#but i’ll gladly bookmark it

[finelinevogue]

attention, please

summary - az wants attention and you just want to read

word count: -1k

a/n: just fluff my friends, kinda suggestive language but nothing r rated

You were quite content, sitting quietly in bed with your new romance novel, until he decided that wasn’t okay.

For a midweek day it had been relatively quiet around Windhaven. Feyre was at her art studio, Rhys providing her “company”. Nessa and Cassian were “training” and who knows what Mor, Amren and Emerie were doing. Azriel had dropped off some food for Cassian, per the Warlord’s request, and had come back to try and find you.

You’d spent the most part of the day hidden away in the library, with your new novel - completely captivated between the pages. However, when Az had gone to see Cassian you had moved to the comfort of your shared bedroom, with Az, for a more relaxing reading spot.

That’s where Az had now found you, laying on the bed on your front with your book before you, twirling your legs in the air.

“There you are.” Az announced himself, as if he’d been looking millennia for you. Well, technically that had also happened.

“Here I am.” You smiled at him, before returning to your book.

“No greeting kiss for me?” He asked, wandering from the door to you.

“Well you’re all the way over there.” You exaggerated.

Suddenly Azriel appeared next to you, climbing on the bed to the side of you. Before you could speak, he had placed his strong arms on either side of your head and manoeuvred his body so he was hovering over yours.

“Az.. What…” You laughed, before getting cut off his Azriel’s lips on the side of your neck.

His body pressed against yours and you could feel every hard part of his body. Some parts incredibly harder than others. His body never crushed yours though. It was a challenge for him to not completely let himself lay on you and focus on really providing you pleasure.

“Now I’m all the way over here.” He said, kissing your exposed neck some more and more and more.

“You…” You struggled to focus on the words on your page.

“I?”

You pushed your body up so it completely pressed against Az’s. He groaned against the place between your shoulder and neck and the small vibrations made you smile with delight.

“I’m reading. Go away, you pest.” You laughed, trying to push him away with the force of your hips since your hands were protecting your book at all costs. Your book came before all else. Your beloved.

“I’m certainly not going away if you keep pushing up into me like that, now, am I?” He rhetorically asked, biting down on the skin on your neck to mark you.

“Azzz…” You whined.

“Y/NNNN.” He replied with the same tone.

“I wanna read.” You pouted, flumping back down on the bed. You laughed when Azriel completely flopped down on top of you, making your slightly winded from the heavy Illyrian force. “You bastard.”

“I love you too.” He kissed your neck again. Once, twice and then a third.

“You’re so annoying.” You laughed, not being able to actually bring yourself to be mad with him.

“Is it so wrong of me to want to love on my mate? Hm?”

“It is when your mate is reading. Everyone knows to never come between a girl and her book.” You explained, dropping your book on the floor after you’d slipped the bookmark between the pages. The bookmark that Az had gotten you as a gift.

“Do you love the males in your books more than me?” He asked, his face still tucked between your neck and shoulder. One of his hands was tracing the skin on your arm lightly, making your eyes flutter closes with relax.

“I’ll never love anyone more than I love you. I promise.” You turned your head to the side and was met with his face close to yours. You saw a slight smile on his face, his dark curls falling slightly over his eyes.

“Good.” He smiled more before leaning in to kiss your lips this time and you gladly met him in the middle.

[kelseytheballerina]

what do i do if i end up going back on my word? what if i end up watching netflix on a weekday? i’ll feel really bad about myself but how do i make sure i don’t do it again? i’m scared that i’ll start off really well but then i’ll fall off after 2 weeks and my body will feel tired and i’ll just take a ‘me day’ for a day and then the me day become dayS for the rest of the challenge :(

Very real fear, seems like it’s based on past experience. I’m sure we’ve all gone though this.

The key is to remember that you are not a helpless sim being controlled by someone else. It was your hand that clicked on your Netflix bookmark, signed in, picked a show, and started watching. It didn’t just “end up” happening to you. You actively do things that throw you off the wagon by listening to the part of your brain that specializes in self sabotage under the guise of you being ‘too tired’ or ‘need a day off’. Take accountability for your actions.

There are other ways to relax and unwind that don’t require screens. Remember that this challenge isn’t about always being super active and go go go. You’re allowed to chill, read and daydream and draw and paint and play music and practice instruments and journal and talk to yourself and go for a walk and knit and make jewelry and paint your nails and chat on the phone and do crossword puzzles and sudoku and look at a magazine. You can learn to have fun without a screen. I think if you have the fear of a Netflix relapse then you are the main person who needs to learn how to have fun without a screen. It will be so so good for you.

Yes, your body will feel tired bc it’s being pushed further than normal and still adjusting to the routine. That is normal. You will not die from 30 minutes of exercise and a bit of reading and praying. Your body will eventually adjust and accept that this is the new normal. People who study 12 hours a day didn’t just suddenly start doing it. Their bodies got used to the increase over time. People who have intensive workouts didn’t do it overnight and they will gladly tell you how hard it was in the beginning. Our bodies and minds are capable of incredible things and they are very adaptive. They adapted to you sitting down looking at screens all day and they can be adapted to do other things. But you have to let it.

You have to delete the apps from your phone, block the websites, and stop making excuses. You have to let logic and reason beat self sabotage. You have to remember that there is life without an internet addiction and you can experience it. Please let yourself experience it.

[philologique]

10 patpran fic recs (and one inkpa rec)

showing up a doozy of a month later with the fic recs i promised i would deliver “shortly​.” sorry!!

hopefully you follow me and will see these (in which case, message me off anon and I WILL send enthusiastic fic & fanvid recs, possibly less belatedly and probably even when you don’t ask for them lmao). if not, whoever is reading this, i hope you find a fic—or two, or ten—that sparks joy ✨

these basically all require knowledge of bad buddy canon. if you ever want no-context-required fic recs for other fandoms, or bbs recs to scratch a more specific itch, my askbox is open! send me some tropes or vibes you really like/any hard passes and i’ll try to find something for you!!

fic recs under the cut!

OBJECTS IN THE REARVIEW MIRROR MAY APPEAR CLOSER THAN THEY ARE by teaseller (canon divergence, rated t, 3450 words)

“Do you want something to drink? Water? Juice? Tea?” Pran is flitting awkwardly between the kitchen and the living space, seemingly looking for something to do with his hands, or fill the space. Pat attempts to ask for water but instead goes with “I missed you when you were gone.” What will be different, this time?

achingly beautiful and one of THE character-defining pat fics for me. an au where pran was still sent to boarding school after their high school concert, but they ultimately went to different universities. if you watched episode 12 and couldn’t get the thought of pat smiling sadly at their dumpling place and saying “I haven't been home in a long time” out of your head, this fic is for you.

We Can Follow the Sparks by crookedfelicities (bet-era, rated t, 8.8k)

Or, 5 times Pat nearly loses the bet +1 time Pran does.

speaking of Character-Defining Pat Fics, every three sentences of this fic there was a passage that either took my breath away it was so perceptive or made me smile hard enough that my face hurt. the DIALOGUE!! the CHEMISTRY!!! the way crookedfelicities captures pat & pran in that in-between space they built with the bet—their incredible fondness for each other, pat's certainty that this is it for him, his joy in knowing he'll gladly jump into this headfirst as soon as pran is ready! and the +1—the way pran's want is this palpable, heavy thing; the contrast between the weight of his longing and the quick, sharp banter between them. perfection.

Pause by filigreesails (bet-era, rated t, 4,588 words)

On New Year's Eve, Pran is stuck at home with nothing but a sprained ankle and a foul mood to keep him company. Even Pat seems to be ignoring his texts, even though the bet has been dispelling the remaining distance between them at an almost alarming rate, of late. But a companion for the evening may be closer to hand than he expects...

my face hurt from smiling I'm so FOND of them and the whole dynamic they captured of that nebulous, undefined era of pat and pran's relationship. the combination of pran's hesitance and his absolute certainty in the way they feel about each other, the way they each make themselves so vulnerable by putting the competition on pause... it’s wonderful :’)

sidenote: @chamacafeahorrible​​ my ao3 bookmark from april 2022 says ‘rec annie as soon as she watches bad buddy’ so if u ever do watch bad buddy this is specifically for you, along with @miscellar’s zombie fic which. holy shit.

nothing to lose by dekkaisdefyinggravity/@paalove​ (canon divergence, rated g, 1420 words)

Things went a bit further between Pat and Pran before they were found out - now their friends have to deal with it.

this made my heart hurt and then it made me smile like a fool. ao3 user dekkaisdefyinggravity has this unparalleled ability to build a whole, lived-in world in such a short space, and this is no exception; the contours of this au are fleshed out so deftly i’m in awe. i first read this during a break at work and spent the rest of the day thinking idly about this version of pat and pran, so wholly shaped by the circumstances of the au and so immediately recognizable as themselves. I reread it this summer and it still takes my breath away. I could easily read a hundred thousand more words of this universe and not get bored.

Fight Or Flight (Worth The Wait) by Jabber_Moose (canon divergence, rated t, 12k)

Pat still wants to shove him back under, hide him, and pretend none of this is happening. He wants to preserve the bubble of camaraderie they’ve been in as long as possible, because he’s not sure if he’ll get another chance.

Or: canon divergence where Pran is discovered under Pat's bed in ep 2, the trajectory of a story shifts, and Pat bulldozes through in true Pat fashion: determined, full throttle, and not how a friend would do or say anything.

a canon divergence fic that’s so well done it feels obvious in hindsight, even though i hadn’t given it any thought—of *course* the scene with ming in episode 2 was a fork in the road!! i love the choices Jabber_Moose makes here, the places the story veers off from the one we know and the moments where it unexpectedly falls back on track. and pat. PAT!! it’s an exquisitely frustrating delight to follow him as he reacts to one shitty situation after another, guided entirely by emotions he hasn’t come to name yet. reader, i love him.

Breathe by concerningcardigancollection (canon divergence/food allergy au, rated t, 9.6k)

Pat doesn't eat peanuts. This is why.

the fic where instead of a bet pran nearly dies of an allergic reaction and they get their shit together early. I think about this fic all the time. it simply slaps. i LOVE when two characters who secretly Know Things about each other have to reckon with that publicly, and this fic has that in spades. what a good fic!! 

another sidenote: @oswlld​​ sometimes i think of bbs as an inadvertent spiritual successor to that episode of lizzie mcguire where she and kate get paired together for a class project, and this fic reminded me why!

heart in a cage by @sunshinedobi (canon-adjacent wlw au, rated e, 36k)

In another universe, Pran loves Pat. That’s not the universe Pat is stuck with, but that’s ok. She’s getting over it.

