my life.

16. What is the most over-hyped book you read this year?

heartless - elsie silver (it wasn't bad, but it just didn't hit as hard for me as it did for other people apparently)

LOSERS PART 1 - HARLEY LAROUX. (IT WAS SO BAD. IT'S RATED SO HIGHLY ON GOODREADS. I DON'T UNDERSTAND)

send me books asks

[zumpietoo]

As I Continue Poking the Bear..

I give you....

“Slutty” Cole....

So we’ll just look at this for Plaiderdale peeps as a comparison:

FT: dude she was with when joining the case, next dude, tried to snake Cole, Skeet, another dude, Cracker and 4 month marriage that ended cuz she cheated so much, some rando who dressed like a muppet for Halloween, other randos, Skeet again, Droop (multiple times), whomever she picked up in Mexico, whenever she orgies with PP, etc....

KokeJ; a literal little girl, Clara, Clara’s brother, Droop, Alex, PP, tried to snake Cole, Boston, Jake, Melted, like every dude in LA/Van.....

PP: Sidepiece Austyn, Ross Butler, her personal trainer, Hart, Sunny, Elsie, Ms. G, Austin, Cole (OFC), Gym D (while with Cole/he with Mad Brew), orgies with FT, KokeJ (while he was with Clara and she was preggers), tried NHD/Cornigware, Mishel, Cooper, FB....

MM: Some dude, Walking Tat, Fencer, Whomever currently (TBF, I think when she’s involved, MM seems pretty committed and this is a comparatively short list).

Droop: that girl first with, Alex, KokeJ, Jake, Melted, FT, some other girl, who knows who else

Crotchi: Ian, Melted (to make Cole jelly), Victor (to make Melted jelly), Grayson, endlessly attempting to snake Cole, every dude she’s done a movie with, the casting agent she fucked to get cast, every dude on the Do Revenge set...I love how with every guy she’s “in love” and then starts ignoring them to try and bag Cole (and fails).

FB: Stephanie, PP (mannnyyyy times), a whole lotta bimbos, that girl who visited and we never heard from again, some other midwestern girl, Nichola 

Andddd.....

Cole: PP, Ari (and while I don’t think anything happened with Reina OR “Kini” if yes? He was single and that still makes this the shortest list here.....HELL you could add in Kaia/Hobo Maggie/Rainey and it’s still the shortest list here)

Seriously, only “been married for longer than on the show” Erinn is less shady....

SUCK IT HATERS!!!

[nateglogan]

MY FAVORITE POETRY OF 2023 (Prologue) As I've written before, sometimes it's a book year and sometimes it's a music year. Happily, this year has been a book and music year. Despite living in the meme where the garbage can slides down a flooding street to a Vanessa Carlton tune, a lot of great poetry (and other literature) was released this year. As my to-read list suggests, I'll still be catching up on books released this year for some months to come.

Personally, this was another good year for me. My second full-length manuscript, Wrong Horse, was accepted for publication by Moria Books (read some blurbs here). My first broadside was published, as well as a collaborative cento composed via the USPS with Danika Stegeman LeMay. Finally, as part of their second folio on the prose poem, periodicities kindly published this essay, maybe my favorite piece of criticism I've written.

As always, these books are just my favorite, not a best-of list. I've also included some bonus links and additional information below.

FAVORITE FULL-LENGTH POETRY COLLECTIONS OF 2023 Hell, I Love Everybody: The Essential James Tate eds. Dara Barrois/Dixon, Emily Pettit, and Kate Lindroos (Ecco) Poèmes deep / Gravitas by Amy Berkowitz (Noroît)* Iggy Horse by Michael Earl Craig (Wave Books) Aisle 228 by Sandra Marchetti (Stephen F. Austin University Press) Toska by Alina Pleskova (Deep Vellum) The Book by Mary Ruefle (Wave Books)

FAVORITE CHAPBOOKS OF 2023 Co-Pilot by Danika Stegeman LeMay (Self-Released)** dear Elsie / seltzer by Nicole Steinberg (Bloof Books)

FAVORITE POETRY COLLECTION OF LAST YEAR (2022) I DIDN’T READ UNTIL THIS YEAR (2023) Making Water by Laura Jaramillo (Futurepoem)

FAVORITE OLDER NOVEL READ IN 2023 Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy (Random House, 1985)

BOOK I HAD A BEEF WITH IN 2023 Cujo by Stephen King (Viking, 1981)***

2023 TO-READ LIST (ALL GENRES) Emperor of Rome by Mary Beard (Liveright) Diary by Marisa Crawford (Spuyten Duyvil) Our Strangers by Lydia Davis (Bookshop Editions) The Book of Ayn by Lexi Freiman (Catapult) Ablation by Danika Stegeman LeMay (11:11 Press) A Year and a Day by Phillip Lopate (New York Review Books) The Ruins of Nostalgia by Donna Stonecipher (Wesleyan University Press) ---

*This book was published by Total Joy in the United States and includes bonus poems written by the Washtenaw County Women's Poetry Collective and Casserole Society. The bilingual edition I read includes a discussion with the translators.

