#but I really could hug AO3 for how nice the art looks there

[ninjigma]

Have to admit, it is very nice to upload art into your fic on AO3 and watch the beautiful quality it appears in after opening it on mobile Tumblr and feeling a part of your soul die over the quality difference on your post.

[burntheedges]

Maintenance Request: Chapter 12

Joel Miller x f!reader | new chapter every Friday 18+ | ao3 | main post & chapter list chapter word count: 8.1k

chapter summary: it's (finally) time for your first date with Joel. a/n: thank you as always to @katareyoudrilling for being the best beta 💕  chapter tags/warnings: fluff, flirting, flirting with intent, touching, kissing, dancing, banter, drink and food mention, reader can wink (author cannot lol), semi-public canoodling, reader sits on Joel’s lap, groping

Chapter 12

Friday, October 25 Ninth week of the semester

On Friday evening you were nervous. Excited, but nervous.

“You’re going to have an amazing time, you know that. He’s so into you and we both know how much you like him.” Beth’s voice came from the shelf where you had your phone propped up with her on FaceTime. You were trying to figure out what to wear for your date. 

“I just want to find the right outfit.” You were standing in your closet in your underwear, which Beth had already teased you for. You held up your black jeans and another top. “What about this?”

“Hmm,” Beth leaned towards the camera to look at it. “That is a great color on you.”

You held it up and sighed. “I’m not feeling it, I think.” You thought for a moment. “Wait!” You dove into the back and pulled out a top you hadn’t worn in ages — you looked amazing in it, but it wasn’t really work appropriate so it had slowly gotten shuffled to the depths of your closet. 

“Yes! I forgot you had that. That’s the one.” 

You smiled, agreeing. “I forgot I had it, too. Ok, I’m going to finish getting ready.”

“Better run! It’s like 6:35.”

“Shit! Ok, love you, talk to you later.” 

You reached to end the call, and before you could, Beth said, “you better text me! If you go home with him, tell me where you are!” You said you would and hung up.

As you moved to put your phone down, you noticed you had a text from Ellie. 

Ellie (6:21 PM): don’t forget to tell him if he fucks up I’m coming for him 🔪 have a nice date 

It made you laugh, which was probably her goal. 

you (6:37 PM): 🫡

Ellie (6:37 PM): and take a video of you dancing 

you (6:38 PM): 🙄

You were mostly ready, just had to throw on your (finally) chosen outfit. That was why you’d called Beth in the first place — you’d almost been ready to go, and had totally stalled out in front of your closet, trying to figure out what to wear.

You stepped into your kitchen with only minutes to spare. At 6:59pm you were looking at the clock on your microwave when you heard a knock on your front door. You smiled, and grabbed your purse.

When you opened the door, Joel was waiting for you on the other side. He’d forgone another of his flannel shirts, and instead was wearing a dark green dress shirt that hugged his arms and shoulders deliciously. You found yourself slowly trailing your eyes down his torso to where he had it tucked into his dark jeans. His tight dark jeans. You swallowed and darted your gaze back to meet his eyes.

You found him checking you out in the same way, and you smiled again.

“Hey there, hot stuff.” 

His eyes snapped back to yours when you greeted him. He smirked. “You look gorgeous, darlin’.” He stepped forward and revealed a small bouquet of colorful flowers in his left hand. “For you.”

You grinned, and took the flowers from him, noting that none of them would make you sneeze. “These are lovely, thank you.” You moved to step back towards your kitchen and gestured him inside. “Come in while I put them in water.” He followed you over the threshold and you heard him walking slowly behind you as you searched for a vase.

“I like your place, darlin’.” You looked over your shoulder and found him inspecting the art and pictures hung in your entryway. “It’s very you.”

You smiled as you pulled out a vase for the flowers and arranged them inside. “Oh?” You felt more than heard him come up behind you. He touched your waist lightly with both hands and you felt his breath on the right side of your neck. You bit your lip against a grin.

“It feels warm and inviting. It’s cute. Like you.” You leaned back into him and he took it as the invitation it was, wrapping his arms around your waist.

“I’ll have to visit yours and see how much it looks like you.” 

He laughed, and then leaned down and kissed the spot under your ear he had mentioned in his text. Your breath caught. “Our place is mostly Sarah, I think.” His lips moved against your neck as he spoke.

“Hmm,” you tilted your head to give him easier access. “I’ll just have to judge it for myself, then.” You felt him smile into your neck and his arms hugged you tighter.

“We should get going before I decide I’d rather keep you here,” he murmured into your neck. He pressed one final kiss there before stepping away.

You turned to smile at him. “You could probably talk me into it.”

Joel closed his eyes and took a deep breath before opening them and shaking his head at you. “No, darlin’, I’m taking you out. Been looking forward to this for weeks.” He reached down to take your hand and started walking backwards towards your front door. “No gettin’ distracted, now. We have places to be.” He winked.

You followed behind him to your front hall and out the door, turning to lock it behind you. You felt his hand slide into place on your lower back as the two of you walked out of your apartment building to his truck. He handed you into the passenger side before climbing in himself, and you were off.

You took advantage of the opportunity and watched Joel as he drove. “I’m glad we made it to date night.” 

He smiled and glanced at you out of the corner of his eye. “Me too, darlin’.” He reached over and took your hand in his, resting both on the center console. “I think you’ll like the music. The band is really great.” He squeezed your hand. 

“I’m sure I will. I am nervous about the dancing, though.” 

Joel looked at you as he slowed to a stop at a red light. “I’ll be there to guide you, darlin’. They won’t be doing anything too complicated.” You nodded, still a bit nervous, but reassured.

Over the rest of the ride, Joel filled you in on the band you’d be seeing — The Wild Strawberries — since he did know them, and had seen them perform locally many times. It sounded like they were, at the very least, friendly acquaintances. His thumb lightly stroked the back of your hand the whole way there.

The bar was downtown, somewhat close to the university, but tucked onto a side street that you knew students rarely frequented. (Which was a good thing. The last thing you wanted to do was run into your students on a date.) You could see through the front windows that the space inside was large, with a big stage near the back, a dance floor, and tables scattered throughout the room. A long bar made of dark, solid wood stretched along the entire right hand wall. It was busy, but not overcrowded. In neon letters and a fancy font the name The Tipsy Bison stretched over the front facade. 

Joel parked down the street and came around the car to open your door before handing you out of the truck. He kept hold of your hand as you turned to walk back towards the bar. “So you’ve never been to the Bison before, darlin’?” 

You shook your head. “I’ve been to a few other places on this block, but never here. I’m not often downtown in the evenings.” As you approached the door Joel transferred your right hand to his right so he could settle his left low on your back to guide you through the opening.

The Bison, as Joel called it, was warm and inviting inside. On the stage there were a couple of people setting up for the band, and the tables were about half full. You and Joel claimed a table near the dance floor where you could easily see the stage. As you sat, you heard someone call Joel’s name from behind you.

“There you are, you bastard. You said you’d come see us play months ago.” A friendly looking man in a nice button up shirt came over and clapped his hand on Joel’s shoulder. Joel rolled his eyes as the man looked over at you. “Well, hello there! I’m Frank. And who might you be?” Frank held out his hand and you shook it as you introduced yourself. A sly look came over his face when he heard your name, and he turned back to Joel. “Wait, is this the Gorgeous Prof—”

Joel rolled his eyes and sighed. “How many people did Tommy tell about that?” 

Frank laughed, and you grinned. “Wasn’t Tommy, I’m afraid. Tess sold you out this time.” Joel sighed again. 

You took pity on him and cut in, “don’t worry, he had a nickname, too. We were calling him ‘Hot Construction Asshole’ for a while there.” Frank laughed, loudly. When you caught Joel’s eye again you winked, and he gave you that half smile that you loved.

“Well!” Frank clapped his hands. “I’m glad you’re here. Finally. And it’s lovely to meet you. I’ll introduce you to my husband later, he’s not here yet but he’ll be holding down that corner booth eventually.” 

You smiled and nodded, noticing that the booth in question had a “Reserved” sign. “I’d love to meet him.”

Frank wandered off and you turned back to Joel. “So how many people did you talk to about me?” He blushed, and you grinned.

“Just Sarah, Tommy and Tess, darlin’, but Tess and Frank are thick as thieves. No telling who Tommy’s talked to.”

You shrugged. “Well, you know I talked to Beth and Ellie. And my sister, Ellie’s mom, a bit.” You didn’t really want to get into that now so you didn’t pause to let him ask any questions. “Like I said before, we just need new nicknames.” You tilted your head as you considered him. “What do you think, hot stuff?”

He smirked. “Oh, are we stickin’ with that one?”

“I was trying it out.” You smiled at him, unrepentant. “Was also thinking of calling you ‘cowboy.’ Seeing what fits.” 

He eyed you. “Well, darlin’, you can call me that if you like.” He leaned closer so he could speak lowly into your ear. “I know you like it when I call you sweet names, honey, but I’m determined to figure out which one is your favorite.” He leaned back to take in the effect his words had on you, and you assumed he wasn’t disappointed. You felt the heat in your cheeks and the hitch in your breath. Whatever was happening in your body must have been written all over your face.

“Oh?” Your voice was breathy and high pitched. 

He leaned back in to press a kiss to your cheek, soft. “I can tell you like darlin’, and honey, but we’ll just have to keep looking for the right one.”

You turned towards him, and found that your faces were just inches apart. “The right one for what?” You felt a bit dazed, and you realized you were staring at his mouth. You watched as the corners rose into a smirk again.

“The right one, baby, for later. When you let me kiss you again, like you did in your office. And maybe we find out what happens next, when we don’t get interrupted.” You bit your lip and swayed towards him, but you were startled away from his gaze by the arrival of your server.

“Evening, folks! What can I getcha?”

You felt Joel lean away from you as you both glanced down at the drink menus you hadn’t touched. But that was alright — Joel ordered a beer and you ordered your go-to drink.

As your server stepped away, you looked back at Joel and felt a bit off kilter, coming down from your intimate moment that had been interrupted. He regarded you and slid his hand over to rest next to yours. “So what do you think, darlin’? About the Bison?”

You looked around you, and then back at Joel. You slid your hand closer so your fingers were touching. “I like it, Joel. It’s right up my alley.” 

He smiled, and started playing with your fingers. “Good.”

Over drinks you talked about work a bit, and then about your friends, and Sarah and Ellie. Joel told you about Sarah’s soccer games (she was a forward) and how she was thinking about going out for the school varsity team next year.

You told him about Ellie starting the art club at her school and getting in trouble for cursing at one of her teachers, which was really par for the course. He laughed through the story, though, and summed it up with, “she sounds like a real firecracker. Sarah’d like her,” which made you smile and lace your fingers with his on the table.

“She is,” you agreed.

You ordered some food, and the band started getting in place when it arrived. You scooted a bit closer to Joel so you’d have a better angle on the stage and he set his arm along the back of your chair, turning toward you in response. You noticed Frank was holding a bass guitar. 

When the music started, Joel leaned toward you to murmur in your ear, “you want another drink, darlin’? Before we get out on the floor.” You nodded, and he squeezed your hand before standing and heading towards the bar.

Frank’s band had a bit of a folksy sound, mixed with traditional rock and country. Their first few songs were fun and upbeat and you watched as people started to move onto the dance floor. Some couples were doing what looked like a two-step to your untrained eye, while others did the more accessible sway-in-place. A large group of friends was also hovering near the front and dancing together. 

Joel returned with your drinks and pointed out what was, in fact, two people dancing a two-step and named a few of the moves for you. You started to feel overwhelmed at how much you didn’t know about dancing, while he was so knowledgeable.

Joel scooted his chair closer to yours and leaned in. You realized he must have noticed how much you liked it when he spoke right in your ear.

“What do you think, darlin’? Wanna give it a go?” He moved his arm from the back of your chair closer to you, letting his fingers brush against your arm. You shivered, and you could see that he noticed when he smirked.

“Go easy on me?” You could hear the lack of confidence in your voice. His smirk gentled into a smile.

“Darlin’, just follow me. I won’t let you stumble.” He stood and offered you his hand, which you took.

Joel led you to an empty area near the edge of the dance floor and guided you into a stance you noticed was similar to the one the other dancers were using. “Alright, look, we’ll take it slow. Start with the basics.” And he did. He guided you through a simple two-step, and before you knew it you were moving around your corner of the dance floor to the beat. Slowly, but you were doing it. You watched your feet as you tried to keep up with the step. 

Joel cleared his throat. “So? What do you think?”

Your eyes flew from your feet to meet his gaze. You smiled, hesitantly. “Am I doing it?”

He grinned at you. “You are, honey.”

You and Joel kept it up for the rest of the song, moving slowly. After a few minutes you were able to look away from your feet again. 

“How did you learn how to dance?”

He turned you as you approached the tables, to keep you on the dance floor, and you felt his hand move across your back to bring you closer to him. “My mother taught me and my brother. Our family gatherings tend to feature a lot of dancing.”

“With you and your brother?”

“Well, with the whole family. Our cousins, everybody. Sarah, too.” You realized you were a lot closer to Joel than when you started, but you were still managing not to step on his feet. You smiled. “She’s been dancing at family parties since she was just a kid. Everyone on that side loves to dance, with, ah, varying levels of skill.”

You laughed. “Sounds fun.”

“It is,” he agreed. “Never a dull moment.” The song was coming to an end, and Joel slowed you to a stop. “What do you think? Another song?” You smiled and nodded, and Joel winked at you. “Think we can speed it up?”

“Maybe just a little? Not too much?”

He nodded. “Don’t worry, darlin’, I won’t throw anything too complicated at you. We’re just getting started.”

Joel led you through a few more dances, and you felt more and more confident with each one. In the last one before you decided to take a break he even threw in a (successful) spin and dipped you a bit. You laughed, feeling breathless. He slowly pulled you back up, flush with his chest, and you found yourself staring into his eyes from just a few inches away. Without your conscious input your gaze dropped to his lips. He leaned in before you could and kissed you once, softly, before pulling back and resting his forehead against your own.

“I haven’t had that much fun dancing since I can remember, darlin’.” 

You chuckled. “Even though I barely know what I’m doing?”

He shook his head and kissed you again, softly. “You picked it up pretty quick, you know. But it doesn’t matter, I’d rather dance with you than do something fancy. You wanna sit down for a bit?” You nodded, and he pulled away to lead you back to your table. You realized you’d almost started making out with Joel in the middle of the dance floor, but a quick look around revealed that no one was really paying attention to you since the band was still playing.

You noticed as you sat down that Joel had pulled his chair much closer to yours. You could have put your legs over his lap without needing to move any closer. His arm came down around you with his hand at your waist, so you leaned into him to talk. “How well do you know Frank?”

You felt his thumb start to move up and down against your side as he answered. “He’s closer with Tess, but I’ve known him for about 10 years now. Sarah loves him. She would have begged to come tonight if it wasn’t a date.” 

“Oh, that’s too bad! Next time she should come.” It was out of your mouth before you thought about it, but you meant it, so you tried to look confident.

“Next time, hmm?” Joel smiled at you. “I like the sound of that.” He cleared his throat, and looked a bit hesitant. “You, uh, you would be ok with that?”

“With what, Joel?” You tilted your head as you considered him. You weren’t sure why he was suddenly hesitant, after being so confident on the dance floor.

“With Sarah, coming along with us.”

“Joel, of course! Sarah’s great, and besides, I want to date you. That means I want to get to know you. All of you. The whole package, you know? I’d love to get to know Sarah.” You felt suddenly hesitant yourself, even as you watched him relax, smile returning. “If that’s, well. If that’s alright with you. I don’t want to overstep.”

He shook his head. “No, darlin’, Sarah already likes you and I’d love for you two to get to know each other. And get to know your family, too. But I do want to take you on more dates. Just the two of us.” 

You smiled. “Let’s do both, then. I’ll bring Ellie along sometime, too.” You leaned in and let your head rest against his shoulder, despite the slight discomfort of sitting so close in two wooden chairs. “I’m having a good time, Joel, I already know I’d love to do this again.”

You felt him rest his cheek against the top of your head and smiled into his shirt. He squeezed your side with the hand that had been playing idly with your waistband. “Honey, I’d love nothin’ more.”

You sat like that through a few more songs, enjoying the feeling of being under Joel’s arm. It felt like all of your attention was taken by the hand at your waist as his thumb moved slowly back and forth in a soft caress. You closed your eyes to enjoy the sensation and tried to focus on not letting yourself get all worked up in public.

After a while, the band announced a break, and you startled and sat up a bit. The dance floor was clearing out, and you turned and looked at Joel. He was looking at you.

“What do you think, Joel? Do you want to dance some more?”

He hummed in response before pulling you close again to murmur in your ear.  “What do you think about taking this somewhere a little more quiet? Somewhere we can talk, maybe have another drink.” 

You turned your head and found yourself with your lips just inches from his own. “Talk, huh?”

He smiled a bit sheepishly, but winked. “You call the shots here, darlin’.”

“Let’s stick around for one more dance, and then go get that drink. And then maybe head home.” He looked disappointed, and tried to hide it, but you raised your eyebrows at him with a smile and he straightened, surprised. 

“Home?” He asked, with not a little hope. It made you grin. 

“Well, I never said whose home. But we can figure it out.” 

Joel’s eyes narrowed as he took in your teasing tone. “Honey, I’ll go anywhere you’d like.”

You wondered if implying you’d go home with him on the first date was too much, but you shrugged it off. You’d had lunch twice, anyway. That made this like a third date, right? You knew Joel was interested, and so were you. Clearly for more than one night. And you couldn’t stop thinking about his kiss in your office, and what it might have been like to not be interrupted. To hell with it.

“Well then, let’s go back to the dance floor, and then we can go get another drink somewhere, and then head home.” You paused and let it hold for a moment before smirking at him. “Together.” The smile that took over his face was your favorite one yet — wicked and wide.

“Baby, I like the way you think.” You eyed his smile and decided you needed to stand up before “home” became “the bathroom of the Tipsy Bison.” You shook your head and leaned back. 

“Come on, you flirt.” You nudged him with your shoulder.

“You like the way I flirt.” He nudged you right back.

You sighed. “I really, really do, Joel.” Before you could go anywhere, though, Frank reappeared at the side of your table. 

“Hello, lovebirds!” Joel groaned, but you smiled. “Told you I’d introduce my husband so I had to drag him over here. This is Bill.” Frank stepped to the side to reveal a man about his age or a little older with a beard and a stern face. You introduced yourself and noted that Bill might not have a smile for you, but he definitely had one for Frank. Bill nodded at Joel, who nodded back. Frank rolled his eyes. “These two would just sit in silence with the occasional grunts if I left them alone.” You laughed as Joel sighed and Bill just shrugged. 

You chatted with the two of them for a couple of minutes before Frank had to go back on stage, and Bill headed back to his corner booth. You turned back to Joel and smiled. “I like them.” He nodded.

“They’re good people, even if Bill is a bit grumpy.” 

“Hmm,” you tilted your head, considering his words.

He raised an eyebrow at you. “What?”

“Nothing,” you grinned. You wondered how often Joel got told he and Bill were alike. He seemed to pick up on what you were thinking and rolled his eyes before sighing and letting his head fall back. 

“Not you, too, darlin’.”