OH BOY. WLW PATPRAN. sometimes a fic can feel so personal it’s hard to talk about? I just-- okay. the thing about my relationship to pran is that sometimes it's important to have a blorbo who’s a dude you can project feelings about daughterhood onto from a safe distance. this fic completely eliminated that distance and peeled me like an orange. just. a wonderful fic that rubbed me absolutely raw.

Stuff and Things by aworkingprinter (pre-canon/canon-compliant, rated t, 8.3k)

Pat was careless with his things. New pencil cases, new backpacks, new notebooks. Meanwhile, Pran kept his backpack from the beginning of elementary school until lower secondary, and he had decorated it himself. The important thing, he had decided when he was twelve, was that Pat was spoiled and careless, and he, Pran, was not. It was a basic Pat/Pran divide, as sure as the pink line between their garbage cans and Pat’s interest in drums (and girls.) About the belongings Pat and Pran have kept, abandoned and shared across the years.

i struggled to decide which aworkingprinter fic to rec because they all made my mind whirr in *such* good and different ways. read this when you’re in the mood for meditations on a theme, a series of quiet vignettes set over time and full of perceptive lines that knocked me out at the knees (there are two passages i still think about at least weekly). then, run-don’t-walk to Pinocchio (an au in which pran cannot lie and remains full of secrets, 46k—@raftings​ i think you will LOVE this) and to everything else aworkingprinter has written.

Can't Get Off This Ride by fangurks (canon divergence - soulmate au, rated t, 15k)

"So you think she'll transfer you again?""Yes, Pat! Give me one reason in the world that would not make her send me away!" At that, Pat's expression turned thoughtful, and Pran used the descending silence to wipe at his face and pick up the towel that he had previously dropped. His anger was slowly replaced with exhaustion, as he held out the piece of fabric. "We can't change things anymore anyway. We always knew how us being friends would en-" "What if we were soulmates?"

pretend!soulmate au!! PRETEND! SOULMATE AU!!! pat & pran have so many shared memories that they’ve experienced differently, and shared experiences that they remember differently, and fangurks takes that and runs with it like a gymnastics ribbon. and the way they weave in specific emotional beats from canon?? it’s so good. like...damn, pat. you really do have to stop doing this to him. also i think about the way this fic articulates their families’ respective attitudes towards The Feud all the time. a seminal work in bad buddy scholarship. 

the heart haunts what it haunts by AndSoTheUniverseEnded (canon divergence - ghost au, rated t, 26k at 5 chapters) (WIP as of 2023/07/16)

"Obviously! What else would a ghost do?" "A what?" Maybe Pran hadn't lost his mind. Maybe the rest of the world had just decided to go crazy when he wasn't looking and no one had bothered to update him on the situation. That would be just typical. "What did you think was happening?" Pat asked, incredulously. Pran threw up his hands. "I don't know, Pat! But my first thought, weirdly enough, wasn't that you're haunting me!"

the just like heaven-esque ghost fic of my dreams. i am quite possibly the world’s biggest sucker for a somewhat-light, plotty ghost romance, and this fic DELIVERS. we all know the story: pran transfers back home during his first year at university and finds himself unexpectedly and fortuitously reunited with pat. less fortuitously but even more unexpectedly, the pat who this pran encounters is a ghost. this fic is so good. also not to spoil too much but i love the OCs here?? an elderly queer woman who can talk to ghosts and her dead-but-not-departed wife?? ahhhhh!!!!

heads up this fic was last updated in february 2022— i'm holding onto hope that maybe one day it will be continued, but if not the ride was still absolutely worth it.

yet another sidenote: @icouldhyperfixatehim​ i think this is possibly as specifically up your alley as it is mine?? if you read it lmk how you liked it!!

+1 inkpa rec

not patpran, but it’s summer in the northern hemisphere and this fic feels like taking a sip of lemonade on a hot day

nothing else would ever be better (better) by dekkaisdefyinggravity (post-canon, rated g, 1.5k)

That’s when Paa has the thought: Marry me. The one where our girls get engaged.

this fic left a good taste in my mouth! in classic dekkaisdefyinggravity style, this fic feels so alive and comfortably lived in—I love when side characters have lives that don't revolve around the main characters—and every few paragraphs there was a moment that was just so wonderfully refreshing. i'm also unreasonably invested in the offscreen drama that’s alluded to in passing here. that broken engagement... tell me more 👀

[p1nkcanoe]

Unpopular opinion: instead of people spending their life being monsters on anon and howling about every little thing that's wrong with a fandom that's only recently exploded in popularity they spend their time engaging with the thousands of fics and artwork that have been lovingly made by other people for them. Oh you want new content? AO3 has THOUSANDS of works for you to check out! Time to go through your bookmarks and actually read and respond instead of thoughtlessly throw all the content down into the hungry maw.

Sorry it sounds like I'm taking it out on you p1nk but you asked for unpopular opinions and here's mine. I know you do a lot to reblog and make a positive community of artists.

It’s alright! it’s a good message and I’ll gladly take the heat if it means artists and authors and other creators will get the recognition and interactions that they deserve 🩷

[tommykinard6]

I'm somewhat new to the 9-1-1 fandom, so I don't have the full scope of the drama that happened before mid season 6. Would you mind catching me up to speed of what happened in the "great ao3 war" two years ago?

Hello! Gladly, but I’ll preface this by saying I’m not sure how widespread knowledge of this was or how much it went over to Tumblr space. I was aware of it because it was in the discord I’m in. I’m also not trying to speak for any POC about what happened, I’m expressing my perspective and what I saw others expressing, including POC.

A couple years ago, (I think 2022 or earlyyyyyy 2023?) there was a wave of fics with racist roots. This includes a wave of angry or abusive Eddie or even turning him into a sexual predator (huge stereotypes against Hispanic men), turning Chim into an abuser or putting him in Doug’s position, changing Jee-Yun’s name because it was “weird”, and also Michael was a huge target also with depictions of anger and cheating and maybe SA? Details are fuzzy. They targeted the non-white characters in the fandom by villainizing them.

When these authors were called out, they proceeded to post revenge fics and even deliberately undertagged. They wrote blogs and metas about being right, essentially. It was ugly for a bit.

I know there’s a tumblr out there which has a list of the author’s names who wrote these stories and their supporters. I made sure I had no bookmarks of theirs and avoid them now.

This narrative is recounted as faithfully as I could!

[youily]

must be love

pairing: sirius black x fem!reader

summary: sirius wants nothing more than to take you to the yule ball





“read to me?” your voice breaks through what once was gentle silence. it’s late now, and you’re resting away the worries that you’ve gathered throughout the day.

“why?” he asks you softly, voice nearly a whisper.

you move your head up to look at him properly. your head previously rested on his shoulder. you still hold your book in your hands, but are now offering it to Sirius.

“you go somewhere else when you read and i want you to be there with me.”

the warm smile he gives you melts your heart in more ways than one. you felt love, admiration, and security all at once.

“i’ll gladly travel the world with you, love. whether it be by pages or by train.” he says, gently grabbing the novel from your hands. your flower embroidered bookmark helps him find where you left off with ease. he places a quick, but soft and loving, kiss on the top of your head. then he begins to read, his voice quiet and calming. you’ll never forget this moment as it was when you realized you loved Sirius Black.

the long halls of the old stone castle feel different lately. in fact, most everything has. perhaps this was inevitably, with you growing closer and closer to a certain someone. when you met Sirius, everything around you seemed to shift. you began finding the beauty in everything and it didn’t help that almost everything reminded you of him.

“gather around, students.” you hear as soon as you walk into The Great Hall. “please find your seating.” your headmaster says, loud enough for all to hear.

you find your friends already planted in their seats. you greet them silently, not wanting to disturb the conversation you walked in on.

“we have a special announcement,” your headmaster says as soon as all the isles are cleared. “as many of you may know, our annual Yule Ball will be taking place in the upcoming week. professors and faculty alike look forward to seeing many of you attend…”

by now you’ve stopped paying attention to your headmasters words. suddenly feeling a mixture of excitement and nervousness. you subconsciously begin to look around the room, your eyes trying to find the dark haired boy at the Gryffindor table.

“this is so exciting!” you friend, Amelia, shouts. effectively stopping your actions and your attention falls upon her instead.

“we should all go dress shopping this weekend.” your friend, Marcie, says from beside you. she plays with the ends her long black hair and her lips show a shy smile.

“oh, i know that look!” you giggle at her. “you’re hoping someone in particular asks you to the ball.”

she drops her hands and looks back and forth from you and Amelia.

“w-what? no!” she says, shaking her head as shyness nearly consumes her.

“you’re one to talk, you know?” Amelia says, turning her head to face you. “nearly everyone can see how smitten you are with Black.”

you gently shrug your shoulders and lean onto the table, resting your head in the palm of your hand.

“well, unlike Mars,” you send Marcie a playful glance, “i’m not trying to hide my feelings.”

Amelia smiles and shakes her head, trying to hide a laugh that badly wants to come out.

“you two have been forming quite the friendship. he’ll ask you, no doubt.”

“i hope so,” you sigh, almost dreamlike. “i feel as though i’ve found both friendship and love in one person. though it’s hard to say if he feels the same. i think he may like me back, but there’s a voice in my head always making me question.”

“why are you overthinking it? what you have, it’s love. it must be.” Amelia says this as if she’s stating a fact everyone already knows.

“honestly,” you start. “i was hoping he would have asked me out by now. since he hasn’t, it’s made me a bit insecure.”

“you just saw each other last night, he even went to the library with you, read with you. he wouldn’t do that for just any old friend.” Marcie chimes in. her words bringing you reassurance.

your professor seems to speak faster than you can scribble down notes. feeling frustrated, you let your pen rest on the table. you sigh as your professor then moves on to the next topic of discussion, knowing you’ll eventually fall behind.

“that’s all, my students!” he shouts once he’s finished his rambling. “oh, but before you go, one last thing.”

you and many others pause from packing your things to listen to his next words.

“we have a new rule being established this year. all professors were just informed this morning. if any of you fall behind in any of your classes, you will not be eligible to attend the Yule Ball this coming weekend.”

complaints mixed with groans echoed throughout the room and though you didn’t show it, you were one of them.

