#but I am rather pleased with his card bag

[chubbycelebs]

The Boss Body

Mr Kit Connor had worked very hard at his current occupation within the office. He had worked through the roles of the company and reaped its rewards. his efforts for the company did not go unnoticed and it wasn’t long until he was ask to come see the head of the company.

“Morning Kit. You want to sit down there for me.” The boss was a middle aged man, sporting a thick beard across his face which grew down his next and into his thick chest hair. His dark blue button up was stretched tightly across his rather big dad bod, with some of his buttons straining slightly, his hairy belly licking through. He was a nice boss to everyone and everyone loved him. Kit sat down in the seat opposite him. “I just want to say how grateful i am for you Kit. You really are the perfect example of a perfect employee. You have no faults to you. In fact you are almost annoyingly perfect.” The boss said laughing slightly, resting his hand on his jiggling belly. “Oh anyway Kit I didn’t bring you in here to sing my praises for you no. I wanted to offer you my position.” Kit was taken aback by this and it showed in his face. “I know I know it seems very sudden but I’ve just realised that I’m getting older now and I’m definitely not getting any younger,” he says pocking his rounded belly. “I just wanted to scale back my work load. Work somewhere with less demand and spend more time with the family.” Kit was nodding starting to understand what he was hearing after the initial shock wore off. “You are perfect to take over my roll Kit. You are so in control with your work life home life personal life you just have everything sorted and there’s no one better to take over the company then you.” The boss grunted as he pushed him self up. He held his chubby hand out across the desk waiting for Kit to take him up on his offer. Kit looked at his hand for a while still not fully understanding what has just been said. Kit finally snaps out of it and stands up shaking his boss hand. “Oh I’m so happy for you Kit you’ve made the right choice. Now I best move my things out before Monday then.” the boss says grabbing the final donut from the dozen and placing it into his mouth.

The weekend came and went and before he knew it Kit was the boss of the company. He could hardly believe it still but he had to snap out of it now. He was in charge and things needed doing. When he arrived at the office Monday morning he was greeted with many different presents on his desk. He couldn’t help but grin at the sight of them. He was pleased that his ex coworkers were happy for him. He put down his coat and bag on the chair and started to look through the presents. The first one was a selection box of chocolates. Kit pulled it out and looked at the contents of the box and was pleased to see that every chocolate within the box looked delicious. He put that down and look into the next box. It was a dozen freshly baked donuts. The smell from the box was outstanding his toned stomach rumbled slightly. Kit took one donut out of the box and placed it into his mouth. His mouth watered as the sugary dough melted away. Kit finished off the donut and moved the rest of them to the side. The final present was a card. He opened it up and a load of paper cuttings fell out. He picked them up and examined them. They were all discounts for fast food places. Kit looked over at the card which read “We know how busy you’ll be as our new boss so here’s your dinner sorted for you. On us - your employees.” Kit was taken a back by how sweet all these gifts were. It also made more sense why the last boss was so heavy by the time he left. But Kit vowed to stay in shape. He knew it would be difficult but he knew he had the self control to do it. Kit places the donuts in the common area of the office and put a note on them saying “for everyone! enjoy!” as he knew he couldn’t eat a dozen of those donuts in a day even though they were so tasty and so sweet.

It was mid day on Kits first day and Kit was sat at his desk typing up some office stats. He heard a knock on the door and his old coworker, Toby walked in carrying the donuts. Toby was a very sweet guy, slightly porky and always wearing clothes a little small for him but a lovely guy all the less. “Alright Toby! How are you doing?” Kit asks standing up from his desk. “I’m good Kit thanks. Erm we just wondered, do you not like donuts or..? Cos we saw you out then out for everyone else to eat and we just wondered if-“

“Oh no no I didn’t mean for it to come across as that no. I just put them out for everyone to have. You’ve all given me plenty of food I’m sure I’ll survive without the donuts.”

“Oh right. Well no offence Kit but the donuts were for you. We’d kinda hoped that you’d enjoy them. We don’t need anything I’m sure you do plenty for us.” “ Well that’s very kind of you all but honestly there’s no way I would eat all them donuts before they go stale.”

“Well why didn’t you say. Look you sit down at your desk and I’ll help you out.” Kit was a bit taken a back by this. He wasn’t sure what to think so he just sat down at his desk and looked at Toby confused. “Right you just get to work don’t worry about me. Just open your lips whenever you feel the donut press up against them.” Kit sat there with a confused expression on his face. He started typing away on his laptop when he felt the first donut push against lips. The sugary dough was already making his mouth water as he opens his lips. Toby pushed the whole donut into his mouth. Kit made a little muffled noise in shock. “They need eating quick boss already. You just focus on your work.” Kit did as Toby said and carried on working and chewing the delicious doughy goodness. He opened his mouth for the next one and then the next and then the next. It was at about the eighth donut when Kit started to struggle with the consumption of sweet treats. Toby placed a hand on Kits stomach and started to rub it in circle motions. Kit looked at Toby with a confused look, still chewing the food. “Oh ignore me it just helps with freeing up space for the rest. Helped a lot with the last boss.” Kit opened his mouth for the next donut when his heart dropped to his stomach. No wonder our last boss had to get new shirts every year with coworkers like this. They fattened him up and now they are trying to do the same to him. Kit remember that the old boss hired him because he had so much control over his personal life but this wasn’t showing self control. Kit was in deep though and didn’t realise that he had just eaten the final donut. “Good job boss.” Toby said with a pat on his distended gut. “Remember if you need any help with eating the treats we’ll get you just let me know. I’m very well trained in it” Toby said with a wink as he left the office. Kit sat there for a bit in shock as to what just happened. He looked over at the empty box of donuts and was almost disgusted in his self for mindlessly eating them all. He then looked at his shirt which was stretched out slightly by his full belly. He felt the pressure in his belt as it was too tight against his bloated stomach. Kit poked it and let out a stifled burp. “Oh god. This cant continue.” He said just as another one of his employees knocked on his door with another present in hand. “This is going to be very hard” Kit thought as he gestured for them to come in.

A few weeks had passed and Kit was still trying to figure out this new work life balance along side with the constant feeding his employees offer to him. Kit had always been a disciplined guy, always kept in shape and never over indulged. His weight had always been pretty constant apart from the odd bulk or two he had tried back when he was in university. Back then his body would just spring back to his athletic stature but nower says he doesn’t dare try it. He was happy with his body but things had started to change. Another thing about Kit is he was so polite and nice and could never say no to anyone. So when his employees come in with sugary sweets and treats for him, he struggles to resist. He’d never had people so adamant in making sure he was so well fed. Every night Kit was going home with an over full belly and tightening suit. After the first week or so of his employees still endlessly feeding him, Kit decided to hatch a plan. He would go the gym after work every day to work off every pound he could have possibly put on due to their feeding. This went well for the first week but as the boss his hours were long he would almost always finish very late. Sometimes he would just go straight home after work and pass out on his bed whilst other nights he attempted to go the gym but after just 5 minutes on the treadmill he was too exhausted to carry on leaving almost instantly after. The roll of the boss was no joke.

This all resulted in the slowly thickening of Kit. His once toned body and well defined muscles slowly melted away replaced with a soft layer of chub. His thighs and ass slowly filled out his suit trousers, his shirts clung to his widening waist line, his chest and soft arms barely squeezed in to the tight shirt. It wasn’t a drastic gain as Kit was always a big guy but the change from muscly big to now slowly fattening big was starting to be noticed. Kit first was made away that his body was changing when Toby was in his office feeding him spoon fulls of ice cream before they all melted. He was working hard on a coming up meeting and mindlessly just eating the pints of ice cream Toby was feeding him. Kit started to wriggle in his chair as he finished his third pint and Toby asked him if he could take his belt off to release the pressure. Kit just waved his hand and said “yeah sure just let me finish this.” But the sudden release of his gut made him stop working all together. He looked down and saw his shirt skin tight even a few gaps forming between the lower few buttons. His soft lower belly was looking around the waist band of his trousers. Kit noticed his his trousers had been unbuttoned and unzipped all the way down. He turned to Toby now uncomfortable and asked “I told you to take my belt off Toby not my trousers. If this carries on I will have-“ but was cut off by Toby saying. “Woah Kit I’d never do that without you saying. I undid your belt and the top button of your trousers pop off and your zip was pushed down. It was non of my doing Jesus not my fault.” Kit looked at Toby for a second and then looked down at his stomach. He notice his button say on the floor across his office. Toby was right it wasn’t him. It was his own gluttony.

“Oh right. Erm yeah sorry Toby it does seem to have been my own erm..” he trailed off embarrassed to admit the truth. Toby wasn’t very happy with how Kit had spoken to him just then. He poured the rest of the ice cream down Kits throat and then walked out without saying a word to him. Toby sat down at his desk in annoyance. “You alright Toby?” His coworker Sam said. Sam used to have the same body as Kit once had, toned looked after and in shape but once getting a job here his muscle clad body soon transformed into one resembling a man who’s never played sport in his life. Sitting at 275lbs the big guy had transformed working at this work place. “No Sam not really. He’s starting to get push back a bit. He realises the damages we’ve done. We have to push harder. He has to be huge” Toby said giving a glaring look at Kit as they watched him in his office trying to buckle up his trousers again.

As months go on the feeding only continues and much much more. Kit couldn’t even help it anymore. His stomach was stretched so even if he was to say “oh no sorry I really am full” his own gut would give him away as it rumbles yearning for more food. After the button of his trousers had popped off due to his own fattening body, he decided he’d invest in the next size up clothes. Hoping he would figure out a way to stop growing and fit comfortably into a size XXL. However no matter the amount of wishful thinking, he couldn’t help but be filled to fattness every single shift. He would come to work fitting comfortably into his clothes and leave the office like 12 hours later helplessly sucking in as to not break through more clothes. It was the weekend and Kit finally had time to not be stuffed by his employees. He rolled out of bed and went to the bathroom. He stood in the mirror and just looked at his body.

He just couldn’t believe his eyes. He got up a photo of his body a year ago on his holiday to Spain and compared it to the lard arse standing in front of him. The way his belly bugged out over his clothes pushing at the sides of his trousers. His whole body had been pumped full of fat and he couldn’t believe it. What had his coworkers done to him. Kit went back to his room. He was going through his clothes trying to find something that would make him feel good. He found one of his old tshirt which he loved cos it showed off his strong arms. He pulled his tight black shirt off and grabbed the other one and pulled it over his head. He put his arms through it first and the tightness around his shoulders made him think he was still muscly and built. However when he pulled it down over his chest it became painfully obvious that he was not still built. He was infact too large to even fit the shirt over his hanging belly. In frustrating he pulled hard at the shirt to go over his gut to sit below his belly button. As he yanked it down he heard a rip omit from the shirt. He had ripped it right across the top of his gut. He let go of his shirt and it pinged back sitting above his deepening belly button.

He slapped his belly and slumped on the floor of his room. He lay there for a while looking up at the ceiling with his belly rising up and down. He looked down at his gut as it pushed high into the sky. Kit started to poke it, feeling the softness of his body. The pokes turned to grabbing handfuls of fat which quickly turned into him shaking his belly watching as it jiggles, causing his shirt to ride up becoming a bra. He started to shake it harder which caused his trousers to pop open. Kit felt the release as his fattened body surged downwards. This sparked a pulse in his boxers. Kit had never felt his cock pulse this way before. He started grabbing his hairy under belly and squeezing at its softness. His dick got hard and pulsed harder, jumping slightly in bus tight boxers. Kit pulled his trousers down and reached down to the waist band of his boxers. He couldn’t see his dick anymore but he could feel it pressing hard against his underbelly. He pulled his boxers off over the large dump truck of an ass he had grown. He started to rub his cock back and forth letting the tip push hard into his belly. He started to rub faster feeling the pre cum stain his underbelly. He got quicker causing his whole body to jiggle with the motion. He pumped harder and harder getting closer and closer to climax. He thought of his old boss and how big he had grown over the years at the company. He thought back to the boss before that and how he could barely fit through the door ways. He looked down at his transformed body. What once was a Greek like physic had now turned into one that resembles a hog. He was following the legacy and he couldn’t wait to add to it. He thought about being the size of his old bosses as he dick got closer and closer to exploding. He thought about how if his old boss saw him now how disappointed he’d be that Kit had lost his discipline. He thought about getting fatter then his old boss, him coming to visit and seeing the obese hog he had turned into. With this final thought Kit exploded all over his huge belly, thick hot white cum covering his gut like a donut in glaze. Kit lay there panting and sweating thinking about what he’d just done. His shame and humiliation had turned him on, made him blow. Maybe this wasn’t so bad.

Kit marched through the office Monday morning. His clothes clung tight to his jiggling body. Just as he threw an empty bag of McDonald’s breakfast in the bin he took a big gulp of the chocolate milkshake. As he finished that off he pattered his belly and gave a low rumbling belch. He binned the milkshake and walked to Tobys desk. Toby turned around to face his fattened boss and grinned. “Alright Kit?”

“My office now” Kit demanded. He then turned around and stomped to his office. Toby watched as Kits jiggling ass walked away before he closed the door to his office. “You’ve really done a number in this one bud” Sam says leaning over to Toby’s desk. “He’s bloody huge.”

“It’s one of my many special talents fattening up men to get what I want. You’d know eh Sam” Toby said getting up from his desk and patting Sam on the gut before walking over the bosses office, leaving Sam all flustered and red faced. Toby opened the door to the office and saw that all the blinds were closed. Kit was sat at his desk writing. “Erm you wanted to see me Kit?” Toby says sliding into the office. “Yes Toby I did. Please take a seat.” Kit gestures to chair opposite him. Toby sits. Kit pushes him self out of his chair and starts to pace the room. Toby noticed the slight jiggle to his walk. “So quite evidently you gave a talent Toby, a talent at fattening up people.” Toby looks confused wondering where this is going. “Well Toby I wanna make you a very important asset to this business. It seems your efforts are wasted on the call floor. I want you to be my personal assistant.” At this point Kit had walk around the desk and now stood right next to Toby looking down at him. Toby looking up getting an eye full of his soft belly rising and falling as he breaths. “Oh wow erm let me see. That sounds like a good offer” Toby says thinking about the offer. “Will this continue?” He pokes Kits under belly wiggling his finger in between the buttons and touching his bare stomach. “Oh yes. In fact the whole reason I hired you is to continue this” Kit said slowly unbuttoning the top of his shirt. “Well then. I’m all for it then. When do I start?”

“Right now. I need you to go to every one of these fast food places and get me the largest meal you can” Kit handed him vouchers he was given in his first day in office. Toby looked at them and grinned. He quickly turned around and went on his travels. Once Toby returned with all the food Kit didn’t even pay him attention. Toby paused for a second waiting for instruction but when non was stated he just went for the usual. Kit worked and ate for hours and hours devouring every bag of fast food there was. By just after mid day his belt was off and his shirt was unbuttoned. By the evening his shirt was off and trousers too. As Kit finished off his final bag, his belly was spilled very far over his fatty lap. Toby was itching for more now. He’d never seen his boss this full before or this naked, just very tight bright red underwear keeping nothing to the imagination. Kit had just finished his prep for the meeting and looked at Toby. “Finish me off please Toby. I’ve got a lot of pent up frustration.” Toby couldn’t believe the words his boss just said to him. He’d fattened up a lot of men in his life but never had one been so demanding. He’s usually the one making orders. Toby got under the desk and pulled down Kits tight underwear. Kits dick was hardly seen due to the expanding belly over the top of it so Toby grabbed Kits belly and move it up, pushing Kits soft chest up. Toby started slowly focusing on the tip then working harder and harder on the shaft. Kits moans filled the room as Toby suck harder and harder going faster getting the boss closer to cumming all over his face. Toby grabbed hard onto Kits fat gut digging his fingers deep into it. Kit couldn’t hold it anymore. He thrusted his dick to the back of Tobys throat as he released his entire load into Tobys mouth, with him swallowing every last drop. Toby got up with sweat dripping down his face. Kit noticed that his shirt was tight across Tobys belly now that it was filled full of his sweet nectar. It was long until Toby was bent over the desk naked getting fucked by the fatten boss whilst he stuffed his face with the left over food from the fridge in the office. After that day the two had established that they both needed and wanted to fatten the other up and that they did.

After a few years now as the boss of the company, Kit had really settled into the roll. He became more authoritative and more demanding of a boss and made the company boom with sales. Not to mention the company wide increase on free food and snacks for all to enjoy. He’d noticed the impact he’d had on his employees when he saw many of the men comparing their gut sizes. Kit couldn’t help but laugh knowing how he was once their size and how quickly that had changed. Kit had grown so much as a boss figuratively and literally. He was the biggest boss the company had ever seen and of course he was still growing. Toby still worked closely with him making sure he was eating well and getting the attention he required. The pair had become an unstoppable force taking the company from large to HUGE!

I really hope you guys enjoy this story. I have spent ages and ages working on it. Lemme know what other stories you guys would like

[kurishiri]

03 . . . happy birthday, alfons! ˗ˏˋ🪞´ˎ˗

— this translation may not be 100% accurate or may contain creative liberties for characterization or narrative flow purposes. if you enjoy, please consider reblogging, but don’t repost or claim these as your own!

— cw: a bit suggestive, more soft alfons hours.

Alfons: A birthday that will remain in my memory... you said?

A: ...If that’s the case, I would be remiss if I felt that the day has been going swimmingly as you hoped.

Kate: Eh...?

Alfons: This birthday has been so full of ridiculous coincidences, I couldn’t forget it, even if I really wanted to.

Kate: That… doesn’t seem to hold much positive meaning.

Alfons: Oh, I fully assure you I mean it in the best way possible though?

(And once again, it seems like he’s the one being considerate toward me…)

Alfons: …Let me tell you something, Kate. Of course, it would have been wonderful if everything had gone as you planned.

A: Would you not agree, though, that success could be celebrated with just about anybody?

A: A day such as today, where we can laugh together at having gone through so many comical blunders…

A: …If you ask me, that feels much more special than simply celebrating that things have gone according to plan, and it will also stay in my memory as well.

Kate: Now that you mention it… maybe… that is true?

Thanks to Alfons explaining his thoughts to me in such a clear way, connecting his reasoning together,

gradually, yet surely, I was able to think of these blunders as a good thing.

Alfons: Things such as success and failure, sadness and happiness… if it is you I am eating with, every flavor is second to none.

A: So that’s why, come now, won’t you give me your final present?

A: No matter if the present comes out as you have planned, or something has gone awry…

A: Your goal to make this a birthday that stays in my memory is going quite swimmingly, I’d say? You have my congratulations.

(No matter if it’s a success or failure… that’s the first time I’ve heard something like this.)

Encouraged by Alfons’ words, I took the final present out of my bag.

Kate: Here you go. It’s my final present to you… a bouquet of forget-me-not flowers.

Alfons: Hehe, I see you’ve chosen flowers based on my name. Not to mention, the bouquet is quite darling. Thank you for this.

A: …Oh? And what’s this?

Alfons’ eyes were drawn to the card that was attached to the bouquet.

Kate: The florist attached that card on. It’s one wishing you a happy birthday.

Alfons: …So I see.

Kate: Uhm, if there was a blunder in there—

Alfons: No? Come then, how about we look at the flowers together?

Saying this, Alfons took me to stand in front of the mirror in his room.

Reflected in the mirror was Alfons, who was holding the bouquet of flowers, and me.

(…Thank goodness. The flowers look pretty, and the card is there too.)

(And the card says ‘Happy Birthday’ on it too… wait, huh?)

The things reflected in the mirror should appear flipped horizontally, and yet I could read the card’s message clearly through the reflection.

Kate: Alfons, this card…

When I shifted my gaze from the mirror to the bouquet, just as I had thought, the card’s message was written backwards.

Kate: It looks like the message was written wrong… I’m really sorry, to have another blunder like this…

Alfons: …Now this here is most definitely not a failure, but rather a success, no?

Kate: Eh…?

Alfons: Something that becomes correct when reflected in the mirror… it’s as though this gift was prepared specially for me, wouldn’t you say?

A: I would expect nothing less of you, Kate.

As if I myself were looking at a mirror, Alfons managed to completely turn that failure into a success.

(As I thought… Alfons really is a kind person.)

I thought there were many things I couldn’t get a grasp on about him, but I felt so happy at his kindness, which I could easily feel.

And I loved his soft expression he would give me when I felt down.

(It’s Alfons’ birthday, and yet I’m always the one who’s being made happy like this…)

(I wonder… is there anything that could make Alfons happy as well?)

As I searched my memory for something… I recalled his birthday last year.

Kate: …Alfons, could you please sit on the bed?

I had Alfons sit on the bed before I went atop his lap.

Alfons: …Well, seeing you so bold is a less than common sight indeed. Why on my lap?

Kate: Because, last year, when I was on your lap like this, you said you enjoyed it…

—— Flashback ——

Kate: …? Wait, why do I have to be on your lap…

Alfons: Need you even ask? Obviously, it’s because I enjoy it.

—— End flashback ——

Alfons: …I wasn’t aware you had remembered such trivial words from way back then.

Kate: Well, whenever it comes to you, I have quite a good memory.

K: No matter how trivial, or how meaningless they may seem… I haven’t forgotten a single thing.

Even if you do carry a fate where you will end up forgotten, I will never forget you.

As though Alfons had picked up on my silent resolve, he quietly smiled at me,

but he left me with no answer in return.