“Look, I’m just saying, I see a resemblance.” You tried not to laugh. Joel tilted his head back down and looked at you through narrowed eyes.

“Now, honey, when have I ever been grumpy with you, hmm?” He leaned closer and lifted his hand to run his thumb lightly down your jawline. You bit your lip and he tugged gently with his thumb to release it. 

“Maybe I’m just special,” you teased him. 

“You are,” he responded, completely serious. You wanted to kiss him again, but before you could, he leaned back and stood, holding out his hand to you. “Now, I believe I was promised another dance.” You laughed and stood as well. He leaned over to press a quick kiss to the corner of your mouth before leading you back onto the dance floor.

Frank’s band had just started up again, and they were playing a slower song. Joel pulled you into his arms again, with his left hand settling in the small of your back and his right holding your left. You let your right hand slide up his shoulder and brushed his neck with your fingertips. He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to your hairline before murmuring, “follow me, darlin’.”

Joel led you into the step he’d taught you earlier, but held you closer while he did it. You found yourself with your head resting on his shoulder as he smoothly guided you around your corner of the dance floor. You let your eyes fall closed and sank into his embrace, trusting your memory of the simple step and Joel’s skills to keep you steady.

He was warm, and broad. Whatever aftershave or cologne or maybe even soap he’d used smelled delicious, and you nuzzled into his neck before you realized what you were doing. He hummed and pulled you even closer. “I like dancin’ with you, honey.” 

You could feel his voice rumble in his chest and it made you smile. You moved your head slightly to press a kiss against his neck. He turned his head towards you but you didn’t pull back. “Me too, Joel.” 

Your arm had crept around the back of his neck, and you realized he had slowed your steps to almost just swaying in place. You were pressed against him and the awareness of his body against yours rushed through you. The knowledge that you were in public on a dance floor struck you, but all you wanted was to get as close to Joel as possible. Your breath hitched, and you felt Joel take a deep breath in response. He shifted so his right leg nudged between yours, and you closed your eyes at the sweeping feeling in your stomach — he wasn’t quite touching you there, but the suggestion was enough to send heat tingling up your spine. Almost against your will your hips moved just a little bit closer to his own. You both froze.

Suddenly he tightened his grip around your waist and spun you both around, causing you to fall into him more. “Joel!” You pulled back and found him grinning at you. The look in his eye told you he was right there with you, but you both knew you were still in public. He released your waist and spun you away from him before pulling you back in right as the music picked up.

“What do you think, gorgeous? One more dance?” You nodded, breathless. As he led you once more around your corner of the dance floor, your eyes stayed locked on his. You felt like you were in a whirlwind, but all you could see was Joel. As you danced, it was like the two of you were completely in sync — he moved his leg, and you mirrored the movement. He tightened his grip around your waist to turn you, and you followed like it was easier than breathing. Neither of you spoke as you moved together but it felt like the connection between you grew taut. You felt it pull at you, pull you closer to Joel, draw you towards him like a hook caught behind your heart.

When the music stopped, the two of you did as well, and neither of you moved as the band started to play another song. Joel was looking into your eyes, face intent. He pulled you closer and let go of your left hand, placing his right softly along your jaw. He tilted your head up towards his and pulled you into a soft kiss. 

“I could dance with you all night, gorgeous.” He spoke with his lips barely an inch from your own.

You kissed him again. “Me too, Joel.”

He smiled and used his hand to tilt your face to the side so he could kiss your neck lightly, just in front of your ear. “Should we keep dancin’, baby? Or should we go get that drink?” He punctuated his question with a kiss to the corner of your jaw, and then your cheek, and then your mouth, lingering there. It took you a moment to open your eyes again when he pulled away, and you found him looking at you with so much emotion that it took your breath away.

“Let’s get going, cowboy.” 

He raised his eyebrows. “Cowboy, hmm?”

You shrugged. “Just trying it out, like I said. Take me for a ride, cowboy.”

Joel grinned, wickedly. “Baby, it would be my pleasure.” As he said it he steered you back to your table. He quickly paid your tab — leaving a nice tip, you noticed — and then turned to usher you out the door. You watched as he waved at Frank, who nodded, and Bill, who tipped his glass towards the two of you, and then he took your hand to lead you outside.

As you stepped on to the sidewalk, Joel turned to the right to head to the corner of the block. “There’s a little tiny place right around the corner that has some of the best mixed drinks I’ve ever had,” he told you. 

You perked up. “Oh, you mean Marlene’s?” 

He smiled. “That’s the one. I take it you’ve been?”

You nodded, but added, “I have, but I love it. I think that’s the perfect place to go next.” He squeezed your hand and led you around the corner. 

Marlene’s had a narrow facade — the inside was long, but the width of the whole place was only enough for tables along one wall and the long bar along the other, until you got to the back and it opened up a bit with some larger tables and couches. It was cozy, with string lights and art all over the walls. Marlene’s was known for the cocktail menu, which featured a rotating list of hard-to-source alcohols and interesting mixers, as well as the non-alcoholic options that still tasted amazing. You and Beth often ended up here if you went out for after-work drinks. 

When you stepped inside it was a bit busy, but not so busy that you couldn’t find a table. There was one open in the back in a corner, actually one of your favorites — it was like a tiny round booth, with only enough room for two or three people. It had higher sides on the front like it was from an old saloon, so once you were inside it felt like a cozy nook. It was a bit awkward to get in and out of, though. You wondered where Marlene had found it.

You sat while Joel headed back to the bar to get your drinks — he’d mentioned getting one of the non-alcoholic ones since he would be driving you home, so you asked for the same. He was back quickly and soon the two of you were snuggled into the booth. He had his left arm around your shoulders, and your legs were draped over his left knee as you turned towards him in the small booth.

“Come here often, gorgeous?” He winked at you as he took a sip of his drink.

“Beth and I do, sometimes. I’ve always liked it.”

He nodded. “Me too. Tess and Frank love it. And Tommy, though he usually prefers the Bison.” You smiled. You were really looking forward to meeting Tommy, eventually. 

“So, Joel.” The more official tone you put on had him straightening his shoulders and you tried not to grin. “You’ve told me a bit about you — I know about Sarah, obviously, and now I know your whole — large? — family dances. I know you like live music and plaid shirts.” He smiled shyly and rubbed the back of his neck with his right hand. “And I know the way you kiss knocks the breath right out of me.” His eyebrows raised and he leaned forward a bit, but you placed a hand on his chest and laughed. “Slow down, cowboy. I have some questions.”

“Ah, darlin’—” he started, but you interrupted.

“Nothing bad, Joel. I just want to learn more about you. I want to, well,” your tone shifted and became more hesitant, but he watched you intently all the same. “I want to know you.” 

Joel lifted his right hand and cupped your cheek, gently pulling you forward into a soft kiss. “I want to know you too, honey.” He cleared his throat as he sat back, letting his right hand fall to hold your left in your lap. “Alright, then. Shoot. What do you want to know?”

“Hmmm,” you tapped the fingers of the hand he wasn’t holding against your chin in thought. “Alright, let’s start simple. And I’ll answer the same questions I ask you, ok? And you should ask some, whatever you want.” He smiled and nodded. “Ok. What’s your favorite color?”

Joel laughed and shook his head. “Well, I do like green, but Sarah says it’s blue, on account of how much of it I wear.” 

You smiled. “Those can be different things, you know. My favorite color isn’t the one I wear most often.” 

He ran his thumb over the back of your hand and hummed. “My turn? Ok, where are you from, darlin’?”

The two of you traded questions back and forth. Sometimes you got distracted — Joel mentioned being from a small town outside of Austin, and the two of you compared your hometowns for a while. Then Joel mentioned one of Tommy’s shenanigans from when they were kids, and the story had you laughing so hard you fell against Joel’s chest (but he caught you with both arms wrapped around your waist). 

You touched a bit on more serious topics, but didn’t get into too much detail. Sarah’s mom wasn’t around, but he said he’d tell you the whole story another time. You nodded. You said your sister, Ellie’s mom, had gone through a rough time a few years back, and Ellie had stayed with you for a while. That’s why Ellie was still with you so often. Your sister was doing better but she worked most weekends and a lot of nights. He nodded, understanding. You both quickly changed the subject. You had time, after all.

Joel told you about his summer vacation with Sarah and Tommy, which featured hiking and time at the beach and ended with the three of them a bit sun worn but relaxed and happy. He told you Sarah had requested visiting a city next time, though, and you laughed and told him about Ellie’s inner gremlin and her love of camping. 

Before you knew it, an hour had passed, and you felt like you knew so much more about the man in front of you. You knew his favorite color (“it’s green!” You insisted, “you said so!”), his favorite breakfast food (migas, but only how his grandma made it), how he took his coffee (black), a few of the trials and tribulations of Tommy Miller, Sarah’s soccer highlights, more about what she was doing in school (and how much she (and Joel and Tommy) hated her biology teacher), a bit more about the large extended family that liked to dance, and finally, Joel’s dream career when he was a kid (musician). 

“Wait, really? A singer?” He ducked his head, looking embarrassed, but nodded. “Joel, hey,” you reached out to tilt his chin back up and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “I’m not making fun. That’s amazing. I’d love to hear you sing.” You were leaning close as you said it, almost fully sitting in his lap at this point. He studied you, a serious look on his face. 

“I’ll sing for you whenever you want, gorgeous.” His voice was deeper than it had been even a moment before, and you took a deep breath. 

“Yeah?” He nodded. “Bet you were really something, playing shows. Young Joel Miller with a guitar? God, how many women did you sweep off their feet?” You grinned at him, teasing.

He smirked and rolled his eyes. “Not as many as you’d think.”

“Oh come on, Joel, I would have had the biggest crush on you.” 

He laughed. “Darlin’, I thought you had a crush on me now.” 

You rolled your eyes. “That is neither here nor there, Joel Miller. Ugh, I can almost picture it. Wait, do you have any pictures?” You knew you looked excited and tried to tame it a bit, but he smiled and laughed. 

“I do, but uh, I might also have a recording.”

“What! I have to see it. Please?” 

He studied you again, looking over your wide eyes and pleading smile. “Hmm on the first date?” His voice was teasing, and he pinched your side lightly, making you squirm. “Don’t you think that’s more of a second date activity?” You bit your lip, considering your next words. But you had no reason to doubt yourself, or him. You were pretty sure you were on the same page, here.

“You know, technically, we have had a couple of lunch dates.” He huffed a laugh. “But what about a morning-after activity?” You said it teasingly, but also a little breathlessly. You were sitting so close that you got to watch his reaction take over his face and it mesmerized you. His brows rose as his eyes darkened, and he gave you that wicked half smile that made you melt.

“Well, now,” he started, and his voice was deep. You felt it rumbling in his chest where your hands rested lightly against his shirt. “I reckon you’ll just have to come over and find out.” He used his left arm to pull you up so you were finally sitting fully across his lap. You met his eye and licked across your bottom lip. His own gaze dropped from yours to track the path of your tongue.

“I reckon I will, then,” you agreed. You could feel your heartbeat pick up as he squeezed your side with his left hand and brought his right up to brush his fingertips down your neck. “Can’t miss my chance to hear you sing.”

He shook his head. “Honey, I told you, I’ll sing for you whenever you want.” He leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to the corner of your mouth, and your breath hitched. “I’d sing for you right now, if you wanted.” He pressed another kiss to your chin, and then under your jaw. You tilted your head up to give him better access. “I don’t think you realize how much I’d do for you, if you asked.” You thought of your maintenance requests, and the plants, and the coffees, and thought maybe you did have some idea.

“Joel,” you whispered, and he hummed in response. “Sing me something.” You tried to make it sound like a teasing demand, but it came out more like a plea.

He nipped your neck. “Anything, honey, or you got something in mind?”

“Whatever you want to sing to me, Joel, that’s what I want to hear.”

He pulled back suddenly and moved his hands to rearrange you on his lap. You found yourself with your back flush against his chest, his arms wrapped around your waist. You placed your hands on top of his. “Close your eyes, gorgeous.” You let your head fall back over his shoulder as you did as he asked.

He hummed, and moved his right hand to your thigh, where he squeezed gently. You squirmed a little in his lap and he chuckled, holding you still with his left arm around your waist. “Shh, honey, just get comfortable. Right here.”

You let yourself sink into his touch, wondering what he would sing for you. He nuzzled against your neck, maybe still deciding, and your legs fell open a bit further without your conscious input. You bit your lip and he kissed your neck as his right hand moved to grip the inside of your thigh. And then he started to sing.

“Take me now, baby, here as I am Hold me close, try and understand Desire is hunger is the fire I breathe Love is a banquet on which we feed”

You gasped at the first word. Joel’s singing voice was beautiful. It was deep and warm and a little gravely. Even as quiet as he was singing you felt like it was lifting you up, floating through the air around you. 

“Come on now try and understand The way I feel when I'm in your hands Take my hand, come undercover”

Joel hummed, maybe the next part of the song. You realized you were holding his left arm in a tight grip and tried to relax your hands. He squeezed the inside of your right thigh reassuringly, and you noticed how high his hand had drifted while he sang. You shifted your weight and let your left leg fall further to the side. His hand inched higher.

“Because the night belongs to lovers Because the night belongs to lust Because the night belongs to lovers Because the night belongs to us”

You knew this song, but hearing Joel sing it was an entirely new experience. You could hardly think about anything but where he was touching you — everywhere — and feel his voice washing over you. Your senses were filled with nothing but him.

He let the last word of the chorus fade, and you came back to yourself only to realize you had started breathing faster, chest heaving with it. “You alright there, darlin’?” His low voice had intrigued you before but now it reminded you of his singing and your breath stuttered in your chest. 

“Yes, Joel, I—”

“You sure?” As he asked again, he slid his hand just a bit higher on your thigh so that his thumb rested right in the inside crease of your hip. He wasn’t quite touching you there, not really, but his proximity drew your sudden attention to how wet you were. You were soaked, just from listening to him sing. Fuck. You squirmed on his lap, but your motion accidentally drew him closer to you, and the side of his thumb brushed against the seam of your pants, right over your core. You gasped, and belatedly realized he had had the same reaction. 

“Oh, honey,” his thumb pressed down, just a little bit, just enough to make you thrust your hips forward without thinking about it. He held you in place with his left arm while running a line of kisses up your neck to your ear. “You’re soaked, honey. I can feel you, right through these pants. Jesus, you must be so fucking wet. And all for me? Goddamn,” he sounded delighted at the prospect. He pressed down again with his thumb, and the noise that came out of you could only be described as a whimper. 

“Shh, don’t worry, honey. I’ll take good care of you.” He whispered in your ear as his hand crept closer to displacing his thumb. You couldn’t catch your breath. “Give you everything you want, sweetheart. Everything.” He emphasized the last word with a sudden grip to your pussy, his whole hand moving over the seam of your pants and cupping you firmly. But in a flash, his hand was gone again, and you were left reeling, breathing hard, eyes flying open.

“Shit,” you whispered, with the belated realizations that you were still at Marlene’s fucking bar, in a booth where technically people could see you. You glanced around, but the high walls of the booth protected you, and Joel had pulled you both to the side, so you were facing away from the room on his lap. Smart.

Joel didn’t respond, and you whipped around to look at him. The hesitant look on his face told you he’d misunderstood your curse. You cursed again. “Fuck, Joel. Get me out of here.” He twitched, but didn’t move. “Joel, you need to take me home. Right now.” You were aroused and sweaty and in public and one of those things was in your power to change right at his moment. You cupped his face in your hands, still breathing hard, but you softened your voice. “Take me home, Joel, together. I want to go home with you.” He finally smiled again, reassured, and nodded. He started to maneuver both of you out of the tiny booth. 

“Well come on then, honey, we got places to be.” Before you knew it he was leading you by the hand out the door, and you barely had a minute to wonder if anyone inside Marlene’s could tell you’d just almost gotten off in that booth back there. Oh well.

Joel was walking fast, and you tugged on his arm to slow him down a bit. “Joel, hey, wait,” he stopped abruptly and turned to look at you, and you saw everything you were feeling painted across his face. You blinked and gathered yourself to keep from kissing him. “I didn’t get a chance to say, Joel, fuck, your voice.” He smiled at you and tugged you closer. “You’re so good. Do you ever– do you ever sing, anymore?” 

He shrugged, a bit sadly. “Just for Sarah, really. And now you.” You squeezed his hand. 

“Well, I loved it, so please, sing for me whenever you’d like.” He nodded, looking a bit bashful. “But, ah, maybe we try that again somewhere a little more private, next time.”

He quirked an eyebrow at you. “Oh yeah?” 

You nodded, stiffly. “I’m just saying, if you’re going to hold me like that, and sing to me like that, I might need a little privacy.” You bit your lip as he stepped closer and leaned in to whisper in your ear. 

“Honey, if you want me to play with your pussy while I sing to you, you only have to ask.” You gasped. When he pulled back he was grinning wickedly, and you laughed. 

“You better keep that promise, Joel Miller.” He swooped in to kiss you again quickly, before pulling back to lead you down the street. 

“Baby, I always keep my promises. Especially promises like that one.” He winked.

After you crossed the street, Joel turned and took both of your hands in his. “I just want to ask again, darlin’, I don’t want to assume anything.” 

You considered him and smiled. “My answer is yes, Joel.” He shook his head and laughed, lowly. 

“Humor me. Say it again?” You untangled your right hand from his and lifted it to cup his cheek. You smoothed your thumb along his cheekbone and he turned to kiss your palm.

“Yes, Joel. I want to go home with you. I’ve got a video to watch in the morning, after all.” He grinned into your hand and bit it lightly. You gasped and laughed as he reached out to pull you into another kiss. 

“Let’s get out of here, gorgeous.”

…

you (10:42 PM): going home with Joel 😳

bestie  (10:43 PM): GET IT!!! (10:43 PM): 🍆 (10:43 PM): and send me his address

you (10:44 PM): 🫡

...

a/n: see you next Friday when we finally earn that explicit rating (aka, the smut arrives) 😌😏

These are the covers of Because the Night (the song Joel sings) that inspired me: Bruce cover | Bruce live | 10,000 Maniacs cover live | and the OG prev | next

tag list: @jupiter-soups @ilovepedro @auteurdelabre @anoverwhelmingdin @myloveistoolittle @iknowisoundcrazy @beezusvreeland @screechingphantommaker @bigboiseason123 @joelalorian @untamedheart81 @ashleyfilm @jessthebaker @jeewrites @fluffygoffpanda @paleidiot

[iridescentpull]

Day one of Hideduo/FitPac Kiss Week – Kiss on the Cheek & Cat Café AU

[ Ao3 link ] [ Set in the GeR universe! ]

[ fic below cut ]

“Bem-vindo!” Pac chirped, finishing the cat latte art he was doing for the customer’s drink. His back was facing the door, so he couldn't see who had entered. “I’ll be with you in a moment!”

It was midday on a Tuesday, which meant it was a slow period for the café. There was only one customer in the café, an old lady who visited often to play with Coquinho. She always ordered a latte and let Pac practice his latte art with hers.

“Damn, Pac.” A familiar voice said from behind him, causing him to break into a grin. “No time to greet your boyfriend? I am wounded.”

Pac spun around, a smile stretching across his face. “Fitchi!” He cheered, quickly grabbing one of the small plates and placing the mug of latte on top of it. “I always have time for you.” He said, quickly walking towards the table were the customer was seated, leaving the drink and plate with her.