“now, now, students. studies must always come first. you all know this.”

with a frown you stand up again, proceeding to pack your things. you sling your tattered brown bag over your shoulder and walk out the door, blending in to the large number of students doing the same. you usually never fall behind in class, when you have the right professor that is. you’re so lost in thought that you fail to hear someone call your name from behind you. it’s only when you feel an arm being placed gently over your shoulders that you come back to reality.

“did you not hear me calling you, love?”

you smile as soon as you hear his voice. forgetting all about the previous frustration you felt in the dull classroom.

“hi, Sirius.” you say in response, your smile bright and genuine. he smiles back at you and removes his arm as you both come to a stop.

“i saw you were having some trouble in class, so i copied some notes down to give to you. i hope you find them helpful.” he hands you a small bundle of loose papers. your mouth drops slightly in shock as you grab them, skimming over his neat handwriting.

“oh, Sirius, that’s so sweet of you,” your shocked expression morphs into one of thankfulness. “but i can’t just take your notes. what will you use?”

“never mind that, love. i’ll just steal Remus’ notes later.” he says it so casually, like it’s normal, which makes you laugh. he copies your actions.

“thank you. our professor was going far too fast for me to understand anything, and i now more than ever don’t want to fall behind.”

“why’s that?” he asks, his smirk showing that he’s playing dumb.

“oh, you haven’t heard?” you say with a faux shocked expression, but you still end up laughing.

“hm… not a thing.” Sirius shrugs his shoulders and shakes his head. “why don’t you tell me about it?” a smirk returns to his face as he asks.

you smile and stare up at him for a moment, the look on his face makes you feel as if you’re falling in love with him all over again.

“it’s only a magical night filled with pretty dresses and music and dancing. and there always seems to be a love present that i thought only existed in fairytales.”

Sirius watched you as you talked. his eyes roamed over your entire face and his ears never once stopped listening to your soft voice. he thinks carefully about his next chose of words, and finding now the perfect time to ask you to the ball.

“i’m so sorry–” a voice interrupts your moment together. you turn to see Amelia, looking apologetic and worried. she looks between you and Sirius a few times before her eyes stop on you. “we need your help.”

based on Amelia’s face and urgency you immediately feel worried. you grab her hand and turn back to Sirius.

“i’m sorry, i’ll see you later.”

“no, don’t apologize. i hope everything’s alright.” he says, showing genuine concern. he watched as Amelia drags you away, gripping your hand tight. he sighed, feeling as though he missed his moment.

“Ella, what’s wrong?” you ask.

“it’s Mars.” she sighs. “she tried to make a love potion, but mixed up the portion sizes. poor girl is in the infirmary from the mishap.”

“what? why on earth would she do that?”

“apparently she overhear some gossip about how she, and others, won’t be able to find a date. she seemed to agree with them and decided to make a love potion. she was going to slip it to that Ravenclaw boy she fancies.”

you sigh heavily and shack your head. you pace increasing as you continuing to the infirmary.

you sat out in the sun kissed courtyard with your friends. Marcie, who still has a bandage covering her hand, is venting about yesterday’s events with you and Amelia listening closely.

“wouldn’t mind if i steal this one away for a moment, would you girls?”

the voice startled all three of you, but you most of all. as Sirius had quietly sat down right next to you.

“oh, not at all” Amelia giggled.

“lovely!” Sirius stood up and held out a hand for you, which you gently took. he led you away from the crowds of students, until you were tucked away with only each other around.

“i wanted to ask you something yesterday, but you left so soon. everything is fine now, i presume?”

“oh, yes, Mars was having some trouble is all.” you say. not wishing to give too information much away without Marcie’s consent. you’re face morphed into confusion when he didn’t reply right away. “you wanted to ask me something?”

“yes! i did, in fact.” he smiles and lets out a small laugh, mainly to himself. “would you like to go to the ball with me?”

your eyes widen slightly in surprise. you don’t even try to hide the bright smile that forms on your face or the fact your cheeks grew warm.

“i’d love to attend the ball with you, Sirius.”

by now his face is nearly identical to yours. his pride only growing as he listens to your words.

“great.” he said while letting out a breath. “i’ll make it your most memorable one ever. better than any story or fairytale you’ve ever read.”

you laugh at his enthusiasm. loving that you get to see this side of them so freely.

“wait, we should match, right? that’s usually what others do. do you know what color you’re wearing?” he says. you can tell he’s thinking hard about every detail. he truly wants to make it perfect for you.

“what color do you want me to wear?” you say it as if it’s an easy question, and truly it was, but Sirius pauses as if he’s thinking for the perfect response.

“black.”

the streets of Hogsmeade were crowded due to the announcement of the upcoming Yule Ball. this didn’t stop you or your friends from flocking to the nearest dress shops to browse the new selections.

“what about this one?” Amelia holds up a lovely silk green gown.

“oh that’s stunning, Ella.” you say.

“it is indeed, but i thought you were going with that Gryffindor girl. don’t wear their rival’s colors.” Marcie laughs.

Amelia makes a face of realization and laughs, placing the gown back onto the rack.

“i didn’t think about that.”

you smile at your friends and go back to browsing the wide selection of gowns. the shop was tiny, but had just recently been stocked with all sorts of dress attire for the upcoming ball.

“which one?” you turn to your friends, holding up two black dresses. you found many beautiful gowns and managed to narrow them down, but you’re still indecisive on which to choose.

“let me see…” Amelia comes closer to you and hooks up each dress next to you one by one. “i say this one. it would look amazing matched with those lace gloves we saw at the front.”

you look at yourself in the full length mirror and smile. as the days until the ball grow shorter you feel yourself becoming more and more giddy. you find yourself hoping this feeling stays with you forever.

you woke to warmth of the sun peaking through your curtains and hitting your cheeks. you groan as the light made it difficult for you to continue sleeping.

“good morning, love.” Amelia says. she’s sat at her vanity, getting ready for the day. “i swear, i was so excited about tonight that i could hardly sleep last night.”

her words seem to rid of your tiredness almost immediately. you sat up a bit in your bed, still laying on your back, but now your elbows holding you up.

“don’t tell me you forgot!” she laughs at your reaction.

Marcie walks into the dorms, presumably coming back from the showers, as she holds a towel.

“forgot what?” she asks.

you lay back down, choosing to ignore their conversation. you hadn’t forgotten, you’ve only been dreaming about the coming night for the whole week. you just hadn’t realized how quickly time seemed to be moving.

“i was going to head to breakfast, would either of you care to join me?” Amelia asks.

“sure, i’ll come.” Marcie says.

“i think i’ll skip breakfast today. i’ve only just woken up so, i’m not hungry yet.” you say.

“okay, love. we’ll see you in a bit!”

you slowly stretch your tired muscles and step out of bed. looking over the messy room, your eyes fall upon your gown that you bought earlier this week. it’s hung up nice and neatly. you smile as you daydream, thinking about how lovely this night will be. suddenly eager to start the day, you grab a change of clothes and make your way to the showers.

you slip on your last long black lace glove and take a step back. you let out a deep breath as you take in how you look tonight. from the beautiful gown and jewelry, to how Marcie helped you style your hair.

“give us a twirl!” Amelia shouts, she looks just as beautiful tonight. she’s wearing a pastel pink gown that compliments her curly blonde hair nicely. you, of course, give in to her words and spin around showing your dress off. you can’t help but smile brightly at her contagious excitement.

“you look beautiful.” she tells you.

“thank you, though, i’ll never be as lovely as you.” she playfully rolls her eyes at you and takes your hand.

“are you ready?”

you nod your head and tug her hand, motioning towards to door. you walk down the long staircase together, the chatter of students rushing to get ready surrounding you. you walk with Amelia until your out of your common room.

“i’ll be be heading to Gryffindor’s common room now. i told my date, Margaret, i’ll meet her outside.”

“of course, i’ll see you there. have fun Ella.” you give her a hug and part ways.

each hall you turn down is filled with even more students than the last, all heading to the same place. you take one last turn before you see the entrance to the ballroom. you could only stare into the large room viewing all the bodies attending, trying to spot if your date is here already.

“you look beautiful.” a soft voice from the side of you says. you turn around upon hearing the voice you adored so dearly. “well, you always do, but tonight especially.” he says, giving you the sweet smile.

“thank you, Sirius. you look handsome tonight as well.” you hand goes up to his loose tie handing from his neck. you give it a light tug, tightening it. when you’re finished your eyes met his again. you swear it’s like you forget how to breath when he looks at you so intensely as he’s doing now.

“shall we go, love?” he holds up his hand for you and you take it with ease. he leads you into the loud and crowded ballroom.

“care for a dance?” he asks.

“yes, i’d love to.”

from the moment Sirius asked you to be his date to the ball, and he declared to make it the perfect night, you knew he wouldn’t disappoint. your night has been filled with nothing but bright smiles and laugher. even after being at the ball for hours, you never felt bored or ready to leave. in fact, you wished the night would never end. it was only after both of you grew tired that you decided to walk outside for fresh air. you sat under the beautiful night sky enjoying each others company.

“Sirius,” you call his name, almost in a whisper, but he hears you anyways. his eyes finding yours instantly. he raises his eyebrow and tilts his head just slightly.

“i hope we can stay like this for a long time. i hope to continue to laugh with you and create more beautiful memories like this.” you confess.

as you finish, he pulls you closer to him and smiles loving at you.

“you have the sweetest soul i’ve ever seen.”

you blush at his words and look down at your shoes.

“oh no,” he laughs and uses his hand to guide your eyes up back at him. “you can’t just say something so sweet and then get all shy.”

“i can’t help it.” you say, with the blush still lingering on your cheeks. after a moment Sirius continues.

“i’ve never been good at telling people how i feel but you make me want to try. you have a place in my heart no one else can have. you make me wish i could give you the world, but you deserve so much more than that.”

you stare up at him with nothing but love in your eyes, and his reflect the same.

“how would you feel about going on a date with me? we can take things slow, i don’t want you to feel rushed into anything.” he says.

“i can’t see myself with anyone other than you.”

he smiles at your words and leans down, kissing you with the purest form of what must be love.

[hey-its-historia]

✨IT’S FINALLY TIME!✨

I’m no mathematician but bookmath dictates if you buy it on preorder, it’s actually free later~ 👀🫣😂

That being said, preorders are officially open! Get my debut novel Just Buried! a whole two weeks early with this amazing offer! In this set, you’ll receive a signed paperback, original art prints, a bookmark, several mystery goodies, and access to an exclusive bonus chapter! ✨

Boxes will be sent out no later than January 25th, 2024 and will be received by the first week of February, a full two weeks before the novel’s official debut date of February 14th, 2024.