(I’m sure Alfons can’t believe in a future where he can escape from his tragic fate now.)

But, that was something that couldn’t be helped.

If he were to hold expectations that he could escape from it when a method to do so hadn’t yet been found yet, he would only get hurt.

(So, that’s why… you don’t have to believe in such a future right now.)

(After all, when I do find a way to escape it, I’m sure you will be very happy about it.)

Alfons: …You did say that you went on top of my lap because I enjoy it,

A: but can I say the same for you, being on top of me like this?

A: Seeing as last night as well, you were on top o—

Kate: T-this and that are different! Stop saying such strange things!

Alfons: My sincerest apologies.

When I retorted in a panic with a pout… it was after that I noticed.

That in order to lift my gloomy mood, he had been teasing me.

Alfons: So? Would you care to tell me what you plan to do next?

A: If you don’t mind, though, I will also do what I would like too.

With an air of mischief, his hands undid the ribbon on my clothes.

(At this rate, I’ll slowly melt completely into his touch… so before that,)

Kate: Wait a minute. There are other things I remember.

K: If I remember right, ‘Since we’re celebrating my birthday, is it not natural to give the birthday boy a kiss, at least?’… was it?

Last year, Alfons had used his ability on me, having ensnared me in his temporary illusion,

causing me to kiss him of my own accord.

Kate: Happy birthday, Alfons.

Alfons: …Truly, I am thankful for all the wonderful presents you have given me.

A: Every single one… they have all been engraved. In my heart, that is.

A: However… I did also say that I wished for a most passionate kiss as well.

Kate: That…

(Indeed, I remember last year, he did say that.)

(And, I also remember all the lewd things we did after that.)

Alfons: …Don’t tell me you have forgotten that?

(When he says it heartrendingly like that, I can’t feign forgetfulness with him.)

Kate: I haven’t forgotten. …In fact, I remember it. I remember it all.

Alfons: Then, I do look forward to it.

Once again, our lips touched, and I slipped my tongue in his mouth, which was slightly ajar.

I couldn’t do it as well as Alfons, but I still tried my best, in my own way.

But…

Alfons: I see you could use some work on your kissing, Kate.

The moment our lips parted, Alfons said this with a smile playing on his lips.

Kate: ‘Could use some work’… and here I was trying to do it like you…!

Alfons: I could feel a desperation quite reminiscent of a dog wanting to lap at its owner’s face…

A: Ahh, but if anything, you are more akin to a cat to me.

Kate: …I think it’s just you have much more experience than me in this, so you’re too good at this, Alfons.

When I narrowed my eyes, sarcasm laced into my tone, Alfons responded in turn gave me a flat affirmation as if saying something like ‘that may also be the case.’

(I wanted to satisfy him, so I tried my very best… but was this kiss a blunder too?)

Though he had given me words of encouragement that these blunders would remain in his memory, I still felt my mood would plummet once again.

Alfons: So, that’s why, I implore you to not become good at this.

Kate: Eh…?

Alfons: You were the one who said ‘it’s just you have much more experience than me in this, so you’re too good at this,’ no?

A: If that’s the case, just like now… it’s alright to not know any kiss other than mine.

(When he says it like that, it’s almost like…)

(…he’s saying, ‘Don’t kiss anyone other than me.’)

Hearing that possessive side of him, my mood lifted once again.

Alfons: Come now, Kate. One more time.

The things we were doing were things only adults would do, but the way he was demanding it seemed a bit childish, and I found that somewhat adorable.

Kate: Hehe… alright then.

So that neither he nor I would forget this… with the taste of clumsy kisses, we carved this very moment, deeply so.

Fin.

← prev fin. epilogue →

full masterlist 🪞🍰 ╱ ko-fi ☕ (30% of proceeds will go to doctors without borders for donations $17↑)

[arkieve]

Doctor | @jegulus-microfic | word count: 1011 | cw: mentions of death & terminal illness

“Go fish.”

Regulus stares him down, a particularly indignant look settled in his face. James shrugs and nods towards the pile of cards on the overbed table.

“Liar,” Regulus retorts, he grabs a card anyway. Great. Another useless one.

“Defamation.” James tuts, a pleased smile on his smug face. Regulus rolls his eyes. James looks through his cards and sighs, bored. “Do you have a seven?”

Of course Regulus has a seven, but he hates James right now, so he tells him to go fish. 

“You know,” James squints his eyes, “it’s rather distasteful to lie to the dying.”

Regulus freezes. “I–I wasn’t–” James delights in his panicked state, leaning back against his pillow, exhaling laughter from his nose. 

“You’re an asshole.” Regulus clutches his set of cards, the edges digging into his fingers. He looks down at the bed sheets crumpled under the weight of his bent leg. James thought sitting on the chair beside him was too formal, and who was he to deny him? 

“You’re not...” He can’t get himself to finish the sentence. “It’s your turn,” he says instead.

“I am, though,” James says, unwilling to let the conversation slide. “Dying, that is.”

Regulus doesn’t know what to say. James has this strange look on his face, like he’s looking for something. 

He wasn’t supposed to be here today. Or any other day, really. He’s visited James with Sirius a handful of times, each time with the peculiar feeling of gravel in his stomach and the urge to retch.

There is a curated schedule around James to make sure he is never alone, and it has worked impeccably until it didn’t and Regulus was called in as backup to keep James company for a few hours.

James had barely acknowledged his existence when he walked in–escorted by a nurse because he forgot where James was staying–his energy already depleted for the day. He did peek through an eye and say, “You’re not my doctor.”

Regulus shook his head and dropped his bag on the floor and sat down beside him. “No, I’m your executioner.”

That earned him a lazy smile, though. James was still too tired to open his eyes. “Finally.”

A warm breeze blows in through the open window, and James shivers. Regulus moves to close the window, but James grabs him by the wrist to stop him, spindly fingers wrapping around him. It takes everything in him not to flinch because James is cold. He’s so cold, and Regulus thinks of the sun and all the times James was compared to it and thinks, ‘this isn’t right.’

As if he can read his mind, James lets go and cradles his hands in his lap. “Leave it. I like the sun.”

Regulus nods and sits down. It feels more awkward now, sitting so close. “Do you want me to get you an extra blanket?”

James scoffs, then inhales sharply, looking up at the ceiling, blinking rapidly.

Regulus can spot the telltale signs of a crying spell, but James never cries. For as long as he’s known him; James has been synonymous with happy, cheerful, and, again, the sun–always the fucking sun. There were instances when Regulus would be on the receiving end of one of James’ signature smiles, or an accidental touch and he’d think; yeah, alright, he is a bit like the sun. So overwhelming that Regulus feared that he’d burn.

He didn’t look like the sun now, though. He looked small, hollowed and drained.

He was dying.

“I’m dying,” James repeats with a shuddering breath.

You’re not dying, the words pile up on Regulus’ tongue, but quickly fizzle out when he catches a defiant glint in James’ eye. It’s right there behind the facade of mirth and playfulness that usually earns him one of those coveted jelly cups from the nurses. Hidden behind the tight coil of his smile. Maybe it didn’t surface just now; perhaps it has been there for a while now, making a home in James.

It was clear as day: James was angry. How long has he been angry?

It’s a stupid thing to wonder. Of course he was angry; he was dying. One day, he was a normal kid; the next, he broke a leg and came back with a cast and a diagnosis, and it all went downhill from there.

There is a fracture there, across the veneer of bravery and acceptance; a break in his act and he looks vulnerable. Broken. Pleading. Angry. He wants Regulus to ask him. To break the flimsy filter in their conversation and be real with him. 

When James dies by summer’s end, and everyone who ever knew and loved him gathers, they’ll tell their stories through tears coated with tender laughter and they’ll all settle on the same thing: James was brave through it all. Regulus will remember this moment, will let himself be haunted and weighed down by the guilt and know that no, James wasn’t brave. Not always. Not really. 

He’ll shake the feeling that James died as he lived; for others. He didn’t make a fuss, didn’t add to the obvious discomfort and tragedy that came with death. Instead, he fluffed the pillows and dusted off the sheets to make his departure as clean and comfortable as possible for his loved ones.

Except for one moment, the evening when he reached out for the first time–and to Regulus of all people. Regulus should’ve said something.

Regulus should say something.

Open his cage. Let him cry. Let him scream. Let him rage. Hold him. Hold him. Hold him. Tell him it’s unfair, and he shouldn’t go softly.

“Go fish,” he says instead, and he gets this sinking feeling in his stomach

“Hmm?” James blinks, eyes glassy.

Regulus looks down, caressing the seven he does have with his thumb. “It’s your turn, James.”

James looks at him, long and hard, and Regulus faces him head on. James doesn’t find what he’s looking for and frowns. He swallows and nods. Regulus wants to throw up.

“Right,” he reaches for a card.

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

The Detour 3

Warnings: non/dubcon, and other dark elements. My username actually says you never asked for any of this.

My warnings are not exhaustive but be aware this is a dark fic and may include potentially triggering topics. Please use your common sense when consuming content. I am not responsible for your decisions.

Characters: Thor

Summary: You find yourself stranded in a small village.

Part of the Backwoods AU

As usual, I would appreciate any and all feedback. I’m happy to once more go on this adventure with all of you! Thank you in advance for your comments and for reblogging.

The burly blond leads you through the airy lobby, our valise in one hand as he drags your rolling bag with the other. He doesn’t pause at the counter, instead tossing out and order as he passes, “Darcy, we have a booking for the Berkano suite.”

A woman looks up over the desk and smiles, her lips painted bright pink as she wears a pair of thick black glasses. “Got it!”

She scribbles in an open book with a pen. Is this village so outdated they haven’t even a proper booking system? They haven’t even asked for a deposit. You’re certainly not a criminal but it’s standard business procedure.

“My card,” you step up and slide it across to her.

“Ma’am,” the blond stops by the wide staircase and faces you.

“In a moment,” you wave him off, “I’m not in the habit of existing on charity.”

“Oh, thanks, uh…” the woman, Darcy, looks at your card like she’s never seen one before. You suppose she doesn’t often see that exact type. She lays it on the page of the book and copies the number and your name beside the suite number. “Here ya are.”

She hands the card back and you arch your brows before twisting on your tall heel. You strut over to the wait brute and gesture him onward.

“There we are, sir.”

“Ma’am,” he drawls again.

“Ma’am,” you scowl.

He scoffs as he turns and lifts the rolling suitcase as he starts up the stairs, “apologies, I didn’t get a name.”

You roll your eyes as you set up after him. You keep a hold of the thick railing as you take careful steps in your stilettos. He easily outpaces you and turns back to watch your deliberate ascent, almost mockingly at the top of the step.

“Thor, if you’re curious,” he offers his name as you come up beside him, “so you would be…”

You huff and recite your name. Hopefully, you won’t have use for his. You check your watch pointedly and he chuckles.

“Ah, city folk, always in a rush even when you have nowhere to go.”

“Oh, I do have place to be,” you insist, “tomorrow, the mechanic will patch my axle and I will drive to the city and trade it in for a proper rental.”

“Mmm, sounds like a good plan,” he remarks and points you to the left, “go on. Number 2117.”

You take his directive, if only to be away from him. You will shut yourself up in the suite and shed the weariness of the day. Why did you think this trip would be anything but stressful? This is why you stick to first class and all-inclusive resorts.

“This one here,” he says as you come up to a door. 

There’s a hand-carved wooden plaque next to the door with the number inscribed; 2117. On the door itself, is an odd emblem wrought in iron; it resembles a B but is pointed where it should be curvy. He stops and lets your suitcase stand on its own as he reaches to his belt, pulling for a key attached to a retractable cord.

“I’ll have Darcy bring you the keys,” he offers as he sidles closer. You step back and watch him unlock the door. “Anything else, my lady?”

“My lady?” You glare at him, “wonderful service.”

“I wasn’t being–”

“Sir, I can handle it from here,” you grasp the handle of the round valise and the suitcase. As you try to rip them away, he doesn’t let go. He’s strong and you’re effort barely affects him. “Please, you’ve done enough.”

He snorts, “you are rather charming.”

You shake your head and yank on your bags again. He lets them go so you stagger. You steady yourself and snarl under a curled lip.

“As are you,” you snipe back, “good evening, sir.”

“Thor,” he intones.

“Whatever,” you snap and drag your suitcase through the door.

Before you can kick it shut, he pulls it closed behind you. You shake your head at him and drop your valise on the side table beneath the oak-framed mirror. A single night will be more than enough for you.

Off the entry of the suite is the door to the bathroom. You flip on the light as you peer inside; it’s large with a round tub in the corner, jets embedded in the sides; a pair of porcelain sinks and a long mirror behind them; a shower booth set into the wall with a transparent glass door; and the toilet beside the cabinet of towels and complementary lotions and soaps.

You shut the light off and proceed further into the room. The suit is divided by a centered wall; a long sofa sits against one side, a television mounted on the wall across from it and two arm chairs placed at an angle on either end of the sofa. A low table in the center of the sitting area and side table just beneath the TV, a vase of flowers atop it, along with the phone, and a kettle and pair of porcelain mugs.

On the other side of that, is the small kitchenette, a small fridge, a single cupboard, an ice bucket on the short counter, and a toaster oven on the shelf above. The other shelves hold a set of sparkling crystal glasses and a matching decanter, along with a large clear jug.

You pass through to the bedroom area. On the opposite wall, a pair of sliding glass doors open onto a balcony. There’s a table outside with two chairs. The bed is a king and is made up in luxurious bedding in a shade of charcoal. The suite melds together shades of white, iron, and some blue hues. 

There is a wardrobe against the dividing wall and night tables on either side of the bed. A chaise stands along the end of the bed and a velvet pouf in the corner. There’s a vanity against another wall with little bulbs around the mirror and a tall-legged seat before it. It is acceptable for the night.

A knock comes at the door and you sigh, expecting the same blond nuisance. Of course, he can’t just leave you be. It isn’t as if your disinterest isn’t radiating off of you. You go to the door and swing it open sharply.

It isn’t him. Thank the lord. It’s the girl from the front desk. Donna? You already forget.

“Here are your keys, miss,” she hands over a keyring with brass skeletons and a matching tag, “oh, and Thor said you were a fan of wine.”

She offers a full-bodied bottle of Chardonnay. This man must believe all the stereotypes. You are hardly a Chardonnay enthusiast, you prefer red to white.

“How thoughtful,” you drone.

“Dinner is in an hour. Just down in the dining room. Tonight is roasted hare.”

“Dinner?” You echo.

“Oh, yes ma’am, all guests are welcome to join.”

“Do you have room service?” You wonder.

“Not exactly, ma’am, but we offer three meals a day downstairs. Just turn left as you’re coming down the stairs and it’s right through the door between the lion statues.”

“Mmm, is there anywhere close by I might get a bite. Privately?”

“Um, there’s a cafe in town but it closes early. And Hank’s eatery is a bout a twenty minutes drive, out by the old lumber mill–”

“Dinner in an hour,” you check your watch, “mmm, I’ll think about it.”

You take the wine and spin, elbowing the door shut. It isn’t your first choice but it will do the job.

[kiiwiigii]

The Bribe

Felix x Fem!Reader

Summary: You need a shopping buddy and manage to drag Felix along... for a price.

Warnings:

Fluff

Word Count: 1.186

A/N: Requested by the wonderful @lack-lust-3r. I hope you enjoy love. Also, my first time writing for Felix. Pls be kind.

I was a human on the hunt. I wanted to go shopping and I was sure everyone was avoiding me like the plague. Well, all except Heidi, but that was only because she was out of town. She was my usual shopping buddy, but alas, I was on my own for now. I would approach Jane, as she was the only other girl, but to be honest she still terrified me a bit. Okay, a lot. 

But I knew of one person who couldn't say no, and all I had to do was find him. I had been searching for almost an hour and was about to give up when I found Demetri and cornered him. 

"Demetri. Darling. Love of my life." I drawled. 

Demetri tensed before turning around and shooting me a look. "What do you want, Y/N?" 

"Why do you always think I want something??" I glared. 

Demetri just looked at me with a deadpan stare, waiting. 

"Fine. Where is Felix. I want to go shopping." 

"Up on the third-floor library." 

"Awesome! Thanks Dem!" I took off in the direction of the library on the third floor, wondering why I hadn't thought to look there before. 

"That poor, poor man." Demetri sighed into an empty room. 

"Felix!!" 

I had found him right where Demetri had said he'd be, up on a ladder putting a book back. 

"Y/N. What brings you here?" 

"I was looking for you, of course." 

"What do you want?" He deadpanned. 

"Why does everyone think I want something??" I pouted. 

He just stared. Waiting. 

"You and Demetri hang out too much." I grumbled before continuing. "I haven't seen Heidi in a week, and I'd like to go shopping." 

Felix raised a brow before leaning against the ladder, eyes appraising. I felt myself blush a little but maintained eye contact. 

"No." 

"What?? Feliiiix." I whined. 

"What makes you think I want to go shopping?" 

"Because you love me and I'm your favorite." 

"And you are delusional." 

Fine. If that's how he wants to play it, bribing it is. 

"I'll give you anything you want Felix. Please?" I batted my lashes prettily. 

"Anything?" 

"Yep!" 

He slid down the ladder and paused for a moment, bright red eyes slowly roaming over my form again before giving me a grin. A rather wicked grin and I realized my mistake. 

"Wait-" I started. 

"Ah, ah. No take backs. Come on, let's head out." 

I could feel my heart flutter and a harsher blush rush to my cheeks. 

Shopping with Felix was actually nice. He was mostly silent, but his presence kept most menfolk away. And with his hand on the small of my back, I felt I could relax. He even helped me pick out a few tops and some pieces of jewelry. Now that had been a bit of a battle, because of course he picked out expensive pieces and I almost had a heart attack at the price tag. 

He simply whipped out a black card and was purchasing it before I could blink. 

In retaliation I dragged him to the back of the store so I could pick out some nice pieces of lingerie. His eyes pretty much stayed glued to the ceiling while he fidgeted, looking clearly uncomfortable. I couldn't help but giggle. 

However, my little victory was pretty much quashed when he started taking my bags from me. 

"I didn't bring you as a bag holder, Felix." I said softly. "I really just wanted some company." 

"I know, my darling." He answered and I blushed at the new nickname. "But I am more than happy to hold them for you." 

"Thank you." I grinned at him. "Maybe I should make you tag along more often." 

"Perhaps I might come along. Depends on what you offer." 

I nearly choked. "About that, are- are you gonna tell me what you want?" 

"I will. Later." He winked at me and left me staring at his back as he continued forward. 

Why do I get the feeling that I fucked up? 

I groaned, falling backwards onto my bed, legs and feet aching from the hours spent shopping. 

Felix eyed me from the end of my bed as he set the many, many shopping bags down. I glared at said bags. The one thing you don't really think about when shopping is that you're going to have to put everything that you bought up. Felix snorted and shook his head. 

"It's your fault." I grumbled. 

"How is it my fault?" He smiled. 

"You carried my bags, therefore I got carried away." 

He laughed before clearing his throat, and taking his usual stance when he was on guard, perfectly serious. I lifted myself up onto my elbows and raised my eyebrows at him. 

"Everything okay?" I asked. 

"Oh yes." He smirked and then appeared before me in less than a second, and I found myself on my back with him hovering over me. "I just know what I want now." 

I cleared my own throat, trying to calm my suddenly racing heart and looking off to the side. "And what is it that you would like my dear Felix?" 

"A kiss." 

I whipped my head back around, wide eyed. 

"A kiss??" 

"Mhmm." 

"O-okay. I think I can do that."  

“You’re okay with this?” 

“I wouldn’t have yes if I wasn’t.” 

His eyes softened, one of his hands coming up to cup my face tenderly. My breath caught in my throat as he leaned down and brushed his lips against mine softly. My hands came up, smoothing themselves across his chest, leaning up to deepen the kiss, his lips cool against mine. I felt his tongue slide across my lower lip, begging for entrance and my lips parted obediently. He delved into the heat of my mouth, and I let out a low moan. He growled a little, letting one of his hands travel to my waist, giving me a small squeeze. 

Secretly, in the back of my mind, I had been hoping for this. I had been yearning to have his lips on mine since I first met him. I let one of my hands wander up to tangle in his hair, keening when he nipped lightly at my bottom lip. After a moment he pulled back, taking in my appearance: glazed eyes and swollen lips. He smiled before nuzzling against my ear. 

I giggled, pulling him close. 

"I have been wanting that for a long time." He breathed. 

"Oh really?" I grinned. 

"Mhmm." He burrowed further into my neck. 

"Perhaps I should bribe you more often." 

He lifted himself off me with a smirk. "Perhaps next time I'll have you show me some of the lingerie you bought. With you as the model of course." 

I turned bright red and smacked him lightly on the chest. 

"Sounds like I need to put stipulations on what I mean when I say anything." 

He kissed me softly again. "You don't need to bribe me. I will do anything you ask, my darling." 

I sighed happily. 

Yes, I had wanted this for a very long time. 

{Masterlist} // {Request Guidelines}

Tag List: @rosedpetal, @alecvolturi

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[alonetimelover]

Action! - champagne problems - 2020

Pairings: Harry Styles x Director!Reader (she/her)

Summary: YN thinks Harry wants to save their relationship after the big fight they had two weeks ago. Harry thinks that too. But their definitions of saving are diametrically different.