The old lady gave him a warm smile and mumbled a thanks, turning back to where she was playing with Coquinho. Pac smiled at them before turning to Fit, crossing his arms. “Aren’t you supposed to be at the gym now?” He asked, teasingly.

“U-Uh, well…” Stuttered the American, rubbing the back of his neck and looking everywhere except for Pac. “Is it a crime that I want to visit my Brazilian boyfriend during my break? It’s been sooooooo long.”

The shorter male laughed, shaking his head. “It’s only been two days–”

“Too long.” Fit interrupted, opening his arms and engulfing the other male in a hug. “I missed you.”

Ever since they got official, Fit liked to pop by the café whenever he had a break. At the start, he claimed it was to check how he was doing after recovery, but Pac knew he just wanted to see him. It was very endearing, and Pac found himself looking forward to those visits.

“You are so clingy.” Pac teased, but hugged back. “Missed you too, though.”

After a few seconds, the pair pulled back and Pac walked to one of the tables, grabbing the dirty mugs and plates that were left there. Fit followed, grabbing some more dishes.

“You know, I can clean all these by myself, right?” Asked Pac, rolling his eyes playfully as he walked towards the sink.

Fit hummed, following behind. “Of course I do.” He said, placing the dishes in the sink and wrapping an arm around the Brazilian’s waist. “But I would like to spend as much time as possible with my boyfriend, thank you very much.”

The black-haired male groaned in fake annoyance. “Fine.” He said, leaning closer and kissing the other’s cheek.

“Oh!” The other said, face turning a nice shade of red as Pac started to scrub the mugs. “That’s, um, nice. What is it for?”

The other male laughed, shaking his head as he finished washing the mug and set it aside. “No reason.” He said, smiling as he turned to look at Fit briefly. “Just felt like it.”

“Cool.” Fit said, still processing what happened. “Cool. Cool. Very cool. Yeah.”

Pac snorted, rinsing the last mug. “Very smooth, Fitchi.” He said, rolling his eyes. They’ve been dating for almost a year now, and Fit still got so shy whenever he showed affection. Pac loved how he could do very simple gestures, like kiss Fit’s cheek, give him a rose or hug him from behind and Fit would collapse like a Victorian lady at the sight of an ankle.

“Hush, you.” The taller male mumbled, cheeks a pretty shade of pink. “So, uh... what have you got planned for this weekend?”

“This weekend? Hm.” Pac hummed, drying the last of the mugs and setting it aside. “I think I was gonna spend it cleaning my house– Richas is staying with Felps and Niki is taking over the café this weekend."

“Really?” Fit asked, his face brightening. “Because, um, Ramón is having a sleepover at Dapper’s for the weekend and the house will be empty. I was wondering if you’d like to, uh, spend the weekend at mine?”

Now it was Pac’s turn to blush. “O-Oh. Of course.” He said, a smile spreading through his face. “That sounds great– I’ll be there.”

The American’s hazel eyes brightened, and a wide smile appeared on his face. “That’s... That’s great!” He said, trying to hide the excitement in his voice and failing miserably. “I can’t wait, it’ll be nice!"

Pac giggled, shaking his head at his boyfriend’s cuteness. “It’s settled, then.” He said, drying his hands and leaning closer. "I’ll come over on Friday after I close? So at ten?”

“That works for me.” Fit replied, pulling the other’s waist against his and pressing another kiss on his cheek. “Can’t wait.”

Pac laughed, heart so full he felt like he was about to burst. “Neither can I.” He said, before glancing at the clock on the wall. “Hey Fitch, your break ends in fifteen.”

“What?” Fit said, eyes widening and looking at the clock. “Shit. I’ll be late.” He said, letting go of Pac. “See you later?” He asked hopefully.

“See you later.” The other replied, smiling. “Go, or else you’ll get yelled at by Bagi. Again.”

The American pouted. “I’m her boss, though.” He mumbled.

Pac laughed. “Still.”

“Fine, fine.” Fit groaned, but turned around and walked towards the exit. “See you! Boa tarde!” He called, opening the door and stepping outside.

Pac rolled his eyes, but the smile remained on his lips. “Boa tarde, Fitch!” He said, before the bell rang again, signaling that Fit had left.

He couldn’t wait for Friday.

[cemoras27-but-writing-this-time]

Danny's Evil Jaunt. Its Evil He Swears. Ignore the Charity. pt. 2

Hello! Im back with Part 2 Im honored that so many people were interested <3 HOPEFULLY THE COLOR STAYS RIGHT IM SO SORRY ABOUT THAT I DON'T POST ON TUMBLR OFTEN. also i have almost 0 history about Dc so if anyone wants to ramble about the charaters in the tags please do

Danny's outfit was based on @little-pondhead 's art and prompt was by @im-totally-not-an-alien-2

part: 1

AO3

Oliver Queen had thought he’d seen it all; however this Fenton guy just seems to be full of fun little gadgets. And puns. So many puns.

No one knows anything about the guy other than he’s a mechanical genius. Just magically appeared out of the blue one day with inventions that make Dr. Freeze’s gun look like a toy, claiming that ‘he’s not gonna be here long today but needs to do some field testing.’

And now here's Oliver listening to this kid(it had to be a kid, Fenton didn’t look a day over 14) ramble about how much fun he had today and that he had to come back soon(not looking forward to that). Green Arrow took a good look at the kid. 

He was short, maybe around 5’4 without the boots, and didn’t have much bulk, but clearly had a lot of lean muscle from what Oliver could tell from the fight, and black shaggy undercut hair. He wore a red hazmat suit with black gloves and red with black tinted lenses goggles. All covered with a lab coat that is definitely not OSHA compliant for mad scientist children, not with the way it was singed at the bottom and the sleeves had been torn off at the elbow, and the amount of sewn on patches - the biggest being the Fenton logo on his back. He was also lugging around a massive cannon that had Oliver bound to a lamp post with a glowing green net, but nets weren’t the only thing it could shoot, no it shot out so many things within the half hour they had been fighting that Oliver lost count. The kid also had some weird meta biology if the sharp teeth and pointed ears were anything to go on. But Oliver’s thoughts were cut off by a phone ringing. Fenton looked down and started feeling around his suit until he found his phone, a small Iphone with odd attachments with a green ghost case covered with stickers, stopped the alarm and moved his goggles up to rest on his head wincing as the rising sun shined in his eyes.

“Hoo bright. Alright that's it for today I guess! Thanks for playing with me Mr. Arrow, I think I'm gonna pick up some energy drinks and  a couple of snacks before heading home, I still need to write an English paper for Mr. Lancer and Jazz’ll finish me off if I don’t get home soon” Fenton grinned and started to punch in directions for the nearest convenience store on his phone. It was just around the corner from the street they had left the fight off on, nice. 

‘Maybe I should grab some for Sam and Tuck’ Danny thought, ‘Oh wait I forgot!’ just as he was about to turn into the store he rushed back to where he left Green Arrow, who was trying to saw his way out of the Fentnet with his knife. 

“Sorry! I wanted to do something before I left!” Fenton smiled and put his wiry arm around Oliver in a side hug and pulled out his phone and did a peace sign with the hand around Oliver. “Say Frootloops!”

Fenton pulled off Oliver and showed him the picture, Fenton had a Cheshire cat grin while he had a miserable expression. 

“Ooph, probably not your best look but I think we look cool. And really, that’s all that matters at the end of the day. How I think we look.” 

“You're a menace, what do you want?” 

“You don’t know? I’m god’s playtester and I’m here for bug testing before the rest of the world sees my inventions. Consider Star City my testing sandbox. Anyway see’ya!” and Fenton was gone down the street. 

And that was the day Oliver Queen knew that he needed to make sure that the world outside of Star City could never be exposed to Fenton. Especially the bat. If anyone found out his ego would never recover.

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

if you want to be added to the tag list please put it in the comments! it's easier to see there!

@starkcravingmad@amuseofminds@emeraudesfateandfandoms@passivedecept@quirky-gardener@xarexraven@justwannabecat @fisticuffsatapplebees @blacksea21090 @lovelessnightfall @iceknight-of-sun @sabrina414 @moobloomrights @vortexbox @trickedri @naluforever3 @suppengott @angelsdeathsstuff @lesling123 @cosmicgesture @always-be-a-stranger @sealover89 @slapphapp1 @fantasticbluebirdfan @krzys2000 @xxwintrynightzxx @justgray15777 @littlegrayram @danisfra @kyrianclawraith @@thought-u-said-dragon-queen

[kerwynlar]

A Notable Meal

A King of Mirokan story by Kerwynlar

Chapter 1: No kink. Nate meets someone important to Lawrence and learns a lot more about his husband. Chapter 2 (will be in the reblog): Nate discovers that he likes it when Lawrence eats a lot. Really likes it.

5,350 words.

Read it below or on AO3.

~*~

Chapter 1

Nate tried not to let his driver see his frustration. It wasn’t Joshua’s fault that there was terrible traffic returning to the palace from the opening of the new exhibit at the art museum, and Nate always felt awkward raising the privacy screen mid-drive. He thought most of the staff liked him well enough but he did try to actively combat the “haughty foreign prince” stereotypes. 

Nate looked at his phone again. He was absolutely going to be late for his next appointment which was dinner with Lawrence and Irina Hubbert. Nate had no idea who Irina Hubbert was and the calendar entry on his phone had no further details or briefing materials. With nothing better to do while the car crept along through traffic, Nate texted Sophia Kelling, one of Lawrence’s aides. 

Sent: Who is Irina Hubbert? 

Received: If HM didn’t tell you it’s probably best to let him introduce her. 

Nate sighed and tapped his phone against his forehead. Great. He was going to be late for a mystery date. He knew “HM” (their shortened version of “His Majesty”) valued everything running smoothly, but surely Lawrence would understand the traffic.

 

By the time Nate reached the door to the drawing room, he was only ten minutes late. He paused to straighten his jacket and run his hand over his hair, then opened the door. 

“Oh, but darling you look so well!” 

Nate stopped in his tracks, surprised by the warm tone, not to mention the pet name. 

The speaker was a tall, broad woman who Nate guessed was in her sixties, and as he watched, she reached forward and hugged Lawrence. Nate blinked. He was pretty sure he could count on one hand the number of people in the world who would be permitted to hug Lawrence, and he was one of them. But the king was smiling broadly. They pulled back and the woman reached down and patted Lawrence’s belly. 

“You’ve finally managed to put some meat on your bones,” she said, “I’m so pleased.” 

Lawrence had recently had to have all of his suits let out to accommodate the weight he had gained. While it wasn’t obvious to the casual observer, Nate felt (and Lawrence’s doctor agreed) that Lawrence had gone from too thin to a healthier weight. He had even started to gain a very slight paunch at his middle that Nate absolutely treasured. 

Whoever this woman was, she certainly seemed to be fond of Lawrence. Nate cleared his throat and started forward again, and both Lawrence and the woman turned to him. 

“Your Majesty,” Nate said, bowing to Lawrence, “I’m so sorry I’m late. Traffic coming from the museum was a nightmare.” 

“Nothing to worry about,” Lawrence said, reaching for him. 

Nate took his hand and Lawrence pulled him closer, wrapping his arm around Nate’s waist and giving him a squeeze. 

Lawrence turned back to the woman. “Nathaniel, may I present Mrs. Irina Hubbert. Mrs. Hubbert, I’m very happy to introduce you to my husband, Prince Consort Nathaniel.” 

Mrs. Hubbert gave an old-fashioned curtsy. “I’m honored to meet you, Prince Consort.” 

“Very nice to meet you as well, Mrs. Hubbert,” Nate said with a friendly smile. He glanced at Lawrence for some clue about what came next. 

“Mrs. Hubbert was my nurse and then my governess when I was a child,” Lawrence told him. “She and Mrs. Zeese basically raised me.” 

“Mrs. Zeese was on night duty,” Mrs. Hubbert said. 

“Oh!” Nate exclaimed. “Oh how wonderful! Mrs. Hubbert, I am thrilled to have the opportunity to get to know you. I want all the stories of His Majesty as a child.” 

Mrs. Hubbert laughed. “I suspect if I told you everything I might be guilty of treason.” 

“Mrs. Hubbert, you couldn’t commit treason if you tried,” Lawrence chuckled. “But Nathaniel and I have been married for less than a year. I think there are some things that can wait a little while.” 

They moved to the sofas and Nate sat close beside Lawrence, facing Mrs. Hubbert. 

“So were you here when he was first adopted, Mrs. Hubbert?” Nate asked. 

“Oh yes,” she said. “The butler at the time hired Mrs. Zeese and me right after the vote. I don’t think he even asked Princess Saraphina.” 

“The vote?” Nate frowned in confusion. 

“When Parliament formally rejected my parents’ proposal to change the constitution to let their biological children inherit the throne,” Lawrence said, smoothing his hand over his waistcoat. “Once they had been formally rebuffed, they had to take the next child eligible for adoption. And obviously that was me.” 

“I didn’t realize it had come down to a parliamentary vote!” Nate said, aghast. 

Lawrence nodded. “Part of the reason they were so old when they got me was because my grandfather stayed on the throne until my father was 50, but then my parents delayed adopting and lobbied for years to try to change the constitution.” 

“I don't think there was a single Mirokanian who was pleased by the royal family pulling that stunt,” Mrs. Hubbert said with a frown. “Including palace staff. Even if the king and princess consort weren’t going to prepare for the rightful heir, by god the staff was.”

“I knew your father was unpopular,” Nate said, racking his brain for information on the prior king of Mirokan. “Is that why? Because he tried to change the succession?” 

Lawrence nodded. “It was one of the first things he tried to do when he took the throne, and I think people never forgave him or my mother for it. I think my people tend to give me the benefit of the doubt when I change things or try something new. No one was willing to do that for him after the business with the succession.” 

“The heir to the throne is ours,” Mrs. Hubbert said. “That’s what the old king and the princess didn’t understand. It matters to us that the heir is of the people. That but for timing and luck, any of us might have been the heir.” 

“So Parliament forced my parents to take me, more or less against their will,” Lawrence said. “And by that time they were well past their years of wanting to deal with a baby, even their own. Then to top it all off, I was difficult-“ 

“You were not difficult, Lawrence,” Mrs. Hubbert said sternly. “You were in pain and had no way to express it besides crying. It was not your fault.” She turned to Nate. “The poor little love was such a colicky baby. It took us months to work out just how serious his stomach issues were.” 

Nate’s heart broke a little and he squeezed Lawrence’s knee. 

“In the meantime,” Lawrence said, “my parents were more than happy to hand me over to Mrs. Hubbert and Mrs. Zeese. And I will be forever grateful to them for taking such good care of me.” 

Lawrence and Mrs. Hubbert shared a warm look. 

“How old was he when he was adopted?” Nate asked after a moment. 

“Nine months,” Mrs. Hubbert said. “He was a little darling when he wasn’t crying. Desperate to be held all the time. Loved anyone who would give him a cuddle. We didn't get much information but it seemed like he was not cared for well before he was adopted. When he got here and had the whole staff fussing over him, he just couldn’t get enough of hugs.” 

Nate glanced fondly at his husband, who was looking a tad embarrassed. He knew Lawrence liked physical affection but it was sweet to hear that he had always been that way. 

“Was he terribly precocious?” Nate asked, turning back to Mrs. Hubbert. “I’ve always pictured him reading macroeconomics textbooks at age five.” 

Mrs. Hubbert chuckled. “Maybe not economics quite that early, but he was reading when he was 4, I think. And we started teaching him some signs as soon as we got him and he picked them up immediately.” 

“I think dinner is going to be served soon,” Lawrence said, in a transparent attempt to change the subject. “Mrs. Hubbert, did you hear that Helen is the head chef of the palace now?” 

“I did.” Mrs. Hubbert beamed. “I also heard that you paid for her to go to culinary school.” 

Lawrence nodded with a smile. “I did.” 

Nate looked between them. “Why did you pay for Chef Helen to go to culinary school?” 

“Helen was a junior kitchen assistant or something when I was a child,” Lawrence told him. 

“She lied about her age to get a job here!” Mrs. Hubbert put in. 

Lawrence chuckled. “That’s right. She couldn’t have been more than 14 when she was hired. But she stayed, and kept getting promoted. And when Chef Tucker told me he was retiring, I really wanted someone who was part of my wonderful memories in that kitchen to take over. So I asked Chef Tucker to stay at least part time until Helen could finish culinary school, and he was kind enough to do it for me.” 

“What kind of good memories?” Nate asked quietly, slipping his hand into Lawrence’s. 

“Oh, I spent hours and hours there,” Lawrence said, his eyes alight. “I didn’t like being alone as a child, so especially when I was supposed to be studying, I would go tuck myself into a corner of the kitchen where it was nice and warm and bright, and I would have the bustle as background noise while I did my work. There was always fresh-baked bread for me and they were always bringing me bits of this and that to taste. Chef Tucker said that even if I couldn’t eat things, I should know what they tasted like, so he would give me little bits of whatever he was cooking in quantities that, in theory, were small enough not to bother my stomach.” 

Mrs. Hubbert snorted. 

Lawrence grimaced and scratched his cheek. “That theory was not always true in practice.” 

“On orders from his doctor, I was trying to keep an accurate food log for this child,” Mrs. Hubbert told Nate, “and I would ask him what he had eaten in the kitchen, and he would say so sweetly, ‘it was just a taste, Mrs. Hubbert!’ And then when he was writhing in pain an hour later I had to march down to the kitchen and deal with a chef who ‘cooked to taste, not to recipes’.” She rolled her eyes extravagantly. 

“My food log got easier once the ministers started kidnapping me and I spent less time in the kitchen,” Lawrence said. 

“I’m sorry, what?” 

Before Nate could get an answer, the door opened and one of the servants entered. 

“Your Majesty,” the servant said, “dinner can be served whenever you are ready.” 

“Shall we eat?” Lawrence said as he started to get up. 

“If Mrs. Hubbert is ready,” Nate said. “But I want to hear about getting kidnapped by ministers!” 

Mrs. Hubbert stood. “Oh, I’m very excited about a meal cooked by Chef Helen!” 

When they were seated, Nate noticed that Lawrence had a huge smile on his face, but his eyes looked a little misty. Nate reached out to touch his arm. “Lawrence? What is it?” 

Lawrence covered Nate’s hand with his own. “I’m just very happy.” He looked from Nate to Mrs. Hubbert. “Having the two of you here with me…” he shook his head. “It makes me very happy.” 

Mrs. Hubbert reached over to squeeze Lawrence’s other hand. 

The moment was broken by servants entering carrying steaming dishes. Fresh, warm bread (a staple on Lawrence’s table) was placed in the center and each diner was presented with a bowl of fragrant stew. 

“I asked Helen to make Chef Tucker’s chicken stew,” Lawrence told Mrs. Hubbert. “It was your favorite, wasn’t it?” 

Mrs. Hubbert frowned at Lawrence’s dish. “Yes, but they’ve brought you the same thing!”

“Mmhm,” Lawrence said, picking up his spoon and going to take a bite. 

“Darling, you can’t eat that!” Mrs. Hubbert exclaimed. 

Lawrence chuckled. “You still remember all my dietary restrictions, Mrs. Hubbert?” 

“Of course I do!” she replied indignantly. “But it would be hard to forget onions!” 