On February 1st, 2024, the bonus chapter will be sent as an eBook through BookFunnel to the email used at purchase. Just in time for your book’s arrival! If you’d like it sent to a different email than the one you ordered with, please contact me (historiastrange@gmail.com) and I’ll gladly make those changes for you.

For all of my local Southern Ohioan baddies, I have provided a delivery option for you! If you’re within 50 miles of me, I’ll gladly deliver your box to you completely free of charge! This option can also be utilized if you’re attending my release party and would like me to hold on to your box until then! For this, again, please send me a message so we can coordinate how to get your special box to you.

Thank you all for your encouragement, support, and love! It truly means the world to me! Thank you!

P.s— I’ll make a separate post for my book release party but you may want to follow my author page (Historia Strange— Author on FB) for quicker updates and RSVP information 🫶🏻

[marblecarved]

@ardentsolis sent a letter to mary macdonald: ‘‘  💬  ’’

prompt: send me 💬, and i’ll use a line from a sentence meme i’ve reblogged to make a starter for you.

With the lessons done with for the day, Mary has followed her schoolmates towards the courtyard, soon finding for herself a spot under a tree to start in her studies; When she spots Amanda, however, her plans are put gladly on hold. Her  ❝ hello, Amanda ! ❞ is sweet-sounding, and there, at the corner of her mouth, a small smile appears. It falters, however, while she is bookmarking her book before closing it. ❝ Would you... ❞ a pause, in which she slowly places the book on her lap. 

❝ Would you like to come and sit a little while with me ? ❞ her question, or invite, rather, starts rushed and, while it slows at the end, it still pitches a little at the e. Here, the smile reappears, but now it looks more apologetic. Lowering her head to hide it from view, Mary busies her hands with taking hold of her things to make more space for Amanda to sit and, while she moves her schoolbag from one side to then place it on the other, she says: ❝ then you can tell me how you’ve been, ❞ a considering pause, then... ❝ how you've really been. ❞

[mishervellous]

so last night I had a dream about a supernatural miniseries produced by Jensen Ackles and basically it was a four episodes experience of Dean and Cas banging on every surface available in the bunker and it had no plot, basically just serving as a detailed topography of the bunker as they bang in every room. now, with me being asexual and this being the very first sexual dream I’ve ever experienced in however many years I’ve been on this spinning geoid we call hell, I assumed this might be a sign from Twink God Jack™ himself. so mr. Ackles I know you’re reading this, this is my free of charge pitch for your supernatural reboot. in this essay I will

[the-book-gnome]

A Dream Come True

Word count: 3k

Pairings: Lucien x reader

Warnings: smut, fingering, penitration, p in v, pet names (my love, sweetheart, darling)

Summary: you've been in love with Lucien for awhile now and he finally decides to show you what you've been dreaming of

The house was always more boring without Lucien here. Vassa and Jurian are always in their shared room, doing who knows what, at least they have the decency to stay quiet now. You mostly stayed up in your room, reading or fixing the clothes that they ruin so often.

After the war, you didn’t have anywhere to go, Lucien offered you a place in the house with him, Vassa and Jurian. You accepted and it’s been years since that, you’ve made friends with all of them but Lucien treated you differently than he did the others. Always asking you how you’ve been after he’s gotten back from the night court and kissing your cheek. Lucien takes pleasure in teasing you as well, saying anything that will make you go red. He always took you on walks and spoke to you the whole time. He also speaks to you about elain, which he refused to do with anyone else.

You like that he trusted you with that but at the same time it annoyed you, it makes sense that he hasn’t given up on her but she treats him like a dog and you truly don’t understand why he wastes his time with her, even if they are mates. Maybe that’s just your jealousy talking, but you do believe he deserves someone who loves him.

You were currently in the living room watching Lucien and Jurian bicker like children, they were either talking about hunting or dinner. Typically Lucien hunts since he’s fae but Jurian decided to get all pissy about how he always cooks.

“I just don’t see why these women can’t help, it’s not like they're busy, they just watch us do all the work.” He was very good at whining, it made you want to blow out your eardrums just so you wouldn’t have to hear him complain anymore. If all it takes is cooking dinner you’ll gladly agree to that if it makes him shut up. “I’ll just cook dinner, it's not a big deal.”

“Not, you shouldn’t have to worry yourself with that when Jurian here is perfectly capable of doing it.” Lucien’s voice was firm leaving no room for you to disagree, his gaze softened when he glanced at you, to no surprise Jurian noticed. “Come on man, at this point just get on your knees for her and bow for fucks sake.” He stormed off like a toddler probably going to tell Vassa about the whole argument.

Lucien had a slight smile as he rolled his eyes, he turned around and headed for the door most likely to go and hunt. “Will you be back soon?” Your voice was soft and gentle. “Always love, why don’t you read that book I got for you, I’ll be back before you know it.” He walked back over to you and pressed a gentle kiss to your forehead, his hand grazed your cheek, his breath fanning over your head. He stood back up and went hunting.

—————————————————————

You had only ever liked romance novels, the other genres always bored you. Lucien knew that and he made sure to find the perfect books for you to enjoy even if it took him hours. Speaking of hours it had been at least 4 since Lucien went hunting, not that you noticed, too captivated by the massive book in your hands. It wasn’t until your bedroom door opened. You looked up to see Lucien standing there. He always looks so beautiful, his hair pulled back yet a few strands fell loose to frame his face. He wore a cream-coloured shirt and tan pants. His boots were worn but that just added to his sexiness.

Lucien’s smirk grew as he watched your gaze go up and down his body, when your eyes reached his you grew red at the way he was staring at you. “Dinners ready.” His voice was husky and deep, and his eyes showed his cocky attitude but something else as well, you couldn't figure out what it was though. You set the book down making sure to place your bookmark on the page and store it up from your bed. You walked towards the door hoping he’d move out of the way to pass but he stodgy there leaning against the frame with his arms crossed. “Excuse me” it was only a whisper, your cheeks grew redder by the way he was looking at you.

“Like the book?” Ah that’s what this was, he had given you a different type of book, one you are not used to ready, you can’t say you weren’t happy with the surprise though. It was extremely explicit and detailed and often left your panties soaked. You were begging the mother to not let him smell the arousal, it had been at least thirty minutes since that part of the book, and there was no way he could smell it still. He looked like a starved male, you knew for a fact he hadn’t laid with anyone since the mating bond had snapped in place but that was years ago. He was probably just bored and messing with you.

“Yes, I always like the books you get for me, now move so I can go eat, I’m starving.” You pushed him out of the way and sped past him, his husky laugh graced your ears as you went down the stairs to the dining room.

Lucien didn’t say a word to you during dinner, occasionally you caught him staring but he always looked away with a small smirk on his lips. You wanted nothing more than to be done with dinner but every time you said you were leaving Vassa yelled at you to sit down again. She always wanted everyone to eat together since none of you spend too much time together during the days. But once she allowed everyone to leave you sped off to your room and locked the door behind you. A thin layer of sweat is laid upon your skin making you sticky and gross. Deciding a bath would be a nice way to relax you started filling your tub with warm water.

Stepping into the tub, you sat in. you had pulled your hair into a loose bun hoping for it to stay dry. It was so peaceful, the way the water cover your body as the steam rolled off of it. All worries and embarrassments left your mind as you lost yourself to that calm feeling. Drifting off to sleep, every part of you relaxed.

That was until you felt water being squeezed over you from a sponge. You yelled and sat up quickly covering yourself. When you looked behind you there sat Lucien in his beautiful glory. He had no shirt on, his muscles slightly flexed. “Lay back, it would be much harder to wash you if you're sitting like that.” His voice wasn’t much more than a whisper. Heat bloomed on your cheeks. “I’m naked, get out.” You squeaked.

His laugh graced your ears as he watched you with amusement. “Do you think I didn't see anything when I walked in here? Or when I sat down?” You knew he was toying with you but the thought of him seeing you so bare made your embarrassment so much worse. You groaned and hid your head between your knees and chest.

He rested his hand on your shoulder, only adding a little bit of pressure to encourage you but not force you. You let out a sigh and hesitantly let him guide you back into your previous position. You kept your eyes sealed shut, your hands covering your chest. You heard Lucien dip the sponge back into the water and add soap to it, he slowly started rubbing your body in small circles. Moving around your neck and shoulders. He moved down your arms, doing the left one first then the right. He didn’t say a word about your hand placement.

His touch was hot, maybe it was because the air out of the water was cold or perhaps he was using his magic to warm you, either way, you loved it. Each caress felt like it was melting you in all the right ways. You felt two ropes of fire gently move your hands into the water, leaving you bare to his eyes. You held your breath hoping he wouldn’t make some snarky comment, but to your surprise, he continued washing you with no hesitation. As the sponge moved closer to your breasts his hand moved at a slower speed, adding a bit more pressure as well. As the sponge grazed your pebbles nipple you let out a small whimper. The sensation strikes right to the place between your legs.

Lucien placed his other hand on your forehead gently stroking your hair, you parted your lips feeling as if you haven’t been getting enough air. You closed the distance between your legs afraid he might smell your arousal. Your cheeks tinted pink and your eyes were still screwed shut, afraid that if you open them he’ll disappear.

Lucien moved his hand towards your ribs and stomach, he seemed to not pay too much attention to those parts of you and moved down to your legs. He propped your left leg on the edge of the tub, as his hand went lower into the water, his fingers kept brushing your skin. Even with the hot water goosebumps are raised on your skin. His other hand had moved to your ankle keeping it in place.

Your eyes snapped open as his fingers brushed your clit. You shut your legs closed and sat up slightly, “what are you doing” your tone was aggressive, you weren’t in the mood for him to play games with you. “Washing you, what does it look like?” You could hear the amusement in his tone but he kept any signs of a smile off his lips. His gaze was making you breathe harder. “We’ll stop, I never asked for any help.” He let out a sigh and rolled his eyes ignoring you. “Spread your legs for me, sweetheart, I don’t wish for you to be dirty when I fuck you.” His hand moved to open your legs again. His words left you in shock. What was he talking about, before you could ask his hand and the sponge returned to their latest spot.