Warnings: angst! mention of unloving family

Word count: ~3,0k

A/N: After a few messages I decided to let you know how exactly the break up between YN and Harry happened. It can be read as a second part to tolerate it. And of course it's based on champagne problems by Taylor Swift and has some other songs lyrics in it. Enjoy!

series masterlist let's talk about action!universe

my love 👨‍🎤

i'll be home today

i have a surprise for you, can you please get ready for 6? H

Two messages. 

First ones after two weeks of silence. Two weeks of contemplating over what had happened and what would happen. Two weeks of going to sleep on the cold bed and waking up to even colder one. Two weeks of being alone with her thoughts, feelings, regrets, promises and sadness. Fourteen days. 

Day after the other, she sank deeper and deeper into her lake of self-destructive thoughts. She wallowed in them. And as much as she’d loved water since being a little baby, she was drowning. And there was no saving. 

At exactly 6 pm the doorbell rang. In her white heels tapping on the floor and beige skirt flowing with her, YN anxiously walked to the door opening it. 

There he was, cream trousers, white tee with Hawaiian shirt on top of it, flowers - florists bouquet of pink roses - in his right hand. Harry sported a look of pure ‘I don’t know what I am doing’ hidden behind his ‘I’m so happy to see you’ persona. But YN knew him well enough to look past that, and he - at least she hoped so - knew her perfectly as well, feeling her uneasiness. And they both decided to ignore it. What more could go wrong?

“Hi.”

“Hi.”

No one would believe they were the people that spent a full 22 hours talking without taking a break. No one. No one even would have think they were once unstoppable, inseparable. No one would believe there once was love, yearning, appreciation or desire. Those people couldn’t be the one standing there.

“I see you’re ready?”

“Yeah, I - I’m just gonna grab my bag and we can go.”

No kiss hello. No ‘how are you?’. No ‘you look great’. They couldn’t even speak normally with each other. Two weeks just snapped them - or rather only YN - out of her blissful belief that everything was good. Now, everything was in its true colours. 

“We can go,” she said after coming back with a little white bag in hand. 

“Ladies first.” Harry gestured towards the door. 

The drive to the restaurant was spent in silence. No conversation or radio going on in the background. Not even a sound of the car - his electric one being so quiet. It wasn’t a comfortable silence they’d been used to, that they’d enjoyed having once in a while. This one brought discomfort. To Harry, because of the plan that he had created just this morning. And to YN, because it - them - felt even more done for than after that fight which had caused Harry to leave her alone in their once shared house. 

The restaurant was an… let’s say odd choice. 

It was a replica of the one that they’d gone to on their first date. Dom Pérignon was already waiting for them on the table with a ‘enjoy your third anniversary’ card right next to it. Two months too late, thought YN but didn't let her thoughts outside. 

“Are you up for some Italian food?” Harry questioned in a small voice, after they had settled down.

“Yeah, I’ve been craving some lately.” She smiled for a moment. 

And she said that same sentence to him a few times already. Three months ago, when they were going to order some take out. But it didn’t work out - Harry got a phone call and spent the rest of the night in his study. A month ago, when they were supposed to meet up with Florence - but Harry cancelled at the last minute, having said something came up in the studio. Girls decided to just drink a big amount of cheap wine. Two and a half weeks ago, right before leaving for their scheduled date that they’d never gone to. Harry needed to ‘check something at Jeff’s’ and left, going the opposite way to the one leading to his manager’s house. 

Everything started making sense in her mind. 

“Gnocchi sorrento for a lady and -” the waiter placed YN’s dish in front of her, giving her a grin, “ - and the minestrone for you, kind sir.” 

The pair, after their first date, decided to only drink this expensive champagne on exceptional occasions. 

They both thanked Theo - the waiter - politely and started eating. In silence.

Dom Pérignon didn’t go well with their food, neither did it go well with their moods. 

First date - when they both discovered it (Harry that day had asked the waiter when YN had gone to the bathroom “if I was an absolute champagne gourmet and wanted to drink something that goes well with shellfish, what would I choose?” “If the price isn’t a problem, then Dom Pérignon is one of our finest bottles, sir.”). 

YN’s graduation - they laid together on her small couch, champagne with a cheese platter on the coffee table. 

“I can’t believe I’m out of school,” YN sighed, taking a bite of a gorgonzola and then sipping champagne. “Also, can’t believe you bought it.” She lifted the flute. 

“You’re smart, of course you were going to graduate. With honours as well.” He kissed the side of her head. “And we agreed to drink it on really important occasions.”

“This is important to you?” 

She wasn’t making fun of him. She was surprised that something so small as a university graduation would be important to someone like Harry. A person that maybe didn’t have a higher education but was indeed clever and doing quite good for himself - a global idol for a lot of people of all ages. 

She wasn’t used to being important to people, at least for the first few years of her life when she was still living with her biological parents. After being adopted by the people she loved to call ‘mama and papa’ she started to learn the importance of appreciation. 

“Of course it is, love. Hey, look at me, please?” He delicately placed a hand on her cheek, turning her head towards him. “You’re important to me and whatever you do, whatever you achieve, whatever you seek and dream about - I’m here for you. I’m proud of you. Okay?”

Her lips turned upside down and her eyes glistened. She nodded her head rapidly, “okay, okay,” her voice small, trying to comprehend it all. 

“I love you, YNN.” 

“I love you, Harry.”

Then their first anniversary that they spent with Anne and Gemma - bottles of Dom Pérignon were laying on the outside table on Anne’s patio. It was a last minute call to go to Holmes Chapel. Anne wanted Harry to spend more time home, not knowing what that day meant to her son and his girlfriend. He tried to refuse his mother’s invitation but YN encouraged him to go. She loved Anne and Gemma. 

Their second anniversary was spent in Italy, right after Harry’s last tour date and YN’s Little Women shooting ended. Flutes of Dom Pérignon accompanied them in bed after an eventful night and day and another night and another day. They were finally together after months of separation. 

The Fine Line release party connected with Taylor’s 30th birthday was one crazy night full of people and alcohol. And only one bottle of Dom Pérignon that YN and Harry shared during a whole party, celebrating Harry's success.

YN’s Oscar win was the last time they spent an occasion with Dom Pérignon. 1959 bottle of their favourite champagne was enjoyed during the last night when she felt they were truly happy within their relationship.

And now she sipped it slowly, forgetting how much she once loved it. 

“How did you like the food?”

“It was amazing. Thank you, Theo,” YN said to a waiter, smiling kindly. 

“Pleasure is mine. Can I recommend some desserts for you both?” 

“Ye -”

“Thank you, Trevor. I’d like a tab,” Harry interrupted YN, pushing the plate towards the middle of the table. The dinner got cold with the chatter getting old. 

“Of course, sir.” Theo faked a smile and moved to the bar with one finished and one barely touched plates. 

“His name was Theo.” 

“Sorry?”

“His name was Theo, Harry. Not Trevor.” YN said rather firmly, in a low voice not to draw any more attention towards their table that it already had. 

“Mhmm, yeah, sorry.”

“I’m not the one you should be sorry to. He was so polite and you couldn’t even remember his name. It was rude.”

“Okay!” he snapped, doing exactly the opposite of what YN wanted to do - men and women around them stopped talking and looked directly at YN and him. “‘M sorry,” he directed it more towards other people, rather than YN.

Before YN had a chance to say something or scold him, Theo came back with a receipt, “here you go, sir. Do you want to pay by cash or card?” 

“Card.”

“And please split the bill evenly for two. Thank you, Theo,” YN said, not even looking at Harry, hoping he knew not to try and argue with her. 

“Of course. Here you go.”

All hope for a change, volatilising. 

They paid the bill (50/50), and YN thanked Theo once more for his amazing client service, tipping him a substantial amount. Harry, still upset, just said ‘Good Night, mate’.

Without waiting for him to catch up with her, YN moved towards his car, ready to go home. 

“I want to take you to one more place before going home, okay?” Harry expressed after walking up to her, a hopeful smile on his beautiful face. 

“I’m not really in a mood to go anywhere else, Harry. I want to go to sleep.” 

Even though she had nothing to be tired from, she had no energy left in her body. The lack of conversation she craved, and affection she needed made her feel so empty. 

“Please? One more place?”

She breathed out loudly, “okay” she agreed, not being able to refuse his compelling voice. 

“Okay. It’s not so far away so we can walk there. Yeah?” He asked, giving her a hand to hold. 

She didn't remember when was the last time they held hands, intertwined fingers, bringing warmth. It had been so long since that loving touch, YN was ready to tear up right then. 

With their hands still being tightly connected, Harry guided YN up the street towards a more secluded area. There were more trees and bushes that immediately provided better air. The pavements were clearer and roads empty. They were alone. Unfortunately. 

“It’s right here,” Harry said, pointing at the big building, reminiscent of an old venue. “Can you please close your eyes?”

“Are you going to kill me or have me kidnapped?”

“No. No. Absolutely not. It’s - it’s just a surprise and I want you to see it from the best place. Can you trust me?”

No. “Yes, of course,” she answered, silencing her thoughts. 

After leading her through two pairs of stairs - one going up and then down -, a few corridors and finally going through uneven ground outside, they stopped walking.

Harry’s hands were sweaty, his breath was shaking. The petite box in his trousers pocket weighed much more than the last time he held it, when his mother passed it to him. Half-baked ideas were Harry’s thing and they most likely turned out more than fine. But this one, he felt, was going to collapse with a big thud. What made him turn to this concept first? Why didn’t he tell the truth as to what he was going to do, to his mother? She knew him the best - was on the same podium spot as YN and Gemma, and she would know how to help him. How to save them. 

“Okay, we’re here, babe. But don’t open your eyes yet.”

Harry dropped her hand, moving towards the speakers. The acoustic version of You’ll Be In my Heart started silently playing. It was YN’s favourite Disney song, from her favourite movie - Tarzan. 

And it didn’t bring her joy now. It caused even more anxiety. All things coming up like dominoes, ready to be shattered. 

“Can I ask you to dance with me, my lady?”

She opened her eyes, immediately wishing she hadn’t done that. The lights were hanging from the willow branches, lilies were scattered around them and near the speaker was a bouquet of her least favourite flowers - tulips. She now knew what was coming and she was terrified. 

"My arms will hold you keep you safe and warm

This bond between us can’t be broken

I will be here don’t you cry"

But YN cried, heavy tears coming down her cheeks. And Harry held her tight, swaying them slightly from right to left. 

“Shhh, I love this song, Harry. Shhh, stop talking, please!” she scolded her boyfriend, pointing at the TV. 

“Okay, okay, Jesus. I’m quiet.” He laughed, finally settling down next to her, throwing his arm behind her shoulders, cuddling her. “Is it your favourite?” he whispered. 

“Yes. I think it’s one of the most beautiful songs from Disney,” she responded in the same whisper, eyes still glued to the screen. 

YN had one of the biggest smiles Harry had ever seen on her face. Her eyes were beaming with happiness and warmth. He couldn’t have helped but smile as well - her bliss was his. Whenever she was happy, he was too. Whenever she cried, he did too. What was hers was his and vice versa. 

“Do you think it’s a good first dance song?” he asked. 

“Maybe.” She thought for a moment and added, “but something more piano-like would be better. This one’s good for proposals. Near a tree with hundreds of lights.”

“You think so?” His mind was already plotting a plan. 

“I know so.” 

When the song hit the last chorus YN dropped his hand while dancing, giving him an oblivious sign to drop on one knee. 

“Harry, please,” she pleaded, tears still going down her face. 

“Let me speak.”

“No, please. Get up, Harry. Stop it,” she was repeating it all over again, praying it all was going to be a nightmare. She was going to wake up next to him like the last five months hadn’t happened. 

He ignored her, “YN, you’ve been in my life for more than three years. You’ve changed it for the batter. Your presence, your appreciation and your involvement in everything you and I did was - was exceptional. The warmth you bring to every room and life you’re in helps people. Words you say and don’t say have power. You make me happy. As well as my family, mum and Gemma love you like a daughter and sister. Your work, which you put so much effort into, brings you so much joy it rebounds on me. You’re the one that I want. You’re the one that I want to spend the rest of my life with,” he paused for a moment, kneeling on two knees. 

He was silently begging her to say yes. 

“YN -”

“Do you still love me?”

Her voice was shaky because of all the crying. He didn’t look at her once today. From the moment he picked her up, through the dinner they had at the restaurant and till the moment she stopped his proposals, he didn’t spare her a glance. It was going to be a nightmare. Everything that she was afraid of from the moment she’d read those two messages, happened and she loathed it. 

He looked at her.

And stayed silent.

You had a speech, you’re speechless, YN thought. 

She learned that day how loud the silence could be. How definitive and thundering it could feel. Terminating.

“Do you?” she choked out.

There was no sound of the voice. Love slipped beyond his reaches. 

Now, it hurt even more than two weeks ago. Not hearing him saying I love you. Man that promised her a moon, made her happy through so many years. Man that she trusted not to ever hurt her, not to ever betray her. He did everything upside down. After so many months together, moments joined and hours longed for - it was done. 

“YN, please.”

“Let me go, Harry.” 

“Please.”

“No. There - there’s nothing to ask. Nothing to do. It’s over, Harry. You know it.”

“Give me a reason,” he cried. 

“I can’t give you a reason, sometimes you just don’t know the answer ‘til someone’s on their knees and asks you,” she whispered, her hand stopped mid-movement. She wanted to caress his head. She wanted to hug him, kiss him for the last time. “You couldn’t keep it in, could you?” She laughed through her silent cries. 

Harry looked at her hand, still longing in the air, near his head. He wanted her to touch him. He wanted to hug her, kiss her and never let go. He wanted her, now more than ever before. 

If my wishes came true, it would have been you, YN wondered, not being able to stop the waterfall of thoughts. 

“I - I’ll be out of the house in an hour or so. I’ll leave the keys near the flower pot,” she said after a moment of only their crying.

“No, please. YN, baby, please -”

After looking at Olivia's favourite flowers sitting in a bouquet next to the speaker for the last time, YN turned around and started walking away. Harry’s shouts and pleads became smaller and smaller, until she was out of the property where it stopped. 

She halted. 

It was over.

They were over. 

But maybe it was her champagne problems, her thoughts, her doings and her love that caused it all. Caused him to stop loving her, keeping her as a familiarity among the unknown. 

Now, it finally touched her. There was no more suspense, no more uncertainty or insecurity. She knew for sure. He didn’t love her anymore.

And she still did, more than anything. 

It was cold outside. The wind ruffled her hair and made her shiver. She started walking, wanting to be closer and closer to the place she just this morning had called home. 

Maybe it was all her fault. She left him out there standing, crestfallen on the landing. His heart was glass, she dropped it. She pressed him and challenged him, unknowingly causing him to fall out of love. Perhaps it was all her.

“You’ll find the real thing instead. She’ll patch up your tapestry that I shredded,” she said into the void. “She’ll hold your hand while dancing, never leave you standing. And after all, you won’t remember all my champagne problems.”

[mayabooowrites]

Witness||J.P

James comes home to find a letter from his Ex

Based on this song:

I entered my apartment after a long day at work. I sighed as the place had felt empty since she had moved out, but I didn't want her to know that.

Walking into my living room, I felt exhausted after a long day at work. I set my work bag on the coffee table, where an unopened letter caught my eye. I picked it up, confused to see that it was from Y/n, my ex-girlfriend. My heart dropped as I wondered what could be inside the letter. The envelope felt heavy in my hand, and I hesitated to open it, unsure what emotions it might bring up.

Dear James,

I am writing to let you know my thoughts before leaving the country, as I may not return. I want to start fresh and leave everything behind.

While cleaning my room yesterday, I stumbled upon the 23rd birthday card you gave me, now stained with coffee. It made me smile as I reminisced about that night, but I know it's a memory of the past that I'll always cherish.

I was told that you kissed someone to get it out of your system. It's great to see you becoming more open and finding happiness again, but I would rather not be a part of it. Every time you're around me, you say another shot at me, and it's holding me back from moving forward.

Please feel free to do what you need to get over me. But I won't be your witness.

It deeply hurts me to see you constantly hurting me and taking cheap shots at me whenever I'm around. The pain you inflict on my heart is unbearable, and I would never treat you the way you treat me.

I know you like to feel seen, but I can't give you what you need. Our relationship has ended, and for us to move forward, I need to establish some space between us. I mean, I'll be relocating to France. I don't know how much distance I can put between us once I'm gone.

Feel free to go ahead and kiss my friends; go ahead and kiss Lily again because I understand that it's just another attempt to provoke me. But honestly, I genuinely want you to do whatever it takes to move on from me. Your happiness doesn't cause me any pain; it brings me joy. Even if I know you only kissed her to spite me, it's alright.

But please don't write back, I don't want to know how you been, I'll find it out from them.

I get it; you're looking for a reaction. You want me to feel jealous, but James, it's not good for us to play that game. Trying to make each other jealous is just not healthy.

I'll be long gone by the time you finish reading this. Since our breakup, you've acted like a total jerk, so I got a job in France. I will start in 3 days. Sirius and Lily helped me pack up everything, and while writing this, I just finished; after I drop this letter to you, I'm off to France, sipping wine while looking at the Eifel Tower in my new apartment by now.

As I won't be your witness James. I wish I had more to say but I don't

Goodbye

Y/n

Her words packed a punch, replaying my actions and her disappointed expression. She's absolutely right. I treated her terribly, and now I can't even say sorry.

She's gone probably forever. And I can't even tell her I'm sorry.

All I felt was regret. Tears stream down my face as I think of Y/n in France falling in love with someone a thousand times better than me.

And in that moment, I wanted to be her witness.

[deceptive-daydreams]

The Under-Ground

Chapter One - Welcome to The Under-Ground

Ch. 1 | Ch. 2 | Ch. 3 | Ch. 4 | Ch. 5 | Ch. 6 | Ch. 7 |

Modern!Barista!Eddie AU - In which you work at the local Hawkins coffee shop where you thought you'd be able to escape the horrors that were high school a few years after graduating. Until one of those horrors lands a job in the closing shift with you...and you have to train him.

Enemies to Lovers, Modern!Barista!Eddie AU, Eddie x Fem Reader

5K Words

Warnings - Eddie is an asshole, eventual smut, I don't think there's anything else but please let me know if I missed anything

Author's Note: I finished this sooner than I thought I would...pls let me know what you think, I am having so much fun writing this so far and I can't wait to keep going

Masterlist

Next ->

The chill Autumn air infiltrated the apartment and left you shivering, the wool blanket atop your comforter did little to aid you in getting warm.  That’s what five hundred dollars a month got you in small town Hawkins, it's what you could afford.  Old striped wallpaper that alternated a faded baby blue and pale yellow that seemed to have been glued to the wall since the 70’s barely clung to the walls, a majority of it peeling and begging to be torn off.  The stained white linoleum throughout the kitchen had seen better days and the carpet in the living room and bedroom was dingy, so dingy that no vacuum could possibly come close to cleaning it.  The lock on the door was on the verge of breaking and almost didn’t work–almost.  And of course the heater was definitely broken, the creepy landlord would take his sweet time to fix it, leaving you with a freezing apartment as the seasons changed and Hawkins welcomed the fall.  A broke college student by day and a barista by night, these are the cards you were dealt for now.  

Classes at the community college had finished for the day, rotating to the night courses.  A few papers were due next week, one for your business class on the effects of product promotion in business growth that happened to be stressing you out extra.  Your fingers tapped away at your laptop from your mattress nestled in the corner on the floor of your tiny bedroom.  4:30PM, the time in the corner of the screen read, just half an hour before your shift at The Under-Ground.  With a groan, you click save on the document and shut the laptop which was certain to be opened later tonight after your shift only to continue the torturous essay.  Begrudgingly you began your pre-work ritual of grabbing whatever snack or meal you had in the fridge, scarfing it down, and then tidying your appearance a bit while listening to your daily playlist named “Eh” on Spotify.  Today’s vibe was set by Dreams by Fleetwood Mac.  

The rusty bathroom faucet sputtered water before allowing a full stream to flow into the sink.  You splashed some water on your face to feel more alive although it may have been a mistake in hindsight since the apartment was already cold and rather than feeling refreshed, you felt like a wet dog.  Dabbing your face with a towel hanging from over the rod where the tie dye shower curtain hung as well, you collected any leftover mascara from the previous night beneath your waterline and around your eyelids.  Moving to the compact closet in the bedroom, a simple outfit of jeans and a maroon knitted sweater you’d ‘claimed’ from the lost and found at the college were chosen and paired with your only signature docs.  Lastly, your apron was tied around your waist in a neat knot.  

Grabbing your keys from the laminate countertop and shoving your laptop in your bag, you make your way through the damaged and scratched up wooden door that was the entrance to your apartment, the number seven nailed to the front of it.  “God dammit.” you jam your key in and out of the lock, twisting and repeating until it finally clicks in place.  The door leads right outside into the biting air and you scurry down the concrete stairs while avoiding touching the nasty railing, Mrs. Harrison’s chubby cat, Raphael is perched right at the bottom like he always is.  His large green irises stare up at you, giving the appearance that he was just a fluffy ball of black fur with eyes.  “Ralphy” you mumble your nickname for him affectionately as you steal a pat from his head on your way out of the apartments, a small meow chiming through the air.  