“I’m trying to build up more of a tolerance to them,” Lawrence told her and took a bite. 

“Oh, your poor stomach! Why?” 

“You heard I’m going to Elendria to meet the president in a few months?” 

“Yes, and I heard that you did the Rite of the Seven Glasses.” She gave him a stern look. 

Lawrence put up his hands. “For diplomacy, Mrs. Hubbert! I wasn’t just getting drunk and I only did it because the minister insisted!” 

Her expression softened. “You must have been quite ill afterwards.” 

“I was a mess for a couple days.” He looked fondly at Nate. “Fortunately, I had my wonderful husband looking after me.” 

Mrs. Hubbert turned to Nate. “And what does the wonderful husband think about the king exposing himself to a food that his doctors have said he shouldn’t eat?” 

Nate quickly swallowed his mouthful of stew. “I’m in favor only because the king’s current gastroenterologist has signed off on it and is monitoring him closely,” he assured her. 

“He’s ultrasounding my stomach every two weeks to make sure I’m not causing damage,” Lawrence said. “I’ll stop if he finds something wrong, but my trip to Elendria will be much smoother if I can eat the food without undue discomfort and the Elendrians seem incapable of preparing food without onions.” 

Mrs. Hubbert ate a few bites of her meal before asking, “Does your doctor think exposure will work?” 

“He thinks it’s worth a try,” Lawrence said. 

“Is it worth making yourself repeatedly feel unwell?” 

Lawrence glanced at Nate with a smile. “I’ve gotten better at handling the indigestion. That’s how I’ve gotten fat.” 

“You’re not fat, Lawrence,” Mrs. Hubbert and Nate said simultaneously. 

They all laughed. 

“I’d rather have indigestion here and at times of my choosing if it means I might have an easier time in Elendria,” Lawrence said. “I figure you of all people would understand if I’m a bit sluggish after the meal, Mrs. Hubbert.”

“Of course, darling,” she said. “I hope the exposure works and makes eating Elendrian food easier.” She turned to Nate. “Are you going with him to Elendria, prince consort?” 

“Oh, please call me Nate or Nathaniel,” Nate said with a smile. “And I understand that the diplomats are working out now whether or not I’m going. Vyrian’s relationship with Elendria is very different than Mirokan’s. I’ve been there several times and I speak a little Elendrian. I haven’t met the current president but I met her predecessor.” 

“I very much want Nathaniel to join me,” Lawrence said. “But since the president is unmarried, I believe the diplomats are trying to figure out the logistics of what to do with him while the president and I are meeting.” He glanced warmly at Nate. “I’m sure I would benefit from him being in the room with me but we’ll have to content ourselves with him advising me after a recap in the evenings.” 

Nate smiled warmly at the praise and ate a little more stew before remembering the prior conversation. 

“Wait!” he said. “What was that about being kidnapped by ministers?” 

Lawrence chuckled. “When I was… eleven?” he looked to Mrs. Hubbert for confirmation and she nodded. Lawrence continued. “I was coming out of school one day, and the car that was waiting for me wasn’t my usual one, or my usual driver. I looked at my bodyguard, and he said it was alright, but I did have a moment of fear that he had sold me out to kidnappers or something.” 

“Was that Gerald?” Mrs. Hubbert asked. 

“Yes, it was,” Lawrence told her.

“He was sweet on me,” she said with a sly grin. 

“Oh, I know,” Lawrence said emphatically. 

Nate considered pulling on that thread, but decided to leave it alone. 

“So Gerald opens the back door,” Lawrence continued with his story, “and inside was Peter Morvan, who was the Secretary of Finance at the time. And he said to me ‘Come along, crown prince. It’s time you learned how the Treasury works.’ So I got in and he took me to his office and kept me there until suppertime, explaining exactly what it was he did and a very broad overview of how the Treasury works. Then he sent me home and told me he’d see me in a week or two. The next day, the Secretary of Foreign Affairs picked me up and did the same thing. After I’d cycled through the whole cabinet the Finance Secretary was back and this time he dropped me off with one of his undersecretaries. 

“It kept going more or less until I went to university. Four days per week, I would go to a government agency after school and sometimes the secretary would take me to a meeting or something, but most of the time I was babysat by a civil servant who would talk to me about their job and tell me what they thought the future king should know. Some people were awkward and uncomfortable with it, but most people were enthusiastic. It was the best education I could have asked for.” 

“That’s incredible!” Nate enthused. “Did the ministers just take it upon themselves to educate you?” 

“For a time I assumed my father had directed them, but apparently he knew nothing about it for years,” Lawrence said flatly. 

Nate felt a lump in his throat at the thought of Lawrence believing that his father had done something kind for him, only to realize it wasn’t the case. 

“The king’s personal assistant realized that, based on the king’s schedule, he couldn’t be spending much time with the prince,” Mrs. Hubbert was saying. “The assistant came to me, and I confirmed that the king really only spent time with him at formal events.” 

“The monarch is supposed to teach their heir to govern,” Lawrence said in the same flat tone. “If they don’t, then we might as well pick someone at random to take the throne when the monarch dies. When the assistant realized that wasn’t happening, he went to the Secretary of Finance, who talked to the rest of the cabinet.” He sighed and smiled a little. “I’m grateful to the entire cabinet. They all helped me with the vote on dissolving the regency and many of them stayed in their posts through the regency and for at least the first year of my reign.” 

Nate frowned, trying again to remember recent Mirokanian history. He knew that the old king had died when Lawrence was a teenager and there had been regents in charge until Lawrence was coronated. “The vote to dissolve the regency? Didn’t it dissolve when you graduated from university?” 

Lawrence nodded. “But many people wanted it to dissolve when I turned 18 and have me take the throne. I had to lobby Parliament to let me go to university instead. In the end Parliament voted to keep the regency in place until I turned 22 or until I graduated, whatever came first. I had to promise that I would do my best to graduate in three years and participate in meetings with the cabinet and the regents regularly.” 

“The regents were very unpopular,” Mrs. Hubbert told Nate, “and the people wanted their king.” 

“I wasn’t ready,” Lawrence said firmly, eyes on Mrs. Hubbert. “The entire cabinet agreed with me that I should continue my education. If I’d taken the throne that young it would have been a disaster.” 

Mrs. Hubbert opened her mouth and closed it again, pressing her lips together. 

This was clearly an argument they’d had before, and Nate decided to steer them back to safer waters. 

“It all seems to have worked out well,” he said with a bright smile. “Do you have other children, Mrs. Hubbert?” 

~*~

Please continue reading Chapter 2 in a reblog.

[reds-fluff-extravaganza]

Gangle x artist!reader

Requested over on ao3. I didn’t think I would get any for her and I’m happy I did!

Your digital form is what looks to be a painter, with the beret and everything. This had caught Gangle’s attention when you first arrived to the digital circus, as she also does art, so imagine her surprise and excitement when she found out you are also an artist!

Despite how socially awkward you are, you two of you bonded over your love of art, cartoons and anime, and video games. You two spend time together playing games and watching anime, which you were surprised was even allowed in the digital circus, but you aren’t complaining, as well as drawing together. Over time, you had developed feelings for Gangle, but you didn’t want to tell her and her reject you. However, what you didn’t know was that she had the same feelings for you, but was also afraid to tell you.

One night, after a long gaming session in Gangle’s room, you were now lying on her bed, just talking about whatever came to mind. That is, until you brought up some deep and emotional topics as you were doodling in a sketchbook.

“What would you do if we were to get out of here, Gangle?” You look over at her as you asked this, her tapping her ribbons together in a slightly nervous manner.

“I.. I’m not too sure, really. Sure, it would be nice to.. get out of here, but I would miss everyone.”

“Even Jax?”

“Well… unfortunately yes. I know he’s a jerk a lot of the time, but he has his moments.” You laughed a bit at this, giving her a look of ‘are you sure about that?’

“Yeah, yeah. I don’t think he does, but hey what do I know?” You roll over onto your back, now staring up at the ceiling as you held your sketchbook to your chest. It was silent for a few moments, before you spoke up again,

“Would you… want to leave..?”

“I… I have thought about it, yeah.” Gangle turned to face you now.

“But do you want to leave? What would prevent you from leaving if you had the chance?”

“I’m… n-not too sure what’s brought this on, but… do you really want to know?”

“Yeah, I’m curious. We don’t have to talk about it, if you don’t want to.”

“N..No, no, I don’t r..really mind, I was just curious is all.” It was silent for a few moments, as if Gangle was trying to collect her thoughts. You had opened your sketchbook back up and were now sketching little doodles of her as you awaited her response.

“The reason that would keep me from leaving here… would be… you, Y/n.”

“Me..?” You looked up from your sketchbook, making sure you had heard her right.

“Y-Yes, you. Think about it.. we never knew each other until we ended up here, right?”

“Yeah..?”

“E..even if we do somehow manage to even make it out of here… we would all be separated… most likely end up back in the same place we had been before we ended up here.” Gangle looked away from you, as if not wanting to talk about the subject anymore. “And I don’t want to be separated from you, Y/n.”

“I didn’t think about that, I’m sorry..” you mumbled as you set your sketchbook aside and hugged her as best you could.

“I know, it’s okay..”

“No, it’s not okay, I upset you..! That’s not okay..”

“I’ll be okay, Y/n.” You sighed a bit and nodded with a soft “okay” in response, still hugging her. Everything was silent for a few moments until you said, while letting her go from the hug,

“You didn’t really answer my original question. Why me?” Gangle nervously pressed her ribbons together as she mumbled something you could not hear.

“Could you repeat that, I didn’t hear you.”

“I..it’s because I love you, Y/n.” She said just loud enough for you to hear her. You had to take a moment to process her words, before you realized: “wait, say something you dingus, she just confessed her feelings!”

“I love you, too.”

“You… you really do? Y..you’re not just pulling s-some kind of prank on me, are you?”

“No, Gangle, I’m not pranking you. Who do you think I am? Jax?” Gangle giggled a bit at your response.

“I’m.. I’m so happy to hear that, Y/n.” You smiled softly and lie back down with her beside you.

“Me too, Gangle. Funny enough, I was actually uh… doodling you in my sketchbook.”

“W-Wait what? You were?”

“Yeah, do you… want to see them? It’s nothing bad, I promise. I don’t think Caine or the digital circus would appreciate that very much if I did, which I would never do.”

“Sure.” You handed her the sketchbook you had a few minutes ago, and she flipped through the pages, finding several doodles and sketches of you two together, and some of just her.

“These are… v-very cute, Y/n, thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” You put the sketchbook back on the nightstand once she gave it back to you.

“You up for watching something before bed?”

“I-I don’t mind at all.” You nodded and turned on (fav anime) and the two of you ended up watching for a few hours, talking and just enjoying the show and each other’s company before eventually falling asleep, mumbling a soft “I love you” before you both fell asleep.

[starlight-vixen-emiko]

The Melody of Your Heart Chapter 6

ao3 ff.net

At long last I am back! But really I am still need to writing multichapter fanfics...Does anyone ever get bored of their on multichapter fanfic???

Enjoy!

~~~~~

Since that fateful Monday, Marinette and her friends at the art club have been busy preparing for Kitty Section's first concert performance at her school. Marinette wondered how they could get so lucky despite everything, and she ensured that everything would be perfect for the first concert. The tiny stage before her school looked beautiful on Friday night when the stars started showing in the night sky.

More and more students started to come from both schools, and the anticipation was high. As Marinette waited at the front of the stage for the curtain call, a cute girl with short hair greeted her.

"Hello there, my name is Kagami. It's a pleasure to meet you," she said as she held out her hand.

Marinette grinned and shook her hand. "My name is Marinette. It's nice to meet you!"

Kagami took a moment to glance at the art club's work. "I have to say, you should be a part of our school if you planned all this. This stage looks beautiful."

Marinette placed her hand over her lips to hide her blushing face. "Oh! It wasn't just me who made this. Everyone in our art club did their part."

"Mind if I join in on this girl talk?" Alya said as she walked up from behind.

"Alya!" Marinette cried before the two girls hugged each other. When they broke their hug, Alya smiled at Kagami, and Kagami gave a shy smile in return. 

"I got to meet Marinette's new friend!" Alya said.

Kagami giggled and held out her hand. "My name is Kagami." And Alya enthusiastically shook her hand in return.

But while the girls were enjoying each other's company, the audience was practically dying from anticipation.

"I hope they will make their debut soon," Alya said.

Just then, Marinette's phone beeped with a notification, and Marinette smiled.

"They are just about ready," Marinette said.

"I hope they start playing soon as well! I'm dying here!" Said the voice of a boy.

The girls were caught off guard by a handsome blonde-haired boy hugging Kagami from behind and playfully cuddling her. "Hey princess!"

Kagami was so over the moon as her boyfriend lovingly kissed her on the cheek. Alya gave a pleased smile, and Marinette was a bit stunned.

"Marinette, Alya, this is my boyfriend, Adrien," Kagami said.

Marinette blinked a few times before looking at Alya and then at Kagami's sunshiney boyfriend.

"I'm sorry, you are probably thinking about my 'evil' cousin Felix Graham De Vanily," Adrien said "evil" in a joking tone. But Marinette felt that was a term that should seriously be considered.

Adrien took a moment to let go of his girlfriend and bow to Marinette. "I apologize for him. He does plenty of messed-up things and should just let you be." He turned back to Kagami and smiled before taking her hand. "He just doesn't know how to court a lady." 

Marinette pursed her lips, and while she and her friends were distracted, the curtain opened, and everyone cheered as Kitty Section presented themselves as the colorful spotlights shined on them.

"Hello everyone!" Mylene cried.

"We are Kitty Section!" Rose chimed in.

Marinette gasped and placed her hand over her heart as she saw Kitty Section shine on stage for the first time, even if it was a small, humble stage.

Rose and Mylene looked like beautiful musical muses. Ivan and Juleka looked so relaxed while wearing dark colors, and even though Luka was behind Rose and Mylene, Marinette still noticed him smiling at her. 

Marinette placed her hands over her lips and was grateful that she and the other art club members made the stage look good enough for her favorite band.

"We want to thank all of you for allowing us to have our first-ever concert!" Rose cried gleefully.

"Our first of many! I hope all of you enjoy the show!" Mylene chimed in.

Rose turned back to the band and raised her hand in the air. "Alright, let's do it!"

"4! 3! 2! 1!"

When they started playing their song, there was so much energy that it felt like the entire world had shifted. Soon, the whole audience was jumping along with the music and vocals.

Marinette always knew how amazing this up-and-coming band was, but finally seeing them take the stage was a dream come true.

Marinette waved to her bandmates with modesty, but eventually, she couldn't help but scream wildly like the rest of the audience as Kitty Section played their fantastic song.

And the music was calling her. Marinette took her harp out of her backpack and quickly ran backstage. She hoped her friends wouldn't mind her stepping out for a moment. Backstage, she hid behind the curtain and got the perfect view of Luka being completely in the zone, playing his guitar under the blue spotlight.

Marinette was absolutely in awe as she watched her amazing musician friend. She could watch him all night and take inspiration from him. Marinette smiled and held her harp close to her heart, and then she couldn't help but gasp and blush when Luka took a moment to smile at her, even though he was in the middle of playing with the band.

The blue spotlight certainly made Luka look radiant. Marinette could see his beautiful blue eyes as he shamelessly winked at her while playing the guitar. After he found the right moment, he reached out his hand to her.

Marinette was stunned and thrilled, but she couldn't reach him yet. This was all so sudden, her being asked to play with her bandmates for the first time. 

But this would be an amazing new experience, so Marinette grinned and took Luka's hand as he led her to the stage.

Luka gave a pleased smile as he continued playing. Marinette danced around as she played her harp with her bandmates. The audience once again ate it up.

Meanwhile, Nino made his way around the audience and smiled when he saw Alya near the front. Alya knew her boyfriend was near even with all the excitement, and she turned to give him a sly smile.

"Is that Luka?" Nino said as he adjusted his cap.

Alya gasped. "You know him?!"

Nino realized he wasn't thinking what he said though, and panicked. "Yes!" He gaped. "I…I know him from the other school…"

Alya was stunned that her boyfriend hadn't mentioned Luka until now. But then she noticed Marinette and Luka playing joyously under the blue and pink spotlights.

"He's a really cool guy…" Nino stopped as he watched Luka and Marinette play their instruments in sync.

Nino was curious seeing his two friends together on stage, and Alya gave her usual devious look that showed she was starting to assemble pieces. Sometimes pieces that didn't fit!

"Maybe, just maybe…There is something going on between Marinette and Luka!" Alya proclaimed.

Nino was stunned, but then he smiled sheepishly before wrapping his arm around her.

"Alya, let's not jump to conclusions," Nino said.

Marinette focused on her heart rushing from playing on stage for the first time. With all her bandmates beside her, she would always play the music she wanted to convey. But then Marinette nearly lost her breath when everything went quiet, and the pink spotlight was on her while her bandmates were in the dark. Luka gasped, and Marinette stopped playing as she held her harp close and looked toward the crowd.

She didn't know what to do, but she heard Alya and Kagami cheer for her, and then it finally clicked for her that she was being put on the spot for a solo performance.

Marinette initially thought it would be wonderful, wearing a beautiful outfit and playing the harp on a regal stage with the biggest audience ever. But for this to be her first solo, she didn't ask for this.

But this was Kitty Section's big break, and this was probably her big break. So Marinette took a deep breath before running her fingers through her strings.

Marinette closed her eyes and pretended she knew what she was performing, but her fingers shook slightly. Luka watched from the dark, and he couldn't be more captivated hearing the raw emotion of Marinette playing her harp under the spotlight.

But Marinette felt her hand slip as she played a harsh chord, and she gasped loudly as she held her harp close and tried to look away. There were a few low gasps in the crowd.

Marinette cursed herself for ruining her debut, but she felt a familiar presence behind her.

"Let me help you Marinette." 

Marinette felt her heart beat faster, hearing Luka's voice as he was right behind her but only partially under the pink spotlight as he played gentle chords on his guitar. She needed to listen to the song he was sharing with her, and then she felt the strength to run her fingers through her harp again as they played together.

It took a few moments for Marinette to realize they were creating a ballad together. Marinette smiled to herself and tried not to giggle. But it was amazing at that moment just playing music together. It was like they were the only ones in the world, even if both of them noticed smartphone lights from the audience. Marinette could pretend they were just fireflies on a beautiful night as she continued to play music with Luka.

This was much better, but Marinette ultimately felt terrible that it was her first solo performance, and Luka had to be the one to save her. As she reached the finale of the song they played, Marinette felt her legs give out, and she fell down as she and Luka played their finale.

The crowd roared in applause though, and Marinette felt like tears were about to form in her eyes.

Luka was so proud as he saw how happy Marinette made the audience. Still, Marinette was confused as she looked up at Luka, who smiled warmly at her and offered his hand.

After taking a moment to breathe, Marinette took his hand as he gently helped her up. But Marinette felt her legs give out again, and she fell into Luka's arms as her head landed on top of his chest. Marinette blushed hard and was about to apologize, but Luka didn't seem offended by it as he smiled down at her and held her safe in his arms.

And for a moment, Marinette couldn't bring herself to remove her hand from Luka's chest as she noticed his heart was beating fast. It was such a warm heartbeat, but she snapped back to reality, not wanting to come off as creepy, and she found the strength to stand alone. But Luka's smile didn't waver as he pointed to the crowd cheering for the entire band, including her. The two of them walked toward the edge of the stage and bowed. A memory flashed through Marinette's mind.

"Keep on expressing the melody of your heart," Viperion said not too long ago.

Yes, Marinette thought as she bowed her head.

She thought Luka must have the most beautiful heart in the world, like Viperion.