Lucien didn’t linger his hand there, he quickly moved on to your other leg. Your hands were gripping the sides of the tub, your gaze remained on his face. You had no idea what game he was playing but you were sure it would end in your embarrassment. When he finished washing you, you expected him to get up and leave but instead, he just set the sponge down and put his hand back in the water. Stoking the softness of your thighs. “What are you doing?” You asked breathless, pink tinted your cheeks for what seemed like the hundredth time today. “Shhh, just relax sweetheart.” He whispered soothingly. You kept up the glaring and refused to listen to him. He shook his head and continued.

As Lucien’s fingers grazed your clit again you closed your legs, “I’m not in the mood for your games.” Ropes of fires spread you back open giving him the access that he wants. “Good thing I’m not playing any then.” His voice had grown huskier and you could smell his arousal.

As he added pressure, you closed your eyes and bit your lip careful not to let any noises out. He circled his fingers, pleasure rippled threw you, as his thumb worked your clit his middle finger gently prodded at your hole, slowly sliding his long thick finger into you, he watch your every reaction making sure you were okay. You let out a whimper as his finger curled and hit that sensitive spot inside of you. He started thrusting faster, you were panting and your back was arched. “Gods you look beautiful like this.” He muttered, unable to take his eyes off you.

When he added a second finger you lost it. Pleasure racked threw you, gripping onto the rub you came so hard that your vision went blurry. “There you go, that’s it baby just like that.” His voice was closer to you, he had taken his hand away causing you to whimper at the loss. He places a gentle kiss on your forehead and the next thing you know, you are lifted into his arms and carried into your room. Your arms wrapped around his neck instinctively. He smelt wonderful, it was so addicting you buried your head in his neck, he let out a small chuckle and then tossed you on your bed. You helped in surprised l as you landed on your pillows.

Lucien quickly took off his shirt, and works on the ties of his pants, as he pulled them off along with his undergarments your mouth fell open. You knew Autumn males were big but not that big. “No, absolutely not.” He furrowed his brows, concern written on his face “what’s wrong? Have I done something?” You laughed at his audacity. “If you try and put that in me it’s going to tear me in half, I’d rather not bleed out thank you very much.” He laughed, well it was more like a wheeze. He grabbed onto one of the poles at the corner of your bed to steady himself. You were mad again, why would he laugh at that, is he insane? “Oh darling, have I ever told you how beautiful you look when you're mad at me? Trust me, it will fit you have nothing to worry about.” You were still hesitant but the pulsing between your thighs started again when he used that little name on you.

It’s not like you were a virgin or anything, but you still hadn’t taken a male that big before. Lucien moved so he was kneeling on the bed in front of you. You were also on your knees but still were sitting on the heels of your feet. His cock stood straight up, the tip was red and leaking his pre cum. He cupped your face with his hand forcing you to look at him. “Just relax for me alright?” You nod and he brought you up to his lips. He was gentle with his lips, moving one of his hands to the back of your head and the other one trailing down to play with your hard nipples. You kissed him back urgently, this was all you ever wanted and it was finally happening. You felt his tongue brush against your lips and parted your mouth for him. As he pushed his tongue in you let out a moan causing him to grip your hair harder.

Everything felt so warm. His tongue met your in urgent strokes. He broke the kiss and moved down to your neck. Sucking and tugging the skin there. Surely leaving bruises to remember. You groaned at him impatiently, tugging him back up you your mouth. Your lips only touched his for a moment before you were pushed into your back. He moved your legs out from under you and held himself over you continuing the kiss. You moved your hands to his shoulders desperately trying to touch him. Lifting your leg over his ass you pushed down trying to get him inside of you. He smirked as he lifted his head from yours. “Needy are we?” Cocking his head to the side “why are you in such a rush sweetheart?” He played with a strand of your hair. You tried to lift your hips closer to his but one of his hands was holding you down. Groaning in frustration you tried again but he wouldn’t let you move. “Please Lucien, I need you inside me.” You sounded pathetic really, but you would do anything for him to be in you so begging was something you could handle.

“Whatever you wish my love.” Lucien placed a gentle kissed on your lips and moved his hand off your hips to his cock. He slid it up and down your pussy gathering the wetness he caused you and then slowly pushed into your entrance. There was a slight pinch but nothing you couldn't handle. He went slow, drawing back out and punching another inch in repairing that process till he was fully searing inside you. He grunted in pleasure as your wall gripped onto his thick length. The feeling of him inside you made you feel unbelievably full. His head was next to yours and you were both breathing heavily. “Is it alright if I move?” You nodded in response.

You thought he was going to be gentle but as he pulled out almost completely, he slammed back into you and started a hard and fast pace. You moaned as he hit all the right places, he wrapped his arm under your back and lifted causing him to hit a new angle. Your vision went blurt as the pleaser of him kept building. He was moaning in your ear and starting to go faster.

Your arms grabbed onto his shoulders so you could ground yourself a little. You were already so close, each thrust bringing you closer to your release. He hand brought a hand down to rub your clit. His breath moans did something to you knowing how good you were making him feel caused pride to fill your chest. His movement was getting sloppy yet he didn’t slow down for a second. Both of you chasing your release. “Lucien fuck!” Your vision turned dark as your second orgasm shuttered threw your body, throwing your head back and digging your nails into his back. He was close behind you giving a few more thrusts till he filled you with his cum. He placed a sweaty kiss on your neck bringing you back from the haziness of your orgasm.

You whimpered as he pulled out feeling his release drip down your ass. Lucien laid next to you on his back “We should clean up” he whispered, they was a flush to his cheeks and he looked exhausted. Instead of letting him leave the bed, you rolled into him throwing your arm and leg on his body. “Sleep, bathe tomorrow.” He let out a little chuckle and wrapped you in his arms and using magic to pull the blankets over the yo of you. You were already half asleep when his kissed your head and whispered to you goodnight.

[pengujoon]

THE WARMTH OF WINTER

cont. husband!oikawa x reader, pure fluff. massive load of fluff <33

a/n: maths class? naaurr. writing for oikawa? yas bestie ✨

“Ice skating?” you asked, putting down the book in your hands. 

“Yeah,” Oikawa said, “It’s winter! We have to go ice skating!” he gleamed, eyes twinkling with excitement.

“Are you sure about that?” you asked, flipping your bookmark into your book and shutting it close. “I’m absolutely terrible at this, Toru.”

“Please?” he leaped into the bed into by your side, cannonballing into your embrace, looking at you with those eyes you know you can’t refuse. 

“Hrngh,” you groaned, face buried in your hands. “Fine, but I’m staying at the side only.”

“Why??” his eyes went round, lifting his head from the soft pillows to look at you.

“I can’t ice skate to safe my life,” you sighed, lips set in a thin line. “Honey, I get that you’re extremely athletic and know how to work with your muscles, but I can’t.”

“Pretty please?” his glossy eyes bore into yours, making you let out a loud sigh as your eyes fluttered shut. 

“Alright,” you said, “just this one time.”

“I love you so much!”

“OIKAWA I SAID LET GO !”

“No, honey, you’re coming with me!” 

Your shouts and shrieks went unheard by your husband.  He pulled you towards the middle of the open rink, his antics drawing the attention of the people nearby, but you were far too horrified to even be embarrassed by the stares.

“You won’t fall,” he said, coming to a halt. “I’ll catch you.”

Right in the next moment, you crashed onto his broad chest, hands immediately finding its way behind him, hugging him tightly, not letting go. 

“Woah,” he said. 

You huffed as you looked up to him, sending daggers through your glare, to which he gladly refused. 

He slowly let go of you, but his cold hands found it’s way to yours, engulfing your warm ones in his. 

You waddle on the ice, clutching his hands tightly as he slowly sped up, bringing the both of you to a constant momentum. 

You looked up towards the starry night skies as he pulled you side by side along with him. The both of you basked in the comfortable presence of each other, hearing the soft chatters of crowds and kids nearby.

Along the way, you almost tripped, your legs tangling in each other and falling forwards. But your husband was quick to react, immediately pulling you back into his warm embrace.

“See?” he whispered in your ears, “I promised you I’ll catch you if you fall.”

You nodded bashfully, and hid your face in his chest, a poor attempt to calm your heart from your husband’s bold act.

“You’re so beautiful, you know that?”

Immediately, a blush found it’s way on your face, leaving you flustered and embarrased by his sudden bold statement. 

“What- Why?” you splutter out, glancing right and left in shock.

“I’m so grateful I married you,” he said suddenly, bringing his left hand upwards, looking at the glint of reflection from the golden band by his fourth finger. 

“I’m grateful too,” you mumbled against his coat, a smirk plastered on Oikawa’s face the moment he heard you say it.

“Hmm? Is someone saying anything?” he cheekily feigned ignorance, looking away as though he was searching for the voice.

You huffed softly as he shifted his attention back on you, a playful glint obvious in his eyes.

“I’m glad I married you.”

[anystalker707]

Our Father, who art in heaven

Pairing: Priest! Gerard x Vampire! Reader Word count: ~ 2 300 Genre: Not smut but very hot Warning: Blood / Religious themes Summary: Father Way is a man of great faith and of good, but (y/n) would argue. Kind of content: Blood play / Humiliation / Oral fixation

Not requested but @newgirlinhell and @frank-ieros-lip-ring were v excited about it

Whoever started spreading the rumors of vampires being repelled by crosses certainly does not know a thing about vampires or any other creature of the depths of hell, given how the object itself is of no use if it’s not out of silver or the one in possession of the object is of little faith. That’s why he is so interesting. The day I greeted him, that cross that hung on from his neck and rested on his chest with so much power held as much strength as bright fake flowers in the middle of a dining table during a depressing meal time, quite the opposite to all of the others. It never changed.

“The peace of the Lord be with you,” he said in a shaky voice as he barely eyed me, holding more feelings than he dared demonstrating, and matching with how his hand shook as he drew the cross with the ashes of myrrh right across my forehead.

“And with your spirit,” I mumbled in response, bowing my head a little, though I made sure to glance at him from under my lashes with a slight smile that disappeared the moment I brought myself up from my knees, bowing again before I could walk back to my place on one of the last pews.

Something stands between Gerard and his faith, but I refuse to admit it is me—I am just a little push. After all, he already has a cigarette between his fingers and a glass of whiskey sitting on the desk the moment I walk into his office; I take a moment to observe the scene before me, the way he fumbles with something on the desk with his back to me and a hip cocked out. The tight dress pants and matching black button up suit him so perfectly. Walking closer, I notice it’s the Bible he is skipping through, sometimes lingering over some pages.