The Under-Ground wasn’t a far walk but it sure did seem that way the colder it got.  You’d been working there since the Spring and so far had no issues with weather but you knew it would bite you at some point.  The walk through downtown Hawkins is crisp and cloudy, leaves blowing delicately from the trees and laying perfectly in the street, colors varying from red, orange, and brown.  It was mid September.  Patrons wander about the streets attending to their daily errands.  Teenagers mess around at the entrance of The Hideout, no doubt attempting to use their fake IDs only to be turned away by the bouncer, Stan.  

Joyce Byers cleans the storefront window of Melvald’s, taking care to not miss a single streak.  Her face lights up as her son, Will approaches the store.  Max Mayfield skateboards past you down the sidewalk at lightning speed, the only reason you know it's her is a flash of her flaming red hair as well as Lucas Sinclair trying to keep up with her on his own board, a nervous expression written on his features as he carefully maneuvers.  Nancy Wheeler hurriedly gets into her car, wrapping up her workday at The Hawkins Post while Jonathan Byers gives her cheek a kiss and heads over toward Will and Joyce.   

The Under-Ground comes into view as you round the corner, the brick building vacant of customers at the moment from what you can tell through the windows.  The evening rush hasn’t picked up yet, usually kicking in at around six when the college students like yourself would make themselves at home and study over lattes and espresso shots.  The bell chimes above the door as you pull it open, the smell of coffee beans and pastries flooding your nose and some upbeat jazz playing through the speakers.  Robin sits atop the counter much to the boss, Ronnie's dismay but he’s not around to scold her.  Her dirty blonde bob is freshly trimmed, bangs laying just right across her forehead while she has a lollipop sticking out her mouth and she skims through a magazine lazily.  One leg is hitched up onto the counter with her bright yellow converse on display, knee to her chest.  She’s wearing jeans with a few holes and a vintage tee.  Her bright blue eyes glance up and land on you, face lighting up as she greets you.  “Hey, Robin!” you greet back, making your way behind the counter to clock in on the computer.  

“You’re lucky, it’s been dead for hours.” she says while setting aside the magazine.  “Think it’s gonna rain too so it’ll probably stay that way.” she continues.  

“Good, I can probably catch up on some homework then.” you hum, punching in your employee number.

“Oh and some new guy is supposed to close with you tonight, I think you’re training him.” she mentions.

“So, no catching up on homework then.” you sigh.  Training someone new wasn't necessarily difficult however it was draining since you already knew how to do everything like the back of your hand.  Dumbing it all down always took a minute since you had to slow down and give them time to catch on.  

“Did Ronnie say who?” you ask, turning to face Robin.  Hawkins was small which meant that everyone knew everyone.  Which was unfortunate sometimes since that also meant everyone knew everyone's business.

Robin hops off the counter, hair bouncing as she does.  “Nope, I just know that it's some dude.” she crunches down on her lollipop and discards the stick in the garbage a few feet away.  

With a sigh, you head to the back room to put your bag in your locker only to find Steve lounging at the lunch table, his feet crossed on top of it while scrolling through his phone and two legs of the chair he occupies off the ground as he balances.  Today he sports some red corduroy pants and an ivory crewneck sweater finished off with converse, just like Robin’s, only black.  “What’s up?” he greets, not once looking up from his phone.  

“Scrolling through Tinder again, Stevie?” you mock while setting your bag in your locker for safe keeping, hooking the lock around the metal and clicking it into place.

“Actually, it’s Grindr.” he says matter of factly.  

“My bad, you find anyone cute?” you ask, peering over his shoulder, his aftershave smelling subtle and pleasant.   

He lands on a cute blonde guy with green eyes, most likely from a town over.  “Not really.” he exhales, running a hand through his voluminous hair.  

“Well what about him?  He’s pretty cute.” you encourage.  

“Dude, it says he likes to do Karaoke for fun.” he glances behind at you with a raised brow.  You shrug, unaware of why that would deter him.  

“If that's not a red flag, I don’t know what is.” he states, shutting his phone off and shoving it in his pocket while standing, making his way to the vending machine.  “What happened to me, Socks?  I used to pull 'em left and right and now no guy or girl will give me the time of day.”  Socks was your nickname given by Steve and Robin after the dreadful incident where a pipe burst from one of the sinks and you happened to be standing in front of it, the bottom half of your pants along with your socks becoming soaked.  The rest of the evening you worked your shift without shoes, only in your sopping wet socks with your jeans rolled up.  It had been an ongoing joke since, although you always reminded them how horrible it is to go around in wet shoes, the squeaky sound they would make against the floor and the squishiness of the soles.  They always disagreed, insisting that it would be worse to work in only socks and how they’d just opt to continue wearing the drenched shoes.  

“Steve, I think Grindr and Tinder and all the dating apps might be giving you unrealistic expectations.” you tell him truthfully.  

“Okay, but who the hell else am I gonna find in Hawkins?  Been there, done that, this is my only option."  He inserts a dollar into the vending machine and punches in his selection, shortly after a bag of pretzels falls.  

“Pretzels, Steve?  Really?” you taunt.  “How bland of you.” you deadpan.  He pulls open the packaging and tosses a pretzel in his mouth all while giving you his signature pout.  “Maybe that's your issue, you dumb yourself down for these people you don’t even know.” you continue.

“Wow.” he raises his arms in disbelief, a hint of humor evident.  “That…” he flings a pretzel at you, hitting your chest.  “...was mean.” he sasses.  “But probably true.” he finishes.  “Don’t you have a job or something?” his head tilts toward the door.  

“Yeah, and so do you.” you shoot back, grabbing his apron from where it hung over one of the breakroom chairs and throwing it at him.  

Exiting the room, you hear Steve chime in one more time.  “I’m off in like fifteen!”  Your shifts always overlapped with Steve and Robin’s, them usually taking the morning to afternoon shift and you taking over closing.  Ronnie would always hang out in the back office so you didn’t have to close alone but that was pretty much the extent of his labor.  The beans needed to be ground for the next day, chairs stacked on the tables, bathroom tidied, ingredients prepped, counters wiped down, etc.  And you were always the one to do it, not that you minded so much.  Ronnie never micromanaged and you had gotten good at closing so it became somewhat of a meditation time.  The town winded down and the dim lighting provided a relaxing glow, almost as if you were in a spa.  You could at least pretend anyway.

Robin was making herself a latte, carefully pouring the milk over the coffee in an attempt to make a design.  She’d been practicing for weeks with no success.  “Dammit!  Another wasted latte!” she slams the small pitcher of cream onto the counter.  

“That for me?” you question over her shoulder, spotting the blob of white draped over the coffee.  You ended up drinking them most of the time, always looking forward to your daily latte handcrafted by Robin.  

Letting a breath out, she hangs her head in defeat.  “It is now.” 

Steve saunters out from the back, stopping in his tracks right next to Robin.  “Another one?  Seriously?” he mutters before continuing to the espresso machine to make probably his fourth drink of the day.  

“When is the new guy scheduled to come in?” you ask as you pour yourself an iced coffee.  Everyone was allowed one free drink a day however it was never enforced unless the owner, Ronnie’s mom was around.  She owned The Under-Ground while her husband owned The Hideout.

“5:30, I think?” Robin answers.  The clock on the register currently reads 5:20.  Steve glances at you, trying to hide a smirk as he quickly looks in the other direction.  

“What?” you demand.  Shaking his head he continues pouring an espresso shot into paper to go cup.  A tug on his sleeve doesn’t get him to budge.  “Steve, why did you give me that look?!” you hound him.  

“Nothing!” he raises his hands in defense, a shit eating grin on his face.  

“Steve.” you narrow your eyes at him, brows knit in frustration.  

“Yeah, Steve.  What do you know that I don’t?” Robin steps towards him while crossing her arms in offense.  

“Nothing!” He lies, taking a sip of his coffee.

“Steve.” Robin glares at him.

“Y’know, this is already getting to me.” he points to his cup.  “I gotta run to the bathroom.” he rushes to the back once again, holding his stomach and pretending to grimace in pain.

“What’s up with him?” you look at Robin, the two of you left standing there without any idea.  She shrugs, handing you the botched latte she just made.  

Pushing aside your theories, you begin setting up for your shift, restocking the cups and making sure there’s enough whip cream in the canister.  The Under-Ground had a very cozy vibe, dark mahogany woods decorating the interior, little twinkly lights draped above the windows, and a snug book nook tucked away in the back corner with large shelves that took up the whole wall.  Accompanying it are a few tables and chairs, their wood matching the counter and on top of each table sits various houseplants that you’d have to remind yourself to water.  

Robin tops off the pastries as she always does at the end of her shift, adding some chocolate croissants, blueberry muffins, brownies, and a brand new lemon loaf to the case.  She finishes off by wiping off the glass with a rag and then ensures the display of gift cards and bags of coffee beans on the counter is dusted off and pristine.  

You busy yourself by restocking the to-go sandwiches in the open cooler at the front of the counter, making a note to also grab a few more parfaits from the back since those were running low as well.  A few books are scattered among one of the tables so you take it upon yourself to collect them and tuck them neatly back on the book shelf.  Other than that, nothing else is left to do and you should be ready to start training the new hire without any distractions.  You reward yourself by sipping on the latte, the bitter taste gracing your tongue and warmth coating your throat.  Robin disappears to the back briefly, coming back out with her bag while shoving her apron into it, ready to clock out the second it hits 5:30.

The roaring of an engine suddenly echoes in the streets, an obnoxious sputtering filling your ears as you glance up and out of the front window.  It comes to a screeching halt as a motorcycle pulls up into one of the parking spots horizontally rather than vertically like the rest of the vehicles.  Jackass, you think to yourself as the owner kicks the kickstand down.  He wears a standard black motorcycle helmet, a leather jacket, ripped black jeans, and some combat boots, a walking stereotype for some kind of punk ass kid.  

Jim Hopper catches him, his cop car parked a few spaces away while he does his crossword in the driver’s seat.  You can’t quite make out what's being said but as Hopper exits his car in a hurry,  you can tell they have most likely had run-ins like this before.  The jackass looks up in aggravation as he still straddles the bike, the sky reflected in the visor of his helmet.  Hopper appears to be telling him off but not giving him a ticket when he most definitely should.  Jackass reparks the bike correctly, gesturing to it as if he’d performed a magic trick, Hopper with a hand on his hip and a scowl on his face.  He points a finger at him, muttering one last thing before retreating back to his own car, eyes never leaving the guy.  

Steve emerges from the back again, carefully.  “Shit.” he mumbles.

Your gaze moves from the scene outside to behind you at Steve who is also now looking out the window.  This provokes you to look back outside.  Just as you’re about to ask, the jackass removes his helmet, revealing a head of wild brunette curls, his hand adorned in chunky rings as he grips the helmet.  Rolling your eyes, you turn your attention back to inputting some inventory in the computer.  Out of the corner of your eye you can see that he’s making his way toward the door.  “Are you kidding me?” you say under your breath.  

“Thought trendy coffee wasn’t his style.” you say to no one in particular.  Steve inhales as if waiting for some kind of impact.  

“Oh…” Robin says in some kind of realization.  

The bell above the door rings as he swings it open, striding across the shop and in front of the counter, his eyes are a dark abyss as he looks from you to Robin and then to Steve.  

“Munson.” Steve acknowledges him.

“Harrington.” he says back, a tinge of disgust rolling off his tongue.  Robin’s eyes are wide as they shift between you two.

“What do you want, Eddie?” you bite, voice full of malice as you glare up at him.

Bringing his hand to his chest, his face contorting into a mock pout, he sets the helmet on the counter.  “Ouch.  That make you feel better, sweetheart?”  Sarcasm drips from his tone.

You scoff about to tell him to leave but he just continues.  “Make you feel all big and bad?  Get it out of your system yet?” he taunts, a smirk playing on his lips.  

“Oh no.” Robin says quietly, leaning over you to clock out and then subtly making her way around the counter.  

“Why don’t you get the hell out of here and find someone else to dick around with?” you snap, grabbing his helmet and forcing it into his hands. 

A cocky look takes over his features.  “Well what if I’m a paying customer?” 

 “I have the right to refuse service so, I’m refusing.” you can feel anger coursing through your veins, blood running hot.  

“That’s unfortunate.” he frowns, moving to make his way behind the counter.  “For you.” his stare burns into you, two black holes nearly swallowing you up.  

“I don’t have time-” you begin but are cut off when he reaches over you and starts typing away at the computer, clocking in.  His cheap cologne and cigarette smoke flood your nose.

Steve looks at you apologetically as Eddie passes him on his way to the back.  A silence lingers as you process that you’ll be forced to work with the one person in this town you can’t stand.  Eddie Munson was the new hire and of course he had to be scheduled on the closing shift with you.  Life couldn’t get any worse than this, a shitty apartment, and now a shitty job that you used to love combined with mountains of homework.  Your eternal hell.  Work was supposed to be a place you could briefly escape.  Sure it was still work but you didn’t mind.

“Steve!” both you and Robin scold him at the same time.  He squeezes his eyes shut in preparation for more yelling.  

“You knew Ronnie hired him and you just didn’t tell me!” you seethe.  “You could have warned me!  I could have switched shifts or something-or, or–or tell Ronnie he’s a criminal or something!  So he wouldn’t get hired!” your eyes are bulging out of your head as you reprimand the poor guy.  

“Okay, see, the way you're reacting right now doesn’t give me any confidence that you would have reacted any differently if I told you earlier.” Steve explains while clocking out.  

“So you think springing it on her like that was any better!” Robin says loudly.  Steve contemplates for a moment.

“Look, Socks.  I’m sorry.” he apologizes sincerely.  

“Socks?” Eddie stands in the doorway that leads to the back, now free of his leather jacket and wearing a black Metallica tee.  “What kinda fucked up thing did you do for a nickname like that?” he asks, a smug grin on his face.

“Oh, kill me now.” you drag your hands down your face in agony.  Steve and Robin slowly make their way toward the front door, looking at you sympathetically.

“See you tomorrow?” Robin awkwardly points finger guns at you before they speed up and shuffle out the door.

You sigh heavily, dropping your arms limply to your sides.  Turning around, Eddie is about to speak up again but you cut him off. 

“I don’t wanna hear it.  You don’t talk unless it's about work.  I’ll train you today and then I’ll ask Ronnie to move you to mornings or something.” you tell him in one breath.  

He laughs before replying.  “You’d like that wouldn’t you?  Hate to be the bearer of bad news but you’re stuck with me, doll.” he chuckles lowly.  “I only work nights.” he says with that stupid grin.  

“Who did I piss off for this to happen?” you mumble to yourself, rubbing at your temples.  “Put this on.” you shove an apron at his chest.

He grunts at the impact.  “No.” he simply says, refusing to grab it from you.  His expression is blank.

Scoffing, you shove it against him even harder.  “This is work.  We work here.  Stop acting like a damn child.” you say sternly.  

Now taking the apron in his hand, you think he’s finally come to his senses until he bunches it up and tosses it onto one of the counters, eliciting a groan from you.  You were foolish to think he would play nice.

–

Trying to train Eddie was as useful as training a fly.  He didn’t listen and would purposely mess things up claiming he didn’t know any better and he almost charged one of your only customers that night double the actual cost.  It was like watching a toddler, you couldn’t take your eyes away from him or all hell would break loose.  The cherry on top was all the snide comments he would make which led to more bickering.  

When it came to closing time at 9:00, you were exhausted and could practically feel the eyebags hanging off your face.  There was not enough espresso in the world to keep up with Eddie’s antics.  You were counting the money from the register, making sure all was accounted for, Eddie watching as he was supposed to be learning when really he was zoned out.  

“Alright, Socks, are we done here?” he says with a bored tone.  

You glance between him and the cash, still counting under your breath while ignoring him.  Poking your arm, he tries again.  “Socks.  I got things to do.” he continues.  “Hey, I’m talking to you–”

“--Oh my god, just go.” you break, finally completing your counting and setting the money back in the drawer neatly.  

“Fuck yeah.” he whispers, rushing to the back to collect his things.  Pinching the bridge of your nose, you only hope he quits before you have to work another shift with him.  Eddie wasn’t just an asshole, he was the asshole who was partially responsible for your shitty high school experience.  You know it's dumb, there’s no reason to let something keep a hold on you for so long but it just does.  It makes you cringe, it's like the equivalent to peaking in high school but opposite, and yet you can’t seem to look past it.

Nothing but the twinkly lights and the dim overhead lights lit up the shop, a moment of peace taking over you while the town outside laid itself to rest.  Shutting off the music and untying your apron to drape it over your arm, you do one more scan to make sure everything is set for tomorrow.  Satisfied, you head to the back to retrieve your bag.  Eddie passes you, almost running you over on his way out, his stupid helmet in hand.  

“See ya tomorrow, Socks.” he salutes as he clocks out, shortly after you hear the bell chime signaling that he had left.  He was overusing that nickname but you knew it would only please him to call it out.  You had to keep your cool until he figured out he didn’t fit in here and quit.  Exhaling, you unlock your locker, grabbing your bag and tossing your apron in before exiting and heading for the door.  

The door is locked and double checked as you step out onto the sidewalk only to find that it was still raining.  Just my luck.  Eddie’s dumb motorcycle roars to life again a few feet away from you, a nuisance to the tranquil town around you.  Rolling your eyes, you begin your damp journey home.  It’s not until you’re in front of the movie theater that you hear that damn bike behind you.  You think he’s going to speed past you, maybe splash some water on you while he’s at it but the engine rumbles as if right next to you–which it was.  

“Are you lost?” you spit, continuing to walk.  

He rides beside you slowly, irritating you to your core.  “Need a ride home?” he asks, slightly muffled by his helmet.  

You huff before responding.  “No.  I don’t need anything from you.  Get the hell out of here.”  You keep your gaze straight ahead as you walk, him still following behind.

“Sweetheart–”

“--Do NOT call me that.  Ever.  Again.” you scold, taking a moment to point your finger at him, your face displaying disdain toward him.

“Look, I may be an asshole but it's raining.  I can give you a ride.” he coaxes but it doesn’t work.  You keep on, the rain drops collecting on your eyelashes.  

“Get bent, Eddie.” you say, now walking faster, hoping to evade him.

He lifts the visor on the helmet, now showing his eyes as he keeps up with you.  “Get on the damn bike.”

“Fuck you.” you snap at him.

Desperate, you start jogging across the crosswalk and that's when he gives up.  Glancing behind you, he flips the visor down and revs the bike before speeding off.  You weren’t stupid and you weren’t going to play into his little sadist games.  Life was already steamrolling you and you did not need some jackass to factor into it.  After a few minutes of walking, you finally rounded the corner and the faded powder blue apartments came into view, street lights illuminating the way.  The streets were sleek with rain and oil, giving off reflections of the traffic lights and buildings.  You were careful to scurry your way across the parking lot to avoid any of the creeps that hung around late at night.  It wasn’t exactly the best area, being notorious for drug deals and any other illegal side hustles.  

Raphael’s spot on the stairs was vacant due to the downpour which you frowned at, you always looked forward to seeing him upon coming home.  A few skeezy looking men stood nearby however they seemed to be involved in their own drama as they argued and took no interest in you.  Gratefully, you continued quietly up the stairs and hurriedly unlocked the door, jamming the key in the lock until it gave out to you.  

Slipping into your nightly routine, you begin to unwind as much as you can.  A quick shower awaited you since the hot water was limited and you couldn’t wait to munch on one of the sandwiches you snagged from work.  In your defense Ronnie had ordered way too many for the week and the back fridge was overflowing with them.  The local deli they came from, Anderson’s had some fairly good quality meats and cheeses so for that you were thankful as they pretty much kept you fed.  Tonight’s would be turkey and swiss with mayo on sourdough, your favorite.  The lights flickered on as you hit the switch, another quirk that came with the run down apartment.  The living room and entryway were now bathed in a warm and quite dim glow, or in other words if you wanted to read a book, it’d be quite difficult to see.  Shivering from being drenched in rain, you set your bag on the kitchen counter adjacent to the entryway and start taking off your damp clothes, peering into your room to toss them into the hamper and slipping into the bathroom.  It was a tight space, not a whole lot of room to do much but it was home.  

Turning the faucet to ‘hot’, you wait for the water to get warm enough to bear, the fluorescent lighting of the bathroom still bothered you no matter how long you lived there.  You stood on the bath mat feeling the water with your finger until it was to your satisfaction, stepping in and feeling welcomed by the sudden warmth you’d been waiting for all day.  In that moment you feel relief from the pressures of the world, the deadlines, bills, loans, essays, all of it.  Everything melts away for approximately three minutes and that's when the water starts to turn cold again, returning you back to the dreadful reality you wish you could neglect.  

But to your dismay, the cycle just starts all over again, keeping you hostage.

~end~

Next ->

Masterlist

tags - @mmunson86 @haylaansmi

[choke-me-joey]

Ch1/ Ch2 /

Summary: As Joe's long-term girlfriend, you reflect on your relationship over the last 4 years.

Content warning: 18+ so minors are not welcome, real person fiction (don't like, don't read, don't bitch), smut, fluff, angst, probably inaccurate timelines and processes but does anyone really care?, alcohol use, smoking...if I've missed anything please let me know!!

Author's note: okay so I was not expecting people to like this as much as they did 🥹 so here is chapter 2!! I'm currently juggling this, Hoe-vember and Matching Tattoos part 2 sp bear with if there are mistakes! I originally wrote this in first person (ick) so if you see any 'I' or 'my'.....mind ya business 🫣

London, England

September 2018

"-mum, I've really got to go, I'm running late...yeah, yeah, yeah, I'll make sure to call her, okay? Bye, mum, love you!"