~~~~~

Afterward, the band had time to relax and recharge by the flower bushes. But Ivan, Rose, Juleka, and Mylene couldn't stop hollering about how fantastic their first concert was. At the same time, Marinette sat on the stone bench next to Luka, smiling at her bandmates while holding her harp safe against her chest. Luka smiled as well; he was thrilled that his band was reaching new heights, but after such an unforgettable performance, he needed a little time of silence with Marinette.

Marinette couldn't help but give a half-hearted smile as she watched the members of Kitty Section rejoice. They were all so talented, and she gave a lackluster first harp performance in front of everyone. Luka couldn't help but notice how Marinette was hiding something deep within her.

"We totally lit up the stage together!" Rose cried as she and Juleka held hands.

Marinette couldn't help but let out a soft sigh. "Yes, you guys gave the most amazing first performance in the world, and I couldn't be more proud."

"Marinette?" Luka said as he looked down at her with his gentle blue eyes.

Marinette noticed Luka's concern and smiled at him, trying not to be negative.

"And Marinette plays the most beautiful harp music!" Juleka chimed in.

Marinette gasped as her face turned pink.

"Yes! That was the most moving performance I ever heard." Mylene said. "I never heard a harp performance for myself before."

Marinette shivered as she held onto her harp, overwhelmed by the sudden praise.

"No! No!" She cried. Then she frowned and ran her fingers through her hair. "My first performance was a disaster!"

Marinette continued to blush as the girls huddled around her to assure her, and then Ivan also chimed in.

"Your harp performance was unique Mari! On our journey as an up-and-coming band, I didn't expect a girl with a harp to join us. Your performance was great!"

Marinette giggled as she finally took her friends' praise to heart, and the girls eased up on her. But Marinette still had to be honest with herself.

"Thank you everyone! This was one of the most amazing nights of my life being able to perform in front of an audience." Marinette gave a slight melancholy smile as she pondered her first performance. "But I still have a lot to learn…"

Then Marinette felt she lost her breath momentarily when she felt a familiar hand on her shoulder. She was absolutely dumbstruck by Luka giving her the sweetest smile, all for her.

"I loved your performance so much Marinette."

Marinette gave a low gasp as she blushed. All their bandmates were looking intently as Marinette and Luka locked eyes.

"Oh Luka…My first performance was forced! I wish I could've had more time to mentally prepare…"

Luka slowly shook his head. "You're destined for great things just like us. You were born to make an amazing melody all your own."

Marinette felt her face heat up even more and almost felt like she was about to pass out. Still, she breathed and tried her hardest to compose herself before answering Luka's amazing, flattering comment.

"Well!" Marinette yelped as she tried not to fall off the stone bench. "I would love to play my harp on a big stage and wear a beautiful gown, but I am just not ready yet!" Marinette gasped as she looked at her feet. "I need to practice more…"

"Besides, I have other important things," Marinette said. "Like the art club, I want to keep it safe."

Luka remembered how even though Marinette had no powers, she wanted to protect the art room with everything she had.

"Maybe we could donate some art supplies from our school," Luka suggested. The members of Kitty Section quietly agreed.

"Really?!" Marinette cried as her eyes sparkled.

~~~~~

It was a beautiful day on Saturday. The sun was shining, and Marinette's school was tranquil, except for the celebration that was going on in the art room. The other members of the small and humble art club were chatting up the members of Kitty Section and showing their gratitude that they donated art supplies from their fancy art school to their art club in their dull, mundane high school. The members of Kitty Section also learned what it felt like to talk with adoring fans in person. Eventually, the door opened, and Luka's heart skipped a beat again. Marinette, Marc, and Nathaniel returned to the room with warm pizza boxes in their hands.

"Sorry for the wait everyone!" Marinette said.

But nobody seemed to take offense. The art club members made their way to help Nathaniel and Marc with the pizza boxes and get their share. Marinette smiled as she walked over to the members of Kitty Section and presented them with a lovely pizza she had picked specifically for them. She hoped they would love it.

"Here! You guys deserve a special pizza!"

Ivan, Juleka, Mylene, and Rose eagerly got on it and took the box from Marinette. The four of them thanked Marinette in unison as they opened the box, ready to dig in. Luka had to admit he was also hungry, and he couldn't help but take the slice that Ivan generously gave him. But as Luka took his first bite, he couldn't help but notice Marinette was more focused on the art supplies he and the others donated.

They were like treasures to her. Sure, she liked how old-fashioned the art room was. She didn't need an expensive one like in Luka's art school, but she still couldn't be more grateful that Luka bought something from their fancy art school for her ordinary art room. And maybe they could recruit new members and the art club would be unstoppable…

Marinette lost her train of thought when Luka brought a plate with a slice of pizza that was clearly meant for her. Marinette raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"I was thinking of a project Luka!"

Marinette truly was grateful for how caring Luka was. So she wasn't upset. But you don't just disturb an artist when they are in the zone.

"But you need to eat to help the wheels in your head," Luka said. Plus, he was worried all the excited people at the party would eat all the pizza before Marinette got a piece.

Marinette breathed in the scent of the delicious custom-made pizza and felt she should relax a bit.

"Alright," she said as she took the plate for him. My projects could wait a moment.

But before Marinette could take a bite, Ivan arrived with a slice of pizza, which he gave to Luka, and then he turned to Marinette.

"It's tradition for us to cheers with pizza slices," Ivan said.

Marinette had not thought of that before, but it was clever. So she and Luka turned to each other and tapped their pizza slices together like glasses of non-alcoholic champagne. And everyone else in the classroom followed suit.

"Cheers!"

It was a lovely day to celebrate that no bully or thick-headed school board would bring down their art club. Thanks to Viperion and the other heroes, their art club was saved.

But Marinette couldn't help but also think that Luka was an everyday superhero in his own way.

It inspired her and made her wish she could be the hero to protect for once.

But for now, she would try her best in her art and music and be her own everyday hero.

That way, no rich jerk would ever be foolish enough to cross her.

~~~~~

Back at the dark penthouse apartment that Felix lived in, the butterflies that floated in the room tried to find solace in the one light that shone on the devious rich boy. They desperately flew around for warmth.

But Felix sat there collecting darkness and thinking about those two opponents in his life. The boy with the guitar and the snake boy with the harp. Oh, how he would love to teach Couffaine what it feels like to be overpowered in a fistfight. And oh, how he would love to put that snake in a cage.

But he could make both of those wishes come true.

If he learned how to utilize the power of the Akuma properly.

A little inspiration hit him as the dark energy in his finger reached for a butterfly that tried to fly away. Still, Felix infected it, and the curse of the Akuma was too strong for the little butterfly as all its good nature got stripped away.

"Foolish butterfly!" Felix scoffed.

There may have been new rivals in the game, but that didn't mean that Marinette Dupain-Cheng would eventually play the beautiful harp for him and only him.

The power of the Akumas would overcome Viperion and the other heroes.

Because dark moths were supposed to rid the entire world of light.

And hawks were supposed to eat snakes alive.

[julietasgf]

Juli

I'M BACK (I never left, it just took me a while to respond because I need to think about my answers otherwise I'll ramble on ad infinitum and college beats me eh). I love talking to you so I hope it's not a problem I'll keep asking you stuff about these fascinating characters (The Plinth) and any other topics because I love your ideas and your takes.

About your reply on AO3, I can promise that I will start doing my own HCs on Strabo and Ma and you will be the first person I will show it to when I have written it. I must also say that I agree with you: while ships and romantic relationships are amazing to explore, platonic and familial relationships are just as interesting and deserve to have their fics and hc and analysis within the fandom. (Can we talk about the potential of Lysistrata as a possible friend of Sejanus in canon?)

Before I start with my rant of the movie (it's finally here, another day we will continue with the many other things like the war in Two, First Quarter Quell, etc jsjsjfjs) I come to pass you the link of the fic I mentioned and also to recommend you a new series of fics that recently appeared centered on Baby Sejanus during the war (please tell me what do you think!!!)

1. Bullets Over Two

It is being update I must warn but what is there is for now, is very good!

2. All I Long for is Home (Little Sejanus series)

I really thought it was magical when they sent the link on discord for this series. It has everything we love: Baby Sejanus, studied the dynamics of the Plinth and their experiences during the war!

Speaking of the Plinth. I think its function is both ways: they are clearly the immigrant experience and the difficulties of forced assimilation of coming from another country as identity crises but also USA is a very large nation and as you say, the culture shock within its own territory is enormous and continues to reproduce these dynamics of discrimination.

Ah yes I send you a big hug for the mockery. People really can be cruel. I don't get it, to me it seems like such a nice way to call mothers. 🥺

In my case I'm from the capital but my father is not, he came from a state and has told me a couple of truly traumatic experiences about the problem of fitting in. Ah

But well. The time has come for the rant.

First I would like to clarify that I loved the movie. Great cast, great direction, costumes and cinematography. The soundtrack is a fucking work of art. Iconic enough that I will forgive them for not adapting the snowjanus song from the book. I also think Coriolanus and Lucy Gray had more than satisfying and well done arcs.

In fact there were some changes to the story they made in the movie that seem to me to be great additions or reinterpretations of the text (Example. making Felix the president's son, killing him and having Dr. Gaul use his death to interrupt Reaper's act of direct rebellion -another change that as you can see I am into it-, Tigris serving with that line "You look like your father, Coriolanus", etc).

I don't have a problem with any of that. My big conflict comes down to their portrayal of the Plinth and the Academy students (I'm mostly talking about Clemensia but I didn't limit myself to her). As I said before the absence of the Plinth (Ma and Strabo) seems problematic to me, because they will be the worst crime of Coriolanus. They are the proof of how many limits he is willing to cross to get to power while being the force that is able to allow him to fulfill those ambitions. It's fucked up and very necessary to show in order to understand Snow.

I understand that the time was probably here what contributed to the fact that we only got to see them in a small cameo but gosh I think one scene. One little scene they could have given us. Besides it wouldn't have been a waste, because a lot of information about the Snow's we found out in relation to the Plinth.

What can I say?, I just feel sad every day that we don't have the scene of Coriolanus and Strabo talking in the movie. It's such a short but intense conversation.

With Sejanus my biggest complaint is that because the involvement of his family and family history is almost nonexistent, viewers of the film alone don't know a lot of much needed facts about who he is to see his nuances and there were changes that worked against reflecting his character as well as his situation.

The most extreme example that we have discussed before is the Sandwiches scene. In the movie, the credit is taken away from Sejanus, who was the only one to be concerned about the welfare of the tributes in the book. He was the first to try to approach them not to put on a show like Coriolanus but to try to offer them dignified treatment.

That Sejanus brought so much food. That he did not give up even though at the beginning no tribute wanted to approach and in the end his thing with Marcus will not be settled are actions that speak a lot about who he is. Since such actions don't take place in the film, it leaves an incomplete understanding of the character (which leads people in tiktok to have the worst takes on him in the world).

But this doesn't just happen with poorly executed scenes, it's present even in well done scenes like Sejanus responding to Arachne's bad comments. While it's a scene I adored and establishes well that Sejanus and his fellow academy members live in very different worlds, I don't think it quite captures Sejanus' situation well.

Although inferred, in reality outside of disagreements of opinion there is little in the film that if you don't know the context of the book, tells you very clearly that Sejanus has been harassed and bullied by his classmates for over a decade and the true extent of the hostility of the environment to him.

Which in part doesn't quite capture the reason for his desperation. Equally influential is that Sejanus begins with a higher pitch of protest in the films rather than the escalating spiral he faces in the book.

Now about the Sandwiches scene, I think we can all agree that it is made to make Coriolanus look much better than he acted in that particular situation and ultimately impacts along with other subtle changes in his behavior to make the character a more gentle and selfless version than his book counterpart.

And as you rightly said Juli, Sejanus is not the only character who is prevented from showing his virtues to 100, to favor the image of Coriolanus. This happens in fact with all the students of the academy. Especially with Clemensia.

I wanted to talk about Lysistrata but I feel the same problem with her as with the Plinth: they are practically nonexistent, and it is striking that the other character who genuinely showed concern for her tribute, sought to give him a humane treatment and was not particularly in favor of the games, was almost eliminated.

But I'll go with Festus. Who like other characters in TBOSAS - THG is a greyscale. He'll say wild and clearly poorly thought out things like suggesting the use of capital punishment and brute force to get more people to watch the games but he's also a kid who mourns the death of Arachne, the twins, eats at all hours, is funny, and told Clemensia she was cruel for not wanting to send food to her tribute. And he had a kind of connection with Coral.

According to Coriolanus he was also one of the few people who liked Sejanus more than the average student at the academy. Which says something about his persona, but more importantly in Coryo's own words.

Festus was his best friend and I was quite surprised at the kind of focus they gave him in the movie because not only is there more focus on his flaws but his moments with Coriolanus are more sparse. You wouldn't think they were friends. Again I'm not 100% complaining about that alteration and I can understand where it comes from (it was to give more focus on snowjanus "friendship") but here we have a character who to a lesser extent is reduced to being a mentor who doesn't treat his tribute with gentleness unlike Coriolanus and who seems to not be his friend. Just his classmate.

Which brings us to Clemensia. Who I think is worthy of a place in the "I was close to Coriolanus Snow and he ruined my life" club. I think people underestimate the weight of Coriolanus' actions when he decides to put himself first. When he decides to put her aside to ensure his own survival.

Clemmie is one of Snow's closest friends. And their relationship is the least complex compared to other important relationships in Coryo's life. Which I think is something that promotes the strength of their bond, as Dovecote is genuinely just a friend that Coriolanus spends time with.

It's not as wearing and multi-layered as his love hate Sejanus. Like the conflicts Lucy Gray stirs up and it's nowhere near as torturous as his relationship with Tigris. Coriolanus genuinely cares for her and they seem to understand each other well but this is what I think makes her the first victim.

I can't really say that Coriolanus will act badly in the whole situation. It was Gaul at the end of the day who did most of the damage; demanding that rehearsal from them even when Arachne died, lying to Clemensia to send a message to Snow.... But it is the turning point. Because Coriolanus is faced with a crossroads, what happens with Clemensia forces him to acknowledge what he has always known.

The Capitol does not care about protecting its people. The Capitol is cruel and oppressive. The Capitol subjugates them. He can't rely on institutions or adults to protect him.

And I can't blame him for his reaction, but it is his reaction that makes him complicit. He decides not to protest, not to argue, not to tell and not even to try to take care or to know about Clemensia once she disappears. He does it to ensure his own survival. To take care of his family in theory and other things but it is that point of fall where the debate opens up within him as to why his actions and what he is willing to leave behind in order to survive.

He runs away from her, unable to face the horror of his own inability to act or do anything else for Clemensia and while he awkwardly apologizes, for leaving his friend behind, it was this event that marks this point of who else he is capable of leaving alone as soon as they "become a threat" to his interests.

So I don't understand for the life, why they didn't shoot the scene of her in the hospital with snake scales? Clemensia and Coriolanus' arc IS VITAL. And removing it was a huge mistake, not only that, but changing Clemmie's attitude to make it look like she "deserved" what dr. Gaul did. It was honestly the worst decision. It just doesn't make sense. And I mean that in all seriousness. They didn't even complete her story *scream*.

But well, who I am to complain... On a happier note our beautiful LATAM AU. 🤭 Of course, Sejanus is the one who fights with Strabo every time there is a family reunion. His cousins try to eat at the speed of light before Sejanus starts saying things against the pigs politics who exploit people and Strabo tells him he's a dumb anarchist and stop questioning everything and then they start yelling at each other and have to take the kids somewhere else 😭😭😭

By the way it would be funny if Sejanus, is disinherits by his dad every christmas and he's like "I don't even care about your dirty money" but Coriolanus DOES CARE so he scolds him every time he says that and tries to talk some sense into him although the odds are also very high that he tried to convince Strabo to make him his heir instesd of Sejanus by chatting with him in the yard JAJSJSJSJSIS

Arg Coryo is good because Tigris has an album and a copy of that album with pictures of him dressed as a chick for a dance and other horrors. AND SIIII YOU UNDERSTAND VESTA IS THAT MOTHER WHO CAN DANCE EVERYTHING.

Rip Coryo and his two left feet. He let himself be led but was a very embarrassing companion for someone like Vesta who moves with grace. Sejanus offers to give him lessons so he doesn't make a fool of himself again at parties jsjsjshs

GOD IS CANON. LGB WOULD DEFINITELY GIVE HIM A NASTY POLITICAL CAMPAIGN SHIRT to (make fun of him). Also she has permanently threatened Coriolanus that if he is ever an unacceptable jerk again, she will funar him on social media 💀

STRABO IS THAT KIND OF DAD JSJSJS HE LOVES TELENOVELAS HE JUST REFUSES TO ADMIT IT BUT IT'S SO OBVIOUS. Imagine Sejanus and Coryo discussing telenovela villains and someone gets a fact wrong and Strabo is like "but this actually happened..." and saying he knows because Vesta told him but everyone knows that in his office he watches telenovelas in secret LMAO

About the daddy issues. This the scene

This is getting long already but I think daily about Coriolanus and Strabo's talk and then that time Coriolanus realizes he's acting like Strabo with Sejanus. Damn. I just know that if we would have had a snowjanus + strabo encounter. THAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED I SWEAR JSKSLS

😭😭

Coryo: Don't yell Mr. Plinth at Sejanus he is just trying to help...

5 minutes later:

Strabo: But don't give him the order yelling,young Snow, you should know Sejanus is sensible...

3 minutes later:

*both of them yell at Sejanus*

Sejanus: This is normal yes :)

Oh. I forgot my song.

1. New song sejarcus certified and yes it's an accurate portrayal of Strabo's father. Its crazy.

2. European Mexican warning: but I need you to see the video of Rosalia - millionaria + Dio$ nos libre del dinero. It's two songs that share one video and there's something there about Coriolanus and Sejanus and their relationship with money. Ehh

Now I will shut up for the moment.

HIII!!! I absolutely understand and 0 judgements bc I'll spend hours just writing a single answer bc time is needed (specially bc I'm a tad bit slow thinking in english 😭) also, good luck with college!! and aaaaaa I love talking to you, this is really sweet, feel free to ask or say anything, I'll be more than happy 🥹

YESSSSS PLS I'm now anxious to hear your thoughts, can't wait for them!!! I stand by the fact that ships are lovely, but there's a big lack of exploration for platonic dynamics and it's painful (and I say that as a platonic bairdplinth truther, snow can go to hell, let these two bond and be such an iconic duo). and yessssss I love lysistrata sm :( every single time her character appeared, all I could think was "omg why couldn't sejanus get closer to her instead of getting close to coriolanus?". there's just so much POTENTIAL here

YESSSS HERE COMES THE (DESERVED) RANT!! but about the fics: thank you sooooo much for sending the links!!! I bookmarked the first to read later, but the second, I've read the first work of the series when it was posted and it's SO GOOD <333 it's genuinely one of my favorite works that I've read recently, and I love how the author wrote bby sejanus' perspective regarding the war

yessss!! I'm not an usa expert (bc, well, I never lived there), but I've seen some interesting takes from people who are from there, but more specifically, are from the appalachian region; and these people were talking about how there's this whole view of people from that region being "uneducated" and other things (and how important it is that D12 is located in this region; I'm not sure if in the movie lucy gray have an appalachian accent because I SUCK at recognizing accents in english except for the texan one, but I know that when suzanne collins read a passage of the book out loud, someone pointed out that she gave lucy gray an appalachian accent).