“Your blessing, Father...” I grin as I gently take hold of his hips, nuzzling his neck; only part of it shows under the long dark strands that contrast with his pale skin.

Gerard hums softly, shifting a little under my touch. “Fuck you.”

“Gladly!” I press a kiss to the back of his neck, and Gerard clicks his tongue, taking a drag of his cigarette before he elbows me lightly and pulls away enough to turn around. Gerard inhales deeply, nodding up. “What?” I raise an eyebrow. “Can’t I just make a visit? Check on you? You seemed sort of... distracted during the mass today.” I furrow my eyebrows, almost cracking a smile at the way his eyes drift down and his cheeks gain a redder tone, but he is quickly walking around the table and taking a last drag of his cigarette to put it out against a sheet paper that rests on top of a pile of more paper and a few notebooks.

“Shut the fuck up.” Gerard turns the Bible his way and adds a bookmarker before closing it, sitting down on his chair to go through the drawers of the desk.

Attending masses often wasn’t the intention I had when I had walked into the Our Lady of Sorrows Parish Church to check on the new arrival sometime ago, but now it’s barely possible resisting the opportunity of making Gerard’s voice shake during the consecration. Or whenever his eyes catch mine. Finding a nice place in the church isn’t often bad—not everyone has faith that can actually hurt, to be honest. Quite surprising regarding the place.

Today was another one of these days in which Gerard’s eyes were drawn to the spot I was every few seconds, probably remembering the previous night. Not my fault the most powerful position for him is, indeed, on his knees. Of course it gave him an attitude, but I’ll let him enjoy it for now.

“Are you busy?” I lean forward on the desk with my hands around the edge. The papers on his desk are about the same stuff of always—mass intentions, funerals, Parish events.

“No.” Gerard closes the drawer with a sigh. “But I suppose you’re hungry.”

A smile tugs on my lips as I nod. “Good guess. Now, come here.” I step away to stand in front of the deep red loveseat set under the window, making sure to check if the window is shut behind the curtains to open them a little and let the moonlight in, time enough for Gerard to do as told and stand before me. The way he turned off the lights and left the table lamp on creates a comfortable atmosphere with the dim yellow light of the lamp bathing part of the room. There’s only a problem. He is about to sit down when I stop him with an arm across his torso, shaking my head. “You know your place, Gee.”

Gerard’s chest tenses up with a breath caught in his throat, but he steps back and quickly lowers himself to his knees. Some of his dark strands cover his face as he looks up at me, running his tongue between his lips while pushing them away from his face; he doesn’t do a good job at it, so I help him instead, cupping his pale cheeks to peck his lips shortly before I hook my fingers around the strands to pull them away to show that pretty face of his properly. His irises color stand out under the silver moonlight as he looks at me, eyes partly covered by his eyelids with how his gaze falls to my lips, but I’m quick in giving him what he wants.

A soft hum comes from Gerard once I deepen the kiss, pressing my tongue down against his before I start nibbling down on his bottom lip, going on until I snatch a quiet moan from him. I sit down on the loveseat, near the edge, and spread my legs so Gerard can come closer, letting his arms rest on my thighs as he lets me pull him to where I want and tilt his head to the side.

As always, I take my time, of course. Gerard may be my blood bag, but it doesn’t mean I’m drinking from him whenever I am hungry—he is for special occasions, such as today, when I couldn’t keep my mind off him and not all of the blood from the woman down the alley was enough to suppress the thirst. Gerard is for special moments. Gerard is special. Whether it’s exclusively about the taste of his blood or the feelings I hold for him, I prefer never to find out.

My nose runs against the shape of Gerard’s jaw gently, with my lips sometimes lingering against his skin, though I occasionally let my tongue run across his neck and have some of the salty taste.

“You’re perfect,” I mumble in his ear, receiving a quiet sound in response as he shudders. How perfect. He leans a little into the hand that cups his face while I rest the other on his shoulder to keep him firm in place. Finally, I pull Gerard’s hair away from his neck and press my lips to his jugular, holding my breath for a moment to focus only on feeling the blood run under the skin against my lips, and my mouth waters not only at it, but at the sweet scent coming from him. “Hell,” I mumble. I shouldn’t be so weak for him.

I let my tongue run between my lips, wetting them, before I can finally bare my teeth and press them to Gerard’s neck, where I let them linger for some seconds so Gerard can prepare himself and only then let my teeth sink into the skin, piercing through it in a single motion with the skill provided to me through experience, just to be pulled away and let the sweet metallic flavor finally fill my mouth.

Gerard’s fingers that once sunk into my thighs through the fabric of my pants now slowly grow weaker, allowing him to let out a quiet moan as he relaxes—as much as the situation allows him to—against my touch.

“(Y/n)...” he mumbles with a soft sigh.

Maybe Gerard has such a taste because it’s corrupted blood. Once holy, now tainted. Genuinely tainted. It seems like there could be a time in which his presence would be enough to cause me harm, but it’s simply not there anymore and possibly never will be again. It has me almost panting as I drink from him, already having some of his blood smearing my chin and trailing down the corners of my lips.

Fighting the urge to drain Gerard is hard, though thankfully not as before, so it’s easier to focus on how Gerard feels before I’m just licking the wound closed whilst only letting the blood fill my mouth, and finally pull away to press my lips to his instead. A surprised hum comes from Gerard before he kisses back messily, swallowing some of the blood whilst some of it escapes our lips.

“You taste so fucking good,” I mumble against his lips, and let my tongue drag against his bottom lip. “If only you could taste it like I do. Hell, I want you to be mine forever...”

A soft moan escapes Gerard’s lips as he nods before he presses his lips to mine in a sweeter kiss that quickly grows needy with how his hands tug onto my shirt, deepening the kiss and going on with it until I can’t breathe and my pulse rings in my lips for a brief moment. Wow.

He’ll be the death of me—the thought crosses my mind, but never actually leaves my lips because of the haze that clouds my mind worse. It’s finally gone when I lean back lightly and look at Gerard properly, watching his skin almost glow under the moonlight as his hands slowly trail down to rest above my knees. His lips are now smeared with blood that also runs down his chin and... “Fuck, you look so pretty like this, baby.”

Even if my heart doesn’t beat anymore, it still aches for Gerard, and I wish I could feel it race, making my cheeks burn whenever he kisses me first or flirts. Perhaps, even feel my heart flutter. I bet it would flutter every time he giggles, or when he leans his head against my shoulder or shyly takes my hand in his, intertwining our fingers. Or even now, that Gerard blushes, letting his eyes look down for a moment before he nuzzles my hand softly.

Either way, I don’t think it matters a lot, at least not right now.

My thumb presses down against Gerard’s chin and slowly drags up, collecting the blood that escaped his lips just to get it back into his mouth again. I need to repeat the motion three times so all the excess is back in his mouth, and I let my thumb run across his bottom lip, pulling on it a little to show his short red-stained teeth before it snaps back into place. I’m about to trace it again before Gerard’s tongue pokes out to lick on my thumb, with kitten licks that only cease when I shove my thumb into his mouth and press it down against his tongue. Despite the initial shock, he closes his lips around it, humming softly.

“You’re addicting like no one else is or has been, to me,” I mumble as I watch him, carefully switching my bloody fingers, one by one being cleaned by his mouth. “Maybe I’m not the corrupting one here.”

Gerard would certainly argue if he wasn’t so busy, instead focusing on twirling his tongue around my fingers, cleaning them.

“Sinful.” I sigh. “Are you that lost of a cause, Gerard? At least try to save your soul. Pray.”

My finger slips out of Gerard’s mouth with a wet sound and almost snatches a sound of protest from him before there’s ground under his feet again, his fingers twitching a little around my knees.

“Fuck,” Gerard mouths, but never actually says it, and cleans his throat, looking around for a moment before he can start. “Our Father,” he mumbles as I let my fingers dive back down to his neck, gathering some of the blood that remains coming from the closing wound, “who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name...” The words slur away when I hold my fingers in front of his lips; he is quick to lean in and clean the fingers effectively, humming a little among the wet sounds. “Thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” he continues once I pull away, repeating the motion, though this time there’s more blood trailing down three of my fingers. Gerard takes each of them into his mouth individually, making sure to take his time... maybe a little too much. He seems too invested in my last finger.

“Gerard?” I raise an eyebrow.

He pulls away and swallows. “Done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread;” he interrupts himself with a soft sound as I press down onto the wound on his neck softly, “and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us...” There he goes again, falling in silence at the moment I start licking his neck clean, dragging my tongue against the skin in long stripes to both heal and clean him as best as I can right now. “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

“Amen,” I hum, finishing my job with a kiss on his neck, and lean back against the loveseat with a sigh. “You’re worse than hell, Gerard.”

A small smile plays on his lips, and it doesn’t take long for Gerard to bring himself up to his feet, showing the bulge stretching his dress pants between his legs. He is also out of breath, panting. “Well, let me show you better, then...” He pins me back to the seat with his hands on my shoulders, pressing his lips to mine.

_________________

tagging list: @lubbockshusband | @trans-ylvania | @newgirlinhell

[armysantiny]

16:15 -  창균 (Changkyun)

P: Changkyun (IM) x gender neutral reader - Monsta X | G: fluff, timestamp| Inc: period comfort, implied afab reader bc of period, takeout, cramps, back rubs, changkyun having a nap | Wc: 332 | W: food, period/blood | R: PG

An: I need this rn

Head lolled backwards as they scrunched their face in pain, y/n groaned in pain as another onslaught of cramps started, the twisting agony in their abdomen impossible to ignore. Bookmarking, closing and putting their book to the side, y/n brought their knees to their chest, breathing through what was going to be another 6 days of cramps. Stuck on the living room sofa, the brunet could only hear what presumably was the sounds of Changkyun stirring from his nap in their bedroom.

Yawning the remnants of sleep away as he poked his head into the living room, Changkyun sighed at the sight of y/n huddled on the sofa. Walking over and taking a seat beside them, he pressed a gentle kiss to their forehead before rubbing their back. Chuckling when y/n’s boba-eyed expression met his own, the 25-year-old slowly lowered y/n’s legs and reached over for the folded blanket.

“Hey there precious, are the cramps getting really bad?” Leaning their head on his shoulder, y/n nodded, eyebrows furrowed together.

“Mhm…Kyun-ah, am I dying?” Y/n asked, eliciting a ‘not-amused-but-that-was-funny’ smile from their boyfriend. “…it does feel like it though.”