You hang up the call and groan in frustration, shoving your phone in your bag with one hand, balancing your coffee and your Oyster card in the other. You manage to get through the gate without causing too much of a hold up, bolting down the escalator to the platform.

"Fuck!" You growl, as the train you were running for left the platform within seconds of your feet touching the ground. You sigh, taking a seat on the grubby bench and waiting for the next one, which, thankfully what with this being London and all, wasn't long.

You jump up, protecting your bag and coffee as you get on the already insanely crowded train. You look around desperately for a seat, of which there were none, so you stand in between a very miserable looking middle aged woman and a taller guy with curly brown hair. He has his back to you, engulfed on his phone. You squeezed in and took a hold of the bar above your head as the train began to move.

You stare awkwardly ahead of you, sipping your coffee with your free hand, being careful not to bump curly haired guy with your arm. As the train approaches your station and slows, people scramble towards the door. You wait patiently rather than getting caught in the sea of people.

You don't notice curly hair guy next to you moving his arm to put his phone in his back pocket, and before you know it you’ve been elbowed in the boob at a rather vicious velocity. The pain that follows makes you want to cry.

"Fuck!" You hiss, and the knee jerk reaction to jump away from whatever has just hit you causes you to spill your 'travel friendly' coffee cup and its contents all over your jacket. The cup crashes to the floor and everyone stares. "Oh shit!" You curse, staring down at your stained jacket.

"Oh shit, I'm so sorry. Are you okay? Oh shit, here let me-"

The guy bends down and picks up your cup, handing it back to you. You look up from the damage to your jacket and into the most beautiful pair of big, brown eyes you have ever seen.

"Thanks," you mumble, taking the cup back from him. The next thing you know the doors have closed and the train is moving again. "Oh goddamn it!"

"I am so, so sorry." The guy next to you says again, looking extremely guilty as coffee practically drips off you. Luckily, a sweet old man hands you a pack of tissues, and you thank him, dabbing away at your clothes as best you can with the hand that wasn't holding your cup and bag. "Please, let me help, it's the least I can-"

"It's fine, really," you say, a little too quickly, and he looks a little hurt. You sigh, passing him your cup and bag. "If you run off with my stuff, I can't be held accountable for what I do." You warn him, and he chuckles, shooting you a smile that literally makes your knees go weak. Even though he almost de-boobed you and potentially ruined your favourite jacket, you can't help but think he is fucking gorgeous.

"I wouldn't blame you, to be honest," he says, still smiling. "Is it fucked?" He asks, his eyes flicking to your jacket.

"I dunno, if I'd have gotten off at my stop I would have been able to get home quicker to throw it in the washing machine and hope for the best," you sigh, almost reaching the end of the pack of tissues. A look of guilt flashes across his face again. "Sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"No, it's fine, I just feel really bad, it's a nice jacket." He bites his lip as you give up trying to dry yourself with the tissues, and take your stuff back from him. The train pulls into another station, and you figure you might as well get off here, and try to get home another way.

"Yeah, it is, but don't beat yourself up about it, accidents happen," you give him a reassuring smile, before getting off the train.

"Wait!" He yells, and you turn around on the platform, seeing him fight his way through the crowd of boarding and departing passengers. He stands in front of you awkwardly. "Um, listen, let me get your jacket dry cleaned for you, to apologise?"

You frown slightly.

"Honestly, it's fine..." you trail off, realising you don't know his name.

"Joe. And please, it'll make me feel less guilty for basically assaulting you."

You sigh, unable to stop a smile spreading across your face. He really was too adorable.

And hot as fuck.

"You're not going to take no for an answer, are you?" You smirk, and he returns it.

"Nope."

"Fine," you roll my eyes dramatically, peeling off your jacket and handing it to him.

"Can I get your number?" He asks, and you're a little taken aback at his confidence.

"Excuse me?"

"I-I'll need to let you know when it's clean and stuff, so I can return it to you," he's blushing now, and you swear your heart is melting. "That's all, i swear I'm not some pervy creep."

"Hmm, I'm pretty sure a pervy creep would say he's not a pervy creep to try and persuade people he's not a pervy creep," you muse, and he laughs, loudly. "But, I'll trust you."

He grins, handing you his phone for ypu to put your number in, under the name "Underground Boob Victim". Once you're done, you pass it back to him, he laughs loudly at the name and then puts his phone back in his pocket. "Okay, well, i should really get going, but thank you, Joe. Just drop me a text or something and I'll meet you to grab my jacket back. It was nice to meet you, despite the whole GBH thing." You tease, hitching your bag up on your shoulder, offering your hand out to him. "I'm Y/N, by the way."

"You mean to tell me Underground Boob Victim isn't your real name?" He smirks and I shrug.

"It's a bit of a mouthful so Y/N is a much easier nickname." You wink, and he laughs again, making you giggle.

"Well, was nice to meet you too, Y/N, sorry again." He takes your hand and shakes it, and you can feel your heart speeding up. "I'll speak to you soon."

--a few days later--

'Hey, it's Joe. Just to let you know your jacket is ready to pick up from the dry cleaner's, if you wanted to meet me in about 30 minutes?'

'Hi! Yeah that's great, thank you so much!'

'It's cool. If you don't mind, i was thinking (ironically) maybe we could go for a coffee or a drink or something after we pick your jacket up? It's okay if you don't want to though!'

'Hmm i dont know if i trust you around any liquids that can stain fabric...but clear alcohol sounds life a safe bet. I'll be there soon!'

-- a week later, still September 2018--

"I'm freaking the fuck out."

"It's just dinner, Y/N. It's not like you've never been out with a guy before! Besides, you've already been out for drinks with him, technically this is your second date" Your best friend and flat mate Zoe is laid on your bed, currently watching you pace up and down your bedroom, chewing your nails as you do. "I swear to god if you don't stop chewing those nails I slaved over, I will end you."

"Sorry, sorry!" You quickly stick your hands in your pockets, sparing Zoe's hard work. "Well, firstly the drinks thing wasnt really a date, he was just giving me my jacket back and just so happened to ask me out. Amd secondly, this isn't just some guy, Zoe, he's like...really hot. And cute. And funny. And he's so easy to talk to. We ended up just chatting shit for two hours in a Starbucks the other day, totally unplanned. He was walking in as I was walking out."

"Cute, maybe you guys can move in together and I won't have to listen to you chat shit for hours every day." Zoe teases and you let out a sarcastic laugh.

"You're just jealous because you dont have anyone to chat your own brand of shit with right now." You tease back, laughing as she flips you off. "He lives with his best friend, maybe if tonight goes well we can double date?"

"If you set me up with a complete and utter loser whilst you make off with the hot one, I'm going to hurt you."

"I've seen a picture or two, he's pretty cute," you laugh, holding up a black roll neck jumper and black skinny jeans. "With my black heeled boots?"

"Perfect, it shows him just how soulless and depressing you really are. You know it wouldn't kill you to wear colour just once."

"Ugh, I would rather die." You mock retch before heading into the bathroom to change.

Forty minutes later, you're dressed and ready and in the back of a taxi headed to the restaurant you and Joe had agreed on, your heart feeling like it's going to burst out of your chest and your stomach churning with nerves. Your phone vibrates in your hand, it's Joe just texting to say he was already at the restaurant, waiting for you in the lobby. You swallow hard, before texting him back that you were on your way.

The taxi gets you to the restaurant exactly three minutes before 7.30pm, when your table was booked for. You spot Joe immediately as you step inside, dressed in a shirt and trousers. He looks up from his phone when he hears the door open and his eyes meet yours, and you both simultaneously break out into a grin.

"Hey," you walk over to him and give him a hug, as per your usual greeting. His usual cologne surrounds you, but it smells a little stronger tonight. He hugs you back just as tight. "Now I feel like I should have dressed up a bit more."

"Don't worry about it, you look really good." Joe assures me.

"Thank you, so do you." You can feel your cheeks warming a little to your utter frustration. Something about Joe always turned you into a fucking giggly schoolgirl on the inside, but on the outside thankfully, you managed to play it off. "Can we go get food now? I'm fucking starving."

Joe laughs loudly.

"I knew there was a reason I liked you."

***

"So, seeing as all our interactions have been totally random and unplanned, I think I should be totally cliché and say, tell me about yourself?" Joe smiles as you pass your menus back to the waiter, having just ordered your food.

"Well, I mean, I don't wanna send you to sleep before the food gets here." You joke, sipping on my glass of water. Joe chuckles, doing the same.

"That's fine, just wake me up when it does get here," he winks and you roll your eyes laughing. "No, I'm just joking, come on, I wanna know stuff about you. Like, what do you do for work? How long have you been living in London?"

"So basically you wanna play 20 Questions?"

"Yep, now go."

"Ugh, fine. I'm a freelance photographer but currently I'm doing a stint as a retoucher for a studio in Central London, I've been living here for a few years as I went to Uni here, but my friend Zoe and I have been renting a flat from her uncle since we graduated. I have a degree in Editorial Photography, I like horror movies and music...that's all I can think of right now...what about you?"

"Um, I'm an actor." He says, looking almost embarrassed. Your eyebrows raise.

"No way?! That's so cool! Anything I'd have seen you in?"

"Uh, maybe, I've been in a couple of TV series, I was in something called Dickensian a couple of years ago, a show called Timewasters, and then last year I was in Game Of Thrones and another series called Howard's End."

"Game of Thrones?? Holy shit, that...wait a minute, Dickensian...shit, I think I watched that with my parents over Christmas when it came out. Oh my god I can't believe I didn't recognise you!"

"Honestly, it's nice that you didn't." Joe admits. "I'm not that well known but I've had a couple of people stop me in the street and it's...bloody weird. Flattering, but weird."

You nod. "I can understand that. So, are you working on anything cool right now?"

"Well not right this second, but this year has been mental. I've done a couple of series and a got a lead in a small film." He grins, clearly less embarassed now.

You can't help but mirror his smile. The waiter comes back with your food and tells you to enjoy.

"So, I'm having dinner with a celebrity right now?" You tease, raising your eyebrow and smirking at him. He rolls his eyes and tells you to shut up, but he's smiling.

A few hours later, your main courses and desserts long gone, you're still sat in the restaurant, deep in conversation. You've covered everything from your childhoods, your favourite movies, tv shows, your families, music, food...the list was endless. As the restaurant closes, you call the waiter over to pay the bill. You rummage around in your bag, pulling out your purse.

"Don't let her pay you." Joe says to the waiter and you glare at him.

"Joe, its fine-"

"Hey, I asked you to come out with me right? Therefore I am paying." He argues, handing over his card to the extremely bored looking waiter, who disappears to get the card machine. "Don't look at me like that, what kind of prick would I be if I expected you to pay on a date?"

You say nothing, but you smile at him, putting your purse away. "If you really want to, you can pay next time."

"There's going to be a next time?" You ask, a teasing tone to your voice, but your inner giggly schoolgirl has practically dropped dead from excitement.

"Well, only if you want, I've had a really good time tonight." He admits, quickly pausing as the waiter comes back and prompts him to enter his card details. "Plus, I still feel guilty for the whole tube thing. But that's not why I asked you out. Fuck, that came out wrong-"

"Joe, its fine, I know what you meant," you laugh, as you stand up, ready to leave. You head outside, and he offers to walk you home, and you continue your discussion about everything under the sun, and more. The whole time, your heart would not calm the fuck down, and you were actually worried he could hear how hard it was beating, especially when his hand accidentally brushed yours.

He pulled his hand back quickly as if he'd been burnt.

"Sorry!" He mumbles, looking as guilty as he did when he elbowed me on the Tube. You can't help but laugh, reaching out and linking your fingers through his.

"There, the scary part's over." You wink at him and he immediately looks relieved, giving your hand a small squeeze. You continue to walk hand in hand to your flat, stopping in front of the steps when you inform him that this was your apartment building. "Thank you for tonight, it was really nice."

"You're welcome," Joe smiles, his fingers still laced with yours. His eyes drift upwards and slightly to the side. "I'm gonna guess that's your roommate?"

You follow his eyeline and sure enough, Zoe is sat in your bedroom window, waving down at you both, a shit eating grin on her face. You groan, rolling your eyes and flipping her off.

"I'm so sorry, I'm gonna murder her," you sigh, feeling mortified as Joe waves back, laughing loudly. "Don't encourage her!" You grab his waving hand and hold it by his side, failing to keep an angry face as you start laughing along with him. "Fuck, I'm sorry, you must think I'm so weird."

Joe raises an eyebrow at me.

"You do realise you're speaking with someone who makes a living from being dressed in bloody period clothing half the time, right?"

"Well actually no, I don't as I've not watched most of your stuff, so there," you grin, poking your tongue out at him. You eventually say goodnight, and he gives you a hug, which you note lasts a few seconds longer than usual. He lets you go, and you slowly walk up the steps to the main door. "Oh, Joe?" You call out as he begins to walk away. He stops and turns.

"Mm?"

"I'll pay next time." You smile, before heading inside and closing the door.

[mikasa-imadebiscults]

Hello may I request a matchup for JJK please? I’m a straight female and my name is Xiomara!

I’m very shy, distant, quiet, and a little awkward. Basically a huge introvert at first. However, once I get to know you better or I at least see that you’re comfortable around me, I’ll get comfortable as well :) And once that happens, you could say I become slightly more extroverted. I get louder, laugh more, and am overall less shy, distant, quiet, and awkward. I’m also very sensitive and have tons of trouble speaking up for myself. When getting yelled at or just insulted, I try and act unbothered but I think everyone knows that I’m holding in my tears at that point… (it’s really embarrassing ok don’t judge 🫠) But one thing I can say is that I’m somewhat funny. When I feel comfortable around people or just someone, I usually let more witty and funny comments out. Hobbies I have are photography, gaming, golfing, bowling, board games, jigsaw puzzles, and listening to music! I mostly do these hobbies solo though since I’m either too scared or nervous to ask someone or even a friend to participate with me. My appearance usually consists of grey sweatpants, grey sweatshirt, and black boots— it’s usually my go to outfit since it’s pretty comfortable. At home, my hair is tied in a low ponytail. Outside however, my hair is let down. I let my hair down outside because I’m hella insecure about my side profile. I have a round face, curtain bangs, eye-bags, black hair, and really dark brown eyes :) some people say they look soulless but idk 🤷‍♀️ I think the only thing that’s preventing my eyes look completely soulless is the fact that I commonly express myself through reactions. I’m also 5’5 ft tall. I am NOT a confrontational person. I will literally do everything and anything I can to avoid that— whether I’m the one being confronted or doing the confronting. In short, I absolutely hate confrontation 😭 I also tend to speak using a lot of “uh” or “um” because if usually when I don’t say those two words, I end up mixing up my words and my whole sentence just ends up sounding confusing 😬 Also, I smile at almost everything and anything. I’m one of those people where even in awkward, inappropriate, or tense situations— I’ll smile. It’s especially always common for me to smile when I’m nervous. Most people find this trait comical lol. But in situations where I shouldn’t be smiling but do, I never smile to upset people, I smile because I’m either extremely nervous or I just thought of something funny. Another trait I have that I’ve gotten called weird for is how often I laugh during the night rather than the day. I just feel like during the nights I remember more hilarious things than I usually do during the day. I also laugh really loud when I’m alone so I guess hearing loud laughter in the nighttime is in fact weird 🤥

(Hey hey, I’m sorry that this is kinda short- my brain was not cooperating with me. Other than that I hope ya enjoy this and have a fantastic day!)

I match you with..

Gojo Satoru

- It makes him happy when you start to get comfortable enough around him to reveal your more extroverted and funny side.

- He has no problem with speaking up for you. Though he does try and help you with that issue.

- He thinks your nervous and awkward smile is cute and will often tease you about it. Saying stuff like “Whatcha smiling about?” or “What’s so funny?”

- INSISTS on going with you to do your interests/hobbies. It gets so damn chaotic whenever you two play board games together (especially if you play any cards games like Uno...don’t even start with Uno) Sometimes you guys even place bets.

- He likes to look at some of the photos you take (Asks if you can take a picture of him next. Then if you agree to it, he’ll have the goofiest smile on his face)

- Loves your eyes and your comfortable style.

Masterlist

[honyakuninakunaru]

Rather Than Wishing Upon A Star In Vain // Mithra SSR Card Story

CHAPTER 1

(City of Stella)

As I wandered around the stalls throughout the festival, I felt a familiar figure approach me.

Akira: "Hi, Mithra!"

Mithra: "Good evening, Master Sage."

Akira: "Since we're both here, shall we browse around together?"

Mithra: "Sure, why not. I haven't got much to do anyways..."

Mitile: "Heave-ho!"

(Smack)

Mitile: "Aww, missed again... This is difficult..."

Hearing a certain someone's voice, we turned our heads towards one of the stands. There, we saw Mitile trying his utmost to score at one of the festival's games.

Akira: "Hey, Mitile, what's up?"

Mitile: "Oh! Hello, Master Sage! And Mister Mithra... I've been trying to throw this ball for so long, but I can't seem to do it right."

Mitile: "Apparently, if you manage to hit any of the prizes hung on the platform, you get to take it home with you. But..."

Akira: "Alright then, let me give it a try! Which one do you want?"

Mitile: "That bag on the right! It's got lots and lots of star-shaped konpeito in it!"

Mithra: "I can just get it for you, you know."

Mitile: "Y-You can...?"

Mithra: "All I have to do is throw the ball at it, right?"

Mitile: "P-Pretty much, yeah. Here, you aim it like thisー"

Mithra: "<Arthim>"

Akira: "Whoa, the ball's floating!"

Mitile: "M-Mister Mithra, you can't do that! It's against the rules..."

Stall Owner: "Oh, Lord! A-A wizard! Y-Yer a... wizard...!"

Upon witnessing Mithra use magic, the stall's owner abruptly yelled out in distress. 

Mithra: "Well, yes, I am. I am Mithra of the North."

Stall Owner: "Mithra o' the North... I reckon I've heard that name before... They say yer a heinous tyrant, the devil incarnate himself...!"

Mithra: "Heh, you know me quite well it seems."

Akira: "(I should step in, shouldn't I...) H-He's also a Sage's Wizard, among other... things."

Akira: "Mithra's not one to resort to violence without rhyme or reason. As the Sage, I can personally vouch for that."

Stall Owner: "Aha... So yer the Sage? Well, not that I'd know even if ye were lyin' to me, but yer quite the character, millin' about with them wizards."

Stall Owner: "Ah, whatever. I suppose wizards from other countries don' really have a reason to be conning us folk. Go on, play all ya like."

Stall Owner: "That goes for ya too, lil' mister."

Mitile: "T-Thank you, sir!"

Though still slighty wary, the owner took the ball from the cage and offered it to us.

Mithra: "Good. Now, let's see..."

Mithra: "<Arthiー>"

Mitile: "Umー! Just a moment... please."

CHAPTER 2

Mithra: "What is it this time? Don't you want that sack anymore?"

Mithra: "I'm going to get it for you in a bit, so just stay put, will you?"

Mitile: "I... Appreciate that, but this still feels like cheating, and I don't like that..."

Mitile: "So, I'm going to get it myself! Without magic!"

Mithra: "Goodness gracious... Nevermind."

Mithra undid the spell he had cast upon the ball. It fell and rolled on the ground, a stone's throw away from the target.

Mithra: "This is what I get for trying to be nice. How utterly vexing."

Mithra: "Oh well, not like I cared about this in the first place."

Mitile: "...Thank you, Mister Mithra. Now, watch closely. I'm going to hit it on the first tryー!"

(Some time later…)

Mitile: "Heave-ho!!"

Akira: "Mitile! You got it!"

Mitile: "Hooray!"

After many strenuous attempts, the ball finally hit the target. Having successfully acquired his prize, a satisfied smile graced Mitile's face.

Mitile: "Look, Master Sage! I got it! I really got it!"

Akira: "That's amazing, Mitile!"

Mitile: "Eheheh! I should also thank you, Mister Mithra! See, I was able to get it with my own two hands!"

Mithra: "I still don't get it. It would've been so much quicker if you had simply used magic."

Mitile: "That's true, but putting effort into making your wishes come true feels much more rewarding..."

Akira: "You wished for something, Mitile?"

Mitile: "Mhm. I heard that if you get a bunch of star-shaped things at this festival, your will get your wishes granted."

Mitile: "That's why I really wanted this bag full of konpeito. ...Here you are."

Akira: "Aw, Mitile... Are you sure you want me to have this?"

Mithra: "I'm beginning to think you didn't really want this if you're willing to share it."

Mitile: "You two stayed by my side and encouraged me to continue, so... It's only right that I give you some as thanks."

Mitile: "I'm going to look for more stars, then! See you!"

(Distancing footsteps)

And with that, Mitile skittered away merrily, the bag of konpeito tightly clutched to his chest.

Akira: "Sounds kind of romantic, doesn’t it? Collecting star-shaped things to get your wishes granted, I mean."

Mithra: "Do you actually believe that? Surely there are other, more practical ways to get what you want."

Mithra: "You have Mithra of the North standing right before you. Anything you want, I can make it come true."

Akira: "...You will do that? For me?"

Mithra: "Of course. There's nothing I can't do. Come on, ask for something. Say, anyone you want me to do away with?"

Akira: "No, I don't have anyone like that... Um, I'm a little thirsty, so if you could get me something to drink..."

Mithra: "<Arthim>"

Mithra: "Interesting. It appears Nero's making some concoction out of pressed fruits. I'll go and get it for you."