(this also hits harder when there's a passage in the book where sejanus says him and lucy gray are very alike regarding this, not being able to fit in anywhere, except she had talent 💔)

thank you, this is really kind 🫶 some people will just be ignorant for no reason, just for the joy of being ignorant. and I'm sorry about the things your father went through :(

but okay, let's go to talk about the movie:

absolutely agree!! the movie is GOOD. straight up good. and as an adaptation, there are a few things I think they actually did better than the book:

the whole game, in general. I think the rythm got much more dynamic than it is in the book. I understand the book's purpose, but as a reader, it's slow. the changes made it more interesting and it worked in movie-form a lot.

the whole scene with reaper and the panem flag not only is gorgeous and strong and impactful, but it's so well-adapted, I just- I was really at a loss of words, because it IS much better than the book, imo.

wovey dying from the snakes instead of lucy gray poisoning her. it was an impactful scene that made me feel hopeless and horrible watching. even though the book is brutal, this death specifically made the movie much more brutal to me. that was a child begging to go home.

as you said, making felix being the one who got killed during the bombs. it just made more sense and it was gaul's perfect excuse. and it also makes us question more things: is it one child's life worth the life of 24 children?

but when it comes to coriolanus... oh boi. I have thoughts.

(before we get into it, it's worth saying tom blyth did an amazing job with the text he got; the forest scene was TERRIFYING, it made me genuinely scared and tense when watching it at the theater. plus, he has this constant look that just unsettles you. it makes you sense that there's something wrong with this boy, even though you can't really put your finger on what exactly. if there's such a thing as a perfect actor for coriolanus, that's tom blyth, no doubt.)

now, this is a feeling I personally have: the movie is an action dystopian movie. it would obviously want to appeal to this public, including people who never read the book in first place. so, to appeal more to the general hollywood public, they adapter coriolanus' character to be more of an underdog who goes through some sort of corruption arc. he's not an indocrinated, bigoted boy who thinks himself to be superior, who grows more and more power hungry, and this leads him to do things that are more and more horrible. in the movie, he's an ambitious boy, yes, but who goes through traumatic things and famine, and who, in the end, chooses himself in order to survive.

now, let's say the writers want to change this character to make him more appealing to the big public; after all, who would like watching someone like coriolanus thinking the things he think, specially about district people? and the way they seemed to do it was by not changing the core story, but omitting and toning down elements that make coriolanus seem much worse.

the plinths are definitely the most problematic of these characters who got omitted or toned down. the end in the film is not near as impactful as in the book. he killed their child. their only son. and then he comes back and acts as if he did nothing. he knew how much sejanus' mom loved him, then he kills her son and proceeds to call that boy's mom MA. he was SO sick for that. stealing someone's life is already bad, but there's so many layers that the more you look into it, the worst it gets. it's essential to understand that atp of the story, there's no turning back, because he isn't able to feel remorse anymore. he just doesn't care, and this is extremely important to know that THIS is the snow we know in the future. this is the snow that do horrible things to children, that mercilessly kills his opponents. that's how far he's willing to go.

I agree with you regarding the time, specially because the movie was already very long, but they could've given us one scene. at least one. if they inserted, for example, ma plinth going to talk to coriolanus abt sejanus being missing, I think it would already add a great impact (of course the scene of sejanus' death screaming for his ma is heartbreaking by itself, but when you know the context, when you see how close they were in the book, it's just MUCH WORSE, MY GOD). or in the end, a little scene with coriolanus and strabo talking abt coriolanus being their heir would already do a lot for the storytelling (I also think that was left a bit ambiguous in the movie).

(I also adore that scene of strabo and coriolanus, it gives us a lot of insight and I would've adored to have it adapted 💔)

sejanus in the book is a complex character that has a lot of nuances, and that's why I like him so much. when you look through coriolanus' lens, you won't really understand how depressing his situation is. coriolanus just looks to the fact that sejanus have money and is financially privileged, but mostly ignores the fact that the capitol is hostile to the plinths (coriolanus himself is hostile to the plinths! he doesn't say it aloud bc, well, he's coriolanus, but it's still there in his narration, and the way he talks about them), and sejanus was relentlessly bullied through his whole childhood growing up. he had no friend and not really a support network besides his ma. he was utterly alone in an environment that hated him, hated where he came from, hated his family. and he still turned out kind. and we see this in details through the book; the sandwich scene is the most significant, as you said, and it PAINS me that they cut it out, bc reading it, it was when it was clear to me that what coriolanus says about sejanus is not really reliable. sejanus brought food not only to marcus, he brought food to ALL the tributes. he wanted ALL of them to have something to eat. and he really didn't need to do it.

another thing that was poorly executed was that they basically got rid of the fact that he was suicidal. in the movie, it seemed like a naive kid thinking dying on that arena would be a good act of protest (which wouldn't be at all, as we all know it wouldn't be broadcasted). in the book, the whole thing regarding it being a form of protest is more secondary, because that boy was straight up trying to kill himself, and if it actually ended as some sort of protest, then it would be just a side thing. sejanus was in so much pain that he really thought that the only way he could make up to marcus was by dying, and then, after this whole thing, (if I remember right, but I may be remembering wrong) he had to be on sedatives because of how stressful and traumatic the situation was. and sejanus says AGAIN later in the book that he was planning to kill himself. it makes the whole rebel plan have much more sense, because OF COURSE sejanus wouldn't care it's dangerous, he doesn't seem to care about his life at all, he would know the risks and do it anyway, while in the movie it just seemed impulsive and (again) naive. and talking about the rebel plan, this is such a tiny details but it drives me insane how they changed the fact that in the book, he KNEW about the guns and he GOT THEM PURPOSELY, and this actually changes a lot how the public can view his character.

and as you said, all these changes lead to people on tiktok having the WORST takes on him, and I can't even judge them 100%, bc in the movie (imo) they DID make him much more spoiled and naive than he is in the book 😭

to wrap up my thoughts regarding sejanus because I talk too much: sejanus' arc is not one easy to the general estadounidense audience relate to unless you went through some similar experience, but when you did go through some similar experience, it hits HARD. and the book worked this very well, where in the movie, I swear some people I know that never read the book didn't even remember that he was district. it was very poorly worked, they toned down his character a lot, and it just doesn't sit right with me.

but now, let's talk about the academy students:

one thing that I find interesting in tbosas is that even though coriolanus is the worse, we can't really blame it on being from the capitol, because we DO see characters from the capitol who have the ability of being selfless and have empathy. and that makes you realize that, yeah, even though coriolanus is a product of his environment... it's still not justifiable, because we see good kids at the academy who aren't bigoted like him.

lysistrata is the BIGGEST of these examples. even though we see coriolanus being nice to lucy gray, we also read his thoughts and he mostly sees her as a possession, a thing to be possessed, not a human being. he barely sees her as equal. and we have lysistrata, who forms a genuine bond with jessup. there's a scene that I find really remarkable in the book. one of the academy students (I'm not really sure who, but I think it was hilarius) comments, in response to lysistrata saying jessup is a protector, that jessup is almost like "a loyal dog". and lysistrata immediately says that no, not like a dog. like a human being. like a protector. and lysistrata was born and raised in the capitol, she probably never got any contact with the districts, her family for sure have a lot of money for her to study in the academy... and she sees jessup as human. not as a possession, but as human. and they got almost completely rid of her character, and it really did make it seem like coriolanus was the only capitol-born kid who wasn't particularly cruel or xenophobic (when it's quite the contrary lol).

we barely see festus in the movie, and when we see, it's just him being kind of a prick (and I don't really understand why focusing on him being a prick specifically; there were other academy characters who would've served this purpose well; why, of all the academy students, pick right the one that was not hostile to sejanus? it genuinely got me confused, like, why, leave him alone 😭). I can absolutely see why they didn't focus on festus and coriolanus' screentime, and I'm also okay with it, but what bothers me is that changing him into just another academy student who's pretty much cold to his tribute removes the nuance of the story (in the book, we see plenty of academy students bonding with their tributes and feeling bad when they die, we see they are indocrinated privileged kids but who can still learn to be better and do better and unlearn all their bigotry; while in the movie, it sounds more like, academy students = bad, coriolanus = good).

clemensia DOES deserve her own small seat at the "coriolanus snow ruined my life" table alongside with sejanus, lucy gray and tigris 😭 I think she's very much forgotten when we talk about the people coriolanus hurt

coriolanus did clemensia so wrong.... of course it's not as bad or complex as he did to lucy gray, but as the book progresses, coriolanus goes down a spiral where the stuff he does to people around him get more and more and more cruel and more nasty and more unjustifiable. clemensia was when that spiral started. he calls her by a nickname, they pretty much grew up together and saw each other around a lot. she probably trusted him. she's a friend, just a friend, not a possession or someone he's straight up jealous of; as you say, it's not as important as the other 3 most important relationships we see in the book (coriolanus and lgb, sejanus and tigris), but it's still a relationship, and if anything, the most innocent and pure one. and also, clemensia DOES have her moments of goodness!!! unlike coriolanus, she's against betting on tributes, and she thinks watching the games is gruesome. of course, compared to all of his victims, clemensia isn't the worst; after all, if anything, dr. gaul is the one to have more guilt here. but he was still wrong for how he reacted to it (she was his friend!!! and he didn't say a thing!!! he puts his survival first and the person he cared about in second), and each victim he makes, the reasons and the motives get less and less justifiable. but overall, I can't really add more thoughts regarding clemensia, because you were pretty much on point, and I agree with EVERYTHING. everything, really.

and also, talking about the movie and how they made her arc incomplete: it really annoys me how they make it implied that she died ("caught a flu" and stuff), but we don't see a funeral, we don't see her friends grieving, we don't see nothing. I don't remember if we even saw her during the games, srsly; I genuinely can't remember, and if she wasn't there, who the hell mentored reaper? they just left him without a mentor and that's it? I can't really remember a case like that in the book, as all the mentors that died also had their tributes dying, so... yeah, clemensia deserved much better, they did her so wrong by making it seem like she deserved it and took profit from coriolanus' work (when in the book, she was actually mad that he wrote the essay because arachne JUST DIED and he's there writing an essay). again, small details, small things, minor characters that are really important to understand how FUCKED UP coriolanus is even to the capitol standards, and they got completely toned down or just changed to make him better and more of an antihero ig.

(in general, loved your thoughts, they were very well put and I basically agree with everything, it should be kind of a requirement to read the book before watching the movie because I can't stand some takes I see on twitter and on tiktok, specially regarding lgb and sejanus; LEAVE THEM ALONEEEEE)

LATAM AU my beloved <33 STRABO CALLING SEJANUS AN ANARCHIST, I'M SCREAMING because this is actually so on character 😭 the plinth family having to start the christmas dinner much before midnight because if they wait for it, they KNOW there'll be no vibe for it because sejanus and strabo are already at each other's throats. ma tried to ban alcohol once, because she thought that if strabo was sober then he would be more mature and not yell with sejanus, but it's no use because sober or not, him and sejanus WILL fight over politics (and it's even worse when it's election year, poor ma is so tired, SHE JUST WANTS A FUN NIGHT not a civil war inside her own house)

PLSSSSSSS every single year strabo going "I'm NOT going to leave my money to you, I don't know who I'm going to leave it, BUT IT'S NOT YOU", and when sejanus talks back, coriolanus is there next to him "babe <3 don't do that <3 I wanna be rich <3 if you don't, that's up to you <3 but I want that good life <3" but the thought of coriolanus trying to convince strabo to make him his heir is also too funny 😭 because strabo would be there slandering sejanus, but when coriolanus tries to slander sejanus too, strabo immediately glares at him and is like "who said you can talk about my son like that? 🤨"

coriolanus being so embarassed because vesta knows how to dance tango while he does not 😭 and imagine it being like on a party, it was the first time sejanus was introducing him to his parents, and coriolanus wanted so bad to make a good impression, just to make a fool of himself in the worst way possible. sejanus thinks it's cute tho when coriolanus goes to him having to put his pride aside to ask sejanus to teach him how to dance (because sejanus is vesta's son, he KNOWS how to dance too, I just know it).

lucy gray having a whole album on her phone just of pics to post online and expose coriolanus if he dares to be a prick again, I know that's right, if he doesn't want to behave by his will, then it'll be by force ☝️ and plus she's supported by tigris

HIM TRYING TO HIDE IT BUT ATP EVERYONE KNOWS IT 😭 and when he talks to sejanus and coriolanus abt it, the conversation lasts long, and he knows a lot of tiny details (because that man is an insane observer, he'll catch the tiniest details and actually guess the finale much before), and then coriolanus stops and goes... "wait, mr. plinth, how do you know all of these stuff?" and he tries to justify it and say that vesta told him, but these are TOO SPECIFIC details, vesta didn't tell him that

okay, so, I watched the scene, and I'M CACKLINGKSKSKSDKKSDKSDKDS I just KNOW that if we got a scene of these three characters together, it would go pretty much like that 😭 it's even more funnier if this is an au (a modern setting), and sejanus takes coriolanus to meet his father, and just then when he puts coriolanus and strabo side to side he realizes that these two are actually TOO alike and he starts to reconsider most of his life choices

EUROPEAN MEXICAN TRIGGER WARNING (I'll never NOT laugh at it, that's historical reparation 😭) but I watched the clip, and YESSSSS you're so right!!!! and again, coriolanus and sejanus serving as a foil to each other and being on opposite ends (specially because in sejanus' case, that money comes from selling guns that kills people and children, that's blood money, and the lyrics just fit him so well)

but anyway, it was amazing hearing your thoughts, hope to see you soon buddie <3 take care!!

[m-jelly]

Sweet inspiration - Chapter 3

@kenkopanda-art <3

AO3 link

Pairing: CEO!Levi x Fem!Reader

Genre and tags: romance, fluff, modern AU, fluff, falling in love, cute, tattooed reader, self-doubt, sweet.

Concept: You and Levi go out together to a nice restaurant. You both connect on a deeper level. You dance the night away after having a sweet conversation. You head off to the beach and play around. You fall which leads to you and Levi having a moment and talking about how you really feel. You both progress in your relationship and go back to the villa to enjoy the rest of the night together.

Part1 Part 2 Part4 Part5 Part6 Part7 Part8 Part9 Part10 The end

You held up the dress Levi made against your body. You looked in the mirror and admired how it was very well made and it was and how it was shaped just like your body was. “Wow.”

Levi walked up behind you. “What do you think?”

You turned and smiled at him. “I love it.”

“Yeah?”

You nodded shyly. “Yes.”

He hurried over to the bed and picked up underwear and a bra. “This set will work. You’ll be supported and it’s seamless and won’t show.”

“Perfect, thank you.”

He put the set down. “Sorry, I should get out.”

You giggled. “Yeah.”

“I’ll put on my stuff in the living room.”

You put the dress down. “Thanks.”

Levi slipped out of the room and took his things off until he was in his nice boxers. He yanked on his tight smart trousers first before he put on his crisp white shirt. He buttoned his shirt partway up and left a bit open to show his chest a little, but not too much that he’d be seen as an asshole. He tucked his shirt in and did up his belt. He lastly put on perfectly shiny shoes with a little heel. He walked over to the mirror and pushed his hair back and fixed it a little.

He stared at himself and whined. “Do I look good for her?” He looked to the bedroom door as you walked out and felt his felt skip a beat. The dress hugged your body as if it was painted on. He eyed the double slits for your legs so he could see your wonderful thighs. He stared at your chest and admired the cleavage. “Wow.”

You walked closer. “I’ve never worn anything like this before.”

“Is that bad?”

You shook your head. “No, I like it a lot. I’m just.” You let out a long sigh. “I need to build up my confidence.”

He lightly touched your cheek. “You look stunning.” He released you and grabbed a camera. “May I?”

You smiled a little. “Need me to pose?”

“Lean against the wall for me.”

You leaned and smiled a little at him. “You like flashing my thighs, don’t you?”

He snapped photos. “You have good thighs.”

“Thanks.” You blushed. “How about a picture together?”

He nodded. “Sure.” He set up the camera on a timer and pulled you close. “We model well together.”

You giggled. “Really?”

“Yeah.” He turned you around and pulled you against him, so your back was to his chest. He hugged you tightly and nuzzled his face against your hair. “Perfect.”

You hummed a laugh. “We should head out.”

He let you go and picked up his camera. He looked at the photos of you and him and felt himself smiling at how good you looked together. “I have a few things to edit on the dress, but it’s great.”

You blushed. “Few things? Is it bad?”

He shook his head. “No! No, it’s not bad.” He walked up to you and touched your dress. “I’ve made it too low here around your boobs, sorry.” He placed his hands on your waist and hummed. “I think possibly the back is too low, you can see your bra a bit. The aim is to make this look smooth and seamless as you wear an underwear set.” He locked eyes with you and flinched. “Ah, sorry.” He pulled back. “Sorry for touching you so much.”

“It’s all right, it’s for work.”

He touched your dress a little. “Other than that, it’s wonderful.”

You smiled. “I love it.”

“I’m glad.” He offered his arm. “Shall we?”

You hugged his arm and walked with him. “I think you need to talk to Layla.”

He looked over at you. “Why’s that?”

“Well, she’s in love with you and you don’t love her. You need to tell her how you feel, otherwise, she’s going to keep assuming things.” You stopped in your tracks. “I’ve loved someone before and they’ve never loved me back. I know what it’s like to love someone and them not know or love you back.”

He nodded. “I’ll talk to her. I promise I will. I don’t want her to hurt. I just…I didn’t know she was in love with me, but I knew she liked me. You are the first to tell me about the love.”

You held his hands. “You had no idea, so don’t feel too bad. She never told you and if she didn’t tell you, how would you know?”

He sighed. “Yeah, you’re right.” He frowned a little. “I still feel bad. I wish I knew.”

“Sorry I brought the mood down.”

He walked with you. “You didn’t. You’ve opened my eyes to a lot.”

You smiled a little as you walked at his side. “Well, you’ve opened my eyes too. I used to think so little of myself and over this first week I feel so pretty.”

“I’m glad you do because you really are.”

You playfully pushed him. “Thanks, handsome.”

He smiled in the dark as he felt his heart flutter in delight. He led you to the restaurant on the ocean. He gave his name and took you to a table on the balcony, so you both had the best views. Levi pulled your chair out for you. “I hope this is nice enough for you.”

You sat down. “It’s perfection. I’ve never been to such a nice place before.”

Levi sat down and poured the water. “Really?”

You nodded. “If you didn’t come here and we didn’t get to know each other, I would not be here. I would be spending my night locked up in my room with some booze.”

“Really?”

You nibbled your lip. “Yeah, really.” You picked up the menu. “I tend to just hide away.”