“I don’t doubt you baby; let me get you some paracetamol, and I’ll call takeout, hmm?” Changkyun offered, one which was gladly accepted as y/n clenched their fists in pain. Getting up and returning to the sofa with two paracetamol tablets and a bottle of water, Changkyun let y/n wash the painkillers while he ordered food.

Gently running his hand through y/n’s hair while they slept, Changkyun’s attention was drawn to the door once their delivery had arrived. Lifting y/n’s head up and replacing the space where his lap was with a cushion, Changkyun made his way to the door, opening it and taking the takeout bag from the delivery driver. Bringing the food to the table and setting up the cutlery, the rapper lightly shook y/n’s shoulder, a gentle smile on his face.

“Hm? What is it Kyun?”

“The food arrived~ let’s eat!”

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Taglist: @teeztheflag, @intokook, @baby-dinobean | Taglist Form

[heartkiyoomi]

🪴10:34pm — matsuno chifuyu

main masterlist tokyo manji gang masterlist

“ouch!”

chifuyu’s head shot up from the manga he was reading, turning towards you who was sticking the tip of their tongue out. he stifled a chuckle, “you okay babe?”

“yeah, i bit my tongue accidentally,” you pouted, still sticking your tongue out as an attempt to see if you were bleeding.

you turned to your boyfriend desperately, “is it bleeding ‘fuyu?” he let out a small laugh, grabbing your chin gently between his thumb and index finger to humor you with checking the damage.

“you’re fine, you’ve had worse,” he said smartly, letting out a hearty laugh when you punched his shoulder.

“so rude,” you mumbled, turning back to the assignment you were working on. the library wasn’t your ideal place for a date, but considering you’ve been swallowed by final exams and final projects, along with rarely seeing your boyfriend, this will have to do.

a few minutes passed by before you were feeling fidgety, the words on your computer becoming a blur. your eyes felt heavy, rubbing them to get them to focus but with no luck. you tried toughing it out for a couple more minutes before you closed your laptop a little too loudly, grumbling about how stupid the final for a certain class was.

chifuyu jumped at the sound, so engrossed with his book that he didn’t notice you were on the edge of losing your mind. he let out a soft sigh, bookmarking his place and turning towards you.

“need to take a break?” he said sweetly, moving a piece of hair out of your face and taking off the cute blue light glasses he got you at the beginning of the semester to set them on the table.

“yes please,” you replied, crossing your arms across the table and leaning your head down to rest on them, your eyes already succumbing to slumber.

chifuyu leaned forward to press a couple kisses on your temple, running a hand through your hair to put you at ease. you felt yourself smile, warmth spreading through your body.

you really were lucky to have him, even though he tells you he’s the more lucky one. not everyone likes to come to the library to work on homework, or have study dates in one or the other’s places, or staying up at ungodly hours of the night to make sure you don’t overwork yourself to death.

but chifuyu didn’t mind, and he never will. you’re it for him, and if it means buying more manga for him to read or finding something to keep him entertained, he’ll gladly do it. just as long as he gets to spend time with you.

“i’ll let you sleep for an hour okay? then you need to finish your assignment and we can go home,” he suggested, still having his hand running through your soft locks.

“mmm, okay ‘fuyu… love you so much,” chifuyu placed one last kiss on your temple, his heart fluttering at the soft snores you let out. he always found it endearing how fast you fell asleep. “i love you too, sweet dreams.”

a/n: ugh collegebf!chifuyu will always have my heart <3

reblogs are greatly appreciated!!

©heartkiyoomi 2021, all rights reserved.

[gavin-plz-call-me]

The brothers + Luke do a gem digging kit with you

When I say gem digging kit, I mean one of these. It's basically just a hunk of chalk with gemstones inside that you dig into until you find all the gems. It's supposed to be for little kids, but I did one recently and it was pretty fun.

Also, a note: the gems I attribute to each character are purely based on the appearance/name of the gem. I'm not taking into account the meanings of the gems just because that sounds like a lotta work and I'm lazy.

~

Lucifer

Why?

No, seriously, he's confused as to why you'd want to spend your time doing that.

If you want a gemstone so badly, he could just buy you one, no need to go digging into a hunk of whatever that is to get one.

He'll end up doing it with you, but don't expect to do any of the digging.

"You're not doing it right, here give it to me."

He's a control freak, what'd you expect?

He's, for some reason, really good at digging out the gemstones.

Doesn't care about identifying what types of gems you find, leaves that work to you.

You two will get done pretty quickly because he did all the work

You pick out a garnet and hand it to Lucifer as a thank you.

He scoffs a little but pockets it.

Will 100% have it cut and made into a gorgeous ring or something.

Treasures it way more than you thought he'd treasure some random gem.

Mammon

"Of course ya want Mammon's help. You're just a puny little human, so I'll do ya a favor, as long as I get to keep a couple."

He's practically drooling at the thought of gemstones, and all he's gotta do is dig them outta this brick? Score.

Don't tell him he's probably not going to get anything worth any Grimm, or he'll be no help at all.

Let's you do, like, 70% of the work, but as soon as you guys spot a gemstone, he's ripping the chisel from your hand so you don't damage the stone.

Get's pretty into identifying each gem because he wants to see what they're all worth.

You get done in a decent amount of time.

You hand him pyrite from the pile of gems (also known as fools gold.)

Mammon knows a thing or two about gold and knows what you gave him isn't the real deal.

He'll put it in a little jar and makes a keychain out of it so he can keep it with him at all times.

Will loudly complain, but secretly not so secretly treasures it because it's a gift from you.

Leviathan

Has probably seen something similar in an anime or something.

So he's super excited to do it with you.

Will get jealous if you hog up all the time, but turns around hogs it.

He'll end up doing like 80% of the work, letting you do some if you ask nicely.

Isn't very good at it, though.

Get's frustrated in the end and puts the brick in water so it's easier to break.

So, initially, it took a while for the two of you to break through the brick, but once you soak it in water it goes by quickly.

Will try to identify the gem types, but doesn't care too much about guessing correctly.

You give him the biggest gem in the pile, an amethyst, and he turns into a blushing, stuttering mess what's new?

He'll proudly display the gem in a place of honor in his room, definitely beside a super rare, limited edition Ruri-chan action figure in a glass case to reduce damage to both Ruri-chan and the amethyst.

Satan

Is a bit confused as to why you want to do this, like Lucifer, but gladly joins you.

Will start off like Lucifer, taking charge of breaking the brick open, but the moment he gets frustrated with it, he hands the chisel to you.

You'll split the work about 50/50, with Satan giving you control whenever he gets frustrated with himself, and taking it back once he's calmed down a bit.

Be careful, though, if he doesn't give you the chisel in time, the brick may go flying out of rage, but at least all the gems are out now.

Get's very into identifying what types of gems you've collected.

Will bring out books on gemstones because the sheet the kit came with doesn't include enough information to properly identify them.

It doesn't take too long for the two of you to finish, probably because you're sharing the work so evenly.

Asmodeus

You give him a peridot, which he has made into one of those fancy metal bookmarks, putting the peridot at the end.

something like this

Oh devildom no, you're not roping him into this

Two words: his nails

and his clothes

and his skin

He will gladly watch as long as you're not doing it in his room, but don't expect any help.

If you wash the gems of any grime before handing them to him, he'll gladly help you identify what kinds they are.

Plus, they're all so pretty, he should at least be there to look at them.

You're done fairly slowly, due to the fact that you had to do it all by yourself.

Despite Asmo being no help, you give him an opal.

He'll squeal because opals are just so beautiful.

If there's only one, though, he'll have it made into a stunning choker.

If there are two opals amongst the gems you found, he'll demand ask nicely for the second one so they can be made into earrings.

Beelzebub

I know it kinda looks like chocolate, Beel, but you can't eat it.

Yes, I know you're hungry, Beel, but it's not food.

In all seriousness, he thinks it'll be fun and joins.

Lets you do most of the work, but not out of laziness, but because you look like you're having so much fun.

Will only help when you ask him to.

If you get bored and frustrated, Beel can and will just rip the brick apart with his bare hands if you ask.

Likes looking at the gems, but isn't too interested in identifying them.

You don't get done super fast, but definitely a lot faster than you would have doing it alone because of Beel's help.

You give him a ruby as thanks.

He either won't have it made into anything, opting to keep it safely in his room, or he'll have it made into a simple necklace.

Belphegor

Like with Asmo, good luck roping Belphie into this.

Not because he's afraid to get dirty, but because it just sounds like so much work.

He might help you out a bit, but will most likely just watch you, trying not to fall asleep during the process.

He fails and definitely falls asleep at some point.

Doesn't care about identifying the gems.

The process is somehow slower with Belphie's help, but it eventually gets done.

You'll place a sapphire next to him when you've finished because he's too asleep for you to hand it to him.

He doesn't have it made into anything because, again, that sounds like so much work, but he'll definitely keep it on his bedside table to look at and think of you with.

Luke

This kid's gonna have so much fun doing this with you.

And you better let him do all of the work, even though he's not very good at it.

He'll ask you for help every once in a while but wants to do as much of it by himself.

Is very excited about correctly identifying the gemstones, he may try to rope Satan in so the two of you can use his books on gemstones to make accurate guesses.

It's gonna take a while for you two to get it done, but Luke's having so much fun it doesn't really matter.

In the end, you let him keep all of the gems because he was so excited about it.

After a few days, though, he'll come to you with two identical friendship bracelets, one for him and one for you, both with rose quartz on them.

If you ever take it off, he'll cry.

So don't take it off.

[tomtenadia]

My Thursday crush

Rowaelin month - Day 4 - Library or librarians

It was a nice spring day in Orynth and Rowan was slowly walking to work. Headphones on and a book in his hands. He had developed the skill of reading and walking to the point of perfection.

His friends made fun of him but he always replied that if it was socially acceptable for people to walk with their faces in their phones and not paying attention, then a book was surely better. And he never bumped into anyone.

He stopped at the coffee shop around the corner from his job and got his usual order, placed the thermos in the backpack and walked the last stretch.

The library was still closed and it was his job to open it. He had volunteered for the morning shifts since he was a morning person and was happy to open up.

Once he was inside he went through the motions of opening up for day and getting the library ready. Rowan switched on the public computers and then did a walkthrough to make sure everything was looking good. He found a few books abandoned in places where they did not belong and groaned. He loved his job, he loved books. 