Akira: "J-Just like that?! A-Ask him first, perhaps...?"

Mithra: "He won't mind. Anything else?"

Akira: "Well... I've been walking around for a while, and I'm a little tired, so it'd be nice if I could sit down for a minute."

Mithra: "As you wish. <Arthim>"

CHAPTER 3

Akira: "Is this... A chair from the manor's dining hall?"

Mithra: "It is. Since you're used to sitting on it, I thought it'd be the best choice."

Akira: ("That's true, but... I wonder if anyone's been sitting on it until now...")

Mithra: "Come on, take a seat. What would you like next?"

Akira: "That will be all. Thank you, Mithra."

Mithra: "Really? You're satisfied with this little?"

Rather malcontent, Mithra's dark-green eyes wander off to the stall we were at earlier.

Mithra: "Since you said you wanted to collect those start things, I assume there's still something you want?"

Akira: "Well, yea, it sounded interesting, so it made me want to try it for myself."

Akira: "But, rather than collecting them to have my wish granted, I'd like to collect them for the fun of it..."

Akira: "Mitile looked so happy when he got that bag of konpeito. I mean, how can he not. They're so sparkly and pretty, just like little stars."

Mithra: "...I see. You should've said so sooner."

Mithra: "&lt;Arthim>"

(Woosh)

(Somewhere up in the sky)

Before I knew it, Mithra had seated us atop his broom. Glancing upwards, we saw the night sky, adorned with millions of stars, in all its stellar glory.

Akira: "...Wow...!"

Mithra: "You wanted the stars, right? Is this good enough?"

Prompted by Mithra's words, I reached out my hand towards the sky. Beyond my fingertips, the stars shone like polished jewels.

Amidst a sky so dreadfully dark you could get lost in it, never to return, the stars bestowed a gentle, soothing glow from afar.

Akira: "...It's so, so beautiful... I feel like if I just keep reaching out like this, I could actually grab one..."

Akira: "If I had this many stars, my wishes would all come true in the matter of seconds... Thank you for bringing me here, Mithra."

Mithra: "No need to. This is the least I can do."

A perfunctory answer typical for Mithra. And yet, his voice was laced with the faintest bit of mirth.

Mithra: "Now you know that should you ever want anything, you can come and find me."

Mithra: "I will grant you whatever it is you may want, and much better than some petty star."

Akira: "...Mm, I will. Next time I think of something, I'll definitely ask you first."

Mithra: "...If you insist."

Mithra turned around. In his eyes, I could see the reflection of the stars.

Captivated by those little luminaries said to grant one's wishes, I didn't dare blink, for I wanted to remember this view forever.

Mithra's Wish // Card Training Episode

(Manor Lounge)

Akira: "Thank you for going along with my caprices last time, Mithra."

Mithra: "You didn't ask for who-knows-what, so there's nothing to thank me for."

Akira: "Still, it made me very happy. And now, it's my turn to do something for you."

Mithra: "You mean to tell me you can grant a wish of mine?"

Mithra: "What if I asked you to make me the strongest in the world? Or to bring me the greatest legendary beast there is, so I can eat it and fill my stomach for centuries to come?"

Akira: "U-Um, perhaps something a human like me can do... For example, I could cook you your favourite meal!"

Mithra: "Hm. Let's go to my room then."

Akira: "You want me to... cook in your room? I mean, why not, I need to fetch a few ingredients firstー..."

Mithra: "We can do that later. The things you can do for me can be counted on one hand."

Mithra: "If you want to do something for me that badly, put me to sleep, please."

Homescreen Voiceline

Mithra: "No matter how long or hard you wish upon a star, there's no proof that what you want will come true. Stop wasting your time and come here. I trust you haven't forgotten you have a duty at night. If you like the stars so much, I'll simply give you some of my sugar."

ーーーーー

Biiig thanks to circ (@amoresviesse) for providing raws for this story!

[hanuwuie]

Brother

Genre - fiction, fan-made, non idol.

Warning - Sad and angsty ig...

Word count - Idk?

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

"If he loved me why'd he leave me in that hell"

"if only he knows why I left"

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

<Part 2>

Author Pov

Jeongin was shocked at the name. Unable to believe his ears, he looked at Han with wide eyes.

"LN?" Jeongin looked between both of them, "Are you the one-?"

"yes, I am LN. Or you can call me Lino Hyung" Lee know cuts him off as he again introduced himself. "I am 24" lee know tilts his head to which Jeongin nods.

---

Jeongin was in his room, swinging his feet on the chair when someone knocked on his door. He got up and opened his door to see Hyunjin, His... 'house-mate'?, well they share the house.

Hyunjin is older than Jeongin, they share the apartment as the price is reaching the sky and they both can't afford the rent single handedly. They were like brothers, but sometimes Hyunjin would be moody, like now.

"This was at the door, for you." Hyunjin hands him a paper bag. "I don't know what's in it."

Jeongin thanks him and closes the door, reaching back to his previous place. The bag was not much fancy, rather plain, thought there was cookies in it, his favorite.

After settling the cookies in his jar, eating a few, he saw a card in the bag. It was somewhat a business card, LN, the name caught his eye. He saw an address and a phone number, decided to text a 'thank you for cookies', he unlocked his phone.

<chat>

J: Anneyong, I received the cookies.

J: Thank you very much.

Not expecting any replies he went to shower, deciding to finally sleep. He met Lee know quite a lot in a week after the meet at the cafe, But they're not still friends, acquaintance maybe.

Jeongin went straight to bed after the shower... the message long forgotten, apparently sleep is more important than a text.

---

Jeongin was again at the cafe cleaning a bit here and there, Han was sitting with Lee know chatting. He was about to sit down when he heard Han call him. "What?" Jeongin said.

Jeongin pov

"sit, sit"

I sat down because if Han starts persisting, there's no escape.

"You didn't answer my texts?" Lee know asked and I can tell it was directed towards me.

"h-huh" I checked my phone and yeah there were messages. Well not my fault, no one would think they'll get a reply from such a man.

Jisung gets up as Lee know gives him a looks and walks to the kitchen... I didn't question him still thinking of apologizing for not literally ignoring Lee know, until.

"Anyway," Lee Know takes a sip of his coffee, apparently he loves coffee a little too much, "Do You, by any chance, know the whereabouts of you brother, Jeongin?"

"Why would I know about him" My face had a very obvious scowl, "He could be anywhere he want."

Hearing me, I instantly knew by the look on Lee Know's face, that he something was wrong and he was surely surprise. He thought for a moment before speaking, his words sad.

"You don't like him-" He cut his words, "I mean don't you wanna meet him, not for even once. Like he is your brother afterall"

"Why should I, he doesn't even care he has a brother out there" I puffed my cheeks not wanting to cry.

"What do you mean" He looked straight into my eyes, "But he loves you, he is your brother ofc"

"If he loved me why'd he leave me in that hell" I know my words were overly sensitive and straightforward, but I can't keep it in anymore.

"I-" Lee know couldn't speak, Dumbstruck he sat there for a moment and stood up, "Please check the messages now, Might be something important now."

Author Pov

As Lee know was leaving, He bumped into Han, who stopped him and looked over to Jeongin who was sitting with his head down, probably crying.

"What happened" Han motions to Jeongin over his shoulder, "He's crying. Quite rare."

Lee know told Han about the brother talk he had with jeongin, to which Han smiled but his smile faltered as soon it came. He looked straight into Lee know's eyes speaking.

"He, apparently, hates his brother" With a straight face he continues, "But this is the longest he ever talked to someone about him"

Though Lee know was quite sad, He smiled and looked at Jeongin's back.

"Tell him his brother loves him"

[stayarmytinyzenmoa-l]

WHAT I'M GOING TO NEED A PART TWO OF THE YANGYANG ONE AS WELL

Again, why not?

Mischief Managed [Pt. 2]

TW: Language, Ghosts, dead bodies, gun use, break-in-and-enter Genre: Comedy Pairing: Liu Yangyang x Reader YN Pronouns: Not specified Word Count: 0.6K Prompt: “Who says I can’t be a sexy ghost?”

[NCT Masterlist] | [NCT Spooky Season Masterlist] | [Part 1]

Notes: I just really like Yangyang Disclaimer: Please remember that this is an AU and a work of fiction, obviously the idols mentioned/written about in this story would never partake in these actions. The idols mentioned in this work are meant to be seen more as face claims rather than the actual idols themselves.

Feedback is greatly appreciated!! Thank you for reading!

Needless to say, your jaw was on the floor. Quite literally, you'd landed face-first when Yangyang shoved you over before getting killed himself, but that's beside the point. You stood next to Dejun with your mouth open in shock and Yangyang literally matched your expression. You both looked at each other, at Dejun, at your dead bodies, then back to each other again, what the hell did he just say?!

Now Dejun was pacing around your apartment, muttering incoherent things to himself while you and Yangyang regrouped behind him.

"Dude... I thought he was your friend!" You half whispered/half yelled, and Yangyang shook his head.

"Shit, so did I," Yangyang grimaces.

"What did you do?"

"What do you mean 'what did you do?!' How am I supposed to know?!" Yangyang throws his hands toward Dejun.

"Oh my god... oh my god," you pull at your hair, "okay, okay, what are we going to do?"

"What do you mean 'what are we going to do?'"

"What are we going to do?! We just found out Dejun wanted to kill you! That's murder, right?"

"Sure?"

"It is! First-degree murder!"

"Okay, lawyer, what can we do? We're dead! Not to mention we can't leave either!"

"No, we can't, but since we got shot I'm pretty sure the police will be here soon, we can find a way to communicate with them!"

And so, the police came, and so you and Yangyang put your ghostly heads together to get Dejun imprisoned.

"I got this, ghosts always did this in the movies," you cracked your knuckles and grabbed your lipstick first, writing on the mirror that Xiao Dejun was behind the deaths, but instead the police just took pictures of it and hummed. "Oh my god, they're just like the movies too!"

"I got this, (Y/N)," Yangyang floats back to his body and dips its hand into the bullet wound.

"Ewwww," you cringed.

"Shh!" Yangyang traces out Dejun's name on the floor.

"Yangyang."

"Wait, almost done."

"Yang, you spelled Dejun's name wrong."

"I did?" Yangyang stands up and looks at his work. Dejan. "Shit."

"Oh my god..." You buried your face in your hands and you floated over to where Dejun was being questioned by the cops. You slipped his wallet out of his bag and pulled his ID out before slipping it into your dead body's hand. "This should be more than enough." You watched the police loom over your body.

"Look! This one's holding the ID card! This must be the killer!" The police pulls the ID out. "Oh, Dejun, man, you dropped your ID card."

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Your shout sent a red hue through your ghostly form and Yangyang's turned blue for a second before your color returned. "These people are hopeless!"

"Maybe I can possess one of them!" Yangyang floats behind a policeman with a rather weak constitution. "Whelp, here goes!" He dives into the policeman and you watch him freeze for a second, getting used to the body before shaking his head, he turns to you with a thumbs up and a wide smile.

"It was him! He has to be the killer!" Yangyang announces, pointing to Dejun.

"Mark! Pipe down! You're an unpaid intern getting college credit!" The larger policeman says.

"Yes, sir, sorry, sir," Yangyang separated himself from the body and you groaned.

"What the hell was that?!"

"I got scared!"

"Oh my god... we're never getting justice."

General Tag List: @stopeatread @bat-shark-repellant @raeincitizen @umbralhelwolf @yangsrose @kazooms @sadcoffeecritic 

NCT Tag List: @cherrylovr @minjiville 

If you want to be added to either tag list or removed just send me a reply to this post, and ask, or a DM and I’ll add you as soon as possible!

[silveredfeathers]

So am I supposed to put a pinned post up or is it just optional?

Because I'm not sure what to put here but I see a lot of others with one... I live in Alola currently, I'm originally from Kanto, though I see Johto as my home region.

I mean I can put my trainer card post on this to make it easier to find so here's the link to that: LINK

I'm married to @trainerlynda and am dating @timetravelerpyrite.

Note to other Silvers: I AM NOT OLD

//CURRENT ARC: N/A

-----

//Ooc and character info below the cut.

RULES:

- Anon Hate is IC only and I'll delete anything that goes too far.

- Please provide English translations if sending asks with other languages.

- Please don't make me add rules on purpose.

---

Here's a list of ask games you can use if you want to throw an ask at Silver or me:

Headcanons (Writer)

Invasive Questions (Muse)

Pokemon Headcanons (Writer, please say it's for the ask game)

Never Have I Ever (Muse)

TM41: Torment! (Muse)

Memories (OOC Muse, don't send checkmark asks please)

Reporter (Muse, please say it's for the ask game so I can respond the right way.

Evil Team Propaganda can be sent Silv's way.

---

CHARACTER INFO:

I'm going to add more info to this and make it fancy later.

---

Rather specific tags:

#Wormholes Suck - Lore relating to Silver and Touya's past.

#Lore Crumbs & #Vague Lore Crumbs - For the most part, as it says on the tin, the post mentions something that happened before the blog due to my Silver being developed before I made the blog.

#Silver's Asks - Ask posts. This also goes for any tag that has the word asks in it (ie. #Magic Anon Asks).

#Chimera's Curse - Stuff relating to the "official" reveal of Silver being a hybrid to rotumblr.

#Mew out of the bag - [ARC] In which Gio was turned into part Mewtwo. The link is a masterlist of important posts.

#Fool's Faller - [ARC] Silver and Lyn first meet Pyrite in person here!

---

This is a blog meant to represent my version of Silver, which means he strays from canon a little bit... Okay alota bit. This blog may also cover some serious things, but also participates in the general tumblr chaos. He will only be shipped with characters my BF writes, for comfort reasons.

He is 36 years old, his birthday being 12/24/1988, which makes him 11 during the events of the Gold/Silver games. He's married to @trainerlynda and dating @timetravelerpyrite. A bunch of dimension hopping related shenanigans and other such things that have happened to him. He is also transmasc and bi. If, for some reason, you don't like that, please just block me and leave.

He is a hybrid of Ho-oh, Lugia, and Silvally, due to Kenichi's (He is Lynda's halve of the universe's Giovanni's twin brother yes I know that's probably confusing-) scientists messing with him.

Silver's Boxes (Pokemon List)

Artwork with this Silver in it:

His current pfp, drawn by me

Reference sheet, drawn by me

In between form and concept drawing of the full form drawn by me

Silver and Puppy, drawn by @/yewwantstobattle

Silver helping his wife calm down after some shit happened, drawn by me

-----

WRITER INFO:

I am 21 and am kinda new here. Please let me know in private if I end up talking to someone bad, I likely genuinely didn't know since that info is scattered pretty much everywhere.

Follows and likes are from @zoranaroleplayhub and sometimes @messyzoranablog. Asks are primarily in anon.

Any art that I post will be credited accordingly. If it is not labeled, then it's my own work or official.

-----

OTHER THINGS:

Ho-oh and Lugia Feather Properties - A headcanon post about the abilities different feathers Lugia and Ho-oh have, since the Silver and Rainbow Wings have their own special thing going on with them. It's in the format of old explorer journal pages. These headcanons will sometimes be referenced by Silver and are here for ease of finding.

[raccoon-eyed-rebel]

Part 27 - Girls just wanna have fun

Masterlist

Series Masterlist

Part 26 -- Part 28

Summary: The girls have their long awaited girls' night!

Warnings: recreational drinking, lots of sex talk in probably way too much detail...

Word count: 7k

A/N: Alright, prepare to learn some new things about the girls, and be reminded of some favorite - or less favorite, I don't know - moments... I had absolutely never planned for this to be so insanely long...

@geralts-yenn @summersong69 @livisss @sillyrabbit81 @ellethespaceunicorn @ylva-syverson @poledancingdinos @deandoesthingstome

“Elena! Come in!” A shivering Elena stepped into the apartment, handing Dani her bags, and hanging her coat on the coat rack Dani pointed to. “Can I get you some tea? Hot chocolate?”

“Mulled wine,” Ariel called over from the table.

Elena’s eyes lit up. “You guys have mulled wine?”

“Sloane felt like making it,” Dani laughed, “want some?”

“Please! It’s freezing out!” It really was. Over the past few days, it had been snowing almost constantly, and today was no exception. “This snowstorm makes me wish I was with Sherlock right now,” Elena sighed. At the table, Sloane and Ariel rolled their eyes.

“Not this again, we just heard thirty minutes of this from Dani and Sol! ‘Oh, I wish I could snuggle up to Mike right now, blah blah blah.’ ‘Oh, I wish Geralt were here so he could make me warm with his big strong arms-‘“

“I did not say that!” Sol interrupted as she shuffled the deck of cards she was holding.

“Maybe I took some creative liberties,” Ariel replied, “but that was the gist of it, wasn’t it?”

Sol shrugged. She wasn’t too far off, there had indeed been some complaining about the lack of contact of the intimate variety. “Besides,” she said, “you cannot possibly blame me for wanting to jump that man. Right, Dani?”

“I’ve already apologized for that!” Dani complained as she walked back from the kitchen, holding a tray full of steaming cups.

Sloane, Ariel and Elena gathered around Sol at the table, mischievous looks in their eyes. “What happened?”

“Mike issued a ban on Geralt walking around the house without a shirt on,” Sol said with an apologetic smile to Dani, “because apparently she was rather… distracted… by the sight.”

“And you would have been too,” Dani said before any of the others could open their mouths. “That man is a beast.”

“Alright, that’s enough drooling over our wine, thank you…” Ariel took a cup off the tray and leaned back. “Besides, I don’t think I believe any of this. She drools over Mike the same way and – I am so very sorry about this – he’s a skinny little twig.”

Dani huffed at the insult. “He’s not! He’s… lean.” Alright, maybe he was a skinny little twig – especially compared to Geralt. But he was her skinny little twig. “Anyway, Elena! Sol was going to do a tarot reading before you came in, can we get back to that?”

“Nice try,” Sloane laughed, “so, Sol… is she exaggerating?” Her eyes went wide when Sol shook her head – a little too slowly, and a little too smugly, maybe.

“I might have a picture somewhere…” She put the cards down and picked up her phone while the others wondered why she had shirtless pictures of her boyfriend on her phone. “We were in a long-distance relationship for three years… I could show you a picture of his cock if I wanted to. And before you ask, I don’t want to.” She chuckled as Sloane rolled her eyes, knowing she was only half-joking.

“Does anyone know why Ange is late?” Elena interrupted. Anjelica wasn’t the type to be late. In fact, everyone was more than a little surprised that she hadn’t shown up hours early, asking what she could help with. Solveig didn’t seem to know anything other than that she had to pick something up before the party.

After some more wine, some silly jokes and an interesting tarot reading for Ariel – where Sol told her she couldn’t know if some things were mistakes until after the fact, and which seemed to turn her a little quiet for a moment – there was another knock on the door.

“Hi everyone!” Ange beamed when she came in. Behind her was a girl none of the others recognized. “This is my gym bestie, Alexandra Carson. You can call her Alex.”

“Hi,” Alex said a bit awkwardly. “I thought you said they knew I was coming,” she whispered to Anjelica, who shrugged apologetically.

Elena was the first to put two and two together: “Alexandra… The Lexi?”

“Only Marshall calls me that.” From the way she was standing there, everyone could tell that she was hurt – it was obvious in her eyes, her posture, and the way she bit her lip. “Angie invited me. She said you guys were okay with it, and that maybe you could help. If you don’t want me here, I’ll… I’ll go.”

“Please don’t leave,” Dani said as she reached out a hand and pulled Alex into the room. Then, she turned to Anjelica: “You know, you could have told us?”

“Yes, but I couldn’t take that risk. I’m scheming, leave me be.” She joined the others at the table and eyed the cards Sol still had laying in front of her. “Are you getting your witch on?”

“I was just done,” Sol replied, “I can’t concentrate with all of you around me, anyway.”

“She was finding us a picture of Geralt’s abs,” Ariel reminded her, and Alex was suspiciously quick to sit down.

“Oh, yes please,” Anjelica begged, “that man is a god.” She seemed to disappear in her thoughts for a moment, until Dani brought her back by reminding her of the existence of August, who – according to Dani’s mild description ‘didn’t look too bad, either’. “Oh, he’s a boxer, he’s got plenty of muscle, it’s just… You haven’t truly lived until you’ve seen Geralt half naked. I swear I dream of that man sometimes, sorry Sol.”

“It’s okay,” she replied with a smug smile, “I get it.” Something in her eyes told the others there was something she wasn’t telling them. Luckily, Ange was the queen of staring people down – which was impressive, because she was usually staring up at people. Sol folded her hands in her lap, something in her expression vaguely resembling guilt. “Alright, confession time?”

“Spit it out, Gustavsson,” Ange laughed.

“Last year, when I visited Geralt over the summer, I walked into the bathroom just as August got out of the shower…” Solveig made a vague and confused gesture at Anjelica’s body. “How? Where… How?”

“Oh good, we’re really gonna start this already! I need a drink!” Ange said before laughing. ���Lots and lots of practice?” she added suggestively in reply to the question.

In the meantime, Sol had found the picture she was looking for and shared it with the rest, stressing this was the most innocent one she could find.

“Is that code for ‘the only one that doesn’t have his dick in it’?” Sloane didn’t deal in subtlety. Ever.