**Second printing, first released in 2019.

***Cujo doesn't cast a long shadow over the novel: the primary story is domestic drama, so I don't think the title is fitting. There's a vague implication that there's something supernatural happening here, which is fine and dandy, EXCEPT we have a scene that explains, in a real world practical way, what happens to Cujo. The murking of the two explanations of what happens to Cujo doesn't work for this reader. [edited for time]

[biglisbonnews]

Fresh Pressed: Neverland Digital's Medusa's Ball This is Fresh Pressed, in which photographer Matt Weinberger takes us inside some of the rawest moments happening in NYC and beyond. Fresh Pressed is all about encountering the juicy ideas, aesthetics and people shaping culture through the lens of the city's many creative scenes.Neverland Digital’s Medusa’s Ball (3/25)NYC art/music house and creative agency Neverland Digital (Nora Luciano, Elsie Drew and Ester Shmulyian) hosted Medusa’s Ball at BAF Art Gallery, where guests and collaborators all came together to party like the gods. The event was thrown in honor of Medusa, with ten visual artists tasked with creating and presenting work inspired by Medusa’s famous story. The group show featured a 30-foot glowing snake in the middle of the room, projection work, interactive pieces, photography and paintings, all created by local artists. They also presented live music, opening up with refreshing jazz by Wayne Tucker and Addison Frei, followed by Stew Jefe who rapped and hyped everyone up for Max Volante (producer, songwriter and instrumentalist) and his band. Max had some seriously great vibes and got the whole crowd feeling his soul as they swayed and danced around to the electric energy of his genre-bending performance.We Take Manhattan Party @ Old Flings (3/22)Organized by Allyson Camitta (aka Shallowhalo) and Charlie Baker, the We Take Manhattan party at Old Flings brought together some of the city’s most influential downtown scenesters for a night of shoulder-to -shoulder dancing and cramped but quality conversation. The event was the fourth party in the ongoing party series organized by Allyson and Charlie. The name of the party series is a reference to the Leonard Cohen song "First We Take Manhattan," which explores the idea that once one takes over Manhattan, one can take over the world. In addition to Shallowhalo and Charlie Baker DJing, Curtis Everett Pawley, aka The Life, took to the DJ booth and played a set to the delight of the audience. Shallowhalo is on tour at the moment — they just put out a new single, "Renaissance Affair," and have a single release show on April 5 at Elsewhere Zone One where Thoom and Birthday Girl will be performing and Angel Emoji will be DJing. I wouldn’t be surprised if the lyrics ring true: first they’ll take over Manhattan, then Berlin and, in no time, the world. The next We Take Manhattan party will be at The Cock on April 26.Stand Up NYC Drag Benefit @ 3 Dollar Bill (3/21)Aiding the fight against the anti-trans bills that have just been passed in Tennessee, NYC drag performer Julie J sold out the Brooklyn venue 3 Dollar Bill (in one day) for a night of community and drag. The cast included RuPaul's Drag Race current contestants and alums Marcia Marcia Marcia, Olivia Lux, Luxx Noir London and Jax as well as NYC staples Marti Gould Cummings, Rify Royalty, Janelle NO.5 and so many more fabulous talents. Elaborate costumes, riveting performances, mesmerizing hair and makeup and heart-pounding dance moves filled the night as the crowd came out to support Julie J and the wonderful cast of performers that came out to "drag out the vote." A key element of the event was to encourage everyone to register to vote so that they could have their voice heard via casting a ballot. The event felt like both a protest against anti-trans, anti-queer and homophobic legislation and a celebration of democracy. Political and community organizer Samy Nemir Olivares took the stage in between drag performances to give a speech explaining the importance of the event and why the community needs to get together and fight against harmful legislation. Proceeds from the event benefitted the ACLU of Tennessee, The Trans Formations Project and Black Trans LiberationBlack Trans Liberation. Baby's Presents SXSW NYC Beat (3/18)The NYC (and LA) music scene took over this little corner of Austin at the SXSW NYC Beat concert — presented by Baby's All Right — at popular downtown venue "The Cave and The Creek." The showcase featured two stages, both sporting incredible lineups of musicians. The indoor stage was curated by Sunflower Bean and featured sets by The Life, Strange Ranger, Thus Love, Malice K, Hello Mary, Model/Actriz and Sunflower Bean themselves. The energy inside was booming, with a mix of music industry professionals and seasoned concertgoers vibing out.Things got pretty wild in the later sets, and, by the end of the night, as Sunflower Bean took the stage, the crowd was stirring up into a bountiful mosh pit of bodies smashing into one another. The outdoor stage, curated by Perfectly Imperfect, featured sets by Eera, Mgna Crrrta, Club Eat, Damon Rush, Blaketheman1000, Snow Strippers, The Helpp and Isabella Lovestory. This side