He felt his heart sting. “Well, working with me means that you won’t be doing that anymore.”

You laughed. “I know and I don’t mind it.” You reached up and played with the necklace Levi bought you. “I enjoy being around you.” You smiled at the waiter and gave your order. You handed your menu over and looked out at the sea. “I wish I could live by the sea.”

“You like it?”

You hummed. “It’s soothing to me. I love the crashing of the waves. I enjoy exploring.”

He smiled. “Where’s your dream holiday destination?”

You gasped in thought. “You know those huts in the water?”

“I do, yeah.”

You blushed. “There, but I know I’ll never be able to afford it.”

“What do you do?”

You shrugged. “Admin. I work a boring office job.” You fiddled with your glass and stared at the water. “It’s the same stuff every day.” You smiled at Levi. “You have made my life a bit fun.”

“What would you like to do?”

You laughed and rubbed the back of your neck. “Wow, uh…maybe writing? A tea shop? Bakery?” You smiled. “There’s a lot.”

He hummed in thought. “Well, how about a full-time model?”

You blushed. “What?”

He waited for the drinks and food to be put down before speaking again. “I want you to work full-time with me.”

“R-Really?”

He nodded. “Really. You’re my muse and inspiration. Together we can make people feel beautiful.” He reached over and took your hand. “The happiness you feel and comfort in the lingerie I made you I want to spread to as many women as possible.”

You smiled and nodded. “Okay, I’ll do it. The pay is great and I shouldn’t shoot down an opportunity.”

Levi kissed your hands. “Thank you so much.” He smiled. “This makes me so happy. We’re going to make incredible things together.”

You giggled. “Yeah, we are.”

He let your hands go. “We should eat.”

You nodded and started eating your dinner as you exchanged small talk. You and Levi got to know each other more on a personal level. You’d already talked about yourselves, but now it was flowing more smoothly and the comfort level was high. Levi had you blushing and giggling at his rude jokes. You felt like you were on a date instead of just relaxing together as boss and colleague.

You sighed and looked at the couples dancing. “I need to make my resignation letter, huh?”

“Yeah.”

You smiled as you watched a sweet elderly couple dancing and looking so deeply in love. “Cute.”

Levi looked over to the couple. “They are, aren’t they?”

You nodded and let out a long sigh. “That’s a dream right there, growing old with someone and still being just as in love then as the day you fell for each other.”

Levi looked over at you and blushed. He could imagine a wedding ring on your finger, the nice big home, the pets, the kids, the grandkids. “It is a dream.” He let out a long sigh and stood up. He walked around to you and offered his hand. “Would you like to dance?”

You looked up at him. “I thought you didn’t do dancing.”

He smiled a little. “I don’t normally, but with you, I’d like to.”

You took his hand and stood up. “All right.”

He walked with you to the dancefloor and pulled you against his chest as he slow danced with you. “You are slowly changing me.”

You laughed. “Changing you?”

He nodded. “Before this week, I was a cold person who snapped at those around him and had lost his passion. A week with you has made me love my work again. I want to get better, be better. I know I’m making better things for women, but the most important thing is you. I want to make you smile and feel pretty the most. You’re the priority.” He laughed a little as he blushed. “I’ve never thought of someone like that before. It’s new and different.”

You hummed a laugh. “You praise me too much.”

“I should praise you more.”

You laughed as Levi twirled you before dipping you. “You lied to me.”

Levi pulled you to your feet. “Lied?”

You nodded. “You said you are cold, but you’re a lot of fun.”

He blushed a little. “That’s sweet of you, but I wasn’t lying. I was cold, but I’m not anymore.” He spun with you. “You’ve made me this way. Well, you brought this side out of me.”

You hummed a laugh. “Well, you’ve made me more confident in myself.”

“I’m glad.” He held you close and danced slowly. “You are truly a vision.”

“Sir? Madam?” The waiter smiled. “I am sorry to say this, but we are closing.”

Levi stopped dancing with you. “Sorry, we’ll head out.”

You giggled and walked with Levi. “Can we walk back by the beach?”

“Sure.”

You walked down the path and pulled your shoes off. You jumped into the sand and smiled at Levi. “I love walking in the sand. It just feels nice on your feet.” You walked backwards. “Come join me.”

He sighed and took his shoes off before rolling up his trousers. “I don’t normally do this.”

“So give it a go! It won’t hurt you.”

He jumped to his feet and jogged over to you. “Where are you going?”

You looked back at him as you ran. “To the water!”

“It’s dangerous at night!”

You lifted your dress up and splashed around in the water as you giggled in delight. “I’ll be fine!”

He ran up behind you and grabbed you making you laugh. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”

You kicked your legs as Levi lifted you. “I won’t get hurt because you’re with me.”

Levi blushed at your words. “Fine.” He put you down on your feet. “You win.”

You wiggled your hand in front of his face. “If you’re that worried about me, you can hold my hand.”

He smiled a little and changed what hand he was holding his shoes in. “Be careful.”

You held his hand. “I will.”

He yanked you close when you stumbled. He entwined his fingers with yours. “Tch, you are a clumsy thing, aren’t you?”

You giggled. “I’m sorry, the sand just sucked my foot down.”

“Clumsy.”

“Not my fault.”

He pulled you closer. “I’ll just have to keep a closer eye on you.”

You giggled. “I guess so.”

He looked up at the stars. “I think I might make something for you based on the stars and another based on the sea.” He looked over at you. “You’d make them beautiful.”

“Well, I look forward to seeing what you make.”

He hummed a little song to himself as he felt happy. You recognised the song and started singing along to his humming. Levi smiled and started singing with you. You swung your hands together. Levi got into the fun and yanked you close and started singing Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You. He lifted you up into the air and twirled with you.

You giggled at how romantic he was being. “Levi.”

He put you down on your feet. “Sorry, you just do something to me.”

You giggled. “You’re sweet.” You stepped back, but the sand took your foot again. “Shit.”

Levi grabbed you and fell forwards. He yanked you close to try and stop you, but you both kept going. He grunted when he hit the floor and something very soft. He heard a little moan and felt something soft and warm move under him. He lifted his head a little and leaned up. He looked down at you and blushed hard as he gazed at you.

You looked up at Levi as the world around you faded away. You eyed his plump lips before looking at his blown pupils. You let out a little mewl as Levi shifted above you. You could see Levi was debating something in his head. You held your breath as he tilted his head a little and leaned closer to you. You closed your eyes ready for the kiss, but nothing happened.

Levi pulled back. “Are you okay? I kind of fell on you and I’m a little heavy.”

You sighed as you felt disappointed. “I’m okay. You didn’t hurt me.”

“I’m glad. I don’t know what I would do if I hurt you.”

You cupped Levi’s face. “I don’t think you could ever hurt me.”

He closed his eyes and sighed. “I’m glad.”

You released him. “So, umm.”

He sat up. “Sorry.” He smiled a little. “You sure you’re okay?”

You giggled as you sat up. “Yes, but there might be an issue.”

“Oh?”

You nodded. “Yeah, I might find sand in places I don’t want to find it.”

Levi laughed. “Yeah, sorry about that.”

You giggled. “Don’t be sorry.” You hugged yourself. “Levi?”

“Mm?”

You stared at him. “Do you like me or am I just a model?”

Levi locked eyes with you and said your name. “I ah.”

You stood up. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have asked you that.” You brushed your dress off. “Of course, I’m just a model. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with being just a model to you.” You held back tears and bent your arm as if you were showing muscle. “I’m a great inspiration and I’ll keep being it!” You picked up your heels. “We should head back to the villa.”

Levi watched you walk away and felt his possessiveness of you take over. “Wait…” He spoke quietly. “Don’t go…” He stood up and ran after you. He shouted your name.

You turned to see Levi racing towards you. “Yes?”

He ran up to you and dropped his shoes before he placed his hand on the top of your bum. He yanked you against him as he panted, his heart and mind raced with you and only you. He tangled his fingers in your hair and crashed his lips against yours. He sighed through his nose as he felt his heart settle finally. He nipped your lips and smiled when you opened your mouth. He pushed his tongue into your mouth and grabbed your bum making you moan. Your tongues danced together in pure bliss as you both felt like you’d met the one. Levi knew in this moment he was never ever going to let you go. You were his.

Levi released your lips and sighed. “You might be a model, but you mean so much more than that to me. I know it’s been just a week, but from the moment I met you, I knew something just felt right between us. I adore you so fucking much. You make my heart race in a good way. I want to always be around you. I never ever want to let you go.” He massaged his fingers in your hair. “Are you prepared to be with someone who is needy, a little possessive and struggles with separation? I will get better, I swear, it will just take some time.”

You cupped Levi’s face and smiled. “You have no idea how much I like you.”

Levi kissed you and lifted you up before you could finish your sentence. He released your lips. “Sorry, I interrupted you.”

You laughed. “It’s okay.” You licked your lips. “So, what I was going to say.” You hummed as Levi kissed you again. You pulled back and giggled. “Levi!”

“Sorry.”

You placed your fingers on his lips. “Better. So, I was going to say that I am happy to be with you. I don’t mind that you’re possessive, needy and struggle with separation.” You blushed. “I’m kind of the same and I struggle with self-image too.”

Levi licked your fingers. “I will tell you how beautiful you really are every chance I can get.” He smiled when you lowered your fingers. “You truly are the most incredibly stunning person I have ever had the pleasure to meet and I can’t believe I get to keep you as mine.”

You lowered your head. “You really do want me?”

“More than anything.”

You hummed a laugh. “Sorry, I get in my head a lot.” You wrapped your arms around Levi and held him. “Just for a moment.”

Levi held you close. “Don’t be sorry. I will hold you whenever you want. I will also hold you often because I want to.”

You laughed. “Perfect.”

He released you and offered his hand. “Come on, let’s go back to the villa.”

You held his hand, both of you picked up your shoes, and then you walked back. “Levi?”

“Mm?”

You blushed a little. “We’re not rushing, are we? I mean, we’ve known each other for just a week.”

He shook his head. “No, I don’t think so. When you know, you know.” He kissed the back of your hand. “Makes no sense to fight your feelings because people say you should wait at least a certain amount of time. We’ve been living together for a week, so feelings will increase. It’s like we went on dates seven days in a row. Plus, who cares if people question it? I like you so much and you like me.”

You smiled at Levi. “You’re right.”

He guided you around the private pool before stopping outside the villa. “To you want to stay up for a bit longer?”

You hummed a laugh. “I was hoping you’d say that.”

He smiled. “Do you want to change?”

You sighed as you ran your hands down your dress. “Well, I really like this dress you made me and it’d be a shame to take it off.”

“Comfort is important.”

You blushed. “If you don’t mind.”

“I don’t.”

You smiled and walked inside the villa and into the bedroom. You peeled the dress off your body and put it on a coat hanger in the closet. You looked in the mirror at your body in the seamless underwear. You smiled a little and liked how it was shaped to you and it didn’t make your body ache at all. You moved the bra a little and didn’t see any red marks.

You gasped and ran to the living room as Levi stood in just his comfy bottoms. “Levi!”

Levi jumped as he held his shirt. “Y-Yes?”

You grinned. “No red marks!”

He frowned. “Sorry?”

You walked up to him and pulled your bra from your skin. “Look!”

He blushed and looked at your skin. “What am I looking for?”

You giggled. “No red marks.”

He smiled at how happy you seemed. “No red marks?”

“Bras normally leave a little red mark on your skin, or the straps on your shoulders make dents. However, this bra left no marks!” You welled up as you felt so happy. “It’s amazing!” You jumped into Levi’s arms. “You’re amazing! Thank you!”

Levi squeezed you. “I’m glad you like it.”

You let him go and jumped up and down in front of him. “This is the best! It holds my boobs in place and leaves no marks! You’re a wizard. A bra wizard.”

Levi chuckled. “I’m glad I could help and give you something you’ve always wanted.”

You held his hands and kissed him. “You did. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

You let him go and ran into the bedroom. You pulled on your comfy bedclothes and joined Levi. “Do we have a blanket?”

He shook his head. “No, but you can have a cardigan of mine.”

You blushed. “Really?”

He nodded and helped you into one of his cardigans. “This okay?”

You wrapped it around yourself and inhaled. “Mm, smells like you.”

Levi blushed. “That good?”

“Perfect.” You looked over at the little kitchen. “What are we going to do about drinks?”

“The butler leaves some drinks behind for me because I work late while you’re sleeping.” He walked to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of cocktail, water and fresh fruit juice. “What would you like?”

You walked over. “A cocktail.”

Levi stood up and poured two glasses. “Sure.”

You smiled as you watched him. “Hey, Levi?”

He looked over at you. “Yeah?”

You nibbled your lip. “Do you really like me?”

He slid his arm around you and pulled you against his chest. “More than you know.” He kissed you and smiled against your lips. “I adore you. You’re sweet, funny, kind, caring, honest, attentive, stunning, cute, and just a wonderful person. I am honoured and blessed to have met you and be able to be with you.” He kissed under your eye making you hum. “You’re a dream come true.” He pushed one hand under your shirt a little and over the soft skin of your waist. He tapped his forehead against yours as you let out a tiny moan. “I like you so much.” He kissed you. “I really like you.” He pressed his body against yours and kissed you again. “I’ve never felt this crazy about someone before.”

“I’m the same.”

He hummed. “I like it.” He dragged his lips along your jawline to your ear. He nibbled on your earlobe making you shiver. “I’ll try not to eat you alive.”

You giggled. “Noted.”

He pulled back and picked up the glasses. “Could you bring the bottle?”

You picked it up and carried it outside to the outdoor sofa. You sat down and put the bottle on the coffee table. You turned to Levi as he sat right next to you and handed you your drink. “Thank you.”

He reached over and played with your hair. “You’re so…”

You looked over at Levi. “Hmm?”

He blushed. “I want to say beautiful, but I don’t want you to think I only see you for your looks. I enjoy everything about you. We both have so much in common. He like a lot of the same things and you’re so interesting. It’s strange, I really haven’t cared for anyone this much.”

You hummed a laugh. “This the first time you’ve felt this way about someone?”

He nodded. “I feel almost like I worship you.” He blushed bright red. “Tch, sorry, this might seem so strange to you. I went from this tough cold CEO who didn’t care to this slightly obsessed man who can’t stop thinking about the woman in front of him. It’s so strange to me and yet it feels right.”

You blushed. “Levi.”

He groaned and looked away as he ruffled his hair. “Tch, I don’t know what to do and say. I don’t know what’s happening to me.” He looked over at you. “Kissing you, touching you and holding you is all I think about. I’m driven by making you smile.”

You nibbled your lip as you felt flustered. “Wow.”

“This isn’t like me, but maybe it is and I just didn’t know I had this in me.” He put his arm over the back of the sofa behind you. He shifted closer to you. “You move me, inspire me, push me to be a better person.” He sighed. “I really want to kiss you again.”

You blushed. “You may.”

He kissed you and hummed. “I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of doing that.”

You kissed his shoulder. “You know, you do things to me I don’t understand but I like. I’m more confident than I have been before, I’m happier, I’m stronger, I’m having more fun and I feel like a better person. You have awoken something in me too.”

Levi held you against him. “I need to talk to Layla and make things clear. I’m going to address that tomorrow with her. I don’t know how long it’ll take, or if there will be issues. All I know is, I need to deal with this. I hope you don’t mind.”

You shook your head and got comfy. “You both need to talk. Take all the time you need. I was going to just have a pool day tomorrow anyway. I also need to contact my boss about my new job.”

[bookwormscififan]

I Can Promise You That

Read on AO3!

Concept art

A/N: Take some Mare protecting an angry Mad before kissing him senseless. Idea from a conversation with @iamvegorott about Mare not being able to control himself around an angry Mad.

Warnings: It gets a little heated at the end, but not too much.

--

Mare walked down the street with a smile, Mad’s arm wrapped around his own as they headed home after a dinner out. Mare held Mad’s hand on his arm, feeling the wool of his knitted jumper covering his fingers, and he let out a soft chuckle as he remembered Mad insisting on the jumper because of the nighttime cold.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Mad asked, voice soft as he turned brown eyes to look at Mare questioningly. Mare patted Mad’s hand, slowing their pace so he could look into Mad’s eyes.

“I was just thinking about you insisting on this ridiculous jumper,” he laughed, poking the small line that formed between Mad’s furrowed brows. “You look adorable in it, but you could have just worn a jacket. What about the burgundy one you love so much?”

“It wouldn’t have been warm enough,” Mad answered, rubbing his forehead where Mare had poked it. “And Anti made this jumper for me. I like it, and it’s cosy.” Before Mad could say anything more, a group of men approached them from the other side of the road, sneering and laughing at the couple.

“Hey, look, it’s the nerd and the musician!”

“Out for a date?”

“What’s with the jumper? Why’s it so big?”

Mare could see Mad fighting back some biting remarks, hands clenching by his sides, and he cracked his neck before stepping in front of Mad, holding an arm out to keep him back.

“I would suggest you stop talking and walk away,” Mare said lowly, almost growling at the men. “I would appreciate it if you left us alone.” Stretching his fingers, purple fog started to surround his arms, and Mare could feel an itch under his eyes.

“Woah, what are you gonna do? Sing us a song? Come on, man, we just want to have some fun.” One of the men moved forward, reaching out for Mad, and he was blown back by a lavender-scented blast.

“You won’t have any fun with us, I can promise that,” Mare growled, eyes glowing purple as he moved further in front of Mad, shielding him with his body. “Now, go.”

Mad watched the group retreat, holding Mare’s shirt in a loose grip as he waited for Mare’s powers to flow away, then he snaked his arms around Mare’s waist to hug him from behind, pressing his cheek against his shoulder blades.

“Are you alright?” Mare asked, voice soft again as he held Mad’s arms around his waist. “I didn’t hurt you?”

“No,” Mad whispered, holding Mare tightly. “You’d never hurt me. You protected me.”

“Good,” Mare stated, and in a blink, Mad was pressed against their hallway wall by Mare’s hands on his hips. “Now I can tell you why I really didn’t want you going out in that jumper.” Slipping his hands under Mad’s jumper, Mare pushed him further against the wall and kissed him deeply, feeling the warm skin beneath the jumper growing warmer.

“Mare, you could have just told me you liked how I looked,” Mad mumbled against Mare’s lips, eyes fluttering closed as he draped his arms around Mare’s neck. “But it was nice to see you protecting me.”

“And I’ll never stop protecting you,” Mare replied, kissing Mad again before picking him up. “I can promise you that.” When Mad kissed him back, Mare carried him to their room, ready to finish their date night on a good note.

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

@brokentimewatch @dungeon-dragons-dragons

[lovelastart]

To be trusted

Link on AO3

It was a bright sunny day of one weekend. The weather was warm but not too hot, with some soft breeze around. There were clouds here and there but they didn’t prevent sunrays from falling on Fukuzawa’s skin.

Currently, Fukuzawa’s glistening skin covered in sweats visible from top until waist, because he was training in his yard.

Ranpo sat on the floorboard of the balcony facing the yard, reading some unsolved cases and munching snacks. Even though he had eaten breakfast, he still had the habit of munching snacks while thinking hard.

Fukuzawa offered Ranpo to join him in training, which Ranpo refused. That didn’t discourage Fukuzawa, though, he kept the offer open whenever Ranpo wanted to join.