“Yes,” Sol replied point blank, rolling her eyes at Dani and Alex’ shocked expressions. “Babes, I was in a long-distance relationship for three years. The only things I could do with that thing were look at it and dream about it…”

“I wasn’t in a long-distance relationship for the past years and I have plenty of… material,” Ange laughed, turning her phone to reveal a shirtless August. “Besides, Dani, you’ve been going out with Mike for what? Four weeks? You must have tons of these?” Her eyes widened when Dani slowly shook her head.

“It’s mostly memes… fine, here.” She pulled up the conversation with Mike and put the phone in Angie’s eagerly outstretched hand.

“I’m not gonna find his dick in here, am I?” Ange asked while she was already scrolling through the pictures. “Ex-cuse me!” She turned Dani’s phone back to the others. “That’s a shameless thirst trap if I ever saw one…”

“Dani, for fuck’s sake!” Ariel playfully smacked Dani on the back of her head. “You said there wasn’t much to tell! ‘Skinny little twig’, my ass! ‘Fuckable’ is more like it!”

“Shit, she’s right. And…” Sloane shook her head. “Ladies… Print.”

“What? Where?” Ange turned the phone back.

“I’d say… the usual spot,” Sloane said with a raised eyebrow.

“What is she even looking at?” Alex joined in, making the others – except Dani, who wasn’t sure, either – chuckle.

“The outline of his dick,” Anjelica deadpanned, “very clearly visible in these thirst-trappy grey sweats.” She even went through the trouble of zooming in on the area of interest, and Dani felt like she could just die of embarrassment.

“Can we… oh God, Ange, please… Give me my phone, please. Now.” She grabbed it quickly and put it away.

“For a year and a half I looked at Mike like a little brother, or a puppy, or maybe a bit of both, but now… I’m a changed woman.” Ange laughed, and the others soon followed. “Like, I knew he was cute, but… he’s so silly and… Okay, honestly? I always kinda expected Mike to be the guy who just goes ‘go go gadget cockring’ in the middle of sex somehow and…” Dani nearly spit her sip of wine over the table.

“Not with a cockring,” she giggled between fits of coughing. The others looked at her. “Okay, okay. Ehm. We were, well, here, in my room, last week or something and we were… busy, and he just went… Oh my god. Yeah, so… literally like you just… The inspector gadget thing, and he pulls out my eh…”

“It’s called a vibrator, Dani, we all have them,” Ange laughed.

“And if any of you don’t, I’m very sorry about that and I have plenty of recommendations,” Sol added.

“Alright, well, yeah. So. In conclusion: He’s exactly the type to do that, Ange.” Dani had never been happier that her phone screen lit up. “Oh, looks like the boys are mocking us.”

Everyone looked at the screen, which showed a pic of Mike, Sy and Leon – and beer – with the caption ‘talking about how big your tits are, Sweetcheeks’.

“Oh! Another one!” Ange yelled, sliding her phone to the center of the table, showing everyone a photo of August and Geralt on the couch together. Maybe the photo was more casual than the silly one from Mike, but the text accompanying it sure wasn’t… ‘Remember that some things are for your eyes only’.

“That’s vaguely threatening,” Alex said, her eyes wide.

“That’s outright threatening,” Ange laughed, “just the way I like it.” The whole comment added to Alex’ confusion.

“I remember a comment from last week about him slapping the shit out of you, but I have to say I’m a little confused, now, too,” Sloane said.

Judging from the look on her face, Ange hadn’t really expected to have to explain the dynamics of her sex life. That was honestly her mistake.

“Think ‘fifty shades’ but with more respect and less abuse,” she said shyly. “It’s… I just…” “Ange,” Dani interrupted, “you don’t have to explain a single thing if you want to. That said, I always kinda thought August was the ‘chains and whips’ type.”

“I can’t begin to tell you how right you are,” Ange laughed. “Thanks, by the way.”

“Do you mind the question ‘why’? Not in a ‘ew, why’ kind of way but more… I don’t really understand the appeal, so… Like if you don’t want to answer that’s fine, too,” Alex asked very softly.

“Oh, sweetheart!” Ange laughed. “It’s… For starters it’s fun. And it turns my brain off, like… Don’t get me wrong. I’m a strong, independent woman, all the way, and I like it. But it’s tough to always be on top of everything, and stressing about whether I’m doing it all well enough and stuff… It’s a lot of pressure. Self-imposed pressure, but still.” She absentmindedly stroked a bruise on her wrist.

“I mean, that I can understand,” Ariel said slowly, “but bruises…”

“Hm, I don’t know, I’m always pretty fond of those mornings when you get up and see ‘shit, he grabbed me for real last night’,” Sloane laughed. The look on Solveig’s face told everyone she agreed. “Elena, you’ve been awfully quiet.”

“Ehm… Let’s say I don’t like to be on the receiving end of whatever you can think of that would mark me up,” she said with a smug smile. “Now if Sherlock were to give me permission to suck on his neck until people will start asking questions… gladly.”

“Ooooooh,” everyone said in unison as they listened to her ‘confession’.

“Sherlock is in so much trouble,” Sol chuckled.

“I’d love to tie that man up and edge him for a while…” Elena mused. “But it’s going to take at least a few months before I’ll bring that up.”

Everyone laughed at that comment, Dani and Alex went to get more drinks – deciding it would be easier to just leave the bottles on the table, and Ange shifted in her seat, throwing a curious glance at Elena.

“Just out of my absolutely insatiable curiosity… Is he any good?” she asked.

“Almost surprisingly so,” Elena laughed. “The way he pays attention… It’s honestly remarkable.”

“Remarkable is not a sexy term, Elena,” Ariel said.

“Neither are ‘calculated’, ‘skilled’, ‘proficient’, ‘observant’, ‘rational’…” Sloane added. ‘

Elena laughed and shook her head. “They are to me,” she said, clearly amused, “besides. It’s Sherlock. What were you expecting? Hot, passionate, and animalistic?”

“Hm, Sy’s keywords,” Dani muttered without thinking. Everyone except Sloane and Ari looked at her.

“You… like… What?” Really, seeing Anjelica at a loss for words was incredible.

“You slept with Sy?” Sol clarified – unnecessary, but still appreciated.

“God, yeah. I went to some orientation party and he was there and he ended up coming back here and…” Dani made a vague gesture. “Can you imagine my surprise when I ran into him in the kitchen the morning after my first night with Mike?”

“And after Sy had been responsible for you almost biting Mike’s dick off,” Sloane added with a grin, “let’s not forget about that…”

“You what?” Ange and Sol yelled at the same time.

“Alright so, yeah. Me and Mike were getting it on in the shower and he… Oh God.” Dani downed what was left of her glass of wine and poured herself a new one. “There’s no pretty way to say this, so I’m going to Mike it and say whatever pops into my head, okay?” The others nodded, clearly eager to hear the rest of this story.

“Did you just use Mike’s name as a verb for doing things impulsively?” Elena asked. There was no judgement to her voice, just… observation.

“Yes,” Dani laughed, “anyway… I’m on my knees with a mouth – throat, even – full of cock, and Sy knocks on the door – which I’m still surprised didn’t break, by the way, he slammed it so fucking hard… - to tell us to y’know… Get out of the shower. Which startled me, because duh! And I accidentally kinda… closed my mouth. Which meant… Yeah, I almost bit Mike’s dick off, so…. There’s that.”

“Who’s better?” Ange asked without thinking.

“Oh, God, don’t make me answer that,” Dani whined, but the guilt-ridden voice said it all. “Shit. Okay, so Mike is great! I literally can’t explain how amazing sex with him is. It’s fun, and silly and he takes care of me and I really, really, really can’t stress enough that it’s wonderful!” It almost sounded like an apology. No, scratch that. It was an apology. “And I mean… I only slept with Sy once – well, unless you count that threesome and…” “Unless you count that what?” Sloane and Ari shouted. Dani looked back at them like a deer in headlights.

“I heard ‘threesome’,” Ange said to Sol, “did you hear the word ‘threesome’?” “Oh, I heard it too,” Sol added, followed by confirmations from Elena and Alex.

“You guys, please,” Dani pleaded, “I can’t…”

“Ehm, yeah you can. This is a safe space,” Ariel taunted sweetly.

“Ehm, maybe someone else can share something with the group. Like why you didn’t jump on Leon when you had the chance,” Dani retorted. “I’m not going to be the only one talking about my sex life, thanks.”

Now it was Ari’s turn to shyly look around the table in hope to find some support somewhere – she didn’t find any, just curious looks. “I… hate that man,” she sighed.

“Lies!” Anjelica interrupted. “You don’t make a face like that when thinking of someone you hate.”

“Is it just me or are we in dire need of popcorn?” Elena whispered to Alex, who laughed. Dani got up and walked towards the kitchen.

“Your wish is my command,” she laughed as she threw a bag of popcorn on the table.

“Fine!” Ariel said. “I kinda like him. Kinda. Maybe. But he’s a smug, arrogant piece of work and…”

“So are you?” Sol guessed.

Before Ariel could protest, Sloane and Dani both nodded. “Yeah, she is,” Dani said, before looking at Sloane in disbelief. “Oh, please, Slo! As if you’re not exactly the same!”

“I don’t nix a guy based on the fact that he tries to do better than me in class, and…”

“No, you just fuck one you like and then ditch him based on…” “The fact that he’s an insane womanizer with no respect for monogamy?”

“Since when do you respect monogamy?”

“Whoa, listen! I’m not monogamous, that doesn’t mean I don’t respect monogamy. I don’t go creeping around with guys – or girls, for that matter – who are in monogamous relationships! I. Don’t. Cheat.”

“Ladies, please!” Anjelica interrupted. “I appreciate that therapy is – finally – in session, but one at a time! We started with Ari. Let’s wrap that up first. What was his big crime that made you run?”

Ariel seemed to give up on the idea of avoiding these questions, and resigned to the third degree she knew she was about to get. “He wanted to go down on me,” she sighed. Everyone at the table stared at her with open mouths.

Solveig was the first to shake her head as if to clear her initial shock away and speak: “Terribly sorry to not understand, but that sounds like the exact opposite of a problem to me?”

“Well… There was this guy, in high school… He told me I…” Her voice trailed off and she stared at her hands as she fiddled with the stem of her wine glass.

“Smelled funny, tasted bad, looked weird,” Anjelica sighed as if she knew exactly what Ariel was talking about – and perhaps she did.

“Looked weird, yeah. So now I’d rather just… And it’s so fucking ridiculous, too!” Ariels previous insecurity rapidly turned into a rant. “Like I’m so sorry, but ninety percent of dicks aren’t exactly going to win a beauty pageant, either. But this idiot tells me I got a weird looking cooch and I’m insecure for years and years…”

“Tell me Leon was not such a complete cock to go as far as confirming that,” Ange said, shaking her head.

“No, no… Eh… Oh God,” Ari stammered, “I… His first crime was guessing what my problem was in one try, which I found fucking annoying. And then his response… His exact words were: Blindfold me. Like, completely unironically… He meant that shit.

“You’re joking?” Sloane said in disbelief. “And… You’re telling me a guy tells you that… That he’ll literally let you blindfold him so he can eat you out, and you ran. Girl I would have said: Grab the fucking blindfold, now let me sit on your face.”

“Oh, he would have loved that,” Ange chuckled, “Leon likes a woman in charge.”

“How the fuck do you know?” Alex blurted out.

“I know his ex,” Anjelica said simply. That surprised absolutely no one.

“You know everyone,” Sol huffed.

“Yes, and that includes Leon’s ex,” Ange retorted, sounding a little snippy. “The real question is indeed: why’d you run?”

Ariel thought about that for a while, leaning back in her chair. The expression on her face told the others that she didn’t exactly know the answer to that question, either. “I guess I got scared. I think I like him, but… He’s not exactly boyfriend-material, is he?”

“I think the real question is: Do you want a relationship where you’re constantly challenging each other?” Dani said. The others nodded in agreement.

Ariel let her head fall to the table. “Yes,” she muttered before looking up again. “It just sucks. Like… I want to make this man my bitch – which is a feeling I’m very much used to. But I also want to worship every inch of his body. And that’s very new to me and I don’t fucking like it!”

“You’ll get used to it,” Sol answered. “Geralt annoyed me so much when we first met! Now he still annoys me, but at least we get to hash it out in the sheets.”

Everyone laughed for a moment, and then one by one, everyone turned to Sloane.

“Alright, ladies. Those rumors are all true. Charles Brandon fucks like a god. I mean, he’s obviously logged the hours, so it would be a crime for him to be worse than he is, but he’s good…” “You went back for seconds,” Dani said, eyes wide. “He was drunk and had a sprained hand on New Year’s Eve, and you told me you’d done most of the work but that he was adequate. You…”

“Yeah, I went back. So what, I wanted him at full capacity, sue me!” She rolled her eyes and knocked back the rest of her drink. “Who cares if it’s ‘one million satisfied customers’ with that guy?”

“Clearly you don’t, or you would have used a condom that first time,” Ariel said, realizing too late that that information may have been a little too private. “Oh, God, I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Sloane laughed, “I got tested again, just to be sure. It was stupid, I was way too drunk to make good decisions…” “You must have wanted him bad, girl,” Alex chuckled, looking a little flustered from all they’ve been talking about.

“That’s the thing… I came there hoping to hook up with Sy, what with Dani’s review being so amazing. But he was taken, and Charles… He’s such a dick, and I’m notorious for thinking I can fix a man.” She shrugged. “He’s hot, he’s good in bed, his family is loaded.” “Way to sound like a gold digger, Slo,” Dani laughed, explaining quickly that the Price family wasn’t exactly strapped for cash, either.

“Oh, girl, do you ever go shopping with them,” Ange said as she pointed at Dani and Ariel, “and offer to buy them something, like, it won’t even make a dent in your budget, and they complain literally so much?”

“Oh my god! All the time!” Sloane rolled her eyes. “Like, please help me spend my allowance or next month’s purchase will have to be the upstairs apartment because I will need more space?”

“Spoiled bitches,” Dani muttered under her breath, unable to hide her laughter.

“Hi, yeah, we’re offering you a chance to be spoiled with us…” Ange replied, also laughing, while Sloane confirmed her words with a decisive nod. “Anyway… Forget about Charles. He hasn’t been in a relationship in years. He stopped dating after he wrecked the second or third relationship by stepping out on his girl…”

“I know… Somehow that level of introspection kinda makes me hot for him, too…” Sloane admitted reluctantly.

“Oh God, you’re horrible!” Ariel yelled in disbelief.

“Okay, I’m done. Next!” Sloane said. “Can we back to the saga of Dani and the threesome already?”

“Fine, I’ll talk. But everyone has to swear they won’t judge me,” Dani said softly and with a look of pure terror on her face.

“Judge you? Girl, please,” Sloane said, “I applaud you, at worst!” The others seemed to agree with that.

“Alright, alright. I went up to Mike’s room that night… it was the start of the vacation. Sy and Mike were playing video games. This was literally the first time I’d actually talked to Sy since that night after the party. Mike was antsy – as per usual – and we decided that getting stoned was a great idea. I get back to Mike’s room first, because I’m a lightweight when it comes to pot. They must have said something to each other, because when they got back, and we got comfy on the couch again, they kinda started… feeling me up and… Long story short, next thing I know it’s both of their faces between my thighs.”

“No. My. God.” Anjelica blurted out.

“Yep. That’s one area where Sy definitely wins out. That man gives incredible head.” Dani sighed deeply as she remembered the evening.

“But you didn’t take it further than that?” Sol asked in disbelief.

“Nope. I’m fairly sure the whole point was to teach Mike to eat pussy,” Dani said without thinking. “Shit. Eh… Wow, me and my big mouth.” “Did he pass the test?” Elena grinned. “And did it work?”

“Oh, he passed, alright. And yeah… It definitely worked.” Dani knew she couldn’t keep the grin off her face even if she tried, so she just didn’t try. “Now please, someone else tell me they’ve been in a situation like that, because I feel incredibly awkward about this.”

Sol and Ange shared a very suspicious look and a slight nod before Ange started to speak: "Not exactly like that, but… Sol, can you take this one, please?”

“Alright,” Sol laughed, “last year, I was visiting for a few weeks because the classes I was taking were taught online to begin with – our professor was in arctic Canada for research, so… Anyway – I’m here when the ski trip is happening. Geralt was trying to cancel, because he didn’t want to leave me behind, but Ange – the absolute angel – manages to get me a spot on the list, instead. Now. This wasn’t as last-minute as you might think, so this is all the guys’ fault, really…”

Ange took over: “Yeah. When you hear: ‘my girlfriend and your girlfriend are both coming on this trip’, you should immediately think: ‘how about we share a room so we can swap at night’. But they didn’t. So these idiots end up in different rooms, with uptight, single roommates. We were sharing a room though, because we came prepared. And…” “We wanted to sleep next to our guys, of course,” Sol continues, ignoring all the ‘uhuh’-s and eyerolls when she says ‘sleep’. “So they snuck into our room, and everything was fine.”

“Now, there’s a limit to what you can do together without alerting anyone else in the room with you, and…” Everyone else at the table looked at Sol and Ange, knowing exactly where this story is going.

“Sex is not one of those things?” Elena contributed with a cocked eyebrow and a smirk on her face.

“Very much not one of those things,” Sol confirmed. “And we were both just having a ‘if they’re doing it then so are we’-experience.”

“Right. I’m not listening to their sex noises while I’m chastely snuggling up to August, fuck that!” Ange laughed. “And we just tried to keep quiet until we reached a point where none of us cared anymore, like… We knew what they were doing, they knew what we were doing, so we just… No… let’s say ‘crossover’, either, in case you’re wondering – I fucking know you’re wondering.”

“Oh, I was wondering, for sure,” Ariel said, leaning in further to not miss a second of this story.

“The best part was,” Sol chuckled, “that the guys got competitive.” “Oh my God,” Elena muttered – seemingly involuntarily.

“And they already have more stamina than we can really handle, so… First, we get the best head ever, because of course neither of them wanted to be the guy to take the longest to make his girl cum, then they refuse to be the first to finish when they’re nailing us…” The memory made Ange laugh, with Sol joining in not much later. “I was so sore the next day.”

“Gods, tell me about it,” Sol said while rolling her eyes. “I think the only time it’s been worse was… The morning after I got here two weeks ago.”

“You showed me those bruises,” Anjelica chuckled. “Geralt means business.”

“We went six rounds without a break, Ange.” Everyone looked at Sol with an open mouth. Everyone except Anjelica.

“Do you think August will get competitive again if I tell him that?” she wondered out loud.

“Are you sure you’re willing to find out,” Sloane teased.

“God, no!” Ange laughed. “But this whole story does remind me… We need to talk about the ski trip.” She shot a meaningful look at Alex, who looked just about ready to dive under the table and not emerge again for the rest of the night.

“Before we even get into that,” Dani said, “we heard the melancholic doomsday summary from Marshall, but… What’s your version of events?”

Following that question, Alex seemed to become even more nervous.

“Come on, no need to be scared,” Elena said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, which seemed to calm her down a bit.

“Alright,” she finally sighed. “Marshall is my brother’s best friend, and when I was little, I was ‘the little sister’, but when I got older it turned into more of a friend-type situation… I don’t even really know at this point, anyway. Last Christmas, Marshall came home, my brother got delayed, so I figured Marshall wouldn’t even stop by, but he did – holding the bottle of Baileys we always steal from my parents’ party. So, we’re drinking, and somehow end up talking about how no guy has ever made me… y’know…”

“Wait, hold on,” Sloane interrupted, “no guy has ever made you cum?”

“Had, now, technically… But at that time, not once.” Alex nervously fidgeted with her hair. All the girls cried out in sheer outrage. “Yeah, yeah, how dare they, right? So, I make some lame joke – that really was just a joke – about how he should volunteer to change that, or something, expecting him to just laugh it off, but instead he kisses me and… Okay without going into any more unnecessary detail; we had sex. That’s it.”

“Yeah, but you did cum?” Elena asked, her eyes widening in surprise with a hint of pity when Alex burst into tears.

“It was so amazing,” she sobbed, “we were drunk, and it was a one-time thing, and it was my brother’s best friend and…” She took a deep breath. “That is the best sex I’ve ever had. A drunken one-night stand with my brother’s best friend.” Her cries became louder again, and tears rolled down her cheeks. “He… Okay TMI, but he’s huge, and, like… I was so sure it was going to hurt because it always does but…” She had to stop for a moment before she was able to speak again, because her words were barely audible through her sobbing anymore. “He was so sweet and calm and… then it didn’t… it didn’t hurt… And I really thought maybe we… we could be something but then… I showed up at the party a week later… and… he was going upstairs with… with her and… Oh God I’m pathetic.”

“Not at all, girl,” Dani said as she got up and wrapped her arms around Alex’ shoulders from behind her chair.

“Do you see why I brought her tonight?” Ange asked, folding her arms on the table, and looking at everyone with a serious expression – especially Dani and Elena. “I’m over this nonsense. He likes her, she likes him. He needs to get his head out of his ass, though.”

“He can go fuck himself after what he did!” Alex cried out.

“Okay, I would like to point out the one tiny little technical detail that he didn’t actually do anything wrong,” Elena interjected, leaving Dani, Sol, and Ange to look at her in disbelief. “He was a heartbroken, single guy, doing what heartbroken, single guys do: rebound. Besides, he couldn’t get it up.”

“He couldn’t get it what now?” Dani asked.