of the venue was more electronic-heavy and brought out a younger demographic of fans than those inside, with bubbly fans ripping cigarettes and jumping up and down as they popped to their favorite bops. Isabella Lovestory gave a particularly compelling performance to end the night, wrapping things up with a cherry bomb bang. The Helpp is no easy act to follow but Isabella managed to go beyond holding her own, delivering what felt like the perfect storybook ending to a night filled with great performers.Austin Rave by 1222 BY-PRODUCT With Snow Strippers, Club Eat, Eera (3/17)The Snow Strippers may be the next big thing. The band is a duo made up of members Tatiana Schwaninger and Graham Perez. They met in Florida back in 2018 and began making music together around the end of 2021. The duo produces an electronic, icy eargasm sound, making music that makes you want to dance. This is the kind of stuff that will make you bang your head with no shame as you ride a crowded L train to work. Graham had been producing music for a number of years, while Tati had no previous experience making music before they teamed up. Despite her lack of prior experience, she has the voice of a thousand snow angels. Their live set was a fun departure from the more refined sound you might hear when streaming their music online. In concert, Tati jumped around the stage, glitching into multiple dimensions of hype and glory, pulling the whole audience into dark recesses of happiness and fun. Alongside the Snow Strippers, Club Eat and Eera also took the stage and gave solid performances, providing the concertgoers with additional icy cold, refreshing beats to enjoy.You Missed It's Backyard Bash (3/17)The Kerwin Brothers have struck again, succeeding in throwing an absolutely epic party, co-organized with the Mauri sisters, Cristina and Andrea. With backyard tattoos, unlimited booze, oil wresting, free cigarettes, and a lineup that included High, The Dallas Cowboys, May Rio, Blaketheman1000, Nite Fire, Tagabow, Hotline TNT and The Frost Children, everything was in place for an incredible night to ensue. And ensue it did. Smashing beers and taking flash pics, the crowd of mostly local college students and NY/LA weekend visitors partied harder than a school of fish during summer vacation. In NYC, it's very rare to ever get to party in a backyard, so all of the NY locals had the time of their lives. Green grass turned to mud as the crowd jumped around to the electric sets by the many talented musical acts. The Dallas Cowboys stood out for their ability to get the crowd moving, and once the crowd was going, the energy didn’t stop for the rest of the night. They say everything is bigger in Texas and that rang true for the crowd's energy. Legendary nightlife photographer Mark Hunter, aka The Cobrasnake, claimed that it was potentially in the top 10 parties he had ever been to. Yeehaw and God bless Texas!Simone Films Oscars Watch Party @ Nine Orchard (3/12)Simone Films, founded by filmmakers Rebekah Sherman-Myntti and KJ Rothweiler, is a New York-based independent entertainment company doing things unlike any other production company in NYC right now. It's known within the downtown scene as a pillar in shaping a certain subset of the creative community. The company has achieved some degree of a cult following via its exciting events and through curating other scene-centered activities such as hosting a popular actors' studio for up-and-coming talent with teachers such as Michael Imperioli, Alex Ross Perry, Dolly Wells and Peter Vack. On this particular occasion, Simone Films threw a banger of a party, with drinks flowing, an abundance of popcorn and a bumping vinyl DJ set by Billy Jones, the owner of the popular music venue Baby’s All Right. The Oscars watch party was attended by actors, directors, musicians, podcasters, art shmos, indie sleaze queens, cinephiles and a slew of other creatures of the downtown scene. Some notable attendees included Bart Cortright, Makunda Angulo, Eugene Kotlyarenko, Lotfy Nathan and Marcelo Gaia. The owner of Nine Orchard, Andy Rifkin, also pulled up to the event. One thing is clear: Simone Films knows how to bring together a large group of exciting people. It wouldn’t be a surprise if a number of the attendees are at the Oscars in a few years, rather than watching it on TV.The Twink Next Door's Party Backstage @ Dallas BBQ (3/11)Texas-sized piña coladas, glitter and faux fur were all the rage behind the scenes at The Twink Next Door’s debut NYC runway show, unveiling his new collection as a tease of what’s to come as he plans on dropping his new clothing line, TWINK, this Friday. Inspired by icons like Julia Fox, Lady Gaga and Cruella DeVille, The Twink Next Door is bringing maximalist experimental fashion to the downtown NYC scene in stride. Throwing a fun, quirky, DIY aesthetic into the Wild West that is Dallas BBQ made for an undoubtedly memorable (albeit mildly chaotic), ultimately fabulous experience. The collection ate, and so did lots of the attendees. As far as I can tell, this BBQ stood for big, bold and queenly. Those fits were royally delicious. You Missed It Party @ Baby's All Right (3/4) https://www.papermag.com/fresh-pressed-neverland-digital-medusa-2659589146.html