He had a degree in library studies and once graduated he applied and got a job at Orynth main public library. The place was huge and he had grown up visit the building a lot. He had started using it thanks to his mum who had passed her love for books to him. That love never left him and growing up he realised he wanted a job where he could spend his day with books. But people? People annoyed him. The way they would just abandon books after using them, or the way they sometimes they would not respect the peace of a library. He was not a people person. 

He grunted again and placed the books back where they belonged. Then he growled savagely when he noticed one abandoned on a chair, upside down, spine broken and a dog ear on one page as bookmark. Some people deserved to have their library card cut to pieces.

At 9am on the dot he opened up and welcomed his morning regulars “Good morning mrs MacLeod.”

“Oh, good morning, Rowan darling. Is my book here?”

He smiled at the woman and went to the shelf where they kept the returns that had been booked by someone else and grabbed her book.

“Yes,” he passed it to her “it was returned yesterday and we set it aside for you.”

The woman gave him a huge smile and he finished the loan procedure “I hope you will like it. It’s a nice story.”

“I am sure I will, darling. You always recommend me good books.”

He helped her to the door and went back to work, preparing the loan requests they had got online. A wide smile spread on his face at the name he saw on the list. He was not a fan of people but there was one person whose presence he had started to enjoy deeply. She was another regular and a bookworm like him. She had told him that she had to get some of her books from the library to avoid going broke on payday. He had laughed at the joke because it was the same for him.

She was a teacher and on Thursdays she was off and would always visit the library to return a book and get a new one. They would talk about what they were reading and he discovered they had the same tastes and he had been reading a lot of her recommendations. She was just obsessed with books as he was. Rowan had started to admit to himself that he was crushing on her. She had stolen his heart when one day she came to the desk and complained, outraged, that the book she wanted to borrow had a coffee stain on a page. They had raged for ten minutes together at the animals and his heart skipped a beat. It did help as well that the woman was stunning. Her hair was a deep gorgeous blonde and she had the most incredible blue eyes with an unusual ring of gold. Yes, he was definitely a fool in love and Thursdays were his favourite day of the week. Since she started visiting he had never had another Thursday off.

***

Aelin had a bad morning already. She had gone to the gym and found it closed for some obscure reason. Then an idiot on his phone bumped into her and made her spill her coffee. She had shouted a large list of expletives at the savage and left. It was Thursday and she could not let anything ruin her favourite day of the week. She was on her way to the library to collect the book she had reserved. But if she was to be honest to herself, she was looking forward to see Rowan. The librarian had become one of his favourite people, although they only meet once a week, her time spent with him talking about books was always precious. 

It did help that the man was hot. As in so unbelievably handsome that he was so out of her league. In the months they had interacted she had developed a crush on him and not just for his unique features. He had short silver hair and the deepest pine green eyes and the days he rolled his sleeves up to his elbows she had spotted a wonderful tattoo in the old language. He had an incredible nice build and tanned skin. He was hotness incarnated. A heart attack on two legs.

Knowing her luck with men, he was happily married, although on a closer inspection she had not spotted a wedding ring. Well, probably a super hot fiancee. She definitely stood no chance with him.

But she had liked him as well because he was smart and loved books just as fiercely she did. He was always ready to suggest some new titles and all his recommendations had been spot on. She had enjoyed every single book. A part of her wished she’d have the courage to ask him out and talk about books perhaps in front of a coffee. Aelin was actually curious to discover what else he liked.

Twenty minutes later she finally reached the public library. She loved that building and her parents had nudged her towards becoming a bookworm. They would read to her and once she was able to read alone, they would gladly buy all the books she wanted. Her childhood home also had a proper library and she would spend hours in there travelling with her imagination. 

She stared at the building and finally walked in. She climbed the marble stairs and reached the adult lending library section. On the lower floor they had an area all dedicated to kids.

She opened the glass doors and her eyes went straight to the desk scanning the area for a head of silver hair. Sadness hit her when she did not see him around. It really was going to be the day from hell. She walked to the fiction section and as she turned the corner around a stack of shelves she crashed into someone. What was with her and crashing into people today?

She was about to apologise when she looked up and noticed who she had bumped into. It was Rowan. Gods, even his name was perfect. That day he was wearing a blue shirt, the sleeves rolled up to the elbows, jeans and a pair of rimless glasses. She had so many improper thoughts.

“Aelin, sorry I didn’t see you…” his voice thick with his accent from Wendlyn. 

“Hi,” she managed, trying to bring her feelings under control “I thought you were off. I came in and you were not around.” Oh she sounded like a lovestruck teenager.

“I was placing some books back on the shelves.” He indicated the pile in his arms.

Aelin spotted one of the titles “that is a great story. I read it about five times already.” Pointing to a specific title.

Rowan had a look at the book and read the blurb “I’ll set it aside.”

“You look good with glasses.” She blurted out and then blushed. She was flirting like a moron.

He gave her a smile that reached his eyes and her heart skipped a beat. Gods, the things she’d do to him…

“I have the book you reserved, by the way,” and he started walking back to the counter and she followed. 

Aelin gave him her card and he processed the loan for her “you know the drill, right?”

“I am going home and spill coffee all over it.” Had it been someone else she knew he would have been horrified but that had become their inside joke. He knew she would never do anything of the sort.

***

Rowan processed her loan and took that moment to think about a good way to ask her out for coffee although he was afraid he was going to get a crushing rejection. She was probably taken already. A woman like her was definitely not single. Plus, she was definitely out of his league. He was about to ask her but froze and decided to leave it.

“I’ll just go and have a look around.” She told him, and he knew she was trying to put some distance between them. How could he even hope she would fall for him? He was the most boring man on earth. That was what Lyria had said when she dumped him. He sighed heavily and went back to his job but his gaze followed Aelin through the bookshelves. In his head he had different conversations he wanted to try. He usually was quite good and in the past he had picked up his share of women in pubs. But with Aelin it was different. He did not want to pass as a pig. All he wanted to tell her was that he found her attractive and fascinating and take her out for a coffee. Then he had an idea.

He walked to a shelf and picked a book that he knew she’d love. He was planning on recommending it to her another time but that was now his tool for his plan.

He scribbled down a note on a post it and placed it in the book, then walked to her “I was meaning to recommend you this one. Loads of angst but it’s a great story, and the female main character is just as badass as you like it. I already checked it out for you.”

The smile she gave him left him breathless “Thank you, Rowan. That’s why you are my favourite librarian.”

Eventually she had to leave and he wished it was Thursday already.

***

It was later in the afternoon when she got home after all her errands. She took her two books from her messenger bag and flipped through the one Rowan had given her until she spotted something bright green through the pages. She reached the post it note and read it.

I think you are perfect and a very fascinating woman. I will eagerly wait for next Thursday. Hopefully you will let me take you out for a coffee. Rowan.

She squealed in delight and texted Lysandra straight away to tell her about the message Rowan had left her. Rowan, the hottest librarian in the whole of Orynth wanted to go out for coffee with her. She could not believe it was happening, and she had to wait until next Thursday. She was off on Saturday but she had no idea if Rowan worked. She could try, she was so impatient to see him again that waiting was not an option.

***

Rowan got home later that night, got changed and crashed on the sofa and noticed the book abandoned there. It was one of the many Aelin had recommended to him. It was a great story, she definitely had great taste. He grabbed the book and thought about Aelin and the message he had left her. He had been so stupid. It was not high school, they were both adults and leaving messages like a lovestruck teenager was beyond pathetic. He should have talked to her like human beings did. He ran a hand through his hair and leaned back against the sofa. He had probably blown every chance with her. Who would ever go out with a guy who couldn’t even ask a girl out?

The following Thursday

Rowan had opened the library as usual but on that day a sense of unease was making him nervous. He still could not think about the stupid move about putting a message in a book for Aelin. He was positive she was going to ignore him the next time, or stop visiting altogether.

The morning had been busy with new applicants, his usual customers and an avalanche of requests to set books aside. Panic caught him when he saw one from Aelin. Which meant she was coming in and he was not ready. What could he say to her? Sorry I am bad at talking to people so I write secret messages like a teenager? He was embarrassed and he was not ready when he spotted her golden mane of hair appear at the main entrance. He tried to hide but she had spotted him and was now walking towards him with a huge grin. His heart started racing. Was just an impression or she was more gorgeous than usual?

Rowan saw her come to the desk and diligently wait for her turn while he finished serving the three people in front of her.

“Hi stranger,” she said to him once it was her turn.

Rowan felt a savage blush rise on his face “Hi you. I assume you are here for your book.”

Aelin nodded and passed him her library card “and for a coffee date.”

Rowan froze halfway to the computer. He cleared his voice “so you saw my message.”

“And I loved the idea. It reminded me of one of the books I read recently where one of the guard is in love with the princess, they are both bookworms and leave each other messages in books because they need to keep their relationship a secret.”

Rowan smiled “You got me. I took the idea from that book.”

The smile she gave him had the power to almost knock the breath out of his lungs.

“I don’t have school on Saturday. Fancy going out for a coffee?”

Rowan nodded “do you know the coffee shop around the corner from here?”

Aelin nodded in assent “I love that place.”

“I am off this Saturday, so if you want we can go then. It would be lovely to know more about my favourite customer.”

She took a step closer to him, only the counter separating them “favourite customer, eh?”

“Well, the one who gets outraged at people mistreating books. The one who understands my pain.”

Aelin cackled and her hand brushed his when she grabbed the card he was returning to her. 

“I have only one condition.” He added softly.

“Hm?”

“You let me pay. You can scoff as many pastries as you want. It’s my treat.”

She leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek “it’s a date.”

When she pulled back she noticed his beautiful green eyes set on her. Maybe she had been too forward?

He grabbed a piece of paper and scribbled something down “my number.”

Aelin grabbed the piece of paper happily and winked at him “Now I have to go. I have loads to do.”

Rowan was sad at the idea “Of course. I will see you Saturday, then?”

“Saturday.” Her heart raced and then walked out of the library thinking that she could not wait two more days before seeing him again.

Rowan followed her with his gaze, happy that she had appreciated and understood the message idea. His hand touched the spot on the cheek that she had kissed and he was positive he was grinning like a lunatic.

They had a coffee date. He could not believe his luck.

But most of all he could not wait for Saturday.

He went to the stacks, looked for a specific book and checked it out under his name, then scribbled a message on a post it and placed it in the book and set it aside.

Ready for Aelin.

She was his Thursday crush.