“Just this once, I know someone,” Elena said triumphantly. “And that someone is Mariela, Veronique’s best friend. She plays oboe in the orchestra. We talked. Nothing happened, because Marshall couldn’t get it up. And I’m not supposed to even know that, because she wasn’t even supposed to know that, so as far as you’re all concerned, nobody knows anything. Capiche?” They all nodded.

“I couldn’t help but notice,” Sloane interrupted carefully, “that you said something about sex always being painful?”

Alex’ eyes went wide. “Shit, eh… Well, yeah?”

“Do you have any idea why that might have been the case?” It was obvious that Sloane was in doctor-mode for this conversation.

“I… Oh my god, can we not talk about this?” Alex turned her eyes away from Sloane’s.

“Actually,” Sloane said softly, “I think it’s very important that you do talk about it. I’ve had my share of painful sex, and I know it’s not just the two of us, okay?”

“Well…” Alex took a deep breath. “I never really got all that excited… With the other guys, I mean. It’s going to sound so weird but it’s like… Like I was never really attracted to them? Romantically, absolutely! But not sexually. And then with Marshall… I’ve been wanting to jump his bones since I was sixteen years old. Because I… I know him. Is that weird? It’s totally weird!”

“No, it’s not,” Sloane said, still incredibly calm, bordering on professional. “It’s something quite commonly seen on the ace-spectrum. Demisexuality comes to mind, for instance. I’m not saying that has to be it for you, of course, but it might be worth looking into, if you want.”

“Be my encyclopedia for a second, would you?” Alex muttered, clearly confused.

“The shortest explanation would be that demisexual people don’t experience sexual attraction unless they have an emotional bond with another person,” Sloane explained, a worried look crossing her face when Alex went completely quiet. “Alex?”

“It has a name?” she whispered so softly the others barely heard her. “I’ve spent years thinking I was crazy because I didn’t want to fuck on the first date, and now it turns out it not only is a thing, but it has a fucking name?”

“You’re not crazy,” Anjelica said, reaching for Alex’ hand.

“And you’re hardly alone,” Elena said quietly. “What I’m about to say isn’t a secret, per se, but if you’d please treat it with a little discretion, that would be greatly appreciated.” “Sherlock is the same way?” Dani guessed with a grin.

“Right. I never said it wasn’t also glaringly obvious,” Elena said, returning the grin. “He mentioned it after we… God, that speech of his fucked with my vocabulary. Went all the way? Is that… Anyway, you know what I mean.” “When he dicked you down for the first time?” Dani offered, causing everyone to burst out in laughter.

“Hm, it was a lot of things, but not quite that,” Elena laughed – until she realized she had just voluntarily offered her sex life up for meticulous dissection. “Either way; he mentioned that he’d never felt any sexual attraction until well after we became good friends. Not until after he fell in love with me to begin with. I’m not trying to label him one thing or another, but… I just want you to know you’re not the only one who doesn’t want to bone everyone all the time.”

“That’s actually very helpful, thanks,” Alex hugged Elena.

“By the way, Dani,” Elena added after a few moments. “He mentioned not craving sex to the boys pretty much every time they tried to get him to hook up with someone. Mike called him weird.”

“I will add it to the ever growing list of reasons to smack him in the back of his head,” Dani vowed.

“Maybe you should buy a riding crop, instead,” Anjelica suggested with an evil smile.

“I’m sure he’d love to experiment with that,” Dani laughed, and the others soon followed. “So that’s definitely not happening.”

The conversation quickly developed into a silly game of Truth or Dare, and Dani was the first person who was brave enough to pick a Dare.

“I think Mike would appreciate a nice picture,” Ariel teased.

“I think Mike can turn to his OnlyFans subscriptions if he wants something to look at,” Dani said, crossing her arms and sinking into the couch she’d moved to.

“How am I both surprised and totally unsurprised that Mike pays for porn?” Anjelica wondered out loud. The others quickly agreed, while Dani looked at them a little mad.

“He has a porn budget,” she growled. “I’m dating a guy with a porn budget.”

“Financial responsibility,” Sol mused, “now that’s something I wouldn’t immediately associate with Mikey.” Now Dani couldn’t help but laugh, either.

“I’m a little hurt, honestly,” Dani whispered softly when she was done laughing.

“Which is why you’re going to send him that pic,” Sloane teased, while Ariel wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

“Oh, sweetie,” Ange addressed her concern, “he’s a guy. And on top of that: he’s Mike. I’ve seen him around you, he’s smitten! Please, don’t worry about the porn.”

Somehow, Angie’s words helped Dani feel slightly better about the situation, and she agreed to take the Dare – unfortunately forgetting that she was in the room with an Art History major who focused on photography.

“We’re doing this right, bitch,” she said, scowling at Dani’s (admittedly half-assed) slightly-too-much-cleavage-selfie. “I’ll take the pic with your phone, which is – as far as I’m concerned – already swearing in church, but we’re not… No. Mike deserves better than this, porn budget or not.”

She immediately started directing everyone to do whatever so she could get a decent picture, until…“Dani, come on, lose the shirt!”

Undressing in front of girls was hardly a new thing, even when the others were watching in various states of amusement as Ariel took charge of the situation. “Oh, no,” she said when Dani pulled her shirt over her head. “Go grab a bra that isn’t this unsightly t-shirt bra from the year 32BCE.”

“Better yet,” Sloane interrupted, “wear one of mine.”

“Those won’t fit me, genius,” Dani threw back, rolling her eyes as both of her friends bossed her around her own damn home.

“It’s for a picture, not a wedding gown fitting, Jesus,” Ariel laughed.

Dani tried to protest, but quickly stopped when she saw what Sloane handed her.

“Oh,” Anjelica said, “is that Agent Provocateur?”

“It is,” Sloane replied enthusiastically, looking at Angie as if she’d finally found her soulmate. It only got worse when Angie could actually name the specific model.

“August accidentally ripped one of those once,” she said before sighing deeply.

Meanwhile, Sloane looked as if she’d witnessed an actual murder. “That’s a very expensive mistake,” she growled, and Ange nodded.

“Very,” she said with a smile, “but it was worth it.”

About two hours, a few more drinks and a bunch of pictures later, everyone was busy trying to find their own clothes again.

“These are great, Ari!” Anjelica said as she looked through the pictures on her phone. “Oh, August is going to love this one.”

“If he doesn’t, you have my number,” Sloane said as she looked over Angie’s shoulder. “Do we have a reply from Mikey yet?”  

“I… Eh,” Dani stammered, telling the others she hadn’t exactly found the courage to hit ‘send’ yet.

“Come on, you look hot and you get to tease him a little,” Anjelica said, “I’ll vouch for him: That pic is going nowhere.”

“Okay but if it does, it’s my tits out and about,” Dani replied.

“Jesus, tell me you’ve never sent nudes before without telling me you’ve never sent nudes before,” Sloane laughed. “You can set it to view once.”

“Easy, you!” Ariel nudged Sloane with her elbow. “First of all, these are not nudes, thank you very much.” Sloane rolled her eyes at the remark, but Ariel continued: “And second of all, it’s a good thing she’s thinking about this.”

“Okay, he replied,” Dani said after the most nerve wracking five minutes of her life.

“Oh, show me!” Ange practically dove for her phone, making everyone on the couch squeal as she landed in their lap. “Oh, for fuck’s sake, Mikey… What an eloquent response…” She was right. A bunch of heart-eyed emojis wasn’t exactly a literary masterpiece, but they did make it abundantly clear that he’d liked the picture. Then, Ange – still holding Dani’s phone – started laughing. “Yes, Mikey, it would be a little horrible if you asked her to come over now,” she said. Dani noticed a little too late that she was recording a voice message.

“Oh my god, Ange, no!” she squealed as she tried to grab the phone, only succeeding after the third try. By then it was too late, Angie had already sent the message.

Ange, August wants to know if there are any pictures of you, too… Before you freak out, Dani No, I didn’t show them. They asked why I was grinning at my phone like an absolute moron.

Dani let out the breath she had been holding in as soon as that first text came in.

“Can we not give me a constant heart attack, please?” she begged the others.

“I’m so tempted to tell August to just have fun with the zillion clips he has of us,” Anjelica blurted out. “Shit, you didn’t hear that.”

“Oh, please, who doesn’t have a sex tape or two,” Sol replied.

“Most people, I think,” Alex laughed.

“God knows I do,” Sloane sighed, “I honestly don’t even know what happened to them…”

“Oh my god! Before we forget,” Ange said. Elena and Sol had already noticed that Ange could be a little all over the place when drunk. “We have to talk about that ski trip! I have an idea…”

“This whole ‘girls night’ thing has me somewhat scared,” Sherlock said as he stared at the glass of wine in his hands.

“Drink more, think less,” Mike said, leaning back on the couch and turning his attention back to the movie.

“Cheers to that.” August and Geralt raised their glasses, the others followed suit.

[liaromancewriter]

Return to Dagger Mountain

Premise: Cassie whisks Ethan off for a romantic weekend, much to his discomfort and surprise.

Book: Open Heart (post series) Pairing: Ethan Ramsey x F!MC (Cassie Valentine) Rating/Category: Teen. Angsty Fluff. Words: 2,615

A/N: Inspired by this edit I made back in 2021. Submission for @choicesjanuarychallenge Day 31 "adventure". I'm participating in @choicesprompts and using @choicesflashfics week 17 prompt 1 (in bold)

“Grab your coat, leave a note, and run away with me.”

Ethan Ramsey absently glanced up from the computer screen, his reading glasses perched on the bridge of his nose. The temporary annoyance at being disturbed faded from his blue eyes when he saw who it was.

“Who am I leaving a note for, and why are we running away?” he asked nonchalantly, turning back to the screen to finish replying to an email.

After almost three years together, he was well used to his girlfriend’s grandiose statements, often designed to get a rise out of him.

Cassie Valentine swiveled his chair around and leaned in until her face was close enough for him to see the tiny blue-black flecks in her eyes. Her hands gripped either side of his chair, and she teased his lips with her tongue until he parted them slightly.

“Leave a note for whoever needs to know you’ll be out of the office for a few days. And because we can.”

He shook his head to clear the fog, somewhat disappointed to not receive a kiss. It took him a minute to realize that she’d already moved away and was reaching inside the corner closet for his winter coat and scarf.

“You know what I love about being an attending?” she said without turning around. “How I can take off after morning rounds if I don’t have anything else going on. And not having to fill out time cards. That’s gotta be the best deal.”

Still confused, Ethan stood up, the coat she’d thrown at him clutched in his hand. She started to pack up his laptop, unplugging it from the docking station and unzipping his messenger bag to slip it inside.

“Cassie, will you please stop?” he said, exasperated. And then his eyebrows snapped together. “And no, you cannot just take off after morning rounds even if you’re an attending. The day’s work is just beginning, for Christ’s sake. I taught you better than that.”

When Cassie burst out laughing, he knew he’d been had. She hugged the laptop bag in her arms as she doubled over, tears leaking from the corner of her eyes.

“You’re so easily riled, Dr. Ramsey,” she said, her chest heaving as she tried to breathe through her laughter. “Check your watch, babe.”

Ethan looked down at his wristwatch and saw it was after five o’clock. A quick glance at the twilight outside had him wondering where the day had gone.

“Oh,” he said for lack of anything else to say.

“Oh, indeed. It’s Friday, and we’re off the clock for the next two days. Our bags are packed, and a car is waiting downstairs to whisk us away for a ski getaway. Don’t ask questions; just go on this adventure with me.” She arched one brow and stared at him intently, holding out her hands as fists. “Red pill or blue pill?”

And that’s how Ethan found himself sitting in the back seat of a town car. At the same time, Cassie bubbled excitedly about their plans to return to Dagger Mountain.

“Rodney reserved the same penthouse suite,” she said. “I want to try the Old Serpentine Trail. I was bummed I couldn’t go with you last time. Maybe we can visit the thinking rock, you know, for Picta.”

“I don’t know why you hired a car service,” Ethan grumbled. “We could’ve taken my car. It’s a bit of a drive, and we probably should’ve left early tomorrow rather than risk dark country roads at night. We don’t even have skis or helmets or….”

Cassie ignored most of his diatribe. “That’s why god invented ski rentals. And I never said we were driving to New Hampshire.

Ethan realized what she meant by that when the car turned towards Logan Airport rather than the interstate and drove through a security gate shortly after. He remembered coming here once before when they took a private jet to Ines’s wedding in Hawaii.

“I know you said no questions,” he said slowly as the car pulled up in front of a hanger. People in uniforms milled about. A luxurious helicopter waited not too far away. “But I will need answers before I leave this car.”

Cassie glanced at the driver and nodded. The man exited the car and stood with his back to the door.

“It’s not that complicated, Ethan. We always talk about going skiing but never do. This weekend has perfect weather conditions, so I decided to surprise you. And yes, hiring a car service and a private helicopter is a bit much. But what’s the point of having money if we can’t indulge ourselves once in a while?”

“I get that,” he countered. “But weekend getaways in private jets or helicopters and all this….” He waved his hands to indicate the car and the scene outside. “…is not who I am.”

“Well, it is me, or it used to be once upon a time. Sometimes, I miss being able to say, ‘fuck it, let’s go to Cabo’. There’s nothing wrong with that. Some people find it romantic to be whisked away by their lover.”

Ethan knew he could make several counterarguments, but he wasn’t sure what. It was rare for him to see the Valentine side of Cassie, and a part of him wondered if it was long overdue. Lately, he’d begun to question the differences between them. Perhaps this weekend was exactly what he needed to gain clarity.

“This weekend is my gift to us,” she said, quietly taking his hand. “When it’s your turn, we can rent a Pinto and go on a road trip to Plymouth Rock.”

“I doubt my legs would fit into a Pinto, and there’s not much to see in Plymouth,” he said, holding his hand up when she started to speak. “Forget it. Red pill, right?”

Later Ethan would admit, privately anyway, that there was something incredibly efficient in traveling by air. Within an hour of leaving Boston, they were touching down at a helipad near the resort, a car waiting to take them the rest of the way.

He could still remember driving up snowy and winding country roads as a teenager. Contrary to what Rodney said, Ethan didn’t come up here on vacation but to work. Skiing lessons were an employee perk, and he’d quickly graduated from green to blue.

He tried to keep his hand in, but his studies and then life got in the way. He racked his brain, trying to recall the last time he’d skied. It would’ve been…ah…when they solved Paula’s case two years ago.

“What level are you?” he asked Cassie as the resort entrance came into view.

“Black,” she said without hesitation. “I’m so going to kick your ass out there, babe!”

He smiled in amusement, not really surprised. He imagined someone like Cassie had been skiing since she was old enough to walk. Aspen, maybe Vail every winter, or St. Moritz with the rest of the jet setters.

In another life, their paths might never have crossed.

“Aspen?” he mused in a deliberately neutral tone as they walked into the warm lobby. He wasn’t sure why he wasn’t letting this go. What did it matter now? They were equals and had been for years.

Cassie must have heard the disquiet in his voice because she threw him a considering look. She glanced sideways at the bellman carrying their bags behind them and remained silent. He thought she might not reply, but she waited until they were alone before turning towards him.

“Among other places,” she confirmed, letting her annoyance show. “My mom loves to ski, and my dad loves to sail. Max and I learned how to do both well, whether it was in the Swiss Alps or Bora Bora. Is there a point to this, Ethan? Because you’ve been silently sneering at everything since we left Boston.”

He started to argue otherwise, but Rodney entered from the small office behind the reception area.

“Welcome back,” he said, shaking Ethan’s hand with a smile. “I’m so glad to see you both. Hopefully, no medical emergencies this weekend.”

Rodney checked them in, making small talk with Cassie while Ethan seethed internally. He handed them the key cards, reminding them of breakfast and the amenities. And then, the bellman accompanied them upstairs with their bags. Ethan could’ve carried them, but Cassie didn’t give him a chance, waving at the man to precede them.

By the time the suite’s door closed behind them, Cassie was vibrating with anger. Ethan recognized he’d behaved poorly, dismissing her grand gesture as unworthy.

“You’re an ass!”

“But you love me.”

“Not right now, I don’t,” Cassie bit out. “I wanted to do something romantic, just the two of us. But all of you’ve done so far is ruin my mood.”

“I’m sorry, Cassie,” Ethan said, ignoring her stiff shoulders to wrap his arms around her from behind. “I don’t know what got into me. Let’s start over.”

He turned her around and framed her face between his hands. “I’m an idiot and don’t deserve a girlfriend like you.” He kissed one corner of her mouth and then the other.

“You missed a spot,” she said with a pout.

“My bad,” he whispered softly as he covered her mouth, keeping the kiss light and sweet, seeking forgiveness.

Their foreheads came to rest against each other, and his hands cuffed her wrists.

“I made reservations for a late supper,” she said, stepping away from him. “We should get ready.”

“Okay.”

Cassie grabbed her tote and headed towards the ensuite. She stopped in the doorway, her head cocked as she watched him over her shoulder.

“You know, Ethan, instead of focusing on how different we are, maybe you can try to remember how much we have in common.”

He heard the bathroom door lock click and let out a heavy sigh. Cassie was right. The last few years had proved they were more alike than dissimilar. But still, that inner voice inside him reared its ugly head at the most inopportune times. It had worsened ever since Cassie asked if she could go with him to visit his father every now and then.

Ethan had made himself into Dr. Ramsey, a sophisticated and cultured man who gave the illusion of a wealthy background. Very few people in Edenbrook knew he’d grown up in a blue-collar neighborhood of rundown houses with chain-link fences and weedy yards.

He wasn’t ashamed of his background but felt far removed from it. That’s not who he was anymore and never would be, except when he saw it through Cassie’s blue-blooded perspective.

Hearing the bathroom door open, he shook off the gloomy thoughts and forced a smile on his face. No matter what, he would enjoy this weekend that Cassie had arranged. Even if it killed him.

The following day, Ethan examined the brand-new skis strapped to their feet as the chair lift ascended the mountain. After much debate, he and Cassie decided to buy new gear rather than rent. He saw it as a sign that they’d use them more, maybe returning here or trying out other ski resorts in New England.

Despite things settling down last night, the silence between them was fraught with unspoken words. As they neared the top station, the chair slowed down. They took their skis off the rest, lifted the safety bar, and got into position to slide off the chair lift and onto the gentle incline.

“The Serpentine Trail is off that way,” Ethan said once they cleared the chair lift. “I think it’s more beginner, so it might be too tame for a black diamond skier like yourself.”

“More assumptions?” Her arched tone wiped the teasing grin off his face.

“Cassie…”

“I’m sorry,” she cut in. “That wasn’t very nice of me. Let’s just have a good time. That’s all I want. We can try the Serpentine, and if it’s too crowded or boring, we can switch trails. I checked the map before we left the resort, and there are several options.”

They joined the other skiers, smoothly sailing down the slope and taking a winding path around each other. She laughed joyously as he overtook her, the arrogant smirk he threw her way setting off her competitive spirit. She raced past him, spraying snow at him from the back of her skis.

The crowds made going faster difficult, and she pivoted towards a parallel trail with a blue circle marker before bypassing it to enter the black diamond slope.

Ethan checked his blind spot and raced after her. She was a demon on skis, zigzagging past trees and using short turns to cut through moguls, her excited cries ringing through the air as she gained speed. He watched her expertly leap off an incline and disappear from view.

It took him a few minutes to adjust to the more challenging trail and lack of practice. He stayed upright, barely, through the first mogul but almost wiped out on the second. Deciding to steer clear of them, he moved to the side where the snow was compressed, flat, and out of the way of more experienced skiers.

He was almost at the spot where he’d last seen Cassie jump when the skier in front of him lost their balance. They cried out loud before toppling off the steep incline, head first, rolling through the snow and coming to rest at the base of a tree.

Ethan took the jump cautiously, the doctor in him already starting the count from the moment of impact. He reached the injured skier just as Cassie skidded to a stop on the other side of the tree trunk.

She pushed down on the heel lever with her pole, released one boot, and then the other to step off the skis and crouch beside him.

“Call for help,” Ethan said.

He placed his ear against the open visor and checked for breathing while Cassie dialed the emergency number on the card she’d picked up at reception.

Ethan evaluated the patient for possible injuries and recited what he found. “Patient is breathing but unresponsive. Possible head and neck injury, broken tibia. I can feel the bone pushing against the surface.”

Cassie explained the situation quickly and succinctly, relaying their location and Ethan’s diagnosis before hanging up to help him. She didn’t want to remove the helmet but braced her hands on either side of the neck for support.

“Here.” She took off her scarf with one hand and handed it to Ethan. “The right arm is bleeding. We need to put pressure on it.”

“Observant as always, Dr. Valentine,” Ethan muttered.

“I did learn from the best,” she quipped.

Pushing the sleeve away, he cursed at the long and deep cut along the antecubital fossa. He wrapped the scarf tightly around the wound, the blood staining the expensive material.

“Remind me to buy you a new scarf when we return to the resort.”

“Buy me a drink instead,” she said. “I have plenty more scarves in my closet back home.”

The rescue team arrived shortly. Ethan let Cassie debrief them while he carefully helped load the patient onto a stretcher.

Once they were alone again, Cassie leaned against his side, their arms hooked around each other’s waists. She tilted her head back to gaze at him, laughter making her green eyes sparkle. The tip of her nose was red from the cold, and her lips lightly chapped.

“One of these days, babe, we’re going to come to this resort and not deal with a medical emergency.”

Ethan’s booming laugh and a quick kiss confirmed that he wholeheartedly agreed.

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

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