So, with Ranpo’s refusal to be sweaty and tired in the morning, no books that could entertain him, no new novels from Poe, and his preference to be near Fukuzawa, he chose to read several unsolved cases from the police. He still complained about working in his free time and weekends, though. Fukuzawa smiled amusedly at his boy’s antics.

The president thought that Ranpo was focused on the cases like usual, but sometimes Ranpo blurted comments about his moves or postures.

“Move your right leg a bit forward, you’ll be steadier for your next posture.”

“The second strike should better be right after the first, the delay only makes opening hits for your opponent.”

Fukuzawa then realized that Ranpo actually had really good eyes and good observational skills, even in martial arts, and he could predict the movements just by looking from the audience seat. He remembered something like this, years ago, when Ranpo had a kendo match with Fukuchi. So what he saw in the first minutes was not just a coincidence.

If this kid’s body was in good athletic shape, he would be invincible, Fukuzawa thought.

Fukuzawa continued his training while receiving Ranpo’s comments, because after he followed them, well, Ranpo’s actually right.

After he’s done, he sat beside Ranpo and drank the water near him. Ranpo had brought it up before because he already deducted when his president would be done with his training.

“Thank you, Ranpo, for your nice advice before,” Fukuzawa smiled, and looked at Ranpo with soft eyes, ones that he always preserved only for his boy, “I entrust my life into your hands”.

It’s just 11 a.m. and Ranpo already felt like a swell grew in his heart and almost exploded. He was no longer concerned about how sweaty and sticky Fukuzawa’s skin was, about how the papers he currently read scattered on the grounds, about how he wanted to complain because he ran out of his snacks, because all of the sudden, he wanted to hug his president tightly and bury his face against Fukuzawa’s lean neck.

And he did.

[landboundstar]

Trade Secrets Part 12

Yeah!

Feels like forever since my last post.

I had a lot of fun with this looking up art deco pieces. I ended up spending WAY too much time down that rabbit hole. But it was a nice visit. With way too many pretty pictures.

I couldn't quite help myself when I kept seeing the black and gold Anubis and Bast statues, and the sleek, pointy eared touch - I can see our favorite chiroptophobic pulling some of his inspiration from mythological guardians that his mother loved. That I was pulling from statues of the goddess of cats and a god who helps judge and weigh souls of the dead... might be going somewhere with that.

Last note before post starts - I am up to part 10 of reposting Trade Secrets on AO3. Feel free to read it there too. I actually love seeing the messages, comments, little red hearts and reblogs. It makes my day.

Part 12

"How did they bring the whole corner of a building in here?"

"It's the architect's model, I think." Bruce answered, but he shook his head and smiled, looking at the focal point of the exhibit.

The smile, not a shy, quiet curve of lips or an amused smirk but a real Bruce smile.

It was an expression I had missed, even through lunch today.

"How -", I stumbled over my words, not sure how to ask what I wanted to. "How have you been?"

"Better." Bruce carefully thought through every word. "I can sleep now. Sometimes. I couldn't really, not right after. Unless it was for a whole day. Alfred called Leslie after -," He gulped, a little pale and embarrassed, so I knew that it had to have been bad. "I had a really rough nightmare. I actually thought I had been shot, and my chest hurt and I couldn't breathe, even after I woke up screaming. That's when Alfred called Leslie. She recommended a doctor to talk to. And it's been helping. Like I said, I can sleep now. But, it doesn't make it hurt less or make me miss them less."

We walked a few steps further, to a green stained glass window, made up of cascading fans. "Even this is hard. Because Mom would have loved this. Her favorite building in Gotham was always city hall. She loved the way the windows at the top of the building looked at night. Like glowing feathers in the dark. And how it had sleek edged modern gargoyles guarding the roof. I wish she could be here."

"Can I give you a hug?"

"Yeah."

I gave him a quick hug and we walked around a corner.

"Let's talk about something else." Bruce told me, a slight pleading note in his voice.

"Okay," I said.

"Is your father still teaching you to play chess?"

"Yes." The eye roll that went with that statement was pure instinct. My father was amazing at chess. He regularly played with Alfred and - well, he had played with Bruce's father as well. And with how good Bruce was, asking Dad to help me play better made sense.

"I lost, with only two pieces on the board in our last game."

We talked about my failure to get better with chess until we practically bumped into Selina, staring down, with open hands pressed to the glass of the display case that had lengths of black velvet. Sections of molding, glazed tiles, and pressed metal shapes glittered up like stars from the case. But Selina's gaze was firmly fixed on a jewellike piece of carved glass tile that was shaped like a ruby sunburst. 

"See something you like?" I teased Selina.

Selina smiled back, unashamed. "Of course. It's so pretty." She shrugged. "What? I like pretty things. Isn't that the point of an art museum?"

I laughed. "I think you aren't the only one," I told them, pointing to where Harvey stood in front of another display.

We made our way over to where Harvey turned to the right and then left at what looked at first like a mirrored wall behind two theater masks. But the mirrored wall was actually made up of panels of a gray metal that looked light or dark, depending on how the light hit it.

"That is going to look really cool when they put it up." I told Harvey, reading the plaque. "This is a prototype for the Greater Gotham - Metropolis Bridge Theater's new mural.

"We'll have to go sometime." Bruce said, before suddenly turning to fix his gaze on me.

"What was your favorite?"

I pointed to a sliding glass door, made up of amber gold and red chevrons in a pattern that felt like a glass version of a stage curtain.

"So, what was your favorite piece, Bruce?" Harvey asked.

I wasn't surprised when Bruce went to a set of roof decorations, sleek and smooth, based on figures from Egyptian mythology. 

Just like the gargoyles on top of Gotham's city hall.

[sketchnskribbles]

Komorebi AU | Read Fic Here: AO3

[ Komorebi Art ]

Turns out, saving the world makes you sweaty and dirty. Shower time.

Using this short scene in my fic to show off some of Casey’s scars that he’s obtained over the years in the apocalypse.

[ Reblogs welcome ]

Excerpt Below:

The softshell wasted no further time in showing the human where the bathroom and necessities were. Making sure he knew how to properly utilize the water. He winced, though, when it came to the shampoo. As the only one that used this bathroom that had hair was April.

"Uh, hope you don't mind smelling like lilacs and strawberries… it's the only bottle we have in here." He held the bottle away from his person after flipping up the lid. The smell was immediately overwhelming to his poor senses. A hand came up in a poor attempt to stifle it.

"Hm? Oh, that's fine. It smells better than any soap I've ever used." The soldier took the bottle and twisted it around in his hand, his head tilting curiously. "Is it liquid? I've never seen liquid soap before."

"Yeah. It's shampoo. It's meant to be used for your hair. Don't, uh, don't get it in your eyes. It'll hurt really bad." Then Donnie's eyes squinted and he looked away. "Don't try to eat it either. It's not nearly as nice as it smells."

Casey had to bite his lip from laughing. Having made many soaps throughout his life, he could confirm that eating it would be a bad idea. No matter what form it took. The soldier swallowed down the amusement and, instead, gave the other teen a thumbs up. "Duly noted." 

"And hurry up, my shell needs tending. I need you to clean properly before I let you touch me." Donnie spoke over his shoulder as he left the room. Casey really wanted to tease him about the fact that he'd already been touching him earlier, in their hug, but something hesitated his tongue. He merely watched as the door swung closed and sighed. 

Shower time.

He couldn’t at all blame Donnie about his wish for him to wash himself , Casey thought as he used the clean spare towel that had been set aside for him to dry off. The amount of dirt and blood he'd watched swirl into the drain was horrendous. But now he was probably the cleanest he'd ever been in his life. The best he'd ever smelled, too.

Casey hung the towel on a spare hook on the wall and made his way out. 

[ficbrish]

Tiny Scene Tuesday

[22Aug2023]

Today's three little words: Theft, Lump, Youth

[Create a short piece (art or fic) that encompasses those 3 words]

Thank you @mallaidhsomo for the prompt!

Any stray Shenkos out there, come join the Big Place Shenko Discord for weekly art/fic prompts! ✨

"Her Father Was Not a Good Man"

[[tw/cw: Implied domestic violence, childhood PTSD, beheading]]

Ever since she learned about the duct rats, they broke her heart. Youths living in the bowels of buildings and space stations. Spilled out from the womb and into filth, surviving on crime and the hope that nothing bad happens when they’re inevitably caught; breadcrumb to breadcrumb.

She also envied their freedom.

Or maybe it was just a different fear that adorned their shoulders. A different kind of monster in the cave.

No, don’t think of him.

His eyes contained a poison that rotted just under her skin since birth. Powerful eyes. Gnashing eyes. They looked so weak falling to the floor, filled with shock and her mother’s scream.

His body took a moment to collapse. His head still had his face on it, his expression.

“One terrible, horrible, disgustingly unhealthy, waste of my life’s work, wake up potion for you, and a nice, normal, healthy water for me.”

Shepard swallowed the lump sitting on the back of her tongue, “It’s coffee, Miranda.”

“I don’t think you can still call it coffee. There’s enough caffeine to give a Krogan a heart attack. In both hearts!”

She took a sip despite Miranda’s glare.

“See? I’m okay. Don’t feel anything different.”

“It doesn’t work that fast!”

“Can you figure out how to make it work that fast?”

“No!” Miranda sat down next to Shepard in a huff.

“You brought me back from the dead.”

“It’s not a question of whether I can. I refuse!”

Shepard wiped away a tear.

“Oh no! No, you don’t. Those big, baby blues aren’t gonna work on me.”

She shook her head and sunk back into the plush couch in Miranda’s room. It made her body remember the hard, Alliance-standard chairs in the SR-1, and her heart took a moment to ache for it.

“If you could change things, would you ever choose to grow up like Mouse?”

It took Miranda a moment, “Wait. Thane’s duct rat?”

Shepard cringed, “Don’t… Don’t say it like that.”

“What?”

“It just…” she started to laugh, “It sounds really bad coming out of your mouth. Thane’s duct rat?!”

Miranda laughed too, “I did not say it like that!”

“You did! You so did!” When the laughter stopped, she asked, “So would you?”

“Why are you asking this?”

Shepard shrugged her shoulders, looking into her cup of “coffee”.

“I mean… That’s basically what I chose in the end, right? Getting away from my father. Giving up everything.”

“Yeah, but…”

“But what?”

“I mean… come on. You traded one for the other,” she gestured vaguely about the room, “You never actually pulled away.”

“I’m sorry,” Miranda said with unabashed snark, “I guess I didn’t get the memo that we were being a bitch today.”

“I’m not judging. I’m just saying.”

She rolled her eyes, “It’s both, Shepard.”

“No, you’re right. I’m sorry.”

Miranda took a sip and threw Shepard’s question back to her as a peace offering, “So… What would you do?”

A chuckle that was more like a huff left her lips, then she answered, “My father or no home at all?”

“Yeah.”

She sighed, “I don’t know.”

Miranda wasn’t sure whether a hug was warranted, so she took a big gulp of her water instead.

Shepard spoke again, “Imagine who we’d be without all that.”

“I really think we’d be too powerful,” she quipped.

“Oh! For sure! I mean us without our shitty fathers?”

“Jacob might’ve been my only ex.”

That broke them into a fit of laughter.

“We were sabotaged by fate, or the goddess, or whatever.”

“Theft, that’s what it is,” Miranda joked darkly.

[Read more snippets on AO3 🥰]

[empty-cryptid]

Pancita Poem

So, @waitingonavision and I share a birthday today. We decided to use our shared birthday to collaborate on a poem celebrating Bruno’s belly and the fandom’s journey to finding out just what that ruana is hiding. I hope you enjoy reading it, We sure had fun writing it!

It started out a great mystery;

Just go through the fandom's history!

A conundrum placed above the rest;

Dare we hope to complete the quest?

What the fandom wanted found:

Is Bruno's middle cute and round?

Or could it perhaps be utterly flat?

(Or worse… oh no– A six-pack?) 

Oh, what does that ruana hide? 

When he twirls, stops and looks aside.

On the last note, letting out a final sigh;

His tummy relaxes and a smile comes by.

Collecting evidence, we looked for more;

An animation video added to the lore.

The belly on Bruno’s model stuck out.

We must be onto something, no doubt!

Tumblr began buzzing, AO3 followed suit;

With a movement quickly taking root.

Despite Bruno’s belly still being a query;

For plenty of us, it was beyond just a theory.

So on Twitter, too, we rose to the task.

About the mystery “tío gut” we did ask.

Oh, Jared Bush, could you help us please?

Only you can set our restless minds at ease.

Well, we never got an answer from JB.

(His true opinion remains in secrecy.)

No matter, the fandom continues to cry:

“Viva la pancita de Bruno!” to the sky!

Art, fics, headcanons, spread widely ‘round!

How fun is the pancita party we’ve found!

Everyone’s welcome, and the family grew,

(Just like Bruno’s belly when it’s full of stew.)

People shout, “Bruno needs to be healthy!”

Writers, artists, and more create content proudly.

“Quick, make it true,” everybody proclaims.

The fandom gives his tummy some fame.

Sopancita? Yes, it is true indeed!

That figurine we all in the fandom just need,

With a soup bowl in hand, going way too deep.

In his stomach it sits, nice and warm, he will keep.

The new doll, as well, uncovers a tidbit.

A belly’s revealed just to prove it.

Now which clothes fit best on this Tio Bruno?

The fandom will definitely make some, you know!

A Bruno pillow for little Antonio’s head to rest.

That belly’s always full of Juli’s cooking—the best!

Luisa needn’t worry ‘cause he’s got safety padding.

The Madrigals’ support for the tío tum is everything!

It's too tempting to squish his cheeks,

Or poke his belly so he squeaks.

His form has filled out rather well,

There’s more to hug, you can really tell.

It’s all in fun, just hug the tum!

Only free him when you’re done.

Give him a squeeze without apprehension,

This cuddly tio loves the affection.

[mochidreambubble]

Written for OC x Canon week organised by @theocxcanonweek

Day 7 Prompt:

Brushing Hair / Modern Day AU / “You started it!...”

[Allowing myself a lil bit of Scarlet Hollow writing, as a treat www.]

A short one-shot for Reese x Ashe (my darling OC who I posted about a short while ago)

Ao3 version here.

Being in love was a challenge in itself, especially when he received all that unconditional love and trusted that nothing would ever go wrong.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Title: Fragility

It’s almost embarrassing that he forgets everything he’s holding as a result, all of it clattering to the ground. Truck, who wasn’t as horrible as Ashe made him out to be - said person protesting that he was for whatever reason just so much more behaved for Reese so it really didn’t count all the siamese’s past actions out the window, does hiss in protest at the sudden noise. 

Well… It was the middle of the night but Ashe had decided he wanted a little soak in a hot bath right then and there. Reese just… wasn’t expecting to be invited in as well.

“I-I don’t think we could both fit in that small tub Ashe,” Reese feebly explains. And besides, Ashe who was radiant and looked like the kind of person who would make Aphrodite seethe… He already had a hard time focusing, he rather not test the waters any other way.

Reese gets a pout for his reply, but Ashe simply smiles almost immediately, standing on his toes to give him a small kiss on his cheek and a hug. “Okay, fine. But to make up for this, I want you to help me blow dry and brush my hair after.”

He supposes Ashe was shameless in that sense, not deterred when he wanted something. Of course, from leaving that dreaded place and actually moving in with Ashe, he got to understand that Ashe didn’t hold him to anything. Sure, he’d ask out loud but if Reese ended up not doing it, against all his feeble apologies, Ashe would simply shrug and still make himself comfortable on Reese lap and say that it was fine. 

Reese simply nods as Ashe breaks away from the hug, heading towards the bathroom. His eyes are still fixed on the bathroom door even as he bends down to pick up all the things he’s dropped, just a sketchbook and some other art supplies - all still intact. When he hears the water run, he knows that the bathroom door is still unlocked, and Ashe’s initial invitation still stands. But he couldn’t…

He heads to the largest window in the apartment, overlooking the city. Truck makes himself comfortable on his lap as Reese begins to sketch. He tries to at least. If anyone were to flip through his sketches, it would be like madness on paper, all of Ashe and all lined with frustration that Reese felt incapable of capturing what he wanted on paper. He ended up mostly petting Truck, who seemed all too delighted. 

The siamese had left his lap by the time he heard Ashe step out of the bath and started letting the tub drain, so Reese didn’t have an excuse to not move from his spot. He doesn’t move, not when it has been minutes since the bathroom door opened and shut once again, and he hears Ashe sweetly humming to himself in his room.

But everything about his beloved beauty may as well be a siren’s call, and Reese finds himself lingering by the open doorway. 

“As much as I don’t mind you leering from the doorway like that,” Ashe laughs while his back was still turned from him. “How about you just come in, hm? It’s your room now as well.”

Right. Ashe had insisted it was no longer just his apartment but theirs…

Ashe had made himself comfortable in his fluffiest bathrobe, all his skincare and haircare and anything he needs all laid out on a vanity. He always insisted that people could naturally look good, but there would always be a need to maintain and care for themselves to keep that up. Reese didn’t fully get that, but Ashe always smelled nice and was soft to the touch so he couldn't really argue against that…

He sat as far as he could on the matching vanity bench, but it was still a relatively small seat even if it looked like it was meant for two. He could smell the soap and shampoo Ashe used and feel the warmth from the other’s soak. Ashe doesn’t say anything, simply going through the motions, as if his request was already forgotten. But it eats as Reese. He hates facing the part of him that needed just one slip-up, to break what was so important to him right now. But Ashe never, still doesn’t see him that way. 

You’re not a monster

He knows Ashe truly believes that…

Reese slips the tower hanging of Ashe’s shoulder, and Ashe stops for a second to look his way. He doesn’t protest as Reese towel dries his hair first, his beloved even relaxing as Reese does so. 

His hands pressed into his scalp. One wrong move…

He feels Ashe reach out to grab his wrists. “I’m willing to bet you could completely towel dry my hair, but using the blow dryer will be faster.”

“O-Oh, right…”

He gets handed the blow dryer and a brush. Truth be told, Reese doesn’t know a hundred percent to what or how to do it. Ashe would happily brush Reese’s hair, every day if he could. He remembers Ashe explained that to some, quickly adding not him anyways with the slightest bit of pink on his cheeks, that it was a commitment of lifelong togetherness. Like a cheesy proposal in Chinese dramas, a declaration of… Marriage.

Ashe insists he just enjoys brushing Reese’s hair. That was all it was. And Reese enjoys it, the feeling of Ashe gently brushing his hair, his beloved’s hands running through them…

Reese thinks he’s fumbling with how he’s handling the blow dryer and brush, but Ashe who was watching him from the vanity mirror didn’t say anything so… Surely he was doing fine?

Ashe ends up with a mess of fluff-tastic hair. Reese finds himself crouched and burying his face in Ashe’s lap. The other’s sweet laughter in his ears, ruffling Reese’s hair. “Aw, but I love it.”

He cups Reese’s face and pulls him up, smiling so brightly he could set the night ablaze. “Thank you for doing this.”

Reese covers Ashe’s own hands with his own, heart full and aching but dancing all the same. “Even though I clearly messed up?”

“I think you did perfectly.”

And almost like that was all the truth there was to it, he gets an armful of Ashe who insisted to be cuddled in bed till he fell asleep. With his world in his hand, Reese follows suit. 

(FIN)